Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh. Transaction

Biographical note

Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh (in the world Andrei Borisovich Bloom) was born June 19, 1914 in Lausanne in the family of a Russian diplomat. Mother — sister of the composer A. N. Scriabin. Early childhood of Metropolitan Anthony passed in Persia, where his father was consul. After the revolution in Russia, the family found herself in exile and after several years of wandering around Europe in 1923. settled in France. The childhood and youth of Metropolitan Anthony were marked by grave the hardships and sufferings inherent in emigration, and the firm resolve shared by the relatives of Metropolitan Anthony, to live for Russia. At the age of fourteen, he He turned to Christ and came to the Church. From 1931, he served as an altar boy in the church The Three Hierarchs Metochion, the only church of the Moscow Patriarchate in the Paris, and since then he has always preserved canonical fidelity to the Russian Patriarchal Church. In 1939 he graduated from the Faculty of Biology and the Faculty of Medicine of the Sorbonne. Before leaving for the front as a surgeon in the French army, September 10 In 1939, he secretly took monastic vows, and in 1943 he became an archimandrite Athanasius (Nechaev) tonsured a monk with the name Anthony. During the German occupation - a doctor in the anti-fascist underground. In 1948, he was ordained to the hieromonk and sent to England as the spiritual leader of the Orthodox-Anglican Fellowship of St. Albania and St. Sergius. In 1956, the rector of the Church of the Dormition of the Mother of God and All Saints in London and remains so to this day. In 1957, he was consecrated Bishop of Sergiev. With 1962 – Archbishop, ruling bishop of the British islands of the Sourozh diocese. From 1966 he was Metropolitan, in 1966-1974 - Exarch of the Patriarch of Moscow in Western Europe. In In 1974, he was relieved of his duties as Exarch at his own request. Since then continues to minister to the ever-growing flock of his diocese, as well as through books, radio and television conversations, he preaches the Gospel throughout the world. Has many awards of the Russian Orthodox Church, fraternal Orthodox Churches, Church of England. Honorary Doctor of Theology from the University of Aberdeen (1973, UK) "for preaching the Word of God and renewal Spiritual Life in the Country" and the Moscow Theological Academy (1983) "For A Set of Scientific, Theological and Pastoral Works", as well as the University of Cambridge (1996) and the Kiev Theological Academy (2000).

Editorial Board

In the introductory article to this book, Bishop Hilarion points out the the relevance of the theological teaching of Metropolitan Anthony as a characteristic feature of the rooted in the patristic tradition. A deep conviction in theological relevance of Metropolitan Anthony's sermon forces us to say about the need to publish his book in our current situation. One of the sections of the book is entitled "Questioning". Doubt is inseparable from faith, as about Metropolitan Anthony constantly speaks. In addition to those inevitable and beneficial questions and doubts about the meaning of life, about the beauty and meaningfulness of the created world, about the injustice and cruelty of human society, which sometimes painful trials lead a person to a deeper knowledge of God, there are doubts of a different kind. For a person who is outside the church fence — This is the question of whether it is worth entering the church, taking on oneself voluntarily the yoke of Christ; For a person of the Church, the same doubt looks like a question about the correctness of the chosen path, whether it is not enclosed in the church fence, as in a cage, behind the walls of which there is a light and simple world, throw off the yoke of Christ. These questions and doubts, as about this too constantly and fearlessly says Metropolitan Anthony, summoned first of all unworthiness of Christians. Metropolitan Anthony often repeats the ancient monastic proverb: "No one can come to God unless he sees at least one the radiance of eternal life." In other words, the truth of Christianity is revealed man first of all, not as reasoning, but as a personal example. Therefore, we It seems that especially in our era, in which all words seem to be said and devalued, the word of Metropolitan Anthony is needed, a word in which The depth of theological contemplation is completely inseparable from the Christian example Act.

Turning to the discussion of the theological teaching of Metropolitan Anthony, we note: that, firstly, his thinking was brought up in the reading of the Holy Fathers and the fruitful conversations with outstanding Orthodox theologians of the past century — Archpriest George Florovsky and V. N. Lossky. In addition, his formation, in our opinion, was influenced by the philosophy of religious existentialism, mainly the personalism of N. O. Lossky, N. A. Berdyaev's Reflections on Freedom and Creativity and the Central Idea M. Buber on being as an I-Thou relationship.

In the mature theology of Metropolitan Anthony, first of all, I would like to note Three features.

Evangelism.

Metropolitan Anthony says: "The events of the Gospel often seem to us distant, almost illusory, and at the same time they are addressed to each of us in each instant," and in his sermon he shortens the distance as much as possible, separating modern man from the living Christ, and makes us partakers of the Gospel Story.

Liturgy. In this context, this means that theology Metropolitan Anthony is clothed in words by the Mystery that is primarily silent Church: not any part of the church rite and not one of the sacraments, but the totality of church communion. His word brings a person into the Church in a similar way rites. Metropolitan Anthony speaks of this quality of the word in application to the experience of prayer: "Then each word of prayer gradually acquires vitality, some kind of explosive force, and when we pronounce these words, they our soul is blown up, illuminated, given an impulse, an impetus, and we are introduced to the fact that what is behind this experience: to God."

Anthropological. This feature of Metropolitan Anthony's teaching is more is revealed in this book, which is devoted primarily to anthropological Problems. Metropolitan Anthony's sermon aims to bring back to a frightened and stunned contemporary, faith in himself. Metropolitan Anthony constantly says that "the Gospel is all permeated with faith in man", He also says that man is "the only point of contact between the believers and non-believers", because "man is the reality that is the theme of every person's life." It emphasizes immense depth of every human person, the infinite value of man to God and the ever-present possibility of communion between God and man. This is Communication is in some sense equal, that is, similar to the relationship of love or friendship, not domination and slavery. Just like personal and unique relationship with God, Metropolitan Anthony reveals prayer to us. Thanks to Metropolitan Anthony's concentration on man in the fullness of his being, his The sermon gives the impression of being addressed to each person personally, despite the fact that that the crowds are listening to him. It calls each person to a personal dialogue with God.

In today's secular society, the word of Metropolitan Anthony sounds unusual – this is the word of a preacher, a pastor, it is called to change life people, and not their views and beliefs, but to change not as much as it does hypnotic, aggressive word of a conductor of some ideology, but rather in the way that poetry deepens it. Rilke says about this: "Here [in art] there is no Not a single point where you are not visible. You must live differently." We will allow ourselves to add that in its special density and concentration, the word of Metropolitan Anthony transforms our lives in the same way as the Holy Scriptures do: the word of God is alive and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword: it is penetrates to the division of soul and spirit, joints and brains, and judges thoughts and intentions of the heart (Hebrews 4:12).

All the talks, lectures and sermons of Metropolitan Anthony collected in this book, are a record of live, spoken speech, and we hope that the reader will feel the peculiarities of this speech, direct in all senses of the word. Naturally Oral genres do not imply explanatory notes and bibliographic links, so they are all given by the editors. Metropolitan Anthony quotes the works of Holy Fathers as he lived through them and, perhaps, supplemented them with a personal spiritual experience, so in the vast majority of cases we do not give an exact reference to the Source of quote.