Глава 8. 1783–1786

1. Return to the Holy Mountain Turn, my soul, to your rest... 415 View of Kareya and Kapsala from the cell of Skurteev (Martyr Martyr George) The Monk Nicodemus stayed on Skiropoul for about a year, and during this time he wrote the “Admonitory Manual.” The main purpose of his hermitage, as we have seen, was to avoid the influx of brethren who flowed not only from monasteries and monasteries, but also from outside the Holy Mountain, as Euthymius narrates. During this period, he devoted himself to asceticism in complete silence, praying and “learning in his heart” the wisdom of those books that were imprinted in the “sanctuaries of his mind.” From the gratitude that the saint expresses to his cousin for the food and clothing he sent, we can conclude that he did not take anything from the Holy Mountain to the arid island, since his brother delivered bread to him on Athos 416. In any case, diligently asceticizing on Skiropoul and leading an ascetic life, praying alone to the One God, without any human consolation, with his mind immersed in contemplation, he remained in constant prosperity, forgetting the back, but stretching to the front 417, and therefore suffered obvious abuse from demons. Unclean spirits sometimes rampaged behind the wall of his silent kaliva, and sometimes made a deafening roar. We are talking about the type of warfare that demons who hate goodness unleash against holy ascetics, already virtuous, and fighting them “in close combat.” Then, by God's permission, the various demonic warfare against the monks is not limited to mere excuses, invisibly directed at the mind, heart and body, but becomes more sensual: demons in the deserted desert torment the ascetic with various insurances. We see this in the lives of almost all hermits and hermits who fought against the principles and powers of darkness 418. Euthymius writes that at the beginning of his monasticism, when Saint Nicodemus was visiting his kaliva, he was so afraid that he left the door of his cell open in order to receive help from other monks. But later, living in silence, with prayers that strengthened the dominative power of his mind, he gained such courage that instead of being afraid, he “laughed at the machinations” of the demons that surrounded him at night, especially when he wrote in complete silence. Euthymius narrates that “when the monk was awake and writing, the demons outside the window of his cell were whispering something... he tried to hear something, but did not understand anything. Only once did he hear: “This scribbler.” Sometimes they knocked on the door of his cell, but they always knocked only twice” 419. So, after Divine Providence was pleased to give the Orthodox world such a precious book as the “Admonitory Guide,” the saint returned to the Holy Mountain. The year was 1783. It was not unusual for the great ascetics of the East to change the place of their feat. Various reasons, each their own, forced them to decide (of course, based on reasoning and based on the requirements of spiritual benefit) to move to certain monastic centers that for some reason were suitable for achieving their goals, in accordance with the aspirations of each. Ascetics do not belong to a place, especially saints. And if the Byzantine Empire had not occupied most of the world 420, there is no doubt that many hermits would have gone in search of silence in other countries, if only they would have been greeted favorably and found themselves in an Orthodox environment. A free citizen, a “citizen of heaven,” not bound by any worldly ties or attachments, like a perfect monk, Nicodemus, with a heart full of great thoughts and deep experience, left the arid Skiropoula as a mute witness of his exploits and returned to his beloved Holy Mountain. He wanted not only to take up writing again, but also to take monastic vows into the great schema. And as soon as he reached the “garden of the Mother of God,” he immediately asked the collivad of Damascus, the elder and spiritual father of Hieromonk Euthymius (his biographer), to tonsure him into the great schema, which was done. Hence the spiritual relationship between Euthymius and Saint Nicodemus, 421 whom he usually calls his “brother,” “dearest brother,” “beloved.” Later, the saint would argue against an excessively long stay in the small schema, which he considered a simple pledge, while in the great and angelic schema certain vows are given and symbols of achievement are accepted: the helmet of salvation, the robe of joy, the shield of faith, the spiritual sword - the rosary - which is the word of God 422. The entire schema as a whole symbolizes “the mortification of man with passions and lusts.” Having spent a short time in the kaliva of Elder Damascene and having received his permission, the Monk Nicodemus bought a new cell, located just above the kyriakon of the glorious ascetic Theona, within the monastery of Pantocrator. And again the nightingale Nicodemus, who delighted the ears of the poor ascetics who thirsted and hungered for the word of God with his divine trills, began to gather many people into the previously empty pots located around. “And when he was there, attracted by the honeyed words of his lips, many brothers gathered and settled in the Kalivas that were located around, in order to see him and be enlightened by his spiritual instructions,” 423 says Euthymius. 2. “Collected works of Simeon the New Theologian” From above, ours, Simeon, hear the prayers, standing at the throne of the mighty King, sacrificing the immaculate Blood for the human race, contemplating God with a pure mind, like God. In 1784, Saint Macarius again arrived at the Holy Mountain. He convinced the Monk Nicodemus to begin transcribing the collection of works of St. Simeon the New Theologian, one of the most remarkable mystics of the Eastern Church. Nicodemus, who ardently wished to publish the mystical Fathers, gratefully took up the work offered to him, despite the fact that he had already included in the Philokalia many of the “Chapters” of St. Simeon, on which his disciple Nikita Stiphatus wrote a commentary 424 . The biographers of St. Nicodemus, Euthymius and Onuphry, and, seven years later, the copyist of his works, Hieromonk Kirill, report that the holy father undertook the translation into simple Greek of the manuscripts of St. Simeon, taking into account the needs of that time. Meanwhile, in the first edition of 1790, nothing is said about Nicodemus, but it is said that “it was translated into the common language by the reverend and learned spiritual father, Mr. Dionysius of Zagorea, who labored on an island called Piperi, which is located near the Holy Mountain.” This hieromonk Dionysius is also mentioned by Euthymius, who says that he rewrote the handwritten “Canonikon,” that is, a collection of the Holy Canons. From the relationship between Dionysius and Nicodemus, it is clear that he was also a collivad and the unrest that shook the Holy Mountain at that time forced him to retire to the island mentioned above. And upon his return, he began to rewrite the works of Simeon the New Theologian translated by the Monk Nicodemus. The humble Nicodemus, who did not care about how to promote himself, but made every effort to hide from glory, convinced Dionysius to put his name in the book instead of the name of Nicodemus himself, which had already taken place in his other works. That is why, if we did not have completely accurate instructions from Euthymius, Onuphrius and Cyril, we would not know today that the author of this transcription is Nicodemus the Holy Mountain 425. In this edition, Nicodemus the Holy Mountain introduced beautiful epigraphs to the works of St. Simeon. He wrote poetry in hexameter and iambic with equal ease and composed in plain and ancient Greek, which is evident in all his works. A mystical nature, a true Eastern mystic, the Monk Nicodemus, with indescribable joy and pleasure, was imbued with the creations of the mystical Fathers, of which the brightest, undoubtedly, is Simeon the New Theologian, who literally bathed in the phenomena of the uncreated Light. The following iambic poem by Nicodemus the Holy Mountain, dedicated to Simeon, expresses the special love that he had for the great saint, begging him to free his mind and heart from passions and save him both in the present age and at the Second Coming of the Lord: Angel of radiance and joy revealed to us, Come as protection to me and save me from my sins, Sending me peace from them. And rid my heart and mind of passions, And show me the paths of deep wisdom, Extend your venerable hand, save me from all misfortune Here, and later, when the day of retribution comes. In the preface to the volume (volume of 700 pages) of the works of Saint Simeon, previously preserved here and there in the manuscripts of the Holy Mountain, Nicodemus the Holy Mountain marvels at the actions of the Holy Spirit in pure souls, bearing fruits of joy, peace, meekness, goodness, mercy, self-control, and that the Holy Spirit “writes in a pure heart, as in a book, spiritual laws, divine counsels and the hidden secrets of the Kingdom Heavenly, not with ink, but with the divine light of omnipotent grace, and at the same time light is both a revelation and a manifestation of all mysteries and depths.” After such revelations, says St. Nicodemus, the soul has no need for books, but instead of books a purified heart serves it, instead of sensory light - the intelligent light of the Holy Spirit, and instead of an eye - enlightened thought. We are talking about purely mystical concepts that distinguish all the mystics of the Eastern Church. Therefore, not only did they not read many books, but they also imprisoned themselves in the abysses of the earth in order to see the pure light of God there. What the monk writes about is the fruit of personal experience, which appears absolutely reliable for the consciousness of someone living a mystical life and which gives a guarantee in the spiritual feeling that the surrender of the whole person to the actions of the Holy Spirit is the extreme desire and indispensable requirement of Orthodox spirituality. This holy hermit of Kapsala had a deep knowledge of what he wrote about in relation to Simeon. He learned from experience that “he who looks into his heart with his mind and immerses it in the inexpressible light of the Holy Spirit who dwells there, reads the spiritual and divine thoughts written there, and from this becomes wise from the unwise, an eloquent rhetorician from the simple and uncouth, a great philosopher and high theologian from the previously illiterate and unlearned.” Further, the Monk Nicodemus writes that “for the sake of their pure hearts, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and later, in the grace of the Gospel, the shining Holy Apostles and all the Holy Fathers were honored to be like this, among whom and like the saints was Simeon the New Theologian, who became an earthly angel, a heavenly man, the glory of the Fathers, the priests with splendor, the most precise monastic life rule, the glory of the ascetics, the beauty of Constantinople and the sweetest jubilation of the universe.” Explaining how Saint Simeon cleansed his heart and mind, the monk speaks of constant crying, the continuous flow of tears, unceasing mental prayer performed in the heart, and the fulfillment of all life-giving commandments. And therefore, having been filled with the inspiration of the All-Holy Spirit and having received in his heart, which was like a transparent mirror, the illumination of divine grace, the saint was able to inscribe in his heart “with the brightest writing the lofty mysteries of Theology.” Lak “the unwise became a sage, the unlearned became a scribe, and the one who did not undergo rhetorical and philosophical teachings appeared both as a skilled rhetorician and as the best of philosophers.” After the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, as St. Nicodemus writes, a person in the Church opens his mouth and speaks about those questions and teachings that he hears about within himself; writes and composes so many moral and theological “words”, being untaught of external wisdom 426, that he receives the title of “New Theologian” due to the accuracy of his theology. The entire preface is an echo of the inner voice of the great mystic father, enlightened by the essential rays of the Holy Spirit. We can say that Nicodemus the Holy Mountain is in his element, commenting on the creations of such a great mystic father as the Monk Simeon, and with boundless joy he immerses himself in the divine actions that filled the mystical life of the monk - after all, Nicodemus himself experienced from his own experience what he is talking about in relation to the Monk Simeon. The Monk Nicodemus does not believe that only a few and a select few can be worthy of such supernatural gifts of God, but he believes that all Orthodox Christians are partakers of the “meal of visions,” according to the Areopagite. That is why he exhorts that everyone should strive to cleanse themselves from passions, imitating the Holy Fathers, and be worthy of the infusion of the grace of the Holy Spirit into their hearts. The Monk Nicodemus turns to the prophet Jeremiah to show that after the descent of the Holy Spirit, a baptized Christian knows God through internal enlightenment, without any external compulsion: “Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, and I will establish a New Covenant, giving My laws into their minds and writing them on their hearts...” 427 . This promise, says St. Nicodemus, came true in the New Testament, which is why the Apostle Paul wrote: “You are our letter, written in our hearts... not with ink, but with the Spirit of the Living God, not on tablets of stone, but on tablets of flesh of the heart.”428 And in order to show that external education is not necessary for a person to receive illumination and the gift of theology, Nicodemus cites the case of Simeon the New Theologian, which is confirmed by the divine Chrysostom: “We should not seek help from the scriptures, but lead such a pure life that the grace of the Spirit would be for our souls instead of books, and as in books they write in ink, so it would be inscribed in our hearts by the Spirit” 429. Then the Monk Nicodemus explains: since we fell to the very bottom of evil, having defiled our hearts with passions through carnal and worldly cares, and thereby destroyed the purity of the soul, we were deprived of the enlightening grace of the Spirit, which is why we needed both letters and books for reminders, for teaching, for reproof and correction, as the Apostle Paul says. Therefore, Saint Simeon, not wanting the faithful to be deprived of the revelations given to him by the Spirit, commanded in a vision his disciple Nikita Stifat 430 to work on publishing his works, and later they were printed. And the Monk Nicodemus calls on “participants of the heavenly and Orthodox rank, faithful clergy, monks and laity to read these sacred scriptures, for they truly are the scriptures of life and god-creating luminaries, according to Dionysius the Areopagite, and give those who read them the light of knowledge.” Wanting to convey the teaching about mental work and contemplative life also to the faithful who are in the world (remember the earlier statements of the saint, for example, from the preface to the Philokalia), although, of course, Nicodemus did not demand that the laity immerse themselves in sacred sobriety in equal measure with the monks, he warns possible objections: “And let none of the laity say that they (the writings of St. Simeon) were written for monks, and not for the worldly: no, this is a cold word, brother, this is an evil word, according to the psalm, this is a foolish word, with which the lazy and careless seeks a reason to sin” 431. Convincing the laity that they should also engage in spiritual work, characteristic of monks, but also charged to lay people, Nicodemus cites the promises that everyone makes in Holy Baptism: “A monk promises God to renounce Satan and all his works? So a layman makes a promise to do the same.” So, the preface to the book of St. Simeon fully expresses the own thoughts of St. Nicodemus the Holy Mountain, but it also gives rise to two serious problems. It follows from it, firstly, that the Gospel teaching about perfection is addressed not only to monks, but also to the laity, and secondly, that the assimilation of this teaching by the laity, combined with the knowledge of the inevitable gap that arises in the soul from worldly cares, encourages people to flee into the desert, or, at least, forces them to seek, as far as possible, a carefree life. The Monk Nicodemus insists that the Lord called everyone to bear the yoke of His divine commandments: “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden... take My yoke upon you 432 and be perfect.” Further, the monk writes that the Lord did not say, “if you want to become perfect, sell your property 433, as He said to the rich man who was imperfect and was under the old Law, but he says definitely and imperatively: “Be perfect and sell your possessions,” and shows this even more clearly, saying that “anyone of you who does not renounce everything that he has cannot be My disciple 434.” Concluding the preface, the Monk Nicodemus turns to his beloved brothers and strongly advises them that “they should not invent excuses for sins, but strive to fulfill what is written in the book of Saint Simeon, in order to be cleansed in soul and body through this teaching of the Holy Spirit, to attract the grace of the Comforter into their hearts, and to know the will of God, as Saint Simeon was worthy of this.” Come, being a sinner, to glorify the Master, to allow Him to show His love for mankind in the forgiveness of your sins... Saint Basil the Great Having completed his work on the works of Saint Simeon the New Theologian, Nicodemus began to compile the “Exomologitarium”, hitherto completely unknown in the Church. In this book, the Monk Nicodemus appears as a great psychologist, a skilled interpreter of the penances proposed by the sacred canons, a truly patristic preacher of repentance, a deep river that leads to knowledge about penances and church rules, a doctor for monastics, clergy and laity, a most experienced doctor, always ready to help, like a brother, like a father, like a son. He conducts a conversation with the confessor or the penitent with great power of conviction and irrefutable arguments, addressing each individual specifically. He so touchingly reveals the meaning of the sacrament of repentance, confession and forgiveness that even those who are indifferent to this sacrament awakens to repentance and confession. The fruitfulness of the Exomologitarium was so great that, as one Christian philosopher put it, without St. Nicodemus, “Christianity would have been left without confession.” The power and grace combined in the preaching of this divine man were so invincible that we involuntarily recall what the simpleton Euthymius wrote: “... all those wounded by sins left the bishops and confessors and resorted to Nicodemus, dressed in rags, to find healing and consolation in their sorrows. Not only from monasteries, monasteries, and cells, but also from various places, many Christians came to see Nicodemus and receive relief from their grief from him. So he even seemed to complain to us many times...” 435. His communication with many sinners of all ranks and titles revealed the monk as a spiritual mentor and a one-of-a-kind healer. How experienced he was! From the deep knowledge of countless manifestations of spiritual life, which the Monk Nicodemus acquired on his ascetic path, he drew spiritual advice, supported by the authority of the sacred canons and the teaching of the Fathers. Like the Holy Fathers, he learned all the details of sin with the help of divine enlightenment. Healing sinful movements, he examined them and found pathogenic causes and sources of passions. The Church does not know another such lay confessor 436. As a confessor he was truly the Pool of Siloam. His role as a doctor of souls is incomparable and in all forms and forms of this healing is still quite relevant to this day. Humane and stern, lenient and firm, a deep connoisseur of the secret depths, he now imposes penance, now shows leniency, now forgives, now binds, now resolves, and all this with love, with reasoning, in accordance with the benefit of the sinful soul. Sometimes he subjects a hardened sinner to severe punishment, and sometimes, on the contrary, he washes the wound with wine or anoints it with oil. The most sacred and divine servant of the Church, possessing the rare talent of a confessor, he combined the gift of a spiritual father and teacher of the Church, combined affection with edification, intertwined love with art. His memory is an inexhaustible treasury of canonical knowledge. Here he quotes Dionysius the Areopagite, there Meletius the Confessor, here Chrysostom, Basil, the Apostles Paul, Peter, all the Fathers, Councils, rules, connecting, analyzing and reasoning. The notes of St. Nicodemus make up half of the book. Truly, his knowledge of canon law, which he would have to use even more widely when compiling his Pidalion, was limitless. He always keeps in his memory all the interpretations of the canons - Balsamon, Blastar, Aristin, Kedrin, Zonara, Anonymous 437, Photius' Nomocanon, Roman law, short stories of the Byzantine emperors. He never tires of constantly referring to the sacred canons in order to invest his bright thoughts with their authority and in one way or another convince the faithful. The Rev. Father’s “Exomologitarium” is a collection of thirty-eight canons of St. John the Faster and seventeen of his penances, which were found in the manuscripts of the libraries of the Svyatogorsk monasteries 438. He interprets these canons and translates them into simple 439 language. Creates a prologue in which he defines the duties of confessors and points out the labors that they must endure for the salvation of their flock. “And, briefly,” writes the saint, “confessors are appointed shepherds and drivers over the verbal sheep of Christ. But they need to shed a lot of sweat, climbing mountains, descending into gorges, running and looking here and there for a lost sheep, a sinner captured by the devil, and having found it, take it on their shoulders and bring it to the saved Archpastor Christ, as a valuable gift, according to the word: “All who are around Him will bring gifts” 440. And he continues: “To help in this great spiritual work, we took the trouble to compile a real book from the writings of various Fathers.” Addressing the confessors, he writes: “So, accept, O most honest confessors, with fatherly favor this little book, and, reading it and receiving help from it, do not cease to pray to God for the sinful souls of those who worked on it and helped. Much is said about the salvation of the soul of His Grace Metropolitan Hierotheos of Ioannina (we are talking about our saint’s cousin), who first published it for the common benefit. Be healthy! Next, he places a lengthy teaching to the confessor about those properties and virtues that he should have, about knowledge of the Divine Scriptures, dogmas and sacred canons, as well as about distinguishing mortal sins, venial sins and shortcomings, examining the nature and type of each of them. He then reveals the "prohibitive ethic" of the Ten Commandments, dealing with each one individually. He shows the confessor how to find out the circumstances of the sin, who the sinner is, what he sinned in, for what reason, in what way, at what time, in what place, how many times, in what spiritual state and virtue he was, and how he behaved after committing the sin. Then, transferring the study from the field of description of sin to the inner sphere of the thoughts of the person confessed, the Monk Nicodemus teaches about thoughts: how many types there are, what is their source, which of them are vain and which are useful, as well as about their causes and how many means of healing there are from evil thoughts and what they are. Thus, defining the nature and causes of various evil thoughts, the monk reveals ways to combat them (sometimes this is prayer and contradiction of thoughts, and sometimes contempt for them), and at the same time explores the harm that evil thoughts bring to the soul. The holy father hated sin with all his might. In his “Exomologitarium,” a struggle is being waged to convince a Christian to hate sin, sometimes with the fear of torment, and sometimes with the promise of blessings in eternity. “If you want not to sin,” he writes, “put before you the terrible Day of Judgment and remember everything that will happen then - how the sky will curl up like a scroll, how the stars will fall from the sky, and the mountains and hills will melt like wax, the sea will tremble and diminish, the elements will burn, the earth will shake, the graves will open... how the heavenly angels themselves will be shaken from this fear, how books will be opened and how everyone He will be judged, giving account for the evil deeds he has done, for the evil words he has spoken, for the evil thoughts he has thought...” “...If you want, brother, not to sin, remember all those eternal and ineffable blessings that God has prepared for you in Heaven, so that you can taste them after death. Imagine well in your imagination this sweetest food of heaven, the ineffable glory of heaven, constant joy, unevening and irresistible light, blissful contemplation and knowledge of God, which is the limit of desires and the main pleasure of all the blessed. And how could I, brother, present to you in words, one after another, the future blessings of heaven that you are about to receive? They are not only inexplicable, but also incomprehensible to the mind...” 441. We learn about what sin was for the saint from the Exomologitarium: “...how limitless are the perfections and properties of God and what are the gifts, natural, supernatural, general, special, secret, obvious, that God has given to you, man, just as boundless is the malice of your sin, man, which despises and insults all this... One virgin 442 said that if, suppose, a whole sea of fire appeared before her, and mortal sin became a refuge from it, she would rather fall into this fiery sea than fall into the hands of sin... Like Magdalene Mary, when she heard just the name of mortal sin, she was shaken from head to toe and fell to the ground as if dead, and said that she could never understand how a person decides to sin mortal..." The Exomologuitarium was first published in Venice, when the book consisted of about 400 pages. The Exomologitarium was published seven times 443. But it would be very useful if it were published again and again, so that it would become the inseparable companion of every believer who wants to be saved and come to the mind of truth. ...Behold, from now on all my generations will bless Me... 444 Immediately after writing the Exomologitarium, the Monk Nicodemus took up the compilation of Theotokary, 445, or the Crown of the Ever-Virgin. This book includes 62 canons of the Most Holy Theotokos, sung by twenty-two saints and divinely inspired singers. Nicodemus the Svyatogorets, with great labor and care, collected these canons from handwritten books of the Holy Mountain. The book was first published in 1796 in Venice and was subsequently published several times. At the beginning of it, a circle is depicted, in which the venerable father placed the name Mary, in explanation of which he writes: “This is the all-desired name of the Mother of God, the image of the circle means, by analogy, mainly that She alone is more beautiful in soul and body than all intelligent and sensual creations, and She alone has contained within Herself more than all divine and human gifts...”. The saint’s very special love for the Most Holy Theotokos forces him to constantly return to Her name: either he gives an interpretation of its meaning, or he reveals its deep origin. Then he places the name MARIAM in the form of a quadrangle and a cross, and explains this by saying that only the Most Holy One “from birth was immovable to evil by choice. The passionate movements of the three parts of Her soul always remained mortified, for She gave birth to the Creator of all things - and at the same time a man crucified on the Cross in the flesh.” What follows is a wonderful preface, in which the saint gives an interpretation of the verse of David’s psalm: “Rich people will pray to Your face” 446. He says that these words refer to the Blessed Virgin, and that the riches of people can mean the saints and divinely inspired singers, whose creations are placed in the present “Theotocary,” since they are truly rich not only in the gifts of external learning and knowledge, but much more in holiness and other god-like and various gifts of the Spirit. That is why they pray and glorify the face of the Ever-Virgin Mary with these god-sounding and honey-drenching songs. The poetic nature of the monk was expressed here, in addition to the hymns that he collected and which we will talk about later, in the epithets given below for each of the twenty-two creators of the canons included in the “Theotocary”. The Monk Nicodemus calls them as follows: “Andrey of Crete, chief of all singers 447 and the ringing-voiced swan of the Church. John of Damascus, the most musical and sweet-voiced nightingale of Christ. Theophanes of Nicea, Inscribed 448, sweet-voiced and singing thrush. Joseph the Songwriter, the many-voiced and thin-voiced swallow of the faithful. John of the Euchaites, the honey-speaking and enchanting pipe of the Holy Spirit. Mitrofan of Smyrna, blessed alector of the 449 Church. Theodore the Studite, the Musikian cicada of the Orthodox. Photius of Constantinople, chirping and songbird of the Church. George of Nicomedia, euphonious and red-voiced cithara. Theoktist Studite, ten-string psalter. Paul of Amoria, the ringing lyre of the Spirit. Nikolai Kataskepin, spiritual and harmonious kinira 450. Athanasius of Constantinople, sacred and ringing tympanum. Callinicus of Irakli, the sweetest shepherd's pipe. Manuel Rhetor, thunderous cymbal 451... And Thekla, sweetest echo 452.” Seized with inspiration and delight from love for the Most Holy Theotokos, Nicodemus, praising the sacred hymns, compares the prophet David, accompanied by the sons of Asaph and Jedithum and the rest of the choir leaders and singing his psalms before the Old Testament Ark, with the New Testament hymns and singers. Of these, “... some sing in the Dorian mode, others in the Lydian, others in the Phrygian voice, others in Mixolydian, others - indirect voices of the named 453, some adhere to the one and a half ratio, others - one and one third, others - one and one eighth, others - double, maintaining consonance in everything ... " Presenting “Theotocary” to the Mother of God, the saint is filled with joy and humility: he likens this book to a beautiful wreath, the flowers for which were collected in the allegorical garden of the Ever-Virgin. The Monk Nicodemus writes: “And just as a beautiful and colorful wreath of fragrant and wonderful flowers, collected from a flowering meadow, is brought to the earthly king, like some kind of gift of thanksgiving, so here, from all the canons of the Mother of God, found on the Holy Mountain, in the allegorical Garden of the Virgin, a real multi-colored, fragrant and multi-colored CROWN was collected, and now it is with great love and reverence is presented to the All-Queen of Heaven, the Mother of God, as a gift dear to Her much more than the golden and costly crown of Molchom, which King David wore on his head, and than the twelve-star crown of the Apocalypse 454, and I’ll just say: than all the crowns of earthly kings decorated with pearls and gold.” Then the monk turns to his brothers and promises them that, thanks to the diversity of voices and hymns collected in the “Theotocary,” they will be extremely pleased, for diversity will drive out satiety and negligence, rejuvenate and strengthen their soul, as Basil the Great says: “From monotony, the soul often falls into negligence and is scattered; and in the change and variety of psalmody, her aspiration is refreshed and her sobriety is renewed” 455. Further, asserting that the brothers will certainly gain benefit if, with a contrite heart and tenderness, they sing hymns to the humble-hearted Mother of God, the Monk Nicodemus writes: “Let it be known to your love, brethren, that the more you sing the praises of the Mother of God with these canons and with the greater tenderness and contrition of heart you offer in these canons your various prayers to the humble-hearted and loving the humble-minded. Mother of God, the more you will receive help and grace from Her. In the present century you will be delivered from every opposite situation of visible and invisible enemies, and in the future - from torment, and you will be rewarded with the Kingdom of Heaven. As the theologian Gregory of Thessaloniki says 456: “Do you see how all creation glorifies this Mother and Virgin? And not just a few centuries, but forever and ever. So, from here it is clear that She will never cease to do good to all creation." Thus ends this magnificent preface, in which one can see the poetic nature of the holy father and his unceasing love for the Blessed Virgin: the love that distinguished the holy Fathers, and especially those of them who are called “ascetic and mystical”: they adorned the “Mother of Light” with the majestic epithets characteristic of each of them. The Monk Nicodemus, wanting to even more richly dress the Bride of Christ - the Church, gave her a beautiful liturgical book of praise and prayers to the Mother of God Mary. Similar to it, but much smaller and imperfect, existed earlier: it was compiled by Agapius of Crete 457. It is characteristic of the deep humility that distinguished the Monk Nicodemus that he, himself the creator of many canons to the Most Holy Theotokos, out of respect for the hymn-writing fathers, whom he placed much higher than himself, did not place any of his hymns in the “Theotocary”. ...Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers of darkness 459. “Invisible Warfare” in the Greek translation is usually considered as a work entirely belonging to the Monk Nicodemus. Everyone thought so, starting with the first edition, carried out in 1796 in Venice. Meanwhile, it does not belong entirely to Saint Nicodemus, as, in fact, is evidenced by the title: “A most beneficial book for the soul, called Invisible Warfare, compiled previously by a certain wise man, improved and corrected with much care by the most reverend monk, Mr. Nicodemus...”. Some suspicion existed before: it arose as an accusation brought against the monk by his enemies. According to this opinion, the said work, revised by the Monk Nicodemus, belonged to someone else, whose name he hid. But until recently this assumption was completely uncertain, and the book was considered, both in Greek and later in translations into Russian and, more recently, into English, one of the most spiritual creations of Nicodemus the Holy Mountain. Despite this, as a result of our research we have become convinced that the book, known by the Greek title "The Invisible Warfare", was written, according to the most common assumption, by the learned Catholic cleric Lorenzo Scupoli (1530-1610) in Italian, and was entitled approximately the same as in Greek: "Combattimento spirituale". This book, published in Venice in 1589, initially contained 24 chapters. Later, in repeated editions, the number of its chapters consistently increased, respectively, to 33, 37, 40 and, finally, 66 in foreign language translations. “Combattimento spirituale”, in all likelihood, the saint read in an Italian or French edition in Naxos 460, where the Jesuits operated, with whom Nicodemus most likely talked on theological topics, denouncing them for the dogmatic innovations of Rome - he carried this anti-Latin spirit throughout his life. Nothing prevented the monk, according to the words of the Apostle: “Try everything, hold on to what is good” 461, from using the book as a spiritual work during his hermitage on the Holy Mountain, just like the “Exercices Spirituels” of Ignatius of Loyola, as we will see below. It was to be expected that he would not report the origin of the book to the Orthodox people and especially to the monks of the Holy Mountain, who suspected the machinations of papism everywhere. However, in this action of Saint Nicodemus one cannot notice the slightest element of appropriation of someone else’s labor, aimed at acquiring empty glory. Indeed, apart from this incident, Nicodemus, who from a young age despised such pettiness, hid many of his works under the veil of anonymity. In addition, in the title of the book, it is said that it was “compiled by a certain wise man,” and thanks to this, the assumption of appropriation of someone else’s work is not only refuted, but the saint himself voluntarily removes himself from the honor due to him of translating, improving and enlarging this work by 14 chapters - a fact about which he kept silent due to his inherent humility. St. Nicodemus, established in the Orthodox spirituality that became his life, was able to appreciate spiritual writing, even if it came from the West. And separating the fruits of the virtuous men of the Western Church, which they brought in the spiritual field, from its dogmatic heresies and from Western spirituality, incompatible with ours, he was not afraid, like a holy man, devoid of narrowness and, moreover, alien to the spirit of hatred for the heterodox born from irrationality, to bring these fruits to his brothers for their spiritual benefit. His correctness was confirmed by subsequent editions of this book in Greek and Slavic 462 - a book that became a true spiritual pleasure for entire generations. Saint Nicodemus himself, in his interpretation of the canon of Pentecost, placed in his “Eorthodrome” 463, explains the position of the Orthodox in relation to Catholicism as follows: “The evil views and lawless customs of the Latins and other heretics must be hated and turned away from them; if something is found in them that is right and confirmed by the canons of the sacred Councils, it should not be hated” 464. The book "Combattimento Spirituale", which we could only find in a French translation, is a mystical and ascetic work. In some of its passages, one can notice a malady characteristic of Western mysticism, stemming from excessive concentration on the contemplation of the Passion of the Lord to the detriment of the joy of the Resurrection. Otherwise, there is no sign of non-Orthodox spirituality in it 465. Saint Nicodemus, who lived the mystical life of the Fathers of the Eastern Church and actively cognized the right vision 466 of these spiritual issues, took this book, threw it into the crucible of his Orthodox soul and pulled it out impeccably Orthodox. In some places he expanded it, in others he shortened it, increased the number of chapters, weakened the most striking features of Western thinking and provided many notes and comments. Like another Elisha, who put his face to the face of that widow’s dead son, 467 the Monk Nicodemus put his mouth, eyes, and forehead, along with the flame of his heart and mind, an Orthodox and pure flame, to this book - and “Invisible Warfare” arose, as if from his cast. This is the opinion of learned theologians, according to which “The Invisible Warfare” is “one of the greatest spiritual works of the Orthodox world” and “a truly Orthodox work.” Consequently, we can fearlessly be sure that, although “Combattimento spirituale” does not belong entirely to Saint Nicodemus, in any case, an analysis of the content of this work allows us to see all the ideas of the saint by which he lived, and therefore set them out as his own. The book was published in Greek five times, 468 starting with the Venetian edition of 1796. “The Invisible Warfare” belongs to the category of literally spiritual works, since it represents the fullness of ascetic experience, holy life and knowledge of God. Therefore, we can say about it that it is a touching, wise, unusually deep and edifying book. In the introduction to it, the divine father explains why the book is so named. The book pursues a specific goal, it teaches not something ordinary, but an invisible battle against the principalities, against the authorities... darkness... against the spirits of wickedness in high places 469. The warriors in this sacred battle are Christians, their Archangel 470 is Christ Himself, and the commanders of thousands and centurions are the ranks of Angels and Saints. Their armor is as follows (as the Apostle Paul says in the Epistle to the Ephesians): “For this purpose take on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day... Stand therefore, having your loins girded with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet for the preparation of the gospel of peace...” 471 . Saint Nicodemus calls the most powerful help in this invisible battle the frequent divine Communion of the Body and Blood of the Lord Jesus, which is so dear to him, as well as the spiritual communion, which he talks about in the 4th chapter of the 2nd part of the book under consideration. Cloudless and bright air, allowing warriors from afar to see enemies approaching them, is a constant exercise of the mind, will, peace and silence of the heart. We find similar views in all the works of the Reverend Father. The ascetic and spiritual views of Nicodemus the Svyatogorets remained unchanged from the very beginning of his writing, when he was 28 years old, until the end of his life. This identity indicates that the monk began his writing in spiritual maturity, with appropriate theological preparation, and that “The Invisible Warfare” is also to a large extent his personal creation, as can be seen from the themes of this book. Further, according to the Monk Nicodemus, from this book the ascetics of Christ study the varied machinations of Satan, carried out by him through imagination, feelings, and especially at the hour of death, through unbelief, despair, vanity and the transformation of unclean spirits into angels of light. Without a doubt, from this book everyone can learn to acquire divine virtues in order to receive an unfading reward in this and in the next age - that is, union with God. The outpouring of the flowing water boiling in his heart 472 of holy love for Christ is represented by the words below from the 3rd chapter, which the saint advises to repeat before Divine Communion as preparation. “Oh, Brashno Heavenly! When will the hour come for me to be sacrificed to You completely, not by any other fire, but by the fire of Your love? When, when, O uncreated Love? When, about the Bread of Life? When will I begin to live alone with You, for You alone and in You alone? When, oh my life? Life is beautiful, Life is sweet and eternal? Oh, Manna from heaven, when will I turn away from every other earthly waste and begin to lust after You alone and feed on You alone? When will this happen, oh my Sweetness? When, oh, my only Good? Oh, my Lord, Most Beloved and All-Powerful, free this unfortunate heart of mine from every addiction and every passionate inclination; clothe him with Your holy virtues and such perfect sincerity that I can do every deed purely for the sole purpose of pleasing You. Then in this way I will open my heart to You; I will call on You and gently force You to enter it, and there You, my Lord, will begin to perform, without encountering resistance in me, all those actions that You always want to perform...” 473. “After communion,” the father continues, “immediately enclose yourself in the secrets of your heart and, forgetting all created things, converse with Your God in this or a similar way: “O Most High King of heaven, who brought You into my heart when I am wretched, poor, blind and naked?” And He will answer you: “Love.” And you say again: “Oh, love, uncreated love! oh sweet love! What do you want from me?" He will tell you that he doesn’t want anything else but your love: “I don’t want to kindle any other fire on the altar of your heart and in all your deeds, except the fire of My love, so that it would consume all other love and all your own will, and so that you would offer yourself to Me in the stench of fragrance...” 474. At the end of the book, the saint placed one of his most spiritual creations, entitled: “Prayers in alphabetical order, in the form of icons, to our Lord Jesus Christ, touching and beautiful, beginning with Theology and ending with the Second Coming of Christ, and containing, according to order, doxologies, thanksgivings, confessions and petitions” 475. Explaining the circumstances of the creation of this touching hymn written in the form of ikos, the Monk Nicodemus writes: “The reason that prompted me to compose these prayers to our Lord Jesus Christ, brothers, was none other than to encourage you to frequently repeat the saving, and sweet, and life-giving, and all that is good in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, not only with your lips, but also with your heart and mind. For such frequent repetition of the saving name of Jesus will soon lead to other heavenly, supernatural and inexplicable gifts that He bestows on you, and about which Saint Callistus Xanthopoulos, Saint Gregory of Sinaite and Simeon the New Theologian speak in the book called “Philokalia” - will lead you to these gifts and to even greater highest virtue, that is, to divine love, and will make you your heart is the church and abode of this holy name during your life and after death. And if you doubt this, be convinced of the following three most beautiful examples, the like of which has not been found in all church histories since the ages. And let the first example be the true God-bearer Ignatius, who by frequent repetition in his heart of the sweet name of Jesus Christ so kindled his soul and his inner being with divine love and zeal that he remained, as it were, outside himself; and for this reason he sometimes exclaimed: “There is no flame or desire in me to love anything in this world, but in my heart there is a certain divine moisture, always moving, and always boiling from God-inspired zeal, which always cries out into me and says to me: why are you sitting here in this world? Let's go to God and the Father. I no longer enjoy corruptible food, nor the pleasures of temporary life, but I desire and long for this water of life, and immortal water, which is constant love for God and immortal life.” Sometimes this saint said: “My love was crucified, my love died,” so calling our Lord Jesus Christ. He was moved to speak such words by the unquenchable flame of divine love that burned in his heart. Therefore, when he suffered martyrdom in Rome, all his limbs and flesh were devoured by lions, but they did not dare to eat his holy heart, but left it untouched; and when the soldiers and the wicked took him and cut him in half - oh, a miracle! - they found words written in gold, on one half of the heart JESUS, on the other - CHRIST..." 476. It would not be the slightest deviation from the truth to call “The Invisible War” a true hymn to the mystical spirit of the Orthodox Fathers and the purest mirror of the heart and soul of our true Orthodox holy father Nicodemus, a mirror in which the uncreated rays of the All-Holy Spirit are reflected. ... Exercise yourself in piety... 477 Not a single book by St. Nicodemus represents his spiritual life more fully than the work entitled “Spiritual Exercises.” This masterpiece of Eastern spirituality shows us most holistically how the monk read, saw, listened, contemplated, talked and lived. The entire course of his inexpressible life, and, moreover, a life that was at the same time a word, an act, and a life, is reflected faithfully, as in a mirror, by the veto of the “Spiritual Exercises.” If by your words I will judge you means that the word expresses the life of the soul, then this book is a manifestation of all sides of the great and holy soul of St. Nicodemus, who abided at unimaginable heights of virtue and theology. When, while talking about Orthodox spirituality, we realize how our holy Fathers lived and taught, it becomes clear that Saint Nicodemus was the greatest teacher of Orthodox spirituality, for proof of which this book alone would be enough. Some of those who studied the life and works of Nicodemus of the Holy Mountain, for example V. Grumel and L. Petit, agree with the opinion that the “Spiritual Exercises” were written under the influence of a tiny book, widespread in foreign languages ​​as the work of Ignatius of Loyola, entitled “Exercices Spirituels” 478. This idea was also expressed by Jacob Neaskitiot in one unpublished manuscript of the Svyatogorsk monastery of St. Anna, fifty years after the dormition of the monk, and his goal was to denigrate the dignity of the work of the Monk Nicodemus. In the mentioned manuscript, where the biased position of James is visible (he continues the hostile attacks of Theodoret 479, due to his rejection of the views of the collivades), it is said that “Spiritual Exercises is a book by the Patriarch of Spain (!) Ignatius of Loyola 480.” It is known that Ignatius of Loyola, wounded in the Battle of Pamplona in Spain, moved after his recovery to the large abbey of Montserrat for confession. There he discovered a translation of a small book “Exercices Spirituels” offered to visitors, which was probably written by Abbot Tara de Sioneros and published in 1500. It was this book that Loyola later expanded a little, and due to his enormous influence as the founder of the Jesuit order, among whom the book was considered a unique guide, it began to be called the work of Ignatius of Loyola. It has since been distributed under his name, despite the different opinion expressed by those who more objectively judged the authorship of the Exercises. Saint Nicodemus seems to have found the French translation of the “Exercices Spirituels”, not exceeding 30 pages of the “Spiritual Exercises” format, on the island of Naxos along with the “Combattimento spirituale” 481, as we already wrote above, and he liked the construction of this work, its structure 482. He borrowed this plan and used it only for the distribution of material in his monumental work “Spiritual Exercises”. Nicodemus did not consider it useful to mention this circumstance as an insignificant detail, limiting himself to the most expressive wording on the title page of the book “Spiritual Exercises”: “with considerable additions, and deletions, and changes, improved and carefully corrected, and various notes adorned by the most reverend among the monks, Mr. Nicodemus...” 483. From here it is clear that the saint, out of humility, refuses a wreath for writing an exquisite work for the Orthodox world and is content only with being seen as a co-worker. Thus, the Monk Nicodemus removes any suspicion that he allegedly “sought to appropriate for himself the works of others and, moreover, of Western origin,” while he was the creator of this work. In addition to other data, which we will discuss below, in confirmation of the fact that this wonderful work of our saint depends on the “Exercices Spirituels” only in form and title, there is also the fact that the adjective is preceded by a noun, unusual for the Greek language - “Spiritual Exercises” instead of “Spiritual Exercises” - which is intended to accurately convey the title, which sounds in Italian as “Esercizi Spirituali”. In the first edition, the book of Nicodemus the Holy Mountain was called “Spiritual Exercises.” This book is the spring water flowing into eternal life, and all the main characteristic features of Orthodox spirituality are reflected in it. In a few words that contain the whole meaning of life, the Monk Nicodemus captured countless souls among the monks of the Holy Mountain and beyond, but, one might say, he first captured himself before he wrote his creation. There is no doubt that there is nothing earthly on these pages. The saint goes beyond the boundaries of space and time and looks only at eternity, which is beyond the present. In our opinion, the “Spiritual Exercises” alone would be enough to recognize Nicodemus as a great saint of the Orthodox Church. In this book the monk poured out all his wisdom and love. However, for our era, sated with books, one drawback of “Spiritual Exercises” is obvious: it is 650 pages long... In his preface, St. Nicodemus discusses the need for constant exercise and movement for the entire created world. “God is the Sweetest Face and Name, beloved and loving by all, possessing, by virtue of absolute necessity, existence, whose non-existence is in all respects impossible. Immovable and firmly established in immovable identity, according to the most excellent of theologians, Dionysius the Areopagite, out of one goodness he wanted to move in order to create all that exists, material and immaterial... which is why the divine Augustine says beautifully: “Immovable and moves everything.” He wanted to create not so that everything would remain motionless and idle, but so that it would always move and be exercised in some way. And the reason for this is that through this constant exercise and movement everything is composed and acquires its natural perfection. For God is motionless, because He is by nature Perfect, and moreover, Superperfect and Preperfect, and, therefore, has no need for movement in order to come from the imperfect to the perfect through it. And all creations are imperfect by nature, and by necessity they need constant movement and exercise, so that they can one day, during the general renewal, achieve the perfection perceived by their nature. Therefore, the common opinion among philosophers is that “everything that is movable moves for the sake of something.” Therefore, if creations stopped moving for a moment, either due to natural impossibility or arbitrarily, they would immediately lose their perfection and would be deprived of their existence” 484. The monk, wanting to show that nothing immovable exists anywhere, and, therefore, a person must constantly exercise, writes: “See how all creations, from the first to the last, are found in movement and exercise; Thus, all orders of immaterial Angels move, as befits Angels, in accordance with three types of movement: cyclic, through which they are united with the beginningless and endless illuminations of the Beautiful and the Good; direct, through which they provide for those below; and spiral-shaped, through which, providing for those who are below, they remain in perfect unity around God, according to the aforesaid angel-loving Dionysius. Thus, the celestial bodies, the sun, the moon, the stars and the sphere of the entire sky, which was originally called movable, always move in a circle. So the elements move in a straight line, either ascending from the center of the earth, or descending to the center of the earth... so that the entire spiritual and sensory contemplated world is nothing more than the greatest and most spacious gymnasium, in the midst of which all creations - small, great, material, immaterial, are always exercising, always moving, and each of them strives to achieve its perfection, with the help of the natural art inherent in every creation. Thus, further, God created the small in the great world, according to all the sages, it is better to say, taking into account its various powers and energies, the great in the small world, that is, man, according to Nazianzu Gregory, - the connection of two worlds, intelligible and sensible, according to Nemesius 485, - the completion of all creations, according to Gregory of Thessalonians 486, - the chief and king of all visible creation, according to Scripture, - the church and image of God and likeness, according to all theologians, - the boundary of the corporeal and incorporeal, according to Synesius, - a great miracle, according to Hermes 487, - the measure of everything, according to Pythagoras, - a miracle of miracles, according to Plato, - a social animal, according to Aristotle, - an invaluable example, according to Theophrastus 488. Thus, I say, God created man not to be idle and motionless, but to always move, to exercise, and through this exercise to ascend to his structure and perfection, which in the present life consists in the acquisition of Divine grace, and in the future - in the acquisition of Divine glory...” 489 . The following words about the love of Christ, with which the venerable hermit lived and moved, are filled with grace: “...more than anything else, the love of the Lord is manifested in victory over the obstacles that He overcame in order to benefit us with the Sacrament of the Eucharist. For although the Lord foresaw the entire infinity of irreverence, neglect, lukewarmness, or, better said, coldness, and other countless blasphemies that both His priests and secular Christians were to show towards His Most Holy Body and Blood, despite this His love conquered all these obstacles. “For much love cannot be quenched by water, nor can rivers drown it,” 490 as the Bride of the Song of Songs says. I say, His love conquered all this and condescended to endure everything, just to achieve unity with our soul; and moreover, the Lord added to His patience also desires and the strongest desires, wanting with all His heart and all His soul to unite with us an hour before His death, which is why He said: “I really wanted to eat this Easter with you before My suffering” 491. And even before His coming into the world and incarnation, He made it so that all the forefathers, prophets, all nations and generally all other people wanted and expected Him. And now He wants to come into our hearts through this Sacrament, and as if He is hurrying Himself to this with a desire worthy only of His Divine heart and His Divinity. Oh, truly most divine and invincible love! Moreover, oh, the flame of love, rising to the sky, as it is written: “...strong as the death of love... its wings were the wings of fire,... its flames” 492. And who would ever be able to imagine such immensity of God’s love if faith had not shown it to us?...” 493. Oh, that brethren in Christ would read only this page from the Spiritual Exercises every day! How deep would be the piety of our people! The first church in honor of St. Nicodemus the Holy Mountain in the Skurteev cell on the site of the saint’s death That is “universe”, “ecumene” - the then known world. This statement is true only in relation to the period of the 4th–6th centuries. They were tonsured by the same elder. Words from the rite of tonsure into monasticism when putting on the tonsured person in various monastic robes and when presenting him with a rosary (cf. Eph. 6:11-17). It is not entirely clear whether this means that three hundred chapters of St. Nikita Stifata, placed in the “Philokalia” after the “Chapters” of his teacher, St. Simeon, are, in a sense, expanded “scholia” to the latter? Among the learned researchers of the works of St. Simeon the New Theologian, to this day there is doubt regarding the attribution of the transcription of St. Nicodemus. In the 18th century many were engaged in similar translations: for example, the translation of some of the works of St. Simeon, made by Neophyte Kavsokalivit, (codex No. 60 of the library of the monastery of St. Anna on Athos). St. Simeon did not receive a comprehensive secular education, like many of the Holy Fathers. St. John Chrysostom. Conversations on the Gospel of Matthew. 1:PG. 57. Col. 13. See: Nikita Stifat, Rev. The life and asceticism of our holy father Simeon the New Theologian... // Simeon the New Theologian, St.; Nikita Stifat. St. Ascetic works. Klin, 2001. P. 220 (“Hurry, child, complete the copying of my works...” says St. Simeon in a vision). St. Nicodemus remembers here the words: Do not turn away my heart in wicked words, do not bear the guilt of sins... (Ps. 141:4). This means that St. Nicodemus was not invested with holy orders and spiritual authority. The names of the most important canonists are listed, among whom an anonymous interpreter is mentioned, whose comments were widespread in Byzantium. This work was based not only on the canons of St. John the Faster, but also, as the Italian researcher E. Citterio proves, the books of the Jesuit P. Segneri. Those. into the generally accessible Modern Greek language. Ἐξομολογητάϱιον. Ἀϑῆναι, 1895. Σ. 219, 245. Catherine of Siena (14th century), St. virgin in the Catholic Church. The example is taken from the book by P. Segneri. According to new counts, it was published 12 times. – Note. ed. Literally: "Theotokos". St. Nicodemus the Holy Mountainer calls St. Andrei Kritsky, since he was actually one of the first creators of the canons and the greatest examples of this genre of church song are associated with his name. St. Theophanes (d. about 850), bishop. Nicene, a confessor of Orthodoxy, is also called Inscribed due to the fact that during the iconoclasm, by order of the heretic emperor Theophilus, verses were burned on the faces of him and his brother. Probably, Mitrofan of Smyrna was called the alector (i.e., rooster) of the Church because his Trinity canons are supposed to be sung at the Sunday Midnight Office, and thus they seem to awaken the faithful, like the crowing of a rooster. The kinira (or kinnor), a Jewish musical stringed instrument (in ancient times) with soft sounds, was used to play liturgical melodies; often mentioned in the Old Testament; resembled a lyre or a guitar (but in Russian translation it is sometimes conveyed through the word “harp”). – Note. ed. Literally it says: “a shouting cymbal,” cf.: Ps.150:6 (in the cymbal of shouting). Perhaps it would be more correct to translate “sweetest Echo,” after the name of the mythical nymph. We are talking about a system of musical “modes” or “voices”, and their ancient Greek names are given (since it was the musical tradition of Ancient Greece that formed the basis of the Byzantine one). The named “modes” or “voices” correspond to the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th voices of the system familiar to us, and their “indirect” or “plagal” ones correspond to 5, 6, 7 and 8. For example, the kontakion of the “Elected Voivode”, which we designate as the “8th voice”, in Greek. liturgical books are inscribed as follows: Tone 4 is indirect, - but in the system that St. Petersburg cites. Nicodemus, that would be “Mixolydian indirect.” St. Basil the Great. The rules are set out at length in the questions and answers. 37: PG. 31. Col. 1016. That is St. Gregory Palamas. This means “Phaeotocarium”, i.e. “The Book of the Mother of God,” compiled by Agapius Land (late 16th century - ca. 1664), monk, writer. Agapius was born in Crete, took monastic vows on Mount Athos, and there he wrote and compiled his main books (13 of them), which in their content and genre were the predecessors of the works of St. Nicodemus. The book “The Salvation of Sinners,” recently translated into Russian, was reprinted many times (see Sinners’ Salvation. Compiled in a public speech by Agapius, a monk of Crete, who labored on Holy Mount Athos (1641). Edinet, 2003). – Note. ed. This is true only in the sense that St. Nicodemus did not include any of his canons to the Theotokos in Theotokary. As far as one can judge, many of the “like things” placed in the book after each canon belong to his pen. These and subsequent discussions about the origin of the books “Invisible Warfare” and “Spiritual Exercises” have largely lost relevance after the research of Emmanuel Franciskos, who proved that St. Nicodemus revised translations that already existed at that time, made by Emmanuel Romaniti and brought to the Monk St. Macarius of Corinth. The manuscripts were anonymous, etc. Nicodemus did not know about their prototypes, although he probably guessed about their Latin origin. In any case, it is impossible to talk about “translation” of these books. See: Φϱαγκίσκος Ἐ. Ἀόϱατος Πόλεμος (1796), Γυμνάσματα πνευματικά (1800). Ἡ πατϱότητα τῶν “μεταφϱάσεων” ὑπὸ Νικοδήμου Ἁγιοϱείτου // Ὁ ἐϱανιστής. 1993. 19. Σ. 102–135. This probably refers to the translation into Russian made by St. Feofan the Recluse in 1885 The book compiled by Rev. Nicodemus; contains an interpretation of the canons at Matins on the Twelfth Feasts (see Chapter 13). Ἑοϱτοδϱόμιον. T. 3. Θεσσαλονίκη, 2002. Σ. 220. Σημ. 77. St. Theophan the Recluse thought differently: “That book was written by a Catholic, but Catholics judge us differently about mental prayer and other ascetic things. Elder Nicodemus corrected, but not everything. I have completed the amendment” (Collected letters of St. Theophan. Seventh issue. M., 1900. P. 192). – Note. ed. This refers to two fundamental concepts of Orthodox asceticism: action (or practice, Greek πϱᾶξις and vision (contemplation, Greek ϑεωϱία). Having acquired “active intelligence” through the fulfillment of the commandments, the ascetic moves on to “vision” as a higher spiritual state. “Vision” without “action” is considered impossible by the Fathers. In 1959. Subsequently it was reprinted several times (the last edition was published in 2003). Ἀόϱατος Πόλεμος. Σ. 228–229. Right there. Σ. 231. Based on the translation of St. Theophan the Recluse (Invisible Warfare. Part 2. Chapter 3), clarified in accordance with the Greek original in those places where discrepancies were observed. Ἀόϱατος Πόλεμος. Σ. 318–319. This story, according to St. Nicodemus of the Svyatogorets, he drew from a certain “Slavic synaxarion”. The heroes of the other two stories are St. Julian, a disciple of Abba Isaiah, and a certain “Christian named Largatis”, who made a pilgrimage to the Holy Sepulcher and died at the Sepulcher, kissing it. Having opened his heart, they found the inscription: JESUS ​​CHRIST, SWEET LOVE. “Spiritual Exercises” (French). Theodoret of Ioannina (died in 1823), an educated saint of the Holy Mountain, a writer (wrote the history of the Holy Mountain), for some time the abbot of the Esphigmen monastery, a resident of the monastery of St. Anne and the most furious and irreconcilable anti-collivad, which is not surprising, because. he adhered not to the Holy Tradition, but to free-thinking: his interpretation of the Apocalypse was prohibited due to dogmatic errors. Theodoret is famous for the fact that he boldly inserted his own conclusions and incorrect additions into the “Pidalion” of St. Nicodemus (they were later confiscated). Theodoret had a nephew and student who continued his fight against the Kollyvads, this was Jacob Neaskitiot. – Note. ed. Ignatius of Loyola, of course, was never “Patriarch of Spain” or even a bishop. “Spiritual warfare” (Italian). Translations of these books were not carried out by St. Nicodemus, but were handed over to him for correction by St. Macarius (see about this note 46 to this chapter and the afterword). Currently, it is generally accepted that the book “Spiritual Exercises” is an adaptation of the work of Giovanni Pietro Pinamonti (1632–1703) (Pinamonti G. P. Esercitii spirituali di S. Ignazio proposti alle persone secolari, che bramano con questo santo Ritiramento di eleggere, o di migliorare il loro stato. Bologna, 1698. 539 p.), which in volume is quite comparable to the book of St. Nicodemus. Γυμνάσματα Πνευματικά. Σ. 1. Γυμνάσματα Πνευματικά. Σ. 6. Nemesius of Emesa, Christian writer of the 4th–5th centuries, who left an essay on the structure of the world and man. St. Gregory Palamas, Archbishop of Thessaloniki. This refers to Hermes Trismegistus, i.e. The thrice-greatest god Hermes, in whose name philosophical works were written, in which all the secrets of the world were revealed. – Note. ed. Ancient Greek philosopher (372–287 BC), author of the essay “Characters”. Γυμνάσματα Πνευματικά. Σ. 6–7. Γυμνάσματα Πνευματικά. Σ. 216–217.