A message of warning about the way of salvation, sent to the holy churches of God throughout the diocese

“An epistle of warning about the way of salvation, sent to the holy churches of God throughout the diocese” (20 chapters) is addressed to the clergy and laity of the Thessalonian Metropolis. St. Simeon of Thessalonica tries to explain the spiritual meaning of the Turkish conquest that befell Byzantium. He sees the cause of disasters in the weakening of faith and piety among Christians, in their distance from God and likeness to pagans. The author denounces common sins: excesses, adultery, masculinity, drunkenness, polygamy, hatred, envy, slander, covetousness, robbery, greed, indifference, debauchery and lack of repentance. With pain, he notes that many, calling themselves Christians, neglect the commandments of Christ, especially the commandment of love, and do not care about the salvation of the soul, indulging in carnal pleasures and temporary blessings. Saint Simeon calls Christians to perseverance in the faith, fulfillment of the commandments, conscious participation in divine services, repentance and confession, and also warns against the temptation to convert to Islam for reasons of immediate gain. In the message of St. Simeon points to the spiritual meaning of the Turkish conquest that befell Byzantium, largely associated with the weakening of faith and piety among Christians. The saint calls on clergy and laity to live in accordance with the canons of the Church, encourages the church people to consciously participate in divine services and exhorts them to more often resort to the sacrament of repentance, which he speaks about in detail. It is worth noting that Thessalonica will be captured by the Turks in 1430, the next year after the death of the saint. Translation from ancient Greek was made according to the critical edition of D. Balfour 1 . The message is being translated into Russian for the first time. The translation made by M. V. Nikiforov was edited by M. M. Bernatsky. Hidden quotations and allusions to Holy Scripture, established by A. G. Dunaev and not indicated in D. Balfour’s edition, are marked in the footnotes “Ed.” Notes by M. M. Bernatsky are marked with the abbreviation “Trans.”. 1. Simeon, the least servant of Jesus Christ, by His grace and mercy, Archbishop of Thessaloniki, to the holy churches throughout Thessaly, to the most God-loving bishops, presbyters, deacons, to all clergy and religious, as well as to all the fullness of Christ from every rank and generation, beloved brothers and children in Christ, sanctified in Himself the living Word of God and the Father, regenerated 2 through Him for adoption to God by the grace and power of the Holy Spirit: grace, peace and mercy to you 3 be filled from the Almighty Father, and from His Only Begotten Word, Jesus Christ, who by goodness became incarnate for us, and from the life-giving Spirit - from the one Principle, Power and Power in the Trinitarian Godhead. 2. God and the Father Himself knows, both the living and one Word, through whom all things came into being, 4 and the life-giving and divine Spirit, by whom all things live and are ordered, 5 that I continually, as the divine Paul said, remember you, 6, brothers, not only in my humble prayers, but always at all times, thinking about you and asking God, that first of all, with divine zeal, you will remain steadfast and steadfast. firm in the true and united faith in the Holy Trinity and in the incarnation of the Word, they boldly proclaimed this holy faith and confessed it shamelessly before all people. Moreover, [I pray to God] that you may remain in love and peace with one another according to His commandments, as He said: This I command you, that you love one another 7 and My peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you 8 and these things I have spoken to you, that you may have peace in yourselves 9 and peace to you 10 ; so that by keeping sanctification you may have the grace of the Spirit, united in love and peace with the Chief of the world (εἰρηνάρχ ῃ) Christ, to remain as lights in the world 11, containing the Word of life with good deeds and words, enlightening and being enlightened, so that in the future [age] you may shine like the sun 12 when the true Light is revealed from heaven 13 Jesus Christ 14. So, edify one another, as the apostle says 15. Those who have been awarded the priesthood, be guides to heaven for the rest, lead them into the heavenly gates, the keys of which Christ gave through Peter to the bishops 16, and receive a great reward 17 for their work from Him, the great and good Shepherd 18, who became like us, and laid down his soul for us, 19 and opened heaven for us, and was the first to ascend, and sits there. drawing everyone to the very throne of God and the Father. All who are faithful to your mentors, that is, to the bishops and priests, obey and be submissive, as Paul says, for they are vigilantly looking out for you 20 and praying that you may enter with them into the heavenly fence, receiving the glory of the great King and Bishop Christ. And the Lord of all Jesus Christ Himself, our God, with all my heart and mind 21, I beseech you, love Him, who loved us to the death of the cross 22 and voluntarily shed all-holy blood for us 23. Conducting your life with zeal for piety, strive for the good deed of our salvation 24 in order to keep yourself by the love of mankind and the grace of the good God from all malice and wickedness, from the uncleanness and madness of the evil one, who does not cease enmity against us, fights and tries to destroy us, and turn us away from the God who created us, just as he himself fell away, and bring us under his evil and tyrannical power in order to mock and boast of our destruction and punishment. After all, his goal is not to benefit us or give us anything useful, but to mislead and alienate the divine protection of God from us, to subjugate us and, through wickedness and deceit, here to make enemies and haters of God, and there 25 - punished along with him for the pleasure of his malice and to satisfy the madness against us. Therefore, according to the divine Peter, he walks around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour 26. 3. And so, knowing this and since at the present moment, when the last [times] have already arrived, the evil one has received much greater freedom to stir up enmity against the saints, so that they may become truly tried and true, I am writing to your love this letter according to the disposition of my soul, in accordance with my duty, urging and exhorting you to preserve unshakably the holy faith, handed down to us from ancient times from the holy prophets and apostles, martyrs, hierarchs and all the saints who preached the coming to earth of our Lord Jesus Christ in the flesh, who, out of much love for mankind, appeared on earth, becoming a man like us, being the unchangeable God, and spoke and accomplished everything for our salvation, humbled himself even to death 27, being immortal. [I beg] you to keep firm and undefiled the faith which His sacred disciples, simple, poor and unlearned, 28 having received wisdom and power from the good Spirit, rushed into every land and to all peoples to proclaim and convey in every language the divinely inspired message of piety. Having endured numerous trials, dangers and death, they freed us from the flattery of idols and the power of demons. Persecuted, tormented 29, killed [the apostles] not by sword and arrows, not by invasions and wars, as [do] the enemies of Christ who are now pursuing us, 30 but by the power of the Spirit, [being] in nakedness, disasters 31 and suffering and in all poverty, they planted the knowledge of God on earth, and they subdued those who persecuted and killed them themselves, and their former persecutors were later shown to be their disciples and preachers of the Gospel to the point of bleeding. Therefore, the rich, nobles and rulers who previously lived in wickedness, having believed in Christ, loved the path of poverty and suffering for the sake of honoring the Lord. And having despised the present [goods], they achieved the blessings of heaven and on earth were rewarded with the great gifts of God, so that their ashes in the present [age] are enriched with divine power, and signs are performed from their holy relics, as is clear to everyone. Of these believers, many, who only yesterday had been intemperate, in accordance with faith in Christ, chose chastity, while others, not at all defiled by the world, chose the virgin life. And this was done by simple young people, boys and girls. All of them, strengthened by Christ 32, showing the will and zeal for piety, won the crown of life not only for themselves, but also for many others and became the culprits of salvation. 4. Now, alas, we have become despisers (καταφρονηταί) 33 [of faith], we care only about the flesh and, having love for what is transitory, we suffer, rightly abandoned by God, because we do not seek the things of God. Therefore, our enemies overcome us, tyrannize over us and rebel against the one and true faith of Christ, cruelly persecute and humiliate us, and there is neither one who helps nor one who delivers 34 at all, since there is no one who understands, who seeks God, 35 as it is written. And the psalmist speaks well further, foreseeing the future: everyone has turned aside and become equally indecent; there is no one who does good, there is not one 36. For who is now zealous for godliness? Who lays down his soul 37 for faith? It is better [to say], who abstains from evil, who abstains from sin? Have we not all become evil, according to the prediction of the divine Paul? For he says that in the last days perilous times will come. For people will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, slanderers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unfriendly, unforgiving, slanderers, intemperate, cruel, not loving goodness, traitors, insolent, pompous, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying the power thereof 38 . Is this not what is happening today, brothers? After all, many are called Christians, but Christian deeds are not visible among them: according to what is written, they mixed with the pagans and learned their works 39 . And one can see that those who are called Christians lead an ungodly life - in disorder, adultery, masculinity, drunkenness 40, polygamy and other countless grave sins. For some come together and cohabit with many women, others, despising the laws of the Church, in old age enter into a third 41, and some into a fourth and fifth [marriage], living like the dumb and desecrating the members of the church 42. Others hate each other 43 and are mad against each other, although they should love each other, since they received, as we have already said, such a commandment from Christ, who said: This is my commandment, that you love one another, and this I command you, that you love one another 44 . Therefore, with the cooling of love 45, all misfortunes come to us, when in every way we commit all kinds of evil and, calling ourselves faithful servants of the humble and meek Christ, 46 alas, we suffer from each other, we hate each other and rush against each other with envy and jealousy, 47 with slander and denunciations, with ridicule and reproach, with insults and excesses, with robbery and greed 48, with indifference and debauchery and, simply put, with all kinds of lawlessness. And nowhere is there any repentance, no contrition of heart, 49 no turning to God, no mercy, no compassion for suffering brothers, no zeal for mercy towards the poor or hospitality in love - zeal most of all for betrayal, oppression and mistreatment. So, who will not weep for the present generation? But who will ask the question: why do misfortunes come to us in general, why are we persecuted and how dumb animals are brought and led around, daily put up for sale and given into slavery? Is it not because of our sins, is it not because we have abandoned God? In justice, we are abandoned because we abandoned Him 50 - Life, Peace, Holy, Benevolent. 5. Let us look at the lives of the saints from the beginning: how they accomplished great [deeds] through honest living and pious living, standing and striving for piety; how, through the few who died for Christ, like a certain seed, the field of preaching increased, to which the whole world listened through persecuted and tortured fishermen, martyrs killed, ascetic hierarchs, and all nations believed and knew the one true God in the Trinity. And the kings, having previously been persecutors and having the universe under their power, submitted to the humble servants of Christ and, having come to know Christ, appeared as His defenders (ἔκδικοι), not knowing Him yesterday. Thus, the great and first among Christians, King Constantine believed and, like another apostle, fought for Christ, and after him his two children, after them Theodosius 51 and the rest of the faithful kings: in Ethiopia - King Elesbaan 52, in India - Joasaph. And how amazing it is that often through one lover of God the whole people turned to faith in Christ: as through Bishop Frumentius 53 - the whole country of India, as through one Christ-loving wife 54 - Iberia, as in Armenia - through Saint Gregory 55 and a few virgin wives 56. For Christ’s [people] did not love these [goods], but they only desired Him - the only desired, the only beloved, the creative Word, the beloved Son of God 57, and imitated Him, incarnate, in His passion and death. Just as He, although He died, lives (ἀποθανῶν ζ ῇ) 58, having abolished the demons by the cross 59, and through the apostles sowed grace and knowledge on earth, so His servants, who died for His sake, abolished error and brought unbelievers to faith. 6. But where is the truly faithful now? After all, formerly the faithful, zealous for the faith and abhorring the deeds of the ungodly 60, either openly proclaimed piety, or hid in caves and mountains, enduring tribulations, as Paul says, bitterness, wandering in deserts, mountains, caves and gorges of the earth 61 only in order to maintain piety within themselves. Therefore they had the grace of the Holy Spirit, and the Lord greatly magnified them. Now who is zealous for piety? Who is willing to suffer for their faith? Who hates the works of the wicked? No one, but almost everyone is jealous of the [deeds] of the infidels and considers their criminal deeds to be good: they admire wealth and passionately desire it, praise and strive for transitory luxury, fetid and infested with worms, and for the sake of it, alas, many betray the righteous and the [deeds] of Christ (τὰ τοῦ Χριστοῦ) in the hands of the wicked. Moreover, they honor the glory of the atheists for something great and love to be like them - and so-called Christians [do] this! However, many of the madmen who, seized by some small temptation - either to take away a dress, or to saddle a horse, or to obtain food or carnal freedom (or rather, the slavery of the soul), or worldly power, the post of a strategist and influence, or money, the cause of all evils - leave the common Lord, Creator, Provider, show themselves to be apostates and deniers of the Creator and, unfortunate ones, classify themselves with the wicked. Who would not grieve over such things? Who, even if he spent his whole life in sorrow, would sufficiently mourn these people who destroyed themselves, insulters of the Lord, enslaved to demons for the sake of a transient life, for the sake of corruptible pleasure, for the sake of a godless and dirty life? 7. Human! What of the things in this world stands firm, what is unshakable? What is visible that is indestructible? Both heaven and earth will pass away 62, says the Lord, that is, they will change. And the day passes and the night ends every day. The sun, rising and setting, making its course and creating the seasons, consistently brings about change. And the earth, vegetating and not yielding fruit, also clearly testifies to the corruption of the world. And animals, being born and dying, [testify of this]. And first of all, man himself, the best of all that is visible, reveals this: he comes from the dust, from its very depths, changes in an instant, is nourished and grows, is glorified and dishonored, grows rich and poor, constantly changes and finally dies. But every creature, changing, confirms the corruption of this transitory life: the image of this world passes away, 63 says the divine Paul, teaching that the movement and action of everything visible is subject to destruction. Why do you attach great importance to these [perishable things]? Will you live here forever? Don't you die almost every day 64? Are you not surrounded by [death] every hour and do not see it and do not expect it, even if you were the highest and most noble of kings? Therefore, we who understand [what has been said] should not attach great importance to impermanent things and place our hope only in what deceives and eludes us after a short time. But don’t you also know that the world lies in evil, 65 as the beloved apostle says, and that most of the world is ruled by the evil ones? That is why the devil is called the prince of peace 66, for he is called so, being the beginning of sin, corruption and all evil and the leader of the evil ones 67. He is called both the ruler of the world 68 and the evil one as the cause of vice in the world. We are not of this world, as Christ our God said 69, but our citizenship is in heaven, as Paul teaches 70. Jesus entered there as a forerunner for us, 71 having exalted us, and is now seated at the right hand of the Father 72 in heaven, from where we again await this Savior, 73 Who, having descended, will then send His angels, and they will separate the wicked from among the righteous 74, as it is written, and those who create temptations and all lawlessness, and will send them [Jesus] into hell fire 75. Those who, imitating His life, spent their lives in poverty, sanctification and patience until death, like His crucifixion, will themselves be enlightened like the sun 76, seeing Him, the unsetting Sun of righteousness, 77 and receiving radiance from Him. And the blessed imitators who accepted Him Himself and His Cross, that is, who loved contempt for worldly deeds and desires and followed the Lord, living in patience until death for His faith and pious fatherland (τῆς εὐσεβοῦς πολιτείας), will accept the crown of life that God has prepared for those who love Him 78 . For wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, which many fools desire; narrow is the gate and narrow the way that leads to life, 79 and few are zealous for it. Let us also imitate such people 80. For which of the ancient prophets and righteous men loved pleasure or wealth? Which of the apostles, or martyrs, or ascetics? Was it not about the opposite that each of them was jealous and spent his life trusting in God, being persecuted, oppressed, and killed? 8. What excites your thoughts, man? Wealth and glory of the wicked? Listen to the psalmist saying: I saw the wicked, exalted and high as the cedars of Lebanon: And I passed (προῆλθον) 81, and behold he was not: and I sought him, and his place was not found 82. Doesn't the same [happen] with his wealth? Isn't it from the earth and going into the earth 83? Who took him with him and died? Doesn’t everyone leave it here – often even to their enemies, as Chrysostom says 84? What depresses your soul? Is it that the wicked rules over you, that he oppresses and harms you, keeps you subordinate and a slave? What's the matter? You have no obstacles on the way to the Kingdom of God, but he has a demonic order. For the devil, by God’s permission, has power for the sake of temporary testing of the righteous, 85 but this power is tyrannical, just like his intention. However, he is not worthy of envy because of this, moreover, he is proclaimed the evil one and therefore will suffer endless punishment with his evil demons and people. Do not be jealous of the wicked and do not envy those who work iniquity, for they, like grass, will quickly wither and, like green grass, they will quickly fall away, 86 as David sings. So it will be with everyone who indulges in ungodly pleasure and, by God’s permission, has power over the pious. For such a one has the diabolical rank and power, being a tyrant and murderer, he rejoices in robbery, robs, enslaves, steals the property of others, separates husbands from wives, wives from husbands, scatters children, destroys family ties, is obsessed with passion for other people’s wives, delights in fornication and adultery, masculinity and all sorts of other vices. And the worst thing is that he who boasts of such blasphemies and is obsessed with so many atrocities considers himself righteous and knowing the true God, while being completely atheist and not knowing what God is. For he who denies the living Word of God denies both God the Father Himself and the Holy Spirit. After all, the Trinity is inseparable, and, as the Lord said, whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, and he who rejects the Son rejects the Father who sent Him 87 and he who rejects Me rejects Him who Sent Me 88 and is completely atheist. Therefore, we, who believe in the true and one God in the Trinity, are reviled and mocked by the wicked, 89 and because of this he is even more pitiful and insane. 9 . But we, I beg you, will be sober and grieve for such people, but for ourselves with genuine intention we will be jealous, so as not to be condemned with the wicked. Therefore, let us bear the suffering that they bring upon us at the prompting of the evil one, knowing that these sufferings bring us cleansing from sins and crowns. At the same time, let us understand and clearly realize that due to our neglect of the saving commandments of the good Savior Christ and abandonment of His straight path, 90 we are betrayed to His enemies, so that we learn from the sensory trial that if we do not repent, not only our bodies, but also our souls will then be plunged into eternal trial. From this temporary slavery we will learn about the captivity and slavery of our souls, for this is why we have become slaves of the atheists, because we have enslaved ourselves to demons through evil passions. We did not desire to have the Lord as our ruler through the fulfillment of His commandments, but we [desired to have the ruler] of the evil apostate through the creation of his deeds. That is why they are enslaved by enemies. We voluntarily rejected the received freedom of our souls and gave the power to the crafty enemy to tyrannize over us. By showing this and educating us, Christ allowed the body, which we loved, to suffer in order to suffer with the soul. That is why we are betrayed to our enemies, as if to other demons who enslave us, tyrannize and oppress us. But even if we suffer here, may there be relief for us there, and not condemnation for our unwillingness to correct ourselves during our upbringing! 10. But I beg you, let us begin to get rid of our spiritual slavery: let us retreat from our wickedness, let us learn to do good. Let us seek the Lord 91: perhaps, having softened (ἐπικαμφθείς), He will deliver us from our bodily captivity and slavery and make us worthy of His Kingdom. Why do we live unreasonably and, like cattle, feed only flesh as if for slaughter, bursting with drunkenness, pleasure and the madness of gluttony? Will these [pleasures] make us eternal? Will they not, on the contrary, soon betray us to decay? Will worms cause us? Therefore, I pray: let us watch, so that destruction does not suddenly overtake us. Let us think that we too will die; Let us feel that we also have a soul, that tomorrow we will have to give an answer, that condemnation is eternal, that the punishment for those who have not prepared themselves here through repentance is limitless. Why do we spend the time that we have received here for the organization of the soul only on thinking about the flesh and worrying about unknown things? Waking up early in the morning, we do not remember God, do not worship the Creator, do not care about the unfortunate soul, but have all kinds of concern for everything carnal, earthly and temporary. Cattle and birds, receiving food from the Lord, give thanks: he gives their food to the cattle and to the raven's chicks, calling to Him 92, says [the psalmist]; we are in a worse state than they are, and we do not remember God either in the morning or in the evening. But we act more unreasonably than dogs, for they, knowing their owners, often do not receive food from them, and are driven away by them, but do not leave, but remain at home. And when the owners come, they rush to meet you, accompany you during the walk, and at night they stay awake and guard. Therefore, those who are not endowed with words shame us, who are honored with words. For it was not only given to them to remain dumb by nature, but to educate us, venerable in words. The ox knows its owner, and the donkey its master's manger, Christ repeats [the prophet] Isaiah, but Israel does not know Me 93, now the Christ-named and new people reject My words and do not want to hear about My gifts, do not want to remember Me and do not think of what they received from Me, to bring to Me, who was incarnate for him, crucified, died in the flesh, and rose again, and life to him to the one who gave. He gives Me no thanks, no glory, no honor. Moreover, by committing evil deeds, he allows the pagans to blaspheme My holy name. 11. He spends his life wickedly worse than the pagans. He does not love his neighbor, despises the love of strangers, commits atrocities, does not have mercy on the oppressed, strives for theft, does not think about the truth. He does not spend the days destined for Me in reverence, diligent in prayer, but rather despises [these days]. For those who are sanctified by My blood defile themselves in those days in which they should remain in sanctification. On the appointed day of the Lord or on the other holy days on which I performed [acts] for their sake or who of My saints finished a good career 94 and was crowned by Me, and My angels honored him, and he became a perfect intercessor for them 95 - [on this day] these so-called faithful to Me dishonor both Me and My servants: they do not come to the churches of God, they do not praise Me, their benefactor, nor those praying for them, do not sacrifice to Me from what I have given them. They do not feed hungry brothers, do not welcome strangers into their homes, do not visit the sick - for truly these are the things of the holiday - they do not care about the liberation of the captives, they do not console the mourning. They do not resort to confession in order to receive remission of sins committed during the week (τῶν τῆς ἑβδομάδος ἁ μαρτημάτων). This must be done by Mine, freed from labor; while working, carry My name in your heart. For for this purpose I became a man like them, dwelt in them and united with them, recreated them and quickened them, and sanctified them with the gift of the Holy Spirit, so that they would be purified and sanctified in truth, and be one with Me 96, and see - as I, the Son of God and the Word, prayed - My glory 97 with My Father and the Spirit, and become partakers of My Kingdom. Therefore, they must, refraining from work, remember Me and do what is pleasing to Me; working, morning, noon and evening 98 [must] worship Me, and call on Me, and always remember Me in thought and through the tongue pronounce My holy name 99 in order to receive blessings from Me both in the present and in the future. But this is not how Mine are now, for not only do they not remember Me, but they also anger many. 12. Taking these words as if our Savior said them 100, let us fear what He said, that it is terrible to fall into the hands of the living God, 101 and we will spend our lives in goodness and love for Christ. And on all holy days, especially on the days of the Lord, let us do what is pleasing to the Lord and let us no longer anger Him. Indeed, on such days, many remain in negligence, become defiled in drunkenness, in beds, in debauchery, alas, they stain themselves with foul language, reproach, quarrels, riots, and blasphemy. They are also defiled in lewd songs and other absurdities, because of which righteous anger comes to them from our common Master and much abandonment, for those who humiliate Me, it is said, will be humiliated, and those who forsake Me will be abandoned 102. And [Christians] do this without being ashamed of the true wicked 103 who, although enslaved by error and committing all kinds of lawlessness, do not refuse to do what is still familiar to them, namely, to perform their, of course, ungodly prayers and show their love of hobbies. But it is possible to see those who care about righteousness among them, who commit all kinds of unrighteousness and rob the ikumen, which is the cunning of the evil one towards them, in order to deceive them. However, the faithful, having put on Christ with divine baptism, and having accepted the cooperating grace of the Spirit, and having as their guide the prayers of God the Word Himself, alas, neglect sacred prayers and His other most divine commandments - especially the [commandment] of love, without [the fulfillment of] which no one can be saved. And while the Lord says: watch at all times and pray 104 and ask and you will receive 105 and whatever you ask the Father in My name he will give you 106 and ask and it will be given to you 107 and the divine Paul says: pray without ceasing 108 - many of the faithful do not know what prayer is. And while the Lord praises the merciful and says: blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy 109, and Paul cries out: do not forget hospitable love 110 - not only do they not invite the poor to themselves with pity, do not serve their brothers who wander and stay in foreign lands, but they cruelly persecute and turn away without compassion, with arrogant words they condemn the poor and angrily reproached. And while the Lord pleases those who thirst for righteousness 111 and says through the prophet: I have hated and detested unrighteousness 112, and Paul exclaims: the unrighteous will not inherit the Kingdom of God 113 - the majority of the faithful, alas, strive for unrighteousness, seize what belongs to others and rob each other: in deeds, words and thoughts they become thieves. They despise all divine words and are worse than crawling worms, never coming to perceive divine [things]. 13. I also heard something worse. Many Christians, falling into such errors, do not turn their attention to repentance, but reject confession. The latter is extremely terrible, since it drags a person into a pernicious abyss due to despair or, better said, ignorance. Indeed, in the discovery of sins is our hope for salvation, since none of us is sinless, and the confidence that we will not be ashamed when thousands and myriads of angels appear with fear before the all-knowing God, as well as with trepidation all the people who were from Adam to the last men. For the sake of this small shame, which we experience today in front of one non-strict and reverent person, who received from the Spirit the power to knit and decide, 114 by the grace of God we will avoid that unbearable shame. Because it is impossible to obtain remission of any of all [sins] except through their discovery. For the Church did not take upon itself to carry out this work by chance, but based on the instructions and examples of the Old and New [Testaments]. He said: I confess, says [David], to the Lord my iniquity, and You have forgiven the wickedness of my heart 115; I humbled myself, and the Lord saved me 116; first tell your iniquities in order to be justified 117; confess your sins to each other 118 . About this, the Law also prescribes that those who sin should be accepted through confession through a priest and cleansed by sacrifices in accordance with their sins 119 . And David set an example by repenting of murder and adultery, shedding tears and confessing to Nathan, and also composing a penitential psalm 120, calling on the mercy of God. And Manasseh, who was justified and saved by repentance 121, became a pillar of repentance. And the forerunner of the Savior, the blessed Baptist, insisted on confession and repentance, calling on everyone: repent 122, and baptizing those who come to him and confess their sins, as it is written 123. First of all, the Lord, who conveyed this to His apostles so that they would repent, preached in words: repent, 124, but in deeds he accepted confession - first from Peter, when he said to Him: get out of me, Lord! Because I am a sinful man 125, and the Lord answered: do not be afraid, from now on you will catch men 126, and from Matthew the publican and Zacchaeus, when they revealed their thefts and iniquities, and He accepted them, and ate with them, and said: I came to call not the righteous, but sinners to repentance 127. And He accepted the harlots who came in repentance 128 , and those caught in adultery 129 . The thief, who confessed his [sins] on the cross 130, and Peter, who denied and shed tears in repentance, was accepted and shown by the first of the disciples 131; also Paul, before a persecutor, who not only accuses himself before everyone of what he did before baptism, saying that I was formerly a blasphemer and a persecutor and an offender 132, but also about what happened to him after [baptism], humbly says: Christ came to save sinners, of whom I am the first, 133 and I am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God 134. So great is the matter of confession, and by the power of God those who confess in repentance are given absolution. For this reason, the Lord gave the apostles the power to forgive sins not only by word, but also by blowing (ἐνέπνευσε) 135, showing that His grace was given to them through His breath (ἐμφυσήματος). Therefore, it is clear to everyone that the apostles and their successors are instruments of the grace of Christ and not only according to the command, but in reality have the grace of Christ Himself and are able to act like Him, having acquired His power. This best represents the presence of the Spirit of God on the apostles in the form of tongues of fire, which not only appeared, but rested, it is said, one on each of them, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit 136, that is, His grace, but not the Hypostasis 137. For it is impossible for us to receive the Spirit hypostatically (ἐνυποστάτως), it is impossible for us to be divided inseparably and to receive something ever-present through a breath that has a beginning. But being the source of gifts, He is divided by energies: this, it is said, is produced by one and the same Spirit, dividing each individually as He pleases 138 . Do you understand the sacrament of the Church? It is not man who acts, but the grace of the Spirit. Therefore, ordinations are performed, so that the ordained priest or bishop receives the grace of the Spirit and, by the power of the Spirit, performs the remission of sins and [other] sacraments. As a result of this, the sacrament of confession should be performed primarily by bishops and those who are conferred by bishops. For just as grace is not given to everyone, so absolution is given to presbyters, but only to bishops, and, if necessary, to priests with the permission of the bishop, so that there is no obstacle to the people, as the sacred canons say 139. And understand that the matter of confession and remission [of sins] belongs to Divine power from the Savior Himself, as we have already said before. He, having risen from the dead and appeared to the disciples, wanting to send them for the sake of building salvation among the pagans, gave them divine power, for he blew and said to them: receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive will be forgiven; On whomever you leave it, 140 will remain on that person. Do you see the power of this gift? They [the apostles] received the power to bind and decide what people do, in order to purify the nature, in order to raise people to the first dignity, showing them sinless by the power of a man born without sin, 141 Who also said to the paralytic: your sins are forgiven you 142. 14. Since it is clear that bishops and those appointed by them have the [power] to bind and decide, and it is impossible for anyone to receive remission [of sins] unless he approaches his spiritual father, or better yet, the bishop, having done repentance, and does not receive from him permission for sins, why, beloved, being in contempt [of the sacrament of repentance], do you not rush with all diligence and spiritual zeal, men? together with their wives, to receive such a great and divine gift? If it happens that it is announced publicly that an angel of God has appeared on earth and whoever accepts remission from him will not be condemned, then perhaps all the faithful, having left their fatherland, would not rush to see him and receive forgiveness from him? We have such a great gift in our hands, being in our own country and whenever we wish, we nevertheless despise it and with much negligence do not try to receive it. Let us fear, lest we be condemned even more, for the bishop is an angel of God, as it is written 143. Or rather, he has a greater rank on earth than an angel, because of the grace of the priesthood. After all, he is the image of Christ Himself, to whom grace belongs. So, the bishop stands ready, waiting for you to come, in order to receive you in repentance and reconcile you with God. He desires this and prays that you will be freed from sins and united with Christ, and gives absolution to those who confess. Are you, man, shirking and running away from your salvation? Don't you want to be free from sin? The bishop, trying to ensure that the superiority of his rank does not serve as an obstacle to you, appointed other priests for the order of your soul, but you do not come to them, who call you. Great is this misfortune, but greater than all is the fear of punishment for it! If you happen to begin [the sacrament of confession], you do it as something secondary, because you do not show your sores to the healer, you do not even open deep internal wounds, you do not report that you have sins, but either you do not confess them at all, or you speak in hints, wanting to hide them. In some cases, you make others, not yourself, the cause of sins; in others, when you say that you have sinned, at the same time you justify yourself by inventing a reason. But for us, brothers, no one is the cause of sin if we ourselves did not desire [it], therefore it is better for us to blame ourselves. Confess to the fallen no one else, but yourself, and say that you alone are the author of your sins. For in this way, through humility, you will receive mercy from God and obtain perfect remission. Say, says the prophet, first of all your iniquities in order to be justified 144, and said: I confess to the Lord my iniquity, and You have forgiven the wickedness of my heart 145. And the brother of the Lord says: Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed, 146 thereby showing that both priests and bishops themselves must confess sins and they, the people who perform [the sacraments], are subject to sins, both voluntary and involuntary. For how many things come upon us almost hourly and beyond our desire! And even if someone does not commit sins consciously - which is impossible, for we are all human and fall into sins committed consciously - then no one can avoid sins committed out of ignorance, oblivion and negligence. Therefore, all together: priests and laity, monastics, wives and children (wives also on behalf of their children) - we confess our sins and with diligence approach those who have the power to resolve [them], for, as the beloved and chaste apostle said: If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves. If we confess our sins, then He, being faithful and righteous, will forgive us our sins 147. 15. Therefore, I beg you, let us repent! I appeal to us with the voice of the Forerunner and Baptist of our Savior and God Jesus Christ: repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven has come near, 148 and let us strive towards it. First of all, let us try not to sin, but if we fall, we will rush to confession with all haste, for there is no other way to find remission and be freed from the punishment that is eternal torment. When we come to confess, let us do it with tenderness and heartfelt contrition, for we are confessing not to man, but to God. And we will say everything, without hiding anything, confessing to God through the receiving sacred husband, in turn, not only deeds, but also words and spiritual thoughts. For worse than deeds are such movements of the mind as envy, hatred, rancor, bad thoughts and many other terrible [sins]. Verbal sins are also immeasurable: lies and oaths, rejection of God, foul language, abuse, ridicule, blasphemy, slander, perjury, betrayal and many other evils. Among the acts are not only murder, fornication and adultery, envy, evil covetousness and [other] greatest sins, but also drunkenness, which includes fornication 149, theft and untruth, love of money, which is idolatry, 150 usury, bribery, assistance in an evil deed. Neglect of good is also a sin, for by not doing alms whenever possible, not showing hospitable love, not praying, not coming to sacred monasteries, not keeping holy days dedicated to God and His saints, we greatly sin and anger the God who created us. So, we should open all this in humility and tears before Him, the Good and Humane, and from the heart seek forgiveness of all sins, for in this way we will find perfect forgiveness. 16. I beseech you, beloved, in the love of Jesus Christ, that each of you do his work in the fear of God 151 with diligence. And let him who is honored by the grace of the priesthood or the great bishop understand that he has received such a great work of God’s love and care for man. For it is said: God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, so that everyone who believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life 152. Thus, the bishop and the priest are honored to perform the work of eternal life and the love of God, as it is said 153, for the salvation of people. And the Lord showed this by turning to Peter: Simon the Jonah! Do you love me? - and when he answered: yes, Lord! You know that I love You, immediately granted him this task and said: feed my sheep, 154 thereby showing what great love the Lord has for us and how much he cares for us. Therefore, for our sake, the Son of God became man and humbled Himself for us to the point that He was crucified in the flesh and died, resurrecting us with Himself. Therefore, Peter, having loved Christ immeasurably, loved us too, and, imitating Christ in preaching so that we would believe in Christ, endured a lot, and finally, ending his life on the cross, became the foundation of the Church. In the same way, Paul and the entire group of the apostles and priests, their successors, of whom we, the unworthy, who by the grace of God became the successors of the apostles, especially the bishops, must carefully do the work of the Lord, so that we do not perish, and strive for our brothers in teaching and in prayer with reverence, self-control and purity, leading them to pastures that are life-giving, not dying, setting an example for the flock as it is written, so that when the Chief Shepherd appears, we may receive an unfading crown of glory 155, as Peter says. For we are not called for luxury and pleasure, occupying first places (πρωτοκαθεδρίας) 156 and honors, colorful vestments and collecting money - all this is characteristic of the rulers of this age 157 - but for the poverty of Christ 158 and humility, for reverence, attentive care and guidance of the souls of our brothers in the faith of Christ in accordance with the laws of the Lord, for the healing of the poor, for the growth of piety and prosperity of the Church of Christ. So, let everyone understand our work, and purify themselves as much as they can, and holyly administer the holy [affairs], fighting to the death for all church laws. Let him strive to be the most reverent of all whom he governs, because he is their father, and does not be absent for long, because he is an example for them both as one sanctified in comparison with the rest by ordination, and as dedicated to God, and as a teacher in piety to the rest of the brothers. Let us heed what has been said, that to whom much is given, much will be required, and to whom much is entrusted, from him more will be demanded 159 . Let all clergy lead a holy life: just as you should clean the holy church and decorate the terrible altar, maintain sacred vessels and all beauty in reverence, and give honor to God, so you should decorate your bodies along with your souls with deeds of reverence and chastity, because the priest is in the highest degree the church of God and the holy altar and sacred vessel, and through the clergy comes sanctification to the rest of the faithful. In reading the Holy Scriptures, be diligent as much as possible, so that, receiving divine knowledge, you pass it on to others through teaching. Explain the Gospel to the faithful as simply as possible, teach through the lives and testimonies of the saints. Do not submit excessively to guilt, do not go into a tavern, do not interfere in state affairs, for all this brings great harm and completely dishonors the dignity of the priesthood. Know that the decisions of the divine Ecumenical and other holy Councils adopted against those who commit such things are terrible, and therefore require attention. Let us become models for the faithful in good deeds, keeping our vessels holy 160 so that we may become, as far as possible, worthy of the altars of Christ, and good and caring stewards of the faithful. You, the people of the Lord, respect your priests and honor them with all honor, for through the bishops and priests you received baptism and faith, communion with Christ and the remission of sins, and in the future you hope to receive salvation. Do not test them and do not despise them for any reason, for they have the great interrogator (ἐταστήν) Christ as their judge, Who judges the thoughts and thoughts of the heart 161. Follow them in good deeds and do good. 17. Therefore, fathers of children who are among you, live piously and chastely, and raise your children in the instruction and edification of the Lord, and feed them with every virtue, and hasten to become rich, not in money and property, but in the faith of Christ, reverence and all other blessings, of which God is the father and guardian. Children, obey your parents 162 as God, for they, after God, are the culprits of your existence, since they gave birth to you, raised you, fed you and gave you what they had. Therefore, son or daughter, do not despise your father when he is oppressed, weak or oppressed by something, so as not to be abandoned to you by the immortal Father. Honor your father while he lives, take care of him; when he dies, bury him decently; be diligent [in prayer] for his soul. Do the same for mothers. And believe that you will be blessed by God and will not lose any of the benefits. Husbands, do not burden your wives: do not scold, do not irritate, do not oppress in what is necessary, but treat them as members of your own [body] 163 . Let each one be only with his own and only wife - the one whom he received from the Church according to the law. For she is one - one flesh 164 with him, and there is no other. Therefore, a husband does not have the right to leave for another, just as a wife does not have the right to leave for another. That is why no one should enter into someone else’s [wife], for by deceiving his wife, he causes harm to himself. Such is an adulterer, a lawless one and a deceiver, the most unclean of all and removed from the holy God, since he tramples His divine laws, rejects the blessing and unity given to him by the Church through the priests. Calling himself a Christian, he lives like a pagan, lawless and unreasonable. This also applies to a wife who has left her husband. For she leaves her members, and leaves Christ who united [them], becoming lawless and adulterous. For this reason, husbands, rule in peace and love your wives, who are weaker in nature, as Paul says, 165 so that you may have them as helpers with one accord, as it is written, 166 and co-workers not only in physical matters, but also in spiritual matters, in the peace and grace of Christ. You, wives, must show your husbands all obedience and respect, maintain pure and genuine love, be of the same mind in good [deeds], but not in evil - therefore, serve them physically and be prudent in soul. As you take care of your homes, be diligent in ordering your lives in righteousness. Raise your children according to the Lord - in faith and piety, without desecrating them with fortune telling and sorcery, for all these are inventions of the Hellenes and ancient inventions of the evil one, which Christ destroyed. But you, if you want your children to be protected and saved, sign them with the cross, bring them to holy churches, and consecrate them through shrines (ἁ γιάσμασιν ἁ γιάζετε), and protect them with the help of phylactria ( φυλακτηρίοις): raised bread in the name of Panagia 167, the image of the Cross and holy icons in the sacred encolps 168, from which every enemy flees. Bring [children] especially often for the sake of communion with the mysteries of Christ, so that they may be sanctified and protected in soul and body. 18. All together, godly men and women, continue to practice righteousness, chastity and peace with one another, which Christ left us, 169 and loving one another in the Spirit, as He commanded us. 170 Let us keep His commandment - love, and thereby love and honor Him, since He first loved us. Let us observe His holy and holy days and bring Him the firstfruits of all that we have received from Him—from the produce [of the land], from the wine, from the fruits, and from the rest. And we will not bring any of this into the house and eat without a priestly blessing. For in this way these [fruits] will multiply and will be for the health and salvation of our souls and bodies, and the labors of each of us will be worthy of a visit from God. First of all, let everyone on Sundays and holidays offer the established holy sacrifices for your souls and [the souls] of your children through bloodless sacred rites to God. In addition, if possible, commemorate the saints by reverently offering them [gifts] from what you have received from God, so that, having acquired the saints as your friends, you may find them intercessors both in the present and in the future [age]. The friends of God, being our intercessors, will help us a lot, for they perceive with blessed souls our appeals to them and quickly respond. Finally, constantly remember your pious parents at the right time - for you are indebted to them after God, as I have already said - and it will help them, and most of all it will benefit you, who do your duty and show love. 19. Give 171 to everyone who asks you, if you have anything, for this is what the Lord Himself, the Provider of all, taught, so that you, having asked, may receive even more from Him. After all, it is obvious to everyone that those who give receive more than they give themselves. Therefore, do not completely forget almsgiving and love of hospitable people, 172 as Paul also exhorts, for those who do this with joy and zeal become like God, since the Lord is merciful and generous, 173 and because of mercy, the Word of God became man for our sake. So, beloved, let us love one another, so that we too may be worthy of love; Let us distribute from what we have, in order to receive [in return] not only earthly [goods], but also heavenly ones, and so that what we [already] have will increase even more. Let us take care of righteousness, so that we may receive a reward from the righteous Judge 174 and benefit from what we have here. On the other hand, let us not act unjustly towards another out of mercy or generosity: it is better not to show mercy than to show it and at the same time commit unrighteousness; It is better not to offer a sacrifice to God than to offer from the loot. Don’t be greedy, either for the sake of your children or for your own sake, otherwise you will destroy what you have collected and leave your children in poverty. It is better to prefer to be a poor righteous person than a rich unrighteous person. For, as we know, wealth delivered man to fire and hell, but poverty was endured with patience into Abraham’s bosom 175 . 20. And may the humane-loving Master, because of pious faith in Him and good deeds, give us all the opportunity to achieve a good end, and may we also be rewarded with the shining bosom of the mercy of Christ. Here we will receive forgiveness through repentance and confession and, having received remission [of sins], cleansed, we will be united with Christ through the mysteries of His [Body and Blood] - for this is the firstfruits of eternal life. And so, with good hope in the world, having left the body, we will boldly be worthy to stand before Christ our God and achieve His life, glory, Kingdom and boundless grace, together with [coming] to the right hand, the prayers of the Mother of God and all His saints. For His is splendor, honor and power, and we, His servants, render Him worship with His beginningless Father and life-giving Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen. (1416/1417–1429) Ἔ ργα Θεολογικά Ἔ κδ. D. Balfour. Θεσσαλονίκη, 1998. Σ. 84–108. (Ἀνάλεκτα Βλατάδων; 34). Wed: 1 Pet. 1:23. – Ed. Compare: 1 Tim. 1:2; 2 Tim. 1:2; 2Jn. 3:1. – Ed. Wed: In. 1:3; Creed, 2nd member. – Ed. John 20: 19, 21; OK. 24:36. Wed: In. 1:8; 1John 2:8. – Ed. Wed: In. 15:13 ; 1John 3:16. – Ed. Compare: 1 Tim. 1:12; 2 Tim. 1:2. – Ed. Wed: Avv. 1:5; Acts 13:41. Ps. 52:3–4; cf.: Rome. 3:11–12. Wed: In. 10:11. 17. – Ed. Wed: Rome. 13:13. – Ed. St. Simeon says that church law is violated not only by those who enter into a fourth or fifth marriage, but also by those who enter into a third marriage “in old age.” According to the “Tomos of Unity” (920), trigamy is not allowed after reaching 40 years of age and in the presence of children (see: Ράλλης Γ . Α ., Ποτλής Μ . Σύνταγμα τῶν θείων καὶ ἱερῶν κανόνων . Ἀθῆναι, 1855. Τ . Σ . – Per. Wed: 1 Cor. 6:15; Eph. 5:30. – Ed. Wed: Gal. 5:20, 21 . – Ed. Wed: 1 Cor. 5:11. – Ed. Wed: Ps. 21:2; Is. 1:4; Sire. 41, etc. – Ed. St. Emperor Theodosius I the Great (Flavius ​​Theodosius) (346–395). – Per. ᾿ Ελεσβαάν (᾿ Ελεσβάς) - Hellenized version, along with ᾿ Ελεσβ ό ας (John Malala), ῾ Ελλησθεαῖος (Procopius of Caesarea), ᾿ Ελεσβαάν and ᾿ Ελλατζβάας ᾿ Ελλατζοβάα (Cosma Indicoplov), the throne name “Ella Atsbeha”, which belonged to the ruler of the Aksumite kingdom Kaleb (VI century), a participant in the Himyaro-Ethiopian wars; in the Slavic tradition - Elezvoy, memory October 24. For more details, see: Frantsuzov S. A. Elezvoy // PE. 2008. T. 18. pp. 288–290. – Per. St. Frumentius (IV century) - the first bishop of the Kingdom of Aksum (Ethiopia). – Per. St. Equal to the Apostles Nina, enlightener of Georgia (IV century). – Per. St. Gregory the Illuminator (239–325/6) – founder and first primate of the Armenian Apostolic Church. – Per. This refers to the martyrdom of Hripsimia (Hripsime), Gaiania (Gayane) and 35 holy virgins killed by the Armenian king Trdat (Tiridat). – Per. Wed: Col. 2:14–15. – Ed. Compare: Proverbs. 13:19; Job 21:16; Jude 15:2. – Ed. Wed: 1 Cor. 15:31. – Ed. Wed. reasoning of the Rev. Simeon the New Theologian: “[The devil] is called the Prince of Peace not as the ruler and ruler of the world - away with such blasphemy! - [the devil], who has no power even over pigs. But because the devil enslaves those who cling to the world through the desire for its riches and things” (Sym. N. Theol. Eth. 11 // SC. Vol. 129. P. 370, 372 (Sermon 82 in the Russian translation of St. Theophan the Recluse)). – Per. Creed, 6th member. – Ed. In LXX – παρῆλθον. – Per. “Often you work and torture yourself for your enemies; Often after your death, your property passes to those who inflicted insults on you and plotted thousands of intrigues, and now you inherited some sins, and pleasures of others! (John Chrysostom, St. On statues. Second conversation. 4 // PG. 49. Col. 39; quoted from: Works of our holy father John Chrysostom, Archbishop of Constantinople. St. Petersburg, 1898, 2005. Vol. 2. Book 1. P. 33). Wed: 2 Pet. 2:15 ; Acts 13:10; Matt. 3 par. – Ed. Wed: Gal. 3:19–20; 1 Tim. 2:5. – Ed. OK. 1 (and many times in the OT, eg Lev. 22:2; Ezek. 20:39). – Ed. The artistic device of the author's speech as if on behalf of God (in imitation of the ancient prophets) is often found in Christian literature. See, for example, “On Easter” by St. Melito of Sardis, § 101 ff. – Ed. Wed: Matt. 10:32–33; OK. 12:8–9; 1 Sam. 15:23–26; 2 Par. 12:5. This means the Turks. – Per. Wed: Lev. 6:7; Number 5:5–10. See: 2 Chron. 33:13. – Ed. Matt. 9:13 ; Mk. 2:17 ; OK. 5:32. OK. 7:47–50; cf.: Matt. 21:31–32. – Ed. Matt. 26:70. 75 pairs; In. 21sl. – Ed. Here and further St. Simeon expounds the theology of St. Gregory Palamas. – Per. See, for example, rules 6, 7 and 52 of the Council of Carthage. – Per. OK. 5:20 ; Matt. 9:2; Mk. 2:5. Matt. 3:2; 4:17 ; Mk. 1:15. Compare: Eph. 6 (the first two words in the original Greek are different). – Ed. Life 2:24; Matt. 19 par.; Eph. 5:31. – Ed. Should be: Peter; Wed: 1 Pet. 3:7. This refers to the Mother of God prosphora or the tripartite particle removed from it in honor of the Holy Trinity, raised in the rite of Panagia. According to the testimony of St. Simeon, in the beginning XV century The offering of the panagia was performed not only traditionally at the end of the monastic meal after the Divine Liturgy, but also during the liturgy itself after the exclamation “Most Holy, Most Pure, Most Blessed, Glorious Our Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary” or at Matins at the end of the 9th ode of the canon, as well as “at any other time when someone has a need to help us” ( Sym. Thessal. 357, 359 // PG 155. Col. The offering of the panagia at Matins was established by St. himself. Simeon in the cathedral churches of the Thessalonian Metropolis. On the history of the rank of elevation of the panagia, which has not yet been sufficiently researched, see: M. Skaballanovich. Explanatory Typikon. Vol. 3. K., 1915; M., 2003. pp. 50–71; Yiannias J. J. The Elevation of the Panaghia // DOP. 1972. Vol. 26. P. 226–236. – Transl. Encolpius is a vessel worn on the chest in the form of a cross or medallion with an enclosed shrine. – Per. In. 13:34; 15:12, 17 . – Ed.