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.

All accurate Bible quotations, except where specifically noted, are given according to the Synodal translation in the edition of the Moscow Patriarchate. Collected in this book, Metropolitan Anthony delivered lectures, sermons and conversations in Russian, English, French and German. All translations, except especially specified cases, were made by E. L. Maydanovich. Bibliography of works the reader will find Metropolitan Anthony at the end of the book.

The editors would like to thank Archpriest Nikolai for his help in preparing the book Balashov, N. V. Braginskaya, K. M. Velikanov, Archpriest Alexander Geronimus, M. L. Grinberg, I. V. Ivanova, A. I. Kyrlezhev, O. A. Sedakov, G. G. Yastrebova, as well as N. N. Alipova, I. K. Velikanova, M. K. Velikanov, A. L. Gurevich, E. L. Ivanov, A. N. Koval, A. P. Kozyrev, E. I. Lakirev, N. M. Perlin, V. V. Pislyakov, K. Sairsingh, Archpriest Alexander Troitsky, B. Khazanov, I. V. Chabrov, Archpriest Ilya Shmain, A. S. Shchenkov, I. K. Yazykova.

The Theology of Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh in the Light of the Patristic Tradition

Theology of Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh in the Light of Patristic Tradition

The life fate of Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh is so extraordinary that in modern history of the Russian Orthodox Church, it is hardly possible to find an analogue to it. Born in 1914 in the family of a Russian diplomat, he has come a long way from a student of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Paris to the head of the diocese of the Russian Church in Great Britain, the eldest bishop of Russia by consecration Orthodox Church. This path includes more than half a century of service to the Church in the Rector of London Cathedral, more than forty of them years — in the episcopal rank.

No less unusual is the creative fate of Vladyka Anthony. Without a theological education, he is one of the most authoritative Orthodox theologians Honorary Doctor of Theology of two universities and two Orthodox theological academies. During his long life, Vladyka Anthony wrote little; at he is the author of more than twenty books in many languages of the world. Basis literary heritage of Vladyka Anthony consists of his sermons and conversations, pronounced in different audiences and printed from tape. In In the 1970s and 1980s, these conversations were widely circulated in samizdat; since 1991, they have been regularly published in Russia.

This essay does not aim to give an exhaustive analysis of theological views of Vladyka Anthony or to compare them with the teaching of the Fathers of the Church in accordance with the other issues. I would like to define here in a more general sense the place which, in my opinion, occupies the theology of Vladyka Anthony in the context of Orthodox patristic tradition.