Letters (in four parts)

This publication presents a collection of letters from St. Nile of Sinai - a great Christian ascetic and teacher of the Church. The basis of the publication was the printed edition of 1858, according to which all letters are divided into 4 sections. In total, the collection includes 995 letters covering various aspects of spiritual life. Classification of letters by content: 1. Dogmatic - reveal the main provisions of Christian doctrine, protect the Orthodox faith from heretical errors. These letters are directed against pagans, Jews, heretics (Gnostics, Manichaeans, Arians, etc.). St. Neil proves the existence of God, teaches about the trinity of Persons of the Divine, expounds the doctrine of the Incarnation, etc. He talks about original sin, the immortality of the soul, the resurrection of the dead and eternal bliss. 2. Exegetical - contain interpretations of the Holy Scriptures, reflections on Divine Providence and the spiritual meaning of biblical texts. 3. Moral and ascetic - include instructions on asceticism, the fight against passions, prayer and spiritual improvement (for both monastics and laity). Contents Please note that according to the printed edition of 1858, the letters are collected in four parts and have numbers. First, indicate the part number - 1, 2, 3 or 4, and then the letter number. St. Neil of Sinai, whose letters are presented in this book, lived in the second half of the 4th - first half of the 5th century. This was the time of the early Byzantine Empire, which inherited a lot from ancient Rome: the state apparatus, laws, culture, science, and traditions. Although Christianity had become the state religion at that time, paganism was still strong. Many - from nobles to peasants - openly professed the pagan faith; pagan customs permeated the entire society. And if in the previous era of persecution, Christians were mostly those who were ready to die for their faith, but now many people often converted to Christianity for the earthly goals of career, position in society, and family well-being. Along with the strong influence of paganism, there was no peace within the Church itself. Disputes over private theological opinions sometimes became heresies. Despite the decisions of the First and Second Ecumenical Councils, which affirmed the truth and salvific nature of Orthodoxy, Arianism was strong and powerful, and other heresies were also widespread. All this upset many Christians who sought to embody gospel ideals in their lives. Leaving the cities, they went into the desert, creating monasteries there and spending their lives in strict asceticism. Therefore, this time is also considered the beginning of the golden age of monasticism (late IV-VIII centuries). The Monk Nilus came from a noble Constantinople family. He was a contemporary of the emperors Theodosius the Great, his sons Arcadius and Honorius and his grandson and granddaughter Theodosius the Younger and Pulcheria, as well as the great Saint John Chrysostom, Archbishop of Constantinople, whose influence on the monk was enormous. Reverend Neil grew up at the imperial court; he received a good education and married early. His wife, whose name is unknown to us, was his like-minded person and prayer partner. They had two children - a son and a daughter. The whole family was distinguished by zealous piety. The young nobleman and his wife preferred church sermons and reading the Holy Scriptures to pleasures and entertainment. They met a brilliant preacher and zealous monk from Antioch - John, the future Saint John Chrysostom, and became his spiritual children. At first, zealous piety did not prevent the monk from pursuing a career. Having risen through the ranks, he became a prefect - the head of the executive branch of Constantinople. But neither court life nor a brilliant career satisfied the soul of the Monk Nile: he thirsted for “the only thing needed” - the fulfillment in his life of the words of Christ: The Kingdom of God is within you (Luke 17:21). As a result, the Monk Neil, with the blessing of St. John Chrysostom, and his wife left the world. Having released the slaves and distributed all their wealth to those in need, they, taking their children with them, dispersed to the monasteries. The wife of the Monk Nile, together with her daughter, took monastic vows in one of the Egyptian monasteries. And he himself and his son retired to Sinai. There they dug a cave, settled in which and spent time in the strictest asceticism. Here, in Sinai, the Monk Neil experienced one of the most difficult incidents. At that time, Arab nomads raided Sinai and the surrounding lands. During one of these raids, most of the Sinai monks, including the son of the Monk Nile, Theodulus, were captured. The Arabs took the captives into the desert, leaving the monk, who had taken refuge at an inaccessible height, in grief and despair. But even in this state, the Monk Neil did not cease to fervently pray to God and His saints, and his prayer was heard. Soon he received news that his son had been ransomed by the bishop of the Syrian city of Emes. Having learned about this, he immediately went there. The local bishop received St. Neil very favorably. He saw in them worthy candidates for priestly service, ordained both the monk and his son Theodulus to the priesthood and sent them back to Mount Sinai, where they labored until the end of their days. In total, the Monk Neil spent about 60 years in the desert. In his solitude, the Monk Neil wrote a lot. His messages are known, including angry denunciations of the Emperor Arcadius, who expelled St. John Chrysostom. The ascetic works of St. Nilus, a worthy disciple of St. John Chrysostom, are widely known: they are perfect in form, deeply Orthodox, filled with sincere feeling and clear thought, with an experienced experience of everything said in them. The saint's pen includes, among other things, more than a thousand letters of spiritual and moral content to various addressees. Monks, bishops, laymen and even the emperor consulted with the monk. Thus, having withdrawn from the world and becoming, as already mentioned, a hermit, the monk did not completely break ties with it. He became a spiritual mentor, shepherd, and father for many of his contemporaries, with whom he had extensive correspondence: he instructed the lost, exhorted the monks to lead an ascetic lifestyle, and the laity not to deviate from the simplicity and severity of the Gospel commandments, consoled the despondent, denounced heretics and pagans. In all his instructions, he followed the biblical spirit and letter - one can say that he literally breathed the word of God, knowing it practically by heart. To a contemporary, the Monk Neil may seem too strict, rejecting all worldly pleasures and not tolerating any weaknesses. But his letters breathe sincere faith, love for God and his neighbors, for whom he always wished for the highest good of salvation of the soul. This book includes the rich epistolary heritage of the Monk Nilus, who, in the words of the Apostle Paul, acquired “the mind of Christ,” the wealth of spiritual knowledge, knowledge of the mysteries of God, His wisdom and Providence. The monk continues to serve Orthodox Christians today in his immortal creations, bringing them great spiritual benefit. You might be interested in: