Kind man from cosmo-damian. Archpriest Alexander Borisov: “They warned me at the Lubyanka that I would have a hard time

Famous neo-renovator, follower and spiritual child arch. Alexandra (Me), Moscow priest about. Alexander Borisov, author of the ecumenical bestseller Whitened Fields, about which the late Patriarch Alexy spoke at a meeting of the Moscow clergy: “It is not clear who wrote this book: the priest Alexander Borisov or some Protestant”, as part of the ongoing discussion, “is it possible to change something in the external side of church life”, suggested, following the example of the renovationists, living churchmen 20s of the last century, the widespread (albeit gradual) introduction of reading the secret prayers of the Eucharistic canon aloud, the Russification of the Apostolic and Gospel readings based on new, more “literary” translations of the Bible, and also accused all previous generations of Russian believers of the lack of any understanding of what is happening during church services. According to him, worship “People could hardly understand, let alone explain.”

Church life - live and developing. And because gradually something in it is changing. For example, we increasingly hear how a priest reads the prayers of the Eucharistic Canon aloud.

I think it is right when believers hear what is happening in the altar, at the Throne. Because this is the central part of our worship – communion with the Last Supper. And it is very important that those wonderful words that are also in the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, and St. Basil the Great, were heard by the people.

After all, the secret reading of prayer developed in Russia several centuries ago, when people were mostly 90% illiterate, and could hardly understand anything (!!!). In their perception, a church service is a sacred service, when something very important, valuable happens, but what exactly, people could hardly understand, much less explain.

Nowadays, starting from the beginning of the 20th century, when literacy becomes universal, parishioners need to delve into what happens in the altar during the Eucharistic canon.

When they hear the prayer repeatedly, at each divine service, of course, everything will be clear to them even in Church Slavonic. Moreover, people now mostly read the Gospel.

Belly or life?

As for the language of worship, I think that here one should follow the path of very delicate Russification, changing, for example, life for life, so that it sounds, say, he gave his life not for the life of the world, but for the life of the world. There is no distortion, on the contrary, it is still clearer, because the life of the world sounds more comprehensive.

I remember that even in Soviet times, in the Gospel, which was read at the funeral service, many priests also read “life” instead of “belly”. I think it's poetic, understandable, and good. Such substitutions, it seems to me, are quite possible.

"Apostle" in Russian

I think that reading the Holy Scriptures in Russian can become an important step. Some gospel conceptions that are often read, for example, the Theotokos Gospels, hierarchical ones, are understandable in Church Slavonic. But many of the readings are still obscure. And even more so reading the "Apostle". There is also a text in Russian that is difficult to understand. Not to mention the fact that the gospel conceptions are complete texts - parables or episodes of some events. The passages read from the Apostolic Epistles are often part of extensive discussions, sometimes occupying an entire chapter.

When some part of this reasoning is read in Church Slavonic, people, of course, do not understand anything. This is completely obvious. It turns out - some kind of sacred text sounds, everyone freezes in reverent respect, but the content of what they read remains completely incomprehensible. The words of the Apostle Paul come to mind: “But in church I would rather speak five words with my mind, that I might instruct others, than a thousand words in an unknown tongue” (1 Corinthians 14:19).

It seems to me that gradual Russification would be very useful because our liturgical texts are very difficult, very theologically rich. There is a lot of work to be done here, because not only theologically educated people, but also those with a good literary taste should carefully Russify. Because many of the existing translations into Russian are far from perfect.

Moreover, it is not necessary to introduce the reading of the “Apostle” in Russian at once in all parishes, but at will. Somewhere people feel quite ready to listen in Russian (we even know where... in the sect of Fr. George (Kochetkov), for example, or in the Kosmo-Demyansk parish of Fr. Alexander Borisov - ed.), somewhere like this can be embarrassing. I think that here a strongly serving priest should be given the right to choose reading either in Russian or in Church Slavonic.

The rector of the Church of Saints Cosmas and Damian in Shubin, Archpriest Alexander Borisov, has many poignant moments in his biography. In the Soviet years, he almost landed in jail for "dissidence." In the early 90s, he actively campaigned against the State Emergency Committee. Later he wrote the book Whitened Fields about urgent internal church problems, which caused heated debate. At the same time, the intelligent and calm father Alexander is absolutely devoid of any heroic pose. Here is what he said about the most important moments of his life.

How God Revealed to the Lover

Archpriest Alexander Borisov

I was born in 1939 in Moscow. Mom taught drawing at school, they parted ways with their father before the war. I studied in the same class with Pavel Men, my younger brother (we are very friendly with Pavel so far). I became a member of their family, there I saw icons for the first time, leafing through the Bible with drawings by Gustave Dore. But then the world of faith was a stranger to me. I treated it with respect, but did not seek to enter into it. I had my own world: most of all I was fond of biology.

At the age of 17, I once went with a friend to the Church of the Resurrection of the Word in Bryusov Lane. There was a service, we froze in the porch, and suddenly some grandmother began to scold us: “What are you standing for? Spies! I had to leave. Thirty-five years later, when I was already the rector of the church in Shubin, it turned out that our church icon of Saints Cosmas and Damian was kept in that church in Bryusov Lane. We got her back.

After school, he worked as a mechanic, earned seniority in order to enter a university. Fell in love. The girl lived in the suburbs. One summer I saw her off and, standing on the platform, I was waiting for the train. It was a beautiful summer sunset. Suddenly I felt that behind everything that surrounds me is God. “And if so,” I thought, “then the believers are right.” I ran to my friend Pavel and asked him to read the Gospel. He began to learn prayers, to prepare for baptism. Elena Semyonovna Men, the mother of Pavel and Alexander, helped me. She became my godmother.

On the eve of baptism, a storm of doubts arose in my soul. I prayed the best I could. Father Nikolai Golubtsov baptized me in the Rizopolozhensky Church on the Donskoy, who had baptized Stalin's daughter Svetlana Alliluyeva here a year and a half before. He also became my first spiritual mentor.

The beloved girl reacted to my faith with bewilderment. And there was a chill between us.

... I understood that faith should not be advertised, it is better to hide it if possible. I remember that in 1959, in the afternoon, we went to the temple "Joy of All Who Sorrow" on Ordynka. It was May 1st. Thousands of people were moving towards us - after the demonstration, Soviet workers were walking along Ordynka from Red Square. And we - in the opposite direction, to the service "Removal of the Shroud". Then there was a clear feeling that we were going against the current.

How I didn't sleep for four days

In 1972, I had the feeling that I was living too well. Candidate of Sciences, I work at an academic institute, teaching, doctoral defense are ahead ... I wanted to be useful in an area that is more important for my country - in the area of ​​​​its spiritual state. Although I really loved and appreciated my work. “In the end, science will not be lost without me,” I reasoned, “but the Church is precisely that part of our life on which everything else depends.” In the end, he decided to become a priest.

There was, of course, a risk here. I consulted with my wife, she is a believer, she supported me. Our daughters were in first grade at the time. But my confessor father Alexander Men dissuaded me for almost a year. To my requests he answered: "Christians are needed in science too." Still, I convinced him.

Entered the 4th grade of the Theological Seminary. On Sundays he served at the altar at Fr. Vladimir Rozhkov in the Church of the Prophet Elijah in Cherkizovo, and then studied in absentia at the Theological Academy. The deacon's ordination in 1973 was difficult. The rector of the seminary, Vladyka Vladimir (Sabodan), said that "there is a lot of resistance" against me. Apparently, each ordination was coordinated with a representative of the Council for Religious Affairs.

And yet I became a deacon. Awesome event! I remember that after my ordination, I hardly slept for four days and felt great - such was the lift.

How modest voice data did not interfere with the deacon ministry

They started recruiting me back in the seminary. A man called and made an appointment in the lobby of the Moskva Hotel. He said: “I will have the newspaper Pravda in my hands. Three days in a row they called me, tried in every possible way to persuade me. “You are close to Father Alexander Men, there are a lot of young people around him, there are anti-Soviet sentiments, we need you to tell us.” I refused. They even tried to shame me: “You are a Soviet person!” Finally, they warned: “If so, it will be difficult for you!”

At the time, I didn't think it was serious. I hoped to become a priest in a year or two. Then every year he submitted a petition to the Patriarch, but delicately refused: there are no priestly vacancies yet, serve as a deacon. I wrote to the Patriarch that I have very modest voice data for the diaconal ministry. He delicately answered: the size of the church where you serve is also modest... And so it went on for sixteen years.

... There was enough work. Father Alexander Men had many spiritual children, and he began to unite them into small groups. Once a week, 10-15 people gathered at someone's apartment, talked, read the Gospel, arranged evening parties, performances for Christmas. No announcement. I had two or three groups in different parts of Moscow. Plus self-publishing. They reprinted the Bible, commentaries, texts of the Holy Fathers. It was necessary to find a typist, carbon paper, paper, bind. When the photocopier appeared, they began to photocopy ...

I had contacts with the authorities in the form of searches twice. The first one was in 1974. Then a friend of mine, a Catholic priest who served according to the Eastern rite, came to Moscow from Belgium with a group of tourists. He loved Russia very much and knew the Russian language.

Foreigners had the right to smuggle one book of the New Testament through the Soviet customs under the pretext of studying the Russian language. And so each member of that group passed with one book. As a result, my friend was able to bring 40 identical Gospels. At the hotel, he collected them and brought them to me. Apparently, someone saw and informed. They came to me with a search on the same day, a few hours later. They were police officers and prosecutors. “We have information that anti-Soviet literature has been delivered to you…” They took away the Gospel, a typewriter, and other books published abroad.

Then they called me to the Lubyanka. They say: “You used to have contacts with our employees, you reached an understanding ...” I answer: “Well, if you consider my refusal to cooperate as an understanding, then yes, you have reached it.”

The second time they appeared in 1983, under Andropov. We arrived early in the morning, around seven o'clock. The doorbell rings: "Telegram!". I open it: the police, witnesses ... Later in the conversation they asked me: “Don't you believe us ?!” - “But how to believe if you deceived me from the very first phrase?” “This is not a scam! - told me. “This is a welcome!” We found a notebook in which my wife and I wrote down what we were given to read to whom. Fortunately, all our friends behaved correctly: they said that they did not take any books from us. After that, they signed a non-disclosure agreement and immediately called me.

There was a real threat, of course. One of my parishioners was told in the KGB: “If your Borisov wants to become a national hero, we will arrange it for him!” Most of all, I was angry when I refused to indicate where the notes in the notebook were made by my hand, and where by the hand of my wife. "Can you make out the handwriting?" - "I can." - "Then put a cross in front of your entries." I took a notebook, thought and said: "I won't." - "How?!" - "Changed my mind." The investigator shot up: “You promised! Don't keep your word! So not masculine!” Now it sounds funny, but then it was not fun. The conversation took place at the Lubyanka, and actions could follow the refusal. But everything ended peacefully: I was forced to write an “explanatory note” and released.

Archpriest Alexander Borisov serves a memorial service for the homeless. Photo: Sergey Bessmertny

All goes to good

In 1978 I graduated from the Theological Academy and became a candidate of theology. I hoped that after that I would be ordained a priest, but I had to wait until 1989.

At times there was bitterness in my heart. But now, looking back, I understand that it was right. God gave me the opportunity to participate more in the upbringing of children (if I were a father, they wouldn’t see me at home at all) and just grow up. I have absolutely no regrets that I took the priesthood at the age of 50, and not earlier. A young priest is sometimes a lot of temptations, an exaggerated idea of ​​himself, of his abilities. It may not be the case for others, but it might have happened to me. Therefore, I am grateful to God that everything turned out the way it did.

Seven facts about Fr. Alexandra Borisov

1. At the age of 30 he became a candidate of biological sciences. The opponent at the defense of his dissertation was the outstanding geneticist Nikolai Vladimirovich Timofeev-Resovsky.
2. In the 1970s, he learned to bind books. Dozens of "samizdat" books (mostly commentaries on the Bible) are still kept in his home library.
3. On August 19, 1991, he became the author of the appeal of the Moscow City Council to the troops that entered the capital on the orders of the State Emergency Committee. On August 20, he himself went to the soldiers and distributed these proclamations and Gospels to them (2000 copies were distributed).
4. His twin daughters are surgeons who worked in Africa and now live in France, retaining Russian citizenship and the Orthodox faith.
5. He does not go to the theater, does not watch TV, is not fond of fishing and sports (limited to gymnastics with dumbbells at home), devotes all his free time to books.
6. In 1991 he was elected president of the Russian Bible Society.
7. He has neither a summer house nor a car. A few years ago, I went to the temple and to the services in the Moskvich, but refused because of traffic jams and now travels by metro.

An abbreviated interview was published in the Moscow Orthodox newspaper Krestovsky Most. Distributed "Krestovsky Bridge" in the temples and social institutions of the capital for free.

SEPTEMBER 29, 2016 on the anti-orthodox liberal resource "Pravmir" well-known neo-renovator, follower and spiritual child arch. Alexandra (Me), Moscow priest about. Alexander Borisov, author of the ecumenical bestseller Whitened Fields, about which the late Patriarch Alexy spoke at a meeting of the Moscow clergy: “It is not clear who wrote this book: the priest Alexander Borisov or some Protestant”, as part of the ongoing discussion, “is it possible to change something in the external side of church life”, suggested, following the example of the renovationists, living churchmen 20s of the last century, the widespread (albeit gradual) introduction of reading the secret prayers of the Eucharistic canon aloud, the Russification of the Apostolic and Gospel readings based on new, more “literary” translations of the Bible, and also accused all previous generations of Russian believers of the lack of any understanding of what is happening during church services. According to him, worship “People could hardly understand, let alone explain.”

Church life - live and developing. And because gradually something in it is changing. For example, we increasingly hear how a priest reads the prayers of the Eucharistic Canon aloud.

I think it is right when believers hear what is happening in the altar, at the Throne. Because this is the central part of our worship – communion with the Last Supper. And it is very important that those wonderful words that are also in the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, and St. Basil the Great, were heard by the people.

After all, the secret reading of prayer developed in Russia several centuries ago, when people were mostly 90% illiterate, and could hardly understand anything (!!!). In their perception, a church service is a sacred service, when something very important, valuable happens, but what exactly, people could hardly understand, much less explain.

Nowadays, starting from the beginning of the 20th century, when literacy becomes universal, parishioners need to delve into what happens in the altar during the Eucharistic canon.

When they hear the prayer repeatedly, at each divine service, of course, everything will be clear to them even in Church Slavonic. Moreover, people now mostly read the Gospel.

Belly or life?

As for the language of worship, I think that here one should follow the path of very delicate Russification, changing, for example, life for life, so that it sounds, say, he gave his life not for the life of the world, but for the life of the world. There is no distortion, on the contrary, it is still clearer, because the life of the world sounds more comprehensive.

I remember that even in Soviet times, in the Gospel, which was read at the funeral service, many priests also read “life” instead of “belly”. I think it's poetic, understandable, and good. Such substitutions, it seems to me, are quite possible.

"Apostle" in Russian

I think that reading the Holy Scriptures in Russian can become an important step. Some gospel conceptions that are often read, for example, the Theotokos Gospels, hierarchical ones, are understandable in Church Slavonic. But many of the readings are still obscure. And even more so reading the "Apostle". There is also a text in Russian that is difficult to understand. Not to mention the fact that the gospel conceptions are complete texts - parables or episodes of some events. The passages read from the Apostolic Epistles are often part of extensive discussions, sometimes occupying an entire chapter.

When some part of this reasoning is read in Church Slavonic, people, of course, do not understand anything. This is completely obvious. It turns out - some kind of sacred text sounds, everyone freezes in reverent respect, but the content of what they read remains completely incomprehensible. The words of the Apostle Paul come to mind: “But in church I would rather speak five words with my mind, that I might instruct others, than a thousand words in an unknown tongue” (1 Corinthians 14:19).

It seems to me that gradual Russification would be very useful because our liturgical texts are very difficult, very theologically rich. There is a lot of work to be done here, because not only theologically educated people, but also those with a good literary taste should carefully Russify. Because many of the existing translations into Russian are far from perfect.

Moreover, it is not necessary to introduce the reading of the “Apostle” in Russian at once in all parishes, but at will. Somewhere people feel quite ready to listen in Russian (we even know where... in the sect of Fr. George (Kochetkov), for example, or in the Kosmo-Demyansk parish of Fr. Alexander Borisov - ed.), somewhere like this can be embarrassing. I think that here a strongly serving priest should be given the right to choose reading either in Russian or in Church Slavonic.

Short term freedom

We have recently come out of the state of unfreedom; under Soviet rule, changes were impossible. The state of freedom of the Church has been with us only for the last 27 years. This is a very historically short period. And there should be a very responsible approach to any changes. Because all sorts of cardinal reforms, changes immediately bring to mind the Old Believer split, which, of course, should not be allowed under any circumstances.

The events around Pussy Riot have become a real test for the Church, says Father Alexander Borisov, a well-known Moscow priest. This story hit hardest of all the liberal church intelligentsia, who responded to the court verdict with a series of demarches.

Photo: St. Sergius blesses Prince Dmitry Donskoy for the Battle of Kulikovo. High relief of the destroyed Cathedral of Christ the Savior.

The rector of the Church of Sts. indefinitely Cosmas and Damian in Shubin, Archpriest Alexander Borisov, whose community is considered to be the main "intellectual" parish of the capital.
- In the wake of the Pussy Riot story, after the verdict was announced, public “renunciations” spread on the net, people who eventually decided to leave the Church, unable to put up with what they consider to be “sly, deceitful, self-serving people.” What motivates them to do such a thing?

The inadequacy of the initial reaction of some representatives of the church community to this unpleasant, ugly event (meaning the “punk prayer” - ed.) gave rise to a wave of emotions. She hit a sore spot. This provoked many people to some harsh statements, which in turn polarized opinions. I think that radical decisions like “I will leave the Church” are the result of spiritual immaturity. In this regard, I strongly advise my parishioners to read the book by Sergei Iosifovich Fudel: "The Church of the Faithful." It was recently beautifully published with a wonderful preface by Father Nikolai Balashov. This book deals with the same questions that still torment some of us today, but it gives answers based on the experience of Russian church history in the first half of the 20th century, namely, the Renovationist schism. S. I. Fudel was the son of a very famous Moscow priest, who was the rector of the temple in the Butyrka prison, and his opinion was gained through suffering in vicissitudes much more serious than the current ones. S. I. Fudel was repeatedly arrested, exiled, etc. He reasonably writes that even the mistakes of the hierarchy cannot be a reason for the schism of the Church.

Of course, you need to pray for these girls, because they are unfortunate, sick people. Their story has become a great temptation for our Church. I am convinced that in such cases it is necessary to stick to the golden mean: on the one hand, not to remain indifferent to the events taking place, on the other hand, not to allow these events to overwhelm us entirely. You can't go headlong into all these scandals, discussions, opinions, because then we lose sobriety, the adequacy of perception. We must respond to any scandals in a Christian way, as the Gospel teaches, and not allow passions and exaltation to capture us. In any case, leaving the Church only plays into the hands of, shall we say, the dark forces.

But how to feel comfortable in the Church if you know that a significant part of your fellow believers is on diametrically opposed positions...

Well, let's start with the fact that no one promised us a comfortable life in the Church. We are told: "I am sending you like sheep among wolves." And also: "you shall have tribulation." And this is certain. There is no need to build any illusions about this. Life in the Church is always a series of problems, and not at all comfortable lying on a warm stove. Therefore, wisdom, prayer, humility and patience are required from us.

In Soviet times, many things in church life could also confuse. Among your circle, were there people who could not stand it even then, slammed the door?

Not that they “slammed the door”, but I did. for example, I well remember the famous open letter of two priests Nikolai Ashliman and Gleb Yakunin, when in 1965 they opposed the new charter imposed on the Church by the Soviet authorities and adopted by the Council of 1961. In this letter, in particular, they opposed the decision on mandatory registration baptisms, against the actual heading of parishes by elders supplied by Soviet authorities, etc. Father Alexander Men, whose spiritual child I was, did not support their initiative. It was obvious that the two priests' sharp criticism of the decisions of the Bishops' Council would entail a ban on their service. Which soon happened. Fr Alexander considered it a tragedy that two good priests would cross themselves out of the ranks of the servants of the Church with this letter. The Rule is not the most important issue of church life, it was not worth such sacrifices. As a result, Father Alexander did not support the letter, he remained in the Church, and this allowed him to perform pastoral work much more important than the criticism of the clergy that Ashliman and Yakunin made in their letter. Although they so boldly and sharply opposed what seemed to them unfair. The consequences of this speech were rather negative for the life of the Church: there were two less good priests in the Church. The following years showed the correctness of the position of Father Alexander Men. Father Alexander himself came from among the church intelligentsia, which belonged to underground communities that did not commemorate Patriarch Sergius. However, he was still a child then. But since 1945, when Patriarch Alexy the First was elected to the patriarchal throne, he, like the whole circle to which his parents belonged, returned to the patriarchal church.

- But how correct is it to compare the events of the Soviet era with Pussy Riot?

These are events of the same order, in the sense that some kind of collisions arise in the Church, forcing people to take polar points of view. In such cases, you can not chop from the shoulder. This requires wisdom and caution. And the laity, and priests, and hierarchs.

Alexander Ilyich Borisov (October 13, 1939, Moscow) - Soviet biologist, publicist and public figure, priest of the Russian Orthodox Church, until September 2010 served as president of the Russian Bible Society.

From 1956 to 1958 he worked as a mechanic, earning seniority, which was then necessary for entering a university.

From 1958 to 1960 he studied at the Institute of the National Economy. Plekhanov.

In 1960 he transferred to the Faculty of Biology and Chemistry of the Moscow Pedagogical Institute. Lenin. In the same year he got married. Has two twin daughters born in 1964.

In 1964, after graduating from the institute, he worked at the Laboratory of Radiation Genetics of the Institute of Biophysics of the USSR Academy of Sciences, headed by Academician N. P. Dubinin. The laboratory was soon transformed into the Institute of General Genetics of the USSR Academy of Sciences.

In 1969 he defended his dissertation on genetics and was awarded the degree of Candidate of Biological Sciences. He went to work at the Institute of Developmental Biology of the USSR Academy of Sciences, headed by Academician B. L. Astaurov. The opponent at the defense of his dissertation was the outstanding Russian geneticist Nikolai Vladimirovich Timofeev-Resovsky.

In 1972, he left his scientific work and, with the blessing of his confessor Father Alexander Men, entered the 4th grade of the Moscow Theological Seminary.

In 1973 he graduated from the seminary and was ordained a deacon, where he served until 1989 in the Church of the Icon of the Mother of God “The Sign” in Aksinyin.

From 1973 to 1978 he studied at the Moscow Theological Academy, after graduation he defended his Ph.D. Theology Ph.D.

In 1989 he was ordained a priest (previously such ordination was impossible due to the negative position of the authorities).

In 1991, he was appointed rector of the Church of the Holy Unmercenaries Cosmas and Damian in Shubin, which was returned by the state to the Orthodox Church. A significant part of the spiritual children of the deceased Archpriest Alexander Men moved to this parish.

In 1991 he was elected president of the Russian Bible Society.

In 1995-1997, he was a member of the public council of the TU Zamoskvorechye.

In 1994, at the theological conference "Unity of the Church" organized by the Orthodox St. Tikhon Humanitarian University, priests Alexander Borisov and Georgy Kochetkov were sharply criticized. Speakers at the conference accused them of renovationism, theological modernism and unauthorized innovations in the parishes entrusted to them. Father Alexander Borisov was especially criticized for his book Whitened Fields. Reflections on the Russian Orthodox Church. In it, the author reflected on the ignorance of the clergy and the ritualism of the parishioners, on the low theological literacy of Orthodox Christians in Russia, and on the problems of spiritual education. The book was written in a polemical vein, but the most controversial was the question of the author's understanding of ecumenism. It is known that about Alexander Borisov, like his mentor Fr. Alexander Men is a committed and practicing ecumenist. As president of the Russian Bible Society, he is constantly involved in joint research projects, conferences and symposiums with Catholics and Protestants.