Yulia Voznesenskaya: the tools of our ministry are the word and the heart

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Bogoslov.Ru

— Orthodox information Internet portal. Created with the blessing of Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Alexy II. The editor-in-chief of the site is Archpriest Pavel Velikanov, vice-rector for theological work (since 2010) of the Moscow Academy of Science and Culture. On the site, all presented materials are divided into several blocks: bibliographic, news, reference and research and discussion blocks. There are English, German, Spanish and Greek versions of the portal. In 2010, the Bogoslov.ru portal became the official information partner of the Inter-Council Presence of the Russian Orthodox Church[2]. In September 2011, it received official state registration as a media outlet[3].

Story

It originally emerged in 2001 as an educational portal of the Educational Committee of the Russian Orthodox Church and was named “Bogoslov.Ru”.

Journalist Ksenia Luchenko in December 2003 characterized the site as follows[4]:

One of the best Orthodox websites is the Educational Portal of the Educational Committee (www.bogoslov.ru). <…> The website of the Educational Committee opened a year ago, but its content is slow. <…> Already now it has unique content: articles by the best modern theologians, church historians, teachers and graduate students of theological universities are regularly published here. The portal has several thematic pages: “Church and Youth”, “Orthodoxy in the North Caucasus”, “Prison Ministry”. You can register a free mailbox in the bogoslov.ru domain and be sure that your letters will not contain advertisements for whiskey and nightclubs.

In 2005, the portal briefly stopped operating.

In April 2007, the Educational Committee, together with the Moscow Theological Academy, established an autonomous non-profit organization “Information Technology Center” (CIT). The first project of CIT is a new version of the Theologian portal. Ru.

In 2008, a presentation of the German version of the portal took place. It was held as part of the celebration of the Academic Day (Dies Academicus) of the University of Friborg in Switzerland[5].

In 2009, the Bogoslov.Ru portal organized a separate project to highlight the work of the Bishops’ and Local Councils of the Russian Church. According to the editor-in-chief of the portal, Archpriest Pavel Velikanov, the task of this project is: “to fill the information space with high-quality scientific materials that allow us to look at the upcoming council in the context of church history, canon law, liturgics, theology, and also to compare the current situation with the existing historical experience as Russian and other Local Orthodox Churches”[6]. At the end of 2009, the Spanish version of the portal was launched.

The portal, together with Radio Russia VGTRK, runs the project “World. Human. Word,” in which the Chairman of the State Duma of the Russian Federation Boris Gryzlov showed interest during his visit to the MDA on March 6, 2009[7].

The first steps on the path of Christian activity

Born in the southwestern region of Cappadocia, in Arianza (near the city of Nazianza), approximately around 330.

He came, in the literal sense of the word, from a family of saints: his father Gregory, Bishop of Nazianza, mother Nonna, brother Caesarius and sister Gorgonia - all of them were canonized after their death.

His own father, Gregory the Elder, at one time he belonged to the supporters of the cult, who worshiped God as the Highest, but at the same time professed a faith consisting of a mixture of Christianity, Judaism and Persian teachings. He turned to Christ through the prayers of his wife, Nonna, a deeply religious and zealous Christian. Under her beneficial influence, he accepted Baptism. He was soon ordained a priest, and subsequently elevated to the episcopal see in Nazianza.

Even before the birth of Gregory the Younger, the future Saint Gregory the Theologian, Nonna fervently prayed to God to give her a son and pledged that if her prayer was fulfilled, she would dedicate the child to God. The son was given, the promise was fulfilled.

From childhood, Gregory the Younger was brought up in love for God and his neighbors. He acquired his initial education, including in the fundamentals of Orthodox doctrine, in his parents' home. Thanks to his mother’s influence, from his youth he decided that he would lead a celibate, godly life.

As he grew up, he studied in the best schools for that time: in Caesarea Cappadocia, in Caesarea Palestine, in Alexandria, in Athens. Education was expensive, but the financial condition of the parents allowed it.

In Caesarea in Cappadocia, Gregory met the future ecumenical teacher, St. Basil the Great. Then their acquaintance continued while studying in Athens and grew into a strong friendship.

Returning from Athens (approximately 358), Gregory received Baptism, after which he indulged in an ascetic life: he spent his life in fasting, prayer, contemplation and contemplation. During this period, he visited Pontus, looking for meetings and joint exploits with his friend and like-minded person Vasily. One of the fruits of their creative collaboration was the work “Philocalia,” which included thoughts and excerpts from the works of the famous church teacher Origen.

Around 360, Gregory the Elder, the father of Gregory the Theologian, not fully understanding the intricacies of the Arian false teaching that had spread by that time, signed the Arian symbol, which aroused the indignation of the Orthodox, representatives of his flock. Many were ready to leave their bishop. At that moment, Gregory the Younger was able to explain to his father his mistake and show the inconsistency of the signed Symbol with the Nicene Symbol. As a result, Gregory the Elder admitted the error publicly and order was restored among his flock.

Portal structure

On the site, all presented materials are divided into several large blocks:

• bibliographic,
• news,
• reference and
• research and discussion.

The bibliographic block is the main information core of the portal. It presents domestic book novelties, as well as translations into Russian of annotations, reviews and reviews of newly published new editions of the largest publishing houses in Europe and America. The section “Dissertations and theses” contains a list of qualifying works of central theological educational institutions - Moscow, St. Petersburg and Minsk theological academies and seminaries from the mid-twentieth century to the present. This is more than 2500 descriptions. Some of the works are accompanied by a full text, which was provided by the authors of these studies, as well as reviews and abstracts.

The site also presents more than 50 titles of periodical scientific publications of the Russian Academy of Sciences, as well as a significant part of church periodicals. The articles are mainly presented in the form of bibliographic descriptions; the presence of full text is indicated by a floppy disk or text file icon. This also includes articles from the journal “Theological Bulletin” from 1892 to 2006, presented in their entirety on the portal in DjVu format (Library section), a total of more than 4,500 articles.

In addition to the Theological Bulletin, the electronic library contains books presented in PDF or DjVu formats. Some books were recognized with the obligatory preservation of the original pagination and full compliance with the printed original.

The “Personalities” section contains short biographies of scientists whose works are presented on the portal, as well as bibliographic lists of their publications. These are more than 500 biographies of 3000 personalities.

The “Organizations” section includes a brief description of the main educational and religious institutions, publishing houses and libraries specializing in the field of theology. About 180 organizations are currently described on the portal.

The dictionary posted on the portal is intended as a short reference book of key church and theological concepts.

The news block is presented in the form of a daily updated news feed and event announcements. The editors try to update those news that are outside the field of view of the domestic media due to their specificity: the portal usually posts news exclusive to the Runet on a daily basis. The announcements section notifies you about upcoming conferences, meetings, symposia and other significant events.

The research block of materials consists of various types of publications: these are research, analytical, and approbation articles published by applicants for academic degrees. Book reviews and bibliographies on specific theological topics are also presented. The format of pre-moderated comments on publications allows for discussion on the topic.

All materials presented on the portal have cross-categorization. The portal has RSS channels that allow you to subscribe to updates in any section, including thematic ones. The multimedia section is currently being prepared for launch.

Site statistics

According to Rambler statistics[8], the Bogoslov.Ru portal is one of the 30 most read religious resources on the Runet. According to statistics from the Yandex catalog [9], the portal ranks 50th (as of September 11, 2013) among the most cited resources in the “Society” section. On October 19, 2010, the Berkman Center for the Study of Internet and Society at Harvard University (USA) named the Bogoslov.Ru portal one of the most cited sites on the Orthodox Runet, along with the Orthodoxy and World portal and the official website of the Moscow Patriarchate Patriarchy.Ru[10].

The fight against heresy. Literary activity

After the death of Valens, who patronized the Arian “clergy,” Theodosius, who supported the Orthodox, ascended the royal throne.

In 379, the believing citizens of Constantinople turned to St. Gregory with a call for help. Heeding the advice of friends and a sense of pastoral duty, he left solitude and hurried to the capital.

What he saw there led him into a state of righteous indignation: the churches were captured by the Arians, there was no unity within the Orthodox, the morals of the inhabitants were characterized by licentiousness and depravity. Saint Gregory was forced to look for a more or less safe refuge for himself and found it in a private house.

Zeal for the Lord, devotion to Orthodoxy, sober thinking, education and, of course, the eloquence of Gregory the Theologian could not fail to evoke the appropriate response in the hearts of the townspeople. Under the influence of his exhortations and sermons, people were transformed. Many were eager to see and listen to the zealous defender of the faith. Very quickly, the saint’s fame reached such a scale that it began to attract even residents of remote villages to Constantinople.

All this together aroused unfriendly, aggressive feelings among the followers of Arius. The heretics were ready not only to intrigue against the saint, but even attempted to kill him.

The sovereign, Theodosius, who arrived in Constantinople in 380, resorted to the possibilities of his royal power and transferred the churches captured by heretics into the hands of the Orthodox. Saint Gregory, understanding the need for personal presence, agreed to remain in the capital until the planned Council convened.

Notes

1. [website.informer.com/bogoslov.ru Portal Bogoslov.Ru]
2. [www.bogoslov.ru/text/1304047.html The official information partner of the Inter-Council Presence, the portal “Bogoslov.Ru” provides the opportunity to comment on the final documents proposed for discussion by the church community according to the decision of the Presidium of the Inter-Council Presence]. Retrieved March 30, 2013. [www.webcitation.org/6FeHQeAg4 Archived from the original on April 5, 2013].
3. Certificate of registration of mass media El No. FS77-46659 dated September 22, 2011 [www.bogoslov.ru/]
4. [rusk.ru/st.php?idar=1001056 Russian Line / Library of Periodicals / Orthodox Internet]
5. [www.patriarchia.ru/db/text/489027.html Presentation of the German version of the portal “Theologian. Ru" was held in Switzerland]
6. [www.patriarchia.ru/db/text/527261.html A special project of the portal Bogoslov.ru for scientific and information support of Councils has been opened]
7. [www.patriarchia.ru/db/text/575539.html Chairman of the State Duma of the Russian Federation Boris Gryzlov visited the MDA Information Technology Center]
8. [top100.rambler.ru/top100/Religion/rate3.0.shtml.ru Rambler: Religion]
9. [yaca.yandex.ru/yca/ungrp/cat/Society/ Yandex. Catalog: Society]
10. [www.pravmir.ru/portal-pra/ The portal “Orthodoxy and the World” is recognized by Harvard as one of the most cited sites on the Orthodox Runet] // Orthodoxy and the World, October 29, 2010.
11. See www.bogoslov.ru/radio // Bogoslov.Ru

The last period of earthly life

Some time later, Gregory the Theologian arrived in Nazianza, headed the local flock there and led it until the moment when Bishop Eulavius ​​ascended to the see of Nazianz. This happened in 383.

After this, the saint moved to his small homeland, Arians, where he devoted himself to prayerful contemplation and writing.

In 389, he rested peacefully in the Lord.

For the holiness and righteousness of his life, the bright, impeccable presentation in his writings of the doctrine of the Most Holy Trinity and the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Ecumenical Orthodox Church honored him with the name of exceptional significance - Theologian. Only three saints entered Church History with this name; besides St. Gregory - Apostle John the Theologian and Simeon the New Theologian.

Saint Gregory the Theologian left behind a rich literary heritage, consisting of 245 letters, 507 poems (sometimes written in imitation of Homer in the forms of hexameters, pentameters, trimeters) and 45 “Words”.

Links

• 	Newspapers	Vera-Eskom · Tithe · Krestovsky Bridge · Radonezh · Peace to all · Victory that conquered the world · Orthodox Moscow · Orthodox word · Russian Messenger · Rus Sovereign · Siberian Orthodox newspaper · Church Messenger²
  	Magazines	Aamun Koitto[fi] · Orthodox England · Orthodox Europe · Orthodox Holiness · Orthodox Life · Orthodox tidning · Stimme der Orthodoxie¹ · Church Truth¹ · Alpha and Omega · American Orthodox Messenger¹ · St. Andrew's Messenger · Holy Fire² · Theological Messenger · Brotherly Word¹ · Messenger of the Resurrection · Bulletin of Church History · Faith and Reason · Grapes · Living Water · Meeting · Verb¹ · Journal of the Moscow Patriarchate · Irkutsk Kremlin · Truth¹ · Towards the Light¹ · Mgar Bell¹ · Missionary Review · Monastic Bulletin · Heir · Neskuchny Garden¹ · New Ark · Now and Ever · Finding · Otrok.ua · Crossing · Orthodox Rus' · Orthodox Visnik · Orthodox World · Orthodox Interlocutor · Russian House · Russian Pilgrim¹ · Russian Shepherd² · Lamp¹ · Northern Blagovest · Siberian Origins · Slavyanka · Collection · Sofia · Presentation · Steps · Works of Kiev Theological Academy · Thomas · Church and time · Church and medicine · Yakut Diocesan Gazette
  	Radio stations	Ancient Faith Radio[en] · Good · Radio Faith · Voice of Orthodoxy · City of Petrov · Logos · Orthodox Radio of St. Petersburg · Radonezh
  	TV channels	Glas · Pokrov · My Joy · Union · Spas · Tsargrad TV
  	Websites	Bogoslovie.Ru · Portal "Word" · Orthodoxy and the world · Pravoslavie.fm · Pravoslavie.Ru · Russian Athos · Tatiana's Day²
  	¹ Not currently produced; ² The paper version has been discontinued, the website is being maintained

Excerpt characterizing Bogoslov.Ru

Sonya nodded her head. The Countess hugged Sonya and began to cry. "God works in mysterious ways!" - she thought, feeling that in everything that was done now, an omnipotent hand, previously hidden from people’s view, began to appear. - Well, mom, everything is ready. What are you talking about?.. – Natasha asked with a lively face, running into the room. “Nothing,” said the Countess. - It's ready, let's go. – And the countess bent down to her reticule to hide her upset face. Sonya hugged Natasha and kissed her. Natasha looked at her questioningly. - What you? What happened? - Nothing... No... - Very bad for me?.. What is it? – asked the sensitive Natasha. Sonya sighed and did not answer. The Count, Petya, m me Schoss, Mavra Kuzminishna, Vasilich entered the living room, and, having closed the doors, they all sat down and sat silently, without looking at each other, for several seconds. The count was the first to stand up and, sighing loudly, began to make the sign of the cross. Everyone did the same. Then the count began to hug Mavra Kuzminishna and Vasilich, who remained in Moscow, and, while they caught his hand and kissed his shoulder, he lightly patted them on the back, saying something vague, affectionately soothing. The Countess went into the imagery, and Sonya found her there on her knees in front of the images that remained scattered along the wall. (The most expensive images, according to family legends, were taken with them.) On the porch and in the courtyard, the departing people with daggers and sabers with which Petya had armed them, with their trousers tucked into their boots and tightly belted with belts and sashes, said goodbye to those who remained. As always during departures, much was forgotten and not properly packed, and for quite a long time two guides stood on both sides of the open door and steps of the carriage, preparing to give the Countess a ride, while girls with pillows, bundles, and carriages were running from home to the carriages. , and the chaise, and back. - Everyone will forget their time! - said the countess. “You know that I can’t sit like that.” - And Dunyasha, gritting her teeth and not answering, with an expression of reproach on her face, rushed into the carriage to redo the seat. - Oh, these people! - said the count, shaking his head. The old coachman Yefim, with whom the countess was the only one who decided to ride, sitting high on his box, did not even look back at what was happening behind him. With thirty years of experience, he knew that it wouldn’t be long before they told him “God bless!” and that when they say, they will stop him two more times and send him for forgotten things, and after that they will stop him again, and the countess herself will lean out of his window and ask him, by Christ God, to drive more carefully on the slopes. He knew this and therefore more patiently than his horses (especially the left red one - Falcon, who kicked and, chewing, fingered the bit) waited for what would happen. Finally everyone sat down; the steps gathered and they threw themselves into the carriage, the door slammed, they sent for the box, the countess leaned out and said what she had to do. Then Yefim slowly took off his hat from his head and began to cross himself. The postilion and all the people did the same. - With God blessing! - said Yefim, putting on his hat. - Pull it out! - The postilion touched. The right drawbar fell into the clamp, the high springs crunched, and the body swayed. The footman jumped onto the box as he walked. The carriage shook as it left the yard onto the shaking pavement, the other carriages also shook, and the train moved up the street. In the carriages, carriages and chaises, everyone was baptized at the church that was opposite. The people remaining in Moscow walked on both sides of the carriages, seeing them off. Natasha had rarely experienced such a joyful feeling as the one she was experiencing now, sitting in the carriage next to the countess and looking at the walls of an abandoned, alarmed Moscow slowly moving past her. She occasionally leaned out of the carriage window and looked back and forth at the long train of wounded preceding them. Almost ahead of everyone, she could see the closed top of Prince Andrei's carriage. She did not know who was in it, and every time, thinking about the area of ​​​​her convoy, she looked for this carriage with her eyes. She knew she was ahead of everyone. In Kudrin, from Nikitskaya, from Presnya, from Podnovinsky, several trains similar to the Rostov train arrived, and carriages and carts were already traveling in two rows along Sadovaya. While driving around the Sukharev Tower, Natasha, curiously and quickly examining the people riding and walking, suddenly cried out in joy and surprise: “Fathers!” Mom, Sonya, look, it’s him! - Who? Who? - Look, by God, Bezukhov! - Natasha said, leaning out of the carriage window and looking at a tall, fat man in a coachman’s caftan, obviously a dressed-up gentleman by his gait and posture, who, next to a yellow, beardless old man in a frieze overcoat, approached under the arch of the Sukharev Tower. - By God, Bezukhov, in a caftan, with some old boy! By God,” said Natasha, “look, look!” - No, it’s not him. Is it possible, such nonsense? “Mom,” Natasha shouted, “I’ll give you a beating that it’s him!” I assure you. Wait, wait! - she shouted to the coachman; but the coachman could not stop, because more carts and carriages were leaving Meshchanskaya, and they were shouting at the Rostovs to get going and not delay the others. Indeed, although already much further away than before, all the Rostovs saw Pierre or a man unusually similar to Pierre, in a coachman's caftan, walking down the street with a bowed head and a serious face, next to a small beardless old man who looked like a footman. This old man noticed a face sticking out of the carriage at him and, respectfully touching Pierre's elbow, said something to him, pointing to the carriage. For a long time Pierre could not understand what he was saying; so he was apparently immersed in his thoughts. Finally, when he understood it, he looked as directed and, recognizing Natasha, at that very second, surrendering to the first impression, quickly headed towards the carriage. But, having walked ten steps, he, apparently remembering something, stopped. Natasha’s face, sticking out of the carriage, shone with mocking affection. - Pyotr Kirilych, go! After all, we found out! It is amazing! – she shouted, holding out her hand to him. - How are you? Why are you doing this? Pierre took the outstretched hand and awkwardly kissed it as he walked (as the carriage continued to move). - What's wrong with you, Count? – the countess asked in a surprised and compassionate voice. - What? What? For what? “Don’t ask me,” Pierre said and looked back at Natasha, whose radiant, joyful gaze (he felt this without looking at her) filled him with its charm. – What are you doing, or are you staying in Moscow? – Pierre was silent. - In Moscow? – he said questioningly. - Yes, in Moscow. Farewell. “Oh, I wish I were a man, I would certainly stay with you.” Oh, how good it is! - Natasha said. - Mom, let me stay. - Pierre looked absently at Natasha and wanted to say something, but the countess interrupted him: - You were at the battle, we heard? “Yes, I was,” answered Pierre. “Tomorrow there will be a battle again...” he began, but Natasha interrupted him: “What’s the matter with you, Count?” You don’t look like yourself... - Oh, don’t ask, don’t ask me, I don’t know anything myself. Tomorrow... No! Goodbye, goodbye,” he said, “a terrible time!” - And, falling behind the carriage, he walked onto the sidewalk. Natasha leaned out of the window for a long time, beaming at him with a gentle and slightly mocking, joyful smile. Pierre, since his disappearance from home, had already been living for the second day in the empty apartment of the late Bazdeev. Here's how it happened. Waking up the day after his return to Moscow and meeting with Count Rostopchin, Pierre for a long time could not understand where he was and what they wanted from him. When he was informed, among the names of other people who were waiting for him in the reception room, that a Frenchman was also waiting for him, bringing a letter from Countess Elena Vasilievna, he was suddenly overcome by that feeling of confusion and hopelessness to which he was capable of succumbing. It suddenly seemed to him that everything was over now, everything was confused, everything had collapsed, that there was neither right nor wrong, that there would be nothing ahead and that there was no way out of this situation. He, smiling unnaturally and muttering something, then sat on the sofa in a helpless position, then stood up, went to the door and looked through the crack into the reception area, then, waving his hands, returned back, I took up the book. Another time, the butler came to report to Pierre that the Frenchman, who had brought a letter from the countess, really wanted to see him even for a minute and that they had come from the widow of I. A. Bazdeev to ask to accept the books, since Mrs. Bazdeeva herself had left for the village. “Oh, yes, now, wait... Or no... no, go and tell me that I’ll come right away,” Pierre said to the butler. But as soon as the butler came out, Pierre took the hat that was lying on the table and went out the back door from the office. There was no one in the corridor. Pierre walked the entire length of the corridor to the stairs and, wincing and rubbing his forehead with both hands, went down to the first landing. The doorman stood at the front door. From the landing to which Pierre had descended, another staircase led to the back entrance. Pierre walked along it and went out into the yard. Nobody saw him. But on the street, as soon as he walked out the gate, the coachmen standing with the carriages and the janitor saw the master and took off their hats in front of him. Feeling eyes on him, Pierre acted like an ostrich that hides its head in a bush so as not to be seen; he lowered his head and, quickening his pace, walked down the street. Of all the tasks facing Pierre that morning, the task of sorting out the books and papers of Joseph Alekseevich seemed to him the most necessary. He took the first cab he came across and ordered him to go to the Patriarch's Ponds, where the house of Bazdeev's widow was. Constantly looking back at the moving convoys leaving Moscow from all sides and adjusting his corpulent body so as not to slip off the rattling old droshky, Pierre, experiencing a joyful feeling similar to that experienced by a boy who has run away from school, began talking with the cab driver. The driver told him that today they were dismantling weapons in the Kremlin, and that tomorrow they would drive all the people out of the Trekhgornaya Outpost, and that there would be a big battle there. Arriving at Patriarch's Ponds, Pierre found Bazdeev's house, which he had not visited for a long time. He approached the gate. Gerasim, the same yellow, beardless old man whom Pierre had seen five years ago in Torzhok with Joseph Alekseevich, came out to answer his knock.

Priestly and episcopal ministry

In 361, on the day of the solemn celebration of the Nativity of the Savior, Gregory, despite his objections, was ordained a priest. Out of humility, he was against this dedication, but again, out of humility, he did not dare to resist the will of the bishop, his father. Saddened by this turn of events, Gregory went to Pontus, to Vasily. He managed to find the right words of consolation and encouraged his long-time friend.

By Easter 362, Father Gregory returned to Nazians and began to actively fulfill his pastoral duties. From that time on, he was with the flock entrusted to him and, as far as possible, helped his own father, Gregory the Elder, in his bishop's service.

When in 370 Basil the Great was elevated to Archbishop of Caesarea, he, in order to better manage his flock and fight against Arianism, began to open new sees. During this period, he needed zealous, religiously educated shepherds.

Following his plan, Saint Basil appointed his friend, Gregory, bishop of Sasim. The year was 372. Gregory the Theologian, although he understood the importance of this step from the position of Basil the Great, and agreed, however, as in the case of the ordination to the priesthood, he submitted to this choice with reluctance, and then retired to a deserted, deserted place, where he indulged in contemplative prayer .

After some time, Gregory the Elder persuaded his son to come to Nazians. He returned, but on the condition that he would not succeed his father in the department.

In 374, the father of Gregory the Theologian died, and soon his mother. Arriving at the temple where both her husband and her loving son served, and approaching the altar, she suddenly felt the approach of death, said a prayer and surrendered her soul to God. All this, of course, affected Gregory’s internal state. For some time he continued his father’s work, but soon fell ill, so seriously that some did not even hope for his recovery.

In 375, having recovered from his illness, wanting to indulge in solitary living, he retired to Seleucia of Isauria. Here he lived as if he had imprisoned himself. The news of the death of Basil the Great (379) brought him terrible grief.