Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk (in the world Grigory Valerievich Alfeev) - hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church, chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, permanent member Holy Synod, Chairman of the Synodal Biblical and Theological Commission, Rector of the General Church Postgraduate and Doctoral Studies named after Saints Cyril and Methodius, rector of the church in honor of the icon Mother of God"Joy of All Who Sorrow" on Bolshaya Ordynka, rector of the Chernigov Patriarchal Compound.
Author of more than 1000 publications, including more than 30 books, devoted to the life and teachings of Jesus Christ and the holy apostles, the Church Fathers of the era of the Ecumenical Councils, various aspects of the dogmatic teaching of the Orthodox Church, church-historical and social issues.
Childhood and youth
Mother, writer Valeria Alfeeva, raised her son alone.
In 1973 he entered the Gnessin Moscow Special Music School. At the age of 11 he was baptized. At the age of 15, he entered the Church of the Resurrection of the Word on the Assumption Vrazhek, the rector of which was Metropolitan Pitirim (Nechaev) of Volokolamsk and Yuriev, as a reader. Soon he became a subdeacon of Metropolitan Pitirim and an external employee of the Publishing Department of the Moscow Patriarchate headed by him.
In 1984 he graduated from the Gnessin School in violin and composition and entered the Moscow State Conservatory at the faculty of composition in the class of Alexei Nikolaev.
In 1984-1986 he served in the army.
Beginning of church service
In January 1987, of his own free will, he left his studies at the Moscow Conservatory and entered the Vilnius Monastery of the Holy Spirit as a novice. On June 19, 1987 he was tonsured a monk, on June 21 he was ordained a hierodeacon by Archbishop Victorin (Belyaev) of Vilna and Lithuania. August 19 in Prechistensky cathedral city of Vilnius, with the blessing of the Archbishop of Vilna and Lithuania Victorin, ordained a hieromonk by Bishop of Ufa and Sterlitamak Anatoly (Kuznetsov).
In 1988-1990 he served as rector of four churches in the Vilnius and Lithuanian diocese - in the city of Telsiai, the villages of Kolainiai, Tituvenai and Kaunatava. In 1990 he was appointed rector of the Kaunas Cathedral of the Annunciation. In 1990, as an elected delegate from the clergy of the Vilna and Lithuanian diocese, he participated in the work of the Local Council, which elected Metropolitan Alexy of Leningrad as Patriarch.
In 1989 he graduated from the Moscow Theological Seminary in absentia, and in 1991 from the Moscow Theological Academy with a degree in theology. In 1993, he completed postgraduate studies at the Moscow Patriarchate's Department for External Church Relations.
In 1991-1993 he taught homiletics, Holy Scripture of the New Testament and dogmatic theology at the Moscow Theological Academy. In 1992-1993 he taught the New Testament at the Orthodox St. Tikhon Theological Institute and patrology at the Russian Orthodox University of St. John the Theologian.
In 1993, he was sent for an internship at Oxford University, where, under the guidance of Bishop (now Metropolitan) Callistos (Ware) of Diokleia, he worked on his doctoral dissertation on the topic "St. Simeon the New Theologian and Orthodox Tradition." In the same years he studied Syriac under the guidance of Professor Sebastian Brock. He combined his studies with service in the parishes of the Sourozh diocese.
In 1995 he defended his dissertation and was awarded the degree of Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Oxford (D. Phil.).
In September 1995, at the invitation of Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad (now His Holiness Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia), he joined the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate (DECR). On August 21, 1997, he headed the newly formed DECR Secretariat for Inter-Christian Relations.
In 1995-1997 he taught patrology at the Smolensk and Kaluga Theological Seminaries. In 1996 he read a course of lectures on dogmatic theology at St. Herman's Orthodox Theological Seminary in Alaska (USA).
From January 1996 to January 2002, he served in the Church of the Holy Great Martyr Catherine on Vspolye in Moscow (a courtyard of the Orthodox Church in America).
From 1996 to 2004 he was a member of the Synodal Theological Commission of the Russian Orthodox Church.
In 1997-1999 he lectured on dogmatic theology at St. Vladimir's Theological Seminary in New York (USA) and on the mystical theology of the Eastern Church at the Faculty of Theology of the University of Cambridge (UK).
In 1999, the St. Sergius Orthodox Theological Institute in Paris was awarded the degree of Doctor of Theology for his dissertation on the topic “The Life and Teachings of St. Gregory the Theologian".
In 1999-2000, he hosted the daily television program "Peace to your home" on the TVC channel.
In 1999-2002 he continued to publish articles and books, including fundamental research in two volumes “The Sacred Mystery of the Church. Introduction to the history and problems of the imyaslav disputes.
May 3, 2000 on Wednesday of Bright Week in the temple Life-Giving Trinity in Khoroshev, Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad was elevated to the rank of abbot.
Bishopric
On December 27, 2001, by decision of the Holy Synod, hegumen Hilarion, upon being elevated to the rank of archimandrite, was determined to be Bishop of Kerch, vicar of the Sourozh diocese.
On January 7, 2002, on the feast of the Nativity of Christ, in the Assumption Cathedral in Smolensk, Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad was elevated to the rank of archimandrite.
January 14, 2002 in Moscow, in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, consecrated bishop; consecration was performed by Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Alexy II, Metropolitans of Krutitsy and Kolomna Yuvenaly (Poyarkov), Smolensk and Kaliningrad Kirill (Gundyaev), Volokolamsk and Yuryevsky Pitirim (Nechaev); Archbishops of Berlin and German Feofan (Galinsky), Kostroma and Galich Alexander (Mogilev), Istra Arseniy (Epifanov); Bishops of Philippopolis Nifon (Saikaly) (Patriarchate of Antioch), Sergievsky Vasily (Osborne), Orekhovo-Zuevsky Alexy (Frolov) and Dmitrovsky Alexander (Agrikov). After his consecration, he left for service in the UK.
By the decision of the Holy Synod of July 17, 2002, he was appointed Bishop of Podolsk, Vicar of the Moscow Diocese, Head of the Representation of the Russian Orthodox Church to European International Organizations in Brussels.
By the decision of the Holy Synod of May 7, 2003, he was appointed Bishop of Vienna and Austria with the assignment of temporary administration of the Budapest and Hungarian diocese and with the preservation of the position of Representative of the Russian Orthodox Church to European international organizations in Brussels.
In the period from 2003 to 2008, the leadership of Bishop Hilarion carried out large-scale restoration work in the Cathedral of St. Nicholas in Vienna; the cathedral was painted by a group of artists led by Archimandrite Zinon (Theodore). At the same time, the temple in the name of St. Lazarus of the Four Days at the Central Cemetery of Vienna was restored.
In October 2004, the trial on the ownership of the Holy Assumption Cathedral in Budapest by the Moscow Patriarchate was completed.
On February 1, 2005, he was elected Privatdozent of the Faculty of Theology at the University of Fribourg (Switzerland) in the Department of Dogmatic Theology.
After the election of Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad to the Moscow Patriarchal Throne, by the decision of the Holy Synod of March 31, 2009, Bishop Hilarion was released from the administration of the Vienna-Austria and Hungarian dioceses and was appointed Bishop of Volokolamsk, Vicar of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of Moscow Patriarchy and a permanent member of the Holy Synod ex officio, becoming the successor to the newly elected Patriarch as chairman of the DECR.
At the same time, he was appointed rector of the newly created Church Postgraduate School (now the Church Postgraduate and Doctoral School named after Saints Cyril and Methodius), and on April 14, 2009, he was appointed rector of the Moscow church in honor of the icon of the Mother of God "Joy of All Who Sorrow" on Bolshaya Ordynka.
On April 20, 2009, in the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin, "in connection with his appointment to a post involving constant participation in the work of the Holy Synod, and for diligent service to the Church of God," he was elevated to the rank of archbishop by Patriarch Kirill.
Since May 28, 2009 - Member of the Council for Interaction with Religious Associations under the President of the Russian Federation. On July 27, 2009, he was included in the Inter-Council Presence of the Russian Orthodox Church and its Presidium. Since January 13, 2010 - Member of the Board of Trustees of the Russkiy Mir Foundation. Since January 29, 2010 - Chairman of the Commission of the Inter-Council Presence of the Russian Orthodox Church on issues of attitude towards heterodoxy and other religions and Deputy Chairman of the Commission of the Inter-Council Presence on countering church schisms and overcoming them.
On February 1, 2010, "in consideration of the zealous service to the Church of God and in connection with the appointment of the chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate - a permanent member of the Holy Synod" was elevated by Patriarch Kirill to the rank of metropolitan.
On October 5, 2011, by decision of the Holy Synod, he was appointed chairman of the Synodal Biblical and Theological Commission.
In the same year, he was appointed chairman of the All-Church Doctoral Dissertation Council, created on the basis of the All-Church Postgraduate and Doctoral Studies.
In the same year, he was appointed chairman of the Editorial Board of the journal Theological Works and chairman of the Editorial Board of the Journal of the Moscow Patriarchate.
On December 25, 2012, by decision of the Holy Synod, he was appointed chairman of the interdepartmental coordination group for teaching theology in universities.
On December 26, 2013, by decision of the Holy Synod, he was appointed head of the Coordinating Center for the Development of Theological Science in the Russian Orthodox Church.
On December 24, 2015, by decision of the Holy Synod, he was appointed representative of the Russian Orthodox Church in the Interreligious Council of Russia.
In 2017, he headed the Joint Dissertation Council on Theology of the Church-wide Postgraduate and Doctoral Studies named after Saints Cyril and Methodius Equal-to-the-Apostles, St. Tikhon Orthodox University for the Humanities, Moscow State University named after M.V. Lomonosov and the Russian Academy of National Economy and public service under the President of the Russian Federation. The academic degrees awarded by the dissertation council are recognized by the Russian state.
Since February 2018 - President of the Scientific and Theological Educational Association (NOTA), which united the leading universities of Russia, which provide training in theology programs accredited by the state.
Theological and literary activity
In the late 1980s, he began publishing articles in the Journal of the Moscow Patriarchy.
In 1996 he published the book “The Sacrament of Faith. An Introduction to Orthodox Dogmatic Theology. The book went through 11 editions in Russia and translated into 18 languages (English, French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Greek, Finnish, Serbian, Bulgarian, Ukrainian, Macedonian, Japanese, Hungarian, Swedish, Czech, Estonian, Georgian, Romanian).
In 2002 Bishop Hilarion's two-volume monograph “The Sacred Mystery of the Church. An Introduction to the History and Problems of the Imyaslav Disputes”, dedicated to the Athos disputes about the name of God.
In 2008, with a preface by Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia, the 1st volume of Bishop Hilarion's work "Orthodoxy", dedicated to the history, canonical structure and dogma of the Orthodox Church, was published. In 2009, the 2nd volume of the same work was published.
In 2016–2017, Metropolitan Hilarion’s monumental six-volume study “Jesus Christ. Life and Teaching". Written in a simple and accessible language, but taking into account the latest achievements of science, this book series contains a detailed biography of Jesus and a detailed analysis of all His sayings, sermons and parables. The personality and teachings of the Founder of Christianity are presented in a broad cultural and historical context, which makes it possible to recreate the atmosphere of the era.
In 2017, the book “The Apostle Paul. Biography". In the same year, the Catechism was published. A Brief Guide to the Orthodox Faith.
In 2018, the books “The Apostle Peter. Biography”, “Grace and law. Commentary on the Epistle of the Apostle Paul to the Romans. The book "Liturgy" is being prepared for publication.
Metropolitan Hilarion's articles were published at various times in the Journal of the Moscow Patriarchate, the almanac Theological Works, the journals Pravoslavnaya Beseda, Foma, and many others, as well as in foreign scientific and church periodicals.
Musical and composing activities
During his school years, he wrote a number of musical compositions, including a vocal cycle to the words of Federico Garcia Lorca, a sonata for clarinet and piano, and a string quartet.
In 2006, after a twenty-year break, he returned to active composing, writing "The Divine Liturgy" and " All-night vigil» for mixed choir, included in the repertoire of many church choirs.
In the same year he wrote The Matthew Passion for soloists, choir and string orchestra. The premiere of the work in the Great Hall of the Conservatory on March 27, 2007 was attended by Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Alexy II, who addressed the audience with a welcoming speech, and Metropolitan of Smolensk and Kaliningrad (now Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia) Kirill. Over the past years, the oratorio has been performed more than 100 times in different cities of Russia and the world.
In 2007 he wrote "Christmas Oratorio" for soloists, boys' choir, mixed choir and symphony orchestra.
In 2008 he wrote the symphony "The Song of Ascent" to the words of the psalms.
Between 2008 and 2012 the following were written: the cantata Stabat Mater for soprano, choir and orchestra; "Concerto Grosso" for two violins, viola, cello, string orchestra and harpsichord; Fugue on BACH theme for symphony orchestra.
Over the past years, the largest Russian symphonic and choral conductors have been regular performers of the music of Metropolitan Hilarion: Vladimir Fedoseev, Valery Gergiev, Vladimir Spivakov, Pavel Kogan, Dmitry Kitayenko, Valery Khalilov, Valery Polyansky, Vladislav Chernushenko, Vladimir Begletsov, Gennady Dmitryak, Alexei Puzakov, Dmitry Kogan. The music of the Metropolitan is performed by leading Russian orchestral and choir groups, including: the Bolshoi Symphony Orchestra. P. I. Tchaikovsky, State Academic Symphony Orchestra. E. F. Svetlanova, Russian National Orchestra, National Philharmonic Orchestra of Russia, State Academic Symphony Orchestra of Russia, Symphony Orchestra of the Mariinsky Theater, Symphony Orchestra of the Mikhailovsky Theater, Central Symphony Orchestra of the Ministry of Defense, State Academic Choir. A. V. Sveshnikova, State Academic Choir Choir named after A. A. Yurlov, Choir of the State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow Synodal Choir, Choir of the Mariinsky Theatre, Choir of the Mikhailovsky Theatre, Chamber Choir of the Smolny Cathedral of St. Petersburg, Patriarchal Choir of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, Choir of the Moscow Sretensky Monastery, Choir of the Academy of Choral Art named after V. S. Popov, Choir of the College of Music at the Moscow State Conservatory.
Among the foreign performers of the music of Metropolitan Hilarion are the Melbourne Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra (Canada), the Hungarian State Philharmonic Orchestra, the National Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine, the Macedonian Philharmonic Orchestra, the Estonian State Symphony Orchestra, the Nouvel Orchestre de Genève (Switzerland), the Athens Symphony Orchestra orchestra, The Salome Chamber Orchestra (USA), Serbian Radio and Television Symphony Orchestra, Colonne Orchestra (France), Choir of the Hungarian State Philharmonic Society, Choir of the Choral Art Society of Washington, Washington Boys Choir, National Academic Choir of Ukraine Dumka, Estonian National Academic Choir, Athens Mixed Municipal Choir, Serbian Radio and Television Choir, Colonne Choir (France), New York Virtuoso Singers Choir (USA) and many others.
Member of the Union of Composers of Russia.
The composer's musical language is distinguished by its reliance on tonal technique, and much attention is paid to polyphony. Metropolitan Hilarion is the creator of the original genre of Russian spiritual instrumental-choir oratorio on liturgical texts using the intonations of Russian church singing, elements of baroque and the style of Russian composers of the 20th century.
In 2011, Metropolitan Hilarion, together with Vladimir Spivakov, created the Moscow Christmas Festival of Sacred Music, which takes place annually in January at the Moscow International House of Music.
Bibliography
In Russian
Mystery of Faith. An Introduction to Orthodox Dogmatic Theology. M.-Klin: Publishing house of the Brotherhood of St. Tikhon, 1996. Second edition - Klin: Christian Life Foundation, 2000. Third edition - Klin: Christian Life Foundation, 2004. Fourth edition - Klin: Christian Life Foundation , 2005. Fifth edition - St. Petersburg: Bibliopolis, 2007. Sixth edition - M: Eksmo, 2008. Seventh edition - M: Eksmo, 2010. Eighth edition - M: Eksmo, 2011. Ninth edition - M: Moscow publishing house Patriarchy, 2012. Tenth edition - M: Moscow Patriarchy Publishing House, 2014. Eleventh edition - M: Eksmo, 2017.
Fathers and Doctors of the Church of the 3rd century. Anthology. T. 1-2. M.: Round table on religious education and diakonia, 1996.
The life and teachings of St. Gregory the Theologian. M.: Publishing house of the Krutitsy Patriarchal Compound, 1998. Second edition - St. Petersburg: Aleteyya, 2001. Third edition, corrected. and additional - M .: Sretensky Monastery, 2007. Fourth edition - M .: Publishing house of the Moscow Patriarchate, 2013. Fifth edition - M .: Knowledge, 2017.
Spiritual world of St. Isaac the Syrian. M .: Publishing House of the Krutitsky Patriarchal Compound, 1998. Second Edition - St. Petersburg: Aleteyya, 2001. Third Edition - St. Petersburg: Aleteyya, 2005. Fourth Edition - St. Petersburg: Oleg Abyshko Publishing House, 2008. Fifth Edition, corrected . - St. Petersburg: Oleg Abyshko Publishing House, 2010. Sixth edition - M .: Moscow Patriarchy Publishing House, 2013. Seventh edition - M .: Knowledge, 2017.
Saint Simeon the New Theologian and Orthodox Tradition. M .: Publishing House of the Krutitsky Patriarchal Compound, 1998. Second Edition - St. Petersburg: Aleteyya, 2001. Third Edition - St. Petersburg: Oleg Abyshko Publishing House, 2010. Fourth Edition - M .: Moscow Patriarchate Publishing House, 2013. Fifth Edition - M .: Cognition, 2017.
Rev. Isaac the Syrian. About divine mysteries and spiritual life. Newly discovered texts. Translation from Syriac. M .: Publishing House "Zachatievsky Monastery", 1998. Second edition - St. Petersburg: Aleteyya, 2003. Third edition - St. Petersburg: Oleg Abyshko Publishing House, 2006.
Venerable Simeon the New Theologian. Chapters are theological, speculative and practical. Translation from Greek. M .: Publishing House "Zachatievsky Monastery", 1998.
Eastern Fathers and Doctors of the Church of the 4th century. Anthology. T. 1-3. M.: Round table on religious education and diakonia, 1998-1999.
The night has passed and the day has come. Sermons and talks. Moscow: Publishing House of the Krutitsky Patriarchal Compound, 1999.
Orthodox theology at the turn of eras. Articles, reports. M.: Publishing House of the Krutitsy Patriarchal Compound, 1999. Second edition, supplemented - Kiev: Spirit and Litera, 2002.
Venerable Simeon the New Theologian. "Come, true Light." Selected hymns in verse translation from Greek. St. Petersburg: Aleteyya, 2000. Second edition - St. Petersburg: Oleg Abyshko Publishing House, 2008.
Eastern Fathers and Doctors of the Church of the 5th century. Anthology. M.: Round table on religious education and diakonia, 2000.
Christ is the Conqueror of Hell. The theme of the descent into hell in the Eastern Christian tradition. St. Petersburg: Aleteyya, 2001. Second edition - St. Petersburg: Aleteyya, 2005. Third edition - St. Petersburg: Oleg Abyshko Publishing House, 2009.
About prayer. Klin: Christian Life Foundation, 2001. Second Edition - Klin: Christian Life Foundation, 2004.
You are the light of the world. Conversations about the Christian life. Klin: Christian Life Foundation, 2001. Second edition - Klin: Christian Life Foundation, 2004. Third edition - M.: Eksmo, 2008.
The human face of God. Sermons. Klin: Christian Life Foundation, 2001.
Venerable Simeon the New Theologian. Rev. Nikita Stifat. Ascetic works in new translations. Klin: Christian Life Foundation, 2001. Second Edition - St. Petersburg: Oleg Abyshko Publishing House, 2006.
Sacred Mystery of the Church. Introduction to the history and problems of the imyaslav disputes. In two volumes. St. Petersburg: Aleteyya, 2002. Second edition - St. Petersburg: Oleg Abyshko Publishing House, 2007. Third edition - St. Petersburg: Oleg Abyshko Publishing House, 2013.
What do Orthodox Christians believe? catechetical conversations. Klin: Christian Life Foundation, 2004. Second edition - M .: Eksmo, 2009.
Orthodox Witness in the Modern World. St. Petersburg: Oleg Abyshko Publishing House, 2006.
Orthodoxy. Volume I: History, canonical structure and dogma of the Orthodox Church. With a preface by His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia. M: Sretensky Monastery Publishing House, 2008. Second Edition - M: Sretensky Monastery Publishing House, 2009. Third Edition - M: Sretensky Monastery Publishing House, 2011. Fourth Edition - M: Sretensky Monastery Publishing House, 2013. Edition fifth - M: Sretensky Monastery Publishing House, 2016.
Orthodoxy. Volume II: Temple and Icon, Sacraments and Rites, Liturgical Services and Church Music. M: Sretensky Monastery Publishing House, 2009. Second Edition - M: Sretensky Monastery Publishing House, 2010. Third Edition - M: Sretensky Monastery Publishing House, 2011. Fourth Edition - M: Sretensky Monastery Publishing House, 2013. Edition fifth - M: Sretensky Monastery Publishing House, 2016.
Patriarch Kirill: Life and outlook. M: Eksmo, 2009.
Conversations with Metropolitan Hilarion. M: Eksmo, 2010.
How to gain faith. M: Eksmo, 2011.
How to come to Church. M: Eksmo, 2011.
The main sacrament of the Church. M: Eksmo, 2011.
The church is open to everyone. Speeches and interviews. Minsk: Belarusian Orthodox Church, 2011.
Holidays of the Orthodox Church. M: Eksmo, 2012.
Rites of the Orthodox Church. M: Eksmo, 2012.
Church in history. M .: Publishing house of the Moscow Patriarchate, 2013. Second edition - M: Publishing house of the Moscow Patriarchate; Cognition, 2018.
To be in the world, but not of the world. Collection of reports and speeches by the Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate. M.: Publishing house of the Moscow Patriarchy, Nicaea, 2013.
God: Orthodox teaching. M: Eksmo, 2014.
Jesus Christ: God and Man. M: Eksmo, 2014.
Creation of God: The World and Man. M: Eksmo, 2014.
Church: Heaven on earth. M: Eksmo, 2014.
End Times: Orthodox Teaching. M: Eksmo, 2014.
Jesus Christ. Life and teaching. Book I: The Beginning of the Gospel. M: Sretensky Monastery Publishing House, 2016. Second edition - M: Cognition, 2017.
Jesus Christ. Life and teaching. Book II: The Sermon on the Mount. M: Sretensky Monastery Publishing House, 2016. Second edition - M: Cognition, 2017.
Jesus Christ. Life and teaching. Book III: Miracles of Jesus. M: Sretensky Monastery Publishing House, 2017.
Jesus Christ. Life and teaching. Book IV: The Parables of Jesus. M: Sretensky Monastery Publishing House, 2017.
Jesus Christ. Life and teaching. Book V: The Lamb of God. M: Sretensky Monastery Publishing House, 2017.
Jesus Christ. Life and teaching. Book VI: Death and Resurrection. M: Sretensky Monastery Publishing House, 2017.
Apostle Paul. Biography. M.: Knowledge, 2017.
Four Gospels. Volume I. M.: Cognition, 2017.
Catechism. A short guide to the Orthodox faith. M.: Eksmo, 2017. Second edition - M: Cognition, 2017. Third edition - M: Cognition, 2017. Fourth edition - M: Cognition, 2018. Fifth edition - M: Cognition, 2018.
"Our Father". Interpretation of prayer. M: Knowledge, 2017.
Sermons. Volume I: Holidays. M: Publishing House of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, 2017.
Sermons. Volume II: Sundays. M: Publishing House of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, 2017.
Sermons. Volume III: Great Lent and Holy Week. M: Publishing House of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, 2018.
Apostle Peter. Biography. M.: Knowledge, 2018.
Grace and Law. Commentary on the Epistle of the Apostle Paul to the Romans M.: Knowledge, 2018.
Liturgy. M.: Cognition (preparing for publication).
In English
St Symeon the New Theologian and Orthodox Tradition. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000.
The Spiritual World of Isaac the Syrian. Cistercian Studies No 175. Kalamazoo, Michigan: Cistercian Publications, 2000.
The Mystery of Faith. Introduction to the Teaching and Spirituality of the Orthodox Church. London: Darton, Longman and Todd, 2002.
Orthodox Witness Today. Geneva: WCC Publications, 2006.
Christ the Conqueror of Hell. The Descent into Hell in Orthodox Tradition. New York: SVS Press, 2009.
Orthodox Christianity. Volume I: The History and Canonical Structure of the Orthodox Church. New York: SVS Press, 2011.
Orthodox Christianity. Volume II: Doctrine and Teaching of the Faith. New York: SVS Press, 2012.
Orthodox Christianity. Volume III: The Architecture, Icons and Music of the Orthodox Church. New York: SVS Press, 2014.
Prayer: Encounter with the Living God. New York: SVS Press, 2015.
Orthodox Christianity. Volume IV: The Worship and Liturgical Life of the Orthodox Church. New York: SVS Press, 2016.
In French
Le mystere de la foi. Introduction à la théologie dogmatique orthodoxe. Paris: Cerf, 2001.
L'univers spirituel d'Isaac le Syrien. Bellefontaine, 2001.
Symeon le Studite. Discours ascetique. Introduction, texte critique et notes par H. Alfeyev. Sources Chrétiennes 460. Paris: Cerf, 2001.
Le chantre de la lumiere. Initiation à la spiritualité de saint Grégoire de Nazianze. Paris: Cerf, 2006.
Le Nom grand et glorieux. La vénération du Nom de Dieu et la prière de Jesus dans la tradition orthodoxe. Paris: Cerf, 2007.
Le mystere sacré de l'Eglise. Introduction à l'histoire et à la problématique des débats athonites sur la vénération du Nom de Dieu. Friborg: Academic Press, 2007.
L'Orthodoxie I. L'histoire et structures canoniques de l'Eglise orthodoxe. Paris: Cerf, 2009.
L'Orthodoxie II. La doctrine de l'Eglise orthodoxe. Paris: Cerf, 2012.
Image de l'Invisible. L’art dans l "Église orthodoxe. Paris: Les Éditions Sainte-Geneviève, 2017.
in Italian
La Gloria del Nome. L'opera dello schimonaco Ilarion e la controversia athonita sul Nome di Dio all'inizio dell XX secolo. Bose: Qiqajon, 2002.
La forza dell'amore. L'universo spirituale di sant'Isacco il Syro. Bose: Qiqajon, 2003.
Cristo Vincitore degli inferi. Bose: Qiqajon, 2003.
Cristiani nel mondo contemporaneo. Bose: Qiqajon, 2013.
La Chiesa ortodossa. 1. Profilo history. Bologna: Edizione Dehoniane, 2013.
La Chiesa ortodossa. 2. Dottrina. Bologna: Edizione Dehoniane, 2014.
La Chiesa ortodossa. 3. Tempio, icona e musica sacra. Bologna: Edizione Dehoniane, 2015.
La Chiesa ortodossa. 4. Liturgy. Bologna: Edizione Dehoniane, 2017.
In Spanish
El misterio de la fe. Una introduction a la Teologia Ortodoxa. Granada: Nuevo Inicio, 2014.
in Portuguese
Misterio da fé. Introdução à teologia dogmática orthodoxa. Lisbon, 2018.
In German
Geheimnis des Glaubens. Einführung in die orthodoxe dogmatische Theologie. Aus dem Russischen übersetzt von Hermann-Josef Röhrig. Herausgegeben von Barbara Hallensleben und Guido Vergauwen. Universitätsverlag Freiburg Schweiz, 2003. 2. Ausgabe - Friborg: Academic Press, 2005.
Vom Gebet. Traditionen in der Orthodoxen Kirche. Münsterschwarzach: Vier-Türme-Verlag, 2012.
Die Zukunft der Tradition. Gesellschaft, Familie, Christentum. Berlin: Landt, 2016.
Catechism. Kurze Wegbegleitung durch den orthodoxen Glauben. Münster: Aschendorff Verlag, 2017.
in Greek
Άγιος Ισαάκ ο Σύρος. Ο πνευματικός του κόσμος. Αγιολογική Βιβλιοθήκη, αρ. 17. Εκδόσεις ΑΚΡΙΤΑΣ. Αθήνα, 2005.
Το μυστήριο της Πίστης. Εκδόσεις ΕΝ ΠΛΩ. Αθήνα, 2011.
in Serbian
Mystery of faith: a diversion from Orthodox dogmatic theology. Translated from Russian by George Lazarev; translation editor Ksenia Koncharevi. Krajevo: Diocesan administration selection Diocesan zhichke, 2005.
Wiste lordship of the world. A discourse on the Christian life. Sa russian preveo Nikola Stojanović. Editing of the translation by prof. Dr. Ksenia Koncharevych. Krajevo, 2009.
The life and study of the light of Gregory the Theologian. Translated by Nikola Stojanović. Editing of the translation by Dr. Xenia Koncharevych, prof. Krajevo, 2009.
Christ the Conqueror of Hell. The theme of silaska in hell in the source-Chrishian tradition. The Russian leader was Marija Dabetiћ. Kragujevac, 2010.
Orthodox theology on the scale of the ages. The Russian leader was Marija Dabetiћ. Kragujevac, 2011.
Patrijarch Kiril: belly and gledishte. Translated by Xenia Koncharev. Beograd, 2012.
Spiritual light of the Monk Isak the Syrian. Translated by Russian Dr. Ksenia Koncharev. Novi Sad: Conversation, 2017.
Finnish
Uskon mysteeri. Johdatus ortodoksiseen dogmaattiseen teologiaan. Ortodoksisen kirjallisuuden julkaisuneuvosto. Jyväskyla, 2002.
in Hungarian
A hit titka. Bevezetes az Ortodox Egyház teologiájába es lelkiségébe. Budapest: Magyar Ortodox Egyházmegye, 2005.
Azimádsagról. Budapest: Kairosz Kiado, 2017.
in Polish
Mysterium wiary. Wprowadzenie do prawosławnej teologii dogmatycznej. Warszawska Metropolia Prawosławna, 2009.
in Romanian
Christos, biruitorul iadului. Coborarea la iad din perspectiva teologica. Bucuresti: Editura Sophia, 2008.
Sfântul Simeon Noul Teolog si traditia orthodoxa. Bucuresti: Editura Sophia, 2009.
Lumea duhovnicească a Sfântului Isaac Sirul. Iasi: Editura Doxologia, 2013.
Taina credina. Introducere în teologia dogmatică orthodoxă. Iasi: Editura Doxologia, 2014.
Rugăciunea. Întălnire cu Dumnezeul cel Viu. Iasi: Editura Doxologia, 2016.
in Arabic
سر الإيمان. - بيروت : تعاونية النورالأرثوذكسية، ٢٠١٦.
Japanese
アルフェエフ, イラリオン. 信仰の機密 / イラリオン・アルフェエフ著 ; ニコライ高松光一訳. - 東京 : 東京復活大聖堂教会, 2004.
On the Chinese
2009 年
China Orthodox press 2015 年
in Ukrainian
The Sacrament of Veri: Entry to Orthodox Theology. Kiev, 2009.
About prayer. Kiev, 2015.
in Bulgarian
Mystery in vyarat. Leading into Orthodox theology. Sofia, 2014.
in Macedonian
Tajnata na verata. Voved in Orthodox dogmatic theology. Skopje, 2009.
in Czech
Izák Syrský a jeho duchovní odkaz. Prel. Jaroslav Brož a Michal Řoutil. Praha, Červený Kostelec: Nakladatelství Pavel Mervart, 2010.
Kristus - vítěz nad podsvětím: téma sestoupení do pekel ve východokřesťanské tradici. Přeložil: Antonín Cížek. Praha, Červený Kostelec: Nakladatelství Pavel Mervart, 2013.
Mysterium viry. Uvedení do pravoslavne teologie. Preklad: Antonín Cížek. Praha, Červený Kostelec: Nakladatelství Pavel Mervart, 2016.
in Swedish
Trons mysterium. En introduction till den orthodoxa kyrkans troslära och andlighet. Stockholm: Artos & Norma Bokförlag, 2010.
in Estonian
Usu saladus. Sissejuhatus õigeusu teoloogiasse. Tallinn, 2017.
in Georgian
სარწმუნოების საიდუმლოება. თბილისი, 2013.
Musical works
Compositions for choir and orchestra
Matthew Passion for soloists, choir and string orchestra. Score: Metropolitan Hilarion (Alfeev). Passion according to Matthew. M.: Music, 2011.
"Christmas Oratorio" for soloists, boys' choir, mixed choir and large symphony orchestra. Score: Metropolitan Hilarion (Alfeev). Christmas oratorio. M.: Music, 2012.
"Song of Ascension" Symphony for choir and orchestra on the words of psalms (2008). Score: Metropolitan Hilarion (Alfeev). Compositions for orchestra and choir. M.: Muzyka, 2014. S. 65-123.
"Stabat Mater" for soloists, choir and orchestra (2011). Score: Metropolitan Hilarion (Alfeev). Compositions for orchestra and choir. M.: Muzyka, 2014. S. 4-64.
Sacred music for choir a cappella
"Divine Liturgy" for mixed choir (2006). Score: Metropolitan Hilarion (Alfeev). Collection of liturgical hymns. M.: life-giving spring, 2014. S. 7-56 (arranged for male choir: Ibid. S. 57-106).
"Chants of the Divine Liturgy (Liturgy No. 2)" for mixed choir. Score: Metropolitan Hilarion (Alfeev). Collection of liturgical hymns. M.: Life-giving source, 2014. S. 107-142.
"All-Night Vigil" for soloists and mixed choir (2006). Score: Metropolitan Hilarion (Alfeev). Collection of liturgical hymns. M.: Life-giving source, 2014. S. 143-212.
Chamber and instrumental music
Concerto grosso for two violins, viola, cello, harpsichord and string orchestra (2012).
Fugue on BACH for symphony orchestra (2012). Score: Metropolitan Hilarion (Alfeev). Compositions for orchestra and choir. M.: Muzyka, 2014. S. 125-142.
Music in motion pictures
Conductor. A film directed by Pavel Lungin, a musical drama based on the oratorio "Passion according to Matthew", written by Metropolitan Hilarion. The film was released on March 29, 2012. Russia TV channel showed the film "Conductor" on the eve of Easter, April 14, 2012.
Orthodoxy in Kazakhstan. Zailiysky Tabor. Film directed by Konstantin Charalampidis, 2009.
Willie and Nicky. Film directed by Sergei Bosenko, 2014.
Filmography
Man before God. Cycle of 10 films. It was shown for the first time at the TV channel "Culture" in the spring of 2011. The author and presenter is Metropolitan Hilarion. Film 1: Introduction to the temple. Film 2: Icon. Movie 3: The Sacrament of Baptism. Movie 4: The Sacrament of the Eucharist. Film 5: Sacrament of Marriage. Film 6: Confession, prayer and fasting. Movie 7: The Virgin and the Saints. Movie 8: The Sacrament of the Unction (unction) and the rite of the funeral service. Movie 9: Worship. Film 10: Holidays.
The way of the shepherd. To the 65th anniversary of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill. First shown at TV channel "Russia-1" November 20, 2011. The author and presenter is Metropolitan Hilarion.
Church in history. Cycle of 10 films. It was shown for the first time at the TV channel "Culture" in the spring of 2012. The author and presenter is Metropolitan Hilarion. Film 1: "Jesus Christ and His Church". Film 2: "The Age of Martyrdom". Film 3: "The Epoch of Ecumenical Councils". Film 4: "The Baptism of Russia". Movie 5: The Great Schism. Film 6: "The Fall of Byzantium". Film 7: "Orthodoxy in Russia". Movie 8: "Synodal period". Film 9: "Persecution of the Church in Russia in the 20th century." Movie 10: "Orthodox churches at the present stage."
Unity of the Faithful. To the 5th anniversary of the restoration of unity between the Moscow Patriarchate and the Russian Church Abroad. First shown at TC "Russia-1" May 16, 2012. The author and presenter is Metropolitan Hilarion.
Journey to Athos. A film by Metropolitan Hilarion. It was shown for the first time at the TV channel "Culture" on November 23 and 24, 2012.
Orthodoxy in China. A film by Metropolitan Hilarion. First shown at the TV channel "Culture" on May 15, 2013.
Pilgrimage to the Holy Land. A film by Metropolitan Hilarion. First shown at the Russia-24 TV channel in June 2013.
The second baptism of Russia. A film by Metropolitan Hilarion. To the 1025th anniversary of the Baptism of Russia. First shown at TC "Russia-1" on July 22, at TC "Inter" (Ukraine) on July 28, 2013.
Holidays. Documentary cycle of 15 films. Author and leading Metropolitan Hilarion. He appeared on the TV channel "Culture" during the days of great church holidays, from August 2013 to July 2014.
Monastery. A film by Metropolitan Hilarion. First shown at the TV channel "Culture" on December 15, 2013.
Orthodoxy in the British Isles. A film by Metropolitan Hilarion. First shown on the TV channel "Culture" on June 18, 2014.
Orthodoxy in Japan. A film by Metropolitan Hilarion. First shown on the TV channel "Culture" on August 16, 2014.
Orthodoxy in America. A film by Metropolitan Hilarion. First shown at the TV channel "Culture" on August 24, 2014.
Imyaslavsky disputes. A film by Metropolitan Hilarion. First shown at TC "Culture" First shown at TC "Culture" December 13, 2014
With the Patriarch on Athos. A film by Metropolitan Hilarion. First shown on the TV channel "Culture" December 14, 2014
Orthodoxy in Georgia. A film by Metropolitan Hilarion. First shown on the TV channel "Culture" December 20, 2014
Orthodoxy in the Serbian lands. A film by Metropolitan Hilarion. First shown on the TV channel "Culture" December 21, 2014
Orthodoxy in Bulgaria. A film by Metropolitan Hilarion. First shown at the TV channel "Culture" on October 24, 2015
The Old Rite: History and Modernity. A film by Metropolitan Hilarion. Shown at the TK "Culture" and "Soyuz" in 2015
Orthodoxy in Romania. A film by Metropolitan Hilarion. First shown at the TV channel "Culture" November 7, 2015
Orthodoxy in the Crimean land. A film by Metropolitan Hilarion. First shown at the TV channel "Culture" on April 2, 2016
Johann Sebastian Bach - composer and theologian. A film by Metropolitan Hilarion. First shown at the TV channel "Culture" on April 25, 2016
Antonio Vivaldi - composer and priest. A film by Metropolitan Hilarion. First shown at the TV channel "Culture" February 17, 2017
Haydn. Seven words of the Savior on the cross. A film by Metropolitan Hilarion. First shown at the TV channel "Culture" on April 10, 2017
Pergolesi. The grieving mother stood. A film by Metropolitan Hilarion. First shown at the TV channel "Culture" on April 10, 2017
Mozart's last creation. A film by Metropolitan Hilarion. First shown on the TV channel "Culture" on July 11, 2017.
Rakhmaninov. All-night vigil. A film by Metropolitan Hilarion. First shown on the TV channel "Culture" on July 12, 2017.
Tchaikovsky is a church composer. A film by Metropolitan Hilarion. First shown at the TV channel "Culture" on July 13, 2017.
Academic degrees and titles
PhD, Oxford University (UK, 1995)
Doctor of Theology from St. Sergius Orthodox Theological Institute in Paris (France, 1999)
Professor of the Moscow Theological Academy
Professor of Theology at the University of Fribourg (Switzerland (2011)
Professor, Head of the Department of Theology, National Research Nuclear Institute MEPhI (2012).
Honorary Doctor of the St. Petersburg Theological Academy (2011)
Honorary Doctor of Theology of the Minsk Theological Academy (2012)
Honorary Doctor of Theology from St. Vladimir's Theological Seminary in New York (USA, 2014)
Honorary Doctor of the Russian State Social University (2010)
Honorary Doctor of Theology, Faculty of Theology, University of Catalonia (Spain, 2010)
Honorary Doctor of Theology, Faculty of Theology, University of Lugano (Switzerland, 2011)
Honorary Doctor of the University of Presov (Slovakia, 2011)
Honorary Doctor of Divinity, Villanova University (USA, 2012)
Honorary Doctor of Nashotah House Theological Seminary (USA, 2012)
Honorary Doctor of the Institute of Theology of the Belarusian State University (2013)
Honorary Doctor of the Russian State University for the Humanities (2014)
Honorary Doctor of the University of Veliko Tarnovo "Saints Cyril and Methodius" (2014)
Honorary Doctor of Moscow State Linguistic University (2017)
Honorary Doctor of the Faculty of Theology of Apulia (Italy, 2017)
Honorary Doctor of the Diplomatic Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia (2018)
Honorary Professor of the Russian Christian Humanitarian Academy (2010)
Honorary Professor of the Ural State Conservatory. M. P. Mussorgsky (2012)
Honorary Professor of the Ural State Mining University (2012)
Honorary Professor of Moscow State Pedagogical University (2017)
Honorary Professor of the Lomonosov Moscow State University (2018)
State awards
Order of Honor (May 17, 2016) - for a great contribution to the development of spiritual culture and the strengthening of friendship between peoples.
Order of Friendship (July 20, 2011) - for a great contribution to the development of spiritual culture and the strengthening of friendship between peoples.
Order of Merit, III degree (Ukraine, July 27, 2013) - for a significant personal contribution to the development of spirituality, many years of fruitful church activity and on the occasion of the celebration in Ukraine of the 1025th anniversary of the baptism of Kievan Rus.
Order of Merit (Commander's Cross) (Hungary, December 16, 2013) - for his contribution to strengthening inter-Christian dialogue, protecting Christians in the modern world, upholding the fundamental moral principles of the Holy Scriptures, protecting the institution of the family, outstanding achievements in the ecclesiastical diplomatic mission, as well as for works on deepening cooperation between the historical Churches of Hungary and the Russian Orthodox Church.
Order of the Legion of Honor (Mexico, January 17, 2014) - in recognition of outstanding achievements as head of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate.
Church awards
Letters of His Holiness Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia (1996 and 1999)
Order of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist Mark II degree of the Orthodox Church of Alexandria (2010)
Order of the Holy Primate Apostles Peter and Paul II degree of the Orthodox Church of Antioch, (2011)
Order of Saint Equal-to-the-Apostles Constantine the Great of the Serbian Orthodox Church, (2013)
Order of St. Sava II degree of the Serbian Orthodox Church, (2014)
Order of Saints Cyril and Methodius, I degree, Bulgarian Orthodox Church, (2014)
Golden Cross of the Order of Saint Paul the Apostle of the Greek Orthodox Church, (2013)
Order of St. Equal-to-the-Apostles Mary Magdalene II degree of the Polish Orthodox Church (2012)
Order of Saints Equal-to-the-Apostles Cyril and Methodius with a Gold Star of the Orthodox Church of the Czech Lands and Slovakia (2011)
Order of St. Innocent of Moscow II degree of the Orthodox Church in America (2009)
Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk (in the world Grigory Valerievich Alfeev) was born on July 24, 1966 in Moscow.
From 1973 to 1984 he studied at the Moscow Secondary Special Musical School. Gnesins in the class of violin and composition. At the age of 15, he entered the Church of the Resurrection of the Word on the Assumption Vrazhek (Moscow) as a reader. Since 1983, he was a subdeacon of Metropolitan Pitirim (Nechaev) of Volokolamsk and Yurievsk and worked as a freelancer in the Publishing Department of the Moscow Patriarchate. In 1984, after graduating from school, he entered the composition department of the Moscow State Conservatory. In 1984-86 he served in the army.
In January 1987, of his own free will, he left his studies at the Moscow Conservatory and entered the Vilna Holy Spirit Monastery as a novice. On June 19, 1987, in the cathedral of the Vilna Holy Spirit Monastery, Archbishop Viktorin of Vilna and Lithuania (Belyaev, + 1990) was tonsured a monk with the naming of the name Hilarion in honor of St. Cathedral by the same bishop ordained a hierodeacon.
On August 19, 1987, at the Prechistensky Cathedral in Vilnius, with the blessing of Archbishop Viktorin of Vilna and Lithuania, he was ordained a hieromonk by Archbishop Anatoly of Ufa and Sterlitamak (now Archbishop of Kerch). In 1988-1990 he served as rector of churches in the city of Telsiai and the villages of Kolainiai and Tituvenai of the Vilnius diocese. In 1990 he was appointed rector of the Annunciation Cathedral in Kaunas.
In 1990, as a delegate from the clergy of the Vilna and Lithuanian diocese, he participated in the Local Council of the Russian Orthodox Church.
In 1989 he graduated from the Moscow Theological Seminary in absentia, and in 1991 from the Moscow Theological Academy with a degree in theology. In 1993, he completed his postgraduate studies at the MDA. In 1991-1993 he taught homiletics, Holy Scripture of the New Testament, dogmatic theology and Greek at the MDAiS. In 1992-1993 he taught the New Testament at the Orthodox St. Tikhon Theological Institute and patrology at the Russian Orthodox University of St. John the Theologian.
In 1993, he was sent for an internship at Oxford University, where, under the guidance of Bishop Kallistos of Diokleia (Patriarchate of Constantinople), he worked on his doctoral dissertation on the theme "St. Simeon the New Theologian and Orthodox Tradition", combining his studies with service in the parishes of the Sourozh diocese. In 1995 he graduated from the University of Oxford with a Ph.D.
Since 1995, he worked in the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, from August 1997 to early 2002 he headed the Secretariat for Inter-Christian Relations.
In 1995-1997 he taught pathology at the Smolensk and Kaluga Theological Seminaries. In 1996, he lectured on dogmatic theology at the St. German Orthodox Theological Seminary in Alaska (USA).
Since January 1996, he was a member of the clergy of the Church of the Holy Great Martyr Catherine on Vspolye in Moscow (a courtyard of the Orthodox Church in America). From 1996 to 2004 he was a member of the Synodal Theological Commission of the Russian Orthodox Church. In 1997-1999 he lectured on dogmatic theology at St. Vladimir's Theological Seminary in New York (USA) and on the mystical theology of the Eastern Church at the Faculty of Theology of the University of Cambridge (UK). In 1999, the St. Sergius Orthodox Theological Institute in Paris was awarded the degree of Doctor of Theology.
On Easter 2000, in the Holy Trinity Church in Khoroshev (Moscow), Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad was elevated to the rank of abbot. By the decision of the Holy Synod of December 27, 2001, he was elected Bishop of Kerch, Vicar of the Diocese of Sourozh. On January 7, 2002, on the feast of the Nativity of Christ, in the Assumption Cathedral of Smolensk, Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad was elevated to the rank of archimandrite. January 14, 2002 in Moscow, in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, he was ordained a bishop.
The consecration was performed by His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia, co-served by ten archpastors. By the decision of the Holy Synod of July 17, 2002, he was appointed Bishop of Podolsk, vicar of the Moscow diocese, head of the Representation of the Russian Orthodox Church to European international organizations. By the decision of the Holy Synod of May 7, 2003, he was appointed Bishop of Vienna and Austria with the assignment of temporary administration of the Budapest and Hungarian diocese and with the preservation of the position of Representative of the Russian Orthodox Church to European international organizations in Brussels.
On February 1, 2005, he was elected Privatdozent of the Faculty of Theology at the University of Friborg (Switzerland) in the Department of Dogmatic Theology. On August 24, 2005, he was awarded the Makariev Prize for his work “The Sacred Mystery of the Church. Introduction to the history and problems of the imyaslav disputes.
On March 31, 2009, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia and the Holy Synod, having freed Bishop Hilarion from the administration of the Vienna-Austrian and Hungarian dioceses, appointed him Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, a permanent member of the Holy Synod with the title "Bishop of Volokolamsk, Vicar of the Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia. Then he was appointed rector of the newly created All-Church postgraduate and doctoral studies of the Moscow Patriarchate named after Saints Cyril and Methodius.
On April 9, 2009, he was appointed rector of the Church of the Icon of the Mother of God "Joy of All Who Sorrow" on Bolshaya Ordynka in Moscow. On April 20, 2009, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia elevated him to the rank of archbishop, and on February 1, 2010, to the rank of metropolitan.
Since May 28, 2009 - Member of the Council for Interaction with Religious Associations under the President of the Russian Federation. Since July 27, 2009, he has been included in the Inter-Council Presence of the Russian Orthodox Church and its Presidium.
Chairman of the Inter-Council Presence Commission on Relations with Heterodoxy and Other Religions, Deputy Chairman of the Commission on Counteracting and Overcoming Church Schisms, member of the Commissions on Theology and on Divine Worship and Church Art. Since July 26, 2010 - Member of the Patriarchal Council for Culture. Since January 13, 2010, he has been a member of the Board of Trustees of the Russkiy Mir Foundation.
Today marks the 50th anniversary of the birth of the great composer, theologian, historian; a polyglot who knows many foreign languages to varying degrees: English, French, Greek, Italian, Spanish, German, Ancient Greek, Syriac, Hebrew, the owner of the world ecumenical award for tolerance, famously rewriting in a matter of days the texts of the holy fathers objectionable to him (for example, according to the words of the hero of the day, he wrote his catechism in three days because there was nothing to do, because the delegation of the Russian Orthodox Church did not go to the false cathedral in Crete - editor's note religruss.info).
Yes, right! Today is the anniversary of the Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, Permanent Member of the Holy Synod, Chairman of the Synodal Biblical and Theological Commission, Rector of the All-Church Postgraduate and Doctoral Studies named after Saints Cyril and Methodius Equal to the Apostles, Rector of the Church of the Icon of the Mother of God "Joy of All Who Sorrow" on Bolshaya Ordynka in Moscow , Chairman of the Joint Dissertation Council D 999.073.04 in Theology of the Church-wide Postgraduate and Doctoral Studies named after Saints Equal-to-the-Apostles Cyril and Methodius, St. Tikhon Orthodox University for the Humanities, Moscow State University named after M.V. Lomonosov and the Russian Academy of National Economy and Public Administration under the President of the Russian Federation ; a bosom friend of the Latins, who is trying with all his might to destroy Orthodoxy by uniting it with the papists; malicious heretic-ecumenist - Metropolitan Hilarion Alfeev.
The unparalleled talent and dizzying career of Vladyka should probably awe everyone. So, for example, from the moment Grigory Dashevsky entered the monastery (this is what Metropolitan Hilarion is called in the world - editor's note of religruss.info) as a novice to his ordination to the rank of hieromonk, only 5 months have passed! Although, as a rule, novices go through years of probation in a monastery before they take monastic vows, not to mention the priesthood.
Metropolitan Hilarion:
PhD from Oxford University
Doctor of Theology, St. Sergius Orthodox Theological Institute in Paris
Professor of the Moscow Theological Academy
Professor at the Faculty of Theology at the University of Fribourg (Switzerland)
Professor, Head of the Department of Theology, National Research Nuclear Institute MEPhI
Honorary Doctor of the St. Petersburg Theological Academy
Honorary Doctor of Theology, Minsk Theological Academy
Honorary Doctor of Theology from St. Vladimir's Theological Seminary in New York
Honorary Doctor of the Russian State Social University
Honorary Doctor of Theology from the Theological Faculty of the University of Catalonia
Honorary Doctor of Theology from the Theological Faculty of the University of Lugano
Honorary Doctor of the University of Presov (Slovakia)
Honorary Doctor of Divinity from Villanova University (USA)
Honorary Doctor of the Nashotah House Theological Seminary (USA)
Honorary Doctor of the Institute of Theology of the Belarusian State University
Honorary Doctor of the Russian State University for the Humanities
Honorary Professor of the Russian Christian Humanitarian Academy
Honorary Professor of the Ural State Conservatory. M. P. Mussorgsky
Honorary Professor of the Ural State Mining University
Honorary Doctor of Veliko Tarnovo University "Saints Cyril and Methodius"
Active member of the Academy of Russian Literature
Member of the Union of Composers of Russia
The efficiency of the Metropolitan of Volokolamsk is, in truth, inhuman! Mind common man not realize how it is possible, combining their direct duties of the metropolitan, who
a) takes precedence over divine services conciliarly performed by the bishops of the Metropolis;
b) convenes the Council of Bishops, presides over it, submits its resolutions to the Patriarch and sends them to the diocesan bishops of the Metropolis;
c) take care of the coordination of the activities of the dioceses of the Metropolis in the matters listed in paragraphs 2 and 8 of these Regulations;
d) within the limits of the Metropolitanate, has supervisory supervision over the implementation of the decisions of the Local and Bishops' Councils, as well as the Holy Synod;
e) oversees the regular holding of joint meetings of representatives of diocesan departments and other institutions of the dioceses of the Metropolis;
f) has care for the interaction of the dioceses of the Metropolis with the secular authorities, whose powers extend to the entire territory of the Metropolis;
g) visits the dioceses in order to get acquainted with the church life in the Metropolis in agreement with their diocesan bishops or on behalf of the Patriarch;
h) receive from the diocesan bishops of the Metropolis copies of annual reports sent to the name of the Patriarch;
i) gives fraternal advice to the bishops of the Metropolis regarding the administration of the dioceses;
j) at the direction of the Patriarch or on his own initiative, present to the Patriarch his opinion on the state of affairs in the dioceses of the Metropolis;
k) at the request of the General Church Court, submit a review on cases pending in the General Church Court and relating to the activities of canonical divisions or officials of the Russian Orthodox Church on the territory of the Metropolis;
l) accepts complaints against the bishops of the Metropolis and considers them without formal ecclesiastical legal proceedings, and if it is impossible to resolve the issue, sends the case for consideration by the Patriarch with an appendix of his opinion;
m) carries out a formal investigation of cases concerning the dioceses of the Metropolis, in cases where the authorities of the highest church administration send him a corresponding request;
in his free time he composes oratorios, symphonies and other musical works; writes in plural books, films!
Here is a list of Vladyka Hilarion's works:
Books
In Russian
Mystery of Faith. An Introduction to Orthodox Dogmatic Theology.
Fathers and Doctors of the Church of the 3rd century. Anthology. T. 1-2.
The life and teachings of St. Gregory the Theologian.
Saint Simeon the New Theologian and Orthodox Tradition.
Rev. Isaac the Syrian. About divine mysteries and spiritual life. Newly discovered texts. Translation from Syriac.
Venerable Simeon the New Theologian. Chapters are theological, speculative and practical. Translation from Greek.
Eastern Fathers and Doctors of the Church of the 4th century. Anthology. T. 1-3.
The night has passed and the day has come. Sermons and talks.
Orthodox theology at the turn of eras. Articles, reports.
Venerable Simeon the New Theologian. "Come, true Light." Selected hymns in verse translation from Greek.
Eastern Fathers and Doctors of the Church of the 5th century. Anthology.
Christ is the Conqueror of Hell. The theme of the descent into hell in the Eastern Christian tradition.
About prayer.
You are the light of the world. Conversations about the Christian life.
The human face of God. Sermons.
Venerable Simeon the New Theologian. Rev. Nikita Stifat. Ascetic works in new translations.
Sacred Mystery of the Church. Introduction to the history and problems of the imyaslav disputes.
What do Orthodox Christians believe? catechetical conversations. .
Orthodox Witness in the Modern World.
Orthodoxy. Volume I: History, canonical structure and dogma of the Orthodox Church. With a preface by His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia.
Orthodoxy. Volume II: Temple and Icon, Sacraments and Rites, Liturgical Services and Church Music.
Conversations with Metropolitan Hilarion.
How to gain faith.
How to come to Church.
The main sacrament of the Church.
The church is open to everyone. Speeches and interviews.
Holidays of the Orthodox Church.
Rites of the Orthodox Church.
Church in history.
To be in the world, but not of the world. Collection of reports and speeches by the Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate.
God: Orthodox teaching.
Jesus Christ: God and Man.
Creation of God: The World and Man.
Church: Heaven on earth.
End Times: Orthodox Teaching.
In English
St Symeon the New Theologian and Orthodox Tradition.
The Spiritual World of Isaac the Syrian.
The Mystery of Faith. Introduction to the Teaching and Spirituality of the Orthodox Church.
Orthodox Witness Today.
Christ the Conqueror of Hell. The Descent into Hell in Orthodox Tradition.
Orthodox Christianity. Volume I: The History and Canonical Structure of the Orthodox Church. .
Orthodox Christianity. Volume II: Doctrine and Teaching of the Faith.
Orthodox Christianity. Volume III: The Architecture, Icons and Music of the Orthodox Church.
Prayer: Encounter with the Living God.
In French
Le mystere de la foi. Introduction à la théologie dogmatique orthodoxe. Paris: Cerf, 2001.
L'univers spirituel d'Isaac le Syrien.
Symeon le Studite. Discours ascetique. Introduction, texte critique et notes par H. Alfeyev.
Le chantre de la lumiere. Initiation à la spiritualité de saint Grégoire de Nazianze.
Le Nom grand et glorieux. La vénération du Nom de Dieu et la prière de Jesus dans la tradition orthodoxe.
Le mystere sacré de l'Eglise. Introduction à l'histoire et à la problématique des débats athonites sur la vénération du Nom de Dieu.
L'Orthodoxie I. L'histoire et structures canoniques de l'Eglise orthodoxe.
L'Orthodoxie II. La doctrine de l'Eglise orthodoxe.
in Italian
La Gloria del Nome. L'opera dello schimonaco Ilarion e la controversia athonita sul Nome di Dio all'inizio dell XX secolo.
La forza dell'amore. L'universo spirituale di sant'Isacco il Syro.
Cristo Vincitore degli inferi.
Cristiani nel mondo contemporaneo.
La Chiesa ortodossa. 1. Profilo history.
La Chiesa ortodossa. 2. Dottrina.
La Chiesa ortodossa. 3. Tempio, icona e musica sacra.
In Spanish
El misterio de la fe. Una introduction a la Teologia Ortodoxa.
In German
Geheimnis des Glaubens. Einführung in die orthodoxe dogmatische Theologie. Aus dem Russischen übersetzt von Hermann-Josef Röhrig. Herausgegeben von Barbara Hallensleben und Guido Vergauwen.
Vom Gebet. Traditionen in der Orthodoxen Kirche.
in Greek
Άγιος Ισαάκ ο Σύρος. Ο πνευματικός του κόσμος. Αγιολογική Βιβλιοθήκη, αρ. 17. Εκδόσεις ΑΚΡΙΤΑΣ.
Το μυστήριο της Πίστης. Εκδόσεις ΕΝ ΠΛΩ.
in Serbian
Mystery of faith: a diversion from Orthodox dogmatic theology. Translated from Russian by George Lazarev; translation editor Ksenia Koncharevi.
Wiste lordship of the world. A discourse on the Christian life. Sa russian preveo Nikola Stojanović. Editing of the translation by prof. Dr. Ksenia Koncharevych.
The life and study of the light of Gregory the Theologian. Translated by Nikola Stojanović.
Christ the Conqueror of Hell. The theme of silaska in hell in the source-Chrishian tradition.
Orthodox theology on the scale of the ages. The Russian leader was Marija Dabetiћ.
Patrijarch Kiril: belly and gledishte. Translated by Xenia Koncharev.
Finnish
Uskon mysteeri. Johdatus ortodoksiseen dogmaattiseen teologiaan. Ortodoksisen kirjallisuuden julkaisuneuvosto.
in Hungarian
A hit titka. Bevezetes az Ortodox Egyház teologiájába es lelkiségébe.
in Polish
Mysterium wiary. Wprowadzenie do prawosławnej teologii dogmatycznej. Warszawska
in Romanian
Christos, biruitorul iadului. Coborarea la iad din perspectiva teologica.
Sfântul Simeon Noul Teolog si traditia orthodoxa.
Lumea duhovnicească a Sfântului Isaac Sirul.
Taina credina. Introducere în teologia dogmatică orthodoxă.
Rugăciunea. Întălnire cu Dumnezeul cel Viu.
Japanese
イラリオン・アルフェエフ著、ニコライ高松光一訳『信仰の機密』東京復活大聖堂教会（ニ コライ堂）
in Chinese
正教導師談祈禱卅二講 貝 伊拉里翁總主教 電視演講，
作者 都主教伊拉里雍（阿爾菲耶夫 正信奧義
in Ukrainian
The Sacrament of Veri: Entry to Orthodox Theology.
in Macedonian
Tajnata na verata. Voved in Orthodox dogmatic theology.
in Czech
Izák Syrský a jeho duchovní odkaz. Prel. Jaroslav Brož a Michal Řoutil.
Kristus - vítěz nad podsvětím: téma sestoupení do pekel ve východokřesťanské tradici. Přeložil: Antonín Cížek.
Mysterium viry. Uvedení do pravoslavne teologie. Preklad: Antonín Cížek.
in Swedish
Trons mysterium. En introduction till den orthodoxa kyrkans troslära och andlighet.
in Georgian
სარწმუნოების საიდუმლოება. თბილისი, 2013.
Musical works
Compositions for choir and orchestra
Matthew Passion for soloists, choir and string orchestra
"Christmas Oratorio" for soloists, boys' choir, mixed choir and large symphony orchestra
Symphony for choir and orchestra "Song of Ascension" to the words of psalms
"Stabat Mater" for soloists, choir and orchestra
Sacred music for choir a cappella
"Divine Liturgy" for mixed choir
"Chants of the Divine Liturgy (Liturgy No. 2)" for mixed choir. Score: Metropolitan Hilarion (Alfeev). Collection of liturgical hymns.
Imyaslavsky disputes. A film by Metropolitan Hilarion
With the Patriarch on Athos. A film by Metropolitan Hilarion
Orthodoxy in Georgia. A film by Metropolitan Hilarion
Orthodoxy in the Serbian lands. A film by Metropolitan Hilarion
Orthodoxy in Bulgaria. A film by Metropolitan Hilarion
Orthodoxy in Romania. A film by Metropolitan Hilarion
Orthodoxy in the Crimean land. A film by Metropolitan Hilarion
Johann Sebastian Bach - composer and theologian. A film by Metropolitan Hilarion
Moreover, according to the words of Metropolitan Hilarion himself, his daily routine is subordinated to official duties. At a minimum, Vladyka resorts to these very duties in the following cases: six days a year - meetings of the Holy Synod (before which it takes several days to prepare it - a total of about 30 days - editor's note religruss.info), eight days a year - meetings of the Supreme Church Council (another plus days for preparation - and that - about 40 days - editor's note religruss.info). Sunday is a liturgical day (52 Sundays a year, not counting Bright Week- ed.religruss.info). Each church holiday is a liturgical day (Twelfth Holidays + Great - 20 days - editor's note religruss.info). Apart from important dates, also Lenten Divine Services, it comes out - 142 days. But there are also lectures, friendly visits to the Pope, numerous interviews and press conferences, and so on. etc.
A fair question arises: what is Vladyka Hilarion actually doing? After all, even if he were a robot who did not need to sleep or eat, he would simply physically not have time to do everything that various information sources attribute to him. Even the great composers, writers and theologians in their entire lives would not have been able to write even a part of what the Metropolitan of Volokolamsk managed to sculpt. Moreover, as the birthday man himself admitted, he can write an entire author's sheet a day! But everything is perfectly clear that at such a pace it is impossible to write even a tenth of the above literature, not to mention music. Another fact causes bewilderment: if, after all, Metropolitan Hilarion has a huge artistic talent, how does he manage to fulfill his immediate duties in the metropolis? At the same time, Vladyka spends a considerable number of days in the Vatican and other hotbeds of heresy, actively negotiating to unite all religions.
To all questions, the answer is probably very simple - the display of these visible works of our "genius", Metropolitan Hilarion, is needed only in order to divert attention to his activities aimed at serving the papal throne, the purpose of which is the death of Orthodoxy. Only this is why the "great theologian", who considers himself more knowledgeable in Holy Scripture than the holy Fathers of the Church, does not know the phrase spoken by the Lord: "I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it" (Matthew 16:18)? Because, as if he knew her, he would perfectly understand that all his efforts are in vain ...
– Vladyka, you are 50 years old. I don't believe it. Tell me, when you made the decision to become a monk, did you (I appeal to the words of Patriarch Kirill and Father Yevgeny Ambartsumov) make the decision for yourself when you were twenty, thirty, forty, and fifty? Did reality live up to your expectations?
- When I took the tonsure, I was 20 years old, and of course I did not think about myself being 30 years old, nor about myself being 50 years old. I lived in that moment. But I had no doubts that I wanted to dedicate my life to the Church, that I wanted to build my life in this way, and not otherwise. And in the 30 years that have passed since then, I have never been disappointed in decision. There was not a single day, not a single minute, when I regretted it.
I owe everything in my life to the Church. Some people say to me, “Why did you associate yourself with the Church? After all, you could do art, conduct an orchestra, write music. For me, serving the Church has always been the most important thing, everything else was built around this main core. And for me, the most important thing has always been to serve Christ.
- In one of the interviews, you said that the topic of death worried you from a fairly early age. How did this topic first arise for you, how did your perception change?
- Maybe it will surprise you, but the topic of death first arose for me in kindergarten. I was 5 or 6 years old and I suddenly realized that we were all going to die: that I would die, that all these children around me would die. I started thinking about it, asking questions to myself, adults. I do not remember now either these questions or the answers that I received. I only remember that this thought pierced me very sharply and did not recede for quite a long time.
In my youth, I also thought a lot about death. I had a favorite poet - Federico Garcia Lorca: I discovered him at a very early age. The main theme of his poetry is the theme of death. I don't know another poet who thought and wrote so much about death. Probably, to some extent, through these verses, he predicted and experienced his own tragic death.
Grigory Alfeev (future Metropolitan Hilarion) during his school years
When I left school, for the final exam I prepared the composition “Four Poems of Garcia Lorca”: it was a vocal cycle on his words for tenor and piano. Many years later I orchestrated it and renamed it Songs of Death. All four poems I have chosen for this cycle are dedicated to death.
– Why are you so interested in this topic?
- Probably because the answer to the question why he lives depends on the answer to the question why a person dies.
– Has anything changed since joining the active church life?
– It so happened that my coming to an active church life coincided with several deaths, which I experienced very deeply.
The first is the death of my violin teacher Vladimir Nikolaevich Litvinov. I was probably 12 years old then. I loved him very much, he was a great authority for me. He was an unusually intelligent, restrained, subtle person, he taught his subject perfectly, treated his students with great respect, everyone adored him. He was still quite a young man - about forty, no more.
Suddenly I come to school and they tell me that Litvinov is dead. At first I thought someone was playing a joke on me. But then I saw his portrait in a black frame. He was one of the youngest teachers. It turned out that he died right during the exam, when his student was playing. He suddenly felt bad with his heart, he fell, an ambulance was called, and instead of Frunze Street, she went to Timur Frunze Street. And when they finally arrived 40 minutes later, he was already dead. I participated in his funeral, it was the first death in my life.
After some time, there was the death of my grandmother, then the death of her sister - my great-aunt, then the death of my dad. All this followed one after another, and of course, the question of death constantly arose for me not as some kind of theoretical question, but as what was happening around me with people close to me. And I understood that only faith gives the answer to this question.
– Do you now have an inner understanding of what death is? For example, I understand all this well with my mind, but I can’t at all internally accept and understand the untimely departure of loved ones ...
Man is not only made up of the mind, he is also made up of the heart and the body. We react to such events with all our being. Therefore, even if we understand intellectually why this is happening, even if faith strengthens us in enduring such events, nevertheless, our entire human nature resists death. And this is natural, because God did not create us for death: He created us for immortality.
It would seem that we should be prepared for death, we say to ourselves every evening, going to sleep: “Will this coffin be for me?” And we see the whole world in the light of this event of death, which can befall every person at any moment. And yet, death always comes unexpectedly, and we internally protest against it. Each person is looking for his own answer, and he cannot be exhausted only by logically constructed arguments from a textbook on dogmatic theology.
One of the works that made a strong impression on me in my childhood and youth is Shostakovich's 14th symphony. It was largely under the influence of this work that I wrote my Songs of Death. I then listened to him a lot and thought a lot about why Shostakovich wrote just such an essay at the end of his days. He himself called it "a protest against death." But this protest in his interpretation did not give any way out into another dimension. We can protest against death, but it will come anyway. This means that it is important not just to protest it, but it is important to comprehend it, to understand why it comes and what awaits us in connection with this. And the answer to this is faith, and not just faith in God, but precisely the Christian faith.
We believe in a God who was crucified and died on the cross. This is not just God, Who looks after us from somewhere on high, watches over us, punishes for sins, encourages for virtues, sympathizes with us when we suffer. This is the God who came to us, who became one of us, who dwells in us through the sacrament of communion, and who is next to us – both when we suffer and when we die. We believe in God who saved us through His suffering, cross and resurrection.
It is often asked: why did God have to save a person in this way? Didn't he have other, less "painful" ways? Why did God Himself have to go through the cross? I answer it like this. There is a difference between a person who sees a drowning man from the side of a ship, throws him a lifeline and sympathetically watches how he climbs out of the water, and a person who, in order to save another, risking his own life, throws himself into the stormy waters of the sea and gives his life to another could live. God chose to save us this way. He threw himself into the stormy sea of our life and gave His life to save us from death.
- A stunningly strong image, I have never seen such a person, really very understandable.
“I use this image in my catechism, which I just finished. There I tried to set out the foundations of the Orthodox faith in the simplest language, using images that are understandable to modern man.
- And how does your catechism differ from the one on which the Synodal Biblical and Theological Commission is working under your leadership? Why is another catechism needed?
– In the Synodal Theological Commission, we have been writing a large catechism for many years. The idea was to write a fundamental work that would contain a detailed exposition of the Orthodox faith. This task was given to me when I was not yet chairman of the commission, and it was headed by Vladyka Filaret Minsky. A working group was created, we began to discuss first the content of the catechism, then we approved the plan, then we selected a team of authors.
Unfortunately, some authors wrote in such a way that it was not possible to use the fruits of their labors. Some sections had to be reordered twice or thrice. In the end, after several years of hard work, we had a text that we began to discuss at plenary sessions, collecting feedback from members of the theological commission. Finally, we submitted the text to the hierarchy. Now this text has been sent out for feedback, and we have already begun to receive them.
A few days ago I received a letter from a respected hierarch who attached a review of the text of our catechism compiled in his diocese. There was a lot of praise in this review, but it was also said that the catechism is too long, that it contains too many details that people do not need, that the catechism should be short.
When we created the concept of this catechism, the idea was to write a big book, which would tell in detail about the dogmas of the Orthodox Church, about the Church and worship, and about morality. But now, when we have written this large book at the cost of very large collective efforts, we are told: “But we need a small book. Give us a book that we could give to a person who has come to be baptized, so that he can read what he needs in three days.”
To be honest, this review pissed me off. So much so that I sat down at the computer and wrote my catechism - the same one that could be given to a person before baptism. I wish a person could read it in three days. And I also wrote it for three days - on a single impulse of inspiration. Then, however, a lot of things had to be rewritten, clarified and finalized, but the original text was written very quickly. In this catechism, I have tried to make it as accessible and simple as possible to state the foundations of the Orthodox faith, to state the doctrine of the Church and its worship, to speak about the foundations of Christian morality.
– You are very good at writing short doctrinal texts – we constantly use your books for translations into English.
- The main thing here was not to write too much. I had to limit myself all the time, because, of course, more can be said on every topic, but I imagined myself in the place of a person who came to be baptized: what should be given to this person so that he learns about the Orthodox faith? The result is a catechism for those who are preparing for baptism, for those who were once baptized but did not go to church, and for everyone who wants to learn more about their faith.
I wrote it, by the way, thanks to the fact that we did not go to the Pan-Orthodox Cathedral. I was scheduled to stay in Crete for two weeks, but since we decided not to go there, unexpectedly two whole weeks were released. I devoted this time to the catechism: I wrote for three days and edited for a week.
– So, in the near future there will be two books in the Church: a detailed complete catechism and a capacious edition for beginners?
These are two books of different status. One is the conciliar catechism, which, I hope, we will nevertheless bring to the required condition and obtain conciliar approval of this text. And what I have just written is my author's catechism. And I hope that it will be used, including in such situations when a person comes to be baptized and says: “Give me a book so that I can read and prepare in 3-4 days.” It is for this purpose that this book was written.
– Your book about Christ has just been published. It's called The Beginning of the Gospel. When I opened it I just lost the gift of speech - what a necessary, important and fantastically designed book this is! For a long time I have somehow been looking at book novelties without interest, but then I started reading the first chapter and realized that I couldn’t tear myself away, and that I urgently needed to order a hundred books for everyone as a gift. Thank you very much, this is some amazing joyful news, because well, we talk and write about everything, except for Christ. I really hope this will be a bestseller.
A lot of books have been written today about everything, and it is not at all clear how to write about Christ, how to talk to people about Christ in our lives. It is clear how to read which prayer, how to speak in confession, but Christ is sorely lacking in everyday Christian life.
“I have been working towards this book for many years. In a sense, it is the result of at least a quarter of a century of my development since I began lecturing on the New Testament at the then newly created St. Tikhon Institute. It was the 1992-1993 academic year. Then for the first time I came into contact not only with the Gospel, which, of course, I had read since childhood, but also with special literature on the New Testament. But then there was little literature, access to it was limited. And my theological activity mainly revolved around patristics, that is, the teachings of the Holy Fathers. I studied patristics at Oxford, where I wrote a dissertation on Simeon the New Theologian. Then, on the wave of "residual inspiration", he wrote books about Gregory the Theologian, about Isaac the Syrian. And then all this array of patristic ideas and thoughts entered my book Orthodoxy.
The book "Orthodoxy" begins with Christ, but I almost immediately move on to other topics. This was due to the fact that at that time I was not yet mature enough to write about Christ.
Meanwhile, the theme of Christ has occupied me throughout my life, at least since the age of 10. Of course, I read the Gospel, thought about Christ, about His life, about His teachings. But at some point, it was about two and a half years ago, I realized that I needed to become very seriously familiar with the modern specialized literature on the New Testament. This was due to the fact that, with the blessing of the Patriarch, I headed the working group for the preparation of textbooks for theological schools. And immediately the question arose about a textbook on the New Testament, on the Four Gospels. I realized that for various reasons I would have to write this textbook myself. To write it, it was necessary to refresh knowledge in the field of scientific literature on the New Testament.
My way of mastering literary material is abstracting. Until I start writing something, I can’t concentrate on reading, as in the famous joke about a man who entered a literary institute and was asked: “Have you read Dostoevsky, Pushkin, Tolstoy?” And he replied: "I'm not a reader, I'm a writer."
–You said that as a child you read 500-600 pages a day ...
– Yes, as a child I read a lot, but from a certain moment I began to read much less, I began to read only what I need for what I write. When I write, I make sense of what I read.
At first I decided to write a textbook, but I quickly realized that in order for it to turn out, I must first write a book. And so I began to write a book about Jesus Christ, which over time was to turn into a textbook. At first I intended to write one book, but when I began to write, I realized that all the gigantic collected material would not fit into one book. I ended up writing six books. Now the first one has come out, four others have been written in full and will be published in turn, the sixth has been written, as they say, “in the first reading”. In fact, the work is completed, although some editing of the sixth book is still required.
- Tell us how the book is built?
– I decided not to follow the chronology of the gospel events, interspersed with episodes from the life of Christ, miracles, parables. I decided to master the gospel material in large thematic blocks.
The first book is called The Beginning of the Gospel. In it, I first talk about the state of modern New Testament scholarship, giving a general introduction to all six books. Secondly, I consider the opening chapters of all four Gospels and their main themes: the Annunciation, the Nativity of Christ, the coming of Jesus to preach, the baptism from John, the calling of the first disciples. And I give a very general sketch of that conflict between Jesus and the Pharisees, which in the end will lead to His condemnation to death.
The second book is devoted entirely to the Sermon on the Mount. This is an overview of Christian morality.
The third is devoted entirely to the miracles of Jesus Christ in all four Gospels. There I talk about what a miracle is, why some people do not believe in miracles, how faith relates to a miracle. And I consider each of the miracles separately.
The fourth book is called The Parables of Jesus. There, one by one, all the parables from the synoptic gospels are presented and considered. I am talking about the parable genre, explaining why the Lord chose this particular genre for His teachings.
The fifth book, The Lamb of God, deals with all of the original material in the Gospel of John, that is, material that is not duplicated in the synoptic gospels.
And finally, the sixth book is Death and Resurrection. Here we are talking about the last days of the earthly life of the Savior, His suffering on the cross, death, resurrection, appearances to the disciples after the resurrection and ascension to heaven.
Such is the book epic. I had to write it, first of all, in order to rethink for myself the events that make up the core of our Christian faith, and so that later, on the basis of these books, textbooks for theological schools could be made.
Is this a review, an interpretation?
- It is based on the gospel text. It is viewed against the background of a wide panorama of interpretations - from ancient to modern. I pay much attention to the criticism of modern approaches to the gospel text, characteristic of Western researchers.
There are many different approaches to Jesus in modern Western New Testament scholarship. For example, there is such an approach: the Gospels are very late works, they all appeared at the end of the 1st century, when several decades had already passed after the death of Christ. There was a certain historical character Jesus Christ, He was crucified on the cross, a certain collection of teachings remained from Him, which was subsequently lost. This collection of people was interested, they began to gather around it, created communities of Jesus' followers.
Then they still needed to understand what kind of person he was who delivered these teachings, and they began to compose different stories about him: they came up with the story of the birth of the Virgin, attributed all sorts of miracles to him, put parables into his mouth. But in fact, it was all the production of people, conventionally designated by the names Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, who led certain Christian communities and wrote all this for pastoral needs. This, in my opinion, absurd and blasphemous approach to the Gospels now almost dominates Western New Testament scholarship.
There are books about "Matthew's theology" where not a word is said that Christ stands behind this theology. According to these theologians, Christ is a literary character created by Matthew for the pastoral needs of his community. In addition, they write, there were apocryphal Gospels, and only then the Church weeded out what she did not like, but in fact there was a lot of other material.
In a word, many scientific myths have been created around the personality and teachings of Christ, and instead of studying His life and teachings according to the Gospel, these myths invented by scientists are studied.
I prove in my book what is obvious to us Orthodox Christians, but which is not at all obvious to modern specialists in the New Testament. Namely, that the only reliable source of information about Christ is the Gospel, there is no other reliable source. The gospel is eyewitness testimony. If you want to know how something happened, you must treat eyewitnesses with confidence. As His Holiness Patriarch Kirill writes in his book “The Word of the Shepherd”: how can a traffic accident be recreated? Witnesses need to be questioned. One was standing there, another here, the third somewhere else. Each saw it in his own way, each told his own story, but a picture emerges from the cumulative evidence.
We read the Gospel and see that in many ways the evangelists agree. But in some ways they differ, and this is natural, because everyone saw it a little differently. At the same time, the image of Jesus Christ is not bifurcated, it is not divided into four different images. All four gospels speak of the same person. I write in my book that the Gospels are like a safe with treasures locked with two keys: to understand the gospel stories and their meaning, you need to use both keys. One key is the belief that Jesus Christ was a real earthly man with all attributes earthly man who is like us in every way, except for sin. And the other key is believing that He was God. If at least one of these keys is missing, you will never discover this Person to whom the Gospels are dedicated.
– What is the release schedule for your books about Christ?
The first one just came out. The following will be published as they become available. Since I have already written them, their further fate depends on the book publishers.
The topic is too important and too broad. This kept me from reading books about Jesus Christ for many years. I beat around the bush: I studied the Holy Fathers, wrote about the Church, analyzed various issues of theology. But I could not approach the person of Christ.
– Was it scary?
– I didn’t find my own approach, my key. Of course, I studied what the Holy Fathers wrote about Jesus Christ, this is reflected in my books. For example, in the book "Orthodoxy" I have a whole section on Christology. But if we look at what the Holy Fathers wrote about redemption in the 3rd-4th centuries, then the main question was: to whom did Christ pay the ransom? The term "redemption" was taken in its literal sense - a ransom. And they argued about who was paid the ransom. Some said that the ransom was paid to the devil. Others rightly objected: and who is the devil to pay such a high price for him? Why should God pay the devil with the life of his own Son? No, they said, the sacrifice was offered to God the Father.
In the Middle Ages, in the Latin West, the doctrine of the Savior's sacrifice on the cross as satisfaction of the wrath of God the Father developed. The meaning of this teaching is as follows: God the Father was so angry with mankind, and mankind owed Him so much with its sins that it could not pay Him off in any other way, except by the death of His own Son. Allegedly, this death satisfied both the wrath of God the Father and His justice.
For me, this Western interpretation is unacceptable. The Apostle Paul says: "The great mystery of piety: God appeared in the flesh." I think that both the Fathers of the Eastern Church and Western writers at one time were looking for some answers to the question of what this mystery is, and therefore they created their own theories. It had to be explained using some examples understandable to humans.
Gregory of Nyssa, for example, said that God had deceived the devil. Being in human flesh, He descended into hell, where the devil reigned. The Devil swallowed Him up, thinking that he was a man, but under the human flesh of Christ His deity was hidden, and, like a fish that swallowed the hook along with the bait, the devil thus swallowed God along with the man, and this Deity destroyed hell from the inside. A beautiful image, witty, but it is impossible to explain redemption to modern man using this image. We must find another language, other images.
– How do you answer this question?
“I think the most we can say about God is that He wanted to save us in this way, and not in any other way. He wanted to be one of us. He wanted not only to save us from somewhere on high, sending us signals, giving us a helping hand, but he entered the very thick of human life in order to always be near us. When we suffer, we know that He suffers with us. When we die, we know that He is near. It gives us strength to live, gives us faith in the resurrection.
– Vladyka, you work with a large amount of literature on different languages. How many foreign languages do you know?
– Several languages in varying degrees. I speak and write English fluently: I even thought in this language for a while when I was studying in England. I speak French, read it, write if necessary, but not so fluently. I speak Greek, but also less confidently (there is not enough practice), although I read freely. Further - in descending order. In Italian, Spanish, German - I read, but I do not speak. Of the ancient languages, I studied ancient Greek, Syriac and a little Hebrew.
How did you learn foreign languages in general?
– I taught all foreign languages according to the Gospel. I always started with the Gospel of John. This is the most convenient gospel to memorize words, they are constantly repeated there: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God, it was in the beginning with God.” Experts say that the vocabulary of the Gospel of John is half that of the other Gospels, although it is not inferior in volume to them. This conciseness of the dictionary is due to the fact that so many words are repeated.
Why is it convenient to learn the language according to the Gospel? Because when you read a well-known text that you know almost by heart, you do not need to look in the dictionary, you will recognize the words. And that's how I learned Greek. I first read the Gospel of John, then I read three other Gospels, then I began to read the Epistles of the Holy Apostles, and then I began to read the Church Fathers in Greek. Also, when I was learning Greek, I listened to the liturgy in Greek on tape. I memorized in the pronunciation in which it is now used by the Greeks.
I learned Syriac a little differently, it was already at Oxford, I had an excellent professor, the world's best specialist in Syriac literature, Sebastian Brock. But he immediately told me: I'm not going to learn the language with you, I'm not interested, I'm interested in reading texts. Therefore, we began to read the text of Isaac the Syrian with him, and along the way I read the Gospels in Syriac and mastered the basics of grammar and syntax from Robinson's textbook.
The most important thing in the language is, of course, practice. No textbook can replace practical work with text.
– Do you think priests need foreign languages today?
– I don’t have a definite answer. Some people may not need foreign languages. But a foreign language is useful not only for purely utilitarian purposes - to read or hear something in it, or to be able to say something to someone. It is useful, first of all, because it opens up a whole new world. Each language reflects the thinking of some people, each language has its own literature, its own poetry. I would say that for general development, a foreign language will never hurt anyone. Another thing is that some people may not have a penchant for languages, may not have an interest in this.
Foreign languages are not at all necessary for salvation, and they are not even necessary for pastoral work. Although I think that for a priest reading the Gospel, at least some basic Greek is necessary. It is no coincidence that Greek and Latin were taught in pre-revolutionary seminaries, if only in order to understand the meaning of individual words, expressions, what Christ says in His parables, so that one could turn to the Greek original and verify it.
How do you build your daily routine?
- My daily routine is subordinated to my official duties. I have various positions assigned to me by the hierarchy: I am the chairman of the Department for External Church Relations and by position a permanent member of the Holy Synod, rector of the General Church Postgraduate School, rector of the temple. I also head a lot of all sorts of commissions and working groups that carry out various projects.
Six days a year we have meetings of the Holy Synod, eight days a year we have meetings of the Supreme Church Council. Sunday is the day of worship. Every church holiday is a liturgical day. Naturally, before each synodal day we have at least several days of preparation - we prepare documents, work out journals. I have attendance days at the DECR and at the General Church Postgraduate School. Many meetings - with Orthodox hierarchs, with non-Orthodox, with ambassadors of various states. Traveling is a very important part of my activity. For the first five years of my tenure as chairman of the DECR, I had more than fifty foreign trips a year. Sometimes I flew to Moscow, just to change the plane.
- Do you suffer from aerophobia?
- Not. But after these five years, I began to travel less. For five years I have traveled to everyone I need, and now I can keep in touch with a lot of people in the form of phone calls, e-mails, that is, I don’t need to travel somewhere specifically to talk to someone.
In addition, if earlier I accepted almost all the invitations that came to various conferences, then at some point I myself felt it, and His Holiness the Patriarch said to me: “You should not travel so much. You should only go to the most important events where no one but you can participate.” Accordingly, the number of trips has decreased - I think, without prejudice to business.
From the days of meetings of the Synod and the Supreme Church Council, attendance days in the Department and graduate school, church holidays and trips, my schedule is basically formed. It is quite predictable for a year.
There are pauses in this schedule that I need for what can conditionally be called creative activity. For example, in order to write books.
What days do you use for this?
“Firstly, all civil holidays. To paraphrase the words of a famous song, we can say: I don’t know another such country where there would be so many weekends. In addition to holidays, the country walks for ten days in January, for several days in February, March, May, June, November. This weekend is what I use to write. Let's say the New Year period - from the end of December to Christmas - is the time when I write. I also write on Saturdays. I have no days off in the traditional sense of the word. If the day is free from official duties, then I write on that day.
– Do you write fast?
I usually write a lot and quickly. I can think about something for a long time, but when I sit down to write, my average daily rate is 5 thousand words a day. Sometimes I don’t reach this norm, but sometimes I even exceed it.
- It's more than an author's sheet. With such an intense rhythm, you can write a fairly large amount of text in a fairly short period of time. Relatively speaking, I need 20 such days to write a book of 100,000 words.
- Traditionally, after all, books are measured by signs and author's sheets ...
“I've been measuring in words since Oxford. When I was at Oxford, I had a 100,000 word limit for my doctoral thesis. I exceeded this limit and found myself in a rather scandalous situation: I was required to shorten the text. I cut it as short as I could, but still, the excess was about 20 thousand words after the dissertation was bound (and the binding there was insanely expensive). My professor Vladyka Kallistos had to specially go to the rector's office and prove that these additional 20,000 words were absolutely necessary for the disclosure of my topic. Since then, firstly, I try to write concisely, and secondly, I consider the volume of what is written in words, not in signs.
Have you ever had problems with constant distraction? Is your computer disconnected, for example, from the Internet, from e-mail?
- I remember that you respond to e-mail with record speed.
- When I sit at the computer and I receive a message, then if it is short and businesslike, I try to answer right away.
- Are there many letters?
– At least 30 per day.
– But should there be any pauses?
- Yes. There are food breaks. But since I served in the army, I have a habit (say, unhealthy) - to eat quickly. Breakfast takes me 10 minutes, lunch - 15, dinner - 10-15. All the time I don't eat, sleep, or pray, I'm working.
– Vladyka, tell us about your assessmentcontemporary worship? What are the problems of perception of liturgical prayer?
—Orthodox worship is a synthesis of the arts. This synthesis includes: the architecture of the temple, the icons and frescoes that are on the walls, the music that sounds in the service, reading and singing, prose and poetry that sound in the temple, and choreography - exits, entrances, processions, bows. In Orthodox worship, a person participates with all his senses. Of course, by sight and hearing, but also by smell - he smells the smell of incense, by touch - he is applied to icons, by taste - he takes Communion, takes holy water, prosphora.
Thus, with all five senses we perceive worship. Worship should involve the whole person. A person cannot be with one part of his nature somewhere else, while another part is in service - he must immerse himself in worship entirely. And our worship is structured in such a way that while a person is immersed in the element of prayer, he does not turn off from it.
If you have been to Catholic or Protestant churches, you could see that worship there, as a rule, consists of scattered patches: first people sing some kind of psalm, then sit down, listen to the reading, then get up again. And we have worship all the time. This, of course, helps a lot to plunge into the element of prayer. Our worship service is a school of theology and contemplation, it is saturated with theological ideas. It is absolutely impossible to understand worship without knowing, for example, church dogmas. That is why our worship for many people turns out to be incomprehensible - not because it is in Church Slavonic, but because it appeals to the consciousness of completely different people.
Suppose people come to listen to the Great Canon during the first week of Great Lent. The canon can be read in Slavonic, it can be read in Russian, the effect will be approximately the same, because the canon was written for monks who knew the Bible practically by heart. When a certain name was mentioned in this canon, these monks immediately had an association in their heads with a certain biblical story, which is immediately interpreted allegorically in relation to the soul of a Christian. But today, most listeners do not have these associations, and we do not even remember many of the names that are mentioned in the Great Canon.
Accordingly, people come to the Great Canon, they listen to what the priest reads, but basically they respond to the refrain: "Have mercy on me, God, have mercy on me." And at the same time, everyone stands with his prayer, with his repentance, which in itself, of course, is good and important, but this is not quite what the Great Canon was written for. Therefore, in order to understand worship, in order to love it, one must, of course, have a good knowledge of dogmas and the Bible.
- You communicate a lot with non-church people. What is the most important thing for a clergyman in communicating with a person who is far from the Church?
– I think that the most important thing is that we should be able to tell people about God, about Christ in such a way that their eyes would light up and their hearts would ignite. And in order for this to happen, our own eyes must burn, we must live by what we talk about, we must constantly burn with it, we must kindle in ourselves an interest in the Gospel, in the Church, in the sacraments of the Church, in the dogmas of the Church. And of course, we must be able to talk to people about complex things in simple language.
From the first minute of communion in the Orthodox clergyman and theologian, Metropolitan Hilarion, his piercing and very deep look attracts attention. Therefore, it is not difficult to understand that he is a man of difficult thinking, knowing something more, true and secret, and trying in every possible way to convey his knowledge and thoughts to people and thereby make the world in their soul brighter and kinder.
Metropolitan Hilarion Alfeev (his photo is presented below) is a patrologist and doctor of philosophy at Oxford University and the Theological Institute in Paris. He is also a member of the Synodal Commission of the Russian Orthodox Church, head of the Secretariat of the Moscow Patriarchate for Inter-Christian Relations of the Department for External Church Relations and the author of musical epic oratorios and suites for chamber performance. In this article, we will trace the life path of this person, get acquainted with his biography, in which there are many interesting facts.
Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk: biography
In the world Alfeev Grigory Valerievich was born on June 24, 1966. He was destined for a good musical career, since he graduated from the Gnesins' music school and then studied at the Moscow State Conservatory. Then he served the prescribed two years in the Soviet army, after which he immediately decided to become a novice of the Vilna Holy Spirit Monastery.
Family
The future Metropolitan Hilarion was born in the capital of Russia, into a very intelligent family. His date of birth is July 24, 1966. His grandfather, Dashevsky Grigory Markovich, was a historian who wrote a number of books about the Spanish Civil War. Unfortunately, he died in 1944 in the war against the Nazis. The Metropolitan's father, Dashevsky Valery Grigoryevich, was a doctor of physical and mathematical sciences and wrote scientific works. He is the author of monographs on organic chemistry. But Valery Grigoryevich left the family and then died from an accident. Gregory's mother was a writer, who got that bitter share - to raise her son alone. He was christened at the age of 11.
From 1973 to 1984, Hilarion studied at the Gnessin Moscow Secondary Special Music School in violin and composition. At the age of 15, he entered the Church of the Resurrection of the Word on Uspensky Vrazhek (Moscow) as a reader. After graduating from school, in 1984, he entered the composition department of the Moscow State Conservatory. In January 1987, he left school and entered the Vilna Holy Spirit Monastery as a novice.
Priesthood
In 1990, he became rector of the Annunciation Cathedral in the city of Kaunas (Lithuania). In 1989, Hilarion graduated from the Moscow Theological Seminary in absentia, then studied at the Moscow Theological Academy, where he received the degree of Candidate of Theology. After a while, he became a teacher at the St. Tikhon Theological Institute and the University of St. Apostle John the Theologian.
In 1993, he completed his postgraduate studies at the Theological Academy and was sent to the University of Oxford, where in 1995 he received his Ph.D. Then for six years he worked in the department for external church relations. After becoming a clergyman at the Church of St. Catherine on Vspolye in Moscow.
In 1999, he was awarded the title of Doctor of Theology by the Orthodox St. Sergius Institute in Paris.
In 2002, Archimandrite Hilarion became Bishop of Kerch. And in early January 2002, in the Smolensk Cathedral, he received the rank of archimandrite and literally a week later was consecrated bishop in the Moscow Cathedral of Christ the Savior.
Work abroad
In 2002, he was sent to serve in the Diocese of Sourozh, headed by Metropolitan Anthony (Bloom, Russian Orthodox Church of Great Britain and Ireland), but soon the entire episcopate, headed by Bishop Vasily (Osborne, who in 2010 will be deprived of his priesthood and monasticism, took up arms against him expresses a desire to marry). All this happened because Hilarion spoke somewhat accusatory about this diocese, and for this he received criticism from Bishop Anthony, in which he pointed out that they were unlikely to work together. But Hilarion is still that “tough nut”, he made a speech where he removed all charges from himself and insisted on the correctness of his opinion.
As a result, he was recalled from this diocese and appointed as the chief representative of the Russian Orthodox Church for work with international European organizations. The Metropolitan always in his speeches advocated that a tolerant Europe for all religions should not forget its Christian roots, since this is one of the most important spiritual and moral components that determines European identity.
Music
Since 2006, he has been actively involved in music and will write many musical works: “The Divine Liturgy”, “All-Night Vigil”, “St. Matthew Passion”, “Christmas Oratorio”, etc. This work of his was highly appreciated, and with the blessing of Patriarch Alexy II of his works have been performed at many concerts in Europe, the United States, Australia and, of course, Russia. The audience standing ovations celebrated these successful performances.
In 2011, Metropolitan Hilarion and Vladimir Spivakov became the founders and directors of the Christmas Festival of Sacred Music (Moscow), which takes place on January holidays.
Serving with conscience
In the period from 2003 to 2009 he was already Bishop of Vienna and Austria. Then he was elected bishop of Volokalamsk, a permanent member of the Synod, vicar of the Moscow Patriarch and rector of the Church of the Mother of God on Bolshaya Ordynka in the capital.
At the same time, Patriarch Kirill elevated him to the rank of archbishop for his faithful and diligent service to the Russian Orthodox Church. A year later, he also elevated him to the rank of metropolitan.
Metropolitan Hilarion: Orthodoxy
It should be noted that in different years he always represented the Russian Orthodox Church. Hilarion zealously defended its interests at various inter-Christian conferences, international forums and commissions.
Hilarion's sermons
Metropolitan Hilarion Alfeev's sermons are very solid and well-structured. He is very interesting to listen to and read, because he has a huge experience, which he passes on to us among a huge number of theological literary works, which are unusual in their content. They advance us to great knowledge of the Christian faith of its followers.
Books on theology
One of his books is “The Sacred Mystery of the Church. Introduction". In it, the reader gets acquainted with the thoughts of some fathers and teachers of the church about invoking the name of God in the practice of the Jesus Prayer and in Divine services. Here we are talking about comprehension of church experience and its correct expression. For this, the author was awarded the Makariev Prize in 2005.
In his book "Reverend Simeon the New Theologian and Orthodox Tradition", Metropolitan Hilarion presented a translation of his doctoral dissertation, defended at Oxford University, at the theological faculty. In it, he explores the attitude of the theologian of the 11th century, the Monk Simeon, towards the Orthodox ministry, Holy Scripture, ascetic and mystical theological literature, etc.
Metropolitan Hilarion did not bypass Isaac the Syrian with his attention and dedicated the book “The Spiritual World of Isaac the Syrian” to him. This great Syrian saint, like no one else, was able to convey the spirit of gospel love and compassion, so he prayed not only for people, but also for animals and demons. According to his teaching, even hell is the love of God, which is perceived by sinners as suffering and pain, because they do not accept it and have hatred for this love.
Among his books is the work "The Life and Teachings of St. Gregory the Theologian." Here he describes the life of the great father and saint and his teachings, which minted the dogma of the Holy Trinity.
Awards and titles
His activities did not go unnoticed, and therefore this priest has a huge number of awards in his arsenal - all kinds of certificates, medals and titles, among which is the Order of St. Innocent of Moscow II Art. (2009, America, Russian Orthodox Church), Order of the Holy Martyr Isidore Yuryevsky II Art. (2010, Estonia, Russian Orthodox Church MP), Order of the Holy Governor Stephen the Great II class. (2010, Moldova, Russian Orthodox Church), the gold medal of the University of Bologna (2010, Italy), the Order of the Serbian Falcons (2011) and other awards.
Films of Metropolitan Hilarion
Metropolitan Hilarion Alfeev of Volokolamsk became the author and presenter of the following films: “A Man Before God” - a cycle of 10 episodes (2011), introducing the world of Orthodoxy, “The Path of the Shepherd”, dedicated to the 65th anniversary of Patriarch Kirill (2011), “ The Church in History" - the history of Christianity, "Byzantium and the Baptism of Russia" - series (2012), "Unity of the Faithful" - a film dedicated to the fifth anniversary of the unity of the Moscow Patriarch and the Russian Orthodox Church abroad (2012), "Journey to Athos "(2012), "Orthodoxy in China" (2013), "Pilgrimage to the Holy Land" (2013), "With the Patriarch on Athos" (2014), "Orthodoxy on Athos" (2014 .), "Orthodoxy in Serbian lands" (2014).
They represent a real base for those who want to learn how to behave in the church, what icons are, how to understand holy works, films, the author of which was Metropolitan Hilarion Alfeev. Orthodoxy in them appears as a world that fills a person's life with depth. Through his eyes we will see the saints places of pilgrimage and how Christianity is preached in other places alien to Orthodox people.
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