Feofan Prokopovich: biography, sermons, quotes, date and cause of death

2024 Author: Miguel Ramacey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 06:11

The name of Archbishop Feofan (Prokopovich) has firmly entered the history of the Russian Orthodox Church, a brief biography of which formed the basis of this article. This unusually talented and gifted person was destined for a dual role: being a champion of enlightenment and progressive reforms capable of bringing Russia to the European level of development, at the same time he did a lot to preserve and strengthen the autocracy in its most patriarchal and obsolete form. Therefore, when evaluating the activities of this church hierarch, one should take into account both its positive and negative sides.

On the path of comprehension of sciences

In the biography of Feofan Prokopovich, one can find very scarce information regarding the early years of his life. It is only known that he was born in Kyiv on June 8 (18), 1681, in a middle-class merchant family. Left an orphan at an early age, the boy was taken in by his maternal uncle, who in those years was the abbot of the Kiev Brotherhood Monastery. Thanks toto him, the future hierarch received his primary education, and then studied at the theological academy for three years.

Having successfully completed the course of study, Theophan went to Rome to replenish his knowledge within the walls of the Jesuit college of St. Athanasius, about which he had heard a lot. He achieved what he wanted, but for this he had to give up his religious convictions and, according to the conditions of admission, convert to Catholicism. This forced sacrifice was not in vain.

Homecoming

After completing his studies, the young Russian became famous in academic circles for his extraordinary erudition, well-read, as well as the ability to easily navigate the most complex philosophical and theological issues. Pope Clement XI became aware of the outstanding abilities of Feofan Prokopovich, and he offered him a place in the Vatican. However, despite all the benefits of such a prospect, the young man answered the pontiff with a polite refusal and, after traveling for two years in Europe, returned to his homeland. In Kyiv, he first of all brought proper repentance and re-converted to Orthodoxy.

From that time on, Feofan Prokopovich's extensive teaching activities began, deployed by him at the Kiev-Mohyla Theological Academy, from where he once set off on a European voyage. He was assigned to teach such disciplines as poetics, theology and rhetoric. In these areas of knowledge, the young teacher managed to make a great contribution by compiling manuals that differ in completeness.lack of scholastic techniques and clarity of presentation of the material.

The beginning of literary and social activities

Teaching poetics - the science of the origin and forms of poetic activity - he managed to expand it, covering the laws underlying all literary genres. In addition, in accordance with the tradition that prescribed teachers to create their own poetic works, Feofan wrote the tragicomedy "Vladimir", in which he extolled the victory of Christianity over paganism and ridiculed the priests, exposing them as champions of ignorance and superstition.

This essay brought Feofan Prokopovich fame as an ardent defender of education and, most importantly, a supporter of progressive reforms initiated at that time by Peter I, which did not go unnoticed and eventually bore abundant fruit. The famous article belongs to this period, some statements from which were subsequently quoted by his followers. In it, Theophanes denounces those representatives of the clergy who do not stop talking about the grace of endured suffering and see in every cheerful and he althy person a sinner doomed to eternal death.

The first sovereign favors

The next step on the way to the foot of the sovereign throne was his speech with a laudatory sermon written on the occasion of the victory of the Russian army in the Battle of Poltava, won on June 27 (July 8), 1709. After reading the text of this work, sustained in enthusiastic patriotic tones, Peter I was very pleased and ordered the author to translate it into Latin, which wasperformed with great diligence. So the young Kyiv teacher, who had recently neglected the proposal of the Roman pontiff, came to the attention of the Russian emperor.

For the first time, royal mercy poured out on Feofan Prokopovich in 1711, when the sovereign, during the Prut campaign, summoned him to his camp and, having honored an audience, appointed him rector of the Kiev-Mohyla Academy. In addition, given the young man's comprehensive knowledge of theology, the sovereign appointed him abbot of the Fraternal Monastery, where he once took monastic vows.

A fighter against remnants of the past

Feofan combined his further teaching activities with work on essays on the widest range of theological issues, but, regardless of the topics covered in them, they all were distinguished by a lively language of presentation, wit and a desire for deep scientific analysis. Despite the fact that, while studying in Rome, he was forced to follow the traditions of Catholic scholasticism, the spirit of European enlightenment largely determined his worldview. Lectures at the universities of Leipzig, Jena and Halle put him among the foremost people of his time, who unconditionally took the side of the Enlightenment philosophers Rene Descartes and Francis Bacon.

Returning to his homeland, where at that time the spirit of patriarchal stagnation still dominated, and having written his first satirical work "Vladimir", Feofan Prokopovich waged a relentless struggle against the remnants of the past, to which he attributed, in particular, the priority of church authority over secular. disputedhe and the right of the clergy to all sorts of privileges, which already in this early period of his activity made very dangerous enemies for himself. However, when it became known about the favor shown to him by the sovereign, his opponents were forced to remain silent in anticipation of a more opportune moment.

Faithful servant of the autocracy

In 1716, Peter I began preparations for a large-scale church reform and, in this regard, he surrounded himself with the most advanced people from among the higher clergy. Knowing about the mindset and outstanding abilities of Feofan Prokopovich, he summoned him to St. Petersburg, making him one of his closest assistants.

Once in the capital, Feofan showed himself not only as a talented preacher-publicist, but also as a very clever courtier, able to win the favor of the sovereign, acting in full accordance with his thoughts and beliefs. So, speaking with sermons to numerous audiences of the metropolitan public and proving in them the need for the reforms carried out by the king, he smashed from the church ambos everyone who secretly or openly tried to oppose them.

Arguments from Scripture

Especially striking was his speech, the text of which was subsequently published under the heading "A word about the power and honor of the king." It was timed to coincide with the return of the sovereign from a trip abroad and contained evidence gleaned from the Holy Scriptures that an unlimited monarchy is an indispensable condition for the prosperity of the state. In it the preacher mercilesslydenounced those church hierarchs who tried to establish the supremacy of spiritual power over secular. Feofan Prokopovich's words were like arrows, without a miss hitting everyone who dared to encroach on the priority of autocracy.

Byzantine law revived in Russia

It is quite clear that such speeches raised the Kyiv theologian even higher in the eyes of the sovereign, as evidenced by his subsequent elevation to the rank of archbishop. Feofan Prokopovich, continuing to develop the same line, became the most active propagandist of the theory, which later received the name "Caesaropapism". This term is commonly understood as the relationship between church and state established back in Byzantium, in which the emperor was not only the head of state, but also performed the functions of the highest spiritual hierarch.

Voicing the thoughts and aspirations of Peter I himself, he argued that the emperor should be not only the head of secular power, but also a pontiff, that is, a bishop placed above all other bishops. In support of his words, he stated that no one can stand above the anointed of God, who is the legitimate sovereign. The same doctrine was tirelessly propagandized by Feofan Prokopovich's academic squad, which he assembled from young and ambitious theologians of St. Petersburg.

It should be noted that during the synodal period, which lasted from 1700 to 1917, the principle of Caesaropapism was put at the basis of the ideology of the Russian Orthodox Church. So, each new member of the Holy Synod, acceptingthe oath, the text of which was compiled by Theophanes himself, swore to unconditionally recognize the emperor as the highest spiritual and secular ruler.

The Emperor's Favorite

The brief biography of Feofan Prokopovich, which is the basis of this story, is striking in the abundance of favors granted to him by the sovereign. So, in early June 1718, while in St. Petersburg, he became the bishop of Narva and Pskov, securing a place for himself as the chief tsar's adviser on religious issues. Following the fact that three years later, when Peter I established the Holy Synod, he became its vice-president, and soon the sole head, concentrating almost unlimited spiritual power in his hands. Above him was only the king.

Rising to the top of the church hierarchy, Feofan Prokopovich became one of the richest people in the capital and led a lifestyle that was in line with his position. The basis of his well-being was numerous gifts made personally by the sovereign. Among them are several villages, a vast courtyard located on the banks of the Karpovka River, and, in addition, huge sums of money regularly deducted.

Dark streak of life

This state of affairs continued until the death of Peter I, which followed in 1725. With the death of the royal patron, hard times have come for many of his former favorites. Among them was Feofan Prkopovich. Briefly describing the current situation, we should first of all mention church hierarchs - fierce haters of the theory of enlightened absolutism. All of them fiercely hated the archbishopFeofan for his policy, which supports the priority of secular power over the spiritual, but they could not wage an open struggle, fearing to incur the wrath of the sovereign.

When Peter the Great died, their party raised its head and poured out all its hatred on Feofan. Characteristically, the charges brought against him were purely political in nature and threatened with very serious complications. In an atmosphere of incessant persecution, the former royal favorite survived two short reigns: first, Catherine I, the widow of the deceased sovereign, and then his son, Peter II Alekseevich.

Russian Torquemada

Only after the accession to the throne of Anna Ioannovna Feofan managed to regain his former influence at court. This happened due to the fact that he timely led the then-formed party of middle-ranking people, whose members prevented the highest dignitaries from limiting autocratic power. Having thereby earned the recognition and boundless trust of the new empress, the wise bishop consolidated his position and now he himself persecuted his yesterday's accusers. He did this with extraordinary cruelty and led the controversy not on the pages of printed publications, but in the dungeons of the Secret Chancellery.

This period in the life of Archbishop Feofan is marked by his close cooperation with state structures engaged in political investigation. In particular, he compiled detailed instructions on the theory and practice of conducting interrogations for the employees of the Secret Chancellery. In subsequent years, many Russian historians characterized Feofan as the Russian incarnation of the Grand InquisitorTorquemada.

Refutation of former truths

The strong position at the court of Anna Ioannovna required him to formally renounce many of his previous beliefs and principles. So, declaring himself in the reign of Peter I as a fierce supporter of progressive reforms and all sorts of innovations aimed at overcoming the remnants of antiquity, he now unconditionally moved into the camp of conservatives more pleasing to her. From that time until his death, Feofan Prokopovich shamelessly justified in his public speeches the regime of lawlessness and arbitrariness established in the country, which threw Russia far back from the frontiers that it had reached thanks to the transformations of Peter the Great. If we turn to his most quoted sayings of this period, we can clearly see the same tendency to depart from the old principles.

The end of life's journey

Blessed Theophan died on September 8, 1736 in one of the premises of his farmstead, given to him once by Emperor Peter I. His last words: “O my head, full of reason, where will you bow?” also became a common quotation. The cause of death was a heart attack.

The body of the late bishop was transported to Novgorod and there, after the funeral service performed by vicar archbishop Joseph, he was buried in the tomb of St. Sophia Cathedral. Among his rich heritage, an extensive library, which included several thousand volumes of religious writings, was of particular value. By decree of the empress, she wascompletely donated to the Novgorod Theological Academy.