Nil Sorsky (russian: Нил Сорский, also Nilus of Sora and Nil Sorski; birth name: Nikolai Maikov (russian: Николай Майков) ( – 1508) became a
leader
Leadership, both as a research area and as a practical skill, encompasses the ability of an individual, group or organization to "lead", influence or guide other individuals, teams, or entire organizations. The word "leadership" often gets vi ...
of a tendency in the medieval
Russian Orthodox Church
, native_name_lang = ru
, image = Moscow July 2011-7a.jpg
, imagewidth =
, alt =
, caption = Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow, Russia
, abbreviation = ROC
, type ...
known as the
Non-possessors (''nestyazhateli'') which opposed ecclesiastic
landownership
A landlord is the owner of a house, apartment, condominium, land, or real estate which is rented or leased to an individual or business, who is called a tenant (also a ''lessee'' or ''renter''). When a juristic person is in this position, the te ...
. The
Russian Orthodox Church
, native_name_lang = ru
, image = Moscow July 2011-7a.jpg
, imagewidth =
, alt =
, caption = Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow, Russia
, abbreviation = ROC
, type ...
venerates Nil Sorsky as a
saint, marking his
feast day on the anniversary of his
repose
Repose is a word meaning "rest" or "calmness".
Repose may also refer to:
*Lying in repose, when the body of a deceased person is set out for public viewing
*Dying, particularly used of saints in the Eastern Orthodox Church
* Mount Repose (disambi ...
on 7 May.
Early life
Nilus of Sora, a great ascetic of the Russian Church, was descended from the
Maikov nobility.
Before becoming a
monk
A monk (, from el, μοναχός, ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a person who practices religious asceticism by monastic living, either alone or with any number of other monks. A monk may be a person who decides to dedica ...
, Nil Sorsky worked as a
scribe and was engaged in book copying. He also journeyed to
Palestine and Greece early in his life and was acquainted there with the
Hesychast
Hesychasm (; Greek: Ησυχασμός) is a contemplative monastic tradition in the Eastern Orthodox Church in which stillness (''hēsychia'') is sought through uninterrupted Jesus prayer. While rooted in early Christian monasticism, it took i ...
movement.
Later in his life, he took monastic vows at the
Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery
Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery (russian: Кирилло-Белозерский монастырь), translated into English as White Lake ranslation of the town name of BeloozeroSt. Cyril's Monastery, used to be the largest monastery and the stron ...
, which had been known for its hostile stance towards monastic landownership. The founder of the
monastery
A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone ( hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer whi ...
– Saint
Kirill of Beloozero – was himself known for rejecting villages that had been offered to him by devout nobles.
Kirill's followers adopted his ways and would later become known as the ''
startsy
A starets (russian: стáрец, p=ˈstarʲɪt͡s; fem. ) is an elder of an Eastern Orthodox monastery who functions as venerated adviser and teacher. ''Elders'' or ''spiritual fathers'' are charismatic spiritual leaders whose wisdom stems from Go ...
from out the
Volga
The Volga (; russian: Во́лга, a=Ru-Волга.ogg, p=ˈvoɫɡə) is the longest river in Europe. Situated in Russia, it flows through Central Russia to Southern Russia and into the Caspian Sea. The Volga has a length of , and a catchm ...
'' with Nil Sorsky as their leader. Soon, he went on a journey to the
Holy Land and visited
Palestine,
Constantinople
la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه
, alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya ( Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis ( ...
, and
Mount Athos, acquainting himself with a mystical doctrine of
Hesychasm and reading
patristic literature. Upon his return to Russia (between 1473 and 1489), Nil Sorsky founded a
cloister
A cloister (from Latin ''claustrum'', "enclosure") is a covered walk, open gallery, or open arcade running along the walls of buildings and forming a quadrangle or garth. The attachment of a cloister to a cathedral or church, commonly against a ...
on the
Sora River
The Sora (German: ''Zayer'' or ''Zeier'') is a right affluent of the Sava River in the western part of Slovenia. The Sora gathers its waters mainly from the Škofja Loka Hills. Its source branches are the Poljane Sora ( sl, Poljanska Sora, also ) ...
(hence, Nil Sorsky, or Nil of Sora) not far from the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery, where he would settle down with his followers. He wrote extensively. This travelling to the holy places made a great impression upon him and changed all his individuality. Solitude, isolation, oblivion of the world became the main features of his character.
[(in Russian]
Великий старец Нил Сорский (the great elder Nilus of Sora)
Retrieved on 25 Jan 2018
The Novgorod heresy affair
Nil Sorsky was involved in the
Novgorod heresy
Heresy is any belief or theory that is strongly at variance with established beliefs or customs, in particular the accepted beliefs of a church or religious organization. The term is usually used in reference to violations of important religi ...
affair (see ''
Sect of Skhariya the Jew
The Thought of Skhariya the Jew, much more commonly known in the church terminology as the Heresy of the Judaizers ( ''Zhidovstvuyushchiye''), was a religious concept that existed in Veliky Novgorod and Grand Duchy of Moscow in the second half of ...
'' for details), which had stirred a lot of minds in the Tsardom of Russia at that time. It appears that Sorsky and his closest associate
Paisiy Yaroslavov
Paisius Yaroslavov (; died 1501) was the most famous monk of the Kamenny Monastery, located on the Lake Kubenskoye in Vologda Oblast, Russia.
Historians do not know much about Paisiy Yaroslavov. He appears to have been a prominent figure during ...
were much more tolerant towards the heretics than most of the Russian
clergy
Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching their religion's doctrines and practices. Some of the ter ...
, led by
Gennady (Archbishop of Novgorod)
Gennadius (Gennady, russian: Геннадий; died 4 December 1505) was Archbishop of Novgorod the Great and Pskov from 1484 to 1504.
He was most instrumental in fighting the Heresy of the Judaizers and is famous for compiling the first complet ...
and
Joseph Volotsky
Joseph Volotsky — also known as Joseph of Volotsk or Joseph of Volokolamsk (russian: Ио́сиф Во́лоцкий); secular name Ivan Sanin (russian: Ива́н Са́нин) (1439 or 1440 – September 9, 1515) — was a prominent Russian ...
.
In 1489, Archbishop Gennady embarked on the path of fighting the heretics and asked Archbishop of
Rostov
Rostov ( rus, Росто́в, p=rɐˈstof) is a town in Yaroslavl Oblast, Russia, one of the oldest in the country and a tourist center of the Golden Ring. It is located on the shores of Lake Nero, northeast of Moscow. Population:
While ...
to consult with the elders Nil Sorsky and Paisiy Yaroslavov (who had been living in his
eparchy
Eparchy ( gr, ἐπαρχία, la, eparchía / ''overlordship'') is an ecclesiastical unit in Eastern Christianity, that is equivalent to a diocese in Western Christianity. Eparchy is governed by an ''eparch'', who is a bishop. Depending on the ...
) and seek their assistance in this matter. Historical accounts of that period do not shed any light on the outcome of these "negotiations", but from that time on there seems to have been no interaction between Sorsky and Yaroslavov on one side and Gennady and Joseph Volotsky on the other.
The two elders, however, did not treat heresy with indifference. They were both present at the Synod of 1490, which dealt with heresy, and exerted their influence upon its final decision. Initially, the clergy unanimously spoke in support of burning all the heretics at the stake. At the conclusion of the synod, however, only a few priests were condemned and then
defrock
Defrocking, unfrocking, degradation, or laicization of clergy is the removal of their rights to exercise the functions of the ordained ministry. It may be grounded on criminal convictions, disciplinary problems, or disagreements over doctrine or ...
ed without being executed. Later in the decade, however, several heretics were burned in both Novgorod and Moscow.
Teaching and influence
Nil Sorsky was opposed to formality in Orthodoxy faith which were widely spread in the midst of 16th century Russia. It was so deeply crystallized in church life of that period that such persons as
Maximus the Greek
Maximus the Greek, also known as Maximos the Greek or Maksim Grek (; ; –1556), was a Greek monk, publicist, writer, scholar, and translator active in Russia. He is also called Maximos the Hagiorite (), as well as Maximus the Philosopher.. His ...
and the elder Artemiy, who had tried to show the deep basics of Orthodoxy, were considered as Heretics. His wish was to disclose the deep understanding of Orthodoxy devoting more attention to spiritual life of a soul rather than to religious rituals. He was not a bookworm but a speculator-philosopher or speculator-theorist and an uncommon spiritual freedom marked his personality. The whole life of a person - the path of incessant self-perfection and self-improvement - is based on the Holy Gospel. And the Elder showed a lot of psychological understanding of the spiritual struggle and outlined clear ways of "graceful struggle". He deeply believed that moral, inner, spiritual perfection was the ideal foundation of the active, productive life of the believer.
In his teachings, he developed mystical and
ascetical ideas along the lines of
Gregory Sinaite's hesychasm, asking the believers to concentrate on their inner world and personal emotional experiences of faith as means for achieving unity with
God
In monotheistic thought, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. Swinburne, R.G. "God" in Honderich, Ted. (ed)''The Oxford Companion to Philosophy'', Oxford University Press, 1995. God is typically ...
. Nil Sorsky demanded that monks participate in productive labour and spoke in support of monastic reforms on a basis of a secluded and modest lifestyle.
Nil Sorsky dedicated his efforts towards fighting against monastic landownership rights at the Synod of 1503 in
Moscow
Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 millio ...
. There, he raised a question about monastic estates, which comprised about one third of the territory of the whole Russian state at that time and which, in his view, had been responsible for demoralization of the Russian monastic communities. Nil Sorsky was supported by the elders of the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery and his disciple
Vassian Patrikeyev. Although he spoke in favour of
Ivan III
Ivan III Vasilyevich (russian: Иван III Васильевич; 22 January 1440 – 27 October 1505), also known as Ivan the Great, was a Grand Prince of Moscow and Grand Prince of all Rus'. Ivan served as the co-ruler and regent for his bl ...
’s policy of
secularization
In sociology, secularization (or secularisation) is the transformation of a society from close identification with religious values and institutions toward non-religious values and secular institutions. The ''secularization thesis'' expresses the ...
of monastic lands,
Prokurat, Michael. "Joseph of Volokolamsk, St.", ''Encyclopedia of Monasticism'', (William M. Johnston, ed.), Routledge, 2013
Sorsky did not live long enough to see the end of this struggle. Patrikeyev and Artemius of the Trinity
The Christian doctrine of the Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the central dogma concerning the nature of God in most Christian churches, which defines one God existing in three coequal, coeternal, consubstantial divine persons: God the F ...
were Nil Sorsky's successors.
References
External links
Webpage on Nil Sorsky
with rich iconography & hymnography (saint Nil de la Sora, avec riche iconographie & hymnographie)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nilus of Sora
1433 births
1508 deaths
16th-century Christian saints
Russian saints of the Eastern Orthodox Church
Russian religious leaders
Russian theologians
Starets
15th-century Eastern Orthodox theologians
16th-century Eastern Orthodox theologians
Hesychasts
People associated with Mount Athos