| One of the most highly educated hierarchs of the nineteenth century, Bishop Ignatius Brianchaninov, summarized the Christian view on the question of freedom thus: As long as mankind is subject to the influence of sin and the passions, rule and submission are necessary. They will inevitably exist throughout the course of the life of the world; only they may appear, do appear, and will appear in various forms.… Neither equality, nor complete freedom, nor earthly welfare to the degree that ecstatic false teachers wish it and promise it, can ever be.… The relationship of rule and submission will perish when the world perishes—then will rule and submission cease (cf. 1 Cor 15:24); then will there be brotherhood, equality, and freedom; then will the reason for unity, rule, and submission be not fear, but love. Alexei Ilyich Osipov Translated by Nun Cornelia (Rees) 30 июля 2010 г. ... Saint Macarius of Egypt, Spiritual Homilies (Sergiev Posad: Saint Sergius Lavra, 1904), 15 § 21:121 (Russian translation). Ibid., § 23. Blessed Augustine very successfully relates the degree of sanctity with the degree of freedom when he says, “It is a great freedom to be able to not sin, but it is a very great freedom to be incapable of sinning” ( Magna est libertas posse non peccare; sed maxima libertas—non posse peccare ). V. S. Soloviev wrote, “Only by believing in the invisible God and acting in faith from God does our will become truly free will; that is, a free leader—free from its own self, from its given factual condition. Here, will acts not only as a psychological phenomenon, but as a creative power, which goes before every phenomenon and is not covered by any fact, that is, it is free in essence” (V. Soloviev, “Works,” Social Benefit [Saint Petersburg], 3:293). Archpriest Sergei Bulgakov, The Bride of the Lamb (Paris, 1945), 521–522. Saint Isaac the Syrian, Ascetical Homilies (Moscow, 1858), 28:190. Holy Transfiguration Monastery, 52:262. Immanuel Kant, Works (Moscow, 1964), 3:478. |
| Natural love, i.e. fallen love, heats a person " s blood, excites his nerves, and arouses daydreaming; holy love cools the blood, calms both soul and body, draws the inner man towards prayerful silence, and immerses him in rapture through humility and spiritual delight. Many ascetics, having taken natural love for Divine love, excited their blood, and excited their daydreams also. The condition of excitement passed very easily into a condition of frenzy. Many took those who were in a state of excitement and frenzy for persons filled with grace and holiness, while they were actually unfortunate victims of self-delusion. There were many such ascetics in the Western Church from the time it fell into heresy, in which Divine properties are blasphemously ascribed to a man, and veneration which is due and fitting to God alone is given to a man. Many of these ascetics wrote books from their excited condition in which frenzied self-delusion seemed to them to be Divine love, in which their disordered imagination painted for them a multitude of visions which flattered their self-love and pride. Son of the Eastern Church! Shun the reading of such books, avoid following the precepts of those who are self-deluded. Guided by the Gospel and the holy fathers of the true Church, ascend with humility to the spiritual height of Divine love by the means of fulfilling Christ " s commandments in deed. Know firmly that love for God is the highest gift of the Holy Spirit, and a person can only prepare himself, through purity and humility, for the receiving of this great gift, through which mind and heart and body are changed. In vain is the labor, fruitless is it and harmful, when we seek to discover in ourselves high spiritual gifts prematurely: merciful God gives them in His own time, to the constant, patient, humble fulfillers of the Gospel commandments. Amen. St. Ignatius (Brianchaninov) 31 июля 2015 г. Смотри также Комментарии Theodoros 31 июля 2015, 16:00 GOD BLESS !!!!! Мы в соцсетях Подпишитесь на нашу рассылку |
| The Basics of Spiritual Life, Based on the Writings of St. Ignatius (Brianchaninov) Part I For the commemoration of St. Ignatius Brianchaninov, April 30/May 13 Icon of St. Ignatius Brianchaninov with life. The essence of any religion is contained in the spiritual life, which is its most sacred side. Any entrance into this life demands not only zeal, but also knowledge of the laws of spiritual life. Zeal not according to knowledge is a poor helper, as we know. Vague, indistinct conceptions of this main side of religious life lead the Christian, and especially the ascetic, to grievous consequences; in the best case to fruitless labors, but more often to self-opinion and spiritual, moral, and psychological illness. The most widespread mistake in religious life is the substitution of its spiritual side (fulfillment of the Gospel commandments, repentance, struggle with the passions, love for neighbor) with the external side—fulfillment of Church customs and rites. As a rule, such an approach to religion makes a person outwardly righteous, but inwardly a prideful Pharisee, hypocrite, and rejected by God—a “saint of satan.” Therefore it is necessary to know the basic principles of spiritual life in Orthodoxy. Of great help in this is an experienced guide who sees the human soul. But such guides were very rare even in ancient times, as the Fathers testify. It is even more difficult to find such guides in our times. The Holy Fathers foresaw that in the latter times there would be a famine of the word of God (even though the Gospels are now printed abundantly!) and instructed sincere seekers in advance to conduct their spiritual lives by means of “living under the guidance of patristic writings, with the counsel of their contemporary brothers who are successfully progressing [in spiritual life] . ” These words belong to one of the most authoritative Russian spiritual instructors and writers of the nineteenth century, Saint Ignatius Brianchaninov (1807–1867). His writings are a kind of Orthodox ascetical encyclopedia representing those very patristic writings, but are of particular value to the modern-day Christian. |
| Champion of the Arena—Bishop Ignatius Brianchaninov That piety so characteristic of all levels of society in Holy Russia. was rapidly evaporating from the nineteenth century high society intelligentsia when God raised up from its very midst a true ascetic and Church writer, Bishop Ignatius Brianchaninov. In him was combined a rare eloquence of style and a profound understanding of the Christian life of struggle through which he was able to inspire many souls, blinded by Western " enlightened " ideas, to return to the saving enclosure of the Church. Bishop Ignatius was a prolific writer best known in the English-speaking Orthodox world for his masterful work, The Arena, in which he skilifully instructs those engaged in the arena of spiritual combat-out of which he himself emerged such a glorious victor. A chapter from Pr. Nicholas Deputatov " s book, The Awareness of God, contains a brief life of Bishop Ignatius, together with short selections from his writings. This has been translated below for the edification and inspiration of those struggling in the arena of unseen warfare today. St. Ignatius Brianchaninov Born into a noble family of wealthy landowners, Bishop Ignatius was sent as a youth to the St. Petersburg Military School, a renowned institution which enjoyed the patronage of Tsar Nicholas I. He was a brilliant student, but his heart was not in his studies. Only a few years after graduation as a commissioned engineer, he fell seriously ill and used this as an excuse to request a discharge from the army. Drawn to religion from an early age, he was now able to fulfill his childhood dream of entering upon the monastic life. He spent four years in various monasteries as a novice, forming a close bond with Elder Leonid of Optina, before being tonsured in a small monastery near his native Vologda and ordained to the priesthood soon thereafter. It was not long, however, before the Tsar inquired about the officer whom we remembered as such a gifted cadet. On learning what had become of him, the Tsar immediately sent after him with the following instructions: |
| Bishop Ignatius characterizes such aspirations of Catholic ascetics very pointedly, “They are at once lured and lure their readers to heights inaccessible to the novice, become themselves conceited and make others conceited. A heated, often frantic dreaminess replaces everything spiritual for them—they have no idea of true spirituality. They consider this dreaminess as grace. “Ye shall know them by their fruits,” (Mt 7:16) said the Savior. We all know only too well through what crimes, torrents of blood and decidedly anti-Christian behavior Western fanatics expressed their ugly way of thinking, their ugly feeling of heart.” Such are the hidden reasons for the interest in The Way. Hierom. Adrian: Do you think that such a quick way is dangerous? A. I. Osipov: In this case I by no means wish to speak for myself, because I don’t have any experience in this matter. My understanding is based on the theoretical study of the Holy Fathers of ascetic life and, above all, on the writings of the holy Bishop Ignatius (Brianchaninov). Why is it that I turned to his works in particular? As is well known, the oral and written accounts of him by all the Optina Elders and many other pious Russian ascetics are not simply positive, but rather, I’d say, are filled with admiration. They spoke and wrote about him as a true teacher who had a profound understanding of spiritual life and expounded the way of the Holy Fathers in his writings. I will quote their statements. St. Ignatius Brianchaninov. St Macarius of Optina called him “a great mind.” St Barsanuphius of Optina wrote, “When I read his writings, I marvel at his truly angelic mind, his amazingly deep understanding of the Holy Scriptures. For some reason, I am especially favorably disposed toward his writings; they somehow have a special appeal for my heart and my mind, illumining it with a truly evangelical light.” “The fifth volume of Bishop Ignatius’ writings contains the teaching of the Holy Fathers applied to modern-day monasticism and teaches how the writings of the Holy Fathers should be read. Bishop Ignatius had a profound outlook and was, in that respect, probably even deeper than Bishop Theophan [the Recluse – A.Z.J.]. His word has a powerful effect on the soul for it proceeds from experience.” Abbot Nikon (Vorobyev) expresses the same thought fifty years later, “How grateful I am to him for his writings! Not to understand and not to appreciate him means not to understand anything about spiritual life. I would dare to say that Bishop Theophan’s writings (may the holy Vladyka forgive me) are a schoolboy’s works compared to those of a professor—the writings of Bishop Ignatius (Brianchaninov). St Nikon (Belyaev) of Optina called Bishop Ignatius’ work “the ABC of spiritual life” – he held it in such high esteem. And it is Bishop Ignatius’ writings that all the other Optina Elders recommended for study, in particular, his teaching on prayer – a true guide to spiritual life. |
| Tweet Нравится A Brief Life of St. Ignatius Brianchaninov St. Ignatius (Dimitry Alexandrovich Brianchaninov in the world) was born on February 5, 1807 on his father’s estate in the village of Pokrov in the Vologda Province. His mother gave birth to him after a prolonged infertility, by her fervent prayers and travels to the surrounding holy places. The boy spent his childhood in the solitude of village life; from his earliest years he was inexplicably attracted to the monastic life. His religious temper appeared all the more noticeably with age, being manifested in a special disposition towards prayer and the reading of spiritual books. Dimitry performed admirably in school, and remained the top student in his class until graduation. He had a diverse array of abilities—not only in the sciences, but in painting and in music. Family ties led him to the house of the president of the Academy of Arts, A. N. Olenin, where he became a favorite reader at literary parties, and was soon acquainted with A. Pushkin , K. Batiushkov, N. Gnedich, and I. Krilov. But even in the hustle and bustle of city life Dimitry’s spiritual aspirations did not change. In search of “eternal property for eternal man,” he gradually came to a disheartening conclusion: The value of science is limited by man’s earthly necessities and the limits of his life. Dimitry studied science so zealously that he was accepted to study ancient and modern philosophy, trying to calm his spiritual vexation, but he found no resolution there to the most important question of Truth and the meaning of life. The study of Sacred Scripture was his next step, which convinced him that, as any man could offer an arbitrary interpretation, Scripture could not be a sufficient criterion for the true faith and could even thereby tempt with false teachings. Then Dimitry turned to studying the Orthodox faith by the writings of the holy fathers , whose sanctity and miraculous and magnificent harmony became for him a guarantee of their truthfulness. |
| In 1831 he was tonsured a monk with the name Ignatius, was ordained deacon, then priest, and for a short time he served as superior of a monastery in the Vologda diocese, only to resign a year later because of poor health. In 1833 Nicholas I made an imperial order to discover what had happened to his former protege. Brianchaninov was then brought back to the capital and appointed higumen of the Troitse-Sergiev Monastery near Moscow. In the twenty- four years he spent there, the monastery was rebuilt, its liturgical life became exemplary, and Ignatius its superior became one of the prominent spiritual guides and writers of all Russia. In 1857 he was consecrated bishop of the Caucasus and Black Sea, although his tenure there lasted only four years: he had to resign in 1861 after falling seriously ill; and he spent the last years of his life at Nikolo-Babaevskii Monastery in the Kostroma diocese, where he died in 1867. He was canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church in 1988. His life and spiritual heritage can be properly understood in the context of the monastic revival associated with St. Paisy Velichkovsky, hesychasm, and the tradition of spiritual direction, of which the monastery Optina Pustyn’ is the best-known example. He left a substantial body of writings, and it could be argued that many ofhis works are the finest prose ever written by a Russian ecclesiastic. The eight-volume Russian edition of his Complete Works, published in 2007 to celebrate the bicentennial of his birth, contains reflections on scripture and various theological subjects, writings on prayer and ascetic life, a Paterikon, poetic meditations, sermons, materials related to his episcopal administration, his reactions on contemporary political, ecclesiastical, and cultural life, and an extensive correspondence with state officials, clergy, monastics, and others. For a full bibliography of publications by and on Ignatii Brianchaninov (valid up to 2001), see Brianchaninov (2001–7, vol. 4: 644–776). |
| Bishop Ignatius writes that advice does not imply the obligation to follow it. If you see something strange, unclear or contradictory in the advice, then you have the full moral right to turn to someone else, to disagree or to turn to the Holy Fathers. And if a spiritual father is truly intelligent and humble, he would even thank his spiritual child for acting rightly and disobeying him. “By no means,— writes Bishop Ignatius,—do evil by obedience, even if you happen to suffer some tribulation for displeasing someone and being steadfast. Consult virtuous and intelligent fathers and brothers, but take their advice with utmost care and discretion. Do not get carried away by the first impression that their advice makes on you!” In our times we should live by advice, not by obedience. In this connection Bishop Ignatius responds to the most widespread counter-argument, “They will object: the faith of the person carrying out an obedience may replace the elder’s inadequacy. This is false: believing the truth saves, while believing a lie and demonic delusion destroys, according to the Apostle’s teaching” (2 Thess 2:10-12). [Here, Bishop Ignatius paraphrases Paul’s words “And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie; that they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness” - A.Z.J.] Christ told His disciples, “Henceforth I call you not servants . . . but I have called you friends” (Jn 15:15). Can friends be given orders? I guess not. Hierom. Adrian: One more question. Why do some people connect the Jesus Prayer to some other practices, for example, to the Hindu and Buddhist mantras and meditation? Many people do not understand the difference between those ascetic practices and the noetic Jesus Prayer, the Christian prayer. A. I. Osipov: If we turn our attention to the essential, then the types of meditation you are talking about are reflections, internal discussions. They do not carry with them the main condition for prayer – repentance. Repentance is supplication. Supplication for what? For our sinfulness, our inadequacy, our inability to live as the Gospel commands. Prayer, as Bishop Ignatius writes, should be said with attention, awe and heartfelt contrition. These things are not required by meditation. Meditation, I repeat, is a concentrated reflection on a great variety of subjects: theological, everyday, spiritual and moral, all sorts. |
| 418-419.//St. Theophan the Recluse, ‘Commentary on the first eight chapters of the Epistle to the Romans’, Moscow, 1890, p. 421-422. Compare with Metropolitan Macarius (Oksiyuk), The Eschatology of St. Gregory of Nyssa, p. 262. St. Gregory of Nyssa, Paschal Homily on the Resurrection, Works, Part 8, Moscow, 1866, p. 79.//St. Gregory of Nyssa, The Great Catechism, Works, Part 4, Moscow, 1862, p. 29-30. St. Gregory of Nyssa, The Great Catechism, op. cit., p. 31, ibid, p. 29.//Also compare: St. Symeon the New Theologian, Homily One, Homilies, Moscow, 1892, Volume 1, p. 22-23, 46. St. Gregory of Nyssa, An Exact Commentary on Solomon’s Song of Songs, Works, Part 3, Moscow, 1892, p. 371. St. Gregory of Nyssa, Refutations of the views of Apollinaris (antirrhinum), Works, Part 7, Moscow, 1865, p. 124. St. Gregory of Nyssa, On the Soul and the Resurrection, op. cit., p. 254.//Metropolitan Macarius (Oksiyuk), op. cit., p. 299-300. Further reading on Philo of Alexandria: Die Bibel und ihre Welt , Eine Enzyklopaedie zur Heiligen Schrift in zwei Baenden , herausgegeben von G. Cornfeld und G. J. Botterweck. Manfred Pawlak Verlagsgesellschaft. Herrsching, 1991, p. 628. St. Gregory of Nyssa, The Great Catechism, op. cit., p.29.//Compare with: St. Ignatius (Brianchaninov), Homily on Death, Ascetic Experiences,Volume 3, Jordanville, 1983, p. 74//On St. Ignatius see: Ascetic experiences, Volume 1, Writings of Bishop Ignatius Brianchaninov, Jordanville, 1983, p. 7-80.// Collection of Letters by St. Ignatius, bishop of Caucasus, Moscow, St. Petersburg, 1985; p. 27-38. St. Gregory of Nyssa, Funeral Oration for Pulcheria, Works, part 8, Moscow, 1866, p. 405.//Further reading on Pulcheria and Flacilla: A. Velichko, St. Theodosius I the Great.//A History of the Byzantine Emperors, Volume 1, Moscow: Fiv, 2009, p. 250-251.//St. Gregory of Nyssa, Funeral Oration for Empress Flacilla, Works, Part 8, Moscow, 1866, p. 392, 411. Ibid. p. 405.//St. Gregory of Nyssa, Homily: For those sorrowing for those departed from this life into the next, Works, Part 7, Moscow, 1865; p. |
| Patristic teachings have always corresponded to the level of those to whom they are directed. The Fathers of the Church never wrote “just for the sake of it” or “for science.” Many of their counsels, directed at ascetics of high contemplative life and even to so-called beginners, no longer even remotely correspond to the spiritual strength of the modern Christian. Furthermore, the variety, ambiguity, and at times even contradictoriness of these counsels that naturally occur due to the varying spiritual levels of those who seek them can disorient the inexperienced. It is very difficult to avoid these dangers when studying the Holy Fathers without knowing at least the more important principles of spiritual life. On the other hand, a correct spiritual life is unthinkable without patristic guidance. Before this seemingly insurmountable impasse, we can see the full significance of the spiritual inheritance of those fathers, most of whom are closer to us in time, who “restated” this earlier patristic experience of spiritual life in a language more accessible to a modern man little acquainted with this life, who usually has neither a capable guide nor sufficient strength. The works of Saint Ignatius Brianchaninov are among the best of these “restatements,” which provide an impeccably reliable “key” to understanding the teachings of great laborers in the science of sciences—the ascetics. 2. What is the Meaning of Faith in Christ? Here is what Saint Ignatius writes about this: The beginning of conversion to Christ consists in coming to know one’s own sinfulness and fallenness. Through this view of himself, a person recognizes his need for a Redeemer, and approaches Christ through humility, faith, and repentance (4:277). He who does not recognize his sinfulness, fallenness, and peril cannot accept Christ or believe in Christ; he cannot be a Christian. Of what need is Christ to the person who himself is wise and virtuous, who is pleased with himself, and considers himself worthy of all earthly and heavenly rewards? (4:378). |
|
|
