I, the humble and sinful John, who have done no good on earth, when I came to this wilderness of Rila, found no human being there, but only wild beasts and untrodden thickets. And I dwelt there alone, together with the beasts, having neither food nor shelter; the sky was my shelter, the earth my bed, and the grasses my food. Yet the good Lord, for whose sake I spurned all things and endured hunger and thirst, the frost and the scorching heat of the sun, as well as the lack of earthly comforts, did not forsake me at all; rather, like a merciful Father who loves His children, He abundantly provided for all my needs. And what shall I give to the Lord for all that He has bestowed upon me? Great are His blessings towards me, for He has looked down from His holy heights upon my humility and given me the strength to endure all things – not I, but the power of Christ which is within me; for from Him comes every good gift, and every perfect gift, coming down from on high.
And, seeing you gathered here today in the Lord, where, as I have said, no human has dwelt until now, but only wild beasts, and, moreover, sensing in advance that the end of my life here is drawing near, I have deemed it fitting to leave you, before my departure from here, this fatherly testament of mine, just as earthly parents leave their children an earthly inheritance of silver and gold and other riches, so that, whilst remembering your father in the Holy Spirit, you may not forget his testament either.
I know, my beloved sons in the Lord, I know full well that you, being still beginners, are not yet firmly established in the monastic life. But do not be afraid, for the power of God is made perfect in weakness. For this reason, I have therefore decided to write this testament of mine to you, simple and uneducated, so that, by keeping it constantly in your remembrance, you may be strengthened in body and spirit in the Lord and grow in virtue through the fear of God. I believe in my God, Whom I have served from my youth and for Whom I have laboured with zeal, that after my departure, this wilderness, which until now has been fearsome and uninhabited, will be filled with many inhabitants of the wilderness, and what is written will be fulfilled upon it: ‘The children of the forsaken woman are more numerous than those of the married woman’ 1.
(…) I bequeath to you the task of safeguarding the Holy Faith, blameless and untainted by all blasphemy and error, just as we received it from the Holy Fathers. (…) Do not turn to the right or to the left, but walk in the royal way.
For this reason, I beg you, my sons, whom I have gathered together in the Lord; I implore you, the offspring of my heart, not to despise your father’s counsel, but, together with the Apostle, I say to you thus: ‘I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you!’2. I implore you and swear by the awesome name of God that you must not transgress or neglect any part of this after I have departed from this life, but that you must fulfil in every respect all that I have written, just as it is written, just as you have promised before God. And whoever dares to violate or destroy any part of these, let him be accursed and cast out from the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, and let him have no share with the saints who have been pleasing to God from of old; but let his portion be with those who crucified the Lord of glory and with His betrayer, Judas; and let him be blotted out of the book of life and not be recorded amongst the righteous.
And, above all, I bequeath to you as your inheritance that you should preserve the Holy Faith blameless and untainted by all blasphemy and error, just as we have received it from the Holy Fathers, without mixing it with foreign teachings contrary to the truth. Stand firm and hold fast to the teachings which you have heard and seen from me. Do not turn either to the right or to the left, but walk in the royal way. Guard yourselves with great care against worldly temptations, and always remember why you left the world and why you have despised the world and the things in the world.
Above all, beware of the serpent of the love of money, for the love of money is the root of all evil, as the Apostle says, calling it a second form of idolatry. For, for a monk, wealth does not lie in silver and gold, but in perfect detachment3, in the renunciation of one’s own will and in deep humility. I do not speak these things to you as if they were my own commandments, but I remind you of Christ’s commandments. For He spoke to His holy disciples, and through them, to all who have renounced the world: ‘Do not possess any gold, or silver, or money in your belts’4, etc. (…) Gold and silver are the monk’s great enemy and, like a viper, bite the one who hoards them. For if we place our unshakeable hope in God, He will not deprive us of any necessity, for He Himself says: ‘If a woman forgets her infant and has no compassion on the fruit of her womb, I will not forget you’5. And again: ‘Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you’6. For, at the beginning, when I first set foot in this wilderness, the Evil One tried to tempt me too with the love of silver, when the faithful Tsar7 had sent me a great deal of gold.
For a monk, wealth does not lie in silver and gold, but in complete detachment, in the renunciation of one’s own will, and in deep humility. I do not speak these words to you as if they were my own commands, but I remind you of Christ’s commandments.
And when I turned away from that gift for the sake of the Lord’s love, I realised that this had been a cunning snare of the devil. I did not accept it, but sent it back to the one who had sent it, for I reasoned within myself: if I had desired to possess gold and silver and the like, why would I have come into this dreadful and untrodden wilderness, where I have found no human being, but only wild beasts? And so I was delivered from the wiles of the cunning tempter, who strives to cause us to stumble through the very things we have willingly renounced. For this reason, you too must seek nothing of a vain nature. For your Heavenly Father knows, even before you ask, what it is that you need.
Do not seek to be known and loved by the kings and rulers of the earth, nor place your hope in them, neglecting the Heavenly King, to Whom you have pledged yourselves as soldiers, to fight not against flesh and blood, but against the ruler of the darkness of this age. For the prophet Jeremiah also instructs us, saying thus: ‘Cursed be the man who trusts in man’8, and so on. And, after listing all these evils, he adds: ‘Blessed is the man who hopes in the Lord’9. So do not worry, saying: ‘What shall we eat, or what shall we drink, or what shall we wear?’ For the nations strive after all these things10. Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?11 Once you have left the world, do not turn back, either in body or in mind, for, as it has been said: ‘No one who puts his hand to the plough and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God’12. But the Apostle also teaches: ‘forgetting what lies behind and straining towards what lies ahead’13. What does it mean, ‘forgetting what lies behind’, my sons in the Lord? Nothing other than to consign entirely to the depths of oblivion all that we have left behind and despised, having departed from the world for the love of God, and to strive towards the ascetic struggle prepared for us, to which we have been called by the Initiator of our struggles, our Most Good God, the Lord Jesus Christ, He who has made us worthy to bear His gentle yoke, for His yoke is good, and His burden is light14.
Solitude is not suited to everyone, but only to a few, those who have perfected themselves in all monastic struggles and works. But communal life is for the benefit of all, as the Fathers have amply discussed and taught us in their writings.
And just as the gift of the Holy Spirit has gathered you all together in one mind and in one spiritual body, so too should you strive to live in unity and with one mind, with one breath, constantly looking towards the eternal reward which God has prepared for those who have loved Him. It is evident that communal life15 is far more beneficial to monks than the life of a hermit, for tranquillity in solitude is not suited to everyone, but only to a few—those who have perfected themselves in all monastic asceticism and labours. And communal life is for the benefit of all, as the Fathers, in their writings, have spoken at length about and taught us concerning these matters. The prophet David, endowed with great eloquence, praises it, saying: ‘How good and how pleasant it is when brothers dwell together in unity!’16. Another hymnographer of the Holy Church, inspired by the Spirit, adds his own hymn to these, saying: ‘For in this the Lord has promised eternal life’17. But did not our Most Good Lord, Jesus Christ, Himself speak with His most pure lips: ‘For where two or three are gathered in My name, there am I also, in their midst’18?
And our God-bearing Fathers speak thus of the monastic life: Woe to him who is alone, for if he should fall, there is no one to lift him up. For this reason, O sons in the Lord, do not you either overlook the communal life, which the Holy Spirit, through the mouth of the prophets, has praised, but rather strengthen it all the more and guard it with all your heart. And be as one body in the Lord, having distinct members: some to be the head, which governs; others – the feet, which labour and carry; and others – the other members of the body, so that together they may form one spiritual body in Christ, guided and governed by a single understanding and articulate soul (in a spiritual sense), and let there be no division amongst you. And when such a way of life is established and a life pleasing to God is manifested, then He Himself will be in your midst, guiding you unseen and unspoken. Do not seek to sit at the head or to rule over others, but remember Him who said: ‘And whoever wishes to be first among you must be the servant of all’19. Choose your teachers and set at your head those whom God reveals to you, that is, men recognised by all for their spiritual works, who surpass all others in wisdom and spiritual discernment, and who are worthy to shepherd skilfully and according to God’s will the flock which hashas been entrusted to them in the pastures of piety and of Christ’s life-giving commandments. It is all the more fitting to seek guidance from God, rather than to trust in your own meagre judgement. And if you begin, as the great among the Fathers and teacher of monks, the Venerable Ephrem the Syrian, says, to all strive for pre-eminence and authority, and all wish to be abbots, and all wish to be spiritual guides, interpreters and teachers, and if from this there arise amongst you strife and slander, quarrels and envy, folly, a love of pre-eminence, contempt, envy and other passions unworthy of the monastic life, then know for certain that Christ is not amongst you. For Christ is not a Teacher of division and discord, but of peace and unity amongst brothers. He prayed to God the Father for His holy disciples, that they might be one—that is, of one mind and in unity—and not only they, but also all those who would believe in Him through their word, saying thus: ‘Holy Father, keep them in Your name, into which You have given them, that they may be one, just as We are’20. And elsewhere He says: ‘But I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word, that they may all be one’21. And you, too, be one. Have peace amongst yourselves, for He22, the Lord, says to His disciples: ‘Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you’23. And what sort of peace is this, my children, the peace of Christ? He Himself speaks again, saying: ‘Not as the world gives do I give to you’24. This peace of Christ surpasses all human understanding and wisdom. This is the peace of which the prophet speaks, saying: ‘And His peace shall have no end’25. But the Apostle also instructs us, saying: ‘Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord’26. May you, therefore, have such peace amongst yourselves and, with great unity of mind and sound judgement, arrange all things according to God’s will, lest you provoke the wrath of our Most Good Lord and God.
It is all the more fitting to seek guidance from God, rather than to trust in your own meagre judgement. And if you begin, as the great among the Fathers and teacher of monks, the Venerable Ephrem the Syrian, says, to all strive for pre-eminence and dominion, and all wish to be abbots, and all of you wish to be spiritual guides, interpreters and teachers (…), then know for certain that Christ is not amongst you. For Christ is not a Teacher of division and discord, but of peace and unity amongst brothers.
And if there is anyone amongst you who sows tares, divisions and other follies, cast him out immediately from the midst of your community, lest this turn into evil leaven.
And if there is anyone amongst you who sows tares, divisions and other forms of confusion, cast him out immediately from your community, lest this turn into a leaven of evil, according to the words of the Apostle27, and thus wickedness may not spread amongst the good, and ‘lest, by giving rise to any cause of bitterness, it may trouble you and, through it, many may be infected’28. And may the evil wolf not disturb the peaceful flock of Christ, for such will also appear from among them. Christ Himself foretold of them, saying thus: ‘Woe to the world because of stumbling blocks! For stumbling blocks must come’29. For this reason, you too, spiritual children, beware of such people and do not allow them to dwell amongst you, but cast them far from you, just as a shepherd removes the sick sheep from the healthy flock. And you, living together for the Lord and bearing one another’s weaknesses, do not overlook those who live as hermits, wandering ‘in the wilderness and in the mountains, and in caves, and in the crevices of the earth – those of whom the world was not worthy’30, but help them as best you can, so that you may have intercessors before God; for ‘the persistent prayer of the righteous is powerful’31.
Study the Law of the Lord day and night, read the writings of the Fathers often32, and strive to follow in the footsteps of our Holy Fathers: Anthony, Theodosius and the others, who, through their good deeds, shone in the world like living lights. Hold fast to the ordinances of the Church, neither abandoning nor neglecting anything established by the Holy Fathers.
Do not neglect the work of your hands, but always keep your hands busy. Let the prayer, ‘Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner’, be ever on your lips, and together with it, keep the remembrance of death in your mind. This was the way of life of the Desert Fathers of old, and they did not eat their bread in vain, for they did not merely feed themselves from the labour of their hands, but also gave to the needy; and thus they were not disappointed in their hope. ‘For it is good to strengthen your hearts by grace, not with food, from which those who followed such practices derived no benefit’33, says the Apostle, and adds: “Remain in brotherly love. Do not forget to show hospitality, for through this some, without realising it, have welcomed angels into their homes”34.
Hold fast to the ordinances of the Church, abandoning or neglecting nothing of what has been established by the Holy Fathers. Do not disregard the work of your hands, but always have work in your hands. Let the prayer: ‘Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner’ be ever on your lips, and together with it, keep the remembrance of death in your mind.
Strengthen those among your people who have recently been enlightened in the faith, and guide them to cast aside the disorderly pagan customs and evil habits which some still cling to even after receiving the holy faith. They commit these acts out of harshness and ignorance; for this reason, they are in need of correction and enlightenment of the mind.
I still have much more to say to you, my beloved sons in the Lord, but it is not possible to set it all down in writing. Therefore, I entrust you to Him Who is the source of all wisdom and understanding and the true Comforter, the Holy Spirit, the Holy One and Giver of Life, so that He Himself may grant you wisdom, give you understanding, enlighten you, teach you and guide you towards every good work.
I now leave you, in my stead, our beloved brother Gregory as your guide and leader, of whom you all bear witness that he is able to guide you well, according to God’s will. You have chosen him as your leader of your own accord, though he did not wish it; yet, out of obedience and humility, he has yielded to your request. After this, may God show you the one He has chosen for you.
As for me, from now on, I wish to live in peace and silence, so that I may repent of my sins and obtain mercy from God. And you, remember me ceaselessly in your prayers, your sinful father, that I may find mercy on the Day of Judgement, for I have done nothing good on earth and I tremble at the thought of the judgement and the torments prepared for sinners such as myself. May the grace of God be with you all, protecting you and shielding you from all evil. Amen!
This was written in the year 6449 since the creation of the world (941 since the Incarnation of Christ), on the twenty-fifth day of March.
I, the humble and most sinful John, the first hermit of the Rila wilderness, sign and attest with my own hand the words written above.
- 1
Isa. 54:1.
- 2
Gal. 4:19.
- 3
Voluntary poverty.
- 4
Matthew 10:9.
- 5
“Can a woman forget her infant, or have no compassion on the child of her womb? Even if she were to forget, I will not forget you” (Isaiah 49:15).
- 6
Matthew 6:33.
- 7
Tsar Peter I (927–969).
- 8
Jer. 17:5.
- 9
Jer. 17:7.
- 10
Matt. 6:31–32.
- 11
Matt. 6:26.
- 12
Luke 9:62.
- 13
Philippians 3:14.
- 14
Matt. 11:30.
- 15
The communal life of monks within a fraternal community.
- 16
Ps. 132:1.
- 17
From the steps of the Antifoane, voice 8.
- 18
Matt. 18:20.
- 19
Mark 10:44.
- 20
John 17:11.
- 21
John 17:20–21.
- 22
Christ.
- 23
John 14:27.
- 24
Ibid.
- 25
Isaiah 9:6.
- 26
Hebrews 12:14.
- 27
2 Tim. 2:17.
- 28
Hebrews 12:15.
- 29
Matthew 18:7.
- 30
Hebrews 11:38.
- 31
James 5:16.
- 32
The Writings of the Holy Fathers.
- 33
Hebrews 13:9.
- 34
Hebrews 13:1–2.