JOHN CASSIAN THE ROMAN (Iohannes Cassianus Romanus) [about 360, Scythia Minor (now Dobrudja, Romania) - about 435, Massilia (now Marseille)], theologian, spiritual writer, Christian saint. From a wealthy Christian family. Around 380 he made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, where he became a monk in one of the Bethlehem monasteries. From 382 John Cassian the Roman was in Egypt, where he labored in the deserts of Scete, Kellia and Nitria. Around 390 he returned to Bethlehem, but soon went back to Egypt. The persecution of Egyptian Origenist monks, begun by Bishop Theophilus of Alexandria in 399, forced John Cassian the Roman to leave Egypt and go to Constantinople, where he became a disciple and close friend of John Chrysostom, who ordained him a deacon. In 404, after the removal of John Chrysostom from the See of Constantinople, John Cassian the Roman went to Rome to Pope Innocent I (401-417) with a message from the Constantinople clergy, asking for protection for the unjustly convicted. In Rome he was ordained a presbyter and met the future Pope Leo I the Great (440-461). Around 415-416 John Cassian the Roman - in Southern Gaul, in Massilia, where he founded the monastery of St. Victor and the convent of Christ the Savior. In them, using his experience acquired over many years of asceticism in the Orthodox East, John Cassian the Roman tried to combine the communal monastic way of life with the spirit of hermitage. He never left Southern Gaul again.

During the Gallic period of his life, John Cassian the Roman created 2 ascetic and 1 dogmatic-polemical works. “On the Rules of Cenobitic Monasteries” (“De institutis coenobiorum”) is an ascetic work written around 417-419, consisting of 12 books. Books 1-4 talk about the structure of the “external life” of monks: the rules for entering the monastery, the appearance and clothing of monks, the daily cycle of worship, vows, obediences, repentance; all topics are illustrated with examples from the lives of Egyptian, Palestinian and Syrian monks. In books 5-12, John Cassian the Roman discusses the fight against the eight main passions (principalia vitia, or passiones) - gluttony, fornication, love of money, anger, sadness, despondency, vanity and pride. “Conversations” (“Collationes”) - an ascetic work that has undergone three editions (425-427); is a direct continuation of the previous one and consists of 24 interviews dedicated to the inner life of monks. These are records of spiritual conversations between John Cassian the Roman and famous Egyptian ascetics - Abba Moses, Paphnutius, Serapion, Chaeremon and others. The first interview is devoted to the goals of monastic life; 9th and 10th - prayer; 13th - the question of what role Divine grace and human free will play in salvation; 14th - active and contemplative life; 23rd - the consequences of the Fall. A shortened version of the two indicated works of John Cassian the Roman was subsequently compiled by Eucherius of Lyons. Both works had a significant influence on the formation of the Western monastic tradition, in particular on such representatives as Benedict of Nursia. “On the Incarnation of the Lord, against Nestorius” (“De incarnatione Domini contra Nestorium”) is a dogmatic and polemical treatise written by John Cassian the Roman in 429-430 at the request of the Roman Archdeacon Leo, the future pope. In the 1st book, using the example of the conversion of the Gallic Pelagian monk Leporius, parallels are drawn between Pelagianism and Nestorianism; Books 2-5 contain the evidence of Scripture in defense of the Divinity of Christ and the term "Mother of God"; in the 6th book, the confession of the Antiochian Church is given as an example of Orthodoxy; in books 6-7, John Cassian the Roman summarizes his main arguments and sums up the presentation. Despite some terminological inaccuracies and repetitions, the treatise is one of the earliest Western writings against the heresy of Nestorianism.

John Cassian the Roman had a significant influence on the formation of Christian monasticism and monastic theology both in the Christian West and in the Christian East. Memorial Day in the Russian Orthodox Church is February 29 (28) (March 13). In the Roman Catholic Church he is venerated as a locally revered Gallic saint (feast day - July 23).

Works: Migne PL. T. 49-50; Corpus Scriptorum Ecclesiasticorum Latinorum. Vindobonae, 1886-1888. Vol. 13, 17; Scriptures. 2nd ed. M., 1892; Clavis Patrum Latinorum. Brugis, 1961. No. 512-514; Scriptures. M.; Minsk, 2000.

Lit.: Hoch A. Lehre des Joannes Cassianus von Natur und Gnade. Freiburg, 1895; Laugier J. S. Jean Cassien et sa doctrine sur la grace. Lyon, 1908; Marsili S. Giovanni Cassiano ed Evagrio Pontico. Rome, 1936; Chéné J. Que signifiaient “Initium fidei” et “Affectus credulitatis” pour les Semi-rélagiens? // Recherches de Science Religieuse. 1948. Vol. 35. R. 566-588; idem. Le semipelagianisme du midi de la Gaule... // Ibid. R. 321-341; Olphe Galliard M. Cassien // Dictionnaire de spiritualité, ascetique et mystique. R., 1953. Vol. 2; Plagnieux J. Le grief de complicité entre erreurs nestorienne et pelagienne d’Augustin à Cassien par Prosper // Revue des Etudes Augustiniennes. 1956. Vol. 2. No. 3/4; Guy J. S. Jean Cassien, vie et doctrine spirituelle. R., 1961; Chadwick O. John Cassian. 2nd ed. Camb., 1968; Christophe R. Cassien et Cesaire, prédicateurs de la morale monastique. R., 1969; Grillmeier A. Christ in Christian tradition. 2nd ed. L., 1975. Vol. 1. R. 393-398; MacQueen D. J. John Cassian on Grace // Recherches de théologie ancienne et médiévale. 1977. Vol. 44. No. 1; Quasten J. Patrology. Westminster, 1986. Vol. 4; Cristiani L. Jean Cassien. R., 1991. Vol. 1-2; Weaver R. N. Divine grace and human agency: a study of the semi-pelagian controversy. Macon, 1998; Stewart S. Cassian the monk. N.Y.; Oxf., 1998; Fokin A.R. Venerable John Cassian // Arelat preachers of the V-VI centuries. Collection of research and translations. M., 2005; Weaver R. H. Divine Grace and Human Action: A Study of the Semi-Pelagian Controversy. M., 2006; Casiday A. M. Tradition and theology in St. John Cassian. Oxf., 2007.

The Venerable John Cassian the Roman belonged to the West by his place of birth and the language in which he wrote, but the spiritual homeland of the saint has always been the Orthodox East. In the Bethlehem monastery, located not far from the place where the Savior was born, John accepted monasticism. After a two-year stay in the monastery in 390, the monk and his spiritual brother Herman traveled for seven years through Thebaid and the Skete desert, drawing from the spiritual experience of numerous ascetics. Having returned to Bethlehem for a short time in 397, the spiritual brothers labored in complete solitude for three years, and then went to Constantinople, where they listened to St. John Chrysostom. In Constantinople, the Monk Cassian received the rank of deacon. In 405, the clare of Constantinople sent the monk to Rome to Pope Innocent I at the head of an embassy to seek protection for the innocently suffering saint.

The Monk Cassian was ordained to the rank of presbyter in his homeland. In Marseilles, for the first time in Gaul, he established two communal monasteries, male and female, according to the charter of eastern monasteries. At the request of the Bishop of Aptia Castor, the Monk Cassian in 417-419 wrote 12 books “On the Decrees of the Cenobians” in Palestine and Egypt and 10 conversations with the desert fathers in order to give his compatriots examples of cenobitic monasteries and introduce them to the spirit of asceticism of the Orthodox East. In the first book, “On the Decrees of the Cinema,” we are talking about the appearance of the monk; in the second - about the rite of night psalms and prayers; in the third - about the order of daily prayers and psalms; in the fourth - about the rite of rejection from the world; in the eight others - about the eight main sins. In his paternal conversations, the mentor in asceticism, Saint Cassian, speaks about the purpose of life, about spiritual reasoning, about the degrees of renunciation of the world, about the desires of the flesh and spirit, about the eight sins, about the misfortunes of the righteous, about prayer. In subsequent years, the Monk Cassian wrote fourteen more conversations: about perfect love, about purity, about God's help, about the understanding of Scripture, about the gifts of God, about friendship, about the use of language, about the four kinds of monks, about hermit and communal life, about repentance, about fasting, about nightly temptations, about spiritual mortification, an interpretation is given of the words “I do what I will not.”

In 431, Saint John Cassian wrote his last work against Nestorius, in which he collected the judgments of many eastern and western teachers against heresy. In his writings, the Monk Cassian based himself on the spiritual experience of ascetics, noting to admirers of St. Augustine (June 15) that “grace can least of all be defended by pompous words and talkative competition, dialectical syllogisms and the eloquence of Cicero.” According to the Monk John Climacus (March 30), “the great Cassian argues excellently and sublimely.” Saint John Cassian the Roman died peacefully in 435.

The Scripture says that the wisest Solomon, who was honored to receive from God such wisdom that, according to the testimony of the Lord himself, there was no one like him among his predecessors and there could not be even among his descendants, intending to build the temple of the Lord, asked for help from the king of Tyre, and with the help The son of a widow he sent, Hiram, arranged splendor in the temple and precious vessels (1 Kings 4:7). So you too, most blessed archpastor, intending to create a true, spiritual and eternal temple to God, which will include not insensitive stones, but a cathedral of holy men, and wishing to dedicate to God the most precious vessels, which will consist not of gold and silver, but of holy souls, shining with kindness, righteousness and chastity, you invite me, insignificant, to assist you in this holy matter. Desiring that cenobitic monasteries in your region be organized according to the rules of Eastern, and especially Egyptian monasteries, despite the fact that you yourself are so perfect in virtue and reason and in general so rich in spiritual gifts that those who desire perfection can receive sufficient edification not only from you teachings, but also from one life - from me, poor in word and knowledge, you demand an exposition of those monastic rules that I saw in Egypt and Palestine and about which

\\9// I heard from the fathers that the brothers of your new monastery could learn the way of life that the saints lead there. I really want to fulfill your desire, however, I obey you not without fear, firstly, because my way of life is not at all such that I can grasp this sublime and holy subject with my mind; secondly, because now I cannot remember exactly the rules that I knew or observed when living in my youth among the Eastern fathers, since such objects are retained in memory by fulfilling them; and thirdly, because I do not know how to explain them well, although I can remember some. In addition, these rules have already been spoken about by men who distinguished themselves by intelligence, eloquence and their very lives. Basil the Great, Jerome and others, of whom the first answered the questions of the brothers about various rules of communal life on the basis of Holy Scripture, and the other not only published his work, but also translated those published in Greek into Latin. After the eloquent works of these men, my essay would expose my arrogance if I were not inspired by the hope of your holiness and the confidence that my babbling pleases you and the brotherhood of the newly established monastery can be useful. So, most blessed archpastor, only inspired by your prayers, I set about the work you entrusted to me, and I will set out for the new monastery those rules that our ancestors did not discuss, who usually wrote only about what they heard, and not about what they themselves did . Here I will not talk about those miracles of the fathers that I heard about or witnessed, because miracles, while arousing surprise, contribute little to a holy life. I will tell you as truthfully as possible about the rules of the monastery, about the origin of the eight main vices and about how, following the teachings of the fathers, these vices can be eradicated, because my goal is not to talk about the miracles of God, but about how to correct our morals and lead our lives perfect. I will try to fulfill your prediction, and if in these countries I find something that does not correspond to the ancient \\10// their rules, then I will correct this according to the rules that exist in the ancient Egyptian and Palestinian monasteries, because there can be no new brotherhood in the West in the country of Gaul better than those monasteries that were founded by the saints and spiritual fathers from the beginning of the apostolic preaching. If I notice that some of the rules of the Egyptian monasteries will be unenforceable here due to the severity of the air or the difficulty and difference of morals, then I will replace them, as far as possible, with the rules of the Palestinian or Mesopotamian monasteries, because if the rules are proportionate to the strengths, then they will be with unequal abilities can be performed without difficulty.

ABOUT THE MONAS' CLOTHES Chapter 1

Intending to talk about monastic rules, I think it is best to start with monastic clothing, because only by looking at their external decoration can we thoroughly talk about their internal piety.

chapter 2 About the monk's girdle

The monk, as a warrior of Christ always ready to fight, must be constantly girded. From St. history knows that Elijah and Elisha, who laid the foundation for the monastic rank in the Old Testament, had the girdle, and in the New - John, Peter and Paul. Thus, it is known about Elijah that the belt was his distinctive feature, because Ahaziah, the wicked king of Israel, recognized him by the belt. When those sent by Ahaziah to ask Baal, the god of Ekron, whether the king would recover, having returned at the command of Elijah, they said that a shaggy man with a leather belt girded around his loins told them that the king would not rise from his sick bed, and forbade them to go to the idol, then Ahaziah directly said that this was Elijah the Theosbite (2 Kings 1). About John the Baptist, who constitutes the end of the Old Testament and the beginning of the New, the evangelists say that he had a robe made of camel's hair and a leather belt around his loins. And Peter, when he was freed from the prison in which Herod had imprisoned him, who wanted to put him to death, the angel told him to gird himself and

\\12 // put on your shoes - which the angel would not have done if Peter had not loosened his belt because of the night rest (Acts 12). To the Apostle Paul, during his journey to Jerusalem, the prophet Agabus predicted through his belt that the Jews would imprison him in chains, tying his hands and feet with a belt. He said: Thus says the Holy Spirit: The man whose belt this is will be bound in this way in Jerusalem.(Acts 21:11). From this it is clear that the Apostle Paul constantly wore a belt.

chapter 3 About the monk's clothes

A monk should have clothes that only cover his nakedness and protect him from the cold, and avoid clothes that one can be vain and proud of, such as clothes that are colorful, smart, and sewn with special skill. . But clothes should not be untidy due to negligence. It must be different from the clothing of the laity, monotonous with the clothing that all servants of God wear. Among the servants of God, it is considered unnecessary or a source of pride, vanity, and therefore harmful, because not everyone uses it, but only one or a few. Because what the ancient saints did not have, or what the fathers of our time did not have, who did not violate ancient customs, should not be accepted as unnecessary and useless. On this basis, the fathers did not accept sackcloth as being too conspicuous, which not only does not provide any benefit to the spirit, but can also revive arrogance and make the monk incapable of his work. As for the fact that some famous men wore it, the general monastic law should not be deduced from this and the ancient ideas of the holy fathers should not be violated. For one cannot prefer a private act to a general agreement. We must unquestioningly obey not those rules and regulations that are determined by a few, but those that have existed since ancient times //

\\13 // times and approved by many holy fathers. Therefore, it cannot serve as a law for us that the king of Israel wore sackcloth (2 Kings 6), or that the Ninevites, having heard from the prophet Jonah about the execution he had determined, dressed in sackcloth (Jonah 3); No one would have seen the sackcloth of the king of Israel if he had not torn his outer garment, but the Ninevites dressed in sackcloth when no one could be proud of this garment.

chapter 4 About the cuckoos of the Egyptians

The Egyptians, in order to constantly remember that they must preserve simplicity and childlike innocence, wear small eyecups day and night. Therefore, imagining that they are children in Christ, they constantly sing: God! My heart was not puffed up and my eyes were not lifted up, and I did not enter into what was great and beyond my reach. Have I not humbled and calmed my soul, like a child weaned from its mother’s breast?(Ps 130, 1, 2).

According to popular beliefs, there are many unlucky days in the year. Kasyanov’s day is considered one of the most difficult for both people and livestock. It is celebrated on March 14 (February 28, U.S.) in leap years and March 13 (February 27, U.S.) in non-leap years. Why is the day called “Kasyanov”? The fact is that this date is approved by the church as dedicated to the memory of the Christian saint - St. John Cassian the Roman. For what reason our ancestors endowed the chosen one of God with negative traits in their imagination is not difficult to understand - after all, they were pagans. Orthodox Christians revere this saint for the many virtues he showed during his life, and for the mercy shown to believers even after his death.

Childhood and youth of the righteous

The Monk John Cassian the Roman was from the “capital of the world” - Rome. He was born around 350 in the Gallic region, the city of Marseille, into a family of pious, noble people. This was precisely the era that was marked in history by the flourishing of Christian writing, Doukhoborism and monasticism in the East.

At the indicated times - IV-V centuries AD. – God gave the sinful Earth many glorious ascetics and talented theologians. The Monk John Cassian the Roman was one of them. Thanks to the efforts of his loving parents, he received an excellent education. The youth began to take an interest in sacred books quite early and show a genuine interest in the sciences. Cassian began with the so-called “secular” disciplines: astronomy and philosophy, and then delved into the study of St. Scriptures. After a short time, the young man succeeded so much in the latter that he earned the title of one of the outstanding interpreters of the main book of Christians of his time.

The future saint, Venerable John Cassian the Roman, possessed numerous virtues. This was facilitated, first of all, by his desire to be like his own pious parents in everything. Like them, Cassian zealously maintained the purity of his thoughts and soul, and lived in humility, meekness and virginity. The more the boy developed the voiced qualities, the more strong was his desire to devote himself entirely to serving the Lord God. As a result, Cassian could no longer resist the dictates of his heart and, while still a young man, left his father’s house, his native land and went to Palestine, to Bethlehem. There he went to the Bethlehem monastery, where he became a monk and began to take his first steps in asceticism.

Cassian and Herman

In the holy monastery, the young righteous John Cassian the Roman met a monk named Herman. A close acquaintance began between the young people, which quickly turned into a warm, sincere friendship. Cassian and Herman lived in the same cell and practically never separated. The brethren of the monastery treated the friendship of the two monks favorably, loving both of them for their meekness and virtuous existence.

Thus passed two years of the ascetic journey of Cassian and his friend Herman, accompanied by incessant prayers and strict fasting. The desire to not stop there awoke in the young people, and they, leaving the monastery, retired into the desert, where they began to lead a silent life. But the ascetics did not limit themselves to this, after some time they began a pilgrimage journey to the holy monasteries. The monks visited all the monasteries in lower and upper Egypt, absorbing, like a sponge, spiritual conversations with other elders and ascetics living in them, memorizing the way of life of God's chosen ones.

The inseparable friends spent seven whole years like this. After John Cassian the Roman and Herman returned to Bethlehem, but very quickly went back to Egypt. For another three years the monks listened to the wisdom of the elders of Thebaid and the Skete hermitage.

Climbing the Spiritual Ladder

The year 400 became very important for the Monk John Cassian and Herman: they visited the Byzantine capital - Constantinople. The friends’ desire to visit Constantinople was dictated by the desire to see and hear St. John Chrysostom. It was fulfilled; moreover, the famous teacher of the Holy Church granted Herman the rank of presbyter, and Cassian the rank of deacon (he was somewhat younger than his comrade). Unfortunately, not everything went smoothly after this event. The three saints lived in an era of persecution of Christians, therefore the mentor and benefactor Cassian and Herman did not escape an unfortunate fate. To prevent the arrest of John Chrysostom, representatives of the highest clergy organized a delegation with ascetics. The purpose of the delegation sent to Rome was to petition for the protection of an innocent suffering teacher. Alas, the actions taken did not produce positive results; on the contrary, they further aggravated the situation: Saint John Cassian the Roman found himself in exile, and his friends were in enemy disgrace.

The Monk John Cassian the Roman once again visited the holy monasteries of Egypt during these terrible years. And then he returned to his homeland, to the city where he was born. There, the ascetic of piety became a presbyter with the blessing of the Pope, and there, in 435, he peacefully ended his earthly journey. But earlier, the Monk Cassian managed to build the first two monasteries near the city of Marseille: a man’s and a woman’s. The charter of both monasteries was brought into conformity with the rules of the Egyptian and Palestinian monasteries. Thus, the Monk John Cassian the Roman is rightfully considered one of the first founders of monasticism in the Gallic region of the Roman Empire. Thanks to this activity, which served as a model for Western monasteries in the future, the saint was awarded the title of abbot.

Venerable Cassian as a theologian

An ascetic of piety from Marseille, the Monk John Cassian the Roman, wrote in the period from 417 to 419 12 books “On the Decree of the Palestine and Egyptian Cenobiums.” He also wrote 10 conversations with desert elders. These creations were created at the request of the Bishop of Aptia Castor.

The work “On the Decree of the Cenobites” (“On the Decrees of the Cenobites”) contains information about the structure of the internal and external life of the eastern monasteries. The first book tells about the appearance of the monk, the second - about the order of night psalms and prayers, the third describes the order of daytime prayers and psalms, the fourth talks about the order of rejection from the world, books from five to twelve report on the eight main sins. The Monk Cassian identified eight passions that are especially destructive to the human soul: gluttony, fornication, anger, pride, sadness, love of money, despondency and vanity. The books that he devoted to the vices listed above contain important information: action, causes and recommendations for combating each of the destructive sins.

As for spiritual conversations with the ascetics of the desert (“Conversations of the Egyptian Fathers”), in them you will find valuable information about the purpose of life, about the desires of the spirit and body, about prayer, about the methods and stages of renunciation of worldly existence.

In 431, the Monk John Cassian the Roman wrote his last spiritual work. It is called "On the Incarnation of Christ against Nestorius." This work was polemical in nature and is now considered only as a material tribute to its time. This book is a collection of judgments of the Eastern and Western Fathers of the Church, ascetics against heresy. All three works of St. John Cassian the Roman have survived to this day.

Philokalia. Volume II Corinthian Saint Macarius

John Cassian the Roman

John Cassian the Roman