Orthodox faith - pr Nil Sorsky. The meaning of Nil Sorsky in a brief biographical encyclopedia

Years of life: 1433 -1508

From the biography

Neil Sorsky - a saint of the Russian Orthodox Church, a major religious figure, the founder of skete life (sketes are secluded small monasteries located in remote places).

There is not much information about him. The personality of Sorsky, his activities, views can be judged from his works and chronicles.

• A native of the famous noble family Maikov.
• In the mid-1550s, he was tonsured at the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery.
• Between 1475-1485 he made a pilgrimage to Palestine to the holy places. He was in Constantinople, and Athos, here he got acquainted with the peculiarities of life in sketes.
• After returning to his homeland, he founded a skete on the Sora River (Nilo-Sorskaya Hermitage)

The main activities of Nil Sorsky and their results

One of the activities was spiritual activity, service to God. Nil Sorsky, having taken monastic vows, sought to reform monastic life, bring it closer to skete solitude.

He became the recognized head non-possessiveness in Russia. The essence of this religious direction is in asceticism, moral self-improvement. Sorsky opposed church land ownership, believed that the monks should provide for themselves, engage in labor, that life in the monastery should be built on the foundations of sketes. These views of his were contradictory to the most common point of view of the Josephites in the clergy, who believed that church land ownership strengthens the role of the church in the state.

The result of this activity was the emergence in Russia of a new religious trend - non-covetousness, which was headed by Nil Sorsky. All his life he was engaged in reforming the charter of monastic life, seeking changes both in relations between monks and monks and laity, as well as in the way of life in the monastery. Using the example of his monastery, the Nilo-Sorskaya desert, he showed how life should flow in a monastery.

another direction literary and educational activities. He was a thinker, a philosopher, his works are sermons of goodness, morality, he encouraged readers to conscience, believed that the external manifestation of religiosity leads to vanity. Spirituality, faith must be in the human soul. He did not rule out external achievement, but he believed that internal achievement, the fight against evil thoughts, victory over them are important moments in a person’s life.

“The peace of the soul is disturbed by a sinful thought. It is necessary to cut it off, but it is not always and not available to everyone, - Sorsky wrote.

The most famous works of Nil Sorsky:

"Charter on skete life ”- here he writes about how to deal with mental and physical passions, that the path to spiritual salvation is “smart doing”, that is, good deeds. Here he named the 8 most terrible sins of man - gluttony, fornication, love of money, anger, immense sadness, despondency, vanity and pride, wrote that they must be fought with God's help.

Tradition to the disciples "On Living From the Holy Scriptures" - a book about the life of a true monk. Sorsky noted that the main thing in life is love for neighbors, help, compassion for people, life in work.

Neil Sorsky was also engaged in rewriting and compiling hagiographic collections. He corrected the texts, this did not concern the content, but the syntax and grammar. The texts became more understandable and “readable”.

The result of this activity - works that played a big role in the spiritual life of the society of that period. His idea of ​​the moral principle in man, the desire to live according to conscience, observing God's and moral laws, sounds modern in our time. People of the 21st century have something to learn from Elder Nil Sorsky,

Thus , The Monk Nil of Sorsk was one of the brightest spiritual figures of the late 15th and early 16th centuries. His idea of ​​"non-covetousness" opposed "Josephism" with its desire for the supremacy of church power over the secular. Sorsky called for the moral improvement of both the ministers of the church and the laity. His works are still of great educational value, especially for young people who are looking for their own path in life. To be a morally decent person, to live according to the laws of conscience - readers of the works of Nil Sorsky should learn this lesson. He was canonized (the exact date is not preserved).

NOTE

This material can be used to describe

era of Ivan's reign III (1462-1505)

Ivan's activitiesIII:

• strengthening of statehood, the power of the prince.

It should be noted that during the reign of Ivan III, a struggle began between two trends in the church - Josephism and non-possessiveness. Ivan III took the side of the Josephites, as they preached the divinity of royal power, contributed to strengthening the power of the prince. Non-possessors, led by Nil Sorsky, were persecuted, criticized, since the idea of ​​​​only moral perfection could not strengthen the power of the prince. At the church council of 1503, they were condemned, and Ivan 3 supported this.

• strengthening the role of the church in the country.

It should be noted that in this period the church sought to strengthen its power in the state, church land ownership only contributed to this process. The non-acquisitiveness of Nil Sorsky, the call for the abandonment of the lands of the church, the preaching of the personal labor of the monks - all this caused a negative reaction in the highest church circles. Therefore, the ideas of nonpossessors were criticized.

Material prepared: Melnikova Vera Alexandrovna

Encyclopedic YouTube

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✪ How to remove BAD THOUGHTS? Neil Sorsky

✪ Great Russian elders - Rev. Nil Sorsky. Life (1433 - 1508)

✪ How do demons inspire Thoughts? Nile of Sinai. Devilish thoughts

✪ Struggle with passions. Great Russian Elders - From the spiritual teachings of the Monk Abba Nil of Sorsk

✪ dispute between Josephites and non-possessors

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Biography

The social background of Reverend Neil is not exactly known. He called himself "an ignoramus and a peasant" (in a letter to Gury Tushin), but this does not imply his peasant origin: self-deprecating epithets are characteristic of this kind of literature. The Monk Nilus himself said on this occasion: “If anyone is from the parents of the manifested world, or relatives from those who are preeminent in the glory of the world, or he himself is in some rank or in honor in the world be. And this is madness. This more befits to hide. On the other hand, it is known that before the tonsure, the future ascetic served as a clerk, was engaged in copying books, and was a “scribe”. In the collection of Herman Podolny, one of the monks of the Kirillo-Belozersky monastery close to the Nile, under 1502, the death of “Nil’s brother” - Andrei, who was tonsured there with the name Arseny, is reported. Andrei Fedorovich Maiko is a well-known personality. This is one of the prominent clerks under the governments of Vasily II and Ivan III. His name is often found in documents of those years. Andrey Maiko became the ancestor of the noble family of Maikovs. Thus, Nikolai Maykov was an educated citizen and belonged to the service class.

Nil Sorsky was tonsured at the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery under Abbot Cassian, a tonsuret of the Spaso-Kamenny Monastery. The time of his tonsure can be considered the middle of the 50s.

Apparently, the Nile occupied a prominent position in the monastery. A number of monastic documents from 1460 to 1475 are mentioned by the name of Nile among the monastic elders who solved household issues. Perhaps another monastic obedience of the future saint was copying books. In any case, his handwriting is guessed in a number of manuscripts from the library of the Kirillov Monastery.

Approximately between 1475-1485, the Monk Nil, together with his disciple Innokenty Okhlyabin, made a long pilgrimage to Palestine, Constantinople and Athos. For a long time, Nil Sorsky stayed on Athos, where he thoroughly got acquainted with the skete device.

After returning to Russia on the Sora River, a short distance from the Kirillov Monastery, Nil founded a skete (later the Nilo-Sorskaya Desert). The construction of the skete was based on the traditions of the skete residence of the ancient sketes of Egypt, Athos and Palestine. The Monk Nilus, who wished to asceticize in the skete, required knowledge of the Scriptures and the determination to follow them. “If it is also the will of God that they come to us, then it is fitting for them to know the traditions of the saints, to keep the commandments of God and to fulfill the traditions of the holy fathers.” Therefore, only literate monks who had passed the test in cenobitic monasteries were accepted into the skete.

Literary activity

Ascetic in silence with the small brethren, the monk, however, did not abandon his studies in books, to which he attached great importance. Judging by the number of quotations, Nile was most influenced by Gregory Sinai and Simeon New Theologian, John Climacus, Isaac Sirin, John Cassian Roman, Nile Sinai, Basil Great.

His main work should be called the “Ustav skit life” consisting of 11 chapters. The "Charter" is preceded by a brief preface:

“The meaning of these writings encompasses the following: how it is fitting for a monk to do a deed who wants to truly be saved in these times, which, both mentally and sensually, according to the divine Scriptures and according to the life of the holy fathers, as far as possible, it is appropriate to act.”

Thus, the "Charter" of the Monk Nil is not a regulation of skete life, but an ascetic instruction in the spiritual struggle. The monk pays great attention to “smart” or “heartfelt” prayer, while quoting Gregory of Sinai and Simeon the New Theologian. There is no doubt that Nil of Sora belongs to the mystical-contemplative trend in Orthodox monasticism, the revival of which is associated with the name of St. Gregory  Sinai. M. S. Borovkova-Maikova wrote about the connection of the Monk Nile with hesychasm, as the monastic charismatic movement of the XIV-XV centuries is widely called. Of the modern authors, this aspect was paid attention to by G. M. Prokhorov, E. V. Romanenko.

On the attitude to the Holy Scripture and church tradition

The idea of ​​a reasonable fulfillment of the Holy Scriptures is one of the main themes of St. Neil's epistles. Especially often he talks about this in a message to Herman Podolny. In particular, he writes: “To obey God according to the divine Scriptures, and not as senseless as some: and when in a monastery with brothers, as if in obedience, in self-will, they senselessly graze, and hermitism is also carried out unreasonably, guided by the carnal will and unthinking mind , not understanding either what they do or what they affirm. In "self-will", that is, not according to God's will, not according to His Scriptures, but in imaginary obedience according to human ideas and without understanding.

Demanding a reasonable passage of the monastic feat, the Monk Nilus insists on intelligibility in reading the scriptures. “There are many scriptures, but not all of them are divine,” he writes to Gury Tushin. However, it would be wrong to understand these words as a critical attitude to the patristic tradition. In the “Tradition” of the Monk Nilus, his confession of faith is given, which, among other things, says: “I resort with all my soul to the holy catholic apostolic Church, and all the teachings that she received from the Lord and from the holy apostles, and the holy fathers of the Ecumenical Councils and local , and other holy fathers of the holy Church, and, having accepted, she passed on to us about the Orthodox faith and practical testaments ... ". It is unlikely that these are routine phrases that the saint for some reason retells to his disciples. Yes, and his very activity (which we talked about above) indicates the respectful attitude of Nile to church tradition. In this case, we can talk about a doubt about any non-canonical books "according to human traditions", or simply about faulty lists. (Compare: according to the Bulgarian reformer of the Church Slavonic language of the XIV century Konstantin Kostenchensky, heresies and distortions are possible when the word and essence diverge.)

The attitude of Nil Sorsky to the heresy of the Judaizers

There is no unanimity among historians on the issue of Nil Sorsky's attitude to the heresy among the Jews. Assumptions about the proximity of the ideas of Nil Sorsky with the ideas of the “Judaizers” were previously expressed by a number of researchers, including F. von Lilienfeld, D. Fenel, A. A. Zimin, A. I. Klibanov. To some extent, A. S. Arkhangelsky, G. M. Prokhorov bring his views closer to the heretics. Doubts are raised by his criticism of the writings, the suspicion of rejecting church tradition, his non-possessive convictions, and tolerance for penitent heretics. J. S. Lurie insists on his unconditional Orthodoxy. The well-known church historian Metropolitan Macarius (Bulgakov), Archpriest Georgy Florovsky, also has no doubts about his Orthodoxy.

The confession of the Monk Nilus does not allow one to doubt the Orthodoxy of the Sorsky elder. It is noteworthy that the text of the confession reflects provisions that are unacceptable to the Jews. Neil Sorsky affirms the confession of "the one God in the glorious Trinity", the Incarnation, faith in the Mother of God, the veneration of the "holy fathers of the holy Church" of the fathers of the Ecumenical and local councils. The Monk Nilus ends his confession with the words: “I curse all the false teachers of heretical teachings and traditions - I and those who are with me. And heretics are all strangers to us, let them be.” It is quite appropriate to assume that this confession included in the "Tradition to the Disciples" is precisely aimed at warning them from heretical vacillations.

Of greater interest is not the attitude of Nile to heretical ideas, there is nothing to doubt, but his attitude to the heretics themselves and heresy as a phenomenon (A.S. Arkhangelsky, for example, speaks of the religious tolerance of the Nile).

It is known that, together with his elder Paisiy Yaroslavov, he took part in the council against the Novgorod heretics in 1490. In the IV Novgorod Chronicle, the names of authoritative elders are mentioned on a par with bishops. There is a strong assumption that the relatively mild conciliar sentence was adopted under the influence of the Cyril elders. However, we do not have any information as to how much their opinion influenced the decisions of the council. Earlier, in 1489, one of the main fighters against heresy, Archbishop Gennady of Novgorod, in a letter to Archbishop Iosaph of Rostov, asked for the opportunity to consult with Elders Nil and Paisius on matters of heresy. However, this meager information cannot clarify the picture: absolutely nothing follows from them.

An indirect indication of the position of the monk can be the well-known attitude of the Trans-Volga monks towards repentant heretics, expressed by one of the disciples of the monk Vassian Patrikeyev. Already after the death of Nile, in a number of "words" he spoke out against the punitive measures of the Monk Joseph, urging him not to be afraid of theological disputes with heretics. Repentant heretics, according to Vassian, should be forgiven. Not executions and cruel punishments, but repentance should heal heresy. At the same time, Bassian refers to the holy fathers, in particular, John Chrysostom.

E. V. Romanenko drew attention to a selection of lives in the collection of Nil Sorsky. This selection testifies to the interest of the monk in the history of the Church, specifically, in the history of heresies. The Life of Euthymius the Great tells how the saint resisted "Jewish" Nestoria. Here, the heresies of the Manicheans, Origen, Arian, Sabellian, Monophysite are denounced. An idea about these teachings is given. Examples from the life of Euthymius the Great and Theodosius the Great show firmness in the confession of the faith of the saints, testify to the behavior of the saints during times of trouble. Romanenko believes that such a selection of hagiographical literature is connected with the struggle against the Judaizers, who, as you know, denied the Incarnation and the Divine nature of Christ. He also draws attention to the lives of saints - fighters against iconoclasm: Theodore the Studite, John Damascus, Ioannikius the Great.

As you can see, Nil Sorsky was by no means a supporter of the destruction of the monastic community and the complete deprivation of the monastic brethren of common property. But in the monastic life, he called for adherence to "consumer minimalism", being content with only what was necessary for subsistence and the organization of an elementary life.

Speaking of decorating churches as something superfluous, the monk quotes John Chrysostom: "No one has ever been condemned for not decorating a church."

G. M. Prokhorov drew attention to the marks made by the hand of the Monk Nilus on the margins of his lives copied by him. They refer to texts that speak of stinginess, cruelty, love of strangers, love of money. "Look, unmerciful ones," written by the reverend's hand, "This is terribly scary." The monk is primarily concerned with issues related to the unworthy behavior of the monks. He singles out examples of non-acquisition and avoidance of worldly glory as worthy of imitation. The marks “see” also refer to examples of non-acquisition, avoidance of worldly glory (The Life of Hilarion the Great, who retired to Egypt to the pagans). The emphasis of the non-possessiveness of the Nile is transferred to the area of ​​personal morality, becomes the subject and means of monastic work.

Warning Gury Tushin from conversations “about the profit of the monastery’s wealth and the acquisition of property by bakers,” he also warns against polemics with them: “It’s not appropriate to jump on such people with a word, neither vilify, nor reproach them, but you must leave it to God.” The main task of a monk is prayer and inner work. But if one of the brothers turns to him with a corresponding question, then we must give him his soul as well. “With people of a different kind, conversations, however small, wither the flowers of virtue.”

S. V. Perevezentsev

Rev. Nil Sorsky (in the world Nikolai Maikov) (c. 1433–1508) - monk-hermitage, founder of the hermitage on the Sori River, religious and philosophical thinker, writer, preacher of "non-covetousness".

Born into a peasant family. However, according to some other sources, he came from the nobility. He took monastic vows at the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery. In search of "spiritual benefit" he made a pilgrimage to holy places: he visited Palestine, Constantinople, and the center of Eastern Orthodox monasticism - Mount Athos. He deeply studied the mystical-ascetic monastic practice, paid attention to the ideas of internal self-improvement. Returning to Russia, Nil founded a skete 15 versts from the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery, on the banks of the Sori River. By the name of this river, he received his nickname - Sorsky. Soon, other monks settled near the skete of Nil Sorsky, who became his followers and were nicknamed "Volga elders". An important difference between the monastic life of the "Volga Elders" and other Russian monasteries of that period was that they did not live either according to a special resident or a common resident charter. Striving for maximum solitude, Nil Sorsky preached precisely the skete type of monastic life. Skitniki did not have any common property, did not conduct common economic activities. But each of those living in the skete, to the best of his ability, ensured his existence by his own labor, while he devoted most of his time exclusively to prayer practice.

Of the books written by Nil Sorsky himself, three volumes of the Sobornik compiled and edited by him are now known, containing translations from the Greek lives of the saints, and in addition - extracts from the writings of Byzantine ascetic writers, the end of the Skete Rule and the beginning of his own Tradition. Back in the last century, A.S. Arkhangelsky suggested that Nile wrote 12 works and 5 passages. Later M.S. Borovkova-Maikova, Ya.S. Lurie and G.M. Prokhorov and other researchers refuted this opinion, and now it is believed that Nil Sorsky is the author of Tradition, Testament, Skete Rule, four Epistles, and two prayers. An interesting fact is that the oldest surviving list of the "Illuminator" by Joseph Volotsky was largely written by the hand of Nil Sorsky. This fact is very important, because it indicates a completely different relationship between the two major thinkers of this period than they were presented before.

All these works show Nil Sorsky as a deep connoisseur of the Gospel, patristic and other Christian literature. The writings of the Sinai and Egyptian monks of the 3rd-7th centuries, as well as the writings of Isaac the Syrian (7th century), Simeon the New Theologian (949-1022) and Gregory of Sinai (d. 1346) had a special influence on his worldview.

It should be noted that this fact allowed some researchers to conclude that Nil Sorsky was a follower of hesychasm. Moreover, it is argued that "Hesychasm has deeply entered the Russian cultural tradition," and Nil Sorsky was "the greatest thinker who applied the theory of Hesychasm to the practice of social reality."

Of course, the problem of the influence of hesychasm on ancient Russian religious and philosophical thought is still far from being fully resolved. However, such unambiguous statements, it seems, are too categorical. In any case, it is necessary to make serious distinctions between two forms of hesychasm: Palamism, created in the 14th century by Gregory Palamas, and the traditional mystical-ascetic teaching, which arose in the early days of the existence of Eastern monasticism and was fixed in the practice and writings of Simeon the New Theologian and Gregory of Sinai. Gregory Palamas created the doctrine, according to which, by performing "internal", "silent" prayer, a certain supramental state is reached, in which the worshiper is honored with Divine visions. And the highest stage of epiphany can be the vision of "divine energy" or "light of Tabor" - the radiance that surrounded Jesus Christ during his posthumous appearance to the apostles on Mount Tabor. Simeon the New Theologian and, later, Gregory of Sinai paid more attention to the ascetic practice of "torturing the flesh" coupled with the inner "prayer of attention" to oneself and God. And having embarked on the path of inner moral rebirth - "likeness to the Creator" - a Christian acquired the opportunity to see "radiance like a ray" - divine light as God's grace.

Researchers note that the ideas of Byzantine hesychasm in the form of palamism never spread in Russia, as evidenced by the absence of works by its adherents in monastic libraries. Neil Sorsky did not know the works of Palamas either, in any case, in his works there is not a single reference to the works of this Byzantine thinker. In general, the basis of the worldview of Nil Sorsky is the desire for the revival of the gospel testaments, and the monk himself constantly reminds of this. Treating Athos asceticism with deep respect, taking it as an ideal, Nil Sorsky showed, as the researchers note, considerable independence. A.P. Kadlubovsky, believes that far "he did not see his leaders in all representatives of the Athos Hesychia." And if it is necessary to "recognize the influence of the representatives of Byzantine asceticism on the Nile", then it is also necessary "to recognize for him a significant independence, manifested mainly in the choice, in the assessment of authorities and their writings."

If we talk about Russian thinkers, then the ideas expressed by St. Sergius of Radonezh had the greatest influence on Nil Sorsky. This is especially noticeable in the preaching by Nil Sorsky of the tasks of internal self-improvement. However, unlike the great hegumen of the Trinity, Nil Sorsky preferred "skitting" to the idea and practice of a "common life".

And yet, Nil Sorsky learned a lot in the East. In his works, he acts as a consistent preacher of the ideas and practices of individual mystical-ascetic monastic feat. Complete renunciation of everything worldly, withdrawal from the world, renunciation even of what the world can give to a monk - these principles underlay the skete life of the "Trans-Volga elders". Even the number of wanderers who lived together was limited, and Neil Sorsky considered the ideal case to be a solitary hermitage, or a silent life with one or two brothers: "Either a solitary retreat, or with one, or multiplying with two of being silent."

The most important condition for the fulfillment of ascetic principles was "non-covetousness" - i.e. love of poverty, a principled refusal to own property: "The acquisition, even by violence from other people's labors, is by no means beneficial to us: how can we keep the commandments of the Lord, this having?" “There is a lack of possessions from above ...” - Nil Sorsky repeats the words of Isaac the Syrian. And again: "In our cells, vessels and other things are valuable and not worthy to have decorated." Even churches, in the opinion of the monk, should not be rich, for this is what the holy fathers and famous monks of the past bequeathed: bring."

"Love of money" St. Neil called one of the main spiritual ailments, which, when it is strengthened in a person, becomes worse than all ailments ("the worst of all happens"). “If we obey him, he leads to a bit of destruction,” writes Neil Sorsky, “like the Apostle, call him not only the root of all evil, anger and sorrow, and others, but also name idolatry.” At the same time, “non-possession”, poverty, according to the Monk Nilus, is not only the ideal of a monk’s personal life, but also the life ideal of the entire monastery. Indeed, in his opinion, the possession of any property becomes the cause of the moral degradation of monasticism. At the same time, Nil Sorsky believed that monasteries should be supported by the state and, in particular, the grand ducal treasury. By the way, the "Trans-Volga" sketes were also kept at the Grand Duke's expense.

Following the domestic tradition, coming from Sergius of Radonezh, Nil Sorsky does not focus on the idea of ​​"torturing the flesh." In his opinion, physical torture is secondary in comparison with the desire for inner spiritual perfection - for "illumination of the soul" and "purity of heart." Therefore, the holy fathers served as an example for him, who, “having labored sensually and mentally, worked in the grapes of their hearts, and having cleansed their minds from passions, having found the Lord and acquired spiritual understanding.” Moreover, according to the belief of the "Zavolzhsky" ascetic, excessive exhaustion of the body can prevent the improvement of the soul, because a weak body may not withstand the test. The goal is not to starve yourself to death or other tortures, the main thing is to observe a reasonable measure. Even fasting, taught Nil Sorsky, should be moderate, "if possible": "Health and youth, let the body tire with fasting, thirst and work according to the possible; old and weak, let them calm themselves a little."

The ground for monastic deeds for the glory of the Lord is thought and heart. It is the thought and the heart, according to Nil Sorsky, that are the arena of "mental warfare" - the struggle of a person with "thoughts". In the Skete Charter, Neil Sorsky builds a whole hierarchy of "thoughts" that not only a monk, but every person in general, must fight against. From "additions" (simple "thoughts"), gradually increasing, "thoughts", through "combination", "addition" and "captivity", can turn into "passions". And then the "passions" are already able to completely captivate the human soul and subdue it with devilish temptations.

In order not to succumb to temptations, the monk must follow the doctrine of "intelligent doing." "Smart doing" is an internal spiritual process that takes place in the deep recesses of the human spirit and breaks down into three separate acts: silence, mental prayer and contemplation (or vision).

Silence is one of the first conditions for achieving complete detachment of the mind and heart from all kinds of "thoughts", even good ones. Liberation from passions prepares the soul for mental prayer.

Smart prayer is a silent self-deepening detached from all thoughts (“look straight into the depths of the heart”), combined with the constant repetition of prayer words: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner!”. Smart prayer is indifferent to the external position of the person praying - whether he is in the temple or in the cell, whether he lies, stands or sits. The only requirement is to "shut" the mind in the heart and hold the breath as long as possible. Moreover, at a certain stage, prayer is uttered not by words, but by a certain inner voice. Thus, by concentrating all the efforts of the soul on the thought of God, mental prayer makes one "seek in the heart of the Lord." Therefore, joy is instilled in the heart, and the one who prays accepts God, as it were, within himself. Consequently, noetic prayer is the main work of a monk, for it is a "virtue at the source." However, the one who prays should avoid the temptation of "dreams of the same form and image of visions," for "mental soaring" is far from accessible to everyone, but only after difficult, exhausting prayer work.

However, at a certain moment, the state of "vision of prayer" sets in - "and the mind does not pray through prayer, but it is higher than prayer." Vision is the ultimate, highest stage of mental prayer, at which the worshiper is rewarded with contemplation of the Lord, a mysterious union with Him. The soul, being in this state, renounces everything earthly, the consciousness falls silent, forgetting both itself and all those who exist here, and even about what lives on earth: an incomprehensible union, and will be enlightened by a ray of high light in its movements; and when the mind is vouchsafed to feel the future bliss: it forgets about itself, and all those who exist here, and there is no one to carry the movement in anything.

The main goal of all "smart doing" is the knowledge of Divine love: "God's love is the sweetest of the belly, and even according to Bose, the mind is the sweetest of honey and honeycomb, from worthless love is born. But this essence is inexpressible and inexpressible ..." Neil Sorsky enthusiastically retells the words of Simeon the New The theologian, who spoke about this wonderfully rapturous state: “He also loves me, and in Himself accepts me, and hides me in his arms: he is alive in heaven, and is in my heart, sees me here and there.”

It is in the teachings of Nil Sorsky that the idea of ​​evangelical, Christ-like love reaches its deepest interpretation in ancient Russian religious and philosophical thought. The highest task is the knowledge of love for God. Indeed, it was precisely for the sake of love for God that the Monk Nil left the world, completely focused on comprehending the Divine mysteries, reaching the mysterious depths of religious and mystical teachings. The second task is "to our neighbors ... have love, and if they turn near us, show in word and deed, if we can save God's." In addition, love for one's neighbor is a condition for uniting people and delivering their hearts from many sins. Thus, in the interpretation of Nil Sorsky, evangelical love takes on the character of a universal world force and the main means of human transformation.

After all, Neil Sorsky was deeply convinced that a person is obliged to control himself and correct his nature by exclusively moral means, self-education, full penetration into the commandments of Christ's love. For no force, no coercion can force a person to believe truly, if his heart is not illumined with love. And even the fear of God, which Nil Sorsky also writes about, serves only as an impulse for spiritual purification, for a person to desire with all his heart the knowledge of the great gospel truths of Christ's love.

Thus, "intelligent doing", revealing to people true evangelical love, allows a person who has comprehended them to achieve a state of true, complete, "inner freedom", when a person depends only on God and no one else.

The teaching and practice of St. Nil of Sorsk had a great influence on the spiritual development of the 16th century. His spiritual followers, called "non-possessors", later tried to introduce the ideas of St. Nilus into the practice of real social and political life. However, their efforts ended in failure. And not only because the "non-possessors" met with the resistance of the "Josephites", who at that time headed the Russian Church. Rather, the fact is that, at its core, the teachings of Neil Sorsky are a path initially open to a few, for those who have decided to completely renounce the world and focus on the practice of "smart doing". Consequently, the way of "smart doing" was impossible to apply in state practice, and even more so it could not become the basis of state ideology.

This was indirectly confirmed by the Monk Nil of Sorsk himself, who did not recognize any worldly glory and longed only for peace. In his will, he "begged" that his body be thrown into the wilderness, "let the animals and birds be taken away." And, explaining his prayer, he wrote: "I am pandering, even more according to my strength, that no one would be worthy of the honor and glory of this age, as in seven lives, so after death."

The teaching and practice of St. Nil of Sorsk had a huge impact on the spiritual development of the 16th century, becoming the basis of "non-possessiveness." Nil Sorsky canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church. Memorial Day 7 (20) May.

Bibliography

For the preparation of this work, materials from the site http://www.portal-slovo.ru/ were used.

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Life of St. Nil of Sorsk

Commemoration April 7th

The Monk Nil is the great father of the Russian Church, in his asceticism and instructions.

He was from the noble family of Maikovs. He believed the beginning of monastic life in the monastery of St. Kirill Belozersky. Here he used the advice of the intelligent and strict elder Paissy Yaroslavov, who later became abbot of the St. Sergeyev Lavra and did not want to be a metropolitan. Then he traveled to the east in order to see spiritual life in experiments, he was, in his words, "on Mount Athos, in the countries of Tsaregrad and other places." - Upon returning from the east, he lived for a short time outside the fence of the Cyril Monastery, in a secluded cell; then 15 versts from the monastery, on the river. Sorke, put himself a cross with a chapel and a cell, and - to those who wanted to share his exploits with him, he offered life not a cenobitic, but a skete.

The history of his inner life was partly revealed by the monk himself in an epistle to the book. monk Vassian, at his insistent request. “I am writing to you,” he says, showing himself: “Your love according to God compels me to do this and makes me crazy in order to write to you about myself.” Fathers. - My removal from the monastery (Kirillov) was not for the benefit of the soul? She, for her sake. - I saw that they live there not according to the law of God and the tradition of the fathers, but according to their own will and human reasoning. There are many more such, who, doing this, dream incorrectly that they are going through a virtuous life ... When we lived with you in the monastery (Kirillov), you know how I withdrew from worldly ties and tried to live according to the Holy Scriptures, although due to my laziness I did not have time. At the end of my wandering, I came to the monastery (Kirillov) and outside the monastery, near it, having arranged a cell for myself, I lived as long as I could. - Now I have moved away from the monastery, I have found God's grace in my thoughts, little accessible to worldly people, as you yourself have seen. testing spiritual scriptures; First of all, I test the commandments of the Lord and their interpretation and the traditions of the Apostles, then the lives and teachings of St. fathers. - I reflect on all that, and that, according to my reasoning, I find God-pleasing and useful for my soul, I rewrite for myself. This is my life and breath. For my weakness and laziness, I put my trust in God and the Most Pure Theotokos. - If something happens to me to undertake, and if I do not find it in writing, I put it aside for a while until I find it. “By my own will and by my own reasoning, I dare not do anything. - Whether you live as a hermit or in a community, pay attention to Holy Scripture and follow in the footsteps of the fathers, or obey the one who is known as a spiritual man in word, life and reasoning... Holy Scripture is harsh only for those who do not want to humble themselves with the fear of God and depart from earthly thoughts, but wants to live according to his passionate will. Others do not want to humbly test St. Scripture, they don't even want to hear about how to live, as if Scripture was not written for us, should not be fulfilled in our time. But to true ascetics, both in ancient times and in the present and in all ages, the words of the Lord will always be pure words, like refined silver: the commandments of the Lord are dearer to them than gold and precious stones, sweeter than honey from honeycombs.

This letter shows, among other things, that the path of life chosen by the Nile amazed his contemporaries. Indeed, there was something to be amazed at, especially for the weak.

A wild, gloomy, deserted place, which was chosen for the skete of his reverend. Nile. This is not the area of ​​Athos, where there are so many beauties of nature, where the air is life-giving, the fruits are luxurious.

The Sorka river, which gave its name to the Russian saint of God, looks more like a swamp than a flowing river, slightly stretches down; - the whole area of ​​the skete is low-lying and marshy. And here the Russian hermit labored. - Another intact pond dug out by Rev. Nile, and his labors - a well with delicious water, which is used for healing. - Nile's clothes are still intact; her hair pricks like needles. - The whole skete society of the monk consisted of a hieromonk, a deacon and 12 elders. - Among them were Dionysius from the princes of Zvenigorodsky and Nil Polev - a descendant of the princes of Smolensk - from the Joseph Monastery. The first of them, when he lived in Iosifov, “worked in a bakery for two, and besides, he sang 77 psalms and performed 3,000 bows from the waist every day. But, having fallen in love with solitude, he asked and received a blessing to go to Fr. as it shone in the desert at Beloozero. So says a contemporary. For the needs of the brothers, St. Neil set up a small mill on the river. When they decided to build a temple, it was necessary to undertake a lot of work. On the swampy soil it was necessary to make high embankments for the temple, especially since the fraternal tomb was also to be here. By the hands of the holy elder and his wanderers, a high hill was poured for the temple and the tomb. - Each cell is placed on a raised platform, and each from the other and from the temple at a distance of a thrown stone. Skitniks gathered in their temple, but to the example of the eastern ones, only on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays: on other days everyone prayed and worked in their cell. fathers. During the liturgy, they sang only the thrice-sacred song, alleluia, cherubic and worthy; I read everything in a long drawn-out voice, in a sing-song voice. On Saturday, they came to the fraternal tomb, where a memorial service was performed for the repose of the dead. - Such is the church charter of the Nile.

Etc. Neil was one of those who grieved with their souls about the damage to church books, and tried to correct them. This, like the skete life, hitherto unknown, aroused displeasure against him. He patiently walked his way.

In 1491 we see Rev. Nile at the Council on Judaizing Heretics. In the case of them, the zealot of Orthodoxy is blessed. Gennady in 1492 wished to personally see Ven. Nile, to hear his judgments on the subjects of perplexity.

An unknown contemporary wrote: “Nil Maikov, a disciple of Paisius, was in holy grief. V. the prince kept them (Paisius and Nile) in great honor. he used to sit at the monasteries, but would live by the labor of his hands. - The Belozersky hermits also joined him. Another contemporary says the same thing: “Some fathers, who spend and love silence and a solitary life (among them the first St. Nile), firmly remembering the father’s instructions about the non-acquisitiveness necessary for Chernorizians, grieved that monasteries own villages, and believed that the renunciation of the world by the monks is in vain, for they, just like the laity, are agitated and quarrel with the laity and among themselves, go to courts and conduct litigation. strong life and great virtue and as respected by the autocrat. - According to the knowledge of both contemporary, at the cathedral, Joseph Volokolamsk and others gave a different voice about the monastic property, and their voice was respected.

In his dying testament, the monk, commanding his disciples to throw his body into the desert, as food for wild beasts, or bury it in a pit with contempt, wrote: "it has sinned grievously before God and is unworthy of burial," and then added: "how much was in my strength, I tried enjoy no honor on earth, in this life; so be it after death." The monk died on May 7, 1508.

NIL SORSKII (in the world of Ni-ko-lai Mai-kov) - Russian right-to-glorious mover, spiritual pi-sa-tel, god-of-words, saint toy.

Information about the life of the Nile of Sorsky is extremely scarce, the main source is “The Tale of the Ni-lo-Sorsky ski-te”, so-hra-niv-shay-sya in ru-ko-pi-si of the 17th century. Pro-is-ho-dil from a family of Moscow clerks [his brother An-d-rei Fe-do-ro-vich Mai-ko (died 1502/1503) was a deacon of the grand dukes of mo- s-kov-sky Vasi-liya II Va-sil-e-vi-cha Dark-no-go and Ivan-on III Vas-sil-e-vi-cha]. Po-lu-chil ho-ro-neck about-ra-zo-va-nie.

Mo-na-she-sky in-sheared took in mo-lo-to-sti in Kiril-lo-Be-lo-zersky mo-on-sta-re. After 1475, Nil Sorsky from-pra-vil-sya pa-lom-no-one to Kon-stan-ti-no-pol and Athos; perhaps, in the same way, Pa-le-sti-nu; in Athos monasteries, he studied prak-ti-ku “mind-no-go de-la-nia” (see Isi-chasm). By 1489, he returned to Russia, 15 versts from Kiril-lo-Be-lo-zero-go monastery, on the river. So-ra, os-no-val skete in co-ot-vet-st-vii with the principle-qi-pa-mi of the ancient skete-th resident-st-va. The Sor skete was dedicated in honor of the celebration of the Sre-te-niya of the Lord. Cells, in some mo-na-khi, lived strictly one by one, stood at a not-great distance from each other. In the service-bu-ino-ki, two-four-days were in non-de-lu: from sub-bo-you to Sunday-se-nye and from Wednesday to Thursday ( if on no-de-le there was a two-on-de-sya-th holiday, then all-night from Wednesday to Thursday from me). The main time for the sacred mo-lit-ve, ru-ko-de-liyu, reading the Holy Pi-sa-nia and your re-of the fathers of the Church -in and; there were no general hearings in the ski-tu, because the us-tav for-bad mo-na-ham a long stay outside the cell .

In 1490, Nil Sorsky was teaching-st-in-the-shaft in the church-so-bo-re, who condemned the heresy of the “Jews-st-vu-shchih”. In order to fight against heresy, Nil Sorsky, in collaboration with Nil Po-left, created a para-rad list of short re- dac-tion "Books on the here-ti-kov" ("Pro-sve-ti-te-la") St. Io-si-fa Vo-lots-ko-go. Nil Sorsky re-re-pi-sal and from-re-dak-ti-ro-val 3-volume "So-bor-nick" living; checking different lists, he corrected mistakes, restored la-ku-ny in the texts. In 1503, teaching-st-in-the-val in the church-so-bo-re, on which Ivan III Vasilyevich raised a question about se-ku-la-ri -for-tion of churches and mo-on-styr-sky lands. In accordance with-the-voice-but not-to-to-eye is-toch-no-kam, Nil Sorsky entered into a le-mi-ku with Io-si-f Vo-lots-kim, someone from-flock-val right-to-mo-on-stay-rei to rule here-chi-on-mi. The teachings and as-ke-tic practice of Nil Sorsky became the top of the ideology of not-stya-zha-te-lei.

The main writings of Nil Sorsky are “Pre-given by a scholar-no-one” and the chapter “From the pi-sa-ny of the holy fathers about mys-len-nom de-la-nia. ..” (from-west-but as “Us-tav”). “Pre-da-nie ...” represents the mo-na-styr-sky tee-pee-con and co-holds the main. great-vi-la life-no in ski-tu. In the chapters “About the mys-len-nom de-la-nii ...” ana-li-zi-ru-et-sya with-ro-yes-eight sinful passions of man-lo-ve -ka and pre-la-ga-yut-s-so-so-so-for-their pre-o-do-le-niya, the basis of some of the other phenomena -we-words, i.e. "smart de-la-nie." The top of such a practice, according to the teachings of Nil Sorsky, is considered “smart prayer”, bo-go-general-tion. As-ke-tic views of Nil Sorsky are not-la-yut-sya ori-gi-nal-ny-mi, but-on-to-vis-on his co-chi-non-niya co-sto- it is in the fact that in it there is a synthesis of the holy-father-th-th-doctrine of the eight passions with the creation of St. Gri-go-ria Si-nai-ta about "smart mo-lit-ve". Nil Sorsky is also given 4 messages about the spiritual life-no mo-na-ha (one of them is ad-re-so-va-no Vas-sia - well, Pat-ri-kee-woo). Above all dob-ro-de-te-lei Nil Sorsky sta-vil smi-re-nie. In his “For-ve-shcha-nii”, he asked the ski-ta brothers to throw his body into the ditch or, in a good-ro-thread, without any honor. Nil Sorsky was in the os-van-nome ski-tu next to the Church of the Sre-te-niya of the Lord-under-nya.

Ka-no-ni-zi-ro-wan in the 1650s; the day of pa-my-ty according to the ka-len-da-ryu of the Russian right-in-glorious church is May 7 (20).

Compositions:

Pre-da-tion and Us-tav. SPb., 1912;

So-bor-nick Ni-la Sor-sko-go / Comp. T. P. Len-ng-ren. M., 2000-2004. Ch. 1-3;

Pre-extra-need Nil Sor-sky, In-no-ken-tiy Ko-mel-sky. Op. / Under-ready. G. M. Pro-ho-ditch. SPb., 2005.