| From The Truth of Our Faith: A Discourse from Holy Scripture on the Teachings of True Christianity, By Elder Cleopa of Romania Archimandrite Cleopa (Ilie; 1912–1998) was a well known twentieth century writer and spiritual elder of Romania. One chapter in his book, The Truth of Our Faith, is dedicated to the defense of the Orthodox teaching on Holy Scripture against criticism by Protestants. This chapter, organized as a dialogue, is a helpful aide in apologetics, and explains the significance of Tradition in the Orthodox Church. Inquirer: What is the Holy Tradition that the Orthodox consider to be the second source of Holy Revelation and equal to Holy Scripture? Elder Cleopa : Holy Tradition is the teaching of the Church, given by God with a living voice, a portion of which was later written down. Like Holy Scripture, Holy Tradition also contains Holy Revelation, and is therefore fundamental for our salvation. Holy Tradition is the life of the Church in the Holy Spirit; and, in concord with the enduring life of the Church, it is a wellspring of Holy Revelation, and thus it possesses the same authority as Holy Scripture. According to the old chronologies, 3,678 years passed from the time of Adam to Abraham; if we add 430 years of the Israelites’ time in Egypt, we have 4,108 years. Throughout this period of time Holy Scripture did not exist, nor was the Sabbath observed among the people. For thousands of years the faithful and chosen people were guided on the path of salvation by Holy Tradition alone—namely, from the teachings about God which they received from a living voice. Only during the 1,400 years from the time of Moses until the advent of Christ were they guided by the Holy Scriptures of the Old Testament. Just as people were guided in the knowledge of God and on the path of salvation by Holy Tradition alone (that is, by a living voice—oral tradition) during the period of time before the books of the Old Testament were written, so were the people similarly guided before books of the New Testament were written. |
| 1 Настоящая книга составлена из двух изданий, вышедших на румынском языке: In memoria Parintelui Cleopa. Manasstirea Sihastria, 2004; Arhimandrit Ioanichie Balan. Viata Parintelui Cleopa. Editia a 2-a Iasi: Trinitas, 2002. Эти книги, написанные в разные годы разными авторами, мы объединили в одну, постаравшись исключить содержащиеся в них повторы. Благословение на перевод и составление этой книги было получено непосредственно из монастыря Сихастрия. В комментариях дается пояснение некоторых богослужебных терминов, слов и понятий, употребляемых в Румынии и не встречающихся в нашей церковной жизни, а также – по возможности – рассказывается об упоминаемых в тексте святых подвижниках, исторических лицах и церковных деятелях. Не все получилось, как хотелось бы: информацию о некоторых людях найти не удалось (например, о святом епископе Иоанне, бывшем викарии Киевской митрополии, подвизавшемся в горах Сихлы). Но мы надеемся, что комментарии все же облегчат читателям понимание текста. Читать далее Источник: Да увижу вас всех в Раю! : Румынский старец архимандрит Клеопа Илие. – Москва : Класы Духовные, 2010. - 365 с. Вам может быть интересно: Поделиться ссылкой на выделенное |
| 5. Further, the devil tempts one from below when one is capable of performing good deeds or holy virtues but is too lazy to do so; or when one knows that one should make greater efforts and labors in ascetic struggles (in virtues and good deeds), and is capable of doing so, but does not do so out of laziness or because one is looking for excuses for one’s laziness. One thereby spiritually rejects these virtues by doing much less than one could in fact do. 6. Temptations from above (Elder Cleopa, in order better to explain this to us, demonstrated with his hands the direction from which one or another temptation came; he then briefly repeated what the direction of the temptation he had just described was) also come about in two ways. The first is when one takes upon oneself ascetic struggles that exceed one’s strength, thereby recklessly straining oneself. This happens, for instance, when one is sick but imposes a fast on oneself that is beyond one’s strength; or generally when one overdoes any ascetic struggle that is beyond one’s spiritual and physical capacity. Such obstinacy lacks humility and is unreasonably presumptuous. Another temptation from above is when one strives to learn the mysteries of Holy Scripture (and of God’s mysteries in general), but does not do so according to one’s spiritual maturity. That is, when one wants to penetrate the mysteries of God in Holy Scripture (or in the saints, the world, and life in general) in order later to explain and teach these mysteries to other people when one is not spiritually mature enough to do so. The Holy Fathers say that such a person wants to chew through a bone with baby teeth. St. Gregory of Nyssa speaks about this in his work, The Life of Moses. He says that it was for this reason that God commanded the Israelites, who were imperfect, to eat only the meat (which is like milk for the teeth) from the Passover lamb – and, moreover, with bitter herbs – and not to break into pieces or to eat the bones, but rather to burn them in fire (cf. Exodus 12: 8, 10, 46). This means that we, too, should interpret only those mysteries in Holy Scripture (and in our faith in God generally) that correspond to our spiritual maturity and to eat (absorb) them with bitter herbs, that is, with everything that life brings us (suffering, grief); we should not bite into the mysteries of Holy Scripture, Divine knowledge, and God’s Providence, like so many hard bones, with our baby teeth; they are susceptible to fire only, that is, they become clear only in ripe spiritual maturity and in experienced souls that have been tested by grace-filled Divine fire. |
| 7. One is tempted from within by that which one has in one’s heart and by that which proceeds from the heart. The Lord Jesus Christ clearly stated that it is from within, from one’s heart, that sinful and impure thoughts, desires, and lusts proceed (cf. Matthew 15:19) and tempt one. Temptations come not only from the devil, but also humanly, from the evil intentions and skills, lusts, evil desires, and inner love of sin that proceed from an unclean heart. 8. Finally, the eighth door to demonic temptation is opened from the outside, through external things and occasions, that is, through everything that enters from outside through one’s senses, which are the soul’s windows. These external things are not evil in and of themselves, but by means of them one’s feelings can be tempted and induced to evil and sin. These, then, are the eight means by which everyone is tempted, regardless of whether one is in the world or in seclusion. (Having completed listing all eight means by which one is tempted, Elder Cleopa briefly repeated them and then added the ways and means with which to combat each of these temptations.) Against each of these temptations – from behind, from the front, from the left, from the right, from above, from below, from inside, and from the outside – one must fight by means of watchfulness (the Elder used precisely this Slavonic word [trezvenie]), that is, attentiveness, carefulness, and wakefulness of soul and body; wakefulness and vigilance of spirit; sobriety and discernment; attention to one’s thoughts and actions; or, in a word: judgment. On the other hand, by means of constant prayer that invokes the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, that is, through unceasing prayer. (Here Fr. Petronius added in Greek: “Prosochi kai prosefchi” – that is, as the Holy Fathers put it, “by attention and prayer.”) In other words (the Elder added), the Holy Fathers said that the battle against all temptations and passions consists in the following: guarding all one’s mind, soul, and body from temptation – this is our ascetic struggle, from our human point of view; from the Divine side, one must continuously and prayerfully call upon the help of the All-Merciful Lord Jesus Christ – and this is that unceasing and primary prayer of the hesychasts called the Jesus Prayer: “Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me, a sinner!” |
| Elder Cleopa with St Justin 1. One is tempted from behind when one continuously remembers the sins and evil deeds one has committed in the past, recalling them anew in one’s mind, reshuffling them, engaging them, despairing because of them, and contemplating them sensually. Such a remembrance of how we have sinned in the past is a demonic temptation. 2. One is normally tempted from the front through fear at the thought of what the future holds: of what will happen to us or to the world; of how much longer we will live; of whether we will have anything to eat; of whether there will be a war or any other kind of serious and frightful event to come; and, in general, by making all kinds of guesses, predictions, prophecies, and everything else that induces fear of the future in us. 3. One is tempted by the devil from the left through the call to commit obvious sins and to behave and act in ways that are known to be sinful and evil, but which people do nonetheless. This temptation is a direct call to sin openly and consciously. 4. There are two ways in which the devil tempts from the right. The first is when one performs good deeds and actions, but with a bad or malicious intent and purpose. For example, if one does good or acts well out of vainglory, to receive praise, to obtain a position, to acquire fame, or in order to attain some benefit for oneself – it follows that one is doing such good out of vanity, avarice, and greed. The performance of good deeds for bad purposes is sinful and vain. The Holy Fathers liken such a performance of good deeds (such as fasting and almsgiving) to a body without a soul, inasmuch as the purpose for which a deed is accomplished is its soul, while the deed itself is its body. Therefore, the performance of good deeds with an ungodly purpose is essentially a temptation coming from the right, that is, coming under the guise of good. The second demonic temptation from the right comes through various apparitions and visions, when one receives visions of the devil in the form of God or an Angel of God. The Holy Fathers call trusting these specters from the devil, or accepting these demonic phenomena, delusion or deception [prelest]. |
| Fifteenth Anniversary of the Rebirth of Monastic Life in Sretensky Monastery. Hieromonk Luke: “Knowledge is a firm foundation on which to build the salvation of the soul.” Hieromonk Luke (Aule) Father Luke, tell us, please, how you first came to Sretensky Monastery. I came to Sretensky Monastery in 1996, in December. I had a friend here, Roman Danelyan—now Hieromonk Cleopa—who had come to the monastery half a year before that. We had been friends since childhood, and so it was completely natural that we came to believe in God together, started going to church together, partaking of the Body and Blood of Christ, talking about God. We lived in the same town, Adler, near Sochi, in the same apartment building, we had the same stairwell and doorway to the street, but I lived on the fifth floor and he on the first. After Roman left for the monastery, I decided to visit him. So I came as a guest to see him, and later I myself came to live here in the monastery. Did you family know when you left to enter the monastery for good? Coming to a decision and leaving for the monastery all happened in 24 hours. Late one evening everything came to a clear focus; I told my father and brother that I was leaving for good, that I couldn’t live in the world any more. The next morning I got up, bought a ticket, in the evening got on the train, and left. It all happened in one day. That was a very sorrowful day for me; I was leaving behind everything in the world dear to me, especially my father....There are some things you can’t express. Batiushka , do you remember your first day in the monastery? That was an unforgettable day! I arrived early in the morning and went into the cell [monk’s room] of my friends; Father Cleopa (then still Roman) and Father Nathaniel (then still David) were sleeping. I left my bag in their cell and went into the church just as Father Tikhon came out of the sanctuary to give the homily. His first words were, “Today the Holy Gospel gives us the Good News of how the Lord went ashore to the country of the Gadarenes [Mark 5:1-17], and there met him a man who was demon-possessed.” I hung my head and wept: “That’s me, the demon-possessed Gadarene.” I will remember that homily my whole life. |
| Fr. Proclus, Carpathian Hermit Age eighty-four, the respected Romanian elder, Fr. Proclus (Niceu) is a hermit on the outskirts of a remote Carpathian village, where mobile phones do not work. He receives people in a small shed, in which there are two long benches, a table to match them, a hefty barrel containing treats for guests, and a wall completely covered with icons. Appearing most often amongst them is the image of St. Seraphim of Sarov, and those who know and love the elder often compare him to that saint. He really is that joyful and loving, and the cap that kept sliding over his forehead is very similar to the one you " ll see in Diveyevo amongst the personal items of a saint so dear to every Orthodox Christian. Fr. Proclus is happy to see every soul who comes to visit him. He can speak with them for hours, and the love that he emanates makes you forget within ten minutes about the minus 12 degree centigrade temperature in the cell (it was just as cold outside). Abbot Melchisedek of Putna Monastery, who took me to see the elder, could perceive from my facial expression that I was somewhat anxious about the pending visit, and counseled me to think less about questions and to simply pray that the Lord would give words to me and to Fr. Proclus. This advice turned out to be very valuable when, after the elder " s warm greeting, he looked at the dictaphone (switched on with his blessing), and began his talk: I was with Fr. Joel (Gheorgiu, the spiritual father of Elder Cleopa. —I. Z.) not long before his death. Several fathers who knew that I went to him bade me tell them about our conversations. One of them gave me a tape recorder and asked me to tape them (although [the monks] didn " t like tape recorders then). I came to Fr. Joel, and when he saw the tape recorder, he said, " An unclean thing. Bad to have in the house of a priest. " After that, I did not ask him anything more, because I received edifying words from Fr. Cleopa who taught me very much; but that is all I will say about it. (After hearing these words, I put away my notebook with questions as something superfluous; all the work was consigned to the dictaphone, and for me it remained only to pray that the battery would survive the cold.) |
| On Glossologia Source: Preachers Institute by Elder Cleopa of Romania Inquirer: What is glossologia or “speaking in tongues”? Elder Cleopa: Glossologia , or “speaking in tongues,” as a gift of the Holy Spirit, is the ability to speak a foreign language without having to be taught it or knowing it beforehand. This is clear from the Holy Scriptures in which the events of Pentecost are described, and at which time this divine gift first appeared. The text is unabbreviated and unambiguous and recounts for us an actual event. Consequently, the text itself cannot be explained with some particular mystical or spiritual meaning alone, omitting the literal meaning. Let’s allow the passage from the Acts of the Apostles itself to explain what the text means and what comprises the speaking of foreign tongues by the Grace of the Holy Spirit: “And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven. Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language. And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans? And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born? Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judaea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia, Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes, Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God. And they were all amazed, and were in doubt, saying one to another, What meaneth this? Others mocking said, These men are full of new wine” ( Acts 2:1-13 ). |
| The special services were even able to infiltrate the clergy. They wanted to send Fr. Proclus to prison also. An elder of one of the monasteries, who they had not arrested due to his old age, protected the monk, saying to those who came for him, " Who do you want to imprison?! Proclus? When he sits in a train he doesn’t know what direction it will go! " Nevertheless, Fr. Proclus preferred to wait out the situation in populous Bucharest. When he left Yasi, he met a gypsy woman, and they got into a discussion. At parting, she said that she had prepared a bomb for him. This was the same gypsy who later shouted at him in the market in Bucharest. We have people who try to set the elders against each other and thus sow confusion; but we know that they are going around with a cat in a bag. I pray for all; I pray that the good Lord would unite the Church. It is a great catastrophe that we have ceased to listen to the saints, to God, for only the saints have the Holy Spirit. When they wanted to imprison Fr. Cleopa, he left in his place one archimandrite who had come to the monastery before the communist takeover, and gave him the obedience of telling the monks in that he was now in charge. That night, Fr. Cleopa departed for the mountains. One father said, " When great danger comes upon the Church, we see those who are standing on their feet. " Since the times are still good at present, we can " t see who is standing, and who is not. Only those who have endured became saints. The good Lord wants to purify every person, so that all would go to heaven. We must strive according to our strength to have the fear of God in our hearts. The Lord gives to all those who labor in the Church the gift that the saints and Apostles received. The Lord grants the modern-day apostles the experience of longing for Him. When a person experiences this, love for God comes to abide in his heart. Then that person is no longer attached to this age. Whoever has awakened (come to himself) should not do anything but weep. |
| Tweet Нравится Why is the Sunday After Pascha dedicated to the Apostle Thomas? The Apostle Thomas Belief in the great miracle of the Resurrection did not come to the disciples right away. The first witnesses were the myrrh-bearing women. It was still dark out when they came to the cave in the garden belonging to Joseph of Arimathea. The stone which had sealed the tomb was now rolled away. While they stood in astonishment, an Angel stood before them and said, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay (Mt. 28:5–6). It was enough for them to see the empty tomb and hear the words of the Angel in order for them to believe. Their sensitive and loving hearts were not touched by doubt. When they ran to tell the Apostles, Jesus Himself met them and said, All hail. And they came and held him by the feet, and worshipped him (Mt. 28:9). The Apostles did not believe the women (cf. Mk. 16:11). On the same day, when evening had come, Jesus revealed the great mystery of His Resurrection to two more disciples (Luke and Cleopa, Apostles of the Seventy), who were walking to Emmaus, which was from Jerusalem about threescore furlongs (11.5 km. or 7.15 miles) (Lk. 24:13). To make them believe in the Resurrection of their Teacher, Jesus cited the messianic prophecies from the Scriptures (cf. Lk. 24:27). Nevertheless, they only fully believed after He showed the sacrament of the Eucharist: And it came to pass, as he sat at meat with them, he took bread, and blessed it, and brake, and gave to them. And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of their sight (Lk. 24:30–31). Luke and Cleopa returned that same day to Jerusalem and told the Apostles what had happened, but they didn’t believe them, just as they did not believe the myrrh-bearing women. Late that evening, Jesus appeared to the Apostles, who had gathered behind locked doors, out of fear of the Jews. The Savior passed through the closed doors. In this was shown a particular quality of the Lord’s body, which was transformed after the Resurrection, and no longer subject to the laws of the physical world. Jesus could pass through material objects. The disciples were perplexed, because they thought that they had seen a spirit. He shewed unto them his hands and his side (Jn. 20:20). This was important not only in order to convince them that He had bodily appeared to them, but in order to vanquish their unbelief. The Lord allowed them to touch His hands, feet, and side. The wounds from the nails proved to them that this was the same body that had been crucified on the Cross. |
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