Message to the many-teaching Nikolai Nemchin

Shortly before this, you instructed me to always remember you and send prayers for you to the Savior Christ. Let it be known to you that we have been taught by the Holy Church of God to pray not only for you, who are halfway along the same path with us, but also for the pagans themselves, who are mistaken in ignorance of the truth, so that the only good and merciful God will turn them to the true path. If, however, you really want to benefit from our weak prayers, then abandon all unnecessary Latin passion for disputes, recognize the honest and immaculate confession of the holy catholic and apostolic faith, accept it without addition, and believe simply, without testing, in the One God, cognizable in Three Hypostases and Persons, that is, the Father, unbegotten and without beginning, by Himself, and not from another, who has existence, not subject to the test of any creature, as He was or as He is, for He is completely covered with incomprehensibility, as the prophet says: “And cover your darkness” (Ps. 17:12). Also, know the Son from Him, begotten ineffably, before all ages, co-originating with the Father, firstly, because the Father was never without the Son, nor was the Son without the Father, but together the Father and together the Son; secondly, because from Him, as from the cause, the Son has His existence eternally and ineffably. One should also believe in the Holy Spirit, who proceeds from one Father, that is, having being, as the Gospel and the divine fathers of the seven saints and the rest of the local councils taught us, which they received one from the other, and transmitted, and approved, and secured with oaths (against all changes). So, one should confess one being and one nature, one force and one power, but there are three hypostases, and each must be understood and believed with a special property, so as not to confuse the hypostases and not allow changes or transitions of properties (features). For if a property passes, then it is no longer a property (not a feature), but something common. If the property of the Father is that He is the beginning and guilt and source of the Divinity, which is recognized in the Son and the Holy Spirit, as all the holy theologians affirm, then according to you, Latins, the Son also has participation in this with the Father and together with Him emits the Holy Spirit, then how will the property of the Father remain immovable, and does this not again introduce the Sabellian confusion, uniting the two hypostases and recognizing them both as one principle for the Holy One? Spirit? Do not tell me those evil words that the Apostle calls Him the Spirit of the Son and the Spirit of truth, but the truth is Christ, and that this proves that He proceeds from the Son. The divine and wise fathers knew all this better than us, but they did not dare to add a single feature to the words of the Holy Spirit, for they obeyed that divine voice, which very positively commands: “My sheep listen to My voice,” “but they do not follow the voice of others” (John 10: 5, 27). Let us be satisfied with the divinely inspired theology of those blessed men and will not compose new ones cunning. You also need to remember that your Latin wisdom, or rather, idle talk, and not theology, began yesterday and in recent times, having been invented by people boasting of external wisdom and Aristotelian cunning, and not guided by the Holy Spirit. If they were guided by the Holy Spirit, then, in the words of the Apostle, they would walk by the Spirit and would not transgress the divine limits of the right faith, but would abide in what, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, was established and taught by those famous and most perfect holy fathers. If, continuing to argue, you say that Augustine, too, defined this in his writings, then we should answer that Augustine, Bishop of Hippo, who was at the Council of Carthage, was a philosopher, excellent in all respects, and his books, as filled with all wisdom and spiritual benefits, are held in great respect. But you, Nikolai, slander him because he defined it this way in his writings. Yes, even if Augustine wrote about this according to how you contain it, he understood it no better than all the councils, at which there were not only men sanctified by God and adorned with all wisdom - divine and human, but also great autocrats. But why list priests and kings in vain? – The Holy Comforter Himself, who was present with them, spoke through them about the dogmas of the ineffable Divinity, and invisibly through them determined how one should understand about the Most High Trinity. But you will say that the Roman Church does not add, but only makes an explanation, and in this it does not sin at all, and therefore one must, without a doubt, listen to it and follow it. To this I tell you that no church any longer has the power, even if it has raised the dead, to change or move forward the holy confession of faith established by the holy fathers, for it is confirmed and protected by terrible oaths, and whoever dares to change anything contained in it, that is, to add, or subtract, or change, is guilty before God and is subject to those terrible curses. For the divine preacher, who always cries out in churches, saying: “If anyone preaches the gospel to you any more than he eats, let him be accursed” (Gal. 1:9), is a stranger to Christ. And again he, repeating the anathema, says: if anyone introduces any new teaching in the faith, there will be an angel from heaven, let him be anathema (Gal. 1:8). Understand, Mr. Nicholas, the meaning of the preacher’s words, and be afraid, and stop praising the dignity and power of the pope. On the contrary, throw away this unreasonable fear of him, obeying Paul, who advises you to speak openly: even if there is an angel from heaven who moves something in the right faith, do not hesitate to anathematize him. For our faith is established not in people and not in angels, but in the Savior Christ Himself, as the Scripture says: “No one can lay a foundation other than the one that lies, which is Jesus Christ” (1 Cor. 3:11). You too, together with the holy fathers, like a child, according to the command of Christ, accept the Kingdom of Heaven, that is, the confession of the right faith, if you want to receive eternal life. A child, while he remains at this age, cannot reach the concepts of his father and be him: so we cannot know about the Divine being and his hypostases - how or what they are while we live in this flesh. When incomplete knowledge ceases and perfect knowledge comes, then everyone, according to the measure of his virtue and dignity, will learn in this life what will be revealed to him by the Holy Spirit. Hold on to the Orthodox confession, as it was taught to the entire universe by seven councils. Edify on this basis gold, silver, precious stones, that is, deeds and visions that are honest and befitting a Christian philosopher. Always remember that wise teacher who said: “Do not philosophize any more than you ought to philosophize” (Rom. 12:3). If you accept this with faith and prove your acceptance by deed, then you will be truly blessed in Christ and you will be an accomplice of His kingdom, and we will not only bring prayers to God for you, but if you begin to teach us something useful and pleasing to God, we will diligently listen to you as a teacher and preacher of the truth. Be healthy! You might be interested in: