In memory of the holy fathers of the seven ecumenical councils. Prayer of the Ecumenical Fathers Commemoration of the Holy Fathers of the Seven Ecumenical Councils

May 18 old style / May 31 new style
Thursday
1st week after Pentecost. All Saints. Trinity week

Commemoration of the Holy Fathers of the Seven Ecumenical Councils.
Mch. Theodotos of Ancyra and MCC. seven virgins: Alexandra, Tekusa, Claudia, Faina, Euphrasia, Matrona and Julia (303). Mchch. Peter, Dionysius, Andrew, Paul and Christina (249-251). Rev. Macarius of Altai (1847).
Mchch. Simeon, Isaac and Vakhtisius (IV). Mchch. Heraclius, Peacock and Venedim. Mchch. David and Tirichan (Tarichan) youths (693) (Georgian).
St. Michael Vinogradov Confessor, Presbyter (1932); ssmch. Vasily Krylov presbyter (1942).
Icon of the Mother of God, called " The guarantor of sinners", Koretskaya (1622) (movable celebration on Thursday of the 1st week after Pentecost).

Rom., 81 credits, I, 28 - II, 9. Matt., 13 credits, V, 27-32.

Troparion and Kontakion of Pentecost
Troparion of the feast, tone 8:
Blessed art Thou, O Christ our God, / even wise fishermen, / sending down upon them the Holy Spirit, / / ​​and by them catch the universe, Lover of mankind, glory to Thee.

Kontakion of the feast, tone 8:
When tongues of confluence descended, / separating the tongues of the Most High, / when distributing fiery tongues, / the whole call is united, / / ​​and in agreement we glorify the All-Holy Spirit.

Kontakion of the Martyr Theodotos of Ancyra and others like him, tone 2:
Struggling with suffering for good, with your sympathizers, Theodota, / and take crowns of honor with honest martyr virgins. / Also, pray unceasingly to Christ God for all of us.

THOUGHTS ST. Theophan the Recluse
(Rom.1:28-2:9; Matt.5:27-32)
« Anyone who looks at a woman... has already committed adultery with her» (Matthew 5:28). How to be, if, living in a society, it is impossible not to look at wives? But after all, not just looking at his wife commits adultery, but looking with lust.

Watch - look, and keep your heart on a leash. Look through the eyes of children who look at women purely, without any evil thoughts. Women should also be loved, for they are not excluded from the commandment of love for neighbors, but pure love, in which there is a soul and spiritual affinity in thought, among other things ... In Christianity, as before God, there is no male sex, nor feminine, and in the mutual relations of Christians. In every possible way, you will say, it is difficult. Yes, there is no such thing as a struggle, but struggle presupposes a desire for evil; unwillingness is reckoned by the merciful Lord to purity.

Commemoration of the Holy Fathers of the Seven Ecumenical Councils.
In this celebration, all the seven pillars of the Church are the seven All-Lena Councils.
Our Church from-del-but celebrates the memory of the holy fathers of each All-Len-sky So-bo-ra.

Seven All-Len-sky So-bo-ditches- this is the sta-new-le-nie of the Church-vi, its dog-ma-tov, the definition of the foundations of christ-sti-an-sko-go ve-ro-teachings. Therefore, it is very important that in the most co-vein-ny, dog-ma-ti-che-sky, for-ko-but-yes-tel-ny in-pro-sah Tser -cove never took me to the highest auto-ri-te-you me-no-one person-lo-ve-ka. It was opre-de-le-no, and to this day it remains so, that the av-to-ri-te-tom in the Church is considered to be a so-bor-ny ra -Zoom Church.

The first two All-Lena So-bo-ra would be in the fourth century, the next two - in the fifth, two - in the sixth.

The seventh All-Lena So-bo-rum in 787 for-kan-chi-va-et-xia of the era of the All-Lena So-bo-ditch.

In the 4th century, when there was a pe-ri-od of mu-che-no-che-stva - tongues-of-kov and christi-an - here it would be obvious and understood -but who is on some side, who is fighting for what.

But the enemy is not dormant, the fight-ba-continues-and-no-ma-et more sophisticated-ren-ob-ro-you: this is not a fight-ba-tongue-che- stva with christianity, and the struggle is dia-vo-la and che-lo-ve-ka. There is no more plus-sa and mi-nu-sa. Now, in my sa-my environment, christ-sti-an-sky, among sa-mih christ-sti-an, church people appear, who those that carry the spirit of darkness - would-va-et that these are pre-s-s-te-ry or even saints. For-ra-wife-authors-to-ri-te-tom of "church-teach-te-lei" here-si, hundreds of and you-sya-chi christi-sti- an.

Such a new way of fighting with a person is invented by the devil: -ri here-sya-mi and ras-ko-la-mi, here-ti-che-learning.

IV century - the time of the two first All-Lena So-bo-ditches - the era of ob-ra-zo-va-tel-naya, when the great teaches come -te-whether the Church-vi Va-si-liy Ve-li-kiy, John Evil-to-mouth, Gri-goriy Bo-go-words, Afa-on-this Ve-li-kiy, Ni-ko -lay Mir-li-ki-sky and many others.

The holy fathers na-chi-na-yut for-mi-ro-vat the divine-word-thought, but so far it is not sfor-mi-ro-va-na, here-ti-ki py-ta-yut-sya under-me-thread on-nya-tiya, from-revealing about God, about the faces of the Holy Trinity - Spa-si-te-le , Du-he Holy vol. It becomes extremely important to get together and you-ra-bo-those those holy pra-vi-la, someone who will remain and will be stronger what a stone-nya, hard-y-le-za, will remain until the end of the whole existence of the world.

All-Lena Co-bo-ry usually got together in the most difficult is-to-ri-che-sky peri-ri-o-dy of the life of the Church, when the wave-not-niya in the christ-an-sky world became-we-whether the right-in-glorious people before you-bo-rum.

Mo-gu-chaa of the era of the All-Lena So-bo-ditch from the IV to the VIII century you-ra-bo-ta-la those dogs-ma-you and those for-to-us, some-rye unpre-re-ka-e-mo co-ver-sha-yut-sya in our Church to this day.

The Church you-st-I-la in such neve-ro-yat-nyh mu-che-no-che-conditions-vi-yah, unbelievable -yah, and the right-in-glory-vie-to-the-same-is in 1014.

A holiday, on which someone commemorates the holy fathers of all the All-Lena So-bo-ditch, never loses ak -tu-al-ness, because even to this day, the enemy of the ro-da man-lo-ve-che-tho-go invents new, very serious ways to fight with a person and with the Cer-to-view.

The great mover of our time, the recently departed ar-khi-mand-rit John Krestyan-kin from-me-chal that Russian The Church is much-stra-distant in the manner of Os-no-va-te-la of her - we all follow the Lord's house, the Cross-bearer.

What did the 20th century co-create with our Church-to-view? How long was a person from God in ancient times and now?

Look at the other Churches, who is more like-before-ben Christ? More mu-che-no-che-sky, go-no-mine and uni-what-m-m-e-mine than the Russian Right-in-glorious Church, there is no Church.

Now we have begun to return with a thought to God, but we are already standing behind our back of a false messiah: someone only in the 90s dah we don’t see de-whether in Russia: somehow-whether-ki build their temples, pro-po-ve-du-yut pro-te-stan-you, krish-na-i -you and in-du-and-sty - everyone teaches about God in a different way, and what about-is-ho-dit in Ukraine - Russian Jordan, on the Dnieper ? And now the fight-ba for the right-of-glory-only-is-whether-va-et-sya, if you take si-tu-a-tion around the pre-po-yes-va- niya in the mass-co-howl school "Basic-new right-in-glorious culture." In-is-ti-not, in-le bit-you are the heart of a man-lo-ve-ka ...

Raz-di-ra-et-sya Te-lo Church-vi prin-qi-pi-al-ny-mi ras-hoj-de-ni-i-mi, the highest k-world, “me-swarm of all-so-so-go” is a hundred-but-wit-sya man-lo-age. Mo-lo-dye people-di-ho-tyat to be successful-us-mi, bo-ha-you-mi and follow this so-so-imaginary-tel-no-mu path to-sti-zhe-niya any-way-mi-success in this world, not knowing that the words of the Holy Scripture “seek the same former Tsar- the goodness of God and His righteousness, and all this is added to you ”(Matt. 6:33) remain pro-ro-che-ski-mi for all time .

In order to understand where to go in this many roads, like pillars, how to support the memory of the holy fathers and what they left see-whether after yourself. All their dog-ma-ti-che-solutions are kept by the Pra-glorious Church. We are called right-of-glory-us-mi, which means that we stand on the right path.

The holy fathers don’t let us get lost in this bu-shu-u-s-mo-re of modern scientific and non-scientific opinions. Did they leave us a blind-di-my-le-mark in the form of dog-mats of the Church-vi, someone-rye and keep us some-le-bi-mo on pu-ti right-in-glory-via.

Bo-go-word-thought in the time of the holy fathers for-mi-ro-va-las under the influence of one-but-powerful fact -ra: it is necessary-ho-di-mo-sti for-shi-you christ-sti-an-stva, on the one hand, from on-tis-ka language-che-go-mi- ra, with the other - from races-smolder-va-yu-sche-th influence-i-niya here-this. But their main ideas are for all time.

Christ-an-bo-go-word-wie-vi-va-moose, forming a slender ve-ro-teaching-tel-si-ste-mu, for-key-chav -shui in se-be-eternal is-ti-ns, explained-clearly-under-understandable for a modern man-lo-ve-ka language, under-strength- lax races-judg-de-ni-i-mi ra-zu-ma.

Do-tea-neck to-st-in-the-st-stvo of the holy-father-of-the-go-go-word in that it develops-vi-va-moose, not from-ry- wa-es from the apo-so-pre-given, os-but-you-wa-elk on the Divine-off-of-creation and co-ot-rep-st-stvo- va-lo for-pro-self life.

The Holy Martyr Theodotos and the Holy Martyrs of the Seven Virgins - Tekusa, Faina, Claudia, Matrona, Julia, Alexandra and Euphrasia, lived in the second half of the 3rd century in the city of Ancyra, Galatia region, and died as martyrs for Christ at the beginning of the 4th century. Saint Theodotos was a tavern-keeper, had his own inn, and was married. Even then, he reached a high spiritual perfection: he observed purity and chastity, cultivated abstinence in himself, subdued the flesh to the spirit, exercising in fasting and prayer. With his conversations, he led Jews and pagans to the Christian faith, and sinners to repentance and correction. Saint Theodotos received from the Lord the gift of healing and healed the sick by laying hands on them.

During the persecution of the emperor Diocletian (284-305), the ruler Theotekn, known for his cruelty, was appointed to the city of Ancyra against Christians. Many Christians fled the city, leaving their homes and possessions behind. Theotecnus informed all Christians that they were obliged to sacrifice to idols, in case of refusal they would be betrayed to torment and death. The pagans brought Christians to torture, and their property was plundered.

There was famine in the country. In these harsh days, Saint Theodotos in his hotel gave shelter to Christians who were left homeless, fed them, hid those who were persecuted, from his reserves he gave everything necessary for the celebration of the Divine Liturgy to the devastated churches. He fearlessly entered prisons, helping the innocently condemned, urging them to be faithful to Christ the Savior to the end. Theodotos was not afraid to bury the remains of the holy martyrs, secretly taking them away or buying them back from the soldiers for money. When the Christian churches in Ancyra were destroyed and closed, Divine Liturgy began to take place in his hotel. Realizing that he, too, was facing a martyrdom, Saint Theodotus, in a conversation with the priest Fronton, predicted that the relics of martyrdom would soon be delivered to him at the place chosen by both of them. In confirmation of these words, Saint Theodotos gave his ring to the priest.

At that time, seven holy virgins died for Christ, of whom the eldest, Saint Tekusa, was the aunt of Saint Theodotos. The holy virgins - Tekusa, Faina, Claudia, Matrona, Julia, Alexandra and Euphrasia, from a young age dedicated themselves to God, lived in constant prayer, fasting, abstinence, good deeds and all have reached old age. Brought to trial as Christians, the holy virgins courageously confessed their faith in Christ before Theoteknos and were given over to torture, but remained unshakable. Then the ruler handed them over to shameless youths for desecration. The holy virgins prayed fervently, asking God for help. Saint Tekusa fell at the feet of the youths, removing her head covering, and showed them her gray head. The young men came to their senses, they themselves began to cry and went away. Then the ruler commanded that the saints take part in the celebration of the "washing of idols", as pagan priestesses did, but the holy virgins again refused. For this they were sentenced to death. A heavy stone was tied around each of their necks, and all seven holy virgins were drowned in the lake. The next night, Saint Tekusa appeared in a dream to Saint Theodotus, asking them to take out their bodies and bury them in a Christian way. Saint Theodotos, taking with him his friend Polychronius and other Christians, went to the lake. It was dark, and a burning lamp showed the way. Meanwhile, the holy martyr Sosander appeared before the guard set by the pagans on the shore of the lake. The frightened guards took to flight. The wind drove the water to the other side of the lake. The Christians approached the bodies of the holy martyrs and took them away to the church, where they buried them. Upon learning of the abduction of the bodies of the holy martyrs, the ruler became furious and ordered that all Christians be seized indiscriminately and tortured. Polychronius was also captured. Unable to endure the tortures, he pointed to Saint Theodotos as the culprit of the theft of the bodies. Saint Theodotos began to prepare for death for Christ; having offered fervent prayers together with all Christians, he bequeathed to give his body to the priest Fronto, to whom he had previously given his ring. The saint appeared before the court. He was shown various instruments of torture, and at the same time they were promised great honors and riches if he would deny Christ. Saint Theodotos glorified the Lord Jesus Christ and confessed his faith in Him. Enraged, the pagans betrayed the saint to prolonged tortures, but the power of God supported the holy martyr. He survived and was taken to prison. The next morning, the ruler again ordered the torture of the saint, but soon realized that it was impossible to shake his courage. Then he ordered to cut off the head of the martyr. The execution took place, but a storm that arose prevented the soldiers from burning the body of the martyr. The soldiers, sitting in the tent, remained to guard the body. At this time, the priest Fronton was passing along the nearby road, leading a donkey with a load of wine from his vineyard. Near the place where the body of Saint Theodotos lay, the donkey suddenly fell down. The soldiers helped raise it and told Fronton that they were guarding the body of the executed Christian Theodotos. The priest realized that the Lord had providentially brought him here. He laid the holy relics on a donkey and brought them to the place indicated by Saint Theodotos for his burial, and honorably committed them to the earth. Subsequently, he erected a church on this site. Saint Theodotus accepted death for Christ on June 7, 303 or 304, and his memory is remembered on May 18, on the day of the death of the holy virgins.

A description of the life and martyrdom of Saint Theodotos and the suffering of the holy virgins was compiled by a contemporary and associate of Saint Theodore and an eyewitness to his death - Nil, who was in the city of Ancyra during the period of persecution of Christians by Emperor Diocletian.

Holy Martyrs Peter, Dionysius, Andrew, Paul, Christina suffered under the emperor Decius (249-251). The first of them was the young man Peter in the city of Lampsacus (Hellespont). Brought to trial by the ruler Opitimin, he fearlessly confessed his faith in Christ. The pious young man was forced to renounce the Lord and worship the idol of the goddess Venus, but the martyr refused to fulfill the command, declaring publicly that a Christian would not bow to the idol of the prodigal woman. Saint Peter was subjected to cruel tortures, but valiantly endured the torments, thanks to the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave him His all-powerful help, and was beheaded with a sword. At the same time, Dionysius, Nicomachus, and two soldiers brought from Mesopotamia, as well as Andrew and Paul, were put on trial. All of them confessed their faith in Christ and refused to sacrifice to idols, for which they were tortured. To the great sorrow of all Christians, Nikomachus could not resist and denied the Lord Jesus Christ, went to the temple and offered a sacrifice. Immediately he was subjected to a terrible demoniac and died in terrible agony. The renunciation of Nicomachus was heard by the 16-year-old girl Christina standing in the crowd, who exclaimed: “ Cursed and perishing man! Here you, because of just one hour, have now acquired for yourself eternal and inexpressible torment!» These words were heard by the ruler. He commanded that the holy virgin be seized and, having learned from her that she was also a Christian, he handed her over to the fornicators to be defiled. An angel appeared to the house where they brought the holy virgin. Removed by his formidable appearance, the young men with tears began to ask for forgiveness from the holy virgin and begged to pray for them, so that the punishment of the Lord would not befall them.
The next morning, Saints Dionysius, Andrew and Paul again appeared before the governor. For the confession of faith in Christ, they were given to a crowd of pagans to be torn to pieces. They tied the saints by their feet, dragged them to the place of execution, and stoned them there. During the execution, Saint Christina ran to die along with the martyrs, but, by order of the ruler, she was beheaded with a sword.

Ar-hi-mand-rit Ma-ka-riy(in the world of Mi-ha-il Yako-vle-vich Glu-kha-rev) was the first mis-si-o-ne-rum of the Russian Right-of-the-glorious Church in Gor- nom Al-tae (now Res-pub-li-ka Al-tay).
Mi-ha-il Glu-ha-roar was born on November 8, 1792, in the family of a priest Church of the Pre-Holy Bo-go-ro-di-tsy of the city of Vyaz-we of the Smolensk Gu-ber-nii. First-at-initial-noe very good-ro-neck about-ra-zo-va-nie Mi-ha-il got-chil from the father, finishing the full course spiritual se-mi-na-rii, which in those days was rare. Father Jacob on-so-ho-ro-sho brought his-th-son in la-you-no, that at seven-year-old age he was small chik could for-no-mother-sya-re-vo-house from Russian to Latin. With such a sub-go-tov-ke, he was immediately determined to be in the third class of the spirit-hov-no-go school at the Pred-te-chen-sky mo-na -sta-re city of Vyaz-we.
For excellent personal success, Mi-ha-il Glu-ha-roar from the Vya-zem-spiritual school was re-re-ve-den in Smo- Lena spiritual se-mi-na-riyu, after the successful completion of someone-swarm in 1813, determine-de-len teach-te-lem in Smo -Lena spiritual school. A year later, it’s like the best-she-vos-pi-tan-ni-ka se-mi-na-rii on-pra-vi-whether in just opening-shu-yu-s St. Pe- the Ter-burg-spiritual aka-de-miya, the river-to-rum someone-swarm was St. Phila-ret (Droz-dov), later mit-ro- in-lit Mosk-kov-sky, much and fruitful-creation-but in-work-divid-shi-sya for the glory of the Church of God (in 1994, pri-number -len to the li-ku of saints).
Mi-ha-il Glu-ha-rev after is-py-ta-ny was accepted immediately for the second course of aka-de-miya. His deep knowledge of bo-go-word, history, geo-graphics, mastery of Latin, German, French , ancient-non-Greek-skim and ancient-non-Hebrew-rei-skim languages-ka-mi sharply from-whether-cha-whether it is among co-courses-no-kov. He was za-me-chen and rek-to-rum aka-de-mii ar-khi-mand-ri-tom Fila-re-tom (Droz-do-vym), someone so fond of beat the talant-whether-vo-vo-pi-tan-ni-ka for his goodness, you-so-kuyu and good morality, that all his life he was spirit- hov-nym on-becoming-no-one and in-cro-vi-te-lem about. Ma-ka-riya. The venerable Ma-ka-riy also, until the end of his life, kept devotion to his teacher.
On the 27th year of life - on June 24, 1818, at Mi-ha-i-la Glu-ha-re-va, an event happened, someone abruptly me-ni-lo all his further life. He was ordained in mo-na-she-stvo in the pre-my ar-khi-erey church-vi, after the name of Ma-ka-ria, on June 25, 1818 he was ru-ko-po-lo-zhen in hiero-di-a-ko-ny, and three days later - on June 28 - in hiero-mo-na-hi. In 1821, Father Ma-ka-riy was elevated to the rank of igu-me-na, then ar-khi-mand-ri-ta and received-chil in the management of Ko- Strom-sky Bo-go-yav-lena mo-on-stir. But already at the end of 1825 he was retired to the Kiev Lavra with a master's salary. By this time-me-no health-ro-vie from-tsa ar-khi-mand-ri-ta was so-to-ditch-but that he could not continue de-I -tel-ness in its former way. In 1826, he was transferred to the Glinsky Bo-go-ro-ditsy wilderness, in the Kursk diocese. It would-lo-la-nie sa-mo-go ar-khi-mand-ri-ta Ma-ka-riya, someone, having heard about spiritual gah na-hundred-i-te-la empty-ni-igu-me-na Fila-re-ta (Da-nilev-sko-go), wished to become her teacher-no-one.
“No wonder, vi-tel-but, - go-in-rit-sya in the Glinsky pa-te-ri-ke, - learn inexperience-no-mu from experience-no-go, ignorant-no-mu - from a scientist, but surprisingly, when an experienced and learned person goes under the cha-lo to learn from an ignoramus and young -she-go se-bya sa-nom. This happened to the father of Ma-ka-ri-em. He, bliss-be-tel-but graduating from the Spiritual aka-de-miya, well-ro-sho studied languages, master of the divine word, the former rector of the Ko-Strom-sky du-hov-noy se-mi-on-rii and on-st-I-tel of Bo-go-yav-len-sko-mo-on-stay-rya, professor of the bo-go-slov-sky sciences, in the rank of ar-khi-mand-ri-ta re-re-ho-dit in the poor, deaf Clay desert, under the rule -vod-stvo of an ignoramus, but experience-no-go in the spiritual life of the father of Phil-re-ta, voz-ob-no-vi-te-la of the Glin-sky ob- shche-zhi-tel-noy empty of the Kursk diocese. What a ve-li-kaya rare bone, not only in the present, but also in the re-li-gi-oz-noe time! If Father Ma-ka-riy hadn’t put her on the path of spa-se-niya earlier, such a feat would not have gone out of the ordinary-but-ven- nyh. But the learned ar-chi-mand-rit with mo-lo-to-sti and until the next-not-th time-me-no-one-hundred-yang-but was under the guidance of: sleep-cha-la at his-e-bla-go-che-sti-in-th kind of father - priest-no-ka, then, in St. Peter-ter- Burg-sky du-hov-noy aka-de-mii - at the father of the river-to-ra, ar-khi-mand-ri-ta Fila-re-ta (Droz-do-va), in the next in the presence of non-bven-no-go mit-ro-po-li-ta Mos-kov-ko-go, someone-ro-mu “opened his thoughts and without his will didn’t na-chi-nal anything. ”
In Eka-te-ri-no-slav-ve, in the duty of in-spec-to-ra spirit-hov-noy se-mi-na-rii, father Ma-ka-riy had an elder Li-ve -ria, “che-lo-ve-ka of the holy life, teach-no-know-me-no-thing Pa-and-siya (Ve-lich-kov-sko-go)”. In the silence of this “school of Christ-howl”, Fr. Ma-ka-riy, from-nu-rya your body-hold-hold-zha-ni-em and in a stom, -shi, demon-with-passion-but once-on-the-shaft their shortcomings, looked at the still undead nests of passion and, “ not-what-sum-nya-she-sya, ”use-on-ve-to-shaft their experience-no-mu on-a-hundred-I-te-lyu. He gave himself over to him in order to crush everything that was his own first, - “this copper wall, from-lu-cha-yu-shu from is -tin-no-go enlightenment, ”and to-knout Christ-to-vu in listening, for some reason he called the “doctor-cheb- nym blood-in-pus-ka-ni-em, in some-rum the soul-sha is clear-scha-is-sya from black, impure and rotten blood-vey own-will and silly." With a crushed feeling of his own impossibility, with hope for the mercy of God, he began to descend into “tears- new vale of media-re-niya.
In addition to the movements of the mo-na-she-skys, father Ma-ka-riy in the Glin-sky desert, mainly on holidays, ob- more-under-understand-but and convince-di-tel-but go-vo-ril in the temple in-teaching, and in the cell re-re-vo-dil the Bible with the Jew-ray- sko-th language into Russian. Op-tin-sky elder hiero-mo-nah Ma-ka-riy (Ivan-nov) pi-sal to the saint-ti-te-lu Ig-na-tia (Bryan-cha-ni-no-vu), then still ar-khi-mand-ri-tu, which, being “in the Clay desert, on a seclusion-non-nii, ar-khi-mand-rit Ma-ka-riy (Glu-ha-roar) re-vo-dil “Le-stvi-tsu” into Russian: in-me-re-re-ing it would be to give it out. At the same time, but he compared the shaft already to the su-stu-stu-u-s-ing-re-vo-dy of the Ladder. Best-shim about. Ma-ka-riy recognized the re-re-water of the elder Pa-i-siya. In the Glin-sky wilderness, ar-khi-mand-rit Ma-ka-riy translated into Russian the same be-se-dy of St. Gri-go-ria Two-word-va and “Is-after-after all” blessed-wife-no-go Av-gu-sti-na. By the blessing of mit-ro-po-li-ta Mos-kov-sko-go Fila-re-ta ar-khi-mand-rit Ma-ka-riy gave pro-she- in St. Si-nod about the desire to be miss-si-o-not-rum in Al-tay, to turn into pra-glory living there Turkic on-ro-dy. Both Si-nod and secular authorities granted this request, and on May 27, 1829, pre-pi-sa-li Fr. Ma-ka-riyu go miss-si-o-no-rum to Siberia.
In To-bol-sk about. Ma-ka-riy and his two help-no-ka in the mis-si-o-ner service-be (vos-pi-tan-ni-ki of the local spiritual se-mi- on-rii Alex-this Vol-kov and Va-si-liy Popov) in-lu-chi-li mis-si-o-ner-sky pass-port-ta. With a common agreement, they had about-ra-zo-va-but brotherhood, one of the points of someone-ro-go-th-forces: “Je-la- eat, let us have everything in common: money, food, clothes, books and other things, and this measure will be convenient for us -noy in striving for unity-no-soul-shiu. To participate in the mis-si-o-ner-sky de-i-tel-no-sti tre-bo-va-niya in-movement-no-kam would be very you-so: they must would we-would-have-deep-bo-ki-mi know-no-I-mi-os-new hri-sti-an-sko-go-ve-ro-teachings, free-bod-but go-vo- to speak in a foreign language, to be familiar with me-di-qi-noy, pe-da-go-gi-koy, one-to-be-army-sya in nature stven-nyh and rural-ho-zya-stven-nyh on-y-kah. For under-go-tov-ki of such sp-ts-a-li-stov su-sche-stvo-va-li co-ot-vet-stvo-yu-sche training for-ve-de-niya , such as St. Petersburg, Ki-ev-sky, Kazan-sky du-hov-nye aka-de-mi; Ir-kut-skaya, To-bol-skaya church-no-teaching-tel-sky se-mi-na-rii and others.
Ar-khi-mand-rit Ma-ka-riy was assigned to the Biy district, in-se-len-ny language-ni-ka-mi te-le-uta-mi. On August 3, 1830, the reverend Evgeniy served the Divine Liturgy in Tobolsk So-bo-re -ed from-right-le-ni-em miss-si-o-ne-ra to the place of his labors. Get-chiv in the way of the church, 990 rubles as-sig-na-qi-i-mi for travel and maintenance, with two se-mi- na-ri-sta-mi about. Ma-ka-riy from-pra-vil-sya from To-bol-ska to Biysk, where he stayed in the house of the Biy-sky priest Fr. Pet-ra Sin-ki-na. Before the arrival of the pre-be-good-no-go to Al-tai, when-ho-ski-mi-priest-no-ka-mi was-lo-cre-sche-but no more than 300 languages no-kov, in this way, in fact, all the inhabitants of the Biy-sko-go and Kuz-nets-ko-go districts were speaking-no-ka-mi.
Here's how to describe-sy-va-et os-no-va-nie of the Al-tai Du-hov-noy Miss-these about-and-e-rey Va-si-liy Ver-bits-kiy, one from the sa-my for-me-cha-tel-nyh pro-long-zha-te-lei apo-so-so-go-th service of pre-do-good-no-go Ma-ka-ria on Al -tae: “The first trip about. Ma-ka-ria from Biy-sk was on September 4, 1830, in Ula-lu uluz, 100 versts south-west of Biy-sk, between the Al-tai mountains , where he arrived on the 6th, at the invitation of one baptized foreigner, ula-lin-go zhi-te-la, and baptized here living with him, a foreign-born, ko-che-vo-go ta-ta-ri-on Yeles-ku, 17 years old, called someone in Holy Baptism John. O-r-a-sche-ing of this first-wreath b-go-yes-ti God-she-she, whose name he is for-ne-chat-len, pre-is-half-no -lo preo-holy-she-she-go Ev-ge-niya live-wei-neck ra-do-stia. Greetings Fr. Ma-ka-ria from the bottom of my heart, the reverend-priest prayed to the Lord, yes, let him open the door of his own dear to many others ser-diya with a word and mo-lit-howl from ar-khi-mand-ri-ta.
O. ar-hi-mand-rit Ma-ka-riy, for all co-ob-ra-zhe-ni-yams, I saw that Ula-la is my most convenient place for establishing niya station on the mission, and especially ben-but in a way that on the left hundred-ro-well of this se-le-niya is not in a distant distance on-ho-dit-sya region of black-not-vyh ta-tars, and on the right - al-tai-sky kal-my-kov; but he couldn’t pe-re-se-pour-here-yes in the winter, although he wished, because it was not possible to have an apartment here . At that time, there lived three Russian bees-lo-vo-yes and a family of four-you-re baptized foreigners from Ko-che Tatars, and non-baptized te-le-uts of families to five-on-dza-ti, who were then in a co-hundred-i-nii.
Upon the opening of the winter, we are father Ma-ka-riy before-by-la-gal from-right-to-with-right-no-one in those se-le-nia, in someone rye ta-ta-ry will be co-bi-army for from-da-chi yasa-ka. And until the last winter of this first winter, we had a hundred in Biysk. He spent the rest of the winter with Alek-se-em Vol-ko-vy in Sai-dyp-sky Ka-for-whose outpost. In the spring, in May 1831, Fr. Ma-ka-riy per-re-went to Ula-lu, ku-beer here from the boo from the Russian bee-lo-vo-yes Ashche-ulo-va. But soon, having learned that the Ul-Lin-tsy, fearing to be christened, they want to go from-to-che-wat from-here-yes to the Kuznets-kiy district , moving away from them, re-seating in May-mu (eight versts), where there were more amenities that were in Ula-le then I couldn’t have a mission.
Sna-cha-la wild foreigners don’t want to have intercourse with father Ma-ka-ri-em and from-be-ga-li hri-sti-an- stva. But in that way they looked, and Fr. Ma-ka-riy from May-we began to know-to-mite-sya with ula-lin-ski-mi te-le-uta-mi and to-ob-re-tat the honor of the Christ Church vy from black-new ta-tars and al-tai-sky kal-my-kov, settling them in Mai-me and other villages. Meanwhile, the ula-lin-tsy are more and more vdu-we-va-lis, all the actions of Fr. Ma-ka-riya, full of love, mi-lo-ser-diya and co-passion-da-tel-no-sti to poor foreigners, ube-di- whether they are in the fact that he is a man who is not at all dangerous, but worthy of all respect and love, half a -ria and in-kor-no-sti, and most of them, bu-duchi about-nick-well-you many-times-heard from him with the word is-ti-na , received the Holy Baptism (1834) and gave it to him as a deti from a father. Then about. Ma-ka-riy ob-rat-but re-re-se-lil-sya to them in Ula-lu; however, according to time, we lived in May-me. At this time, he had two sleep-rows along the way of the church, one in Ula-la, and the other in May-me; and, using one St. an-ti-mins, given for the church-vi All-mi-lo-sti-vey-she-go Spa-sa, sent-right-lyal bo-go-service in-pe-re- me-but in both camps until the arrival of co-work-nik-kov to him (in 1836) and after the second sv. serve-te-la for the church in honor of the Smolensk icon of God-mother Ma-te-ri (in 1840). Soon, the rest of the ul-lin-tsy were baptized (1835 and 1836), and then those who were sleep-cha-la returned, succumbed to being baptized, from-to-che-va-whether from-here-yes, and also received St. Baptism. Since that time, having the main place in Ula-le, Fr. Ma-ka-riy in-se-shal from-here-yes to-che-ta-tars and Kal-we-kov and te-le-utov Kuz-nets-ko-th district in the long- same 13 years and 8 months. All in all, about 700 adults and the same number of children were baptized.
Surprise-ve-tel-but, how stra-da-u-shchy those-forests-us-mi ailments-ha-mi father Ma-ka-riy re-re-no-strength-long-re-re- moves and re-re-right-you through the mountain rivers, how he re-re-but-forces the deprivation of countries-no-che-life, using his pas-tyr-sky debt: announcing, christening, on-ve-shchaya spirit children. At this time, he na-chi-na-mother thinks about teaching gra-mo-those native peoples. After all, otherwise they could not have penetrated into the meaning of his pro-po-ve-dei, to participate in divine-services. So would-la-na-cha-ta huge research-sle-before-va-tel-sky ra-bo-ta on the creation of al-thai writing-men-no-sti and words -rya (beech-va-rya) from del phrases and words with a volume of 3000 words. The basis of this writing-men-no-sti was the Russian al-fa-vit. Gra-mo-te and writing al-tai-tsy were trained at the mis-si-o-ner school in the village of Ula-la at the main camp of the mission.
The first pe-ri-od of mis-si-o-ner-sky de-ya-tel-no-sti o. Ma-ka-ria was the most difficult, in spite of this, would you have reached-well-you and some-ry-lo-zhi-tel-nye results you: about-ra-sche-but, ho-tya and small, number of tongues in the right-of-glory, co-buildings of the first in-se -le-niya of new-in-baptized foreigners, opening the first mis-si-o-ner-sky schools. Father Ma-ka-riy is not small, that in the first years of life, but-in-creative-needs in all directions -shchi and can’t be given-by-le-we-by-mim-to-be. For the first time, he began to put this idea into practice in the mission.
He built for new-baptized houses, brought cattle, earth-le-del-che tools of labor, yes, se-me-on the new cultural tour for se-va, - in a word, everything that was necessary for a settled-lo-about-ra-for life. For these needs, he raised his master's salary, besides that, he was the first of the Siberian mis-si- the o-ne-ditch began to apply the Law of the State of the State Council of June 17, 1836. “On the benefits of foreigners, with -ni-ma-yu-shchim Holy Baptism. According to him, the newly baptized ones were freed from all sorts of yes-tay and wine-no-stay, including tea yasak and re-cool-chi-well, three years after Baptism. He also achieved the fact that, starting from 1836, the mission of finance-si-ro-va-las was established by christ-sti-a -no-for-tion of co-ren-nyh peoples. And he himself continued to know his pas-so-my with the os-no-va-mi cul-tour-no-go land-le-de-lia, ho-kind-no-che -stva, ag-ro-teh-ni-ki, for what are you-pi-sy-val from St. -me-on vegetables, medicinal herbs, books about sheep-water and earth-le-del-che-chemistry.
At the Ula-lin camp, an institution was established for a women's community, as a result of pre-ob-ra-zo-vav-sha-ya-sya into a women's monastery .
In such a way, for the years of service in Al-tay - from the day of the foundation of the Al-tai Spiritual Mission to July 4, 1844 - would-whether for-lo-the-same-us-but-you de-I-tel-no-sti missions for half a century-year-forward.
In 1844, ar-khi-mand-rit Ma-ka-riy was dismissed from the mission and determined-de-len on-sto-I-te-lem Bol-hov-sko-go Tro-its- someone Op-ti-na mo-na-sta-rya, ku-yes and was away on July 4th. He passed away on May 18 (according to the old style), 1847, in the Bol-khov-sky mo-on-sta-re. He was in a ho-ro-nen in the mo-on-styr-sky cathedral-boron temple on the right-hand side of the al-ta-rya. In the place of his re-gre-be-ning, would there be two ad-de-la - Resurrection of Christ-sto-va and Resurrection of Pra -ved-no-go La-za-rya.
In 1983, pre-excellent Ma-ka-riy was added to the list of saints, and his name is out-of-the-but in the Cathedral of the Siberian Saints .

Holy Martyrs Simeon, Isaac and Vakhtisiy were Christians and lived in the 3rd century in Persia under King Sapor, a cruel persecutor of Christians. The Saints were forced to renounce Christ and turn to the superstition of the fire-worshippers. But they refused, answering the Gentiles: We will not renounce the Creator of creation and bow down to the sun and fire". The holy martyrs were cruelly tortured, then thrown into prison, where they were not given food for seven days. Finally, the martyrs were beheaded with a sword.

Holy Martyrs Heraclius, Peacock and Venedim suffered for Christ in the city of Athens. There they preached to the pagans about Christ and urged them to abandon the worship of insensitive idols. The chosen ones of God were put on trial along with their disciples, who accepted the true faith. After many tortures, they were all thrown into a kindled furnace, in which they committed their souls to God.

According to the voice, but to the mu-che-no-thing , Da-vid and Ti-ri-chan would sy-no-vya-mi bla-go-che-sti-vyh ro-di-te-lei-ar-myan Var-da-na and Ta-gin. After the death of the father of their uncle, brother ma-te-ri, pagan Fe-o-do-this for-du-small take their inheritance and began to persuade Tagina, Da-vi-da and Tiri-cha-na to accept the language. Tagine be-zha-la with children in South Georgia. Fe-o-do-si, fearing that de-ti you-ras-here and will return your estate to yourself, sought them out in Tao-Klar-je-ti and killed the brothers, grazing cattle in the mountains. According to the testimony of hagio-gra-fa, the killer immediately became blind. Mourning-ki-va-yu-shchaya de-tei Tagina, squeezing-shis over the brother, in-ma-za-la his eyes-behind the earth, imbibing the blood of Da-vi -yes, Fe-o-before-this-hour was ripe and used-ve-gave Christ. But-whose body-la mu-che-ni-kov was lit with light. Fe-o-do-this erected a church in the name of Da-vi-da, and the relics of Ti-ri-cha-na were taken to Armenia by the ruler of Di-vri, wherever -la you-stro-e-to the church in the name of St. Tiri-cha-na.

Mu-che-no-che-stvo Da-vi-da and Ti-ri-cha-na so-stored-ni-elk in the only Georgian ru-ko-pi-si of the 10th century. , pe-re-pi-san-noy in the Iversky mo-on-sta-re on Athos, learn-no-ka-mi and after-to-va-te-la-mi st. Ev-fi-miya of the Holy Mountain-Tsa - pre-on-dob-us-mi Ar-se-ni-em Ni-nots-mindsky and John-n (Grd-ze-lid-ze). Ru-ko-piss about-on-ru-zhi-va-et pl. damn-you, ha-rak-ter-nye for the tao-clar-jet-li-te-ra-tour-noy school. The Ar-Myan version of the mu-che-no-che-stva is not found-de-na.

The Armenian church is not like Da-vi-da and Ti-ri-cha-na. This is connected with the fact that mu-che-no-thing Da-vi-da and Tiri-cha-na would-lo co-zda-but, perhaps, auto-something -rum-hal-ki-do-ni-tom in Tao-Klar-je-ti, ku-da be-zha-li go-no-my ar-me-na-mi-mo-no-fi-zi- ta-mi St. from-ro-ki. Ve-ro-yat-no, hagio-gra-fi-che-sky pa-myat-nik was created in the Georgian language and, therefore, fell into the calendar The Georgian Church, and later Da-vid and Tiri-chan began to be read as Georgian saints.

For the first time, this image became famous for miracles in the Nikolaevsky Odrin monastery in the former Oryol province in the middle of the last century. The ancient icon of the Mother of God " The guarantor of sinners" Due to its dilapidation, it did not enjoy proper veneration and stood in the old chapel at the monastery gates. But in 1843, it was revealed to many residents in dreams that this icon was endowed with miraculous power by God's Providence. The icon was solemnly transferred to the church. Believers began to flock to her and ask for the healing of their sorrows and illnesses. The first to be healed was a paralyzed boy whose mother fervently prayed in front of this shrine. The icon became especially famous during the cholera epidemic, when many terminally ill people who came to her with faith, she brought back to life.

A large three-altar church was built in the monastery in honor of the miraculous image. On the icon The guarantor of sinners» The Mother of God is depicted with the Child on her left hand, Who holds Her with both hands right hand. The heads of the Mother of God and the Child are crowned with crowns.

In 1848, due to the diligence of the Muscovite Dimitry Boncheskul, a copy of this miraculous image was made and placed in his house. Soon he became famous for the exhalation of a healing world, which gave many people recovery from serious illnesses. This miraculous list was transferred to the church of St. Nicholas in Khamovniki, in which a chapel was arranged at the same time in honor of the icon of the Mother of God " The guarantor of sinners". In addition to March 7, the feast in honor of this icon takes place on May 29.

Icon of the Mother of God "Tenderness" - cell image Reverend Seraphim- after his death, it was the main shrine of the Seraphim-Diveevsky monastery, until its closure.
Holy Trinity Seraphim-Diveevsky Monastery
01.04.2020

Historical content

In the 8th century, Emperor Leo the Isaurian launched a cruel persecution against St. icons, which continued under his son and grandson. In 787, against this iconoclastic heresy, Queen Irina convened the Seventh Ecumenical Council in Nicaea, which was attended by 367 fathers.

The Ecumenical Councils (of which there were only seven) met to clarify questions of faith, the misunderstanding or inaccurate interpretation of which caused confusion and heresy in the Church. The rules of church life were also developed at the Councils. At the end of the 8th century, a new heresy appeared in the Church - iconoclasm. The iconoclasts denied the veneration of the earthly holiness of the Mother of God and the saints of God and accused the Orthodox of worshiping a created creature - the icon. A fierce struggle arose around the question of the veneration of icons. Many believers rose up to defend the shrine and were subjected to severe persecution.

All this required giving the Church a complete teaching on the icon, clearly and precisely defining it, restoring icon veneration on a par with the veneration of the Holy Cross and the Holy Gospel.

The Holy Fathers of the VII Ecumenical Council collected the church experience of veneration of holy icons from the first times, substantiated it and formulated the dogma of icon veneration for all times and for all peoples who profess the Orthodox faith. The Holy Fathers proclaimed that the veneration of icons is the law and Tradition of the Church, it is directed and inspired by the Holy Spirit living in the Church. The depiction of icons is inseparable from the gospel narrative. And what the gospel word tells us through hearing, the same icon shows through the image.

The Seventh Council affirmed that icon painting is a special form of revelation of Divine reality, and through Divine Liturgy and the icon, Divine revelation becomes the property of believers. Through the icon, as well as through the Holy Scriptures, we not only learn about God, we know God; through the icons of the holy saints of God, we touch a transfigured person, a partaker of Divine life; through the icon we receive the all-sanctifying grace of the Holy Spirit. Every day the Holy Church glorifies the icons of the Mother of God, celebrates the memory of the saints of God. Their icons are placed in front of us on the lectern for worship, and the living religious experience of each of us, the experience of our gradual transformation through them, makes us faithful children of the Holy Orthodox Church. And this is the true embodiment in the world of the works of the Holy Fathers of the Seventh Ecumenical Council. That is why, of all the victories over many different heresies, only the victory over iconoclasm and the restoration of icon veneration was proclaimed the Triumph of Orthodoxy. And the faith of the Fathers of the Seven Ecumenical Councils is the eternal and immutable foundation of Orthodoxy.

And glorifying the memory of the holy fathers of the VII Ecumenical Council, we must remember that it is to them that we are obliged to give thanks for the fact that our churches and houses are consecrated with holy icons, for the living lights of lamps glimmer before them, that we bow down before the saints relics, and the incense of incense raises our hearts to heaven. And the gratitude of the revelation from these shrines filled many, many hearts with love for God and inspired to life an already completely dead spirit.

Prayers

Troparion to the Holy Fathers of the VII Ecumenical Council, Tone 8

Glorified art Thou, O Christ our God, / shone on the earth our fathers founding, / and by those who instructed us all in the true faith, / / ​​Many-merciful, glory to Thee.

Translation: Glorified are You, Christ our God, as the lights on earth of our fathers, who established us, and by them directed us all to the path of true faith, Many-merciful, glory to Thee!

John Troparion to the Holy Fathers of the 7th Ecumenical Council, Tone 2

We bow to Your most pure image, O Good One, / asking for forgiveness of our sins, O Christ God: / by your will, you have been pleased to ascend the flesh to the Cross, / yes, save me, I created you from the work of the enemy. ,// come to save the world.

Translation: We worship Your most pure image, O Good One, asking forgiveness of our sins, Christ God. For You voluntarily deigned to ascend in the flesh to the Cross in order to deliver those created by You from slavery to the enemy. Therefore, we gratefully cry out to You: “You filled everything with joy, our Savior, who came to save the world!”

Kontakion to the Holy Fathers of the 7th Ecumenical Council, Tone 6

Even from the Father the Son has risen inexpressibly, / from the Woman was born by purely natural nature, / seeing Him, we do not brush aside the sign of the image, / but this is piously delineating, we honor it faithfully. / And for the sake of the true faith, the Church holds the lips of Christ

Translation: The Son, who shone inexpressibly from the Father, was born from the Woman in two natures. Knowing this, we do not deny the outline of His appearance, but piously depicting it, we honor it with devotion. And therefore the Church, holding on to the true faith, kisses the icon of the incarnation of Christ.

Commemoration of the Holy Fathers of the Seventh Ecumenical Council

DEFENDING ORTHODOXY FROM ICONOCLATORS

In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit!

Dear brothers and sisters!

AT 18th week of Pentecost(in 2017 - 22 of October) The Holy Church celebrates the memory of the Holy Fathers of the Seventh Ecumenical Council, who defended Orthodoxy from iconoclasts. Today we cannot imagine our churches, our houses without icons. But only thanks to the courage and feat of the now revered fathers, we have this treasure.

From the first centuries of Christianity, icon veneration was accepted and challenged by few. Already in the 4th-5th centuries, it entered into general church use. But in the 7th century, the people, due to their low enlightenment, often begin to introduce certain superstitions regarding the veneration of holy icons. The existing cases of improper veneration of icons were to be corrected by church authorities, by the method of spiritual enlightenment of believers. But in the seventh century the secular authorities undertook this, which, by fighting with icons, decided to solve their other problems.

The first iconoclastic emperor was the Byzantine Emperor Leo the Isaurian. He assumed that if the icons were taken out of the temples, then he would be able to join the Jews and Mohammedans to Orthodoxy, and thereby return some of the lost areas of the empire. Such an argument turned out to be false; it was not only icons that prevented Jews and Mohammedans from coming to Orthodoxy.

Driven by this goal, in 726 the emperor issued an edict forbidding the worship of icons. Patriarch Herman of Constantinople rebelled against such an order. The patriarch was supported by the Monk John of Damascus (later a monk of the monastery of St. Sava) and Pope Gregory II. The decision of the secular authorities was absurd. The ecumenical fathers sensed that a new heresy was raised against holy Orthodoxy, and they began to fight against it.

And the Emperor Leo the Isaurian in 730 ordered the soldiers to remove the especially revered icon of Christ the Surety, which stood above the gates of his palace. When one of the soldiers climbed the stairs and began to beat the icon with a hammer, a crowd of indignant believers pushed him down the stairs. The army dispersed the people, and ten people, recognized as the main culprits of the incident - Julian, Marcion, John, James, Alexy, Demetrius, Photius, Peter, Leontius and Mary patricians were thrown into prison and kept there for 8 months. Every day they received 500 blows with sticks. After 8 months of severe torment, in 730 all the holy martyrs were beheaded. Their memory is celebrated on August 9 (according to the old style). Their bodies were buried and after 139 years found incorruptible. These were the first sufferers for holy icons. At the same time, Rev. John of Damascus writes three essays in defense of holy icons.

Such an incident occurred in the Cycladic Islands. The priest, who oversaw the course of educational affairs in the empire, together with his assistants (12 or 16 people) refused to announce in writing the emperor's decree banning icon veneration. For they wished to suffer for the holy icons rather than proclaim this insane decree. For this they were all burned.

In the same year, the emperor issued an edict in which he ordered all icons to be removed from the temples. Patriarch Herman opposed this and, together with the faithful, refused to carry out such an order, for which he was deposed by the emperor, and an iconoclast "patriarch" was appointed in his place.

At this time, Rev. John of Damascus writes two more epistles in defense of icons. In 741 the iconoclast emperor died. After the death of Leo, the imperial throne, with the help of iconodules, is occupied by his son-in-law Artabazus. Icons reappeared in churches. But in 743, Constantine Copronymus, the son of the former emperor Leo, overthrew Artabazus from the throne and resumed the persecution against the iconodules. The cruel persecution of icon worshipers begins again.

But Constantine Copronymus wants, now with the observance of legality, to convene a council, calling it ecumenical, at which icon veneration would be declared heresy.

At the false council there were about 300 bishops and not a single patriarch. After the false council, which did not approve icon veneration, icons were confiscated not only from churches, but also from the homes of believers.

The copronym went even further, he spoke out against the veneration of holy relics and monastic life. The relics of the saints were burned and thrown into the sea, the monasteries were converted into barracks and stables (Kopronymus was very fond of horses, for which he received the nickname Copronim).

In 775 Copronymus died, the imperial throne passed to his son, Leo Khazar, a man of weak character. He was greatly influenced by his wife, Empress Irina, who secretly supported icon veneration. Soon Leo died, the imperial throne passed to his young son, Constantine Porphyrogenic. The administration of the state was taken over by his mother, Empress Irina. She declared herself the protector of icon veneration. Instead of the iconoclast-patriarch, Patriarch Tarasius, an adherent of icon veneration, was appointed. There are all conditions for the iconoclastic heresy to give a worthy rebuff and to establish peace in the Church. In 787, under Empress Irene, the VII Ecumenical Council was convened in Nicaea under the chairmanship of Patriarch Tarasius. 367 bishops attended the council. The 7th Ecumenical Council anathematized the iconoclasts and dogmatically substantiated icon veneration. But, nevertheless, after the death of Empress Irina for another half a century, the Church was disturbed by the iconoclastic heresy.

When Leo the Armenian became emperor, the persecution of icons began again. Patriarch Nicephorus of Constantinople and the abbot of the Studian monastery Theodore the Studite oppose the iconoclasts. Emperor Leo the Armenian deposes the objectionable Patriarch Nicephorus, and puts an iconoclast in his place. The Monk Theodore the Studite writes a roundabout letter to all monastics, in which he asks them not to obey the emperor's decree to remove icons in churches. The monks begin to be persecuted, they are sent to prisons and exile. One of the first to be imprisoned was Theodore the Studite, where he was starved to death... The Monk Theodore would have died of starvation if not for one secret icon-worshipper, a prison guard who shared his food with him.

In 820, Leo the Armenian was deposed and replaced by Michael the tongue-tied, who, although he did not officially announce the restoration of icon veneration, allowed all the defenders of icon veneration to be released from exile and prison.

Michael's successor was Theophilus, who was an iconoclast, but his mother-in-law Theoktista and wife Theodora were iconodules. Theophilus begins the persecution of all who venerate icons, but soon dies and his young son Michael III becomes emperor. In fact, his mother, Empress Theodora, began to rule the state. Patriarch under Empress Theodora, St. Methodius, zealous icon worshiper. He assembled a Council, at which the sanctity of the 7th Ecumenical Council was confirmed, and icon veneration was restored.

It happened on the first week of Lent. The believing people with icons walked in a solemn procession through the streets of Constantinople. Therefore, the Church established on the 1st week of Great Lent to celebrate the Feast of the Triumph of the Church over all heresies - the Feast of the Triumph of Orthodoxy. Thus, icon veneration was restored. And only during the period of the Reformation, the Protestants adopted the theses of the iconoclasts and abandoned the icons.

Why do we venerate icons? Although the Old Testament threatens to depict the invisible God with prohibitions. For "no one has ever seen God" (John 1:18). But such a possibility opened up in the New Testament, for "the Only Begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has revealed" (John 1:18). Thanks to the Incarnation, the Invisible God became available to our sensory perception. The words of the Lord Jesus Christ: “But blessed are your eyes that they see, and your ears that they hear; for I tell you truly that many prophets and righteous people desired to see what you see, and did not see…” (Mt. 13:16,17) confirm this.

Holy Tradition also tells us that the Lord Himself once applied a veil to His Most Pure Face and His Most Pure Face (Not Made by Hands) was displayed on it. He gave this ubrus to Prince Avgar, and he was healed of his illness. Also St. the apostle and evangelist Luke, who was not only a doctor, but also an artist, depicted the image of the Mother of God. Seeing this image, the Most Holy Lady said: “The grace of the One who was born from Me and Mine will be with this icon.”

In the debate with the iconoclasts, a sharp question arose - what kind of nature do we depict on the icon. If Deity, then It is indescribable. If only humanity, then we fall into Nestorianism, dividing the two natures into parts. The Orthodox answered that the icon depicts not nature, but the Person, the person of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the God-Man. We worship not “what”, but “who” – the Face. And the honor given to the image goes back to the Prototype. Therefore, the icon is a means of communication with God and the Mother of God, with saints, God's angels. There is also feedback in this. Praying before the icon, a person receives help from the one to whom he prays.

Today we honor those who by their deeds defended Orthodoxy from the iconoclastic heresy. We learn from them to treat holy icons with reverence, to pray before them, to resort to them in our every need. These are the Patriarchs of Constantinople, St. German, St. Tarasius and St. Methodius. This is the Empress St. Irina and St. Theodora. Also, these are the holy 10 martyrs who suffered under the iconoclast emperor Leo the Isaurian, and a priest burned on the Cyclades Islands with his assistants. This and Reverend John Damascene and Theodore the Studite, as well as many bishops, priests, monks and believing people who fought against iconoclasm and defended icon veneration.

Glorifying them today, we prayerfully ask them to intercede for us sinners before the Lord.

The Seventh Rule of the Holy Ecumenical Third Council Akathist to the Saints Prayer Our Father

After reading this, the holy council determined: let no one be allowed to pronounce, or write, or compose a different faith, except for those determined from the holy fathers, in Nicaea, who gathered with the Holy Spirit. But those who dare to form a different faith, or represent, or suggest to those who want to turn to the knowledge of the truth, or from paganism, or from Judaism, or from any heresy: such, if they are bishops, or belong to the clergy, let them be strangers, bishops of the episcopacy, and clerics of the clergy: if they are laity, let them be anathematized. Likewise, if bishops, or clerics, or laity appear to be philosophic, or teaching what is contained in the exposition presented by Presbyter Charisios about the incarnation of the only-begotten Son of God, or the filthy and corrupt Nestorian dogmas, which are attached to this: let them be subject to the decision of this holy and ecumenical council, that is, let the bishop be a stranger to episcopacy, and let him be deposed: the cleric, likewise, let him be expelled from the clergy: if he is a layman, let him be anathematized, as it is said.

Canon 7 of the Council of Ephesus was issued separately from the other Canons and did not, like the first (6) Canons, form part of a conciliar message sent to "bishops, presbyters, deacons, and all the people of every region and city." It was published in connection with the complaint submitted to the holy council by the presbyter and steward of the Philadelphian church, Charisius.

At the sixth meeting of the council, presbyter Charisios declared before the council that some false teachers, wishing to spread the false teaching of Nestorius among the common people, resorted to cunning and, having compiled some new confession of faith, deftly managed to attract a certain number of ordinary people to themselves. He also pointed out that certain Anthony and James, who called themselves presbyters, arrived from Constantinople, bringing with them some special creed and many letters of recommendation from associates of Nestorius and from some two presbyters - Anastasius and Photius, also adherents of the latter. These two presbyters by their insolence and slyness so bypassed the bishops of Lydia that the latter allowed them free residence in their regions. Jacob stayed in Philadelphia in Lydia, starting his work there, and in a short time he managed to deceive some simpletons who accepted his symbol and recognized him as supposedly Orthodox. Charisius does not mention the activities of Antony, who deceived people in other places in Lydia; he knew only the activities of Jacob, and since he received one copy of his symbol, along with the signatures of the deceived, then, presenting it to the council, he asked to take measures against this and condemn the crafty heretics. At the same time, his confession of faith was presented to him, in order to prevent the accusation of heretics that his faith was not in agreement with that of Nicene. The fathers of the council expressed their readiness to look through the complaint of Charisius, so that certain conditions were first met. First of all, at their command, the Nicene symbol was read, and then the written confession of faith of Charisius himself, to assure the council that he really professed the Orthodox faith and was not himself infected with heretical teaching. Since the confession of the faith of Charisius was found to be completely Orthodox, as identical with the Nicene symbol, then the Council, in accordance with the norm existing in the church, subsequently expressed in Canon 21 of the IV Ecumenical Council, and on the basis of Canon 74 of the Apostolic Canon, finding that the complaint of Charisius can be investigated, - began to investigate the matter. Having listened to the latter according to the reports of the official conciliar speakers, and after reading the false symbol, recognized as heretical, the council passed its corresponding decision, which constitutes this (7) rule. The first words of the rule, “after reading this,” show its coming into being.

By this canon, the fathers of the council categorically forbid the drawing up and use in the church of anyone's creed, except for that creed, which was founded in Nicaea and which was fully completed at the Second Ecumenical Council of Constantinople, subjecting to the severest punishments those who dare to violate this. The Fathers then subject the same punishments to all those who dare to teach a false faith, and not the Niceno-Constantinopolitan, persons who wish to turn to the church from non-Christian or heretical societies. In a word, they want to leave firm and unchanged only the creed that was approved at the I and II ecumenical councils, completely excommunicating everyone who does not profess this symbol from the church. They recognize as Orthodox only those who profess the Niceno-Constantinopolitan symbol, and proclaim non-Orthodox, i.e. heretics, all those who do not recognize him. In this sense, this rule was adopted and approved at all other councils that were after that.

High Priestly Prayer. Sermon on the Week of Saints Father of the Six Ecumenical Councils

Priest Georgy Zavershinskiy

In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

The reading of an excerpt from the High Priestly Prayer of our Lord Jesus Christ (John 17:1-13) is given today in connection with the fact that the Church commemorates the Holy Fathers of the six Ecumenical Councils. This is the memory of the bishops, priests, and laity who participated in the activities of those Councils where church dogma was established as a verbal expression of the truth of the Church. The church is filled with the Spirit of God. The Holy Spirit fulfills everything genuine that happens in the Church, therefore Councils were opened with these words: "Be pleased with the Holy Spirit and us." This is how the holy fathers of the six Ecumenical Councils prayed. And in that gospel text that we heard, it speaks of the operation of the Spirit and of revelation Holy Trinity in this action.

It is about the relationship of the Father and the Son. The Lord Jesus Christ prays to God the Father: “I have glorified You on earth, I have completed the work that You entrusted Me to do. And now, Father, glorify me with you, with the glory that I had with you before the world was” (Jn 17:4-5). It is impossible to understand if you try to penetrate the human mind. The Lord speaks of the glorification of His Most Pure Flesh, which will take place after the Resurrection, so we are talking about the future time. But He always had the glory of His Father, even before the creation of the world, therefore He speaks of it, starting from the past tense. Indeed, these and many other words of the Lord, inaccessible to logical understanding and the rational mind, are revealed to the human heart if we understand that we are talking about the relationship of God the Father and His Son, the highest relationship between the Divine Hypostases, which are revealed by the Holy Spirit. Glory is the operation of the Spirit of God, as is eternal life, which is said to be God giving Christ power over all flesh, "that to all that You have given Him, He will give eternal life." The Spirit gives life, He is the Giver of Life, gives life and breath to everything. It is not only about this temporal life that we already have, but most of all about the authentic, eternal life, the life in God.

The Lord speaks of His perfect joy. This joy must be enjoyed by the apostles, and through the apostles and fathers of the Ecumenical Councils, who established the Church, and through them all the members of the Church of Christ, that is, those who become partakers of the Body and Blood of Christ, and in Them - the Divine eternal life. This joy is complete, that is, completed, fulfilled. Every earthly joy passes. Whatever we gain in this life, whatever we experience joy from, it all ends sometime. And only a memory comes, maybe some longing from the lack of that joy that we want to experience again, but it is no longer there. This inevitably gives rise to suffering, not only and not so much physical as moral, mental or spiritual. And perfect joy, fulfilled, filled to the limit, never ceases, never stops, but always increases. We cannot imagine this, because we are used to the fact that everything ends in this world, everything passes, like life itself. But here we are talking about eternal life, the life that God has and that God shares with His Son in the Holy Spirit. Through the Incarnation of the Son of God, this life is given to you and me, a creature called in eternal life to share the perfect joy and glory of God. That is why the prayer is called High Priestly, because it is offered by the only and true Priest - Christ, Who always exists from the ages, and even before the creation of the world.

On the icon of the Most Holy Trinity, we see three equal angels, who, under the tree, around the cup, are in silent agreement, in some relation to each other. The tree is a symbol of the tree of the cross, the cup is a symbol of the cup of Christ, His suffering and death on the cross. Before the creation of the world, God has the Pre-Eternal Council, the plan for the creation of the world and its existence to the very end. God has no time, no yesterday, today and tomorrow. With God, one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years is like one day. God sees everything from beginning to end, and sees everything in each of us except our sin. Where there is sin, there is no God, where we voluntarily or involuntarily separate ourselves from God. And for this God gives His Son, so that separation from God is interrupted, and we in Christ restore our connection with Him.

Christ prays for the apostles: "I opened your name the people you gave me from the world; they were yours, and you gave them to me, and they kept your word” (Jn 17:6). Consider how the apostles were chosen. It was in prayer to the Father: the Lord went into seclusion, prayed day and night, and then, when he returned, he called the names of the apostles. So here He says, "You gave them to Me." Thus, the connection of this world with its Creator, with God, in Christ, through Christ and His apostles and the Church is restored. The world is represented by the disciples of Christ, the apostles, whom God chooses. The circle closes: God chooses the apostles and gives them to His Son. The Son did not destroy any of them, saved them all, and gave them the word of eternal life. Having comprehended, they kept this word, they came to know Christ, and again through Christ everything returns to God. This is how the Divine Eucharist is celebrated. Thus closes the circle of eternal life in Christ, and through Christ - in the Holy Trinity. And the Spirit of God closes this circle, imprints it, makes it genuine, true, endless, and not temporary, like our life.

Much remains to be learned, much to come into contact with and experience experimentally, not with the mind, but with the heart to feel that God is the Trinity, and that God the Trinity is the God of love. And love is the perfection of the relationship of the Divine Persons of the Trinity and the relationship of man with God. Man in his relations with other people, gathered around the cup of Christ, is elevated to the relationship of the Divine Trinity, that is, to the relationship of love. And there is no greater love than that which Christ reveals, because He goes to death, giving Himself to the cross. Speaking about the fact that there is no more that love, if someone gives his life for his neighbor, He does it Himself. And here, speaking of the apostles who accepted this love, He addresses the Father: “I pray for them: I pray not for the whole world, but for those whom You have given Me, because they are Yours.” Christ prays for them, being a one-of-a-kind Priest, and through the apostles elevates to the “royal priesthood” (1 Peter 2:9) every believer who belongs to the Church - the fathers of the six Ecumenical Councils, the subsequent fathers of the Church and all those who are faithful to God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.

16/29 July Russian Orthodox Church celebrates the memory of the holy fathers of the six Ecumenical Councils, which became possible only when the Roman Empire recognized Christianity as a legal religion. Prior to that, she did not recognize Christianity, and according to Roman law, it was considered heresy, and was subject to destruction. Just as no one but the Roman Emperor could mint a coin, it was also forbidden to create their own religion, which was considered a crime against the state.

But the Jews, who did not revere the emperor as a god and did not bring sacrifices to idols, were not persecuted. As soon as they began to understand that Christianity is not Judaism, but a completely new religion, the laws of the Roman Empire began to operate, and Christians began to be persecuted as a sect, as a heresy dangerous for the state.

But under the Emperor Constantine, a miracle happened, his mother Helen was a Christian, and the Emperor himself was shown a sign in the sky, the Cross, with which he defeated his opponent, and became the Emperor of the entire Roman Empire, Western and Eastern. Then a miraculous revolution took place with him, he recognized Christianity on a par with other official religions, and gathered the first Ecumenical Council in Nicaea in 325.

The Orthodox Church recognizes seven Holy Ecumenical Councils: Nicene I (325, against the heresy of Arius); Constantinople I (381, against the heresy of Macedon); Ephesian (431, against the heresy of Nestorius); Chalcedonian (451, against the heresy of the Monophysites); Constantinople II (553, "On Three Chapters"); Constantinople III (680-681, against the Monothelite heresy); Nicene II (787, against the heresy of the iconoclasts). And the liturgical celebration of the six Councils of the Holy Fathers is explained by the fact that the seventh Ecumenical Council was recognized as such at the Local Council of Constantinople in 879-880, while each of the six was approved by the Ecumenical Council at the next one.

The meaning of the special veneration of the holy fathers of the Ecumenical Councils lies in the fact that only they (Councils) had the gift to make infallible and “useful for all” definitions in the field of the Christian faith and church piety at critical moments in church history. A brief summary of the dogmatic theology of the holy fathers of the six Ecumenical Councils is reflected in the first conciliar canon of the Council of Trullo (691), which became a continuation of the VI Ecumenical (III Constantinople). In addition to dogmatic activity, the holy fathers of the Ecumenical Councils developed rules that served to streamline church discipline. The Church never departs from the old dogmatic definitions, worked out church canons and does not replace them with new ones.

All Councils were held in the first millennium. The first two Ecumenical Councils were devoted to triadological issues, the doctrine of the Holy Trinity: the Father and the Son, and the Holy Spirit was clarified and formulated.

And from the Second to the Sixth Ecumenical Councils there were Christological Councils, at which the doctrine of the Person and two natures of the God-Man Jesus Christ was formulated. And the last Seventh Ecumenical Council was an iconoclastic Council, dedicated to the fight against iconoclastic heresy.

After two thousand years, and thanks to the holy fathers of the Ecumenical Councils, we know how to believe, and when we open any book on dogmatic theology, we see that all doctrinal propositions are revealed to us in order. But this was far from the case at the very beginning of the life of the Church. This does not mean at all that the Church did not know how to believe and did not have a dogmatic base. She knew how to believe, and all the dogmas of the Church were laid down from the day the Church was formed by its Founder Jesus Christ on the day of Pentecost, the day of the Holy Spirit that descended upon the Apostles. All dogmatics, all doctrinal propositions were kept in their infancy in the Church. And the Church did not invent dogmas, but took out what was in its bowels, revealed these doctrinal provisions. And the Church did not rationalistically live by these dogmas, but the Church was forced to formulate its dogma rationally when a polemic with some new heresy began. That is, the dogmas were formulated from the contrary, as arguments. Formulating dogmas, she insisted that dogmas are fundamentally necessary, both for the whole Church and for every Christian, in order to achieve salvation, to achieve eternal life.

Even the Apostles forbade the slightest deviation from the purity of Orthodox dogma. In the Epistle to the Galatians, the Apostle Paul says that "even if we, or an angel from heaven, began to preach to you not what you were taught, let it be anathema." From which we can conclude that dogmas are very important in the work of salvation. Now there is, unfortunately, an adogmatic point of view that the most important thing in the life of a Christian, a religious person is morality. And dogmas remain something secondary in relation to morality. This merging trend different religions and theories, in which the main thing is morality, morality, and not dogma. This is far from being the case: without the correct dogma, without the true knowledge of God, which God Himself revealed to us about Himself on the pages of Holy Scripture It is also impossible to achieve the moral ideal that the defenders of the moral idea in religions tell us about.

Every religion has moral laws, but there is a fundamental dogmatic difference. So what are dogmas? Doctrine truths, some spiritual axioms that are revealed to us by the Lord Himself. They are immutable and immutable just as the Divine Itself is immutable and immutable. Always have been and remain such as God Himself is. Dogmas are the framework that form the correct spiritual and moral dispensation, the human condition. Dogma is damaged, morality is also deformed, the rest of the spiritual life is deformed. Dogmas talk about how to believe and how not to believe.

If we look at the dogmatic formulations of the Ecumenical Councils, we will see that their beginning is formulated as follows: “if anyone believes in such and such a way, then there will be anathema. If anyone does not believe in such and such a way, let him be anathema. Dogmas delineate the realm of the Mystery, the realm of the Divine, and show that outside these limits, outside these limits, heresy begins, errors begin. Dogma is, if simplified, something like a signpost on the road, without which you can get lost, and here dogma is a signpost on the road of faith. Without dogma, it is also impossible to achieve true morality.

Therefore, the holy fathers paid much attention to questions of dogma, and not only paid, but also went to torment and suffering, to confession and martyrdom for the purity of the Orthodox faith. This is the answer to those people who say that dogmas are not important. If they were unimportant, then the holy fathers would not go to death for faith.

First Ecumenical Council. 318 bishops participated in the work of the Council, among whom were: St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, James Bishop of Nisibis, Spyridon of Trimifuntsky, St. Athanasius the Great, who at that time was still in the rank of deacon, and others.

The Council condemned and rejected the heresy of Arius and affirmed the immutable truth - the dogma: the Son of God is the true God, born of God the Father before all ages and is just as eternal as God the Father; He is begotten, not created, and consubstantial with God the Father.

In order for all Orthodox Christians to know exactly the true teaching of the faith, it was clearly and briefly stated in the first seven members of the Creed.

At the same Council, it was decided to celebrate Easter on the first Sunday after the first full moon in spring, it was also determined for priests to be married, and many other rules were established.

At the first Ecumenical Council, the sequence, the primacy of the Christian Churches was approved - the Roman See (the former reigning city), Constantinople (the reigning city), Alexandria, Antioch. The priority of the Church was given to the place of government of the sovereign of the Empire, which to this day prevents modern Catholics from proving that the Pope is the head of the entire Christian Church.

Second Ecumenical Council was convened in 381 in Constantinople, under the emperor Theodosius the Great. This Council was convened against the false teachings of the former Arian bishop of Constantinople Macedonia, who rejected the Divinity of the third Person of the Holy Trinity, the Holy Spirit; he taught that the Holy Spirit is not God, and called Him a creature or a created power, and at the same time serving God the Father and God the Son, like the Angels.

The Council was attended by 150 bishops, among whom were: Gregory the Theologian (he was the chairman of the Council), Gregory of Nyssa, Meletios of Antioch, Amphilochius of Iconium, Cyril of Jerusalem, and others. At the Council, the heresy of Macedonia was condemned and rejected.

The doctrine of the Holy Spirit was added to the Nicene Creed. It used to be said in the Creed: And in the Holy Spirit. Dot. At the Second Ecumenical Council, this phrase was continued: And in the Holy Spirit of the Lord the Life-giving. Thus, it was explained that the Lord is God, and not a creature, that is, he does not have a created nature. Further, it was clarified: Even from the Father proceeding - that is, the reason for the existence of the Holy Spirit, His source - God the Father. God the Father is the source of the divine nature of the Son and the Holy Spirit. But this does not mean that the Son and the Spirit are inferior to the Father. The persons of the Trinity are equal. God the Father is the cause, and God the Son and God the Spirit are the effect. But a perfect cause can produce only perfect effects. And if the Son and the Spirit are perfect, then they too are divine. And if they were imperfect, then the Father would be imperfect. God the Father is the source of the divine nature, and the Son, who is born from the Father, and the Holy Spirit, who is produced from the Father - They are co-essential, equal and equivalent in relation to the Father. Thus, in the Creed, the wording appeared that the Holy Spirit proceeds only from the Father, and is not the creation of the Son, as Macedonian taught.

Who proceeds from the Father. Even with the Father and the Son, worshiped and glorified who spoke the prophets. That is, the Holy Spirit has, together with the Father and the Son, equal glory, equal honor and equal dignity, and the same worship with them.

The Council also introduced four more terms into the Nicene Creed, which set out the doctrine of the Church, the sacraments, the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the age to come. Thus, the Nicetsaregrad Creed was compiled, which serves as a guide for the Church for all time.

Third Ecumenical Council was convened in 431 in Ephesus, under the emperor Theodosius 2nd the Younger. The Council was convened against the false teaching of the Archbishop of Constantinople Nestorius, who impiously taught that the Blessed Virgin Mary gave birth common man Christ, with whom, later, God united morally, dwelt in Him as in a temple, just as He formerly dwelt in Moses and other prophets. Therefore, Nestorius called the Lord Jesus Christ Himself a God-bearer, and not a God-man, and called the Most Holy Virgin a Christ-bearer, and not the Mother of God. The Council was attended by 200 bishops.

The Council condemned and rejected the heresy of Nestorius and decided to recognize the union in Jesus Christ, from the time of the incarnation, of two natures: Divine and human; and determined: to confess Jesus Christ as perfect God and perfect Man, and the Blessed Virgin Mary as Mother of God. The Council also approved the Nicetsaregrad Creed and strictly forbade making any changes or additions to it.

Fourth Ecumenical Council was convened in 451 in Chalcedon, under the emperor Marcian. The Council was attended by 650 bishops. The council was convened against the false teachings of the archimandrite of a monastery in Constantinople, Eutychius, who denied human nature in the Lord Jesus Christ. Refuting heresy and defending the Divine dignity of Jesus Christ, he himself went to extremes, and taught that in the Lord Jesus Christ human nature was completely absorbed by the Divine, why in Him only one Divine nature should be recognized. This false doctrine is called Monophysitism, and its followers are called Monophysites (one-naturalists).

And according to the teachings of the holy fathers Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian, “what is not perceived is not healed,” that is, if there is no fullness of human nature in Christ, then how will we be healed? If all human nature has fallen, then all of it must be healed. The Lord had to unite in Himself the fullness of human nature with His nature, with His Divinity. And save her from sin, from damnation. It turns out that if instead of the human spirit in Jesus there was a Godhead, he was not like us, which means that He assumed any kind of nature, but not ours, not fallen, not mangled by sin, human nature. The teaching of the Monophysites undermined the foundations of our salvation, the foundation of Christian teaching. It was the overthrow of the Christian Church. The more radical disciples of Apollinaris, the founder of the heresy of the Monophysites, went further and argued that Jesus not only had the Divine instead of the Spirit, but also instead of the soul. But the body was human. That is, only outwardly Jesus is a man. Other Apollinarians said that He also received the body from heaven, and passed through the Mother of God, as through a pipe. The human nature of Christ was not complete, it was swallowed up by the Divine nature. The teachers of this heresy were the archimandrite of the monasteries of Constantinople Eutyches and the Archbishop of Alexandria Diaspora. The opponent of the heresy was Leo the Great, the Pope of Rome, although he was not present at the Council. He sent his Epistle against the Monophysite heresy to the Council, and in order not to be mistaken, according to legend, he placed this Epistle on the shrine of the Apostle Peter in the temple of the Apostle. I prayed to God, and then I saw in the Epistle the signature of Peter, who "checked and corrected" the Epistle.

The Council condemned and rejected the false teaching of Eutyches and determined the true teaching of the Church, namely, that our Lord Jesus Christ is true God and true man: according to Divinity He is eternally born of the Father, according to humanity He was born from of the Blessed Virgin and is like us in every way, except sin. At the Incarnation (birth from the Virgin Mary), the Divinity and humanity united in Him as a single Person, inseparably and unchangingly (against Eutychius), inseparably and inseparably (against Nestorius). And every nature in Christ has its fullness. And these concepts are inseparable, inseparable, invariably apophatic, negative, and show how natures in Christ do not unite in a wrong way, in a wrong way, and in a wrong way. And how do they connect? Holiness does not explain this. Dogmas do not reveal the Mystery itself to us, they only outline the boundaries around this Mystery and show that heresy begins beyond this boundary, lies begin. And how they are connected is incomprehensible not only for the human, but even for the angelic mind. From this we should know the importance of a correct clear understanding Orthodox faith Orthodox teaching. Precisely for these reasons.

Fifth Ecumenical Council was convened in 553 in Constantinople, under the famous emperor Justinian I. The council was convened over disputes between the followers of Nestorius and Eutychius. The main subject of controversy was the writings of three teachers of the Syrian Church, who enjoyed fame in their time, namely Theodore of Mopsuet, Theodoret of Cyrus and Willow of Edessa, in which Nestorian errors were clearly expressed, and at the Fourth Ecumenical Council nothing was mentioned about these three writings. The Nestorians, in a dispute with the Eutychians (Monophysites), referred to these writings, and the Eutychians found in this an excuse to reject the very fourth Ecumenical Council and slander the Orthodox Ecumenical Church that she allegedly deviated into Nestorianism. The Council was attended by 165 bishops.

The Council condemned all three writings and Theodore of Mopsuet himself as unrepentant, and regarding the other two, the condemnation was limited only to their Nestorian writings, while they themselves were pardoned, because they renounced their false opinions and died in peace with the Church. The council again repeated the condemnation of the heresy of Nestorius and Eutyches.

Sixth Ecumenical Council was convened in 680 in Constantinople, under the emperor Constantine Pogonates, and consisted of 170 bishops. The Council was convened against the false teachings of the monophilite heretics, who, although they recognized in Jesus Christ two natures, Divine and human, but one Divine will. After the fifth Ecumenical Council, the unrest produced by the Monophylites continued and threatened the Greek Empire with great danger. Emperor Heraclius, desiring reconciliation, decided to persuade the Orthodox to yield to the Monophilites, and by the power of his power commanded to recognize in Jesus Christ one will in two natures. The defenders and expounders of the true teaching of the Church were Sophronius, the Patriarch of Jerusalem and Constantinople monk Maximus the Confessor, whose tongue was cut out and his hand was cut off for the firmness of faith.

The Sixth Ecumenical Council condemned and rejected the heresy of the Monophilites, and determined to recognize in Jesus Christ two natures - Divine and human - and according to these two natures - two wills, but in such a way that the human will in Christ is not opposed, but submissive to His Divine will.

The era of the six Ecumenical Councils, which lasted more than three hundred years, was the time of Christological disputes about the Holy Trinity, therefore the memory of the holy fathers of the six Ecumenical Councils is celebrated as a sign that the saints Christian Church the dogmas of the Christian doctrine were formulated and approved, the theological basis of the doctrine was determined.

The Seventh Ecumenical Council was already devoted to the problem of iconoclasm.