Archpriest Igor Kobelev. Igor Kobelev is a priest, poet, journalist...a graduate of our school. Preface. An Orthodox poem that has conquered time

Clergy of the Smolensk Cathedral, working and singing

Clergy of the Smolensk Cathedral 2012

RECENT OF THE CATHEDRAL

ARCHPRIEST
PAVEL WEINGOLD

Born on June 20, 1957 in the city of Frunze, Kirghiz SSR, he graduated from high school there and entered the Kyrgyz State University at the Faculty of History, then continued his education at Moscow State University. M.V. Lomonosov, where he graduated from the Faculty of Philosophy and graduate school under him. Served in the navy. He received his theological education at Kursk and Belgorod (with a missionary orientation) seminaries, as well as at the Kyiv Theological Academy, from which he graduated with a candidate of theology degree. For a number of years, he worked as an assistant professor at the departments and faculties of Belgorod State University and Belgorod State University of Consumer Cooperation. He has scientific works and publications in the field of liturgical theology, Orthodox pedagogy, media theory, etc. At the Belgorod Theological Seminary (with a missionary orientation) he teaches courses in Religious Studies, Introduction to Philosophy and History of Philosophy (foreign and Russian). Teaches “Fundamentals and Values of Orthodoxy” at the Construction College of Belgorod.
He is the author and presenter of Orthodox programs on radio "Spectrum", FM radio station "RSN", from May 2006 to August 2007, the daily program "Peace be with you!" on TV "White City". For 10 years, together with Starikov V.A. he created more than 100 episodes of the program “The Way, Truth and Life” on BTV.
With the blessing of His Eminence John, Archbishop of Belgorod and Stary Oskol, he advised several films that became laureates of All-Russian and international Orthodox competitions. He was a consultant for a number of successful artistic and dramatic productions reflecting the problems of spiritual life. He is the rector of the house church and the bishop's courtyard in the name of St. blgv. Prince Alexander Nevsky at military unit 27898 and a military priest, has a Cossack rank. In connection with his duties as a military priest, he went on business trips several times to perform divine services outside the Diocese.
His responsibilities include taking care of the Sunday School of the Smolensk Cathedral. In the priesthood since August 1992, rector of the Smolensk Cathedral - since 1994. Awarded the orders: St. Innocent, “For Faith and Fidelity”, “For Services to the Cossacks”; medals: Peter the Great, St. Blessed Prince Alexander Nevsky, St. Seraphim of Sarov, St. Joasaph of Belgorod, medal of the Order “For Merit to the Cossacks”, “For Merit to the Land of Belgorod” and many others.

Married, has two daughters and two grandchildren.

Archpriest VITALY KONSTANTINOV

Born in 1980

After graduating from school in 1997, he entered the Belgorod Orthodox Theological Seminary (with a missionary orientation).

In his fourth year he got married, a year later he was ordained as a deacon, and on September 17, 2002 he was ordained to the rank of priest. On April 12, 2014, he was elevated to the rank of archpriest.

The family has two daughters, Masha and Natasha, and a son, Leonid.

Archpriest ALEXANDER PETRENKO

Petrenko Alexander Viktorovich, born September 27, 1975.
Graduated from Donetsk Technical University, Faculty of Computer Information Technologies and Informatics.
Soon after graduating from the Donetsk Technical University, with the blessing of Schema-Archimandrite Zosima Sokur, the founder of the Holy Dormition St. Nicholas Monastery, he entered the Belgorod Orthodox Theological Seminary (with a missionary orientation), and also graduated from the Moscow Theological Academy.
He was ordained to the priesthood on September 27, 2003. In April 2016, he was elevated to the rank of archpriest.

Since July 2011 - cleric of the Smolensk Cathedral in Belgorod.
Married, 8 children.

Archpriest IGOR KOBELEV

Igor Viktorovich Kobelev, born on April 20, 1969 in the village of Kshensky, Kursk region. In 1986, after graduating from high school, he entered the Faculty of Journalism of Voronezh State University, from which he graduated in 1993 (he served in the army from 1987 to 1989).In 1994 he was ordained to the priesthood.In 1999 he graduated from the correspondence department of the Belgorod Orthodox Theological Seminary (with a missionary orientation).He served as rector of the Trinity Church. Zhuravka (1994 - 1995), St. Nicholas Church. Vyazovoe (1995 -1996) Prokhorovsky district, Belgorod region, cleric of the St. Nicholas Cathedral in Belgorod (1996-2015). Since September 2015 - cleric of the Smolensk Cathedral.Participant of missionary expeditions: to the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, the Republics of Karelia and Kalmykia, along Eastern Siberia and the Baikal-Amur Mainline, to Kamchatka. Awarded the Order of St. Innocent, Metropolitan of Moscow and Kolomna III degree, member of the Union of Journalists and the Union of Writers of Russia. Laureate of the All-Russian Literary Prize "Prokhorovskoe Pole" 2012.

JEREY THEODOR SHUMSKYKH

Fedor Dmitrievich Shumskikh, born on November 24, 1973 in the village. Zolochiv, Kharkov region. In 1991 he graduated from high school and in the same year he entered the Moscow Theological Seminary. From 1991 to 1994 served in the Russian army. After graduating from the seminary in 1996, he got married in 1997.
On January 8, 1998, he was ordained to the rank of deacon, and on September 12, 2000, to the rank of priest.
Since April 2012 - cleric of the Smolensk Cathedral.

Married, 6 children.

DEACON OLEG OBZHIGAILOV

Obzhigailov Oleg Vladimirovich was born on June 7, 1976 in the city of Siauliai, Lithuania. He was brought up in the family of an Orthodox priest.
In 1984 he entered a secondary school, graduating from 11 classes in 1994 in the village of Averino, Gubkinsky district, Belgorod region.
On January 23, 1995, he was drafted into the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation and served in the peacekeeping forces. On April 17, 1996 he was transferred to the reserve.
In 2001, he entered the Belgorod Orthodox Theological Seminary (with a missionary orientation), which he graduated in 2006.
On January 18, 2006, he was ordained to the rank of deacon. On February 13, 2012, he was appointed to the position of deacon of the Smolensk Cathedral.
Married, 2 children.

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Municipal state educational institution

"Soviet secondary school No. 2

Sovetsky district of Kursk region

Subject:

“Igor Kobelev is a priest, poet, journalist...a graduate of our school”

Pozdnyakova Olga Dmitrievna,

geography teacher

MKOU "Soviet secondary school No. 2

named after Hero of the Soviet Union Ivan Dmitrievich Zanin"

Smt. Kshensky-2015

1. Introduction

2. Stages of Igor Kobelev’s life path. Biographical sketch.

3. And how it all began... They tell about Igor Kobelev:

a) sister Natasha;

b) classmates (“He was a little different from everyone else”);

c) teacher of Podkolzin’s home school E.A. and Pozdnyakova O.D.;

d) Tkachenko V.D., friend, mentor;

e) Polunina O.V., journalist, correspondent for the newspaper “Niva” (“Poems are like a prayer”).

4. Missionary activity of Father Igor.

5. People think about the work of Igor Kobelev:

a) Archbishop John of Belgorod and Stary Oskol

b) Molchanov I.V., head of the Belgorod writers' organization;

c) Giryavenko A.M., researcher at the literary museum;

6. Honorable mission.

7. “I preach in verse.” The main themes of Igor Kobelev’s work.

a) Holy song;

b) We are commanded to protect the world;

c) To remember...;

d) I sing about the Motherland;

e) Meadow kshen, Field kshen;

f) Dedication to great writers and poets;

g) Army everyday life;

h) Pictures of native nature;

8.Meeting at home school

9. Participation in celebrations dedicated to the 50th anniversary of the Kshen Children's Art School.

10. Conclusion.

Introduction.

In February 2011, I found myself at a traditional evening of school friends. Among the graduates of 1986, priest Igor Kobelev attracted my attention. He was dressed in a special way, greeted those present very heartfeltly and read his poems. Later, during class, I became acquainted with the life and work of this amazing man. I was fascinated by this, and I took up search and research work.

Its purpose and objectives: compile a chronicle of the life and activities of my fellow countryman, obtain valuable information about memorable events from Igor Viktorovich and his relatives and friends, show his contribution to the spiritual formation of the younger generation, convey the word of the priest and poet to a wide audience of schoolchildren.

Hypothesis: I would like to show that a man from the outback, from a simple working-class family, devoted himself to the holy service of the Fatherland, to “Acquiring the Holy Spirit,” was able to achieve significant success in writing, and why this man’s experience is important for us.

I did a lot of work: I called and met with Igor Viktorovich, collected and read his books, publications about him in newspapers, found his relatives, teachers, classmates, friends. They told me about my fellow countryman and opened up interesting pages of his life for me.

I consider my work relevant: after all, I am talking about a person who is both a priest and a poet, smart and sensitive to the reality around him. He is a person of a high level of moral integrity, very responsible in his thoughts and actions, he serves God and Russia , to the Russian people. He is a great patriot of his country, an example for the younger generation. He writes about this in his poem “Responsibility” (1990)

Responsibility.

I am responsible for everything I wrote,

Before the Lord and your conscience.

For everything that I abandoned without finishing

And just “put it off until better days”

For the benefit of words not spoken out loud,

And the uselessness of shouted phrases,

For idiotic laughter and fear,

Hidden from human eyes more than once,

For fuss over all sorts of trifles,

For the created appearance of labor

And for submission to strong fools,

Knowing neither honor nor shame,

For whispering where I should have shouted,

For boasting, for “lines for the sake of lines” -

You will have to answer for everything, for everything.

The older I get, the closer the terrible deadline is. 1990.

Both as a priest and as a poet, he helps people take the path of spiritual enrichment, understand their problems, thoughts, and actions.

“And our word is not at all for glory,

And to make people’s lives better.”

Stages of the life path of Igor Kobelev. Biographical sketch.

Igor Kobelev was born on April 20, 1969 in the village of Kshensky, Kursk region. In 1986, after graduating from high school, he entered the Faculty of Journalism at Voronezh State University, from which he graduated in 1993 (he served in the army from 1987 to 1989). In 1994 he was ordained a priest of the Russian Orthodox Church. He served as rector of the Trinity Church. Zhuravka (1994 - 1995), St. Nicholas Church. Vyazovoe (1995 -1996) Prokhorovsky district, Belgorod region. From November 1996 to the present - cleric of the St. Nicholas Cathedral in Belgorod, head of the press service of the Belgorod and Stary Oskol diocese. In 1999, he graduated in absentia from the Belgorod Orthodox Theological Seminary (with a missionary orientation).
Participant of missionary expeditions to the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug (2000), the Republic of Karelia (2001), the Republic of Kalmykia (1999, 2000), along Eastern Siberia and the Baikal-Amur Mainline (2001), to Kamchatka (2005 .). For diligent service to the Church, through the intercession of His Eminence John, Archbishop of Belgorod and Stary Oskol, by the Decree of His Holiness Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Alexy 11, he was awarded the Order of St. Innocent, Metropolitan of Moscow and Kolomna, 111th degree in 2002. For Easter 2008, through the petition of His Eminence John, Archbishop of Belgorod and Stary Oskol, by the Decree of His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Rus', Archpriest Igor Kobelev was awarded the club.
He has been involved in journalism and poetic creativity since 1982. Poems and journalistic works were published in district, city and regional newspapers of Kursk, Voronezh, Belgorod, Moscow, in the literary and artistic almanacs "Noon" (Kursk, 1991), "Svetoch" (Belgorod, 2000), magazines "Our Contemporary" (Moscow, 2002), "All-Russian People's Council" (St. Petersburg, 2006), "Roman Magazine XXI Century" ( Moscow, 2008).
The first collection of poems - "Faith, Hope, Love" - was published in 1999 by the publishing house of the Belgorod State University of Consumer Cooperation. The second collection - "On the Earthly Wandering" - was published by the publishing house "Peasant Business" (Belgorod) in 2004. In 2002, the publishing house "Peasant Business" in Belgorod published the poem by St. Joasaph, Bishop of Belgorod, miracle worker, "The War of the Honest Seven Virtues" with the seven mortal sins", a modern poetic translation of which from Church Slavonic was made by priest Igor Kobelev. In 2005, the second, anniversary (on the 300th anniversary of the birth of St. Joasaph) edition of the poem with a parallel translation and a book for children were published in Belgorod "Saint of Belgorod" with parallel Russian and Church Slavonic texts, the author of which is Archpriest Igor Kobelev (elevated to the rank of Archpriest in 2004). In 2005, Archpriest

Igor Kobelev, together with directors Igor and Maria Bogachev, created the literary and musical composition “Angel of St. Belogorye,” dedicated to the 300th anniversary of the birth of St. Joasaph. It was published in the magazine "Missionary Review" (2005, No. 5). Performances of the composition took place throughout the year in Belgorod, as well as in regional centers of the Belgorod region.
Archpriest Igor Kobelev is a member of the Union of Journalists (since 2002) and the Union of Writers of Russia (since 2005).

Nikolo - Joasaph Cathedral in Belgorod.

Serves as a cleric.

Holy Trinity Monastery with. Kholki, Belgorod region.

Currently here on a business trip.

And how it all began...

People who know him talk about Igor Kobelev.

Sister Natasha.

Igor is 3 years older than me. This is a real big brother. He will always help with advice, tell you what to do in a life situation, you can listen to him and listen to him. He studied very well at school, helped me with mathematics and writing essays. I heard his first poems when he was in the 6th grade, he captivated me with this gift. As he himself said, at first it was simply an unconscious craving for the lyrical, for everything beautiful. Gradually, this feeling began to develop into a daily need to write about everything that excites and worries. And then poetry for him became a kind of “change” of the soul, he wrote about what was painful, what he wanted to “throw out” out. Igor lived more with his grandparents, respected them, and always helped with the housework.

Igor dedicated a poem to his home. It was published in the educational newspaper of the Faculty of Journalism of VSU “Journalist”.

Six poplars and a maple,

Along the building there is a thread of fencing -

From unknown times

Regular landings.

Six poplars in a crowd,

And the maple is a little to the side

Crowding over me

At the sidewalk edge.

But in my memory

There's plenty of room for them.

Behind a string of days

The milestones of childhood have not been erased.

By the poplars, careening,

Our old house was huddled.

Mom was born here

This is where I was later born...

Six poplars and a maple!

There are no gaps in memory.

Under the shadow of your crowns

I took my first step.

The cherished path

Green was leaving the world.

And they touched me

By the shoulders, by the cowlicks

Other poplars,

Birches, maples, willows...

But no, no for me

Since then the path has been sweeter

Paths near the fence

Along a small alley.

Classmates - Sergey Lykov, Galina Reunova, Marina Terskikh.

Igor and I studied for 10 years. He amazed us with his excellent knowledge of the school curriculum, deep answers in lessons and activity, philosophical reasoning, and a special, reverent attitude towards life. He seemed to us “not like everyone else,” he did everything right, never violated discipline, and urged his classmates to be tolerant and restrained.

Igor lived more in his inner world. And later we found out that he dedicated poems to his classmates - serious and humorous.

At the graduation party, he beamed with happiness that he received a silver medal for special academic achievements. We are always glad to meet him and follow his activities and creativity.

Bonfire

School friends

A friendly flame calls from the darkness,

The fire crackles and the light dances in the glare...

In simple, sincere words

In the evening hour our close circle is warmed.

My friends, in joy and anxiety

The school year is coming to an end...

The time will come for us and many to part,

Perhaps I will never see...

But I believe: we will give back one day

A tribute to the days of the golden age.

Let the gray hairs from the years of childhood in everyone's heart

The bright fires of friendship do not go out!

Podkolzina Eleonora Aleksandrovna, teacher of Russian language and literature.

Igor Kobelev is a graduate of the Moscow Municipal Educational Institution “Soviet Secondary School No. 2”. He studied there from the first grade. He was and remains the pride of the school. Igor studied with excellent marks. Polite, modest, disciplined, with a hidden sparkle in his eyes, very efficient. Everyone knows him like that. In the sixth grade, the gift of a poet awakened in him. He started writing poetry. They were published on the pages of the Niva newspaper. Day by day they became more and more perfect. Here is one of them, dated June 13, 1982.

Morning by the river.

The east is dawning red, the sun is caressing the distance again...

Long shadows fell from the trees above the river.

The nightingale trills through the bushes, in the dewy grass...

Aground near the reeds, the fish splashes sparklingly.

Early morning rises over the fields, over the river,

And my soul sings: “Father’s land, I’m proud of you!”

Poems began to appear frequently in print. His talent was noticed by the correspondent of the regional newspaper “Niva” Tkachenko V.D., local poetess Polunina O.V. Where does this talent come from for a simple boy? Someone said he was kissed by God.

Igor was a gifted student, with enormous creative abilities, very responsible, inquisitive, and well-read. It was very easy for him to write essays, which were distinguished by high literacy, independent judgment, and depth of thought. He is very efficient. I always did everything on time. I always invited him to participate in creative competitions. So in 1985, on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the Victory, an essay competition about the Great Patriotic War was announced. Igor wrote it in verse, giving the title “We will extinguish the fierce flame of Mars.” He took first place in the regional competition, his essay was read on Kursk Radio. As a reward, he received a ticket to the Eaglet camp. There he met with equally talented children, wrote the poem “Songs of Friendship”, and his peer set it to music, and it became the anthem of the camp, and is still performed today. Here it is:

The Caucasus is drowned in fog, the sea is splashing... Let's go,

In a tight circle, we’ll form little eaglets and sing songs of friendship.

Without grins and without laughter they pour, pour into the open space...

They are picked up by echoes on the tops of nearby mountains.

These songs contain the heat of sunset and the darkening distance.

These songs contain us guys, our joy and sadness...

We will sing songs to the breeze again at dawn.

Let the whole planet hear that “Eaglet” is twenty-five.

I remember his senior graduation essay and the presentation of his certificate. I felt an indescribable joy when Igor entered the Faculty of Journalism at VSU and became an excellent student. Igor maintained constant contact with me: he wrote letters, greeting cards, came and brought poems, newspapers in which he published, collections of poems. To this day, I keep the handwritten notebook as the most expensive gift. He gave it to me when he was in 10th grade. I keep a general notebook with a handwritten translation of “The Tale of Igor’s Campaign”, printed sheets with poems sent from the army. The last meeting with Igor was in 2011. He came to the evening meeting with graduates. Their release is 25 years old. I closely follow his work and missionary work on the Internet. During my school years, the main themes of poems were war and peace, Motherland, native nature, friends. He dedicated a lot of poems to poets: A. Pushkin, M. Lermontov, N. Rubtsov, S. Yesenin. For the 60th anniversary of our Kursk writer, he wrote a poem “We look up to you.” I read it at a meeting of writers at the Teacher Training Institute.

One of the first poems by Igor Kobelev is “Birch”.

This notebook with Igor’s first poems is kept by Eleonora Alexandrovna.

The book was presented to beloved teachers.

Pozdnyakova Olga Dmitrievna, geography teacher

I have been working at school for 33 years, I really love my subject and my job. It seemed to me that geography was Igor Kobelev’s favorite school subject. The question was asked and his hand immediately rose up. What a pity that he was not alone in the class, but he had to ask other students. All teachers had the same opinion about Igor; for everyone he was the best student and treated all subjects with respect. I remember how at the graduation ceremony he proudly raised his hand with a special certificate and a silver medal. I have kept newspapers with his poems for many years and read them to schoolchildren. I get acquainted with his new poems in collections. I'm proud of my student. And I think that geographical knowledge was useful to Igor in his missionary work, because he visited many corners of our vast homeland and shared his impressions in poetry.

Peace, honor - everything in the world is relative.

This is the law of earthly nature.

The origins of our knowledge are the work of the teacher.

These are absolutely true words!

Vyacheslav Dmitrievich Tkachenko worked as the executive secretary of the regional newspaper “Niva”.

I met Igor when he was in high school, he came to study with me in the “Luch” photo club. Here he read his poems, I selected them, gave some advice, and published them in our newspaper. I said that it is not difficult to rhyme words, it is important to create an image. Igor became a cadet. His poems began to be often published on the pages of the regional newspaper. It was no coincidence that Igor became a priest. There were three moments in his life when his life hung by a thread. The first time he was beaten in a park in Voronezh, the second time he had an accident while serving in the army, the third time he was beaten and robbed after successfully participating in the “Field of Miracles” program in 1993. By the grace of God he remained alive. As a token of gratitude, he promised to devote all his abilities to serving God.

Dedicated to a member of the Union of Journalists of Russia

Vyacheslav Dmitrievich Tkachenko

My poems have not yet been spoken,

But the day will come - they will sound like this,

So that, hearing them, people's hearts beat

They knock harder and more often than always.

But even if that day does not come,

I'm happy with what the world has

A friend who won’t judge you for the first mistake

And if successful, it won’t flood

I feel poisonous flattery in my soul...

I don't need to be afraid of death anymore

And vile slanderous rumors...

I'm happy with what I have in this world

The teacher of my muse is you.

Oksana Vladimirovna Polunina, member of the Union of Journalists, correspondent for the Niva newspaper.

“Poems are like prayers...”

The first time I heard the name Igor Kobelev was while still at school, when my dad brought me a clipping from our regional newspaper (then it was still called “For Communist Labor”), where, among various poetic works, the poem “Lilacs are blooming in the cemeteries of Russia” was listed. I remember how these lines shocked me, a girl, to the depths of my soul - with their frankness and tragedy, through which a real masterful style clearly emerged! Ten years have passed since that moment - and now, by the will of fate, in 1994, I myself found myself within the walls of the Kshenskaya editorial office as a literary employee. It was here that my now close acquaintance with I.V. took place. Kobelev - just Igor, as I always called him, because we are almost the same age, and the internal spiritual connection that I immediately felt during our communication gave me such a right. Over time, my communication with this interesting, in many ways extraordinary person grew into friendship. And yet, I admit, it was not easy for me to talk with Igor: sometimes he was withdrawn, seemed inaccessible, sometimes - meticulously strict, like an older comrade or teacher... But all this quickly paid off with his disarming, somehow affectionate -a childish smile and a quiet, soft voice. Of course, years later, when he was already, one might say, an experienced priest, famous in missionary circles in Russia, a distance between us in communication still appeared and I began to address him as “Father Igor...”, although this did not have any effect to the essence of our relationship. I sincerely want the residents of the Sovetsky district, adults and youth, since we are fellow countrymen of Igor Viktorovich, to know his work and turn to him more often, because the lines of this poet are rather not poetry at all, but a high, pure and hard-won prayer, embedded into the mouth of one of us... And now on my desk in front of me is a modest volume of poetry, which I always open when my soul gets sick and tired... And I treat it with Igor’s poems:

“My Holy Motherland!

Hearing the echo of a distant battle,

Poems are like prayers

On your altar I lay..."

Missionary activity of Father Igor.

The main activity of the Missionary Department is the organization of expeditions to remote areas of our country, the creation of missionary parishes and camps. Igor Kobelev is an active participant in the Missionary Department. With the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Alexy of Moscow and All Rus', the staff of the Missionary Department, teachers and students of the Belgorod Theological Seminary in 1997–2006 organized and conducted missionary expeditions to Yakutia (1997, 1998, 1999), to the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug (July 2000) , Arkhangelsk region (first route of the temple-carriage in honor of the Smolensk Icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary “Hodegetria”, October 2000), in the Southern Urals and Central Siberia (second route of the temple-carriage, November 2000), to the Republic of Karelia (third route of the temple-carriage , March 2001), along Eastern Siberia and the Baikal-Amur Mainline (fourth route of the temple-car, September 2001), to Kalmykia (with the participation of the temple-car in the name of the Archangel Michael, March-April 2004), to the Kamchatka region (as part of the celebration of the 300th anniversary of Orthodoxy in Kamchatka, October 2005). In the Abakan, Kamchatka, Magadan, South Sakhalin and Kuril, Yakut dioceses, missionary camps were created, where clergy and graduates of the Belgorod Theological Seminary perform divine services, sacraments and rituals of the Orthodox Church , conduct spiritual and educational events. The temple-car in the name of the Archangel Michael traveled to remote settlements of the region, where services were held and spiritual and educational meetings were held with the population. In the Far East, Igor Kobelev baptized more than 3 thousand people. He is happy that he is involved in people gaining faith. His Holiness Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Alexy awarded him a silver cross for his missionary work.

On a missionary journey.

The wheels rattle, and, open to all winds,

A fast train rushes across the country by iron.

Among the flashing carriages is the temple of God -

A guide from earthly roads to heavenly ones.

Where are the heights of the mountains, where is the picturesque taiga,

And the blue of Baikal is like a vast sea without edge,

We had to drive and walk there,

Gathering children everywhere at the call of the Father.

We cannot forget the beauties of the earth, its bounty

And thousands of faces transformed by the light of faith,

We will always remember the harsh land where the people

He showed examples of love, unity and work.

The wheels rattle, and the one who sleeps is tired,

A clear dream seems like an iron path into the distance

Our missionary staff rushes across Rus' -

A guide from earthly roads to heavenly ones.

During a missionary expedition During a missionary trip

to the Republic of Karelia in a temple-carriage to the Republic of Kalmykia

March 2001. September 2000.

Igor Kobelev performs at the Poetic Environment club (Belgorod)

The collection of spiritual poetry of Archpriest Igor Kobelev “Faith, Hope, Love”, both in its content and in its poetic form, is the fruit of a gracious Divine gift that is given to man according to the inexplicable Providence of God... The appearance of poems in this world is called inspiration, that is, the sending down of a special spirit to the author , which encourages him to create.

Honorable mission.

The main work of Igor Viktorovich’s recent years is the translation into modern literary language of the masterpiece of the Russian word “The Battle of the Honest Seven Virtues with the Seven Mortal Sins” by the first famous poet of the Belgorod region, St. Joasaph.

The poem, published in 1892, was found by one of the researchers at the Belgorod Museum of History and Local Lore in the Russian State Library (formerly “Lenin’s”). A photocopy of the work was delivered to Belgorod, to the rector of the Transfiguration Cathedral, Father Oleg (Kobets).

He proposed not only to reprint the publication, but to make a poetic translation from Old Church Slavonic into modern Russian. With the blessing of Archbishop John of Belgorod and Stary Oskol, the literary processing was entrusted to Kobelev, whose poetic gift Bishop John described as “God-given.”

So in 2001, with breaks for long-distance missionary expeditions, this important work began, and in 2002 the first official modern edition of the poem was published. The entire circulation (500 copies) was distributed among the libraries of Belgorod schools, and did not reach the general reader.

Later, in 2005, on the occasion of the 300th anniversary of St. Joasaph, a commemorative edition was published, which, in addition to the original source and its modern translation, included a biography of the saint.

Archpriest Igor Kobelev considers this work to be of incorruptible value, and is grateful to the Lord and Saint Joasaph for “allowing” him to such an honorable mission.

By the way, Kobelev also considers his literary gift a mission, only a poetic one. And creativity helps him, primarily a priest, to preach in the genre to which the human soul is most receptive - in the genre of poetry.

The head of the Belgorod writers' organization, Vladimir Efimovich Molchanov, speaks about the work of Igor Kobelev.

The work of Father Igor Kobelev very successfully combines secular and spiritual poetry. His poems are easy to understand and very clearly reflect the thoughts and feelings of the author.

I am proud that Kobelev entrusted me with the honor of the first reading of his literary translation of St. Joasaph’s poem “The Battle of the Honest Seven Virtues with the Seven Mortal Sins.” This work is not a translation, but “a spiritual rapprochement between the translator and the author.”

Alexander Mitrofanovich Giryavenko, researcher at the literary museum, member of the Writers' Union of the Russian Federation, notes that Igor Kobelev's poems are filled with spiritual and philosophical content, are figurative, and are visibly perceived.

“I preach in verse.”

The main themes of the work of Igor Viktorovich Kobelev.

Archpriest Igor Kobelev is an active preacher of Orthodox Christian teaching.

Holy song.

Father and mother

Our life is fragmented and pricked...

Only Mother still cries and prays

Among the rocky and foggy paths

About everyone, about us damned ones.

We forgot who we get to be:

God is the Father, and the Mother is the Mother of God.

We got up to mischief like children in an apartment,

Made a mess in the world.

Here the Father is trying to punish and teach us...

Only Mother, as always, stands up for everyone.

Funeral lament

Along the vast sides of the earth,

The winds carried the funeral lament,

Filled with inexplicable sadness.

O heavy cross - the loss of a severe burden!

Carry it, soul of a Christian.

Where – Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian?–

The Lord is all alive. Blood is one.

Some were killed by a bullet, some were killed by a bayonet in battle,

Some with executioner, some with hunger, some with cold,

For friends and for your homeland -

Everyone is accepted into the blooming Garden of Eden.

The eternal light of Heaven shines upon them

And the angelic faces sing,

The One who died and rose again for everyone -

Christ gives a great victory feast.

And here is a vale of labors and failures,

Sickness and sorrow, sin and death,

But there will be a day - and a funeral lament

It will join the song of Life - just believe.

Through the roar of the Dnieper and Volga a loud groan,

And the cry of Khatyn, reflected in prayer,

The ringing of a bell will awaken your memory

About everyone who died for us in a fierce battle.

So let it sound both near and far,

Over all – Great, Small, White – Russia

Holy song, breath of the earth,

Filled with funeral sadness.

We are bequeathed to protect this world.

Under the blue expanse of the sky

Blossom the Earth, our good common home.

Blossom, transform from year to year

Free creative work.

Fathers and grandfathers went to their death for this,

When the war was raging with battles.

They fought for this until victory.

How great is the price of victory!

It's our turn to continue their work,

Go forward along the difficult path.

So never on the blue planet

Human speech did not stop,

So that children do not know the horrors of war,

We are bequeathed to protect this world.

The essay, which took 1st place in the regional competition, was read in one of the Kursk radio programs.

We will extinguish the fierce flame of Mars

Time marches on

On my planet...

His steps are like the ringing of bells,

They sound sad...

Stormy life is the wind

Whistling over millions of heads.

Death frames

Mourning border

From year to year the names of the dead

In all places

Where in summer and winter

The war is still smoldering...

They join one after another

Squads into battle,

Where the number of victims has long been lost,

Where the shells sing their Requiem

And human blood flows in rivers.

The earth is shaking. And the glow of fires,

The skies are stained like blood.

There's no mercy

Neither young nor old,

Mars, the bloody god of war, is raging.

He came to us

From the depths of centuries,

He left his terrible mark everywhere,

Associated with a harsh name in the world

The cry of unfortunate widows and times of trouble.

And now, over five continents

He, a friend of imperialists of all stripes,

He also casts spells and shakes his hands

In the blood of innocent women and children.

But now the nations are rising,

All the forces of the world clenched into one fist,

So that in the name of life and freedom

Erase the evil maniac from the face of the planet.

No bomb! , rockets out of Europe! , -

All over the Earth, wherever you look,

In our country, somewhere overseas, -

Demonstrations are noisy everywhere.

“We will fight without sparing any effort!

Let’s extinguish the fierce flame of Mars!”

Embittered people scream war.-

"All! Enough!

We've had enough of Hiroshima!

We don't need military bad weather!

In its affairs, the history of law.

And let them sound: Freedom, Peace and Happiness -

Great, immortal words!

Villages lie in ashes and tears

Where Mars passes.

Oh man!!!

Stop his steps otherwise

The earth will not meet the twenty-first century.

To be remembered...

Prokhorovka

Under the slabs, in the grass, in the dust...

I stand and look, frowning,

Like steam rising from the earth.

Steam is like smoke, and dust is like gunpowder!

And, cocked all the way,

The soul trembles at every rustle:

Has the war returned?

The ringing of the bell is sick, sick!

And the wind is strangely fierce.

Under white marble bell towers

The tulips are shedding bloody light.

The hour has come! Minute blown!

Once again the field is a terrible tank track!

Peaceful fireworks

Another one reminded me of thunder...

This is the impermanence of our feelings:

When they are aggravated,

Time and space have shifted

Illuminated by the fire of those years.

Here are the marshals and privates

Both from “that” and from “this” side

Again - after all, with God everyone is alive -

Fighting days go away,

The oath taken is faithful.

And it’s hard for me from our “new”

Find the words for the song,

That they would be brighter and harsher.

Oh, how much blood there is in Prokhorovka!

She is in me! She is alive!

Russia is my homeland.

I sing about the Motherland.

Greeting the morning of young days

In memory the gray-haired one is in power,

With a soul open to happiness,

At the edge of the mountains, among friends,

Descendant of distant Russians,

I sing about my homeland.

Teasing harbingers of new battles,

Slavic banners flutter.

In the eyes with a crazy fire of courage

Prince Igor looks at me...

Through the smoke of centuries, through the distance of the steppes

Songs are heard in the open air...

...And the sea quietly picked up

Motives of my Motherland.

Meadow Kshen, Field Kshen...

“Hey, my Kshen!”
Hey, my Kshen! Tell me, how do you live?
What is the sky like above you today?
Tell me: what do you eat, what do you drink, what do you sing about?
I haven’t been under your sky for so long!...

Hey, my Kshen! Do you remember, tell me
My poems, articles, playing in an orchestra?...
And if there was even a drop of lies in them,
Then I should fail in this place!

Hey, my Kshen! Like the sun through the rain,
The sweetness of the past best years shines upon me...
Let them shine above you ahead
Only God's mercy, “peace from above” and joy!

6. Dedication to great creators.

Igor Kobelev cultivated a real poetic taste in himself by studying the work of the classics of Russian poetry - from Pushkin and Yesenin to Yevtushenko and Rozhdestvensky.

Four years.

Four years from duel to duel

The poet quickly took off and fell.

The showers did not wash away, the snowstorms did not sweep away

A trace left in the fate of the people.

Pushkin didn’t think when he was the last to go into battle,

I didn’t think that there would be a dawn in eternity

Heir to a priceless treasure

He will begin his takeoff with the words: “The poet died...”.

He died at twenty-seven.

And I’m already twenty...

Podkolzina Eleonora Aleksandrovna, teacher of literature and Russian language at a meeting with E.I. Nosov on January 15, 1985 in honor of the writer’s 60th anniversary, where she read Igor Kobelev’s poem “We look up to you.”

We look up to you

E.I. Nosov

Epic fields,

The space is originally Russian,

Captivate your eyes with beauty,

Have a happy day.

Each of us

To our native land, Kursk

From birth to gray hair

The light of love does not dim.

Dear to us since childhood

meadows with thick grass,

The babbling of brooks,

transparent as a tear

Autumn Gardens

With thinning leaves,

Slow surface of rivers

And the sky is turquoise...

A cascade of loud phrases

You won't disturb hearts,

And maybe some gentle words

Though, thousands to say,

But dust is all those words

If in life you suddenly can’t

Love for native land

actually prove...

Yes! You have proven

and your generation

The desire to give life

for their father's places,

When the earth was

In the fire of great battles

The hot blood of the victims

Watered generously.

Forty years have passed...

The thick grass makes noise

Trenches in the fields

Where were the battles before?

But we must not forget those

who sacrificed themselves

In the fight for life and honor

of his native land,

Who carried it on their shoulders

all the difficulties and troubles,

To whom from the damp earth

not allowed to rise

Who drank in hospitals?

celebrating Victory Day,

From blood and tears

bitter wine...

And in the bloom of youth

welcoming the coming century,

Check your temper

we have to do it more than once.

In work and struggle,

in love for the native land, -

In all your affairs

We look up to you.

7. Army everyday life.

Calm.

Whether it's rain, sun, or spring,

Or snow wars are raging,

We will have many nights without sleep.

But why are our souls calm?

We’re going on duty again, friend, with you,

Maybe they deserve fame or death...

Both are ready for the post as if for battle.

Hearts are beating. Only souls are calm.

I believe: both in summer and in the burning winter,

Let's save the world and return home.

This is why our souls are calm.

Igor Kobelev is a trumpeter in the army orchestra. Private of the Soviet army. (1987-1989)

8 . Pictures of native nature.

A ray of dawn

Portrait of my Russia

Paints autumn on the canvas of heaven.

And I, stepping into those living pictures,

Suddenly I froze in anticipation of miracles.

My native fields lie in front of me...

Wandering around the world along the paths of centuries,

Here the winds are fighting generals

They command the regiments of clouds.

I see columns of empty alleys,

Where is the land's lullaby song

The sunset sings, and maples are drying nearby

In the sun, their paws are yellow.

Under the bright, flaming arches,

Meeting the eyes of rivers and forests,

I enter, as if into a house, into autumn nature,

Where every moment gives birth to miracles.

At school.

Everything here is painfully familiar to me:

And classes, and faces of friends...

I walk around my lovely school,

It was like I was in a museum.

Its exhibits are priceless,

And just touch them with your hand -

To that world, dear guys,

I'll go back to my past childhood.

Lessons are underway, it has become quieter...

Meeting of school friends. February 2011.

Anniversary message

Dedicated to the 50th anniversary of the Kshensky Children's Art School.

The autumn wind shakes the trees again,

The foliage faded away and lay down like a carpet...

The music school celebrates its anniversary.

November day became a day of celebration.

Let her now accept my Message

On the day of his earthly Pentecost.

May all your good wishes come true,

Let all adversity pass by.

You are the only one, like a home, in the world!

The World of Beauty pours rays into our hearts.

Windows shine through any distance

And through the years the music sounds...

It’s not easy for me to contain my excitement on this day...

All those who gave us light of love and knowledge,

Having opened our grateful hearts, we will remember

Both living and no one under the sun...

May your inspiration never run out!

In new creative achievements every hour

God's mercy, love, blessing

On the path to come they will illuminate you!

Meeting with Archpriest Igor Kobelev at the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Kshensky Children's Art School on November 7, 2014.

Conclusion.

Completing my search and research work, I realized that I had met an amazing man and his wonderful creations. I will continue to follow the work of Archpriest Igor Viktorovich. On November 7, 2014, I met Igor Viktorovich at the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Kshensky Children's Art School, of which he is a graduate. He presented his native school with an anniversary poetic message, an icon and a translation from Church Slavonic of the poem by St. Joasaph “The Warfare of the Honest Seven Virtues by the Seven Mortal Sins.”

I say “thank you” to everyone who helped me in carrying out this work, because I discovered only one layer of the cultural heritage of my native Kshensky land and the Kursk region. Our region is famous for famous people, we have someone to learn from, we have someone to look up to. What am I proud of!

And on behalf of the younger generation, I express my sincere gratitude to Igor Viktorovich for his spiritual service, patriotism, love for the Motherland, native nature, and instructions to youth.

In 1989, in the poem “Four Years,” he writes:

...And I’m already twenty...

How little I have done. How poorly he sang!

And I realize: I can’t reach that peak,

Where did Lermontov get to so quickly?

I'm not a critic, I can't evaluate or compare. This year Archpriest Igor Kobelev is 46 years old. And he speaks his word in poetry honestly and wisely. He himself considers his literary gift a mission, only a poetic one. And creativity helps him, primarily a priest, to preach in the genre to which the human soul is most receptive - in the genre of poetry.

Bibliography.

There is a corner of our native land. Collection of poems - Kursk, 2013.

Priest Igor Kobelev Faith, Hope, Love Belgorod, 1999.

Priest Igor Kobelev. On an earthly journey..., “Peasant Business”, Belgorod, 2004.

Sysoev Yu. Nadezhda, Saratov, 2012.

Publication of poems in the regional newspaper "Niva".

“Silence flies from the sky...” - this line from the poem “Silence” by the Belgorod poet Archpriest Igor Kobelev became the title of the next meeting of the Poetry Wednesday club, held on December 8 at the Belgorod Literary Museum.

Famous Belgorod writers, as well as students of Belgorod universities and theological seminaries, gathered in the museum’s living room to talk about the work of a member of the Union of Journalists and the Union of Writers of Russia, an active preacher of Orthodox Christian teaching, head of the press service of the Belgorod and Stary Oskol diocese, cleric of the St. Nicholas Cathedral in Belgorod, Archpriest Igor Kobelev.

Igor Kobelev, by his own admission, became interested in poetry at the age of thirteen, while still studying at the high school of his native village of Kshensky, Kursk region. He cultivated a real poetic taste in himself by studying the work of the classics of Russian poetry - from Pushkin and Yesenin to Yevtushenko and Rozhdestvensky. Then there were years of study at the Faculty of Journalism at Voronezh State University, the first professional experience as a journalist and poet.

Many years ago, while discussing Igor Kobelev’s manuscript at a seminar in Kursk, the aspiring talented author met the famous Belgorod poet Vladimir Molchanov. A close friendship binds them to this day.

Head of the Belgorod writers' organization V.E. Molchanov believes that the work of Father Igor Kobelev very successfully combines secular and spiritual poetry. His poems are easy to understand and very clearly reflect the thoughts and feelings of the author.

Vladimir Efimovich shared with those present his pride that Kobelev entrusted him with the honor of the first reading of his literary translation of the poem by St. Joasaph “The Battle of the Honest Seven Virtues with the Seven Mortal Sins.” Molchanov described this work not as a translation, but as “a spiritual rapprochement between the translator and the author.”

With great excitement, drawing the attention of those present to how Igor Kobelev’s poems are filled with spiritual and philosophical content, how figurative they are, how visibly perceived, said a researcher at the literary museum, a member of the Union of Writers of the Russian Federation A.M. Giryavenko.

When Alexander Mitrofanovich read aloud the poem “On the Road,” written by Igor Kobelev during his military service in the army, those present, along with the lyrical hero, felt the joy of the soldier’s return home, his love for the Motherland. They responded with a smile to the ironic ending of another of Kobelev’s works, “At School,” which takes the listener back to childhood.

But the greatest interest of those present was aroused by the story of Archpriest and poet Igor Kobelev about his main work - the translation into modern literary language of the masterpiece of the Russian word “The War of the Honest Seven Virtues with the Seven Mortal Sins” by the first famous poet of the Belgorod region, St. Joasaph.

It is surprising that when retelling the content of the poem to the young participants of the “Poetic Environment” - the battle (struggle) that took place between dark and light forces during the period of Lent, in which the Savior himself intervenes and saves a person’s soul on Easter day, Father Igor Kobelev used such vivid images, which in terms of entertainment could compete even with the blockbusters of Timur Bekmambetov.

Archpriest Igor Kobelev considers this work to be of incorruptible value, and is grateful to the Lord and Saint Joasaph for “allowing” him to such an honorable mission.

Queen Pride Monday evening of the 1st week of Lent Bows Sweetness attacking in Lent Saturday of the 1st week, on which the memory of St. Theodore Tyrone is venerated Icon of the Savior Iconoclasm Martyrdom for icons 1st Sunday of Lent, in which the restoration of icons is celebrated Week 2 of Lent, in which the memory of St. Gregory Palamas There is an angel who lifts up the prayers of those praying to God The middle week of Lent, in which we venerate the Holy Cross Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Deuteronomy, chapter 9, verse 26 5th Sunday of Lent, in which the memory of St. Mary of Egypt Saturday Lazareva Week Vai Week of the Holy Passion The 4th week of Lent, in which the memory of St. St. John Climacus Chapter 6 Saturday Akathist Chapter 7 Holy Good Friday Victorious Resurrection Day To the reader the poems are final

April 9, 1737 Modern poetic translation made by priest Igor Kobelev in 2001

About the poem

On Easter 1737, the future saint - then still a teacher and examiner at the Kyiv Theological Academy, Hieromonk Joasaph (Gorlenko) greeted the new ruling bishop, Archbishop Raphael (Zaborovsky), who arrived in Kiev with verses of his own composition - the poem “The Battle of the Honest Seven Virtues with the Seven Mortal Sins.” The poem made a strong impression on Bishop Raphael and the teachers of the academy.

Hieromonk Joasaph presented the handwritten text “Brani...” to Archbishop Raphael.

There is reason to believe that the poem, which aroused great interest, was rewritten several times.

The list, kept in the Church-Archaeological Museum of the Kyiv Theological Academy, became the source for the first publication of “Brani...” in 1892.

Among the readers and admirers of the poem is the Hieromartyr Nikodim (Kononov) ( 1918), Bishop of Belgorod, who, in an akathist compiled for the glorification of the saint in 1911, sang: “Having an invincible weapon - the Cross, inscribed on your heart by faith, against passions and sins mortals rising up against us, you took strong arms, and, having granted victory to the Lord against your enemies, you composed a song with honest virtue, listening to it, and we sing with grateful lips to you...”

The author of a modern poetic translation of the poem, cleric of the St. Nicholas Cathedral in Belgorod, member of the Writers' Union and the Union of Journalists of Russia, Archpriest Igor Kobelev. The poem of St. Joasaph is the best example of poetry of that time, and in many ways it is an exemplary work. It appeared in a modern poetic translation only in 2002. About 8 months about. Igor worked on the translation, but the most difficult thing was to break the saint’s long line into shorter ones and find the corresponding rhymes.

The book, containing introductory articles, the Church Slavonic text of the poem and its modern poetic translation, was published by the Belgorod publishing house “Peasant Delo” with a circulation of only 500 copies in October 2002 and immediately became a rarity: it was not sold anywhere, but the entire circulation ( except for 100 copies as a fee to the author of the translation) was distributed among the libraries of cultural institutions of the Belgorod region.

The time that has passed since the publication of the first modern edition of the poem has shown that this work is indeed a great masterpiece of the holy author: it immediately went beyond the boundaries of its era and although the poem was written in Church Slavonic, it is not at all subject to any genre restrictions of neither classicism, nor romanticism, nor realism, because it was created with a high, eternal goal - for the disclosure and convenient perception of deep Orthodox doctrinal truths, the doctrine of the salvation of the human soul.

In the preface to the poem, Vladyka John says: “This work can truly be considered missionary. I am sure that this work will find a lively response in the hearts of young people, because it contains the depth of theology, the richness of Orthodox culture, amazingly vivid literary images, and a fascinating dynamic plot. All this easily enters a person’s soul - illuminates it, becomes its property.”

Preface. An Orthodox poem that has conquered time

In the languages and literatures of different peoples living on Earth, there is one thought, pronounced and expressed in writing in different ways: “Everything in the world is afraid of time.”

But who or what is time afraid of? In the Divine Revelation preserved and passed on from generation to generation of Christ, there is a completely definite answer to this question: time is subject only to God, who laid the foundation for it with His Word - the Only Begotten Son, “through whom also he created the worlds” ().

Therefore, every spiritual or material work of humanity that glorifies the Creator bears the indelible stamp of His eternity, transcendence, conquering all earthly dimensions of time. And today, without fear of vain accusations of “gigantomania”, “exaggeration”, we have solid grounds to call this book, which you, dear reader, are holding in your hands - the second edition of the poem by St. Joasaph, Bishop of Belgorod, wonderworker, “The Warfare of the Honest Seven virtues with seven mortal sins" - the true fruit of God's inspiration, an Orthodox poem that has conquered time.

But before we talk about its enduring spiritual, cultural, moral, educational and aesthetic significance, let’s make a short excursion into the history of the creation and republication of this unique spiritual and literary work in our days.

This edition of the poem is dedicated to the currently celebrated 300th anniversary of the birth of its author - St. Joasaph, Bishop of Belgorod, wonderworker. Life of Saint Joasaph. compiled at the beginning of the 20th century, for the day of canonization, by Archpriest, testifies that on Easter 1737 the future saint - then still a teacher and examiner of the Kiev Theological Academy, Hieromonk Joasaph (Gorlenko) welcomed the new ruling bishop, Archbishop Raphael (Zaborovsky), who arrived in Kiev ) with verses of his own composition - the poem “The Battle of the Honest Seven Virtues with the Seven Mortal Sins.” The poem made a strong impression on Bishop Raphael and the teachers of the academy. Hieromonk Joasaph presented the handwritten text “Brani...” to Archbishop Raphael. There is reason to believe that the poem, which aroused great interest, was rewritten several times. The list, kept in the Church-Archaeological Museum of the Kyiv Theological Academy, became the source for the first publication of “Brani...” in 1892. Among the readers and admirers of the poem is the Hieromartyr Nikodim (Kononov) ( 1918), Bishop of Belgorod, who, in an akathist compiled for the glorification of the saint in 1911, sang: “Having an invincible weapon - the Cross, inscribed on your heart by faith, against passions and sins mortals rising up against us, you took strong arms, and, having granted victory to the Lord against your enemies, you composed a song with honest virtue, listening to it, and we sing with grateful lips to you...”

The idea of reprinting the poem of St. Joasaph in our days belongs to the leading researcher of the Belgorod Regional State Museum of History and Local Lore, Andrei Igorevich Papkov.

Working with the catalogs of the Russian State Library, he discovered a poem by St. Joasaph, published in 1892. I made a photocopy and approached the rector of the Transfiguration Cathedral in Belgorod, Archpriest Oleg Nikolaevich Kobets, with a proposal for republication. The idea was supported and creatively developed: it was proposed to make a modern poetic translation of this work, created in Church Slavonic, and therefore not entirely understandable to the modern reader. The modern poetic translation was made by a teacher of the Church Slavonic language of the Belgorod Orthodox Theological Seminary (with a missionary orientation), cleric of the St. Nicholas Cathedral in Belgorod, Archpriest Igor Kobelev. The book, containing introductory articles, the Church Slavonic text of the poem and its modern poetic translation, was published by the Belgorod publishing house “Peasant Delo” with a circulation of only 500 copies in October 2002 and immediately became a rarity: it was not sold anywhere, but the entire circulation ( except for 100 copies as a fee to the author of the translation) was distributed among the libraries of cultural institutions of the Belgorod region.

The time that has passed since the publication of the first modern edition of the poem has shown that this work is indeed a great masterpiece of the holy author: it immediately went beyond the boundaries of its era (for comparison, it is enough to recall at least the works of the saint’s contemporary - the great scientist and poet Mikhail Lomonosov, created in the ode genre, characteristic of the era of classicism, requiring strict adherence to the “unity of place, time and action”, a single number of syllables and rhythm of stress in lines of poetry). The poem of St. Joasaph, although written in Church Slavonic, is not at all subject to any genre restrictions of classicism, romanticism, realism and subsequent formalistic delights of the “Silver Age”, because it was created with a high, eternal purpose (for disclosure and convenient perception deep Orthodox doctrinal truths, teachings about the salvation of the human soul. The creator of the poem and the author of its modern translation quite fully used the bright figurative system and aesthetically attractive poetic form characteristic of Orthodoxy. And therefore today the poem is in demand not only by the clergy and specialists in the fields of literature, history, linguistics, but also by many readers, especially young ones, who are just looking for their way to the temple. And this is the great missionary significance of the poem, which contains the depth of Orthodox theology, the richness of culture, amazingly vivid literary images, and a fascinating dynamic plot.

I sincerely welcome the publication of the second edition of St. Joasaph’s poem and wish that here, on Holy Belogorye and beyond, it will become the property of every believer and striving for true faith and comprehension of the meaning of life of the human soul.

Archbishop of Belgorod and Stary Oskol I O A N N

The battle between the honest seven virtues and the seven mortal sins

Your Eminence Vladyka!

I fully realize that it is in vain that I am troubling the most venerable hands of Your Eminence with this offering of mine, for it is unworthy not only of acceptance, but even of the glance of Your highest hierarchical person. However, taking as a basis the idea of what kind of pastoral mercy and fatherly love is always shown to working people, I remain in the good hope that this work of mine, albeit small, will not be rejected. Therefore, having asked for boldness, with my lowest slavish adoration I entrust him into the holy hands of Your Eminence, hugging them most humbly and sincerely, kissing them and entrusting me forever to the archpastoral mercy that protects me.

Your Eminence, my humble servant and footstool, Hieromonk Joasaph the Examiner