Sergius of Radonezh - the great Slavic sorcerer-reformer

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Magus Sergei of Radonezh

Russian Orthodox Church of Sergei of Radonezh

A striking example of a sorcerer is Sergius of Radonezh, known to all Russian people. Being a highly dedicated sorcerer, he managed in a short time to transform the Greek Christianity that came to Russian soil, with its servility, submission to force and authority, into a completely different religion. The Orthodoxy of Sergius of Radonezh in its essence ceased to be Western, it turned into a life-affirming solar religion of the triumph of the laws of Rule and the highest cosmic justice. Sergius of Radonezh knew well the true teaching of Christ, that it was fundamentally Vedic, and therefore did not invent anything of his own. The Christian teaching of Sergius of Radonezh became what it should have been, essentially indistinguishable from the ancient Vedic Hyperborean worldview. Moreover, Sergius of Radonezh very subtly integrated his teaching into orthodox Christianity. And so unobtrusively and convincingly that even Christian fanatics believed him. In fact, this ascetic from Orthodoxy managed to put the ancient Aryan Vedic worldview into a Christian form. And he did it so skillfully that even his ill-wishers did not see anything suspicious in his actions. And only the initiate understood that the Vedic head of the gods Rod, according to the teachings of Sergius, became the “Heavenly Father”, the ancient Svarog - the son of Rod turned into Jesus Christ, and Lada - the goddess of love and harmony took the form of the Virgin Mary, etc.

According to his teaching, as in ancient times, the institution of self-discipline, those moral stages of human spiritual growth that Westerners so diligently destroyed, were preserved. As before, many vices and weaknesses were condemned by a special people's assembly. Just as in the era of the Aryans the consumption of alcohol was prohibited, any violence and actions that degraded human dignity were considered a sin. But high moral qualities in a person were encouraged and supported in every possible way. First of all, love for the Motherland and one’s people, love for the national Russian culture, selfless love for family and friends. In the teachings of Sergius of Radonezh, self-sacrifice was highly valued in order to achieve a high goal. Honesty, truthfulness, constancy, integrity and courage were strongly encouraged. Sergius of Radonezh’s adoption of the Aryan family institution as a counterweight to Byzantine and Roman Christianity endeared him and his life-affirming teaching to many citizens who were conservatively inclined towards the new religion. It turned out that spiritually fragmented Rus' began to unite around the Church of Sergius of Radonezh.

“The Magi are not afraid of powerful rulers, And they do not need a princely gift; Their prophetic language is truthful and free and friendly with the will of heaven.”

(Magic A.S. Pushkin “Song of the Prophetic Oleg”, 1822)

Now both Vedic Russians and Christians found a common language. By and large, they had nothing to argue about, much less kill each other. Now both of them looked at the West as a hotbed of evil and discord, at a kingdom of demons who, in order to conquer the world of the Aryans - Russians, perverted the true teaching of Christ and contrasted it with the Vedic.

All major Christian holidays in Rus' are a legacy of the times of asceticism of Sergius of Radonezh. And they were not imposed on the people, but rather preserved for them. Albeit in a different form, but their essence remains the same. No matter what you think or say, the ancient Komoyats or Maslenitsa are still colorfully celebrated in Russia, the holiday of Ivan Kupala is solemnly celebrated, the Vedic Christmastide is still alive in Russia, even Kolyada is celebrated!

The common holidays of Vedic Russians and Christians do not separate them, but rather unite them. And this unification, as before and now, involuntarily excludes Christianity from such a tandem. Surely this mechanism of exclusion was laid down in the tandem of two religions by the sorcerer Sergius. After all, it becomes incomprehensible to any sane person what, in fact, alien Christianity is doing on Russian soil, if the same celebrations and glorifications, only with an even deeper cosmogonic meaning, were preserved in the ancient faith of the Aryan ancestors? About Sergius of Radonezh, orthodox science says that this wonderful man managed to unite Rus' in the face of a new Horde invasion, and thereby saved it. But then why was this Christian ascetic, the unifier of Rus', canonized by the Russian Christian Church only in the nineteenth century? And even then under public pressure.

SERGIUS OF RADONEZH - Great Holy Land of ours.

Hegumen Sergius of Radonezh, abbot of the Russian land, wonderworker of all Russia (in the world Bartholomew; May 3, 1314 or May 1322 - September 25)
Hieromonk of the Russian Church, founder of a number of monasteries, including the Holy Trinity Monastery near Moscow. In His interpretation, the teaching of Christ was not destructive, did not require punishment and slavish worship, did not scare with hellfire, but was sunny, life-affirming, creative, like all previous solar mysteries of pre-Christian eras. St. Sergius completely preserved the mechanism of the spiritual evolution of human consciousness, the moral stages of spiritual growth, which were so diligently destroyed by dogmas, selfish aspirations, and humiliation of human dignity. Truly a Holy man. Sergius of Radonezh knew well the true teachings of Christ. And he considered it close to the ancient Vedic faith of the Rus, in which the Magi played the role of priests, and the attention of the Magi to the baby Jesus speaks volumes. After all, the news of the birth of Jesus was brought by wise men from the East (Matthew 2:1). Sergius of Radonezh was a sorcerer. The abbot of the Russian Land, Sergius of Radonezh, not only blessed and lived as a hermit, as the lives tell of it... In real life, Sergius is an active participant in social processes in the country. He built monasteries himself and directed his disciples to this construction. In addition to the Trinity-Sergius Monastery, Sergius personally founded nine more monasteries, and installed his students as abbots in all of these monasteries. More than 40 monasteries were founded by his students. And in each monastery the monks lived according to the rules of their Teacher Sergius. The holy ascetic Sergius of Radonezh hid all his life in dense forests from persecution... by the Orthodox Church. He never wore a cassock and always dressed in simple linen peasant clothes, was short in stature and had a light, very pronounced Slavic face. He prayed to God, and believed that the attitude towards God should be without any authority or script, for man is God’s creation and only God can approve the holy canons, but not the churchmen with their church charter, that is, the Bible... They also went to the Saint’s grave people walked, and no one returned without the help of the Saint. Yes, Sergius’s faith was simple and pure without Bibles and names of God, they simply prayed to God without calling His Name. Thirty years after the death of St. Sergius (1422), the churchmen still managed to excavate the grave of the Saint, allegedly because he was buried against his will, and the relics were brought into the temple, but after that the relics stopped healing, because, most likely, they were replaced by others, someone's bones... It was at the instigation of Sergius of Radonezh that Russian Christianity began to be called Orthodox; before him there was no such name. Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin dreamed of restoring the traditions of Vedic Christianity. For this purpose, he revived Russian Orthodoxy, banned by the Bolsheviks. But Stalin’s dream never came true; his premature death prevented it. Through the efforts of Sergius of Radonezh, it was proven that the Old Testament is not the holy book of Russian Christians. Their Jewish god Yahweh-Amon has nothing to do with the Creator. Sergius... called Jesus not God, but Teacher and Magus. Under Sergius of Radonezh, both ideologies - ancient Vedic and modern Christian - merged into one whole. Sergius and his associates, relying on the apocrypha and the New Testament, managed to show that Jesus brought the pure, uncomplicated Vedic tradition to the Jews. The Orthodoxy of Sergius of Radonezh in its essence ceased to be Western, it turned into a life-affirming solar religion of the triumph of the laws of Rule and the highest cosmic justice. Sergius of Radonezh knew well the true teaching of Christ, that it was fundamentally Vedic, and therefore did not invent anything of his own. The Christian teaching of Sergius of Radonezh became what it should have been. In fact, in its essence indistinguishable from the Vedic ancient Hyperborean worldview. The Monk Sergius never argued with anyone. In his teaching, He always and everywhere relied on Christ. He (Jesus) in His Teaching looked alive with high creative potential and that creative power in which one could see the power of the Almighty. Sergius of Radonezh, as it were, expanded the idea of Christ, showed his Teaching to be multifaceted. And he did it unobtrusively, softly without unnecessary noise and at the same time very convincingly. In fact, this ascetic from Orthodoxy managed to put the ancient Aryan Vedic worldview into a Christian form. And only the initiate understood that the Vedic head of the gods, Rod, according to the teachings of Sergius, became the “Heavenly Father.” Ancient Svarog - the son of Rod turned into Jesus Christ, and Lada - the Goddess of love and harmony took the form of the Virgin Mary, Perun turned in the consciousness of the Russian people into Elijah the Prophet, etc. In general, the Vedic functions of the ancient Aryan gods were extrapolated by Sergius of Radonezh to the names of archangels, angels and saints of the Christian pantheon. Thus, the Holy Ascetic Sergius completely preserved the mechanism of the spiritual evolution of human consciousness. According to His Teaching, as in ancient times, the institution of self-discipline was preserved, those moral stages of human spiritual growth that Westerners so diligently destroyed. As before, many vices and weaknesses were condemned by a special people's assembly. Just as in the era of the Aryans the consumption of alcohol was prohibited, any violence and actions that degraded human dignity were considered a sin. But high moral qualities in a person were encouraged and supported in every possible way. First of all, love for the Motherland and one’s people, love for the national Russian culture, selfless love for family and friends. In the Teaching of Sergius of Radonezh, self-sacrifice was highly valued in order to achieve a high goal. Honesty, truthfulness, constancy, incorruptibility and courage were encouraged in every possible way... It turned out that around the Church of St. Sergius of Radonezh, spiritually fragmented Rus' began to unite. Now both Vedic Russians and Christians found a common language. Now both of them looked at the West as a hotbed of evil and discord, at a kingdom of demons who, in order to conquer the world of the Aryans - Russians, perverted the true teaching of Christ and contrasted it with the Vedic. Sergius of Radonezh managed to reconcile two warring religions in Rus'.
Show the Vedic Russians that the true teaching of Christ has nothing in common with Western Christianity. That Jesus never taught to burn Vedic temples, organize crusades and burn heretics at the stake. He showed Russian Christians that true Christianity, in its essence, is the same cosmogonic and deep teaching as their ancient faith. Therefore, there is no reason for religious hostility. Both need to unite against the perverted Talmudic Christianity that is advancing from the West. Where the name of Christ is used to cover up the most heinous crimes. In the 14th century, our Russian religious ascetic Sergius of Radonezh concluded that Jesus was not any Christian and did not create any religion.
This man, being educated and possessing the secrets of Vedic civilization, managed to combine into a single whole the teachings of Christ and what had survived from the previous Vedic culture in Rus'. In the East, two centuries before the birth of Christ, the Essenes sect was created; it was considered a soft form of Judaism and was organized specifically for future slaves. Then, this Essene Judaism was attributed to Christ. This is where the expression “servant of God” or “all power comes from God”, etc. appeared in Western Christianity. Naturally, the Christian church is silent when asked about the highest destiny of man. For her, he is a “servant of God” - that’s the whole answer. The Vedic Christians of the Church of Sergius of Radonezh knew the answer to this question, which is why they called the person the son or grandson of God. The Old Believers, their descendants, know, but have forgotten a lot. The Church of Sergius of Radonezh denied the conversion “servant of God”. Power under Sergius of Radonezh was not from God, but from people, and you had to fight for fair power, and if you were hit and unfairly, then you can answer for such a blow with a blow. Through the efforts of Sergius of Radonezh, it was proven that the Old Testament is not the holy book of Russian Christians. Their Jewish god Yahweh-Amon has nothing to do with the Creator. Western missionaries and holy fathers demanded that the newly baptized should celebrate what was imposed on them, mainly Jewish. Like, for example, the celebration of the exodus of the Jews from Egypt, or the glorification of the circumcision of the Lord... The Jews came up with the idea that Jesus was circumcised. But Christians are obliged to celebrate these days, etc. All the main Christian holidays in Rus' are a legacy of the times of the asceticism of Sergius of Radonezh. And they were not imposed on the people, but rather preserved for them. Albeit in a different form, but their essence remains the same. No matter what you think or say, the ancient Komoyats or Maslenitsa are still colorfully celebrated in Russia, the holiday of Ivan Kupala is solemnly celebrated, the Vedic Christmastide is still alive in Russia, even Kolyada is celebrated. Sergius called Jesus not God, but Teacher and Magus. Under Sergius of Radonezh, both ideologies - ancient Vedic and modern Christian - merged into one whole. Sergius and his associates, relying on the apocrypha and the New Testament, managed to show that Jesus brought the pure, uncomplicated Vedic tradition to the Jews. Saint Sergius left us his message: “I WILL BE BACK TO SAVE YOU.”
Continuation in the book “LIFE LESSONS” Volume 4, where it will be told whose Great Spirit lived in the body of Saint Sergius.

Literature: Writer-historian Georgy Sidorov “Chronological-esoteric analysis of the development of modern civilization.” 1 book. page 151 https://www.alpha-omega.su/index/0-1088 “Legacy of the White Gods”

Website of Georgy Sidorov's creativity to expand consciousness. https://www.alpha-omega.su/

Sidorov G.A. book 1, chapter 8. “Asceticism of Sergius of Radonezh.” https://www.alpha-omega.su/index/0-475

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Friday, May 25, 2021 12:52 + in the quotation book Sergius of Radonezh - the Magus.

Until the 10th century, Great Rus' remained the only solar power on the planet, but then the lunar cult, Christianity born from Judaism, began to be imposed here. They destroyed priests and ancient chronicles, and forced the people to become mooners. In order not to deprive the Russian people of spirituality, not to turn them under the influence of Western Christian ideology into materialized ordinary people who live one day and are indifferent to their future, some Vedic priests began to act as Christian priests. Moreover, fooled and persecuted by endless persecution of sorcerers and magicians, the people began to seek truth from new “priests” from the foreign church. One of these “Christian ascetics” was Sergius of Radonezh.

Being a highly dedicated sorcerer, this pseudo-Christian managed in a short time to transform the Greek Christianity that came to Russian soil, with its servility, submission to force and authority, into a completely different religion. The Orthodoxy of Sergius of Radonezh in its essence ceased to be Western, it turned into a life-affirming solar religion of the triumph of the laws of Rule and the highest cosmic justice. Sergius of Radonezh knew well the true teaching of Christ, that it was fundamentally Vedic, and therefore did not invent anything of his own. The Christian teaching of Sergius of Radonezh became what it should have been. In fact, in its essence it is indistinguishable from the Vedic ancient Hyperborean worldview. Moreover, Sergius of Radonezh very subtly integrated his teaching into orthodox Christianity. And so unobtrusively and convincingly that even Christian fanatics believed him.

Magus Sergius never argued with anyone. In his teaching, he always and everywhere relied on Christ. He tried not to touch the apostles; for him they were far from flawless people. Jesus of Sergius of Radonezh had nothing dogmatic, in his teaching he looked alive with high creative potential and that creative force in which one could see the power of the Almighty: Sergius of Radonezh seemed to expand the idea of Christ, showed his teaching to be multifaceted. And he did it unobtrusively, softly without unnecessary noise and at the same time very convincingly. In fact, this ascetic from Orthodoxy managed to put the ancient Aryan Vedic worldview into a Christian form. And he did it so skillfully that even his ill-wishers did not see anything suspicious in his actions.

And only the initiate understood that the Vedic head of the gods, Rod, according to the teachings of Sergius, became the “Heavenly Father.” Ancient Svarog, the son of Rod, turned into Jesus Christ, and Lada, the goddess of love and harmony, took the form of the Virgin Mary, etc. In general, the Vedic functions of the ancient Aryan gods were extrapolated by Sergius of Radonezh to the names of archangels, angels and saints of the Christian pantheon. Thus, the holy ascetic Sergius completely preserved the mechanism of the SPIRITUAL EVOLUTION OF HUMAN CONSCIOUSNESS. According to his teaching, as in ancient times, the institution of self-discipline, those moral stages of human spiritual growth that Westerners so diligently destroyed, were preserved. As before, many vices and weaknesses were condemned by a special people's assembly. Just as in the era of the Aryans the consumption of alcohol was prohibited, any violence and actions that degraded human dignity were considered a sin. But high moral qualities in a person were encouraged and supported in every possible way. First of all, love for the Motherland and your people, love for the national Russian culture, selfless love for family and friends. In the teachings of Sergius of Radonezh, self-sacrifice was highly valued in order to achieve a high goal. Honesty, truthfulness, constancy, integrity and courage were strongly encouraged.

Sergius of Radonezh’s adoption of the Aryan family institution as a counterweight to Byzantine and Roman Christianity endeared him and his life-affirming teaching to many citizens who were conservatively inclined towards the new religion. It turned out that spiritually fragmented Rus' began to unite around the Church of Sergius of Radonezh. Now both Vedic Russians and Christians found a common language. By and large, they had nothing to argue about, much less kill each other. Now both of them looked at the West as a hotbed of evil and discord, at a kingdom of demons who, in order to conquer the world of the Aryan-Rus, perverted the true teaching of Christ and contrasted it with the Vedic.

Vedic holidays

Modern neo-pagans scold Christians in every possible way, saying that the latter superimposed all their holidays on the ancient Vedic ones. But it was not the Orthodox Byzantines who did this, nor the Catholic papists. Neither one nor the other was involved in national holidays in Rus'. Western missionaries and holy fathers demanded that the newly baptized should celebrate what was imposed on them, mainly Jewish. Like, for example, the celebration of the exodus of the Jews from Egypt, or the glorification of the circumcision of the Lord... The Jews came up with the idea that Jesus was circumcised. But Christians are obliged to celebrate, etc. All major Christian holidays in Rus' are a legacy of the times of asceticism of Sergius of Radonezh. And they were not imposed on the people, but rather preserved for them. Albeit in a different form, but their essence remains the same. No matter what you think or say, the ancient Komoyats or Maslenitsa are still colorfully celebrated in Russia, the holiday of Ivan Kupala is solemnly celebrated, the Vedic Christmastide is still alive in Russia, even Kolyada is celebrated! And this was after the third baptism, after the Nikonian Troubles.

The common holidays of Vedic Russians and Christians do not separate Vedism and the Christian religion, but rather unite them; and this unification, as before and now, involuntarily excludes Christianity from such a tandem. Surely this mechanism of exclusion was laid down in tandem by the sorcerer Sergius. After all, it becomes incomprehensible to any sane person what, in fact, alien Christianity is doing on Russian soil, if the same celebrations and glorifications, only with an even deeper cosmogonic meaning, were preserved in the ancient faith of the Aryan ancestors?

The Church of Sergius of Radonezh denied the conversion “servant of God”. Under Saint Sergius, the Rus called themselves, as before in Vedic times, the grandchildren of God. Power under Sergius of Radonezh was not from God, but from people, and you had to fight for fair power, and if you were hit and unfairly, then you can answer for such a blow with a blow.

* “Chronological and esoteric analysis of the development of modern civilization”, Sidorov G.A. Book 1, chapter 8 “The Asceticism of Sergius of Radonezh.”

Holidays of the Slavs and Christians (table)

Where did Christian holidays come from - dates and “functions” of saints? After all, these holidays are not in the Holy Scriptures; moreover, the Bible prohibits the worship of saints. The mediator between God and man is only Christ, and only prayers in the name of Christ are heard by God. At the same time, the Bible calls all believers in Christ saints, and not some separate group of people.

All the main Christian holidays in Rus' are a legacy of the times of the asceticism of Sergius of Radonezh (the holidays were suggested to Christians by the Magi). Seeing that it was no longer possible to resist the Judeo-Christian religion, the Magi came up with a way to save the lives of the Slavs, stop the civil war and at the same time, using Christianity, preserve the Slavic holidays until better times, albeit in a different form, but the essence remained the same. In Orthodoxy, gods are the patrons of animals, agriculture, thunder, wind, trade, warriors, etc. In Christianity, the same functions of gods are performed by saints:

St. Nicholas the Pleasant - patron of agriculture;

St. Mamant is the patron saint of goats and sheep;

St. George the Victorious is the patron saint of warriors;

St. Paraskeva Friday - patroness of trade and weaving;

Archangel Michael is the patron saint of construction...

Etc.

It turns out that Christian saints have “pagan” origins and attributes, and are not reflected in the Bible.

Table - holidays of Slavs and Christians

Even without citing an expanded version of the table, with mention of all the parallels of “pagan” and Christian holidays, the similarities in dates, names, and symbolism are clearly visible. The same parallels between Christianity and “paganism” can be observed in a number of customs and holidays. For example, Kolyada is a holiday of nature renewal. After unsuccessful attempts to eradicate the carol, the church included it in its Christmas and Epiphany cycles from December 24 to January 19 (Yuletide). The church contrasted the games and rituals of carols with “glorifying Christ,” walking with a star, etc. Of course, all of this has no confirmation in the Bible.

So, what we recently considered a symbol of primordially Russian Christianity turned out to be primordial “paganism.” As G.A. writes Sidorov - “Common holidays of Vedic Russians and Christians unite Vedism and Christianity, but this unification involuntarily excludes Christianity from such a tandem. After all, it becomes incomprehensible to any sane person what alien Christianity is actually doing on Russian soil, if the same celebrations and glorifications, only with an even deeper cosmogonic meaning, were preserved in the ancient faith of the Aryan Ancestors?

*Our further task is to restore the original meaning of the holidays. This is not just a day of drinking and eating, but in every holiday, rite or ritual - it is also training and then education. It was not in vain that our Ancestors passed on tales and epics from mouth to mouth, word for word, so as not to violate the meaning.

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In order not to deprive the Russian people of spirituality, not to turn them under the influence of Western Christian ideology into materialized ordinary people, living one day at a time, indifferent to their future, some Vedic priests began to act as Christian priests. Moreover, fooled and persecuted by endless persecution of sorcerers and magicians, the people began to seek truth from new “priests” from the foreign church. Sergius of Radonezh, known to all Russian people, turned out to be such a “Christian ascetic.”

Being a highly dedicated sorcerer, this pseudo-Christian managed in a short time to transform the Greek Christianity that came to Russian soil, with its servility, submission to force and authority, into a completely different religion. The Orthodoxy of Sergius of Radonezh in its essence ceased to be Western, it turned into a life-affirming solar religion of the triumph of the laws of Rule and the highest cosmic justice. Sergius of Radonezh knew well the true teaching of Christ, that it was fundamentally Vedic, and therefore did not invent anything of his own. Perhaps he managed to find somewhere, in addition to the biblical gospels, apocrypha. Whether this is true or not is unknown, only the Christian teaching of Sergius of Radonezh became what it should have been. In fact, to its essence it is indistinguishable from the Vedic ancient Hyperborean worldview. Moreover, Sergius of Radonezh very subtly integrated his teaching into orthodox Christianity. And so unobtrusively and convincingly that even Christian fanatics believed him. Magus Sergius never argued with anyone. In his teaching, he always and everywhere relied on Christ.

He tried not to touch the apostles; for him they were far from flawless people. Jesus of Sergius of Radonezh had nothing dogmatic, in his teaching he looked alive with high creative potential and that creative force in which one could see the power of the Almighty: Sergius of Radonezh seemed to expand the idea of Christ, showed his teaching to be multifaceted. And he did it unobtrusively, softly without unnecessary noise and at the same time very convincingly. In fact, this ascetic from Orthodoxy managed to put the ancient Aryan Vedic worldview into a Christian form. And he did it so skillfully that even his ill-wishers did not see anything suspicious in his actions. And only the initiate understood that the Vedic head of the gods, Rod, according to the teachings of Sergius, became the “Heavenly Father.” Ancient Svarog, the son of Rod, turned into Jesus Christ, and Lada, the goddess of love and harmony, took the form of the Virgin Mary, etc. In short, the Vedic functions of the ancient Aryan gods were extrapolated by Sergius of Radonezh to the names of archangels, angels and saints of the Christian pantheon.

Thus, the holy ascetic Sergius completely preserved the mechanism of the SPIRITUAL EVOLUTION OF HUMAN CONSCIOUSNESS. According to his teaching, as in ancient times, the institution of self-discipline, those moral stages of human spiritual growth that Westerners so diligently destroyed, were preserved. As before, many vices and weaknesses were condemned by a special people's assembly. Just as in the era of the Aryans the consumption of alcohol was prohibited, any violence and actions that degraded human dignity were considered a sin. But high moral qualities in a person were encouraged and supported in every possible way. First of all, love for the Motherland and one’s people, love for the national Russian culture, selfless love for family and friends. In the teachings of Sergius of Radonezh, self-sacrifice was highly valued in order to achieve a high goal. Honesty, truthfulness, constancy, integrity and courage were strongly encouraged.

Heritage of St. Sergius of Radonezh

Venerable Sergius of Radonezh

700 years ago, in 1314, the Monk Sergius of Radonezh was born[1]. The Russian world in the era of his childhood suffered heavily under the Horde yoke. As the modern researcher A. Ermakov accurately noted, “neither the last serf nor the grand duke could hope to arrange even his own destiny of his own free will. The well-being and life of any person in Rus' depended on the outcome of the rivalry for the khan's throne, the benevolence or tyranny of the Horde governors, price fluctuations on the world slave trade market, loss of livestock or unexpected drought in the Great Steppe. Talk about the value of an individual and his ability to reorganize his life could only cause a bitter smile.”[2] Rus' was fragmented into dozens of principalities, society was atomized[3]. Only the Church united him and only the Church gave hope to the Russian people. This hope was only in God, as the evening prayer of adoration says: “I do not expect help from man, but I expect Your mercy and Your longing intercession.”

Life of Rev. Sergius of Radonezh was compiled around 1418 by Epiphanius the Wise, hot on the heels of the recollections of eyewitnesses, which Epiphanius carefully collected. Around 1440 it was enriched by the Serbian hesychast Pachomius the Serb or Logothetes. “Life” is a most valuable monument for getting acquainted with the life of St. Sergius, and with the spiritual life of Muscovite Rus' in the 14th century[4].

It is characteristic how St. Sergius is born. It becomes the fruit of the expectations, prayers and sighs of righteous parents. This is how his life speaks about it:

“After all, it was necessary that Sergius be given by God to many people for the good, for salvation and for benefit, and therefore it was not appropriate for such a baby to be born from unrighteous parents, and it would not be appropriate for others, that is, unrighteous parents, to give birth to this child. God gave it only to those chosen parents, which is what happened: good was united with good and the best with the best. The very conception and birth of the child took place in fasting and prayer. She was virtuous and very God-fearing, since even before the birth of the child she understood and understood such a sign and phenomenon worthy of surprise. And she consulted with her husband, saying this: “If a boy is born to us, we will make a vow to bring him to church and give him to God, the benefactor of all”; which came true. O glorious faith! O good love! Even before the birth of the child, the parents promised to bring him and give him to the Giver of blessings to God, as in ancient times Anna the prophetess, the mother of Samuel the prophet, did.”[5].

Characteristic is the comparison of the Venerable Mary with Anna, the mother of Samuel, and himself with the holy prophet, the last judge of Israel. Epiphanius the Wise seemed to want to show not only the prophetic dignity of St. Sergius, but also his contribution to the structure of the Russian state, as well as his chosenness of God and the miracle of his birth.

So, Bartholomew is a prayed-for, wonderful child. And yet, his parents treat him the same as everyone else, without singling him out at all, without making him a “prodigy.” Reverends Kirill and Mary had a wonderful gift - to love all their children with even and equal love. We see that the youth Bartholomew works equally with everyone else: shepherds herds, masters carpentry skills, which were so useful to him later. The attitude towards learning and education is characteristic: education and even learning to read and write is a gift that must be earned and begged for. The youth Bartholomew is unable to study - and not because of his laziness or negligence: there are special children for whom a special key must be found. “Stephen and Peter quickly learned to read and write, but Bartholomew did not quickly learn to read, but somehow slowly and not diligently. The teacher taught Bartholomew with great diligence, but the boy did not listen to him and could not learn, he was not like his comrades studying with him. For this, his parents often scolded him, the teacher punished him even more severely, and his comrades reproached him.”[6] From the life of St. Sergius we see that a visit from above is necessary in order for a person’s attention to be transformed and the inner springs of his soul and mind to open. But for this, the will of the person himself is necessary: “The youth often secretly prayed to God with tears, saying: “Lord! Let me learn this literacy, teach me and enlighten me.” And his prayer was answered.

A certain wondrous old man who appeared to the youth Bartholomew when he was looking for horses,

“called him over and blessed him, and kissed him in the name of Christ, and asked him: “What are you looking for and what do you want, child?” The youth said: “My soul desires most of all to learn to read and write, for which I was given to study. Now my soul grieves, because I am learning to read and write, but I cannot overcome it. You, holy father, pray to God for me, so that I can learn to read and write.” The elder, raising his hands and eyes to heaven and sighing before God, prayed diligently and after the prayer said: “Amen.” And, taking from his purse like some kind of treasure, he gave him with three fingers something similar to anaphora, a small piece of white wheat bread, a piece of holy prosphora, and said to him: “Open your mouth, child, and open them. Take this and eat it - this is a sign of God’s grace and understanding of Holy Scripture. Although what I give seems small, the sweetness of tasting it is great”[7].

Let's note how this happens. If the saints prophet Ezekiel, John the Theologian and Roman the Sweet Singer are given a scroll, like prophets, preachers and poets[8], then St. Sergius of Radonezh is given something similar to an anaphora or the Body of Christ, in appearance a piece of holy prosphora. And this is no coincidence, for later the name of St. Sergius was associated with Eucharistic miracles (the descent of the Holy Spirit into a chalice in the form of fire), as well as the Eucharistic revival of Rus', associated with the creation of many monasteries and churches.

The further life path of St. Sergius is also significant. Striving to become a monk, he, nevertheless, does not part with his parents and until the last moment rests their old age. He did not forget obedience - the first virtue of any Christian free from self-will. Having already a clearly visible goal in life - monasticism, he nevertheless humbles himself for the sake of his father and mother, remaining to care for them. Anyone who is accustomed to saying that monasticism teaches a person to despise his family will find in this chapter of his life an example of how the first comes from the second. The example of the monk encourages us not to neglect today's responsibilities, no matter how important and great our plans are. A truly believer will never “go through people” in order to fulfill his “highest” desire, but, on the contrary, he will willingly “step on his own throat” when he sees the need of his neighbor. Sergius, whose whole life was a great sacrifice to God, began his feat with a small sacrifice to his parents and, most importantly, did it with joy. And how does this contrast with the behavior of some monks who, when they go to a monastery, not only leave their elderly parents without help, but at times also abandon their families - wives and young children, hiding behind beautiful words the inability to build their own small Church and live in peace with people .

When talking about the monastic feat of the Monk Sergius, the thought of a military feat arises - of the saint’s victory over himself, over demons, over beasts:

“Who can describe his warm tears, spiritual weeping, heartfelt sighs, all-night vigils, fervent singing, unceasing prayers, standing without rest, diligent reading, frequent kneeling, hunger, thirst, lying on the ground, spiritual poverty, poverty in everything, lack in everything? : whatever you call it, it didn’t happen. To all this was added the struggle with demons, visible and invisible battles with them. But his mind was not horrified by such enemy machinations, and fierce attacks, and aspirations”[9].

The modern world is saturated with the cult of “Superman” - superman. But if the modern “superman” can, perhaps, overcome hunger, thirst and cold, fight wild animals, then he can no longer defeat himself, his passions, because that is not what he is aimed at. And the Monk Sergius accomplished the most difficult feat - he defeated himself, and this is the source of his victory over the surrounding world, demons, and nature.

And this same spirit of achievement is present in the story about the organization of communal monastic life. This is how his biographer Epiphanius the Wise talks about it:

“At night, Sergius spent time in prayer without sleep; He only ate bread and water, and even that he used little; and did not remain idle for an hour. Every day he served the Divine Liturgy, morning and evening prayers easily said - and for the humility of the whole world, and for the longevity of the holy churches, and for Orthodox kings, and princes, and for all Orthodox Christians. He said to the brethren: “We must accomplish a great feat in the fight against the invisible enemy: after all, he walks like a roaring lion, trying to tear everyone to pieces.” While instructing the brethren, he made few speeches, but he set a much greater example for the brethren with his deeds.”[10]

The creation of communal monasticism is one of the significant feats of St. Sergius. Both Rus' and Byzantium suffered from idiorhythmic monasticism, which destroyed spiritual life and made the very idea of monastic activity meaningless, when, as Golubinsky put it, rich “self-made” monks looked at the poor as serfs, and they groveled before them because of money. St. Sergius in many ways returned Russian monasticism to the life of the first apostolic community, when “the multitude of those who believed had one heart and one soul; and no one called anything of his property his own, but they had everything in common” (Acts 4:32).

St. Sergius left more than speeches - he left us a living example of labor asceticism and the combination of physical labor and spiritual labor. This is how his life tells us about it:

“How he served his brethren without laziness, like a bought slave: he chopped wood for everyone, as was said, and pounded grain; and did not remain idle for an hour.”[11]

St. Sergius in fact shows the image of complete poverty combined with hard work. Particularly shocking is the story of how the Monk Sergius cut down the cell of Elder Daniel behind a sieve of moldy bread. The feat of St. Sergius can be appreciated if we compare what he took for his work with modern prices for at least the most ordinary log house.

There is nothing deliberate or artificial in the labor non-acquisitiveness of St. Sergius, in contrast to the beggary behavior of Francis of Assisi with his anguish and theatricality[12]. It organically grows out of the conditions of Russian life and is a denunciation of those who believe that the Church and its ministers must necessarily live in luxury, since it symbolizes the Kingdom of Heaven.

Through the prayer of Rev. Sergius healed the sick and raised the dead. At the same time, St. Sergius demonstrated the amazing virtue of humility and hiding his good deeds both from people and from himself.

The humility, feat and prayer of St. Sergius becomes the force that allowed the Russian people to rise and unite. Let us note that the relationship between Grand Duke Demetrius and St. Sergius was not the simplest. Holy Prince Demetrius expelled St. Cyprian from the metropolis, whom St. Sergius of Radonezh supported and predicted to replace Metropolitan Mityai, who promised to destroy the monastery of St. Sergius. And, nevertheless, at the decisive hour before the Battle of Kulikovo, knowing the prophetic gift of St. Sergius, the Grand Duke humbles himself and comes to him for a blessing to ask “whether the saint will order him to speak out against the godless”[13]. And Saint Demetrius receives from Saint Sergius the long-awaited answer and blessing for the victorious battle:

“The saint, when he heard about this from the Grand Duke, blessed him, armed him with prayer and said: “You should, sir, take care of the glorious Christian flock entrusted to you by God. Go against the godless, and if God helps you, you will win and return unharmed to your fatherland with great honor” “[14].

Let us note that St. Sergius lovingly receives Prince Dimitri, despite all the differences. At the decisive hour, he separated the main from the secondary and directed the power of his prayer to the salvation of the Fatherland.

When, seeing the countless Tatar army, Saint Prince Demetrius and his companions began to hesitate, they were strengthened by the message of the Monk Sergius, which said: “Without any doubt, sir, boldly oppose their ferocity, without being at all afraid - God will definitely help you " The effect of this message was extraordinary:

“Then the great prince Dmitry and his entire army, filled with great determination from this message, went against the filthy ones, and the prince said: “Great God, Who created heaven and earth!” Be my helper against the opponents of Your holy Name.” So the battle began, and many fell, but God helped the great victorious Dmitry, and the filthy Tatars were defeated and suffered complete defeat.”

Relatively shortly before his death, in 1387, the Monk Sergius accomplished what seemed impossible. He persuaded the insidious and irreconcilable Prince Oleg, who hated Moscow, to make peace with Grand Duke Dimitri.

And, however, the public service of St. Sergius[15], with all its significance, is not the main thing in his life. The main thing is his spiritual life. The fourteenth century was the heyday of hesychasm both in the Balkans and in Rus'[16], associated with the names of St. Theodosius of Kilifarevo, St. Euthymius of Tarnovo, and St. Romil of Vidin. In Rus', hesychasm is rightly associated with the name of St. Sergius. Evidence of the ineffable vision of the Divine Light, the descent of the Holy Spirit in the form of fire onto the Holy Gifts during his ministry, brought to us by Pachomius the Serb[17], testifies to the hesychast experience of acquiring grace. St. Sergius is the founder of an entire monastic school associated with such names as St. Nikon of Radonezh, Andronik, and Kirill of Belozersky. Thanks to his labors, Great Russian monasticism—the Northern Thebaid—prospered. Moreover, the formation of the parish system in Rus' is also associated with the name of St. Sergius of Radonezh and his disciples: thanks to them, Rus' became fully churched.

St. Sergius left us a covenant: “Looking at the image of the unity of the Holy Trinity, conquer the hateful division of this world . This call is more relevant than ever in our time, when forces hostile to Orthodoxy and Russia seek to divide the Russian people, to prevent the Holy Church from fulfilling its ministry, when the spirit of discord and hostility penetrates the hearts of Orthodox people. St. Sergius is our teacher in the matter of salvation, gathering and unification in Christ. I would like to complete this article with the words of V.O. Klyuchevsky from his wonderful article about St. Sergius of Radonezh:

“Creating the memory of St. Sergius, we check ourselves, review our moral reserve, bequeathed to us by the great builders of our moral order... The gates of the Lavra of St. Sergius will be closed and the lamps over his tomb will go out only when we have spent this reserve without a trace, without replenishing it.” [18].

In 1920, the Lavra closed, and it seemed that this reserve was indeed wasted. But that was not the case. When it was necessary to call the sons of Russia under the banners of Saints Alexander Nevsky and Dmitry Donskoy, they remembered St. Sergius, and the gates of the Lavra opened again. St. Sergius is one of the spiritual creators of victory in the Great Patriotic War. Moreover, during the years of official atheism, the Lavra was one of the most important spiritual fortresses in the fight against godlessness. And now, through the prayers of St. Sergius, she is a gracious lamp of Orthodoxy, not only for Russia, but also for the whole world.

Science | Philosophy of Culture

Venerable Sergius of Radonezh. All teaching is life.

S.V. Perevezentsev

The beginning of the unprecedented scale of Orthodox asceticism in history, which occurred in the XIV-XV centuries. was founded near Moscow, in the Trinity Monastery by St. Sergius of Radonezh. [1]

Venerable Sergius of Radonezh. All teaching is life. (1314 or 1322 - 1392) did not leave a single line behind him. Moreover, he always avoided overt teaching. Therefore, we can say that the teaching of St. Sergius of Radonezh is his life.

The asceticism of St. Sergius of Radonezh significantly influenced the entire Russian spirituality, for he introduced into it the most important religious and philosophical ideas for the entire Russian national consciousness.

First of all, Sergius of Radonezh, striving for “life in Christ,” introduced the idea and practice of “high living” as a real example of moral perfection, as a kind of universal ideal. Shortly before his death, Sergius of Radonezh bequeathed to his monks “to have spiritual and physical purity and unfeigned love”, “to adorn themselves with humility”, “to maintain like-mindedness with each other”, “to place nothing on the honor and glory of this life, but instead from God expect reward, heavenly eternal blessings of pleasure.” In fact, this will, in a brief form, expresses all the main components of the idea of "high life."

Preaching a “high life,” Sergius of Radonezh called on the monastic brethren, first of all, to completely renounce worldly temptations - wealth, power, hatred, violence. He believed that all these worldly worries burden the soul and prevent the monk from concentrating on prayer. “And we should not worry about anything useless, but we should trust and look to God, who can feed us, and clothe us, and take care of all our affairs: and from him we should expect everything that is good and beneficial for our souls and bodies.” , - said Sergius.

Therefore, in the Trinity Monastery itself, love of poverty, renunciation of private property, humility and love were practiced. But, at the same time, Sergius did not welcome complete poverty or begging, which was what the monks of other monasteries did. The Trinity abbot very highly valued human dignity, which is given from God, and which man is obliged to observe. Therefore, the Trinity monks practiced daily joint labor to earn a living. Moreover, if the residents of the surrounding villages brought provisions to the monks, then, at the behest of the abbot, they first prayed for the glory of God, then fed the guests, and last of all, they themselves began to eat.

The renunciation of everything worldly was supposed to help the monks maintain “purity of soul” as a necessary condition for “high living.” In this sense, Sergius of Radonezh followed the ancient monastic-ascetic tradition. The text of the Life says that in his heart (“on the heart of the mind”) the Monk Sergius bore the examples of famous ancient ascetics, the founders of the monastic tradition in general and, in particular, the communal tradition - Anthony the Great, Euthymius the Great, Savva the Sanctified, Pachomius, Theodosius and others.

However, in his opinion, the achievement of spiritual purity was not associated with the practice of “torture of the flesh” in the way it was understood, for example, in the Kiev-Pechersk Monastery. The Life reports that even at a time when the monks lived “separately,” Sergius led a strict fasting life, and his virtues were as follows: “hunger, thirst, vigil, dry food, sleep on earth, purity of body and soul, silence of the lips, thorough mortification of carnal desires, physical labor, unfeigned humility, unceasing prayer, good judgment, perfect love, poverty in clothing, remembrance of death, meekness with gentleness, constant fear of God.” At the same time, the Life emphasizes the special significance of the idea of the fear of God, with which the monk was protected from sins. However, the fear of God itself is only the beginning of achievement, the beginning of all virtue.

And a little lower, the Life reports that Sergius avoided “demonic temptations” not by the practice of “torture of the flesh,” but only by strict fasting: “The venerable one, sensing an enemy attack (i.e., devilish temptations. - S.P.), subdued his body and enslaved it, bridling it with fasting; and so by the grace of God he was delivered from temptations.” The most important means in the fight against temptations is a moral feat, that very “purity of soul” when, without resorting to physical torture, a person is able to overcome all temptations with only “arrows of purity”: “He learned to defend himself against demonic attacks: as soon as demons They wanted to strike him with arrows of sin, but the saint shot arrows of purity at them, shooting in the darkness at the righteous in heart.”

Consequently, in the Trinity Monastery, the ascetic feat was considered, firstly, suffering in the name of Christ, and, secondly, as a means of “brightening the soul,” for suffering should precisely brighten the soul, and not “torture” the body. Thus, acting as the spiritual heir of Anthony and Theodosius of Pechersk, Sergius of Radonezh shifted his emphasis towards spiritual and moral self-improvement, abandoning the physical “torture of the flesh.” And it is not without reason that the Life itself repeatedly emphasizes that it was precisely because of the “purity of life” that St. Sergius was awarded God’s grace.

An important condition for “high living” were the ideas of humility and love. And Sergius of Radonezh throughout his life proved to those around him that life can be arranged only with goodness and love, for by responding evil to evil, a person gives birth to new evil. No wonder G.P. Fedotov, speaking about Sergius of Radonezh, quite rightly noted: “Humble meekness is the main spiritual fabric of his personality.”

A necessary component of “high living” was the idea of “internal” spiritual freedom, as the highest degree of freedom in general. This idea is based on the words of Jesus Christ: “And you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free” (John 8:32). Subsequently developed in the works of the Church Fathers, the idea of “inner freedom” received its vivid embodiment in the life and work of St. Sergius of Radonezh.

The essence of this idea is as follows. A person, under the influence of the grace of the Holy Spirit, is able to know God's truth and enter the path of salvation. Knowledge of the truth convinces a person of the meaningless vanity of worldly worries, but, at the same time, greatly strengthens his spiritual strength. Consequently, a person who has mastered the truth turns out to be free in relation to the world around him and to the evil that fills this world. Moreover, he begins to resist evil.

“Inner freedom” is the highest degree of freedom because a person in his thoughts and actions comes as close as possible to the Divine image. No other type of freedom, and especially the freedom that is established in human laws, can be compared with “internal” freedom. After all, if God’s Grace lives in a person’s heart, then nothing can prevent him from being free, for under the influence of this Grace a person commits exactly those actions that are inspired in him by the Lord Himself.

Examples of the “inner freedom” of St. Sergius can be seen in numerous cases when he deals completely freely with princes, bishops and many of the powerful of this world, who are cited in his Life. Concerned only with serving the Lord, he turns out to be higher and freer than many endowed with real worldly power.

It must be said that the idea of “inner freedom” over time became very influential in Russian religious and philosophical thought and in literary and artistic creativity. This idea was reflected and expressed in almost all the teachings of Russian philosophers and in many works of Russian writers. Moreover, in the idea of “internal freedom” Sergius of Radonezh expressed one of the most important qualities of Russian national identity. St. Sergius saw another condition for “high living” - both for the individual, for the monastic monastery, and for society as a whole - in unanimity.

Unity of mind for an individual is the unity of a soul completely devoted to the service of the Lord. For the monastery, this is the unity of thoughts and actions of all monks, who through their deeds multiply Christ’s Love on earth and set an example for other people. For society, this is the idea of the unity of Rus', thanks to which Rus' can only be saved. And it is no coincidence that the monastery founded by St. Sergius was dedicated to the Holy Trinity. Sergius of Radonezh saw in the Trinity the highest Christian image of Unity and Love, for the hypostases of the Holy Trinity are consubstantial, not separated by relations of seniority and juniority, do not know hatred, but are filled with Love.

It should be recalled that it was the dogma of the Holy Trinity, due to the difficulty of its rational understanding, that gave rise to many different heresies in the history of the Christian Church. The dogma of the Holy Trinity (or trinitarian dogma) is one of the most important in Christian doctrine. And, at the same time, one of the most difficult for its religious, philosophical and theological interpretation. Even the holy Fathers of the Church, foreseeing difficulties in comprehending the dogma of the Holy Trinity, tried to clarify the mystery of the “non-fusion and indivisibility” of the Divine Trinity. At the same time, they actively used images and symbols. Some made a comparison with the sun's radiance, where the sun, ray and light are simultaneously united and distinguishable. Others reflected on the mystery and harmony of love, where the hypostases are related as Lover, Beloved and Love. Still others talked about will, reason and action. But everyone agreed on one thing: the Holy Trinity is not a quantitative characteristic, but a quality of the Lord, incomprehensible to man, but given to him in Revelation. St. Basil the Great wrote: “The Lord, conveying to us about the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, did not rename them by counting; for he did not say: in the first, second and third, or in one, two and three; but in the holy Names he gave us the knowledge of faith, leading to salvation...”

It is interesting that before Sergius of Radonezh, the dogma of the Holy Trinity was accepted in Rus' as such. Even being the object of speculative religious and philosophical speculation, the Holy Trinity was not considered as a necessary part of real life. For example, they preferred to dedicate churches to more real images: the Savior, the Mother of God, the “first aid” St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, holy warriors and the Fathers of the Church. And only in the Kiev-Pechersk Monastery was much more attention paid to the Trinity - there, above the main gate at the beginning of the 12th century. Trinity Church was erected. Consequently, turning to the image of the Holy Trinity, Sergius of Radonezh also acted as the heir to the tradition established by the Kiev-Pechersk monks.

But for the first time in Russian religious and philosophical thought, St. Sergius gave the idea of the Holy Trinity a real, concrete sound, transformed Christian dogma into a symbol of living unity, the unity to which all people living on earth should strive. Thus, the Holy Trinity is also a prototype of how human society in general and Russian society in particular should be built.

The image of the Holy Trinity, preached by him both as a symbol of the unity of heaven and earth, and as a symbol of the unity of earthly life, and as a symbol of the unity of the Church and as a symbol of the unity of the Old and New Testaments, enshrined in the Russian national consciousness by the creation of Andrei Rublev with the icon “Holy Trinity”, in Soon he became a guiding star for many Russian scribes.

In fact, the image of the Holy Trinity showed all of Rus' a possible and real way to save the state. In a religious and philosophical sense, this image, as an ideal of earthly existence, opened the way for removing the very dilemma - national or universal. This path was connected with mastering the experience of the Universal Church through the strengthening and development of its own national principles in the Russian Church. Indeed, in the monastic feat of Sergius of Radonezh, the long-standing Russian traditions of a joyful, optimistic perception of the Orthodox faith, and the principles of a more mystical Eastern Christianity, found their unity. Moreover, united together, they became the basis for all further spiritual development of Rus'. The idea of the special path of Rus' and the special plan of God for Rus' gradually began to win more and more place in the hearts and minds of Russian scribes. And it is not for nothing that the coming XV-XVI centuries became the brightest times of Russian holiness. Realizing and recognizing the holiness of their worshippers, all of Rus' gradually acquired holiness.

Consequently, the Holy Trinity, in whose honor the monastery was founded on Mount Makovets, also became a symbol of the unity of Rus'. As subsequent history showed, it was from the Trinity Monastery that the Russian people, both in the 14th century and later, waited for impulses for the revival of unity in the Russian state, for these impulses came as if from the Lord Himself. And the Trinity icon, painted by Andrei Rublev, a spiritual disciple of St. Sergius, was revered not as a work of art, but again as an embodied symbol of Divine unity.

It is quite natural that the desire for a “high life” also presupposed certain specific ways of understanding God’s Providence. And in this sense, Sergius of Radonezh attached great importance to mystical knowledge. The symbolic basis of visions lies in the Bible, which is entirely imbued with the idea of divine visions and signs (thus, the fundamental image of the Trinity, which became the basis of the Trinitarian dogma, originates, as already mentioned, in the biblical story of the appearance of three men to Abraham). Great importance is attached to the mystical language of knowledge of God's secrets in the works of the Church Fathers, especially in the writings of Dionysius the Areopagite. Later, this tradition received special development in the Byzantine Church.

In Rus', the common Orthodox belief also remained that knowledge of the Lord's secrets occurs through mystical visions and epiphanies. From the 11th century a large number of translated eastern literature monuments are known that tell about visions; apocryphal works were especially striking in this sense. But the substantiation of forms of mystical connection with the divine world is quite rare in the Russian book tradition. Moreover, the atmosphere of monastic mysticism of visions appeared in Rus' only from the end of the 14th - beginning of the 15th centuries. And at the origins of this phenomenon is Sergius of Radonezh. As G.P. wrote. Fedotov: “We have every right to see in St. Sergius the first Russian mystic, that is, the bearer of a special, mysterious spiritual life, not exhausted by the feat of love, asceticism and persistence of prayer. The secrets of his spiritual life remained hidden to us.”

In fact, in this attention to the mystical knowledge of God’s secrets, so vividly represented by the Life of Sergius of Radonezh, one can see a new and fruitful experience in the assimilation of the traditions of the Byzantine Church by Russian religious and philosophical thought. However, the point is not only in the assimilation of Eastern traditions, but also in the fact that these traditions were filled and supplemented by their own, Russian, reading of the miraculous phenomena themselves. And domestic religious and philosophical thought followed the path of absorbing Eastern religious mystical experience.

The reasons for visions and epiphanies themselves could be different. First of all, theophany occurred miraculously, without any expression of will on the part of man, but according to the will of God Himself. At the same time, special techniques for achieving mystical trance were developed in monastic communities. This began with the ancient Egyptian and Syrian hermits of the 3rd-7th centuries.

As the Life of Sergius of Radonezh testifies, epiphanies to the Trinity abbot were performed repeatedly. Most often - during prayer. The most striking and significant of them is the appearance of the Mother of God, who, in response to the prayer of St. Sergius, promised Her protection to the monastery he had built. Moreover, it is important that Sergius, after prayer, warned the nearby monk Micah about the upcoming appearance of the Most Pure Mother of God: “Son! Be vigilant and stay awake, because a wonderful and terrible vision will come to us at this hour,” said St. Sergius. It is also important in this case that the appearance of the Mother of God was unique in the monastic practice of that time.

It is also important in this case that the appearance of the Mother of God was unique in the monastic practice of that time. The very fact of St. Sergius’s vision of the Mother of God is the first evidence of the appearance of the Mother of God to a Russian monk. Later, this was seen as a clear divine sign that the Lord began to give Rus', and specifically Moscow Rus', his special protection.

According to the testimony of another monk, Simon, during the service, “divine fire” appeared to Sergius of Radonezh, “walking along the altar, overshadowing the altar and surrounding the holy meal on all sides.” And then, when Sergius wanted to take communion, “the divine fire curled up like some kind of shroud and entered the holy chalice (vessel for communion - S.P.); That’s how the saint took communion.” The fact that St. Sergius was given miraculous mystical knowledge is also evidenced by many other facts given in his Life - healing of the sick, casting out demons, and even the resurrection from the dead. In general, the mystical experience of St. Sergius, narrated by his Life, testifies that at the turn of the 14th-15th centuries, Russian religious and philosophical thought was already fully faced with the task of mastering the experience of the Christian Church in all its diverse scope. Striving to find itself on the paths of God's Providence, Rus' strove for symbolic unity with God. And the role of Sergius of Radonezh in this is more than great.

It is also important that St. Sergius became one of those who gave Byzantine Christianity a national sound, transforming it into a truly popular religion. Largely thanks to Sergius of Radonezh, Russian Orthodoxy acquired those spiritual, moral and practical components that today retain their life-giving power.

It is also necessary to say that the ascetic activity of St. Sergius of Radonezh laid the foundation for such a unique phenomenon in Russian Orthodoxy as eldership. The elders are monks who, through their righteous lives, proved man’s ability for moral and spiritual purification. The meaning of the institution of “elderhood” in Russian monasticism has changed significantly over the centuries. However, there was also an undoubted spiritual continuity. In general, with their spiritual authority the elders had a huge influence on the entire Russian society. Venerable Sergius of Radonezh. All teaching is life. became a true “lamp” for his contemporaries and descendants - a man who managed to subordinate his entire life to the Gospel commandments of love and like-mindedness. Avoiding the temptation to judge and edify, he taught not so much with words as with his way of life, his attitude towards others. And the people heard his silent preaching. Therefore, the life path of the “great old man,” as he was called, also looks paradoxical - all his life he ran away from the society of people, and as a result he became its spiritual leader. Already during his lifetime, St. Sergius of Radonezh was considered as a symbol of the unity of Rus', embodied in a real person, which the Russian people so longed for in the 13th-14th centuries.

Soon after his death, in 1447, St. Sergius of Radonezh. All teaching is life. was canonized, and later revered as the heavenly patron and protector of the Moscow sovereigns. And it was not without reason that the Grand Duke’s and Tsar’s children were baptized in the Trinity-Sergius Monastery.

And such great attention paid by St. Sergius of Radonezh to the idea of the Holy Trinity found its expression in the iconographic works of Andrei Rublev (1370? - 1430?). Andrei Rublev painted the Trinity icon around 1411, commissioned by the Trinity Monastery, possibly for the first wooden chapel built over the tomb of Sergius of Radonezh. In accordance with the centuries-old doctrinal tradition, the image of the Holy Trinity is present in the Old Testament in the 18th chapter of the book of Genesis, which tells about the appearance of three angelic men to the forefather Abraham and his wife Sarah: “And the Lord appeared to him at the oak grove of Mamre, as he sat at the entrance to the tent , during the heat of the day. He lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, three men stood against him...” (Gen. 18:1,2). The Lord, who took the form of three angels and appeared to Abraham, has another name - “Old Testament Trinity.”

The complexity of the verbal interpretation of the sacrament of the Holy Trinity even prompted the first Christians to look for other ways to comprehend this mystery, using, among other things, figurative language. The plot of “The Appearance of Three Angels to Abraham” (or otherwise “The Hospitality of Abraham”) appears quite early in iconography - for example, in the painting of the catacombs on Via Latina (IV century), as well as in early mosaics in the church of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome (V century .) and the Church of San Vitale in Ravenna (VI century). This plot was also widespread in Byzantine art.

The iconography “Hospitality of Abraham” came to Ancient Rus' very early - in the 11th century (fresco in the St. Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv). This plot is present on the southern gate of the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Virgin in Suzdal (XIII century), on the fresco of Theophanes the Greek in the Church of the Transfiguration on Ilyin Street in Novgorod (XIV century), on numerous icons.

But the turning point in the religious, philosophical and theological understanding of this iconography is the icon “Trinity” by Andrei Rublev. According to modern researchers, only the Rublev icon can be called “Trinity” in contrast to “Hospitality of Abraham”. And the icon made by Rublev became, in a way, the artistic embodiment of the theological and religious-philosophical views of St. Sergius of Radonezh.

In general, this idea was first expressed by E.N. Trubetskoy: “The icon expresses the main idea of the entire monastic service of the saint... He prayed that this beast-like world, divided by hatred, would be filled with the love that reigns in the Eternal Council of the life-giving Trinity. And Andrei Rublev showed this prayer in colors, expressing both the sadness and hope of the saint. Sergius about Russia". In that direction, I reflected on Rublev’s image of the Holy Trinity and P.A. Florensky: “In the icon of the Trinity, Andrei Rublev was not an independent creator, but only a brilliant implementer of the creative plan and basic composition given by St. Sergius.”

In fact, depicting the Trinity Divinity, the unity of the Old and New Testaments, the sacrament of the Eucharist and the triumph of Christian humility, the icon of the Holy Trinity is a symbol of immersion in the mystery of divine existence, in its non-fusion and inseparability. And this once again emphasizes the significance of the symbol of the Holy Trinity, which Sergius of Radonezh contemplated throughout his life, “so that,” as it is said in his life, “by looking at the Holy Trinity, the fear of the hated discord of this world would be overcome.” Consequently, the image of the Holy Trinity is given for Russia for all times for its transformation and spiritual rebirth. Following Andrei Rublev, many icon painters began to adhere to a similar scheme for depicting the Trinity, right up to the 17th century (“Trinity” by Simon Ushakov).

About the author: Sergey Vyacheslavovich Perevezentsev - Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor of the Faculty of Philosophy of Moscow State University. M.V. Lomonosov, co-chairman of the Board of the Union of Writers of Russia.

Author: S.V. Perevezentsev

Material: Orthodoxy and Peace