Good Books, Filthy Rags and the Optina Elders
by Nun Macaria

Optina Monastery, with its hundred-year succession of holy elders, its recent martyrs and restoration of monastic life, is one of the most popular and beloved holy places in Russia today. It is fair to say that the remarkable chain of sanctity for which this monastery is renowned, began with the love of good books. In its heyday it was not only well known for its saints, but for its publishing and editing of ancient Christian texts on prayer and spiritual life. Optina was particularly renowned for its influence on writers such as Dostoyevsky, Gogol and Tolstoy and many other artists and writers of 19th century Russia. It seems ironic, then, that the growing body of literature available in English about Optina and its holy elders should be so singularly neglected.
Optina monastery was founded in ancient times, perhaps in the 15th century, though the precise date is not known. It was closed for a while because of the suppression of monasteries under Peter the Great and Catherine the Great and was revived in 1821. Optina soon flourished with the arrival of disciples of St. Paisius Velichkovsky. These disciples had been hermits for many years in the Roslavl Forest. These and other holy Elders who moved to the new St. John the Forerunner Skete of Optina Monastery restored the ancient monastic practice of eldership and through this means brought about a spiritual renewal in the 19th century that is even now producing fruits both in Russia and America.

Eldership–the Role of the Prophet

Before we go further, let us examine how the term “elder’ or “eldress” is used by Orthodox Christians. A mature monk or nun in the Greek tradition is normally addressed as geronda or gerondissa (elder or eldress) and has received the “great schema,” usually after three or more years as a novice. The great schema is the strictest of the monastic vows. In the Slavic tradition, however, a full monk or nun is generally tonsured to the “little schema” with the “great schema” being reserved for hermits, those undergoing the strictest forms of asceticism or those facing death. The mature monastic in the Slavic tradition is addressed as “father” or “mother” and the term “elder” or “eldress” is specifically reserved for one who is spiritually gifted with the ability to guide souls. Eldership may or may not include the ability to read souls (clairvoyance), prophecy or miracle working, but humility and spiritual discernment are its hallmarks. This charism of eldership or “starchestvo” is distinct from the hierarchy of the Church. An elder or eldress may be lay or monastic. He need not be a member of the clergy. A mature monastic in either tradition may be appointed to be an “elder” for his community, to hear the brothers in their “confession of thoughts” and counsel them in the spiritual life and prayer, and such an obedience carries grace with it. The use of the word “elder” with the more charismatic meaning of the word may also occur in the Greek tradition.
Eldership is considered to be a living continuation of the ministry of the prophet in the ancient Church, as described by St. Paul in his Epistles.2 The work of the prophet is to edify, exhort and comfort. (l Cor. 14:3) As the Russian writer I.M. Kontzevitch, (a disciple of Optina Elder Nektary) points out:

The prophetic ministry, bound up with personal sanctity, has flourished when spiritual life in the Church was high and declined in decadent periods. Most brightly of all it is manifested in monastic eldership … Being a direct continuation of the prophetic ministry, eldership appeared under this name and in this form only in the fourth century, together with the arising of monasticism as its guiding principle.3

This understanding of “eldership” is not at all unique to the Russian tradition but is found throughout the Orthodox tradition. In the words of Metr. Hierotheos Vlachos:

The circles of the Prophets as they are described in the books of the Old Testament were groups which taught about living a life devoted to God. If we give careful study to these groups of Prophets, we shall see that they do not differ essentially from the holy gatherings of monks today, who have an abbot, practice obedience and prayer and are being cured so that they too may be found worthy of becoming Prophets.4

Bishop Kallistos Ware of Diokleia refers to eldership as a kind of apostolic succession:

There are in a sense two forms of apostolic succession within the life of the Church. First there is the visible succession of the hierarchy, the unbroken series of bishops in different cities . . . Alongside this, largely hidden, existing on a “charismatic” rather than an official level, there is secondly the apostolic succession of the spiritual fathers and mothers in each generation of the Church, the succession of the saints. . .5

One of the most important functions the elder serves in monastic life is in the confession of thoughts. This practice may seem strange to those unfamiliar with monastic life or the writings of the holy Fathers. The need for it is well attested to in early Christian writings and will certainly be discovered by anyone who truly sets out to follow Christ. War will rise up in such a person and he will need experienced counsel to survive it. The first two rules for this unseen warfare are summed up well in the Proverb: “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.” (Prov. 3:5) As St. John Climacus wrote in his Ladder of Divine Ascent, “Those who rely on themselves and think that they have no need of a guide are deceiving themselves.” (Step 1:7)
The practice of “confession of thoughts” appears in many ancient monastic texts, including The Ladder mentioned above, Abba Dorotheos’s Discourses & Sayings and the Spiritual Counsels of Sts Barsanuphius and John. St. Ignatius Brianchaninov, a 19th century writer and follower of the Optina tradition wrote that this practice was “in all probability instituted by the Apostles themselves.”6 The confession of thoughts is not the same as the sacrament of Confession. There is no absolution given, so it does not require a priest. Rather, it requires one who is experienced in the spiritual life. As the aspirant strives to lead a better life, many subtle thoughts arise as a temptation. The devil especially loves secrecy and hides evil under the appearance of good; by openly confessing thoughts to the elder, the monk or nun cuts off converse with the evil one and the path that would otherwise be difficult becomes easier.
This ancient practice had fallen into disuse in the 18th century, but Elder Paisius Velichkovsky discovered it in the writings of early Christian Fathers and strove to put it into practice in the life of his brotherhood. This practice brought about a renewal of Orthodox spiritual life in the 19th century in both Greece and Russia.

Elder Paisius Velichikovsky and His Disciples

The story of Optina Monastery’s renewal actually begins in the 18th century with a young native of Little Russia named Platon who set out to find himself a spiritual guide. His search carried him through various monasteries in the Ukraine, Wallachia and Mount Athos. Platon was eventually tonsured a monk with the name Paisius on Mt. Athos and founded a spiritual community there. Though he did find those who guided him in the spiritual life, he never found the experienced elder he sought. Instead, he and a like-minded companion Bessarion, began to follow what earlier monastic writers called the “royal path” of monasticism–that is completely cutting off their wills before one another by seeking a blessing for every action from each other for Christ’s sake, and by seeking to fully live the commandments of the Gospel according to the teachings of the holy Fathers. After much searching Platon began to find early Christian manuscripts on prayer and the spiritual life. These helped the two monks to base their spiritual lives on the authority and experience of saints rather than on opinions. Such writings could still to be found on Mount Athos though they had fallen into disuse because of the trials and persecutions endured on the Holy Mountain and in Greece under Turkish rule.
Here we run into an interesting and providential event that makes the work of St. Paisius Velichkovsky especially significant for our times. We know there were at least some elders and saints on Athos at the time he lived there, though the Mountain was in a state of decline during the 17th and 18th centuries. A contemporary follower of the saint notes that St. Acacius of Kavsokalyvia reposed as late as 1750, yet “…the primary manifestation of Christian witness at this time remained as martyrdom; …”7 When St. Paisius arrived in 1746, he found monastic life there at a low ebb and many brothers flocked to him for spiritual counsel. This is about the time that the Kollyvades began their labors for spiritual restoration of the Holy Mountain with an Athonite academy.8 Yet it was another twenty years before St.Macarios of Corinth arrived on the scene and recognized the significance of St. Paisius’s work. Elder Paisius’s biographer, Schema-monk Metrophanes9 notes that the elder “…can actually be called the founder of the ‘Kollyvades,’ for it was he who first truly gave the challenge to stand for patristic principles…. Therefore it is not too bold to say that both St. Macarios [of Corinth] and St. Nikodemos [the Hagoiorite] …. continued consciously and precisely in his footsteps, …”11 St. Macarios of Corinth compiled the Greek Philokalia from the very same texts that St. Paisius had first translated and corrected. Thus, a monk from little Russia was responsible for the spiritual renewal of Greece.
God’s Providence for the saint was clearly His providence for us as well. His great importance lay both in his restoration of the ancient texts on spiritual life and in his putting their teachings into practice as demonstrated by the sanctity of his own life and by generations of disciples who continue down to this day. His significance for us is best summarized by Fr. Seraphim Rose who was one of his better known followers in our own time:

Do you hear, O Orthodox Christians of these last times? These writings of the Holy Fathers, even those dealing with the highest form of spiritual life, have been preserved for us, so that even when it might seem that there are no God-bearing elders left at all, we may still have the unerring words of the Holy Fathers to guide us in leading a God-pleasing, zealous life. Therefore, they are wrong who teach that, because the end of the world is at hand, we must sit still, make no great efforts, simply preserve the doctrine that has been handed down to us, and hand it back like the buried talent of the worthless servant (Mt.25:24-30) to our Lord at His coming. Blessed Paisius teaches that “solely by Orthodoxy of faith, without the diligent keeping of all Christ’s commandments, [ie. putting Orthodoxy into practice with great effort] it is not at all possible to be saved.” 11

St. Paisius, now the superior of a large brotherhood and an experienced elder, left Mount Athos in 1763 because of the overcrowding of his brotherhood and moved with most of them to Romania. Here the brotherhood moved to three different sketes (monastic settlements) in succession because of its continued growth and because of local political situations. Monastic aspirants flocked to him from all over the Orthodox world because of his reputation. His monasteries were truly a phenomenon in the 18th century when spiritual life was in a weak state throughout the Orthodox lands.

St. Paisus’s Legacy in Russia

After the elder’s death in 1794, the political conditions that were favorable to monasticism in Romania changed and it also became easier for Russian monks to return home. In 1801 Tsar Alexander I issued an amnesty for all who wished to return home.12 Many of the Elder’s followers returned to Russia, with the patristic writings translated by their teacher. Their suffering in their homeland appears to be in direct proportion to their eventual influence
Monasticism in 18th-century Russia suffered greatly from government interference. Tsar Peter the Great forbade the construction of new monasteries and turned others into homes for the sick and for disabled veterans. He forbade the tonsuring of anyone but veterans and priest’s widows and eventually placed all monastic properties under government control. The number of monasteries was reduced from 953 to 385 with only 225 subsidized. The remaining ones were left to fend for themselves in a state of extreme indigence.13 This is one of the primary reasons why so many of St. Paisius’s disciples had come to him from Russia.
These persecutions of monasteries and monastic aspirants led many monks and nuns to seek the necessary quietude for a life of prayer in the forests, beyond the oversight of a meddling government. A number of Elder Paisius’s disciples settled as hermits in the impenetrable Roslavl forests14 of the Smolensk province. Two of the brothers, from the Putilov family in Yaroslavl, joined these hermits in the Roslavl forest. These brothers, Elders Moses and Anthony, lived in extreme hardship for many years, transcribing the patristic texts with such reverence that they would only do it standing, which is the normative posture for Orthodox worship. Their biographies, Elder Anthony of Optina by Fr. Clement Sederholm and The Elder Moses of Optina, tell of strenuous labors and privations as well as the great peace and joy they experienced through their monastic life in this setting.
Eventually these hermits came to the attention of Metropolitan Philaret of Kiev, who had a particular love for monasticism. Wishing to both provide for the desert-dwellers and strengthen his favorite monastery spiritually, he invited the hermits to move to Optina and build themselves a secluded skete on the monastery grounds.15 It is quite common for a large monastery to have one or more “sketes” under its protection.16
Metropolitan Philaret’s offer came at a time when the peaceful life in the Roslavl forests was being disturbed by local authorities and so was gratefully accepted. Elders Moses and Anthony and two other monks moved to Optina in June of 1821. Other hermits remained in hiding in the Roslavl Forest. Other elders heard of the new skete at Optina and flocked to it. Elder Leonid, who had been under the direction of another disciple of St. Paisius Velichkovsky, came in 1829 with five disciples from the St. Alexander of Svir Monastery. In 1834 Elder Macarius joined them from Ploshchansk hermitage where he had come to know Elder Athanasius, another spiritual son of St. Paisius. With the help of so many venerable and experienced elders, the Putilov brothers were able to introduce the ancient practice of eldership into the Optina Monastery

The Life of Optina

Elder Moses became the first superior of the new St. John the Forerunner Skete under the protection of Optina Monastery and cleared the wilderness enough to build the skete together with his younger brother, Elder Anthony, and the other monks. About twelve gray-haired elders gathered in the new St. John the Forerunner Skete at Optina. They had all come through diverse trials and afflictions, and were united by a fervent desire for true spiritual life. Because of this they shared a wonderful oneness of soul despite many differences among them. When Elder Moses became Abbot of Optina Monastery, his younger brother, Elder Anthony, succeeded him as Skete superior. The latter’s biography says, “In the entire brotherhood there was no novice as humble as the Skete Superior who never dared to issue any order without the blessing of his elder, Father Moses.”17 This concentration of prayer and common spiritual striving created a potent atmosphere for spiritual transformation. This small wilderness monastery near Kozelsk began to attract a large number of pilgrims seeking spiritual guidance, enlightenment and refreshment. Consequently, it also attracted the envy of some of their contemporaries and a large share of the devil’s enmity.
Metropolitan Philaret who had been so favorable to the elders was transferred to another diocese and other bishops took his place in succession. Some were merely indifferent or too distracted by the cares of their office to investigate the slanders presented to them. One bishop in particular was especially oppressive toward Optina and its Abbot, Elder Moses, requiring that each brother who wished to be received at Optina must pass examinations, though this was required in no other monastery in Russia. This bishop also made a habit of transferring the best monks to other monasteries and burdening Optina with many clergy who had been sent to monasteries to be disciplined. Even Elder Moses’s own brother Anthony was transferred for a while to be abbot of another monastery. Disciples of the elders in the other men’s and women’s monasteries were also persecuted because of ignorance and slander.
The practice of “confession of thoughts” for example, was confused with the sacrament of confession by observers who became scandalized at what looked to them like sacrilege. The elder receiving the confession of thoughts would not necessarily be a priest. In a woman’s monastery, it would most likely be a nun. Among those who were most severely persecuted were Elder Leonid’s disciples in women’s convents. The spiritual texts recommended by the elders to their disciples were the basic ones that had been read by monks throughout the history of monasticism. Certainly Russian monks of earlier ages (such as St. Nilus of Sora (1508+) also practiced the confession of thoughts and it is believed that the practice was quite wide-spread. 18 Yet these early texts were being seen in Russian or Slavonic for the first time, and so they were believed to be innovative and potentially heretical. These texts include Abba Dorotheos’s Discourses and Sayings, The Fifty Homilies of St. Macarius the Great, The Ladder of Divine Ascent by St. John Climacus, The Spiritual Homilies of St. Isaac the Syrian, Spiritual Counsels by Saints Barsanuphius and John among others. Throughout these trials the elders recognized the spiritual origin and nature of the war against them, and understood that those monks removed from their midst would be as leaven in the monasteries they were assigned to. Thus they remained at peace.
It should not be surprising that spiritual renewal and conversion are often aided by persecution. It was the martyrdom of St. Stephen and the persecutions that followed which chased the disciples out of Jerusalem and into the surrounding countries where they preached their faith. On Athos the Kollyvades who were spreading the same kind of renewal were even excommunicated by the Ecumenical Patriarch and expelled from the Holy Mountain. Their spiritually needy Greek brethren warmly received them and their miracle-working relics still draw pilgrims throughout the Orthodox world. As one writer has well described this event:

Condemned and persecuted by the Patriarchate and their fellow ascetics, all monks who wished to remain faithful to the Sacred Tradition of Orthodoxy left Athos and found havens in the islands of the Aegean. There, embraced by a people who thirsted for the truth and for living examples, the Kollyvades sowed the word of Christ. And the seed germinated and bore fruit “a hundred fold.” History has named this spiritual fruition ‘The Spiritual Rebirth of the 18th Century.”19

The Elders

Now I would like to give just a glimpse of those Elders whose biographies are now available in English. The Elder Moses Optina and The Elder Joseph of Optina. were published by Holy Transfiguration Monastery in Boston. All the other lives available were published by the St. Herman Brotherhood in Platina California. I will start with the two lives of the Putilov Brothers, Elders Moses and Anthony. And follow chronologically with Elders Leonid, Macarius, Ambrose, Joseph Barsanuphius, Nectary and Sebastion. I will not be covering the lives of the two Elders Anatole, the two Elders Isaacy, Elder Hilarion or Theodosius the Wise because their lives are not yet available to us in Engilsh. Citations from the various lives will be indicated by page numbers in parentheses.

Elder Moses of Optina, as has been mentioned, received his monastic formation under the elders in the Roslavl Forest. After about 5 years of building up the new hermitage he became Abbot of the whole monastery for about 36 years. His biography tells us that he was hot-tempered by nature but acquired meekness “through constant, strenuous cultivation and through struggle in prayer.” (p. 17) Through his biography the reader has the opportunity to encounter the remarkable personality of a spiritual giant renowned for his humility and generosity. He often earned criticism from the brotherhood for his generous almsgiving at times when the monastery could not meet its own needs, yet his generosity was often justified through timely donations. He was especially forgiving to those who admitted their faults, and skilled at evoking a better response from those who tried to justify themselves or were self-willed, as his position required, thus spurring the brotherhood on to greater spiritual striving.

Elder Anthony was the youngest of the Putilov brothers and ran off to join Elder Moses in the Roslavl Forests in his youth. Elder Moses became his lifelong teacher and guide. Elder Anthony was not strong physically, but endured the hardships of the eremitic life with extreme fortitude. This elder served as superior of the new skete and was later pulled out of Optina to be the abbot at St. Nicholas Monastery, but the abbacy and bearing of administrative duties proved a much a greater cross for this humble soul than for his brother. His struggles are described in Elder Anthony of Optina by Fr. Clement Sederholm, and especially endear him to the reader. The inner strength gained in the wilderness served him well in his obediences as superior at the Forerunner Skete in Optina and later at St. Nicholas Monastery. Eventually he was permitted to retire at Optina. Though his infirmities often kept him bedridden, his love for his neighbor would inspire him to great acts of self-sacrifice. He took pains to hide his spiritual gifts, never allowing himself to be put in the position of a teacher, yet he often recognized what had been omitted from the confessions of his spiritual children and could draw out the hidden sin without drawing attention to himself.

Because Elder Moses and Elder Anthony were absorbed in so many administrative duties, it was Elder Leonid who first functioned officially as an Elder at the hermitage. Elder Leonid worked as a merchant in his youth and first entered Optina Monastery at age 29 in 1797. After two years he retired to the secluded White Bluff Monastery where he became abbot in 1804. By this time he had come under the spiritual direction of Elder Theodore of Cholmsk Monastery, a disciple of St. Paisius Velichkovsky, and thereby learned to war with the passions and attain spiritual enlightenment. Elder Leonid passed through several different monasteries and wilderness sketes after this, sometimes remaining in prayer and silence and sometimes serving as superior. He learned to hide his spiritual gifts since they tended to provoke the envy of men and the malice of the evil one. About prayer, the elder once told a disciple, “Whomever the Lord visits with a grievous trial, sorrow, or the deprivation of a beloved person or ones close to him, such a person will involuntarily pray with his whole heart and all his thoughts and with all his mind. Consequently the wellspring of prayer is in everyone; but it is tapped either by gradually delving deeper and deeper into one’s self in accordance with the teachings of the Holy Fathers or instantaneously, by God’s drill.”20
In 1829 Elder Leonid settled in Optina with five disciples. The abbot, Elder Moses, soon entrusted all the brothers at the monastery to Elder Leonid’s guidance. Elder Leonid, once called “The humble lion” by his elder, set about his labor with great meekness and the spiritual freedom of a clear conscience and purified heart. Yet the practice of eldership was new to some of the Optina monks who had been living for years at the monastery and had been laboring according to their own understanding, with an emphasis on external ascetic labors. According to the elder’s instructions, his disciples humbled themselves before these monks and made every effort to maintain peace. The trouble died down at first, but flared up again when one of the monks complained to the bishop about all of the visitors coming to see Elder Leonid and the ensuing disruption of monastic life. Elder Moses was also implicated in these complaints. For a while the bishop forbade Elder Leonid to receive anyone and had him moved from the more isolated skete to the monastery where he could be monitored. By now Elder Leonid was 68 and rather enjoyed having some quiet time, but it did not last. People continually sought permission to consult with him and if the abbot denied them then they would pester the bishop. The elder did not feel that he could deny everyone but those the bishop brought to him, so eventually opened his doors to all who came. This also earned him much criticism, though his integrity prevailed over local politics.
Though this persecution died down for a time, it arose again toward the end of his life, and this time it grieved him more because he was no longer alone in his sufferings–his spiritual daughters at the Belev Convent were also persecuted. Two of them were forced to become homeless wanderers for a time after being expelled from the convent, but as the Elder prophesied, one of his disciples there soon became abbess and the persecutions ended.
Elder Leonid’s biographer, Optina monk Fr. Clement Sederholm describes the elder as a “living book to all who came to him for spiritual counsel and instruction.”21 He showed no concern at all for what people thought of him and often acted in a way that appeared foolish to some. He sometimes scandalized visitors with his simplicity and humor and the fact that, due to illness, he was overweight. Thus, when one hieromonk came to Optina for the first time he was appalled by the Elder’s appearance and thought to himself, “What kind of schemamonk is this?” The clairvoyant elder noticed this. He stood up and, slapping his stomach called out loudly over all the crowd that surrounded him, “Hey, Koptsev! The tambourines sound great across the mountains, but when you get there, they’re just bark baskets. [a Russian proverb] Take a look, brother, see what a belly I have!” The newcomer was seized with fear. … how could the elder without ever having seen him before, call him by name? How could he know his secret thought?22
Elder Leonid’s relationship to Elder Macarius was especially touching. The two elders corresponded for some time before Elder Makary was able to transfer to Optina from the hermitage where he had labored for 24 years. Elder Makary had also come in contact with a Moldavian disciple of Elder Paisius Velichkovsky and received instruction from him. Elder Leonid regarded Makary as an elder already mature in the spiritual life, yet Elder Makary had so long desired to have an elder that he was able to persuade Elder Leonid to treat him as a disciple rather than an equal. Elder Leonid made great use of St. Makary’s humility as an example to all the brotherhood, sometimes correcting him loudly and with anger in front of the brothers, who respecting them both, watched with trembling. Elder Leonid watched carefully over his venerable white-haired disciple and prepared him to assume the responsibilities of eldership. Elder Macarius of Optina, by. Fr. Leonid Kavelin gives a much fuller portrait of his many labors before and after coming to Optina. Elder Macarius of Optina, in his own words, “loved to share grief with the grieving.”
Elder Makary was especially well-read in patristic literature and had prayed for many years for an experienced guide. When Elder Leonid came into his life, Elder Makary considered it a providential answer to his prayers. As Elder Leonid’s end approached, he gave many souls into Elder Makary’s hands and prepared him as his successor. Optina Monastery began its publishing activity under Elder Makary after the example of St. Paisius Velichkovsky. He had manuscript copies of all the patristic texts translated by St. Paisius, as well as those translations which were corrected by him. Elder Makary also had his own hand-written copies of other texts. Sixteen books were prepared under the elder’s supervision and with his direct and careful participation. Among the best known of these is Abba Dorotheos’s Discourses and Sayings mentioned above, which the elder regarded as the “ABCs of spiritual life” because this book discusses simply and engagingly the necessary practices and virtues that allow one to make a beginning in the spiritual life. Elder Makary had many famous disciples, including Ivan Kireyevsky and Nikolai Gogol. Elder Makary’s body was found to be incorrupt at the time that Elder Nectary was buried. (Elders Leonid and Ambrose are also known to be incorrupt.) Elder Makary’s biography includes a section with brief lives of his disciples, both men and women, which attests to his and Optina’s broad influence on the monasticism and culture of his time.

Elder Leonid and Elder Makary together brought up the most famous Optina elder. Elder Ambrose of Optina is said to have embodied all the virtues of the various elders; purity of mind and heart, the wisdom that comes from humility (smirenomudria), overflowing love and self-sacrifice. He was especially gifted with the ability to heal the souls of those who came to him. Hundreds of visitors flocked to him daily including Dostoyevsky, Tolstoy, Leontiev and Solovyev. Dostoyevsky’s portrayal of Elder Zosima in The Brothers Karamazov was a deliberate attempt to portray this elder.
Like Elder Leonid, Elder Ambrose had many women disciples and had a special concern for the poor, orphans and widows. As was mentioned above, monasticism in Russia operated under a great deal of governmental interference. It was very difficult for a poor woman to enter a convent because those who entered were required to make a deposit and buy a cell and provide for their needs by the works of their own hands. Even if a woman had such means, she still might not be received if she were ill, for fear that she would become a burden to the monastery. Elder Ambrose encouraged many to help such women enter into monastic life and was finally able to start a community himself at Shamardino where he received the poor and the destitute, the blind and the lame, the sick and the needy as well as some from high society. His care for the sisters at Shamardino earned him a great deal of criticism, since he would go there for long periods to direct the construction of the monastery and console the nuns. At the time of his death there were 300 nuns, an almshouse, an orphanage and a hospital, a large institution with many debts and the Elder himself, true to Optina tradition, was considered to be in disgrace with the authorities. On his last trip to Shamardino he became so ill that he was not able to return to Optina. Each time he would try to return, he grew too weak to travel; thus he understood that it was God’s providence for him to die in Shamardino among the many nuns, widows and orphans that he had become a father to. The complaints and criticisms of his prolonged stay at a women’s monastery reached the bishop who repeatedly demanded that he return to the monks. Finally the bishop went to Shamardino himself to force the Elder to obey. As a result, he arrived in good time to serve the Elder’s funeral and revise his appraisal of both the elder and of God’s providence.

Elder Joseph served as Elder Ambrose’s cell attendant for thirty years and succeeded him as elder at Optina. His life, The Elder Joseph of Optina was the first of the lives of the elders to appear in English. This elder has many endearing qualities: his meekness, compassion, humility, his utter selflessness, as well as spiritual gifts of healing and clairvoyance. What is really amazing, though, is the condition under which his spiritual formation took place. Elder Joseph was a poor orphan with a deep zeal and love for God who went to Optina at the direction of his older sister, the Nun Leonida when he was a young man. After a very brief time working in the kitchen, the young Br. Ivan was made Elder Ambrose’s cell attendant. For the first twenty years of performing this obedience, he had no room of his own in which to pray or sleep, but rather lived in Elder Ambrose’s reception room. Elder Ambrose would receive guests until 11:00 p.m. daily; thus it was impossible to perform a cell rule or sleep until quite late. Yet the sickly Br. Ivan, who after three years was tonsured Fr. Joseph, endured all this while maintaining a perfectly peaceful and loving disposition toward those around him. The two senior cell attendants were quick-tempered men and he suffered much reproach in his work. Visitors would grumble and blame both the elder and his cell attendants for having to wait so long to be received. Yet the young Father Joseph was able to soothe and placate all and it was even said that it was impossible to get angry with him. This was a monk who loved solitude, who never sought out companionship, and yet he achieved sanctity living in crowds. The biographer tells us that the same spirit rested on Elder Joseph that rested on Elder Ambrose. Many of the latter’s spiritual children tested Elder Joseph repeatedly, asking first him and then Elder Ambrose the same question and always getting the same answer, word for word. This was a kind of providential consolation for those who had to accept the death of their elder and turn to another. Many of the stories almost give the impression that Elder Ambrose had been cloned, but the personality of the simple and meek disciple stands out in sharp contrast to his teacher. Elder Ambrose was very well educated, sharp and witty. He could veil his spiritual counsel amid fables, rhymes, puns and literary discourse. He once prophesied that though he gave his spiritual children “wine mixed with water,” Elder Joseph would give them the pure wine. Elder Joseph was well read in the writings of the Philokalia and the works of the holy fathers and would quote from them directly without any added artifice, thus providing the wine, unmixed for those who came to him.
So far we’ve treated the lives of the Elders in the order in which they lived. But now we must omit a few of them because their lives are not yet available in English. The most recent addition to the Optina series is Elder Barsanuphius of Optina by Victor Afanasiev. This 800 page tome is perhaps the best of the series thus far. Much of the information we have on this remarkable elder was recorded in the journals of his close disciple Fr. Nicholas Berdyaev who later became Elder Nikon. Elder Barsanuphius was a descendant of cossacks and a colonel in the tsar’s army who entered monastic life when he was 45. He had led a particularly pious and humble life in the world and so was uniquely prepared for monastic life despite the late start. He was blessed to enter monastic life by Elder Ambrose, though the later had reposed by the time he had arrived. He was a disciple of Elder Nectary whose life is mentioned below. The crown of this book is the window it provides into the close relationship of an elder with his disciple. Elder Nikon kept journals of all the conversations he had with his elder and those he heard as the elder’s secretary. The personalities and struggles of both men are clearly portrayed. Elder Barsanuphius suffered much from ill-will and calumny throughout his entire monastic life. These calumnies and intrigues resulted in his being sent off to the Far East during the Russo-Japanese War, despite his infirmity and advanced age, and later they caused his exile from Optina after five years as Abbot at the Skete, and his being sent for the last year of his life to be Abbot of old Golutvin Monastery which had fallen into a state of spiritual as well as physical decline.

After Elder Barsanuphius’s departure from Optina, the reclusive Elder Nektary could no longer avoid being appointed elder and superior for the Skete. He tried to escape from this obedience by acting a fool to such a degree that he nearly succeeded in being dismissed. One of the more spiritually gifted hieromonks pointed out that he was actually prophesying through his foolish acts. As one of his spiritual daughters later wrote:

Now everything that he prefigured then has come true. He would put a bathrobe on over his naked body and his bare feet would shine as he walked. In 1920-22 even students and employees came to us barefoot, without underwear, or with an overcoat over torn underwear. He collected assorted rubbish—pebbles, bits of broken glass, clay, etc.—constructed a tiny cabinet, and showed it to everyone, saying, “This is my museum.” Now there is a museum there. 23

Elder Nektary of Optina, like Elder Barsanuphius of Optina was not written in Optina, but compiled later from materials available from the original Optina Library. Elder Nektary is one of the most enigmatic elders. Despite the wealth of really delightful stories about him by his spiritual children, one never quite gets a picture of the man, as if even after his repose, he is managing to hide his sanctity behind his riddles and parables. One of the most striking stories about him is of his conversation with and conversion of the renowned spiritist, Vladimir Bykov, who came to visit Optina. Bykov visited Elder Theodosius first, but the later referred him to Elder Nektary, who within minutes of meeting him for the first time, and with no prior knowledge of the man, presented him with a long critique of spiritism and all its effects on the soul. Bykov left the Elder’s cell a changed man. This meeting was especially providential for the continuation of the Optina tradition in America. Bykov was later consulted by a woman who had lost one of her sons in the war because she wanted to contact her son in a séance. Instead, Bykov sent her to the Elders who gave her true consolation. Her remaining son, later Bishop Nectary of Seattle, became one of the bearers of the Optina Tradition to this country.

Although Elder Nektary was the last Elder of Optina and saw its closure by the communists, there is another book out in this series. Elder Sebastian of Optina by Tatiana Torstensen tells the life of this famous Elder who carried the Optina tradition through the prison camps to Karaganda. He was Elder Nectary’s cell attendant for 12 years and was tonsured a full monk in the fateful year of 1917. Optina was liquidated in 1923 and Elder Nektary was arrested. The future Elder Sebastian was ordained to the priesthood and served in several parishes before he was arrested in 1933. He was sentenced to hard labor and sent to Karaganda in Central Kazakhstan. After prison he settled in Mikhaelovka with his spiritual children who had never lost touch with him and he gathered many suffering souls around him. Much of the book consists of brief accounts of all his spiritual children who had survived the prison camps. It is a bit grueling to read so many painful accounts one after another, but the persistent reader is rewarded. The picture emerges of a community of people whose only consolation in life is in God and the Church, who have suffered unendurable hardships and who, by all descriptions, were far more joyful than anyone I have met. There is a great deal to be gleaned from these stories of catacomb Christianity.

A Case of Providential Preservation

The original Russian copies of most of these books were found in a used bookstore by a disciple of Elder Nectary, Helen Kontzevitch, when she and her husband were exiled to Paris after the revolution. Apparently the communists had sold the books from Optina Library on the black market. The Kontzevitches bought up what they knew were priceless treasures and eventually bequeathed them to the St. Herman of Alaska Brotherhood. St. Herman of Alaska press originally published them all in Russian and found ways to send them back into Soviet Russia. Learning about the “museum” at Optina Monastery, they made sure that copies were donated to it. How gratifying it was for the monks of the St. Herman Brotherhood, decades later, to learn that the lives of the Elders had survived the communist era in Russia and were being studied by those who had come to renew the Optina Monastery. The new English title, Elder Nektary of Optina, features an icon of the saint painted by this new generation of Optina monks and given to the St. Herman of Alaska Brotherhood in gratitude for its part in keeping the tradition and memory of Optina alive. Tremendous labors of love have been involved in preserving these texts after the communist revolution, in translating them from 19th century Russian and in the publishing of them. Despite the dogged persistence of the publishers and many others to present something rare and priceless to feed the souls of Western Christians, these books are rarely seen anywhere but in Orthodox bookstores and even there they are often dust collectors. Perhaps an explanation for this neglect can be found in the vision of Elder Sophrony who succeeded St. Paisius Velichkovsky as Abbot of Neamts in Romania.
After the founder’s death, the monastery grew prosperous and its asceticism became less rigorous, both because of prosperity and because of the excessive freedoms granted to the laity who visited there. Some would bring their whole families and spend two or three months there while engaging in worldly entertainments. The monks became more careful of their vineyards and gardens than of their spiritual lives.
Abbot Sophronius, however, was known for his austere life. One morning he came out before dawn to the monastery gate where he had a fearful vision of a demon in military garb standing there. The Abbot was at first terrified by the sight, but when he recovered himself he conversed with it and was told that this was the commander of the forces of darkness assigned to this monastery to wage war against the monastic order. When Elder Paisius was alive, the demons were not able to prevail because of his experience in spiritual warfare. Now, the demon said, his troops no longer had anything to fear because the monks had grown cool in their spiritual pursuits and had taken up so many worldly cares. As things had progressed, fewer and fewer demonic legions were required to war against the monks. At this, the abbot asked, with deep pain, why any remained at all?

Then, being constrained by the might of God, the ugly one revealed his secret.
“It is true that there is no longer anyone to fight against us as of old, since your love has grown cold and you have become engrossed with worldly and earthly affairs. But there is still one thing left in this monastery that disturbs us and causes us anxiety. It is those filthy rags, I mean the books—perdition take them!—that you have in your library. We live in fear and trembling lest any of the younger monks ever take them into his hands and begin reading them. Once they begin reading those accursed rags, they learn of your ancient piety and your ancient enmity against us, and the little upstarts begin raging against us. They learn that the Christians of old, both lay and monastic, used to pray unceasingly, fast, examine and confess their thoughts, keep vigil and live as though they were foreigners and strangers in this world. Then, simple-minded as they are, they actually begin putting that foolishness into practice. Furthermore, they even take all of the Scriptures seriously. They rave and rail against us like wild beasts; let me tell you, one of those hot-headed fools is enough to chase us all out of here. They become as unrelenting and uncompromising with us as your executed Leader (the Saviour). We have come to have such peace and concord with you. But those so-called spiritual books of yours are a constant source of enmity and discord. Why can’t we have peace? Why don’t you read my books? Are they not spiritual also? For I too am a spirit, am I not? And I too inspire men to write books. But all that is needed is for one of those wretched rags which you call parchments to fall into the hands of some simple fool and a whole conflagration begins anew and we are forced to flee and take up arms against you once more.”24

So there you have it. By God’s mysterious providence, we live in a time when there is a truly amazing abundance of spiritual nourishment. Not only do we have readable English translations of some of the oldest Christian texts on prayer and spiritual life, but we also have the lives of those who preserved them, providing us with a kind of practicum for these spiritual teachings. We have the books that St. Paisius wept over and spent years of study in learning to translate—these “filthy rags” that the demonic hosts are terrified of. And I’ll tell you, as the manager of a religious bookstore—the icons sell, the incense and the CDs and tapes sell. It’s one thing to be able to sell “atmosphere.” The lives of the elders do occasionally sell. Mostly they collect dust. What would happen to this country if some young upstarts should start reading these “rags” and putting this “foolishness” into practice?