Preface to the Third Edition

Any school should not only impart to children a certain range of knowledge, but at the same time should educate students. Any subject included in the school curriculum should serve as a means of educational instruction, but the main subject of educational instruction is undoubtedly the Law of God, since religious knowledge embraces all aspects of the spiritual life of man. A teacher of religion in a school is not just a teacher of the Law of God, but also a preacher; Its lessons should act not so much on the child's mind as on his feelings, i.e. not only enrich children with knowledge of the basic Christian dogmas, but also draw children to deeds in accordance with the requirements of Christian morality. Good is done not by calculation, but by the impulses and inclinations of the heart. In the educational aspect of teaching the Law of God lies the main goal of studying it in school as a special subject. Living in a good Christian family, children receive the beginnings of religious knowledge even before school, but in most cases the preschool religious information of children is extremely confused and incorrect. As a result, the teacher of religion in school must first of all deal with the teaching of children, i.e., imparting to them certain knowledge about God and some of His attributes, about the Angels, about the human soul, etc. Without communicating this initial, basic religious information to children, no educational influence of the teacher of religion on his pupils can take place, and all his edifying speeches cannot touch the heart of the child. since the doctrine of morality will not have a firm foundation. The educational side of primary school does not lend itself to strictly defined regulation, but in terms of education, schooling has its own specific rules. For each subject of the school course, there are teaching methods developed by practice and the science of education, which the teacher must keep in mind when conducting school affairs. In the methods of the Law of God, three methods are usually indicated: progressive, joint, and concentric. The first consists in the sequential passage of the sections of the course of the Law of God in the order indicated by the program. The task of the teacher of religion in this case is greatly simplified. He does not need to worry about the choice of material for each lesson, but it is enough just to have a good textbook at hand and master it. This method can be used by any literate person. The joint method consists in the fact that everything related to this or that Christian truth is studied in the school simultaneously, jointly, wherever this truth is spoken. Thus, for example, when speaking of the creation of the world, the teacher of the law must memorize with his students the first article of the Symbol of Faith and point out that the reading of the introductory psalm during Vespers signifies the creation of the world and the blessed life of the first people in paradise. This method was recommended by many compilers of textbooks of the Law of God for elementary schools, but at the present time it is not strictly consistently applied anywhere, and in general cannot be strictly applied. It is useful for repetition, but not for mastering the course. The concentric method consists in the fact that all educational material is divided into several complete sections or circles that have one common center. In the very first year of study, all four sections of the elementary school course should be taught to the students in the shortest possible form, i.e., the most important catechetical truths, some selected stories from Holy History, the divine services should be briefly told, and the most important prayers should be explained and memorized. In the next two or three years of study, the same sections are studied, but in more detail, with a gradual expansion in the volume of information communicated to students. Thus, the knowledge acquired by students in the first department of primary school is the first complete circle of religious concepts. This first circle serves at the same time as the basis for the information given to students in the senior departments, which have one common center - the most basic information of the first year of study. Hence the name of the method - concentric, i.e. a method in which in the very first year of study students are given a complete sum of knowledge in a condensed form, and in subsequent years the same basic knowledge, gradually expanding in volume, is grouped around the first circle, having one common center. "Teaching revolves in concentric circles when the educational material is distributed among the stages in such a way that each stage forms a complete whole, and the subsequent stages are an expedient extension and deepening of the lower degree. The newly communicated at each higher stage enters into connection with what was previously communicated at the lower stage, the truths and conclusions at each higher stage are introduced to a greater and greater extent, and at the same time the teaching becomes deeper and deeper. The course of the Law of God, in accordance with the requirements of concentration, can be divided even in elementary school into a large number of separate circles. But, in the first place, excessive fragmentation must have an unfavorable effect on the teaching itself, and in the second place, it does not seem necessary in a school attended by pupils every day. In Sunday schools, where students are constantly dropping out and re-entering, the course of any subject has to be divided into a more or less significant number of concentrations; In an ordinary elementary school, with a definite course of study, it is most convenient to limit the number of concentrations to the number of years of study. The concentric method of teaching is now practiced in the study of all subjects of study in primary schools, and is also recommended in the conduct of classes on the Law of God. However, it should be noted that, despite all its merits, about which a lot has been written in pedagogical literature, this method, as well as the other two methods, cannot be carried out strictly consistently through all the years of study in elementary school, and the teacher of religion at different times must resort to all three methods. In the first year of study, it is necessary both to introduce the students to the understanding of the Christian faith and morals in all their most important manifestations, i.e., to give children a small, but completely complete circle of knowledge, and therefore it seems necessary to conduct teaching according to the concentric method; In the next two years, the exclusive use of this method is no longer suitable. To prove the latter assertion, it is not superfluous to make a reference to the curriculum of the Law of God in elementary schools. According to this program (equally in both church and secular schools), the course of the Law of God is divided into four sections: the first section is the teaching of prayer, the second is the Holy History of the Old and New Testaments, the third is a short catechism, and the fourth is the explanation of divine services. The first of these sections must be studied in the junior department, the second in the middle department, and the last two in one or two senior departments. Thus, the first year includes the study of the most common prayers. But the study of prayers should naturally be preceded by the acquaintance of children with the truths of Christianity and the most important traditions of the Orthodox Church, since otherwise the words of the prayers will be memorized by children without any meaning, and this memorization will have no educational significance.

If children thoroughly assimilate all the information indicated in the "Explanatory Note", then they will thereby be introduced to the understanding of the truths contained in these prayers, will be able to pray consciously and will be prepared for the assimilation of the Law of God not only with their minds, but also with their hearts. Therefore, in these notes and in the book compiled by the author together with I.S. Mikheev for the junior department "The Law of God", some stories from the Holy History are introduced. These stories are presented in the briefest form, since a more detailed presentation of them is beyond the power of first-year students to memorize and must be filled in the second part of the school. The enumerated preliminary information contains in a concise form the entire course of the Law of God within the framework of the elementary school curriculum and represents the first main circle or concentration. Thus, during the first academic year, all educational material should be worked out exclusively according to the concentric method of teaching. According to the program of the second year, it is supposed to go through the Holy History of the Old and New Testaments. Adhering to the exclusively concentric method in this section as well, the teacher of religion would have to teach, firstly, not all the stories from the Holy History indicated by the program, and secondly, to transmit the stories in an abbreviated form, leaving a more detailed exposition of them until the third year of study. This method of teaching is practiced in Germany and Switzerland, but it is not suitable for Russian schools. Repeating the same thing three times in three years, with only a few details added each time, may not bore German children, but such a repetition can only make Russians sad. On the other hand, too brief an account of a sacred historical event cannot produce the impression, cannot arouse the feelings that are expected of it. Therefore, the Holy History should be progressively studied in the second part, without any abbreviations or omissions within the limits laid down by the program. During the last year of study, when passing through a short catechism and when explaining the divine services, it is often necessary to turn to the recollection of stories from the Holy History and to the explanation of prayers previously studied, as well as to generalize all the information previously received by the students, and therefore it is appropriate to use the method jointly. The application of the latter method enables students to easily repeat and combine in the third year of study all that they have learned during the preceding years, and at the same time consciously strengthen this knowledge in the soul. As for the educational side of teaching the Law of God, it should be kept in mind by the teacher of religion in every lesson. Nozer F. Metodika Zakona Bozhya, ili Posobie k prepodavaniyu Zakona Bozhya v nachal'noy shkole [Methods of the Law of God, or a Manual for Teaching the Law of God in Elementary School]. 2nd ed., ispr. Moscow, 1898. P. 16.^

Educational side

Methodical Instructions and Lesson Notes on the Law of God

Preface to the Third Edition

The content of each lesson on the Law of God provides material for planting in children's souls "thoughts, feelings, and aspirations that can serve as the seed of a religious and moral life," and therefore each lesson of the Law of God must necessarily end or be accompanied by a moral conclusion. The latter is as necessary in the lesson of the Law of God as moral application in a sermon. A lesson in the Law of God without a moral conclusion reduces the teaching of this subject to the level of dry memorization of high religious truths or simple memorization of biblical names and events. From the very first lessons in school with newly enrolled children, the teacher of religion has every opportunity, when communicating the basic Christian truths to the students, to influence the souls of the children in an educational way, since dogmatic truths are in the closest connection with moral truths. The first truth that must be strengthened in the consciousness of students is the unity of God. From this truth follows the conclusion about the greatness of God and the moral necessity of reverence for Him for every creature. From the attributes of God, moral conclusions are drawn by themselves and are quite accessible to the understanding of even very undeveloped children. Further initial information on the Law of God: about the Angels, about the human soul, about the sinfulness of human nature after the Fall, about the redemption of people by the Savior also provide material for edification. As for the study of the initial prayers, then, in our opinion, in the first year of study, it is quite enough for each student to know: to whom we address in this or that prayer, what names we attach to the person to whom we address and what we pray for. A detailed translation of the prayer and its detailed content can be assimilated by students in the second and even in the third year of study, when they learn the meaning of Slavonic words and phrases. In the course of Sacred History, every sacred historical event, every biblical person, provides material for edification, and this edification should never be omitted. Without moral conclusions, Sacred History loses its educational significance and becomes a collection of individual more or less entertaining stories and even a simple list of names and events. Meanwhile, Holy History is a consistent, coherent development of the economy of our salvation. It tells how the Lord revealed Himself to people, how people fulfilled the Lord's commandments and how the Lord glorified His chosen ones, how He directed everything to good and stopped evil. Sacred history is therefore the history of the manifestation of God's Providence for the world, and Biblical stories serve as the best means for educating children to imitate good examples and avoid bad ones. All moral conclusions, no matter where they come from, must necessarily be brief and made as far as possible by the students themselves with the help of only leading questions on the part of the teacher of the law. Long sentences, given in a ready-made form, are boring for children, and boredom is the surest remedy for the failure of studies. When informing children, for example, about the omnipresence of God, it is enough for the teacher of the law to ask the disciples: "Is it possible for one who has done something bad to hide from God?" How are we to live with our brothers?" etc. Such questions awaken in children the desire to strive for good and to avoid evil under the direct influence of living examples. These questions in writing are dry and lifeless, but when orally transmitted, immediately after the story, they come to life and touch the most sensitive strings of the child's heart, and the more naturally and simply they are posed, the more surely they will achieve their goal.

The order and method of studying prayers. Part I

Methodical Instructions and Lesson Notes on the Law of God

Preface to the Third Edition

Part I The question of the order of studying prayers in the junior department of primary school can be called controversial. It served as a subject of disagreement at many legislative congresses, was repeatedly discussed in the press, but did not yet receive a fully definite decision. Some of the teachers of the law advise to adhere exactly to the order indicated in the program, others recommend following the order of time in which prayers are used in life, i.e. to study first the morning prayer, then the prayer before dinner, and finally the evening prayer; still others advise to be guided by the degree of development of children and to begin the study of prayers with more accessible in content and less extensive; still others find the so-called ecclesiastical order best, i.e., the sequence in which prayers are placed in the liturgical books; the fifth adhere to the historical order, i.e. they try to place the study of each prayer in connection with some story from Holy History. Various considerations and arguments are expressed in favor of one or another way of studying prayers, but these proofs usually suffer from one-sidedness and are mutually refuted. The order of studying prayers according to the instructions of the program has so little meaning that it does not need any refutation, and it can only be recommended through misunderstanding. The use of the order of the study of prayers according to the seasons of the day leads to the study of prayers that are more complex in content and more extensive in volume, previously simpler and less extensive, and therefore is in complete contradiction with the basic didactic rule - to pass gradually from the easy to the more difficult. The church order of the study of prayers suffers from the same drawback, if it is consistently carried out in school from the first lessons. The historical order of the study of prayers would, of course, be very good if each prayer followed naturally from the sacred-historical story, and at the same time the short prayers preceded the longer ones. But, firstly, not all the prayers indicated in the curriculum for elementary schools can be deduced from the stories of Holy History, and secondly, it is impossible to distribute the prayers in such a way that the short prayers are studied before the more extensive ones. From an educational point of view, the question of the order in which prayers are studied is of absolutely no importance, since the purpose of this study is to accustom children to prayer and to develop in them a living need for prayer that is more or less conscious. Of course, it is impossible to demand full consciousness when reading prayers by 7-8-year-old children, and therefore the teacher of the law should only strive to ensure that, after a brief explanation of this or that prayer, the children memorize it not as a simple set of words, but as an external expression of a religious feeling, even if it is not fully conscious of the mind. But the order in which prayers are studied is of no small importance for didactic purposes. Therefore, we consider it possible to say that the study of prayers must necessarily alternate with the stories of the teacher of the law from Holy History and conversations from the field of church practice. If this condition is violated, the continuous memorization of prayers becomes boring for children, and instead of a natural means of moral education for them, it becomes the bitter root of the teaching, the removal of which from school is concerned with the modern science of education. The guarantee of the success of classes lies in the fact that each subject of the school course has an effect on students not in a repulsive, but in an exciting way, and the Law of God in this respect should be ahead of all other subjects. It is clear that in this case the order of studying prayers must necessarily be combined with the degree of ease of them and the preparedness of children for their study. Guided by the main goal of studying prayers in school, the teacher of the law, as he goes through them, must also indicate the order in which they are read during the day and used in church services. Learning this order after memorizing the prayers is not difficult and is facilitated by the daily performance of prayers at school. But since children live more than one school life and at the end of the course break off their direct connection with school, the teacher of religion has a moral obligation to instill in them the habit of prayer for the rest of their lives. It is good if all students are accustomed by the teacher of the law to the daily unfailing performance of morning and evening prayer at home within the limits of those prayers that are studied in elementary school. This does not eliminate the possibility of instilling in students the habit of performing more extensive prayers at home, but accustoming them to at least a short attentive prayer is more attainable and more necessary.

The order and method of studying prayers. Part II

Methodical Instructions and Lesson Notes on the Law of God

Preface to the Third Edition