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† Holy Martyr Ignatius the God-Bearer St. Ignatius the God-Bearer 259, who lived in Apostolic times, was a disciple of St. Apostle John the Theologian, listener of St. Apostle Peter, was, as St. says about him. John Chrysostom: “a fellow of the Apostles both in speech and in that which is ineffable” 260 - was subsequently made second after Evodius as Bishop of Antioch, by appointment of the Apostles. St. Ignatius ruled the Antiochian Church for 40 years, during which time he showed, as St. John Chrysostom in his laudatory words about him, “all the virtues that are possible for people.” During the persecution of Christians instituted by Domitian, he, according to the written testimony of his disciples, “with fasting and prayer, tirelessness in teaching, and zeal of spirit, counteracted the excitement, so that none of the faint-hearted or inexperienced would drown.” Carefully observing all the care that the then-infant Church needed, Saint Ignatius contributed to its comprehensive organization and splendor; He was the first, as the church historian Socrates reports, according to a vision he had of angels singing a solemn song to the Most Holy Throne on two opposite sides, who, in imitation of them, introduced in the Antiochian Church the singing of two faces (antiphonal) of Divine songs, which later passed on to other Churches. His love for God and his high service to Him. Ignatius finally sealed it with his martyrdom. During the reign of the Roman Emperor Trajan, who persecuted all kinds of communities or unions in which he saw the danger of violating state unity and to which he included the community of Christians, Bishop Ignatius was subject to responsibility and punishment as a representative of numerous Christians in Antioch (which at that time had up to 200,000 inhabitants). Arriving in Antioch (in 106), Trajan wished to make a personal interrogation of the Christian bishop. – Who are you, an evil demon, that you violate our laws, and even encourage others to do the same? - asked the emperor St. Ignatius, presented to him at his command. “The God-bearer cannot be called a demon,” answered the saint, “demons or evil spirits flee from the servants of God; if you think that I am hostile to them, then I agree with this and put it in honor of myself. – What does this name mean – God-Bearer? - asked Trajan. – The name “God-bearer” means a person who carries God in his heart... – So you carry your Christ within yourself? “Truly I bear it,” said St. Ignatius, since in St. Scripture says: “I will dwell in them and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they my people” (2 Cor. 6:16). – But do you really think that we don’t have gods in our souls who help us win victories over our enemies? “You, by mistake, call the pagan gods gods, since there is only one God - Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God,” the Christian objected. “Aren’t you talking about the one who was crucified under Pontius Pilate?” – Yes, I’m talking about the One who crucified my sin on the cross along with its culprit... Convinced from the bishop's further reasoning of the firmness of his Christian convictions, dangerous especially in the head and leader of a Christian society, the emperor condemned him to execution and ordered him to be sent to Rome to be devoured there to be devoured by wild beasts, for the amusement of the people, who, not knowing that Ignatius was condemned for his faith, could take him for an ordinary criminal, and thus the suffering of the martyr would not contribute this time to the spread of followers to his feat for his faith. true God. Joyfully and with gratitude to God, who deigned him to suffer for his faith in Him, he set off, bound by the heavy shackles of St. Ignatius on his last journey. Passing through the city of Smyrna, he had the consolation of seeing Bishop Polycarp and many Christians who arrived here from different places to receive blessings and instructions from him. Seeing their grief for him and alarmed by fear that Christians, out of love for him, would try to save him from death, St. Ignatius, in warning of such an attempt, hastened to send the following letter to the Roman Christians: “Fulfilling my prayer,” he wrote to them, among other things, “the Lord grants me the happiness of seeing you. I am a prisoner for the name of Christ and I pray to God that He will help me to accept my lot to the end; but I’m afraid of your love... don’t bother me with your love... Just ask God for external and internal strength, so that I not only speak, but also desire; so that I would not only be called a Christian, but actually be one. I write to all the Churches that I voluntarily die for God, unless you prevent me. I beg you too, do not hold me back with untimely love. Leave me to be food for beasts... I am the wheat of God, I must be ground by the teeth of beasts in order to be the pure bread of Christ... I am still a slave; in Christ I will rise free... Now I am just beginning to be a disciple, when I do not desire anything, neither visible nor invisible, but only to achieve Christ for me... I desire the Lord, the Son of the true God and Father; I am looking for Him who died and rose again for us!.. Forgive me, brothers! Don’t stop me from getting life, don’t wish me death!.. Let me see the pure light, let me be an imitator of the suffering of my God! He who has Him within himself will understand me... Do not listen to me if, when meeting you, I began to ask for something else; but believe what I am writing to you now. Now I write, full of life, overwhelmed with the desire to die for Christ. My love is crucified, and there is no fire of love for the world in me; but living water flows in me and calls to me: go to the Father. May God the Father Himself and the Lord Jesus Christ show you that I am speaking the truth. Pray for me that I may achieve.” Following his letter, Bishop Ignatius himself arrived in Rome; The local Christians greeted him with the warmest sympathy; They really intended to use all efforts to save Ignatius from death, but he repeated to them what he asked them to do in his letter, and convinced them not to interfere with his execution. Having prayed earnestly with them, among other things, for the granting of peace to the Church, for the strengthening of mutual love between the brethren, St. Ignatius was taken by soldiers to execution. Going there, he continued to pray, calling on the name of Christ. - “Why do you keep repeating this name?” - the soldiers asked him. “It is in my heart, that’s why my lips repeat it,” answered Ignatius the God-Bearer. Arriving at the circus, full of fierce and depraved criminals impatiently awaiting their fun - “the spectacle of the execution of an old man,” Ignatius was not embarrassed when he heard the roar of hungry lions. Addressing the people with majestic calm, he said loudly: “Know, Roman citizens, that I was not condemned to death for atrocity and crime, but only for faith in my one God, Whom I love and to whom I wish to go. I am His wheat and I am ground with the teeth of beasts in order to become pure bread for Him...” The martyr barely had time to utter these words when two released lions pounced on him and instantly tore him to pieces; - only a few solid parts remained, which were later collected by Christians and subsequently transferred to Antioch. The martyrdom of St. Ignatius the God-Bearer took place on December 20, 107. The authentic acts about him, written by eyewitnesses - Philo and Agathopodes 262 for the Antiochians, are concluded in the following words: “We, who saw this with our own eyes, then spent the whole night in tears and, with kneeling and prayer, asked God to console us about what had happened. When we then fell asleep a little, some of us saw Blessed Ignatius standing near us and hugging us; others saw him praying with us; others - watered with sweat, as if after great labor he came to the upcoming Lord. Having joyfully seen this and compared the dream visions, we sang praise to God, the Giver of good things, blessed the holy man and wrote down the day and year of his death, so that, gathering on the day of his martyrdom, we could have fellowship with the ascetic and valiant martyr of Christ.” After St. Ignatius the God-Bearer left his wonderful epistles, about which St. Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna, says that “great benefit can be found in them, for they contain faith, patience and all edification in our Lord.” The main goal of these messages is to contribute to the preservation of church unity in the spirit of faith - to protect against heretical teachings, which were already beginning to spread greatly at that time. St. wrote specifically about heretics. Ignatius: “I warn you against beasts clothed in human form: you need not only not to accept them, but, if possible, not to meet with them, but only to pray for them... Do not be deceived, brethren, adulterers will not enter the Kingdom of God... What will happen to those who corrupt the faith of God, for which Christ was crucified, with false teaching?” - “Don’t be deceived. Whoever follows the teacher of schism will not enter the Kingdom of God; whoever walks according to heretical teaching is not conformed to the suffering of Christ.” Calling heretics poisoners, and their teachings poison; sometimes - by beasts in human form, or by mad dogs that bite on the sly and often to death, St. Ignatius, punishing error, but at the same time filled with the most tender love for the erring person, constantly reminds of the duty to pray for the erring. “Pray continually for them,” he writes to Ephesians, “for there is hope for them of repentance to come to God. Let them learn from your deeds. Be meek against their anger; against their arrogance - humility; Oppose their slander with prayer; their error - firmness in faith; be quiet against their rudeness.” “All perfection,” writes St. Ignatius in his letter to the Smyrnae - in faith and love, higher than which there is nothing in the world. Look at those who teach differently about the grace of Jesus Christ that has come to us; how contrary they are to the will of God! They have no care for love, for the widow, nor for the orphan, nor for the oppressed, nor for the prisoner, or for the freed from bonds, nor for the hungry or thirsty. In the life-giving spirit of the one true faith, the head of which is Jesus Christ, St. Игнатий убеждает искать и решение сомнений и правила для всей жизни 263 . “I resort to the Gospel, as the body of Jesus,” he says, “and to the Apostles, as to the presbytery of the Church.” And we must love the prophets, because they also foretold the Gospel and trusted in Christ. Убеждаю вас, не делайте ничего по любопрению, но по учению Христову. Some, as I have heard, say: if I do not find something in the ancient (scripture), then I do not believe in the Gospel... But for me, the ancient is Jesus Christ, the immutable ancient is His Cross, His death and resurrection, His faith, the teaching brought by Him 264... Try to establish yourself in the dogmas of the Lord and the Apostles, so that everything you say will have good success, internally and externally, in faith and love, in the Son and Отце и Духе, в начале и конце» 265 . “The Lord Jesus is the door of the Father through which the patriarchs, prophets, apostles and the Church enter to achieve unity with God. То и другое, древнее и новое, превосходно, если вы веруете в любви. Faith is the beginning of life, love is the end; both of them are collectively from God... And so Christianity does not consist in confession, but in the power of faith, when someone remains faithful to the end 266. In reflection of various heretical teachings of St. Ignatius the God-Bearer explains the personality of Jesus Christ this way: “Christ Jesus was with the Father before the ages and finally appeared.” “He is the eternal word of the Father.” “He is the Son of God and God.” “In man is God, in death is true life, both from Mary and from God.” “Through Him the Divinity was revealed to us.” “He was truly born of the Virgin, baptized by John, truly nailed for us in the flesh, under Pontius Pilate and Herod the Tetrarch.” He truly suffered, just as He truly resurrected Himself, not as some unbelievers say, as if He suffered ghostly, being themselves ghostly; As they philosophize, so will they live—incorporeal shadows and evil spirits.” “Those who reject true humanity in Christ,” concludes St. God-bearer, - they move away from the Eucharist because they do not confess with us that the Eucharist is the flesh of our Savior Jesus Christ, the flesh that suffered for us and which the Father raised in His goodness.” “It is clear, according to the teaching of the Church, just as the Son of God in His incarnation was clothed with true flesh and blood, so His true flesh and blood is found in the Eucharist. The opposite teaching is the teaching of heretics.” Calling the Eucharist “the medicine of immortality, the antidote to death,” St. Ignatius encourages people to take part in it as often as possible, pointing at the same time to the glory of public prayer performed in the spirit of unity, peace and love. – “Gather together more often for the Eucharist and the praise of God, for if you gather together often, then the forces of Satan are overthrown, and the unanimity of your faith destroys his disastrous deeds. Don't be fooled! Whoever is not inside the altar (church) is deprived of the bread of God. If the prayer of one or another has great power, then even more so the prayer of the bishop and the entire Church. And so, whoever does not go to the general meeting has already become proud and has excommunicated himself (from God). For it is written: God resists the proud. Therefore, I ask you, try to do everything in Divine unanimity.” There is nothing better than peace, for through it all enmity against us in heaven and on earth is dishonored. All this is understandable to you if you have perfect faith and love for Christ.” Saint Ignatius gives his instructions in the spirit of love and extreme humility. “I do not command you as if I have the power to do so or mean anything,” he writes, and by the way, shortly before his martyrdom; for although I am in chains for the name of Christ, I am not yet perfect in Christ: now I am just beginning to learn, but I am telling you how to teach, because my love for you does not allow me to remain silent, but prompts me to write to you and beg you to follow the path of the Lord.” These 7 letters or epistles of St. Ignatius of Smyrna, and then from Troas during his journey to Rome for execution - (to the Romans, to the Ephesians, Magnesians, Trallians, Philadelphians, to the Church of Smyrna and to Bishop Polycarp) - contain precious indications of the state of the Church and its teachings in the 1st and early 2nd centuries. They were guided and witnessed by St. Athanasius, St. Irenaeus, Origen and many other church writers and teachers. In general, these messages enjoyed great respect: they were copied, reread, studied, cited as confirmation or explanation of church teaching and church tradition, memorable sayings were cited from them, for example: “like a perfect ascetic, endure the infirmities of everyone.” “The Christian has no control over himself, belonging to God.” “Whoever has assimilated the word of Jesus, even without saying anything, reveals himself.” “It is good to teach to those who act as they teach.” “One must not only speak, but also desire, not only call oneself, but also be a Christian.” “Christianity is not something to be silent about”... † Repose of St. Daniel, Archbishop of Serbia Blessed Daniel was a man of great intelligence and enlightenment, strict life and love for his fatherland 267. The son of rich parents and the only one remaining with them after the death of his brothers, he was their favorite son; out of love, they did not want to exhaust him with teaching, but he himself begged them to entrust him to a good teacher and soon turned out to be a gifted and best student. After completing his studies, he was accepted into service at the court of King Milutin 268. The king loved him and distinguished him with his attention; but honors did not captivate his heart. Once, accompanying the king who was visiting the Sopochansky monastery, he talked in the monastery with an elder monk about spiritual salvation and then disappeared into the Konchulsky monastery, where he accepted monasticism. Archbishop Eustathius (1286–1304), having learned about his monastic life, in consultation with the king, ordained him as a hieromonk and then as abbot of the Athos Hilandar monastery. Here he spent time in fasting, prayer and deeds. Quite some time passed like this. And then a storm arose on Mount Athos: the crusaders expelled from Palestine and settled out of mercy in Romania began to riot, like worthy disciples of the pope; They added to their various abominations that they decided to completely settle on Athos in order to live at the expense of the Athos monasteries. They plundered monasteries, not sparing any shrine. Hilandar was besieged. Since the atrocities of the crusaders flocked to the monastery and its servants, there soon became a lack of maintenance; many of the brethren, fleeing hunger, were captured and deprived of their lives. The crusaders broke into the monastery with an armed hand; but were repelled. The Hilandar abbot did not act according to the thoughts of humane socialism. Why not give everything to these people, that is, to those who did not want to take on any labor, but wanted to live at the expense of others, and even do abominations? But it is clear that the socialism preached today is not something new at all, but a long-known sin, strictly persecuted by a mature mind. Father Daniel, having made orders for the property and protection of the monastery, came to King Milyutin. The king kept him with him until the end of the siege; but he, having received benefits, hurried to the unfortunate monastery and with difficulty made his way into it; he bought a ship of wheat and hired several soldiers to guard the monastery. Three years and 3 months St. The mountain was under siege until Milyutin dispersed the Frankish vagabonds 269. At the end of the siege, Daniel moved to Karea. When discontent arose between the brother kings Dragutin and Milyutin, Daniel, ordained Bishop of Bansk 270, was a mediator-peacemaker between the brothers and, rejecting the war, convinced Dragutin to abandon forever enterprises that were offensive to Christian feelings 271. Having completed his Christian work, Daniel returned to his beloved Karean solitude. Then he, at the request of the suffering prince Stephen, took an active part in the reconciliation of father and son 272. After this, Daniel prepared to go to Jerusalem; The king, calling him to himself, appointed him to rest in the patriarchal monastery. Upon the election of Blessed. Nicodemus as archbishop, Daniel was given the Kholm See 273. He witnessed the death of King Milutin. The new king Stefan loved him even more than his father, since he vividly felt gratitude for his participation in delivering him from captivity. When the king's cousin Vladislav persuaded the Bulgarian prince in his favor and against the king, in the council of nobles Stefan it was decided that the work of a mediator could be carried out more successfully than others by the Kholm Bishop Daniel and - Blessed. Daniel happily fulfilled his assignment in Constantinople and at the Bulgarian prince 274. – Despite the honors and signs of love that the king showered on blessed Daniel, Daniel again retired to Athos solitude. Upon death, blessed Nicodemus Serbian Council (in 1325) elected Daniel as archbishop 275. In this rank, Daniel zealously took care of the conversion of the Bogomilovs who lived near Prilep to Orthodoxy 276, and also successfully repelled the attacks of the pope 277. – During the Bulgarian War (1330) he remained with the queen for advice 278. Serbia lent him the construction of many churches and the cultivation of vineyards 279. He crowned Dushan to the kingdom, although with sorrow for his relationship with his father 280. Blessed Daniel, with his love for the Lord, loved enlightenment and his homeland 281. He collected information about the past of Serbia and wrote a Genealogy, where in the first part he eloquently described the affairs of the Serbian rulers, and in the second - the life of the Serbian high priests 282. Reposed blessedly on December 19, 1338 283. The Serbian Church sings to him: “the miracle of the announcement (according to the narration), you shone with the deeds of God’s virtues, you saved the faces of the monastics, you established the bishop’s seat, without being ashamed of the heretical attack, ruling the Church of Christ, O Reverend Father Daniel, the wise: you fell asleep, as while sleeping, your body is intact and incorruptible, quickly preserved and provides healing to those who are sick from various ailments and drives away demons. For this reason we pray to you, pray for our souls to be saved” 284. Celebration of the Novodvorsk Icon of the Mother of God This icon, also called Novgorod-Severskaya, according to its current location, was written by St. Peter, Metropolitan of All-Russia, when he lived in Volyn in the monastery he built near Kovel near the Rata River in the New Palace tract, which now does not exist. During the persecution of Orthodoxy from the Uniates, when they attacked the Novodvorsky Monastery, the local hieromonk Jacob transferred it to the Chernigov Dormition Eletsky Monastery. When the Surazhsky monastery was established in the Chernigov province near the city of Surazh, His Eminence Anthony Stakhovsky blessed this monastery with her (abolished in 1786). In 1677, on August 14, the icon was transferred from the old church to the new one in a procession before the liturgy. St. Demetrius of Rostov, who arrived at this time to venerate the miraculous image, says that on August 16, Nicodemus, abbot of Tsepersky. announced in the church after mass the miracles that came from the icon of the Mother of God. According to local legend (see description of the Novgorod-Seversky Monastery. Chernigov. 1873), Archbishop Lazar Baranovich transferred this icon to the Novgorod-Seversky Transfiguration Monastery, where to this day it serves as an object of reverent honor and worship for the residents of the city and surrounding areas. The name God-Bearer was given to St. Ignatius, as tradition says, because he was precisely the child whom, during His earthly life, Jesus Christ, once taking in his arms, showed as an example to the Apostles, saying: “Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like little children, you will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven” (Matthew 18:23). - It's called St. Ignatius was also a God-bearer because in all his deeds he was constantly the bearer of God and the name of God in his mind and heart and lips. St. John Chrysostom in the 42nd Discourse on St. Ignatius, vol. II, p. 592 (According to the decree of Philar., Archbishop of Chernigov, in the “Teaching of the Father Church,” § 19). Extract. from decree Filar., archbishop. Chernigov., in “Uch. about the Father Churches", § 19. These acts are placed in Ruivart, vol. I, 15–48 (“Month. East.” Archim. Serg., vol. II, part 2, p. 393). Extract. from the decree of Philar., Archbishop. Chernigov., in “Uch. about the Father Churches", §20. The life of Daniel, described by his disciple, is also known to Raich (II. 544) - in the Rumyantsev Museum, p. 157. An extract from it is in Glasnik VI, 35-41. Life of kr. Milutina says about Milutina: “in his youth he had a teacher and mentor, blessed in the Serbian archbishop Daniel, a holy and reverend husband” (Serblyak l. 55). But Milyutin († 1320) was much older than Daniil († 1338). Therefore, it is incredible that the latter was the teacher of the former. This is what Daniel's disciple says. According to his information, compared with Milutin’s letter and genealogy, this Frankish attack on Athos ended in 1296. Theodulus Master, whose news was published in Anecdota Boissonadi II, 226, dated the destruction of Athos by the Catalans to 1308. But the advantage remains. for his contemporaries. Daniel's words in Zap. geogr. total XIII, 302. Glasnik VI. 38. Daniel says that at the burial of Cor. Helena († Feb. 6th 1306) he was in the rank of Bishop of Banya. Letop. in Glasnik V, 57. Daniel in Raich II, 421. 422. Since during the burial of the square. Helena in February 1306 Daniil was already the Bishop of Banya, then the reconciliation of Dragutin with Milyutin and his mother was accomplished, no doubt, in 1305. Report of Daniel in Rajic II, 531–533. Glasnik VI, 40. News from a student at Rajic II, 545. Service: “to the saint of Christ, teacher of Divine traditions, to you, as Christ showed the true shepherd to the verbal flock, to the Serbian people, whom you saved from temptations and strengthened their existence in Orthodoxy.” Raicha II, 379. Glasnik VI, 41, V, 57. Grigorovich (travel 19) has a Gospel of 1329, written “by command of the Reverend. Mr. archbishop all Srbian lands and Pomeranian Kiri. Danila, then ruling on the throne of St. Saint Cyrus Sava." Maikov (p. 50) knows the translation of the Helmsman, attributed to the arch. Daniel. Genealogy in the Rumyantsev Museum, pp. 155–157. Original in Hilandar; three lists in Karlovtsi and Lviv University Library. Disciple of Daniel: “to proclaim the God-pleasing lives of their masters, the blessed kings of the Serbian lands, and again the good actions of the immaculate lives of their Right Reverend Archbishops.” After Daniel, only notes by year and short chronicles were written. Safarik published three chronicles (in monuments): one ends in 1453, the other in 1503, the third, published according to 8 lists, goes, according to some lists, to the 17th century. The Tronosha Chronicle, published in the 5th hour of the Glasnik, is distinguished by its completeness and its compiler shows a desire to present events in their connection. It ends with the first quarter of the XVI century. Another short chronicle in the Latin translation of V Psyachevich was published - in “Ar.” Kukuchevycha 3, 3–30. In addition to the brevity and dryness of the news, another oddity is visible in the Serbian Chronicles: their chronological indications are mostly incorrect. Raicha II, 614. According to the news of the chief priests (Glasnik VI, 41), Daniel was archbishop for 14 years and 3 months. According to the Serbian Charter (Glasnik XI) “Dec. 19 Prestavise Archbishop Daniel.” His predecessor Nicodemus died in May 1325, see August. 30.