8 ноября. Житие - Феофил, святитель, архиепископ Новгородский - текст песни, слова, перевод, видео

Saint Theophilus was the last of the Novgorod rulers elected at the veche. The chronicle tells about his election as follows: “On the morning of November 15, 1470, the gospel of St. Sophia was heard, for the last time calling on the Novgorodians to begin, according to ancient custom, the election of the Archbishop of Veliky Novgorod and Pskov. The mayors of Novgorod and the thousand and the whole of Veliky Novgorod became a veche at St. Sophia; and God chose from St. Sophia the Wisdom of God a servant to his throne, and to the Great Novograd - the Right Reverend Archbishop, and the lot of Theophilos, the protodeacon and the sacristan remained on the throne.” Chroniclers then compared the state of Novgorod society to the sea during a storm... This society was dominated by those who, in the words of Metropolitan St. Philip, “the hearts of the gentle are flattered, and among those who are at peace they introduce untruth and absurd rage,” and therefore for the humble monk of the Oten desert monastery, the rank of archbishop, according to the fair remark of Archbishop Philaret, “was the cause of nothing but sorrow.” It was difficult for this saint to govern his flock. Posadnitsa Marfa Boretskaya and her followers armed and outraged the people against the Great Moscow Prince John III, and the monk Pimen, a supporter of the Boretskys, incited hatred of the archbishop in his flock. Some of the Novgorodians were inclined to go over to the side of Lithuania, betraying the Moscow prince, and were ready to commit apostasy. Saint Theophilus stopped the rebellious Novgorodians: “Do not betray Orthodoxy, or I will not be a shepherd of apostates, I will go back to the humble cell from where you took me out for the disgrace of rebellion.” The saint's renunciation letter, written in 1479, has been preserved. However, the blinded people did not heed the words of the shepherd: an internecine war broke out between Novgorod and Moscow. Repeatedly defeated Novgorodians were forced to ask for mercy. Theophilus was their intercessor. Many Novgorod boyars owe him their liberation from Lithuanian prisons. In 1480, Saint Theophilus was sent by John III for imprisonment (but he himself could have asked for peace there, seeing many troubles in Novgorod) to the Moscow Miracle Monastery and “sat for half a third summer, then he died.” According to legend, when Saint Theophilus lay sick in the Miracle Monastery, the Novgorod Saint Niphon (+ 1156; commemorated April 8/21), buried in the caves of St. Anthony of Pechersk, appeared to him in a dream and reminded him of his promise to venerate the Pechersk wonderworkers. The holy archbishop went to Kiev and was already approaching the Dnieper, when his illness intensified, and he received a revelation that although he would not reach the caves alive, his body would rest in them. And it came true.

His memory is celebrated especially on October 26/November 8, as well as with the Council of the Far Caves on August 28/September 10 and on the 2nd Week of Great Lent, with the general Council of the Kiev-Pechersk Fathers.