The ranks of the heavenly hierarchy and the ranks of holiness

RUSSIAN SAINTS.
Veneration of saints is an important part of Orthodox doctrine.
Saints are earthly people who have achieved deification, a state of participation in God through permeation with divine energies, which is given to them as a reward for righteousness. Sharing with people in earthly life all the hardships of mortal existence, they became real, bodily bearers of qualities inherent in another world. A saint, a righteous man is an earthly angel and a heavenly man. It connects the earthly church and the heavenly church, clearly testifying to the effectiveness of the divine principle in the world. Entering the Heavenly Church after death, he becomes a prayer book and patron of Christians who resort to his help. From the point of view of understanding the history of mankind, saints are historical figures who discovered for their time the paths of national religious calling, which clearly characterize a particular historical era. Russian historian G.P. Fedotov wrote that it is the national concept of holiness that contains the key to understanding the most complex and contradictory phenomena of Russian culture. Also on topic:
RUSSIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH

Popular, spontaneous veneration of a saint, as a rule, precedes his recognition as a saint by the official church. Church recognition is expressed by the act of canonization, calling the flock to venerate the righteous in the forms of public worship. Saints are glorified through the painting of icons, the creation of lives, church services and prayers. The basis for church canonization is the life and feat of a saint, miracles performed by him during his life or after death, and in some cases, the incorruption of his relics. In addition to church-wide canonization, there is the concept of local, diocesan canonization, when the veneration of a saint has narrowly local forms and takes place within the boundaries of a city, monastery, or temple. The Church also recognizes the existence of unknown saints, whose glory has not yet been revealed to the world, and therefore does not prohibit private prayers to the departed righteous. In liturgical practice, the main difference between canonized saints and the venerated dead is that the former serve prayers, and the latter, requiem services. In this regard, it is natural that all lists of Russian saints indicate a different number of glorified righteous people. see also

SAINT.

Story.

In Rus', the right of solemn canonization was retained for a long time by the metropolitans of Kyiv and then Moscow. It was Metropolitan John of Kiev in the 11th century. composed a service and established a celebration for the first Russian holy princes Boris and Gleb. The main feature of the glorification of Russian saints in the 11th–16th centuries. was that the act of canonization was preceded by the opening of the burials of the righteous in anticipation of miracles from their remains (Princes Boris and Gleb, Princess Olga, St. Theodosius of Pechersk, etc.). In the monthly words of this time, 70 venerated deceased are indicated, 22 of whom had church-wide veneration.

Also on topic:

SAINT

Beginning with Metropolitan Macarius (1542–1563), the canonization of saints became a matter of church councils under the high priest. The fruit of the activity of the Makariev Councils was the canonization of 39 Russian saints, which emphasized the increased authority of the Russian Orthodox Church. The councils of the era of Metropolitan Macarius seemed to sum up the six-hundred-year history of the Russian Church, canonizing Russian ascetics, the memory of whose miracles and exploits was preserved by the people's memory.

The 17th century became an even more favorable time for the growth of Russian holiness. Up to 150 new names of church-wide and local veneration were included in the calendar. The most important feature of the canonizations of this period was the predominant glorification of the righteous who worked in the field of church building and missionary education. At this time, the requirements for the manifestation of miracles are relaxed and the ancient Byzantine rules are brought to the fore - the canonization of pious bishops by virtue of their church rank.

The onset of the synodal period was marked by the fact that the Holy Synod became the only canonization authority. In the 18th–19th centuries, during a period of general weakening of the activity of church life in Russia, canonizations were extremely rare. Before Emperor Nicholas II, only four righteous people were canonized. On the contrary, during the short reign of the pious Emperor Nicholas II, seven new saints were canonized. At the beginning of the 20th century, in addition to the calendar of generally and locally revered saints, lists of deceased Orthodox Christians were compiled in Russia, who were called saints, but in the memory of the church only memorial services were performed for them. These lists included approx. 500 names. The modern period opens with the Local Council of the Russian Orthodox Church of 1917–1918, at which Sophronius of Irkutsk and Joseph of Astrakhan were canonized. During the Soviet period in the 1970s, the enlightener of America, Metropolitan Innocent of Moscow and Kolomna, Archbishop Nicholas of Japan and Reverend Herman of Alaska were proclaimed saints. New acts of canonization took place in the year of celebrating the millennium of the baptism of Rus'. Among the newly recognized saints are Dmitry Donskoy, Xenia of Petersburg, Ambrose of Optina and others. In the 1990s, a local celebration was established for the new martyrs who suffered during the years of Soviet power. At the Bishops' Jubilee Council (August 13–16, 2000), members of the royal family were canonized (“in the Council of New Martyrs and Confessors”) “as passion-bearers”: the last Emperor of Russia Nicholas II, Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, Tsarevich Alexei and princesses Olga, Tatiana , Maria and Anastasia, executed in 1918. See also

LOCAL CATHEDRAL 1917–1918.

Orthodox Life

About the ranks of saints - Priest Andrei Chizhenko.

The concept of “canonization” means the Orthodox Church’s rank of one or another ascetic of piety among a certain number of saints: patriarchs, prophets, apostles, equal to the apostles, saints, holy martyrs, holy confessors, venerable martyrs, venerable confessors, martyrs, confessors, righteous, noble princes, reverends, passion-bearers, unmercenaries , blessed ones (fools for Christ's sake). There are such individual ranks of saints with which the Church celebrated only specific people. For example, the holy forefathers Adam and Eve - that is, the first people who are great-great-grandfathers for all of us... grandfather and great-great-grandmother. Or the holy godfathers Joachim and Anna - the parents of the Virgin Mary, called godfathers because they gave birth to the Most Holy Theotokos, who became the Mother of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The first three ranks of saints - patriarchs, prophets, apostles - are also, let's say, already completed. The title of the Most Holy Primates of the Churches - Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, Jerusalem, Russian, etc. should not be confused with the rank of holy patriarchs. The rank of holy patriarchs means the holy ancestors of humanity - the descendants of the forefathers Adam and Eve, who led a pious, ascetic holy life in the times of the Old Testament - Patriarch Seth, Patriarch Enoch, Patriarch Noah, Patriarch Abraham, etc. The prophets, who told people the will of God and were led by the Holy Spirit, also lived mainly during the Old Testament. Their main task was to announce to people about the coming of the Coming Messiah - our Lord and God and Savior Jesus Christ. This is the holy prophet Isaiah, and the holy prophet Ezekiel, and the holy prophet Elijah and other Old Testament prophets. The last New Testament prophets were Saints John the Baptist and his father Zechariah. But such a gift of the Holy Spirit as prophecy has not been erased from the life of the Church; it continues to manifest itself in the activities of certain saints of God. As a service of a certain nature, the prophetic order was fully fulfilled with the coming of the Savior into the world. The holy apostles, as disciples chosen by Christ himself, also constituted a very specific group of people with whom, as a result of the gracious gifts of the Holy Spirit, the Church began. They ordained the first bishops, priests, and deacons. Equal-to-the-Apostles husbands and wives can still be canonized today. These are those saints of God who worked in missionary work, spreading the word of God and brought, as a rule, entire nations to Christ - the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Grand Duchess Olga and Prince Vladimir for the Eastern Slavs or the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Archbishop Nicholas for the Japanese.

Saints are the rank of saints in which bishops were canonized, i.e. priests of the highest rank of the church hierarchy: Patriarchs, metropolitans, archbishops, bishops.

In the rank of holy martyrs, persons in holy rank are glorified - bishops, priests, deacons who accepted martyrdom for Christ.

Priestly confessors are persons in holy orders who died a non-violent death, but during their lives also suffered torment for the Orthodox faith: for example, prisons and camps, torture during interrogations in Soviet times.

The rank of venerables glorifies people who have taken monastic vows and led an ascetic, virtuous, God-pleasing life, filled with love for the Lord and for people. Venerables may also be glorified with the rank of venerable martyrs and venerable confessors .

Martyrs and confessors are lay people who endured the above-described feats for Christ.

In the rank of the righteous, “white” married priests or laymen who led a godly, ascetic, prayerful righteous life are glorified. Such, for example, were the righteous Tabitha, healed by the holy supreme apostle Peter (Acts 9:36–43), the righteous John of Kronstadt, Alexei Mechev, Juliania Lazarevskaya, Artemy Verkolsky, Simeon of Verkhoturye and many others.

The noble princes are holy ascetics who belonged to princely and royal families, passion are people who were killed for political reasons, but who endured torment, persecution and death with truly Christian patience and trust in God. These were the saints Emperor Nicholas, Empress Alexandra and their children Alexy, Maria, Tatiana, Anastasia, Olga.

The rank of holy unmercenaries includes people who, for the sake of Christ, have accepted the feat of voluntary begging and service to God and people. These are, for example, the holy wonderworkers and unmercenaries Cosmas and Damian and others.

The blessed are those people who have accepted the feat of foolishness (Church Slavonic - “madness”, “madness”) - imaginary madness for the world, voluntary begging for the sake of Christ and many hidden ascetic feats: Blessed Andrei the Fool, Blessed Xenia of St. Petersburg, many others.

The word “canonization” itself means, translated from Latin, “to take as a rule.” Its Russian synonym is “ranking” among the saints, or “commissioning”, “containing” among the saints. The Greek canonical tradition uses the term "declaration" as a saint.

So, what factors from the life of a particular ascetic influence the possibility of being canonized? Patriarch Nektarios of Jerusalem outlines them in his essay: “Three things are recognized as evidence of true holiness in people: 1) impeccable Orthodoxy; 2) the fulfillment of all virtues, followed by confrontation for faith even to the point of bloodshed, and, finally, the manifestation of supernatural signs and wonders by God; 3) is very necessary in view of the fact that in our time unscrupulous people fake miracles and invent virtues - and therefore the incorruption of relics or the fragrance of bones is also recognized as evidence of holiness.”

Today there is a Commission for the Canonization of Saints under the Holy Synod of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. Similar commissions, created with the blessing of the Ruling Bishops, also exist in dioceses.

These institutions collect information about the lives of devotees of piety (as saints are called before canonization), about miracles occurring from their icons and relics, and about popular veneration. Then they present the collected information to a meeting of the Holy Synod, at which a decision on canonization is already made. It can also be adopted at the Council of Bishops of the UOC or at the Council of the UOC.

The division into general church and locally revered saints is rather geographical and historical. There are saints who are historically revered by the entirety of the Universal Church - Saints Basil the Great, John Chrysostom, Gregory the Theologian, Nicholas the Wonderworker and others; The Local Church - for the Russian - Righteous John of Kronstadt, Demetrius of Rostov, Hieromartyr Vladimir, Metropolitan of Kiev, and others. And there are saints who are historically revered in the territory of a certain diocese (region; in ancient times, a monastery, temple or city). For example, for the Kyiv diocese - the Venerable Jonah of Kiev, for the Nikolaev diocese - the holy martyr Nikolai Romanovsky, the new martyrs of Vasilyevsky, for the Donetsk diocese - the Venerable Ilya Makeevsky.

It seems to me, based on the fact that each nation or region is given its own Guardian Angel, we can say that, by God’s will, a certain land is given its own heavenly patron - a holy ascetic who labored on it and, after death, stands before the Throne of God for its inhabitants .

In the liturgical liturgical tradition, there is no difference between the veneration of a general church saint and a locally revered saint: days of remembrance, inclusion in the calendar (monthly calendar), icons, relics, akathists, troparia, kontakion, other prayers and services.

We, dear brothers and sisters, will turn to all the saints of God, believing that they, being in the palaces of heaven, do not leave us, sinners, trying to lead the narrow path of salvation to the Kingdom of Heaven. All saints, pray to God for us!

Priest Andrey Chizhenko

Princes.

It is significant that the first Russian saints were princes Boris and Gleb. However, they were glorified not as “autocrats”, but as “passion-bearers.” Their glory consisted in their voluntary renunciation of power and self-sacrifice, on which the Russian state of the era of Yaroslav the Wise was established. From now on, all Russian princes were called upon to follow this model of behavior of a Christian prince, whose religious duty was to sacrifice himself for the salvation of his people. In the eyes of ancient Russian people, the principality, at the foundation of which a sacrifice was made, received an advantage over others, for it gained firm hope of salvation from enemies through the prayers of the prince buried in the city. It was the princely tomb, as a sacred place containing miraculous remains, that turned out to be the “point” around which a feeling of another reality arose, growing into church veneration. A striking example is the history of the canonization of the Yaroslavl princes Vasily and Constantine. In 1501, after a fire in the Yaroslavl cathedral, two coffins were found with remains identified with the brothers Vasily and Konstantin, information about which is not contained in any chronicle. Soon a church celebration was established for them, and the monk Pachomius wrote a life of a legendary nature, presenting the princes as heroes who died during the Mongol-Tatar invasion. The attitude towards the tomb temples was also special. Thus, a significant number of legends are associated with the tomb of the Moscow princely dynasty - the Kremlin Archangel Cathedral, which was perceived as the place of residence of the souls of the princes buried here. It is no coincidence, apparently, that in this connection the custom arose of taking an oath to the dead fathers in the temple to be “at one” with their brothers, as well as the custom of asking the graves of their ancestors for help in military campaigns. This attitude towards the place of the princely burial was largely due to the fact that the ancient Russian people saw in the prince, first of all, their common ancestor, the “father of the people,” whose very purpose was to serve the clan, the world, and the fatherland. An expressive episode is contained in one of the editions of the life of Saint Prince Alexander Nevsky. In 1571, during the invasion of Moscow by the Crimean Khan Devlet Girey, the monk of the Nativity Monastery in Vladimir prayed near the shrine with the relics of Alexander Nevsky. Suddenly he clearly saw the holy princes Boris and Gleb enter the temple and call on Alexander Yaroslavich to rise to the defense of the fatherland. Then the three of them go to the Assumption Cathedral for Andrei Bogolyubsky, Vsevolod, Georgy and Yaroslav Vsevolodovich. Then they rush to Rostov for Peter of Ordynsky and, thus, gather the “holy army” for the defense of their native land.

The entire host of holy princes, depending on the feat they suffered in life, is divided into several groups. The first group consists of princes equal to the apostles, the essence of whose feat is the spread of Christianity. This is, first of all, the holy Prince Vladimir, the baptist of Rus', and his grandmother, the holy Princess Olga. Constantine, the enlightener of the remote pagan land of Murom, was also ranked among the rank of Equal-to-the-Apostles princes. The second group consists of monastic princes. The humble worker of the Kiev-Pechersk Monastery was Prince Nikola Svyatosha (12th century), in the distant northern Spaso-Kamenny Monastery the Zaozersky Prince Andrei labored, who in his early youth took monastic vows (15th century). The most numerous is the group of passion-bearing princes. Here, princes who became victims of political murders are glorified (Andrei Bogolyubsky, Igor Kievsky - 12th century), and princes who died on the battlefield (Georgy Vsevolodovich - 13th century), and princes who suffered martyrdom defending the Christian faith (Mikhail Chernigovsky , Vasilko Konstantinovich, Roman Olgovich - 13th century).

Most of the princes awarded heavenly glory lived during the era of the Mongol-Tatar invasion, when historical circumstances obliged them to follow the example of Boris and Gleb (Mikhail Tverskoy, Mikhail Chernigovsky, Alexander Nevsky). In the era of the formation of a centralized state, princely sanctity dries up. From the moment the Byzantine state ideal was adopted by the Russians, not a single Moscow ruler was canonized. However, from this moment the development of the process of sacralization of royal power began. Within it, attempts were repeatedly made to introduce the tsars into the host of Russian holiness by virtue of the sacrament of anointing performed on them, the most important component of the rite of coronation. However, the initiatives that came from the tsarist government itself were not destined to become a phenomenon of significance for popular religiosity. In these attempts to glorify monarchs, or rather in the literary basis that was created for this, the most important component, so necessary for the popular recognition of the holiness of the sovereign, was missing - the sacrifice he made to his people, the fatherland. And in the 20th century. The last Russian Emperor Nicholas II and members of his family were glorified as passion-bearers.

Let's write down all 12 rites of holiness in a notebook.

Lesson summary

Elective: Biblical History and Christian Ethics

Grade: 4 Date: 12/07/2020

Topic: Examples of Christian holiness. Devotees of the Christian faith.

During the classes

Updating knowledge.

Please read the poem:

Secluded from the vanities of the earth, Among the virgin forests of the pagan region, A monk lived in a cave, within its damp walls, Day and night in prayer.

He endured both hunger and cold without complaint, in great humility. And a mysterious voice sounded to the saint - to build a monastery in a hitherto wild land.

This feat was revealed by the Lord in a providential way, and people reached out to seek salvation behind the prayer shield, and the suffering went for the arrangement of their destinies.

The monastery began to increase in number, the monks and the monk worked with them, grace was manifested in this place, from those times the places were considered holy.

In unearthly glory, the Trinitarian God appeared before the humble abbot, He could not calm down his fear of the Trinity, The monk fell on his knees.

By order of the Three Bright Men, the beloved erected a paradise Abode. The monk knew many sorrows... He walked the narrow path, he encouraged others to follow the path

-What is the poem about?

— What is common between the poem and the icons that you highlighted?

- Right. Both there and there they talk about holy people.

— Guys, why do we call some saints apostles, others prophets, others martyrs, etc.? What is the difference?

- Let's set the goal of the lesson together.

— Find out who the saints are and what ranks of holiness they have?

To achieve our goal we need to solve some problems:

1. Find out who is a saint?

2. Find out what titles of saints there are.

3. What science studies the lives of saints?

Discovery of new knowledge.

- Guys, who knows who this holy man is? (children's answers)

- I ask one of you to open Ozhegov’s dictionary and find the word “Saint” and read its meaning. Let's look at the slide and read from Ozhegov's dictionary what “holy” means.

1. Imbued with high feelings, sublime, ideal - Holy love for the Motherland.

2. Treasured, true, majestic and exceptional in importance - a Holy cause. Holy truth. Sacred duty.

3. In religious concepts: possessing divine grace. - Holy water. Holy spring.

For Christians: a person who devoted his life to protecting the interests of the church and religion, and after death was recognized as a model of Christian life and a bearer of miraculous power.
– Saint Andrew the First-Called.
Veneration of saints is the most important component of Orthodox doctrine.

Saints are earthly people who have achieved deification, that is, a state of involvement with God. A saint, a righteous man is an earthly angel and a heavenly man. It connects the Earthly Church and the Heavenly Church. Entering the Heavenly Church after death, he becomes a prayer book and patron of Christians who resort to his help.

The lives of saints form an important part of Sacred Tradition. This is a biography of clergy and secular persons canonized by the Christian Church. A special type of Christian literature that describes the life and deeds of saints is called “hagiography” (from the Greek “saint” + “I write”).

From the first centuries of the formation of the Christian Church, its members were subjected to persecution and cruel executions. Christians sought to become like not only in life, but also in death, accepting without complaint all the torments that befell them for their faith in Christ.

The memory of the martyrs was sacredly preserved by the Church. The so-called martyrologies have survived to this day (from the Greek martiros “

witness" +
logos
"word") - lists of martyrs indicating the suffering they endured.

In Ancient Rus', after baptism, translations of hagiographic literature appeared. And with the glorification of the first saints in Rus', which were the Varangians John and Theodore, princes Boris and Gleb, Vladimir the Red Sun, Princess Olga, Theodosius of Pechersk, Russian hagiography appeared.

The lives of the saints, arranged according to the dates and months of the year, were compiled into collections called “Cheti-Menei” .

Orders of holiness. The Orthodox Church distinguishes the following ranks of saints:

Mother of God, Mother of God Mary , superior to all angels and all saints;
Heavenly forces are disembodied - immortal disembodied spirits, gifted with mind, will and power. These are angels who form a hierarchy of nine ranks;
Prophets are saints who lived before the Savior’s coming to earth, who foreshadowed His coming, and also exposed the sins of their contemporaries and revealed to them the will of God.

The Gospel says that the parents of John the Baptist were the high priest Zechariah and his wife Elizabeth, who remained childless for a long time, until old age. One day, when Zechariah was serving in the temple, an angel appeared to him and said that his prayer would be fulfilled and his wife would give birth to a son who would be called John. This son “will be great before the Lord,” and many will rejoice in him, for he will return “the heart of the fathers to the children,” the rebellious thoughts of the righteous, “in order to present to the Lord a prepared people.” Because Zechariah did not immediately believe the gospel, he became speechless before the birth of his son. One of the greatest prophets and the first virgin of the Old Testament, born 900 years before the birth of Christ. From a young age, he settled in the desert and lived in a strict feat of fasting and prayer. For his fiery zeal for the Glory of God, he was taken to heaven alive in a fiery chariot. According to the tradition of the Holy Church, the prophet Elijah will be the Forerunner of the Second Coming of Christ to earth and will accept bodily death. They pray to the Prophet Elijah for rain during a drought.

Apostles - disciples of Christ, as well as saints who, like the apostles, spread the faith of Christ in different countries, are called equal to the apostles.

The apostles led the life of the first Christian communities. When they founded the first communities, they ordained a bishop (chief clergyman) and priests for them. The first century of the spread of Christianity in the world is called the Apostolic Age. The Holy Scripture says that in order for people all over the world to know the Good News about the perfect salvation of people, Christ chose twelve disciples - the apostles - to preach, and endowed them with power over unclean spirits in order to cast them out and heal all illnesses.

Equal to the Apostles are saints who, like the apostles, spread the faith of Christ in different countries.

The Roman Emperor Constantine and his mother Queen Helen were glorified as Equal-to-the-Apostles, who stopped the cruel persecution of Christians and made Christianity the state religion of the Byzantine Empire; Saint Nina, the enlightener of Georgia, who led the Georgian people to the Christian faith; Saints Equal to the Apostles Cyril and Methodius - educators of the Slavic peoples; Holy Princess Olga and Holy Prince Vladimir, who baptized Rus'.

Baptist of Rus', grandson of Equal-to-the-Apostles Princess Olga. It is difficult to overestimate the depth of the spiritual revolution brought about by the prayers of Saint Vladimir, Equal-to-the-Apostles, in the Russian people, in their entire life, in their entire worldview. In the clear waters of Kyiv, a mysterious transformation of the Russian spiritual element took place, the spiritual birth of a people called by God to feats of Christian service to humanity unprecedented in history.

Saint Equal to the Apostles Cyril, the Slovenian teacher, and his elder brother Methodius were Slavic by origin, born in Macedonia. In 862 the main work of the holy brothers began. At the request of Prince Rostislav, the emperor sent them to Moravia to preach Christianity in the Slavic language. Saints Cyril and Methodius, by revelation of God, compiled the Slavic alphabet and translated the Gospel, the Apostle, the Psalter and many liturgical books into the Slavic language. They introduced divine services in the Slavic language. Then the holy brothers were summoned to Rome at the invitation of the Pope, where Pope Adrian I met them with great honor. Sick and weak by nature, Saint Cyril soon fell ill from many labors and died. Before his death, he bequeathed to his brother to continue the Christian education of the Slavs.

Righteous saints are laymen and priests who achieved holiness while living among the world; Among the laity, a special rank is made up of holy noble princes ;
Hieromartyrs - bishops and priests who suffered for Christ; venerables - those who achieved holiness by asceticism in the monastic ranks; venerable martyrs - monastics who suffered for Christ

Reverend Seraphim of Sarov (in the world Prokhor Moshnin), a great ascetic of the Russian Orthodox Church, was born on July 19, 1754. Since childhood, he loved to attend church services and read the Holy Scriptures and the lives of saints to his peers. Having spent 8 years as a novice at the Sarov monastery, Prokhor took monastic vows with the name Seraphim. Everyone knew and revered St. Seraphim as a great ascetic and wonderworker. Those who came felt his great love and listened with emotion to the kind words with which he addressed people. The Queen of Heaven appeared to him twice, talked for a long time and taught him.

Hegumen of the Russian Land - this is how Sergius of Radonezh is called for the contribution he made to the spiritual life of Rus'. His disciples scattered across the Russian Land like birds, how many glorious abodes they built, how many people they brought to Christ with their exploits. In difficult times, a great lamp lit up: Rus' had to be built anew. The connection with Byzantium and Europe was broken, the heart of Rus' - the Kiev Pechersk Lavra was destroyed, the Tatar hordes were moving north. In the Radonezh forests, the new spiritual heart of Rus' begins to beat - the Trinity Monastery, later named the Trinity-Sergius Lavra in honor of its founder. The discovery of the relics took place in 1392, 30 years after the death of the saint. The flow of pilgrims from all over the world to one of the greatest Russian saints does not dry out.

Saints are holy bishops (bishops, archbishops, metropolitans).

Gregory the Theologian was born in 330 in Cappadocia, part of Asia Minor. Already in childhood he completely served God. He was educated at the most famous university of that time - in Athens. He wrote many books in defense of the Christian faith, talking about God the Trinity. This teaching was accurately recorded and approved as a rule by an assembly (council) of priests who came from all regions of the Roman Empire. It's called the Creed. Gregory, for his works affirming the basic tenets of the Christian faith, began to be respectfully called the Theologian.

Holy Bishop John Chrysostom continued the work of Saints Basil the Great and Gregory the Theologian. His mother was a Christian. He left his prosperity and brilliant position in the world and after the death of his mother decided to become a monk. But the Church needed priests, and John Chrysostom, having become a priest, preached in Antioch. He was given the gift of eloquence: to convince people and beautifully praise God. According to legend, one of the women, during a sermon in church, hearing the simple and convincing words of Saint John, exclaimed: “Spiritual teacher, John, your golden lips!” From that time on, the name Chrysostom was established for the saint. John Chrysostom was elected Patriarch of the Church of Constantinople, but continued to live poorly, spending money on helping the poor. Noble people condemned him for this. But Empress Eudoxia especially hated him. He was exiled to the distant mountainous country of Armenia. For three months the old, sick bishop was led in the rain and heat without being allowed to rest. On the way he died. His last words were: “Thank God for everything!”

The righteous are simple, often family people who have pleased God through the feat of their daily righteous life.

Saint Tatiana was the daughter of a wealthy Roman and was raised by him in the Christian faith. When Tatiana reached adulthood, she became indifferent to wealth and other benefits and loved the spiritual way of life with all her heart. She forever renounced married life and was appointed deaconess of the Roman Church for her virtuous life. In this position, she diligently cared for the sick, visited prisons, helped the poor, constantly trying to please God with prayers and good deeds.

The blessed fools for Christ's sake are saints who labored in the world through a particularly difficult feat, appearing to people as insane in their outward actions.
Unmercenaries - holy doctors who healed the sick for free;
Martyrs are Christians who gave their lives for their faith. Those of them who suffered especially severe torment are called great martyrs; Christians who suffered for Christ, but then died peacefully, are called confessors .

George served as a commander in the army of Emperor Diocletian, who was an opponent of Christianity. Once, having heard the inhuman sentence about the extermination of Christians, George was inflamed with zeal for the faith of Christ. He distributed his property to the poor, freed his slaves and became a Christian. Diocletian tried to persuade George to renounce the faith of Christ, but received a decisive refusal. Then the emperor ordered that George be subjected to cruel torture, but the saint bravely endured all the torment. George was not even 30 years old when he accepted martyrdom. After his death, George performed many miracles. One of them is the salvation of the king’s daughter and many people from a terrible serpent who lived in a lake near the city of Beirut, where the grave of the great martyr was located. George became one of the most revered Russian saints. He is depicted as a horseman slaying a serpent with a spear.

The holy martyr Victor was a warrior during the reign of Emperor Marcus Aurelius the Philosopher (161 - 180). When the emperor began persecuting Christians, Victor refused to make a sacrifice to the gods. Such a mandatory sacrifice was a test of the warrior’s devotion to the gods, the emperor and the fatherland. The saint was given over to be tortured, but passed through all the tortures unharmed. Through the prayer of the saint, the suddenly blind soldiers regained their sight. The holy martyr Victor was beheaded. The martyrs suffered in Damascus in the 2nd century, where their honorable remains were buried.

Let's write down all 12 rites of holiness in a notebook.

Reverends.

In Russian history, no less important than princely holiness was the rank of saints, those who chose the monastic path and in their lives sought to become like Christ Himself. The Monk Theodosius of Pechersk, the father of Russian monasticism, was the second (after Boris and Gleb) saint to be solemnly canonized by the Russian Church. In him, Rus' found its ideal saint, to which it remained faithful for many centuries. The main character traits of Theodosius and his feat, reflected in his life, became the measure of righteousness for his students and followers. Thanks to Saint Theodosius, the idea of a Russian monk is forever associated with a special love of books as a manifestation of love for spiritual enlightenment, with humility based on the living contemplation of the humiliation of Christ himself, rejecting rich clothes and being content with “thin vestments.” A Russian monk is one who, like St. Theodosius, hides his ascetic deeds and whose life, apart from prayer, is filled with hard, “slave” physical labor; who, having left the world, did not lose touch with worldly society, taking upon himself the burden of serving as a spiritual father for the laity. The second most important figure in the rank of saints is Anthony of Pechersk, founder of the Kiev-Pechersk Monastery and teacher of Theodosius. The feat of Anthony, a follower of the Greek, Svyatogorsk (Athos) monastic tradition, is imbued with an atmosphere of cruel temptations, associated suffering and frightening demonology. Such extreme asceticism was not characteristic of Theodosius, who was inspired by the examples of Palestinian ascetics. In his life, asceticism, work, prayer, service to the world are in harmonious balance. Nevertheless, it was precisely these two paths in the exploits of the disciples Theodosius and Anthony that developed into two streams of monastic life, one ascetic-heroic, the other humbly obedient, socially caritative. They are most vividly embodied in two characters of the famous Kiev-Pechersk Patericon

: Mark the caveman and Alipia the icon painter. The first is a stern old ascetic who spent his life underground in obedience to a grave digger. The second is a bright worker, an artist whose wonderful colors have the ability to heal lepers.

The development of Russian monasticism, founded by Anthony and Theodosius, was interrupted for a whole century by the Mongol-Tatar devastation. At the same time, it was during this difficult period that the path that Russian monks entered in the second half of the 14th century was prepared, the path of desert living, the founding of new monasteries in the deep, remote forests of the northeastern Russian lands. The central figure of this revival was St. Sergius of Radonezh. Most of the saints are from the 14th and early 15th centuries. - his students. Sergius of Radonezh does not change the already established type of holiness of the Russian monk. In his life there is also the “thinness of vestments”, and bodily strength and strength, but the meekness of the saint becomes even more humble, and his miracles become beneficent and without anger. However, in this renewed image of humble simplicity, the mysterious depth of comprehension of God also appears, which allowed St. Sergius to be an interlocutor with the heavenly powers and a contemplator of St. herself. Trinity. Being a follower of the ascetic practice of “smart doing” (focused spiritual prayer combined with meditation) that came from the East, Sergius of Radonezh combined his love of solitary prayer with active participation in the life of the Moscow state. Having blessed Prince Dmitry Donskoy for a feat of arms, he largely determined the historical fate of the Moscow principality. In the minds of the Moscow people, who saw him as their intercessor and patron, St. Sergius took a place next to princes Boris and Gleb. In the 16th century In the single stream of development of Russian monasticism, a split occurred into “non-acquisitive” and “Josephites.” The first (followers of St. Nile of Sorsky) acted as guardians of the covenants of Sergius of Radonezh, the second followed the new teacher, St. Joseph of Volotsky, in whose life for the first time completely different features of the Russian monk appear: practical intelligence, talent as an owner and builder who ensures the wealth of the monastery, strict adherence to the statutory rules , intransigence and even cruelty towards dissidents. During his life, Joseph Volotsky was closely connected by bonds of friendship with the Moscow princes Ivan III and Vasily III. By promoting with his instructions the gradual transformation of the Moscow prince into an Orthodox king, he unwittingly destroyed the traditions of St. Sergius, which turned out to be too constraining for the ideology of the Muscovite kingdom. Along with the new type of holiness revealed by the Monk Joseph, the religious life of Rus' for a long time included the drying and impoverishing “ritual”, formal piety, which was overcome only in the 20th century. A significant milestone on this path was the canonization in 1913 of St. Seraphim of Sarov, the apostle of love and humility, mystic and contemplator, ascetic and teacher, whose life path began in the 18th century and ended in the 19th century.

Saints.

From Byzantium, Rus' adopted the custom of electing bishops from the monastic clergy. However, holy bishops - hierarchs - the third most important rank of Russian holiness, are glorified by the Church not for ascetic deeds, although monastic traits are one way or another present in the image of any bishop. The saint’s feat combines monastic, secular, and church service. Its meaning is teaching, protecting the purity of faith, and serving the salvation of one’s flock. Unlike Byzantium, the Russian Church never knew the tradition of canonizing all its hierarchs by virtue of their holy orders. The saint was glorified when he achieved personal holiness through his life and service to the church. Typical features of the Russian saint are generous alms, concern for the founding and decoration of churches and monasteries, secret asceticism, strict implementation of the principle of civil justice, and severity in the fight for truth. The first saint to receive all-Russian recognition was Niphon of Novgorod (11th century), who combined the talents of a politician and a peacemaker, which allowed him to achieve peace by pacifying the warring princes. The teaching calling of the ancient Russian saint was primarily expressed in preaching the Gospel among the pagans. Among such evangelists are the Rostov saints. Leonty and Isaiah (11th century), who once enjoyed universal veneration in Rus'. A special place among Russian saints belongs to Stephen of Perm (14th century). St. Stephen of Perm, one of the most educated people of his time, devoted his life to missionary work among the Zyryans (Komi). He created the Zyryan alphabet and translated liturgical texts into the Zyryan language. As a missionary, St. Gury Kazansky (16th century). Not far from Kazan, he founded the Zilantov monastery, which became the first missionary school in Rus'. In modern times, such holy hierarchs as Innocent of Irkutsk, John and Paul of Tobolsk, and Nicholas of Japan have worked in the field of the Gospel. Public, state service constitutes the essence of the feat of many famous Novgorod rulers, who occupy a special place among Russian saints. Until the Novgorod Republic lost its independence, they were its de facto rulers and became famous for the construction of temples, stone chambers, the activities of scriptoria, generous alms given not only to Russian churches, but also to Constantinople (Constantinople), Athos and Jerusalem. Political activity strongly colors the church service of the Moscow metropolitans: Peter, Alexy and Jonah. However, unlike the Novgorod rulers, who defended the local interests of the Novgorod Republic, the Moscow metropolitans pursued policies that had national significance. The most complete image of a bishop-ruler was created in the life of Metropolitan Alexy, who worked as a regent during the childhood of Prince Dmitry Donskoy on the creation of the Moscow state. The despotic regime of the reign of the first Russian Tsar Ivan the Terrible demanded from the saints of this era a feat in confessing the truth before the tyrant. Defending the truth of piety, the demand to stop shedding Christian blood cost the life of Metropolitan Philip (Kolychev). With the strengthening of tsarist power, the role of metropolitans in the political life of Rus' gradually decreased. The sovereigns not only removed them from big politics, but increasingly, by the right of the powerful, began to impose their will on them in church affairs. From now on, episcopal ministry was mainly limited to missionary activity. A special time that required feats of confession from bishops was the 1920s–1930s. The new Soviet government, which came to power as a result of the October Revolution of 1917, actually attempted to destroy the Russian Orthodox Church by physically eliminating believers. From this point of view, church hierarchs posed a particular “danger” to the authorities. A huge number of priests, metropolitans, bishops, and monks were torn from their flock, exiled and shot. The first to bear the brunt of pressure on the church organized by the Soviets was Patriarch Tikhon (Belavin). Canonized in 1989, he became the first holy Russian patriarch.

The ranks of the heavenly hierarchy and the ranks of holiness

Ranks of the heavenly hierarchy. To express His will, as well as to perform various functions in the universe, God created angels

– disembodied service spirits having a personal nature. Angels in the Holy Scriptures are called by various names: angels of God, saints, living in heaven, spirits. Scripture also speaks of the various orders of angels. Although angels are not attributed human characteristics, they often take on the form of people, most often young men, while remaining disembodied, and therefore sexless.

Celestial beings differ in their closeness to the Creator and the role for which He created them. They form the so-called heavenly hierarchy, consisting of 9 ranks, forming three hierarchically related triads.

I. Highest heavenly hierarchy: seraphim

(Heb.
“flaming”
),
cherubim
(Heb.
“outpouring of wisdom”
),
thrones.
Seraphim burn with love for God, their love is so strong that it burns away all impurity, in particular in the souls of people.
Seraphim are depicted with six wings. The purpose of cherubim
is to perceive divine wisdom and awaken in others a thirst for knowledge of God.
Cherubs are usually depicted with many eyes. Thrones
are heavenly Minds that reveal Divine truth and serve Divine justice. The throne is the royal seat from which judgment is often carried out. On Orthodox icons, thrones are represented in the form of fiery wheels with eyes and wings, supporting the foot of the throne of the Savior.

II. Second heavenly hierarchy: dominion, power and authority.

They instruct people on how to manage their feelings, overcome temptations, tame their will, and fight evil in thoughts, words and deeds.

III. Third heavenly hierarchy: principles, archangels and angels. Beginnings

are called upon to teach earthly leaders to fulfill their duties not for the sake of personal glory and gain, but for the sake of the glory of God and for the benefit of their neighbors.
Archangels
are God's messengers.
They help to comprehend the mysteries of faith, prophecies and God's will, strengthen people's faith, enlightening their minds with the light of the Gospel. Angels
are the last rank of the heavenly hierarchy.
According to the Holy Scriptures, angels (Hebrew “messenger”
, Greek
“messenger”
) were created by God to proclaim His will to people. They are closest to people of all other ranks and have the ability to mysteriously reveal themselves to them.

The Church believes that every baptized person has his own invisible guardian angel, always ready to help.

Orders of holiness. In the Orthodox tradition, several basic forms of holiness have developed, according to which saints are divided into categories - ranks. In the first centuries of Christianity, the Old Testament forefathers, Old Testament prophets, apostles and martyrs were considered saints. From the 4th century The veneration of saints and saints began, with the establishment of Christianity as the state religion and the emergence of pious rulers - pious kings, princes, etc. This division is to a certain extent conditional.

Apostles.

Apostleship is considered a special gift that the Lord bestowed on some of His disciples and followers.
The apostles witnessed the life and resurrection of Christ, preached the Gospel to the world, founded Christian communities, healed the sick, and were able to cast out demons. The apostles (Greek: “I send”
,
“I send out”
) took upon themselves the mission of spreading Christianity. Almost all of them suffered martyrdom. The apostles became the first Christian saints.

Prophets.

Prophecy is seen as a special gift: God chooses a person to convey His will to people (prophesy).

Forefathers

- these are the pious patriarchs who lived before Christ (Greek
“ancestors”
), who through their actions contributed to the coming of the Messiah (Christ the Savior) into the world, thereby taking part in the salvation of humanity by God.

Saints

– bishops (bishops, archbishops, metropolitans, patriarchs). Their ministry is pastoral (church teaching, preaching, defending the purity of faith, church administration), combined with a righteous life. For righteousness, God, as a rule, bestows the gift of performing miracles. Therefore, among the saints, many are called “miracle workers.”

Martyrs

(Greek
"witness"
).
By their willingness to accept suffering and death for Christ, but not to deviate from the faith, the martyrs testify to their faith in the Savior’s victory over death. God helps the martyrs so that they can endure inhuman suffering. Martyrs who have endured particularly severe and prolonged torment are called great martyrs
.
If a priest or bishop suffered torture, he is called a martyr
.
Reverend martyrs
are monks martyred for the Orthodox faith.
A passion-bearer,
that is, one who has endured passion (suffering), is one who accepted death from his fellow tribesmen and fellow believers. Since ancient times, Christians have performed divine services (liturgy) at the burial site of martyrs, and later began to build churches. Lists of martyrs (martyrologies) describing the circumstances of their deaths became the basis of the church calendar and hagiographic literature.

Confessors.

Confession is an open confession of faith, despite the danger of death. Unlike martyrs who died during torture for the faith, confessors experience torture and persecution, but their death is non-violent. Confession was widespread along with martyrdom during the first persecution of Christians. In the Russian Church, confession became especially relevant during the persecution of the Church during the Soviet period.

Reverends.

This is holiness achieved in monasticism, which is understood as the highest degree of similarity to God (reverence) and the approach of a person to the angelic image. The monks are called “earthly angels” and “interlocutors of angels.” Holiness is based on unceasing prayer, fasting, constant work; indispensable conditions are humility and celibacy. Works and exploits in monasticism can be very different.

The faithful

- these are rulers (princes and princesses, kings and queens) who were distinguished by their pious lives and used monarchical power to strengthen the Orthodox faith (in times of peace or war), for works of mercy (caring for their subjects), etc.

Righteous

- these are those whose pious life in the world has become an example for others. In a broad sense, righteousness is synonymous with holiness.

Unmercenary people.

Selflessness is selfless professional service, which is based on the fact that any talent is a gift from God and should be used to glorify God, that is, selfless service to people.

Holy Fools

– this is the most unusual, paradoxical form of holiness. Remaining in the world, the holy fool, hiding behind the guise of madness, challenges the values of this world, including external, ostentatious piety. In the Russian tradition, holy fools are usually called blessed.

Sin

In Christianity, sin is both a conscious and unconscious departure from the commandments of God and a violation of God's law. Sin did not come from God and not from nature, but from the abuse of the mind and will of rational beings, from their arbitrary deviation from God, from replacing His will with their own, from self-will. This is how Satan sinned initially, and then Adam and Eve. Original sin, which infected the nature of our first parents, became the condition for the personal sins of each person. The lump of original sin was so heavy that it changed the entire existence of mankind and the world. Human nature has become susceptible to death, disease and vice. Vices have become so familiar to people that they tend to either not notice them, or notice them in others but not in themselves, or justify them if their personal interests are affected.

The basis of sin is selfishness, which can manifest itself either mainly in the sensual sphere, or mainly in the spiritual sphere. Therefore, all sins are either sensual in nature, such as the desire for life’s pleasures and sensual pleasures, or spiritual, such as pride, arrogance, etc.

Holy Fools

- this is the name of the new order of holiness, which has been included in the Russian Church since the beginning of the 14th century. “For Christ’s sake, a holy fool” or “blessed” is a person who has taken on the guise of madness for the sake of rejecting the values of worldly life. With their feat of feigned madness or immorality, they revealed the incompatibility of such concepts as Christian truth and common sense. Almost all holy fools are credited with the gift of prophecy, which is given to them as a reward for their contempt for human reason. According to contemporaries, the ancient Russian holy fools walked naked, with loose hair and an iron chain around their necks. Novgorod became the birthplace of Russian foolishness. It was from Novgorod that Procopius of Ustyug (14th century), Nikola Kochanov (14th century), and Mikhail Klopsky (15th century) came from. The series of Moscow holy fools begins with St. Maxim (15th century), and the most famous among them was St. Basil the Blessed (16th century). In the 16th century Foolishness became a form of prophetic (in the Hebrew sense) service, combined with extreme asceticism and ridicule of the world. In this era, when the church hierarchy found itself practically deprived of its right to mourn (intercession) for those unjustly convicted, the feat of holy fools acquired social and even political meaning: denunciation of the powerful of this world became an integral part of holy foolishness. It is the holy fool, who cannot be deprived of his voice, who now acts as the only champion of Christ’s truth. From the end of the 16th century. The authorities are beginning to become increasingly suspicious of holy fools. In the 18th century The Synod prohibited the canonization of the blessed. The last saints of this order of holiness were Blessed Xenia of St. Petersburg (18th–19th centuries) and Blessed Nikolai Rynin (19th century), canonized in the 20th century.

The ranks of the heavenly powers and saints in Orthodoxy

The ranks of the heavenly powers and saints in Orthodoxy. Heavenly hierarchy.

Since the creation of the world and man, there have always been creatures that hinder people, and those that help. Angels, Cherubim, Seraphim - perhaps there is not a single person on earth who has not heard about these disembodied forces. Since ancient times, people have known about the existence of angels, they were revered, and continue to be revered in many religions; angels are revered by almost all peoples of the world. Angels are mentioned more than once in the Holy Scriptures; their actions are described in fulfilling the will of God, helping the righteous, as well as protecting people from troubles and misfortunes with their angelic cover. But angels are mentioned not only in the main Christian book, information about them was also left by the Holy Fathers, to whom heavenly beings appeared more than once and conveyed to them the will of the Almighty; they are called angels, that is, messengers.

The Lord endowed his disembodied messengers with many gifts and powerful powers, with the help of which God’s spiritual essences can influence the world of things and man, but only according to the will of the Lord and his desire, fulfilling his will. With all their essence, angels love their Creator and remain in tireless gratitude to him for the bliss in which they reside, and this bliss cannot be compared with anything. There are a lot of angels, sometimes a person’s mind gets lost in their countless number. In fact, everything is much simpler, because among the heavenly angels there is their own harmony, order and hierarchy, which is described in the work of the disciple of the Holy Apostle Paul - the passion-bearer and martyr Dionysius the Areopagite. According to the writings of Saint Dionysius, the heavenly hierarchy has three degrees, each of which has three ranks, respectively, a total of nine spiritual entities:

Seraphim, Cherubim, Thrones - are distinguished by their closeness to the Most High God. Dominance;
Forces and Powers - emphasize the basis of the universe and world dominion;
The principles - Archangels and Angels - are distinguished by their closeness to every person.

Our Lord Jesus Christ pours out his love on all his angels, starting with the highest ranks, therefore the ranks of angels are in complete harmony and subordination of the lower ranks to the higher ones, according to the hierarchy.

Seraphim - this name means "Flaming, Fiery." They are always close to the Lord, of all the angels they are closest to the Heavenly Father. They burn with divine and great love for the Lord, transfer it to other faces, inflaming them. This is their main purpose and their main task.

Cherubim - This name means "Chariot". The prophet Ezekiel saw them in the form of a lion, an eagle, an ox and a man. This means that Cherubim combine intelligence, obedience, strength and speed, are God's chariot and stand before the throne of God. Cherubim know everything that the Lord allows His children to know; through them God sends wisdom and knowledge into the world.

Thrones are spiritual entities shining with the light of knowledge of God. God Himself rests on them not sensually, but spiritually, and carries out His just judgment. Their purpose is to help the children of God, to be honest and to act only in justice.

Dominions - rule over subsequent orders of angels. Their direct purpose is to protect from the fall, tame obstinacy, conquer the thirst for temptation and piously control your feelings.

Powers were created by the Lord in order to work miracles, to bestow the gifts of clairvoyance, healing from illnesses, and miracles to God’s saints and righteous holy fathers. They help people to endure hardships and hardships, bestow wisdom, fortitude and prudence.

Authorities - endowed with special power by the True God, they are able to tame the actions and power of Satan. Their direct purpose is to protect earthly inhabitants from the machinations of the devil, to protect ascetics in their pious life, and to pacify the natural elements.

The principles govern the lower degree of angels, directing their actions to fulfill the will of God. They rule the universe, the world and the peoples inhabiting the earth. They teach earthlings to live not for their own benefit, but for the glory of God.

Archangels were created to bring good news to the world of people, to reveal the mystery of the Christian faith, and to convey the will of the Lord to people. They are conductors of Revelation.

Angels are the main protectors of ordinary people, every person has them, they guide him on the righteous path, protect him from evil spirits and evil spirits, keep him from falling and help the fallen rise.

According to the Holy Scriptures, Archangel Michael, the heavenly warrior and commander-in-chief of the angelic army, is placed above all the angelic ranks. Led by the Archangel Michael, the Divine Angels cast down the proud angel and everyone who followed Satan into the underworld. The great warrior of the heavenly forces, Archangel Michael, took part in many heavenly battles and defended the people of Israel in troubles and adversity.

In addition to the disembodied forces, there is a distribution of all saints into ranks of holiness, which are understood in different categories, namely:

Old Testament Saints – Holy Fathers and Prophets
New Testament Saints - Apostles, Equal-to-the-Apostles and Enlighteners, Saints, Great Martyrs and Martyrs, Confessors and Passion-Bearers, Reverends, Fools, Faithful, Silverless.

So, who are these New Testament saints?

Holy Fathers - canonized by the Church of Christ for piety, virtue and for a righteous earthly life. They are in heaven and pray for the inhabitants of the earth before the Lord.
Prophets are God's chosen ones, to whom the Lord has revealed His will. They predicted future events, exposed people in sins and prophesied about the coming of the Savior.
Apostles - disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ, who were with him for a long time and in the last days of his life. After the Holy Spirit descended on the apostles, they preached the word of God throughout the entire earth, healed people through the power of prayer, erected churches and converted non-Christians to the Christian faith.
Equal to the Apostles and Enlighteners - the ascetics of the Lord, who came to Christ by their own will, by the will of the Lord, converted many nations to the Christian faith.
Saints are clergy of various ranks who achieved holiness through their pious life, defense of Christianity from heresy and schism, as well as deep care for their flock.
Great Martyrs and Martyrs are deeply religious people who endured torture and accepted death for their beliefs, love for the Lord and faith in Christ.
Confessors and Passion -Bearers are deeply religious Christians who suffered for their faith at the hands of murderers and persecutors of the Christian faith.
Reverends are devotees of the Christian faith who led a monastic lifestyle.
Fools are Christian believers who deliberately abandoned their usual way of life and presented themselves as ridiculous and unnatural people for the sake of the Lord Jesus Christ. Such people were especially revered, considering them to be God's people. Fools have always had the gifts of clairvoyance and miracles.
The faithful are noble and rich people who used their power and wealth for the needs of ordinary people, for mercy and the preservation of Christian shrines.
Silverless people usually healed people, but not for silver coins, but for a kind word.

The True God created his spiritual essences intelligent and strong, and distributed them according to the type of service. According to merit, lifestyle and degree of holiness, the Old Testament and New Testament Saints are distributed.

Holy laymen and women.

Their names are not so numerous in Russian calendars, but understanding the content of their feat, for which they were canonized, significantly complements the idea of Russian religiosity and clearly shows that holiness was not limited to the walls of monasteries, but permeated the entire thickness of people's life. People's piety treats infants who died a violent death with special reverence. Babies were seen as pure sacrifices brought to the slaughter ( see also

HOLY CHILDREN). It was as an innocent murdered baby that he was canonized in the 17th century. Tsarevich Dimitry of Uglich. There are cases of canonization by the church of laity, the meaning of whose feat is social simplification: the rich and powerful of this world voluntarily renounce their wealth and power and lead the lifestyle of a simple peasant. Such a saint was, for example, a nobleman by birth, Simeon of Verkhoturye (17th century). The sanctity of agricultural labor is also attractive to the Russian consciousness. Thus, in the life of Artemy Verkolsky, a boy killed by lightning (16th century), it is especially emphasized that rural labor at an early age became his earthly feat. The life of Juliania Lazarevskaya (17th century) provides an example of how deeply the Gospel could enter the life of a layman. Juliania Lazarevskaya is an example of fidelity to maternal and marital duty, an example of meek, perfect love, which allowed her, forgetting her own infirmities, to take care not only of her family, but also to feed the poor in times of famine, bury the dead, and wash the sick in the bathhouse during an epidemic. Almsgiving in various forms of manifestation became the basis of her worldly Christian deed. Juliania Lazarevskaya was canonized at the beginning of the 20th century. The life of the saint was widely popularized by Russian writers, who saw in her the embodiment of the love of people characteristic of the Orthodox intelligentsia.

Avatamk

Today the saints are praised: known and unknown, old and new. There are so many saints that our Universe is filled with them, the sky is filled with stars, the rainbow is filled with light by the saints of today’s holiday. In addition to the army of Christians who are now fighting against evil and injustice, there is another army in heaven.

Strong is the army of the victorious saints who suffer with us, fight with us, help and give strength, 7 ranks of saints. The saints are countless, but they were founded by 7 ranks and orders, as the holy fathers of the church say.

1 - these are the angels who do the will of the Lord, who are established and become steadfast, who will never again fall into temptation or sin, who remain in holiness and truthfulness.

We too should strive to be like the angels who are steadfast in kindness. We chose kindness, holiness and stayed in it. And we will rely on the will of God, establish ourselves in kindness and will not look towards evil.

2nd rank - patriarchs who received natural law from the Lord. These are Adam, Enoch, Enos, Noah, Melchizedek, Abraham. They are the first to carry out the Lord's assignments, who remained faithful while wandering. They believed God with their difficulties, oppression, persecution and stood on the 2nd order. And we are strangers, wanderers in this life, like them we will endure wandering with love and become God's patriarchs.

3rd rank - prophets. The first of them is Moses, who received a written law from the Lord, so that not only by natural law he could reach the Kingdom of Heaven. If the patriarchs were only subjected to trials and wanderings, then the holy prophets became martyrs for the sake of Christ. Like Jeremiah, who was stoned, so other saints were tortured and endured it for the sake of justice, for the sake of truth, for the sake of God's grace. And we will be like them, preaching truth and justice, enduring all the difficulties and trials that befall us in the name of God.

4 are Holy Virgins who, in the name of God, remained virgin in soul and body, thoughts and heart. Like the Holy Mother of God, like Saint John. There were saints who were not holy in body, but retained their virginity in thought, like Saint Gregory the Illuminator, who, although he got married, remained holy and pure in thought. So we must strive for such behavior, if not with our bodies, at least with our thoughts and hearts. And if we manage to preserve our body, we will receive an even greater reward from God.

5 - holy martyrs who shed their blood in the name of Christ and had such love that flowed through their veins. Let us also love God until blood is shed.

Many are known, but many are not known to us. But those that are not known to us are known to God. For us, at least let those saints whose names we know be guides. There were many saints in the old days, but even now they, their names are in the new time, whether they are known or not, still let them intercede for us before God, so that we too have a part of the opportunity to be with them in the Kingdom of Heaven. Amen.

Father Mikael, 2022.