Archpriest Sergiy Chetverikov

Moldavian Elder Paisius Velichkovsky. His life, teachings and influence on Orthodox monasticism.

CONTENTS

PREFACE

PART ONE LIFE AT HOME AND AT SCHOOL

Chapter 1. THE BIRTHPLACE OF ELDER PAISIUS VELICHKOVSKY

Chapter 2. THE ORIGIN OF ELDER PAISIUS. CHILDHOOD YEARS IN HIS OWN FAMILY. ADMISSION TO THE KIEV ACADEMY. ORDERS OF ACADEMIC LIFE.

Chapter 3. THE LIFE OF PYOTR VELICHKOVSKY IN THE KIEV ACADEMY. GROWING ATTRACTION TO MONASTICISM. AN UNSUCCESSFUL ATTEMPT TO ENTER THE KITAEVO SKETE. EXPLANATION WITH THE PREFECT OF THE ACADEMY. THE LAST MEETING WITH HIS MOTHER. ESCAPE FROM THE WORLD.

PART TWO. WANDERING YEARS - IN SEARCH OF SPIRITUAL GUIDANCE (1739 - 1746)

Chapter 1. THE BEGINNING OF CROSSING. ARRIVAL IN CHERNIGOV. LIFE IN THE LYUBECH MONASTERY. THE FIRST TEMPTATION. FLIGHT TO RIGHT-BANK UKRAINE.

Chapter 2. WANDERING AROUND THE RIGHT-BANK UKRAINE. CHERNOBYL. RZHYSHCHEV. THE STORY OF AN ORTHODOX SACRISTAN TORTURED BY THE UNIATES. THE HERMIT HESYCHIUS. STAY IN THE MEDNEDOVSKY MONASTERY. PETER'S TONSURE INTO THE RASSOPHORE. OPPRESSION FROM THE UNIATES. DEPARTURE TO THE KIEV-PECHERSK LAVRA.

Chapter 3. STAY IN THE KIEV-PECHERSK LAVRA. THE STORY OF WHAT HAPPENED TO PLATON'S MOTHER AFTER HER SON LEFT POLTAVA. REMARKABLE LAVRA ASCETICS. THE PREDICTION OF ONE OF THEM ABOUT PLATON'S DEPARTURE FROM THE LAVRA. AN UNEXPECTED FULFILLMENT OF THIS PREDICTION.

Chapter 4. FLIGHT FROM THE KIEV-PECHERSK LAVRA ABROAD. UNEXPECTED ENCOUNTERS AND OBSTACLES ON THE WAY. PLATON IN THE MATRONA MONASTERY. MEETING WITH HIEROSCHEMAMONK MICHAEL. PLATON GOES TO MOLDOVLACHIA.

Chapter 5. MOLDOVLACHIAN MONASTICISM IN THE XVIII CENTURY. PLATO'S LIFE IN THE TREISTENS. FAILURE IN COOK'S OBEDIENCE. MEETING WITH ELDER BASIL. ARRIVAL OF HIEROSCHEMAMONK MICHAEL WITH PLATON'S FRIEND ALEXEI. THE STORY OF ALEXEI'S DEPARTURE FROM HIS MOTHER. FR. MICHAEL'S CONVERSATIONS WITH THE BRETHREN. PLATO'S OBEDIENCE IN THE VINEYARD. PLATON WAKES UP MATINS. ARRIVAL OF SCHEMA-MONK ONUPHRY IN TREISTENY. PLATON LEAVES THE TREISTENS AND GOES WITH ONUFRIY TO THE KYRNUL SKETE. LIFE IN KYRNUL AND THE DECISION TO GO TO ATHOS.

PART THREE. THE SOLITARY LIFE OF ELDER PAISIOS ON MOUNT ATHOS AND THE BEGINNING OF THE COENOBITIC BROTHERHOOD (1746 - 1763)

Chapter 1. PLATO'S MIGRATION TO ATHOS. THE NATURE OF MOUNT ATHOS, ITS SKETES AND MONASTERIES. THE PAST OF MOUNT ATHOS. MERITS OF ATHOS IN THE CAUSE OF SPIRITUAL ENLIGHTENMENT. THE PLIGHT OF MOUNT ATHOS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE 18TH CENTURY.

Chapter 2. PLATO'S ARRIVAL IN PANTOCRATOR. SERIOUS ILLNESS AND RECOVERY. LIFE IN SOLITUDE. A NEW MEETING WITH ELDER BASIL AND ITS SIGNIFICANCE FOR PAISIUS. TONSURE INTO THE MANTLE. VISSARION'S ARRIVAL AND THEIR LIFE TOGETHER, THE ELDER'S NEW DISCIPLES. MOVING TO THE CELL OF ST. CONSTANTINE. ORDINATION OF PAISIUS TO THE PRIESTHOOD. THE MULTIPLICATION OF THE BRETHREN. ACQUISITION OF THE CELL OF ST. OF THE PROPHET ELIJAH AND THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A SKETE IN IT. SLANDER AGAINST PAISIUS AND ITS REFUTATION.

Chapter 3. SPIRITUAL FOUNDATIONS OF THE PAISIAN BROTHERHOOD. TYPES OF MONASTIC PODVIG: HERMITAGE, MIDDLE WAY AND COMMUNAL LIFE. THE FOUNDATIONS OF THE TRUE MONASTIC LIFE: OBEDIENCE, NON-ACQUISITIVENESS, BROTHERLY LOVE. THE REALIZATION OF THESE PRINCIPLES OF MONASTICISM IN THE BROTHERHOOD OF ELDER PAISIUS.

Chapter 4. BOOK WORKS OF ELDER PAISIUS ON ATHOS. THE REASON THAT PROMPTED HIM TO STUDY THE BOOKS OF THE HOLY FATHERS WITH SPECIAL ZEAL. COLLECT AND STUDY PATRISTIC BOOKS IN THE SLAVONIC LANGUAGE. SHORTCOMINGS OF SLAVONIC TRANSLATIONS OF PATRISTIC BOOKS. SEARCH AND DISCOVERY OF GREEK ORIGINALS AND THE BEGINNING OF THEIR STUDY. TEMPORARY RELOCATION TO THE MONASTERY OF SIMOPETRA. THE IMPOSSIBILITY OF FURTHER STAY ON ATHOS AND THE DECISION TO MOVE WITH THE ENTIRE BROTHERHOOD TO MOLDOVLACHIA.

PART FOUR. THE HEYDAY OF THE PAISIAN BROTHERHOOD IN MOLDAVIA: DRAGOMIRNA, SEKUL, NEAMT. THE LAST DAYS OF THE ELDER'S LIFE AND DEATH. (1763-1794)