In the history of Orthodoxy, the XIV century was a turning point. After the Turks captured Constantinople in 1453 and the fall of Byzantium, Russia, which did not have its own patriarch, turned out to be the only independent Orthodox country in the world . All eastern churches were under the control of the Turkish authorities. The situation created contributed to the fact that in 1589 the first Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, Job, was recognized equal among the other four Orthodox patriarchs.
The childhood of the boy John
The name of the first Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, received by him at holy baptism - John. Regarding his birth, information was preserved that he was born in the thirties of the XVI century. According to available data, the first Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia was born into a family of ordinary people who belonged to the so-called Posad estate. History has preserved for us only the name of the mother, adopted by her after the adoption of the monasticism - Pelagia.
At an early age, the youth John was given in a nearby monastery, where he was to undergo his training in literacy and the foundations of faith. This can testify to the piety of parents who wanted to instill a love of paternal faith in their children, and to their certain prosperity, since in those years the need often forced children to start working from an early age. However, classes in the holy monastery aroused in the youth a deep religious feeling and desire to become a monk. Before the future first Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia embarked on his chosen path, he had to test the firmness of his intentions.
Church tradition tells that his father, doubting the son’s ability to bear the hardships of a monastic life and wanting to turn him away from his plan, found him a bride and incited him to marry. Never before rebuking his parents, John did not dare to object this time, but on the very day of the wedding he asked for permission to go to the monastery and visit the cell of his spiritual mentor.
Climbing the path of monasticism
He never returned to his home. After a conversation with Archimandrite Herman, the young man firmly decided that his place was not in the bustling world, but in the walls of the holy monastery. On the same day, he underwent a tonsure ceremony and received the name Job, which he received in honor of his dearly venerated Saint Job the Long-suffering.
The monastic life is not easy for any newly-made monk. He connects him too much with the former and directs his thoughts to what he left in the world, having completed his most important act in life. It is difficult to get used to the harsh conditions of staying in the monastery, but it is even more difficult to force yourself to submit not to your own will, but only to the instructions of a mentor who has taken care of the spiritual formation of a newcomer.
The future first Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, Job, was one of those workers who, with equal humility, carry out any obedience entrusted to them. Before rising to the heights of church authority, he went through all the stages of monastic service - from a simple novice to the head priest of a monastery. It is known that in 1569, during a visit to the monastery by Ivan the Terrible, he made a favorable impression on the tsar and after a short time, at his command, became archimandrite.
Stages of the path of church service
At the end of 1570, he moved to Moscow and became rector of the Simonov Monastery. Heading for five years one of the largest monasteries in the country, Saint Job takes an active part not only in the religious, but also in the political life of the country.
In the subsequent period, he leads several more monasteries, and then he is ordained first to the rank of Bishop of Kolomenskoye, and then to the Archbishop of Rostov the Great. St. Job reached the highest level of power of that period in 1587, becoming Metropolitan of Moscow. However, a new, higher title awaited him - the first Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia.
The establishment of the patriarchate in Russia
The possibility of having a patriarch in the country was determined by many factors, the main of which is the increasing role of Russia among other Orthodox states that were under the Turkish yoke at that time. As mentioned above, the former stronghold of the eastern church - Byzantium - fell in 1453 under the onslaught of the invaders.
It is known that the Turks did not prohibit the activity of the Christian church in the territories they occupied, but they behaved extremely unceremoniously towards its representatives, seizing any property they liked at their own discretion. Such expropriations, carried out with constant constancy, took on the character of undisguised robberies and, as a result, led church organizations in the occupied territories to complete impoverishment.
Having no means to restore the destroyed temples and maintain the clergy, the Primate of the Byzantine church was forced to turn to the Russian Tsar Fedor Ioannovich for material help. The Russian autocrat took advantage of this opportunity, since, according to the Church Charter, only the acting high priest could appoint a new patriarch, and in order for the person needed by the tsar to become the first Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia, his blessing was required.
The greatest event in the life of the church
The head of the Byzantine church arrived at the Mother See in 1588 and, according to contemporaries, was struck by the splendor of the royal palace and the splendor of divine services held in the capital's temples. In addition, as is known from the same sources, he was indelibly impressed by the manifestation of piety by Russian people, of which he constantly became a witness.
Every day, wherever the patriarch appeared, he was surrounded by dense crowds of people demanding blessing. Not feeling himself entitled to ignore such a hot expression of religious feelings, he was forced to spend hours on the street, surrounded by a ring of believers.
Historians note that his initial plans included only receiving cash assistance from the king, and there was no talk of anything more. However, realizing that refusing to fulfill the autocrat’s request to appoint the Russian church to the patriarch, he would leave empty-handed, Jeremiah was forced to agree, and as a result, on February 5, 1589, the first Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia entered the newly formed patriarchal chair. The election for this high mission was Metropolitan Job by the will of Tsar Fyodor Ioannovich, who favored him and showered him with royal mercies.
The activities of the new patriarch
The recently elected first Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, whose powers extended to all spheres of religious life, immediately began to reform the church. Innovations affected both the establishment of additional metropolises and the improvement of discipline among clergy. He saw his main task in strengthening Orthodoxy and the spiritual power of the state. Church historians note that after Metropolitan Job became the first Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, Russian Orthodoxy was raised to a level previously unattainable.
Activities of the patriarch during the time of troubles
In 1598, the country was cast into the abyss of chaos, called the Time of Troubles. The first Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, the title of which obliged him to be at the head of the people, actually led the resistance to the Lithuanian and Polish invaders who poured into Russian territory. He sent letters to all parts of the country in which he called for a rebuff to foreigners.
When hordes headed by False Dmitry approached Moscow, the first Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, Job, was among those who refused to recognize the impostor. According to the researchers, at a certain period Grigory Otrepyev was Job's secretary, therefore he, like no one else, understood the deception that was happening. He publicly cursed False Dmitry and all his followers.
When in April 1605 the city was surrendered to the impostor, Saint Job refused to swear allegiance to him and was deposed. In August of that year, the supporters of False Dmitry defeated the patriarchal chambers, and the primate himself, after numerous beatings and humiliations as a simple monk, was sent to the Staritsky Monastery, where he spent two years in unceasing prayer for the fate of the Fatherland.
End of life of the first patriarch
Undermined health did not allow him to ascend to the Most Holy See again. He died in 1607 and was buried in the Assumption Monastery, the same one where he once began the monastic service. In 1652, the relics of the deceased were transferred to the capital and placed in the Assumption Cathedral. Already today, in October 2012, the first hierarch, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, Job was glorified in the face of saints. It was a natural act, expressing the result of his activities as the head of the church.
Editorial changes to the patriarchal title
It should be noted that the patriarchal title has undergone a number of editorial changes over the centuries, and the title now used in relation to St. Job - the first Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia - is not entirely correct. The fact is that in the period preceding the reign of Patriarch Nikon (until 1652), the country was indicated in the title as “Russia”, and only later the form “Russia” was adopted. In pre-Petrine times, the title contained the words "and the Patriarch of all northern countries."
As for the title worn by St. Job, in the historical documents there are other editions in which Moscow is indicated as “the reigning city”, and Russia is called the “great kingdom”. Other options are also known that are found in documents signed by the primates of the Russian church in different historical periods. It should be noted that such discrepancies are caused mainly by the lack of uniformity in the preparation of official papers, both religious and secular, in previous centuries.
The powers of the patriarch
According to the current charter of the Russian Orthodox Church, the powers of the patriarch include mainly administrative functions that provide the ability to manage the Church. He is entrusted with the responsibility of convening the Local and Bishops' Councils, as well as the appointment of meetings of the Synod. The patriarch appoints all the highest church officials, including heads of theological educational institutions at all levels. Among other patriarchal powers, a special place is occupied by the obligation to represent the Church before the government and foreign organizations.
Deputies of the Patriarch
The performance of the functions entrusted to the patriarch would not have been possible without a reasonable distribution of duties between his deputies - the vicars. Each of them is responsible for organizing church life in a separate district of the vast Moscow diocese. The first vicar of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, who is in charge of its central part, is also the direct deputy of the patriarch and, in the event of his illness, death or retirement, temporarily fulfills his functions until the election of a successor.
Propaganda of religious knowledge
Since Job the Hierarch, the first Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, ascended to the Holy See, the history of the Russian patriarchate, interrupted during the time of Peter I and resumed under Stalin, has sixteen primates of the Russian church. Thanks to their vigorous work, the Orthodox life in our country has acquired those forms that allowed it to become the basis of the spiritual connection of many generations of Russians.
It will not be superfluous to note that, as far as Russian history, including church history, honors its heroes, it is equally trying to erase from the memory of the descendants of the traitors of the Fatherland. An example of this is the notorious Patriarch Ignatius, who swore allegiance to False Dmitry in 1605 and became an accomplice of the Polish occupation. His name is forever deleted from the list of patriarchs and erased from the people's memory.
During the period of atheistic persecution of Orthodoxy, everything related to dogma and church history was excluded from school curricula. This caused significant gaps in knowledge of these disciplines by modern citizens of Russia. Even a simple question: "Name the first Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia" perplexed many. However, today, in most parishes, Sunday schools for children and adults operate, as well as extensive educational work aimed at correcting the situation.