Life of St. Sergius of Radonezh
This edition of the Life of St. Sergius of Radonezh (translated into Russian) is based on two ancient Russian editions of the Life, created at different times by three authors - Epiphanius the Wise, Pachomius Logofet (Serb) and Simon Azaryin.
Epiphanius the Wise, a famous scribe of the early 15th century, a monk of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra and a disciple of St. Sergius, wrote the very first Life of the St. Sergius 26 years after his death - in 1417–1418. For this work, Epiphanius collected documentary data, eyewitness memories and his own notes for twenty years. An excellent connoisseur of patristic literature, Byzantine and Russian hagiography, a brilliant stylist, Epiphanius focused his writing on the texts of South Slavic and Old Russian Lives, masterfully applying an exquisite style, rich in comparisons and epithets, called “weaving words.” The life as edited by Epiphanius the Wise ended with the death of St. Sergius. In its independent form, this ancient edition of the Life has not reached our time, and scientists reconstructed its original appearance based on later compilation codes. In addition to the Life, Epiphanius also created a Eulogy to Sergius.
The original text of the Life was preserved in the revision of Pachomius Logofet (Serb), an Athonite monk who lived in the Trinity-Sergius Monastery from 1440 to 1459 and created a new edition of the Life shortly after the canonization of St. Sergius, which took place in 1452. Pachomius changed the style, supplemented the text of Epiphanius with a story about the discovery of the relics of the Saint, as well as a number of posthumous miracles; he also created a service to Saint Sergius and a canon with an akathist. Pachomius repeatedly corrected the Life of St. Sergius: according to researchers, there are from two to seven Pachomius editions of the Life.
In the middle of the 17th century, based on the text of the Life revised by Pachomius (the so-called Long Edition), Simon Azaryin created a new edition. The servant of Princess Mstislavskaya, Simon Azaryin came to the Lavra to recover from his illness, and was healed by Archimandrite Dionysius. After this, Simon remained in the monastery and for six years was the cell attendant of the Monk Dionysius. From 1630 to 1634, Azaryin was a Builder in the Alatyr Monastery attached to the Lavra. After returning from Alatyr, in 1634 Simon Azaryin became Treasurer, and twelve years later, Celar of the monastery. In addition to the Life of St. Sergius, Simon created the Life of St. Dionysius, finishing it in 1654.
The Life of Sergius of Radonezh, as edited by Simon Azaryin, together with the Life of Hegumen Nikon, the Eulogy to Sergius and services to both saints, was published in Moscow in 1646. The first 53 chapters of Simon's edition (up to and including the story about the nun Mariamia) represent the text of the Life of Epiphanius the Wise as processed by Pachomius Logothetes (Serb), which Simon divided into chapters and slightly revised stylistically. The next 35 chapters belong to Simon Azaryin himself. In preparing the Life for publication, Simon sought to collect the most complete list of information about the miracles of St. Sergius, known from the time of the death of the saint until the middle of the 17th century, but at the Printing House, as Azaryin himself writes, the masters treated his story of new miracles with distrust and in their own way They arbitrarily published only 35 chapters about the miracles collected by Simon, omitting the rest. In 1653, on the instructions of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, Simon Azaryin finalized and supplemented the Life: he returned to the unpublished part of his book, added a number of new stories about the miracles of St. Sergius and provided this second part with an extensive preface, but these additions were not published then.
The first section of this text includes the actual Life of St. Sergius of Radonezh, ending with his death. The 32 chapters of this section represent an edition of the Life made by Pachomius Logothetes. The second section, beginning with the story of the discovery of the relics of Sergius, is devoted to the posthumous miracles of the Rev. It includes the edition of the Life of Simon Azaryin, published by him in 1646, and its later part of 1653, containing additions about new miracles and beginning with a preface.
The first 32 chapters of the Life, as well as the Eulogy to St. Sergius, are given in a new translation made at the Orthodox Encyclopedia Center, taking into account the translation by M. F. Antonova and D. M. Bulanin (Monuments of literature of Ancient Rus' XIV - mid-XV centuries M ., 1981. pp. 256–429). The translation of chapters 33–53, as well as the other 35 chapters written by Simon Azaryin, was carried out by L.P. Medvedeva based on the 1646 edition. The translation of Simon Azaryin's later additions of 1653 was made by L.P. Medvedeva from a manuscript published by S.F. Platonov in Monuments of Ancient Writing and Art (St. Petersburg, 1888. T. 70). The division into chapters of the Pachomius edition of the Life is made in accordance with the book of Simon Azaryin.
Glory to God for everything and for all deeds, for the sake of which the great and thrice-holy, ever-glorified name is always glorified! Glory to the Most High God, glorified in the Trinity, who is our hope, light and life, in whom we believe, in whom we were baptized. By which we live, move and have our being! Glory to Him who showed us the life of a holy man and spiritual elder! The Lord knows how to glorify those who glorify Him and bless those who bless Him, and always glorifies His saints who glorify Him with a pure, godly and virtuous life.
We thank God for His great goodness to us, as the apostle said: “ Thanks be to God for His ineffable gift!
"[2 Cor. 9, 15]. Now we must especially thank God for giving us such a holy elder, I’m talking about Mr. Venerable Sergius, in our Russian land and in our northern country, in our days, in recent times and years. His tomb is with us and in front of us, and by coming to him with faith, we always receive great consolation for our souls and great benefit; truly this is a great gift given to us by God.
I am surprised that so many years have passed and the Life of Sergius has not been written. I am bitterly saddened by the fact that twenty-six years have already passed since this holy elder, wonderful and perfect, died, and no one dared to write about him - neither people close to him, nor those distant, nor great, nor simple: the great did not want write, but the simple ones didn’t dare. A year or two after the elder’s death, I, cursed and daring, dared to start this business. Sighing to God and asking for the prayers of the elder, I began to describe in detail and little by little the life of the elder, saying to myself: “I do not boast before anyone, but I write for myself, in reserve, for memory and for benefit.” Over the course of twenty years, I compiled scrolls in which some information about the life of the elder was recorded for memory; Some of the notes were in scrolls, some in notebooks, but not in order - the beginning is at the end, and the end is at the beginning.
So I waited at that time and in those years, wanting someone more significant and wiser than me to write about Sergius, and I would go to bow to him, so that he would teach and enlighten me. But, having asked, I heard and found out for sure that no one anywhere was going to write about the elder; and when I remembered or heard about this, I was perplexed and thought: why did the quiet, wonderful and virtuous life of the Rev. remain undescribed for such a long time? For several years I remained, as it were, in idleness and thought, perplexed, grieving in sadness, amazed at my mind, overcome by desire. Finally, I was overcome by an irresistible desire to at least somehow begin to write, even if only a little of the many, about the life of the Venerable Elder.
I found the elders, wise in their answers, prudent and reasonable, and asked them about Sergius in order to resolve my doubt whether I should write about him. The elders answered me: “As bad and inappropriate as it is to ask about the life of the wicked, it is equally inappropriate to forget the life of holy men, not to describe it, to put it into silence and leave it in oblivion. If the Life of a holy man is written, then this will be of great benefit and consolation to writers, storytellers, and listeners; If the Life of the holy elder is not written, and those who knew and remembered him die, then is it necessary to leave such a useful thing in oblivion and, like the abyss, consigned to silence. If his Life is not written, then how will those who did not know him know what he was like or where he came from, how he was born, how he grew up, how he took his hair, how he labored abstinently, how he lived and what was the end of his life? If the Life is written, then, having heard about the life of the elder, someone will follow his example and benefit from this. The Great Basil1 writes: “Be an imitator of those who live righteously and imprint their lives and deeds in your heart.” You see, he commands to write the Lives of the saints not only on parchment, but also in your heart for the sake of benefit, and not to hide or conceal, because the king’s secret should be kept, and preaching the works of God is a good and useful thing.”
Therefore, I had to inquire and question the ancient elders, who knew his life well and accurately, as the Holy Scripture says: “ Ask your father, and he will tell you, and your elders, and they will tell you.”
"[Deut. 32, 7]. Everything that I heard and learned was told to me by the fathers, I heard something from the elders, I saw something with my own eyes, I heard something from the lips of Sergius himself, I learned something from a man who served him for a considerable time and poured water. in his arms, and I heard something else from Sergius’s elder brother Stefan, the father of Theodore, Archbishop of Rostov2; I learned some of the information from other elders, ancient in years, reliable eyewitnesses of Sergius’s birth, upbringing, learning to read and write, manhood and youth - until his tonsure; the third elders were eyewitnesses and truthful witnesses of his tonsure, the beginning of his desert life and his installation as abbess; about other events I had other narrators and narrators.
However, looking at the many works and great feats of the elder, I was as if speechless and inactive, horrified, perplexed and unable to find the right words worthy of his deeds. How can I, poor thing, at this time, describe in order the entire life of Sergius and tell about his many exploits and countless labors? Where shall I begin in order to properly tell the listeners about all his deeds and exploits? What should you remember first? What words are needed to praise him? Where will I get the art needed for this story? How can I tell such a difficult story to convey? I don’t know if it would be beyond my strength? Just as it is impossible for a small boat to carry away a large and heavy load, this story also surpasses our weakness and intelligence.
Although this story is beyond our strength, we still pray to the All-Merciful and All-Powerful God and His Most Pure Mother, that He will enlighten and have mercy on me, uneducated and unreasonable, so that He will give me the gift of words that will open my lips - not mine for the sake of unworthiness, but for the sake of the prayers of the holy elders. I call on Sergius himself for help with the spiritual grace that overshadows him, so that he can be my assistant and support in the story, as well as his flock, called by God - a good community, a council of honest elders. I humbly fall down to them, touch their feet and call and encourage them to pray. I always really need their prayers, especially now when I begin this description and want to tell this story. Let no one condemn me for daring to do this: I myself would not have the opportunity and strength to begin this story, but the love and prayer of the Venerable Elder attracts and disturbs my mind and forces me to tell and write.
It should be said more clearly that even though I, unworthy, could write, I should still be silent with fear and put my finger on my lips, knowing my weakness, and not utter inappropriate words with my lips, and I should not dare to do the deed. which is beyond my abilities. However, sadness attacked me and regret overwhelmed me: the life of this great holy elder, famous and illustrious, is known everywhere - in distant countries and cities they talk about this man, famous and glorious, and for so many years his Life has not been compiled and written! I thought of consigning it to silence and plunging it into the abyss of oblivion. If the life of the elder is not described, but consigned to oblivion, if we do not have memories and writings about him, then this will not harm the holy elder, because those whose names are written by God in Heaven have no need for human writings and memories. But then we ourselves will not receive any benefit by neglecting such a useful task. And therefore, having collected everything, we begin our story, so that other monks who have not seen the elder will read this story, follow the virtues of the elder and believe in his life, because it is said: blessed are those who have not seen and believe
[In. 20, 29]. One concern saddens and depresses me more than others: if I do not write and no one else writes the Life, then I am afraid of being condemned, according to the parable of the worthless servant who buried his talent and became lazy3. The virtuous elder Sergius, a wonderful passion-bearer, always labored in good deeds without laziness and was never idle - not only do we not strive ourselves, but we are too lazy to even report on the well-known labors of others, with which Sergius’s life is full, in the story, to tell listeners.
Now, if God willing, I would like to start from the very birth of the elder and describe his infancy, childhood, youth, monastic life, abbess - until his very death, so that his great exploits are not forgotten, so that his pure life is not forgotten , quiet and godly, but, embarrassed, I am afraid to start writing the story, I do not dare and am perplexed how to start writing, because this matter is beyond my strength, since I am weak, uneducated and unreasonable.
However, I hope in the Merciful God and in the prayer of His saint, the Reverend Elder, and I ask God for mercy, grace, the gift of speech, reason and memory. And if God gives me this, instructs and teaches me, His unworthy servant, then I do not despair of receiving His good mercy and sweet grace. For He can do whatever He wants: He can give sight to the blind, walking to the lame, hearing to the deaf, speech to the dumb. Likewise, He can enlighten my darkness of mind, correct foolishness, and turn my inability into skill in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, who said: “... without Me you can do nothing.”
» [In.
15:5] and again: “ Ask, and it will be given to you;
seek and you will find " [Matt. 7, 7]. I call for help on the Lord our God, Savior and Helper, for He is our God, the generous Giver of blessings, the Giver of rich gifts, wisdom, the Mentor and Giver of reason, correction of those who go astray, teaching people reason, giving skill to those who do not know, giving prayer to those who pray, giving wisdom to those who ask. and reason, which gives every good gift, giving a gift for the benefit of those who ask, giving cunning to the gentle and to the young child - prudence and intelligence, but the preaching of His words enlightens and gives understanding to infants.
With this I end the preface, remembering God and calling upon Him for help: it is good to begin a work with God, and to finish it with God, and to talk with God’s servants, and to write a story about God’s saint. Let's begin the most important thing - let's take up the story, start the beginning of the story, and so begin the description of the elder's life in God.
Bless, father! Our reverend father Sergius was born from noble and pious parents - from a father called Cyril and a mother named Maria, who were God's saints, righteous before God and people, and filled and adorned with all sorts of virtues that God loves. God did not allow the baby who was to shine to be born from unrighteous parents, but first God created and prepared such righteous parents and then from them produced His saint. O praiseworthy couple! O most blessed spouses who were the parents of such a child! First, it is appropriate to honor and praise his parents, and this will be a kind of addition to his praises and honors. For it was necessary that Sergius was given by God for the good, salvation and benefit of many people, and therefore it was not appropriate for such a child to be born from unrighteous parents, and it would not be appropriate for other, that is, unrighteous, parents to give birth to such a child. God gave it only to those chosen parents, and that’s what happened: good was united with good, and the best with the best.
There was also a certain miracle before his birth: something happened that cannot be consigned to oblivion. When the child was still in the womb, one Sunday his mother came to church, as usual, for the holy liturgy. She stood with other women in the vestibule, and when they were about to begin reading the Holy Gospel and all the people stood in silence, the baby suddenly cried out in the womb, so that many were amazed at this cry - the glorious miracle that happened to the baby. And then again, at the very beginning of the Cherubim Song, at the words “Like the Cherubim...”, the baby suddenly began to squeal loudly in the womb, even louder than the first time, and his voice resounded throughout the church. His mother stood in horror, and the women who were there were perplexed and said: “What will happen to this baby?” When the priest exclaimed: “Let us take notice. Holy to holies!” – the baby screamed loudly again, for the third time.
His mother almost fell to the ground from strong fear and, horrified, overwhelmed by strong trepidation, began to cry quietly. The rest of the women came up to her and began to ask: “Isn’t there a baby in diapers in your bosom, we heard a child’s cry heard throughout the whole church?” She, at a loss, because of strong sobs, could not answer them, she only said: “Ask,” she said, “others, but I don’t have a child.” They inquired, asking each other, searched and did not find, then they turned to Mary again, saying: “We searched throughout the church and did not find the baby. Who is the baby who cried? His mother, unable to conceal what had happened and what they were asking about, answered them: “I don’t have a baby in my bosom, as you think, but I have a child in my womb, not yet born. He screamed." The women said to her: “How can a child before birth, while still in the womb, be given a voice?” She answered: “I’m surprised at this myself, I’m completely overwhelmed with fear and trembling, not understanding what happened.”
Preface
In the history of Russian holiness, St. Sergius occupies a special place - he is the founder of the Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra, which is called the heart of Russia.
The spiritual revival of Rus' after the Mongol-Tatar yoke is associated with it. Having gone into the forest desert, St. Sergius became the spiritual father and mentor of many monks. He is rightly considered the restorer of cenobitic monasticism in Rus' - many monasteries were founded by both the disciples of the Venerable Monk and the disciples of his disciples. There were many ascetics in the Trinity Monastery itself, and now the Reverend dwells in the Lavra among the ascetic disciples, like the sun among the stars.
Through the centuries, the image of St. Sergius inspired those seeking the “monastic life,” right up to the new martyrs and confessors of the 20th century, many of whom also considered themselves disciples of Abba Sergius.
The Reverend did a lot to strengthen Russian statehood - he gave Grand Duke Dmitry Donskoy a blessing for the Battle of Kulikovo, which became the beginning of liberation from the Mongol-Tatar yoke, and at the same time marked the beginning of the spiritual unification of the people who then inhabited various appanage principalities. It is not for nothing that later pilgrimage to the Trinity - to the relics of St. Sergius - was considered a matter of state for the great princes and kings.
During the Time of Troubles, the monastery of the “miracle worker Sergius” became the last stronghold of Russian statehood, withstanding the onslaught of foreign invasion and rebellion. And it was the call of the Trinity brethren - the spiritual heirs of the Rev. - that contributed to the liberation and revival of Russia.
In a time close to us, in the 20th century, the Trinity Monastery of Abba Sergius was the first monastery opened and revived after a difficult war and amid the ongoing persecution of the faith. In the most difficult times, prayers were offered up at the holy relics of the Venerable One for the salvation of Russia and for the revival of the Russian Church. And this prayer was heard by God.
In addition to the global significance of St. Sergius, for many believing hearts he is a personal prayer book, intercessor and healer, to whom one can always turn, asking for his prayerful intercession before God.
This book tells about the holy life of St. Sergius, which inspired many to deeds for the glory of God and became a model for all generations of Orthodox Christians, about the miraculous help of the St. to many people, about the monastery of the Radonezh wonderworker, the Trinity-Sergius Lavra.
Anna Markova
