The Monk Gerasim

Of the direct disciples of the Monk Gregory the Sinaite known to us, the holy Patriarch Kallistos mentions twelve. Of all the disciples of the elder, "the most worthy and deserving of praise, and especially loved by him, who followed in his footsteps and was, as it were, a reflection of his virtues" [23, p. 26], the holy Patriarch Kallistos calls the Monk Gerasimos.The Monk Gerasimos was born on the island of Euripus, or Euboea, in the city of Karyste, located in the district of Karastia, and was a relative of the governor of this island named Fatz. The Fatz family was one of those Western families that later remained forever in the places they occupied in the Byzantine Empire. Consequently, St. Gerasimos was not a Greek, but, in all likelihood, a Catalan [24, p. XXI].There is no positive information about the time of Gerasim's birth. He may have taken monastic vows on Mount Sinai. There he also became a disciple of St. Gregory the Sinaite. Imitating the feats and strict life of his teacher, he, "from the very beginning perfectly brought up in the virtue and life peculiar to monks" [23, p. 31], reached a high degree of active asceticism. Together with the Monk Gregory the Sinaite, Gerasimos at the end of the thirteenth century left the Sinai monastery and remained with Saint Gregory until his blessed death. Guided by the instructions of his teacher, he greatly succeeded in hesychia and became, "filled with Divine grace," for many an example of an ascetic life. After the death of the holy elder Gregory, he for some time used the instructions of the hesychast patriarch Isidore, who occupied the Constantinople cathedra from May 17, 1347 to December 2, 1349 [23, pp. 89-90]. In his monastic feats he imitated the Monk Gerasim of Jerusalem. Like him, he "carried out the apostolic course", establishing new monasteries. He spread hesychastic ideas in Greece among Greek monasticism. Having perfectly studied the local dialect, he visited in this land "all those who wanted to learn virtue and, as far as possible, enriched many with the gain of sanctification and piety" [23, p. 37]. The Monk Gerasim founded there "many refuges of piety and purity, and taught the inhabitants their proper rules of high morality for the attainment of the primordial purity of man." "Having gathered a host of disciples, he created a heavenly country" [1, 4th ed., p. 324]. Having settled his disciples in the hesychastirian refuges, the Monk Gerasimos exercised them in silence and mental activity. There is no doubt that these hesychastiria were arranged on the model of the Athonite chambers of the Monk Gregory the Sinaite.In addition, it is known that Saint Gerasimos preached the teaching of hesychasm among the Morean Franks in French, which he had a perfect command of [101, p. 55]. Judging by the life of his great teacher, where Gerasimos is called "one among the saints", the Church of Constantinople canonized Gerasimus as a saint. But at present, the feast day of St. Gerasim is unknown to us.

The Monk Joseph

Another disciple of the Monk Gregory the Sinaite, who began to asceticize under his guidance on the Holy Mount Athos and, continuing his asceticism, spread the Sinaitic-hesychastic influence in Byzantium, was the Monk Joseph, a friend and compatriot of the Monk Gerasimus. Being an associate of the latter, he was no less famous than him for the height of his spiritual life.Of Joseph's virtues, St. Kallistos especially singles out his irreconcilable struggle "against the Latins" for the purity of Orthodoxy and against the highly educated and "enjoying the greatest fame in the field of Hellenic wisdom" [23, p. 38]. These were, presumably, the same Latinizers and scholars "in the external sciences" who rebelled against the spiritual teacher Joseph the Monk Gregory the Sinaite and his followers [124, pp. 266-269].Joseph himself did not have a good education, but having received the great grace of the Holy Spirit, Who gives true wisdom, he, like the holy apostles of the past, simple fishermen, with complete success resisted the high-minded and put to shame the wise of this world (1 Cor. 1 27). Joseph's righteous zeal for the purity of the Orthodox faith confirmed in piety "many not only husbands, but also women... The rest of his virtue, holiness and miraculousness of life," writes the holy Patriarch Kallistos in the Life of St. Gregory the Sinaite, "are not easy to depict" [23: pp. 38-39].

The Holy Patriarch Kallistos

"Following in the footsteps" of St. Gregory the Sinaite, "with joy, like a slave, St. Kallistos also received his spirit" [23, p. 23]. The great ascetic treated him as a beloved son, with sincere love and affection. He readily initiated a capable student into the mysteries of contemplation and fully revealed them to him [23, pp. 32-34]. Saint Kallistos well assimilated the instructions of his teacher, zealously followed them in the spiritual life, thanks to which he achieved great success, as evidenced by the fact that the Monk Gregory allowed him to asceticize independently [23, p. 45].Saint Kallistos was born in Constantinople [113, p. 72], more precisely, from its suburb Galata [89, section 2, p. 162]. Where and what kind of education he received is currently unknown. But, judging by his creations and activities, he was a very educated man of his time. It is assumed that the future patriarch became a monk in the monastery of Xanthopoulos [89, otd. 2, p. 162], after which Xanthopoulos was named [59, p. 429]. Later he entered the Iberian Monastery [24, p. XIII]. It is possible that, having already asceticized in the skete of Magula, Saint Kallistos still belonged to the Iveron monastery, since the skete was located on its lands. In the same skete the saint dwelt even after his return from Paroria in about 1330.Saint Kallistos was among the best disciples of the Monk Gregory the Sinaite. This is evident from the attitude of the elder towards him, as well as from the subsequent facts of his life. Kallistos accompanied the monk in almost all his travels. He set out on his first journey approximately in the years 1325-1326, when the Monk Gregory, because of the invasion of the Turks, together with a large group of disciples, went to Thessalonica. After two months, Gregory the Sinaite set out in search of "a refuge suitable for silence" [23, p. 59] with only two of them, St. Kallistos and Mark, leaving the rest in Thessalonica with St. Gregory Palamas, the future defender of hesychasm and a fighter for the purity of the dogmas of Orthodoxy [136: p. 47]. They found a convenient place for prayer in Paroria, where they asceticized for a short time, and then returned to the Holy Mountain.On Athos, Saint Kallistos, together with his teacher, built a skete near the Great Lavra of Saint Athanasius. But, as before, their silent life in the newly built skete began to be hindered by the godless Hagarians. Fleeing from their attacks, the Monk Gregory and his disciples took refuge behind the walls of the Lavra, and from there together with Kallistos in the early 30s of the fourteenth century [23, p. 12] he set off to the Paroria wilderness. It is very probable "that Kallistos left Paroria during the lifetime of the Monk Gregory and from there went to Athos, perhaps summoned there by some circumstance that required his presence there" [24, p. LXXXI]. This fact is indirectly confirmed by the life of St. Athanasius of Meteora, where there is a mention of a certain hieromonk Kallistos, who from the skete of Magula in about 1333 or 1334 sent | the Monk Athanasius, who came to him to the disciples of the Monk Gregory the Sinaite, who asceticized in the town of Milea [11, p. 299]. Proceeding from this, we can assume that Saint Kallistos, having escorted his spiritual father to Paroria, was sent by him back to Athos, where he began to asceticize, as we see from the life of the Monk Athanasius, to the skete of Magula.In 1341 Saint Kallistos was present at the Council at Constantinople, which was opened in the church of Hagia Sophia on 11 June. This was the first of a series of ecclesiastical councils convened over the next decade against the heresy of Barlaam and Akindynos (the so-called hesychast disputes). Among those who signed the act of the Council is the name of Hieromonk Kallistos. His signature is with a postscript that says that he arrived at the Council as a representative of the skete of Magula. "At this Council," says P. A. Syrcu, "among other things, there was also Gregory the Sinaite, who undoubtedly came to Constantinople this time" [112, p. 117]. He was informed about the Council by St. Gregory Palamas, who, on his way to Constantinople from Adrianople, wrote a letter to Paroria [112, p. 110].Probably condemning the followers of Akindinus, whose teaching he considered a fatal and abominable disease [23, p. 46], Saint Kallistos took part in the compilation of the document. This document was signed in 1340 by the most experienced hesychasts of Athos and presented at the Council of 1341 [136, p. 48].After the Council, Saint Kallistos, apparently, did not return to Paroria, since in May 1342, at the request of the great domestikos and commander-in-chief John Kantakouzenos, he went to Constantinople among other Athonites to Constantinople to the Empress Anna, the widow of the emperor Andronikos the Younger (1325-1332). who at that time ruled the state for her minor son John Palaiologos (1347-1357). The purpose of the trip was to reconcile the Empress Anna with John Kantakouzenos, who were waging war for the possession of the Byzantine throne [24, p. XLII].It is likely that after the completion of the mission of reconciliation, Saint Kallistos arrived at his spiritual father in Paroria, where he stayed until his blessed death [24, p. LXXXV] and was a witness to the last fierce struggle of his teacher with demons, which he described in his life. "Perhaps," suggests P. A. Syrcu, "as patriarch, Kallistos wrote the life of St. Gregory the Sinaite, not knowing the details of his death, and perhaps the very fact of his death. Only later, having learned of the death of his teacher, perhaps from the Monk Theodosius of Tarnovo, did he introduce a new story into his life, which had already been written and perhaps published. It is possible, however, that the addition was made by a translator, one of the Bulgarian hesychasts" [24, p. 1_XXP].Saint Kallistos, in all likelihood, arrived on Athos after the year 1346 and was soon elected protost of the Holy Mountain.In 1350 Saint Kallistos, at the request of the emperor John Kantakouzenos, was elevated to the Patriarchal throne of Constantinople. The desire of the emperor in the election of Saint Kallistos as patriarch was not decisive. At that time in Byzantium, in the words of Symeon of Thessalonica, "the pious emperor only helped and served the Church, promoted its peace, exerted his efforts to ensure that the rights of the Church were observed, and its affairs proceeded without strife and disorder" [quoted from: 108, p. 5]. Such a tsar in relation to the Church was John Kantakouzenos, a supporter of the hesychasts and a champion of Christian piety. He contributed to the installation of a worthy candidate for patriarch, as he considered Saint Kallistos, against whom, as a friend of Saint Gregory Palamas and in agreement with the conciliar decision condemning the false fabrications of the Italian Barlaam, there were some bishops. At least 12 bishops were present at the Council [108, p. 40]. Among them was St. Philotheus Kokkinos, a disciple and compiler of the Life of St. Gregory Palamas, the future Patriarch of Constantinople [94, p. 256]. He paid much attention to the Athonite monasteries, took care of their spiritual and material well-being, distributed to them sigillions (charters with a lead seal), by which he confirmed all the rights of the monasteries, eliminated their dependence "on every nobleman and restored their complete freedom." In addition, he added small monasteries that were in the position of sketes to large monasteries [89, section 2, p. 162].The new patriarch actively supported St. Gregory Palamas and his supporters, who began to be called Palamites. He presided over the Council of Constantinople in 1351, where the Conciliar Tomos was worked out, adopted and signed by the hierarchs of the Church, which revealed and dogmatically confirmed the teaching of the Divine Light. The signature of Patriarch Kallistos under this document is the first.Some written monuments of the time of the holy Patriarch Kallistos have come down to us, characterizing him as a caring pastor and a wise church ruler. By the time of his accession to the patriarchal throne, state disorder in Byzantium, troubles, strife, acquisitiveness and other disorders began to penetrate into the clergy. To stop them, Patriarch Kallistos established the post of exarchs (deans) in December 1350. He appointed the best and most reverent of the priests "for each district as exarchs of the other priests," we read in his decree, "so that in the assigned order they should be supervised, instructed and exhorted in everything that relates to their condition and decency and to the steadfastness of the church order" [quoted from: 36, p. 925]. in which, speaking about the high mission of a servant of the Church, he gave instructions for the correct performance of duties by priests, who are called first of all to take care of the salvation of the flock entrusted to them, "in order to bring everyone to God" [quoted from: 36, p. 927]. At the same time, St. Kallistos paid special attention to the moral state of priests. He called upon them to be "meek and humble, the example and prototype of all that is good," to be "a light for all people, luminaries in the darkness of this life, doers and zealots of every virtue" [quoted from: 36, p. 928].The holy Patriarch Kallistos was also extremely concerned about the spiritual state of contemporary society, since superstitions were strong in it, and the worship of dark forces existed and spread. In his "Exhortation to the People" he says: "Now the enemy... contrives to persuade the unfortunate human race to extreme and great evil – charms, magic and divination – and communicates this infection to the most inexperienced, the simplest and those who live carelessly and negligently" [quoted from: 36, p. 930]. The Patriarch not only exhorted, but also helped to get rid of the evil intrigues of the enemy. So, he instructed a certain woman Amarantine, who had been engaged in magic for a long time, to the path of truth. The Patriarch helped her get rid of the delusion and bring sincere repentance. Subsequently, this woman became a monk [36, p. 929].Zealously concerned about the purity of the dogmas of Orthodoxy, the holy Patriarch Kallistos unswervingly fought against the manifestations of the heresy of the Barlaamites. Although this heresy was repeatedly condemned at the Councils of Constantinople (in 1341 and 1347), there were still people, even among the clergy, who supported it. For the final eradication of this heresy, Patriarch Kallistos convened a Council again in the summer of 1351. It was attended by the emperors John Kantakouzenos and John Palaiologos, 28 metropolitans and other prominent figures of the Church and state. At the Council the works of St. Gregory Palamas were examined, conciliar definitions were given about them, and also the defenders of the heresy of Barlaam and Akindinus were heard, the Council condemned the heretics, and "the emperor and the patriarch commanded the adherents of Barlaam and Akindynos not to say or write anything about dogmas, so as not to confuse the simplest people by their false speculations" [quoted from: 36, p. 932]. As a representative of the hesychast movement, which has a pan-Orthodox orientation, in his church policy he put into practice the idea of spiritual unity. This was especially important for the Orthodox countries of the East and South-West in view of the impending Muslim danger. Unfortunately, this idea, although blessed by the Universal Church, was not understood and supported by everyone with the same consistency. Therefore the holy Patriarch Kallistos had to resort to the strictest measures for the sake of the common good of the Church in order to maintain the unity of the Church. Thus, in 1351* he excommunicated Serbia from the Church, since the despot Stefan Dušan autocratically elevated the Serbian Church to the rank of patriarchate and declared himself a tsar equal to the Byzantine emperor [41, p. 46; 24, p. LIV].From the documents of the fourteenth century it is clear that the policy aimed at spiritual unification was carried out by the holy Patriarch Kallistos and his successor in the cathedra, the hesychast Saint Philotheus, also in relation to Russia. Knowing how necessary it was in this country to concentrate in the hands of the grand prince all the plenitude of power in order to liberate it from the Tatar-Mongol yoke, and that it depended on the unity of the Church, Saint Kallistos sent to the Russian Metropolia several letters, in which he gave a number of instructions aimed at achieving this goal. For example, he ordered the abolition of the Metropolis of Galicia and the subordination of its dioceses to the Metropolis of Kiev, calling the elevation of the Bishop of Galicia to the metropolitan a vain novelty [4, p. 138]. Under the holy Patriarch Kallistos, all of Little and Great Russia was brought under the authority of one metropolitan – of Kiev. The Patriarch also sent the Conciliar Act to Russia. In his epistles, he reminds "that the Metropolitan of Kiev was appointed for all Russia and should equally favor all princes" [4, p. 139]. He blessed the transfer of the metropolitan cathedra from Kiev to Vladimir, with the preservation of the first throne for Kiev [4, p. 139].In Constantinople in 1353, under Patriarch Kallistos, a candidate for the cathedra of the Russian Metropolia, Saint Alexis, lived for about a year in "proper testing". Saint Alexis was made metropolitan in June 1354, already during the patriarchy of Philotheus, since Saint Kallistos in the first half of 1354 [36, p. 922] abdicated the throne, "because he did not want to please the wishes of the court and did not have the strength to despise the envy of his rivals" [59, p. 429]. of the three candidates, he pointed to one [108, p. 59].Kallistos' successor in the cathedra, the holy Patriarch Philotheus Kokkinos, was a disciple of St. Gregory Palamas and Metropolitan of Heraclea. As a hesychast and like-minded person of Saint Kallistos, he continued in everything the main direction of his predecessor's activity. The new patriarch actively promoted the activity of Saint Alexis, aimed at the unification of the Russian principalities around Moscow, which was carried out with the blessing of the Universal Church. He appealed to the Russian princes to venerate the Metropolitan of All Russia. As we can see, the hesychast patriarchs, in relation to the ecclesiastical affairs of the Russian Metropolia, showed every possible concern for the strengthening of Russia in the spiritual and political planes, for its speedy liberation from the Tatar-Mongol yoke. Of decisive importance in this respect was the demand of the holy Patriarch Philotheus, according to which the Russian "princes took a terrible oath to come out all together against the enemies of our faith" [4, p. 143]. It must be assumed that the fulfillment of this oath given to God was the key to victory in the Battle of Kulikovo Field in 1380.In January 1355, political circumstances in Byzantium changed dramatically. The capital of Constantinople was occupied by John Palaiologos. Emperor John Kantakouzenos, left without the support of the people, renounced the throne, took monastic vows in the capital's Mangan monastery with the name Joasaph and soon withdrew to Athos. Patriarch Philotheus, at the very first movement in society in favor of Palaiologos, left the patriarchal throne, and Saint Kallistos again returned to the administration of the Church of Constantinople [24, pp. XI, VI]. Only the Patriarch's epistle to the Turnovo clergy regarding the Bulgarian Patriarch and the rite of baptism, written by him in December 1355, has been preserved. This charter serves as a clear example of the relations, both ecclesiastical and secular, that existed at that time between Byzantium and Bulgaria. It is also important because it depicts quite well the political struggle of the parties, which was waged in the fourteenth century on ecclesiastical soil and in which the hesychasts were most directly related. It reported on the violations of canonical decrees by representatives of the Bulgarian Church: the name of the Ecumenical Patriarch was not proclaimed during the service, and there were violations during the baptismal ceremony. In response to the epistle, Patriarch Kallistos recalled that the Bulgarians were obliged first of all to commemorate the Patriarch of Constantinople and the other Eastern Patriarchs, and only after them the Patriarch of Turnovo, for the latter had never been equal to the other Patriarchs, and the title of Patriarch had been given to him as a sign of honor in condescension to the request of the Bulgarian Tsar John Asen II (1218-1241), on the condition that the Patriarch of Constantinople would be accorded obedience and reverence by the Metropolia under his jurisdiction. Exhorting the clergy of the Bulgarian Church, the holy Patriarch Kallistos wrote that only "our love and affection for the emperor (that is, John Alexander, who, as is known, did a great deal for the Monk Gregory the Sinaite, the teacher of Patriarch Kallistos. — Y. Y.) convinces us to leave this matter without consequences until we see correction from the Patriarch of Turnovo" [26, p. 559].Further, the holy Patriarch Kallistos dwelt in detail on violations in the sacrament of baptism. He pointed out that baptism performed in one, and not in three immersions or through pouring, is "an unlawful deed and full of impiety" [26, p. 559]. In addition, Patriarch Kallistos noted another violation that was committed in the Bulgarian Church. During the chrismation of the baptized, myrrh was used, taken from the myrrh-streaming relics of the holy glorious Great Martyr Demetrius or St. Barbarus [36, p. 943], instead of the myrrh prescribed by the sacrament of the Church. The Patriarch recalled that the anointing of the baptized with holy myrrh, legitimized by the Orthodox Church, "perfects him and strengthens him in the confession of faith... he who is not anointed with the composition of such a world remains imperfect and unconfirmed in good, because, being not a partaker of this sensual fragrance, he is deprived of both this God-given fragrance and Divine food" [26, p. 570]. A priest who deviates from the canonical decrees concerning baptism and chrismation, "as one who clearly rejects Church Tradition," Patriarch Kallistos warns, "I do not know what answer he will give to God on the day of judgment or how he will escape punishment for such grave sins against the faith" [26, p. 571]. "Since in the Bulgarian Church there is no compilation and consecration of holy myrrh, but according to tradition it is performed in our most holy Great Church of God, then it behooves them (Bulgarian bishops and priests. — I.P.) during the Holy Forty Days," wrote the saint, "to send here (to Constantinople — I.P.) pious priests, who, after a proper consecration, would take this great and divine myrrh for the seal of those being baptized" [quoted from: 36, p. 944].The exhortation to the Bulgarian Church was written by Patriarch Kallistos on behalf of the Council of Bishops, which was then taking place in Constantinople, and was sent to Tarnovo "to the most honorable hieromonk Cyrus Theodosius and the most honorable monk Cyrus Roman, to the other priests", by which one must understand the like-minded Patriarch Saints Theodosius and Roman of Tarnovo [24, p. LVIII; cf. 4, p. 160].At the beginning of 1364 the holy Patriarch Kallistos set off with a commission from the emperor to the Serbian queen Elena Dushanova (nun Elizabeth) on ecclesiastical affairs [24, pp. Χί,νΐ]. "The purpose of the Kallistos Mission was to create an alliance with Serbia for the sake of a joint struggle against the Turks" [84, p. 129; cf. 15, p. 481]. On his way to Serbia, Patriarch Kallistos visited Mount Athos and visited the ascetic Maxim Kavsokalivsky, known for his virtues, who, after a proper greeting, said: "This elder (Patriarch. — I.P.) lost the elder (the Church of Constantinople – I. /7.)". Seeing the patriarch off, the Monk Maximus sang the funerary verses of Blessed are the blameless on the way, walking in the law of the Lord, and predicted that the patriarch would not return to Constantinople, and his remains would be accepted by the land of Serbia [1, 3rd ed., pp. 320-321]. Patriarch Kallistos died in Serbia in February 1364. "Elizabeth magnificently buried the deceased patriarch in the Metropolis of Sersk. When the most worthy and virtuous men came to her from the Athonite monasteries, especially from the holy Lavra, and asked that the body of the Patriarch be transferred to Athos and buried there, she refused, saying that she herself needed his intercession before God" [quoted from: 36, p. 924]. Two lives belong to his pen: those of St. Gregory the Sinaite and St. Theodosius of Tarnovo. St. Gregory the Sinaite is depicted by St. Kallistos mainly as a teacher of mental activity. Most likely, this life was written in Constantinople during the first patriarchate of St. Kallistos [24, p. XXX]. St. Theodosius of Tarnovo is shown as the spiritual successor of St. Gregory the Sinaite, as a continuer and disseminator of his teaching in Bulgaria, as a true warrior of Christ and an ardent fighter for the purity of the Orthodox faith and the institutions of the Church of Christ [7, pp. 7b-9a]. These are mainly conversations, words, teachings, canons, prayers. Many of them are found in both Greek and Slavonic manuscripts. From the Slavonic manuscripts described by A. Kh. Vostokov, are aware of the sermons on the Lord's Twelve Great Feasts: the Nativity of Christ, Baptism, the Meeting of the Lord, the Transfiguration, the sermons on the Sunday of Flowers and on the Resurrection of Christ [3, p. 211]. The publication of the works of Saint Kallistos in Russian was first carried out in 1637 in the translation of Metropolitan Peter Mogila.Saint Kallistos composed many prayers and hymns, some of which were translated into the Slavonic language [6, pp. 175-179, 194-200, 235-238, 264-266; 104, p. 91]. In the Slavonic manuscripts of the fourteenth century, he is credited with "the Teaching Gospel, that is, the instruction for every week and for deliberate feasts from the Gospel readings" [3, p. 276].The holy Patriarch Kallistos is the author of several remarkable works on asceticism. Some of them are known from manuscripts of the 15th-17th centuries [80, vol. 2, pp. 94-98; vol. 3, pp. 152, 255-256], some from publications. Among the latter are "Chapters on Prayer", "A Brief Discourse on Prayer" and "A Method of Attention during Prayer" [5, pp. 425-428; 67, pp. 204-209].Of particular interest and special significance is the work of St. Kallistos entitled "Instruction to the Silent, in a Hundred Chapters". It was written by him in collaboration with Ignatius Xanthopoulos [5, pp. 305-424], with whom he "was so friendly that it seemed that one soul was in both of them" [5, p. 303]. This work is valuable because it reveals the main tenets of the teaching of St. Gregory the Sinaite. If in the works of the doer of the Jesus Prayer, St. Gregory, a system of theoretical propositions of hesychasm is mainly cited, then in the works of the holy Patriarch Kallistos we find specific practical instructions for its implementation. The Holy Fathers and ascetics of piety gave the highest appreciation to this creation. Thus, for example, St. Simeon of Thessalonica wrote: "In our days about this prayer (Jesus – I. P.) the God-bearing Fathers Kallistos, Patriarch of New Rome, and his soulful companion St. Ignatius, wrote excellently in a book divinely wisely compiled by them, setting forth a complete and perfect knowledge of it" [5, p. 303].St. Kallistos considers the basis of inner monastic activity to be abiding in virtues. For "one virtue is closely combined with another and all are harmonized together, since they all build one body – precisely that which they adore the person who sincerely lives in them, enriching him in some way, as if with the connecting rings of a chain" [5, p. 313].Among the virtues, Patriarch Kallistos puts obedience in the first place, since it is a step towards silence. "Wishing to study asceticly," he writes, "follow the well-established laws... first, obedience is embraced, and then silence. For just as action is a step towards contemplation, so obedience is a step towards silence" [5, p. 317]. Further, he clearly explains how obediences should be fulfilled: "First of all, choose for yourselves... perfect obedience, unfeigned. For this purpose, with all earnestness, seek and try to find for yourself a guide and teacher who is not charming... And having found such a son to him as to his own father, having cleaved in spirit and body, from that time on, remain wholly in his commands and agree with him in everything, looking upon him as Christ Himself, and not as a man, and driving away all unbelief and doubt from you, as well as all your wisdom and self-willed will" [5, p. 315].St. Kallistos indicates five rules for those who strive in obedience. "A true novice needs everything... The following five virtues must be observed: first... pure and unslothful faith in the abbot (leader)... Secondly... so that he may be truthful in deed and word... Thirdly, not to do your own will... Fourthly, by no means to contradict or argue... Fifth... to confess everything accurately and sincerely to your superior (leader)... as if standing before the throne of Christ in fear, before God and His holy angels" [5, pp. 318-319].For those approaching silence, St. Kallistos defines the following activities: prayer, psalmody, reading, contemplation of God and handicrafts, and teaches how these deeds should be carried out and in what order [5, pp. 366-367]. since they "are the beginning of all moral goodness... both the dancer and the leader" [5, p. 408].Guided by the teaching of the Holy Fathers, St. Kallistos asserts that "the fear of God is the beginning of virtue." He distinguishes two types of fear of God: the fear of novices and the fear of perfect monks. "The sign of the first fear is to hate sin and be angry with it, as one who is bitten by it is angry with the beast, and the sign of perfect fear is to love virtue and be afraid... fall" [5, p. 334].In the work of St. Kallistos there are valuable instructions for teaching the unceasing Jesus Prayer, for he considered salvific the invocation of the sweetest name of our Lord Jesus Christ with faith, hope and humility, enriching "with peace and love, which are truly a God-planted three-stemmed life-giving tree" [5, p. 314]. Since unceasing prayer purifies a person, St. Kallistos writes: "To pray to the Lord and to ask Him for mercy with undoubted hope, unceasingly having in deed and occupation the invocation of His all-holy and sweetest name, always bearing Him in the mind, in the heart and in the mouth, and in every way forcing oneself in Him and with Him to breathe, and to live, and to sleep, and to watch, and to walk, and to eat, and to drink — and in general, whatever we do, to do so", for "in His absence, everything harmful flows to us, leaving no room for anything beneficial to the soul" [5, p. 314]. "With this prayer, in addition to what has been said, have the remembrance of judgment and recompense for good and evil deeds, and, wholeheartedly considering yourself the most sinful of all people and the most foul of demons, therefore think that you certainly have to be eternally tormented to be in hell. If, at any of these thoughts, contrition, weeping, and tears come to you, remain in that thought until the tears pass by themselves. If you have not yet been vouchsafed the gift of tears, then accept the podvig and pray with humble wisdom, that you may acquire them, for by them we are cleansed of passions and defilements, and by them we become partakers of good and salvific dispositions" [5, p. 339]. He also speaks about the place of the Jesus Prayer: "... one must take refuge in a silent and dim cell, since seeing and seeing with the eyes of the visible and visible usually distracts and scatters thoughts, but when confined in a silent and gloomy one... the temple of thought ceases to scatter and multiply, and in this way, although reluctantly, the mind gradually calms down and gathers itself into itself" [5, p. 338].St. Kallistos also describes in detail the method of entering into the heart by attention through breathing: "Sitting in your silent cell, gather your mind, lead it into the path of breathing, by which the air enters inside, and force it to descend into the heart together with the inhaled air, and keep him there... but do not leave him silent and idle, but give him the following prayer: Lord, Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me. And let him have this as his unceasing work, and never forsake it. For it (the heart. – I.P.), keeping it undreamy, makes it inaccessible to the enemy's pretenses and elevates it to Divine desire and love" [5, pp. 335-336].In the teaching of Patriarch Kallistos, special attention is paid to the great necessity of receiving the Holy Mysteries: "Nothing so much helps and assists us in the purification of the soul, in the enlightenment of the mind, and in the sanctification of the body and both of their most divine changes, and also to the repulsion of passions and demons, and most peculiarly, to the pre-natural union with God and the Divine union and dissolution, as often with a pure heart and disposition, as far as it is possible for man, to commune of the Holy, Most Pure and Immortal and Life-Giving Mysteries..." [5, p. 411] In his teaching on hesychia, St. Kallistos, referring to St. Isaac, points out two ways in which "the beginning and head of Divine work is in the soul, the door and path to Christ." The first way is to "gather oneself together," that is, inner prayer, the second is to "always fast," that is, abstinence. Deviations from them are the beginning of the opposite, "they give place to passions in the soul" [5, pp. 347-348].Patriarch Kallistos is canonized by the Church of Constantinople. He is commemorated on June 20.

St. Gregory Palamas