Empirical Theology in the Orthodox Monasteries of Mount Athos According to Saint Silouan the Athonite

 

 By Archimandrite Sophrony Sakharov

In 1932 a Roman Catholic doctor of theology, Father Chr. B., came on a visit [to Mount Athos at the Monastery of Saint Panteleimon]. He and Father V. had many a discussion about life on the Holy Mountain, and one day he asked,

"What books do your monks read?"

"St. John Climacus, St. Abba Dorotheos, Theodore the Studite, St. John Cassian, Ephraim the Syrian, Barsanuphius and John, Makarios the Great, Isaac the Syrian, Simeon the New Theologian, Nicetas Stethatos, Gregory of Sinai, Gregory Palamas, Maximus the Confessor, Hesychius, Diadochus, Nilus and other Fathers from the Philokalia," replied Father V.

Saint Sophrony of Essex Resource Page

St. Sophrony of Essex (Feast Day - July 11)

Verses

Sophronios greatly shined in his life,
Now he more than shines in the chorus of the Saints.
On the eleventh Sophronios was placed with the Spirit of God.

 

Synaxarion of our Venerable and God-Bearing Father Sophrony of Essex 

 

Elder Sophrony (Sakharov) of Essex (+ 1993) 

 

The Last Days of Elder Sophrony (+ 11 July 1993)

 

A Short Film of the Life of Saint Sophrony of Essex By and For Children

 

Saint Sophrony and the Children That Visited Him

 

The Legacy of Saint Sophrony the Hagiorite (An Interview With Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos)

 

The First Meeting of Saint Sophrony of Essex and Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos
 

Athonite Neo-Hesychast Fathers (3 of 3)

 

Contemporary Testimonies of the Vision of God on the Holy Mountain  

Archimandrite Zacharias on the Theology of St. Silouan and Elder Sophrony

 

Two Introductory Books on Modern Orthodox Spirituality Recommended by Fr. John Romanides

 

Metr. Kallistos of Diokleia on Elder Sophrony   

 

An Interview With Elder Sophrony About Saint Silouan the Athonite (1 of 4) 

 

An Interview With Elder Sophrony About Saint Silouan the Athonite (2 of 4)  

 

An Interview With Elder Sophrony About Saint Silouan the Athonite (3 of 4)

 

An Interview With Elder Sophrony About Saint Silouan the Athonite (4 of 4)

 

The Unity of Saint Silouan and Saint Sophrony (1 of 5)

 

The Unity of Saint Silouan and Saint Sophrony (2 of 5)

 

The Unity of Saint Silouan and Saint Sophrony (3 of 5)

 

The Unity of Saint Silouan and Saint Sophrony (4 of 5)

 

The Unity of Saint Silouan and Saint Sophrony (5 of 5)

 

The Mystical Journey of the Christian, Through the Desert, Towards the Resurrection and Pentecost (1 of 5)

  

The Mystical Journey of the Christian, Through the Desert, Towards the Resurrection and Pentecost (2 of 5)

 

The Mystical Journey of the Christian, Through the Desert, Towards the Resurrection and Pentecost (3 of 5)

 

The Mystical Journey of the Christian, Through the Desert, Towards the Resurrection and Pentecost (4 of 5) 

 

The Mystical Journey of the Christian, Through the Desert, Towards the Resurrection and Pentecost (5 of 5 

A Morning Prayer by Elder Sophrony of Essex

 

A Christmas Card from Elder Sophrony Saharov

 

The Incarnation as the Foundation of our Spiritual Life (Elder Sophrony) 

 

Elder Sophrony: "Every Divine Liturgy is a Theophany"

 
Elder Sophrony: The Basics of the Divine Liturgy

 

Before the New Testament, Was the Divine Liturgy

The Divine Liturgy is the Greatest Mission of the Church

 

The Light of the Transfiguration Confirms the Knowledge of God

 

Elder Sophrony on the Lowest and Loftiest Spiritual States 

 

Elder Sophrony on the Calendar Issue

 

Elder Sophrony on the Toll Houses, Hell and Paradise 

 

Elder Sophrony: "The World Does Not Need a Political Church"

 

Academic Theology is Not Enough for Salvation

 

Elder Sophrony: The Salvation of the Heterodox

 

Elder Sophrony: On Eastern Religions  

Elder Sophrony and the Union of Churches

 

Why So Few Writings By Holy Women?  

Married Life and Praying Like Ascetics

 

Elder Sophrony: 'All Humanity in a State of Accidie'

 

Saint Sophrony of Essex on Saint Seraphim of Sarov

A Prayerful Encounter Between Saint Porphyrios and Elder Sophrony

 

The Gift of Tongues is Repeated in the Lives of the Saints Till This Day (Metr. Athanasios of Limassol)

 

When Saint Nicholas Appeared to Elder Andrew of Saint Paul's on Mount Athos in 1975

 

The Appearance of Saint Nicholas to Elder Andrew in 1975 

 

Ecumenical Patriarch Announces the Canonization of Elder Sophrony of Essex

 

Elder Sophrony of Essex and Elder Hieronymos of Simonopetra Officially Canonized by the Ecumenical Patriarchate 

 

Two Chapels Dedicated to the Newly-Canonized Saints Kallinikos of Edessa and Sophrony of Essex in Nafpaktos  

 

The Unity of Saint Silouan and Saint Sophrony (2 of 5)

 ...continued from part one.

1. Striving for Knowledge of God

This book consists of the letters that Saint Sophrony sent to Father David, later known as Demetrios Balfour, and published in the appendix of the book are excerpts from his letters, as well as letters of Balfour to Saint Sophrony.

Most of the letters of Elder Sophrony to Balfour were written at the Monastery of Saint Panteleimon on the Holy Mountain, when he was a hierodeacon and very close to Saint Silouan, while some of them were written in the wilderness of the Holy Mountain, one in France and two in England.

These letters express the whole fire of repentance and the light of divine vision that occupied him at that time, as well as his close communication with Saint Silouan, since he was seen as a mediator between them.

The Unity of Saint Silouan and Saint Sophrony (1 of 5)

 By Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos and Agiou Vlasiou

Saint Silouan the Athonite is celebrated today (September 24), that great empirical theologian of our Church, whose writings I can emphasize are similar to the texts of the Prophets, the Apostles and the Saints, all of whom had empirical knowledge of God, and were formulated with simplicity, which makes them admirable.

We met Saint Silouan from the book written by his fellow-ascetic and his son according to the Spirit, Saint Sophrony, otherwise he would have remained unknown, as many saints have remained unknown through the ages.

The Mystical Journey of the Christian, Through the Desert, Towards the Resurrection and Pentecost (5 of 5)

...continued from part four.

8. "Grace and Consequent Dogmatic Consciousness"

The ascetic after a great struggle against the passions, but also from the coming and the hiding of divine Grace, acquires the so-called "dogmatic consciousness". As is understood from the above, "dogmatic consciousness" is not a mental knowledge of the doctrines of faith, but an inner spiritual experience that God offers in the heart of man.

The Orthodox monk feels that Divine Grace, from a theological point of view, "is God's good gift, or a gift of God's goodness - the uncreated supra-human and meta-cosmic energy of Divinity." "When it is God’s good pleasure to unite with the human being, man perceives within himself the action of a Divine force which transfigures him and makes him no longer just potentially godlike—in the image of God—but actually godlike in likeness of being.​ The grace that is Divinity hallows man, divinizes him, makes him into a god."

On the Love of Enemies According to Saint Silouan

 

By Jean-Claude Larchet

ALTHOUGH IT IS natural and usual to love those who love us and to do good to those who do good to us (Mat.t 5:46-47; Luke 6:32-33), to love our enemies is distasteful to our nature. One can say that it isn’t in our power but is an attitude that can only be the fruit of grace, given by the Holy Spirit. This is why St. Silouan the Athonite writes, “The soul that has not known the Holy Spirit does not understand how one can love one’s enemies, and does not accept it.”

The starets repeatedly says that love of enemies is impossible without grace. “Lord, You have given the commandment to love enemies, but this is difficult for us sinners if Your grace is not with us…. Without God’s grace we cannot love our enemies…. He who has not learned to love from the Holy Spirit, will certainly not pray for his enemies.” On the contrary, St. Silouan always taught that this attitude is a gift of the Holy Spirit: “The Lord has commanded us to love our enemies, and the Holy Spirit reveals this love to us…. When you will love your enemies, know that a great divine grace will be living in you.”

The Mill and Monastic Cell of Saint Silouan the Athonite

St. Silouan working in the mill

 

 

In his book, St. Silouan the Athonite (1991), Elder Sophrony (Sakharov), the disciple of Saint Silouan, writes of the Saint’s time in the mill of Saint Panteleimon Monastery on the Holy Mountain, where he also devoted himself entirely to prayer (p. 25):

His first “obedience” was to work in the Monastery mill. Those were flourishing days for Russian monasticism on Mount Athos. Saint Panteleimon had expanded until it stood like a small city in the surrounding “desert.” The number of brethren rose to almost two thousand, and from Russia visitors and worshippers came in their hundreds, many of them making a long stay in the Monastery’s large hostelries. All this kept the mill extremely busy. Yet Brother Simeon [St. Silouan’s name before monastic tonsure], who slept so little and ate so sparingly, who ceaselessly devoted himself to ardent prayer, shedding abundant and at times despairing tears, punctually performed the hard work he had been set, each day lifting and transporting a heavy weight of sacks of flour.

The Birthplace of Saint Silouan the Athonite

 

Simeon Ivanovich Antonov was born on January 17, 1866 in the village of Sovskin in the Tambov province of Russia. There he lived as one of seven children in a rural family, working from a young age in the fields, and receiving little formal schooling - two winter terms at the village primary school - which is why his spiritual child Saint Sophrony referred to him as being "illiterate" or "semi-literate". Despite this, he was still very smart and quick to grasp ideas and information.

 

At four years of age the word of a peddler - "Where is this God of yours, then?" - had troubled his previously undoubting faith in God. Though his father insisted the peddler was speaking as a fool, it took fifteen years before again he felt wholeheartedly that God exists and is alive. When he was nineteen and a carpenter, a pilgrim was telling the estate workers about Saint John Sezenov, whose tomb she had venerated. Hearing about the Saint's miracles and wonderworking relics made Simeon reflect: "If he was a holy man, then it means that God is here with us, so there is no point in me going off to search for him." This indicates that Simeon all those years was wondering where he could find God. With his new found reassurance, prayer was ignited in him and he began to feel drawn towards monasticism.

The Russian Monk Who Drank Tea and Vodka Daily with Saint Silouan the Athonite

In a recorded talk (see video below), Metropolitan Athanasios of Limassol spoke about his first trip to Mount Athos with other young people, fellow students, when he went to visit with the great holy elders of the Holy Mountain at that time, especially Elder Ephraim of Katounakia and Elder Paisios. Those who were with him spoke about how they were miracle workers, shining with light, who had the ability to prophecy, read your thoughts and expose your sins. He thought he was going to see some larger than life figures, awesome to behold. But when he met them and saw they were simple people like himself, he was somewhat scandalized for a moment. He said: "This is the great Paisios? Who has only one blanket to sleep with? Who walks in a crooked manner, due to his asceticism? He jokes around, he gives us food to eat. We ask him one question and he responds with a different topic. This is the great saint that is spoken about. Strange indeed."

Beware These Two Thoughts and Fear Them (St. Silouan the Athonite)

By Saint Silouan the Athonite

Beware these two thoughts, and fear them. The first suggests 'You are a saint;' the other, 'You will not be saved.' Both come from the enemy, and there is no truth in them. Instead, think to yourself, 'I am a great sinner, but the Lord is merciful. He loves man with a great love, and will forgive me my sins.'

On the Love of Enemies: The Teaching of St. Silouan

By Jean-Claude Larchet

Although it is natural and usual to love those who love us and to do good to those who do good to us (Mt 5:46-47; Lk 6:32-33), to love our enemies is distasteful to our nature. One can say that it isn’t in our power but is an attitude that can only be the fruit of grace, given by the Holy Spirit. This is why St. Silouan the Athonite writes, "The soul that has not known the Holy Spirit does not understand how one can love one’s enemies, and does not accept it."

The Relevance of Saint Silouan's Teaching for Today

By Harry Boosalis

Within the lives of many throughout the Western world today, there is a significant increase of interest in spiritual life. Many people are seeking a personal experience of the grace of God. They desire a tangible and dynamic experience of His presence within their daily lives. Furthermore, many today are trying to satisfy this inner need through a variety of methods and means.

The recent growth of the various pseudo-Christian cults and other such religious sects bears witness to this shift in attitudes. The steady interest in 'spirituality', whether from the Near, Middle or Far East, is also another indication of the spiritual thirst of contemporary man. Another clear manifestation of this inner human need with completely negative results is the rising popularity of satanic and occult practices, as well as the neo-pagan rituals and other such ceremonies of New Age religious movements. Add to this the tremendous interest today of anything even remotely connected with the world of psychic phenomena, and the need for communion with God becomes most obvious. At times it seems as if modern man is searching frantically for God.

This widespread search for spiritual life, no matter how flawed or misguided, reveals the fact that an innate desire for participation in divine life is basic to the human being. Indeed, this is exactly the reason why man was created. Life in communion with God is man's natural orientation. When this spiritual need is not satisfied through conventional means, then its fulfillment is sought elsewhere.

A Homily on Saint Silouan the Athonite (Metr. Anthony of Sourozh)

An Interview With Elder Sophrony About Saint Silouan the Athonite (4 of 4)

The Church of Saint Silouan the Athonite in Essex, England, built by Elder Sophrony.

...continued from part three.

Being confronted for years with a man like Saint Silouan, who brought within him "both God and humanity", as you said, must open uncommon perspectives. And some of the meetings with him must have been very enlightening.

Elder Sophrony: I had questions deep within me that turned into puzzlement and I presented them to him and he helped me more than anyone in answering them. Three times a day in the prayers of the Church we ask that God would grant "this day" or "this evening to be kept without sin". So I asked him:

"How, while living in this world, which is hopelessly dynamic and steeped in despair, can we live without sinning? How can we avoid sin?"

I also asked him other questions, like:

"How can we be sure that the spirit that acts in us is the Holy Spirit who proceeds from the Father?"

"What condition of the spirit shows us that we are truly the image of the Living God?"

An Interview With Elder Sophrony About Saint Silouan the Athonite (3 of 4)

...continued from part two.

Would you like to speak to us about your relationship with Saint Silouan? When and how did it begin?

Elder Sophrony: I had regular contact with him for about eight years, until his death in 1938. Before, I always nurtured respect for him, but I never approached him. Our first true meeting took place on Pascha in 1931. On the second day of Pascha I received into my small cell in the Monastery the monk Vladimir, an educated man, an engineer, who lived in the wilderness. Our conversation was quite merry and this is what he told me: "Fr. Sophrony, tell me, how can someone be saved?" At that moment I had brought hot water into my cell and I offered him tea as if I was serving an ambassador, and I told him: "Hold on to the brink of despair, and when it passes, and you have no more strength, retire and have a cup of tea." I said this without really understanding it. But when he left me he went to visit Elder Silouan. I don't know what they said. The next day, the third day of Pascha, an incident occurred that was the beginning of my relationship with the Elder. I descended from the large building to the courtyard of the Monastery when the Elder entered the door. I always had a feeling of reverence for him, and out of deep respect for him I made room for him to pass, but he came directly to me and said:

An Interview With Elder Sophrony About Saint Silouan the Athonite (2 of 4)

...continued from part one.

Until now, the simplicity and humility of Silouan concealed his holiness from the eyes of most. But some, like you did for a few years, had contact with him, and went and visited him. Did he have a certain reputation since the time he was alive?

Elder Sophrony: Not very much. There were many monks among the Serbs in Hilandari and others, theologians, even bishops who liked to talk with him. He maintained a correspondence, he had several letters. I describe one or two cases in my book. And also about his insight, which is mentioned in the Act of his canonization among the saints. I want to add even that Bishop Nikolai (Velimirovich) the Serb wrote concerning him in his obituary.

An Interview With Elder Sophrony About Saint Silouan the Athonite (1 of 4)

Elder Sophrony (standing) with Saint Silouan (sitting)

Elder Sophrony (+ 1993) considered it his greatest blessing from God for having met and come to know Saint Silouan (+ 1938). In the interview below, which was done it seems shortly after the canonization of Saint Silouan, the theologian of the uncreated light, Elder Sophrony, analyzes with unique depth and clarity the central points of the teachings of Saint Silouan.

Elder Sophrony: As one Greek theologian writes, we are accustomed to praying to Saint Silouan as a saint, but this official Act of the Church, of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, now gives us the ability to do this not only with our hearts and in secret, but openly and publicly.

Fr. George Florovsky on St. Silouan the Athonite

St. Silouan the Athonite

Below is Fr. George Florovsky's preface to Elder Sophrony's book on St. Silouan titled The Undistorted Image, and was written in 1958, while Fr. George served as a Professor at Harvard Divinity School and Holy Cross School of Theology. Fr. Florovsky had personally known St. Silouan on Mount Athos and his photograph had hung in his study (Andrew Blane, Georges Florovsky: Russian Intellectual and Orthodox Churchman, p. 298.).

The Cave Chapel of Saint Silouan the Athonite in Meteora

Below the Monastery of Saint Nicholas Anapavsa in Meteora, in a natural cave, can be found the Chapel of Saint Silouan the Athonite, which was established by Archimandrite Polycarpos Venetis, current Abbot of the Monastery of Saint Nicholas. On the feast of St. Silouan on September 24th, an all-night vigil takes place here to celebrate his memory.

St. Silouan Narrates Two Miraculous Interventions of St. Nicholas

By St. Silouan the Athonite

The Saints hear our prayers, and they have received the power from God to help us. This is known to the entire generation of Christians.

Fr. Romanos told me that when he was a boy he had to cross the Don River in winter. Unexpectedly, his horse fell through the ice and was just about to go under, dragging the sled with it. He was a little boy at the time, and he cried at the top of his voice: “St. Nicholas, help me pull the horse out!” And he tugged at the bridle and pulled the horse and sled out from under the ice.