In the history of Orthodoxy, the XIV century became a turning point. After the capture of Constantinople by the Turks in 1453 and the fall of Byzantium, Russia, which did not have its own patriarch, turned out to be the only independent Orthodox country in the world. All eastern churches were under the control of the Turkish authorities. The resulting situation contributed to the fact that in 1589 the first Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, Job, was appointed to serve, recognized as equal among the other four Orthodox patriarchs.
Childhood of lad John
The name of the first Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, received by him at holy baptism - John. Regarding his birth, information has been preserved that he was born in the thirties of the 16th century. According to available data, the first Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia was born into a family of ordinary people who belonged to the so-called townsman class. History has preserved for us only the name of the mother, adopted by her after accepting monasticism - Pelageya.
At an early age, the youth John was given to a nearbymonastery, where he was to be taught to read and write and the basics of faith. This may also testify to the piety of the parents, who wished to instill in the child from childhood a love for the paternal faith, and to their certain prosperity, since in those years the need often forced children to start working from an early age. However, studies in the holy monastery awakened in the young man a deep religious feeling and a desire to become a monk. Before the future first Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia embarked on the path he had chosen, he had to test the firmness of his intentions.
Church tradition tells that his father, doubting his son's ability to endure the hardships of monastic life and wanting to turn him away from his plan, found him a bride and persuaded him to marry. Having never contradicted his parents before, John did not dare to object this time either, but on the very day of the wedding he asked permission to go to the monastery and visit the cell of his spiritual mentor.
Ascent to the path of monasticism
He never returned to his home again. After a conversation with Archimandrite Herman, the young man firmly decided that his place was not in the vain world, but within the walls of the holy monastery. On the same day, he underwent the rite of tonsure and received the name Job, which he took in honor of St. Job the Long-suffering, who was ardently revered by him.
Monastic life is not easy for any newly tonsured monk. Too much connects him with the past and directs his thoughts to what he left in the world, having completed his most important deed in life. It's hard to get used toharsh conditions of stay in the monastery, but it is even more difficult to force oneself to obey not one's own will, but exclusively the commands of a mentor who has taken care of the spiritual development of a beginner.
The future first Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Job was one of those workers who with equal humility fulfill any obedience assigned to them. Before rising to the heights of church power, he went through all the stages of monastic service - from a simple novice to the abbot of the monastery. It is known that in 1569, during a visit to the monastery by Ivan the Terrible, he made a favorable impression on the tsar and after a short time, at his command, became archimandrite.
Steps of the Church Ministry Path
At the end of 1570, he moved to Moscow and became the abbot of the Simonov Monastery. Heading for five years one of the largest monasteries in the country, St. Job takes an active part not only in the religious, but also in the political life of the country.
In the subsequent period, he heads several more monasteries, and then follows his ordination first to the rank of bishop of Kolomensky, and then to the archbishop of Rostov the Great. St. Job reached the highest level of power of that period in 1587, becoming Metropolitan of Moscow. However, a new, higher title awaited him ahead - the first Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia.
Establishment of the Patriarchate in Russia
The opportunity to have our own patriarch in the country was due to many factors, the main of whichis the increase in the role of Russia among other Orthodox states that were at that time under the Turkish yoke. As mentioned above, the former stronghold of the Eastern Church - Byzantium - fell in 1453 under the onslaught of the invaders.
It is known that the Turks did not prohibit the activities of the Christian Church in the territories they occupied, but behaved extremely unceremoniously towards its representatives, arbitrarily seizing any property they liked. Such expropriations, carried out with invariable constancy, took on the character of open robberies and, as a result, led the church organizations located in the occupied territories to complete impoverishment.
Without the means to restore the destroyed churches and the maintenance of the clergy, the primate of the Byzantine Church was forced to turn to the Russian Tsar Fyodor Ioannovich for financial assistance. The Russian autocrat took advantage of this favorable opportunity, since, according to the Church Charter, only the already acting primate could appoint a new patriarch, and in order for the person needed by the tsar to become the first Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, his blessing was required.
The greatest event in the life of the church
The head of the Byzantine Church arrived in the Mother See in 1588 and, according to his contemporaries, was struck by the luxury of the royal palace and the splendor of services held in the capital's churches. In addition, as is known from the same sources, he was impressed by the manifestation of piety by the Russian people, which he constantly became a witness.
Every day, wherever the patriarch appeared, he was surrounded by dense crowds of people demanding blessings. Feeling no right to ignore such an ardent expression of religious feelings, he was forced to stay outside for hours, surrounded by a ring of believers.
Historians note that his initial plans included only receiving financial assistance from the king, and nothing more was discussed. However, realizing that by refusing to fulfill the request of the autocrat to appoint a patriarch of the Russian Church, he would leave empty-handed, Jeremiah was forced to agree, and as a result, on February 5, 1589, the first Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia ascended the newly formed patriarchal cathedra. The election of Metropolitan Job for this high mission happened at the behest of Tsar Fyodor Ivanovich, who favored him and showered him with royal favors.
Activities of the new patriarch
The newly elected first Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, whose powers extended to all spheres of religious life, immediately began internal church reform. The innovations affected both the establishment of additional metropolitanates and the improvement of discipline among the clergy. He saw his main task in strengthening Orthodoxy and the spiritual power of the state. Church historians note that after Metropolitan Job became the first Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, Russian Orthodoxy was raised to a previously unattainable level.
Activities of the patriarch during the period of unrest
BIn 1598, the country was plunged into the abyss of chaos, called the Time of Troubles. The First Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, whose title obliged him to be at the head of the people, actually led the resistance to the Lithuanian and Polish invaders who poured into Russia. He sent letters to all parts of the country, in which he called for repelling foreigners.
When the hordes led by False Dmitry approached Moscow, the first Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Job was among those who refused to recognize the impostor. According to the researchers, at a certain period, Grigory Otrepyev was Job's secretary, so he, like no one else, understood the ongoing deception. He publicly cursed False Dmitry and all his followers.
When in April 1605 the city was surrendered to an impostor, St. Job refused to swear allegiance to him and was deposed. In August of the same year, supporters of False Dmitry destroyed the patriarch's chambers, and after numerous beatings and humiliation, the primate himself, as a simple monk, was sent to the Staritsky Monastery, where he spent two years in unceasing prayer for the fate of the Fatherland.
The end of the life of the first patriarch
Undermined he alth did not allow him to rise again to the Primate's Throne. He died in 1607 and was buried in the Dormition Monastery, the same one where he once began his monastic service. In 1652, the relics of the deceased were transported to the capital and placed in the Assumption Cathedral. Already today, in October 2012, St. First Patriarch of Moscow and AllRussia Job was glorified as a saint. It was a natural act that expressed the result of his activities as the head of the church.
Editorial changes to the patriarchal title
It should be noted that the patriarchal title has undergone a number of editorial changes over the centuries, and the title currently used in relation to St. Job - the first Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia - is not entirely correct. The fact is that in the period preceding the reign of Patriarch Nikon (until 1652), the country was indicated in the title as "Rusiya", and only later the form "Russia" was adopted. In pre-Petrine times, the title contained the words "and Patriarch of all northern countries."
As for the title that St. Job bore, in historical documents there are other editions in which Moscow is indicated as a “royal city”, and Russia is called a “great kingdom”. Other variants are also known, which are found in documents signed by the primates of the Russian Church in different historical periods. It should be noted that such discrepancies are caused mainly by the lack of uniformity in the preparation of official papers in previous centuries - both religious and secular.
Powers of the Patriarch
According to the current charter of the Russian Orthodox Church, the powers of the patriarch include mainly administrative functions that ensure the ability to manage the Church. He is entrusted with the duty of convening the Local and Bishops' Councils, as well as scheduling meetings of the Synod. The patriarch appoints all the highest church officials,including heads of religious educational institutions at all levels. Among other patriarchal powers, a special place is occupied by the duty to represent the Church before the government and foreign organizations.
Deputies of the Patriarch
The performance of the functions assigned to the patriarch would be impossible without a reasonable distribution of duties between his deputies - vicars. Each of them is responsible for organizing church life in a separate district of the vast Moscow diocese. The first vicar of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, who is in charge of its central part, is also the direct deputy of the patriarch and, in the event of his illness, death or retirement, temporarily performs his functions until the election of a successor.
Propaganda of religious knowledge
Since Saint Job, the first Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, ascended the Primate Throne, the history of the Russian patriarchate, interrupted in the time of Peter I and resumed under Stalin, has sixteen primates of the Russian Church. Thanks to their tireless labors, Orthodox life in our country has acquired the forms that have allowed it to become the basis of the spiritual connection of many generations of Russians.
It would not be superfluous to note that, as far as Russian history, including church history, honors its heroes, it also tries to erase the descendants of traitors to the Fatherland from the memory. An example of this is the infamous Patriarch Ignatius, who swore allegiance to False Dmitry in 1605 and became an accomplice of the Polish invaders. His name is permanently crossed out from the list of patriarchs anderased from people's memory.
During the period of atheistic persecution of Orthodoxy, everything related to dogma and church history was excluded from school curricula. This caused significant gaps in the knowledge of these disciplines by modern citizens of Russia. Even a simple question: "Name the first Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia" baffled many. However, today in most parishes there are Sunday schools for children and adults, and extensive educational work is being carried out aimed at correcting the situation.
