Молитва святаго Феодосия Печерьскаго за вся крестьяны
A Prayer for the Living
Theodosius petitions God for the spiritual strengthening, conversion, and protection of all classes of people, from the ascetic to the prince.
O Master, Lord, Lover of mankind! Lord, strengthen those who are faithful so they may be even more faithful; and for those who lack understanding, Master, grant them understanding.1 Lord, turn those who are pagans to Christianity so they may become our brothers; and for those in prison, in chains, or in hardship, Lord, deliver them from every sorrow.✦2 Those who are in reclusion, and on pillars, and in the stylite way of life,3 and for our brothers in caves and in the wilderness—Lord, grant them strength for their ascetic struggle.4 Have mercy, Lord, on our prince, N., and on this city, and on all the people who dwell in it.5 By Your mercy have mercy also on me, Your sinful servant, N. Though I am greatly sinful, yet by right faith I am Your servant.6 Save and have mercy, O Lord, on our bishop, N., and on the whole monastic order with the priests and deacons, and on all right-believing Christians, N.78
The Communion of Saints
The prayer invokes the intercession of the Mother of God, the saints, and the holy fathers, including a specific remembrance of Anthony of the Caves.
Have mercy, Lord, on those in need and those burdened by poverty; grant them abundant mercy, for the sake of the prayers of the holy Mother of God, and by the power of the precious Cross and Your holy three-day Resurrection, and for the sake of the glorious prophet and Forerunner John, and of all Your prophets and apostles, hierarchs and martyrs, and of the venerable fathers, and of the holy women, and of all Your saints, and of the three hundred and eighteen holy fathers who were at Nicaea, and of the holy fathers, the guarantors of our repentance: Basil, Gregory the Theologian, John Chrysostom, and Nicholas, and of our holy father Anthony, Gregory the Theologian (fourth century)9 , John Chrysostom (fourth century)10 , Nicholas of Myra (fourth century)11 , who were numbered among the saints, and he joins to them his contemporary who has only just died, his teacher and Christian brother Anthony of the Caves.12 Among other things, this detail means that the present prayer took shape with Theodosius in the last year of his life, for it is known that Anthony died in 1072/1073. , and Theodosius in 1074. . . . Anthony. . . — In the manuscript13 is added: and Theodosius; so the venerable14 Theodosius’s prayer was edited by the scribe of the present copy of it. the lamp of all Rus', who promised to pray for us.15
Intercession for the Departed
The prayer concludes with a petition for the rest of all departed Orthodox Christians in the light of God's presence.
And grant rest, O Lord, to the souls of Your servants—our Orthodox princes and bishops, N., and all our kin according to the flesh, N.16 And grant rest, O Lord, to the souls of Your servants—all Orthodox Christians who have died in the cities, in the villages, in the wilderness, on the roads, and at sea. Grant them rest in a place of light, among the saints, in the stronghold of blessed paradise and endless life, and in the unspeakable, never-fading light of Your face. For you are the rest and resurrection for your departed servants, O Christ our God, and we glorify you with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and always.✦
Read the original Latin
Владыко Господи человѣколюбче! Иже суть вѣрнии, Господи, утверди ̀я, да будуть вѣрнѣйши того; иже суть неразумливии, ты, Владыко, вразуми я. Иже суть погани, Господи, обрати ̀я на крестьянство, и ти будуть братья наша, Иже суть в темьницахъ, или въ оковѣхъ, или в нужи, ты, Господи, избави ̀я от всякоя печали. Иже суть в затворѣхъ, и въ столпѣхъ и столпничестве (тоже уединении, сопровождавшемся еще и неподвижным пребыванием на столпе, – камне, скале, специально устроенном возвышении).") , и в печерахъ, и въ пустыни, братья наша, ты, Господи, подажь имъ крѣпость к подвигу.
Помилуй, Господи, князя нашего, имярек, и град сь, и вся сущая люди в немь. Милостью своею помилуй и мене, раба твоего грѣшнаго, имярек, аще и многогрѣшенъ есмь, но правою вѣрою рабъ твой есмь.
Спаси и помилуй, Господи, епископа нашего, имярек, и весь чинъ мнишьскый съ иерѣи и дьяконы, и вся правовѣрныя крестьяны, имярек.
Помилуй, Господи, сущихъ в недостаточьствѣ и озлобленыя нищетою, подажь имъ богатую милость, моления ради святыя Богородица, и силою честьнаго креста и святаго тридньвнаго въскресения Твоего, и славнаго пророка и предотеча ради Иоана, и всѣхъ пророкъ и апостолъ Твоихъ, святитель и мученикъ, и преподобныхъ отець, и святыхъ женъ, и всѣхъ святыхъ Твоихъ, и святыхъ отець 300 и 18, иже в Никѣи, и святыхъ отец, поручникъ нашего покаяния: Василья, Григорья Богословця, Иоана Златоустаго, и Николы, и святаго отца нашего Антония, Григория Богослова (IV в.) , Иоанна Златоуста (IV в.) , Николу Мирликийского (IV в.) , причтенных к лику святых, и присоединяет к ним только что скончавшегося своего современника, наставника и христианского брата Антония Печерского. Помимо всего прочего, эта деталь означает, что настоящая молитва родилась у Феодосия на последнем году его жизни, ибо известно, что Антоний скончался в 1072/1073 г. , а Феодосий – в 1074 г. . .
. Антония. . . – В ркп. добавлено: и Феодосия; так редактировал молитву преп. Феодосия писец настоящего ее списка.") всея Руси свѣтилника, обѣщавшаго молитися за ны.
И покой, Господи, душа рабъ Своихъ, правовѣрныхъ князь нашихъ и епископъ, имярек, и вся сродникы наша по плоти, имярек.
И покой, Господи, душа рабъ Своихъ, всѣхъ правовѣрныхъ крестьянъ, умершая въ градѣхъ, и в селѣхъ, и в пустыняхъ, и на путихъ, и на мори.
Покой я на мѣстѣ свѣтлѣ, в лици святыхъ, въ оплотѣ благаго рая и жизни бесконечной и неизглаголанѣмъ и немерцаемѣмъ свѣтѣ лица Твоего.
Яко Ты еси покой и въскресение усопшимъ рабомъ Твоимъ, Христе Боже нашь, и Тебе славимъ съ Отцемь и Святымь Духомь, и ныня и присно.
Scripture echoes
Notes
- 1 ↩неразумливии rendered as 'without understanding' (lack of spiritual discernment), not mere foolishness; вразуми as 'give them understanding' (enlighten/instruct).
- 2 ↩крестьянство here is 'Christianity' / the Christian fold (not 'peasantry'). погани = pagans/heathens. нужи covers need, distress, and hardship.
- 3 ↩Normalized text includes a modern Russian editorial gloss in parentheses explaining stylitism (столпничество) and ends with stray punctuation `.")`. That gloss is not original ORV prayer language and is omitted from the English prayer line; sense retained as reclusion and stylite/pillar-dwelling.
- 4 ↩подвиг rendered as 'ascetic struggle' (spiritual contest/labor), not generic 'feat'.
- 5 ↩имярек is the liturgical placeholder for the name to be inserted; rendered as N.
- 6 ↩правою вѣрою: 'right faith' keeps the ORV sense of orthodox/true confession without modern confessional labeling; 'true faith' is a close alternate.
- 7 ↩имярек is the liturgical name-placeholder (N./so-and-so); kept as N. for both occurrences.
- 8 ↩чинъ мнишьскый is the monastic estate/order as a body; правовѣрныя крестьяны is right-believing/Orthodox Christians (крестьяны = Christians).
- 9 ↩The closing phrase «Григория Богослова (IV в.)» looks like modern editorial identification fused onto the prayer list; the continuous apparatus continues in s2–s6.
- 10 ↩Modern editorial identification of Ioann Zlatoust, not continuous Old Russian prayer wording.
- 11 ↩Modern editorial identification of Nicholas of Myra/Lycia, not continuous Old Russian prayer wording.
- 12 ↩Subject of «присоединяет» is Theodosius (editorial narrator), supplied from discourse context rather than an explicit subject in this fragment.
- 13 ↩ркп. is the modern Russian abbreviation for рукопись (manuscript).
- 14 ↩преп. expands to преподобный (venerable / St.), the usual epithet for monastics; here it heads the name Theodosius continued in s7.
- 15 ↩свѣтилникъ is the traditional Slavic honorific “lamp/luminary” for a saint who lights the land; kept as “lamp” rather than flattened to “light” or “beacon.”
- 16 ↩имярек is the traditional liturgical blank for names to be inserted; rendered as N., as in memorial prayer books.
Epistles of Theodosius of the Caves to Prince Iziaslav companion
Rule yourself daily, not just on retreat
Chosen Portion turns the mirror into a daily practice — a short reading and examining question each morning before you lead anyone.
Chosen Portion makes the mirror daily: the ruler-formation questions this collection preserves become a two-minute morning examination in the app.
- A daily formation reading drawn from centuries of counsel to those in authority
- One pointed examination question a day — two minutes, before the meetings start
- Track your practice over weeks and watch the examined life become a habit