To Nepotianus. On the Way of Life of Clergy and Monks

My dear Nepotianus, in your letters coming from across the sea, you ask me, and often ask, to briefly set forth to you the rules of life, how one should walk the right path of Christ, without being carried away by various vicious enticements, who, having left the service of this world, has become either a monk or a cleric. When I was still a youth, one might say almost a youth, and in the midst of the harsh desert I curbed the first impulses of the age of passion, then I wrote a letter of admonition to your grandfather St. Heliodorus, full of tears and complaints, so that he could see the agitated state of the soul of his comrade who had remained in solitude. But in that letter, in my youth, I did not express myself with the proper seriousness, the rhetoric was fresh in my memory, and I embellished some of it with scholastic flowers. And now my head is already white, my face is streaked with wrinkles, my chin is drooping like that of bulls, and "cold blood is already flowing around my atria" (Virgil. Georgiki, 22); and in another place the same poet said: "Everything takes away time, even cheerfulness takes away." And a little later: "Now I have forgotten so many songs, and even the voice of Maerin leaves me" (Virgil. "Bucolics", 8).

But so that it does not seem that I am giving testimonies only from pagan literature, learn the mysteries of the Divine books. David, once a warlike man, having reached the age of 70, could not warm himself from the coldness of old age. In all the borders of Israel, they are looking for the virgin Abishag Shunammite, so that she would sleep with the king and warm the body of the old man (see 1 Kings ch. 1). If you look only at the dead letter, will it not seem to you that it is either a buffoon's invention or an Attelan comedy? The stiffened old man wraps himself in clothes and can only warm himself in the arms of a girl. Bathsheba was still alive, and Abigail and the other wives of David and the concubines mentioned in the Scriptures were still alive. All are rejected as cold; In the arms of the maiden alone, the old man warms up. Abraham was much older than David, and yet he did not seek another wife during Sarah's lifetime. Isaac was twice David's age and never got cold with his old Rebekah. Not to mention the ancient antediluvian men, who lived 900 years and, having not only senile, but almost already decaying limbs, did not seek the embrace of maidens. And Moses, the leader of the people of Israel, having lived 120 years, did not exchange Zipporah for another.

Who is this Shunammite woman, a woman and maiden so ardent that she warmed the cold, so holy that she did not arouse lust in the one who was warmed? Let the wisest Solomon explain to us the pleasures of his father, let the man of peace tell us about the embrace of a warrior. Acquire wisdom, acquire understanding; do not forget this, and do not shrink from the words of my mouth. Do not leave her, and she will keep you; love her, and she will protect you. The main thing is wisdom: acquire wisdom, and with all your possessions acquire understanding. Esteem her highly, and she will exalt you; she will glorify you if you cling to her; He will put a beautiful wreath on your head, He will bring you a magnificent crown. (Proverbs 4:5-9).

All bodily virtues betray the elderly: only wisdom increases, everything else weakens; fasting, vigilance, almsgiving, lying on the ground, traveling, receiving strangers, protecting the poor, constancy in prayer, tirelessness, visiting the sick, handicrafts for giving alms — in short, everything that is done with the help of the body, with the weakening of the body, decreases.

And the old age of those people who have spent their youth in honest studies and have studied day and night in the law of the Lord, the old age of such people is more learned in gatherings, more experienced in life, wiser in the course of time, and produces the sweetest fruits of the teachings of old age. That is why the Greek sage Themistocles, they say, when, having lived 107 years, he noticed the approach of death, said that he was sorry to part with his life at a time when he had just begun to be intelligent. Plato died at the age of 81, engaged in literature. And Socrates spent 99 years in scientific and literary works. Not to mention the other philosophers: Pythagoras, Democritus, Xenocrates, Zeno, and Cleanthes, who were already famous for their wisdom in their old age. I appeal to the poets – Homer, Hesiod, Simonides, Stesichorus, who in extreme old age and at the approach of death sang their swan song, surpassing themselves. Sophocles, when he was accused of madness by his own sons because of his extreme old age and negligence about domestic affairs, he read before the judges the tragedy "Oedipus" which he had just written, and presented such a brilliant proof of wisdom in his decrepit age, that the tribunal of strict judges turned into a theater of applause. It is not surprising that Cato, a former censor, a most eloquent Roman, was not ashamed to learn Greek in his old age and did not despair of success. It is not without reason that Homer also says that from the tongue of Nestor, the old man was already decrepit, speech flowed sweeter than honey. The mystery of the very name (of the maiden of David) Abisag – means the breadth of the wisdom of the elders. For the word Abisag means "my father is abundant" or "my father's cry." The verb superfluo (to excess, to be superfluous) has a double meaning; here it is taken in the best sense and means virtue, which multiplies in the elders their abundant and fruitful wisdom. And sometimes the word superfluous means as if unnecessary. If we take Abisag in the second sense, then the word rugitus (wail) means the actual sound of the waves of the sea and, so to speak, a shudder coming from the sea. This means that in the elders dwells the mighty thunder of Divine speech, which surpasses the human voice. And the word Shunammite in our language means purple, scarlet; this signifies both the warmth of wisdom and the burning in the Divine reading: both the Mystery of the Lord's Blood and the heat of wisdom are indicated. For this reason, in the Book of Genesis (38:27-30), the grandmother imposed purple on the hand of Perez, who, from dividing the barrier that separated the two peoples beforehand, received the name of Phares, that is, the separator. And the prostitute Rahab, in the image of the Church, dangled through the window a thread containing the mystery of blood, so that at the destruction of Jericho her house would be saved. That is why in another place the Scriptures speak of holy men thus: These are the essence... who came out of warmth to the house of Father Richab (1 Chron. 2:55). And our Lord says in the Gospel: I have come to bring fire down upon the earth, and how I would that it had already been kindled! (Luke 12:49). This fire, kindled in the hearts of the disciples, and impelled them to say: Did not our hearts burn within us when He spoke to us on the way, and when He explained the Scriptures to us? (Luke 24:32).

But why such a long preface? That you should not demand of me childish declamations, flowers of eloquence, coquetry in words, and at the end of each chapter some brief and cautious conclusions, which would excite the shouts and applause of the hearers. May wisdom alone envelop me, may our Abishag, who never grows old, rest in my bosom. She is pure and always virgin and, like Mary, is not damaged, even though she gave birth every day and always gives birth. That is why, it seems, the Apostle also said: "By the Spirit burn" (Romans 12:11). And in the Gospel the Lord foretold that at the end of the world, when, according to the words of the prophet Zechariah, a foolish shepherd arises, wisdom will fail and the love of many will grow cold (Matt. 24:12; Zech. 11:15-17). So, listen to how Blg. Cyprian, not eloquent, but strong. Listen to your brother in fellowship, your father in old age, who leads you from the beginnings of faith to a perfect age, and, gradually expounding the rules of life, teaches others in your person. I know that you have learned, and every day you learn what is sacred, from your grandfather blzh. Heliodorus, who is now the high priest of Christ; I know that you have his way of life as an example of virtue. But accept also our teaching, whatever it may be, and unite my writing with that of Heliodorus; As He taught you to be a perfect monk, so learn from me to be a perfect cleric.

A cleric serving the Church of Christ, let him first delve into the meaning of his name and, having determined his name, let him try to be what he is called. If the Greek word (kliros) in Latin means sors (lot), then the clerics are called so either because they belong to the lot of the Lord, or because the Lord Himself is their lot, that is, the property of the clerics. And whoever either belongs to the Lord's inheritance or has the Lord as his inheritance, must behave in such a way that he can both possess the Lord and be the object of the Lord's possession. Whoever possesses the Lord, and together with the prophet says: "The Lord is my part" (Psalm 1:5; 72, 26; 141:5), he must have nothing but the Lord. And if anyone has anything besides the Lord, then the Lord is no longer a part of him. For example, if someone has gold, silver, possessions, and various utensils, then together with these possessions he will not be vouchsafed to have the Lord as his possessions. But if I am a part of the Lord and a cord of His inheritance, then I do not receive an inheritance along with the other tribes, but, like the priest and the Levite, I live by tithes, serving the altar, I eat from the altar; having food and clothing, I will be satisfied with this, and I will follow naked after the naked Christ. And so, I beseech you, and again and again I exhort you, that you do not consider the duties of a cleric to be something like ancient military service, that in the service of Christ you do not seek the profit of this world, that you do not make new acquisitions in possessions, and that it may not be said of you: "Be ashamed of such your gains" (Jeremiah 12:13). Let your table be surrounded by the poor and strangers, and Christ cohabiting with them. The cleric of the acquirer, who from the poor has become rich, from the ignoble to the noble, flee like some kind of plague. Bad associations corrupt good morals (1 Cor. 15:33). You despise gold, but he loves it; you trample on riches, and he pursues them; silence, meekness, solitude are after your heart, and he likes verbosity, a worn forehead, squares and streets, and the dwellings of charlatans. With such a difference in morals, what can there be in common? In your drawing-room, let a woman's foot seldom or never pass. Either do not know all the maidens and virgins of Christ in the same way, or love them in the same way. Do not often be under their roof; Do not rely on your former chastity. You are not holier than David, not wiser than Solomon. Always remember that the woman expelled the heavenly inhabitant from his former domain. During your illness, let a holy brother, or a relative, or a mother, or some women who enjoy general approval and confidence, serve you. If there are no such kindred and blameless persons, then keep in mind that the Church nourishes many old women who can both render you a service and receive a reward for their service, so that your very illness will bear the fruit of almsgiving. I know that some have recovered in body and sickness in spirit. It is not safe to use the services of someone whose face you often see. If, as a cleric, you visit a widow or a maiden, then never enter her house alone. Have companions whose company would not be inglorious to you. If a reader, or an acoluth, or a psalmist follows you, then let them adorn themselves not with garments, but with manners, let them not curl their hair with tongs, but promise modesty by their very appearance. Do not sit alone with one, secretly, without an intermediary or witness. If it is necessary to say something in secret, let it be a nurse, the eldest maiden in the house, a widow or a married woman: your companion is not so inhuman as to dare to confide in anyone but you. Avoid all suspicion; warn in advance of all kinds of fictions that can be formed with plausibility. Holy love does not allow frequent gifts, bundles and garments attached to the face, dishes brought and tasted, tender and sweet notes. "My honey, my desire, beauty, pleasure..." — all such laughter, worthy of politeness and other indecencies of lovers make us blush in comedies and are condemned in the people of this age; Is not such expressions much more reprehensible in the mouths of monks and clerics, who adorn the priesthood with their podvig, adorning the priesthood in their podvig? I say this not to fear in this respect for you or for holy men; I only want to say that in every podvig, in every sex and age, there are both good and bad, and the condemnation of the evil is praise for the good.

It is shameful to say: idolatrous priests, comedians, charioteers, and dissolute people receive inheritances; only clerics and monks are forbidden by law, and it is forbidden not by persecutors, but by Christian rulers. I do not complain about the law, but I grieve for why we deserve this law. Cauterization with a hell-stone is beneficial: but what is the use of a wound that makes me need cauterization? The warning of the law is prudent and severe, but even this does not restrain covetousness, with the help of powers of attorney (per fideicommissa) we deceive the laws, and as if the imperial decrees were more important to us than Christ's, we fear the laws, and neglect the Gospel. Let the mother inherit her children, that is, the Church, her flock, whom she begot, nourished and led. Why do we interfere between mother and children? The glory of the bishop is to take care of the poverty of the poor. But it is a disgrace for all the clergy to accumulate riches for themselves. Born in a poor house or in a country hut, in the old days I could scarcely fill an empty stomach with millet and black bread, but now for me the most excellent crumbs of flour and honey are for nothing. I know the genera and names of fish, I know on which shore the shells are collected; By the smell of the birds I can distinguish from which provinces they are from; I am amused by the rarity of expensive food, and lately by their very shortcomings.

It is heard, moreover, that some clergymen are distinguished by shameful servility to childless old men and women. They bring the potty themselves, sit around the bed, take gastric belching and pulmonary sputum into their hands. They are frightened when the doctor arrives and with trembling lips inquire whether the patient is better; if the old man feels a little more cheerful, they are in danger and hide an anxious covetous thought under the guise of joy. They are afraid that their helpfulness will be wasted, and the tenacious old man is protected by Methuselah's years. Oh, what a reward God would have for this, if they did not wait for a reward in this life! With what effort a vain inheritance is earned! The pearl of Christ could have been bought with less difficulty.

Read the Divine Scriptures more often; even if a holy book never falls from your hands. Learn what you yourself teach; keep the faithful word, in accordance with the teaching, so that you may strengthen others in sound doctrine and conquer opponents. Abide in what you have learned and what has been entrusted to you, knowing from whom you have learned, ready always to answer anyone who asks you about your hope and faith. Let not your deeds be at variance with your speech, lest during your church conversation someone silently ask you: "Why do you not do what you teach others?" A robber can also denounce covetousness. The priest of Christ must have a face, mind and hands in accord with each other. Be subject to your high priest and have him as the father of your soul. To love is characteristic of children, to fear slaves. If I am a father, it is said, where is the reverence for Me? And if the Lord, where is the reverence for Me? (Mal. 1:6). For you, in the person of one man, many names should be honored: a monk, a high priest, your grandfather, who has already taught you everything that is holy. I also say that bishops should consider themselves clergy and not masters, they should honor the clergy as clerics, in order to receive episcopal honor from them as well. The saying of the orator Domitius is known. "Why," he said, "shall I consider you a ruler, when you do not consider me a senator?" We know what Aaron and his sons were, the same bishop and the elders: one Lord, one temple, and one service. Let us always remember what the Apostle Peter commands the priests: "Feed the flock of God that is among you, overseeing it not under compulsion, but willingly and pleasing to God, not for abominable gain, but out of zeal, and not having dominion over the inheritance [of God], but setting an example for the flock; and when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive an unfading crown of glory (1 Pet. 5:2-4). In some churches there is a very bad custom that presbyters in the presence of bishops are silent and say nothing, as if the latter either do not like them, or do not deign to hear them. But if another, says the Apostle Paul, has a revelation from those who sit, then the first shall be silent. For you can all prophesy, one by one, that all may learn and all may receive consolation. And the spirits of the prophets are obedient to the prophets, because God is not the God of disorder, but of peace (1 Corinthians 14:30-33). A wise son rejoices his father (Proverbs 10:1). A bishop can rejoice in his judgment if he has chosen such priests for Christ.

When you teach in church, stir up not a cry of approval, but weeping among the people. The tears of the listeners are your praise. The presbyter's speech should be based on the reading of the Scriptures. I do not want you to be a reciter, a loudmouth, and a chatterbox to no avail, but versed in the mysteries and taught the mysteries of your God. To sprinkle words and speed of speech, to attract the surprise of the ignorant rabble, is characteristic of unlearned people. The rubbed forehead often talks about what he does not know, and in persuading others, he only appropriates knowledge to himself in vain. My former teacher, Gregory of Nazianzus, once replied with elegant jocularity to my request to explain what Luke's second Sabbath (Luke 6:1) means: "I will teach you this in church: there, with the general cries of the people, you will be forced to know what you do not know. And if you remain silent alone, you will be accused of stupidity by everyone." Nothing is easier than to deceive the common people with the vigilance of language, and the unlearned assembly, which does not understand what it does not understand, is even more amazed. Tullius (of whom the best judgment is this: "Demosthenes warned you not to be the first orator; thou hast followed him, that he may not be the only one") of the speech for Quintus Gaul speaks of the favor of the crowd and of the ignorant listeners; Listen to his voice so as not to be carried away by such deceptions. I will tell you what I have heard recently. A certain poet, a man of renown, very educated, wrote conversations of poets and philosophers, in which he makes Euripides and Menander argue among themselves, and in another place Socrates and Epicurus, separated, as we know, by the time of life not by years, but by centuries; And how many applause and enthusiastic cries he evokes with his work! This is because he has many classmates in the theater who did not study anything together.

Do not wear dark clothes in the same way as light ones. Adornment and untidiness should be avoided alike: the first speaks of the love of pleasure, and the second of vanity. It is commendable to wear linen clothes, but not to pay attention to their value. But it is ridiculous and extremely unseemly, when arranging one's pocket, to boast that one does not have a handkerchief to wipe one's sweat and an orarion (sudarium orariumque). Others give a little to the poor in order to get more, and under the pretext of charity they accumulate riches; This is more of a kind of hunting than charity. There are animals, birds, and fish. A small bait is relied on the hook to pick up the matrons' purses on it. Let the bishop to whom the Church is entrusted look attentively who is appointed to care for the poor and to distribute alms. It is better not to have anything to help than to shamelessly beg and hide for yourself. But on the other hand, it is arrogant to pretend to appear more merciful than the high priest of Christ. Not all of us can do everything. There is one in the Church the eye, another the tongue, another the hand, another the foot, the ear, the womb, and so on. Read Paul's Epistle to the Corinthians, how the various members make up one body (1 Cor. ch. 12). Let an uneducated and simple brother not consider himself a saint, because he knows nothing; let also a skilful and eloquent brother not place holiness in eloquence. Both are imperfect, but it is much better to have holy ignorance than sinful eloquence.