A year dedicated to a saint of the cultural stature of Saint Antim Ivireanul, Hierarch and Martyr, has given rise to a series of wide-ranging studies. There is no risk of the subject being exhausted as a field of study. We owe him a moral debt, and we cannot remain indifferent as to the direction in which our theological understanding of his deeds will develop. A mystical theologian and dynamic bishop, Antim Ivireanul belongs to the lineage of the great preachers of his time, surpassing them through his projects and the construction of a heavenly architecture. Father Vasile Gordon wrote about this complex spiritual legacy 1 when he documented aspects relating to Metropolitan Antim as an educator through his work. He presents only a few aspects, selectively: ‘Some are of an administrative nature (such as, for example, the foundations and other works from the periods when he held positions of responsibility – abbot, prior, bishop and metropolitan), others relate to cultural concerns, with pastoral and missionary implications (in particular the printed works, but also the Didachies, together with all the other sermons, whether preserved or not). Much has been written about all of these—well and beautifully—so that all that remains for us is to note their educational value (s.VG), on the one hand, of the works of the Holy Metropolitan, and on the other, of those who have studied them and written about them. Among the most ‘prominent’ are the 64 printed books and the Holy Sanctuary of Antim Monastery. To these are added, of course, the Didachies, published posthumously. Less well known, for example, is the fact that, amongst the facilities of the Antim Monastery complex, the founding Metropolitan also established the first public lending library in Wallachia2’. He then notes another important aspect in describing how his character was linked to the ethos of his time: ‘Through his entire way of being, Saint Antim reveals himself to us as a figure who paid close attention not only to ‘major’ issues – in the sense of those receiving greater visibility – but also to ‘details’, whether administrative, cultural or pastoral-missionary in general. And, as is well known, it is the details that give value to ‘great’ things and works (...)’3 Metropolitan Antim’s educational endeavour seems, across the ages, to have been encapsulated in simple words by another great and holy bishop, Saint Nectarius of Aegina, who, in a passage on the formation of young people for society, wrote: ‘... knowledge without a good education, without self-knowledge, does more harm than good. And as for the necessity of a good education, here is what the philosopher of Antiquity, the true sage, Plato, says: ‘There is no more grievous and powerful lack of experience in all things, nor any greater evil, than experience in many fields and much learning combined with a poor education, for that causes far greater harm’ (Cratylus). Every age has borne witness to this truth through many examples, which, unfortunately, are not easy to count even in our own time. How many scientists, even today, due to a lack of religious education and self-knowledge, and due to ignorance of divine and human matters, are taught doctrines that corrupt the soul and are full of every kind of error? How many, themselves shaken by a lack of sound religious convictions, seek to shake the very foundations of the beliefs of the simplest and most uninformed, thereby making themselves guilty of a thousand evils? How many, even today, taking as the measure for their actions and advice not the whole person, as Socrates, who risked his life for the truth, used to say, but their own person, and using their own judgement as a measure, emphatically repeat Protagoras’s words: ‘Whatever one believes about a thing, that is what it is. Whatever appears to be the case to each person, that is certainly so?’ Do they define things not as they are in themselves and in accordance with their nature, but as they appear to them, turning everything on its head? But Socrates replies to them, saying: ‘Things themselves possess a certain stable nature in themselves, not in relation to us – so that they might be dragged up and down by our imagination’ (Kratylos). Thus, things are not as they appear to us, nor are they arranged by us, for they concern the essence. Consequently, the measure is not man, but man in his entirety; not what appears to be true to each individual—that is certainly what it is—but what the truth, attested to by all, teaches, that is certainly the right rule, imposed by reason, common to all; that is certainly so. Consequently, the whole truth, the general opinion, which springs from general observations—that is certainly so. This teaches piety, justice, truth and science. The all-encompassing human being—that is, humanity—has received and preserved the truths about God and about man, and only humanity can speak about these and the matters connected with them. Science, whilst rejecting the teaching about man viewed as a whole, nevertheless takes this teaching as a subject of research. But the word of scientists who are truly moving towards a sound philosophy does not take precedence…’4 It was from this truth, with its imperishable patristic substance, that Metropolitan Antim drew the creative inspiration for his pastoral and cultural thought. Even the assumption of his various roles (defector, slave, freedman, printer, publisher or writer, preacher and interpreter of human mysteries) gave rise to a rich cultural ethos, unique in our modern history. With him begins a cultural prophetic tradition that paves the way for a different kind of Enlightenment from that proposed through the tradition of Masonic humanism or the later democratic Enlightenment movements.
‘…the measure is not man, but man in his entirety; not what appears to be the case to each individual—which is certainly so—but what the truth, as attested by all, teaches; that is certainly the right rule…’
In order to instil such spiritual strength within the fullness of the Church, Metropolitan Antim required a foundation free from contextual constraints and attentive to immediate history. The social phenomenology he proposed is evident throughout his entire founding endeavour and in his mindset of cultural prophecy. It suffices to recall the Testament drawn up at the time of the founding of Antim Monastery (1713) – structured into 32 clauses whose fulfilment was mandatory year on year, a testament to a broad economic vision, or the prefaces and afterwords of the printed works in which echoes of a cultural thought applied within the paradigm of an endless contemporaneity are captured.
To understand the importance of ethos in the evocative power of the Gospel for the conversion of the world, it is worth recalling an American preacher, John Shaw: ‘It is true that God can work through whatever means He chooses, even through a scandalous, conceited and selfish preacher, but this is not His usual method. Foxes and wolves are not used by nature to give birth to sheep. Who has ever heard of much good being done for souls by preachers who do not preach and live in the power of love, who do not work with a clear and convincing light, and who are not marked by holy and living seriousness? Fire is kindled by fire’5”. We find the same edifying pathos of a saving metaphor in what is recorded as an anti-Mian text. Bryan Chapell, a highly accomplished theorist of modern homiletics, whose works have been translated into Romanian, helps us to understand the relationship between the elements that make up the rhetorical message and the way in which this is reflected in Christian preaching: ‘The classical rhetorical distinctions made by Aristotle, whilst not divinely inspired, can help us understand the fundamental elements of any message we preach, so that we no longer cause others to stumble unnecessarily over the content or form of our message. In classical rhetoric, any message intended to persuade contains three elements:
– Logos: the verbal content of the message, including its structure and logic;
– Pathos: the emotional elements of the message, including the passion, fervour and feeling that the speaker conveys and the listeners experience;
– Ethos: the speaker’s apparent character, shaped primarily by their professed concern for the listeners’ welfare. Aristotle believed (a view confirmed by numerous modern studies) that ethos is the most powerful element of a persuasive message.
(...) ‘Indeed, our Gospel was preached to you not only in words (logos) but also in power, in the Holy Spirit and with great boldness (pathos). For you know that it was out of love for you that we were like this (ethos) amongst you (1 Thessalonians 1:5).” Paul illustrates the importance of each of these elements of persuasion in his first epistle to the Thessalonians. Although his words are not those used by Aristotle, they allude to certain elements from the categories of the classical orator and remind us that skill alone cannot give power to a message unless the speaker’s heart and character validate the truths being spoken. (...) It is significant that (St.) Paul describes his own life as a factor influencing how the message is received, thus providing biblical confirmation of the idea that ethos is a particularly powerful force in the ordinary process of spiritual persuasion. Paul refers to his behaviour and compassion not only as evidence of the ‘great boldness’ he possessed, but also as sources of the ‘power’ of his message. Although this book (by Chapell, n. NC) on homiletic method necessarily focuses on the elements of logos and pathos in preaching, the emphasis placed by the Bible reminds us that a pastor’s ministry is grounded in his character. Even if eloquence is the earthly glory of preaching, its eternal essence is faithfulness 6”. I believe that in the case of the preaching of Antim, the holy metropolitan, his sermon is the truth cast into his personality (cf. the definition given by Philips Brooks7; countless times in his writings, The First Didache, compelling the modern preacher to reflect upon his own spiritual growth. The Hesychast metropolitan, who mastered with ease both the Philocalic spirit and the art of oratorical preparation, offers not only a remarkable logos 8 and an edifying pathos – which we can at best intuit – but also a model of life, an iconology of experience, an ethos worthy of recognition.
Of course, it is not the intention of this article to exhaustively cover the history of the Brâncoveanu era or the iconological aspect of Metropolitan Antim’s presence within that context. Fundamental to understanding the spirit of the era remains, in our view, the volume published by the Romanian Academy and the National Institute for the Study of Totalitarianism (edited by Drd. Anca Beatrice Todireanu), Civilisation of the Brâncoveanu Era9. Among the studies that help us understand the history of Antim’s personal ethos, the following remain key references: Reading as Intellectual Delight and a Path to the Salvation of the Soul in the Brâncoveanu Era by Archimandrite Dr. Policarp Chițulescu 10, ‘Printing Activities during the Reign of Constantin Brâncoveanu’ by Dr Doru Bădără 11, ‘Brâncoveanu Architecture’, a study by Prof. Dr. Arch. Sorin Vasilescu 12, as well as the study ‘Aspects of Church Life during the Reign of Saint Voivode Constantin Brâncoveanu in the Chronicle of Logothete Radu Greceanu’ by Father Dr Florin Șerbănescu 13, without these remarks in any way detracting from the other studies which shed light on the art, culture or political and social life of the period. All of them serve as a cure for the clichés peddled about the marvellous Ivirean, who was to prove himself one of the most influential figures in Romanian culture and, through him, in universal culture. I am referring, for example, to the desperate attempt by the marvellous G. Ștrempel to cast the Brâncoveanu era in an apocalyptic light from a Communist perspective—likely also driven by a desperate desire to publish Antim Ivireanul’s sermons in the year 1962 AD and 17 years after the establishment of Communism 14. The pages will also be reprinted in the ‘Works’ edition 15, but a later edition will shed light on such ‘compromises’, with Gabriel Ștrempel writing: ‘When I think of the many difficulties I encountered in getting texts thoroughly steeped in religious ideology through the fearsome censorship, I am inclined to believe that it was only the spirit of Antim that helped me, casting quotations before the eyes and minds of the communist censors. Having passed the great works through the very fine sieve, the minor contributions no longer posed any obstacles. And when the Opere edition appeared in 1972, no one raised any objections. It is true that things had calmed down somewhat, with religious issues gradually fading from the Communist Party’s political and ideological concerns” 16 Hence the need for a measured and pertinent reassessment of the ethos through which Metropolitan Antim Ivireanul, the holy preacher, left his mark on the people of his time through his witness.
Are we willing to admit that Metropolitan Antim Ivireanul’s preaching can help us identify an iconology linked to his cultural prophetic role? We may take a few examples, as briefly identified in his writings:
– the disorderly moral life of many
Christians– a lack of conviction regarding
Confession– a constant lack of time for the fulfilment of the spiritual life–
recommendations for improving the Christian life
– strengthening faith in
God– fasting and church attendance, repentance and
confession– the laity’s respect for priests and their involvement in the lives of the faithful 17.
Of course, a closer examination of Antim’s writings 18 leads to a more detailed understanding of how the Bishop’s personality influenced the fabric of life in Brâncoveanu’s city and church. Is this an effort worth making? Without a doubt. For it is time to rediscover the models through which the Gospel bore fruit in the fullness of the Church at the heart of our country’s history.
- 1
A brief overview of the life of Metropolitan Antim Ivireanul and the bibliography relating to his works in the Encyclopaedia of Romanian Orthodoxy (ed. Acad. Rev. Prof. Dr Mircea Păcurariu), Bucharest, 2010, pp. 30–31 (article by M[ircea] P[ăcurariu]).
- 2
Rev. Prof. Dr Vasile Gordon, St Hieromonk Antim Ivireanul – The Educator, in the volume The Catechetical and Homiletic Ministry of the Holy Church with a View to the Religious Education of Orthodox Youth – History and Current Issues. St Antim Ivireanul, Metropolitan of Wallachia: a model of education through culture. Symposium of University Lecturers in Catechetics and Homiletics in Romania (30 October – 1 November 2016), Published by Bibliotheca, Târgoviște, 2016, p. 90.
- 3
Ibid., p. 90.
- 4
Saint Nectarios of Aegina, Classical Greek Culture, Educator for Christ, published by Saint Nectarios, Arad, 2016, pp. 36–37. The address to young people, entitled ‘The Education of Young People for Society’, was first published in 1894, having been delivered at the Lamia Gymnasium (cf. footnote, p. 21).
- 5
John Shaw, The Character of a Pastor according to God’s Heart, Soli Deo Gloria Publications, Ligonier, PA, 1992, pp. 3–4.
- 6
Bryan Chapell, Christ-centred Preaching: The Redemption of Expository Preaching (2nd ed.), Făclia Publishers, Oradea, 2008, pp. 35–37.
- 7
Ibid., p. 37.
- 8
Brilliantly analysed by Eugen Negrici in his work Antim Ivireanul – Logos and Personality, 3rd ed., edited by Fr. Ștefan Zară, Praxis Publishing House of the Archdiocese of Râmnic, Râmnicu-Vâlcea, 2016, 228 pp.
- 9
Official Gazette, Publishing House and Printing Works, Bucharest, 2014, 387 pp.
- 10
Ibid., pp. 48–68.
- 11
Ibid., pp. 100–128.
- 12
Ibid., pp. 130–162.
- 13
Ibid., pp. 322–364.
- 14
The edition of The Sermons, published by the Publishing House of the Romanian People’s Republic Academy in 1962 (322 pp.), contains, pp. 6–8 of the Introduction, for example, an interpretation framed by the ‘victor’s history’, which does not, however, detract from the quality of the subsequent text or from Ștrempel’s dedication to Old Romanian texts and the culture of the Orthodox Church.
- 15
Published by Minerva, 1972, 472 pp.
- 16
In the Foreword to the volume Didahii, published by Minerva, Bucharest 1997, p. VI.
- 17
I have highlighted just a few of the points revealed by Fr. Miron Erdei’s study, ‘The Relevance of the Themes Addressed by Metropolitan Antim Ivireanul in His Homiletic Work’, in the volume The Catechetical and Homiletic Ministry of the Holy Church…, op. cit., pp. 115–122. In the same volume, Fr. Nicușor Beldiman, PhD, Lecturer, presents a study on the topic: ‘Saint Antim Ivireanul, Hierarch and Martyr – our contemporary. Contemporary aspects of religious education’, pp. 123–137.
- 18
Further details can be found in Petru Rădășanu, PhD candidate, ‘The Themes of Metropolitan Antim Ivireanul’s Didachies’, in Studii Teologice, no. 5–8/1977, pp. 552–569, and for a discussion of his dogmatic thought, Rev. Dr Nicolae Alexe, ‘Dogmatic Teachings in the Didachies of Antim Ivireanul’, in Studii Teologice, no. 10/1977, pp. 708–719.