Venerable Nicodemus the Holy Mountain. Life and works

On the fiftieth anniversary of the glorification of St. Nicodemus the Holy Mountain on May 31, 1955 Act of canonization of St. Nicodemus Prologue to the fourth edition Athenagoras. By the grace of God, Archbishop of Constantinople, New Rome and Ecumenical Patriarch Those who have shone in earthly life through the practice of virtues are holy and extremely useful for the fullness of the church after their repose, to venerate them, reverently please them and glorify them with annual services and hymns of praise: because the praise of those who have reposed in virtue ascends to God Himself, from Whom every virtue is given to people, as the theologian of the same name Gregory theologizes, and because praise for good deeds fulfills jealousy the dull and lazy and encourages them to practice virtue. So, since Nicodemus the Holy Mountain, who lived on the Holy Mountain, distinguished himself by such great deeds of virtue, first in the Holy Royal, Patriarchal and Stavropegial Monastery of Dionysius, where he accepted the sacred schema, and then in the Holy, Royal, Patriarchal and Stavropegial Monastery of the Great Lavra and in other places, setting an example of reverence and holiness of life Christian life and a living image of virtue, and with various Orthodox and soul-helping writings, who has shown himself to be a teacher of the Church and the fullness of Christ, Our measure is with the Most Holy and Most Honorable Metropolitans who are with us, beloved in the Holy Spirit by our Brothers and co-servants, paying tribute to his godly life, and charters, and exploits, and providing for the common benefit of the faithful, in addition taking into account the request made in relation to him on behalf of all the Most Reverend Monks who labor on the Holy Mountain, transmitted by the Elder of the Cell in Kareia Ananias Lavriot, so that the anniversary of his death would be marked by recognition of his holiness, we decided, together with the divine Fathers who came before us, the general custom of the Church, to give him the honor due to divine men. Therefore, we collectively decree, and determine and command in the Holy Spirit, that from now on and in all subsequent centuries, Nicodemus the Holy Mountain should be numbered among the Reverend and Holy men of the Church and honored with annual sacred services and celebrations and blessed with hymns of praise on July 14, the day when he blessedly departed to the Lord. As a sign and confirmation of this, our present Patriarchal Council act was set out and signed in the same sacred code of our holy Church of Christ, and in an exact copy was sent to the Sacred Cinema of the Holy Mountain for placement in its archives. In the Summer of Salvation 1955, May 31. Patriarch Athenagoras of Constantinople decrees Metropolitan Thomas of Chalcedon Metropolitan of the Princes' Islands Dorothea Metropolitan of Irinople Constantine Metropolitan Jacob of Iconium Metropolitan Jerome of Rhodopolis Metropolitan Jacob of Derk Metropolitan Leonty of Theodoropol Metropolitan Maximus of Sardis Metropolitan of Imbros and Tenedos Meliton Metropolitan Jacob of Philadelphia “The first of good deeds is to praise what is good; because praise paves the way for competition, competition for virtue, and virtue for bliss” 1 . Following this saying of Blessed Gregory the Theologian, I set about writing an introductory word to the present work of my spiritual child, the most learned monk Theoclitus. Since, by divine gesture, the Mother Church canonized Blessed Nicodemus the Holy Mountain, basing this Canonical Act on what has long been observed, that is, on the holiness of life and soul-helping writings of the saint, the need to write a work in which these two foundations that make up the holiness accessible to people would be revealed to the entire church people has become obvious. Everyone, but especially the Holy Mountain residents, expected that among the participants in the spiritual meal of the greatest of the Holy Mountain residents, Nicodemus, there would be someone who would be able to pay off the debt to the glorious father with a skillful study of everything that has to do with his family, years of study, monastic life, and even more so - a story about the diverse writing work of the saint with consideration of how the special gifts of the Spirit were reflected in this work. I don’t know what my brothers think about this, but to this day I have not heard of any other of the Svyatogorsk residents taking up such work. However, believing that more than others this duty lies with our sacred monastery, in which the holy father began his monastic life, as well as his writing, I turned my fatherly gaze to the good novice Father Theoclitus and was not mistaken in my aspirations. I met complete understanding of my wishes, or, better to say, his own long-standing aspiration, since St. Nicodemus is the main elder and leader in monastic life for us and for most other Athonite monks. In Proverbs, the wise Solomon says: “A wise son makes his father happy.” 2 So my humble soul rejoiced at the fulfillment of my desire - to see the work about Saint Nicodemus the Holy Mountain completed. My fatherly heart also rejoices, seeing the success of a zealous and chosen child in Christ. And therefore, giving praise to all that is good and kindling the divine zeal of Father Theoclitus for the fulfillment of virtue in deed and word, I pray that he will achieve eternal bliss, as well as that he will complete his new work, dedicated to our father Gregory Palamas, like the saints, and that all readers will receive good things from the Lord both in the present and in the future life. Abbot of the Sacred Kinovia Saint Dionysius on Mount Athos Since the 3rd edition of my monograph dedicated to the great holy father and teacher of the most holy Church of Greek Orthodoxy has already been sold out, the publishing house of Evangel Papadimitriou, which publishes classic books, has undertaken a fourth edition, for which I thank him, asking him for every good from the Lord. From the moment Blessed Nicodemus was recognized by the Ecumenical Patriarchate as a saint of the Orthodox Church until the present day, his multifaceted, impeccably Orthodox teaching has been increasingly revealed and its importance for the Church’s preservation of traditional dogma and spiritual truth has been realized. Now many university-level theological conferences proclaim that St. Nicodemus the Holy Mountain is a great patristic figure, and monasteries are built in his name. Theological studies are being published, and the present book, as a pioneer, is considered as a classic work, which, together with other reasons, prompted the pastoral department of the Faculty of Theology of the University of Thessalonica to award its author the degree of honorary doctor of divinity three years ago. I would like to take this opportunity to thank and congratulate the excellent philologist Mr. Emmanuel Frankiskos, who, after conducting research, made the discovery that the authorship of the translations of two Western books (The Invisible Warfare and Spiritual Exercises) belongs to Emmanuel Romaniti. Thus, it was possible to resolve a philological problem that had spiritual consequences, troubled the conscience and raised questions regarding the publisher of these books, Saint Nicodemus. In addition, the researcher’s message that these manuscripts were brought and given to Saint Nicodemus by Saint Macarius of Corinth from the library of Patmos, which he was describing at that time, is very valuable for theologians. Theoclitus, monk of Dionysiata This book is the work of a monk. In the Eastern Church the type of “learned” monk is completely unknown. Eastern monasticism is distinguished by such a high spirituality that in patristic ascetic teaching and mystical theology a monk cannot find justification for himself unless he is a doer of virtue and a contemplative and God-pleasing soul, out of love for his brothers in Christ, revealing to them the experience of his communion with God. Our monastic life proceeds within the framework outlined by divine experience and the teaching in the Holy Spirit of the ascetic holy Fathers, who are otherwise called sober. Consequently, this life has no connection either with German idealism, or with the utilitarian ethics of the monastic orders of the Western Church, or with the misanthropic self-isolation of the Stoics, or with the deadness of unenlightened Buddhism, or with the worshipers of the letter of the law - the Essenes, or with the fruitless search for the “One” of the Neoplatonists. Our Orthodox monasticism is a life dedicated exclusively to God. Monasticism belongs to God, lives by Him and works in collaboration with Him for the sake of itself and its neighbor. It entrusts its sighs to Divine Goodness, and God looks upon them in His providence for the world. Monasticism is born in time from a thirst for divine life, is observed through tears and prayer, grows with love in Christ, directed upward and around, and strives towards eternity, since “the limited world is not enough for the soul, which desires something greater and more perfect, which can be amazed, which can be loved and on which it can be established.” Consequently, a monk’s cell is not a scientist’s laboratory (in the Catholic manner), but a place of prayer, work, teaching and tempering of the soul in various spiritual endeavors, an unearthly, deserted and silent place. Before the Crucifixion of the Savior, Who talks with the soul of a monk about His inexpressible love for people, and under the quiet gaze of the Blessed Virgin, Who with maternal affection accompanies one who has entered into the struggle with his passions and strengthens him with the grace of Her Son, activities that require a lot of space for the memory of earthly affairs and scientific methods seem inappropriate. So, in such a very limited setting of an ascetic cell, this book was born, describing and interpreting the life and works of our holy father Nicodemus the Holy Mountain. Therefore, it is not surprising that the humble author of this book, feeling for many years his dependence on the saint whose life he is writing, and living in the atmosphere of a monastic cell, offers his work to the Orthodox Greek people as a simple imprint of the conditions in which it was written, from the very beginning refusing any honor for his insignificant literary merits. The appearance in recent times in the Eastern Church of St. Nicodemus clearly proves that Orthodox theology, as patristic theology, continues to inspire the divine inspirations of the All-Holy Spirit, and He constantly proclaims through His divine gifts His freedom to breathe where He wants, 3 in contrast to the West, fettered by the rationalistic and anti-spiritual scholasticism of Thomas Aquinas. In the same way, He was known to us as a stormy breath 4 on Holy Pentecost. Therefore, when three years ago the Holy Synod of the Patriarchate of Constantinople canonized Nicodemus the Holy Mountain, the Orthodox Church thereby renewed its patristic spirituality and, as it were, emerged washed and immaculate from the spirit-bearing streams of the Holy Legends. This event was joyfully greeted as having truly historical significance for the life of the Church, which was able to offer our turmoil-filled era a highly Orthodox example of holy life, for through St. Nicodemus the Holy Mountain, the unique path of theology characteristic of us Orthodox is glorified, which is nothing less than the path of revelation, enlightenment and inspiration. According to St. Maximus the Confessor, “there is nothing poorer than thought that philosophizes about the divine without enlightenment from above.” Now the West, groaning and overwhelmed by despair at the hopelessness of human syllogisms, greedily rushes to the sources of eastern waters. It is no coincidence that he has long been looking, albeit in other ways, for an unattainable deliverance in Kierkegaard’s existentialism. And the appeal of the Western world to Orthodox mystical theology is confirmed by the recent translations of the Philokalia and the works of St. Simeon the New Theologian - books on which Nicodemus the Holy Mountain worked so hard. It seems to us that the voice of Catholicism sounds very expressively in the sincere judgment of the Catholic theologian V. Grumel. According to him, Saint Nicodemus “was a canonist, liturgist, hagiographer, ascetic writer, book publisher, one of the most prolific writers and undoubtedly the most industrious monk, thanks to whom the Greek Church is again glorified for the first time in many centuries” 5 . It is generally accepted that Nicodemus the Holy Mountain is of great importance for the life and spirituality of the Orthodox, especially since this spirituality ultimately represents holiness, which is the only requirement of the Church. Therefore, the words of Fr. P. Gerard from Great Britain: “...we perform our prayers in the bright name of St. Nicodemus of Athos... thanks to him, the West will find “heartfelt prayer”, “uncreated light”, the irresistible defender of which was the great Saint Gregory Palamas” 6. Orthodoxy is not limited to its dogmatic definitions and forms, with the help of which the right path to the knowledge of the truth about God that surpasses all understanding is indicated. It also covers our inherent spirituality, which consists in the fact that the believer does not find peace in striving to achieve the perfection possible for him until Christ is depicted in him 7 . Thanks to the Monk Nicodemus, Holy Mount Athos appeared in the Orthodox world as the guardian and continuer of the Orthodox spirit, illuminating with its rays those spaces that lie beyond its borders. Orthodox monasticism, born in spiritual torment, being a child of the deepest nature of the Church, her labors, tears, consciousness of sin, but also faith and divine aspiration, and love itself in Christ, reaches the greatest heights in the field of our theology, embodies Christianity in all its nobility and divine depth. Thus, Saint Nicodemus the Holy Mountain, in his ascetic deeds and writings, appears as an exact reflection of the Holy Mountain, since his life reflected the monastic experience of previous fathers - an experience that he shared with the Orthodox people and for the sake of which our holy place acquires the most solemn justification in the history of the Orthodox Church. The sources of this work are a brief biography compiled by the saint’s “brother”, Hieromonk Euthymius, a condensed biography written by Onuphrius Ivirit, the saint’s unpublished messages and his works, which especially help to understand the greatness of his thoughts and the holiness of his soul. The books of St. Nicodemus are like a mosaic made up of gold, white, red, blue, black, green, gray stones, which we tried to bring into some kind of harmonious unity, as far as possible, in order to present the image of the monk as fully as possible, filling in the gaps made by his unlearned biographer. These pebbles remind us of the life of the saint, which combined asceticism, joyful crying, and love for God and neighbor. However, we realize that we cannot say anything worthy of this great man. Therefore, the pious reader is given the right to judge and fill in what is missing with his reflections, but the final judgment will be passed only by our Great God and Savior Jesus Christ. But if we began to compile the biography of our holy father, despite the feeling of our powerlessness, we owe this mainly to the prayers of our brothers in Christ, the children and disciples of St. Nicodemus in monastic residence, the help of the monk himself, and especially to the hope of the enlightening grace of our Lady Theotokos, Guardian of the Holy Mountain, whose godly singer was Nicodemus the Holy Mountain throughout his venerable life. However, for the writer of these lines, there is also the main justification for despising his inadequacy and taking up work: the Monk Nicodemus was a branch of the very sacred monastery where the author labors, fulfilling the position of secretary of the Dionysiata monastery, which was decorated and consecrated by the Monk Nicodemus almost one hundred and eighty years ago. From this monastery we begin the description of the great Father of the Church and outstanding teacher of monasticism, as a kind of weak and loving commemoration after his proclamation as a saint by the Great Church of Christ. The Christian fullness of the Orthodox must learn what was “the greatest of the monastics since the construction of the Holy Mountain” 8, “always exhausted by poverty and, like a giant, towering over our insignificant generation” 9 - Saint Nicodemus the Holy Mountain. The biography of the saint also pursues another goal: so that sacred Athos, the “Gate of Heaven,” as Innocent called it, would convey to our pious people, both symbolically and in practice, a certain guarantee of love and renewal of spiritual ties, from the darkness of the highest monastic contemplation, in which the glorious father lived and illuminated the Orthodox peoples with his crystalline teaching, becoming a peacemaker, a friend, and a teacher of all. Apart from Professor I. Kolitsaras, who systematically studied the life and works of the saint, no one has written anything more than a short essay. Other authors reported a lot of superficial, inaccurate, thoughtless or unverified things, which did not add anything new to the understanding of the problem. This work is as complete as the materials found in the libraries of the Holy Mountain allowed, to which should also be included a certain unpublished manuscript of the friend of the Monk Nicodemus, Athanasius of Paros. As far as his life is concerned, we draw information mainly from the biography compiled by Euthymius, since he knew the monk closely for almost thirty-five years, despite the fact that this reverent hieromonk was sometimes unable to properly appreciate and analyze the main stages of the life and work of the Holy Father. As for the works and views of St. Nicodemus, here we used his books, describing which we identified the main themes that occupied the saint, as well as the variety of talents revealed in his writings. We express our deep gratitude to the heads of the sacred monastery of the Great Lavra, who allowed us to work in its archives, where the papers of the spiritual heirs of the saint - the Skurteevs, are stored, as well as to the book guardian monk Panteleimon, who provided at our disposal the above-mentioned manuscript of Athanasius of Paros 10. May this work, by the grace of the saint, bring benefit to the brothers and may it serve as an occasion for further study of the multifaceted personality of this Orthodox theologian and reverend father. Theoclitus the monk of Dionysiata When we undertake a biography, that is, an interpretation of the inner life of a holy Father of the Church, we are involuntarily seized by fear and tenderness, awe and humility, since we consciously dare to enter the forbidden chambers of his heart, purified by divine fire. But the most inappropriate thing is when imperfect and unclean people invade, albeit out of love, like explorers into the interior behind the veil of 12 holy souls. However, we want to learn about their holy life and describe it. What means should we use to get closer to her? Human logic? Thinking? And unenlightened ones at that? But will thinking and reason achieve what they want? What is a saint? – The state of the soul purified, enlightened and united in energy with God, and therefore lying beyond the boundaries of the human mind. Therefore, saints often found themselves powerless to express their deepest experience, for they lived on the other side of limited logic. The ecstatic state of prayer, the heart full of humility, the insights of divine love, the manifold actions of grace constitute internal events connected with transcendental principles that cannot be reconciled with human logic, since there is no logical sequence. We do not know the essence of holiness and have not tasted it; this is the main reason for the discord between the brothers, because of which the unsewn robe of Christ begins to separate 13. We can learn about the teachings of any saint of the Church and make efforts to systematize them. If we succeed, then we give brief definitions: Chrysostom is a church preacher, Basil the Great is primarily a dogmatist, Gregory of Nazianzus is a theologian of the Holy Trinity, Gregory of Nyssa is a theologian with a Platonic bent, Simeon the New Theologian is a mystic, Gregory Palamas is a theorist. However, in this way we do not get to know the saints directly, but simply distribute the features of their teaching or, better said, the gifts of the Spirit inherent in each of them. Their holiness remains unapproachable for us, and only by certain external manifestations are we able to recognize a particle of it. Just as in theology we comprehend what relates to the Being of God on the basis of the properties of God “intelligible by creatures,” so in the case of holiness (of course, only by some analogy), we can understand something from the mysterious life of a saint only from some of its manifestations. The grace of God, dwelling in the hearts of the saints like treasure in earthen vessels 14, miraculously illuminates us with its rays, like a manifold holiness, which we are amazed at, but which we cannot comprehend in all its depth and in all its scope through human understanding. Holiness is a state that we are able to feel in some mysterious way, and especially when we partake of it. When our soul is filled with tenderness, we are to some extent able to feel what the tenderness of some holy man is, and in this case it is not difficult for us to describe the properties of tenderness. Likewise in relation to the love, humility, meekness, joyful crying of the saint, his ardent love for God. That is why only when the action of the holy heart precedes and the thought follows, can we relatively and, as it were, by identity, know God and the saint’s soul, which participates in the energy of His holiness. Only through love and wonder can we experience the divine. “To find God, you need to start looking for Him; to start looking for Him, you need to know Him; to know Him, you need to love Him.” Therefore, the Orthodox Church considers and recognizes as authoritative the interpretation of the Word of God given by the Holy Fathers, for they partook of the holiness of those who preached it - the Lord and the apostles, and by the Holy Spirit comprehended their spirit and teachings. The Holy Fathers, of course, were individuals endowed with outstanding mental abilities. However, it was not their mental abilities that allowed the Church to recognize their interpretations as correct, but mainly their holiness, which took advantage of enlightened external scholarship as an auxiliary means for expressing divine truths. What we are unable to comprehend in Revelation due to lack of holiness, the Fathers comprehend, interpret and make their property due to their spiritual affinity with the subject of interpretation. Christ is the source of holiness. How can we get closer to Him, know Him, love Him? – The holiness of life, which cleanses and sanctifies the soul, in which the Holy Spirit rises as love, as humility, as tenderness, as forgiveness, as sonship, as inexpressible sighs 15. This is how Christ is known in that mystical marriage in which the Bridegroom Christ and the bride soul are spiritually united. And this is why, when we try to interpret the inner life and deeds of our Holy Father Nicodemus, we are involuntarily seized by fear and tenderness, awe and humility, and we realize from the very beginning that we cannot say anything worthy of this reverend man. We can understand any outstanding personality only by taking into account the historical and geographical framework in which he lived. After all, what she lived by and what she revealed as an expression of her life activity and originality is inextricably linked with time and place. It is necessary to take these premises into account, otherwise we will come to erroneous conclusions. Therefore, the reader of the biography of a sage must take into account certain features of the place where he was born, raised and educated. Mother, father, family environment, home, the nature of the homeland, the morals of the era, climate, sea, sun, trees, flowers, teachers, church, school - all this necessarily influences the formation of the soul, the development of character and the development of the mental and spiritual properties of a young man. However, if it comes to any saint, everything takes a different turn. From the moment when the hero of the biography enters a religious atmosphere in which the mental and spiritual elements perceived by him change, and the natural sequence of things is interrupted, a person “forgets” his history, is renewed, transformed in Christ and, finally, “is conquered by nature,” a person ceases to be what he was before. That is why we do not regret that we are deprived of detailed information about the life of the saint - both those that relate to his youth, and those that reflect his subsequent life, right up to old age. We do not consider it necessary to take into account the mentioned factors, focusing on their influence on the soul and spirit of a religious person. Because only worldly sages and outstanding figures are accompanied throughout their lives by what they accepted from their youth, and the saints rejected everything that was not combined with the truth revealed to them, forming a different mental disposition, a new mind, the mind of Christ 16, a pure and holy heart, rising above slavery to the poor elements of the world 17 and breathing the freedom of the children of God 18. Therefore, if the classical type of synaxarion speaks, it is only very briefly about the parents and external education of the saint. And this is not at all because external education is necessary for holiness, but because it is useful in combination with our religious and ecclesiastical learning, at least if we are talking about the teachers of the Church. The compilers of the synaxarions were saints themselves... Nothing will save a person except imitation of the saints. The life of the saints is the attainment of a world of spiritual freedom, which represents the victory of the human spirit over the corruption of the flesh. The world is moving towards redemption with anguished aspiration, but only a few find it. All human history is an ineffable sigh for redemption. But redemption is possible only in Christianity. Outside of him, outside of the Church of Christ, there is no salvation. Neither in-depth studies of philosophy can provide a solution to the problems of the human heart, nor any social system is able to calm the restless and troubled conscience of the world. The problem of man is spiritual, deeply spiritual. And it cannot be resolved unless a person rises above the realm of the material. This means: not to destroy matter, which inevitably represents the most important component of our life, but to subordinate matter to spirit, the worst to the best. Although man tries in vain to get rid of the law of corruption in painful struggle. For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers together until now; and not only she, but we ourselves, having the firstfruits of the Spirit, and we groan within ourselves, waiting for adoption, the redemption of our body (Rom. 8:22-23). So, the life of the saints is the sure way to save the world from its true catastrophe. Today's world is in causeless excitement, in an unconscious feeling anticipating the revelation of unknown and majestic horizons of knowledge. However, how mistaken he is! There have been many attempts to interpret God's intentions for the earth and the purpose of world history. However, no one found the truth - with the exception of the Fathers. And this is because entering the mystical darkness of divine energies is a matter of divine revelation and enlightenment, and they occur only in pure and holy souls. That is why no external philosophy is able to comprehend the mystery of the relationship between God and man and determine their properties, images and order. Ever since humanity believed in its understanding of the paths of progress and salvation, it cut off its connection with God and snatched from His hands the threads of history being created according to His will. That is why without the Fathers of the Church we cannot know any truth. The philosopher who would tell people the truth would no longer be a philosopher, but a Holy Father. The greatness of the teaching of the Saints lies in the fact that it is an expression of their inner shock, boundless love for God and man, a pure expression of the feeling of real life and immaterial life filled with holiness. Philosophers cannot correct the world with their empty thoughts, but the Saints, having first healed souls, then build a holy church out of them. Lack of faith in philosophical thought leads to lies. In order for us to reach God, God Himself must come out to meet us, that is, open up. The first pages of the book of Genesis contain the most important truth, for they say that God spoke to the first people like a father to his children. The crime appears as a tragic catastrophe that befell the life of all mankind. Sin became destructive for the entire human race, since man, by his disobedience, dissolved his filial relationship with the heavenly Father - God. Christ is the unity of God and man, Heaven and earth. He is absolute reconciliation. Our faith is not a figment of fantasy, but the truth. Truth that finds justification in the face of the Word, and in the face of conscience, and in the face of the heart. We must desire purification. We cannot understand God's Revelation unless we surrender to it. Revelation is the most logical of all things, it is the highest reason, it is the truth of our mind. This is why the philosophizing mind is unable to comprehend the truth. The Word of God and the word of man are two completely different realities. Anyone who believes that it is possible to measure the Divine by means of human reason degrades the concept of God unimaginably. For God is beyond the limits of our natural reason. Therefore, seeing the hopeless desire of the world to find peace, light, and deliverance, we, in addition to other images of the Holy Fathers, present to the Orthodox world the holy image of St. Nicodemus the Holy Mountain as an example of Christian life in its monastic form, as a path of deliverance, victory and holiness. We will try, to the best of our insignificant strength, to give an explanation of the life and work of the saint, although we do not believe that we will be able to fully express everything that is contained in the superhuman scale of his personality. But where we analyze the various manifestations of his life and activity, our spiritual insignificance and poverty will also become apparent. For this reason, as well as in order for the wondrous image of the saint to emerge as brightly as possible, we often give him the opportunity to speak directly to the reader, for his word penetrates deep into the soul, enlightens the mind, gives a message to the heart - since St. Nicodemus is holy, enlightened and filled with love. The Monk Nicodemus belongs to the ranks of the Fathers of the Church. He was both a writer and an ascetic. In order to comprehend his work, it is necessary to firmly understand that the Orthodox theology of the Eastern Church is uniform, is not divided into heterogeneous elements and is not subject to development. The phenomenon of the Western Church, which was either under the influence of Platonic influences or Aristotelian and scholastic tendencies that left traces in theology, is unknown to us, despite a certain inclination towards Plato, which manifested itself in the theological ferment of the ancient Church. All the Fathers, who were bearers of the theological spirit, did not say anything of their own, neither on dogmatic issues nor on spiritual ones. The exception is those Fathers who lived before the era of the Holy Councils and did not have any previous foundation on which to build safely, although many of them, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, agree with each other and in these two areas - theological thought and Revelation - they formed the first unshakable foundation of theology. Proceeding in this way, our theology has developed, from the point of view of dogmatics, into an unbending and unchanging canon, and from the point of view of spirituality, it has acquired a special character, which expresses the image of the understanding of the Holy Fathers of the Eastern Church of evangelical morality, which they experienced in all its fullness, leading to perfection. The All-Holy Spirit, in collaboration with the human person, was already active in the Church, but the unpreparedness of many peoples and various historical circumstances did not allow Orthodox spirituality to be revealed in all its greatness. The Fathers who lived before the 4th and 5th centuries preached mainly to barbarian and uneducated peoples in the Christian sense, and the richest writing telling about inner life is the work of subsequent centuries, although it is based on the theories of the previous Fathers. We are talking about sober and contemplative Fathers, whose works are the highest and noblest expression of Christian teaching from the point of view of contemplation and action. For today’s ascetic, it is enough to assimilate the immeasurable “theological wealth” and experience of the life of the divine Fathers. When a great theologian collects a wealth of knowledge from the patristic treasuries, and his holy life corresponds to the life of the Holy Fathers, then he also receives instructions from the same Spirit that they were taught. Then this knowledge becomes his own, and his mind does not strive to introduce anything new, both because of the all-encompassing fullness abiding in the Holy Spirit, patristic wisdom, and because he is driven by the humility that envelops him, although he retains his spiritual freedom. A theologian who wants to add something of his own to the treasury of patristic spirituality will certainly fall into pride. Whereas a holy person, wise wisely and humbly, will constantly resort to the reason of the Fathers, despite his own ideas regarding spiritual and moral life. Saint Nicodemus the Holy Mountain was also in this state, invariably referring to the Fathers, although he himself was completely outside the world and contemplated God. We think that, like the other Fathers, he was far from fully revealing himself, due to humility. After all, creating his works in the dark era of slavery, he understood that it was unreasonable to make his high theology and divine experience public, despite the fact that his desire to hide his talents was far from being fully realized, for his love for his brothers betrayed him, like Isaac the Syrian once did. For this reason, the ideas of our Saint are not original, but they highlight the purest source of his Orthodox thought, as well as the immeasurable love for God and neighbor that overflowed all his creations. Saint Nicodemus, as the pious reader will be convinced, was a unique popularizer of Orthodox theology, in all its areas and manifestations - asceticism, theory, mysticism, liturgics, ethics, hymnology, dogmatics, canon law, penitential discipline. And using the example of St. Nicodemus the Holy Mountain, in whose person all areas of theology of our Orthodox Church are represented, it is easy to see that Orthodox theology is inextricably linked with holiness St. Gregory the Theologian. Word 25, in praise of the philosopher Iron. 1:PG. 35. Col. 1197. See: Gregory the Theologian, St. Collected Works: In 2 volumes. Holy Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius, 1994. Vol. 1. P. 358. (Hereinafter the footnotes, with the exception of the monk Theoclitus’s own footnotes or the editor’s notes, belong to the translator). Wed: John 3:8. (For notes on the book, see the afterword. – Ed.) Compare: Acts 2:2. In the synodal translation: strong wind. Crumel V. Nicodème l’Hagiorite // Dictionnaire de Théologie Catholique. Vol. 11.1931. P. 486. – Note. m. Theoklit. ΕΚΚΛΗΣΙΑ. 1957. No. 15. – Note. m. Theoclitus. Κολιτσάϱας Ἰ.Νικόδημος ὁ Ἁγιοϱείτης (1749–1809) // Ἀκτῖνες. 1954. 17. Σ. 35. – Note. m. Theoklit. Βλάχος Κ. ῾Η Χεϱσόνησος τοῦ ἁγίου Ὄϱους Ἄθω καὶ αἱ ἐν αὐτῇ μοναὶ καὶ οἱ μοναχοὶ πάλαι τε καὶ νῦν. Μελέτη ἱστοϱικὴ καὶ κϱιτικὴ. Βόλος. 1903, Σ. 110–111. – Note. m. Theoklit. We are talking, in all likelihood, about the book “Exposition of the truth about the disturbances that took place on the Holy Mountain,” published in 1988 in Greece, ed. Hieromonk Theodorit of the Holy Mountain ἀληϑείας, Ἀϑῆναι, 1988). Printed with abbreviation. – Ed. Wed: Gal.4:3,9; Col. 2:20 .