Pastorship in Byzantium in the letters of St. Theodore the Studite (late 8th — early 9th centuries)

The article examines various aspects of shepherdship mentioned by St. Theodore the Studite in the collection of his letters. The collection contains letters sent to patriarchs, bishops, abbots and abbesses, as well as their flocks. There are few letters to priests and they do not touch on pastoral t...

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Main Author: Olga Izotova
Format: Article
Language:Russian
Published: St. Tikhon's Orthodox University 2022-12-01
Series:Вестник Православного Свято-Тихоновского гуманитарного университета: Серия ИИ. История, история Русской Православной Церкви
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Online Access:https://periodical.pstgu.ru/ru/pdf/article/7898
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author Olga Izotova
author_facet Olga Izotova
author_sort Olga Izotova
collection DOAJ
description The article examines various aspects of shepherdship mentioned by St. Theodore the Studite in the collection of his letters. The collection contains letters sent to patriarchs, bishops, abbots and abbesses, as well as their flocks. There are few letters to priests and they do not touch on pastoral topics, in contrast to the epistles to the bishops that multiplied after 815. Among them, it is necessary to mention the letter 11 to bishop Anastasius, as a text completely devoted to the episcopal ministry. In total, there are more than fifty letters to the bishops, and a little less than eighty to the heads of the monasteries. The correspondence of St. Theodore with Mother Superior Euphrosyne is especially interesting. Descripting the episcopal ministry, St. Theodore makes extensive use of the teachings of St. Gregory the Theologian, and when talking about pastoral qualities works of St. Maximus the Confessor. Despite not the fact that St. Theodore often uses the word "pastor" simply to designate a ruler, bishop or abbot, it is not just a designation of the holy dignity for him, but the title of shepherd can be received by one owing to his deeds. The basis of shepherding, from the point of view of St. Theodore, there must be a realization in oneself of the image of Christ, the image of a virtuous life, approaching God, the realization of the pastoral logos in the right way, the acquisition of a disposition towards spiritual life. A shepherd who does this is capable of being a legislator for his disciples, capable of raising their souls to God. An important aspect of pastoral ministry for St. Theodora - accepting this service as obedience and service of love.
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publisher St. Tikhon's Orthodox University
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series Вестник Православного Свято-Тихоновского гуманитарного университета: Серия ИИ. История, история Русской Православной Церкви
spelling doaj-art-12b837fd11b448ddb484fcd56ba6e4a82025-08-20T01:51:28ZrusSt. Tikhon's Orthodox UniversityВестник Православного Свято-Тихоновского гуманитарного университета: Серия ИИ. История, история Русской Православной Церкви1991-64342409-48112022-12-011071071124http://dx.doi.org/10.15382/sturII2022107.11-246Pastorship in Byzantium in the letters of St. Theodore the Studite (late 8th — early 9th centuries)Olga Izotova0St. Tikhon’s Orthodox University for Humanities; 23B Novokuznetskaya Str., Moscow 115184, Russian FederationThe article examines various aspects of shepherdship mentioned by St. Theodore the Studite in the collection of his letters. The collection contains letters sent to patriarchs, bishops, abbots and abbesses, as well as their flocks. There are few letters to priests and they do not touch on pastoral topics, in contrast to the epistles to the bishops that multiplied after 815. Among them, it is necessary to mention the letter 11 to bishop Anastasius, as a text completely devoted to the episcopal ministry. In total, there are more than fifty letters to the bishops, and a little less than eighty to the heads of the monasteries. The correspondence of St. Theodore with Mother Superior Euphrosyne is especially interesting. Descripting the episcopal ministry, St. Theodore makes extensive use of the teachings of St. Gregory the Theologian, and when talking about pastoral qualities works of St. Maximus the Confessor. Despite not the fact that St. Theodore often uses the word "pastor" simply to designate a ruler, bishop or abbot, it is not just a designation of the holy dignity for him, but the title of shepherd can be received by one owing to his deeds. The basis of shepherding, from the point of view of St. Theodore, there must be a realization in oneself of the image of Christ, the image of a virtuous life, approaching God, the realization of the pastoral logos in the right way, the acquisition of a disposition towards spiritual life. A shepherd who does this is capable of being a legislator for his disciples, capable of raising their souls to God. An important aspect of pastoral ministry for St. Theodora - accepting this service as obedience and service of love.https://periodical.pstgu.ru/ru/pdf/article/7898theodore the studite epistolography letter bishop hegumen abbess shepherd flock logos troposфеодор студит эпистолография письмо епископ игумен игумения пастырь паства логос тропос
spellingShingle Olga Izotova
Pastorship in Byzantium in the letters of St. Theodore the Studite (late 8th — early 9th centuries)
Вестник Православного Свято-Тихоновского гуманитарного университета: Серия ИИ. История, история Русской Православной Церкви
theodore the studite
epistolography
letter
bishop
hegumen
abbess
shepherd
flock
logos
tropos
феодор студит
эпистолография
письмо
епископ
игумен
игумения
пастырь
паства
логос
тропос
title Pastorship in Byzantium in the letters of St. Theodore the Studite (late 8th — early 9th centuries)
title_full Pastorship in Byzantium in the letters of St. Theodore the Studite (late 8th — early 9th centuries)
title_fullStr Pastorship in Byzantium in the letters of St. Theodore the Studite (late 8th — early 9th centuries)
title_full_unstemmed Pastorship in Byzantium in the letters of St. Theodore the Studite (late 8th — early 9th centuries)
title_short Pastorship in Byzantium in the letters of St. Theodore the Studite (late 8th — early 9th centuries)
title_sort pastorship in byzantium in the letters of st theodore the studite late 8th early 9th centuries
topic theodore the studite
epistolography
letter
bishop
hegumen
abbess
shepherd
flock
logos
tropos
феодор студит
эпистолография
письмо
епископ
игумен
игумения
пастырь
паства
логос
тропос
url https://periodical.pstgu.ru/ru/pdf/article/7898
work_keys_str_mv AT olgaizotova pastorshipinbyzantiuminthelettersofsttheodorethestuditelate8thearly9thcenturies