Priest Alexander Elchaninov: aphorisms

Priest Alexander Elchaninov

Elchaninov Alexander Viktorovich
(1881 - 1934), priest of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad. Born on March 1, 1881 in Nikolaev in the family of an officer. He graduated from the Faculty of History and Philology of St. Petersburg University, studied theology and literature. He abandoned his secular career and entered the Moscow Theological Academy.

In 1905 - secretary of the Moscow Religious and Philosophical Society named after Vl. Solovyova.

He taught at the Levandovsky gymnasium in Tiflis, then worked as the director of this gymnasium.

Left Russia in 1921. Lived in Nice in the south of France, where he taught Russian. He was one of the leaders of the Russian Student Christian Movement (RSCM). He married T.V. Elchaninova (nee Levandovskaya).

In 1925 he was ordained to the priesthood.

Shortly before his death, Father Alexander was transferred from Nice to the Cathedral of Paris.

He died in Paris on August 24, 1934 from a serious illness. He was buried in the cemetery in Meudon near Paris.

As a priest, Father Alexander “represented an extraordinary and exceptional phenomenon, for he embodied the organic fusion of humble devotion to Orthodoxy and the simplicity of childhood faith with all the sophistication of Russian cultural tradition” (Archpriest Sergius Bulgakov). The focus of Father Alexander's spiritual activity was the application of Christianity to life and interest in the human soul. “His highest gift was the gift of a shepherd and confessor” (Professor Ilyin).

Faith, God, Christianity:

Faith comes from love...

Knowledge through love.

Love for God is proof of His communication with us.

The arguments of faith are not against reason, but in addition to it. Only in the light of love does the mind accept the visible absurdities of faith.

Philosophizing is not theologizing, “If you truly pray, you are a theologian” (Reverend Neil of Sinai). Inner perfection is necessary to understand the perfect.

The otherworldly lives in other forms. If we talk about him, we will speak in carnal language. This is where the chaste silence of the Church comes from.

To the usual demand of non-believers - immediately, immediately “prove”: - you will not prove any scientific, mathematical truth to a drunk person; so here too.

Expecting and demanding miracles is not only ungodly, as a manifestation of distrust of God, but also meaningless - after all, we have millions of miracles that have happened, and if they did not convince us of anything, then why should this particular (n+1) miracle convince us? ?

For many, Orthodoxy is still just a “worldview.”

The indifference of believers is a much more terrible thing than the fact that non-believers exist.

The essence of faith and religious life is not forced obviousness, but rather effort and choice. Faith is the path to God, an experience that always succeeds. The righteous sought heaven, and it accepted them. “Draw close to God, and God will draw close to you.”

What is scary for faith is not negative polemics, not the test of its mind - it will withstand this test. She is afraid of our weakness of spirit, “heartfelt apostasy” (Kireevsky’s expression).

God created life.

The devil defeated her by death.

God reflected the victory of death with the Resurrection.

Worship of the cross, a shameful instrument of execution, has taken away the most internally free people from Christianity.

Is it not a miracle that the ancient world, the world of that time - tired, decayed, decrepit - so quickly accepted the youthful, fresh power of Christianity? Yes, truly, the appearance of Christianity is a miracle of God's power.

God does not force or force us. Faith is an act of free choosing love.

Brief biographical information

Date and place of birth
: March 1 (13), 1881, Nikolaev November 18, 1905 - member of the council of the Moscow Religious and Philosophical Society in memory of Vladimir Solovyov Since 1907 - member of the Circle of Seekers of Christian Enlightenment Since 1910 - teaching classes, lectures at the Higher Women's Courses in History religion and about the new Russian religious and philosophical thought 1912 - teacher at the Tiflis gymnasium, 1914 - director of the gymnasium 1921 - moved with his family to Nice 1926 - ordained a priest and appointed to serve in the Orthodox Cathedral in Nice 1934 - appointed to the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Paris (he only served there for a week)

Date and place of death

: August 24, 1934 (died after a long illness)

Actively participated in the life of RSHD1.

Compiled a thematic selection of spiritual instructions of St. right John of Kronstadt.

Without apparently being personally acquainted with A.V. Elchaninov, S.I. Fudel knew him as a friend of the priest Pavel Florensky, and later carefully read and quoted with approval the “Records” of Father Alexander. Father Alexander is related to Sergei Iosifovich not only by his social circle, but also by his understanding of the Church, to the gathering of which he dedicated his life.

Misconceptions:

What false ideas can lead to! This is how many revolutionaries ruined their souls, who, based on the correct but limited idea of the people's good, came to satanic malice, lies and murder. The same awaits the servants of the national idea, until they subordinate it to a higher idea.

Even if we take the point of view of the most ardent atheism, then even then the position of believers is firmer and more correct than the position of atheism, which is open bankruptcy. Isn't it better to have hopes and promises than not to have this?

Good and evil, will, intentions, sin and repentance:

Evil is not a bad habit, a wrong attitude of the soul - it is, exactly, an influx of devilish power. This is especially clear in the experience of anger.

Evil and good are not a collection of good or evil actions; this is an evil or good force that controls a person... “Good” in terms of the result of the deed (feed, help, etc.), can be essentially evil, coming from a person obsessed with evil; and unsuccessful, stupid, even harmful deeds can be good - coming from a good source, having good motives.

About non-resistance to evil - Tolstoy understood outwardly and with this commandment of love introduced a lot of confusion and evil: denial of state regulations, courts, a mood of rebellion. Ascetic understanding is the fulfillment of this commandment in (personal morality).

Nothing that God has created is evil; we pervert ourselves, transform ourselves and everything around us into evil; This turn to evil is our free will.

What is pure or not pure is not the thing or action itself, but a displacement, a violation. Manure in the field is the joy of the owner: bread is made from it; and on the table it is a riot.

The essence of the matter is not in deeds, words, actions, but in what your heart is filled with. A good deed is not one that is apparently good, but one that comes from the fullness of a merciful heart; Likewise, evil words and deeds are splashes from a heart filled with evil power.

Whoever gives free rein to the good movement of his heart, first of all, he himself is enriched - a bright healing power, joy, peace enters his soul, healing all the diseases and ulcers of our soul. The hard-hearted person is the opposite - he squeezes his heart, he lets cold, enmity, death into it.

What increases our spiritual strength? - overcome temptation.

Everything sinful in us is so alive and full-blooded that our usual sluggish repentance is in no way commensurate with this element of sin that possesses us.

The saints’ sense of their deep sinfulness comes from their closeness to the source of light—Christ.

Cleansing from sin leads from faith to knowledge.

Sin that burdens the conscience will not be forgotten.

Sin is a destructive force - and above all for its bearer; Even physically, sin darkens and distorts a person’s face.

These are the steps by which sin enters us - image, attention, interest, attraction, passion.

If we look at the writings of ascetics and holy fathers, what depth of psychological analysis we will find there, what subtlety in distinguishing mental states, what accuracy of definitions and classification of all sensations.

Self-denial, which is talked about so much in the practice of Christianity, is understood by some as an end in itself, and they see in it the meaning of the life of every Christian... Just the opposite: in self-denial there is liberation from slavery to sin (without it - captivity) and the free revelation of one’s true essence in its God's original plan for us.

It is bad not to have bad thoughts, but to succumb to them. We are not free in them, such is our nature, darkened by sin; The saints also had thoughts. Our free pursuit of thoughts or the fight against them is where our victory or defeat lies.

The ability to see the dark side in everything, even good things, shows not so much the presence of this darkness, where we see it, as it precisely exposes our darkness and general sinfulness.

In confession, the most important thing is the state of the soul of the penitent, whatever the confessor may be. It is your repentance that is important, not him telling you something. In our country, the personality of the confessor is often mistakenly given primacy.

O. ALEXANDER YELCHANINOV

On August 24, 1934, Fr. died after a long and painful illness. A.V. Elchaninov. Death tore him out in full strength when he was preparing to enter a new field of pastoral service in the Paris Cathedral, where he was called by Metropolitan Eulogius after the sudden death of Fr. G. Spassky. The disease, cruel and unexpected, struck him and, like a predatory kite, drank all his vitality from him. It seemed as if the right hand of the Lord was weighed down on him, and like Noah on the rotting heap, he lay on a bed of illness, which became for him also a bed of death. Everything that human help and selfless love could do was done for him, but the Lord decided to call the righteous man to His monastery, and his bright, pure and righteous soul flew there, not restrained by human efforts. The destinies of God are inscrutable, and it is not about him, who is at rest, in the land of the living that we now need to regret, but about ourselves, who were left without him. For the bitter loss for the living is his departure from us. I will not allow myself to touch here on the sacred grief of his own family, but his spiritual family extended far and wide beyond the boundaries of this latter. He was a priest and shepherd, connected by the threads of spiritual fatherly love with many souls who will now feel orphaned, having lost a meek and loving father and friend. These tears and this love are known only to heaven, they will not be told in the annals of history, although what happens in the hearts is the most important thing that happens in life. Not only in terms of personal qualities, pastoral vocation and talent, which were completely exceptional, but especially in terms of his type, O. Alexander, as a priest, was an extraordinary and exceptional phenomenon. For he

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Article from “Path” Magazine No. 45.

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embodied the organic fusion of humble devotion to Orthodoxy and the simplicity of childhood faith with all the sophistication of Russian cultural tradition.
He was already one of the few representatives of the old Russian culture in emigration, which reached a kind of zenith before the revolution, especially in those St. Petersburg and Moscow circles in which he moved. Here the biography of the deceased is woven into the history of this Russian culture, of which the person writing these lines can also be a historical witness. My acquaintance with a student, first at St. Petersburg University, and then at the Moscow Academy, A.V. Elchaninov, dates back to about 30 years ago in Moscow. At this time, a young group of thinkers, writers and church leaders stood out and attracted attention, connected not only by personal friendship, but also by school comradeship. Fate would have it that such people as the great Russian scientist and theologian O. Pavel Florensky, the untimely deceased philosopher Vl. Ern and the future priest and teacher A.V. Elchaninov, who then continued their school connection in the northern capitals, but mainly in Moscow. All of them - each in their own way - defined themselves in a new for that time, but historically long-awaited religious and cultural type, which naturally adjoined the older generation of the same character of the galaxy of thinkers, writers, theologians, poets of our generation (Ternavtsev, Berdyaev, Kartashev , Vyacheslav Ivanov, Gershenzon, Rozanov, Prince Trubetskoy, etc.). They were naturally joined by their young peers, like priests. S. Sventsitsky, Andrey Bely, priest. S. M. Solovyov, A. Blok and others. A. V. Elchaninov was loved and accepted equally in the literary circles of Moscow and St. Petersburg, and everywhere the appearance of a student with a radiant smile, with special modesty and a willingness to listen and capture these endless creative conversations. In friendly circles he was called Eckerman under Vyach. Ivanov, and then under Fr. P. Florensky, with whom he lived together in Sergiev Posad (it seems that he himself, jokingly, applied this name to himself).

The beginning of this century was marked in the history of Russian thought by the emergence of so-called religious and philosophical societies, first in St. Petersburg, then in Moscow, and later in Kyiv. In them new struggles and quests, with their problems and ideology, found expression. Moscow Religious and Philosophical Society “named after Vl. Solovyov" was founded in the fall of 1905, and its first secretary and constant employee was A.V. Elchaninov (who had previously taken part in

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Petersburg Religious and Philosophical Society), and he remained in this post as long as there was an external opportunity for this, carrying out mostly invisible but irreplaceable organizational work.
It was, at the same time, an active preaching of Christianity, a struggle against the godlessness of the intelligentsia in its own camp - a special task that fell to the lot of our generation and was resolved with all possible sincerity and enthusiasm, although without a decisive victory, judging by the current revelry of the old intellectual atheism spilling over into the masses. A.V. Elchaninov, together with his friends, served here the cause of the Christian mission, to which he later devoted himself entirely as a priest. At the same time, other undertakings arose in the field of religious and political, with which A.V. Elchaninov was also connected through his friends. Here we were talking about the ideological and practical overcoming of traditional ideology, which merged and identified political absolutism with Orthodoxy. But A.V. Elchaninov’s own recognition was always not literary, but personal communication with people, in particular with young souls. He was a teacher by vocation, and even then it was known what exceptional love the young student enjoyed among his students. And this trait - a special interest in education and the ability to establish a personal connection and friendship between the educator and the educated - was a special gift of O. Alexander. He found satisfaction in this need later in the pedagogical field, becoming the head of a private gymnasium in Tiflis. Circumstances separated us for a long time, and our new meeting took place as a refugee, in Nice, where he shared the common sorrowful share of emigrant existence. At this meeting, it became clear to me that he had decisively outgrown the framework of secular pedagogy, which is limited to the outer coverings of the soul, without entering the very heart. The time has come to realize the teaching gift in all its fullness - in the shepherd. “To the honor of the highest rank”—to stand before the altar of the Lord—he was drawn equally by his personal religious need and by this pedagogical element. And the desired thing happened,” since 1926 Fr. Alexander is a priest who occupies a modest position at the Cathedral of Nice. With all the openness of his pure and believing soul, he inspired the heavenly joys of standing before the Apostle of the Lamb and with Christian humility and the wisdom of this humility accepted the thorns that inevitably encountered on the path of this ministry, as well as the external difficulties of life that did not spare him. He devoted himself to the work of the parish priest, but could he forget his first

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love - education of childhood and youth, of course, already on church principles?
And it was impossible not to be amazed and rejoice, seeing with what devotion his young friends treated him. It was some kind of simple and strong true friendship. In this, that silent and invisible pastoral work was accomplished on the human hearts of those who with such loving sorrow let him go from Nice and now mourn him so deeply and sincerely. At this time, ascetic moods began to predominate in the deceased’s own spiritual life. He devoted primary attention to patristic writing. God has many gifts, and God knows His ways. The inhuman eye in the thinning ranks of the old cultural generation, and especially in the pastorate, still does not see new replacements for the empty places, and it becomes humanly sad and creepy. However, these feelings have no place where the will of God is being done. The seed is sown in death, raised in glory, and we praise and thank the Lord for everything!

Bowing to the one who has passed into eternity and creating eternal memory for him, may it be given to me to unite it with the memory of that entire bygone era, as well as of those friends with whom Providence united the deceased and all of us in this life, and above all those of his school friends, of which “some are no longer there, and those are far away,” with the memory of the great Russian religious culture.

“Unless a grain of wheat dies, it remains alone, but if it dies, it bears its fruit.” Glory and eternal memory to all our departed and now deceased brothers!

Prot. S. Bulgakov

Pride and humility:

The proud person is deaf and blind to the world; he does not see the world, but only his own reflection in everything.

All virtues are nothing without humility.

Pride - hence pride, hence partiality, inability to self-esteem - hence stupidity. Every proud person is stupid in his assessments, even if by nature he had a brilliant mind. And conversely, the humble is wise, even if he is “foolish”; the essence of wisdom—the sense of Truth and humility before it—is accessible to him.

The feeling of one's extraordinary sinfulness is often, especially in youth, a modification of the same passion of pride. “I am unusual in everything, even my sins are stronger and brighter than others!”

Human limitation in itself is not stupidity. The smartest people are necessarily limited to some extent. Stupidity begins where stubbornness and self-confidence appear, i.e. display of pride.

Literature

Russian writers of emigration: Biographical information and bibliography of their books on theology, religious philosophy, church history and Orthodox culture: 1921-1972 / Compiled by N. M. Zernov. - Boston: GK Hall & Co., 1973.
Eulogius (Georgievsky), Metropolitan. The path of my life. – M.: Moscow worker; VPMD, 1994. P. 381, 388.
Schakhovskoy D. Les Struve: Monographie genealogique // La Russie en devenir: En hommahe a Nikita Struve. – Paris, 2002. P. 212.
Struve N. A. Orthodoxy and culture. – M.: Christian publishing house, 1992. P. 153-155.

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Love:

All love brings satisfaction and reward in itself.

...we have been given the supreme law of life, which directly leads us to God - love, a difficult, thorny path, and along it we must carry our cross, without turning to detours.

Love is only love when it is for everyone without exception. As long as this is love only for those whom “I” love, it is not love, but selfishness. I’m talking now about Christian love, not about love in marriage or family.

...the only road in marriage is love, it’s so scary to lose it, and sometimes it disappears from such trifles that you need to direct all your thoughts and efforts here (and also to the “divine”) - everything else will come by itself.

Notes:

RSHD - Russian Student Christian Movement.
Quote according to the book A. V. Elchaninov
. Records. P. 6.
Right there. P. 7.
Right there. S. 8.
Right there. P. 9.
Right there. P. 12.
Right there. P. 248.
Right there. P. 65.
Right there. P. 33.
Right there. P. 79.
Right there. P. 171.
Right there. P. 126.
Right there. P. 175.
Also includes sermons and memories of Fr. Alexandra Metropolitan Eulogius (Georgievsky), prot. S. Bulgakov, prot. S. Chetverekova, M. Zernova, L. Zander and others.

Man, society:

Christianity taught us to love and value in a person not his attributes and virtues, but his essential core - his soul, and it was the first to proclaim the absolute value and uniqueness of every human soul... All the blessings of the world are nothing before this value of the soul - “what good does a person have if will he gain the whole world, but lose his own soul?

The opinion of other people about us is the mirror in front of which almost everyone without exception poses.

Our unmercifulness, inexorability, mercilessness towards people is an impenetrable curtain between us and God. It's as if we covered a plant with a black cap and then complained that it was dying without sunlight.

God's is to love those who hate. Diabolical - to hate, to insult those who love. Humanity is to love those who love, to hate those who hate. But - “be perfect like our Heavenly Father.”

essays

Elchaninov Alexander, Fr., Ern, Florensky P. A.
History of religion.
With the application of the article: On the inconsistency of the modern non-religious worldview. - Moscow: Polza, 1909. - 246 p. Contents: Primitive religion, Religion of ancient Greece, Buddhism, Judeo-Israelite religion, Christianity, Orthodoxy, Russian sectarianism (Khlysty and Skoptchestvo.)
Elchaninov Alexander, Fr.
Essays on the history of pedagogical teachings.
- M.: Polza, 1911. - 231 p. — (Pedagogical Academy in essays and monographs). Contents: Pedagogical ideas of the ancient world - V. Ivanovsky, Christianity and medieval pedagogy - A. Elchaninov, Locke - V. Uspensky, Jean-Jacques Rousseau.
- A. Krasnovsky, F. A. Wolf and the new humanists - N. Smirnov, I. F. Herbart and his school .
Elchaninov Alexander, Fr.
From meetings with P. A. Florensky // Vestnik RHD. - 1984. - No. 142. - P. 68-78.
Elchaninov Alexander, Fr.
Records. — 6th ed., add. - Paris: YMCA-Press, 1990. - 176 p.
Elchaninov Alexander, Fr.
and others. History of religion. People's University. - M.: Runik, 1991. - 249 p.
Elchaninov Alexander, Fr.
Records. Life in Christ. - M.: “Soviet Russia”, 1992.
Elchaninov Alexander, Fr.
Records. - M.: Sretensky Monastery (publishing house), 1996.

Life:

We either look longingly at the past, or wait for the future, when, as if, real life should begin. The present, i.e. what is our life is lost in these fruitless regrets and dreams.

The commandment “be like children” and “do not worry about tomorrow” may also include advice - to trust God in this matter.

Give up the point of view of personal judgment and take the point of view of God's work in the world.

The passage of time is scary when you stand still. We must plunge into the depths where time is indifferent.

Happiness is not an end in itself; it is a derivative of right life. If life is built correctly, there will be happiness: and a right life is a righteous life.

Proceedings

A.V. Elchaninov. Records.-M.: “Lepta”, 2001
Records. – Paris, 1935 (2nd edition – Paris, 1962. The book was republished several times in Russia, including: – M.: Sretensky Monastery, 1996. 173 pp.; – M.: Russian Way, 2001. -280 pp.; – M.: Lepta, 2001) (German (1964), English (The Diary of a Priest. – London, 1967. 255 p.), French (Ecrits spirituels. – Begrolles-en-Mauges: Bellefontaine, 1979 271 p.) translations).
Demon stronghold (About pride). -M.: Trim; Brotherhood “Burning Bush”, 1995. 16 p.
https://pravbeseda.ru/library/index.php?page=book&id=545

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Literature

Elchaninov, Alexander priest. Notes / Preface T. Elchaninova, prot. S. Bulgakov. M.: Russian way. 2007.
Elchaninov, Alexander Viktorovich // Orthodox Encyclopedia [URL].
“An incomparable teacher, born to be a shepherd”: Pavel Vasilyevich Florensky about the personality of Father Alexander Elchaninov / Prep. priest Sergey Arkhipov // Pravoslavie.ru [URL].

Alexander Viktorovich Elchaninov

(March 1, 1881 (18810301), Nikolaev - August 24, 1934, Paris) - priest of the Russian Orthodox Church, church historian, writer.

Contents 1 Biography2 Bibliography3 Literature4 Notes5 Links

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Literature

Arsenyev N. S. About touching higher life. A few words about the Notes of the priest Alexander Elchaninov (1891-1934) // Sovremennik. — Toronto. - 1963. - No. 7
Bulgakov S.N., archpriest. O. Alexander Elchaninov // “The Path”. - 1934. - No. 45. - P. 56-59
Bulgakov S.N., archpriest. The word spoken at the funeral service for the body of Fr. A. Elchaninova August 27, 1934. // In memory of A. Elchaninov. - Paris. - 1935. - pp. 10-15
Maria (Skobtsova), nun. At the tomb of Father Alexander. / Father Alexander as confessor. // In memory of Fr. Alexandra Elchaninova. Digest of articles. - Paris. - 1935. - P. 21-4, 56-59
In memory of father Alexander Elchaninov. Digest of articles. - Paris: YMCA-Press Ltd. - 1935. - 75 C.

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