This temple is special, it is placed over the abbot's, over the monastic graves, overshadowing the eternal rest of those who labored in the Valaam monastery. In 1795, a baby was born in a peasant family in the village of Repenki in the Michkovskaya volost, Staritsky district, Tver province, whom Father Konon and mother Matryona called Damian at baptism. From the age of 20 he wandered around the monasteries of Kyiv, Novgorod and the Russian North. In 1819, the young pilgrim reached Valaam, where one of the seer elders, foreseeing the future of Damascus, greeted him with a bow to the ground. Initially, the new novice was placed in the stable, and then in the grain store. Later, he was entrusted with the protection of the island, on this obedience, the zealous Damian was many times in danger from the Chukhons who came secretly to shoot game or cut down the forest on Valaam, who often aimed at him, “ but the Lord kept his servant, and Damian remained unharmed».
On Christmas Day in 1823, the novice Damian was tonsured into a cassock, took on a cassock and a kamilavka. A year later, on the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos, Damian was blessed for the first time for a series of readers in the church and at the meal.
On December 12, 1825, in the 31st year of his birth, Damian was tonsured a monk with the name Damaskin. Father Damaskinus spoke about this great deed: The Lord made me worthy to receive the monastic rank, glory to His mercy and His unspeakable goodness!».
From 1827 to 1833 the ascetic spent almost six years industrious desert life according to Bose, stretching itself to a greater and greater feat and applying labor to labor". On April 30, 1833, he was transferred to the monastery in the name of All Saints to manage it.
We live in a time when it is possible to restore temples, it is possible to make Divine Liturgy, pray, repent, partake of saints Mysteries of Christ and all that the Holy Mother Church gives us.
And it wasn't always like that. And just as this temple was devastated, so many, a great many other churches throughout Mother Russia were plundered and defiled. And I remember very well the time when, passing somewhere, one could definitely see such an empty temple, often dilapidated, black, with inscriptions, with birches growing on its walls.
Again crosses shine over the expanses of our Motherland. But you must remember that our souls, like the souls of those people who once defiled these temples, are often defiled by many, many sins and are in the same sad situation as these devastated, deserted temples. But the mercy of God has no boundaries, and this is how we do, or rather, the Lord, with our hands and His grace, makes the renewal of man-made temples. In the same way, the grace of God, through our repentant efforts, can also renew churches not made by hands. As you heard in the prayers of consecration, as we know from the Holy Scriptures, both our souls and our bodies are also a temple in which the Spirit of God performs a mysterious service if we live a Christian life, if we strive to live like that.
And this is our task, our the main objective– to renew our souls with a true, grace-filled, repentant renewal, so that the sanctifying grace of God enters our souls and that our inner churches are full of prayers, glorifications and reverent worship of God in spirit and truth».
A majestic monument was erected on the grave of the abbot - a polished granite cross with the inscription: "The servant of God Abbot Damaskin, died on January 23, 1881, 86 years old, ruled the monastery in the rank of abbot for 42 years, and his entire life on Valaam was 62 years."
Saint Anthony of the Kiev Caves was born in 983 not far from Chernigov, in the town of Lyubech. From a young age, having the fear of God, he desired to put on the monastic image. Having come of age, he set off to wander and, having reached Athos, he was inflamed with a desire to imitate the deeds of its holy inhabitants. Having taken vows here, the young monk pleased God in everything and, striving on the path of virtue, especially succeeded in humility and obedience, so that all the monks rejoiced looking at his holy life.
Seeing in Anthony a great future ascetic, the abbot, at the suggestion of God, sent him to his homeland, saying: “Anthony! It’s time for you and others to lead in a holy life. there will be many monks."
Returning to Russia, Anthony began to go around the monasteries in the Kiev region, but nowhere did he find such a strict life, to which he was accustomed to on Athos.
By God's care, on one of the hills of Kyiv, on steep bank Dnieper, which reminded him of his beloved Athos, in the forest, near the village of Berestovo, he saw a cave dug out by the priest Hilarion (later the holy Metropolitan of Kyiv; commemorated October 21). He began to labor there in prayer, fasting, vigil and work, eating a little food every other day, sometimes he did not eat for a week. People began to come to the ascetic for blessings and advice, while others decided to stay with the saint forever. Among the first disciples of the Monk Anthony was Saint Nikon, who in 1032 tonsured the Monk Theodosius of the Caves (+ 1074; Comm. 3 May) who had come to the monastery.
The holy life of St. Anthony illuminated the entire Russian land with the beauty of monastic deeds. Saint Anthony received those who aspired to monasticism with love. After instructions on how to follow Christ, he commanded blessed Nikon to tonsure those who wished. When 12 brethren gathered around the Reverend, a large cave was excavated by common efforts and a church and cells for the monks were built in it. Saint Anthony, having placed the blessed Barlaam as abbot over the brethren, himself withdrew from the monastery and, having dug out a new cave for himself, shut himself up in it. But even there, near the place of his seclusion, monks soon began to settle. Thus, the Near and Far cave monasteries were formed. Subsequently, over the Far Cave, the monks built a small wooden church in honor of the Dormition of the Mother of God.
By the will of Prince Izyaslav, hegumen Varlaam retired to the Demetrius Monastery. With the blessing of St. Anthony and with the general consent of the brethren, the meek and humble Theodosius was elected to the abbess. By that time, the number of brethren had already reached one hundred people. The Great Kyiv Prince Izyaslav († 1078) presented the monks with the mountain on which he was built big temple and cells, and a palisade was erected around. Thus, a glorious monastery was formed, which was called Pechersk, as it was founded above the caves. Leading a story about this, the chronicler notes that although there are many monasteries built with the wealth of tsars and boyars, they cannot be compared with those built by the prayers of the saints, their tears, fasting and vigil. So the Monk Anthony did not have gold, but by his labors he increased the monastery, incomparable with others, which was the first spiritual center of Russia.
For a holy life, God glorified Saint Anthony with the gift of insight and miracles. This was especially evident when he built the great Pechersk church. Herself Holy Mother of God appeared to him and the Monk Theodosius in the Blachernae Church, where they miraculously appeared, were delighted, without leaving the Caves Monastery. Having received gold from the Mother of God, the saints hired master masons, who, at the command of the Queen of Heaven, went to the Russian land to build a temple in the Pechersk monastery. At this appearance, the Mother of God predicted the imminent death of St. Anthony, which followed in the 90th year of his life on May 7, 1073. The relics of St. Anthony, according to God's care, remain hidden.
Hello dear readers site Sprint Response. Today in this article you can see the questions in the crossword No. 19 "AiF" 2017 and the answers to them. Answers to the crossword puzzle in the newspaper Arguments and Facts No. 19 for 2017 can be seen below, the number of letters in the word and the place of the word in the crossword grid are indicated in brackets. Answers to the crossword can be viewed at the bottom of the article in a compact form.
Horizontally:
1. Fuel for bahval (14 word horizontally).
4. Square-nested ... planting potatoes (6 word horizontally).
9. Who “provides immortality after death” for our smaller brothers? (12 word horizontally).
10. Language transformation (7th word horizontally).
12. Soap, but not opera (4th word horizontally).
13. The art of hitting notes with movements (5th word horizontally).
14. “Rush ... on a dolphin, blowing a silver horn” (5th word horizontally).
16. How much compensation did Ostap Bender receive from Alexander Koreiko? (7 word horizontally).
20. Who is appointed over the monks? (6 word horizontally).
22. "Aspen weapon" against vampires (3rd word horizontally).
23. "No need to frown, ...!" (4 word horizontally).
27. Blank for bouncer (5th word horizontally).
28. In which of our regional centers does the way through abroad lie? (11 word horizontally).
31. Where mice will definitely not be left without food? (5th word horizontally).
32. Which Martha became the third wife of Ivan the Terrible? (8 word horizontally).
34. Surname of Pope John Paul 2 (7th word horizontally).
35. Which flower is associated with the goddess Diana? (6 word horizontally).
39. Crisp for a sweet tooth (4 word horizontally).
40. “In big trouble and ... thicker” (5th word horizontally).
41. "Artificial interruption" of power (word 9 horizontally).
42. Skirt on Sean Connery for special occasions (word 4 horizontally).
43. “Who has hands in manure, on his lips ...” (Finnish proverb) (3rd word horizontally).
45. A fabulous hard worker who repaid his employer for his stinginess (5th word horizontally).
46. Cartoon lion who went on vacation to Africa (word 9 horizontally).
47. Where is Raymond Pauls from? (4 word horizontally).
48. Which lizard was once Australia's top predator? (5th word horizontally).
49. What is listed on the stock exchange? (5th word horizontally).
50. "Taxi driver without a license" in driver's jargon (7th word horizontally).
51. "Guarantee" that you will keep your mouth shut (4 word horizontally).
52. Game of throwers (5 word horizontally).
Vertically:
1. Loss "in a state of passion" (12th word vertically).
2. Table protector (8 word vertically).
3. Russian artist who had a hand in the creation of Budyonovka (8 word vertically).
5. The cult film "... the Jurassic period" (4 word vertically).
6. What metal did alchemists associate with Saturn? (6 word vertically).
7. Who plays the saxophone in the film Silver Lily of the Valley? (6 word vertically).
8. “Pass us by and forgive us our happiness” (classic novel) (5th word vertically).
11. Which one European country longest maritime border with Canada in the world? (5 word vertically).
12. Heat in hell (5 word vertically).
15. Night state of a healthy brain (5th word vertically).
17. Artistic enamel (7th word vertically).
18. An employee who helps to "settle scores" (word 9 vertically).
19. A bird that swallows prey without removing its beak from the mud (5th word vertically).
21. "Bloody Steel" from Pushkin's "Black Shawl" (5th word vertically).
22. “Area of an official” (7th word vertically).
24. What is the theme of the cult treatise "Hammer of the Witches"? (11 word vertically).
25. Smoke over boiling water (3rd word vertically).
26. Muscat thickets (11th word vertically).
28. From what swamp plant do magicians make the "rod of the ruler of the sublunar world"? (5 word vertically).
29. Venetian ruler (3rd word vertically).
30. "French Spencer Tracy", who had a stormy affair with Marlene Dietrich (5th word vertically).
33. Who “brings light to people”? (8 word vertically).
36. "Salo in a frying pan" (7th word vertically).
37. How are the croupiers paid? (3 words vertically).
38. Which vegetable should not be eaten for kidney problems? (7 word vertically).
39. "Golden capital" of Siberia (7th word vertically).
41. What do they put on "looking at night"? (6 word vertically).
44. Which Tom was played by Matt Damon in Anthony Minghella's crime drama? (5 word vertically).
46. Braid decor (4th word vertically).
The Martyrs Arcadia and Constantine are known far beyond the Urals. Many pilgrims from all over come to Shamary not only in summer to take part in the traditional procession to their resting place, but also in winter. January 31, on the day of remembrance of the holy martyrs, a solemn service is performed.
Not far from Shamar, on the banks of the Sylva River, in one of the most picturesque places near the village of Platonovo, surrounded by centuries-old pine trees, there is a lonely grave. The inscription on the dilapidated cypress cross reads: Here lie the servants of God, the holy monks Arkady and Konstantin, who were killed in the summer of 7364, January 18. In memory of their Arkady on January 17th, and Constantine on March 8th. Anepsiy stryu (nephew to uncle, ed.) in the summer of 7370 of the 5th indiction. Father Vasily Glukhov».
In the spring of 1996, after the consecration of a newly built church in the village of Shamary, the delegation of the Moscow Metropolis, headed by the Metropolitan, examined the relics in the presence of residents of the surrounding villages. When the grave was opened, those present felt the fragrance. Well-preserved relics, half-decayed clothes and iron chains, which crumbled when touched, were found. The relics of the martyrs were buried in the same place, a new chapel was erected over the grave. Part of the relics was transferred to the Shamar temple.
At the end of October 1997, at the Consecrated Council of the Russian Orthodox Church, a church-wide glorification of two holy monks took place - Martyrs Arcadius and Constantine, miracle workers of Shamar, who labored in solitude in the mountain forests of the Urals in the middle of the 19th century. In 2011, the first one was consecrated in Lysva.
The Life and Feats of the Martyrs Arcadius and Constantine
Arkady and Konstantin were brothers. They appeared, most likely, from chapel consent. They were literate and well-read. Realizing that according to Holy Scripture The Church of Christ will remain until the end of time “and the gates of hell will not prevail against her” (Matt. 16:18), they went to Moscow to the archbishop (Shutov). After long conversations, the brothers recognized the truth of the Belokrinitsa hierarchy. Shortly after joining, they were ordained to the priesthood.
Returning to their homeland, the brothers settled in the vicinity of the city of Lysva, Perm province. In winter and summer they lived in the forest, eating what God would send. Heavy chains were worn on the body. Harassment from the dominant church and authorities forced them to move.
They chose a place in the forest thicket near the Mitrovka ravine near the Chuchkanovka river, four versts from the village of Guryanovka, Krasnoufimsky district, Perm province. The owner of the land Shchukin Guryan Ivanovich gave them the land. Soon the cell was ready. The news that hermits were laboring in the forest spread throughout the district. People began to come to the ascetics for blessings, help and advice. They even came from far away. The locals treated Arkady and Konstantin differently: some rejoiced at the fellowship with the ascetics, while others, including the priestless mentors, slandered them out of envy and malice, accusing them of bribery and love of money.
A pious woman with her grandson came to the ascetics several times a year, brought them food, confessed and took communion. They also came to the holy monks during Peter's Lent in 1857. But the cell was empty, there was a note on the table: "Look for us under the birch back."
Residents of a nearby village, called for help, found the bodies of the monks on the ground, under birch branches. Despite the summer heat, the bodies were incorruptible, with the exception of the little fingers on the hands.
The authorities launched a police investigation. The doctor, called for an autopsy, refused to cut the bodies of the saints of God, because the scalpel rang against the steel chains. The killer was soon found. He admitted that he killed the monks, thinking that gold and valuables were stored in their cell, since Christians often visited the ascetics. But the offender did not find any valuables in the cell.
During the investigation, it turned out that Arkady and Konstantin were martyred on January 18, according to the old style (January 31 according to the new style), 1857, and their bodies were found incorrupt six months later. This miracle impressed the locals so much that many bezpopovtsy joined the Old Orthodox Church. Church of Christ Belokrinitskaya hierarchy.
If anyone wants to follow Me, deny yourself and take up your cross and follow Me (Luke 9:23).
All the venerable and holy fathers walked the path of self-denial in order to achieve eternal rest in heavenly abodes. For, just as “it is impossible to look at the sky with one eye and the earth with the other,” as it is impossible to move quickly and freely with shackled feet, so it is impossible for one who is bound by various worldly cares and cares to follow the path of spiritual self-improvement.
It happens that the holy fathers give us as an example "worldly" people who achieve earthly goals, sacrificing many bodily comforts: sleep, peace, entertainment, and so on. And if for the sake of earthly, fleeting wealth, many labors and efforts are needed, all the more so, one should work for the sake of eternal and incorruptible wealth, to which there is nothing equal in our visible world. The Christian religion is a cross-bearing, a narrow and mournful path leading into a blessed and endless life.
Teaching about what monastic renunciation is
Renunciation is nothing but an oath to the Cross and death. Know, brother, what today you crucify yourself and die for the world for the sake of complete renunciation, because you have become to the world as dead for the sake of Christ. So do not be alive to the world and those who exist in it. You renounce parents and brothers, wife and children, and relatives, beloved friends and their way of life, from worries and troubles about acquiring wealth, vain and insignificant fame. You renounce not only this, but also your soul, according to the word of the Lord: “Whoever wants to follow Me, deny yourself, and take up your cross and follow Me” (Mark 8:34). If you really decided to follow Christ and you want to be His faithful disciple, get ready from today not for rest, not for worldly cares, not for prosperity, for anything else earthly, beautiful and pleasant, but for spiritual exploits, for carnal abstinence, for purification of the soul, to spiritual poverty, to good tears, and to all the sufferings and infirmities that bring joy in a holy life. You will endure hunger and thirst, and you will be naked, and we reproach, and condemn, and offend, and vilify, and persecute, and you will fall into many other temptations and sufferings, by which we are embodied in the image of a holy life. And when you endure all this:
Rejoice, says the Lord, for great is your reward in heaven (Matthew 5:11)
(“The Flower Garden” of the Holy Monk Dorotheus, Chapter 8).
The Russian word "inok" literally means "other". A different way of life, thoughts, different attire than other people who are called "worldly." But if we take into account the moral norms and rules established in modern society, then we can safely come to the conclusion that all Old Believer Christians are in the midst of today's world a kind of "monks", because the law of Christian life does not at all correspond to the current "spirit of the times." And the holy fathers constantly talk about what Christian title is a commitment to unceasing achievement. This word directly refers both to monastics and to family people living in an ordinary, “worldly” order.
“But I tell you that even worldly people should do all monastic deeds. Because everyone Orthodox Christian is called one who forces himself for the sake of the Kingdom of Heaven, because at holy baptism he renounces all the works of Satan that are displeasing to God, and promises to keep the commandments of the Lord and show a life like the life of Christ and wear the wounds of Christ on his body. And since that time his name has been inscribed in the Book of Life as a resident of the Kingdom of Heaven. And, if he fulfills his promise, he will be rewarded with the infinite, inexpressible and inexpressible joy of the Kingdom of Heaven. If he breaks his promise, he will be tormented more than those who do not know God, because, having known God and received holy baptism, he did not keep the commandments of the Lord, the apostles and paternal traditions"(" Flower garden "priest monk Dorotheus, chapter 14).
Miracles through the prayers of the martyrs
If God sees that they trust Him more than themselves, he gives confirmation. Undoubted faith elevates man above nature. Confirmation of this is the numerous miracles with which the Lord glorifies His holy chosen ones, who served Him wholeheartedly. The saints are our mediators and intercessors before God, and as long as this world stands, the highest grace will not fail, which descends to us through the prayers of the saints. God's saints. We read a lot about former miraculous signs, but, undoubtedly, the stories of our contemporaries, whom the Lord, according to their faith, vouchsafed to be witnesses of some wondrous, supernatural phenomena, touch the soul and heart more sensitively.
“... From the windows of the houses of the village of Guryanovka, many residents saw how at dusk a dim glow appeared at the resting place of the martyrs (Holy Martyrs Arcadius and Constantine). Looking closely, one could distinguish two lights - two candles, appearing and lit in an unknown way. Belated travelers passing or passing by from time to time talked about a miracle they had seen with their own eyes.
It happened to someone to drive up to the grave. There is not a soul around, and on the grave of the martyrs there are burning candles, which obviously there was no one to bring and light at such moments. After 70 years from the date of the burial of Konstantin and Arkady, one of the inhabitants of the village of Platonov had a vision in a dream, as if the monks had come to him and asked to be reburied in another place. At first he did not betray the meaning of the dream, but the dream was repeated again and again. Then they decided to fulfill the request and transfer the relics of the saints of God to the place that they indicated in the dreams of this Christian ...
… Shortly after the reburial, a crystal-clear spring gushed near the grave, which had never before been noticed or manifested by anyone. And it was noticed that people suffering from various ailments began to be healed at the source ...
... It was in 1996, during the consecration of the Shamar temple in the name of the Nativity of John the Forerunner, the Baptist of the Lord. Two women came to the festivities: one had a trophic ulcer on his leg. She took home some earth from the graves of the saints and water from healing spring. With great faith in healing, she made mud out of water and earth, prayed and tied it to an open wound. A few days later I felt that my leg did not hurt. Unleashed - everything was delayed.
The second woman came to the consecration of the temple in plaster, with a crack in her foot. Before visiting Shamar was treated by doctors. She learned about the cure, did this: she took off the plaster, made a gruel from water and earth taken from the grave, tied the life-giving gruel to her foot, and after a while she was already walking without feeling pain. Then she turned to the traumatologist who treated her. X-ray showed that everything had grown together. She was embarrassed to tell the doctors what she was treated with, and they, in turn, said that it was a miracle: an old man’s foot crack could not heal so quickly!
A resident of Perm was treated for a long time for pain in the joints of her legs. After visiting the source and washing the feet with miraculous water, the leg pains stopped and did not recur.
A resident of the city of Saratov reports about the healing. A young man from childhood was burdened by the fact that he had a rash spread over almost his entire body. His face was covered with terrible pimples. He also came to the grave, prayed and washed himself. Everything has passed, and now there are no more acne.
Anastasia, an 86-year-old local resident, says that during the war, when there were no doctors or priesthood in the district (they just put someone in, and they immediately take him away, and no one else sees him, they never returned), everyone they went to the monks for help, whoever had something hurts - everything is there. And where else? .. Only there they were treated.
“My daughter had eczema on her hands. She once came to me and said: “Here, mother, my hands are so sore.” I say: "Let's go to the source." But how? I worked on a collective farm, it was impossible not to go to work, but it was a long way to get there; I told the foreman: “Today I can’t go to work, my daughter has arrived, I have to take her to Shamary, and she has a big knapsack, I need to carry help.” The foreman let go. Only the beginning of light—we ran. It was far to run, but it was not in vain that they ran away - her eczema disappeared, as it was not. Well, how can you not believe? If any doctor heals, so they say, run to him again!..” (From the Life of the Martyrs Constantine and Arcadius, published in Shamary in 2011).
Pilgrims constantly go to the chapel at the resting place of the martyrs Constantine and Arcadius, to their miraculous source, asking for the healing of soul and body. Traditionally in the summer, the day after the patronal feast of the Nativity of John the Baptist, from Shamar to Platonovo and further to the chapel is sent. There are many pilgrims even in winter, on the day of the repose of the martyrs. And if in summer the pilgrims go to the chapel across the field, then in winter they go to Platonovo by car and further - along the ice of Sylva. Neither frost nor snowdrifts are a hindrance. And here is a miracle: even in winter it is possible to draw water from a miraculous source!
Recently, in the course of a discussion of what is important for the Russian Orthodox Church document - "Regulations on monasteries and monastics" the question was raised whether the cassock monk has monastic dignity and what are the canonical consequences of the cassock tonsure. In itself, the question of the status of cassock monks is of great importance. It closely concerns their canonical rights and obligations, in particular the right to leave the monastery and subsequently marry. Therefore, the question of whether monastic dignity belongs to cassock monks has been raised again and again over the past few centuries.
Back in the XII century. Theodore Balsamon argued with the monks, who believed that they had the right to put aside their monastic attire and leave their monastery, since they did not take monastic vows. Consequently, those considered themselves laymen, not bound by monastic bonds. AT early XIX in. Saint Nicodemus the Holy Mountaineer in Pidalion denounced the cassock monks for their intention to leave the monastery and monastic life and take on the image of the laity. In a time close to us, the view of monks as persons who had not yet entered the ranks of monastics became widespread in Russia as well. Abbess Taisia (Solopova), one of the ascetics of piety in the 19th century, wrote in her writings that the cassock "in essence was not considered tonsure and was called" small tonsure ", therefore, many cassock monks and nuns left the monastery and returned to worldly life, considering themselves unbound vows before God.
So, as already mentioned, quite recently this issue was raised again during the discussion of the "Regulations on monasteries and monasticism." During the discussion, the opinion was voiced that, according to its canonical status, a cassock monk is only a layman who has the blessing to wear a cassock. A similar view is expressed, in particular, in an article by Archimandrite Jerome (Nikolopoulos), which is a study by one of the Greek theologian canonists.
The fact that such a view of the cassock turns out to be very stable makes us once again review the canonical and patristic sources on this issue in order to clarify and clarify, as far as possible, all its aspects. This question really deserves special attention, because if we come to the conclusion that all currently tonsured cassock monks are laymen and can freely leave the monastery even without the blessing of their abbot, as the archimandrite points out. Jerome in his study, - the consequences of this for the Church at the present time can be deplorable.
In this article, we do not in any way want to polemicize with those who consider monks to be just laymen, and monasticism to be only a preparation for monasticism. Nor do we want to insist on any measures of punishment in relation to the monks who left their monastery and returned to worldly life. God expects from each of us free service to Him, and in the first place, our free will is dear to Him. Our goal was to inspire the monks wearing the cassock to the zealous passage of their feat and to give them a patristic understanding of the entire importance of their rank, of how dear and desirable before God their entry into the initial degree of monastic rank.
Let's take a closer look now the question of the status of cassock monks: Are cassock wearers different from lay people and why? At the present time, one can hear the opinion that the canons do not provide for a separate degree of cassock monks, and therefore they are laymen and do not bear canonical responsibility in case they wish to leave the monastery.
Indeed, it is difficult to disagree with the fact that the canons do not actually provide for a separate degree of a cassock monk. As they do not at the same time provide for separate degrees of the small and great schema, simply because the division into these three degrees did not yet exist in the church practice of that time. The formation of a special rank of monastic tonsure (as, probably, the allocation of cassock monks to a special degree of monasticism) began to take shape, according to N. Palmov, in the 12th century. And therefore it is quite natural that the canons established by the Ecumenical and local councils and holy fathers during the time period of the 3rd-9th centuries, cannot directly and directly make definitions on the status of cassock monks.
It is significant that often the canons do not call persons who have dedicated themselves to God, even monks, but use some descriptive expressions for this, which nevertheless clearly indicate the subject of speech. A vivid example of this can be canon 60 of St. Basil the Great: “She who promised to remain in virginity, and fell away from her promise, may she fulfill the time of punishment set for the sin of adultery with distribution, depending on her life. ". Thus, if the canons do not directly mention the degree of cassock monks, this still does not in any way indicate that the wearer of the cassock belongs to the rank of laity in the Church.
If we look only at the external, formal side of the matter, we may come to a completely absurd conclusion. As is well known, the highest and most perfect degree of monastic vows is the great schema. If the canons speak only of the rank of perfect monks and apply only to them, then, along with the cassock, monastic vows can be counted as nothing, as still imperfect, preparatory, called only "the betrothal of the great angelic image" and not giving the fullness of monastic dignity. Thus, it can be declared that even the mantle monk is free to leave the monastery and return to worldly life. But, of course, there is hardly a person who dares to assert anything like that.
In addition, a wonderful argument leads in his article “περί τῆς ἥimes ἥν κτηται ἐν ἐκλησίᾳ ἡ ἰ ἰς ἀρχάριοφοροῦντα ἱερά ἀκολουθία” (“On the dignity of the Holy Assistance) Discussing why the canons make no mention of the status of cassock monks, he says that sacred rules always observe the essence of monastic confession and its spiritual consequences, and not its statutory side. They consider as permissible and bringing the same spiritual and, consequently, legal results, any form of tonsure from the many that have spread over the centuries-old history of monastic life in the Church. “In other words, they consider the monastic image as a single one, no matter under what statutory form it is performed…,” Archimandrite Tikhon further asserts. sacred rules, does not constitute an exception and a paradox, since the same thing happens with regard to the statutory-performing side and the formation of the followers of all the sacred sacraments of the Church.
What to do in the case when the canons do not clearly speak about any phenomenon?
In ecclesiastical law, as St. Nicodemus the Holy Mountaineer, the principle of analogy can partly operate: “What the rules do not clearly write about should be judged and concluded on the basis of similar cases described in the rules, or on the basis of the writings of individual fathers, or even according to the reasoning of a sound mind ... There, where there is no rule or written law, a good custom is preserved, which has been tested by right reason and tested for many years and which, without contradicting a written rule or law, replaces the rule or law. Therefore, we can rightfully note that many of the saints of the Orthodox Church had the good habit of looking at the cassock as the initial degree of the monastic rank and treated him with respect. Here are some opinions of the Greek and Russian holy fathers:
Rev. Nicodemus the Holy Mountaineer:"The cassocks can no longer throw off the cassock and enter into marriage - yes it will not! How dare they do this, while the hair on their heads is tonsured, which means that they rejected all worldly wisdom and dedicated their lives to God? How they dare to do this when, with a blessing, they wore a monastic cassock and kamilavka, changed their name, and two prayers were read over them by the priest, in which the priest thanks God for having “delivered them from the vain worldly life and called them to an honest monastic promise”, and asks Him to take them “under His saving yoke”? I will fulfill my vows to the Lord, then how much more is the one who wore the cassock?"
Posthumous broadcasts of St. Nile the Myrrh-streaming:“The adoption of a cassock is the inscription of oneself in the army and the incessant study of military affairs. The mantle is a campaign, just as when a war comes, troops go to war and march on a military campaign. Accepting a great image, a schema, is entering into a decisive battle, when the troops will reach the place of battle and put themselves on full combat readiness. Returning from the cassock tonsure to the world is just as unacceptable as if someone entered the army, then deserted and did not join the troops that went to war; he becomes an apostate of the king. When the king sees this apostate, this obedient to the royal decree, will cross him out of the list.Similar to this will befall the one who, intending to be a monk and joining the soldiers of the King of Heaven, then repents of this intention, is discharged, becomes a slave of the world, enslaved to the affairs of the world - the stench of sin. .."
Now I would like to say in more detail about exactly what elements in the order of monastic vows impart monastic dignity to a cassock monk.
First of all, this two prayers, read in the order of tonsure in the cassock. On the question of the time of their origin, there are different opinions. If N. Palmov believes that in current form This rite took shape only by the 14th century. , то современная исследовательница Е.Жукова в своей монографии "Γέννηση καί ἐξέλιξη τῆς ἀκολουθίας τοῦ μοναχικοῦ σχήματος κατά τούς 4-7 αἰώνες βάσει ἀγιολογικών πηγών" ("Зарождение и развитие чинопоследования монашеского образа в 4-7 веках на основе агиографических источников") говорит о that this following is very ancient, and probably is ancient species the succession of the great angelic image.
It is worth pointing out that the prayers for tonsure into the cassock contain expressions that speak specifically of the perception of the monastic image:
“We thank Thee, O Lord our God, who, by the many mercy of Thy, have delivered Thy servant, my name, from a vain worldly life, and have called him to this honest promise ...” - according to the apt remark of the Confessor Nikon of Optina, thanks to these words, “Holy Church The Orthodox even look at the cassock as a vow to God.
“Worthy, therefore, to live worthily in this angelic life…” — there is no need to remind that the monastic life is called the angelic life in the patristic tradition.
“Under Thy yoke, Lord, take Thy servant, name of salvation” - the image of the yoke of Christ, according to the conclusions of E. Zhukova, is very often found in the lives of the holy venerable fathers, and it is not by chance that this prayer denotes entry into monastic life through lifting the yoke of Christ.
"And make him worthy to be combined with the flock of Your chosen ones" - a direct parallelism with the prayer from the rite of tonsure into the small schema: "Bring this servant of Yours into Your spiritual courtyard and number him with Your verbal flock."
Taking all this into account, it is difficult to agree with the opinion of Archimandrite Jerome (Nikolopoulos), who insists that "some of the expressions of these two prayers are common and aim to express the desire for a successful outcome of spiritual warfare, while others can be interpreted in a different way, and not as necessarily mentioning monastic dignity ". No, on the contrary, these prayers speak precisely of being added to the ranks of monastics, and from now on the brother over whom they were read enters into monastic residence, the residence of "earthly angels and heavenly people."
Finally, it must be said that the prayers for tonsure into the cassock are unique and are read only during the rite of tonsure into the cassock. Archim. Jerome erroneously points out that a similar prayer is read over the students of the Rizari spiritual school, but this opinion of his is refuted by Archim. Tikhon, Abbot of the Stavronikita Monastery. Prayers for tonsure into the cassock and from prayers for the installation of a reader or psalt differ, as evidenced by the "Great Euchologion".
Another argument against the fact that monastic tonsure imparts monastic dignity to a cassock monk is the alleged lack of announcements before the tonsure and the lack of spoken aloud vows.
First, it should be noted that the canons and traditions of the Ancient Church testify that even if a person did not utter aloud a vow to become a monk, but entered a monastery with the intention of consecrating himself to God, he was considered a monk with all the ensuing consequences, as shows rule 19 of St. Basil the Great: "But we do not know the vow of men, unless someone has ranked himself among the rank of monastics, who by their silence show that they accept celibacy." In other words, in ancient times, even the fact that the vows were not pronounced aloud did not prevent one from being numbered as a monk. The practice of pronouncing vows was established only by Saint Basil the Great himself in the aforementioned canon. It is worth citing the interpretation of Balsamon on this sacred canon: “Do not say that those monks who did not take such a vow should be recognized as innocent; and get married."
Of modern Greek theologians, Professor Panagiotakos expresses the opinion that the cassock monk "tacitly gives his consent to the content of the monastic confession, which, albeit in a concise form, contains the prayer read for him (the Trisagion, blessing, prayer for putting on a cassock ( ῥασοευχή)), and accepts, like the monks of the other two types of vows, i.e. the Great Schemas and the Lesser Schemas, the canonical monastic vows" .
Secondly, it must be said that following the vows in the cassock directly instructs the abbot to make an announcement before vows and carefully question the person being vowed whether he voluntarily accepts vows, whether he has thought over his decision well and whether he is ready to bear responsibility for it. The statutory prescriptions, contained immediately before the rite of tonsure itself, indicate that the abbot must hand over the newly tonsured to a skilled monastic elder and explain to the newcomer the importance of the main monastic virtue - obedience, and in addition, up to about tonsure the tonsured must testify to his readiness to enter the angelic rank and the determination to stay in the monastery: “Although accepting the cassock, he comes to the abbot and performs the usual worship before him, there is a question from him, and with all zeal, life comes to the monastic, and even with many days of discretion, this offer is unchanged have: I promised him that I would irrevocably stay in monasteries in fasting and prayers , and diligence to do with the help of God, every day and night to succeed in the virtues and in all the services commanded to him, first of all commands him to honorably before reading his sins ... "Of course, the actual vows of obedience, virginity and non-possession, sheared in a cassock do not pronounce, but that does not less the requirement to make a promise to stay in a monastery already indicates that the rite of tonsure in a cassock is far from a simple blessing to wear a cassock, which can be given to a layman on special occasions. ", how not that he will zealously strive in the fulfillment of all monastic rules and regulations?
It is noteworthy that Balsamon, without mentioning this promise before the tonsure (it was probably preserved only in Russian printed breviaries, according to E. Zhukova), nevertheless, insists on the need for the cassocks not to leave their monastery. In his interpretation of Canon 5 of the Double Council, he does this with reference to the opinion of others: “Most of the more reverent people think that whoever enters a monastery and, be that as it may, puts on a black robe and lives like monks, he has no right to become again a layman; for, they say, it was possible for him to endure a test in worldly clothes for three years. In the epistle Περί ρασοφόρων he sets forth his own point of view: "The fact that ... those who have accepted the cassock were given freedom before the expiration of this [three-year] period, if they do not like the severity of a solitary life, put off monastic clothes, and put on worldly clothes, it does not seem to me either canonical or worthy of our residence and promise" . Of particular interest in this passage is the fact that the famous Byzantine canonist openly says: it does not seem to him canonical, that is, corresponding to the rules, that those who have accepted the cassock can leave the monastery.
An important element of the tonsure is cruciform hair cutting and name change. Archim. Jerome points out that these elements are also included in other rites of the Orthodox Church (the rite of the Sacrament of Baptism, ordination into a reader or a psalter; a change of name in the Greek Church, as Archim. Jerome (Nikolopoulos) writes, can also be included in the sacrament of consecration) and, therefore, by themselves, they cannot confer monastic dignity. It must be said that the Orthodox consciousness does not look at cutting hair and changing one's name as something that in itself bestows a monastic title. These elements of tonsure are by no means given the significance of the Catholic sacramental formula, which is of great importance for Catholic theology. No, cutting hair and changing one's name are considered only in conjunction with the entire rite of tonsure into the cassock. And it is precisely when a person perceives the tonsure in the cassock that the cutting of the hair acquires its own, peculiar only to this t. a meaning: “Through the taking away and shearing of the hair [the one who is sheared] brings to the Lord, as a sacrifice, the first fruits of the body: for he brings himself and devotes himself to Christ, and rejected everything superfluous and worldly” . A noteworthy view is expressed in the mentioned article by Archim. Tikhon: "There is a different initiation (meaning, content and result of the initiation) for the sacrament of baptism, a different one for the reader, and a completely special and specific one for the monk. It is not the cutting of the hair in itself that brings monasticism to the one who takes the tonsure, but the combination [of this tonsure] with everything sacred following the cassock tonsure, that is, with the Trisagion and two meaningful prayers in an important church rite before the whole brotherhood. The combination of these elements gives those who come to the vows the mentioned sacred dignity.
It must also be said that the importance of the intention of the shearer and the shearer. The clergyman who performs the rite of tonsure intends to give the Church just such a member of Her, who will serve as monastics - by fasting, prayer, and the performance of monastic virtues. The bishop, when performing ordination to the reader or psalter, introduces into the clergy a new member, who will be called to serve the Church with his word and his own, specifically for him, specific service. Therefore, the meaning of these two orders should not be confused in any way.
Thus, despite the absence of the sacred rules of the Church, which would directly speak of the cassock as a monastic degree, it is obvious that monastic dignity is acquired by cassock monks, firstly, by the patristic tradition; secondly, by the very significance of the cassock tonsure, which cannot be belittled or underestimated.
So, taking a cassock, a person leaves the rank of the laity and enters the rank of monastics. Thus, he changes his status in the system of church law. At the same time, he assumes a certain responsibility to keep his promises to God. Now a few words should be said about the consequences this.
1. Undoubtedly, as we have already said, one who has taken cassock tonsure (now we are not talking about cassock novices dressed in a cassock without saying prayers, cutting their hair and changing their name) should not leave the place of their repentance - the monastery in which he took the tonsure. This is how Balsamon says about this: “And from one who is clothed in a cassock before the expiration of three years [of the test], nothing like: “I repent. For the burden of a solitary life seems to me the heaviest and, as it were, useless burden. In general, I do not want to sink the ship of my soul with the cargo of monastic life, but I want it to be carried on worldly sails.
If a cassock monk decides to leave his monastery, he is subject to a certain canonical responsibility. Its measure is determined by the confessor of the monk and the ruling bishop after a careful consideration of all the circumstances and in accordance with the canons of the Church and befitting the present feeble time economy, so that a person has the opportunity to remain in the bosom of the Church and live church life. By the way, it can be noted that in ancient times, penances for leaving the monastic vows varied significantly. See, for example, canon 18 of St. Basil the Great, where at the beginning he says: “About the fallen virgins, who promised the Lord in purity of life, but then fell into carnal passions and violated their vows, our fathers, simply and meekly condescending to the infirmities of those who crawled, legislated: accept them after a year, establishing this according to the example of double marriages. Below in the same canon, based on the fact that the Church is strengthening and the rank of virgins is increasing, St. Basil prescribes that such canonical crimes be punished with penance for adultery, that is, according to the interpretation of Aristinus, excommunication from communion for 15 years. We also find a difference in the period of penance in the instructions of St. Theodore the Studite: he excommunicated a monk-great chemist who fell into fornication for 5 years, and a monk-little chemist for 2 years, condescending to monks who were at a lower level of monasticism.
Of course, such penances are beyond the power of a modern weak person, and speaking of them, we in no way want to show any rigidity or severity towards those who have departed from monastic life. Monasticism is a narrow path, and at all times there will be those who will not be able to stand on it, because the human soul is changeable. And therefore, we only want to show the depth of responsibility that the Holy Church demands from her monastic children.
2. Concerning the opinion that the cassocketor imposes only moral responsibility, but not canonical, the following can be noted. First, as already mentioned, tonsure in a cassock changes the canonical status of a person, transferring him from the category of laymen to the rank of monastics. Secondly, the distinction between moral and canonical responsibility can only be made hypothetically and approximately. After all, even the canons themselves are not only and not so much legal norms as moral guidelines pointing the way to spiritual perfection. According to Rev. V. Asmus, "since the Church is a moral union, the holy canons and other church laws, in addition to the legal-legal one, also have a moral and pedagogical aspect, which sometimes completely obscures the first (for example, VI Ecumenical 75). Therefore, it is of great importance and something that has no purely legal significance.
In this short article, some testimonies of the holy fathers of the Church and canonists about the cassock tonsure were considered. We have seen how great importance they attach to the cassock, and it seems that any unprejudiced person will consider the tonsure in the cassock the way he deserves it - as the first step of the monastic ladder leading to the highest evangelical perfection. It is this consciousness that will strengthen those who enter the monastic life in their pious choice and life in accordance with their honesty. about my promise.
