One of the favorite reproaches of Protestants against the traditional branches of Christianity - Orthodoxy and Catholicism - is the so-called. "idolatry". Moreover, not only prayer in front of icons, but also the veneration of saints is included in the category of such. The absurdity of this approach is clear to anyone who is familiar with the Christian faith firsthand: saints for Christians are not gods who are worshiped, but people who are asked to pray for us sinners. They are asked about this precisely because these people have brought themselves closer to God by performing feats in His name. The feats for which people are ranked as saints are as diverse as human life.
A special place among the saints is occupied by the Mother of God - a human woman who received in her womb the Almighty and Eternal God who created the Universe ... it is truly terrible to imagine such a comparison, the matter was aggravated by the fact that she knew in advance what Fate awaits her Son. This feat is truly unique, it is impossible to repeat it in principle, so St. The Virgin Mary is one of a kind. For this reason, her name is never called at baptism (just like the name of Jesus Christ) - women bearing this name are patronized by other saints of Mary, fortunately, there are many of them.
Chronologically, the first saints were the apostles, whose main merit was the preaching of the Gospel. Those people who did not belong to the number of apostles (direct disciples of the Savior), but just like them, spread the Christian doctrine, are called Equal-to-the-Apostles - such are, for example, St. Vladimir, who baptized Russia, or St. Nina is an educator of Georgia.
At first, the Christian faith was met with hostility, and this situation demanded genuine heroism from many Christians: they had to remain faithful to the True God under torture, under threat death penalty. Many of those who died at the same time are canonized as martyrs. Those whose sufferings were especially terrible are called great martyrs, those who bore the rank of priest are holy martyrs, and monks are called reverend martyrs.
It seemed that the era of the martyr was left behind with the advent of the Middle Ages, but alas, the persecution of the Christian faith was resurrected in later times. After the fall of Byzantium, when the Balkans came under the rule Ottoman Empire, many Greeks and representatives of other Orthodox peoples who inhabited this territory suffered for their faith - they are called the Greek New Martyrs. There were new martyrs in our country too, those who died for their faith during the years of Stalinist repressions.
Some people who suffered for their faith were lucky to stay alive, such saints are called confessors.
Passion-bearers stand close to the martyrs - these are also righteous people who were martyred, but they were killed not for their faith, but for some other reasons (for example, political ones). Their feat consists in humbly accepting their fate, in the absence of hatred for enemies. These include, for example, the first Russian saints - Boris and Gleb, who canonized the family of the last Russian emperor in the same capacity.
Fortunately, asceticism in the name of God did not always involve physical suffering and death. This may be a renunciation of earthly goods, removal from the sinful world with all its temptations - monks perform such a feat. Saints who have become famous in this capacity are called reverend. Many hierarchs (bishops) became famous for their righteousness and active pastoral activity - they were canonized as saints (for example, St. Nicholas the Pleasant or St. Luke (Voino-Yasenetsky), whose relics are in the Crimea).
However, in order to become a saint, it is not at all necessary to move away from the world - you can live like a common person, have a family, yet remain a righteous man. People canonized for a righteous life in the world are called the righteous. The Forefathers and Parmaters, the Old Testament patriarchs, belong to the same category. And if we are already talking about the Old Testament saints, we cannot fail to mention one more category - the prophets. The Church honors eighteen Old Testament prophets, but there is also one New Testament prophet, John the Baptist.
The Christian faith is usually contrasted with worldly achievements, and even more so with worldly power. Meanwhile, history clearly shows that it is possible to remain human and even to be a saint even on the throne. Moreover, much can be done to strengthen the faith and for the church, not to mention the defense of Christian peoples from external enemies. Saints canonized for such merits are called the faithful: Yaroslav the Wise, Alexander Nevsky, Dmitry Donskoy.
One of the main virtues in Christianity is considered unselfishness - and people who are especially famous for this quality are canonized as unmercenaries. An example of such saints is Cosmas and Damian, healers who never took money from their patients for treatment.
With the rejection of worldly goods, another category of saints is also connected - the holy fools. But these people, in addition to asceticism, also put on the mask of madness - in fact, this image in its various transformations has always been loved by writers, and then by filmmakers: a “crazy world” in which a normal, moral person looks crazy. Foolishness highlighted the absurdity of the sinful world - and to a certain extent correlated with the activities of the Savior himself, because His preaching also seemed insane to many contemporaries. The most famous of the Russian holy fools is, of course, St. Basil the Blessed, who was not afraid to tell the truth to Ivan the Terrible himself - and the tsar listened to him. As a synonym for the word “holy fool”, the name “blessed” is used, but it also has another meaning - this is the name of two outstanding theologians, St. Augustine and St. Jerome of Stridon, whose merits have nothing to do with foolishness.
Some saints are called miracle workers, but this is not some special category of saints - among them there are both reverends (St. Euphrosyn of Pskov) and saints (St. Nicholas the Pleasant). These people were especially famous for the gift of miracles, including after death - in answer to prayers.
Speaking of saints, it is impossible not to mention one common misconception. Some people believe that the saints canonized by the Church were absolutely sinless people. This is not so: only God is sinless, while the saints were primarily people with their own merits and demerits, so that not every act of this or that saint can be imitated: they say, for example, that St. Nikolai Ugodnik, during a theological dispute, once hit his interlocutor, the heretic Arius. Most likely, this is from the realm of legends, but even if it really happened, this does not mean that this act should be taken as a guide to action. Nicholas II and his wife Alexandra Feodorovna, now also revered as saints, took part in seances, and the emperor also smoked - also clearly not something that should be imitated ... We call saints saints not for the complete absence of sins, but for an adequate attitude towards him (it is no coincidence that in the texts of prayers composed by the saints, the words “I am prodigal”, “I am accursed”, “I am a sinner” are so often repeated), for the desire to be cleansed of sins and devote one’s life to God. In this sense, the saints are "guiding stars" for Christians.
On January 9, 1920, Archbishop Tikhon of Voronezh was killed in Voronezh on the day of the mass execution of clergy. It is worth clarifying that the persecution of the Russian Orthodox Church began even before the Bolsheviks came to power. The liberals from the Provisional Government anticipated the Bolsheviks in their attitude to religion and the Church, showing themselves to be enemies of Russian Orthodoxy. If in 1914 Russian Empire there were 54174 Orthodox church and 1025 monasteries, then in 1987 only 6893 churches and 15 monasteries remained in the USSR. Only in 1917-20 more than 4.5 thousand priests were shot. Today is a story about the clergy who gave their lives for the faith.
Archpriest John Kochurov
John Kochurov (in the world Ivan Alexandrovich Kochurov) was born on July 13, 1871 in the Ryazan province in a large family of a village priest. He graduated from the Dankov Theological School, the Ryazan Theological Seminary, the St. Petersburg Theological Academy, after which, in August 1895, he was ordained a priest and sent to missionary service in the Aleutian and Alaska diocese. This was his long-standing desire. He served in the USA until 1907, being rector of St. Vladimir's Church in Chicago.
Returning to Russia, John Kochurov became a supernumerary priest of the Transfiguration Cathedral in Narva, a priest of the Church of the Kazan Icon Mother of God in Sillamäe and at the same time he was the teacher of the Narva women's and men's gymnasiums. Since November 1916, Archpriest John Kochurov has been the second priest in the Catherine's Cathedral in Tsarskoye Selo.
At the end of September 1917, Tsarskoe Selo turned into a center of confrontation Cossack troops supporting the deposed head of the Provisional Government A. Kerensky, and the Red Guard of the Bolsheviks. On October 30, 1917, Fr. John participated in the procession with special prayers for an end to the internecine strife and called on the people to calm. This happened during the shelling of Tsarskoye Selo. The next day, the Bolsheviks entered Tsarskoe Selo, and the arrests of priests began. Father John tried to protest, but he was beaten, taken to the Tsarskoye Selo airfield and shot in front of his high school student son. The parishioners buried Father John in the tomb under the Catherine's Cathedral, which was blown up in 1939.
It is worth saying that the murder of Archpriest John Kochurov was one of the first in the mournful list of murdered church leaders. After that, arrests and murders followed almost non-stop.
Archbishop Tikhon IV of Voronezh
Archbishop Tikhon IV of Voronezh (in the world Nikanorov Vasily Varsonofievich) was born on January 30, 1855 in the Novgorod province in the family of a psalmist. He received an excellent spiritual education, graduating from the Kirillov Theological School, the Novgorod Theological Seminary and the St. Petersburg Theological Academy. At the age of 29, he took monastic vows at the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery with the name Tikhon, and was ordained a hieromonk. After another 4 years, he was granted the abbess. In December 1890, Tikhon was elevated to the rank of archimandrite and became rector of the Novgorod Anthony Monastery, and in May 1913 he was awarded the rank of archbishop and transferred to Voronezh. Contemporaries spoke of him as "a kind man who spoke sermons simply and clearly."
His Grace Tikhon had to meet for the last time in the history of the city of Voronezh with Empress Alexandra Feodorovna and her daughters Olga and Tatyana. The monarchs then visited the Mitrofanovsky Annunciation Monastery, bowed to the relics of St. Mitrofan and toured hospitals for wounded soldiers.
Since the beginning of the First World War, Archbishop Tikhon has been active in social and church charitable activities. He performed private and public services during the farewell of conscripts, held requiem services for those killed on the battlefield. In all Voronezh churches, councils of trustees were opened to provide moral and material assistance to those in need, gifts were collected and sent to the army. In October 1914, Archbishop Tikhon blessed the opening of a 100-bed infirmary for the wounded at the Mitrofanov Monastery, as well as the opening of the Voronezh Diocesan Committee for the Accommodation of Refugees.
Archbishop Tikhon became one of the first clergy who had to deal with the negative attitude towards the Church of the new authorities. The first time he was arrested and, accompanied by soldiers, was sent to Petrograd already on June 8, 1917. On January 9, 1920, on the day of the mass execution of clergy in Voronezh, Archbishop Tikhon was hanged on royal doors Cathedral of the Annunciation. The highly venerated martyr was buried in the crypt of the Annunciation Cathedral. In 1956, when the Mitrofanovsky Monastery and the crypt were destroyed, Tikhon's remains were reburied at the Comintern cemetery in Voronezh, and in 1993 his remains were transferred to the necropolis of the Alexeevsky Akatov Monastery. In August 2000, Archbishop Tikhon of the Russian Orthodox Church was glorified as a holy martyr.
Metropolitan of Kiev and Galicia Vladimir Bogoyavlensky (in the world Vasily Nikiforovich Bogoyavlensky) was born on January 1, 1848 in the Tambov province in the family of a village priest. He received spiritual education first at the theological school and seminary in Tambov, and then at the Kiev Theological Academy. After graduating from the academy, Vladimir returned to Tambov, where he first taught at the seminary, and after marrying, he took the rank and became a parish priest. But his family happiness was short-lived. A few years later, the only child of Father Vasily and his wife died. Having experienced such great grief, the young priest takes monastic vows with the name of Vladimir in one of the Tambov monasteries.
The Hieromartyr Vladimir, even during his lifetime, was called the "All-Russian Metropolitan", since he was the only one of the hierarchs who consistently occupied all the main metropolitan sees of the Russian Orthodox Church - Moscow, St. Petersburg and Kiev.
In January 1918 the All-Ukrainian church cathedral the question of the autocephaly of the Orthodox Church in Ukraine was raised. Metropolitan Vladimir defended the unity of the Russian Church. But the leader of the party of schismatics, Archbishop Alexy, who arbitrarily settled in the Lavra in the neighborhood of Metropolitan Vladimir, in every way set the monks of the Lavra against the holy archimandrite.
On the afternoon of January 25, 1918, the Red Guards broke into the Metropolitan's chambers and conducted a search. The monks began to complain that they wanted to establish order in the monastery, like the Reds - with councils and committees, but the metropolitan does not allow it. Already in the evening, 5 armed soldiers came to the Metropolitan in the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra. Vladimir was taken out of the Lavra through the All Saints Gate and brutally killed between the ramparts of the Old Pechersk Fortress, not far from Nikolskaya Street.
However, there is an opinion that the Bolsheviks did not take any part in this atrocity, but bandits killed the Metropolitan, invited by some monks of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, who succumbed to Bolshevik propaganda and slandered the archpastor, allegedly he “robs” the Lavra, which receives large incomes from pilgrims.
On April 4, 1992, the Russian Orthodox Church canonized Metropolitan Vladimir (Bogoyavlensky) as a holy martyr. His relics are in the Far Caves of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, in the cave church of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Arimandrid Varlaam
Arimandrid Varlaam (in the world Vasily Efimovich Konoplev) was born on April 18, 1858. The son of mining peasants. His family belonged to the Old Believers of the non-priestly wing. Varlaam's path to Orthodoxy was not easy. “Lord, show me a miracle, resolve my doubts,” he asked in prayers, and Father Stefan Lukanin appeared in his life, who with meekness and love explained to Vasily his bewilderment, and his heart was pacified. October 17, 1893 in Perm cathedral he received chrismation. Soon 19 of his relatives joined the Church.
On November 6, 1893, he settled on Belaya Gora, and from that time on, those wishing to lead a monastic life began to flock to him. This place was so secluded. He also became the first rector of the Belogorsk St. Nicholas Monastery.
In October 1918, the Bolsheviks plundered the Belogorsk St. Nicholas Monastery. Archimandrite Varlaam was drowned in a pillowcase made of coarse linen in the Kama River. The entire monastery complex was subjected to barbaric destruction: the throne was defiled, shrines, monastic workshops and the library were plundered. Some monks were shot, and some were thrown into a pit and filled with sewage. Archimandrite Varlaam is buried in the cemetery in Perm.
Bishop Feofan (in the world Ilminsky Sergey Petrovich) was born on September 26, 1867 in the Saratov province in the family of a church reader. He lost his father early. He was brought up by his mother, a deeply religious person, and his uncle, the rural archpriest Dimitri. Sergei graduated from the Kazan Theological Academy, taught at the Saratov diocesan women's school. Only at the age of 32 he was ordained a priest. Contemporaries recalled that his pastoral conversion was always direct and uncompromising. Regarding the murder of Stolypin in Kiev, he said this: Again Herodias is raging, again the revolutionary, Jewish Masonic hydra demands the head of the Sovereign's servants!»
In September 1915, Father Feofan was elevated to the rank of Archimandrite of the Solikamsk Holy Trinity Monastery. When in 1918 the new government became interested in land, Bishop Feofan said that he was more afraid doomsday and will not disclose information about the monastic estates. Under the leadership of the lord, crowded religious processions as protests against the persecution of the church and the looting of monasteries.
In June 1918, Bishop Feofan took over the administration of the Perm diocese after the arrest and execution of the Hieromartyr Archbishop Andronik of Perm, but soon he himself was arrested. On December 11, 1918, in a thirty-degree frost, Bishop Feofan was repeatedly immersed in an ice hole in the Kama River. His body was covered with ice, but he was still alive. Then the executioners simply drowned him.
And further…
In 2013, the PSTGU publishing house released a book-album “Victims for the Faith and the Church of Christ. 1917-1937”, and on May 15, the Publishing Council of the Russian Orthodox Church hosted a meeting dedicated to the study and preservation of the memory of the New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia, organized by St. Tikhon Orthodox University for the Humanities.
To everyone who is interested in this topic, we invite you to find out.
For a person who has recently come to church or simply looks at it with interest from afar, there are many incomprehensible phenomena and concepts. As an example, a large number of revered saints - and for some reason one is a reverend, and the other is just a saint, one is a martyr, and the other is a martyr. Our consolidated list of faces of holiness that exist in Orthodoxy will help to distinguish between them.
The veneration of saints has been established in Christianity since ancient times. The original cult extends to the apostles and martyrs, as well as to the Old Testament saints.—forefathers and prophets. In the most ancient period, the veneration of the primates of local churches, as saints, is also taking shape.—first within the local churches, and then as a general church cult. Historical development leads to the emergence of other categories of saints, the veneration of which is organically included in the general cult (Fragments from the book "Holiness. A Brief Dictionary of Hagiographic Terms. Zhivov V.M.", furtherexcerpts from his bookhighlightedin italics).
Apostles(Greek ἀ πόστολος - ambassador, envoy) - these are the closest disciples of Jesus Christ, whom He sent to preach during His earthly life; and after the descent of the Holy Spirit upon them, they preached the Christian faith in all countries. At first there were twelve of them, then Christ chose seventy more.
Two of the apostles, Peter and Paul, are called supreme because they labored more than others in preaching the faith of Christ. The four Apostles: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John the Theologian who wrote the Gospel are called Evangelists.
Forefathers(Greek προπάτωρ) - a category of Old Testament saints revered by the Christian Church as executors of the will of God in sacred history before the New Testament era. The Righteous Fathers of God Joachim and Anna, the parents of the Mother of God, and Righteous Joseph, the betrothed of the Mother of God, also belong to the forefathers.
prophets(Greek προφήτης) - a category of Old Testament saints revered by the Christian Church as heralds of the will of God, predicting the coming of Christ. V Holy Scripture the Old Testament patriarchs Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Jacob, Moses are called prophets. John the Baptist appears as the last of the prophets.
Equal-to-the-Apostles(Greek Ισαπόστολος) - a saint who was especially famous for preaching the gospel and converting peoples to the Christian faith. The Church applies this name to St. Mary Magdalene as a co-worker of the apostles, the holy Emperor Constantine and his mother Helena, the Enlighteners of the Slavs Cyril and Methodius, the Holy Prince Vladimir and the Grand Duchess St. Olga, who baptized the Russian land.
veneration saints v modern form it began with the veneration of the martyrs, who testified with their blood the truth of Christianity; with the cessation of persecution, they also began to recognize as saints those who, without being awarded a martyr's crown, became famous for their labors and piety (primarily hermits and monks).
Now the face of the saints is all the righteous, reverends, martyrs, confessors, noble princes, holy fools for Christ's sake, saints, prophets and apostles, evangelists.
Saint- a saint who acquired holiness on the path of hierarchical service by righteous shepherding and a blameless life, who by a righteous death fulfilled the Providence of God for the Church in her movement towards the Kingdom of Heaven. Basil the Great (379), Gregory the Theologian (389), Gregory of Nyssa (c. 394), John Chrysostom (407) and Nicholas the Wonderworker (c. 345) are among the most revered saints. The first Russian saint is St. Leonty, third bishop of Rostov (c. 1077).
The doctrine of the plurality of the gifts of the Holy Spirit (ie, the diversity of forms of holiness) was formulated at the very beginning of Christian history. The apostle Paul wrote: “To one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom, to another the word of knowledge, by the same Spirit; faith to another, by the same Spirit; to another gifts of healings, by the same Spirit; miracles to another, prophecy to another, discernment of spirits to another, different languages, a different interpretation of tongues. All this is done by the same Spirit, distributing to each one individually as he pleases” (1 Cor. 12:8-11).”
Martyr(Greek μάρτυς - witness) - a person who accepted torment and death for confessing faith in Jesus Christ, testifying his faith with blood. The first martyr in the highest sense was Jesus Christ Himself, who, by consenting to be sacrificed for human sins, gave the highest evidence of fidelity to the saving mission entrusted to Him by the Father. The first Christian martyr (first martyr) was the archdeacon and apostle from the 70s Stephen (c. 33-36).
Great Martyr(Greek μεγαλόμαρτυρ) - a martyr who endured especially cruel and prolonged torment and, at the same time, showed extreme firmness in faith. The selection of great martyrs from the whole multitude of martyrs revered by the Church emphasizes the significance of this kind of feat.
The modern calendar of the Russian Orthodox Church includes such names as: George the Victorious (303), Panteleimon the Healer (305), Demetrius of Thessalonica (c. 306) and the Great Martyr Anastasia the Unsetter (c. 304).
Hieromartyr(Greek άγιομάρτυς) - holy martyrs who belonged to the sacred rank (deacon, priest or episcopal). Hieromartyrs constitute a special group of saints. Although at the Liturgy they are commemorated along with other martyrs, there are services for the Hieromartyr and Hieromartyrs.
Famous holy martyrs include Ignatius the God-bearer, Bishop of Antioch (107); from Russian saints - Hermogenes, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia (1612), Kuksha Pechersky (+ after 1114). In our region, one can single out, in particular, schmch. Demetrius of Apansky (Nerovetsky) (1919).
Reverend Martyr(Greek όσιομάρτυς) - a martyr who belongs to the number of monastics. Pmch. make up a special face of the saints, since there are corresponding services for them. Among the Russian saints, they include Gregory, pmch. Caves, resting in the Near Anthony Caves (1093).
Passion-bearers- the name of Christian martyrs who accepted martyrdom not for the name of Christ, but because of the malice and deceit of people. The main thing in the feat of passion-bearers is good-naturedness and non-resistance to enemies. Passion-bearers are the holy noble princes Boris and Gleb (1015), the last emperor Russian Nicholas II and members of his family (1918).
Confessors(Greek ὁ μολογητής) - a special face of saints in Orthodoxy, glorified by the Church for the open expression of their faith during persecution; Confessors included those Christians who, having endured martyrdom, remained, unlike the martyrs, alive. V Ancient Russia Maximus the Confessor (662) was especially known and revered; in the Cathedral of New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia, St. Luke (Voyno-Yasenetsky) was glorified as a confessor.
With the establishment of Christianity as the state religion, new forms of holiness naturally appear. In this context, the veneration of the faithful kings and queens arises, and with the development of monasticism, the veneration of the saints. According to Christian ideas, the process of discovering new forms of holiness is inexhaustible and continues to this day.
Unmercenary(Greek άνάργυρος) - a saint, especially famous for his selflessness, the rejection of wealth for the sake of his faith. This name is acquired in Orthodox tradition first of all, St. Cosmas and Damian, brothers who suffered as martyrs in the second half of the 3rd century.
Blessed(Greek εὐ σεβής) - a ruler (prince, king), famous for his piety, mercy and concern for strengthening the Christian faith and canonized by the Church as a saint. For example, Saint Prince Alexander Nevsky (1263) belongs to the faithful.
Blissful(Greek μαχάριος) - in the 19th century. this epithet began to be applied in Russia to saints venerated in other Christian confessions, in those cases when their veneration was established before the separation of the churches and is thus recognized by the Orthodox Church. Blessed Augustine (430) is glorified in the face. In ancient Russia, the name "blessed" was applied to holy fools, as in the case of St. Basil the Blessed.
Reverend- a person who acquired holiness on the path of monastic asceticism. Organizers receive special reverence in Russia monastic life, the founders of laurels and monasteries - such as Anthony (1073) and Theodosius (1074) Caves, Sergius of Radonezh (1392), Seraphim of Sarov (1833).
The first reverends in christian church, glorified precisely for the monastic feat, were Anthony the Great († 356) and Ephraim the Syrian († c. 373-379).
Righteous- a person who has achieved holiness in the world, in ordinary conditions of family and public life. Those are in Old Testament- Noah, Joah; in the New Testament - Joseph the Betrothed, Joachim and Anna; from Russian saints - John of Kronstadt (1909).
Stylites(Greek στυλίτης) - holy reverends who have chosen a special feat for themselves - standing on a pillar and concentrating on constant prayer. The founder of pilgrimage is considered to be Rev. Simeon (c. 459). Of the Russian ascetics, Stylites were St. Nikita Pereyaslavsky (1186) and Savva Vishersky (1461).
miracle worker(Greek θαυματουργός) - an epithet of a number of saints, especially famous for the gift of miracles, intercessors, who are resorted to in the hope of miraculous healing. Miracle workers are not a special category of saints, since in principle all saints have the gift of miracles, and witnessed miracles are the main condition for canonization. Among the wonderworkers revered by the Russian Church, one can note St. Mir Lycian Nicholas(c. 345) and St. Anthony the Roman (1147).
holy fool(glory. crazy) - an ascetic, depicting a fool for the sake of rejecting "the wisdom of this world", which "is foolishness before God" (1 Cor. 3:19). This kind of asceticism is a radical means of destroying pride in oneself. The most famous holy fools were Procopius of Ustyug (1303) and Basil the Blessed of Moscow (1557).
Sources:
1. Holiness. Brief dictionary of hagiographic terms. Zhivov V.M.
2. Bishop Mark of Yegorievsk. Church protocol. - M .: Publishing Council of the Russian Orthodox Church, 2007.
Apostles(ap.) - these are the closest disciples of Jesus Christ, whom He sent to preach during His earthly life; and after the descent of the Holy Spirit upon them, they preached the Christian faith in all countries. There were at first twelve, and then seventy more.
- Two of the apostles, Peter and Paul, are called supreme because they labored more than others in preaching the faith of Christ.
- The four Apostles: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John the Theologian who wrote the Gospel are called Evangelists.
Unmercenaries (inc.) served as a neighbor gratuitous healing of diseases, i.e., without any payment, they healed diseases, both bodily and spiritual, such as: Cosmas and Damian, the great martyr and healer Panteleimon and others.
the faithful (blgv.). In the celebration of the memory of holy monarchs and princes, their feat, captured in piety, mercy and concern for the strengthening of the Christian faith, is glorified, and not the powers that they had in earthly life, or a noble origin. For example, Holy Prince Daniel of Moscow, Holy grand duchess Anna Kashinskaya.
Blessed (holy fools) (blzh., blissful) (gr. σαλός Slav.: stupid, insane) - representatives of the host of holy ascetics who have chosen a special feat - foolishness, the feat of depicting the external, i.e. visible madness, in order to achieve inner humility.
Great Martyrs (vmch., vlkmch.). Those who died for the holy faith after especially severe (great) suffering, to which not all martyrs were subjected, are called great martyrs like for example: St. Great Martyr George; Holy Great Martyrs Barbara and Catherine and others.
Confessors (Spanish, Spanish). Martyrs who, after suffering torments, died peacefully, are called confessors.
Martyrs(mch.) - those Christians who accepted cruel torment and even death for their faith in Jesus Christ. For example, St. martyrs Vera, Nadezhda, Lyubov and their mother Sophia.
- The first to suffer for the Christian faith were Archdeacon Stephen and St. Thekla, and therefore they are called first martyrs.
inscribed . Confessors, to whom the tormentors wrote blasphemous words on their faces, are called inscribed.
(new mch., new m.). Christians who have been martyred for confession of faith in Christ in relatively recent times. So the Church names all those who suffered for their faith during the period of post-revolutionary persecution.
righteous(right) led a righteous, God-pleasing life, living in the world, being family people like, for example, St. Righteous Joachim and Anna, etc.
- The first righteous on earth: the ancestors (patriarchs) of the human race, are called forefathers such as: Adam, Noah, Abraham, etc.
Rev. Confessors (Rev. Sp., Pr.) Confessors from among the monks.
Reverend Martyrs (prmch.). The saints who endured martyrdom for Christ are called venerable martyrs.
Reverends (prp.) - righteous people who moved away from worldly life in society and pleased God, being in virginity (i.e. not marrying), fasting and praying, living in deserts and monasteries, such as: Sergius of Radonezh, Seraphim of Sarov, Reverend Anastasia and others.
prophets(propr.) - of God, who, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, predicted the future and mainly about the Savior; they lived until the coming of the Savior to earth.
Equal-to-the-Apostles (equal to Apostle) - saints who, like the Apostles, spread the faith of Christ in different places, for example: Mary Magdalene, the first martyr Thekla, the faithful kings Constantine and Helen, the noble prince Russian Vladimir, St. Nina, Enlightener of Georgia, etc.
Saints(St.) - bishops or bishops who pleased God with their righteous life, such as; Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker, St. Alexy, Metropolitan of Moscow, etc.
- Saints Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian and John Chrysostom are called universal teachers, that is, the teachers of the entire Christian Church.
Confessors (Shchisp.). Confessors belonging to the priestly rank.
Hieromartyrs (shmch.). Priests who endured martyrdom for Christ are called holy martyrs.
Stylites(stolpn.) - holy ascetics who labored on a pillar - a tower or a high platform of a rock, inaccessible to outsiders.
Passion-bearers - those who accepted martyrdom not from the persecutors of Christianity, but from their fellow believers - because of their malice, deceit, conspiracy. The feat of passion-bearing can be defined as suffering for the fulfillment of the Commandments of God, in contrast to martyrdom - which is suffering for witnessing faith in Jesus Christ (faith in God) during times of persecution and when persecutors try to force them to renounce the faith. This naming emphasizes the special nature of their feat - malice and non-resistance to enemies, which are the commandments of Jesus Christ.
miracle workers(miraculous) - an epithet of saints, especially famous for the gift of miracles, intercessors, who are resorted to in the hope of help. We can say that all the saints have the gift of miracles, because. attested miracles are a basic condition for canonization.
Common abbreviations
Reduction plural the term is formed, as a rule, from the reduction of the singular by doubling the last letter. Example: St. - Saint, St. - the Saints.
|
|
|
As the Church teaches, every person is created in the image and likeness of God.
As a result of the fall, the image of God in man was distorted.
The goal of a Christian's life is to restore in himself the image of God, to become like God.
In the New Testament, all Christians are called saints who are united with God by the grace of the Holy Spirit. The Church has venerated saints since the first centuries of its existence. At present, for the glorification and veneration of the deceased person as a saint - canonization is required. For the local veneration of the ascetic, the permission of the Patriarch is required, for the general church recognition of the saint - the decision of the Council of Bishops.
The materials for such canonization in the Russian Orthodox Church are collected by the Synodal Commission for the Canonization of Saints. The grounds for canonization can be: the sanctity of life, suffering for the faith, the gift of miracles, the incorruptibility of relics.
Formally, 10 faces, i.e., types of holiness, can be distinguished.
Apostles
12 disciples of Christ, called by Him personally, about 70 of His closest followers and the Apostle Paul, who was mysteriously chosen as the Savior after His Ascension. The Apostles Peter and Paul are revered as the First Supreme. The main evidence of the life of Christ - the Gospel, was written down by the apostles-evangelists - Matthew, Luke, Mark and John. Evangelists are often depicted with a scroll or a book - the New Testament.
Unmercenaries
Christians famous for their unselfishness, giving up wealth for the sake of their faith. Usually they include saints who had the gift of healing and did not take payment for their work. The unmercenary is most likely to be depicted with a healer's casket.
the faithful
Tsars and princes are glorified in the rank of the faithful for a pious life, works of mercy, strengthening of the Church and faith. They are often depicted with royal crowns and in expensive clothes - chitons.
Martyrs
Saints who died for faith in Christ. Those who endured especially cruel torments are called great martyrs. In Russia, the rank of martyrs is traditionally singled out from the rank of martyrs - saints who accepted martyrdom not during persecution of faith, their feat - in malice and meekness towards their enemies. The 20th century gave the Church a new host of saints - new martyrs. Saints who openly confessed their faith and suffered for it during the persecution, but survived, are called confessors. The name hieromartyr means that the saint who was martyred was a bishop or priest, and the venerable martyr was a monk. The martyr will most likely be dressed in a red tunic. Often in his hands he has a cross or an instrument of his torment.
righteous
Lay and clergy from the white clergy, revered for a righteous life. The Old Testament patriarchs, the forefathers, are also included in this face. The parents and spouse of the Mother of God, the righteous Joseph the Betrothed, also belong to the forefathers, but they are called God-fathers. The Holy Prophet and King David are also attributed to the Godfathers. Not in iconography characteristic feature pictures of this face.
Reverends
Monks, revered for their ascetic life, striving to “become like Christ” in everything.
Depicted in monastic vestments, right hand often folded in blessing.
faces of holiness
prophets
The prophets communicated to Israel the will of God, proclaimed to the chosen people about the coming Messiah. The Church honors 18 Old Testament prophets and one New Testament prophet, John the Baptist. The prophet on the icon most often holds a scroll with the text of his prophecy in his hands.
Equal-to-the-Apostles
Saints who, like the apostles, labored in the conversion of entire countries and peoples to Christ.
In the image of this face of saints there is often a Cross - a symbol of baptism.
Saints
Bishops who became famous for their righteous life and pastoral care of their flock, the preservation of Orthodoxy from heresies and schisms.
The saints are depicted in full liturgical episcopal vestments.
Holy fools, blessed
From the old Slav. "ourod" - "fool". Those who voluntarily took on the image of the insane. For the sake of Christ, the holy fools in words and by their example denounced money-grubbing. By tradition, some saints are also called blessed, for example, Jerome of Stridon, Augustine, Matrona and others. The blessed are most often depicted in shabby clothes.
miracle workers
Formally, miracle workers are not a special person, since many saints had the gift of miracle work, and witnessed miracles are the main condition for canonization.
How to cook ham in the oven at home
Pain in the lower abdomen during pregnancy, reasons for what to do Can the lower abdomen hurt if pregnant
Protein for muscle gain
The best vitamins for men according to customer reviews
How to lose weight on a vegan diet?