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← Letters on the Christian Life/Book 1 · Письма о христианской жизни
Chapter 98FeofanPisma.1.98

Письмо 98

The Temple as a Guide to Heaven

The author reflects on the sanctity of the church as a place of divine presence and a guide for the soul's pilgrimage toward the heavenly Canaan.

I want to explain a bit about the dispositions and feelings with which we should approach the temple of God. You know that the all-merciful Lord is especially pleased to be present in temples consecrated by the prayerful invocation of His grace. . . That is why such temples are rightly called God's tabernacle with men, the place of God's special dwelling among people, as He Himself affirms: "I will dwell," He says, "in them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be My people" (Lev.1 26:12; 2 Cor. 6:16). Among ancient Israel, this was attested in a way visible to everyone. A cloud overshadowed the tabernacle, and the word came from the cloud.✦ Then, throughout the Israelites' wandering in the wilderness, the pillar of cloud over the tabernacle—rising and stopping—was their guide on the journey toward the promised Canaan.✦ No physical cloud is visible over Christian churches, but God's gracious overshadowing is truly present in them all the same.2 These churches do not rise up and move like the tabernacle; yet they are still faithful markers of the way for those journeying to the heavenly Canaan.✦ This final quality of our churches brings to mind the Israelites' journey, leading us to think that we, too, should surround our churches with similar feelings and dispositions, so they can guide us on our life's path toward the place where God has appointed us to dwell forever.

The Spiritual Order of Prayer

Using the image of the Israelite encampment, the author outlines the necessary spiritual dispositions, bodily labors, and mental practices required for true prayer.

When the tabernacle had been set up and consecrated, God commanded Moses from that time on to arrange the march so that three tribes of the Israelites would go ahead of the tabernacle, three behind it, three on the right side and three on the left, while the tabernacle itself moved in the middle, carried by the tribe of Levi. Recalling this arrangement and believing that our churches, too, are guides, and that we walk around them toward the kingdom of heaven, you cannot help but feel compelled to ask what in our feelings and dispositions toward the church might correspond to those three ahead, three behind, and three on the sides.3 Here is how I picture it: Three in front, facing east. This is where we should place our higher spiritual affections. What would those be? I take them to be: a) faith that the Lord is truly present in the church by His special gracious presence—that the church is the house of God, toward which His eye is always turned and in which His heart always abides; b) hope that the Lord who dwells in the church, like a father who loves his children, clearly heeds every petition raised to Him and is ready to grant them all, if our eternal good requires it; c) love for the church, by which it is sweet to remain in it as in one's own father's house, and by which the spirit rests there in peace, as a child rests on its mother's breast.✦✦4 These are the chief, fountainhead hidden dispositions toward the house of God, serving as stirrers and parents of the rest. They ripen in the spirit and are turned, one might say, face to face toward God Himself—this noetic East.✦5 On the opposite rear side, toward the west, something bodily should be placed—yet something still governed by the spirit. Here we should place the labors the body undertakes for the house of God, as a house of prayer.✦ These too can be brought under three heads, which are: a) the labor of diligent going to church, to every service, at the first call, without excuses, without self-pity, without inventing imaginary obstacles, by this rule: as soon as you hear the bell for worship, drop everything and hurry to the church; b) the labor of patient remaining in the church from the beginning of the service to the end, always in one and the same place of your own, without moving about, without a careless slackness of the limbs, with a certain tautness that keeps you alert; c) the labor of reverent standing—quiet, with bows, with the eyes turned down or up toward the icons or the sacred actions, with the ears fixed on what is sung and read, with a silent tongue, without looking around, without wandering eyes, and without talking.6 All these actions express bodily labor in prayer—supported by the inner spirit of prayer, and in turn supporting it. Now, what would you place on the right and on the left along this crosswise line?7 I think what belongs here are the labors of the soul in the struggle of prayer.8 Namely: On the right side three positive works will stand. They are: a) standing with the mind in the heart in God's presence, accompanied by a sobering fear that gives vigor and refreshes our inner dwelling, like fresh morning air; b) deep attention to the force and meaning of everything that is sung, read, and done, with a heart open to receive the feelings and dispositions that will arise from it, and with readiness to keep them in yourself forever and act by them as by God's promptings; c) a peaceful disposition of a well-wishing spirit toward all people, not excluding even your enemies, according to the Lord's commandment that if you remember in church that your brother has something against you, leave your gift before the altar and go make peace with your brother.910 On the left side, there will be three negative practices. These are: a) not letting your thoughts scatter—that is, not allowing your mind to wander among various places and things while you are in church, and bringing it back to its work every time it drifts into daydreams; b) not weighing your heart down with worldly cares, which mercilessly drive anyone devoted to them further away and leave no free time for attending to heaven; c) non-attachment to anything earthly—that is, freedom from every attachment that pulls you downward and prevents your mind from lifting itself upward. Look: a prayerful cross takes shape, spiritually ordered within our nature whenever we go to church and pray as we should. Under the shadow of this cross, or under the influence of the feelings and dispositions that form it, prayer itself is carried out—whether as spoken prayer with bows, as a peaceful striving of the affections toward God, or as a hidden standing before God, an immersion of the spirit in Him.11 Just as the tabernacle, set among the twelve tribes, was guarded by them while simultaneously giving them their order, so prayer, in all its forms, is guarded by the dispositions and prayerful labors mentioned above, and in turn, it quickens them and sets them in order.

The Prayer-Bird Allegory

The author synthesizes the previous teachings into the image of a 'prayer-bird,' illustrating how all parts of the soul must work in harmony for prayer to ascend to God.

And there you have it—that's all! Whoever attunes himself this way toward the church will find, in that very disposition itself, sure guidance and a way to reach the heavenly homeland (for that, after all, is where our discussion began).✦12 Such a person, one might say, is already soaring toward it. Do you notice how the prayerful feelings and works I've described, when set in their proper order, form a soaring bird? . . Write it out and you'll see that it's so. Where the head should be, place the spiritual actions of prayer—that is, faith that the Lord is in the church, hope that He will hear the one who prays, and love for the church as for the Father's house. Where the right wing should be, write the positive occupations of the soul in prayer: standing in God's presence, paying attention to everything in the church with a heart open to receive God's promptings, and being at peace with everyone. In the place of the left wing put what the soul must not do during prayer, namely: undistractedness, or sober watchfulness; freedom from care; and detachment.13 After this, what remains for the tail are the physical labors of prayer: the effort of going to church, the effort of standing there, and the effort of offering prayer with the body. And the body of this bird will be prayer itself in all its forms. So there you have the prayer-bird! Don't think there's any forced stretch here, or some arbitrary invention. Only the image is made up; the work of prayer itself is really like this in its own nature. Just as a bird flies well by breathing air in and out and setting its wings, head, and other parts in motion—or rather, only flies when it puts all of these to work—so too the ascent of prayer toward God is possible in no other way than when all the works and dispositions named above are present in us. If anything is missing, the work of prayer will grow hard, or even stop altogether. Anyone who labors in prayer knows this from experience; and as for the one who doesn't pray—what's there to explain!

Read the original Russian

Хочу вам пояснить немного, с какими расположениями и чувствами мы должны быть обращены к храму Божию. Ведомо вам, что всемилостивый Господь особенным образом благоволит присутствовать в храмах, освященных молитвенным призыванием благодати Его. . . Потому таковые храмы справедливо именуются скиниею Божиею с человеки, местом особеннаго вселения Бога между людьми, как Сам Он удостоверяет: "вселюся", говорит, «в них и похожду и буду им в Бога, и тии будут Мне в людие» (Лев. 26:12; 2Кор. 6:16). У древняго Израиля это свидетельствовалось видимым для всех образом.

Облак осенял скинию и слово было из облака. Потом, во все время странствования Израильтян по пустыне, столп облачный над скиниею, воздвизаясь и останавливаясь, был руководителем их в их шествии к Ханаану обетованному. Над христианскими храмами не видно чувственнаго облака, но тем не менее в них истинно присуще благодатное осенение Божие. Не воздвизаются и не движутся храмы сии подобно скинии; но тем не менее они суть верные указатели пути для шествующих в Ханаан небесный.

Это последнее свойство храмов наших приводит на память устройство путнаго шествия Израильтян и наводит на мысль, что, верно, и мы должны окружать храмы свои какими либо соответственными тому чувствами и расположениями, чтоб они могли быть для нас руководителями на нашем пути жизненном туда, где обитать нам вечно определил Бог.

Когда была устроена и освящена скиния, то Бог повелел Моисею с того времени так расположить шествие, чтоб три колена Израильтян шли впереди скинии, три – позади, три по правую и три по левую сторону, а в средине двигалась сама скиния, несомая коленом Левииным. Припоминая это устройство и веря, что наши храмы тоже суть руководители и мы около их идем в царствие небесное, невольно понуждаешься поискать, чт ό бы это в наших чувствах и расположениях в отношении к храму могло соответствовать тем трем – впереди, трем позади и трем по сторонам. Вот как я себе то представляю:

Три впереди, к востоку. Тут надо поместить высшия духовные чувства. Какия бы это? Полагаю: а) веру, что Господь воистину присущ в храме особенным Своим благодатным присутствием, что храм есть дом Божий, куда выну обращено око Его и где выну пребывает сердце Его; б) упование, что Господь, пребывающий в храме, как отец чадолюбивый, внятно внимает всем воссылаемым к Нему прошениям и готов все исполнить, если того благо наше вечное требует; в) любовь к храму, по коей сладостно пребывать в нем, как в доме роднаго отца, по коей мирно упокоивается в нем дух, как покоится дитя на лоне матери. Это главные, источные сокровенные расположения в отношении к храму Божию, служащия возбудителями и родителями других. Они созревают в духе и обращены, можно сказать, лицем к лицу к самому Богу – сему умственному востоку.

На противоположной задней стороне, к западу, надо поместить что-нибудь телесное, управляемое однакоже духом. Поместим здесь телом подъемлемые труды относительно дома Божия, яко дома молитвы. Их можно тоже подвесть под три, кои суть: а) труд неленостнаго хождения в храм, на все службы, по первому зову без отговорок, без саможаления, без возрождения воображаемых препятствий, по следующему правилу: как только услышал звон к богослужению, брось все и спеши в храм; б) труд терпеливаго пребывания в храме от начала службы до конца, на своем всегда одном месте, без передвижений, без небрежнаго распущения членов, с некоторым напряжением, придающим бодрость; в) труд благоговейнаго стояния – тихаго, с поклонами, с очами, обращенными долу или горе, на иконы или священнодействия, с ушами, устремленными на поемое и читаемое, с молчаливым языком, без озираний, блужданий очами и без разговоров. Все такия действия выражают телесный труд в молитве, поддерживаемый внутренним духом молитвы и его обратно поддерживающий.

Теперь, чт ό бы вы поместили с права и с лева на этой перекрестной линии? Думаю, здесь следует поместить душевные труды в молитвенном подвиге. Именно:

По правую сторону станут три положительных дела. Это: а) стояние умом в сердце в присутствии Божием, сопровождаемое страхом отрезвляющим, сообщающим бодрость и освежающим внутреннюю нашу храмину, подобно утреннему свежему воздуху; б) углубленное вникание в силу и значение всего поемаго, читаемаго и действуемаго, с сердцем отверзтым на принятие имеющих родиться от того чувств и расположений, с готовностию навсегда удержать их в себе и действовать по ним, как по внушениям Божиим; в) мирное расположение доброжелательнаго духа ко всем людям, не исключая самых врагов, по заповеди Господа, что, если помянешь в церкви, что брат твой имеет нечто на тя, оставь дар твой пред олтарем и поди – помирись с братом.

По левую сторону станут три отрицательных дела. Именно: а) нерасхищение мыслей, или непозволение уму блуждать по разным местам и предметам, когда стоишь в храме, и возвращение его вспять к своему делу всякий раз, как он самовольно предается мечтам; б) необременение сердца заботами житейскими, нещадно гонящими преданнаго им все далее и далее и не оставляющими ему свободнаго времени для занятия небом; в) непривязанность ни к чему земному, или свобода от всех пристрастий, влекущих долу и не дающих уму восклониться горе.

Смотрите: вышел крест молитвенный, духовно устрояющийся в нашем естестве, когда ходим в храмы и молимся, как должно. Под осенением сего креста или под влиянием чувств и расположений, его образующих, действуется сама молитва, и как молитвословие с поклонами, и как мирное устремление чувств к Богу, и как сокровенное Богу предстояние, или погружение в Бога духом. Как скиния, помещаясь среди 12 колен, ими ограждалась и вместе и им давала строй, так и молитва, во всех своих видах, ограждается помянутыми расположениями и трудами молитвенными и в свою очередь сама их оживляет и устрояет.

Вот вам и все! Кто настроит себя так в отношении к храму, тот, в самом сем настроении, найдет верное руководство и способ к достижению небеснаго отечества (ибо с этого ведь и начата у нас речь). Таковый, можно сказать, уже парит к нему. Замечаете ли, как показанные чувства и дела молитвенные, будучи расположены в соответственном порядке, представляют собою парящую птицу? . . Напишите и увидите, что так.

Поместите там, где следует быть главе, действия духа в молитве, т. е. , веру, что Господь в храме, упование, что услышит молящагося, и любовь к храму, как к дому отца. Где следует быть правому крылу, пишите там положительные занятия души в молитве, именно: стояние в присутствии Божием, внимание ко всему в храме, с сердцем отверзтым для принятия внушений Божиих, и мир со всеми. На месте леваго крыла ставьте то, чего не должна делать душа во время молитвы, именно: нерассеянность, или трезвение, беспопечение и беспристрастие. После сего для хвоста останутся телесные труды в молитве: труд хождения в храм, труд стояния в нем и труд производства молитвы телом. А тело птицы сей составит сама молитва во всех ея видах.

Вот вам и молитвенная птица! Не подумайте, что тут натяжки или произвольная выдумка. Придуман только образ, а дело молитвенное таково по существу своему. Как птица вдыхая и выдыхая воздух, приводя в движение крылья, главу и другия части, успешно летит, или только тогда и летит, когда действует всем этим: так и молитвенное к Богу восхождение не иначе возможно, как тогда, когда есть в нас все помянутыя дела и расположения. Не будь чего-нибудь, дело молитвы затруднится или даже прекратится. Всякий трудящийся в молитве знает то по опыту, а не молящийся – что и толковать!

Scripture echoes

  1. ↩Exod.40.34-Exod.40.38;Num.7.89;Exod.33.9 — Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. Exod.40.35 — And Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting, because the cloud had settled upon it, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. Exod.40.36 — Whenever the cloud lifted from over the tabernacle, the Israelites set out on each stage of their journey. Exod.40.37 — But if the cloud did not rise up, then they did not set out until the day it rose up. Exod.40.38 — For the cloud of the LORD was over the tabernacle by day, and fire was in it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel throughout all their journeys. Num.7.89 — And when Moses went into the tent of meeting to speak with him, he heard the voice speaking to him from above the mercy seat that was on the ark of the testimony, from between the two cherubim; and it spoke to him. Exod.33.9 — And whenever Moses went into the tent, the pillar of cloud would come down and stand at the entrance of the tent, and speak with Moses.
  2. ↩Exod.13.21-Exod.13.22;Num.9.15-Num.9.23 — And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them along the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they might travel by day and by night. Exod.13.22 — The pillar of cloud did not depart by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people. Num.9.15 — And on the day the tabernacle was set up, the cloud covered the tabernacle, the tent of the testimony; and in the evening it was over the tabernacle like the appearance of fire until morning. Num.9.16 — So it was continually—the cloud covered it, and the appearance of fire by night. Num.9.17 — And whenever the cloud lifted from over the tent, after that the Israelites set out; and in the place where the cloud settled, there the Israelites would camp. Num.9.18 — At the command of the LORD the Israelites set out, and at the command of the LORD they camped. All the days that the cloud dwelt over the tabernacle, they camped. Num.9.19 — And when the cloud lingered over the tabernacle many days, the people of Israel kept the charge of the LORD and did not set out. Num.9.20 — And there were times when the cloud remained over the tabernacle for a number of days; at the command of the LORD they encamped, and at the command of the LORD they set out. Num.9.21 — And whenever the cloud remained from evening until morning, and the cloud lifted in the morning, they would set out; or if it lifted by day or by night, they would set out. Num.9.22 — Whether it was two days, or a month, or many days—when the cloud lingered over the tabernacle, dwelling upon it, the Israelites would camp and would not set out; but when it was lifted, they would set out. Num.9.23 — At the command of the LORD they camped, and at the command of the LORD they set out. They kept the charge of the LORD, at the command of the LORD through Moses.
  3. ↩Heb.11.8-Heb.11.16 — By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place that he was going to receive as an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going. Heb.11.9 — By faith he sojourned in the land of promise as in a foreign land, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, co-heirs of the same promise. Heb.11.10 — For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose architect and builder is God. Heb.11.11 — By faith Sarah herself also received power for the foundation of seed, even though she was past the age of childbearing, since she considered him faithful who had promised. Heb.11.12 — Therefore, even from one man—and he was as good as dead—descendants were born as many as the stars of heaven in number and as the sand by the seashore, beyond counting. Heb.11.13 — By faith these all died, not having received the promises, but having seen them from afar and having greeted them, and having confessed that they are strangers and exiles on the earth. Heb.11.14 — For those who speak in this way make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. Heb.11.15 — And if they had been remembering that country from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. Heb.11.16 — But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.
  4. ↩1Kgs.9.3;2Chr.7.15-2Chr.7.16 — And the LORD said to him, "I have heard your prayer and your supplication that you have made before me. I have consecrated this house that you have built, to put my name there forever. My eyes and my heart will be there for all time." 2Chr.7.15 — Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayer of this place. 2Chr.7.16 — Now I have chosen and consecrated this house, that my name may be there forever; my eyes and my heart will be there for all time.
  5. ↩1Cor.13.13 — And now faith, hope, and love remain, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
  6. ↩Exod.33.11;1Cor.13.12 — Thus the LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. Then Moses would return to the camp, but his assistant Joshua son of Nun, a young man, would not depart from the tent. 1Cor.13.12 — For now we see in a mirror, dimly; but then face to face. Now I know in part; but then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.
  7. ↩Isa.56.7;Matt.21.13 — For I will bring them to my holy mountain and make them joyful in my house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on my altar, for my house will be called a house of prayer for all peoples. Matt.21.13 — And he said to them, "It is written, My house will be called a house of prayer, but you are making it a den of robbers."
  8. ↩Heb.11.14-Heb.11.16 — For those who speak in this way make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. Heb.11.15 — And if they had been remembering that country from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. Heb.11.16 — But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.

Notes

  1. 1 ↩Sentence ends mid-citation; the full printed reference continues in the following sentence fragments as Lev. 26:12; 2 Cor. 6:16.
  2. 2 ↩«Чувственнаго облака» is rendered as “physical cloud” (a cloud perceptible to the senses), set against «благодатное осенение»—God's real, grace-filled overshadowing, not mere metaphor.
  3. 3 ↩Source has garbled 'чт ό бы'; translated as intended 'что бы' ('what… might').
  4. 4 ↩Russian выну (Church Slavonic 'always/continually') rendered as 'always'; вера / упование / любовь kept as the theological triad faith, hope, and love.
  5. 5 ↩умственный восток rendered 'noetic East' (the East of the mind/spirit), continuing the eastward temple orientation as a figure for God Himself.
  6. 6 ↩Russian 'возрождения воображаемых препятствий' is slightly odd in modern usage; rendered as inventing/conjuring up imaginary obstacles, which fits the moral force of the clause.
  7. 7 ↩Source has corrupt spacing/diacritic in «чт ό» for intended «что» ('what'); translated from the corrected reading.
  8. 8 ↩«молитвенный подвиг» is the ascetical struggle/effort of prayer (podvig), not a casual 'prayer practice'; rendered as 'struggle of prayer' to keep that weight.
  9. 9 ↩«стояние умом в сердце» is rendered as the hesychast formula 'standing with the mind in the heart' rather than paraphrased as mere attentiveness.
  10. 10 ↩«храмину» is rendered 'inner dwelling' (interior chamber/temple of the soul); alternatives 'inner temple' or 'inner house' are possible.
  11. 11 ↩«Осенение» is rendered “overshadowing,” keeping the biblical resonance of sheltering/covering presence rather than a weaker “shade” or “influence” alone.
  12. 12 ↩Russian «храм» can mean temple or church building; rendered here as church in the sense of the house of prayer already in view in the letter.
  13. 13 ↩The source frames the left wing as the negative/abstaining side of prayer (what the soul must not do), but names that side with positive renunciative virtues: нерассеянность (undistractedness), трезвение (sober watchfulness/nepsis), беспопечение (freedom from anxious care), and беспристрастие (dispassion/detachment).

Letters on the Christian Life 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
Chosen Portion — Daily Prayer (free iOS app) →