Elders in Orthodoxy are called highly spiritual clergy who are endowed with wisdom and are marked by themselves. Previously, there were legends about the elders in Russia. People went to them for healing and advice. Are there elders of our time living now?

Who is given the title of "old man" today?

Today, the elders, as before, are venerable monks leading a righteous lifestyle. Among the modern elders, the following clergymen can be noted:

• Father Kirill Pavlov Works in Sergiev Posad in the Trinity-Sergius Lavra. He has a reputation as a respected person, both among high-ranking clergy and laity. To date, almost no visitors and lay people;

  

• Father Naum. Lives and works in the same place as Father Kirill. It can accommodate up to 700 people per day. Tries to help every suffering person;

  

• Father German. Endowed with the gift of insight. Capable of exorcising demons. Lives in the Trinity-Sergius Lavra;

  

• Father Vlasiy. Confesses and receives people. Lives in the Pafnutiev-Borovsky Monastery in the city of Borovsk. Has a special insight;

  

• Father Peter. Confessor in Lukino. Endowed with the gift of insight;

  

• Bishop Alipy. Lives in Krasny Lyman, Ukraine. Works with people;

  

• Father Seraphim. Works at the Svyatogorsk Lavra in Ukraine. Heals people with prayer and word;

  

• Archimandrite Dionysius. Receives in the Church of St. Nicholas near Moscow. Endowed with the gift of shepherding. And also distinguished by the rare power of prayer;

  

• Schema-Archimandrite Eli. Monk in Optina Hermitage. Personal confessor of Patriarch Kirill. Now there is almost no reception of believers;

  

• Father Jerome. Lives in the Assumption Monastery in Chuvashia. Confesses, helps with advice in everyday matters;

  

• Father Hilarion. Accepts people for confession in Klyuchevskoy Hermitage in Mordovia;

  

• Archimandrite Ambrose. Works in the Holy Vvedensky convent in the city of Ivanovo. Has a great gift of insight;

  

• Schema-Archimandrite John. Carries out the cleansing of people from demons in the Ioannovsky Monastery near Saransk;

  

• Father Nicholas. Conducts its activities in the Pokrovo-Ennatsky Monastery in the Republic of Bashkiria;

  

• Father Adrian. Today, it almost does not accept people. Lives in the Pskov-Caves Monastery;
• Archpriest Valerian Krechetov. Related to the "white clergy". Personal confessor of many Moscow priests.

  

In addition to the listed and recognized elders, to the great regret of the clergy, a movement of so-called “young elders” is developing in Christianity. These include young and inexperienced priests who, through thoughtlessness, take on the roles of real Russian elders. There are still false elders who are real charlatans. They create their own sects, destroy the psyche of followers, lie, corrupt and manipulate.

The true elders of our time, who are still living today, see the meaning of their lives in joining the Lord and helping people. They may have different characters, but they are always aimed at helping a person in his problem with spiritual advice. Such elders love people regardless of their moral position or strength of faith.

An elder is not a spiritual rank, but a unique kind of holiness of a church person, which he receives through the will of the Lord. The elder sees through time, knows the fate of people, is able to see the future on a global scale. And all this a priest or a monk receives from God, and not due to his own development. Although those who by their perseverance have raised themselves to a high level of spirituality become elders.

Therefore, eldership causes so much controversy and contradiction in church circles. After all, the phenomenon of Orthodox eldership simply frightens many. And if a person is afraid, then he tries to do everything to get rid of his fear. And then they begin to deny the power of the elders, they claim that there are no true saints on earth for a long time. But this theory can be refuted if we consider the biographies of several modern elders in more detail.

Father Vlasy has been living in a monastery near Borovsk since 1979. He left this monastery only once for Athos, where he received healing from cancer. After his return, the elder began to receive believers, helping them make the right choice, sorting out family problems, and giving advice. People learned about the miraculous power of Elder Blasius very quickly, so today it is extremely difficult to get to him. Sometimes you have to wait several days to get an audience with an elder.

The famous elder Ily Nozdrin lives in Optina Pustyna. He is the personal confessor of the current patriarch. Possesses the gift of special insight. Many times in the past he performed feats related to asceticism. A large number of believers wish to talk to this elder. He works not only with the flock and pilgrims, but also with the monks. This amazing person is distinguished by great humility and philanthropy.

Both believers and spiritual people turn to Archpriest Valerian Krechetov for advice. He is famous for his sermons, wise sayings and pious lifestyle. In addition to fulfilling his direct church duties, Valerian Krechetov is actively involved in educational work. He has many church awards. He works in Akulovo. There he baptizes, confesses, takes communion and performs other sacraments for his flock. This person is also considered a modern Russian elder. The archpriest and is famous.

Many elders of our time, who live now, say that they were given the gift of clairvoyance not in order to save believers from their own choice, but for the divine “hint” to a person in a difficult situation. The elders solve worldly problems, look into the future, but advise not to think about global predictions and the end of the world, but to learn to live righteously today, making the most of the allotted time with benefit. And then the Last Judgment of God will not seem so terrible and formidable.

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A new book

The publishing house of our monastery published a new book - "The Life of the Hieromartyr Benjamin (Kazan), Metropolitan of Petrograd and Gdov, and others like him who suffered the Monk Martyr Sergius (Shein), Martyrs Yuri Novitsky and John Kovsharov » .

In the new book of the famous Russian hagiographer, Archimandrite Damaskin (Orlovsky), the reader is offered the life of Metropolitan Veniamin (Kazansky) of Petrograd, one of the first holy martyrs, who did not sin in his soul or conscience during the persecution that began and gave his life for Christ and His Church .

To oh-yes, forget that any thought should be beat-to-yan-but and the heart clings to it-lep-la-et-sya, then it’s horror -th danger; rather, to fight, to throw it out; mo-lit-howl Ii-su-so-howl pro-go-nyai, but if you are still not in strength, use the old-tsu.

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The gift of reasoning is placed by the holy fathers above all other gifts. “Not everyone who is old in years is already capable of leadership; but who entered into dispassion and accepted the gift of reasoning,” says St. Peter of Damascus.

“In reality, it seems to me the art of arts and the science of sciences to guide people, these various and diverse beings” (St. Gregory the Theologian). These words reflect briefly the phenomenon known as eldership. Eldership arose and developed in connection with the ascetic questions of young monks and teaching them active Christianity.

The elder is called to this service by God Himself, goes through the patristic path through a difficult feat, achieves dispassion, purity of heart, is abundantly imbued with the Divine light of the grace of the Holy Spirit, filled with love, the will of God is revealed to him. He receives a special gift - to guide souls to salvation and heal them from passions. This special gift of leadership, based on leading people to salvation by the Holy Spirit, is called the gift of eldership and requires from the bearer of this gift wise, loving care for the souls who have entrusted themselves to it. Eldership is a special gift of the Holy Spirit, a talent that St. Apostle Paul calls the gift of reasoning.

Elderhood as a special spiritual union consists in a sincere spiritual attitude and listening to spiritual children to their spiritual father or elder. This spiritual attitude consists not only in confession before Holy Communion, but mainly in the frequent, even daily, confession by the monk to the elder not only of deeds, reflections and all the slightest passionate movements of thought and heart, but also in asking for advice and blessings on any actions combined with sincere, firm determination to carry out everything that the elder prescribes.

Obedience to the elder is not a constraint on freedom, but a constraint on the arbitrariness of the fallen human mind, which does not understand the all-good, all-perfect will of God, for the sake of the freedom of the true children of God. It is the elder who reveals God's will to the novice. After all, moral, Christian freedom does not consist in self-will, but in self-restraint, just as political freedom does not consist in anarchy, but in correct management.

The essence of eldership lies in the fact that from among the brethren laboring in the monastery, a monk experienced in the spiritual and ascetic life is chosen, possessing the gift of reasoning, who becomes the leader, spiritual father, elder of the entire monastic community. At any time, students voluntarily go to him, reveal their souls, thoughts, desires and actions before him, ask for his advice and blessings. They completely renounce their will for the sake of fulfilling the all-good will of God and unquestioningly, without hesitation, obey the elder and fulfill all his instructions as a revelation of this will. This senile care helps in the fight against passions, strengthens in moments of despondency, cowardice and doubt, serves as a sure cover from enemy storms to all who resort to its powerful assistance.

Every Christian on the path to eternal life needs, at the very least, a counselor to help him navigate the thorny path of earthly life to salvation. Salvation is in a lot of advice .

Neither the title nor the state mattered in the eyes of the elder, he only needed the soul of a person. And he was always ready to dissolve with his soul in the soul of the one who was looking for his support and help. He knew how to rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep, he quickly resolved all perplexities and healed mental illnesses. St. Ignatius (Bryanchaninov), himself an elder, wrote: “I am called to admire the souls of men” - this intelligent contemplation of the intelligent nature of man was so dear to him. The human soul was so dear to the elder that, forgetting himself, he tried with all his might to save it and put it on the true path. Truly, truly, I say to you, if a grain of wheat falls into the ground and does not die, it will remain alone, but if it dies, it will bear much fruit.. The elder dies every day, he lays down his life for all who come to him. The elders receive a special gift of compassionate, sacrificial love - they make other people's sorrows and falls as if they were their own. They are Christian comforting prophets. Comfort, comfort my people- says the Lord.

People have always been drawn to the elders, as travelers are drawn to a source of light in a cold night.

What is eldership? This is a special institution of spiritual guidance that has organically developed in the Orthodox Church since ancient times, primarily in the monastic environment. As one of the contemporary ascetics of piety, Elder Luka from the Athos monastery of Filotheou, says, “he who leaves the world to become a monk does not leave the world because he hates and abhors it. He leaves the sin and evil of the world. And to the extent that he moves away from the world and is healed with the help of the grace of God, then, to the extent that he is healed, to the extent he understands how the world suffers. And to the extent that he is lightened from the burden of sins, to the extent that the love of Christ entering into him opens his heart so that he accepts the sins of others, so that he gives himself. An elder is one who has reached the heights of evangelical perfection: prayer, humility, faith, love - and, as an experienced climber, is able to lead others to these heights. Here are the words of the Bishop of Zaraisk Mercury about Schema Elijah (the confessor of the current patriarch): “The height of humility and inner constant prayer are as characteristic of him as the ability to breathe, hear and see. Even when he speaks, he does not stop praying. Communicating with him and talking about my life, I caught myself thinking that I didn’t ask him about anything ... ”The words of the Savior quoted in the Gospel of John are involuntarily recalled:“ On that day you will not ask Me about anything ”( John 16:23).

What is one of the main deeds of a monk? According to the recently deceased Athos monk Joseph, a disciple of Elder Joseph the Hesychast, this is the preservation of the purity of the mind: “However, a monk, as a mind, must be perfected through inner conversion, and a person’s contact with God comes when enlightenment or purification of the heart takes place. This is what our Lord said to the Samaritan woman: “God is a spirit and seeks those who worship Him in spirit and in truth.” And, in fact, the monk does just that. So you see that it is the mind that is the way we communicate with the world. Therefore, if we want to reject the insane (paralogon), the law of perversion, and reunite with God, then we do this through the mind. And the law of perversion, insane, which acts in the senses, acts on the mind, and if it does not resist, then it captivates it and leads to madness. However, if the mind is healthy, then it does not allow feelings to approach and desire the insane. The mind controls them, so the monk is really seen as the mind seeing God. And therefore, the true work of a monk is to keep the mind.”

The question arises: how to achieve this, if all modern life is built according to the law of perversion, abuse and over faith in God, and over common sense, and over human nature? One of the answers: through a firm and definite life program, through the fulfillment of the rule of prayer and the rule, through constant spiritual activity, through obedience and humility, and cutting off the search for supernatural states. Characteristic are the words of Father Gregory, Father Superior of the Dokhiar Monastery, in response to a question from Bishop Pankraty, the abbot of the Valaam Monastery: “How do your monks pray? Do they engage in noetic prayer?” Father Gregory replied:

“We do not demand mental prayer from many and we give it with difficulty. I believe, and even believe, that noetic prayer is a heavenly work, but one must approach it with great attention and great caution.

There is simple prayer (euche) and noetic prayer (noera proseuche): the first we must do rigorously, the second is not in our power, but in the power of God. The problem with modern Athos monasticism is that many of the monks are young and they come from a world that is already completely different from what it was before 1960. Capitalism, materialism, hedonism have done in our country what communism has done in yours: they have destroyed the spiritual heritage of our people. My parents were illiterate, but I knew everything about the life of the Church. My childhood years were spent with my aunt, a nun, who made 300 prostrations in the morning, 300 prostrations in the evening. Therefore, I had no problems in the monastery: what I did at home, I did the same in the monastery. Now it's not the same: today's youth have almost no connection with the Church - it is broken. When modern young people come to a monastery, they don’t know how to do anything, they have to be taught everything: to stand in church, to be baptized, to sit at a meal (after all, at home they are used to putting their feet on the table), even to use the toilets normally. People come to the monastery with a feeling of insolence, disrespect for elders, with a complete lack of humility, so that certain bloodletting is often necessary. He is not yet 18 years old, and he has already committed all imaginable and unimaginable sins. And with such people you are going to talk about noetic prayer, with them - to engage in it?! No and no again! Now many speak and write about mental prayer, but they devote literally one or two pages to how to acquire it, and write dozens, hundreds about its fruits. It's like praising oranges, but forgetting how they are grown. So you work, plant a tree, water it, fertilize it, but not a word about it. Only about the fruits, because they are delicious, everyone loves them. We love to flatter the monks, to lull them with words about mental prayer, and above all about its fruits. Some abbots and monks from the Holy Mountain like to come to Hellas, Thessaloniki and other cities, where they talk about noetic prayer, and crowds of people, especially women, listen to them with delight. But what do they say? About heart heat, pain in the heart, etc., and not about repentance. All such manifestations should be treated with great caution, they can be true, and they can be charming, and charm is the worst thing that can be for a person.

How to acquire noetic prayer? Through the fulfillment of the commandments, through the struggle with passions, the acquisition of the virtues of Christ. If a monk is a glutton, a detractor, a gossip, a drunkard, then what kind of smart doing can we talk about? I will give one example. Elder Amphilochius, my mentor, never condemned anyone. I lived with him for 15 years and did not hear a single word of condemnation from him. Here he was a true doer of noetic prayer. I'll tell you one case. One summer morning he was sitting in his cell. He was ill, and we used to visit his cell every half an hour. He fell asleep in his armchair, and for a long time we did not enter his cell, respecting his peace. Finally, after quite some time had passed, we approached and knocked. There was no answer. We could not stand it and slowly entered his cell. He was sitting in his chair completely motionless, as if lifeless, I went closer to see if he was alive, and I saw that his hand was slowly turning over the rosary. Finally, he seemed to wake up, straightened up in his chair and asked: “How much time has passed?” “A little,” I replied. Then he put his finger to his mouth and said, "Shh, shut up about it." And I kept silent about it until his death. We are sensitive people. We look, hear, smell, If you want to engage in mental prayer, then you must put aside all your feelings. Can? Not? Then there is no point in talking about mental prayer. It is for those who have perfected it, and not for the newcomers.”

But the question arises: can prayer be mechanical, unconscious? And does blind obedience itself change a person? And to this the Athonite elders give their answer, clear and sober. Let us give the floor to Father Gregory, hegumen of the Dochiar monastery on Mount Athos: “That is why I introduce the brothers into the sacraments of the Church and into the circle of church holidays. I don't tell them long stories, I'm not a scientist, much less an old secret guide. It's just that in church we read the sermons of the great fathers of the Church, then in the refectory I explain them. For example, on Ascension in the church we read the word of Epiphanius of Salamis and the first word of John Chrysostom. In the refectory we read the second word of John Chrysostom, and then I interpreted it. In my interpretation, I try to single out the most essential thing in the feast, in its sacrament, for the feast is a kind of sacrament of the Church. Elder Amphilochius said: “The best prayer is worship for 24 hours (that is, worship of the daily circle). Only on it can a good monk grow, a real monk.”

But what makes a monk a real monk? According to Father Gregory, obedience and complete cutting off of one's own will: “A monk with his own will is not a monk. It's not possible at all. Therefore, if you want to become a monk, then bloodletting is necessary. If I see that a novice comes with his will and stays with it, then I send him home. Home it. Complete obedience to the abbot is required. I demand it not because I am a saint, but because it is necessary for a monk to cut off his will. This is necessary for a monk." But again, the question is: how not to overdo it, demanding obedience? According to Father Gregory, there must be reasoning. You should show attention to the novice, have knowledge of his mental make-up, his psychology: “Do not humble him sharply, but limit him so that he goes in the right direction. Load it not immediately, but gradually and depending on how it stands. If it stands well, load it properly, but not immediately. If it barely stands, staggers, do not load it at all. But what if the brother does not obey? How to direct it to the right track? The answer is simple: doing what he should do himself. For example, one brother did not fulfill his obedience and did not ask for forgiveness. Then Father Gregory said to him: "Forgive me, brother." He was ashamed and went to fulfill his obedience.

And I, a sinner, disobeyed him: the English school scared me away with possible contacts with the children of the party nomenklatura, and the Leningrad historical and literary No. 27 was famous as an oasis of love of freedom and culture, historical science and literary criticism, and I chose it. Almost immediately, I was convinced of the foresight of Father John: the director of the school, a very sly communist and politician, immediately “took me under the hood”, and the next year, seeing the cross around my neck, “declassified” as a believer boy. In general, it was not without adventures, which I would have avoided if I had listened to the old man. But still, I finished it, being a non-Komsomol member, and the question arose: where to go next?

It seemed natural to go to Moscow, where the winds of perestroika were already blowing, and enter the history department of Moscow State University. We went for a blessing to Father John, talked about the chances in Leningrad and Moscow. He was very worried: “To Moscow? Why leave home? Do it in St. Petersburg." And again I acted arbitrarily: I went to Moscow, where I failed miserably at composing. They wrote to Father John about the results and received a consoling letter from him, in which, among other things, was the following: “I am very glad that Vladimir will have to do it again at home. Let him humble himself at the Faculty of Philology, in the hope that over time he will do what he loves.” This was written in 1987. Since then I have been doing many things. But he began to pure history only in 2003, three years before the death of the elder. And it is felt that through his prayers I managed to get a job at the Faculty of History.

Every meeting with Father John was a holiday, even when he didn’t have time and he, passing by, said: “General blessing, general blessing.” But from communication with Father John, not only an amazing general bright impression remained - he also gave specific, surprisingly sober, clear and timely instructions. He sensitively felt both the spirit of the person addressing him and the spirit of the times. Here is just one of his admonitions: “We all look at Napoleons. There are millions of two-legged creatures for us - one tool ... ”Here, Volodenka, let's not deal with Napoleonic plans. Slowly, slowly. Do not judge anyone, do not annoy anyone, and all my respect. Sobriety and clarity permeated his pastoral advice. Back in 1985, out of the corner of my ear, I overheard his conversation with one priest: “Why did Father N. start a private confession, and even for an hour with each? Times are like this now... A messenger will come with a feather on his hat and say: everyone disperse. General and only general confession now.

He also spoke about his arrest and imprisonment, but without offense, and even more so without anger, urging us to be vigilant and cautious: “In 1945, after the Victory, there was euphoria: the external enemy was defeated, the internal one reconciled with the Church. And then, when I was arrested in 1950 and they showed denunciations and what they had listened to, it became clear: they rejoiced in vain. So even now you have to be careful. Carefully, slowly, gently” (the conversation was in 1986).

When the Ioannovsky Monastery on Karpovka was opened (still as a courtyard of the Pyukhtitsky Monastery), he was very happy and encouraged the guardians of the opening, saying: “Let's do it faster. Soon Estonia will break away, so at least in Russia there will be a corner near the monastery. This conversation took place in 1988, when nothing was clear yet.

He saw not only the sins and troubles of the Soviet period, but also what awaited us. In 1988 he wrote: “You write that temples are opening. It's good - isn't it good? Temples open and souls close – and who will open them?” And I also recall his prophecy about globalization - about one of our acquaintances who wanted to emigrate: “I will keep silent about M.. What a man sows, that he will reap... And trouble is everywhere, and in no America you can hide from it. He saw it all: domestic atheistic murder, and Western, globalist, materialistic.

During the occupation, when the churches were opened, he got the opportunity to praise God. And, despite the fear, fear, he went to church, prayed, served. Later, he shared the way of the cross of many Russian people who were driven away from their homes by the Germans. Saved by his father Mikhail Ridiger. Since then, his friendship with Father Michael and his son Alexei Ridiger, the future His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia, went on.

After the war, he entered the seminary. Despite the difficulties, the problems associated with the fact that he was in the occupied territory, he managed to enter. He studied in the famine years, when there was not enough bread, when every log was counted - he firmly and courageously endured everything for the love of the Lord.

After taking holy orders, he served for many years in St. Nicholas Cathedral in St. Petersburg. He recalled that these were amazing years when people who had gone through the Blockade, who knew suffering, prayed. He happened to serve with the clergy who went through the war, survived the Blockade. Father Alexander Medvetsky was especially amazing.

Father Vasily was removed from St. Nicholas Cathedral for his independence and firmness of spirit, for his bold sermons, for telling the parishioners: “Be patient, this power will end soon.” He was removed to the Serafimovskoye cemetery, and here a spiritual flower garden blossomed, an amazing center of spiritual life, which at the end of his life became not just all-Russian, but worldwide. People came to him from all over the world - from Europe, from America. One of his priests was a Dutchman, and this is no coincidence, because over the long years of his prayer, Father Vasily discovered an amazing gift of prophecy, the gift of guiding the human soul and the amazing gift of prayer for neighbors. I personally experienced this gift of insight. Once I come to confession, and he suddenly says: "Vladimir, blow to Moscow, I'm behind you." I ask: “Father, how do you know that I have to go to Moscow for a conference?” He says: "I know everything."
He did not like anything false, he did not like the embittered politicization of our time. Once I came to him for confession, told everything, and he said to me: “It's all nonsense. Did you do politics?" - "Engaged." “And that’s where we should have started.” He was heartbroken and grieved for the corruption of the Russian people, for the insanity of the youth, for the untruth that reigns in our society. He spoke about this in sermons: “Some bravely go through life, stepping on the heads of their neighbors, and then end up either in the hospital or in prison. Then they write tearful letters: “Sorry, help, they didn’t know ...” - yes, you all knew, everyone understood perfectly well when they broke other people’s lives in the name of your proud “I”.

His attitude to confession and the Eucharist was special. He was indignant at the superficial, consumeristic, proud attitude towards the Eucharist that was and still exists in "Kochetkovo" circles. He called him "treacherous". He said, "Communion is not a pill, but a great sacrament." He personally experienced the sacrament of the Eucharist, saying: “Here you are, but do you feel the Lord in your heart? Do you feel Holy Communion, how should you feel it? Often these questions remained unanswered.

He "pulled" people out of the most difficult, most difficult situations. People loose, shattered, broken by the world, this life. He gathered and made them again purposeful, disciplined, attentive, believing, Christ-loving people. And his arrival was and is special. Father Vasily played a big role both in the life of our city and in the life of his native city of Bolkhov, to a large extent contributed to the restoration of church construction and the churching of its inhabitants. At the end of his life, he really became an all-Russian spiritual luminary. He was a man of a prophetic spirit, rooting for Russia, a man of holy life. And as long as the Church is alive, such luminaries will rise in her sky. As long as the Church lives, the elders will always abide in it.

Eldership, a broad phenomenon of Orthodox life, associated with the spiritual guidance of the elders by people less experienced in matters of faith, and sometimes even those who do not even have a basic knowledge of this life. The concept of “elder” in this sense is not related to age: it happens that a young, but spiritually strong person becomes the spiritual leader of many monks and laity of different sex and age, different social affiliation. The degree of contact between the elder and the person he leads varies. With the most complete expression of the institution of eldership, the one who enters under the leadership of the elder chosen by him must “completely renounce his will, his understanding, his desires,” i.e. “I owe full, unquestioning and perfect obedience” to my spiritual father. The manifestation of this renunciation of self-will is the confession to the elder of his every step, every sinful or even only thought that causes fear in the sinfulness (revelation of thoughts). Many authoritative early Christian authors considered this kind of submission to an experienced leader the most reliable way to achieve spiritual perfection. At the same time, they had in mind not only the spiritual strength and experience of the elder, but also the favorableness of such complete submission for overcoming one's pride and acquiring humility.

It is possible for an elder to lead a layman or a monk, determining only the main directions of spiritual life, leaving considerable scope for choice and not implying either unconditional submission or the indispensable opening of thoughts. The degree of obligatory fulfillment of the instructions of the elder develops gradually in the course of the interaction of both parties, varies depending on the specific circumstances and gives diverse options for the relationship of the elder with spiritual children or disciples.

In Russian Orthodoxy, it is also common for a single or multiple, but rare, appeal of believers to the elders on specific occasions related to spiritual difficulties or everyday problems. A one-time appeal to an elder can be repeated and then develop into the acquisition of a spiritual father in his person, i.e. permanent leader. But it may remain the only conversation that nevertheless plays a significant role in the life of the converted person. It is believed that, turning to the elder, one should follow his instructions, because. he has the gift of insight. According to Orthodox Russians, elders are mediators between God and other people, because God's will is revealed to them about every person who turns to them and on a specific occasion.

Arising from the first steps of Christianity and having prototypes in the pre-Christian religious life, “the elders flourished in the ancient Egyptian and Palestinian cenobitia”, then on Mount Athos, “and from the East it passed to Russia.” In Russia, senile leadership in monasteries “was of two kinds: either the abbot, hegumen, was at the same time an elder for the brethren, or only the economic part lay on him, and spiritual care was provided to another monk.” It also happened that the abbot was the chief abba (teacher), and other elders of the same monastery were his assistants.

One of the first elders in Russia was St. Theodosius Pechersky(XI century). Rev. Sergius of Radonezh(XIV century), who is deservedly considered the renovator of monasticism, brought up many disciples who dispersed throughout Russia and founded new monasteries on the same principles of asceticism in which they themselves were brought up. In the annals and other sources of medieval Russia there is a lot of evidence of the advice of the elders to the laity, in particular to the princes. In the XV century. the spiritual guidance of the hegumen-elder not only of the monastic brethren, but also of the laity is seen in the activity Joseph Volotsky, and, according to some authors, eldership reached its peak in the XV century. 16th century in the face Nil Sorsky. In the XVIII century. a new rise in eldership is associated with the name of St. Paisius Velichkovsky, who labored mainly in Moldavia, but through his students, undoubtedly had an impact on the development of this institution in Russia in the 19th century. Eldership at that time flourished in many monasteries: Kiev-Pechersk, Trinity-Sergius and Pskov-Pechersk Lavra, Optina and Glinskaya deserts, Sarovsky and Valaam monasteries and others. To such famous elders as St. Seraphim of Sarov or Ambrose of Optina, there were many pilgrims from all provinces and all classes of the country. Elders from white were also known, i.e. parish, clergy (among them - revered by all believing Russia at the turn of the XIX-XX centuries. John of Kronstadt) as well as the elders and old women from the laity who have reached spiritual heights as a result of asceticism. Through contacts with the elders, a deep religious and moral enlightenment of the people took place, since the pilgrimage to them was of a massive nature. In turn, the Russian eldership was strengthened at the expense of popular piety, the ascetics of which often became elders themselves, feeding many. So, the famous abbot-elder of the Valaam monastery (ruled it for 37 years) Fr. Damaskin was a peasant of the Staritsky district. Tver province; the famous elder of the Gethsemane Skete Barnabas, in the world Vasily Ilyich Merkulov, came from serfs in the Tula province; the peasant was the abbess-old woman of the Exaltation of the Cross Belevsky Monastery, nun Pavlina, and the abbess-old woman Evgenia, who founded the Tikhvin Monastery in the city of Buzuluk, Orenburg Province, was the daughter of a Tambov peasant.

In n. 20th century Optina and the Glinskaya Hermitage, the Sarov and Valaam monasteries, and other monasteries remained the centers of eldership. In Soviet times, during the period of official persecution of Orthodoxy, Russian eldership was preserved in a hidden or semi-open form. Turning to the elders for constant spiritual guidance or specific advice has become especially relevant for believers in the context of church closures, a limited number of parish priests, and their actions being constrained by government bans. Rumors about the foresight of the elders, their healing of the sick, the power of their prayers secretly spread far beyond their areas of residence and attracted a hidden influx of pilgrims. From the children constantly led by them, informal communities were formed around the elders, which did not break with the legal Church, but solved their religious problems and carried out secret spiritual contacts. Such were the Elders Theodosius of the North Caucasus (born 1948), Lavrenty of Chernigov (born 1950), Seraphim Vyritsky (born 1949), Hieroschemamonk Sampson (born 1979), Elder Dimitry (born 1996), and Blessed Matrona (born 1996). . 1952), schema nun Macarius (sk. 1993) and many others.

On the guidance of an elder (a monk who has reached a high degree of religious asceticism) in the ascetic practice of a novice. It arose at the beginning of the 4th century. among Christian monastics in Egypt. and the novice constituted a "cell" of monasticism, held together by religious-ideological and personal relations. Senile - "nurturing" - assumed voluntary obedience, submission to the will of the elder, cutting off one's own will. u was prescribed not, not an old man, he had his own thoughts. monasteries and believers were revered as "spiritual fathers". S. appeared in Russia in the 14th century. in sketes and deserts of the Volga region. It became in the late XVIII-early XIX centuries. in monasteries by the disciples of Paisius Velichkovsky. The largest center of S. in Russia in the XIX century. .

2) eldership - a broad phenomenon of Orthodox life, associated with spiritual m from the side of people who are less experienced in matters of faith, and sometimes do not even have basic knowledge about this life. The concept of "" in this sense is not related to age: it happens that a young, but spiritually strong person becomes the spiritual leader of many monks and laity of different sex and age, different social affiliation. The degree of contact between the elder and the person he leads varies. With the fullest expression of a eldership, the one who enters under the leadership of the elder chosen by him must "completely renounce his will, his understanding, his desires," i.e. "I owe full, unquestioning and perfect obedience" to my spiritual father. The manifestation of this renunciation of self-will is the confession to the elder of his every step, every sinful or even only thought that causes fear in the sinfulness (revelation of thoughts). Many authoritative early Christian authors considered this kind of submission to an experienced leader the most reliable way to achieve spiritual perfection. At the same time, they had in mind not only the spiritual strength and experience of the elder, but also the favorableness of such complete submission for overcoming one's pride and acquiring humility. It is possible for an elder to lead a layman or a monk, determining only the main directions of spiritual life, leaving considerable scope for choice and not implying either unconditional submission or the indispensable opening of thoughts. The degree of obligatory fulfillment of the instructions of the elder develops gradually in the course of the interaction of both parties, varies depending on the specific circumstances and gives diverse options for the relationship of the elder with spiritual children or disciples. In Russian Orthodoxy, it is also common for a single or multiple, but rare, appeal of believers to the elders on specific occasions related to spiritual difficulties or everyday problems. A one-time appeal to an elder can be repeated and then develop into the acquisition of a spiritual father in his person, i.e. permanent leader. But it may remain the only conversation that nevertheless plays a significant role in the life of the converted person. It is believed that, turning to the elder, one should follow his instructions, because. he has the gift of insight. According to the ideas of the Orthodox, the elders are mediators between God and other people, because. God's will is revealed to them about every person who turns to them and on a specific occasion. Arising from the first steps of Christianity and having prototypes in the pre-Christian religious life, "the elders flourished in the ancient Egyptian and Palestinian cenobitia", then - on Athos, "and from the East passed to Russia." In Russia, senile leadership in monasteries "was of two kinds: either the abbot, hegumen, was at the same time an elder for the brethren, or only the economic part lay on him, and spiritual care was provided to another monk." It also happened that the abbot was the chief abba (teacher), and other elders of the same monastery were his assistants. One of the first elders in Russia was St. Theodosius of the Caves (XI century). Rev. Sergius of Radonezh (XIV century), who is deservedly considered the renovator of monasticism, brought up many disciples who dispersed throughout Russia and founded new monasteries on the same principles of asceticism in which they themselves were brought up. In the annals and other sources of medieval Russia there is a lot of evidence of the advice of the elders to the laity, in particular to the princes. In the XV century. the spiritual guidance of the hegumen-elder not only to the monastic brethren, but also to the laity can be seen in the activities of Joseph Volotsky, and, according to some authors, the eldership reached its highest peak in the XV century. 16th century represented by Nil Sorsky. In the XVIII century. a new rise in eldership is associated with the name of St. Paisius Velichkovsky, who labored mainly in Moldavia, but through his students, undoubtedly had an impact on the development of this institution in Russia in the 19th century. Elderhood at that time flourished in many monasteries: Kiev-Pechersk, Trinity-Sergius and Pskov-Pechersk Lavra, Optina and Glinskaya deserts, Sarov and Valaam monasteries, etc. To such famous elders as St. Seraphim of Sarov or Ambrose of Optina, there were many pilgrims from all provinces and all classes of the country. Elders from white were also known, i.e. parish, clergy (among them - John of Kronstadt, revered by all believing Russia at the turn of the 19th-20th centuries), as well as elders and old women from the laity who reached spiritual heights as a result of asceticism. Through contacts with the elders, a deep religious and moral enlightenment of the people took place, since the pilgrimage to them was of a massive nature. In turn, the Russian eldership was strengthened at the expense of popular piety, the ascetics of which often became elders themselves, feeding many. So, the famous abbot-elder of the Valaam monastery (ruled it for 37 years) Fr. Damaskin was a peasant of the Staritsky district. Tver province; the famous elder of the Gethsemane Skete Barnabas, in the world Vasily Ilyich Merkulov, came from serfs in the Tula province; the peasant abbess - the old woman of the Exaltation of the Cross Belevsky Monastery, nun Pavlina, and the abbess-old woman Evgenia, who founded the Tikhvin Monastery in the city of Buzuluk, Orenburg Province, was the daughter of a Tambov peasant. In n. 20th century Glinsk Hermitage, Sarov and Valaam monasteries, and other monasteries also remained centers of eldership. In Soviet times, during the period of official persecution of Orthodoxy, Russian eldership was preserved in a hidden or semi-open form. Appeal to the elders for constant spiritual guidance or specific advice is especially relevant for believers in the context of the closure of churches, a limited number of parish priests, and the constraint of their actions by the prohibitions of the authorities. Rumors about the foresight of the elders, their healing of the sick, the power of their prayers secretly spread far beyond their areas of residence and attracted a hidden influx of pilgrims. From the children constantly led by them, informal communities were formed around the elders, which did not break with the legal Church, but solved their religious problems and carried out secret spiritual contacts. Such were the Elders Theodosius of the North Caucasus (born 1948), Lavrenty of Chernigov (born 1950), Seraphim Vyritsky (born 1949), Hieroschemamonk Sampson (born 1979), Elder Dimitry (born 1996), and Blessed Matrona (born 1996). . 1952), schema nun Macarius (sk. 1993) and many others. MM. Gromyko

eldership

A monastic institution based on the guidance of an elder (a monk who has reached a high degree of religious asceticism) in the ascetic practice of a novice. It arose at the beginning of the 4th century. among Christian monastics in Egypt. The elder and the novice constituted a "cell" of monasticism, held together by religious-ideological and personal relations. The senile leadership - "nurturing" - assumed the principle of voluntary obedience, submission to the will of the elder, cutting off one's own will. The novice was instructed not to argue, not to contradict the elder, to reveal his thoughts to him. The inhabitants of the monastery and the faithful revered the elders as "spiritual fathers." S. appeared in Russia presumably in the 14th century. in sketes and deserts of the Volga region. It began to be planted at the end of the 18th and beginning of the 19th centuries. in Russian monasteries by the disciples of Paisius Velichkovsky. The largest center of S. in Russia was in the 19th century. Desert Optina.

a broad phenomenon of Orthodox life, associated with the spiritual guidance of the elders, less experienced in matters of faith, and sometimes people who do not even have a basic knowledge of this life. The concept of "elder" in this sense is not related to age: it happens that a young, but spiritually strong person becomes the spiritual leader of many monks and laity of different sex and age, different social affiliation. The degree of contact between the elder and the person he leads varies. With the most complete expression of the institution of eldership, the one who enters under the leadership of the elder chosen by him must "completely renounce his will, his understanding, his desires," i.e. "I owe full, unquestioning and perfect obedience" to my spiritual father. The manifestation of this renunciation of self-will is the confession to the elder of his every step, every sinful or even only thought that causes fear in the sinfulness (revelation of thoughts). Many authoritative early Christian authors considered this kind of submission to an experienced leader the most reliable way to achieve spiritual perfection. At the same time, they had in mind not only the spiritual strength and experience of the elder, but also the favorableness of such complete submission for overcoming one's pride and acquiring humility. It is possible for an elder to lead a layman or a monk, determining only the main directions of spiritual life, leaving considerable scope for choice and not implying either unconditional submission or the indispensable opening of thoughts. The degree of obligatory fulfillment of the instructions of the elder develops gradually in the course of the interaction of both parties, varies depending on the specific circumstances and gives diverse options for the relationship of the elder with spiritual children or disciples. In Russian Orthodoxy, it is also common for a single or multiple, but rare, appeal of believers to the elders on specific occasions related to spiritual difficulties or everyday problems. A one-time appeal to an elder can be repeated and then develop into the acquisition of a spiritual father in his person, i.e. permanent leader. But it may remain the only conversation that nevertheless plays a significant role in the life of the converted person. It is believed that, turning to the elder, one should follow his instructions, because. he has the gift of insight. According to Orthodox Russians, elders are mediators between God and other people, because God's will is revealed to them about every person who turns to them and on a specific occasion. Arising from the first steps of Christianity and having prototypes in the pre-Christian religious life, "the elders flourished in the ancient Egyptian and Palestinian cenobitia", then - on Athos, "and from the East passed to Russia." In Russia, senile leadership in monasteries "was of two kinds: either the abbot, hegumen, was at the same time an elder for the brethren, or only the economic part lay on him, and spiritual care was provided to another monk." It also happened that the abbot was the chief abba (teacher), and other elders of the same monastery were his assistants. One of the first elders in Russia was St. Theodosius of the Caves (XI century). Rev. Sergius of Radonezh (XIV century), who is deservedly considered the renovator of monasticism, brought up many disciples who dispersed throughout Russia and founded new monasteries on the same principles of asceticism in which they themselves were brought up. In the annals and other sources of medieval Russia there is a lot of evidence of the advice of the elders to the laity, in particular to the princes. In the XV century. the spiritual guidance of the hegumen-elder not only to the monastic brethren, but also to the laity can be seen in the activities of Joseph Volotsky, and, according to some authors, the eldership reached its highest peak in the XV century. 16th century represented by Nil Sorsky. In the XVIII century. a new rise in eldership is associated with the name of St. Paisius Velichkovsky, who labored mainly in Moldavia, but through his students, undoubtedly had an impact on the development of this institution in Russia in the 19th century. Elderhood at that time flourished in many monasteries: Kiev-Pechersk, Trinity-Sergius and Pskov-Pechersk Lavra, Optina and Glinskaya deserts, Sarov and Valaam monasteries, etc. To such famous elders as St. Seraphim of Sarov or Ambrose of Optina, there were many pilgrims from all provinces and all classes of the country. Elders from white were also known, i.e. parish, clergy (among them - John of Kronstadt, revered by all believing Russia at the turn of the 19th-20th centuries), as well as elders and old women from the laity who reached spiritual heights as a result of asceticism. Through contacts with the elders, a deep religious and moral enlightenment of the people took place, since the pilgrimage to them was of a massive nature. In turn, the Russian eldership was strengthened at the expense of popular piety, the ascetics of which often became elders themselves, feeding many. So, the famous abbot-elder of the Valaam monastery (ruled it for 37 years) Fr. Damaskin was a peasant of the Staritsky district. Tver province; the famous elder of the Gethsemane Skete Barnabas, in the world Vasily Ilyich Merkulov, came from serfs in the Tula province; the abbess was the abbess - the old woman of the Exaltation of the Cross Belevsky Monastery, nun Pavlina, and the abbess-old woman Evgenia, who founded the Tikhvin Monastery in the city of Buzuluk, Orenburg Province, was the daughter of a Tambov peasant. In n. 20th century Optina and the Glinskaya Hermitage, the Sarov and Valaam monasteries, and other monasteries remained the centers of eldership. In Soviet times, during the period of official persecution of Orthodoxy, Russian eldership was preserved in a hidden or semi-open form. Turning to the elders for constant spiritual guidance or specific advice has become especially relevant for believers in the context of church closures, a limited number of parish priests, and their actions being constrained by government bans. Rumors about the foresight of the elders, their healing of the sick, the power of their prayers secretly spread far beyond their areas of residence and attracted a hidden influx of pilgrims. From the children constantly led by them, informal communities were formed around the elders, which did not break with the legal Church, but solved their religious problems and carried out secret spiritual contacts. Such were the Elders Theodosius of the North Caucasus (born 1948), Lavrenty of Chernigov (born 1950), Seraphim Vyritsky (born 1949), Hieroschemamonk Sampson (born 1979), Elder Dimitry (born 1996), and Blessed Matrona (born 1996). . 1952), schema nun Macarius (sk. 1993) and many others. MM. Gromyko