Number DOI: http://doi.org/10.33209/2519-4348-2019-7-49

VB. – № 7, 2019. – P. 55-70

Summary

Among the religious philosophers and theologians of Russian Abroad, a special place belongs to archimandrite Cyprian (Kern), a pathologist, liturgist, ascetic, a wonderful church memoirist and researcher of the theological heritage of St. Gregory Palamas. The integrity of father Cyprian’s personality was also reflected in his scientific and theological activities. This activity was also quite multifaceted, since the area of interest of the learned archimandrite extended to liturgy, pastoral theology, and ecclesiastical history. But these multifaceted interests were reduced, as in focus, to a single center – patrology. Father Cyprian could well subscribe to the wonderful lines of his contemporary and colleague archpriest George Florovsky: «Father’s writing is not only an untouched treasure trove of tradition. For tradition is life; and the originals of the transmission are kept only in their live reproduction and contact with them. This is evidenced by the fathers in their creations. They show how the truths of faith enliven and transform the human spirit, how human thought is revived and renewed in the experience of faith. They reveal the truths of belief in a holistic and creative Christian worldview. In this respect, fatherly creations are a source of creative inspiration for us, an example of Christian courage and wisdom. It is a school of Christian thought, Christian wisdom». At this school, father Cyprian studied all his life, from this source of «living water» constantly drawing strength and inspiration for his scientific work. However, it should be noted that his own pathological works were published relatively little. The most important of these are: a wonderful guide to translating the patristic heritage into Russian, which is a necessary guide for anyone interested in the history of ancient church writing; further, a book on the «golden age of holy father’s writing», which is the publication of part of his lectures on patrology at the Russian Orthodox Theological Institute in Paris; finally, these are separate articles in periodicals and collections. The pinnacle of Archimandrite Cyprian’s «patrological studies» is his book on St. Gregory Palamas. In order to understand the significance of this work, it is advisable to note, at least in the most general terms, the tradition of Orthodox study of the creativity and theology of the great Orthodox saint, as well as of all late Byzantine hesychasm, and to try to determine the place of research of Archimandrite Cyprian in this tradition.

Key words: Archimandrite Cyprian, st. Gregory Palamas, anthropology, hesychasm, Varlaam, holy father’s tradition, Jesus prayer.

References:

1. Arhimandrit Kiprian (Kern). (2006). Anthropology of St. Gregory Palamas. Kiev [in Russian]. 

2. Arhim. Kiprian (Kern), prof. (1967). The golden age of patristic writing. The life and teachings of the Eastern Fathers IV c. Parizh [in Russian]. 

3. Elena (Hilovskaja), mon. (2010). Archim. Cyprian (Kern) and his «Guide to Russian Translations of Patristic Texts» // VCI № 1/2(17/18) [in Russian].

4. Episkop Porfirij (Uspenskij). (2007). History of Athos in 2 volumes. Moskva [in Russian]. 

5. Modest (Strelbickij), igumen. (1860). St. Gregory Palamas, Metropolitan of Solunsky, champion of the Orthodox doctrine of the Tabor light and of the actions of God. Kiev [in Russian]. 

6. Nedetovskij Grig. (1872). Barlaamite heresy // Trudy Kievskoj duhovnoj akademii. Kiev [in Russian]. 

7. Ostrogorskij G. (1931). Athos hesychasts and their opponents (On the history of late Byzantine culture) // Zapiski Russkogo nauchnogo instituta v Belgrade. Vyp. 5. [in Russian]. 

8. Ostrogorskij G. (2011). History of the Byzantine state / Perevod s nemeckogo M. Gracianskogo pod redakciej P. Kuzenkova. Moskva [in Russian]. 

9. Orthodox Theological Encyclopedia. Vol. III. (1902). Vaal-Vjacheslav / Pod red. A. Lopuhina, N. Glubokovskogo. Petrograd [in Russian]. 

10. Skabalanovich N. (1884). The Byzantine state and the church in the XI century, from the death of Vasily II the Bulgarian Slayer to the accession of Alexei I Komnin. SanktPeterburg [in Russian]. 

11. Florovskij G., prot. (2006). Eastern fathers of the 4th century. Minsk [in Russian]. 

12. Uspenskij F. (2016). History of the Byzantine Empire. ІІ volume. Moskva [in Russian].