All about car tuning

Works of Epiphanius the Wise. Epiphanius the Wise and the main features of the hagiographic genre of the late 14th century. The monastery around the cell of Sergius

Thanks to history textbooks, many of us know about people famous throughout the centuries, for example, great commanders, politicians and scientists. But, unfortunately, the school provides only a tiny bit of knowledge about those figures who brought wisdom and kindness through their lives, and also perpetuated historical facts.

We propose to correct this and learn about a truly great man, who is known to devout and churchgoers as St. Epiphanius the Wise (a photo of the uncanonized saint, unfortunately, no longer exists due to the passage of time). He is the author of biographical texts about outstanding people of his time, participated in the chronicling of significant events of that era and, most likely, had influence in high society. Life of Epiphanius the Wise, summary his literary works, which miraculously survived to this day, are described in this article.

No date of birth

It is not known for certain when exactly Epiphanius the Wise was born. The monk’s biography contains rather meager and sometimes inaccurate information: St. Epiphanius lived in the second half of the 14th century, so it is not surprising that so many hundreds of years after his death there is so little information left about this smartest man. However, there are still facts collected bit by bit, which from scattered pieces add up to a definite life story of the monk Epiphanius.

Gifted Novice

It is widely believed that the life of Epiphanius the Wise began in Rostov. Young Epiphanius began his spiritual path in his hometown, in the monastery of St. Gregory the Theologian, the peculiarity of which was that services there were conducted in two languages: Church Slavonic and Greek.

In addition to its bilingual bias, the monastery was famous for its magnificent library, containing a huge variety of books written in different languages. The inquisitive mind and indefatigable thirst for knowledge of the hardworking novice led to him sitting for hours over tomes, studying various languages, as well as chronographs, ladders, biblical texts, historical Byzantine and Old Russian literature.

A huge role in the education of Epiphanius was played by close communication with Stephen of Perm, the future saint who served at the same monastery. Well-read and broad-minded are some of the reasons why Epiphanius was called the Wise.

Wind of wanderings

In addition to books, Epiphanius gained knowledge from his travels. There is information that the monk traveled a lot around the world: he was in Constantinople, made a pilgrimage to Mount Athos in Jerusalem, and also often visited Moscow and other Russian cities and villages. Proof of the journey to Jerusalem is the work “Tales of Epiphanius Mnich on the Road to the Holy City of Jerusalem.” Apparently, the knowledge acquired by the monk on expeditions can also serve as an answer to the question of why Epiphanius was called the Wise.

Grammar of the Trinity Monastery

After completing his studies at the Monastery of St. George the Theologian, the life of Epiphanius the Wise continued near Moscow. In 1380, he transferred to the Trinity Monastery and became a student of the famous ascetic in Rus' - Sergius of Radonezh. In this monastery, Epiphanius was listed as a literate and was active in book writing. Evidence of this fact is that the pile of manuscripts of the Sergius-Trinity Lavra contains the “Stichiraion” written by him with many postscripts and notes with his name.

Literature and drawing

In 1392, after the death of his mentor and spiritual father Sergius of Radonezh, the life of Epiphanius the Wise undergoes significant changes: he is transferred to Moscow under the leadership of Metropolitan Cyprian, where he meets the artist Theophan the Greek, with whom he will subsequently have long-term friendly relations. The artist and his works made such an indelible impression on the monk and brought him such indescribable delight that Epiphanius himself began to draw a little.

A Word about Stephen of Perm

In the spring of 1396, the monk-chronicler's benefactor, Bishop Stefan of Perm, died. And after some time, obsessed with the desire to tell the world about the deeds of the saint, Epiphanius the Wise wrote “The Life of Stephen of Perm.” This work is not detailed biography, and the traditional church-educational description of all the good deeds of the Bishop of Perm: Epiphanius glorifies Stephen as a saint who created the Perm alphabet, converted pagans to the Christian faith, crushed idols and built Christian churches on the lands

Epiphanius equates the exploits of Stephen of Perm in the Christian field with historical events, because in addition to its excellent literary qualities, “The Life of Stephen of Perm” is an invaluable historical source, because in addition to the personality of Bishop Stephen, it contains archival facts related to the ethnography, culture and history of those ancient times and events taking place in Perm, about its connections with Moscow and about the political situation in general. It is also extraordinary that there are no miracles in this literary work.

Contemporaries find it quite difficult to read the works of Epiphanius the Wise. Here are a few words that are often present in the tales of Epiphanius:

  • You are a Ruthenian by birth;
  • midnight, verb;
  • from a parent deliberately;
  • great cleric;
  • Christians too.

As time passed, the monk’s chronicle work, literacy and mastery of words were highly appreciated by learned men. This is another reason why Epiphanius was called the Wise.

Escape to Tver

In 1408, a terrible thing happened: Moscow was attacked by the cruel khan Edigei, obsessed with war, and his army. The life of the God-fearing Epiphanius the Wise takes a sharp turn: the modest book writer runs to Tver, not forgetting to grab his works. In Tver, Epiphanius was sheltered by Archimandrite Cornelius of the Savior Athanasius Monastery (in the world - Kirill).

Monk Epiphanius lived in Tver for 6 whole years, and during these years he became close friends with Cornelius. It was Epiphanius who told the archimandrite about creativity, speaking highly of the artist’s works. Epiphanius told Cyril that Theophanes painted about 40 churches and several buildings in Constantinople, Kafa, Chalcedon, Moscow and Veliky Novgorod. In his letters to Archimandrite Epiphanius also calls himself an isographer, that is, a book graphic artist, and notes that his drawings are only a copy of the work of Theophan the Greek.

Native monastery

In 1414, Epiphanius the Wise returned to his native land again - to the Trinity Monastery, which by that time began to be called Trinity-Sergius (in honor of Sergius of Radonezh). Despite his work on the biography of Stephen of Perm, as well as his long existence away from his native monastery, Epiphanius continues to make notes and document the facts of the actions of his mentor from the Grigorievsky Monastery, collecting eyewitness information and his own observations into one whole. And in 1418 Epiphanius the Wise wrote “The Life of Sergius of Radonezh.” It took him 20 long years to do this. To write faster, the monk lacked information and... courage.

A Word about Sergius of Radonezh

“The Life of Sergius of Radonezh” is an even more voluminous work than the “Sermon on the life and teaching of our holy father Stephen, who was a bishop in Perm.” It differs from the first “Life” in the abundance of biographical facts from the life of Sergius of Radonezh, and also differs in a clearer sequence of chronological events. Particularly worth noting is the one included in this “Life” historical fact, concerning the battle of Prince Dmitry Donskoy with the Tatar army of the cruel Khan Mamai. It was Sergius of Radonezh who blessed the prince for this warlike campaign.

Both “Lives” are reflections of Epiphanius the Wise about the difficult destinies of the main characters, about their emotions and feelings. Epiphany's works are full of complex epithets, florid phrases, various synonyms and allegories. The author himself calls his presentation of thoughts nothing less than a “verbal web.”

Here are the most frequently occurring words of Epiphanius the Wise, taken from the “Life of Sergius of Radonezh”:

  • as if;
  • sixth weeks;
  • fourtieth day;
  • bringing a baby;
  • repaying;
  • like Priasta;
  • it's a big deal;
  • Jereivi commands.

Perhaps it is precisely this unusual way of writing books that provides the answer to the question of why Epiphanius was called the Wise.

Another well-known version of the “Life of Sergius of Radonezh” exists in our time thanks to the revision of the Athonite monk Pachomius the Serb, who lived in the Trinity-Sergius Monastery in the period from 1440 to 1459. It was he who created new option"Lives" after St. Sergius of Radonezh was canonized. Pachomius the Serb changed the style and supplemented the work of Epiphanius the Wise with a narrative about the discovery of the relics of the Saint, and also described the posthumous miracles performed by Sergius of Radonezh from above.

No date of death

Just as the date of birth of Epiphanius the Wise is unknown, the exact date of his death has not been established. Various sources claim that the scribe ascended to heaven between 1418 and 1419. The estimated month of death is October.

Memorial Day of Epiphanius the Wise - June 14. At the moment, he is not ranked among, that is, not canonized. But most likely, it's only a matter of time...

The growing interest in the biographies of outstanding people manifested itself, first of all, in the lives of saints. This is what the “weaving of words” style served, which reached its greatest maturity in the works of Epiphanius the Wise. Using the example of the lives of Stefan of Perm and Sergius of Radonezh, it is best to show the features of this style. But before that, it is worth presenting the biography of this outstanding writer.

Together with Stefan of Perm, he studied at the Rostov monastery of Gregory the Theologian, which was famous for its library. Epiphanius writes that he often “fought” with Stefan about understanding divine texts and sometimes he was “annoyed” by Reader on Ancient Russian Literature of the 11th-17th centuries. M., 1952. P.195.. Probably then he learned Greek language. He also traveled a lot: he was in the Holy Land, Mount Athos and Constantinople. Epiphanius was a student of Sergius of Radonezh, it can definitely be said that in 1380 he was in the Trinity-Sergius Lavra Likhachev D.S. Dictionary of scribes and bookishness Ancient Rus'. L., 1987. Issue 2: second half of the 14th - 16th centuries, pp. 211-212. Later, Epiphanius moves to Moscow, where he meets Theophanes the Greek. After 1396, he wrote the life of Stephen of Perm. During the invasion of Edigei, Epiphanius fled with his books to Tver, where he was sheltered by Archimandrite Kirill of the Savior Afanasyev Monastery. The Gospel brought by Epiphanius contained miniatures depicting the Church of St. Sophia in Constantinople, which Cyril really liked. Later, in 1415, Epiphanius will write him a letter in which he will tell about his acquaintance with Theophanes the Greek, the author of these drawings, which Epiphanius copied. Epiphanius praises the intelligence and skill of Theophanes, names the cities in which he worked (unique information!). In the letter, Epiphanius also calls himself an “isographer,” i.e. an artist. At this time, Epiphanius returned to the Trinity Monastery, where in 1418 he completed the life of Sergius of Radonezh. Epiphanius died no later than 1422 Likhachev D.S. Dictionary of scribes and bookishness of Ancient Rus'. P.217..

“The Life of our venerable and God-bearing father, Abbot Sergius the Wonderworker, was written by the wise Epiphanius” has not reached us in its original form, because in the middle of the 15th century it was revised by the official hagiographer Pachomius Logothetes. The description of the saint’s life was shortened so that the life became suitable for worship, but the praise of Sergius also intensified. To give the life a ceremonial form, Pachomius removed unwanted political motives, as well as stories “about the badness of the Sergiev port” and how he was a carpenter A.I. Klibanov. Spiritual culture of medieval Rus'. M., 1994.P.59..

It was not for nothing that Epiphanius received his nickname - he was the smartest person of its time. In the text, he repeatedly quoted and paraphrased passages from the Bible. In some cases, a montage was created from them, as in the prayer of Sergius after his tonsure: it was composed of excerpts from psalms. Epiphanius also knew Byzantine hagiography; in the text he cited an extract from the life of Metropolitan Peter. Monuments of literature of Ancient Rus' XIV - mid. XV centuries M., 1981. Comment. Bulanina D.M. to the life of Sergius of Radonezh.

Klibanov A.I. Spiritual culture of medieval Rus'. P.59..

The composition of the life is harmonious Likhachev D.S. Dictionary of scribes and bookishness of Ancient Rus'. P.331. and consists of 30 chapters. In the introduction, the author praises God. After this, he complains that “how many years have passed, and the life of Sergius has not been written” Monuments of literature of Ancient Rus' XIV - ser. XV centuries M., 1981.. He had to do it himself, “unworthy.” The author understands all the responsibility that falls on him: “looking at the many works of the elder and his great deeds, I was as if speechless and idle, being in bewilderment from horror, not finding the words necessary, worthy of his deeds. How can I, poor thing, at the present time write the entire life of Sergius in order, and tell about his many deeds and countless labors?” Right there. At the beginning of the life there is a story about an amazing miracle when a boy, being in the womb of his mother, shouted three times when she stood in the temple during the liturgy. In the life there are piles of synonyms typical for “weaving words”: “Mary his mother, from that day... remained safely until childbirth and carried the baby in her womb like a priceless treasure, and like a precious stone, and like a wonderful pearl, and like a vessel chosen” Monuments of literature of Ancient Rus' XIV - mid. XV centuries M., 1981.. The next chapter is a story about how the youth Bartholomew (secular name of Sergius) mastered reading and writing.

In the chapter “On the Relocation of the Saint’s Parents,” the author describes the outrages of Muscovites in Rostov, which forced Sergius’s family to move to Radonezh. Probably Epiphany was not a Muscovite and did not sympathize with the strengthening of Moscow's power.

And here is an example of interest in the inner world of a person: “how to clearly write about the saint’s solitude, and daring, and groaning, and about the constant prayers that he always turned to God; who can describe his warm tears, spiritual weeping, heartfelt sighs, all-night vigils, fervent singing, unceasing prayers, standing without rest, diligent reading, frequent kneeling, hunger, thirst, lying on the ground, spiritual poverty, poverty in everything” Ibid..

In the life there is a story “about a certain villager” who came to worship the saint, but when he saw him doing dirty work, he did not believe that it was Abbot Sergius himself. The image of the saint in life is close to the common people: Sergius is represented as a farmer, a woodcutter, a carpenter, a flour miller, a Swedish worker, a shoemaker, a baker, and a cook. After the description of the death of the saint, there follows a “Word of Praise” and a prayer to the saint.

In the life there is a play with words of the same root, which gives the presentation greater significance, forces the reader to look for the secret meaning behind individual sayings: “Simplicity without diversity”, “sadness comes to me and pity drowns me” Likhachev D.S. Research on Old Russian Literature. P.32.

The Life of Stephen of Perm was written by Epiphanius, probably immediately after the death of his friend - after 1395. He writes that he diligently collected information about Stefan everywhere and compiled his own memoirs. He writes that he took on this work “obsessed with desire and striving for love” Likhachev D.S. Dictionary of scribes and bookishness of Ancient Rus'. P.212.. The Life has come to us in manuscripts and in full form (about 20 copies of the 15th-17th centuries are known). It is notable for the “absence of any miracles in its content.” Prokhorov G.M. Epiphanius the Wise // Dictionary of scribes and bookishness of Ancient Rus' Composition of the Life: introduction, 17 chapters, each of which has a title, and conclusion. The latter consists of “The Lament of the Perm People”, “The Lament of the Perm Church”, “Prayer for the Church” and “The Lament and Praise of the Monk Who Writes Off”. The idea of ​​the composition of the life belongs entirely to Epiphanius and has no analogues in hagiography either Greek or Slavic Likhachev D.S. Dictionary of scribes and bookishness of Ancient Rus'. P.213..

It is in this life that the term “weaving of words” is found. This is how Epiphanius calls his own style: “Yes, and I, a great sinner and a fool of little understanding, following the words of your praises, weave the word and the word fruitful, and honor the word with the word, and collect praise from the words, and acquiring and dragging in.”

Stefan of Perm was born in Veliky Ustyug and was distinguished by his piety from childhood. Having become a monk, he was inflamed with the desire to become a preacher in the Perm land, “possessed by hunger, not by the famine of grain, but by the famine of not hearing the Word of God.” After he learned Greek in the monastery, and also knowing the Perm language, he compiled the Perm alphabet of 24 letters. After many difficult years, miraculously avoiding death, he managed to lead the pagans to Christianity, build several churches, translate liturgical texts into Perm, and teach many Perm residents to read and write. The result of this was the emergence of a new Perm diocese.

As elsewhere in the lives, the author does not focus on details if they do not serve to glorify the saint. But where it is necessary to show the materiality of an object, he does it excellently. Denouncing the idolatry of the Permians, Stefan says about their idols: “They have ears and do not hear, they have eyes and do not see, they have nostrils and do not smell, they have hands and do not touch, they have legs and do not walk, and do not walk and do not listen.” Likhachev D.S. Research on Old Russian Literature. L., 1986. P.34, etc.

Epiphanius skillfully uses “weaving words” with his characteristic chains of various epithets, comparisons, and an abundance of rhetorical figures, sometimes combining all this with simple, almost colloquial language. In his lives there are many neologisms (“evil-wise”, “much-weeping”), internal monologues, the text is quite rhythmic.

1418 (excerpt)


The Life of Sergius of Radonezh - the founder of the Trinity-Sergius Monastery and one of the associates of the Moscow Grand Duke Dmitry Ivanovich - was compiled by Sergius's student, the monk Epiphanius the Wise. Epiphanius began collecting materials for a future biography a year or two after the death of Sergius (September 25, 1392). First, he wrote a speech of praise to Sergius, then - unpreserved "chapters" about the life of Sergius, and, finally, based on draft scrolls and notebooks - the initial view of the life of 1418. Unfortunately, it has not survived to this day, but the news of this life is contained in subsequent revisions of Epiphanius’s biography of Sergius, carried out by the South Slavic hagiographer writer Pachomius the Serb in the late 30s - early 40s of the 15th century.

One of the articles from the life of 1418, preserved in subsequent revisions, “On the Victory over Mamai”, reflects the initial stage of development of the legend about the personal participation of Sergius of Radonezh in the preparation of the Battle of Kulikovo.

ABOUT VICTORY OVER MOTHER

With God's permission for our sins, the news came that the Horde prince Mamai had gathered a great army, the entire horde of godless Tatars, and was going to the Russian land. And all the people were seized with great fear. And the great-power prince, who then held the scepter of the Russian lands, the praiseworthy and victorious great Dmitry... came to Saint Sergius, for he had great faith in the elder, to ask him whether he would command him to speak out against the godless, since he knew that Sergius was virtuous and has the gift of prophecy. And the saint, having listened to the great prince, blessed him, armed him with prayer and said: “It behooves you, sir, to take care of the flock of Christ given to you by God. Go against the godless and, with God's help, you will win and with great glory you will return alive to your fatherland." And the Grand Duke said: "If God helps me, Father, I will build a monastery in the name of the Most Pure Mother of God." And having said this, he accepted the blessing and quickly set off on his way.

And so, having gathered all his warriors, he marched against the godless Tatars. And seeing how large their army was, many began to doubt, many were overcome with fear, wondering how they could escape. And suddenly at that hour a messenger arrived with a message from the saint, which said: “Without any doubt, sir, boldly go against their malice. Do not be afraid: God will help you in everything.”

And then the Grand Duke Dmitry and his entire army, filled with insolence, went out against the blacks, and the prince said: “Great God, who created heaven and earth, help me in the battle against the opponents of your name.” And so they fought.

Many bodies fell, and God helped the great victorious Dmitry, and the filthy Tatars were defeated and put to death. They saw God's filthy anger and God's indignation, and everyone ran. The crusader banner, pursuing the enemies for a long time, destroyed countless numbers of them. Some ran away, wounded, others were caught alive. And there was a wonderful day and a wonderful victory, and if before the weapon shone, now it was bloodied with the blood of foreigners. And everyone wore signs of victory. And here the prophetic word came true: “One drove a thousand, and two drove ten thousand.”

And the saint, about whom it was said above that he had the gift of prophecy, knew all this, as if he was nearby, saw from afar over long distances, from where he could not reach for many days, and prayed with the brethren, thanking the Lord for the victory over the filthy.

A little time passed since the godless were completely defeated, and the saint told his brothers everything that had happened: the victory and courage of Grand Duke Dmitry Ivanovich, described the glorious victory over the filthy, and called everyone killed by them by name and prayed for them to the all-merciful God .

And the praiseworthy and victorious Grand Duke Dmitry, having won a glorious victory over his barbarian enemies, returns with much joy to his fatherland. And without delay he comes to the holy elder Sergius, thanking him for his good advice and glorifying the omnipotent God and thanking the elder and the brethren for the prayers, and with heartfelt joy he told everything that happened, how many mercies the Lord showed him, and gave rich alms to the monastery...


Translation by A.I. Pliguzov, made according to the “Chrestomathy” by N.K. Gudziya, reproducing the text of the “Chrestomathy” by F.I. Buslaev and verified with the list of his life stored in the manuscript department of the State Library named after V.I. Lenin (Trinity Assembly, III, No. 21); by definition B.M. Kloss, this list from the mid-80s of the 16th century belongs to the Main Type of the Long Edition of the Life of Sergius (the edition was compiled in the Metropolitan Book-Writing Workshop in the 20s of the 16th century based on the Epiphanius Life of Sergius, as well as the third, fourth and fifth editions of Pachomius) .

    THE LIFE OF OUR REVEREND AND GOD-BEARING FATHER - IGUMENE SERGIUS THE WONDERWORKER, written by Epiphanius the Wise - (according to the 1646 edition) 1

THE LIFE AND MIRACLES OF THE REVEREND SERGIUS IGUMENE OF RADONEZH,
recorded by Saint Epiphanius the Wise,
Hieromonk Pachomius Logothet and Elder Simon Azaryin.

ABOUT THE BOOK

This edition of the Life of St. Sergius of Radonezh (translated into Russian) is based on two ancient Russian editions of the Life, created at different times by three authors - Epiphanius the Wise, Pachomius Logofet (Serb) and Simon Azaryin.

Epiphanius the Wise, a famous scribe of the early 15th century, a monk of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra and a disciple of St. Sergius, wrote the very first Life of the St. Sergius 26 years after his death - in 1417–1418. For this work, Epiphanius collected documentary data, eyewitness memories and his own notes for twenty years. An excellent connoisseur of patristic literature, Byzantine and Russian hagiography, a brilliant stylist, Epiphanius focused his writing on the texts of South Slavic and Old Russian Lives, masterfully applying an exquisite style, rich in comparisons and epithets, called “weaving words.” The life as edited by Epiphanius the Wise ended with the death of St. Sergius. IN independent form This ancient edition of the Life has not reached our time, and scientists reconstructed its original appearance from later compilation codes. In addition to the Life, Epiphanius also created a Eulogy to Sergius.

The original text of the Life was preserved in the revision of Pachomius Logofet (Serb), an Athonite monk who lived in the Trinity-Sergius Monastery from 1440 to 1459 and created a new edition of the Life shortly after the canonization of St. Sergius, which took place in 1452. Pachomius changed the style, supplemented the text of Epiphanius with a story about the discovery of the relics of the Saint, as well as a number of posthumous miracles; he also created a service to Saint Sergius and a canon with an akathist. Pachomius repeatedly corrected the Life of St. Sergius: according to researchers, there are from two to seven Pachomius editions of the Life.

In the middle of the 17th century, based on the text of the Life revised by Pachomius (the so-called Long Edition), Simon Azaryin created a new edition. The servant of Princess Mstislavskaya, Simon Azaryin came to the Lavra to recover from his illness, and was healed by Archimandrite Dionysius. After this, Simon remained in the monastery and for six years was the cell attendant of the Monk Dionysius. From 1630 to 1634, Azaryin was a Builder in the Alatyr Monastery attached to the Lavra. After returning from Alatyr, in 1634 Simon Azaryin became Treasurer, and twelve years later, Celar of the monastery. In addition to the Life of St. Sergius, Simon created the Life of St. Dionysius, finishing it in 1654.

The Life of Sergius of Radonezh, as edited by Simon Azaryin, together with the Life of Hegumen Nikon, the Eulogy to Sergius and services to both saints, was published in Moscow in 1646. The first 53 chapters of Simon's edition (up to and including the story about the nun Mariamia) represent the text of the Life of Epiphanius the Wise as processed by Pachomius Logothetes (Serb), which Simon divided into chapters and slightly revised stylistically. The next 35 chapters belong to Simon Azaryin himself. In preparing the Life for publication, Simon sought to collect the most full list information about the miracles of St. Sergius, known from the time of the death of the saint until the middle of the 17th century, but at the Printing House, as Azaryin himself writes, the masters treated his story about new miracles with distrust and, at their own discretion, printed only 35 chapters about the miracles collected by Simon, leaving out the rest. In 1653, on behalf of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, Simon Azaryin finalized and supplemented the Life: he returned to the unpublished part of his book, added a number of new stories about the miracles of St. Sergius and provided this second part with an extensive preface, but these additions were not published then.

The first section of this text includes the actual Life of St. Sergius of Radonezh, ending with his death. The 32 chapters of this section represent an edition of the Life made by Pachomius Logothetes. The second section, beginning with the story of the discovery of the relics of Sergius, is devoted to the posthumous miracles of the Rev. It includes the edition of the Life of Simon Azaryin, published by him in 1646, and its later part of 1653, containing additions about new miracles and beginning with a preface.

The first 32 chapters of the Life, as well as the Eulogy to St. Sergius, are given in a new translation made at the Central Scientific Center " Orthodox Encyclopedia"Taking into account the translation by M. F. Antonova and D. M. Bulanin (Monuments of literature of Ancient Rus' XIV - mid-XV centuries. M., 1981. P. 256–429). Translation of chapters 33–53, as well as the rest 35 chapters written by Simon Azaryin were carried out by L. P. Medvedeva based on the edition of 1646. The translation of Simon Azaryin’s later additions of 1653 was made by L. P. Medvedeva based on a manuscript published by S. F. Platonov in Monuments ancient writing and art (SPb., 1888. T. 70). The division into chapters of the Pachomius edition of the Life is made in accordance with the book of Simon Azaryin.

LIFE
OUR REVEREND AND GOD-BEARING FATHER
IGUMENE SERGY THE WONDERWORKER,
written by Epiphanius the Wise
(according to the 1646 edition)

Chapter 1
INTRODUCTION

Glory to God for everything and for all deeds, for the sake of which the great and thrice-holy, ever-glorified name is always glorified! Glory to the Most High God, glorified in the Trinity, who is our hope, light and life, in whom we believe, in whom we were baptized. By which we live, move and have our being! Glory to Him who showed us the life of a holy man and spiritual elder! The Lord knows how to glorify those who glorify Him and bless those who bless Him, and always glorifies His saints who glorify Him with a pure, godly and virtuous life.

We thank God for His great goodness to us, as the apostle said: " Thanks be to God for His ineffable gift!"Now we must especially thank God for giving us such a holy elder, I’m talking about Mr. Venerable Sergius, in our Russian land and in our northern country, nowadays, in last times and years. His tomb is with us and in front of us, and by coming to him with faith, we always receive great consolation for our souls and great benefit; truly this is a great gift given to us by God.

I am surprised that so many years have passed and the Life of Sergius has not been written. I am bitterly saddened by the fact that twenty-six years have already passed since this holy elder, wonderful and perfect, died, and no one dared to write about him - neither people close to him, nor those distant, nor great, nor simple: the great did not want write, but the simple ones didn’t dare. A year or two after the elder’s death, I, cursed and daring, dared to start this business. Sighing to God and asking for the prayers of the elder, I began to describe in detail and little by little the life of the elder, saying to myself: “I do not boast before anyone, but I write for myself, in reserve, for memory and for benefit.” Over the course of twenty years, I compiled scrolls in which some information about the life of the elder was recorded for memory; Some of the notes were in scrolls, some in notebooks, but not in order - the beginning is at the end, and the end is at the beginning.

So I waited at that time and in those years, wanting someone more significant and wiser than me to write about Sergius, and I would go to bow to him, so that he would teach and enlighten me. But, having asked, I heard and found out for sure that no one anywhere was going to write about the elder; and when I remembered or heard about this, I was perplexed and thought: why did the quiet, wonderful and virtuous life of the Rev. remain undescribed for such a long time? For several years I remained, as it were, in idleness and thought, perplexed, grieving in sadness, amazed at my mind, overcome by desire. Finally, I was overcome by an irresistible desire to at least somehow begin to write, even if only a little of the many, about the life of the Venerable Elder.

I found the elders, wise in their answers, prudent and reasonable, and asked them about Sergius in order to resolve my doubt whether I should write about him. The elders answered me: “As bad and inappropriate as it is to ask about the life of the wicked, it is equally inappropriate to forget the life of holy men, not to describe it, to put it into silence and leave it in oblivion. If the Life of a holy man is written, then this will be of great benefit.” and consolation for writers, storytellers, and listeners; if the Life of the holy elder is not written, and those who knew and remembered him die, then is such a thing necessary? useful thing leave in oblivion and, like the abyss, consigned to silence. If his Life is not written, then how will those who did not know him know what he was like or where he came from, how he was born, how he grew up, how he took his hair, how he labored abstinently, how he lived and what was the end of his life? If the Life is written, then, having heard about the life of the elder, someone will follow his example and benefit from this. The Great Basil1 writes: “Be an imitator of those who live righteously and imprint their lives and deeds in your heart.” You see, he commands to write the Lives of the saints not only on parchment, but also in your heart for the sake of benefit, and not to hide or conceal, because the king’s secret should be kept, and preaching the works of God is a good and useful deed.”

THE WISE Epiphanius [birth year unknown] - writer-hagiographer, monk.

Biographical information about Epiphanius the Wise is scarce and not accurate enough. A Rostovite by birth, he spent about 31 years in the Trinity-Sergius Monastery, first as a deacon, and then as a hieromonk and confessor of the brotherhood.

For many years, Epiphanius the Wise was a member of the monastery under the leadership of its founder, Sergius of Radonezh, and met with Stefan, the Bishop of Perm, who visited the monastery. The Trinity-Sergius Monastery with its high book culture was the main theological school of Epiphanius the Wise.

Apparently, Epiphanius the Wise visited Mount Athos.

One of the most educated people of his time, Epiphanius the Wise knew Greek and was well-read in biblical, church teaching, hagiography, historical Byzantine and Old Russian literature. Epiphanius was nicknamed “the Wise” by his contemporaries for his outstanding mental and literary talent.

Soon after the death of Stephen (1396), the first bishop of Perm, Epiphanius the Wise wrote his “Life”. The description of the life of Stephen of Perm did not contain detailed biographical information about him and unfolded in the traditional spirit of church-edifying biographies of “saints” (pious childhood, early love of books, selfless spiritual deeds, blessed death). But in literary terms, this extensive work of Epiphanius the Wise was distinguished by its novelty and significance. Epiphanius the Wise glorified Stephen of Perm as an educator of the Komi (Zyryans), who converted them from paganism to Christianity, as the creator of the Perm alphabet, and a translator of books of “holy scripture” into the Perm language. The moral victory of Stefan over the Perm sorcerer Pam, the crushing of idols by Stefan, and the destruction of the “sacred” birch tree are especially expressively described. Epiphanius the Wise equated the actions of Stephen with the largest events in the history of ancient Christianity. The description of the death of Stephen of Perm is followed by solemn and touching “lamentations” for him by all the “Perm people”, the Perm church and the author himself, composed by Epiphanes the Wise. In his work on the life of Stephen of Perm, Epiphanius the Wise creatively used Hilarion’s “Sermon on Law and Grace.”

The second work of Epiphanius the Wise - "The Life of Sergius of Radonezh" written in 1417-1418, differs from the first “Life” in greater biographical detail, consistency of presentation and lyricism. While maintaining the rhetorical intensity of the style, Sergius’s “Life” does not shy away from “vernacular” in places. This “Life” includes an episode about how Prince Dmitry Donskoy prepared for the battle with the Tatar army of Khan Mamai and received the blessing of Sergius of Radonezh for this battle. In both “lives” the author’s excited thoughts about the fate of his heroes and the people around them abound. The inner life of people is revealed by Epiphanius the Wise with the help of contrasting and expressive characteristics of individual psychological states (feelings of “good” or “evil”), which rarely replace each other. The style of “hagiography” is distinguished by pomp and symbolic-metaphorical richness. The abundance of complex epithets, comparisons, synonyms and allegories creates an extreme ornateness of verbal imagery, which Epiphanius the Wise himself aptly called a “weaving of words” or a verbal “web”.

The “Lives” created by Epiphanius the Wise are among the best monuments of ancient Russian hagiographic literature, and Epiphanius the Wise himself is rightfully considered the greatest master of the hagiographic-panegyric style, new for his time, which developed the high traditions of the literature of Kievan Rus and deepened the achievements of South Slavic literature (XIV - beginning of the 15th century).

The style of Epiphanius the Wise became a model for many works of Russian literature of the 14th-16th centuries, glorifying the power of Russian statehood and the unification of Russian lands around Moscow. It is possible that Epiphanius the Wise also wrote an introduction to the Tver chronicle, a letter to Abbot Kirill of Tver, “A Sermon on the Life and Repose of Grand Duke Dmitry Ivanovich, Tsar of Russia”.

Died around - .

Russian writers. Biobibliographical dictionary.