Maxim Grek
Famous figure of Russian enlightenment. Born, according to assumptions, approx. 1480 in Arta (in Albania), in a high-ranking and educated family. While still a young man, M., to complete his education, went to Italy, where he studied ancient languages, church and philosophical literature; here he became close to prominent figures of the Renaissance, became friends with the famous publisher of classics, the Venetian typographer Aldus Manutius, and was a student of John Lascaris. The sermons of Savanarola made a deep impression on him, under whose influence the persistent moral character M., his religious-ascetic ideal and further fate. Upon returning from Italy, around 1507, he took monastic vows in the Vatopedi monastery of Athos, whose rich library served as a new source of knowledge for him. In 1515, the proto-Athonite received it from Vel. book Vasily Ivanovich is requested to send the Vatopedi elder Savva, a translator, to Moscow for a while. Due to Sava's decrepitude, the brethren decided to send M. He did not yet know the Russian language, but the monks considered him their indispensable intercessor before Moscow and expressed in a letter to the Grand Duke the hope that M., thanks to his knowledge and abilities, “and the Russian language is proficient.” In Moscow, M. was received by the Grand Duke and Metropolitan with great honor. His first work - a translation of the explanatory Psalter, made with the help of Russian interpreters and scribes - earned the solemn approval of the clergy and the “heavy bribe” of the prince; but at the end of the work, despite M.’s requests, only his companions were released. M. continued to work on translations, made an inventory of the books of the rich grand-ducal library, and corrected liturgical books on the orders of the prince - the Triodion, the Book of Hours, the festive Menaion, the Apostle. A man of such knowledge and religious views as M. could not remain a cell scribe in the environment of Russian life at that time, and his collision with new environment - with all the piety of both sides - it was inevitable. The various “disorders” of Moscow life, which sharply contradicted M.’s Christian ideal, persistently evoked his denunciations, and the circle of Russian people, who had already reached the understanding of these discords, saw him as a teacher, bowing before his moral and scientific authority. Ritual piety, gross debauchery and covetousness, deep ignorance and superstition, aggravated by the widespread distribution of apocryphal literature, found in M. an ardent accuser. On the issue of monastic estates, which divided the entire Russian clergy into two hostile camps, he naturally became an active supporter of the views of Nil Sorsky and the “Trans-Volga elders” (q.v.) and a more dangerous opponent for the “Josephites” (q.v.) than who became his ardent admirer Vassian Kosoy (see). Closeness with Baccian and the disgraced boyar Bersen Beklemishev, the hostility of Metropolitan Daniel (see), relations with the obvious enemy of Russia, the Turkish ambassador Skinder, and sharp disapproval of the intentions of the leader. The prince's divorce from his wife decided M.'s fate. The investigation into the political crimes of Bersen and Theodore Zharenny served as a convenient excuse for M.'s enemies to get rid of him. In April and May 1525, a number of councils opened to judge M. (a record has been preserved of only one). M.'s guilt was inferred from his book corrections, his accusatory literary activity, and his canonical and dogmatic opinions. His idea about the unsatisfactory nature of Slavic translations of liturgical books was recognized as heresy; The accusation was confirmed by deviations from the text found in his translations, which were quite explainable by scribes’ errors and his insufficient familiarity with the Russian language. M.’s words that Christ’s sitting at the right hand of the Father is only past, and not pre-eternal, from the point of view of Orthodox dogma, are truly heretical in nature, but they are explained by the fact that M. did not understand the difference between the forms of “sat” and “sat.” M.'s preaching about unconditional monastic non-covetousness was taken as blasphemy against all Russian ascetics who allowed their monasteries to own estates. Finally, M. himself admitted at the council that he doubted the autocephaly of the Russian Church. The harsh verdict of a biased council, approved by a leader hostile to M. prince, he was exiled to the Volokolamsk (i.e., “Josephite”) monastery, where he was imprisoned, “for conversion for the sake of repentance and correction,” with a strict ban on writing or corresponding with anyone. Position M. , surrounded by Daniel’s minions, was unbearably painful not only morally, but also physically. His behavior in the monastery, which irritated the metropolitan, the newly discovered errors in translations (especially in the life of the Most Holy Theotokos, Metaphrastus) - errors on which M., due to a misunderstanding, even insisted - and the old suspicion of state crimes, which at the first council, for reasons they did not find it convenient to expose the political, but which now, with the death of Skinder, has come out and, perhaps, has been confirmed - all this served in 1531 as the reason for calling M. to a new cathedral court. Tired and exhausted by the cruel imprisonment, M. abandoned the previous method of defense - citing scientific arguments, and limited himself to statements that all mistakes were not his business, but the scribe's. Lost in spirit, he pleaded guilty to “certain small inventories,” which occurred not from heresy or wickedness, but by accident, through forgetfulness, speed, or, finally, excessive wine drinking. But M.’s humiliation did not satisfy the offended pride of the metropolitan, who openly settled personal scores with the defendant at the cathedral, and did not soften his judges: the cathedral excommunicated M. from the communion of St. Tain and in chains sent him into captivity in the Tver Otroch Monastery. Here M. spent more than twenty years. Both the Svyatogorsk brethren and the Patriarchs of Antioch and Constantinople on behalf of the whole council and the Patriarch of Jerusalem asked in vain for his release and release to his homeland. Also unsuccessful were the requests of M. himself addressed to John IV ("Works" of M., part II, 316-318, 376-379) and Metropolitan Macarius, who answered him: “We kiss your bonds, as one of the saints, to help “We can’t do it for you.” The reason why Moscow so stubbornly detained M. was clearly indicated to him thirty years before Bersen, who was later executed: Moscow was afraid of his revelations, and the intercession of the patriarchs, testifying to his high authority abroad, could only harm him in this sense. In recent years, M.'s fate was somewhat softened: he was allowed to attend church and receive communion with St. Tain, and in 1553, at the request of some boyars and the Trinity abbot Artemy, he was transferred to live in the Trinity Lavra. In the same year, the tsar, going on a vow to the Cyril Monastery on a pilgrimage, visited M., who, in a conversation with the tsar, advised him to replace the vow of a pilgrimage with a more godly deed - caring for the families of the soldiers who fell near Kazan. In 1554, he was invited to a council on the case of Bashkin’s heresy, but he refused, fearing that he too would be mixed into this matter. In 1556 he died. The works of M. Greek, not counting grammatical notes, are structured according to general type denunciations and fall into three large sections: I. exegetical, II. polemical-theological- against Latins, Lutherans, Mohammedans, Jews (Judaizers), Armenians and pagans ("Hellenic delights"), and III. morally-accusatory. The latter are of particularly important historical interest; the negative phenomena of life at that time - from the extortion of the authorities to sexual promiscuity, from belief in astrology to usury - found in M. a convinced opponent. The respect that M. enjoyed among his best contemporaries indicates that his significance was recognized in his time. From him they found both book teaching and moral advice, and many disciples came out of his cell, among whom it is enough to name Prince Kurbsky, monk Zinovy \u200b\u200bOtensky, Herman, Archbishop of Kazan. Many of M.'s thoughts formed the basis for the resolutions of the Stoglavy Council: these are the chapters on the correction of books, on charity for the poor, on social vices, on the covetousness of the clergy; Only on the issue of monastic estates did the cathedral take the side of the Josephites. Despite the fact that M. mastered only one side of humanistic education - the methods of philological criticism - and remained alien to the content of humanism, he was in the history of ancient Russian education "the first intermediary link that connected old Russian writing with Western scientific school" (Pypin). "The Works of the Monk M. the Greek" were published at the Kazan Spiritual Academy in 1859-62; this did not include several works published earlier in the "Tablet" (1656), in " Church history"Metropolitan Plato, in "J. M. N. pr." (1834), in "Moskvityanin" (1842), in "Description. handwritten Rumyantsev's music." (CCLIV, 369). Cf. Ikonnikov, "M. Greek" (Kiev, 1865-66); Pypin, "Questions of Old Russian writing." ("Western Heb.", 1894, VII); Zhmakin, "Metropolitan Daniel and his works" (Moscow, 1881); Nelidov, " M. The Greek" (in the collection "Ten Readings on Literature", Moscow, 1895); Metropolitan Eugene (presumably), "Historical News of M. the Greek" ("Western Heb.", 1813, November, Nos. 21 and 22) ; Filaret (Chernigovsky), article in "Moskvityanin" (1842, No. 11); Gorsky, "M. The Greek of the Holy Mountain" ("Appendix to the TV of the Holy Fathers" in Russian translation, Moscow, 1859, part XVIII); "On the works of M. the Greek" ("Journal of the Min. People's Education." 1834 , part III); Nilsky, "M. The Greek as a Confessor of Enlightenment" ("Christian Reading", 1862, March); "The Court Case of M. the Greek and Vassian Patrikeev" and "Debate of Met. Daniel with the monk M." ("Readings in General History and Ancient Russia.", Moscow, 1847, Nos. 7 and 9).
A. Gornfeld.
(Brockhaus)
Maxim Grek
Monk of Mount Athos, Vatopedi Monastery, a famous man in Russian Church History for his many works on the correction of Slavic Church books, and for the great persecutions he endured in the 16th century. The common opinion among our historians is that he was supposedly called to Russia precisely to correct books. But this is refuted by the fact that, according to the testimony of his very disciples, Monk Zinovy, Nil and others, before arriving in Moscow he did not know the Slavic language and after a long stay in Russia he learned it. A much more likely reason for his summons is indicated in one of his Biography, located between the manuscripts in the 8th lobe of the library of the Novgorod St. Sophia Cathedral. It says there that Grand Duke Vasily Ivanovich, having ascended the Grand Ducal Throne and sorting through the Royal Treasures of his ancestors, found in some chambers countless Greek books, which no one in Russia could sort out at that time, and therefore sent to Constantinople to ask for a person who could describe these books. After a long search, the Patriarch of Constantinople found two such monks in Mount Athos, Daniel And Maxima and sent the last of them to Russia. The same story says that Maxim was from the Albanian city of Arsha, his father was called Manuel, and his mother was Irina; he studied verbal sciences and philosophy in Paris with John Laskar, in Florence and in other European noble schools, and then, having come to Mount Athos, he took monastic vows at the Vatopedi Monastery; in 7014, or 1506, he was called to Moscow and upon arrival was received with honor by Grand Duke Vasily Ivanovich and Metropolitan Simon. His location was determined in the Chudov Monastery, and his contents were all from the Court. When the Grand Duke showed him a collection of his Greek books, Maxim, surprised by the countless number of them, admitted with an oath that there was nothing like this anywhere in Greece. For, after the capture of Tsar-Grad, the pious Greeks and Latins took all of them to Europe. Then the Prince entrusted him with sorting out this library, and if any books were found that had not yet been translated into the Slavic language, then under his supervision he ordered them to be translated. After dismantling the library, Maxim presented the Grand Duke with a list of untranslated books, which were ordered to be kept specially, and he was first entrusted with translating Psalter of the Seven Interpreters. But since he did not yet know much of the Slavic language, two Latin interpreters were given to him Dimitri And Basil, with whom he translated this book into Latin, and they already into the Slavic language. Monk scribes assigned to him for copying the translation Sylvan And Mikhail Medovartsov, and all of them are entitled to maintenance also from the Court. A year and five months later, this Psalter was translated and presented to the Grand Duke, who sent it to the Metropolitan for Council consideration and it was approved by all. For this reason, Maxim asked for dismissal to Mount Athos, so that, according to his promise, he would end his life where he was tonsured. But he was persuaded to stay to translate books. He began to translate Zlatoustavs Conversations on the Evangelist John; and when he himself learned the Slavic language through his students, he was entrusted with bringing together the Slavic Church Service Books with the Greek originals and correcting the previous translation. He spent 9 years in all these works and, having found many errors in the Slavonic-Russian books not only from copyists, but also from the first translators due to their lack of skill in the Greek language, he declared the Slavonic-Russian books faulty among the people and somewhat immodestly denounced them in all cases these. Those who were devoted to ancient written books, which they considered translated from Divinely inspired translators, warmly stood up for this. They cried out that the Holy Fathers of Russia were saved according to ancient written books and that Maxim was only spoiling the ancient books with amendments. Slavic Books. And when he cruelly began to reproach such ignoramuses who contradicted him, and proved that translations of even some heretical books, such as one non-Orthodox book about Incarnation of Christ, written by a certain Persian Aphroditian, which many unskilled in the Faith read and respected; then indignation spread throughout the entire people. Moreover, he fell under the wrath of the then Metropolitan Daniel of Moscow for not obeying his command to translate the Church History of Theodoret, Bishop of Kurbsk, into the Slavic language, apologizing for the fact that this translation would be a temptation and a stumbling block for many, because he cited the Epistles of Arius , Macedonia and other Heretics who slandered the Orthodox Faith. But this apology was not respected. Those who were especially jealous of his powers of attorney with the Grand Duke were also angry that he often acted on his advice. Finally, his misfortune was completed by the anger of the Grand Duke Vasily Ivanovich himself for the fact that, as Prince Shcherbatov writes in Stories his, Maxim with the Monk Prince Vassian and Prince Simeon Kurbsky opposed his divorce from his first wife Solomonia Yuryevna for her infertility, and his second marriage with Princess Elena Vasilievna Glinskaya, and when the Grand Duke demanded from Maxim that he write out a Canonical opinion on the dissolution of it marriage, then Maxim directly announced that the Rules of the Holy Fathers do not allow divorce for the sake of infertility. Some do not believe this last legend, but in the Patriarchal Library there is a special story about this among the manuscripts, and Prince Kurbsky and Chronograph Count Tolstoy is mentioned about this. There is also in the Moscow Archive of the Foreign Collegium an investigative file from 7033, or 1525, after the conviction of Maxim, about the speeches he had with Boyar Ivan Bersen-Beklemishev, reprehensible for the Grand Duke Vasily Ivanovich and his mother Grand Duchess Sofia. His enemies wanted to blame him for this too. All these reasons contributed to the incitement of general hatred against Maxim, and he was put on trial, according to which, as a Heretic and a libertine of Scripture, together with Novospassky Archimandrite Savva, originally from the Greeks, in January 1525, he was condemned by the Council, even excommunicated from the Church and taken away for imprisonment first in the Volokolamsk Josephov, but soon afterwards in the Tverskaya Otroch Monastery; His accomplices, Savva, are imprisoned in Voznischi, and the Monk Prince Vassian is in the Volokolamsk Monastery; and all Maximov’s disciples were sent to the Monasteries; and his papers were taken from him to the Royal Chamber. For more than twelve years Maxim remained hopelessly in complete imprisonment; but, after the death of Metropolitan Daniel, who condemned him, Tver Bishop Akakios somewhat eased his imprisonment, and with the permission of Metropolitans Joasaph and then Macarius, Maxim was allowed, at least, to go to Church and partake of the Holy Mysteries. After the death of the Grand Duke Vasily Ivanovich, on the representation of some well-meaning Boyars who defended his innocence, and at the request of Artemy, Abbot of the Trinity Sergius Monastery, Tsar Ivan Vasilyevich ordered to transfer him to this Monastery, where he lived until his death, which happened in 1556 after 33 years of suffering; and was buried near the Church of the Descent of the Holy Spirit, where Plato, Metropolitan of Moscow, built a chapel over his tomb. During his entire imprisonment, three Metropolitans changed in Moscow, but not one dared, in spite of the people's general hatred and displeasure of the Royal family, which descended from the second marriage of Grand Duke Vasily Ioannovich, to release or acquit Maxim. No one even mentioned him at the Council of the Hundred, which took place 5 years before his death, at which, in Chapters 5 and 27, they were most concerned with the instructions for correcting the Church Books, which were generally and clearly already recognized as faulty. Tsar John Vasilyevich, after his second Kazan campaign and after his serious illness, having been in the Trinity Sergius Monastery in 1554 on a pilgrimage with his wife and young son Dimitri, honored him with an interview, and Maxim, by the way, advised him against further travel due to illness , predicted the death of Tsarevich Dimitri, which happened. The self-witness Prince Kurbsky testifies to this. But Maxim’s freedom was not returned even then.
Before his imprisonment and during his imprisonment, Maxim wrote many different works Dogmatic about the Faith and Rites of the Church; Accusatory on Jews, Greeks, Latins and Hagarians and often on Russians; Philological O different subjects regarding translations and interpretation; Interpretive about various incomprehensible things of Theology, Church, Ritual and Philosophy; Moral for the instruction of many, high and low; Replies to various questions, and Interviews with oneself, or Prayers, etc. There is one thing between them Petitionary about forgiveness Message him to Daniel, the former All-Russian Metropolitan, who condemned and imprisoned him, and after that he himself was condemned by the Boyars and imprisoned in the Joseph Volokolamsk Monastery. It should be noted that in the works of the Maximovs, spiritual in themselves, there is a lot of historical and characteristic information about the prejudices and vices of all ranks contemporary to him in Russia. With Christian humility, he is everywhere strict against the abuses and debauchery of his time, often even to the point of indignation and bitterness. Above all, he wrote and in his justification many Epistles to the Metropolitans. In one of them he says: “for now, we do not know what happened to them, I am a heretic, an innocent person, they are not afraid to call him an enemy and a traitor, the God-protected Powers of Russia; myself, teach me those who slander me with unrighteous slander, that by the Grace of our true God Jesus Christ I am a faithful Christian in everything, and a good-willing and diligent God-giver of the God-protected Russian Powers; and I am not ashamed of correction, I renounce it, but I also greatly desire it and accept it kindly e, like firmly instructing me towards the Heavenly Kingdom hoped for by the faithful, and so on." And in 1542, after 18 years of his departure, he wrote to Metropolitan Joasaph: “God is the Creator of all and the Lord, a witness to you most faithful from me, the unworthy Maxim the Monk, as if he is nothing due to hypocrisy, or through the statute of the Inspired Father I write below, I speak below to to your good faith, below caresses you, as if wanting to receive some temporary glory and joy from the fierce, I have been possessed by the fierce for eighteen years already: but because I burned with Divine jealousy, I am forbidden by certain things to serve God and you; in them I am strong I am by the Grace of Christ, I say in the translation and correction of the book, from which we also grasp a lot; about him there is nothing, we do not know what happened to them, who are hostile to me, and they call me a Heretic and the Inspired Books are corrupting, and not ruling, like and they will repay the word of the Lord, as they do not exactly forbid such a God-inspired work, but because of this they slander and hate the poor innocent being as a Heretic, and through every Christian Law they excommunicate the Most Pure Ones Mysteries of Christ. But about the existing confession of the Orthodox Faith that has been observed in me, it is enough for you to be assured in the bottom of my answer. And as if I do not spoil the Holy Books, as those who are at war unrighteously slander me, but diligently, with great attention and the fear of God and the right mind, I correct them, having been corrupted in them by those who rewrite them, those who are unlearned and unskilled in the mind and cunning of the Grammar; but from the very same men of ever-memorable who first created the book translation (the truth is said) there are nowhere who did not fully understand the power of Hellenic sayings, and for this reason they fell away from the truth,” and so on. After this, Maxim, in proof of the malfunction and errors of ancient translations, even against the Dogmas Faith, writes out many places as examples. Finally, he wrote to the Grand Duke, to the Metropolitan and to many others, so that at least they would send him to the Patriarch of Constantinople and bring him to trial; because he was summoned to Russia for a while and not is her subject, and therefore is not subject to trial here. In 1545, the Alexandrian Patriarch Joachim wrote about him to Tsar John Vasilyevich, defending his slandered innocence and asking to release him and let him go back to Mount Athos. However, all of Maxim himself , and the intercession of others on his behalf were unsuccessful.
His works, under the name Words And Glavisn, are handwritten in the Patriarchal Moscow and other libraries, both individually and collectively. In total, in some lists there are up to 40, in others up to 70, in others up to 86; and in others up to 110 and up to 134. In the last chapter, with many copies, there is a legend about Maxim himself and a letter of farewell and permission to him from Jeremiah, the Patriarch of Constantinople, who was in Moscow in 1589. Therefore, when referring to Maximov’s works, others refer to the so-called Small Book Maksimov, and others to Complete. But Maxim himself did not organize this meeting. For in different lists there is a different order of his works. One of his words is Latinov on the Holy Spirit was printed in the Pochaev printing house in 1618 with the book of Cyril Tranquillion, called Mirror on Theology, and help in Moscow especially under Patriarch Joseph, and under the Book of Cyril of 7152. In Nikon's Book Tablets, published in 1656, his words were printed It is proper to know and firmly observe the Symbol of the Orthodox Faith; also for the second part Brief Church Russian History Rev. Metropolitan Plato, published in 1805, his three words are printed: 1) Confession of the Orthodox Faith; 2) O correction of Russian books; 3) o same. Translated by him in 7032, or 1524, together with his disciple, Trinity Sergius Monk Selivan, 80 Conversations of Zlatoust on the Gospel of John, with the addition of four Conversations: 44, 45, 46 and 47, translated by Andrei Kurbsky, printed in Moscow in 1665 in a sheet, after they were corrected by Archimandrite Dionysius the Greek of the Svyatogorsk Monks, with some others who helped him in this: but The conversations translated by Kurbsky were left uncorrected. In the library of Joseph of Volokolamsk Monastery there is his translation between the manuscripts Words about Repentance, made in 1542 from the writings of Cyril, Archbishop. Alexandria. In the Patriarchal Library between the manuscripts there is also a special Maximov Message to Tsar Ivan Vasilyevich,Oh don't shave your braids. There is also an excellent list of his translations Explanatory Psalter, written in 1692. Patriarch Joachim, in his book called Osten, testifies that Maxim the Greek in the summer of 7029, that is, 1521 (and according to other lists - 7050, that is, 1542) “translated from Greek into Slavonic the Rules of the Holy Apostle and the Ecumenical and Local Synods completely and completely, even the book of his translation “,” he says, “and to this day it is found in our Patriarchal Sacristy.” Maximov’s student, Monk Nil Kurlyatev, in a legend about this Teacher, writes that he, Nil, begged him to translate the Psalter literally from Greek into Russian, and that Maxim actually translated it for him in 7060 (1552) without any interpretation, sometimes telling him the Russian translation, and sometimes he himself wrote on a notebook against the written Greek original in a row. Neil says that at this time Maxim already knew the Russian language perfectly and the Serbian, Bulgarian and Slavic dialects well. He adds that other Translators from the Greek language translated a lot of things in Serbian words rather than pure Slavic and Russian, and that Metropolitan Cyprian, correcting the translation of the Slavic Psalter, made it more incomprehensible by interfering with the Serbian dialect for the most part; for he knew Greek and Russian imperfectly. There are also works by Maximov in the Patriarchal Library among the manuscripts Canon of Prayer to the Divine and Worshiped Paraclete(Holy Spirit) glorified, written by him in Volokolamsk imprisonment in charcoal on the walls. This Canon was published in the Kyiv Canons, as, for example. 1739 and others. Many attribute to Maxim the Greek Slavonic grammar, printed under Patriarch Joseph in Moscow in 1648 in 4 parts of a sheet, but this is unfair. This grammar is not Maksimov’s, but Meletiy Smotritsky’s (see article about Meletii Smotrytsky), and at the end of it only the publishers appended Maximovo’s argument about the benefits of Grammar,Rhetoric and Philosophy, with an alphabet list and interpretation of the names of the Holy Men found in the Church Monthly Dictionary, and with a grammatical analysis of two Prayers: Heavenly King And Our Father and so on. These additions to the above-mentioned Grammar were especially printed by the late merchant Alexei Stepanovich Syromyatnikov (a famous and zealous defender of the Orthodox Church against the Raskolnikov) in Moscow in 3rd volume of sheet 1782 under the title Conversation by Maxim the Greek about the benefits of Grammar and so on. In the Novgorod Sofia Library there is a beautiful handwritten Greek copy of the Psalter by Maximov, with cinnabar, in a small 4th part of a sheet, bound in velvet. At the end of this Psalter, the following is signed by Maximus himself: νоς αγιоρητоυ Вατоπεδινоυ Мαξιμоυ τоυνоμα κατα τо MN ετоς της оγδоης Хιλιετιας αναλωμα ? σκоπоυ Тφερης, Кυριоυ Аκακιоυ. Оι αναγινωσκоντες μη καταγιγνωσκоτε τоυ γραψαντоς, ει πоυτι της υγιης γραφ ης ημαρται αυτω. Аνθρωπινоν γαρ αμαρτανειν και κоινоν ατυχημα. Еρρωσθε εν Кυριω και ευχεσθε υπερ εμоυ τоυ αμαρτωλоυ, i.e.: “This Psalter was written in the city of Tver by the hand and labor of a certain Monk of the Holy Mountain Va Topedsky, Maxim in the name, at the age of 48, the eighth thousand (1540), dependent on Benjamin, the reverent Hierodeacon and God-loving Sacristan "Bishop of Tver, Mr. Akaki. Readers do not judge the writer if he has sinned anything against sound writing. It is human to sin and it is common misfortune. Hello in the Lord and pray for me, a sinner."
It is worthy of note that in some of the Words of the Maximovs there are opinions about the two-fingered Sign of the Cross and about the special Alleluia that are consistent with the wisdom of our Raskolniks. Patriarch Joasaph noticed such an oddity in his writings in his book Rod of Government, and after his Patriarchs Joachim and Andrian Preface to the Followed Psalter. They assume that these opinions either from Raskolnikov were deliberately inserted into Maximov’s words, or that Maxim himself, being oppressed by a long-term imprisonment and fearing even greater oppression, had the weakness to yield to these opinions, which at that time, due to the ignorance of the people, became Russian Church already universal, as can be seen from Chapter 21 of the Hundred Main Council. But the Word O Alleluia, and especially the second, one can consider everything false, as the Moscow Council of 1667, consisting of three Patriarchs and many other Spirituals, recognized it because Maxim wise by now and could not be,nasty writing. Even the syllable of this word is not similar to Maximov and is mixed with common expressions that Maxim did not use in other works. Oh Sign of the Cross Not all lists of Maxim’s Words are written in the same way, and in some they state tripartite, and in others it is so confusing and dark that nothing can be definitively understood. A detailed description of the life, works and sufferings of Maxim the Greek is in the Patriarchal and Novgorod Sofia Library. He had in common everyone famous men fate, both in persecution and in the fact that after death his very enemies considered him innocent and righteous, and only attributed their errors to him as an excuse.
Maxim the Greek, 16th-century writer, was born around 1480 in Albania. Although the “legend” about him calls his parents “philosophers,” nothing is known about his home upbringing. We know that in in my youth Maxim Grek went to study in Venice and Florence. The impressions of the humanistic era did not pass without a trace for him, he became European educated person; at the same time, the influence of Savonarola was important, of which he forever retained a fond memory.
Returning to the East, Maxim the Greek took monastic vows at the Athos Monastery, where his scientific studies continued: he became acquainted with the works of the Greek church fathers. In 1518 Maxim the Greek was sent to Moscow to translate some books, at the request of Grand Duke Vasily III. The first assignment, the translation of the Explanatory Psalter, was completed by him a year and a half later in collaboration with Dmitry Gerasimov and Vlasiy, who translated the transcriptions of Maxim the Greek from Latin into Slavic.
Maxim the Greek's request for leave after this matter was not respected, and he received a new assignment: to correct the text of some liturgical books: the Colored Triodion, the Book of Hours, the Gospel, the Apostle, the Psalter. The inadmissibility, in the opinion of Muscovites, of any corrections in the books, Maxim the Greek’s insufficient acquaintance with Slavic language were the reason for accusing him of damaging books. Added to this was doubt about his political reliability, since he was close to the opposition boyars Vassian Patrikeev, Bersen-Beklemishev and others. In 1525 he was exiled to the Volokolamsk Monastery, from where he was transferred to the Tver Otroch Monastery and in 1553 to the Trinity Lavra, where he died in 1556.
Maxim Grek, philosopher and theologian
The literary activity of Maxim the Greek was very extensive, and to this day not all of his works have been made known. In addition to the essays written in defense of the correction of books, Maxim the Greek left many words and messages, which, according to their content, can be divided into 2 categories: dogmatic-polemical and moralizing. Of the first, especially remarkable are those directed against Nikolai Nemchin, who spread astrological superstitions and advocated the unification of churches. In addition, Maxim the Greek wrote against Jews, Judaizers, Mohammedans, denounced various superstitions and left an extensive word on “Hellenic charm.”
In his moralizing works, Maxim the Greek vividly depicts the shortcomings of Russian life: external piety, covetousness, arbitrariness, unfairness of courts, etc. His denunciations are very energetic and in all his works both his humanistic education and high Christian idealism are reflected.
Maxim the Greek (Mikhail Trivolis in the world) (c. 1470-1555/1556) - writer, translator, publicist.
Brief biography of Maxim the Greek
Maxim was born in the Epirus city of Arta, into a Greek aristocratic family; in 1492 he went to Italy, where he visited many cultural centers. Under the influence of the sermons of the Dominican Girolamo Savonarola, Maximus the Greek became a monk of the monastery of St. Mark (1502-1504). Six of his letters survive from the Italian period.
Leaving Italy, he moved to Athos and took monastic vows at the Orthodox Vatopedi monastery under the name Maxim. On Athos, he deepened his acquaintance with Orthodox patristics, composed exquisite Greek epitaphs, a canon and an epigram to John the Baptist. By request Vasily III went to Moscow and from 1518, living at the Kremlin Miracle Monastery, began translating the Explanatory Psalter (with the help of interpreters Dmitry Gerasimov and Vlasiy). The translation was highly appreciated; Maxim the Greek was invited to translate other liturgical books.
In Moscow, the Greek scientist participated in a polemic with the propagandist of astrology and the Orthodox-Catholic Union N. Bulev, communicated with nobles who thirsted for enlightenment and “philosophical” conversations, and the leader of the “non-covetous” Vassian Patrikeev. At the church councils of 1525 and 1531, the Greek was condemned for introducing “heretical” corrections into liturgical books, for criticizing monastic land ownership, the practice of installing Moscow metropolitans without the blessing of the Patriarch of Constantinople, for secret relations with Turkey, which was a gross libel, and blasphemy against the Grand Duke . He was imprisoned first in the Joseph-Volokolamsk Monastery, and after some time in the Tverskoy Otroch Monastery, he was forbidden to receive communion, write and read. In the 1540s, Maxim the Greek's position became easier: he could write again, distribute his works, and at the turn of the 1540s-1550s, thanks to the efforts of the Trinity abbot Artemy, he was admitted to communion and a little later transferred to the Trinity-Sergius Monastery.
In the last years of the Greek’s life, Metropolitan Macarius, nobleman A. Adashev, Sylvester of Blagoveshchensky and Ivan IV listened to his advice. Collections of his works were copied. The Greek’s influence on such important events as the “Hundred-Glavy” Cathedral and the establishment of printing is likely. He was already revered as a saint during his lifetime; there are many versions and lists of his life, rich iconography. Canonized as an all-Russian saint at a local council of the Russian Orthodox Church in 1988.
The legacy of Maxim the Greek
In addition to the Explanatory Psalter, Maxim the Greek translated the Explanatory Apostle, interpretations of John Chrysostom on the Acts and his conversations on the Gospels of John and Matthew, the works of the “church fathers”, some lives of Simeon Metaphrastus, articles for the Helmsman Vassian Patrikeev, selections of articles from encyclopedic dictionary Svyda, and also corrected liturgical books, checking them with the Greek text. Greek's translations provoked fierce criticism from Moscow scribes. Maxim set out the principles of translation in polemical works, such as “An Instructive Word on the Correction of Russian Books”, “An Informative Word on Book Correction”, “Confession Orthodox faith" He compiled “Interpretations of names in alphabetical order,” which formed the basis of Russian alphabet books, and “articles” for testing those who call themselves experts in the Greek language (“On Alien Philosophers”).
A prominent place in his legacy belongs to theological polemics. From a series of messages and “words” directed against N. Bulev, a whole accusatory “encyclopedia” grows. It included essays against Judaism, “words” on the “Hagarians” (Muslims), “Armenian evil-doing,” “on the Luthors,” “on Hellenic charm.” These are closely related to performances Athonite elder against superstitions, his criticism of the apocrypha (Tales of Aphroditian, Lucidarius, legends about the priesthood of Christ, about the manuscript of Adam, etc.).
In his journalistic works, Maxim the Greek shared “non-covetous” ideas about the obligatory nature of an ascetic lifestyle and renunciation of “worldly” concerns for a monk. This theme is developed in the “articles” for the Helmsman’s Book, in “The Contest about the Famous Monastic Residence”, “The Word of the Soulful One Who Heeds Earnestly to It”, “The Word of Repentance”, the story of the Tver Fire of 1537; the arguments are supported by references to monastic virtues on Mount Athos (epistles to Vasily III, Vassian Patrikeev) and among Catholics.
Scientists count more than 350 works by Maxim the Greek, including messages to the great princes, metropolitans, noblemen F.I. Karpov and V.M. Tuchkov, Sylvester of the Annunciation, Greek poems and all sorts of small “articles” about double-fingered, especially alleluia, against barber shaving. His admirers were Artemy Troitsky, A.M. Kurbsky, church leaders turn of the 16th and 17th centuries. Jonah Dumin and Dionysius Zobninovsky, supporters and especially opponents of the reforms of Patriarch Nikon, Afanasy Kholmogorsky. In the 18th century the works of Maxim the Greek were distributed mainly among the Old Believers. In the XIX-XX centuries. Extensive scientific literature is dedicated to him. His life is told in the novel by M. Alexandropoulos, a Greek writer, “Scenes from the Life of Maxim the Greek” (M., 1980).
Maxim the Greek (in the world Mikhail Trivolis) was born in 1470 in Albania, in ancient city Arta, in the family of a Greek dignitary. He came from the ancient and noble Byzantine family of Trivolis. One of his ancestors occupied the throne of the Patriarchs of Constantinople. His uncle, Demetrius Trivolis, was a friend of Thomas Palaiologos, brother of the last Byzantine emperor Constantine XI and grandfather of the Grand Duke of Moscow Vasily II. The saint's parents, Manuel and Irina, were educated people and were distinguished by their piety and devotion to the Orthodox faith, which they also raised in their son. Wealthy parents gave him an excellent education.
Saint Reverend Maxim the Greek
Around 1480, Michael ends up on the island of Corfu (Kerkyra), which belonged to Venice; here he is trained in classical sciences by John Moschos. Having graduated from school on the island of Corfu, at the age of 20 he already ran for the council of this self-governing territory, but failed. In 1492 young Mikhail sent to continue his education in Italy, which after the fall of Constantinople became the center of Greek education. Michael Trivolis traveled a lot: he lived and studied in Venice, in the Greek school that existed here for a long time, in Padua, famous for its university, in other cities. Later, about this time of his life, the Monk Maxim wrote: “ If the Lord, who cares about the salvation of all, had not had mercy on me and... had not illuminated my thought with His light, then I, along with the preachers of wickedness who were there, would have perished long ago».
From 1498 to 1502, Michael Trivolis was in the service of Giovanni Francesco Picco della Mirandola; here he taught children and adults the Greek language, and also copied the works of the Greek Fathers of the Church and ancient classics. When the troops of the French king Francis and Giovanni attacked, Francesco retired to Bavaria, and Michael Trivolis returned to Florence and took monastic vows at the Dominican monastery of St. Mark, where Jerome Savonarolla had recently lived, whose sermons Michael had listened to more than once.
Becoming a monk on Mount Athos
But the Greek Michael, spiritually nourished by the Orthodox Church, in search of genuine saving wisdom, mentally reaches out to the East. From one of his teachers, John Lascaris, who took up to 200 ancient books from Athos to Florence, Michael heard about the abundance of book treasures stored in monastery libraries, the richest of which was the library of the Vatopedi monastery: two people who fled in Vatopedi left their handwritten codices to it Emperor - Andronikos Palaiologos and John Kantakouzenos. He also heard about the great God-wise elders who labored in the Svyatogorsk monasteries. In 1504, Michael left his monastery, left Italy and in 1505 took monastic vows with the name Maxim, in honor of Maxim the Confessor, in the Annunciation Athos Vatopedi Monastery.
On Mount Athos, Monk Maxim devoted himself to reading the works of the holy fathers. His favorite book was “An Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith” by St. John of Damascus, about whom the Monk Maximus later wrote that he “reached the highest knowledge of philosophy and theology.”
During these years, the monk Maxim wrote his first works and compiled a canon to John the Baptist; however, his main obedience became the collection of donations in favor of the Athonite monasteries, which he collected on trips to the cities and villages of Greece. The Monk Maxim enjoyed high spiritual authority on the Holy Mountain.
Sending to Rus'
But suddenly a sharp turn occurs in his fate. In 1515, Prince Vasily III and Metropolitan Varlaam turned to Athos with a request to send them a translator from the Greek language. The Athonite protate blessed Elder Savva to go to Moscow, but he, citing his advanced age, could not. Then the monk Maxim (Trivolis) was sent from the Vatopedi monastery. A whole embassy (Maxim the Greek along with two monks Neophytos and Lavrentiy) went from Athos to Rus', which arrived in Moscow on March 4, 1518.
Vasily III received the Athos people with great honor and appointed the Kremlin Miracle Monastery as their place of residence.
The first book that the monk Maxim worked on translating for 1.5 years was Explanatory Psalter. For this purpose, two Latin interpreters were assigned to him, who did not yet know the Russian language: Dmitry Gerasimov and Vlas, who served at the court as translators from Latin and German languages, as well as two monastic scribes of the Trinity-Sergius Monastery Silouan and Mikhail Medovartsev, who wrote down the Church Slavonic text of the translation.. The Monk Maxim dictated, translating from Greek into Latin, and Dimitri Gerasimov and Vlas - from Latin into Slavic. This is how mediocre translation was carried out.
After the translation of the Psalter, the Monk Maxim the Greek turned to Grand Duke Vasily III so that he would be released back to Athos. But only his companions were released, and the learned monk was left behind, burdening him with other tasks to correct liturgical books. Seeing the need to correct books in Rus', Maxim the Greek came to terms with his abandonment.
Monk Maxim was entrusted with the translation of the interpretation of the holy fathers on Acts. Greek scientist translated the conversations of St. John Chrysostom into the Gospel of Matthew and John. He also performed other translations: a number of passages and chapters from the books of the Old Testament, as well as three works by Simeon Metaphrastus. At the same time, Maxim the Greek was engaged in reviewing and correcting the Explanatory Gospel and liturgical books: Book of Hours, Menaion of the Feast, Apostle and Triodion.
Translation works convinced him of the importance of a good knowledge of grammar - Greek and Slavic. He calls grammar “the beginning of the entrance to philosophy” and writes two essays: “On Grammar” and “A Discourse on the Use of Grammar.”
The cell of a learned monk becomes an attractive place for educated Russian nobles. Influential people at court come to talk with the learned Greek: the monk Vassian (Prince Patrikeev), princes Pyotr Shuisky and Andrei Kholmsky, boyars Ivan Tokmakov, Vasily Tuchkov, Ivan Saburov, Fyodor Karpov. In communication with them, Maxim the Greek gets acquainted with Russian church life, state and public life.
Fall from grace
In his theological works, Maxim the Greek writes about the Russians’ commitment to the ritual side of the faith; He is also concerned about the Grand Duke's court's passion for astrology. He composed several essays against the still not obsolete heresy of the Judaizers. Polemical works against the Mohammedans and Latins also came from his pen.
In his words and messages, Maxim the Greek also fought against all kinds of local superstitions, for example, belief in dreams, omens, and fortune telling. He also subjected to a strict analysis the apocryphal books that were brought to Rus' mainly from Bulgaria and which were carried away even at the grand ducal court.
Moscow reacted with distrust to the corrections he made to the liturgical books. His reproaches regarding Russian people’s ignorance of the truths of faith and failure to observe the commandments of Christ, the fulfillment of one external ritual, without spiritual achievement, in the vain hope of salvation through external piety alone, were also taken as an insult.
Indignation against St. Maximus at court was not dangerous for him as long as the metropolitan see was occupied by St. Varlaam, who favored him, a follower of St. Nilus of Sorsky, and in his views close to the Trans-Volga elders. The position of the monk changed after Metropolitan Varlaam left the throne. In 1521, Varlaam fell out of favor with the Grand Duke, was deposed from the high priestly throne and removed to the northern Spaso-Kamenny Monastery. He was replaced Metropolitan Daniel, student of St. Joseph of Volotsk.
Exile to Joseph-Volokolamsk Monastery
Under the new Metropolitan Daniel (1522 - 1539; † 1547) he was condemned by council twice, in 1525 and 1531. At the beginning of December 1524, the Monk Maxim was taken into custody and on May 24, 1525, he appeared before church court. The main accuser was Metropolitan Daniel, who accused the saint of heresy. Among the charges considered was his refusal to translate Theodoret's Ecclesiastical History. Meanwhile, the original edition of the Church History of Theodoret of Cyrus contains information in favor of triplicate. Metropolitan Daniel was a supporter of double-fingering and placed the edited text of “Theodorite’s Word” in his collection. Maxim the Greek resolutely refused this assignment, pointing out that “this story includes letters from the schismatic Arius, and this could be dangerous for simplicity.”
One of the reasons for the disgrace of the Monk Maxim was also his connections with his compatriot Iskander, ambassador Turkish Sultan Suleiman I in Moscow. In other words, there was an element of politics in the condemnation of St. Maxim the Greek. At that time Muscovite Rus' was establishing relations with the Turkish Empire. Moscow was interested in this, in order to orient with its help foreign policy its vassal, the Crimean Khanate, against Lithuanian Rus. Meanwhile, Turkish diplomatic practice at that time assumed in relations with Christian states use subjects Greek origin. But the Greeks had personal national interests: to achieve the revival of Byzantium and Russia should have a military component in this. For this purpose, the Greeks set Turkish policy against Russia.
By the verdict of the council the monk was exiled to Joseph-Volokolamsky Monastery. The sufferer spent 6 years in a damp, cramped, stinking and squalid cell: he suffered torment from smoke, cold and hunger. These were the most difficult years of his life. Of all the deprivations, the most sorrowful was excommunication from receiving the Holy Mysteries.
Joseph-Volokolamsk Monastery
But one day the Lord appeared to an exhausted prisoner in the form of an Angel of God with the words: “ Be patient, old man, with these temporary sufferings you will get rid of eternal torment" Filled with spiritual joy, the prisoner sang the canon to the Holy Spirit the Comforter, which was later found written on the walls of his prison cell.
Exile to Tverskoy Otroch-Uspensky Monastery
In 1531 Saint Maximus again appeared before the cathedral court. This time Metropolitan Daniel spoke with accusations of treason, witchcraft and blasphemous language, allegedly discovered in translations he made 10 years before the trial. By the time of the trial, the monk already had a good command of the Russian language and rejected all fabrications.
Otroch Assumption Monastery
The Monk Maxim was transferred from Joseph Monastery to Tverskoy Otroch under the supervision of Bishop Akaki, known for his ascetic life. Here he spent more than 15 years. Bishop Akaki of Tver was a kind man. He treated Saint Maximus mercifully and compassionately. While in Moscow, he begged the Grand Duke to show mercy to the prisoner for the sake of the newborn heir to the throne, Ivan, to remove his shackles. His Grace Akaki invited the monk to the bishop's house and shared a meal with him, allowing him to come to church, which caused discontent in Moscow. The bishop allowed the condemned man to keep books, pen, paper and ink with him.
At the Otrochy Monastery, the monk compiled interpretations of the book of Genesis, Psalms, books of the Prophets, the Gospel and the Apostle.
Transfer to the Trinity-Sergius Lavra
During the stay of the Monk Maxim the Greek in Tver, a change of Primates of the Russian Church took place in Moscow: after Metropolitan Daniel, Metropolitan Joasaph (1539 - 1542) was installed in 1539, and three years later - Saint Macarius.
After the death of Grand Duke Vasily III, the excommunication from the Holy Mysteries was lifted from the saint, but his freedom was not returned. However, thanks to the efforts of Metropolitan Macarius, who was close to Ivan IV at that time, a favorable attitude towards the reverend prisoner began to develop in Moscow.
Metropolitan Macarius highly valued the works of the Greek scholar. Influential persons again began to turn to St. Maxim, wanting to know his opinion on various issues - theological and church ritual.
The Council of the Hundred Heads was being prepared, and the Metropolitan and the hierarchs, the Tsar and his entourage listened to the judgments of the learned theologian. The influence of the works of St. Maxim affected the actions and decrees of the Stoglavy Council.
In 1551, at the request of the abbot of the Trinity-Sergius Monastery Artemy, the venerable prisoner was transferred from Tver to this monastery. Here he became spiritually close to Metropolitan Joasaph, who was unlawfully removed from the high priestly throne, and the monk Neil (from the disgraced princely family of the Kurlyatevs), with whom, after teaching him the Greek language, he completed a new translation of the Psalter.
In 1553, the Monk Maxim talked with Ivan IV, who visited the monastery while passing through on a pilgrimage to the Kirillov Monastery. The Tsar's trip was made as a vow, in gratitude to the Lord for his recovery from a serious illness that struck the Tsar shortly after his return from the Kazan campaign. The God-wise elder advised the tsar not to travel so far, but to arrange and comfort the mothers, widows and orphans of Christian soldiers who died during the siege of Kazan, and warned that if the tsar listens to the advice, he will be healthy and have many years with his wife and son, and if he does not listen , so his son “will die on the road.” The king did not heed the elder’s words and continued on his way “stubbornly.” The saint's prophecy came true: Tsarevich Dimitri died at the age of 8 months.
Death of St. Maximus the Greek
View of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra (1890s)
Elder Maxim the Greek spent the last years of his life in the Trinity-Sergius Lavra.
January 21, 1556, on the day of remembrance of his heavenly patron Saint Maximus the Confessor, Reverend Maxim died, having spent 38 years in ascetic labors and suffering for the good of the Russian Church and Ecumenical Orthodoxy. Dying, the venerable sufferer made the sign of the cross three times. The honorable remains of the elder were buried at the northwestern wall of the Church of the Descent of the Holy Spirit of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra. At the end of the 16th century, a chapel was erected over the grave, which was completely destroyed in 1930.
After the death of Maxim the Greek, worship of him as a great theologian and teacher began.
In 1561, the first miracles happened at the tomb of the saint - the spiritual insight of a certain pilgrim and cell attendant of the cathedral elder Vassian John, who were included in the traditions of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra.
In 1591, on the day of the examination of the relics of the saint at his tomb, 16 people were healed.
Canonization and discovery of relics
Venerable Maxim the Greek canonized as a Saint at the Local Council of the Russian Orthodox Church in 1988. However, the question of the whereabouts of his holy relics remained open.
After the demolition of the chapel in the 30s of the 20th century, no visible traces remained over the grave of the saint. At the time the council’s decision on canonization was made, the place of St. Maxim’s grave was not marked on the surface of the earth in any way, so the need arose for archaeological excavations.
The discovery of his holy relics took place in the Lavra in 1996. Before the start of the excavations on June 24, 1996, the confessor of the Lavra, Archimandrite Kirill (Pavlov), performed a prayer service to St. Maxim in the Holy Spiritual Church of the Lavra. The brethren of the Lavra, students of Moscow Theological schools and participants in the excavations prayed during the service. Around midnight on June 30, a fragrance was felt from the southern part of the excavation (which was felt for several days after), and after some time the honest head of St. Maximus appeared. The work continued until almost 2 am. On Tuesday, July 1, a detailed report was made to His Holiness the Patriarch about the results of the work carried out and about the discovery of the honest remains of St. Maximus the Greek. It was noted that historical and archaeological data, as well as a clearly perceptible fragrance, reliably testify that the relics belong to St. Maximus. His Holiness gave his blessing for the anthropological examination, which was carried out by leading experts Russian Academy Sciences and produced on July 2. When comparing the honest chapter with ancient images of St. Maximus, similarities emerged. The conclusion of the anthropologists was brought to the attention of His Holiness Patriarch, who blessed the raising of the honest remains on July 3, 1996. The relics of St. Maximus were transferred to a temporary shrine, adapted for transfer, and covered with a monastic robe. The reliquary was brought into the Holy Spirit Church and installed in a specially prepared place in the middle of the temple.
The discovery of the holy relics of St. Maximus the Greek was a great event for all of Orthodoxy, because St. Maximus the Greek is also venerated as a saint in the Churches of Constantinople and Greece.
The relics of the saint are in the Assumption Cathedral of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra.
Cancer with the relics of Maxim the Greek. Assumption Cathedral of the Trinity Lavra of Sergius
Reverend Maxim the Greek is a talented, highly educated person, a natural denouncer and publicist. In his person we meet a Greek by origin, a Slav in spirit and a truly Russian man in his selfless service to the Russian people. In Russia, he was not a conductor of revivalist trends, but a pillar of Orthodoxy.
Troparion to St. Maximus the Greek, tone 8
We look at the dawn of the Spirit, / you have been vouchsafed to the divinely wise to understand, / illuminating the hearts of men darkened by ignorance with the light of piety, / you have become the most enlightened lamp of Orthodoxy, O Reverend Maximus, / from jealousy for the sake of the All-Seeing / of the fatherland, alien and strange, you were a prisoner of the Russian country, / the sufferings of the dungeons and having endured imprisonment from the autocratic, / you are crowned by the right hand of the Most High and work glorious miracles. / And be an immutable intercessor for us, // who honor your holy memory with love.
Kontakion to St. Maximus the Greek, tone 8
By God-inspired Scripture and the preaching of theology / You have exposed the superstition of those who do not believe, O All-Rich One, / Moreover, by correcting them in Orthodoxy, You have guided them to the path of true knowledge, / Like a God-voiced pipe, delighting the minds of those who hear, / Constantly cheerful, Most wondrous Maximus, / For this reason we pray to Thee: pray to Christ the God of sins to send down the remission of sins // by faith sing your all-holy Dormition, Maxim, our father.
The Most Reverend Maksim the Greek (XV-XVI centuries), former son of a Greek sage in the city -de Ar-te (Al-ba-niya), received a brilliant image. In his youth, he traveled a lot and studied languages and languages in European countries; used to be in Pa-ri-zhe, Flor-ence, Ve-ne-tion. Upon his return to his birthplace, he arrived on Athos and accepted a foreign position in the Va-to-ped-skaya oblast. He enthusiastically studied the ancient ru-ko-pi-si, left on Athos by other Greek-names. pe-ra-to-ra-mi (An-d-ro-ni-kom Pa-leo-lo-gom and Ioan-nom Kan-ta-ku-zen-nom). At this time, the Great Prince of Moscow Va-si-liy Ioannovich (1505-1533) wanted to sort out the Greek hands -pi-syah and book-gah of his ma-te-ri, Sophia Pa-leo-log, and turned to Kon-stan-ti-no-Polish-pat- ri-ar-hu with a request to send him a learned Greek. Monk Maksim received instructions to go to Moscow. Upon his arrival, he had no choice but to translate the interpretation of the Psalm into the Slavic language, then just va-nie on the book of De-ya-niy apo-sto-lovs and several divine-service books.
The Reverend Maxim diligently and carefully tried to do everything in the right way. But, due to the fact that the Slavic language was not the native language for the translators, naturally, some inaccuracies in translations.
Mit-ro-po-lit Moscow Var-la-am you-so-appreciated the work of the pre-excellent Mak-si-ma. When the Moscow throne was seized by the mit-ro-po-lit Da-ni-il, po-lo-zhe-ni-elk.
The new mit-ro-po-lit demanded that the Most Reverend Mak-sim translate the church's use into the Slavic language. to-ryu. Mak-sim Greek decided-but from this-ru-che-niy, pointing out that “included in this is-to-ry “We have letters from Aria, and this could be dangerous for the simplest.” This refusal sowed discord between the presiding and the mit-ro-po-li-tom. Despite the turmoil, the Reverend Maxim continued to work diligently in the spirit of light. niya Ru-si. He wrote letters against ma-go-me-tan, pa-piz-ma, tongue-ni-kov. Translated the interpretation of the saint on the Gospel of Matthew and John, and also wrote several of his own nykh so-chi-ne-niy.
When the great prince was about to dissolve his marriage with his wife So-lo-mo-ni-her because of her infertility, due to the important scholar Mak-sim sent the prince “Teaching heads to the superiors of the right-of-faithful”, in to whom he convinced the prince that the prince was obligated not to harm the living passions. Pre-po-dob-no-go Max-si-ma for-the-key-li-in-that-no-tsu. From that time on, a new, long-suffering period of life began. Inaccuracies, reported in the translations, would they have been included in the VIN? , like deliberate damage to books. It was hard for him in the dark, but in the midst of the suffering he gained and gained great -loyalty to God. An angel appeared to him and said: “Be patient, old man! These torments are the result of eternal torment.” In the meantime, the most venerable old man wrote charcoal on the wall to the Holy Spirit, which he still reads -sya in the Church: “Who was pre-pi-taved by man-noah from-ra-i-la in the desert-nor ancient, and my soul, Vlady-ko, Spirit on -all-all-holy, because I serve the good of Him, you-well..."
Six years later, Pre-ex-exclusive Mak-si-ma was released from prison and sent to prison under the church. nom for-pre-none in Tver. There he lived under the supervision of the kind-hearted bishop of Aka-kiya, who treated him kindly and innocently po-stra-dav-shim. Pre-po-dob-nyy na-pi-sal av-to-bio-gra-fi-che-pro-iz-ve-de-nie "Thoughts, ka-ki-mi mournful monk, for -key in the matter, consoled and strengthened himself in patience." Here are a few words from this bright co-creation: “Don’t worry, don’t grieve, don’t mourn, dear soul, oh the fact that you are a guard without truth, from whom you would receive all the good, for you benefited from their spirit, I offered them a meal filled with the Holy Spirit..." Only after twenty years of being in Tve-ri they decided to live freely and lifted the church ban from him. The great Maksim the Greek spent the last years of his life in the Tro-i-tse-Ser-gi-e-voy Lavra. He was already about 70 years old. The troubles and labors took a toll on his health, but his spirit was cheerful; he continued to work. Together with his ke-lei-nik and the teacher Ni-l, the reverend diligently translated the Psalm into Greek go into Slavic language. Neither the go-no-no-niya, nor the-conclusion broke the pre-extra-no-go Mak-si-ma.
The Pre-presence of the Pre-sta-vilned on January 21, 1556. He is buried at the north-west wall of the Spiritual Church of the Tro-i-tse-Ser-gi-e-voy Lavra. For-the-test-of-va-but-a-many-of-the-blessed-manifestations that took place at the tomb of the most-precious but-ho, on which-pi-sa-ny tro-par and kontakion for him. The face of the Most-precious Max-si-ma is often depicted on the icon of So-bo-ra Ra-do-tender saints.
July 04/June 21 - retrieval of relics
Above the burial-place of Mak-si-ma Gre-ka there was a clock built-up to the Spirit-temple -nya - so na-zy-va-e-may Max-si-mo-va pa-lat-ka. It was re-stra-and-wa-sed and expanded several times (for example, under the Metropolitan, then in 1847). And in 1938-1940 there was a uniform. In 1988, during the celebration of the 1000th anniversary of the Baptism of Russia on So-bo-re, held in Tro-i-tse- Ser-gi-e-voy Lav-re, among the pro-glorious Russian saints ka-no-ni-zi-ro-van and the most Maksim Greek. The question of the location of his holy relics remained open. By the time of the public church's celebration of glory, there were no visible traces left over the grave. For this reason, a need arose in the ar-heo-lo-gi-che-che-ras-kop-kah. Ra-bo-ta-mi ru-ko-vo-dil ar-heo-log S.A. Be-la-ev. June 24, 1996, the du-khov-nik Lav-ry ar-hi-mand-rit Kirill (Pav-lov) so-ver-shil mo-le-ben pre-do-do-no-mu Mak- si-mu in the Spiritual Church of the Lavra. The brethren, the pi-tan-ni-ki of the Moscow Theological schools and the participants of the race prayed for God's service. -ok. On Tuesday, July 1, about the results of the work carried out and about the discovery of the honest remains of the pre-excellent Mak-si-ma Gre-ka, a fractional treasure was made to the Holy Pat-ri-ar-hu. His holiness gave a blessing to the an-tro-po-lo-gi-che-osvi-de-tel-stvo-va-nie, which ve -during specialists of the Russian Academy of Sciences on July 2. When meeting an honest head with the ancient images, the pre-excellent Maxi-ma appeared similarities. On the basis of the conclusion of the an-tro-po-lo-gov on July 3, 1996, the holy pat-ri-arch of the b-word-vil-raise honest remains. Until recently, the mighty powers of the Pre-excellent Mak-si-ma lived in the Assumption Cathedral of the Lavra. April 9, 2013, according to the blessing of the holy pat-ri-ar-ha Ki-ril-la, they were solemn per-re-ne-se-ny go-but to the Spiritual Temple. Ra-ka is installed at the place where the re-relics of the pre-excellent relics are located (near the north wall).
Prayers
Troparion to St. Maximus the Greek
We are enveloped in the dawn of the Spirit, / you have been blessed with understanding by God, / you have enlightened the hearts of men with the light of piety, darkened by ignorance, / you have appeared, the luminary of Orthodoxy, Maxi I am like you, / out of jealousy for the sake of the All-Seeing One, / alien and strange to the fatherland, you were a prisoner of the Russian country, / suffering You endured dungeons and imprisonment from the autocrat,/ you are crowned by the right hand of the Most High and you work miracles, glorious./ And be an immutable intercessor for us, // who honor your holy memory with love.
Translation: We illuminate with the radiance of the Spirit, you have been rewarded with the art of eloquence from God’s Wisdom, enlightening the hearts of people darkened by ignorance with the light of piety, you have appeared as a bright lamp of Orthodoxy, Maxim. Therefore, jealous of the All-Seeing, you, deprived of your fatherland and a wanderer, lived like an alien in the Russian country. Having endured suffering in prison and imprisonment from the autocrat, you are crowned with the Almighty and work glorious miracles. Be an unchanging intercessor for us, who honor your holy memory with love.
Kontakion to St. Maximus the Greek
By the inspired Scripture and theology by preaching / you have exposed the superstition of those who do not believe, O you who are all rich, / even more so in Orthodoxy, by correcting you, you have guided them on the path of true knowledge, / like the pipe of God vowel, delighting the minds of those who hear,/ unceasingly rejoice, Maxima is most wonderful./ For this sake we pray to you: pray Christ God/ send down the remission of sins// by faith sing your all-holy dormition, Maximus, our Father.
Translation: By writing and preaching the Theology of the unbelievers, you have exposed the vain wisdom of those who are rich in everything; but especially by correcting the life of the Orthodox, he guided them on the path of true knowledge; like a God-voiced pipe, delighting the minds of those who hear, you constantly amuse us, Maxim, worthy of wonder. Therefore we pray to you: “Pray to Christ, the God of sins, to send down forgiveness of sins with faith to those who sing thy all-holy things, Maxim, our father!”
Second prayer to St. Maxim the Greek
Oh, sacred head, like the most blessed Abbot Maxima, do not forget your poor to the end, but remember us in your holy and favorable prayers to God. Remember your flock, which you yourself shepherded, and do not forget to visit your children. Pray for us, Holy Father, for your spiritual children, as if you have boldness towards the Heavenly King, do not remain silent for us to the Lord and do not despise us, who honor you with faith and love. Remember us, unworthy of the throne of the Almighty, and do not stop praying for us to Christ God, for grace has been given to you to pray for us. We do not think that you are dead: even though you passed away from us in body, you remain alive even after death. Do not give up on us in spirit, keeping us from the arrows of the enemy, and all the charms of the devil, and the snares of the devil, our good shepherd; Even though the relics of your cancer are always visible before our eyes, but your holy soul stands with the angelic hosts, with the disembodied faces, with the Heavenly powers, standing at the Throne of the Almighty, rejoicing worthily . Knowing that you are truly alive even after death, we bow down to you and we pray to you: pray for us to Almighty God, for the benefit of our souls, and ask us time for repentance, so that we may pass from earth to Heaven without restraint , from the ordeals of bitter, demons, airy princes and may we be delivered from eternal torment, and may we be the heiress of the Heavenly Kingdom with all the righteous, who from all eternity have pleased our Lord Jesus Christ, to Him belongs all glory, honor and worship communication with His Beginning Father and with His Most Holy and Good and Life-giving Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
Prayer to St. Maxim the Greek
Reverend Father Maxima! Look upon us mercifully and lead those who are devoted to the earth to the heights of heaven. You are grief in heaven, we are on earth below, removed from you, not only by place, because of our sins and iniquities, but we run to you and cry: instruct us to walk in your way, give us understanding and guide. Your whole holy life will be a mirror of all virtue. Don’t stop, saint of God, crying to the Lord for us. With your intercession, ask our All-Merciful God for the peace of His Church, under the sign of the militant cross, agreement in faith and unity of wisdom, destruction of vanity and schisms, confirmation in good deeds x, healing for the sick, consolation for the sad, intercession for the offended, help for the needy. Do not disgrace us, who flow to you in faith. All Orthodox Christians, through your miracles and benevolent mercies, confess that you are their patron and protector. Reveal your ancient mercies, and to whom you helped your father in all things, do not deny us, their children, who are marching towards you in their footsteps. Before your most venerable icon, as I live for you, we fall down and pray: accept our prayers and offer them up on the altar of God’s mercy, may we receive from you grace and timely blessings We are waiting for our help. Strengthen our cowardice and confirm us in faith, so that we undoubtedly hope to receive all the good from the mercy of the Lord through your prayers. Oh, great servant of God! Help all of us who flow to you with faith through your intercession to the Lord, and guide us all in peace and repentance to end our lives and settle with hope in the blessed bosom of Abraham Ova, where you now rest joyfully in your labors and struggles, glorifying God with all the saints , in the Trinity glorified, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
Canons and Akathists
Canon to our venerable and God-bearing father Maximus the Greek
Song 1
Irmos: Let us drink, all people, from the bitter work of the Pharaohs of Israel, to the One who endured and in the depths of the seas with wet feet, who taught the song of victory, as if he was glorified.
Chorus:
Whose language can sing according to your heritage, wonderful father, great corrections, high teaching, martyrdom and long-suffering in prison and in chains?
Chorus: Reverend Father Maxima, pray to God for us.
How shall we sing and what shall we call you, O blessed father? Whether a prophet, as the inconvenience understood and known to us preached, or an apostle, as the unsteady winds contrary to us, established the Christian faith of the Divine Scriptures in the teachings, or a teacher, but truly, you are worse and lower than anyone, the great ones of the universal teacher.
Glory: Having sung the praises of the Holy and venerated Paraclete in prison, I received a message from the Angel, you created a canon for the Holy Spirit, by Whom you were still enlightened in your will, you compiled sacred and God-inspired books.
And now: Let us sing, all people, of the shrine and glory of the Most Pure and All-Sung Mother of God, who is higher than Heaven and all intelligent Powers, who reviled Emmanuel in Her most pure womb, for she is holy and glorious.
Song 3
Irmos: Establish me, O Christ, on the immovable rock of Thy commandments and enlighten me with the light of Thy face: for there is nothing more holy than Thee, O Lover of Mankind.
Chorus: Reverend Father Maxima, pray to God for us.
You, Reverend Maximus, established the Divine fear in your heart, hating all carnal lusts, for this reason you became wise, like a simple baby, and you followed the Lord.
Chorus: Reverend Father Maxima, pray to God for us.
By the affirmation of the crucified Lord Jesus Christ, you were strange, unknown, homeless, fatherless, nameless, meaningless, Rev. Maxima, before your relatives, known and friends.
Glory: You stood firm on the commandments of the Lord, because of the sorrow of prison you were for many hours, as if you were dead, but you prayed for the evildoers, saying: Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God, do not put this sin on them, who slander me with untruth.
And now: Establish us for Your praise, O Virgin, and preserve us without harm from all the wiles of the evil one, and make us worthy to stand at the right hand of Your Only Begotten Son, to Him belongs all glory, honor and worship forever and ever.
Lord have mercy (three times).
Sedalen, voice 4th
Having adorned your mind with the teachings of the God-inspired Scriptures, with sober prayer and vigils pleasing to God, you have established your heart in the Lord by fulfilling His saving commandments. For this reason, the people of Russia and Athos glorify you, and the monastery of Vatopedi cries out with us: Maxim the Wise, do not forsake us who pray to you. .
Glory to this day: I pray to You, Most Pure Mother of the Most Pure God, for my soul’s only consolation, hope, sweetness, Divine protection, light, intercession and salvation! Grant me through Your prayers to hear the voice of the blessed calling inside the palace of the Lord.
Song 4
Irmos: Great is the mystery of Your vision, O Christ: seeing this from above, O Habakkuk, God-seeingly, You found it, crying out to You, for the salvation of Your people, O Lover of Mankind.
Chorus: Reverend Father Maxima, pray to God for us.
From secret heretical false teachings, nothing is hidden from you, Reverend Maxim, but by the grace of the Holy and worshiped Spirit, the whole essence is revealed to you.
Chorus: Reverend Father Maxima, pray to God for us.
The mysterious dogmas of the Orthodox faith are not just a champion of the true and true to yourself, but also a sharp ax against all heresies under heaven.
Glory: As the builder of the mysteries of the Holy Spirit and the steward of Heavenly habitation, and the teacher of the law of the Lord, you truly appeared to the wise Maxima.
And now: Moses the Seer of God taught the great mystery, in vain the Burning Bush: the bush is the weakness of human nature, but fire is the Divinity of the Only Begotten Son of the Most High, for our God is fire, consuming our sins, as the Divine Apostle said.
Song 5
Irmos: From the morning in the morning, we sing to You, Christ, the Father of the Self and Savior of our souls, grant peace to the world, O Lover of mankind.
Chorus: Reverend Father Maxima, pray to God for us.
At night the moon and during the day the sun enlighten and cheer all visible creation, while the lives and wisdom of the saints enlighten and cheer the souls of all people who want to be saved and come into the understanding of truth. Sitsa and the writings of the Venerable Maxim the Greek, like divinely inspired works, cry out loudly.
Chorus: Reverend Father Maxima, pray to God for us.
At night I pray to you in prison, the God-born and Most Blessed Trinity, by the providence of the Angel of the Lord and the speech: about the elder! With these torments you will escape eternal torment.
Glory: In the night, like a sweet-voiced and good-singing glory, you sang to the wise Maxim: do not grieve, do not grieve, do not grieve for them, - dear to our souls, - you suffer without truth, for your reward is great in Heaven.
And now: From the morning in the morning, we sing of You, Virgin, Daughter of the Tsar, clothed in gold and covered with gold, the ladder that Jacob saw, the mountain that God willed to live in, for the Lord will dwell in it to the end.
Song 6
Irmos: You saved the prophet from the whale, O Lover of mankind, and bring me out of the depths of sins, I pray.
Chorus: Reverend Father Maxima, pray to God for us.
Prophetically, Reverend Maximus, you denounced people, leading them to repentance: we are lost, we have gone astray from the right and unforgettable life of the venerable monks, and we are heading madly towards the honor of the highest calling.
Chorus: Reverend Father Maxima, pray to God for us.
You appeared as a prophet of repentance, Reverend Maximus, providing sobriety to souls with Divine words and raising those darkened by sins from the pit of passions.
Glory: You have made the prophetic writings, spoken in secret, obvious, O wise Maximus, for this reason all people will listen to you abundantly.
And now: The Prophets proclaimed Thee, the Pure Virgin, the Apostles preached, blessed all the saints, but we and the Archangel cry out: Rejoice, O Gracious One, the Lord is with Thee.
Lord have mercy (three times). Glory, even now.
Kontakion, tone 8
With the inspired Scripture and Theology, through the preaching of the unbelievers, you have exposed the superstition of those who do not believe; you are all-rich, and moreover, having corrected you in Orthodoxy, you have guided you onto the path of true knowledge, like a God-voiced pipe, delighting the minds of those who hear, constantly cheerful, Maximus is most wonderful, for this sake we pray to Thee: pray to Christ God for forgiveness of sins send down by faith to those who sing your all-holy Dormition, Maxim, our father.
Ikos
How shall we sing to the greatest of the namesakes, Maxim the Great? red-crowned venerables, sufferers of a firm rule, heretics of unfaithful shame, the Church of an unshakable pillar, a virgin of a famous mentor and the marriage of an honest intercessor, philosophers of the wise sage, the truth of the source of ever-flowing, monk praise and all people are truly an adornment, for this sake we pray to you, most wonderful Maxima: pray to Christ Send down the God of sins, the remission of sins, by faith to those who sing your all-holy Dormition, Maxim, our father.
Song 7
Irmos: I gather people to the image of serving the Musik concord, from the songs of Zion singing paternally, the youths of David painfully destroyed the evil decree and turned the flame into dew, singing the song: exalted of the fathers and our God, blessed art thou.
Chorus: Reverend Father Maxima, pray to God for us.
Having given a hymn of gratitude to the image of the Providence of the Most Holy Trinity, Reverend Maxima, you have called upon all of us to bless the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, the One God in the Three Hypostases.
Chorus: Reverend Father Maxima, pray to God for us.
The image of suffering, patience and prayer appeared to you, Saint Maxima, and even more so the hope that God the Judge is righteous, and strong, and long-suffering, and He will reward everyone according to his deeds.
Glory: You have acquired an image of the most exalted Theology, O wise Maximus, these are the dogmas of the Divine apostle and father, poured out from the Holy Paraclete, which you teach us with your God-wise writings.
And now: The image of Your most pure Nativity, Virgin Mother, is indescribable and unknown, for You were the dwelling of the eternal Only Begotten Son of the Father, without being scorched by Him.
Song 8
Irmos: In the flame of the fiery burning furnace who preserved the children and in the eye of the Angel who descended to them, sing to the Lord and exalt Him forever.
Chorus: Reverend Father Maxima, pray to God for us.
Desiring the flame of the Divine Paraclete's obliquity, Reverend Maximus, for this sake and with the sweetest light of teaching and miracles, you drove away all demonic darkness with fire.
Chorus: Reverend Father Maxima, pray to God for us.
You taught people to run away from the flames of Gehenna, Reverend Maxima, calling on them by deeds to fulfill the commandments of Christ and to retreat from malice, fornication, lies, pride, flattery and the unrighteous theft of other people's property.
Glory: Thou didst ardently burn up heretical wickedness, O wise Maximus, and expound the immaculate Christian faith to the Divine Confession.
And now: In the flame of the fiery burning Bush, Moses the God-Seer saw Thee, proclaiming Thy seedless Nativity, O Most Pure Virgin, for this sake, free us from the carnal passions of freedom.
Song 9
Irmos: We magnify you, the bright light and Mother of God, the most wonderful glory above all creatures.
Chorus: Reverend Father Maxima, pray to God for us.
To you, the bright light, we have the utmost mind and the unshakable pillar, and above all we preach as a teacher of monks and a punisher of heresies.
Chorus: Reverend Father Maxima, pray to God for us.
You shone brightly from the midday lands, Reverend Maximus, showing your bright life, driving away the darkness of wickedness and shining with auspicious prayer.
Glory: Having become the light of the Divine mind, you have attained to the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the age of Christ. For this reason we cry out to you: blessed art thou truly in all things, and in all the deeds, and glory, and grace, which thou hast received from above.
And now: We magnify you with great songs, a bright light in the night of passions, a cover of goodness, and an insurmountable wall from the slander of the enemy.
Books, articles, poems
“Woe from Wit” (How dangerous it is to be a scientist in Rus').
Today, February 3 (January 21, O.S.), is the memory of St. Maxim the Greek (born around 1470 - December 12, 1555), one of the most educated people of his time, a famous figure of the Russian Enlightenment of the 16th century, who paid for his European learning and human decency through many years of imprisonment in a monastery dungeon. Mikhail Trivolis - this is the secular name of Maxim the Greek - was born in Arta into the aristocratic Greek family of Trivolis. In 1490-1491 he ran (unsuccessfully) for the council of the island of Corfu, and a year later he went to Italy, where he received an excellent university education...
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