Art and Spirituality of the Russian Orthodox Tradition

One of the features of Russian Orthodox Christianity has been the prominence of monasteries. Soon after the conversion of Russia there was founded the monastery of the Caves in Kiev; later on, there was established by St Sergei of Radonezh the famous monastery of the Trinity (now called the Sergei-Trinity Lavra) outside Moscow. Monasticism had been a feature of Christianity since the fourth century. At the heart of monasticism is commitment to the life of prayer, and in the earliest texts onwards we find 7 discussions about how to maintain a life of continual prayer. In fourteenthcentury Byzantium there arose a controversy about the so-called hesychast monks (‘hesychast’ being derived from the Greek hesychia, quietness) about claims that, through continual prayer, there could be attained the vision of the uncreated light of the Godhead itself. Hesychast monks were important in the bringing of Christianity to the region around Moscow in the fourteenth century (the circle of St Sergei). The notion of contemplating the uncreated light of the Godhead is manifest in iconography, especially of the Transfiguration of the Lord, about this time. The hesychast monks came to be associated with a practice of inward prayer (‘prayer of the heart’) achieved by practice of the Jesus Prayer (‘Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner’): a prayer that became very popular in nineteenth-century Russia, as the famous book, The Way of the Pilgrim, bears witness.

This lecture consists of an overview of Orthodox monasticism. The following subjects are treated: - Judaism: Essenes - Celibacy in the Gospels and the Early Church - The Egyptian Desert, Palestine and Syria - Mount Athos - Monasticism in the Slavic world - St Seraphim of Sarov - The elders of Optina - Contemporary Monasticism

This lecture consists of an overview of Orthodox monasticism. The following subjects are treated: - Judaism: Essenes - Celibacy in the Gospels and the Early Church - The Egyptian Desert, Palestine and Syria - Mount Athos - Monasticism in the Slavic world - St Seraphim of Sarov - The elders of Optina - Contemporary Monasticism

One of the features of Russian Orthodox Christianity has been the prominence of monasteries. Soon after the conversion of Russia there was founded the monastery of the Caves in Kiev; later on, there was established by St Sergei of Radonezh the famous monastery of the Trinity (now called the Sergei-Trinity Lavra) outside Moscow. Monasticism had been a feature of Christianity since the fourth century. At the heart of monasticism is commitment to the life of prayer, and in the earliest texts onwards we find 7 discussions about how to maintain a life of continual prayer. In fourteenthcentury Byzantium there arose a controversy about the so-called hesychast monks (‘hesychast’ being derived from the Greek hesychia, quietness) about claims that, through continual prayer, there could be attained the vision of the uncreated light of the Godhead itself. Hesychast monks were important in the bringing of Christianity to the region around Moscow in the fourteenth century (the circle of St Sergei). The notion of contemplating the uncreated light of the Godhead is manifest in iconography, especially of the Transfiguration of the Lord, about this time. The hesychast monks came to be associated with a practice of inward prayer (‘prayer of the heart’) achieved by practice of the Jesus Prayer (‘Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner’): a prayer that became very popular in nineteenth-century Russia, as the famous book, The Way of the Pilgrim, bears witness.

This lecture presents a survey of the history of Russian polyphonic choral music, from the earliest experiments at two-and three-part writing in the 17th century to the work of contemporary composers such as Dimitriev and Genin, and including the repertories influence variously by Polish-Ukrainian music and German and Italian styles, the change in approach heralded by Tchaikovsky's Liturgy of St John Chrysostom, and the work of the "Moscow School" and the achievements of Rachmaninov.

This lecture presents a survey of the history of Russian polyphonic choral music, from the earliest experiments at two-and three-part writing in the 17th century to the work of contemporary composers such as Dimitriev and Genin, and including the repertories influence variously by Polish-Ukrainian music and German and Italian styles, the change in approach heralded by Tchaikovsky's Liturgy of St John Chrysostom, and the work of the "Moscow School" and the achievements of Rachmaninov.

It is claimed by the Russian Primary Chronicle that it was the experience of the Divine Liturgy in the church of the Holy Wisdom in Constantinople that persuaded the ambassadors of Prince Vladimir to recommend the adoption of Orthodoxy: ‘we knew not whether we were in heaven or on earth… We only know that there God dwells among men’. The experience of the Divine Liturgy remains central to Orthodox experience, not least Russian Orthodox experience. First of all, the liturgy takes place in a sacred space; the church building is divided by an iconostasis which separates the sanctuary (called the altar) from the nave, the clergy from the people. ‘Separates’—but also links and unites: the deacon, in particular, passes between the nave and the altar, and in singing the litanies, carries the prayers of the people into the presence of God. Secondly, the differentiated space makes possible a movement of symbolism—from nave to altar, from earth to heaven. The 5 movement of the liturgy—processions, incensing—draws together heaven and earth. There is a sense of rhythm about the liturgy, which one very soon picks up. The music—sung by human voices, without instruments; that is, by ‘instruments’ made by God in his image—the colour of the icons and the vestments, the splendour of the sacred vessels: in all of this, the material world is affirmed and offered to God. Thirdly, the splendour manifest in this way is the splendour of the Kingdom of God, of the Heavens, which is proclaimed by the priest at the beginning of the Liturgy—‘Blessed is the Kingdom of the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit’—and which recurs throughout the liturgy, until before Holy Communion, we beg to be ‘remembered in the Kingdom’ along with the repentant thief.

It is claimed by the Russian Primary Chronicle that it was the experience of the Divine Liturgy in the church of the Holy Wisdom in Constantinople that persuaded the ambassadors of Prince Vladimir to recommend the adoption of Orthodoxy: ‘we knew not whether we were in heaven or on earth… We only know that there God dwells among men’. The experience of the Divine Liturgy remains central to Orthodox experience, not least Russian Orthodox experience. First of all, the liturgy takes place in a sacred space; the church building is divided by an iconostasis which separates the sanctuary (called the altar) from the nave, the clergy from the people. ‘Separates’—but also links and unites: the deacon, in particular, passes between the nave and the altar, and in singing the litanies, carries the prayers of the people into the presence of God. Secondly, the differentiated space makes possible a movement of symbolism—from nave to altar, from earth to heaven. The 5 movement of the liturgy—processions, incensing—draws together heaven and earth. There is a sense of rhythm about the liturgy, which one very soon picks up. The music—sung by human voices, without instruments; that is, by ‘instruments’ made by God in his image—the colour of the icons and the vestments, the splendour of the sacred vessels: in all of this, the material world is affirmed and offered to God. Thirdly, the splendour manifest in this way is the splendour of the Kingdom of God, of the Heavens, which is proclaimed by the priest at the beginning of the Liturgy—‘Blessed is the Kingdom of the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit’—and which recurs throughout the liturgy, until before Holy Communion, we beg to be ‘remembered in the Kingdom’ along with the repentant thief.

After a general introduction to the course and information about the practical arrangements, the following subjects will be treated: - The early church and the Eastern Orthodox Church - The Roman Empire and Byzantium - The Old (Church) Slavic language and Russian - Glagolitic and Cyrillic alphabets - The texts initially translated from Greek into Old Slavic - Some samples of Slavic writing: inscriptions on icons

After a general introduction to the course and information about the practical arrangements, the following subjects will be treated: - The early church and the Eastern Orthodox Church - The Roman Empire and Byzantium - The Old (Church) Slavic language and Russian - Glagolitic and Cyrillic alphabets - The texts initially translated from Greek into Old Slavic - Some samples of Slavic writing: inscriptions on icons