The visible embodiment of church symbolism is the Orthodox church, which represents the most “open”, conscious, thoughtful system of meanings. An Orthodox church contains a complex symbol, inexhaustible in its visibility. Researchers V. Bobkov and E. Shevtsov believe that since “the experience of religious consciousness, in essence, is an act of revelation, coming not from below (from the subject), but given from above - from God, that is, completely unknowable and indescribable, therefore the ontological foundation Orthodoxy is symbolism." Therefore, speaking about Christian symbolism, it should be noted that understanding it outside the Church is impossible in principle.

Accordingly, a person who wants to become more closely involved with ancient legend and traditions must, looking at the earthly in the construction of the temple, try to see the heavenly in it. For this, a person has many opportunities.

Architecture, like every type of art, has its own professional language - the language of architectural forms, inextricably linked with a person’s worldview, with his spiritual structure. That is why the meaning and significance of the architectural forms of a Christian temple can be understood by considering the temple in its idea - as the fruit of God’s economy based on tradition, carefully preserved by the Church.

As noted above, the Christian temple is a complex symbol, under the guise of the earthly, revealing to us the unknown Heavenly. The location of the temple, its architecture, decoration, and painting system symbolically express what is impossible to depict directly.

Thus, being in the temple is the most important aspect of complex spiritual work, it is a form of spiritual development, it is a path through the visible to the invisible. In the temple, everything is subordinated to a single goal, the temple is the path to deification, it is a sacred place where members of the Church partake of the Divine life in the sacraments. Therefore, the temple is a particle of the coming Kingdom of God, anticipating His coming. At the same time, the temple is an image of the entire Divine Kingdom, to which the Church leads the whole world. And finally, the temple is the world, the universe, the meaning of which is given by participation in the work of Salvation.

The symbolism of the temple, therefore, is an expression of the liturgical life of the Church, the most important aspect of church tradition. Communion with God, rebirth for a new life, a “new heaven” and a “new earth”, is carried out, first of all, in the sacrament of the Eucharist, which takes place in the temple. That is why the temple - “the house of the Lord” - is different from any other building.

The basic principles of the architecture of the temple, its internal structure and paintings are conveyed in church tradition, which goes back not only to the apostles, but also to the law of the Old Testament. Already from the 4th century. the symbolism of the temple begins to be explained in detail (see “History of the Church” by Eusebius). The symbolism of the temple was revealed in detail in the 4th–8th centuries. in the works of the holy fathers - the creators of the canons: Maximus the Confessor, Sophronius, Herman, Andrew of Crete, John of Damascus, Simeon of Thessalonica.

The symbolism of the Christian temple was revealed gradually. The Old Testament tabernacle, a prototype of the Christian temple, embodied in its structure the idea of ​​the whole world. It was built in the image seen by Moses on Mount Sinai. God, as it were, gave not only its general plan, but also determined its entire structure. Here is the description of the tabernacle made by Josephus: “The interior of the tabernacle was divided lengthwise into three parts. This three-part division of the tabernacle represented in some way the view of the whole world: for the third part, located between the four pillars and inaccessible to the priests themselves, meant in some way Heaven, dedicated to God; a space of twenty cubits, as if representing the earth and sea, over which people have a free path, was determined for the priests alone” (Antiquities of the Jews, book III, chapter 6). The third part corresponded to the underworld, Sheol - the region of the dead. The symbolism of the Old Testament Church expressed the anticipation of the coming of the Savior, therefore neither the tabernacle nor the Temple of Solomon, which was built in its image, could express the idea of ​​the Church in its entirety. The temple acquires holistic significance only with the coming of the Savior into the world, with the advent of the Christian era.

Little is known about the symbolism of early Christian churches. With the advent of heresies, the need arises to theoretically formulate the dogmatic truths of religious doctrine and the symbolic side of worship.

Already in early Christian monuments there is an indication that the temple should resemble a ship and should have three doors as an indication of the Holy Trinity. The image of a ship, especially Noah's Ark, is often used to this day to represent the Church. Just as Noah’s Ark was salvation from the waves of the sea, so the Church, led by the Holy Spirit, is a refuge for Christians in the sea of ​​life. That is why the middle part of the temple is still called the “ship”.

Let's consider the symbolism of individual parts of the temple inside and outside through the prism of the idea of ​​an Orthodox church.

Walls. Bringing the Church, the living temple of God, closer to the building of the temple itself, St. John Chrysostom teaches that each of the believers and all together is a temple, and all nations are four walls from which Christ created a single temple. Similar views on the temple can be found among Western theologians. Peter of Karnatsky (XII century) considers the temple as an image of the world. “At the foundation,” he wrote, “there is a stone with the image of the temple and 12 other stones, in commemoration of the fact that the Church rests on Christ and the 12 apostles. Walls signify nations; there are four of them, because they accept those converging on four sides."

Also the walls, according to St. Demetrius of Rostov, “interpreted as the law of God.” And in this sense, it is interesting to compare the wall paintings inside the temple with the symbolism of the architectural details outside. The content of wall paintings usually consists of the Gospel events of the earthly life of Christ, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and the apostles - a visible image of the law of God given to Christians in the New Testament. Images of saints are also painted on the walls - princes, saints, martyrs, saints, who fulfilled and preached the law of the Christian faith with their lives. Thus, the walls of the temple are also an image of the ministry of the heavenly Church to us, the earthly Church: the defense of the purity of Orthodoxy and the conciliar prayerful intercession of those who live before God.”

Cube As can be seen from the above, the temple has four walls corresponding to the four cardinal directions; they are built equal in size and form a cube. This symbol is fully consistent with the ancient architectural style of churches, both Byzantine and Byzantine-Russian (Kiev, Novgorod, Vladimir, Moscow).

If the temple is an image of the world, then each wall should correspond to one of the cardinal points and at the same time to one or another area of ​​church life.

East End- region of light, “land of the living”, land of heavenly bliss. The paradise we lost was in the East, in Eden (Gen. 2:8). To the east of Jerusalem is also the site of the ascension of Christ. Finally, the coming of the future Kingdom of God, the “eighth day of creation,” is symbolized by the rising of the sun, the east.

“The building itself should face east. All together, standing up and turning to the east after the exit of the catechumens and repentants, let them pray to God, who has ascended to heaven in the east, also in remembrance of the ancient residence in paradise located in the east, from where the first man was expelled for breaking the commandment by the slander of the serpent.

Altar, the most important part of the temple, is always located on the eastern side of the temple. The word "altar" means "high altar" (alta aru). Traditionally, ancient peoples placed their altars and temples on hills, as if bringing them closer to the sky. The altar is the main shrine of the temple, consecrating the entire building, symbolically depicting the “village of God”, “heaven, heaven”, a place, according to St. Herman, Patriarch of Constantinople, where Christ sits on the throne with the apostles.

The altar is a symbol of the Sinai upper room, where the sacrament of the Eucharist was first celebrated. This is represented symbolically ciborium- a dome over the throne supported by columns. At the same time, the ciborium is a symbol of the place of crucifixion and reproach of the body of Christ.

The connection of the altar-altar with Mount Zion (the place of the first Eucharist - the Last Supper) is expressed by symbolic "Zions", or “arks” in which the holy gifts are placed - the body and blood of the Lord.

About the relationship between the entire temple and the altar, Fr. Pavel Florensky: “The temple is Jacob’s ladder, and from the visible world it leads up to the invisible; but the entire altar as a whole is already a place of the invisible, an area cut off from the world, an unworldly space. The entire altar is heaven: an intelligent, intelligible place... In accordance with the various symbolic signs of the temple, the altar means and is different, but always standing in relation to inaccessibility, transcendence to the temple itself.”

Solea- “elevation” (from the iconostasis some distance inside the temple, to the west, towards the worshipers), that is, a continuation of the altar elevation, therefore called the outer altar (in contrast to the inner one, which is in the middle of the altar). The Solea is also a place for singers and readers, called "faces", they symbolize the angels singing the praises of God.

pulpit– the semicircular protrusion of the sole opposite the royal doors, facing the inside of the temple to the west, is especially given the name of the outer throne.

On the throne inside the altar the sacrament of transmuting bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ is performed, and on the ambo the sacrament of communion with these holy gifts of believers is performed. The greatness of this sacrament also requires the elevation of the place from which the sacrament is given, and this place is likened to some extent to the throne inside the altar.

There is an amazing meaning hidden in such an elevation device. The altar does not actually end with a barrier - the iconostasis, it comes out from under it and from it to the people, giving everyone the opportunity to understand that it is for the people standing in the temple that everything that happens in the altar is done.

The pulpit, “ascent,” also symbolizes the mountain or ship from which the Lord Jesus Christ preached. The pulpit also announces the resurrection of Christ, meaning the stone rolled away from the door of the Holy Sepulcher, which made all those who believe in Christ partakers of His immortality, for the sake of which the body and blood of Christ are taught to them from the pulpit, “for the remission of sins and eternal life.”

Middle part of the temple, “ship,” represents the entire earthly space where the universal Church of Christ is located. The Greeks called it apholikon - the universe. According to the ap. Peter, all believers enter the temple - “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a special people” (1 Peter 2:9). This part of the temple accommodates people preparing to receive the grace received in the sacrament of the Eucharist.

The middle part of the temple symbolizes the created world, but already deified, sanctified, justified. This is in the full sense of the word “new heaven” and “new earth.”

According to St. Maximus the Confessor, just as in a person the physical principle and the spiritual principle are united, and the latter does not absorb the first and does not dissolve in it, but exerts its spiritualizing influence on it, so that the body becomes an expression of the spirit, so in the temple the altar and the middle part enter into interaction . In this case, the first enlightens and guides the second, and the middle part becomes a sensual expression of the altar. With their relationship understood in this way, the order of the universe, disrupted by the Fall, is restored, that is, what was in paradise and what will happen in the Kingdom of God is restored.

Thus, the barrier between the altar and the middle part does not separate, but unites the two parts of the temple. The barrier came to Rus' in the form of an iconostasis, which is a complex symbol.

Iconostasis shows the formation and life of the Church over time. The iconostasis is a tiered existence; all its types, ultimately, are nothing more than the revelation of the meaning of the first and main icon - the image of Jesus Christ. The iconostasis consists of several rows of icons arranged in a certain order.

Most top row– forefathers, represents the Old Testament Church from Adam to the Law of Moses (the forefathers closest to the time of heavenly life: Adam, sometimes Eve, Abel, Noah, Shem, Melchizedek, Abraham, etc.).

Second row- these are persons standing under the law, this is the Old Testament Church from Moses to Christ (leaders, high priests, judges, kings, prophets; central figures - David, Solomon, Daniel).

Third row– festive, appears in the iconostasis later, from the 14th century. (in the 17th–18th centuries it was placed even lower, under the deisis). This row depicts the earthly life of Christ (“Nativity of the Virgin Mary”, “Introduction into the Temple”, “Annunciation”, “Nativity of Christ”, “Candlemas”, “Baptism”, “Transfiguration”, “Entry into Jerusalem”, “Ascension”, “Trinity”, “Assumption of the Mother of God”, “Exaltation of the Cross”, annual liturgical circle).

Fourth row - deisis(“prayer”, “supplication”). It symbolizes the fulfillment of the New Testament Church, the implementation of everything that is depicted in the top three rows of the iconostasis. This is the prayer of the Church for the whole world.

Bottom (local) row- images of locally revered saints, as well as an icon of the holiday to which the church is dedicated. In the center of this row are the royal doors, to the left (as seen from the person praying) is the icon of the Mother of God, to the right is the icon of the Savior.

In the iconostasis, from top to bottom, there are paths of Divine revelation and the implementation of salvation. In response to Divine revelation, there are paths of human ascension from the bottom up: through the acceptance of the gospel gospel (evangelists at the royal doors), the combination of the human will with the will of God (the image of the Annunciation here is the image of the combination of these two wills) through prayer, and, finally, through communion Man realizes his ascent to what the deisis rite represents - to the unity of the Church."

West side of the temple symbolizes the “land of the dead” and hell. On this side, as a rule, the dead were buried - inside or outside the temple, in the vestibule, less often on the adjacent northwestern side. Sometimes on the western part of the temple, not gloomy images of prophecies and the Last Judgment were depicted, but secular scenes of fun and games (the Church of St. Sophia in Kyiv), which were a reminder of an unreasonable, vain life leading to destruction.

The general idea of ​​the temple is expressed by the iconography of its middle part. Here the Ecumenical Church of Christ is depicted in its totality, in its history and perspective - from the beginning of the pristine Church to the Last Judgment - the end of its existence - by era.

The entire painting of the temple is a symbol of the Eternal Church. All church events, all participants in church life are located throughout the entire space of the temple, included in a complex symbolic hierarchy.

On the northern and southern walls of the temple there are images of Ecumenical Councils - important events in church history.

Narthex(corresponds to the courtyard of the tabernacle) - a symbol of the unrenewed world, still lying in sin, even hell itself. Therefore, the vestibule is located in the western part of the temple, opposite the altar - a symbol of heaven. Here stand the catechumens, those who are preparing to enter the Church and become its members, and the penitents who are under penance, that is, those whom the Church does not allow to receive the Holy Mysteries. They are between the Church and the world. They are not expelled from the temple and can remain in it until a certain moment, but cannot participate in the internal life of the Church, its sacraments.

Vaults, dome. Since the middle part of the temple is a symbol of the transformed created world, the “new heaven” and the “new earth,” that is, the Church, the head of the Church is depicted in the dome - Christ Pantocrator.

Above the four walls of the main part of the temple rises a vault, usually in the form of a hemisphere, just as the firmament extends above the four cardinal points. Then the idea of ​​the firmament was transferred to the dome - a semblance of heaven, and, accordingly, the idea of ​​God Almighty was transferred to the temple dome.

The head of the temple, crowned by a dome with the image of Christ, is a symbol of Christ - the Head of the Universal Church. If the temple itself is the body of the Church, then its head is the receptacle of Divine wisdom. In early Christian churches, the head of the temple resembled a skull, a head (for example, the Cathedral of St. Sophia in Constantinople, the Transfiguration Cathedral in Chernigov).

Pillars. On the four pillars supporting the dome are depicted those who preached the word of God, who spread and established the Christian faith through words, deeds, and their way of life. The true pillars of the Church are the apostles, bishops, ascetics, and martyrs.

The apostle speaks about the apostles as pillars. Paul: “And when James and Cephas and John, who were esteemed as pillars, learned of the grace given to me, they gave me and Barnabas the hand of fellowship, that we might go to the Gentiles, and them to the circumcision” (Gal. 2:9).

The pillars supporting the vaults inside the temple, and the pillars built into the walls and protruding from them in the form of blades, are the structural basis of the entire material temple. In a spiritual sense, they are the image of the “pillars of the Church” - the apostles, saints, teachers of the Church.

So, we have analyzed the meanings of the internal symbolic parts of the temple, now we will consider the external symbolic components.

The top of the temple consists of a base, which is sometimes called a “tribune”, as well as a “neck” (in art history, the “neck” of the top is usually called a “drum”, which does not reflect the essence of this part of the temple and has no historical basis), a chapter consisting of “ poppy" (which is often called "onion", which also does not correspond to historical sources), and the cross.

Cross- the main Christian symbol. Worshiping the image of the cross, we see in it, first of all, the symbol of Christ Himself and the symbol of the way of the cross that He commanded us: “If anyone wants to come after Me, deny himself, take up your cross, and follow Me.” The appearance of the cross also points to the mystery of the Trinity: with its vertical it points us to the Highest Father, with its transverse crossbar - to the Son and the Holy Spirit, for David says: “Thy hands made me, and will create me, that is, the Son and the Holy Spirit created.”

The Byzantine shape of the head is a hemisphere - an image of the even radiance or light of God descending from heaven onto us. The image of the flame is our prayerful burning towards God and the Divine fire overshadowing us. In the work “Primordial Essence” A.F. Losev, based on the works of the holy fathers of the Church, concludes that a ball, a sphere is “a symbolic image of the existence of ethereal forces.” And Nikolai Troitsky says: “The world of ethereal forces surrounds the primary center of existence with concentric spheres located in accordance with the hierarchy of angelic ranks.”

The helmet-like shape is characteristic of the period of the Horde yoke. The poppies resemble a military helmet.

Multi-domed temples. The number of heads of the temple reveals in numerical symbolism the hierarchy of the structure of the heavenly Church.

One chapter signifies the unity of God.

Two chapters correspond to the two natures of the God-man Jesus Christ.

Three chapters commemorate the Holy Trinity.

The four chapters represent the Four Gospels and its spread to the four cardinal directions.

The five chapters represent the Lord Jesus Christ and the four evangelists.

The seven chapters commemorate the seven sacraments of the Church, the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, the seven Ecumenical Councils.

Nine chapters are associated with the image of the heavenly Church, consisting of nine orders of angels and nine orders of righteous people.

Thirteen chapters are the sign of the Lord Jesus Christ and the twelve apostles.

The twenty-five chapters may be a sign of the apocalyptic vision of the throne of the Holy Trinity and the twenty-four elders (Rev. 11, 15–18) or indicate praise of the Most Holy Theotokos (25 ikos and kontakia of the most ancient akathist to the Theotokos), depending on the dedication of the temple.

Thirty-three chapters are the number of earthly years of the Savior.

The number of chapters is associated with the dedication of the main altar of the temple, and also often with the number of altars connected in one volume.

And I would like to say a few more words about the symbolism of the materials themselves from which the temples of God were built - about stone and wood.

Stone- a symbol, first of all, of Christ Himself. The prophets spoke about this. The fourth kingdom, which King Nebuchadnezzar saw in a dream in the form of an idol made of clay and iron, represented the Roman kingdom. The stone that came off the mountain and hit this idol and scattered it into dust is a prototype of Christ, the founder of a new kingdom above kingdoms, “which will never be destroyed,” according to the prophecy of the prophet Daniel (Dan. 2:44).

The great Isaiah calls Christ “a stumbling block and a rock of offense”, over which many will stumble “and fall and be broken... A tried stone, a corner stone, a precious stone, firmly established; he who believes in him will not be put to shame” (Isa. 8:14; 28:16; Rom. 9, 33).

Symbolizing Christ, the stone also symbolizes firm faith in Christ. Thus, expressing his faith, the Apostle Peter said to the Lord: “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.” The Lord answered him: “You are Peter (meaning stone), and on this stone I will build My Church.” The Apostle Peter in his letter calls the faithful “living stones,” saying: “Coming to Him (Jesus), a living stone... you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house” (1 Pet. 2:45). The many stones in the world symbolize the multitude of the faithful - from the beginning to the end of time - according to God’s promise to Abraham that his descendants, according to the right faith, will be “like the sand on the seashore” (Gen. 22:17).

If the walls of the temple are all the peoples from which Christ created His Church, according to St. John Chrysostom, and the stone is a symbol of a Christian faithful to the Lord (according to Apostle Peter), then the stones in the wall of the temple symbolize the souls of righteous people who make up the Church of Christ.

Tree- a symbol of the Tree of Life of the Garden of Eden, in which righteous souls abide.

Thus, even the very material basis of the temple carries deep Christian symbols. Therefore, in our time of new technologies and materials, a careful and reasonable attitude towards the tradition of building Orthodox churches is necessary.

To summarize, we can say with all confidence that the study of the Russian Orthodox church as a beautiful phenomenon, the most open to the world and embodying the symbols of the Orthodox faith, can become for a person seeking salvation a step on the ladder, leading him to the Creator of Good, Love and Beauty Himself.

Kudryavtsev M., Kudryavtseva T. Russian Orthodox Church: Symbolic language of architectural forms // To the Light. 1994. No. 17. P. 60

Mokeev G.Ya., Kudryavtsev M.P. About a typical Russian church of the 17th century. // Architectural heritage. 1981. No. 29. pp. 70–79

Tell me who your saints are and I will tell you who you are.

In almost every car in Russia you can see an icon, which, as a rule, is attached to the glove compartment or in another, inconspicuous place. Christ, the Virgin Mary and Nicholas the Wonderworker - this is the standard set. It is interesting that such icons are attached even by those people who do not go to church at all and, perhaps, do not believe in God. But they feel “within their gut” that it’s better with icons.

In Russia, they have always treated saints with reverence - people who are with God and from God. In fact, all life in ancient Rus' and in subsequent Russia revolved around Orthodoxy. And Orthodoxy, in turn, will wait for the saints. So it turned out that saints were revered in Rus', and this veneration did not disappear even after the anti-Christian revolution in Russia. Not at all, new personalities appeared who replaced the destroyed Orthodoxy and were subsequently canonized.

In this article I will try to describe some of the most popular Russian saints.

Sergius of Radonezh

Few people have not heard of the Venerable Father Sergius. The most interesting thing is that this saint has been revered for more than 500 years, and his popularity still does not decrease.

Bartholomew. This is what the parents named their middle son. The eldest was called Stefan, and the youngest was Peter. I don’t know about the eldest and youngest, but regarding the middle one you can find that he was born on May 3, 1314 in the village of Varnitsa, which was located near the city of Rostov. This is somewhere in central Russia, not very far - 500 km - from Moscow. A little later, when the children were about 7 years old, their parents moved near Moscow to the small town of Radonezh.

Well, they began to live well and make good money. The boys were sent to apprenticeship, just as is customary now, from about 7 years old. Dad was a boyar. Although, apparently, peasant children also had the opportunity to learn to read and write. Just what is the difference between modern education and that ancient training? Now first-graders start with the ABC, but then they learned to read from the Psalter. The ABC is a book written by some little-known author with almost standard content. The letter “A” - words starting with this letter, proverbs, sayings, and so on. And the psalter was written not by anyone, but by the Jewish king David himself. This book is the second most important in Christianity, after the Gospel. Thus, the “first-graders” of those years immediately began to absorb the philosophy of Christianity. And as you know, children learn everything quickly.

Bartholomew's brothers learned quickly, but he himself had problems... Well, the guy couldn't get a diploma - for the life of him! He does it this way and that, but he can’t. Classmates laughed, teachers cursed and even punished - it’s a shame! And the parents just shrugged, what can you do now...

God in those days in Rus' was held in high esteem and well known. So they knew how to pray to Him. That’s exactly what Bartholomew prayed to God, explaining to Him his state of mind and problems.

One day, Bartholomew’s father sent his son to fetch the horses that were grazing in the meadow. The guy went to the meadow and suddenly noticed that under a single tree nearby there was an old man in monastic vestments. The monk stood and prayed. The guy came closer and began to wait for the end of the prayer. When the monk finished, he called Bartholomew to him and asked him what he wanted. The boy said that most of all he wants to learn to read and write.

“From now on, God will give you, my child, to understand literacy. You will surpass your brothers and peers.” The monk took out a vessel containing prosphora - pieces of bread - and gave one to Bartholomew as a sign of God's blessing.

The monk was about to leave, but the overjoyed boy began to persistently invite the elder to visit - his parents were also hospitable people. And indeed, Bartholomew’s parents rejoiced at the unknown wanderer. They offered to sit at the table, but the monk replied that before bodily food one must taste spiritual food and ordered Bartholomew to read the psalter. The parents were horrified, but they didn’t show it either... The guy began to read the ancient texts harmoniously and clearly, the parents were very surprised. “Your son will be great before God and men. “It will become the chosen abode of the Holy Spirit,” said the elder, and these words turned out to be prophetic.

Bartholomew was an unusual guy. Since childhood, he loved solitude. I gravitated towards God. The young man was about to go to the monastery - he was about 15 years old, but his parents begged the guy to stay with them until they died. Cyril and Maria - the parents of the future saint - by this time had already grown old and weakened. And Bartholomew’s brothers had already gotten married. Which is even interesting! After all, the eldest was no more than 17 then, and the youngest was only 14 years old - and they got married! Apparently this was welcomed back then. And what? They say that today people start having sexual relations at the age of 15 - if you call someone at this age a child, they will be offended. So it turns out that it was possible to get married at 15, as long as society treated it normally, that is, there was somewhere to earn money, where to live, etc.

The parents of the future ascetic themselves soon became monks in the Khotkovsky Monastery in honor of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos, which was located not far from the town of Radonezh. There they died. Subsequently, the Monk Sergius bequeathed that before going to see him at the Trinity Sergius Lavra, it would be nice to look into Radonezh and pray for the repose of his parents.

By this time, Bartholomew's older brother was widowed - his wife died. And he became a monk with the name Stephen. And together with Bartholomew they retired into the forest for a monastic desert life. Of course, the forest is not a desert - there is grass, berries, and fir trees. Only there are no people. It is in this sense that the desert - we had to organize our entire life ourselves. After some time, the elder brother Stefan could not stand the hardships of living in the desert and went to the Moscow Epiphany Monastery, where he became friends with the monk Alexy, later Metropolitan of Moscow and All Rus'. In those days we did not have a patriarch - he was replaced by the Patriarch of Constantinople. And the entire Russian land was a single metropolis.

On October 7, 1337, Bartholomew was tonsured a monk with the name Sergius in honor of the Holy Martyr Sergius, who lived in the Roman Empire and was executed by beheading for refusing to accept the pagan gods. Sergius was tonsured by the abbot (apparently of the same Epiphany Monastery) Mitrofan.

This is how Sergius lived in the forest. One. He prayed constantly, read psalms from memory, gardened, and organized his daily life. Gradually, animals began to get used to him; sometimes even wolves came to look at their unusual neighbor. But that's not scary yet. Demons or devils began to attack the desert dweller. They appeared to the monk in the form of wolves, who growled and threatened him in a human voice so that he would leave here. One night during prayer, the wall of the cell split into two. And in the doorway appeared many demons in Lithuanian caftans. The monk continued to pray. The demons threatened the monk that if he did not leave here, they would punish him. Sergius raised his hand and crossed the uninvited guests. Immediately the gathering disappeared and the wall became normal. Sitting at home on the sofa, you can grin, like, here’s another thing, they came up with this idea. But as soon as you take a walk in the forest at night unaccompanied, all your courage and irony will evaporate somewhere...

Soon, people who wanted to live with him began to come to the monk who lived in the forest, seeking spiritual purification. Sergius was happy with everyone, but never put himself above others. He warned that living in the forest was very difficult and that the monks should think carefully before deciding to take such a step. Many made up their minds.

This is how the ascetics lived together. Each one set up a cell for himself and prayed separately. Soon rumors about Father Sergius reached the patriarch himself. He donated a cross, a paraman (part of a monk’s vestment, in the form of a cross on fabric) and a schema (also a monk’s vestment) to Sergius. The patriarch also recommended that Sergius move to a cenobitic monastery, that is, where there would be its own abbot and charter. Sergius heeded the advice of the Patriarch, went to Metropolitan Alexy and received his blessing to open a cenobitic monastery in honor of the Holy Trinity.

But this did not make the life of the monks sweet. As Sergius warned, living in the forest was very difficult. As a rule, the brethren received alms from people coming to the monastery in the form of food and money. But it also happened that visitors did not come. One day the monastery ran out of water. And she was gone for so long that the monks rebelled against Sergius, approached him with threats and declared that if he, the damned old man, did not find them water, then they would all leave him. They scared me, you know. He warned! But Sergius was of a meek spirit; he did not become angry with the monks, understanding their condition. The monk approached a small hill nearby, prayed, hit the hill with his staff, and... the purest water gushed out from there... They say that this source still exists in the Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius.

One day, things got so bad at the monastery that Sergius was forced to leave the monastery he founded. On the Kirzhach River he founded a new monastery in honor of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, where he began to live. Soon, things in the Lavra he left behind completely fell into disrepair; the proud monks could not maintain order without the founder of the monastery. And those few who remained in the Trinity Monastery went to Metropolitan Alexy so that he asked Sergius to come back. Sergius heeded the request and returned.

Metropolitan Alexy hoped that after his death the throne of the Moscow metropolis would be led by Sergius, but the humble ascetic refused, saying that he did not want to be a boss, but only a simple worker. The monastery did not have its own priest; at that time there was a difficult road through the forest to the monastery, so the brethren were left for a long time without communion or confession. The monks long and persistently asked Sergius to become a priest, since he knew everything he needed “by heart.” But Sergius did not want this small leadership either. But in the end he succumbed to persuasion and was elevated to the rank of priest. And in 1354, the Bishop of Volyn raised the monk to the rank of hieromonk and abbot of the monastery.

Sergius did not stand out in any way among the monks around him. One day a peasant came to the monastery seeking blessings from Sergius. He asked where the ascetic was and was told that he was working in the garden. The peasant went there... But he didn’t find anyone there... Only some dirty worker was poking around in the ground... The peasant was offended that they were laughing at him and then he saw... A squad arrived at the garden with the prince himself at the head. The prince dismounted, approached the dirty worker and... bowed at his feet. And he blessed the prince. The peasant lost the power of speech... Having gathered his courage when the prince left, he approached that worker, realizing that this was Sergius and asked him for forgiveness. Sergius was not offended at all, on the contrary, he smiled and said that this peasant is the only person who perceives him correctly, and the rest perceive him incorrectly.

On September 8, 1380, the Russian army led by Prince Dmitry won a complete victory against the Tatars near the Don River. It was Sergius of Radonezh who blessed the prince for this battle and predicted victory for him. He also gave two monks to help - Alexander and Andrey. The first of them fought with the hero Kochubey before the battle and defeated him.

The saint peacefully departed to God on September 25, 1392 at the age of 78. He predicted his death six months before his death. And he instructed the monks in life. Most of all, Sergius prayed that the Lavra he founded would not fall under temptation, but would remain faithful to God. A sign was given to the monk that until the end of the century God would preserve both the Lavra and its inhabitants.

The popularity of Sergius of Radonezh among the people is great even almost 600 years after his death. People often pray to this saint for help in their studies. But the monk helps those who turn to him in all everyday difficulties. But the Trinity Lavra of Sergius remained, even despite the fierce persecution of the early 20th century and in other years.

Has anyone been to Red Square in Moscow? Many probably have been. And first of all, the majestic Church of the Intercession on the Moat or St. Basil's Cathedral catches the eye there. They even conducted a survey among foreigners, which architectural structure do you associate Russia with, like the Eiffel Tower in France or the Statue of Liberty in the USA. So, the majority voted for St. Basil's Cathedral, and not for the Kremlin at all. What kind of saint is this, in whose honor the most famous temple in the country is named?

Vasily was born in December 1469. The mother of Saint Basil was a simple but pious woman. During pregnancy, she prayed at the Epiphany Church in Moscow (even an exact indication is given - in Elokhov, apparently that was the name of the village). It was on the porch of this temple that Anna gave birth to her son. The porch is the area in front of the entrance to the temple. I don’t know the course of events, but I can assume that the woman began to give birth after the service, unexpectedly for herself.

The guy was apprenticed to famous masters as a shoemaker. This is where Vasily’s unusual gift manifested itself. One day, a rich merchant came to the workshop and asked to sew boots for him so that they wouldn’t wear out in a year. And Vasily answered him: “We’ll sew ones that you won’t be able to endure even to death!” I don’t know how the merchant reacted, but Vasily was asked why he said that, to which the guy replied that the merchant would soon die. A few days later the merchant actually died.

At the age of 16, the boy took upon himself the feat of the holy fool. That is, he said what comes to mind, now people like that would be talked about at the temple, and even then they played it. But this is what the ascetic needed, in this way he humbled his own pride. And Vasily went around without clothes all year round, covering only what everyone covers. Extremely thin, he sat on the porch of churches and prayed. This man should have died in the first severe frost, which happened and happens in Moscow every winter. And he not only did not die, but continued to lead this strict feat.

They often laughed at the ascetic, sometimes they beat him, but he endured and prayed. So gradually Vasily was enveloped in an aura of glory, but he did not succumb to it either. At that time, Russia was ruled by Tsar Ivan Vasilyevich, popularly nicknamed the Terrible. Everyone was afraid of the king, but not Vasily. One day, the king was driving either to the temple or somewhere else. The people fell to their knees in front of the king and then... In the middle of the huge kneeling crowd there was one person who did not fall in front of the king. The guardsmen were indignant and wanted to hit the insolent man. But the king stopped them, threw rich alms to the daring one and asked them to pray for him. St. Basil the Blessed was impudent.

Being a beggar himself, he very sensitively distinguished those who were truly in need from those who were liars. One day I saw a real demon sitting at the Prechistensky Gate (apparently the Kremlin) in the guise of a beggar and collecting alms. For mercy, the demon gave instant help in business. Saint Basil drove out the demon.

Another time he gave a royal fur coat, which the king himself had given to him to a rich foreign merchant. The reason was simple - a merchant in Moscow was completely broke, there was nothing to go home with, and he was embarrassed to ask.

One day, passing by a house where they were drinking, Vasily, with tears, hugged every corner of the house and said something. When asked what he was doing, the saint answered: “Sorrowful angels stand in the corners. I console them and ask with tears that they pray to God for sinners.”

Basil the Blessed was the only person whom Tsar Ivan the Terrible was afraid of. One day, after the service, which the tsar attended regularly, Vasily approached the place where the tsar and the queen were praying and publicly told Ivan Vasilyevich that it was a sin to think about building a new palace on the Sparrow Hills during the service. The Tsar was incredibly surprised; he really thought about it, even though Vasily was not next to him, but only the Tsarina and Metropolitan Macarius.

Vasily also predicted a terrible fire in Moscow, which happened in 1547; in that year, a third of the capital’s buildings burned out. He also miraculously extinguished the fire in Novgorod. One day Vasily approached either a merchant or a place where they sold wine and asked to pour him a full cup of wine. The glory of the saint at that time was great and his request was fulfilled. But Vasily did not drink the potion, but turned towards Veliky Novgorod and poured the contents of the cup onto the ground. Nobody understood his actions. But later they learned that at that time a strong fire broke out in Novgorod, and then suddenly stopped unexpectedly. Just at the same time when Vasily poured out the wine.

The holy fool died on August 2, 1557 at the age of 88. He spent 72 years in his feat. 72 winter, autumn, spring, summer he walked naked and hungry.

The funeral service for the saint was conducted personally by Metropolitan Macarius. How strong must a person’s popularity be with people for the head of the entire Russian Church to personally perform the funeral service for a beggar?

The saint was buried within the boundaries of the Trinity Church, which, together with the Church of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos, on the Moat (probably earlier in this place there was something like a ravine) later became known as St. Basil's Cathedral. If this temple is a symbol of Russia, then it turns out that its main saint is also a symbol of our country.

12.07.2007

The priest of the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Father Boris KULIKOVSKY, spoke about the significance of the holiday of the glorious and all-validated chief apostles Peter and Paul:

All the apostles worked on the organization of the Church of Christ, but the now honored saints Peter and Paul worked most of all and for their fiery zeal and ardent love for the Lord and their neighbors were called supreme as worthy of all praise.

Apostle Peter, formerly called Simon, was the son of the fisherman Jonah from Bethsaida of Galilee and the brother of the Apostle Andrew the First-Called, who led him to Christ. Saint Peter was married and had a home in Capernaum. Christ called him while fishing. Being passionate by nature, Peter immediately saw God in Jesus and immediately repented that he was a sinner and not worthy to sit in the same boat with the Lord. And Christ said to him: “From now on you will be a fisher of men.”

Peter always expressed special devotion and determination, for which he was awarded a special approach to the Lord along with the apostles James and John the Theologian. Strong and fiery in spirit, he naturally took an influential place in the ranks of Christ's apostles. He was the first to decisively confess the Lord Jesus Christ as the Messiah and for this he was awarded the name Stone (Peter). On this stone of Peter’s faith, the Lord promised to create His Church, which the gates of hell will not overcome.

The Apostle Peter washed his threefold renunciation of Jesus Christ after the Last Supper with bitter tears of repentance, as a result of which the Lord again restored him to apostolic dignity. Apostle Peter was the first to promote the spread and establishment of the Church of Christ after the descent of the Holy Spirit, making a fiery speech to the people on the day of Pentecost and converting more than 3,000 souls to Christ. Some time later, having healed a man who was lame from birth, with a second sermon he converted another 5,000 Jews to the faith. The spiritual power emanating from the Apostle Peter was so strong that even his shadow, overshadowing the sick lying on the street, healed them (Acts 5:15).

In 42 after R. X., the grandson of Herod the Great, Herod Agrippa the First, launched a persecution against Christians. He killed the Apostle Joakov of Zebedee and imprisoned the Apostle Peter. Christians, foreseeing the execution of the Apostle Peter, fervently prayed for him. At night, a miracle happened: an Angel of God came to Peter in prison, freed him from his shackles, and he left the prison unhindered, unnoticed by anyone.

The Holy Apostle Peter was condemned to crucifixion by Emperor Nero. But, considering himself unworthy to accept the same death as Jesus Christ, he asked to be crucified upside down, which was done.

Apostle Paul, originally bearing the Hebrew name Saul, belonged to the tribe of Benjamin and was born in the Cilician city of Tarsus (in Asia Minor), which was then famous for its Greek academy and the education of its inhabitants. Being a Roman subject, Paul received an excellent upbringing and education, which he continued in Jerusalem at the rabbinical academy with the famous teacher Gamaliel, who was considered an expert in the Law and, despite belonging to the Pharisees, was a free-thinking man and a lover of Greek wisdom.

Young Saul, apparently, was preparing for the position of rabbi (religious mentor), and therefore, immediately after completing his upbringing and education, he showed himself to be a strong zealot for the Pharisaic traditions and persecutors of the faith of Christ. He may have witnessed the death of the first martyr Stephen, and then received the power to officially persecute Christians even outside Palestine in Damascus.
The Lord, who saw in him “a chosen vessel for Himself,” miraculously called him to apostolic service on the way to Damascus. While traveling, Saul was struck by a bright light that caused him to fall blind to the ground. A voice came from the light: “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” To Saul’s question: “Who are you?” - The Lord answered: “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.” The Lord commanded Saul to go to Damascus, where he would be told what to do next. Saul's companions heard the voice of Christ, but did not see the light. Brought by the hand to Damascus, the blind Saul was taught faith and on the third day baptized by Ananias, receiving the name Paul. At the moment of immersion in water, Paul received his sight. From that time on, he became a zealous preacher of the previously persecuted teaching.

The Apostle Paul wrote 14 epistles, representing a systematization of Christian teaching. These messages, thanks to his wide education and insight, are distinguished by great originality.

The Apostle Paul, like the Apostle Peter, worked hard in spreading the faith of Christ and is rightly revered along with him as a “pillar” of the Church of Christ and the supreme apostle. They both died as martyrs in Rome under Emperor Nero in 67, and their memory is celebrated on the same day. Prepared

Svetlana Nosenkova,
Kaliningradskaya Pravda, No. 75 (17203), July 12, 2007

http://gazetakoroleva.ru/?number=2007075&&st=355

Our Church shines with a great host of Church Fathers who made an invaluable contribution to the formation of Orthodox doctrine and earned enormous authority among the flock. But the conciliar church mind especially singles out three great saints among them - Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian and John Chrysostom - and reveres them as universal teachers. Sretensky Seminary teacher Alexey Ivanovich Sidorov told how exactly they deserved special church veneration.
Saint Basil the Great, Saint Gregory the Theologian, Saint John Chrysostom

- Alexey Ivanovich, what makes the three saints stand out from the many teachers of the Church?

Our Lord Jesus Christ, by His life on earth, showed us the true path of salvation. His disciples were close to the Savior throughout His earthly ministry. For subsequent Christian generations, they captured in the Holy Scriptures the fullness of Divine truths given to us through Jesus Christ. Over time, Christian teaching spread throughout the world, and at the same time its depth was gradually revealed. The ecumenical teachers were one of those Church Fathers who, comprehending these depths, conveyed to Christians in their writings a coherent and very precise teaching about God the Trinity.

Why do you think the Russian Church celebrates the council of the ecumenical teachers of the Church, the Cappadocian fathers who lived in the Byzantine Empire, and honors them no less than the Greek Church?

The Greek Church reveres them as the pillars of Orthodoxy, and therefore the Russian Church, which adopted Orthodoxy from Byzantium, shows the three saints the same respect. However, there is one interesting fact here. At the Liturgy we commemorate the great ecumenical teachers - Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian and John Chrysostom, but Gregory of Nyssa is not mentioned among them, and this point should be taken into account. Here the Church shows that of the three Cappadocian fathers, two seem to come to the fore, and the third - Gregory of Nyssa - is in some way shaded, because there were some miscalculations in his dogmatic teaching, such as, for example, the doctrine of universal salvation. He was, of course, an amazing, very deep thinker, but the Church does not mention him during everyday services, like Basil the Great and Gregory the Theologian. And we must take this lowering of the status of the great father (the term, of course, is not entirely correct) into account.

Gregory of Nyssa was a deep thinker, but there were some miscalculations in his dogmatic teaching, for example, the doctrine of universal salvation

Why are saints revered no less in Rus' than in Greece? The fact is that the authority of these fathers was confirmed at the Ecumenical Councils, at which they were quoted. The Cappadocian Fathers entered church tradition as one of the main bricks of the building of church doctrine, and, of course, the Russian Church honors them for their enormous services to Orthodoxy. For they quite clearly expressed the doctrine of the Holy Trinity, revealing the distinction between essence and hypostases, and their teaching became classic.

Three ecumenical saints (1815–1817). From the festive rite of the iconostasis of the priest's chapel in Khvalynsk- Produced inIVcentury, the most accurate teaching about God the Trinity, in your opinion, is the merit of the triad of Cappadocian fathers?

We cannot talk about a triad, because there was also a fourth father, Saint Amphilochius of Iconium, who also contributed to the formation of triadological teaching. Now almost all of his works have been translated, in which he appears as a wonderful preacher, although he is the youngest of the Cappadocians, he is still the fourth.

You spoke about the invaluable contribution that the Cappadocian fathers made to church doctrine. Are we talking about the same ternary terminology in which they use the terms of ancient philosophy, but with new and deeper semantic content?

Not only. Of course, the doctrine of the Holy Trinity occupies one of the central places among them. But at the Council of Chalcedon, the Christological message of St. Gregory the Theologian was read, in which in relation to Christ it was said that the Divinity and humanity in Him must be understood not as “other” and “other,” but as “other” and “other.” The Greeks expressed this very clearly. Two natures – “other” and “other”, but not two subjects. Therefore, Saints Gregory the Theologian and Basil the Great also determined the Christological component of Christian Orthodox doctrine.

- For what merits, in your opinion, did John Chrysostom become one of the ecumenical saints?

John Chrysostom surpasses many fathers in the number of his works. Basil the Great could not write as much as John; he still died at the age of 49. Gregory the Theologian survived Vasily, but also not by much. And after John Chrysostom, if you look at Russian translations, 12 volumes of works remained. That's a huge amount of preaching! After all, John Chrysostom became one of the ecumenical saints not only for his remarkable life. The height of his pious life is evidenced, for example, by the fact that he could allow himself to denounce those in power. But it is also important that in his sermons the saint touched on all the pressing problems of Christian life.

It was not for nothing that Saint John was called Chrysostom: people listened to his living word, which flowed

In the West they call him a moralist, and this is not an entirely adequate description. Saint John is not just a moralist, but a deep connoisseur of the Divine mysteries that God revealed to him, and a great preacher of these mysteries. No wonder they called him Chrysostom - golden lips. He could talk about some of the sophisticated, complex parts of Christian doctrine in simple, intelligible language, and this means a lot. In the Church, everyone organically takes their place, and everyone fulfills their purpose. And so John Chrysostom acted as a preacher. His preaching touched the masses of the people of both Antioch and Constantinople. Now, unfortunately, we cannot fully assess the significance of his sermons - the translation text cannot convey this in its entirety. But we know that people listened to his living word, which flowed.

Interviewed by Andrey Golovach

“Fighting with one accord for the faith of the Gospel!” (Bible Phil. 1:27)

Archbishop Sergei Zhuravlev on the five most important foundations of the teachings of the ROCHS, as a church of Orthodox Christians of the evangelical faith, which are also the basis of the faith of all true Christians, regardless of our various confessional and denominational affiliations, jurisdictions, as well as cultural, historical and ritual and liturgical differences Sola Scriptura, sola fide, sola gratia, solus Christus, soli Deo Gloria. Only Scripture (Bible), only faith, only grace, only Christ, only glory to God. “Ekklesia semper reformanda” “The Church is constantly being reformed” (St. Cyprian of Carthage (+ 258)) From the preparatory materials for the VI Council of the Russian Orthodox Church on October 31, 2017, dedicated to the 500th anniversary of the beginning of the great reformation and renewal of world Christianity. Kyiv, Ukraine. Pre-conciliar meeting 2014.

Glory to Jesus Christ, our Lord God and Savior! Glory to the Holy God forever!

Brothers and sisters. All of us who belong to the Reformed Orthodox Church of Christ the Savior must strive zealously and “with one accord for the Evangelical faith!” (Bible Phil. 1:27)

A real, true Christian, no matter what denomination or confession he is, is simply obliged to have faith, not his own, not confessional, not the faith of traditions and rituals, but the Gospel! Our faith must be right, because... we are even called Orthodox Christians.

The Apostle Jude writes in his letter: “Beloved! Having all the zeal to write to you about the common salvation, I considered it necessary to write to you an exhortation - to strive for the faith that was once delivered to the saints.” (Bible. Jude 1:3)

Further, Jude writes to us that “certain people have crept in, who from ancient times were destined for this condemnation, the wicked, turning the grace of our God into an occasion for debauchery and denying the only Master God and our Lord Jesus Christ.” Jude also reminds us of “what was prophesied by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ... They told you that in the last time there would appear scoffers, walking according to their own ungodly lusts.”

Unfortunately, in historical Christianity, the very “certain people” about whom the apostle writes are those who “reject the only Master God and our Lord Jesus Christ” from the very beginning IV centuries were at the forefront of the beginning of the “great deformation” of world Christianity.

Thanks to Caesaropapism, the slavish subordination of the church to the state, the deformation of world Christianity began.

The deformation of Christianity was expressed in a retreat from the Evangelical and Biblical faith, which over the centuries led the people of God to almost complete degradation.

The main heresies that came during the centuries-old era of deformation and degradation of historical Christianity:

1) Antisemitism– hatred of the Jewish people, of Judaism, of one’s historical and spiritual roots.

2) Theological antisemitism - so-called "replacement theory". Claims that the Church has now taken the place of Israel. Allegedly, the Church takes the place of the Jewish people, and has not become part of it.

3) Caesarepapism - slavish subordination to the state, the powerful of this century. Mammon became the head of Christianity, instead of Christ.

4) Polytheism in theory – a false belief in supposedly many intermediaries between God and humanity. Cult of dead saints and angels.

5) Polytheism in practice – prayers to the mother of Jesus Mary and other deceased saints and angels. Faith in their intercession and intercession.

6) Idolatry - veneration of images and crosses, “cult of relics.” Icon veneration.

7) Occultism - veneration of the so-called "relics", human remains, kissing and veneration of dead bodies and fragments.

8) Spiritualism – prayer “for the repose” and everything connected with the cult of the dead in historical Christianity. Anti-biblical teachings about the “afterlife”, the so-called. "ordeal".

The great deformation of world Christianity was the fulfillment of the most terrible prophecies of the Bible and the parables of Jesus Christ, Who spoke a lot in parables about the problems of His Kingdom. In Matthew 13, for example, Jesus tells us that in the Kingdom of God, in historical Christianity, there will be tares growing “among the wheat.” Next, Jesus says that His Church will spread like never before. He says that at a certain point in history, Christianity “becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and take refuge in its branches.” This is also a very terrible spiritual sign that all kinds of unclean spirits, demons, will take up residence in the Church. The Kingdom of Heaven, having degraded into the Great Harlot, in fact becomes in history “the habitation of demons and a haven for every unclean spirit, a haven for every unclean and disgusting bird” (Rev. 18:2)

The most terrible of the parables Jesus told about His Kingdom is the following: “The Kingdom of Heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of flour until it was all leavened.” (Bible. Matt. 13:33) In historical Christianity, in fact, “everything was leavened.”

Leaven is a sign of sin, hypocrisy and hypocrisy. Jesus said to His disciples: Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. (Luke 12:1)

The Pharisees and Sadducees leaven is religious hypocrisy and false teachings, but “Herod’s” leaven (see Mark 8:15) is a political, Caesar-papist leaven that has leavened world historical Christianity. This is the degradation and deformation of the Church of Christ.

Religion loves symbols. “Easter cakes” and “prosphora”, everything leavened, became a visible sign, a certain symbol of this deformation...

This terrible degradation of the Church, the Kingdom of Heaven, one way or another, continued until October 31, 1517, which became the day the Great Reformation began.

Christianity slowly but steadily from that day began to return to God, from Whom we had fallen away for many centuries. The path of apostasy has ended and the path of return, repentance and correction has begun!

The five pillars of the Gospel faith for us, Christians of different confessions and denominations, are now the five “solas” of the Reformation:

1) Sola S criptura (“Scripture only, Bible”),

2) S ola fide (“by faith alone”),

3) S ola gratia (“by grace alone”),

4) S olus Christus (“only Christ”),

5) S oli Deo gloria (“Glory to God only”).

We, Orthodox Christians of the evangelical and true faith, together with biblically believing Christians of all other movements, have one head - Jesus, because “Christ is the head of the Church!” (Bible. Eph.5:23)

“For no one can lay any other foundation than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ!” (Bible. 1 Cor. 3:11) Desiring to build our Christianity from “precious stones” and not “wood, hay, straw” (compare with 1 Cor. 3:11), we are obliged to profess and practice the faith of the Gospel, true Christian, Biblical.

In the above-mentioned five pillars of the evangelical faith, the five solas, we the reformers XXI centuries, like the pioneers of the Reformation XVI centuries, we carry “the Gospel of the Kingdom throughout the whole world, as a witness to all nations!” (Matt. 24:14)

The first pillar of the Gospel faith:

Sola S criptura

"Only Scripture, the Bible"

Together with the Apostle Paul, we, Orthodox Christians of the Evangelical faith, repeat today that “all Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” (2 Tim. 3:16,17)

“Faith therefore comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”(Rom.10:17)

“We believe that Holy Scripture is inspired by God, and that its author is the Holy Spirit and no other. We must have unwavering faith in the Scriptures. For as it is written: “And we have the most sure word of prophecy; and you do well to turn to him as to a lamp shining in a dark place.” (2 Peter 1:19) Therefore, his authority is higher than the authority of the Church. For there is a great difference whether the Holy Spirit speaks or the tongue of man. After all, the latter, out of ignorance, may be mistaken; he can lead astray from the true path or stray from it himself. Divine Scripture cannot stray from the true path and cannot be mistaken. It is always infallible and reliable.”(St. Cyril Lucaris, Patriarch of Constantinople ORIENTALIS CONFESSIO Christianae fidei (1631))

“We must reason about God according to His own sayings, and not according to others.”(St. Ambrose of Milan, IV century, “On Repentance”)

“All Christian believers should know, if not all of the Holy Scriptures, then, in any case, the most essential of them. They must believe in it, confess and preach it. And this cannot be learned from any other source except from the Holy Scripture itself, if we read it or only listen to the interpretation of it by believers. After all, no Christian is forbidden to listen to the Holy Scriptures, which means that no one can be prevented from reading it; for the Word is near them, in their mouth and in their hearts. Therefore, it would be a clear injustice in relation to a Christian believer, no matter what rank or class he belongs to, to deprive him of the opportunity to listen or read the Holy Scriptures, as well as to prevent him from doing so. After all, it would be the same as if a hungry soul were deprived of spiritual food or prevented from reaching it and tasting it.” (St. Cyril Lucaris, Patriarch of Constantinople, ORIENTALIS CONFESSIO Christianae fidei (1631))

Second Pillar of the Gospel Faith:

Sola fide

"Only by faith"

“Having learned that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but only by faith in Jesus Christ, we also believed in Christ Jesus, so that we might be justified by faith in Christ, and not by the works of the law; For by the works of the law no flesh will be justified.”(Gal.2:16)

“Without faith it is impossible to please God; for he who comes to God must believe that He exists and is a rewarder of those who seek Him.”(Heb. 11:6)

The founder of the Orthodox reform movement, Ecumenical Patriarch Kirill Loukaris wrote: “We believe that a person is justified by faith, and not by works. However, when we say “by faith,” we mean that to which this faith is attached, i.e. the truth of Christ, comprehended through faith and given to us for salvation. We are aware that this is eminently fair and that this does not diminish the significance of the cases. For the truth itself teaches us that we should not neglect works, that they also serve as a necessary means and evidence of our faith, confirmation of our calling. However, it would be a mistake to assert, as is done due to human weakness, that they in themselves are sufficient to save a person, so that he can appear before the court of Christ, so that they bring him salvation according to his merits. On the contrary, only the truth of Christ, given to those who repent, justifies and saves the believer.” (St. Cyril Loukaris, Patriarch of Constantinople).

The same Cyril, Patriarch of Constantinople, wrote: “We believe that no one can be saved without faith. Here we mean that faith which justifies in Jesus Christ, which arose with the life and death of the Lord Jesus Christ, which is proclaimed by the Gospel and without which no one can obtain the favor of God.”

Third Pillar of the Gospel Faith:

Sola gratia

"By grace alone"

The Gospel understanding of the most important topic is salvation: “for the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord!” (Rom.6:23)

“And you, dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you once walked, according to the course of this world, according to the will of the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience, among whom we all once lived according to our fleshly lusts, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and thoughts, and were by nature children of wrath, like others, God, rich in mercy, according to His great love with which He loved us, even us, dead in trespasses, quickened us with Christ - by grace you have been saved - and raised us up with Him, and seated Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that He might show in the ages to come the exceeding riches of His grace in kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved, through faith, and this not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast.”(Eph.2:1-9)

“God has given us eternal life!”(1 John 5:11) “Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus!” (Rom. 3:24) In his letter, John the Theologian writes: “I have written all this to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that by believing in the Son of God you have eternal life.” (1 John 5:13)

Following Augustine, we repeat today: “I could despair because of my countless sins, vices and crimes that I have committed and do not cease to commit daily with my heart, lips, deeds, in all the ways in which human weakness can sin, if Thy Word, O God mine, did not become flesh and did not dwell in us. But I no longer dare to despair, since He was obedient even to the point of death, even death on the cross, bore on Himself the handwriting of our sins and, nailing it to the cross, crucified sin and death. And I have found safety in Him, who sits at Your right hand and makes intercession for us. Trusting in Him, I desire to come to You, by Whom we have already been resurrected, and made alive, and ascended into heaven. Praise be to you, glory to you, honor to you, thanksgiving to you!” (St. Augustine (5th century))

The Fourth Pillar of the Gospel Faith:

Solus Christus

"only Christ"

"Having Jesus Christ Himself as the chief cornerstone" (Eph.2:20), we, Orthodox Christians of the Evangelical faith, proclaim: “Christ is the head of the Church!” (Eph.5:23) “And He is the head of the body, the Church; He is the firstfruits, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have preeminence.” (Col. 1:18)

“Christ Jesus died, but also rose again: He is also at the right hand of God, and He makes intercession for us.” (Rom.8:34) “Jesus became the surety of a better covenant. ... This one, as one who abides forever, has an imperishable priesthood, and therefore can always save those who come to God through Him, being always alive to intercede for them.”(Heb.7:22-25)

“We have such a High Priest, who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, and is a minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man... This High Priest has received a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is a better intercessor for the covenant.”(Heb. 8:1-6) “Therefore He is the mediator of a new covenant” (Heb. 9:15)

“We believe that the Church, which is called conciliar, includes all those who believe in Christ: those who have died and those who remain in their own country, as well as those who, like a pilgrim, are still on the way. Since no mortal is given the power to lead this Church, its only Head is our Lord Jesus Christ himself. He holds all the reins of government of this Church in His hands. Considering, however, that on the earthly path we see separate churches, each of which has someone first in rank to maintain order, this person could be called, not literally, but in a figurative sense, the head of this separate church. This is possible precisely because he is the first among its members.”(St. Cyril Lucaris, Patriarch of Constantinople, ORIENTALIS CONFESSIO Christianae fidei (1631))

“The modern Reformed Orthodox Church recognizes the mediation only of Jesus Christ, who, as St. Cyril wrote, “alone fulfills the duties of the true and lawful High Priest!” He does not need helpers in this, as some believe, but He alone stands for our entire planet, for each of us, before His Heavenly Father! The Reformed Orthodox Church calls on all the faithful children of God entrusted to its care to offer their prayers only to the Heavenly Father in the Name of Jesus Christ, and to give all praise exclusively to Almighty God!”(20 Thesis of the III Council of the UROC, 2008)

Fifth Pillar of the Gospel Faith:

Soli Deo gloria

"Only God be the glory"

“I am the Lord, this is My name, and I will not give My glory to another, nor My praise to graven images.”(Isa.42:8)

“I will not give My glory to anyone else.”(Isa.48:11)

“However, I do not seek My glory: there is a Seeker and a Judge.”(John 8:50)

“But the time will come and has already come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is looking for such worshipers for Himself. God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth.”(John 4:23,24)

“To the only Wise God, our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory and majesty, power and authority, before all ages, now and to all ages. Amen".(Jude 1:25)

“To the only Wise God, through Jesus Christ, be glory forever. Amen".(Rom. 14:26)

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From the Statute of the Reformed Orthodox Church of Christ the Savior ROCHS, with additions to the pre-conciliar meeting of 2014. In preparation for the VI Council of the Russian Orthodox Church in 2017, dedicated to the 500th anniversary of the Reformation of the Church.

“The Reformed Orthodox Church of Christ the Savior (ROCHS) is an international, multinational, Christian, ecumenical, local, Christocephalous, Orthodox Church, located in unity and prayerful, canonical and Eucharistic communion, on the solid foundation of the Word of God and God’s love with any other local Orthodox, Catholic and Protestant churches.

The Russian Orthodox Church is in fraternal unity with all Christians in general, with all who recognize Jesus Christ as their Lord, God and Savior and who love Him, with all the children of God, regardless of their denominational and confessional affiliation!

As a Christian church, part of world and historical Christianity, we recognize that our birth took place almost two thousand years ago on the cross of Calvary in the blood and suffering of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Even before our birth, the Lord Jesus gave us Christians a prophecy: “I will build my church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it!” (Matthew 16:18)

The Reformed Orthodox Church of Christ the Savior (ROCHS) was established at the IV Orthodox Renovation Council of the Ukrainian Reformed Orthodox Church (UROC) in Kyiv in August 2012. The ROCCA included churches in Ukraine, Georgia, Belarus, Russia, Moldova and Romania. The Reformed Orthodox Church of Christ the Savior is open to work in the field of God throughout the planet, open to churches in all countries of the world. We also pray and work to plant a new generation of Orthodox churches, of a reformist direction, throughout the world. Therefore, we call our Archdiocese not only Kyiv or “All Rus'”, but also international.

The Reformed Orthodox Church of Christ the Savior is a church of Orthodox Christians of the evangelical, biblical, true faith, since the Apostle Paul in his message convinces us all: “live worthy of the gospel of Christ... struggling with one accord for the faith of the Gospel!” (Bible Phil. 1:27)

Our church is called ecumenical because we have advocated, and will always advocate, for the unity of all believing children of God. True ecumenism is possible only in Christ Jesus, our Lord and Savior, because “there is salvation in no one else. For there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved!” (Acts 4:11) Our church has spoken and stands categorically against anti-ecumenism, this false, satanic ecumenism, understood as religious-political unity, unity outside the Truth, outside Christ Jesus. Unity outside the Bible and outside Jesus Christ, that is, outside the Truth of God, is anti-ecumenism, it is a heresy. Real, not fake, ecumenism, the unity of the children of God is in Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior!

“Your word is truth.” (John 17:17)

The Reformed Orthodox Church of Christ the Savior is a local, and only in this sense of the word, an autocephalous Orthodox Church, independent in matters of ritual, liturgical, administrative and doctrinal matters. However, what is more consistent with the truth is that we are not just autocephalous, but Christocephalic. That is why we are now more often called not an autocephalous, but a Christocephalous Orthodox Church. “Christ is the head of the Church!” (Bible. Eph.5:23) which is also stated in Col.1:18. Autocephaly is a church that has its own separate head and, as it were, “its own head.” Christocephaly is a church that has one head - Jesus Christ!

The Reformed Orthodox Church of Christ the Savior is Christocephalous, which is expressed in a passion for the Truth, in our desire and effort to bring all spheres of personal and church life into harmony with the Word of God, the Bible.

The main tasks and goals of the Reformation, which our church is systematically implementing, are set out in the Theses of the Orthodox Reformation of the Councils of 2003 and 2008.

Churches and communities, brotherhoods and missions that are, or will be, part of the Russian Orthodox Church are independent in matters of administrative and financial self-government, creeds and rituals, subject to the acceptance of Jesus Christ as Lord God and Savior in accordance with the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed and accepting the Word of God, the Bible, as the unconditional foundation of the true Christian faith. Moreover, all Christian believers, no matter what their beliefs and practices, who are members of the Russian Orthodox Church cannot be forced to any rite, tradition or tradition that is contrary to their conscience and the Holy Scriptures of God - the Bible.”

Theses of the Kyiv Orthodox Renovation Cathedral of 2003, dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the Renovation movement (1923-2003)

I We, Orthodox Christians, pray, worship and serve only One God - Father, Son and Holy Spirit! (Matthew 4:10) The time “has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such worshipers for Himself!” (John 4:23)

II We renounce the prayers of Mary, the mother of our Lord Jesus, as degrading before the memory of her who became blessed and happiest among women. (Luke 1:42)

III We honor the memory of God's holy servants who have passed into blissful eternity, we imitate their lives (Heb. 13:7), but we deny all prayers to them as contrary to the Bible.

IV We, Orthodox Christians, participants in this consecrated Council, stand for a speedy revision of the entire tradition of the Orthodox Church in the light of the Bible. The holidays of our Orthodox calendar should exclusively glorify the Almighty Creator. For example: on October 14, we should celebrate not the “Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos,” but the Feast of the Intercession of God (Ps. 90, Ps. 32:7). On September 27, we celebrate not the “exaltation of the cross of the Lord,” but the exaltation (i.e., glorification) of Christ the Lord, etc., etc. We renounce the false holidays invented by ancient heretics and sectarians, but introduced into the official tradition by the Byzantine emperors church - December 4, “entry into the temple of the Virgin Mary,” September 21, “Nativity of the Virgin Mary,” as well as the vicious practice of “rainbow coffins.”

V We renounce all previous and new attempts to replace “the truth of God with lies,” (Rom. 1:25) “the word of God by tradition” (Mark 7:13) “Blind leaders” (Matt. 23:6, Matt. 15: 14) we were led into the abyss for a long time, but we returned to the Truth - the Word of God, the Bible!

VI We, Orthodox Christians, renounce the spirit of anti-Semitism “for salvation is of the Jews” (John 4:22), we bless all Jews (Num. 24:9), as our elder brothers and sisters. We repent for the sin of “Orthodox anti-Semitism”, the “Khmelnytsia” and Jewish pogroms.

VII We renounce the absurd idolatry in the church - the worship of icons, relics, “sacred” objects and the cross. (Luke 4:8, 2 Kings 18:4, 1 Cor. 10:7) We also renounce “veiled” idolatry - love of money, pride and other sins.

VIII We, Orthodox Christians, renounce the spirit of exaltation over Christians of other denominations and jurisdictions. “The spirit breathes where it wants!” (John 3:8) We cannot and do not have the right to even try to “monopolize” the truth. We are an ecumenical Church, standing on the foundation of the Word of God. (John 17:17)

IX We renounce all prayers “for the repose”, “magpies” and memorial services. In the modern Orthodox Church there is only room for a biblical view of life and death. “After this life there is no possibility of repentance” (St. Cyril Loukaris, Patriarch of Constantinople +1638)

X We, Orthodox Christians, participants in this consecrated Council, speak out against drug addiction, drunkenness, smoking and other vices, knowing “that those who do such things will not inherit the Kingdom of God.” (Gal.5:21) Alcoholic drinks are not permissible for us, because... We Christians are all priests of God (cf. 1 Peter 2:5,9), and for His servants the Lord God says: “You shall not drink wine or strong drink, nor your sons with you, when you enter the tabernacle of meeting, [ or approach the altar,] so as not to die. This is an everlasting decree throughout your generations, that you may be able to discern the sacred from the unholy and the unclean from the pure.” (Lev.10:9,10)

XI We, Orthodox Christians, recognize various forms of conducting divine services (1 Cor. 12:5), including the use of a variety of musical instruments. (Ps.149:3, Ps.150, Rev.15:2, 2 Samuel 6:12-23)

XII We are against the sin of “simony”, i.e. sales of sacraments and positions in the Church (Acts 8:18), against the establishment of “taxes for services and services”, against corruption in the Church.

XIII We advocate the restoration of the female ministry of deaconesses in the Church. (Rom.16, Gal.3:28)

XIV We, Orthodox Christians, oppose the dominance of monasticism in the leadership of the Orthodox Church and for the speedy revival in Orthodoxy of exclusively “white” monasticism, i.e. married episcopate (1 Tim. 3:2, Titus 1:6). We now accept the ordination of monks to the priesthood (the so-called “black clergy”) only in exceptional cases.

XV We advocate the transfer of all Orthodox monasticism to a contractual basis with a necessarily stipulated right and conditions for leaving the monastery for both men and women.

XVI We, Orthodox Christians, participants in this consecrated Council, stand for voluntary fasts and fasting days. (Is.58, Matt.6:16-18) We are against the modern practice of “obligatory”, traditional fasts, which have actually not been observed for a long time by the majority of Orthodox Christians. We leave the Fast of Good Friday before Easter as the only church-wide fast of the year. Before communion, fasting is not at all necessary, because Jesus Christ did not take first communion “on an empty stomach,” but after completing the Passover seder, “after supper!” (1 Cor. 11:25)

XVII The Church of Christ is not a cemetery (Ezek.37:1-10), but LIFE! We advocate the revival of the fivefold ministry in the Orthodox Church (Eph. 4:11) The living word of the Gospel should sound in every Orthodox church!