Память преподобного отца нашего Анастасия, игумена Синайской горы

Saint Anastasius was raised from his very youth in great piety, as can be seen from the following words he himself said: – Those who saw Christ in the flesh considered Him to be a prophet; but we, although we did not see Him with our bodily eyes, nevertheless from an early age, while still babies and youths, we always recognized Him as God, the omnipotent Lord, the Creator of the ages and learned to confess Him as the radiance of the glory of the Father. We listen to His Holy Gospel with such love, as if we see Christ Himself turning to us; By accepting the immaculate pearl of His most pure Body, we believe that we are receiving Christ Himself. And when we see only His image on the icon, we worship, fall down and honor Him, as if seeing Him Himself looking at us from heaven. From these words of the Monk Anastasius it is clearly evident that from his very childhood he was taught to know Christ the true God, to believe in Him, to fear Him with unfeigned fear, to love Him with all his heart and to honor Him with the worship befitting Him. Having reached adulthood, Saint Anastasius left the world and, taking up the cross according to the Gospel commandment (Matthew 16:24), selflessly followed Christ. Having retired to a monastery, Anastasius took monasticism here. But desiring to achieve the highest possible feats of virtue and striving to imitate men perfect in virtue, Saint Anastasius went to Jerusalem and settled on Mount Sinai, where he labored together with many holy men who succeeded in the feats of monastic life. At this time, the abbot of Mount Sinai was the Monk John Climacus 2654. For his humility, he received from God the gift of spiritual understanding and wisdom. He compiled many soul-searching conversations, wrote the lives of some of the holy fathers, and was honored to receive the priesthood. After Saint John Climacus and his brother George, Saint Anastasius was abbot of Mount Sinai. He worked very hard in denouncing heretics, called acephalians 2655, that is, headless, wrote a lot against them and, competing with them, denounced and shamed them. The acephalian heresy originated in Alexandria 2656 during the reign of Emperor Zeno 2657; its founders were persons hostile and opposed to the Fourth Ecumenical Council of the Holy Fathers in 2658, which took place in Chalcedon in 2659. At the time of the birth of this heresy in Alexandria there was a false patriarch, the heretic Peter, nicknamed Mogos 2660. Sevier later joined the same heresy of the acephalians, receiving the nickname “Headless” for belonging to the heresy of the headless; this is the same Sevier who, during the reign of Emperor Anastasius in 2661, took possession of the throne of the Patriarchate of Antioch in 2662. Saint Anastasius defeated all these heretics, and he fought with them not only on Mount Sinai, but, in addition, he himself went around Syria, Arabia and Egypt, everywhere uprooting and driving out this heresy and establishing the Church of Christ. Having served the Lord much in this way, the Monk Anastasius departed to the Lord in old age. His death followed during the reign of Emperor Heraclius 2663. It should be noted that there were two Anastasias with the same nickname "Sinaita". The first is the eldest Patriarch of Antioch in years and rank, who innocently suffered expulsion from Emperor Justin, and the other is the one now mentioned, who lived somewhat later and was the abbot of Mount Sinai. Saint John Climacus, abbot of Mount Sinai, great ascetic of piety, author of the essay “The Ladder,” which outlines, as it were, steps of ascent along the path of moral perfection. Saint John lived in the 6th century. – See his life under March 30th. Akefal (from the Greek word “mullet” - head), a name attached to some church parties, such as the one that at the Council of Ephesus (the third Ecumenical) did not want to follow either Cyril or John of Antioch, as well as to the party that separated from the Patriarch of Alexandria when he signed the enoticon, and to some others. Alexandria is a city in northern Egypt, famous in ancient times for its education and trade. Emperor Zeno reigned from 474 to 491. The Fourth Ecumenical Council was convened by order of Emperor Marcian (450–457) in Chalcedon in 451. At this council, the dogma about the image of the union of two natures in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ was finally determined. The city of Chalcedon is located in Bithynia (Asia Minor region), near the Bosphorus Strait. Peter Mogos or Mong - Monophysite, was patriarch from 477 to 490. Anastasius (Dikor) ruled the empire from 491 to 518. Sevier - heresy leader, was patriarch from 512 to 519. Emperor Heraclius reigned from 610 to 641. You might be interested in: