The Life and Ascetic Labor of Elder Paisius

The Life and Ascetic Labor of Our Father, Elder Paisius, Archimandrite of the Holy Moldavian Monasteries of Niamets and Sekoul.


The Life of Elder Paisius which we here present was written by his own disciples, chiefly by Schema-monk Metrophanes of Niamets Monastery, and was published in its present form exactly 125 years ago (1847) by the God-bearing Elders of Optina Monastery as the first of the texts of the veritable patristic revival which they inspired in 19th-century Russia. It is much to be preferred to the 20th-century biography1 in that it gives not only the facts of the Elder's life, but more importantly, the very savor of his struggles. It is itself a patristic text capable of guiding and inspiring the Orthodox believer today.

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1 Archpriest Sergy Chetverikov, The Moldavian Elder, Schema-Archimandrite Paisius Velichkovsky, two volumes, Petseri, Estonia, 1938. In the text below some passages (indicated in the footnotes) have been added to the original Life from this source, particularly where the words of Elder Paisius himself have been quoted. The author did research at Niamets Monastery and was thus able to use manuscripts written by Paisius himself; his whole tone and approach, however, are those of the worldly 20th century, and he does not do justice to the spiritual message of Blessed Paisius.


Blessed Paisius' great labors in the collection, textual correction, and translation of the writings of the Holy Fathers will be discussed in detail in later installments of his Life. In addition to the many patristic texts and a number of letters, Blessed Paisius also left two original works concerning the Prayer of Jesus and spiritual life. The first of these, "The Scroll" (a title which he gave to the work himself) will be printed in this and subsequent issues of The Orthodox Word. It was printed originally in Slavonic together with the Life of Elder Paisius in the Optina edition of 1847, and was later published in Russian in The Prayer of Jesus in the Tradition of the Orthodox Church (Valaam Monastery, 1938).


1. BIRTH AND PARENTS OF OUR FATHER PAISIUS.
2. HIS CHILDHOOD

OUR FATHER of blessed memory, Schema-hieromonk Paisius, was born in the year 1722 on December 21 in the city of Poltava in Little Russia, the eleventh of twelve children of pious parents, and was called in holy baptism Peter, after St. Peter, Metropolitan of Moscow, on whose feast day he was born. His father was John Velichkovsky, Archpriest of Poltava, and his mother was Irene. In the fourth year after his birth his father departed this temporal life into eternal life, and he was left with his mother and his eldest brother John, who after his father was also priest of the Poltava church of the Dormition of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-virgin Mary, where his father, grandfather, and great-grandfather had also been priests.

His mother gave him over to learn reading and writing, and with the Lord's help, in a little over two years he had studied the reading primer, the Horologion, and the Psalter, and from his eldest brother he learned how to write. And so with God's help he began to read books quite easily and in part to understand them; and he read most industriously the books of the Divine Scriptures, the Old and especially the New Testament, the Lives of Saints, the instructions of St. Ephraim and St. Dorotheus, the Margarite of St. John Chrysostom, and others. And from reading such books, above all the Lives of our Holy Fathers who have shone forth in monasticism, there began to be born in his soul a zeal for abandoning the world and accepting the holy monastic Angelic habit; wherefore he would seclude himself and read these books insatiably.

He loved silence to such an extent that his own mother rarely heard him talk; for he was meek and very modest and shy, not only with others but even with his own family. Such was the fervent desire toward God of this wondrous man while still only ten years old, that everyone of good sense who saw or heard of him was astonished at his good behavior and zeal and fervency and glorified God, saying: Glory be to Thee, Christ God, for Thou hast raised up a chosen one from among Thy people.

3. THE YOUNG PAISIUS GOES TO THE CITY OF KIEV

WHEN HE reached the thirteenth year of his age, his older brother John also departed to the Lord, after having been priest just five years. And then it was needful for his mother, taking him with her (1734) to go to the Archbishop of Kiev Raphael, with a petition from Colonel Basil Basilevich Kochabei, who was Paisius' godfather, and some estimable citizens, so as to confirm for him by a document his father's place in the above-mentioned church. And when, in the presence of the hierarch, the boy recited, piously and with fitting expression, some verses which had been composed by a learned man, the hierarch rejoiced and, blessing him, said: "You will be your father's successor." And he gave his mother a document and, instructing her to send the boy to the church school in Kiev, let them go with his blessing. After returning home, she sent Paisius to Kiev for study, where he studied for just four years. With burning zeal he occupied himself above all in the reading of holy books, from which he more and more became confirmed in his unwavering intention to become a monk.


General view of the Kiev-Caves Lavra


Kiev-Caves Lavra: Entrance to St. Anthony's Caves above the Dnepr


4. HIS DESIRE FOR THE UNHYPOCRITICAL MONASTIC LIFE

AT THIS TIME Paisius had some friends who thought just as he did and had one and the same intention to become monks. Assembling in a certain secret and quiet place, they would talk the whole night through until the bell sounded, as to how they might bring their intention into actuality and where they might find a place where, with God's help, they might be tonsured monks and live truly according to the monastic vow. After much consultation and diligent study, they made in their souls an absolute and unchangeable covenant that their renunciation from the world, their tonsure and their monastic life would not be in those monasteries where there is a great abundance of food and drink and every kind of bodily convenience, glory, and ease. They quoted, in confirmation of their covenant, the holy writings of all the ancient saints who had been monks in poverty, and also St. Simeon the New Theologian, who spoke thus (Chapters on Activity, Ch. 6): "Flee the world; see that you do not give your soul over to comfort, etc.; since, being tonsured in such monasteries, it will be impossible for us to follow the poverty of Christ according to the monastic vow and live an abstinent life: that is, we should be in want of needful things and be in every kind of bodily discomfort for the sake of the soul's salvation. But because of our weakness, and yet again from disturbance and from contact with others, and most of all because of our own will and our uneven and unsteady fervency of soul, we shall have to depart from the narrow path that leads to eternal life and become lost on the broad. path that leads to ruin, according to the word of the Lord. And it is better to remain in the world than to renounce everything in the world only to live pleasing the flesh, in every kind of ease and abundance, to the scandal of the world and the dishonor of the monastic habit, and to the eternal judgment of our souls at the Day of Judgment."

Further, Paisius came to know with certainty from the Divine writings of the Gospels and the Fathers that for one who desires monasticism, without obedience and humility, without poverty and patience, without faith and love and the complete cutting off of one's own will and reasoning, and in a word: without the diligent keeping of all Christ's commandments, solely by Orthodoxy of faith it is not at all possible to be saved. And so the devout youth made a most firm covenant in his soul before God to force himself with all his soul to a double measure of bodily deeds in fulfillment of Christ's commandments. Likewise he resolved in no way to judge his neighbor even if he saw him sin with his own eyes. For he who judges his neighbor assumes the place of God; and can there be anything more terrible than this? (Matt. 7:1.)

Again, he resolved to have no hatred against his neighbor, inasmuch as, according to the Holy Scriptures, hatred and malice are greater than any other sins. Further, he covenanted with himself to forgive his neighbor with his whole heart and soul for any kind of offense, in hope that his own sins would be forgiven (Athanasius the Great; Abba Dorotheus; John 3:5; Matt. 5:16; Luke 6:36). For he who does not forgive his neighbor his offenses or any kind of hurt, himself will not have forgiveness of his sins from the Heavenly Father. And this covenant, given before God, Paisius kept in act for his whole life, God's grace giving him strength.

At the beginning of Paisius' fourth year of studies in Kiev, after the conclusion of peace between Russia and Turkey, which brought peace to the Orthodox lands of the Balkans, there came to Kiev the Metropolitan of Moldavia, Anthony. Paisius had the opportunity of receiving the blessing of the Metropolitan, and he loved very much the hierarch's celebration of the Divine Liturgy in the Moldavian language. From this time there arose in his heart, as he said later, a great love for the Moldavian people.

At this time it was noticed that Paisius had entirely abandoned his studies, and the Prefect of the school called him to demand an explanation for this. Paisius, usually meek and shy, then replied with a boldness hitherto unknown to him, saying: "The first reason is that, having the firm intention to become a monk and realizing the uncertainty of the hour of death, I wish as soon as possible to receive the tonsure. The second reason is that from outward learning I do not see any benefit for my soul, hearing only the names of pagan gods and wise men Cicero, Aristotle, Plato... Learning wisdom from them, people today have become completely blinded and have stepped away from the right path; they pronounce lofty words, but within they are full of darkness and obscurity, and all their wisdom is only on their tongues. Seeing no benefit from such teaching, and fearing lest I myself be corrupted by it, I have abandoned it. Finally, the third reason is this: looking at the fruits of this teaching in the clergy of the monastic order, I have noticed that, like worldly functionaries, they live in great honor and glory, adorn themselves with expensive garments, travel on splendid horses and in fine carriages – I do not say this in judgment of them, may this not be! I only fear and tremble lest I myself, after learning outward wisdom and becoming a monk, should fall into yet a worse infirmity. Behold, it is for all these reasons that I have abandoned outward learning." When the Prefect saw that his own arguments against these points had no effect on Paisius, he subjected him to a merciless physical punishment.1

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1 These two paragraphs are from Chetverikov, vol. I, pp. 12-13.


5. HIS WANDERING.
6. PAISIUS ENTERS THE MONASTERY OF LYUBETZ.

BEING IN SUCH a state of zeal for monastic life, and occupying himself with reading and instruction in these things, and even more weeping and lamenting, and being in perplexity as to what to do, he began to pray, with contrite heart and many and bitter tears, beating his breast and falling down before Christ God, that He might instruct him on the path of salvation. Weeping, he thought to himself: "What shall I do, and where shall I go?" Then his soul became afire with the love of wandering, and having left school, he departed from the city of Kiev. And so he wandered, sad of soul, like a poor stranger, seeking the Heavenly Fatherland; for the Lord gave him even in his youth the gray hair of understanding, wisdom, and humility of wisdom. At the same time he left also his friends, who placed obstacles in the way of his speedy departure.

And so he went, God instructing him, to the Holy Monastery of Lyubetz, which is near the city of Lyubich, on the bank of the river Dnepr. When he came, with God's help, to this monastery, a certain father indicated to him: "That is Father Nicephorus our abbot standing there"; and he brought Paisius to him. And Paisius fell at his feet, asking his blessing. The abbot, according to custom, blessed him and asked: "Where are you from, brother, and what is your name, and why have you come to our monastery?" And the youth replied: "I am from the land of Kiev, and I have come to this Holy Monastery to be in obedience, and my name is Peter." The abbot, hearing this, accepted him with love and assigned him a cell and an obedience in the storeroom. He fell to the abbot's feet, took a blessing from him, and undertook his obedience with all fervor.

7. THE GOD-PLEASING GOVERNANCE OF ABBOT NICEPHORUS.

PAISIUS HAD great joy in his soul being in this monastery, for he saw that this holy abbot governed the brethren as a loving father, with great love and meekness, humility and longsuffering. And if it happened that one. of the brethren, being human, sinned in something, being asked for forgiveness he would correct such a one in a spirit of meekness, chastising him by soul-profiting words and giving him a spiritual punishment according to his strength, depending on the sin. Therefore all the brethren remained in deep peace and in love for their father and for each other.

Being concerned for the outward life of Paisius, the abbot also did not leave his inward life without guidance. He gave him the book of St. John of the Ladder, and this book so pleased Paisius that he resolved, in his free time at night, to copy it out for himself. Having no candles, he lit a splinter of wood, and thrusting it into a crack in the wall, he copied out the book by its light. The smoke from the splinter filled the cell, hurt his eyes and made it difficult to breathe. Then Paisius would open the window for some time, let the smoke out, and again set to work copying. In time he was able to acquire a little lamp, and then the copying went more quickly, so that by the time he left the monastery he had succeeded in copying out almost half the book.1

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1 This paragraph is from Chetverikov, I, pp. 29-30.


8. CHANGE OF ABBOTS.
9. PAISIUS UNINTENTIONALLY ANGERS THE NEW ABBOT.
10. НЕ LEAVES THE MONASTERY SECRETLY.

AFTER PAISIUS had been in this monastery for three months, another abbot was assigned to it, a learned man, Herman Zagorovsky. After he had come to the Lyubetz monastery, he began to govern it not like the preceding blessed abbot, with love, but rather dictatorially; and the brethren, having found out about his way of governing, became quite terrified, and some of them out of fear fled from the monastery, without knowing where to go. Paisius, remaining in his obedience in the storeroom, feared and trembled greatly lest he sin in something, but even so he did not escape the evil. Once the abbot called him and commanded him to give him a certain food (cabbage) for his meal. But Paisius, because of the briefness of his words, did not understand what kind of food it was, and he did not dare to ask him. He told the cook, and they, deciding which food might be best, took it and cooked it for the abbot. The abbot called Paisius to his cell and, getting up from his meal, said to him: "Is this the kind of food you give me for my meal?" And saying this, he struck him on the cheek so hard that he could hardly stay on his feet; and in addition, the abbot so fiercely pushed him that he fell over the threshold of his cell. When he got up, the abbot yelled at him: "Get out, lazy one!" The humble Paisius went out, all trembling from fear, and thought to himself: "If he gets angry at me, the poor one, only for this, then if I should happen to sin before him in something greater, what will I not suffer from him?" Besides this, Paisius heard from his spiritual father that the abbot was boasting that he would yet punish him with a most cruel punishment. And so he thought of leaving across the Dnepr. Praying to the Lord secretly at night with tears, he went down to the Dnepr and with God's help he crossed to the other side on the ice; and giving thanks to God with joyous tears, he went down the river Dnepr to the monasteries in the Ukraine.

11. HE ENTERS THE MEDVEDOVSKY MONASTERY OF ST. NICHOLAS

HAVING COME to the Monastery of St. Nicholas, which is on an island in the river Tyasmin and is called Medvedovsky, where the abbot was the reverend Hieromonk Nicephorus (different from the Nicephorus already mentioned), Paisius came up to him, fell to his feet, took a blessing from him, and began to beg him to accept him into his holy monastery under obedience. The abbot accepted him with love and gave him a cell and the obedience of serving in the refectory and going to the cliros to read and sing. And when the Fast of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God arrived, on the Transfiguration of the Lord, the abbot tonsured him as a Rasophore Monk,1 changing his name from Peter to Platon; he was then nineteen years old. And remaining in this monastery, he served his obedience in the refectory with fervor; he strove by all means to observe the rule of church prayer during the day as much as his obedience gave him time, and at night he never omitted it; likewise, at the abbot's command, he went to the cliros. Further, his fervor in labor gave much help to the cook.

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1 Rasophore Monk: One who has put on the rasson or outer monastic robe, but has not given the monastic vows and been tonsured in the mantle.


However, Paisius was not able in this monastery to live in obedience to an experienced elder, as he desired, as we know from his own words many years later: "When I left the world, desiring with warm zeal to serve the Lord fervently in monasticism, I was unable at the beginning of my monasticism to see even a trace from anyone of sound and correct understanding, instruction and advice in accordance with the teaching of the Holy Fathers, concerning how I, an inexperienced beginner, should begin my poor monastic life. Settling in one remote monastery, where by God's mercy I was enabled to receive the beginning of the monastic calling, I did not hear from anyone a proper explanation of what obedience is, with what meaning and purpose it was instituted, and what benefit it has for a novice. Neither the superior of the monastery nor my elder gave me any instruction in this regard. Having tonsured me (as a Rasophore monk) without any period of trial beforehand, they left me to live without any spiritual direction. The elder to whom I was entrusted, having stayed in the monastery only a week after my tonsure, left for no one knows where, telling me in parting: 'Brother, you have been to school; live as God instructs you.' ...Thus I was left like a sheep wandering without a shepherd or instructor. And nowhere was I able to live in submission to some father, even though in my youth my soul was most inclined to submission; yet I did not receive such a divine gift because of my unworthiness."1

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1 This paragraph is from Chetverikov, I, pp. 82, 38.


12. PERSECUTION BY THE UNIATS.
13. PAISIUS GOES TO KIEV.

WHILE HE WAS laboring thus in the monastery in peace and quiet, by God's permission a persecution was raised in the Ukraine against the Orthodox Faith by the evil-opinioned Uniats, who strove to convert the Orthodox Christians to their impiety.

Some of the terrors of the Uniat rule in the Ukraine at this time are described by Archbishop Philaret of Chernigov in his Church History: "It is difficult to imagine all the cruelties to which the Orthodox were subjected at that time. Orthodox priests were tied to pillars, beaten with whips, placed in prison, tortured with hunger, their fingers were cut off with swords, their arms and legs broken. Whoever then remained alive but did not desire the Unia was chased out of his house. Attacks were made on monasteries in broad daylight, they were pillaged and burned, the monks were tortured and often killed. The residents of villages and small towns were tortured with inhuman tortures in order to make them Uniats. The Orthodox people were chased like sheep into the Latin and Uniat churches. During the very reading of the Gospel in an Orthodox church, an official would enter, beat the people with a whip and chase them like cattle from their stalls. Many suffered the destruction of their homes, terrible beatings, and some death."1

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1 This paragraph is from Chetverikov, I, pp. 32-33.


Because of the Uniat persecution there was great disturbance and anger in the monastery; and when the fathers who were living there saw that the Uniats kept the church locked and sealed for more than a month, some of them began to leave, each going wherever he wished. Paisius went with some of the brethren who were going to Kiev, inasmuch as for fear of the Poles it was impossible then to go to Moldavia. This was clearly by God's Providence, so that His faithful servant would find out about his mother. Coming to Kiev, he was accepted into the Kiev Caves Lavra and assigned to the printshop under the reverend Hieromonk Macarius, in order to learn how to make engravings. And while the Blessed one was staying in the Lavra, there came from Poltava to Kiev to venerate the holy places his relative, the wife of his deceased brother the Archpriest John, and meeting him she began to tell him concerning his mother:

14. IN KIEV HE IS INFORMED OF HIS MOTHER'S SORROW.

YOUR MOTHER, after your departure from Kiev, fell into such sorrow beyond words that she wept inconsolably and lamented bitterly, and in her boundless sorrow she even thought of eating and drinking nothing until she died, and after some days her mind began to be affected. But then some kind of fear came over her, and she became afraid and began to read the Akathist. Then, entering an ecstasy of mind, she became silent, and in half an hour she cried out in a loud voice: 'If such is the will of God, then I will sorrow no longer over my son.' Returning to herself, she confessed before her spiritual father and before everyone the following: 'When I became weak from not eating and from sorrow and expected soon to die, a terror and great fear came upon me, and I saw a multitude of demons, very dark and fearful, who tried to fall upon me. Then I began to ask you for books, and I fervently read the Akathist to the Most Holy Mother of God, without ceasing all day and night, and by reading this I guarded myself against the attacks of the demons; for they, hearing me read the Akathist, trembled from fear and could not at all come near me. And after this I was in an ecstasy, and looking up I saw the heavens opened and an Angel of God coming down from the heavens like lightning most bright. And when he stood near me he began to say to me: "O miserable one! What have you done? Rather than love the Lord and your Creator with all your heart and soul, you have loved His creation, your son, more than your Creator; and for the sake of your senseless and God-denying love you have purposed to kill yourself by hunger, and for this to fall into eternal condemnation. But be it known to you that your son, God's grace attending him, will unfailingly be a monk. And it is fitting for you also, imitating your son in this, to renounce the world and everything in the world and become a nun. Such is the will of God; and if you shall oppose this will of God, then by the permission of Christ the Lord, my God and Creator, I will give you over to the demons who wait to devour you, so that your soul and body may be dishonored and that other parents may learn not to love their children more than God." The Angel of God having said this and other like things to me, I cried out: "If such is the will of God, from now on I will sorrow no longer over my son." And immediately the demons vanished; and the Angel of the Lord, rejoicing. ascended into Heaven.' Her spiritual father and relatives, hearing this from her, in fear glorified God, and at the same time rejoicing, they went to their homes."

15. HIS MOTHER BECOMES A NUN.

PAISIUS, hearing this from his relative, had great fear in his soul for having brought such great sorrow to his mother by his departure; but he was comforted by his mother's intention, obeying the will of God, to become a nun. This intention was fulfilled, for she entered a convent and was tonsured, receiving in place of Irene the name of Juliana. Remaining in the convent, she labored in monasticism for the salvation of her soul for ten years and more, and then she departed to the Lord.

16. PAISIUS LEAVES KIEV AND COMES TO VLACHIA.

BEING in the Holy Lavra of the Kiev Caves, as was said above, Paisius went often to the holy caves and kissed the holy relics with fervent love and with tears, begging help from the Saints to direct him on the path of salvation. With fervent desire he desired the quiet life of silence in the desert with a spiritual father who was versed in all the Divine and patristic writings and who forced himself and prospered in deeds, and who was not unskilled in the monastic warfare against the demons and the passions. He desired to remain in poverty and want in the desert, working with his own hands for whatever he needed. And after a short time, by God's Providence, he found two estimable monks who were seeking to go into Vlachia; he begged them to accept him also on the journey, and when they agreed he prepared for the journey, and, praying to the Lord, they set out on their way.

17. THE SKETE OF TREISTENY; ELDER BASIL.
18. PAISIUS DOES NOT DESIRE TO ACCEPT ORDINATION TO THE PRIESTHOOD.

HAVING SAFELY crossed the Ukraine and likewise Moldavia, and having journeyed for many days, with God's help they reached Vlachia and came to the Skete of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, which is called Treisteny, where the superior, Hieromonk Demetrius, received them with love and comforted them. The Elder of this Skete, Schema-hieromonk Michael, had gone on urgent business for a time to the Ukraine, to the monastery of St. Matrona. Our Father was remaining in this Skete under general obedience, when there came for a visit some brothers of the Skete of Merlopolyany, that is, Apple Fields, where the common teacher and instructor in monastic life of all the brethren was the holy Elder, Schema-monk Basil, concerning whose elevated life and wisdom our Father wrote a little, which I here give word for word: "Out of zeal for God he had lived previously in Russia and in the mountains of Moshensk and in other wildernesses not a little time with great zealots of monastic life, and he came with the aforementioned Hieromonk Michael, his disciple, to the God-preserved land of Vlachia to stay. This God-pleasing man was very skilled in understanding of the Divine Scriptures and the teachings of the God-bearing Fathers, and in spiritual understanding, and in perfect knowledge of the sacred canons of the Holy Eastern Church and of their interpretations, incomparably surpassing all the Fathers of his time. The fame of his teaching and his God-pleasing instruction on the path of salvation was spread everywhere."

This Elder of holy life, I say again, stayed there in the Skete of Treisteny for several days, speaking many soul-profiting words to the brethren; and our Father, hearing them, rejoiced with inexpressible joy and glorified God with tears that He had enabled him to see such a man and hear such words from him. And the Elder, through the superior, called a certain Dometius and our Father to come and live with him. But Paisius, being warned by one father, feared that the Elder would force him even against his will to accept the priesthood, and so he replied through the superior: "I have no intention to enter upon such a great and fearful rank to my very death." This is the reason why our Father was not enabled to live in the Skete of Merlopolyany with such a holy Elder, but remained in the Skete of Treisteny. Inasmuch as this Skete, as also the Skete of Dolgoutsy, was under the spiritual guidance of the Elder Basil, some have said that our Father was for a certain time under obedience to Elder Basil. Even if he did not live with the Elder, however, he was nonetheless enabled to be his disciple, as will be set forth below.1

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1 Unfortunately, almost nothing is known of the Elder Basil except what is contained in this Life of Elder Paisius. He wrote four profound introductions to the writings of Sts. Gregory of Sinai, Philotheus of Sinai, Hesychius, and Nilus of Sora, advising hesychasts how to make practical use of these writings; these were printed together with the Life of Elder Paisius in the Optina edition.


19. A TRIAL.

AFTER THE DEPARTURE of Elder Basil, a short time passed and then there came the all-joyful news that Elder Michael was returning from the Ukraine and was already approaching the monastery. Hearing this, the superior and all the brethren rejoiced, and going out to meet him, they rer ceived his blessing, and there was great joy to all.

Our Father, going through general obedience, as has been said, was given by the superior a cell not far from the Skete next to a creek, from where the church was visible. And once, while living in this cell, it happened that when sleeping alone at night, he did not hear the beating of the wood for Matins; and it was Sunday. When he woke up he immediately ran to church, and hearing that the Gospel had already been read and they had begun to sing the canon, he became exceedingly sad, and out of shame and confusion he did not enter the church but returned to his cell, sorrowing and weeping over such a trial that had befallen him. And so much was he overcome by sorrow and fear and shame beyond words, that he could not at all come even to the Divine Liturgy, but going a little way from his cell, he sat down on the ground under a tree and bitterly wept. After the Liturgy, when the time for the meal came, the Elder and the superior and the brethren, not having seen him either at the Matins or at the Liturgy, were surprised at this. And the Elder said to the brethren: "I beg you, for the Lord's sake, wait a little with the meal until we find out what has happened to our brother Platon." And having said this, he sent one brother, the monk Athanasius, a copier of patristic books, to seek him out; and he, having with difficulty found him sitting on the earth and bitterly weeping, began to ask the cause of his weeping. But he, out of shame, could answer nothing but only wept again, and he was scarcely able, being persuaded by the monk, to confess the cause of his sorrow. The monk, spiritually consoling him, greatly begged him not to sorrow beyond measure over the trial that had befallen him, but to go immediately to the Skete to the holy fathers "who," he said, "are waiting for you and have not sat down to eat."

Paisius on his part could scarcely say to him: "And how, holy father, can I go to the holy fathers, and with what countenance shall I appear before them, having committed such a crime to my eternal shame before God and before them?" And be begged Athanasius with tears to leave him and not compel him to go to the fathers; but Athanasius, without weakening, all the more begged him and exhorted him not to sorrow but to go. And he was scarcely able to compel him even against his will to go with him to the Skete. Having gotten up, he went, weeping and lamenting, and when he came to the Skete and saw the Elder with all the brethren sitting at table – Oh! what fear and measureless shame fell upon him then, and he fell before them to the ground, weeping bitterly and lamenting inconsolably and begging forgiveness.

All became terrified, and immediately the Elder, the superior and the brethren got up and raised him from the ground. And when they heard from the monk who had brought him the cause of his weeping and sorrow, all the brethren were astonished and, sighing over their own state, became silent. The Elder, as a loving father, began to console him with spiritual words, asking, begging, and exhorting him not to grieve beyond measure over such an involuntary thing that had happened; and the Elder having consoled him a little, all gave thanks to God that they had found him well in soul and body; and so they went into the refectory and began to eat, commanding him also to sit with them at table and eat. Paisius, however, out of the sorrow and shame which overcame him at that time, could not eat at all, only eating a little later on, as he himself has written. And from that time on, for as long as he remained there, he did not dare to sleep at night lying down on a bed, but only slept a little sitting on a bench.

The Elder and other of the eldest spiritual fathers, going out of the refectory, sat down under the fruit trees and, conversing, glorified God the Giver of gifts, being astonished at such divine zeal in one so young. And the Elder said to all the brethren present, especially to the youngest ones, our Father being still in the refectory: "See, brethren, what zeal for God and fiery sorrow this brother has; let him be for all of you an example for emulation in diligent rising and going to the rule of prayer in church. For he, even for an involuntary missing of prayer became so sad in soul, and grieved and wept so bitterly, that he deprived himself even of bread and did not wish to see the light of the sun for his great pain and contrition of heart. And so do you also pray with your whole soul to Christ God, forcing yourselves to do all His commandments, so that the Lord may grant to blaze up in you all such zeal and fiery sorrow, concerning which the divine Isaac in many places (Homily 55) and other Holy Fathers command that we should pray and beg for ourselves from God." And having said this, the Elder became silent; and the brethren, with heads bowed, went each to his own cell.

20. ELDER MICHAEL.

OUR FATHER, remaining, as has been said, in obedience in this Skete, most diligently attended to the spiritual words which came from the mouth of the Elder Michael. For so much did this man prosper in the humility of wisdom and in love and in spiritual understanding, and to such an extent did he receive from God the gift of revealing the mysteries of the Scriptures, that he became like unto his own Elder Basil; for he had zeal to imitate actively in everything his labor and asceticism. Wherefore the Spirit shone forth in him in such gifts as have been described and, but for a little, in every other gift. Often he would instruct the brethren concerning the numerous most needful matters of the soul, saying: "It befits us, brethren, in these poor times, with all our soul even unto death to hold on, as a true and inexhaustible instructor of the monastic spiritual work and understanding, to the teaching and instruction of our Holy and God-bearing Fathers, and to follow them faithfully in word and deed." And again he would speak to them of the diligent and correct keeping of the soul-saving commandments of the Gospel of Christ; and again, of the keeping of the canons, traditions, and teachings of all the Holy Orthodox Ecumenical and Local Councils of the Eastern Church and those of the great God-bearing Fathers and the Apostles; and again, of the diligent keeping of the Holy Fasts and other church regulations handed down by the Holy Apostles and great God-bearing Fathers to all Christians. And of other needful things this blessed Elder with sighings and with tears would say to the brethren: "Let us not heed the condition of these fierce times and the weakness of men who live without fear, but let us keep what has been handed down by the Holy Apostles and by the Holy Fathers at the Councils, as Basil the Great says: Everything which has been handed down from of old from the Holy and God-bearing Fathers is worthy of veneration, but what is newly proposed is most unfitting and infirm." Seeing and hearing all this, our Father Paisius rejoiced with joy beyond words, and with many tears he gave thanks to God that He had enabled him to hear and make use of such spiritual words from such holy men as Basil and Michael.

21. SCHEMA-MONK ONUPHRIUS.
22. PAISIUS GOES TO THE SKETE OF KYRKOUL WITH SCHEMA-MONK ONUPHRIUS.

AFTER A TIME there came to the Skete the reverend Schema-monk, Father Onuphrius, from the Skete called Kyrkoul, to visit the Elder and the brethren. And, with the blessing of Elder Michael, Father Onuphrius, in the presence of all the brethren, gave a spiritual talk in the Lord, speaking of the condition of his Skete Kyrkoul, informing about its beauty, and the healthfulness of the waters and air, and the multitude of various fruits and vegetables, and of everything else suitable for monastic life, and of how great was its quietness and silence. By this he inspired our Father also with zeal to see this place; and so, thanking the most honored Elder Michael for his fatherly love and instruction, and taking his blessing, he went with Father Onuphrius on the road that lay before them through immense forests and beautiful meadows and high mountains, and with God's help on the third day he came to the Skete in which the superior, the reverend Hieromonk Theodosius, received him with love; and in the morning he was assigned a desert cell, and he remained in his cell rejoicing and praising God with tears, learning true monastic silence, the mother of repentance and prayer, in the words of St. Isaac (Homily 41). And for necessities in the beginning he had help from the superior, Father Theodosius.

23. HIS STAY AND LABORS IN THE SKETE OF KYRKOUL.

THE RULE of this Skete was according to that of the Sketes of the Holy Mountain Athos: only on Sundays and feast days did all the brethren gather together for the rule of prayer in church, and after the Divine Liturgy a common meal was set before everyone. After the meal the brethren occupied themselves in spiritual conversations and counsels, and strengthening each other with sighings and with tears, they begged each other to endure manfully and gratefully in the various fierce trials and sorrows of soul and body, and they prayed often, falling down before Christ God with tears. They spent their time in this way until Vespers; and after Vespers all who were living as hermits dispersed to their cells.

In this way our Father also remained in silence in his cell, doing some small handiwork (spoons), paying careful heed to prayer and to the reading of patristic writings and to the love of God, and understanding his sins and daily faults, and the death which will come unexpectedly, and the terrible Judgment of God, and the fierce and eternal tortures prepared for the demons and unrepentant sinners, weeping bitterly and lamenting every day; thus he placed a beginning to his correction before God, and his burden was lightened by confession with tears, and he obtained peace and joy in the Lord and some consolation of soul. Restraining his thoughts from wandering and his mind from evil thoughts, he remained for a time in humility and in hope on Christ God His Saviour.

24. HE VISITS ELDER ONUPHRIUS.

FATHER PAISIUS would go also to the aforementioned Onuphrius the desert-dweller, who lived on a high mountain an hour's distance from the Skete. His cell was on the very peak of this mountain, and from it there were visible from afar beautiful wildernesses, mountains and hills, and valleys, all covered with great forests; and below, at the foot of the mountain, there was a spring of ever-flowing water. The Elder remained in prayer, in reading and psalmody, and handiwork. In words he was most consoling, and with fervor he would tell his questioners in detail of the passions of soul and body, of the terrible and unrelenting battle with the demons, of their unimaginable snares and artifices. "And if," he would say, "Christ the true Saviour did not stand up for His people in His love for mankind and defend the faithful, not one of the Saints in truth would be saved, as is clearly affirmed by the Most Holy Patriarch of Constantinople Callistus II." Again, he would say: "But for those who with faith and love, with humility and with tears fall down before Christ God, there is soon consolation of soul beyond words, peace, joy in the Lord and fervent love for God. As witness of these there will come undeceived tears abounding from love, self-reproach, humility and unending thanksgiving to Christ God; and the hour when these come makes the whole man, out of love for God, unaffected by this world. And if anyone has come to this even in part, he knows that I speak the truth."

All this the blessed Onuphrius clearly set forth to our Father, who was thirsting with all his soul; and from his holy conversation our Father became so inflamed in heart, and was so much burning with Divine love as with a flame, and became so exceedingly zealous for spiritual labor, that hiding himself somewhere, he fell with his face to the earth, beating his breast, and with bitter tears he prayed to Christ God, begging help; and thus he resolved to make his vows for the beginning of the (monastic) work. However, he could not give himself over in obedience to those God-inspired fathers, inasmuch as he was in the sketes and not in the desert; and he feared to remain there, lest he would be compelled, as has been said, to accept the fearsome yoke of priesthood, which he did not desire.

The Blessed one remained there in Vlachia just three years and a little more in order to learn the Moldo-Vlachian language, and also, given such a favorable time, that he might gather from those Holy Fathers the spiritual honey that came forth from their lips, which he delighted in even to satiety. This he kept in the closet of his heart and sealed it for a time with silence, that the souls which would later attach themselves to him might delight in it and be filled with it and be aroused to virtue. From these fathers he came to understand what is true obedience, from which is born true humility and is accomplished the mortification of one's own will and understanding and of everything that is of this world, which is the beginning and end never-ending of true monastic activity.

As for the nature of vision, and true silence of the mind, and heedfulness to prayer performed by the mind in the heart these he not only came to understand, but in part also came to enjoy in actuality their Divine power ever moving in the heart. For he would never have been able to endure such poverty and sorrow with ease and good-heartedness, and to rejoice in every trial and difficulty, and to glorify God in every sorrow, so that he was enabled to become an emulator to a certain extent of Christ his Lord Who became lowly for our sake, if his heart had not been inflamed from Divine prayer with love for God and his neighbor. Of love for God he had already made a beginning in his youth by reading books, and this Divine seed, in accordance with the words of the Lord, falling on good earth later gave forth fruits of the Spirit a hundredfold. And there, strengthened by the doing of God's commandments among those skete ascetics, and by diligent attention to moral virtue and unceasing mental prayer, he made in his heart a fragrance of Christ; which, being watered by many tears, with God's cooperation, grew and blossomed.

Thus our Father, being strengthened by Divine heedfulness of mind, prospered in the Grace of Christ, which filled his soul with perfect love for God and his neighbor and with joy in the Lord beyond words, and which inflamed his soul with zeal, as was said, for spiritual labor, as a deer thirsting for springs of water.

25. PAISIUS' JOURNEY TO THE HOLY MOUNTAIN OF ATHOS.
26. HIS ARRIVAL ON THE HOLY MOUNTAIN IN 1746.

THE TIME CAME when our Father desired to see the Holy Mountain of Athos. Wherefore, going to all the holy fathers in his skete and in the other sketes, as well as to those living separately, with tears he asked their forgiveness and their blessing for the journey, thanking them for their mercy and love toward him and for their spiritual and fatherly instruction. He did not heed the words, the entreaties, the counsels of those holy fathers, Basil, Michael, and Onuphrius, who did not wish to be deprived of such a fellow ascetic; and they, conversing among themselves, were astonished at the grace of God in him and at his meekness, and called him a young elder (for the Blessed one at that time was 24 years old!). But then, being unable to keep him, they made prayer, blessed him, and, entrusting him to God's will, let him go in peace.

And so he went from there to seek a companion for the journey to the Holy Mountain of Athos. He had nothing for the journey but twenty copper coins; but he was not concerned over this, for he placed all his hope in the almighty Providence of God. Having found a companion for himself, a certain hieromonk by the name of Triphon, he made an agreement with him, and they set out on their way, giving thanks to God.

How many misfortunes the young Elder suffered from the sea and from hunger, how many times death threatened him, especially at the hands of the Turks! All this he could endure only with the help of God from above. However, with God's help, he reached the Holy Mountain of Athos with joy and good cheer.

Here let the narrative wait a little, while I briefly recount something which is worthy of tears and lamentation.

27.THE PRESENT LAMENTABLE CONDITION OF THE HOLY MOUNTAIN.

OUR FATHER, having reached the harbor of monastic dwellings, rejoiced in spirit seeing the holy place where from of old there had been striv ing for the soul's salvation and unceasing warfare with devils, the garden and the portion of the Most Holy Mother of God. Now, however, that Holy Mountain, which at one time had flowered like a paradise with God-like and spiritual elders and virtuous ascetics, is no longer a garden, but rather a den of misfortune and a dwelling of thieves. For thus did the enemy do, the hater of every good and uprooter of Christian salvation, the ancient sower of tares among the wheat, the fighter against God, the devil: in the place where there had been an abundance of holy things and sanctity, where the whole world, and above all the race of Christians, had had living on this mountain a pillar and confirmation of the Orthodox Faith, an example of piety and salvation, of reverence and everything profitable for the soul – there the evil one (beginning especially in the year 1721) strove to sow his tares by means of certain evil-minded people, having no fear of God, who had come, fancying themselves to be wise and first among others, but who, having gone astray from their mother's womb and become foolish, made many scandals and disturbances, being proud and rebellious, and were for many a cause of scandal and devastation of soul. Wherefore, as the Apostle says (Rom. 1:28), God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not fitting. The reverent and God-fearing men who were living there, seeing this, wept bitterly with sighing, and entreated the Lord that these people might come to know their error and their fierce passions, pride and vainglory; for they knew that by these God was angered and He would bring His righteous wrath against them, and together with them, against the innocent also, who had been deceived by the deception of the evil one and above all out of their own carelessness; and soon this came to pass.

For in truth the mountain which is called holy stands now a spectacle before the whole world, above all lamentable for all who love the quiet and silent life of spiritual advancement, that is, for all monks who are true zealots of piety – it is annihilated, mocked, laid waste, and made empty: and in a word, given over to the domination of the Turks. For all the holy monasteries, sketes, and cells are filled with Turks. Only a few of the most courageous in soul, although already infirm in body, have remained there, serving as captives of the barbarians, enduring every misfortune and death itself every day, blessed ones, slaves faithful in their promise to Christ God, knowing that they suffer thus from the barbarians for the sake of their own salvation.1 Having said this in brief, I return to my narrative.

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1 By God's mercy the spiritual condition of the Holy Mountain revived and experienced a new flowering in the 19th century.


BLESSED ELDER PAISIUS
A portrait preserved in St. Elias Skete


28. PAISIUS SETTLES IN A CELL.
29. HE DOES NOT FIND AN ELDER.

PAISIUS AND TRIPHON reached, I say, the Holy Mountain of Athos on July 4, the eve of the feast of St. Athanasius of the Great Lavra. Having left their boat, they entered the Holy Lavra of St. Athanasius and rested a little from their journey, giving thanks with tears to Christ God and His Most Pure Mother, Who had enabled them to reach Her holy place. They went then from the Lavra to their brothers of the Slavonic tongue, who were dependent on the Monastery of Pantocratoros, and the companion of our Father, Hieromonk Triphon, became severely ill after contracting a cold and fell into an incurable infirmity from which, after being ill for four days, he died. Paisius himself became very ill of the same affliction and, but for the care of the Russian monks, would have died also.

Having recovered, Paisius settled near the Slavonic brethren in a cell which was called Kaparis. Having settled himself there, he went around to all the anchorites and desert-dwelling fathers, seeking a spiritual father accordding to his intent, one who was advancing in the monastic work and was wellversed in the Divine and patristic writings, who was living alone in silence, in quiet and poverty, to whom he might give himself in obedience. But he did not find such a one, in accordance with God's Providence, and he did not receive the obedience which his soul desired; and so, entrusting himself to God's Providence, he remained alone. The Blessed one at that time was 25 years old (1747).

30. NEW ASCETIC LABORS OF THE YOUNG ELDER.

WHO CAN DECLARE all his ascetic labors, when he was alone with the One God in flaming zeal for Him! What effort and restraint, fasting, hunger and thirst, sighing and lamenting, and bending of the knee did he not undergo! What entreaties, bitter tears and groans from the depths of the heart did he not utter! What battles against anger, lust, and pride which rise up against godly-mindedness; what battles against despondency, so fierce for one living in silence, and against other evil passions, did he not win, with God's help! What trials and sufferings, afflictions, and infirmities and sorrows of soul and body did he not endure! To this were added the assaults of uncertainty, hopelessness, and despair, a frightful and fierce mental struggle from the envy of the demons. All this the young elder, clinging to Christ God in faith and love, conquered in the Lord Who strengthened him; and for this victory, what fervent tears and thanksgiving did he not pour out and offer to Christ God from his whole heart and soul! Who can enumerate his kneelings, psalmody, and insatiable reading of the Holy Scriptures! As for fasting, such was his rule: he ate every second day only dry bread with water, except for Saturdays, Sundays, and feast days. His poverty and non-acquisitiveness were extreme: he did not possess even an undergarment, but only one cassock and a rasson, both much-patched. However, he only rejoiced over his poverty, as another might over his wealth; and whenever he would go out anywhere, he would not lock the door of his cell, for there was nothing in it save for some books which he had obtained from the Bulgarian monasteries, and which he read industriously with great heedfulness. Yet he sorrowed and wept bitterly that he had been denied the great grace of God, holy obedience.

Concerning the conditions of his life at this time, Blessed Paisius him. self wrote later: "When I came to the Holy Mountain from my Orthodox homeland, I was in such poverty that I could not pay a debt of three pennies to the brothers who came with me. In my bodily infirmity I supported my miserable existence by alms alone. And if only the holy fathers of the Slavonic tongue who were on the Holy Mountain had not helped me, I could in no way have existed there. Many times in winter I would go barefoot and without an undergarment, and such an existence I continued for almost four years. When I had to crawl up with alms from the Lavra or from Hilandari to my poor cell, or bring wood from the forest, or do some other difficult work, afterwards I would lie for two or three days as one paralyzed."1

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1 This paragraph is from Chetverikov, vol. 1, p. 66.


Thus did our Father remain alone, as has been said, laboring in asceticism and advancing from strength to spiritual strength, making an ascent in his heart every day and being kindled with Divine zeal for greater labors, at the same time sweetly experiencing the bedewing of fiery Divine fervency in most quiet, soul-saving, and joy-creating silence, for three years and a half.

Such were the suffering and the labors of our Father. For such is the labor and the battle of a true monk against the diabolic powers which have apostated from God; because the sinful soul which desires to be saved must withstand even unto blood and death and, with God's help, conquer.

31. THE ARRIVAL OF ELDER BASIL AND PAISIUS' TONSURE.

AT THIS TIME, by God's Providence, there came to the Holy Mountain the above-mentioned Elder, Schema-monk Basil, from Vlachia (being summoned there by a certain great person), and finding our Father living in silence, he remained there for some days, instructing him and revealing to him from the Holy Scriptures all three forms of monastic life and all the Christian Mysteries, speaking thus: "All monastic life is divided into three kinds: the first, c;nobitism; the second, called the royal or middle path, when two or three settle together and have a common property, common food and clothing, common labor and handiwork, common care for the means of existence, and, renouncing in everything their own will, are in obedience to each other in the fear of God and love; and the third kind, solitary anchoretism, which is suitable only for perfect and holy men. At the present time, however, certain ones, despite the writings of the Fathers, have obtained for themselves a fourth kind or order of monasticism [i.e., "idiorrhythmic"]: each builds his own cell where, so he thinks, he lives solitarily, each preferring his own will, and independently taking care for his means of existence. In appearance they are like anchorites, but in reality they are self-willed and stand in the way of their own salvation, for they have chosen a way of life not in accordance with their own means and spiritual maturity. Whoever with heedfulness will examine the book of St. Gregory the Sinaite will find there what is called the state of the self-willed, namely, a solitary and non-c;nobitic arbitrary existence. It is better, living together with a brother, to acknowledge one's own infirmity and measure, to repent and pray before the Lord and be cleansed by the daily grace of Christ, rather than to bear in oneself vainglory and self-opinion with cunning and to cover them up and maintain a solitary life, not even a trace of which, in the words of Climacus, they are capable of seeing because of their passionateness. St. Barsanuphius the Great also says that a premature life of silence is a cause of high-mindedness."1

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1 The words of Elder Basil are from Chetverikov, I, pp. 66-67.


Our Father entreated the blessed Elder with tears to clothe him in the mantle, and he did so; and he changed his name from Platon to Paisius, and our Father was his disciple (being then 28 years old). The Elder, entrusting him to Christ God and to the Most Pure Virgin Mother of God, departed again for Vlachia, for his Skete of Merlopolyany.

32. THE ARRIVAL OF THE YOUNG MONK BESSARION.

AFTER THIS some three months passed, and then there came to the Holy Mountain from Vlachia a young monk by the name of Bessarion. He went about to some of the fathers there, seeking an instructor for himself, and he did not find one. He came also to our Father and entreated him with tears to speak a word to him on the salvation of the soul, and on what kind of instructor he should find to whom he might entrust his soul. The Blessed one, sighing from the depths of his heart, burst into tears and then, having been silent for a little, said, while praying mentally: "Brother! You compel me to say something sad, and I renew the pain in my own heart; because I also, with much effort and sorrow, likewise sought an instructor and did not find one, and I endured many sorrows, and even now I bear them. Wherefore, feeling compassion for you, for I see that you have sorrow without bounds, I fear lest you might fall into despair; and so I will tell you some small thing according to the power of my infirm mind."

33. WHAT A TRUE INSTRUCTOR SHOULD BE.

THE SALVATION of the soul, concerning which you ask me, cannot be made easy except by a true spiritual instructor, one who forces himself first of all to fulfill all the commandments of the Lord, in accordance with the word of the Lord: He that shall fulfill and teach them shall be called great (Matt. 5:19). For how can one instruct another on a path which he himself has not walked? He himself first of all must withstand all the passions of soul and body even unto blood, and conquer lust and anger with the help of Christ, and heal the rational part of the soul of foolishness and pride by means of prayer and humility of wisdom. And likewise he must bring into subjection love of pleasure, and love of glory, and the fierce love of money, those evil poisonous serpents of this world, and all the other evil passions of the soul; for the Lord Jesus Himself was the founder of the battle against them and the first leader of the victory over them, as has been said: When Jesus was led out into the desert, He repelled satan by means of fasting, humility, poverty, vigil and prayer, and by opposing him with the Divine Scriptures; and He gave the crown of this victory upon the head of our nature, thus teaching us how and giving us power to conquer him. Wherefore, he who follows his Lord by means of these, with humility and love, and accepts from Him the mission to treat other souls and instruct them in His commandments, receives also from the Lord at the same time, because of humility, the power to conquer all the above-named passions; and if, after this, such a one has been enlightened, by Christ's grace, with the granting of the Spirit, in accordance with the words of the Lord: Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in Heaven (Matt. 5:16) – such an instructor is able to show as well to those learning from him all the commandments of Christ and all the virtues in very deed, without deception; and all the more can he show these ruling virtues: humility, meekness, the poverty of Christ, longsuffering in everything, mercy beyond one's own strength, and burning love toward God, and unhypocritical love toward one's neighbor from the heart, from which is born true spiritual discernment. Then, such a one teaches others to lay down their lives for all of Christ's commandments. Seeing and hearing all this, one who is learning from such a teacher, following him with faith and love, can, with God's help and his teacher's instruction, advance and receive salvation.

"Such, O brother, is the instructor we should acquire; but alas for our times, whose woeful state our God-bearing Fathers foresaw by the Holy Spirit, and, out of pity, as to their children, set forth for all of us in their holy writings to strengthen us. Thus, the divine Simeon the New Theologian says: 'Rare are they, in truth, and especially now, who know how to shepherd and treat skillfully rational souls. For many, perhaps, have pretended to acquire, or in deed have acquired, fasting, vigil, and the appearance of reverence, and with ease can speak from the breast and teach how to multiply words; but very few are they who cut off the passions by means of humility of wisdom and constant lamentation and tears, and who acquire the ruling virtues inseparably from themselves.' In confirmation of his words he quotes the most ancient Holy Fathers, and speaks thus: 'For our divine Fathers say: he who wishes to cut off passions, cuts them off by means of lamentation, and he who wishes to acquire virtues, acquires them by means of lamentation. For it is evident that a monk who does not weep every day neither cuts off the passions nor performs the virtues, nor is he ever a partaker of [spiritual] gifts; for one thing,' he says, 'is virtue, and another is gifts.'

"Likewise, the God-bearing Father so near to us, the Russian luminary, Nilus of Sora,1 having examined all this with much care in the Divine Scriptures and seen the woeful state of these times and the present unconcern of men, in the foreword to his book counsels zealots in this manner: 'With great pains one must seek out an undeceived instructor; and if we do not find one, then the Holy Fathers have commanded us,' he says, 'to take instruction from the Divine Scriptures and the teaching of the Holy Fathers, hearing the Lord Himself, Who said: Search the Scriptures, and in them ye shall find eternal life' (John 5:39). And if this Saint spoke thus only concerning the mental work [of the Jesus Prayer], then how much more is there need to find a skilled practitioner and undeceived instructor for the deliverance of the soul from all evil passions and instruction in the right path of doing God's commandments?

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1 For his Life, see The Orthodox Word, 1972, no. 5.


"Wherefore, O brother, we have extreme need now to learn day and night, with much pain and many tears, from the Divine and Patristic writings, and to be instructed in the commandments of God and in the doings of our Holy Fathers by taking counsel of like-minded zealots among our eldest Fathers. And thus, by the mercy of Christ and by forcing ourselves, we can receive salvation."


The peak of longed-for Athos as it must have appeared to young Paisius


The Skete of Xylourgou on Mount Athos, where Slavonic monks have lived for many centuries


The Monastery of Great Lavra


Interior of the main church of the Great Lavra


ST. ATHANASIUS OF MT. ATHOS
on whose feast day Blessed Paisius arrived on Mt. Athos and came to the Saint's Lavra


34. BESSARION ASKS OUR FATHER TO BE HIS ELDER.
35. PAISIUS SHOWS HIM THE ROYAL PATH; THEIR FRIENDSHIP.

WHEN THE MONK Bessarion, hearing all this from our Father, thought to himself: "What more am I looking for?" And immediately he fell to Paisius' feet with tears and entreated our Father to accept him under obedience. The Elder, however, did not even wish to hear about being anyone's superior, himself wishing to be under authority. But Bessarion all the more fervently fell down with many tears and for three days, without leaving, he entreated him to accept him. Our Father, seeing such humility and tears of the brother, was moved and was persuaded to accept him, not as a disciple but as a friend, in order to live the middle path of two together, whoever should be granted by God to understand more in the Holy Scriptures revealing to the other the will of God, and laboring together in the doing of God's commandments and in every good thing, cutting off before each other their own will and understanding and obeying each other for what is good, having a single soul and offering, and having everything for the support of their life in common.

Paisius himself describes thus, with great humility, the end of his solitary life on the Holy Mountain and the beginning of his royal path together with Bessarion: "Thus, not being worthy to obtain the guidance which my soul desired, I remained in a certain cell in a supposed life of solitude for some time, and trusting to God's Providence for my poor soul, I began to read the patristic books a little, taking them from my patrons in God, the Serbian and Bulgarian monasteries, reading them attentively. Then, the Lord enlightening my blindness, I came to know as in a looking glass how I should be beginning my poor monasticism, and in what manner; and I understood what grace of God I had been deprived of by not giving myself over in obedience of soul and body to some experienced father, not having been able, in my ignorance, to receive instruction from anyone in such a holy thing. And I discovered that my poor supposed life of silence was beyond my means, but that it is only for the perfect and the passionless to live alone; and being further perplexed as to where to give myself over in obedience, I many times, as a child over its dead mother, sighed and wept over this. However, not finding, for many good reasons, a place where I might be in obedience, I thought of undertaking the life according to the royal path, with a single like-minded and like-souled brother, and in place of a father to have God as instructor and the teaching of the Holy Fathers, and to be in obedience to each other and to serve each other, to have a single soul and a single heart and to have everything for the upkeep of our life in common, knowing that of this path of monasticism the Holy Fathers have testified from the Holy Scripture.

"God favoring this my good intent, there came to me on the Holy Mountain a brother like-minded in everything... who began to live with me. as one in soul. And thus, by the grace of Christ, in part my soul found a certain consolation and much-desired rest, and I, the miserable one, was able to see at least a trace of the benefit of holy obedience, which we had toward each other for the sake of cutting off our own wills, having instead of a father and instructor the teaching of our Holy Fathers and submitting to each other in the love of God."1

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1 The whole quote from Paisius is contained in a letter of his, printed in the Optina edition of his Life, pp. 231-232.


And so, having made firm their beginning in the tradition of the Holy Fathers, they began to live together with one soul. And the Elder was comforted in his soul that he had found, by the grace of Christ, peace of soul, so as to live together with a like-minded brother for the sake of cutting off before each other their own will and understanding, which the Fathers judged to be obedience. And instead of a Father and instructor they had the teaching of our Holy and God-bearing Fathers. And they remained in deep peace, laboring in asceticism, burning in spirit, and placing a good beginning to each day so as to advance to perfect humility and love of God and neighbor and of each other, by fulfilling His holy commandments.

36. DISCIPLES.
37. THE BEGINNING OF COENOBITIC LIFE.

BUT NOT FOR LONG did they enjoy such a quiet, silent life, sweet in God and consoling to the soul, only for four years and a little more (until 1754). "For other brothers," wrote Paisius later, "coming from the world into monasticism, seeing the loving life which I lived with my brother, became inflamed with zeal to unite themselves to such a life; and they began to wear me out sorely with their mighty entreaty to accept them as disciples living with us. For a long time I refused, fearing and trembling to accept anyone as a disciple, knowing this to be a work of the perfect and the passionless, being myself infirm and passionate; and so I did not accept them, some for four years, some for three, some for two, and others for some other long time.

"But then, whether from the great weariness which they gave me with their entreaty, or because the brother living with me was most loving of his brothers, I was persuaded by their tearful entreaty and began even against my will to accept them to live with us, one by one, to each of them revealing, as I had strength, the power of holy obedience according to Holy Scripture and the teaching of the Holy Fathers; and seeing that they had measureless faith and love for Holy Scripture and for me, unworthy one, and were in peace and one in mind with each other, I rejoiced greatly in soul at their good will and glorified God, trusting in His unutterable Providence to provide for them in soul and body, and receiving them one by one as with their whole heart they gave themselves over soul and body into blessed obedience.

"And in this way from the royal path, that is, dwelling together with one or two brothers, there was formed by the grace of Christ our common life, the number of brethren increasing not a little."1

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1 This quote from Paisius is from op. cit., p. 232.


When, at first, Parthenius and C;sarius joined Paisius and Bessarion, their cell became too crowded for four and they had to acquire a second cell, which was bought not far from the first. And when the number of brethren increased to eight, it was decided to acquire the Cell of St. Constantine with a church, which was located two stones' throw from their first cell. The first eight brothers to join the Elder were of the Moldavian tongue, and their rule of prayer was performed in that tongue.1 But then there began to come to our Father's community some brethren of the Slavonic tongue as well, and thus in all there were twelve brothers. And they began to read and sing the rule in church in the Moldavian and Slavonic languages.

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1 The text in this paragraph up to here is added from Chetverikov, I, p. 70.


The life of the new community was very difficult. Paisius later described it in this way: "With the approach of winter, having nowhere to lay our heads, since there were no cells, we began ourselves to build five cells at St. Constantine's. Who can imagine the need which we endured for four months without shoes and without undergarments, almost the whole winter building cells and dragging earth and stones for the building. And besides this, when Sunday or a feast would come, instead of rest we had to run about almost naked from monastery to monastery begging alms, in old clothing, shivering from cold. Then, out of great need and extreme labor, the brethren many times would come in the evening and fall down like dead men and fall asleep without eating. In such need our rule of prayer also was omitted many times, and in place of Compline I ordered that only "Have mercy on me, O God" (Psalm 50) and "I believe" (the Creed) be read, and then to sleep. But even then we did not omit Matins, but read according to our strength sometimes three kathismata (of the Psalter), and sometimes more.1 In place of the Hours we had the Paraklisis to the Most Holy Mother of God; but sometimes we read the Hours also. And what more shall I say? Out of our extreme want we all would have wished to break up and separate, if only most merciful Christ our Lord had not strengthened us by His grace in humility, in patience, in love for God and each other, in order to endure according to Christ's commandments and thus to master all our difficulties."2

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1 During Lent, in addition to the three kathismata appointed for Matins, there are additional kathismata for the Hours, which perhaps the monks read at Matins when they did not read the Hours.
2 Paisius' words are from Chetverikov, I, p. 71.


38. THE BRETHREN PERSUADE THE ELDER TO ACCEPT PRIESTHOOD.

THEN THE BRETHREN had great need of a priest and confessor; and all of them, having agreed among themselves, began with great and humble entreaty to entreat the Elder to accept the priesthood and become their confessor. But he did not even wish to hear of this, saying: "It is for this very reason that I fled Vlachia." Yet as much as he refused with tears, so much the more did they, again and again, falling to his feet with tears, entreat and beg him not to disdain their entreaty, offering him many and great reasons, and above all this: "When we confess," they said, "to other confessors, those counsels and commandments befitting our life which we receive from you, are overturned by their counsels, and from this we are sorely harmed in soul. For many of them are spiritually young, whether in years or in understanding; and the Divine Scripture says: Woe to thee, O city, when thy king is young (Eccl. 10: 16). Taking these words, the Holy Fathers say: Woe to the brethren whose superior or confessor is young, and strong in body, all the more if he is inexperienced in spiritual works, if he neither is a partaker of right understanding and spiritual discernment, nor knows the many kinds of passions and infirmities of soul and body. If he were a diligent performer of Christ's commandments, then in his own measure he would not be deprived of gifts from the Lord such as spiritual understanding and discernment, mercy, humility, and love toward God and neighbor, which are the ruling or chief and first virtues. For thus does St. Simeon the New Theologian also affirm concerning this, saying: "There is no one who seeks and knocks mightily, with his whole soul, according to the word of the Lord, who will not find and be made rich in gifts.' "

This and much else, weeping and falling down, they brought before the Blessed one, and further, the venerable and eldest fathers of the Holy Mountain as well, with great entreaty, exhorted him not to refuse; for they knew him to be worthy and able, with God's help, to bring many souls to the Lord by his instruction, and even more by his love and humility. And therefore these spiritual fathers did not lessen their counselling and their threatening accusation of disobedience, and said to him: "How will you teach the brethren obedience and cutting off of their own will and understanding, if you yourself disobey and disdain the tearful entreaty of so many people and of us? Do you not know what disobedience gave birth to?"

Then the Elder, seeing himself under such inescapable pressure from all sides, submitted even against his will and said with tears: "May the will of God be done." And he was ordained priest and made a confessor in the year 1758, at the age of 36; and there was great joy among all his spiritual children.

39. THE FOUNDATION OF THE SKETE OF THE PROPHET ELIAS.
40. INCREASE OF THE BRETHREN.

AFTER THIS, when the Lord had multiplied the brethren and there was no room for them in the church and cells of St. Constantine, our Father took counsel with the brethren and asked for the old and empty Cell of the Holy Prophet Elias, a dependency of the same monastery of Pantocratoros, which was half-an-hour's walk from the Cell of St. Constantine; and at the same time he asked the blessing of the Most Holy Patriarch Seraphim, who was staying in that monastery at that time. And he began to build from the foundation the Skete of the Prophet Elias. He built a church, refectory, bakery, kitchen, guesthouse, and 16 cells; for the Elder had the intention by no means to accept more than 15 brothers, which is why he built just such a number of cells. And they all settled in the Skete with joy, thanking and glorifying God that He had favored the middle path to be transformed into c;nobitic life.

Then it was that our Father established the church rule of prayer in a more orderly way, in accordance with the order of the Holy Mountain, and divided the brethren into two tongues, the Slavonic and Moldavian. He also had hope, after such labor, of finding rest; but he was to come into yet greater labors. For many of the brethren of the Holy Mountain, and those newly come also, having seen such good order in his church: that is, humility, quietness and reverence in singing and reading; the whole brotherhood's standing in church with fear of God and reverence; the discharge by priests and ecclesiarchs1 of their service and only the most necessary words, with reverence and quietness; the handiwork performed outside of church in general obedience with humility and silence; and the constant heartfelt peace among the brethren, their love and cutting off of their own will, their reverent obedience to the Elder with faith and love; and likewise the Elder's fatherly mercifulness toward his spiritual children, his well-discerned assignment of work, his unhypocritical compassion and love for all in their infirmities of soul and in every bodily need – having seen all this, they became inflamed with burning zeal to partake of such a life, and by their great entreaty and their frequent falling down before him with tears, they persuaded him to accept them even against his will. Since there were no cells, out of need they built little cells on the slope below, under the first cells, attached to the stone wall two or three together. And so everyone worked in common at handiwork, and the Elder himself made spoons with them in the daytime, and at night he copied out the patristic books (and thus his whole life was spent in all-night vigil, and he could not sleep for more than three hours), translating them from the Greek language into Slavonic. For he soon learned, with God's help, not only the simple Greek language, but also ancient Greek, from his brother Macarius, who knew that language well, and in the beginning he translated under his guidance.

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1 Monks in charge of church services.


MOUNT ATHOS: IN QUEST OF THE PATRISTIC SOURCES

BLESSED PAISIUS' SEARCH FOR THE WRITINGS OF THE HOLY FATHERS

IN A LETTER many years later to Archimandrite Theodosius, Superior of the Sophroniev Hermitage in Russia, Elder Paisius set forth in detail the reasons which prompted him, while on Mount Athos, to begin his enormous labors in the collection, correction, and translation of the texts of the Holy Fathers:

"While I was still on the Holy Mountain of Athos with a small number of brethren, knowing, as is clear from the teaching and commandments of our God-bearing Fathers, that one who has brethren under his guidance must not instruct and teach them according to his own understanding and discernment, but rather according to the true and right understanding of Divine Scripture, as is taught by the divine Fathers, teachers of the inhabited world, and likewise by the teachers and instructors of monastic life, being enlightened by the grace of the All-Holy Spirit; and knowing further the poverty of my own mind, and fearing and trembling lest I myself fall, and push those who follow me, into a pit of perdition like a blind man, according to the word of the Lord, because of my inexperience therefore, I placed as an unshakable foundation in true and undeceived instruction, undeviating from the true path of God, both for my own poor soul and for my holy brethren, the Divine Scripture of the Old and New Testaments and its true interpretation by the grace of the All-Holy Spirit, that is, the teaching of our God-bearing Fathers, the teachers of the inhabited world and the instructors of monastic life, the holy Councils and all the Canons of the Apostles and Councils and Holy Fathers which the Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Eastern Church contains, and all Her commandments and rites. I offered all of this, as I have said, as instruction for myself and the holy brethren, so that both I and the brethren living with me, being instructed by these, God cooperating and enlightening us by His grace, might not sin against the right and catholic thinking of the Holy Orthodox Church.

"And first of all, I began diligently to acquire, by God's help and with not a little labor and expense, the patristic books which teach of obedience and sobriety, of heedfulness and prayer. Some of them I copied out with my own hand, and others I bought with the coins which we had acquired from the labor of our hands for our indispensable needs, agreeing to suffer want many times in food and clothing [for the sake of the books]. Thus we bought with these coins the above-mentioned books written in the Slavonic language and regarded them as a heavenly treasure given to us freely by God. But when I had read them for a number of years with diligence, I found in very many places in them an impenetrable obscurity, and in many places I did not find even any grammatical sense, even though I read them many times with extreme labor and testing. God alone knows with what sorrow my soul was filled; and being uncertain what to do, I thought that it might be possible to correct the Slavonic books of the Fathers at least a little by comparing them with other Slavonic books.

"And I began to copy out with my own hand the book of St. Hesychius, Presbyter of Jerusalem, and St. Philotheus the Sinaite, and St. Theodore of Edessa, from four copies, so that at least by bringing together something from each of the four copies I might be able to see in them the grammatical sense. But all this labor of mine was in vain; for not even in those books compiled from four copies was I able to see the complete sense of them. Then for six weeks day and night I corrected my book of St. Isaac the Syrian from another copy of it, believing the assertion of one person that the copy corresponded in all respects to the Greek text; but this labor of mine also was in vain, for in time I came to understand that I had ruined my better copy from a worse one.

"And after I had suffered many times in this way, I recognized that I was laboring in vain in a supposed correction of Slavonic books by means of Slavonic ones; and I began diligently to search out the reason for such obscurity and want of grammatical sense in the books. With my infirm mind I made the discovery that there are two reasons for this: first, the inexperience of the ancient translators from Greek into Slavonic; second, the inexperience and carelessness of inexperienced copyists. And then I despaired completely of ever seeing in the Slavonic patristic books a right and true meaning such as is found in the same books in Greek. And after being on the Holy Mountain for many years, having learned somewhat how to speak in the simple Greek language, I had all the more earnest intent to seek out, with pain of heart, the Greek patristic books, in hope of correcting the Slavonic books from them; and having searched many times in many places, I could not find them. Then I went to the Great skete of the Lavra, St. Anne's, and to Kapsokalyvia, and to the skete of Vatopedi, St. Demetrius', and to other lavras and monasteries, everywhere asking learned people, and the eldest and most experienced confessors and venerable monks, for the patristic books by name; nowhere, however, was I able to obtain such books, but from everyone I received the same set answer, that 'not only have we not known such books up to now, but we have never even heard of the names of such Saints.' Having received such a reply, God knows into what perplexity I fell, discerning that in such a holy place, chosen by God for the quiet and silent habitation of monks, where many great and perfect Saints had lived, I was unable not only to obtain these holy books which I so desired, but even to hear the names of those Saints from any one; and therefore I fell into not a little sorrow over this. However, I placed all my hope for the obtaining of such books on God, and I entreated His unutterable mercy that, in ways known to Him Who is all powerful and almighty, He might enable me to obtain such books. And God most merciful, not disdaining my fervent desire to obtain such patristic books in the Greek language, enabled me by His unutterable Providence to find such books and to acquire a certain part of them in the following manner:

"While I was walking alone with two brothers from the holy and great Lavra of St. Athanasius toward the great skete of the Lavra, St. Anne's, we came straight to the very high hill of the Holy Prophet Elias,1 which is in height one-third of the great peak of holy Athos. Under this hill, on a very high place on the side toward the sea, there is the Skete of St. Basil the Great, which was established in recent times by monks who came from C;sarea of Cappodocia. It is in a most steep place, having no fresh water either from a stream or from springs, and therefore this Skete has neither grapevines, nor olive trees, nor figs, nor gardens, nor any other kind of consolation that this world affords, but it fulfills the indispensable need of the brethren with rainwater alone. And the desire came to us to go to this Skete, whether to venerate the holy objects, or in order to see that place, in which we had never been up to then.

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1 This hill is not near the Skete of the Prophet Elias, but in the area of Karoulia, in the southern part of the Holy Mountain.


"And so we came to this Skete and sat down near the holy church, and a monk of reverent appearance saw us, and after we had venerated the holy icons in the church and gone out, he invited us with love into his cell and went out to prepare some food for us in order to refresh us from the labor of walking. Looking at a little table which was near the window, I saw an opened book lying on it, from which he was making a copy, for by craft he was a calligrapher, and looking closely at his book I saw that it was the book of St. Peter Damascene, and seeing it I cannot express with what unutterable spiritual joy I was filled; for I thought that I had been enabled to see a heavenly treasure upon earth.

"When the brother returned to the cell, I began to ask him with great joy and unutterable astonishment, how it was that such a book, beyond all my hopes, was to be found in this holy place. He told me that there was even another book of this same Saint, having 24 Homilies in alphabetical order And when I asked him, 'And do you have other such books?' he replied that he had these: St. Anthony the Great, St. Gregory the Sinaite (but not all), St. Philotheus, St. Hesychius, St. Diodoch, St. Thalassius, St. Simeon the New Theologian's Homily on Prayer, St. Nicephorus the Monk's Homily on Prayer, the book of St. Isaiah, and other such books, but only 22 chapters of St. Nicetas Stethatis – 'but we do not have the whole book,' he said, 'for it is only in the libraries of the great monasteries.' And when I asked him how it was that I had sought such books for such a long time with pain of heart, and had not found them, and in inquiring diligently of many honorable persons I had not even been able to hear of them, he replied to me: "The reason for this, in my opinion, is that these books are written in the purest Greek language, which few among the Greeks understand much of now, except for learned people, and many do not understand it at all; therefore such books have now fallen into all but complete oblivion, and that is why you were not able, when asking about such books, even to hear anything about them.' However, the monks who were living in this Skete had heard much about such books when they were still living in their country of C;sarea of Cappadocia, and after coming to the Holy Mountain they had obtained them with much labor and time and not a little expense by the work of their hands, and had paid teachers so as to learn not only the simple Greek language, but also ancient Greek. Then, finding such books in some monasteries, with God's help, they were copying them, reading them, using them, and, in accordance with their strength, forcing themselves to do according to their teaching.

"Having heard this and rejoiced greatly with unutterable joy at obtaining such a heavenly treasure upon earth, I began to entreat him fervently, for the love of God, to copy such books for me also, promising to give for the labor whatever price he might want. But he, having much to copy, refused, and led me to another calligrapher who was living in the same Skete; and him I likewise entreated with great fervor to copy the patristic books for me, promising to give him triple the price for the labor; and he, for the love of God, seeing my great desire to acquire such books, did not want triple the price, but for the ordinary price promised me, even though he himself had much to copy, to copy for me a part of such books, as much as he could and as God helped him. And thus, for the two years and a little more before our departure from the Holy Mountain, this calligrapher, setting to work, copied for me a certain part of the much-desired books, as much as God gave him help; and we, having received them with all joy as a gift of God sent to us from Heaven, departed from the Holy Mountain of Athos."1

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1 The whole quote from Paisius (in Slavonic) is in the Optina edition of his Life, pp. 197-201; there is a Russian translation-paraphrase in Chetverikov, I, pp. 84-88.


41. THE FAME OF PAISIUS.

NOW THE GOOD REPORT of Paisius went about the entire Holy Mountain, and all held him in honor and love; for they were astonished at the multiple gift of God in him, and they glorified God. And he was confessor for many great fathers there, even for the Most Holy Patriarch Seraphim himself, who was mentioned above; for the latter often visited him, sometimes, out of weakness, on a donkey, and sometimes on foot coming to the Skete, which was about a half-hour's walk from the Monastery; and they conversed with sweetness on things of the spirit and soul, and on faith, and on spiritual understanding, on manful ascetic labor, and on the gifts of an instructor, according to the understanding and teaching of our God-bearing Fathers; and they took comfort together in soul, burning in spirit to emulate the faith of those Fathers.

Sometimes the monks from the monasteries, sketes, and cells of Mount Athos would come to the Elder for confession and spiritual conversation in such multitudes that his own brethren had no opportunity to speak with their Elder, and there was murmuring among them over this. Even after his departure from the Holy Mountain, Blessed Paisius' influence remained there, for his tradition and rule were preserved in the Skete of the Prophet Elias and in other monasteries and inspired the great Russian Elders of Mt. Athos in the 19th century: Arsenius, Nicholas, Andrew, Nicodemus, Jerome, and others.1

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1 This paragraph is from Chetverikov, II, pp. 6-7.


More than once in the year it would happen that the Most Holy Patriarch and the ruling fathers of the Monastery of Pantocratoros, out of their love for the Elder, would ask him on a Sunday or on some lesser feast to come to the Monastery and celebrate himself the Divine Liturgy with the Monastery's deacon in the great church. And there he served in the Greek language, not hurriedly, but reverently, with fear of God, unceasingly wetting his cheeks with tears; for never, during the course of his entire life, could he celebrate the Holy Liturgy without tears. The Most Holy Patriarch, standing with tears, would say: "Glory to Thee, O Lord, glory to Thee." And those who were standing in the Altar, seeing him thus entirely stretched out toward God, and as if transformed, and weeping, could scarcely utter the responses, so much were they moved and wept, so that some could not even remain in the Altar because of their tears but went out, and marvelling at the grace of God, they glorified God.


One of the Cells of the Skete of St. Basil, 2000 feet above the sea.


The Kyriakon (main church) of the Skete of St. Basil.


The Holy Monastery of Simonopetra on Mt. Athos


SAINT SIMON

The founder of Simonopetra, where Blessed Paisius stayed with his disciples for a time.


The arsanas (dock) of Simonopetra


42. AN ENVIER.

THERE WAS on the Holy Mountain a certain elder, in years older than our Father, who lived in the Skete of Kapsokalyvia with his disciples, whose name was Athanasius the Moldavian. He was moved by the counsel of the evil one to envy: envying the fame of Paisius, he began to sow evil rumor in the ears of many, calling our Father not merely a flatterer and deceiver, but also a heretic; and further, he blasphemed the sacred mental prayer which our Father taught to the brethren.

The accusations of Athanasius, in brief, were as follows:1 That Paisius infringes and shortens the rule of prayer established by the Church for monks, incorrectly interprets the writings of St. Gregory the Sinaite, has an incorrect relationship to his spiritual father, is like the Pope of Rome in that he acknowledges the Church's commandments in words but violates them in deed, has no humility, is too trusting of the Greek manuscripts of the Fathers, prefers philosophy to repentance and tears, forbids the cursing of heretics, and replaces the rule of prayer in church with the Prayer of Jesus.

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1 This paragraph is from Chetverikov, I, p. 73. From this list of accusations it is evident that Athanasius was a practicer of outward asceticism, but was not familiar with the hesychast tradition with its spiritual guidance by an elder (who need not be a priest), daily confession of thoughts to him, and replacement of much of the daily cycle of church services by a set number of Jesus Prayers and prostrations. This tradition existed in Vlachia in the Sketes where Paisius had lived and still exists today in parts of Mt. Athos and elsewhere, both among Greeks and Russians. However, from all that is known of Blessed Paisius and the tradition that followed him, it is clear that, besides the rule of Jesus Prayer that he gave, he also preserved the daily cycle of services almost if not entirely complete.


Blessed Paisius, hearing all this as if he did not hear it, was longsuffering. Then Athanasius became inflamed with envy more than he could endure, and he wrote to him and sent a letter, which in the beginning had an appearance of friendly instruction, but further on contained many censures, reproaches, and much incorrect, vain thinking. Our Father received it and, examining it all with good disposition, went to his confessor, informed him of it, and read it to him. Then with his confessor he went to another older confessor of many, who after examining the letter was grieved and commanded Paisius to write a reply to him, clearly indicating his error and incorrect thinking; and if the monk did not then repent and ask forgiveness, he thought of accusing him at the Assembly of the Holy Mountain.

The Blessed one did as he was commanded by the spiritual fathers, and having clearly shown the monk's simplicity in 14 chapters, in which he also revealed his error and refuted his censure and slander, he sent these chapters to him. Here, among other things, Paisius wrote concerning the reading of the books of the Holy Fathers: "I beg you, Father, abandon your empty and vain idea of not reading the patristic books. I praise your way of life and reverence your ascetic labors and receive benefit from your being [on the Holy Mountain]. But to all your ascetic labors it is necessary to add understanding and discernment, lest all your labor be in vain. Wherefore, if you wish to be saved yourself and show your disciples the royal path, the doing of Christ's commandments, which lead to the Kingdom of Heaven, then cling with all your soul to the reading of books. It, together with asking questions of experienced spiritual fathers, will be an undeceiving teacher for you and your disciples, instructing you on the path of salvation. Otherwise, it is impossible to be saved. St. John Chrysostom says: 'It is impossible for anyone to be saved if he will not often take enjoyment in spiritual reading.' And St. Basil the Great says: 'Let the elder instruct the brethren in the understanding of Holy Scripture, and if he does not, he is one who gives sacrilege and false witness of God.' And the great Anastasius the Sinaite says: 'In everything that we say and do, we should have proof from Holy Scripture; otherwise, deceived by human imaginings, we shall fall away from the true path and fall into the abyss of perdition.' And again: 'It is indispensable for us to learn from Divine Scripture with fear and love, and to arouse ourselves and each other to keep in mind the word of God.' Thus also do all the Saints teach us, arousing us to diligent and heartfelt reading of books. And do not say, Father, that one or two books is sufficient for instructing the soul. After all, even the bee collects honey not from one or two flowers only, but from many. Thus also he who reads the books of the Holy Fathers is instructed by one in faith or in right thinking, by another in silence and prayer, by another in obedience and humility and patience, by another in self-reproach and in love for God and neighbor; and, to speak briefly, from many books of the Holy Fathers a man is instructed in life according to the Gospel."

Concerning the abbreviation of his rule of prayer, Paisius wrote of the extreme difficulty of his life in the beginning on the Holy Mountain. Further he said: "All this I confessed to my spiritual father and other older confessors and told to my confessor. Because in my extreme infirmity I cannot keep to my rule, the thought came to me: I will return to Russia. But my confessor, encouraging me, said: 'No, child, do not leave the Holy Mountain where God called you; endure there a little the will of God. As for your rule of prayer, keep up as much as you can. Only, always thank God, and the Lord will not leave you. And your very thanksgiving in infirmity and want will be imputed to you by God in place of every rule.' And in accordance with his advice I kept my small rule and lived, rejoicing and thanking God in my infirmity, entreating His mercy, so that He would strengthen me to remain to the end of my life on this Holy Mountain of Athos."1

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1 Both quotes from Elder Paisius are in Chetverikov, I, pp. 74-75.


The Elder Athanasius, after reading Blessed Paisius' reply, acknowledged his sin, reproached himself, repented, and came to ask forgiveness. With joy Paisius forgave him, and having conversed with him in a friendly manner, with love he revealed to him God's will concerning his life with the brethren, and dismissed him in peace.

43. HE MOVES TEMPORARILY TO THE MONASTERY OF SIMONOPETRA, AND THEN RETURNS TO THE SKETE.

THUS PAISIUS remained in his Skete, and from day to day the number of brethren increased; already there were more than fifty, and in no way could he escape accepting those who with tearful and mighty entreaty impor tuned him to accept them under obedience. What did he not present to them, what did he not say, setting forth before their eyes the lack of room in the cells, and the labor in obediences, and the want of bodily necessities, and the poverty in everything! But as much as he would meekly send them away, so much the more would they again and again, falling to his feet, weeping and lamenting, mightily entreat him to accept them. And so, being persuaded by their tears, as a father who was merciful and filled with love for others, he would accept them, trusting in the almighty Providence of God to provide for them in soul and body, as was said above.

Many of the venerable fathers advised him to occupy the monastery called Simonopetra, which was then empty (for it was in debt). Our Father accordingly presented a petition concerning this to the Assembly of the Holy Mountain, and immediately he was given a blessing to do this. And so, takhalf of the brethren, he moved to the Monastery, having heard only a little concerning its debt. But he had been there for just three months when the Turkish creditors, having heard that a community of monks had gathered in the Monastery, came immediately to demand the debt; and they took by force from the innocent one 700 dollars. And so the Elder, fearing the other creditors, returned again to the Skete.

44. LACK OF ROOM; BLESSED PAISIUS DECIDES TO GO TO VLACHIA.

REMAINING in the Skete, and seeing such a great crowding and pain for the brethren, our Father grieved and sorrowed greatly in soul, seeing the great difficulty of the place and the extreme inconvenience of such a like-minded assembly of the common life on the Holy Mountain, and seeing that there was no hope for improvement. And so, having taken counsel, he began to prepare for going away to Vlachia, to the land of Muntyansk. Having found out about this, the Most Holy Patriarch Seraphim and other venerable spiritual fathers of the Holy Mountain sorely grieved over his departure; and coming to him in the Skete, they exhorted and entreated him much not to leave the Holy Mountain. But when they discovered the extreme need of the monks, and their great want of room, and the sorrow of our Father, they said: "May God's will be done."

And the Elder fell to the feet of the Most Holy Patriarch, kissing them with many tears, and asked his blessing. Likewise, the Most Holy Patriarch wept also, and with much grief he blessed him, embracing and kissing his head, and departed to the Monastery in mourning. As for the Elder, he bade farewell to all the spiritual fathers, and from all he asked prayer for the journey and their blessing.

THE MONASTERY OF DRAGOMIRNA

45. THE DEPARTURE OF PAISIUS WITH THE BRETHREN FOR VLACHIA
46. THE MONASTERY OF DRAGOMIRNA IN MOLDAVIA IS BESTOWED ON HIM.

AND WHEN HE had prepared himself, our Father took two boats, and he himself with all the brethren of the Slavonic tongue boarded one of them, and Father Bessarion with the brethren of the Moldavian tongue the other. In all there were 64 of the brethren at that time, and they sailed safely with God's help to Constantinople, and from Constantinople even to Galata; and coming out on dry land, they came to Vlachia, to the Skete which is called Barzopesht. And finding no place in that land, Paisius came to Jassy and was received with love by the Metropolitan, Kyr Gabriel, and the pious ruler Gregory Callimachus the governor; and they gave him the monastery of the Descent of the Holy Spirit which is called Dragomirna, with all its estates. And the pious governor confirmed with a document that the monastery of the brethren should be free of all taxes; and His Eminence the Metropolitan entreated the Bishop of Radautska that he should entrust the monastery to Paisius with all love and fitting honor.

The Dragomirna Monastery of the Holy Spirit is near the city of Sochava and the village of Itzkana, which is on the boundary between Bukovina and Moldavia, and it is situated in a gorge of the Carpathian Mountains. In outward appearance it is a real fortress, and it is surrounded by a wall with towers, so that it could serve the residents of the city of Sochava as a refuge during the attacks of the Zaporozhsky Cossacks and Tatar hordes. The time of the monastery's foundation, as well as the name of its founder, is not known. It is only known that the monastery existed already by the end of the 16th century. In the year 1602 the bishop of Radautska, Anastasius Krymka, built in the monastery a church in honor of the Descent of the Holy Spirit; in one of the towers over the monastery gates he erected a church in the name of St. Nicholas; and in the monastery garden he built a church in the name of the holy Prophets Enoch and Elijah and the holy Apostle John the Theologian.

When this monastery was offered to Elder Paisius, it was in rather a pitiful condition. There were no more than five cells in it, the refectory was without a roof, there were few books, and the whole number of farm animals was no more than six bulls. But the monastery occupied a large area, it was situated in a remote and quiet place, and it had the full possibility of being given in time a well-ordered appearance. Therefore, both the Elder and the brethren were very satisfied with the place that was thus offered to them. Soon generous contributions began to come to the monastery from many benefactors who desired to help the Elder. The general sympathy and generous help deeply touched the Elder and the brethren.1

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1 These two paragraphs are from Chetverikov, vol. 1, pp. 92-93.


And so our Father settled there with all the community of the brethren, thanking and praising God with tears of joy over His Providence which is beyond understanding and His endless mercy, because He had inclined the hearts of all toward love and mercy for them who were strangers.

47. FATHER ALEXIUS
48. THE TONSURE OF PAISIUS IN THE SCHEMA

AFTER A LITTLE TIME there came here to visit Elder Paisius and the brethren, from the Skete of Merlopolyany in the land of Vlachia, the beloved friend of his school years, Hieromonk Alexius, who was likewise a disciple of the Elder Basil. And he spent the whole winter in the monastery of Dragomirna, being detained by the love of our Father; and often did they enjoy spiritual conversation together. And our Father desired that Father Alexius should clothe him in the Schema, as they were disciples of the same Elder; and this was done. However, Father Alexius did not change his name, but as he had been called Paisius by the Elder Basil when the latter had tonsured him in the mantle, so did Father Alexius leave his name in the Schema. And there was great joy for all the community of the brethren. And after the most bright feast of the Resurrection of Christ Father Alexius departed, and our Father and the whole community of monks accompanied him with great love and reverence. This Alexius, after the Elders Basil and Theodosius, was the Elder in the Skete of Merlopolyany.

49. ESTABLISHMENT OF THE COMMON LIFE ACCORDING TO THE TYPICON OF THE HOLY MOUNTAIN OF ATHOS

AFTER THIS our Blessed Father, having reposed a little from the labor, began to restore and confirm the order of his common life according to the rule of our God-bearing Fathers Basil the Great and those who have learned from him, Theodosius the Great and Theodore the Studite, the founders of c;nobitism. This order was not begun as though it had not existed before, for it had been begun on the Holy Mountain and kept; but it was, as it were, begun anew after the resettlement, and it was confirmed by being restored.

And first of all, as regards church services, our Father established the order of the Holy Mountain, according to the rule of the Orthodox Catholic Eastern Church, just as it had been before. And he ordained that the singing on the right side be in Slavonic, and on the left side in Moldavian. Next, he ordained that none of the brethren should in any way presume to call anything mine or thine, but everything was in common as sent from God, and he firmly commanded that the rules of the common life be kept; and everything that was needful was given to everyone by the Elder. Meals were taken in common by everyone, apart from the sick and those who were quite old and infirm. Obediences within the monastery, in the kitchen, the bakery, and elsewhere, were to be performed by the brethren themselves. The various handiworks needful for the common life, the brethren were to perform with fear of God according to their strength, and not by force or with disturbance. Any disobedience, talking back, or self-will in the common labors, by which things the commandments are violated, was to be banished from the soul of every brother; but first place was to be given to obedience, humility, patience and peace, love and fear of God, and these were to rule in the community of the brethren; and above all these, there was to be a complete cutting off of one's own will and one's own understanding.

In the general obediences there was to be, and to be kept, silence on the lips and prayer secretly in the mind. And the Elder himself often went out with the brethren on common obedience and worked together with everyone with all humility of wisdom, silence, and prayer, showing himself as an example of humility and love, and saying: "O brethren, let none be idle, apart from the reason of extreme infirmity or old age, for from idleness is born every evil."

During the time of the wheat harvest, the brethren sometimes spent several days at a time in the field. For the sake of the church rule of prayer and other church needs, a priest would go together with the brethren into the field, having the Divine Mysteries with him. Often the Elder would send someone with medical knowledge also, and sometimes he himself went and would spend three or four days at a time together with the brethren in the field, and this would be a great feast for the brethren. The Elder would bless their labors, would rejoice at their zeal and converse with them. When the Elder could not visit the harvesters himself he would send them a written greeting. He would write them: "Guard yourself from envy; wherever envy is, there the Spirit of God is not. Hold your tongue so that it will not speak empty words. He who guards his tongue keeps his soul from sorrow. From the tongue proceed life and death. The elder should teach the younger and inexperienced. In everyone there should be humility, good-will and love. One must strengthen oneself by the fear of God, and by the remembrance of death and eternal tortures. Every day one should confess his thoughts to an elder. One should repeat the prayer of Jesus constantly. Offer to God a sacrifice pure, unblemished, and fragrant according to your Christian vow. Offer your labors and your bloody sweat as the sacrifice of a whole burnt offering; may the burning from the sun be to you as the patience of the martyrs." In conclusion, the Elder entreated the Lord to preserve the laborers from every spiritual and bodily evil and to protect them against all the nets of the devil. Such epistles, penetrated with love and concern, encouraged and inspired the brethren and made the difficult and exhausting labor easy and joyful for them.1

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1 This paragraph is from Chetverikov, vol. 1, pp. 94-95.


In the cells in solitude there was to be the reading of the God-bearing Fathers and prayer performed by the mind skillfully in the heart according to the advancement of each, and frequent prostrations with tears, according to the strength of each.

Everyone, and above all beginners, was to confess his thoughts each evening to his spiritual father. For confession is the foundation of true repentance and the forgiveness of sins and the hope of salvation for a soul which truly repents with sorrow over its sins. And if some disturbance were to occur among the brethren, there must be true reconciliation on that very day, according to the Scripture: Let not the sun set on your anger. And if someone were to grow hard in heart, not wishing to be reconciled, he was to be cut off and not allowed over the threshold of the Church, nor allowed to say the prayer "Our Father" until he became reconciled. Such among the brethren were assigned and sent to obediences outside the monastery from whom there could not come any scandal to worldly people or harm to their own souls. If it became unavoidable for the sake of the work to do something which violated the commandments, the Elder commanded that the work be abandoned; for it is better, he would say, that the work perish than that the commandment of God be disdained and one fall under eternal condemnation. And to sum up everything together: in the community of the brethren, both within and outside the monastery, in all obediences, our Father strove ever that there be among all the brethren peace and love in God, reverence and fear of God, humility and submission, with complete cutting off of one's own will and one's own understanding before the Elder and before each other.

50. FATHER HONORIUS

IN THIS WAY ALSO our Father ordained that all the other parts of the Rule of St. Basil the Great and the other God-bearing Fathers be performed in the whole community of the brethren, and he commanded that they be preserved inviolate. Threatening the brethren with spiritual canons for transgressions, pouring out his fatherly mercifulness upon all his spiritual children, embracing them all with unhypocritical love and warming and instructing them, and assigning obediences to each with understanding and according to the strength of each, he impressed upon them that they should fulfill the obediences cheerfully and with zeal. He ordered the beloved brother Honorius, who knew in part the art of healing, to treat the sick and the quite infirm and aged in the infirmary and to grant them every repose. For this man was most merciful and consoling both by his spiritual conversation and in bodily needs; and from his holy and fervent obedience and humility, he advanced in warm love towards God and towards his neighbor and in spiritual understanding. Wherefore the blessed Elder had this brother, who was most beloved of him, over the ill as his own eye; and to him alone was freedom given, for the sake of the sick, to take money from the cell of the Elder on his own authority, as much as he wished. And the Elder, just one year after his own repose (1795), received this Father to himself in heavenly repose by God's will.

BLESSED PAISIUS' LABORS IN THE TRANSLATION OF THE PATRISTIC WRITINGS1

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1 This section in its entirety, except for the paragraphs noted in the footnote, comes from the Letter of Elder Paisius to Elder Theodosius, printed in the Optina edition of Elder Paisius' Life, pp. 201-208. There is a partial Russian translation-paraphrase of the Slavonic original in Chetverikov, I, pp. 97–103.


ONCE BLESSED PAISIUS had become established in the Monastery of Dragomirna, he began the most important labor of translating the writings of the Holy Fathers. Here is how he himself describes this labor:

"Once we had settled in the holy Monastery of Dragomirna, I began with all diligence to think and be concerned as to how I might correct the Slavonic Patristic books, or to translate them anew from the ancient Greek; and I found a great and unutterable difficulty in this work, for several good reasons. First of all, a translator of books must be complelely learned, and not only skilled in all grammatical learning and orthography and a perfect knowledge of the characteristics of both languages, but also he must have touched, and not superficially, upon the very highest studies, poetics, I say, and rhetoric, and philosophy, and even theology itself. But I, even though in my youth I spent four years in the Kiev schools, have studied only in part the grammar of higher studies. But even this little learning, in so many years, I have almost completely forgotten; and I feared and trembled to undertake such a great work.

"Secondly, there is my lack of skill in orthography, that is, in right spelling. One who is unskilled in spelling and desires to copy holy books, in my opinion, although in his heart he may believe in the truth, and his lips may connonetheless, because of his lack of skill, by his hand he fess it unto salvation commits blasphemy unto his own eternal condemnation, even though by the utterance of his lips he did not acknowledge his blasphemy. Wherefore I, being still unskilled at that time in spelling, was afraid and feared to begin this work.

"Thirdly, I did not have lexicons for this work, excepting only Varin, but even that was in the cell of Brother Macarius, for the sake of translating books into the Moldavian language, and was not always available. And the translation of books without lexicons is like unto the work of an artist without utensils.

"Fourthly, I knew only a part, and that the smallest part, of the words of the ancient Greek language; and I was in almost complete ignorance of the whole language.

"Fifthly, inasmuch as this ancient Greek language incomparably surpasses all the languages of the whole world in wisdom, beauty, depth, and the unutterable abundance and wealth of its expressions, and even native-born Greeks, who are thoroughly educated, can scarcely attain its depths in part, not a little fear was installed into me concerning how I could dare to begin my work of correcting or translating books from such a most wise language.

"Sixthly, our own most glorious Slavonic language, as I think, incomparably surpasses many languages in its beauty and depth and abundance of expressions, and above all in its nearness to the Greek language; but scarcely knowing even a certain part of the expressions of this language. and being ignorant of an incomparably larger part, I feared to undertake this work.

"Reflecting on these reasons and on my occupation with many concerns for the numerous spiritual and bodily needs within the monastery and outside, I all but despaired of undertaking this work as something most inconvenient. Seeing, however, the hunger of the word of God in our community, from which the souls of the brethren together with my own poor soul were entirely collapsing, I placed all my hope on the Lord Who makes wise the blind, and by the prayers of the holy brethren I dared to undertake this work, which is utterly beyond me, with this intent and understanding and in this way:

"Acknowledging my own limitations, for the reasons set forth above, I saw that it would be utterly impossible for me to bring this work which I had begun, that is, the correction or new translation of the Slavonic patristic books from the ancient Greek, into such a complete form as to be worthy of being copied or printed by the brethren living in other monasteries, lest it later become necessary for someone to examine and correct them a second time. And I saw also as clearly as in a mirror that not once but many times, after I had obtained lexicons and had come to understand the ancient Greek language at least a little better, and had come to know the orthography of the Slavonic language and had observed the art of the characteristics and the grammatical composition of both these languages, that it would be absolutely necessary either for me myself, if God should prolong my lite, or after my death for some one of the brethren who is skilled in this matter, to examine them most carefully again and correct them. Therefore, I did not see, as some think, any benefit for all those monks who wished to be saved, but rather I had hope in the complete correction of these much-desired books which was to be done after much time. And so I placed in my soul, as an unshakable foundation, this testament: that this my labor in the correction or translation of the Patristic books, halting and imperfect as it is in all respects, should in no way be allowed to depart from our community until, by God's help, it should be corrected and brought into befitting perfection.

"I began my work, that is, the correction of the Slavonic Patristic books and their translation anew from ancient Greek, in this way: seeing myself deprived both of lexicons and of all the skill needed for this work, as was set forth above, I placed for my instruction and guidance the translation of the Patristic books into the Moldavian language which was made by our beloved brethren Hieromonk Macarius and Hilarion the Didascalos from the ancient Greek into their own native Moldavian language; they are skilled in the translation of books and are learned men. Brother Macarius translated a part of them while still on the Holy Mountain of Athos, and a part in Dragomirna; likewise also the honorable Didascalos, Father Hilarion, translated a part of them in our community. Accounting their translation to be true in all respects without any doubt, I began to correct the Patristic books of the following Saints, books which of old had been translated into Slavonic from ancient Greek, looking carefully at the ancient Greek originals: St. Hesychius, St. Diadoch, the second book of St. Macarius, St. Philotheus, St. Nilus concerning prayer, St. Thallasius, St. Gregory the Sinaite, St. Simeon the New Theologian (homily on heedfulness in prayer), St. Cassian the Roman on the eight thoughts, and others, holding firmly, as a blind man to a railing, to the above-mentioned translations; and so I corrected these books for the first time.

"Likewise, after much time, when I had already begun to advance in this study, I discovered in the books which I had corrected, due to my lack of skill, very many mistakes; and so I corrected certain of them for a second time. Likewise, after some more time had passed, and finding many more mistakes in them, I corrected them for a third time. Some of them, however, remained in their first correction, because, for lack of time, I was not able to correct many of them. But they were yet a long way from true correction, inasmuch as the books in ancient Greek which had been copied on the Holy Mountain, and which due to my lack of skill I had counted to be without any mistakes, in many places were found to be orthographically in error. At that same time, when I did not as yet have a single lexicon in this labor, I translated anew from those books in ancient Greek the works of these Saints: St. Anthony the Great, St. Isaiah the Hermit, the second book of St. Peter Damascene, which because of my extreme lack of skill at that time has so many errors in translation that it is frightful for me even to think of it; but it is not possible to correct them completely without reliable ancient Greek texts. The book of St. Theodore the Studite, out of unavoidable necessity, I translated at that time from the simple Greek language, not having been able even up to the present time, despite my earnest wish, to see it in the ancient Greek language; and it likewise, for the above-mentioned reasons, has very many errors.

"Likewise also, concerning the ancient Slavonic translation of the book of St. Isaac the Syrian, by God's unfathomable providence and beyond all exexpectations, I was deemed worthy in this present life to see a printed text of it in ancient Greek, and I have labored a whole year in correcting it, now from the ancient Greek and now from the Moldavian; but woe to all my labor, for this also, for the same reasons, is far from perfection, and it will be needful for me now, already half dead, if only God in His mercy will preserve my life and grant enlightenment to my sight (for I am already all but blind), to labor again with all diligence in correcting it; for now I have some lexicons, and from frequency of practice I have somewhat advanced in this matter."

In another place the Elder Paisius relates the following details concerning his corrections of the Slavonic text of St. Isaac the Syrian: "When I was still living among a small number of brethren on Mt. Athos, I had the book of St. Isaac the Syrian, a part of which I had copied out in my youth in the Kiev Caves Lavra; and a certain zealot on Mt. Athos had finished it for me, at my request. I have this book at this present time. Reading this book on Mt. Athos many times with attention, in many places in it I could not find the meaning. I marked such places with special signs in the margin, hoping with time, by finding a better text, to correct them.

"After some time I met a certain hieromonk who had, as it happened, a text of St. Isaac which supposedly conformed in all respects to a Bulgarian text which had been copied out more than 400 years before, and which itself was supposedly in agreement with the Greek text. Believing this assertion, and desiring to correct my own text, I acquired the book from this hieromonk. For six weeks, day and night, I corrected my own book in accordance with it, but it happened that the unclear places in my book remained just as unclear as before, for in the book which had been given me they were copied exactly as in my book. My desire to obtain the book of St. Isaac in the ancient Greek language remained unfulfilled during the time of my stay on Mt. Athos and in the first years of my living in Dragomirna.

"After the passage of many years, when I had already lost almost all hope of obtaining this book, Almighty God by His grace inspired the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Ephraim, to print this book. The Patriarch entrusted this work to the most wise hierodidascalos, Nicephorus, who subsequently was Archbishop of Astrakhan, but at that time was staying in Constantinople. Finding out about this, a certain brother from our c;nobia who was then in Constantinople began to entreat both the Most Holy Patriarch Ephraim and the Hierodidascalos Nicephorus to deign to send the book to me in Dragomirna as soon as it should come off the press. With the blessing of the Patriarch, Father Nicephorus informed our brother that as soon as this book should be printed, 'I will immediately send it to your Elder as a sign of my sincere love towards him.' All this was in the year 1768.

"When our brother, having returned to the monastery, related concerning this, my soul was filled with the greatest joy, and with hope I awaited the fulfillment of the promise. In the year 1770, during the fast of the Nativity of Christ, the Hierodidascalos Nicephorus, fulfilling his promise, sent me the priceless gift, the printed Greek book of St. Isaac the Syrian, which I received with unutterable joy. And with tears having given thanks to God Who had fulfilled my long-time desire, I immediately began to read my own Slavonic book, comparing it word for word with the printed Greek text, with the aim of making in the Slavonic book a correction of those places in which the grammatical sense was not evident, but not at all with the intention of translating the book anew. For at that time I did not yet have sufficient knowledge of the ancient Greek language, and likewise I did not have the necessary books. And therefore my labor at that time cannot at all be called a translation, but only a certain correction of the Slavonic text.

"And when the text of St. Isaac in ancient Greek was translated into the Moldavian language, then, comparing this translation with my Slavonic text, I made in the latter some other essential corrections. And since the Slavonic text turned out to be more abundant in words than the Greek text, and these words, in my opinion, in fact belonged to St. Isaac, I did not exclude them from the Slavonic text, but only made a note of this. All this my labor in the correction of the Slavonic text of St. Isaac began in the year 1770 and was completed in 1771."1

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1 These five paragraphs concerning the text of St. Isaac are from Chetverikov, I, pp. 100-102.


"Likewise I should undertake the labor and make a second correction of the first book of St. Macarius the Great, and the first book of St. Peter Damascene, inasmuch as these are quite far from perfection. As for the book of St. Simeon the New Theologian, I have not begun to correct it, inasmuch as I have until now not even been deemed worthy to see the ancient Greek text.

"In the year 1774 there came from the Holy Mountain to us in Dragomirna, when we were still there, a Greek monk whose name was Constantius; he brought with him a book in ancient Greek, written out in his own hand, which contained a multitude of Patristic works: in it were to be found certain books which I had not even seen up to then in the Slavonic language, and at my fervent entreaty he copied them out for us with his own hand. But inasmuch as he was not in the least familiar with grammatical learning, he introduced innumerable mistakes both into his own book and into the copy he made from it, owing to his total lack of skill in orthography; and, in truth, we found the gold of the holy words floundering in a swamp of incorrect spelling, and what learned man can cleanse it without reliable originals in ancient Greek? Out of the books which he copied out at my entreaty, I therefore translated anew the following: St. Mark, and the 300 Chapters of St. Nicetas Stethatos, of which we had had only a certain part which had been translated of old into the Slavonic language, and I had not even seen up to then a complete text of this book which had the whole number of 300 chapters; and I did not have up to that time a single chapter of this book in ancient Greek. From these texts I also translated the book of St. Theodore of Edessa. These books, even more than the ones already mentioned, were unsuitable not only for printing, but even for being copied outside the monastery, until they should be corrected from reliable originals.

"And what shall I say of the book of St. Callistus the Patriarch of Constantinople and his fellow-faster St. Ignatius Xanthopoulos, of which the blessed Simeon, Archbishop of Thessalonica, testifies? This book I had desired with unutterable desire to be deemed worthy to behold before my death. And when I had already begun to despair about this, the almighty Providence of God so arranged it that I should not only behold it, but that I should also translate it into our Slavonic language; but this book also, even if – I say it truthfully – it is of better orthography than the others, nonetheless has in many places such mistakes that the most skilled translator of such books from ancient Greek into Moldavian, Father Hilarion the Didascalos, could not find any real and true sense in those passages at all; but he translated them, as I believe, out of unavoidable necessity, and I also followed his opinion in my translation. For this reason there are obstacles also in the way of printing this book or copying it in another place.

"And concerning the second book of St. Callistus who is called Kataphigiotes, what more shall I say because of the numberless orthographic errors which are to be found in it? Even if I did likewise translate it into our Slavonic language, nonetheless it is imperfect, and there are obstacles in the way of printing or copying it.

"The Life of St. Gregory the Sinaite, which was written by his disciple St. Callistus, Patriarch of Constantinople, was brought by the venerable Schema-monk Father Sabbas from the Holy Mountain to our common Father and Elder, Basil of blessed memory, and from him we took it and copied it; and even if after much time the Life of this Saint in the ancient Greek language was brought from the Holy Mountain to our community, nonetheless this text, besides the usual orthographic mistakes, did not contain the whole Life but only certain parts, and the account of the blessed repose of the Saint was not to be found in it; and even if I did translate this into our Slavonic language, nonetheless it has the same faults.

"As for the book containing 400 chapters on love by St. Maximus the Confessor, we have only the Moscow printed edition, and the homily of the same saint on fasting in questions and answers, which I copied out in my youth in our homeland with numberless mistakes and omissions due to my ignorance; and I have not been able up to the present time to behold a copy in the ancient Greek language despite my great desire for this.

"The book of the most blessed Simeon of Thessalonica is to be found in our community only in ancient Greek and Moldavian, but not in Slavonic. Likewise, we do not have the book of St. Callistus, the disciple of St. Gregory the Sinaite. The book of St. Nilus of Sora is not to be found at all in the ancient Greek language, but only in Slavonic; this I copied out in my youth, but with innumerable errors in orthography, and I have not had time up until now to correct it; and in addition, I do not have a reliable copy such as may be found in our monasteries.

"And so I have presented to your holiness as in a mirror, from the very beginning even to the end, what labor I have had in the correction of the Slavonic Patristic books from the ancient Greek, and in the translation of these books anew into Slavonic. This my labor has been above my power, and in every respect is deficient and imperfect, for the good reasons mentioned above; wherefore they are unsuitable not merely for printing but even for copying outside the monastery, until there be a complete correction from reliable originals in ancient Greek. And until these books shall be corrected from genuine Greek originals, they will not depart from our community."

It should be noted that Elder Paisius had an extraordinary skill in calligraphy, one such as is seldom encountered. In his youth, for example, he copied out the book of St. Abba Dorotheus. Notwithstanding the considerable length of this book, he managed to copy it completely on 24 sheets of paper, each page having 70 lines of square script, as thin as hairs yet with no flooding of the letters, but legible, clean, with a border above and below and on the sides as is fitting. When one disciple, being astonished at this, asked the Elder with what kind of pen he had copied this book, and whether it had not been a pigeon quill, the Elder replied: "No, it was a goose quill."1

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1 This paragraph is from Chetverikov, I, p. 123. For a facsimile of Elder Paisius' calligraphy, see p. 186.

FURTHER LABORS OF BLESSED PAISIUS IN THE MOLDAVIAN MONASTERY OF DRAGOMIRNA

51. THE ELDER'S INSTRUCTION OF THE BRETHREN FROM THE PATRISTIC BOOKS

THUS LABORING day and night with the brethren of the Moldavian tongue, the above-mentioned Macarius and Hilarion the Didascalos and others who knew the Greek language, our Father labored in the translation into the Moldavian and Slavonic languages of the Patristic and theological books; and when all the brethren gathered together from the obediences outside the monastery in wintertime, and the fast of the Nativity of Christ had come, he began to give instruction to the assembled brethren from these translated books, beginning with the first week of the fast and continuing until Lazarus Saturday. Every day except Sundays and feast days, all the brethren gathered in the evening in the refectory, and, the lamps being lighted, our Father came and sat down in his usual place and read either the book of St. Basil the Great on fasting. or St. John of the Ladder or Abba Dorotheus, or St. Theodore the Studite, or St. Simeon the New Theologian, or some other of the God-bearing Fathers. One evening the instruction would be in the Slavonic language, and the next evening in Moldavian; and when there was instruction in one language. then the brethren of the other language would be reading Compline. The Elder, making his instruction, would immediately make a commentary, bringing forth testimony from the Holy Scripture of both the Testaments and the teaching of the God-bearing Fathers, and speaking in this way:

"Brethren and Fathers, it befits us to watch over ourselves with contrite heart, as the divine Fathers say. For St. John of the Ladder says, in the Seventh Step, that whatever kind of great life we might lead, if we do not acquire a heart that is pained, then this life is hypocritical and vain. And St. Gregory the Sinaite says: Pain of heart, and humility, and the labor of obedience according to the strength of each with uprightness of heart give knowledge ot how to perform the work of truth. And again the same Saint says: 'Every doing of body or soul which does not have in it labor of the heart never brings forth any fruit for those who perform it, for the Kingdom of God is taken by force, and those who force themselves take it, saith the Lord. For inasmuch as some have worked or are working for many years without pain, and do not strive with warm fervor of heart to perform labors of repentance, they are empty of purity and are not partakers of the Holy Spirit.' And again: 'For many, perhaps, labor, as they think, but it is in carelessness and slothfulness and weakness, and they have no fruits whatsoever. For proceeding without pain, from despondency they become involved in useless cares and become darkened.' And St. Simeon the New Theologian, in the Greek book, Part 2, Homily 8, says: 'Wherefore I say that those who do not imitate the Passion of Christ by means of repentance and tears, humility, and obedience and patience, and above all by poverty and suffering of evil, reproach and mockery, are also not partakers of His shameful death, nor are they participants of His spiritual resurrection here, nor do they receive the grace of the Holy Spirit. And for the sake of what other works shall we be glorified together with Him? For the divine Paul says: If we suffer with Him, likewise shall we be glorified with Him, but if we are ashamed to begin to imitate His sufferings which He endured for us, and there dwells in us that which does not wish to suffer this, which is the earthly wisdom of the flesh, then it is clear that neither shall we be partakers of His glory. And without repentance and tears, as we have said, there has never been, nor will there ever be, either of these in ourselves or in any others.' And in the same book, Homily 32: 'Nor is it indicated in the Divine Scriptures that there is such a one who can be cleansed from passions without tears and constant compunction; nor that anyone from among men has ever been holy or received the Holy Spirit or beheld God, or known Him dwelling within him, or received Him at all when He has come to dwell in his heart, unless repentance and compunction have preceded this. For it is because of this, according to the measure of one's tears, sorrow, and repentance that the Divine Fire produces compunction.' And again he says: 'See to it, lest you be deprived of having Christ within yourself, and lest you depart from this life with empty hands, and then you will weep and lament.' "

52. PREMONITION CONCERNING THE DESOLATION OF THE COMMON LIFE BY LOVE OF POSSESSIONS.

ALL OF THIS our Father said with tears to the brethren out of the Holy Fathers, exhorting them to force themselves with burning fervor to fulfill the commandments of Christ. For all his teaching, his pain and his concern were established on this foundation, that all in common with their whole heart and soul should keep the commandments of God, lest this time given by God for repentance be spent in negligence and they remain fruitless. At the end of the instruction he would always add also a certain moral instruction concerning the correction of stumblings which had occurred among the brethren; for he greatly feared, more than the other passions, the corruption and fall of the young, and the fierce passions of love of silver, or rather, love of gold, and love of material possessions, the root of all evils, according to the Divine Scripture (I Tim. 6:10), and almost at every one of his instructions he would cite Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:1-11). For he foresaw truly, and was greatly pained over it, that if this fierce passion of love of possessions should enter like a thief into his community, and if it should become beloved by its zealots – then it would immediately destroy the common life from its very foundation; and this, indeed, subsequently occurred. (For openly and brazenly to call things "yours' and "mine," and to have them, and for each to take care for and feed himself – is not this the utter destruction of the common life where all are of one soul?) Wherefore, for a long time, while yet in the monasteries of Dragomirna and Sekoul, forewarning the brethren, he accused them indirectly, and pointing out the path of fulfilling the commandments of Christ, he often exhorted them with tears, saying:

"Brethren, if you will constantly compel yourselves to read the patristic books, and by being instructed by what is in them you will always correct yourselves and enkindle yourselves, in accordance with him who said: My heart grew hot within me, and in my meditation a fire shall flame out (Ps. 38:4), and will force yourselves to pray fervently every day with tears before God and fulfill His holy commandments – then warm fervor and zeal will be given you by Christ God. And let no one say that it is impossible to weep every day; for he who says this says that it is also impossible to repent every day. And such ones turn upside down the very commandment of the Lord, as the divine Simeon the New Theologian says.

"But before all this you must come to the Lord with unhesitatingly firm faith and warm love and, in the words of the Lord, renounce this world completely and all the beautiful and sweet things which are in it, and your own will and understanding, and be poor in spirit and body. And thus by the grace of Christ, holy zeal will be kindled in perfect souls; and with time and growth in this work, there will be given in proportion to the work tears, lamentation, and a certain small hope to comfort the soul, and likewise a hunger and thirst for righteousness, that is, a flaming zeal, so as to be directed in all His commandments, in humility, in patience, in mercy and love toward all, and above all toward the unfortunate or soul, to the sick and suffering and aged: which are the fruits of the Spirit, according to the divine Apostle; and so as to bear the infirmity of one's neighbor and lay down one's life for one's brother and endure the temptations which occur, that is, offences, mockeries, reproaches, bitter wounds, and to forgive each other with the whole soul every offence and wound, and to love one's enemies, to bless those who slander you, and do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who do evil to you: which are the highest commandments of Christ; and besides all this, to endure manfully, with thanksgiving, the various bodily trials that come: infirmity, sickness, wounds, the fierce and bitter temporal suffering for the sake of the eternal salvation of one's soul. And thus you will attain to a perfect manhood, in the measure of the spiritual stature of the fullness of Christ (Eph. 4:13).

"And if you will remain thus forcing yourselves, this community will stand as long as the Lord wills. But if you depart from heeding and reading the Patristic books, you will fall away from the peace and love of Christ, that is, from the fulfilling of Christ's commandments, and there will enter into your midst rebellion, tumult, and disorder, disturbance of soul, wavering and hopelessness, murmuring against and judgment of each other; and because of the increase of these, the love of many will grow cold, or rather that of almost all; and if such will be, this community will soon be dissolved, first in soul, and with time in body also."

53. THE GIFTS OF THE ELDER IN RULING, AND HIS FATHERLY CONCERN FOR THE BRETHREN.

FOREWARNING with tears everyone, little and great, for a long time, as has been said, by these and many similar words, our Father exhorted them, entreating them to keep firmly with all their soul to a life of quiet, peace, and love, according to the commandments of Christ. And such a gift he had, that with his words he could raise up the most dejected one to zeal and comfort the sorrowing one. And if he could not bring peace by words to one who was highly disturbed and sorrowing in soul, then, persuading him, with tears he would exhort him and comfort him, saying that the Lord rejoices over his repentance, and he would encourage him to have firm faith in the mercy of Christ. And another one he would comfort in need by giving abundantly what was needed. But where it was necessary, he would accuse, forbid, entreat, cut off, be longsuffering, and after doing much of this, one who remained unhealed he would send away. Only one who was hardened, self-willed, and corrupt, would he interdict with the threat of God's wrath, as has been briefly stated above; and to such a one he would manifest himself as a kind of severe and angry judge, until he was humbled and repented; and then he would comfort him, chastising and instructing him unto correction with love and tears. And none went away from him unhealed.

Concerning his anger, he himself told one spiritual brother who had asked him privately: "As for the fact that I reproach you with anger – may the Lord grant you also to have such anger. It is needful for me to be against the inclination of each of you, and therefore to show myself before some as having anger, which by the grace of Christ I never have; while before others I must weep, so that by both ways I may benefit you, according to the Apostle, by the right hand and the left; but may I never serve the passion of anger." Similarly, in his moral instruction, giving us a loving boldness toward him, he would often speak thus: "O brethren, I do not wish that anyone fear me as some kind of terrible despot, but rather that you love me as a father, even as I also love you in the Lord as my spiritual children."

The decree of this spiritual shepherd, and the order in his community were such: that every spiritual father inform him of every brother whom he could not himself reconcile, and concerning the reason for his disturbance. The reasons why sorrows occurred, the brethren being human, were these: talking back to each other, reproaches and affronts, and similar things. And when any brother would enter the Elder's cell in sorrow, our Father would understand what was wrong and, quickly giving him a blessing and forestalling him, would himself begin to talk to him without stopping, not allowing the brother to speak; and by his most sweet and consoling words he would lead his mind far away out of his sorrow. While talking he would judge concerning that brother's understanding and obedience by observing his face and manner. To those with much understanding he would usually cite some exalted saying, and likewise its interpretation by the God-bearing Fathers; and to this he would add something yet higher and would so astonish and comfort him in soul that he 'would consider all this world, its glory, joy, and sorrow, as a vile thing and a dream, because of his spiritual joy.

But to a simpler brother he would cite some wondrous words either from the crafts or from his holy obedience, and would exalt his mind out of its sorrow into these words, and again console him to such an extent that he would reproach himself and the sorrow for which he had come, because of the spiritual jov of the Elder's words; likewise, the brother would penetrate within himself, and seeing his soul filled with spiritual peace and joy, and remembering henceforth nothing of the previous disturbance and sorrow, which would have disappeared as smoke before the wind, he would take a blessing and depart rejoicing, giving thanks to God.

O the divine wisdom and love of this blessed Father! He would summon a brother not in order to reproach or upbraid him or forbid him, but to console him and to give him peace in heart and soul. And how can I express his sweet speech? Every day we all were prepared to stand before him without fail, that we might take sweet enjoyment of beholding his radiant face and his sweet words. Wherefore also all the brethren, little and great, were in profound peace and spiritual love and joy. And never was his door closed before the ninth hour; some came for bodily needs, and others for needs of the soul. With some he would weep and would comfort them, while with others he would rejoice as if he had never had any kind of sorrow. The Elder's state of soul was like that of an innocent boy, and in truth he was a dispassionate and holy man. For I never saw him grieving over anything material, even if it should happen that something great should be lost. He only grieved when he saw a brother transgressing in something the commandment of God, especially if it were voluntarily; and he would lay down his own life for a single least commandment of the Lord, and he would say: "Let everything we have be destroyed, let our whole work perish also; only let us keep God's commandments and, for their sake, our souls."

Often our Father would tell us this also: "When I see my spiritual children laboring and forcing themselves to keep God's commandments, and cutting off their own will, and not believing their own understanding, and walking in the fear of God, and going through holy obedience with humility, I have such unutterable joy in my soul that I should desire to have no greater joy in the Kingdom of Heaven. But if I see certain ones being negligent of God's commandments and holding to their own will, and believing their own understanding, and walking without the fear of God, and disdaining holy obedience, possessed by laziness out of self-will and pleasing oneself, and murmuring – then such sorrow embraces my soul as could be no greater even in hell, until I see them truly repenting."

54. SPIRITUAL ADVANCEMENT OF THE BRETHREN.

BOTH FROM THE instruction of their Father, and from reading the writings of the God-bearing Fathers, the brethren began to be kindled and to advance in the love of God, and in the patience of Jesus Christ, even if not all to the same degree, for this is not possible. But some of them, who were the largest number, prospered in great love of God and neighbor, and mortified to the end their own will and understanding by means of obedience and humility, considering them to be dust and dirt to them, and themselves to be the footstool of all the brethren, and even more, the most wretched of all creatures. Ceaselessly did they reproach themselves before God in the secret place of their heart, and they endured insults, dishonor, reproaches and affronts and every kind of temptation with great joy and mighty thanksgiving to God; and they ever desired these things, reckoning them to be the grace of God.

Others, again not a small number, after falling would get up, that is, after sinning would immediately repent, and would endure these reproaches, insults, temptations, even if with difficulty and bitterness, but would force themselves with all their soul to overtake the first ones and would for this ceaselessly pray to God fervently and with tears.

Yet others, not many, were weak and infirm of soul, like children, being unable as yet to take solid food, that is, to endure reproaches and insults, needing still for their upbringing the milk of mercy, love of mankind and condescension to their infirmities, until they should come into the spiritual stature of patience. Solely by a good will and constant self-reproach, filling up their lack many times over and forcing themselves beyond their strength to endure reproaches and insults and leave off their own will, they poured out great labor and sweat for this like blood before God, and entreated God ceaselessly that He might help them. Such ones, even if they are infirm, nevertheless are considered before God to be those who take the Kingdom of Heaven by violence.

And so everyone, even if not all to the same degree, as was said, forced themselves to keep the commandments of Christ our God, and the teachings of the God-bearing Fathers. For, says St. Isaac, the secret doing of the commandments heals the strength of the soul, and this doing is not simple and not just as it might happen; for it is written that without the shedding of blood there is no remission.

The blessed Elder rejoiced, seeing his spiritual children laboring so fervently, and he gave thanks to God and glorified Him with tears. And he entreated Him to strengthen them also for greater labor by His grace, and ceaselessly instructing us, he raised us up to greater fervor, saying: "Children, do not grow despondent in trading. For now is the accepted time, now is the day of salvation, says the Apostle" (II Cor. 6:2). And one could see at that time in the monastery of Dragomirna the monastic life as a new miracle, or a God-planted earthly paradise. For men were full of life, and for the sake of the love of God had cut off their own will and with all their will and all their feeling were dead to this world, that is, they were as if blind, deaf and dumb. But how can I express precisely what they did in secret, even in part? – their contrition of heart, I say, and profound humility, their fear of God and reverence, their heedfulness and silence of thoughts, and their prayer ever moving in the heart, burning with unutterable love for Christ God and their neighbor; for many of them, not only alone in their cell, but also in church and together with others on obedience, and in spiritual converse, ceaselessly shed tears, which declare the fruit of the Spirit, which is their faith, meekness, and heartfelt love toward the Lord. Wherefore St. Isaac beautifully says: "Beloved of the Lord is the assembly of the humble, which is as the assembly of the Seraphim."

But in the midst of this our peaceful dwelling in the monastery of Dragomirna, there came a sorrow to our blessed Elder and the whole community: for his first friend, one with him in soul, Bessarion, by God's allowance, departed unto the Lord; and our Father and the whole community wept bitterly ever him. And the Elder ordained that his memory be kept every year, that is, that the memorial service be celebrated with everyone present, and a bright table be laid out for the whole community, which was done even until the death of the Elder.

Such was that reverent community, filled with sanctity, in the monastery of Dragomirna, in which our Father, by many labors and tears, restored the ancient monastic order, in oneness of soul. Having brought together many souls in oneness of soul and mind, by God's Providence, and having bound them together with the love of God and the humility of Christ, he offered himself first of all as an example to all in everything, and he established the common life with everything as in the common life of the Holy Fathers. And we forced ourselves, as much as we could in our infirmity, to follow and imitate them and keep their order and rules in this poor time, so worthy of tears and lamentation.

THE LETTERS OF ELDER PAISIUS FROM DRAGOMIRNA, ON THE MONASTIC LIFE

WHILE ELDER PAISIUS was in the Moldavian monastery of Dragomirna, his fame spread far and wide, and those who thirsted for the true monastic life in accordance with the authentic traditions of the Orthodox Church appealed to him for advice and help. The written replies of Blessed Paisius to these appeals reveal him as a great and humble instructor of the unhypocritical monastic life, and they likewise show clearly the principles he applied himself in his own community.

1. To the Most Honorable Fathers in the Lord, of the Monastery of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos of Merlopolyany1

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1 Slavonic text in the Optina edition of the Life of Elder Paisius, pp. 217-220; partial Russian translation, with the introduction used here in italics, in Chetverikov, vol. II, pp. 52-53.


When the brethren of the Skete of Merlopolyany in Vlachia chose as their Elder Schema-hieromonk Alexis, the very same one who had come to Dragomirna to tonsure Elder Paisius in the Schema, several of the brethren, knowing the meek and humble manner of Father Alexis, had doubts that he could be a good superior, and they wrote to Elder Paisius about this. Blessed Paisius replied as follows:

Rejoice in the Lord!

Our holy and God-bearing Fathers have given as a testament in their holy writings that it is not fitting for brethren who have come together in some numbers in the name of Christ, to live without a superior, but by all means they should have one who is skilled in spiritual understanding, to whom they might give over all their will and submit in everything as to the Lord Himself. Fulfilling this testament, our reposed common Father† of blessed memory did not leave the flock entrusted to him by God to remain without a shepherd after his death, but in departing to the Lord he put in his own place the all-honorable Father Theodosius, who was capable of governing and instructing the souls of the brethren on the path of salvation. But the All-merciful God, Whose decrees are unfathomable, out of love for His slave, visited him as His own beloved child, for the sake of a greater reward, with a bodily affliction of such a kind that it is difficult for him to leave his cell, as he has declared in a letter.

Seeing that because of such a severe affliction he can in no way bear any longer the governance of the monastery and all the brethren, and likewise following the example of our reposed Father of blessed memory, he put in his own place the all-honorable Father Alexis. Being informed of this, I greatly rejoiced in soul and gave thanks to the Almighty Lord that He has revealed such a man to be His slave; and I think that this was not done otherwise than precisely because the very Grace of the All-holy Spirit touched the heart of the all-honorable Elder, Father Theodosius, and brought all the brethren in common to such unanimity that by the common good will of all they chose as their superior this worthy man, Father Alexis. In my soul I am convinced that he will be capable, by the God-given spiritual understanding which he possesses, to instruct and shepherd the souls of the brethren in the pasture of salvation.

But why, O my holy Fathers and beloved brethren, knowing Father Alexis' humble manner and extreme meekness which were given him by God from his childhood and were likewise acquired by labor, and knowing his inexperience in governing, do you doubt that because of this he will be able to govern the monastery and the brethren, and so you ask advice and help from me about this? May the Lord assure you that, if you wish to obey me and submit to my advice in everything as you promise, then I offer this advice to you in God: May you wish to choose none other as superior than Father Alexis alone; may he be to you as Instructor and Father in God. Submit to him as to the Lord Himself, and receive from his lips as from the lips of God the word which is for the profit of your souls. Judge for yourselves: who is more fit to govern the souls of the brethren than such a spiritual man? In the first place, he is one of the eldest disciples of our reposed Father [Basil]1 of blessed memory, tonsured by him and made by him a son of your monastery, one made worthy of priesthood and a skilled spiritual father. In the second place, what is more important, he has acquired love for God and neighbor, has an upright mind and sound understanding, and he benefits all by his virtuous life.

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1 The Elder Basil of Merlopolyany, reposed in April, 1767. See Section 17 of this Life (The Orthodox Word, November-December, 1972).


Have no doubts about his humility and meekness; for these are the root and foundation for every superior. As the Holy Fathers write, let the superior for the brethren be humble, meek, without malice, quiet, well able to bear any reproach first of all himself, if such there should be from anyone owing to the snares of the adversary; let him be able to give an example of patience and chaste life for the brethren. Have no doubts if he seems not to know good administration; God is able to provide this by means of other of the brethren. But the thing most needful for the salvation of all is to know how to order well the souls of the brethren according to the Lord's commandments and the teaching of the Holy Fathers. There is nothing about which to have doubts if he is infirm of body, when he is sound of spirit and sound in spiritual discernment.

Therefore, most honorable Fathers and beloved brethren in the Lord, falling down mentally before the feet of all of you, I entreat you with tears not to disdain my advice, even if I am unworthy, but to accept the Shepherd and Instructor given to you by God, the all-honorable Father Alexis, and not to prefer anyone else while he is alive; and even if he himself might not wish and might reject the office of superior, then with all humility entreat him even against his will. And knowing the weakness of his health, do not ask of him bodily labors beyond his strength, but in every way give him repose, lest he prematurely exhaust his bodily health and there be no benefit for the brethren. For it is sufficient if he sit more in his cell, guarding his health, and read soulprofiting books, so that at the right time he might be able to give sound and soul-profiting counsel suitable for the brethren.

Likewise, in outward administrative matters also do not disdain him as one ignorant, but in every undertaking, for every work, always receive from him blessing and counsel, with all humility and assurance. And if in any matter some brother might think that there is no need to ask the Father, since "I know and am able to do it myself": this is from the enemy. But from God and the Holy Fathers this is what we have received: that in every matter, even if a brother might be very skilled in it, first he must ask the superior, and not compel him to do as he himself wishes, but leave it to the superior's judgment and will; for it befits a brother to humble his own thoughts entirely and, like the last ignoramus, come to the Father and ask whether his will and blessing is on this work, and thus to begin according to his will. And then God, seeing the brother's humility and true obedience (for without humility there is no obedience), will instruct the heart of the superior, by His Holy Spirit, to give a profitable reply and counsel, and He will aid the novice by His unseen grace in the work that has been undertaken. And if the superior should reply of his own will: Do as you know best – then, with the fear of God and trusting in the prayers of the superior, begin as God will instruct you. Having completed the obedience, whether inside or outside the monastery, or just having returned from the read, again go to the Father, and having confessed in detail what you have done, fall down at his feet begging forgiveness for whatever sins you have committed in holy obedience; for it is characteristic of Angels not to sin at all in anything. Likewise, humble yourselves before each other, and prefer the other to yourself, and have love according to God among yourselves; and may there be in you a single soul and a single heart by the Grace of Christ.

If I hear and understand that such an order prevails among you, I will rejoice and glorify the All-good God and will entreat the Lord that He may grant you, in His incalculable mercy, strength and power for the perfect keeping of His Divine commandments; and in every way, as much as I have strength, I will help you in needs of soul and body and consider your monastery as my own, according to your common desire.

To help Father Alexis in administrative governance, I am now sending two brothers, Father Matthew and Father Dionysius, who, I hope, will be of great help to the entire holy Monastery.

Having offered this to your love, with hope in your God-pleasing correction in the doing of the Lord's commandments, I remain,

Wishing your health and salvation, Hieromonk Paisius, Elder of Dragomirna

2. To Hieromonk Sophronius, Superior of the Skete of Rubai1

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1 Russian text in Chetverikov, II, pp. 44-45.


To your request to send a priest to put your community in good order, I do not know what to reply. We ourselves are at the beginning of this work and require instruction in very much. We can only tell you how, in the power of the Holy Scripture and according to the rule of the Holy Fathers, you might put your community in good order.

In the first place, it is required that the superior be wise in the Holy Scripture, that he be just, that he know how to instruct his disciples, that he have for everyone a true, unhypocritical love, that he be meek, humble, patient, free from anger and from all other passions – love of money, vainglory, love of delicacies, and so forth. The disciples for their part should be in the hands of the superior like an instrument in the hands of a master, or like clay in the hands of a potter; they should do nothing without his blessing, should have nothing of their own, but should have everything-books, bed, and the restby the blessing of their father; they should not trust their own mind, and in a word, they should be like dead men before their death, having no will or understanding of their own. Such should be the rule of true novices.

And no matter where your skete might be, it should not be in submission to any other monastery whatever, but it should be governed independently; and the brethren should be saved through their head, as the latter is saved through the Lord. And this order should be confirmed with a blessing from both sides – from the State and from the local Hierarch. In your skete no women should be allowed. Only in this way, with great labor, can you put into practice a life which is saving for you and pleasing to the Lord.

And if any of you wishes to come to dwell with us, only the Lord knows if he will be able to have such zeal so as to endure to the end the need. and poverty of our life in material things, in food, in cells, and in everything else. This is all that we can tell you from our lack of skill. But may our God and Lord Jesus Christ be for you Light and Understanding for holy salvation and eternal life.

3. To the Priest Demetrius1

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1 Slavonic text in the Optina edition of the Life of Elder Paisius, pp. 237-238; almost complete Russian translation in Chetverikov, II, pp. 53-55.


A certain married priest, a friend of the Elder's from his youth and a fellow student with him in Kiev, who kept up a correspondence with the Elder, wrote him of his desire to leave his wife and parish and become a monk. Blessed Paisius replied to him as follows:

My beloved friend, fervent doer of Christ's commandments, most reverent among priests, Father Demetrius:

Rejoice in the Lord!

I thank Christ God that you have kept unquenched the spark of Divine fire which He cast into your blessed heart in your youth, by means of the diligent doing of His soul-saving commandments. Now you wish that this spark might blaze up into the flame of His perfect love by receiving, if the Lord wills, the Angelic habit.

But there is a great obstacle before you in this matter, my beloved. For one who is married, according to St. John of the Ladder, is like one who is bound hand and foot, who even if he might wish to become a monk, cannot. In the second place: you have obliged yourself to a flock of Christ's rational sheep, which it is not safe simply to leave, just like that. In the third place: it is not at all easy to abandon the habits acquired through being so long in the world, which have all but become part of your nature, and likewise the deeplyrooted love for your wife and children, and your attachment to the world and the things of the world. Finding yourself in such conditions, how can you be freed of these bonds which are difficult to loose, and avoid these obstacles?

First of all, beloved, you must take spiritual counsel concerning this with your God-given helpmate and have her approval for this. Second, you must arrange for your children lawfully and according to God. Third, most important of all, you must ask the blessing on this holy deed of your Most Reverend Archpastor, if only the Holy Spirit will inspire his holy heart to this, and ask him for a skilled pastor for your flock after you are gone. He who sows with blessing also reaps with blessing. And thus, if this matter proceeds in an orderly way, your desire for monasticism will be according to God, firm and unwavering, deserving praise from God and men.

But even if you are able to fulfill the above-mentioned conditions and are free of every obstacle, even then you must with great discernment count your soul's possessions, and only thus begin to build the tower of monasticism, lest your undertaking be a subject for laughter and mockery, according to the Gospel, because you foolishly started the building and did not finish it; and lest this cup, which is with tears, and the bread of monasticism, which is with mustard, be for condemnation in the Day of Judgment, because of your foolishness. For no one, says St. John of the Ladder, enters the heavenly bridal chamber wearing a crown unless he has made the first and the second and the third renunciation. The first renunciation is of the world and the things of the world; the second renunciation is of the will and understanding; the third renunciation is of the vainglory which follows obedience. Of these the first is the easiest, but only to those who love God. The second requires until death ascetic exploit and labor unto blood. The third is conquered by ceaseless selfreproach. For all of these God's invisible help is present, without which one cannot do a single one of them.

Wherefore, beloved, if, God's grace helping you, you have hope, as you are able, to be freed of the above-mentioned obstacles and to renounce the world and everything in the world in truth, and to renounce likewise your own will and understanding and give yourself over in true obedience unto death according to God and God's commandments; and not to have anything at all of your own possessions, even the smallest thing, but to consider yourself as the least and last of all and to endure without faintheartedness the mental warfare which is waged ceaselessly against the slave of God by the invisible enemy of our souls; and besides this, if you can voluntarily endure unto death, with sweetness, hunger and thirst, and want of bodily necessities, and mockery and dishonor, and every kind of confinement and sorrow, which characterize the monastic life – then rejoice and be glad, glorify God, and believe undoubtingly that God by His wondrous decrees will bring into reality this your God-pleasing intention. And you will be enabled, even if in the eleventh hour of your life, to labor unto God in the Angelic habit; but have no doubt that you will receive, equally with the first ones, who have labored unto God in monasticism from youth until old age, as a reward in Heaven from the allmerciful right hand of God, the unutterable good things prepared for those who love God.

Desiring with prayer that you may be vouchsafed these things in Christ Jesus our Lord, I remain your sincere well-wisher and constant friend, the unworthy superior of the brotherhood gathered in the Name of Jesus,

March 18, 1772

Hieromonk Paisius

Coenobitic Moldovlachian Monastery of Dragomirna Sent with Father Spiridon