Greek translation introduction(1)
While Vladimir the Great was smashing the statues of Perun and other Slavic gods – a thousand years before our day – the Gospel message was steadily conquering and occupying the land of Russia. (2)
Pagan worship was prevalent there, but the unceasing flow of divine grace surpassed it when the Holy Spirit generously distributed his gifts. Shining men, clothed in God, came to light and “enlightened the people who sat in darkness.”
One of these men was the righteous Theodosius of Kyiv, who founded the Lavra Monastery. (3) Known as Kiavo-Ptser-Skaia, the cave monastery of Kiavo. His life, full of spirit and power, was a continuous occupation of every peak that appeared on the spiritual horizon.
His heroic deeds in his childhood, his departure to the caves of Kiaf and his seclusion there, his experience of sorrows, his enjoyment of an abundance of joy, his struggle with visible and invisible enemies, his sublime humility and love, his establishment of the great Lavra Monastery, and the glory that befell him after his death, all this made him a fatherly person of the first rank, and a “pillar in the temple of God.”
The character of a person is evident in his person and work. His practice of a life of seclusion is consistent with his collective monastic activity, his isolation (asceticism) is in harmony with his love for others, and his lack of interest in worldly matters of life - which is characteristic of the ascetic life - is in harmony with his interest in the people and his involvement in social issues.
His spiritual father, the ascetic Anthony, confided in him the secret of the origins of the life of seclusion on Athos, the Holy Mountain, that seclusion which he himself had experienced and lived in for a long time. The Monastery of Astudios presented to him (4) His strict system of communal monastic life. The great fathers of Palestinian monasticism inspired him to be active in charitable work for humanity.
All this was the miracle that was called “Lavrkavo-Ptserskaya”. This monastery, under the influence and creative inspiration of Theodosius, became the life-bearing vine that nourished the Orthodoxy of the North with clusters of life, and it became a starting point for spiritual ascents and a river that poured out the waters of piety over all the thirsty wildernesses of Russia.
In addition to the character of Theodosius, we will review other amazing characters, such as the righteous Anthony, the elder of Theodosius, one of the great lovers of God, who, with his holiness free from the constraints of materialism, strengthened the work of his disciple and secretly confirmed it, and the righteous Nikon, the owner of the good soul that was devoted to God, and many others of merit, including monks, abbots, bishops, and others...
We will also learn about unknown aspects of the life of the state of Kyiv, the customs and traditions of that era. We will also meet the faces of the people, the great men, the fugitives (persons who were members of the prince's advisory council) and the great leaders of Kyiv, a whole world, far removed from our present world.
The credit for this translation goes to the righteous historian Nestorius, who lived between 1050 and 1116 AD. He deserves our appreciation and gratitude because it is the fruit of his work.
Nestorius was ordained a monk when he was not yet eighteen years old, in the monastery of Ptsyrskaya. He lived and socialized with the righteous. Therefore, what was written about him is worthy of credibility.
Although some may think that supernatural events are somewhat exaggerated, they should consider that divine interventions are stronger and more effective in times when “people have recently abandoned idolatry and their minds are still weaker and unable to comprehend… they do not understand what reasonable grace is…” (From the first sermon of St. John Chrysostom on the Feast of Pentecost) (5).
So the life story of the Righteous Theodosius is published in the book of the Fathers of the Kyiv-Ptsyrskaya Lavra, which is written in Slavonic. It was compiled in the 13th century by an anonymous writer and includes biographies of the Lavra saints and other related matters.
The compiler of the Book of the Fathers has comments, sometimes brief or lengthy, on what Nestorius wrote, for further clarification.
Its translator into Greek made an effort to preserve the expression of the original text.
The vineyard which God planted through the righteous Theodosius has in our time encountered trials that it had never experienced before. There you see no feast, no incense, no offering…
We, along with the readers of this book, must raise our supplications to God, asking Him to visit this vineyard with His mercy and rebuild it with His power.
The Brotherhood of "The Comforter"
In Athens
Introduction of Bar Nestorius
My Lord Jesus Christ, I thank You for having qualified me, the unworthy one, to proclaim and spread the lives of Your holy servants. Now I find myself in need of this work, that is, translating the life of the righteous Theodosius, although it is beyond my strength. For I do not have the competence and culture that would make me worthy of it. However, I remembered Your saying, O Lord, “If all faith were as a mustard seed, you would say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it would move; and nothing would be impossible for you” (Matt. 17:20). These thoughts armed me, the sinner Nestorius, with the belief that everything can be accomplished with Your help.
Thus I set out to write down the story of our righteous father Theodosius, the God-bearer, who was hegumen of the Monastery of the Most Holy Theotokos in Petsersk and the first archimandrite in Russia.
When I began this work, I began to write down daily the elements of the translation of the life of the righteous Theodosius, and I was beseeching God for the proper handling of this subject, so that any monks who come after may know this man and thus receive support in their ascetic struggle, and glorify God and honor His servant.
The recent appearance of the chosen servant of God in our homeland is of special significance; and here the words of the Lord come into play: “Many others shall be first.” Although he appeared late, he is in the rank of the first fathers. He is not only like the father of Russian monasticism, our Saint Anthony of Petsersk, but also like Saint Anthony the Great of Egypt, and Saint Theodosius, his namesake, the abbot of the communal monastery, Archimandrite of Jerusalem. (6).
These fathers lived with the same ascetic spirit. They all served the Lady Theotokos and received the same reward that God gave to each of them, and they always pray for us, their children.
The books of the Fathers say that times will be bad in the last generation. Nevertheless, in these days the Lord has brought forth a great shepherd of speaking sheep, a leader and teacher of monks, who from his early childhood was distinguished by the purity of his life, by his angelic conduct, by his deep faith and his enlightened mind. I am about to present the biography of this man from his childhood. My brothers, pay attention to the story and you will reap great benefit.
Ignore what you find in me of deficiency, for I was compelled to write this book out of my deep love for the righteous, and my fear of hearing the Lord say: “You wicked and lazy servant, you ought to have put my money to the exchangers, and at my coming I would have received what I had with interest” (Matthew 25:27).
It is not appropriate to leave the great works of God hidden in secret, as long as the Lord advises us: “What I tell you in the darkness, say in the light, and what you hear in the ear, proclaim on the housetops” (Matthew 10:27).
Another thought that motivated me to tell this story was that those who read it will be motivated to glorify God for His greatness, and thus reap a reward.
***
After this introduction, the blessed historian Nestorius proceeds to narrate the biography of the saint…
Obstacles in the way of God
The parents of the righteous Theodosius were pious Christians who lived in the town of Basiliev or Basilkov near Kiev. Not eight days after the birth of this blessed one, they took him to a priest to give him a name. The priest, looking at him, saw with his eyes what he would be like in the future, and knew that he would be dedicated to God from his infancy. So he named him Theodosius (Gift of God), and he was baptized when he was only forty days old. The child grew up surrounded by the tenderness of his parents, and at the same time the grace of God overshadowed him.
After a while, his parents were forced to move far away to the city of Kursk. (7), as a result of an order issued by the governor. This was by the providence of God, so that the young Theodosius might shine in it with a life of virtue. He began to grow in this city physically, as he also grew spiritually in wisdom and love of God. He used to beg his parents to let him read the Holy Scriptures. They allowed him to do so. It was not long before he became acquainted with the entire Holy Scriptures, and he amazed those who knew him with his wisdom, his good understanding, and his quick learning. He used to visit the church of God every day and listen to the reading of the Holy Scriptures with full attention. He was reluctant to associate with his peers as is usually the case. Therefore, he kept away from them and found their games abhorrent. He would not be content to adorn himself with provocative clothes, but he was content to wear the simplest clothes.
When he was thirteen years old, his father died. From that time on, his asceticism and austerity increased. He would go with his servants to the fields and did not disdain to do any work, with deep humility. His mother would rebuke him for this behavior and ask him to wear his best clothes, socialize with his peers, and play with them. She would say to him: “With this behavior, you are bringing humiliation upon yourself and your lineage.”
But Theodosius would not heed these words, but was more eager to be one of the poor. This infuriated his mother and inflamed her anger to the point that she often beat him mercilessly.
Meanwhile, he was thinking of the way to find his salvation, and this became his obsession and preoccupation. One day, he heard talk about the holy places, where the Lord walked “in the flesh” completing the work of salvation, so he desired to travel there to worship there. He would raise his supplications to the Lord, saying, “O Lord Jesus Christ, answer my prayer, and make me worthy to make a pilgrimage to your holy places.”
While he was insisting on this prayer before pilgrims to Kursk, he saw them and as soon as he saw them he came to them joyfully, prostrated himself before them, kissed them humbly and asked them where they had come from and where they were going. They replied: We have returned from Jerusalem, the holy city, and we very much desire - if God wills - to make a pilgrimage to it again.
The blessed man begged them to take him with them, and when they promised to satisfy his longing, he almost flew with joy, and returned to his home happy.
The time came for the pilgrims to leave, so they contacted him and informed him. He got up in the dead of night, secretly, avoiding anyone noticing his movements. He left his house without taking anything with him except his necessary clothes and joined the pilgrims. However, the All-Good God did not want him to leave the land of Russia, for it was to it that He had appointed him (from his mother’s womb) to be a shepherd of the speaking sheep that would join the angelic ranks.
Three days later, his mother realized that he had left with the pilgrims, so she began to chase after him. She began to watch those who had taken her youngest son and to trace their steps. She soon caught up with them after a long and arduous journey and snatched the saint from them. She was seized with intense anger and animalistic frenzy, and as soon as she reached her son, she seized his hair and pulled it violently, threw him to the ground and kicked him with her feet. Then she savagely rebuked the pilgrims and returned with her son after she had tied him up. She was dragging him in front of her like a criminal. Her anger was so intense that she did not hesitate to beat him in the house until she was tired of beating him.
Then she dragged him into a room and locked the door behind him while he was tied up. This gentle, blessed young man accepted everything with joy and prayed, thanking God.
After two days she released him from the chains and gave him food to eat. But her anger had not yet subsided. She bound his feet with a heavy iron chain and made sure to watch him constantly so that he would not escape from her again.
The prisoner spent many days in this manner. Finally, she took pity on him and begged him fervently not to run away from her again. She loved him more than she loved his brothers. She could not bear to be separated from him.
As for him, he promised her not to leave her if it was of any use. So she removed the iron chains that were around his legs and allowed him to move freely.
The blessed Theodosius returned to his former asceticism. He used to go to the temple of God every day. However, he was deeply saddened by the impossibility of holding the Divine Liturgy many times because of the lack of the bread of the Eucharist. So, with his humble mind, he came up with an idea that he carried out. He bought wheat, ground it, kneaded it, made a bread offering from it, and presented it to the church. He sold a little of it to save some money to buy wheat and make the Eucharist in succession. As for the rest of the money, he distributed it to the poor.
Such an act pleased God because it provided the church with pure offerings made by the hands of this pure young man.
He continued to practice this honorable work in this manner for more than two years. During this period in particular, the children in his year were faced with insults, curses, mockery, and hostility. The blessed one bore all of this with joy and silence.
But the enemy of goodness did not rest, since he saw himself defeated, and defeated by the humility of that hard-working young man. So he tried to distract him from his work that pleased God by encouraging his mother against him, so that she would dissuade him with her screams from continuing this work. And if she could not bear to see her son engaged in this humiliating task - in her eyes - which occupied his time, she would say to him lovingly:
“I beg you, my son, to stop this act. You are bringing shame upon your generation. As for me, I can no longer bear insults from everyone. These actions are unbecoming of a boy like you.”
And the blessed Theodosius would humbly reply to his mother, saying:
“I beg you, Mother, to listen to me. Our Lord Jesus Christ wanted to become poor and lowly, so that he might give us an example to follow so that we might become humble for his sake. He received insults, accepted humiliations and blows, and endured everything for our salvation. How much more must we now endure for his sake?”
And hear what I say, concerning the work that I do: Our Lord Jesus Christ, at the Last Supper, took bread in his hands, blessed it, and distributed it to the disciples, saying: “Take, eat, this is my body, which is broken for you for the forgiveness of sins.” Since the Lord called that bread his body, should I not also rejoice in being made worthy to make the bread that in the mystery of the divine Eucharist is transformed into the body of Christ?
His mother heard these words and was pleased with her son’s words, so she left him. However, the enemy (Satan) did not leave this mother alone. He was leading her to quarrel with him, because of this “lowly” act.
A year passed. One day she saw her son with the smoke from the oven on his face and clothes. She was very angry and felt sorry for him, and then she began to scold him again, sometimes calmly, sometimes with threats. She would also resort to using a stick to beat him to stop him from doing this. The young man was very upset by his mother's treatment of him. He did not know what he had to do, but he soon decided to escape. He slipped out of his house and fled, one dark night, to another town not far from Kursk, where he stayed with a priest he knew. There he resumed his usual work.
His mother searched for him all over the city but could not find him. She was overcome with grief. After a while she learned where he was and ran to him in a fit of rage. When she found him in the priest's house, she beat him violently and dragged him back. She warned him, saying:
From this moment on, you will never leave me again. If you try to escape again, I will return you to your course in chains.
This pious young man resumed his daily going to church as usual, praying regularly. He gained the love of the governor of Kursk with the humility and obedience he showed to everyone. He noticed his humility, devotion to the church, and his attachment to it. He appreciated him so much that he asked him to visit his own church, and gave him a beautiful vestment to wear when he came to church.
The blessed man wore this garment for a few days, and then felt that it was a burden that weighed him down, so he gave it to the poor and appeared in the church in his humble clothes.
When the ruler saw him in this state, he gave him a new garment, better than the first one, and asked him to wear it. However, the blessed one again gave this garment to the poor as well. The ruler again gave him other garments and others. As for him, he did not hesitate to give them to the poor. This behavior of his increased the ruler’s attachment to him, his love for him, and his admiration for his extreme humility.
Among his exploits - apart from what I have mentioned - is that he went to a blacksmith and commissioned him to make him an iron belt. When the blacksmith finished making it, he took it and put it on his body and never took it off. The belt was tight on his body, putting severe pressure on him and causing him excruciating pain, which the righteous man endured with patience and endurance, as if nothing bad had happened to him.
One day the governor held a banquet in his palace, to which he invited the city's notables. Theodosius had to go to the palace to perform the service. His mother forced him to put on his fine suit. When he started to put it on, he could not hide from his mother nor avoid her piercing gaze that was watching him. She saw blood stains on his undercoat. She approached him to examine it, but she had hardly noticed that the bleeding was from nothing but the pressure of the iron belt when the fire of evil and anger ignited within her. She attacked him madly. She began to beat him, tore his undercoat and pulled off his belt.
As for him, he put on his clothes calmly as if nothing had happened to him. He then went in peace, heading to the palace to perform the service.
In the mountains and caves
One day, the righteous Theodosius heard the Lord say in the Gospel: “He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me” (Matthew 10:37)… “These are My mother and My brothers who hear the word of God and do it…” (Luke 8:21).
He also heard other words: “Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest… Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:28-29). These words inflamed the heart of Theodosius, this heart that the Lord had enlightened, and while he was burning with divine love, he began to think one day of finding a way that would enable him to escape secretly away from his mother in order to join the monastic order and wear the holy monastic schema. (8)His mother was absent from home by divine providence for a few days in the village. The young man offered his prayers to God with a heart full of joy, then secretly left the house, taking nothing with him but the clothes he was wearing and a little bread “to ward off the weakness of the body,” and headed towards Chiavés, because he had previously heard of the monks living there.
Not knowing the way, he begged God to send someone to accompany him and guide him to his destination. God answered his prayer. By His providence, a group of merchants appeared before him carrying their goods on carts. They were heading on the same road to Kiaf. When the blessed man knew their destination, his soul rejoiced and he glorified God, who fulfilled his heart’s desire and followed them from afar without them noticing. When they stopped on the road to spend the night and rest from the fatigue of the journey, he too would stop walking close to them so that they would not disappear from his sight. He would rest and he had no one to rely on except God who watched over him.
The journey took three weeks between Kursk and Kiev, the capital. As soon as he arrived there, he began to visit its monasteries, which were not yet well organized at that time. He expressed a strong desire to become a monk. He begged the monks to accept him. However, they did not seem inclined to accept him among them, as they saw him as a young boy with ragged clothes and a wretched and miserable appearance.
But God wanted him to go to the place that had been prepared for him (from his mother’s womb). And that was what happened later…
At that time, the righteous Anthony heard about the hermit and the strict asceticism he practiced in the caves. His spirit was delighted and he immediately set off there. As soon as his eyes fell on the righteous old man, he bowed down before him to prostrate himself before him and pleaded with him with tears, asking to be accepted as a monk. Then the righteous Anthony said to him:
“Don’t you see, my son, how tight and constricted this cave is? You won’t be able to endure living in this narrow place.”
The righteous man did not say this to test him, but he had a prophetic vision of what Theodosius would do in the future by expanding this place and building a famous monastery in which he would gather many monks. As for Theodosius, enlightened by God, he responded to him with supplication, saying:
Know, O gracious Father, that Christ, the God of all men, and the forerunner of their affairs, has guided me to your sanctuary so that I may be saved, and I am fully prepared to carry out what you ask of me.
Then the righteous Anthony said to him: My son, may the name of God be blessed, for it is He who strengthens you in these trials. And here is the place that is yours, so stay in it.
Blessed Theodosius returned to kneeling before the old hermit, asking for his blessing. He blessed him. Immediately, he asked Blessed Nikon, who was a priest, to cut his hair and dress him in the monk's habit. The priest came forward, took Theodosius, and cut his hair according to the order of the holy fathers. (9) He dressed him like a lamb without blemish and dressed him in a monk's habit. He was then twenty-three years old, during the reign of the all-pious Yaroslav Vladimirovich. (10)
Our righteous father Theodosius surrendered with all his heart to God and to his God-bearing elder Anthony. He engaged himself in great asceticism, and showed that he bore the yoke of monastic life with ease.
He devoted his nights to the glorification of God, dispensing with the comfort of sleep. During the day, he accustomed himself to strict asceticism through abstinence, fasting, and manual labor, always remembering the words of the Psalmist: “Look on my lowliness and my toil, and forgive all my sins” (Psalm 25:18). He subdued and humbled himself through humility and fasting, and exhausted his body through staying up late and manual labor. He won the admiration of the righteous Anthony and the blessed Nicon, for his wisdom, humility, obedience, courage, and ability to endure despite his young age, and they thanked God for that.
mother's pain
His mother looked for him everywhere in the city and its suburbs. But she could not find him. She began to beat herself and mourn for him as if he were dead, and announced throughout the country that she would give a generous reward to anyone who would see him and tell her about him. Some people came from the city of Kiaf and told her, saying:
- We saw him about four years ago in our city of Chiaf, asking about one of the monasteries so that he could join the monastic order.
No sooner had his mother heard this than she set off quickly towards Kiaf, not caring about the effort of the long distance. When she set foot there, she searched for him in all the monasteries. Finally, she was told that he was staying in the caves with the sheikh. (11) Anthony. As soon as she arrived there, she began to ask about the whereabouts of that famous ascetic and addressed the monks, saying:
Tell the righteous man that I have come from a very far place to bow down to him and receive his blessing.
When the spiritual sheikh heard the news of her arrival, he came out of his cave. She came forward and prostrated herself before him, bowing deeply to the ground and seeking his blessing. The spiritual sheikh prayed for her and blessed her, then he received her so that she could speak to him. She spoke to him about many things and revealed to him the reason for her coming and added:
- So I beg you, father, to tell me the truth. Is my son here with you? My son, for whom I suffered so much without knowing if he was still alive.
That innocent old man did not realize what evil she was hiding, so he revealed the truth to her.
- Your son is alive, so don't be upset or sad about him. He is here.
The mother said:
- May I see him? I've come all this way to get here. I just want to see him and then come back.
The Sheikh replied:
- It is one of his principles that he does not see anyone. If you want to see him, go now and come back tomorrow at dawn. As for me, I will tell him.
The woman bowed down before the old man and walked away, hoping to meet her son the next day, while the old man entered the cave and told the blessed Theodosius what had happened. He was very sad when he learned that his mother had found him.
Before dawn broke, his mother came. But Theodosius refused to meet her despite the insistence of his righteous spiritual sheikh, Anthony. So he said to the woman:
“I begged your bank so much to come and meet you, but he refused…” The woman, who had been submissive until that moment, was startled when she heard this. She became agitated, lost her composure, lost her mind, and shouted in a voice full of anger:
- Oh! Should I ask this very old man? He is the one who took my son and hid him in the cave, and does not show him to me?
Come, show me my son. I am dying, and I cannot bear anything else unless I see him. Either bring me my son or I will commit suicide here at the entrance to the cave…
The righteous spiritual elder was upset and hurried to Theodosius to plead with him again.
Theodosius did not want to sadden his elder, so he obeyed him and left the cave in submission.
When his mother saw him, thin, emaciated and pale-faced, from the severity of his austerity, she fell on his neck for a long time, shedding abundant tears.
Then she gradually came to her senses, wiped away her tears, and begged him fervently and insistently, saying:
“Go back home, my son. What you do for yourself here, you can do at home too. Come and be with me, and bury my body with your own hands when the time comes and I depart from this world. Then return to this cave. For, my son, I cannot live without seeing your face.”
Her blessed son answered her, saying: “Well, my mother, if you wish to see me, stay here in Chiaf. Join the monastic order and become a nun in a convent for women, so that you may be able to see me from time to time and ensure your salvation. If you do not do what I say, I assure you that you will never see me again.”
She continued to visit her son for several days, during which he advised her and tried to convince her.
But she did not want to hear anything about the monastery.
And if I left him and went away, he would enter the cave and immerse himself completely in prayer and fervent supplication. He would humbly and persistently entreat God, asking Him to change his mother’s heart so that she would accept his concise advice.
God responded to the pleas of His servant according to the words of the prophet: “The Lord is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth” (Psalm 145:18). His wish was fulfilled. It was not long before his mother began to change her position and she took the initiative to announce her intention to him and said to him:
“Yes, my son. I have decided to do what you asked of me. I will not return home. And since God has so pleased me, I will live in a convent as a nun for the rest of my life. Your words have convinced me, and I have realized very well that this world is temporary.”
This statement delighted the soul of her blessed son, so he hurried to his spiritual sheikh, Anthony, to give him the good news of his mother’s intention to enter the monastic order.
Anthony the Righteous glorified God for this transformation and ran from the cave to meet the mother and give her some useful advice. After that, he went to the princess to facilitate her entry into the women’s monastery of Saint Nicholas. There a prayer service was held, her hair was cut, and she was named a nun. She lived in repentance for the rest of her life. God extended her life and she lived a long life until she slept in the Lord.
The elements of the biography of our righteous father Theodosius the Blessed from his youth until now were sourced from his mother herself. She told them to the monk Theodosius, the treasurer of the provisions in the Monastery of Saint Theodosius. The blessed Nestorius heard them in Theodosius and recorded them in a book - as he himself says - so that they might be preserved and benefit those who read them.
As for the following news that mentions the rest of the life of this saint, the credit for recording it goes to Nestorius, who wrote it down, as he was an eyewitness to his life.
[Before we conclude this page, we would like to add that the Orthodox Church commemorates the saint Nestorius on October 27, in addition to the common feast of the Fathers of the Monastery of the Caves in Kiev on September 28. To read a glimpse of the saint’s life, please read the link here]
(1) This book was translated from Greek by Professor Germanos Lotfi at the request and direction of His Eminence, Metropolitan Elias, Metropolitan of Beirut and its dependencies.
(2) Vladimir the Great was the prince of Kiev and a saint of the Russian Church. He took over the rule of Kiev in 972 AD. He converted to Christianity and destroyed the idols of the pagan gods that the Russian people worshipped. He built many churches and was interested in educating the youth on Christian principles. He died in 1015 AD. In the thirteenth century he was considered a saint equal to the apostles, and to the apostle Paul in particular, because in his youth he was a persecutor of Christianity and then, like him, he turned into a fervent believer in Christ (translator).
(3) Lavra is a term that was used in the fourth century AD, especially in Palestine, to refer to the coexistence of monks in one village. The Lavra Monastery means a group of monks’ cells, each independent from the other, separate from it, in which the monk lives his ascetic life separately; however, he shares with his fellow monks in worship and the practice of the sacraments in the church of the group and is subject to one leadership. The Lavra Monastery differs from the collective monasteries established by Saint Pachomius, in which the monks lived in one building, ate their meals at a common table, performed collective work, and were subject to a strict system (translator).
(4) The Monastery of Astudio was founded in Constantinople in 463 AD. It was founded by Astudius, one of the most important officials in Byzantium, on his land, and it was named after him. He built a church next to it in the name of Saint John the Baptist; and he gathered monks in it who never slept, praying to God in a continuous and fervent manner. This monastery soon became one of the greatest monasteries [To read more information about the monastery, see the biography of the saint Marcellos of Apamei, head of the Monastery of Those Who Do not Sleep..(Network)]. It had a great impact in defending the Orthodox faith, and in the advancement of theological sciences, liturgical life and the art of church painting. Its monks suffered a lot during the iconoclastic war, some of them were killed and others were imprisoned. The monastery was demolished during the reign of King Constantine V, the iconoclast. Then it resumed its activity after the Seventh Ecumenical Council in 787. In 798 AD, the righteous Theodosius, one of the most prominent intellectuals of the Byzantine era, took over its administration. He was zealous for the faith, so he gathered hundreds of monks around him and copied heritage manuscripts. He taught his monks philosophy and theology, developed the movement of poetry, religious chanting and church painting, and founded a school for the young. It was a center for the literary and artistic renaissance in the ninth century. History knows many of its great saintly monks, and it had a great impact on monasticism in the Eastern Church in general, including Russian monasticism. His monks rejoiced after the Turkish conquest [invasion and occupation] of Constantinople in 1453. His church was converted into a mosque… (translator)
(5) This sermon was translated into Arabic by the late Archimandrite Toma Dibo Maalouf (Al-Na’mah Magazine, the magazine of the Antiochian Orthodox Patriarchate - Damascus, third year, May 1912 issue, pp. 978-992).
(6) Translator's note: The word archimandrite means the head of the (spiritual) monastery or the head of the monastery. Epiphanius mentions in his book Against Heresies (80, 6) that this term was first used in Mesopotamia because the sira (the mandara or the mantara as it is used today in Syria and Lebanon and from which the word natour was coined) this word was used in the fourth century AD for the monastery in Syria and the word (archi - from the Greek archephos) was added to it so it became archimandrite. That is, the head of the sira (the sira = the monastery) then it became common in the Eastern churches and crystallized later so that its meaning became the father - the head - then this term was taken from the sixth century to a monastic rank higher than the rank of the head of a monastery. The function of the archimandrite extended to the presidency of several monasteries. Then the rank of archimandrite began to diminish until it became after the tenth century an honorary title in some places given to the celibate clergy in appreciation of their services in the field of the Lord.
(7) Kursk is a large city in the southern part of central Russia. It is the homeland of the famous baron Seraphim of Sarov and an important commercial and industrial center. See “Seraphim of Sarov,” Noor Publications, 1982.
(8) The word “skhim” is derived from the Greek “skhema,” which is the outer garment worn by the monk (the robe). It is of two types: 1) The small skhim, which the monk wears at the beginning of his monastic life and is given to him with the cross. 2) The large skhim, which is the garment usually given to the perfect monastic elders who have practiced various types of ascetic exercise (translator).
(9) (Translator's note) Cutting the hair: It is cutting the hair of the head in the shape of a cross superficially upon entering the clergy (cutting the hair of the anagnost, i.e. the reader in the church) and cutting the entire hair upon entering monasticism or joining it permanently. It symbolizes submission and complete obedience to God.
When the ancient pagans bought a slave, his master would cut his slave’s hair to signify the slave’s complete submission to his master. This custom was introduced into the ceremony of the consecration prayer of monks. The hair of the head of the aspirant to monasticism was cut to signify that he had become completely at the disposal of his monastery, abandoning all relations with the world and stripping himself of his own will. For this reason, in the service of the consecration prayer of the monk when he dons the small and large schema, there is a prayer for the abbot of the monastery in which he says: “Take away from him every physical desire and bestial revival, so that by cutting the hair of his head, which is devoid of sense, he casts away all bestial thoughts and becomes worthy to take your good yoke and your light burden, and carry the cross and follow you, O Lord…” (See the Great Euchologia, translated by Bishop Raphael Hawawini from the Greek and Slavonic. Reprinted in Beirut in 1955, pp. 208-209) (translator).
(10) Yaroslav was the son of Vladimir the Great who officially introduced Christianity to Russia in 988. He was a powerful and active ruler (1017-1054) and was called the Wise. He strengthened and consolidated Christianity. He built the Cathedral of the Holy Wisdom in the Metropolitanate. His reign was a period of prosperity for the Kievan state.
(11) It is customary for senior monks to be called gerunds. In monastic custom, the gerund is the spiritual father charged with guiding those who are applying to the monastic order. They must obey him completely and reveal to him the secrets of their lives so that he can in turn guide them on the path to salvation (translator)