The icon of the “Wisdom of God Sophia” is considered very rare, so it is almost impossible to find it in many churches, but there are a certain number of churches where this icon takes its place of honor.

Who is in the center of the icon "The Wisdom of God Sophia"?

The icon “The Wisdom of God Sophia” is nothing more than the reincarnation of the Mother of God, showing all of Her is Christ himself, who, by sacrificing himself, was able to save all of humanity. On the icon you can see not only Sophia, but also Christ himself, next to him is John the Baptist, who was always next to Christ throughout His entire life. earthly life. Also in the icon you can see the disciples of Christ who carefully listen to His teachings. It is written about it in the book of Solomon. The image on the icon once again reminds all believers why the Son of God came to this earth and from whom exactly He was born.

The Kiev Icon of Sophia the Wisdom of God helps to overcome many troubles. It depicts a temple in which the Mother of God stands in a beautiful tunic and with her head covered. Hands extended forward. Under the icon there is the inscription “Wisdom, create for yourself a House and establish seven pillars.” The Holy Spirit is also on her. On both sides, the Mother of God is surrounded by seven archangels.

What do the archangels look like on the icon?

“Sophia the Wisdom of God” also includes images of the archangels who were always next to the Son of God Jesus Christ. The archangels are drawn with wings, and each of them holds a certain sign of holiness. is on the right side, in his hands is a flaming sword. Uriel holds the lightning, which is lowered down. Raphael has the apavastre of the world of everything near him. On the left side there are also the faces of the archangels. First on the left is Gabriel, who is holding a blossoming lily flower in his hands. Selafiel holds a rosary. Jehudiel is depicted with royal crown, and Barachiel has flowers in his hands and is on a white board.

All of them are located above the head of the Mother of God, who stands on a cloud. Beneath it there is a church with secret records from Old Testament. Also on the icon there is a pulpit, consisting of seven steps. Each of them is signed. A believer will be able to read these words:

1. Faith.
2. Hope.
3. Love.
4. Humility before the Lord.
5. Nobility.
6. Glory.
7. Purity of thoughts.

It is believed that it should be in every home, as it is responsible for the well-being of the family.

When do they pray before the icon of “Sophia the Wisdom of the Mother of God”?

The clergy say that you can pray in front of the icon at any time; this should be done when the person’s soul requires it. Every home must have a holy corner where there are images, a lamp is lit and candles are lit.

If there is an icon of the “Wisdom of God Sophia” in your home, then we can say with confidence that there will be no disputes in it, various troubles will be avoided in the family, fertile ground will be created for complete trust in every person who crosses the threshold of the house and comes with pure thoughts.

Few people know what power the icon “Sophia the Wisdom of God” has, what believers pray for in front of it, but everyone who has ever encountered it knows for sure that all requests that are made in front of it in prayer remain heard by the Lord God.

Where is the oldest icon "Sophia the Wisdom of God" and what does it mean?

Today there are many copies of icons, but one of the oldest is in Kyiv, in the famous This image has come a long way, since it was once brought from the Church of Justinian in Byzantium.

The icon “Sophia the Wisdom of God” located here has a slightly different meaning, since it is a kind of road between the earthly and heavenly worlds. In addition to the archangels, our forefathers are depicted in heaven. Biblical heroes are located on the seven steps. So, on the fourth step there is Moses with tablets with an inscription calling to honor the Word of God. After Moses, Aaron and David are also depicted. On the left are the prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Daniel.

What other icons of “The Wisdom of God Sophia” exist?

It should be noted that the Kiev image is not the only one of its kind; there is also the icon “Sophia the Wisdom of God of Novgorod,” which has its own distinctive characteristics. It depicts the Savior, in front of whom stands the Mother of God and John the Baptist in prayer.

The main figure in the icon is the Lord Pantocrator, who is wearing royal robes, and behind God’s back are wings of fire. The Lord is on a throne, which is supported by seven pillars, surrounded by a blue background, symbolizing the heavens with the stars.

It is considered miraculous, and there are records in history when people were actually able to recover with it. Every year on the feast of the Assumption Holy Mother of God Thousands of believers gather near the Kyiv and Novgorod icons, asking for help in solving problems.

What to talk about and ask for in front of the icon?

The holy scripture says that the Lord God hears all the prayers that a person says, therefore, in front of the icon “Sophia the Wisdom of God” is said special prayer, which you must know and read correctly. It is addressed to the Mother of God and the Lord God himself. Everyone who prays in front of an icon must clearly understand that Wisdom is the fullness of the knowledge that a person has about God.

The icon gives a person the opportunity to ask the Lord God to give Wisdom in order to make the right decision in various matters. It is also believed that it can help resolve conflicts not only within the family, but also at work. When saying a prayer, a person can feel how the decision comes on its own, only one must learn to hear God’s promptings and listen to His teaching.

In front of the icon, you can ask for health and happiness to every Orthodox Christian who fulfills all the commandments and strives to know the teachings of God, to receive a piece of wisdom and understanding from Him.

Interpretation of the prayer said in front of the icon

If there is an icon of “Sophia the Wisdom of God” in the church, the corresponding prayer should be said. It is important to remember that it is read in such a way that the believer understands perfectly what is being said. Let's explain some words in prayer in front of this icon. “Incomprehensible and All-Sung Wisdom” means that a person does not fully understand all the Wisdom given by the Lord God to him, and cannot use it correctly, as Jesus himself commanded us.

“Save with one word” - here it is necessary to understand that only all of humanity can be saved. At the same time, there are words in the prayer that indicate that even the most sinful person can earn forgiveness if he believes in God. “You fill the foolish with reason, and make them wise” should be understood as the fact that the Lord God himself is trying to enlighten people on earth and instill in their souls the aura, as well as the wisdom that He himself possessed.

From the history of writing icons

The icon “The Wisdom of God Sophia” was originally painted as an explanation of the fact that God can exist in three persons: God the Father, God the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Some historians argue that the name Sophia was not chosen in vain, since it most closely matches the name of this icon. For example, Sophia most of all personifies Wisdom, as it is also indicated in the Holy Scriptures. If you translate the word Sophia from Greek to French, it will mean Trinity.

The icon of Sophia appeared in the temple of Constantinople, but it has never reached our time. Archaeologists have been excavating for a long time in order to find this particular image, but, unfortunately, practically nothing is known about the sources of the iconography. Many believers still argue why Sophia is depicted as a female figure, because by her is meant nothing other than the Wisdom of God?

But the answer to this question remains a secret. Among the many options, the one that is most revered by Orthodox Christians is the Kiev and Novgorod icon “The Wisdom of God Sophia.”

The role of the icon in the spiritual life of Christians

Athanasius of Alexandria said that not only the Mother of God, but also all other manifestations of spiritual life can appear in the image of Wisdom. For example, it could be a church, saints, or even just human soul, because in everyone in whom God resides there is this Wisdom.

Archbishop Ignatius of Voronezh said that Wisdom and the Temple of Sophia are in heaven, namely on the Divine Throne, where there are angels and God. But at the same time, Ignatius argued that Wisdom is present everywhere, in all worlds, visible and invisible, in the souls of people, churches and in heaven, as well as on earth.

Understanding this can be so difficult for a person that all the mysteries and secrets of spiritual life can be revealed only before the icon of Wisdom. Therefore, millions of pilgrims annually flock to the temple and cathedral where this particular image is located.

This image is one of the most interesting in Orthodox icon painting, although, of course, there are other curious and unusual icons. Here we can see an interesting concept of representing the Mother of God in an allegorical form. Before the believers is the icon of Sophia the Wisdom of God, on which the Most Pure Virgin appears in the form of wisdom, that is we're talking about not so much about a specific personality, but about the quality that was embodied through this personality.

The meaning of the icon “Sophia the Wisdom of God”

In fact, the meaning of this icon is multifaceted and deep; in order to understand exactly the meaning of the icon of Hagia Sophia, some experience of the Orthodox faith and minimal theological education will be required. Such subtleties can be explained by priests or specialized books. Therefore, here it is necessary to say only briefly about the main details:

• Christ appears as wisdom incarnate, He is called the Wisdom of God, which, accordingly, became incarnate through the Mother of God;
• the seven pillars represent the foundations on which the church is based;
• the composition contains the holy apostles (can be in different combinations) and always John the Baptist, who was inextricably linked with Christ.

In general, this composition has an allegorical meaning. Not just gospel figures are depicted here, but each participant in the composition embodies a certain principle. It is useful for the believer to reflect on this image himself during the period of prayer and try to understand the interconnection of the elements.

Depending on the variety, the composition may vary slightly. However, the icon of the Mother of God “Sophia the Wisdom of God” always has a number of common elements.

In the center is the Mother of God and Child, that is, wisdom embodied. Angelic ranks look down from above, emphasizing the allegorical nature of the image and the connection with the higher world. On the sides stand the apostles, and from below there are seven steps or pillars, on which the following words are often indicated: Faith; Hope; Love; Humility before the Lord; Nobility; Glory; Purity of thoughts.

These qualities indicate the foundations of the church. That's how it is short description icons of the Wisdom of God.

Varieties of icons

If we don’t talk about reproductions, then we are talking about very ancient images that are now stored in different cities and are often named precisely by their affiliation with the city, in particular:

• icon “Sophia the Wisdom of God” of Kiev - located in the St. Sophia Cathedral, brought from the territory of Byzantium from the Cathedral of Justinian, in the upper part there are archangels and some Old Testament characters, for example Moses with his commandments, this detail (characters from the Old Testament) makes the icon different from the rest ;
• the Novgorod icon “Sophia the Wisdom of God” is also distinguished by a unique composition, in the center is the Lord on the throne, in an areola of blue light, which symbolizes the Kingdom of Heaven, and on two sides stand the Mother of God and John the Baptist in prayerful poses, this icon is considered miraculous and brings to believers help in various difficulties.

These options are the most common. By the way, the Kyiv image is also considered miraculous. A huge number of believers gather in the cathedral every year on the days of veneration of the image.

One should distinguish the icon of Sophia of Suzdal, which is dedicated to an Orthodox saint, and also not be confused with the icon of Sophia of Slutsk, which was also created for the glory of another saint. Here we are talking about the names of ascetics, and in the image described earlier, Sophia is a synonym for wisdom, and not the name of a specific person.

If we are talking about the Suzdal image, then the former queen is glorified there, who was tonsured a nun because she could not give an heir to Vasily the Third. She first went to the Moscow Novodevichy Convent, and after that she was in Suzdal, where she acquired holiness. The Slutsk image also glorifies the famous princess, but who was from the Khodkivech family, managed to preserve Orthodox faith even in difficult circumstances and is now considered an intercessor and helper of women.

What do people pray for to the icon “Sophia the Wisdom of God”

Many of those who need to receive valuable advice and guidance pray to the icon “Sophia the Wisdom of God.”

One should treat the content of the image as the entire fullness of wisdom that is contained in the Lord.

Prayer to the icon

Incomprehensible and All-sung by the Wisdom of God, Sophia the Preeminent, virgin souls, that is, the Only Begotten Son, the Word of God, accept this prayer song from our unworthy and vile lips. Even if the essence is written: the song is not beautiful in the mouths of sinners, but the thief was saved by one word, the publican was justified with a sigh, and the Canaanite daughter was healed with a mother’s petition, because You, O Lord, are Good and Lover of mankind, enlightening those who come into the world, and forgiving the sins of sinners, and with reason You fill the foolish, and make wise, and the souls that thirst for good words with Your teaching, like the Samaritan woman, you water with living water, you make the fornicator chaste, you open paradise to the thief, for You are the Giver of all good things, and the Giver of understanding, and the Guardian of the life, O Christ our God, and We send You glory and praise, honor and thanksgiving and glorification and worship with Your Beginning Father, and with Your Most Holy, and Good, and Life-Giving Spirit, and with Your Most Holy and Immaculate Matter, Our Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary, now and ever , and forever and ever. Amen.

With. 40¦ 1. Sophia the Wisdom of God

Double-sided altarpiece icon
First quarter of the 15th century. Tver (?)
Turnover Crucifixion
19th century recording
Wood, tempera. 69 × 54.5
Comes from the altar of the Annunciation Cathedral in the Moscow Kremlin
Moscow Kremlin Museum, inv. Zh-1413 (480 events)

Painting in the process of unfolding. The undisclosed parts are under partial 19th-century inscriptions and darkened linseed oil. The original light ocher background was replaced during the renovation with gold lying on a brown spacer. In the lower part of the composition, soil patches are visible.

The time of emergence of the complex iconographic type, to which the icon of the Annunciation Cathedral belongs, in scientific literature, starting from the 19th century, was usually attributed to the end of the 15th - beginning of the 16th century. The name of the “Novgorod” version of Sophia of the Wisdom of God was assigned to it, since in the St. Sophia Cathedral of Novgorod an icon of a similar type was revered as a temple image. Allegorical interpretations of the image of Sophia, available in texts of the 16th–17th centuries, led to the contradictory assessments that similar images received in literature, starting from the second century. half of the 19th century centuries to the present.

The icon was first published in prorisi by G.D. Filimonov in 1876 as a monument of the 16th century. The same prophecy was used by P. A. Florensky in his extensive essay devoted to the interpretation of the image of Sophia the Wisdom of God. A. I. Yakovleva turned again to the consideration of the Kremlin icon. She dated it to the 60s of the 16th century, noting features reminiscent of 14th century painting 1 . L. I. Lifshits was the first to draw attention to the connection of the icon with a wide range of Byzantine monuments of the 12th–15th centuries and pointed out that such icons were painted not only in Novgorod. In his opinion, the image of the Annunciation Cathedral is included in the circle of monuments of the early 15th century. Based on the color features and a number of features of the compositional solution, the researcher attributed the icon to Tver painting, which in the first half of the 15th century acquired features characteristic of capital art, and a short time caught up with the painting of Moscow 2.

1 Yakovleva A. I.“The Image of the World” in the icon “Sophia the Wisdom of God” // Old Russian Art: Problems and Attributions. M., 1977. pp. 388–404. Il. us. 389–391.

2 Lifshits L. I. Angelic rank with Emmanuel and some features of the artistic culture of Vladimir-Suzdal Rus' // Old Russian art: Art culture X - first half of the XIII century. M., 1988.

Among the numerous texts on which the creators of the iconographic version under consideration were based, first of all we should mention the 9th parable of Solomon: “Wisdom built herself a house and established seven pillars...” and the First Epistle to the Corinthians by St. Apostle Paul: “We preach Christ crucified... the power of God and the wisdom of God” (1 Cor. 1: 23–24). This understanding of the image of Sophia is confirmed by the seven pillars on which her throne rests, and the image of the “Crucifixion” on the reverse side of the icon. The sources of iconography undoubtedly included the hymns of Maundy Thursday. They glorify the “All-Guilty [i.e. e. being the cause of all things. - E.O.] and giving life, the immeasurable Wisdom of God,” “The uncreated and supernatural Wisdom of God,” who created a temple for herself in the flesh of the Blessed Virgin (Sequence of Matins. Troparions 1–3 cantos 1st).

Theologians of the 13th–14th centuries showed particular interest in the image of the hypostatic Sophia as the creative principle of the consubstantial Trinity and its action in the world. The Patriarch of Constantinople Philotheus, an author of the mid-14th century, calls the Wisdom of God and Christ, and “the Divine natural action and grace-filled gift of the great and consubstantial Trinity, through the Holy Spirit from generation to generation given to holy souls.”

Revealing the teaching of the Church about the action of Divine Providence in the world, the creators of the “Novgorod” version built the composition of the icon in three registers, which are equally read from top to bottom and bottom to top. The topmost one is occupied by an image of heaven with a throne erected on it - Etymasia - with the instruments of the passion of Christ, which are worshiped by angels. In the center in the round “glory” is depicted Christ Pantocrator, God the Word incarnate, and below him is a kind of deesis, which occupies the main part of the composition: the Mother of God and John the Baptist stand before Christ, the Angel of the Great Council, the Wisdom of God, seated on the throne.

The tradition of depicting Christ the Wisdom of God in the form of an angel is based on the text and interpretations of the prophecy of Isaiah: “For unto us a Son was born unto us, and was given unto us, and his principality is upon his frame: and the name of his Great Council is called Angel, Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Prince peace, Father of the age to come” (Isaiah 9:6). Among the earliest images of Christ the Angel of the Great Council are miniatures of manuscripts of the Words of Gregory the Theologian of the 9th–12th centuries. They illustrate Word 2 for Holy Pascha: “I stood and looked: and behold a man ascended on the clouds, a very tall man, and his image was like the image of an angel (Judg. 13:6), and his clothing was like the flash of fleeting lightning . He raised his hand to the east, exclaimed with a loud voice... now is salvation for the world, the visible and invisible world! Christ from the dead, rise with Him you too; Christ in His glory, you too ascend; Christ from the grave - free yourself from the bonds of sin; the gates of hell are opened, death is destroyed, the old Adam is put away, the new is made: if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation” (2 Cor. 5:17).

The Angel with red wings sitting on the throne is dressed in royal robes of a soft fawn color, decorated with a shoulder and a crown, and a jagged crown - a symbol of the anointed one on whom the Holy Spirit “rests”: “God reigned over the nations. God is seated on His holy throne” (Ps. 46:9). The invisible presence of the third person of the Trinity - the Holy Spirit, its incorporeality is indicated by the wings of Sophia, but the face of the Angel and the blond hair falling on the shoulders in two strands are reminiscent of images of the Youth Christ. In his right hand the Angel holds a red staff ending in a cross, and in his left hand there is a rolled up scroll. His figure is surrounded by a three-part “glory”, which symbolizes the light of the Trinity. It is dark blue on the inside and two shades of light blue around the edges. And from within it comes a radiance in the form of eight blue rays - a sign of eternity, attributed to the hypostasis of God the Father. The symbol of the incarnation of God the Word is the face and hands of an Angel, painted in a soft pink color: “just as a pomegranate shell is enveloped in ruddy skin, so the Only Begotten Son of God and the Father was clothed in flesh having blood in it” (Interpretation on the “Song of Songs” by King Matthew Cantacuzina, late 14th century 3). The light illuminating the face of Sophia testifies to the unmerged and inseparable union of human flesh and divine nature: “When the Word of God becomes clear and bright in us, and His face shines like the sun, then His clothes are white, that is, the words Holy Scripture[are] clear, transparent in us” 4.

3 See in the book: Psell M. Theological works. St. Petersburg, 1998. P. 323.

4 Works of St. Maximus the Confessor. M., 1993. Book. 1–2. Chapters on theology. 2 hundred. Ch. 14.

The light, decorated clothes of the Angel indicate that He is not only the King, but also the Bridegroom of the heavenly palace, whose throne in the person of the Mother of God will be With. 40
With. 42¦ Bride-Church: “He has clothed me with the garments of salvation; He clothed me with the robe of righteousness, as he placed a crown on a groom, and adorned me with finery as a bride” (Isaiah 61:10). The chamber of the wedding feast - the Eucharist - is designed to resemble the throne of Wisdom, which has four carved legs and is supported on seven brown supports - pillars, according to the words of the Book of Proverbs quoted above. The Angel's feet rest on an oval stone of a smoky blue tone, indicating that the House of Wisdom - the Church has “Jesus Christ Himself as the chief cornerstone” (Eph. 2:20), “For no one can lay any other foundation than that which is laid. Christ" (1 Cor. 3:11).

The Mother of God and John the Baptist, convening the faithful to the feast of Wisdom, stand in front of the throne on special stools decorated with a golden assist. Their figures are partially included in the radiance surrounding the Angel, just as in the scene of the Transfiguration into the “glory” of Christ the figures of the Old Testament prophets - Elijah and Moses - are often included. “You should know,” wrote the Monk Maximus the Confessor, “that there are differences among those standing with the Lord, since for those with an inquisitive mind the words are important: “There are some of those standing here who will not taste death until they see the Kingdom of God coming in power.” (Mark 9:1). To those who can follow Him, the Lord is revealed in the image of God, in which He was before the creation of the world" 5 .

5 Ibid. Ch. 13.

The Mother of God holds in front of her, like a medallion, a round “glory”, inside of which is depicted the seated infant Christ in robes decorated with an assist. His right hand is extended in a gesture of blessing, and in his left is a rolled scroll. That is, the infant Christ himself, Wisdom, testifies that He “built for Himself a material and animate house, that is, His bodily temple, from the immaculate blood and flesh of the all-holy Virgin Mother of God, by the good will of the Father and with the assistance of the All-Holy Spirit, one of two, one and the same perfect in Divinity, and the same perfect in humanity” 6. The “glory” around the figure of the infant Christ is painted in two colors - dark blue inside, like the “glory” of the Angel in the middle of the deesis, and pink around the edge, but it is also surrounded by a radiance of eight blue rays, indicating that Christ is “dual in nature , is singular in hypostasis.”

6 Arseny Bishop Philotheus, Patriarch of Constantinople in the 14th century, three speeches to Bishop Ignatius with an explanation of the saying in parables: Wisdom created a house for herself, etc. Novgorod, 1898.

John the Baptist is dressed in a mantle and a short cloak. His right hand is raised with a gesture of prophetic testimony, and in his lowered left hand there is a scroll with the text of the prophecy. Perhaps the text preserved in the recording repeated the original, traditional for images of the Forerunner: “Behold the lamb of God...” (John 1: 29). “For he is the one about whom it is written: “Behold, I send My angel before You, who will prepare Your way before You” (Matthew 11:10).

The half-figure of Christ Pantocrator, presented in two-part “glory,” is directly related to the theme of the Eucharistic meal-feast. It combines shades of lilac-pink inside and pink outside, which, like the pink face of the Angel, speaks of the mystery of the incarnation of God the Word, and eight blue rays of star-shaped radiance, the same as in the other images, indicate his consubstantiality with the Father . The outer lower edge of the “glory” of Christ intersects with both the halo and the blue radiance of Sophia’s “glory,” partially covering it, which is a sign of the commonality of the trinitarian light emanating from them.

The Almighty, dressed in a tunic with a golden clav and himation, like a bishop, blesses the Mother of God and John the Baptist with both hands: “I am the living bread that came down from heaven: whoever eats this bread will live forever; And the bread that I will give is My flesh, which I will give for the life of the world” (John 6:51). The image of the Prepared Throne established in heaven is also intended to remind us of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. The triple arc of heaven “bent to the earth” and the throne are in contact with the edge of Christ’s “glory”: “The throne of glory, exalted from the beginning, is the place of our sanctification” (Jer. 17:12). The throne is presented both as a royal throne and as a church meal. On it lie the red-brown robe of Christ, the closed Gospel, and on the foot in front of it are the symbols of Christ’s voluntary sacrifice on the cross, which he made for the salvation of mankind, and the instruments of the passions - Calvary Cross, a vessel with gall, into which are inserted a spear, a cane and four nails: “so that now through the church the manifold wisdom of God might be made known to the principalities and powers in heaven, according to the eternal purpose, which He fulfilled in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Eph. 3: 10–11).

At the same time, the Gospel lying on the throne indicates the inseparable presence of Christ with the Father in heaven: “Everything below [on earth with people. - E.O.], and the indescribable Word departed from the highest” (Akathist to the Mother of God. Ikos 8); “He who descended, he is also the one who ascended above all the heavens, to fill all things” (Eph. 4:10). Thus, Christ, depicted three times on the icon “Sophia the Wisdom of God” in the form of the Angel of the Great Council, the Child and the Pantocrator, is here revealed as a victim and sacrifice-bearer and as a Trinitarian God who accepts sacrifice.

The complex composition of the icon acts as a kind of poetic commentary on the image of the “Crucifixion” on the other side of the icon, which was completely rewritten in the 19th century.

Literature

• Census book of the cathedral church of the Blessed Virgin Mary of the Annunciation... 1680 // Collection for 1873, published by the Society of Ancient Russian Art at the Moscow Public Museum. M., 1873. P. 17.
• Ignatius, archbishop. About the icon of St. Sophia in the Novgorod St. Sophia Cathedral // Notes of the Imperial Archaeological Society. St. Petersburg, 1857. T. XI.
• Filimonov G. D. Essays on Russian Christian iconography. Sophia the Wisdom of God // Bulletin of the Society of Old Russian Art for 1874–1876. M., 1876. Research. P. 20 (shine the icons).
• Meyendorff J. L" Ikonographie de la Sagesse divine dans la tradition byzantine // Cahiers archéologiques. Paris, 1959. Vol. 10.
• Byzantium. Balkans. Rus': Icons of the XIII–XV centuries: Exhibition catalogue. M., 1991. No. 86. P. 250–251.
• Lifshiz L. Die Ikone "Sophia - Weisheit Gottes" aus der Moskauer Kreml". Haustein-Bartsch E. Munchen, 1999. S. 29–42.

E. Ostashenko With. 42
¦

Sophia - the Wisdom of God - an icon known since ancient times in Rus', comes down to two types: Kyiv and Novgorod. On both of them, the central person is the Lord Jesus Christ, as the personification of Divine Wisdom, about whom the Book of Proverbs of Solomon says: “ Wisdom built Her own House, hewed out its seven pillars"(Proverbs 9:1). These words of the wise Solomon contain an indication of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, whom St. ap. Paul calls " God's Wisdom"(1 Cor. 1:30), and the word House means the Most Holy Virgin Mary, from Whom the Son of God was incarnate. The icon is evidence of the fulfillment of this prophecy.

The Kyiv icon depicts the Mother of God surrounded by archangels. Above Her head is God the Father, and in Her hands is the baby Christ. The Mother of God is under a canopy supported by seven pillars. The Novgorod icon depicts the Mother of God standing in prayer before the Savior. God the Father reigns over the canopy, which is also on seven pillars. By praying to the Canon of Sophia - the Wisdom of God, a Christian receives the grace-filled gifts of God for the eternal salvation of the soul and healing from bodily illnesses.

——————————————————————

→
Reading order according to the charter
——————————————————————

Troparion, tone 4

In the oil and ineffable wisdom of God, the power of Sophia, preeminent, in the most honorable temple, in the fiery Throne of Christ our God, in Thee dwelt ineffably the Word of God, and the flesh became, invisible and appeared, and inviolable, departed from Thee and with men alive, catching the enemy, and men freeing from the ancient oath. We pray to the Lady, who have burdened us with cruel sins, to have mercy and save our souls, and as a child-loving and merciful Queen, look upon Thy people, and with compassion, step away from the misfortunes and cruel sorrows, and preserve our cities unharmed, where now Thy most holy name is gloriously glorified. (Twice).

Glory, even now. (We repeat the troparion).

CANON, tone 4

Song 1. Irmos

With an unspeakable command, you received the swimmer on foot, and you dried up the impassable sea, the people of Israel, converted from Egypt, I sing the original song to You, Lord.

Chorus: Great wisdom of God, Sophia, save us, Thy sinful servants (bow).

And the wisdom of God is the source of all speech, from the face of the Lord is my advice and affirmation, who is the Only Begotten Son, the Word of God. With the words of a lover I love Me, and those who seek Me will find grace.

Solo. God laid the foundation of the earth with His wisdom; He prepared the heavens with His wisdom; He laid the clouds as a garment, and formed the light of the morning; but the gates of hell, when they saw it, were afraid.

Glory. In this heart let us seek the wisdom of God, which came from the Most Pure Virgin into the flesh, so that our feet may not stumble, and we will not be afraid of the fear that has come upon us, and the aspirations of the wicked.

And now. It is worthy of Thee, as the heavens have been animated, the heavenly most pure divine settlement, and appear brightly adorned, as the All-Immaculate Bride of the Queen and God, and the Lady of all creation.

Catavasia: Protect Thy servants from troubles, O most eminent wisdom of God, Sophia, as we diligently resort to Thee, to the merciful Savior and Master of all, the Lord Jesus (bow). Lord have mercy (three times with bows).

Song 3. Irmos

Strengthen the thunder and build up the spirit, strengthen me, Lord, that I may sing to Thee chastely doing Thy will, as holy as our God.

Solo. The Lord will be on all our paths, and will strengthen our feet, so that we may not stumble, if we acquire His wisdom, and He will embrace us and give a blessed crown to our heads.

Solo. Sophia gives us the gift of good things, the wisdom of God, and instructs us in the right way of our mother-in-law, so that if we follow that path, we will not stumble. And we keep it in our belly forever.

Glory. Whenever we become discouraged, let us seek the wisdom of God, called Sophia, who will give us great joy, and will save us from all hostility and show us the animal way.

And now. The face of the theologian from above is a multitude of angels, going to Zion with an omnipotent beck, worthy of the Lady, serving Your burial, and together rejoicing and singing a funeral hymn, rejoicing the ever-Virgin Bride. Confusion.

Glory, even now. Ipakoi, voice 8th. B Let us all give birth to You, the Virgin Mary, for You are inconceivable and Christ our God will be contained. Blessed am I, Thy helper. Pray for us day and night, and the powers of the kingdom are strengthened by Your prayers. Thus we cry out to You in gratitude, the Lord rejoices with You.

Song 4. Irmos

I heard Thy Christ’s glorious sight, for He is immortal and God, made like a mortal man. And for this reason, I glorify Your power.

Solo. A certain woman sought the wisdom of God, and after that she went forth, but became a harlot of chastity, and turned darkness into light, and put to shame the tormentors, and inherited eternal life.

Solo. The wisdom of God is dearly loved, as it is a sacrament to behold by all man, but there is absolutely nothing to it under heaven; let us preserve it, like the apple of our eye, and rest us on the Day of Judgment.

Glory. And with the ineffable wisdom of the word, all God, who according to Sophia’s vision was composed, may preach that on the high edges, and for that sake we will find grace and mercy on the Day of Judgment.

And now. At Thy repose, Mother of God, Thy most spacious body, pleasing to God, the angelic hosts with sacred wings covered the veil with trembling and joy, crying out to the breast, rejoicing, the unbrided Bride. Confusion.

Song 5. Irmos

The people of the unpunished lawbreakers of the Jews will take pity, and the fire will engulf Your adversaries, Christ, as if You were harmed by the resurrected flattery.

Solo. To the end of the universe and everything on it, and the heavens and heavens are the foundation of wisdom, as it created us all. By this the kings reign and the mighty hold the earth, and the wise men write the truth.

Solo. People of the earth, honor the wisdom of God called Sophia, you will reign forever and live. This corrects the path of salvation for us, but those who do not honor it will find themselves in the depths of hell.

Glory. The measure is flattering, the zealous man speaks an abomination to the Lord of wisdom. The standard of righteousness is pleasing to Him, and the lips of the pious learn wisdom.

And now. With condemnation of the chosen ones, we surprise the Maiden with the singing of Thee. From the beginning, everything is sanctified by God, accepted by everyone, and this truly is revealed to the Mother of God, the all-sung one. Confusion.

Song 6. Irmos

In the abyss of life, my deeds, I sank into the depths. But as from the whale Jonah I cry to Thee, from the depths of my evils lift me up, I pray to the Son of God the Word.

Solo. The beginning of wisdom is to acquire foolish faith, so that by it we may inherit good things, let us not give sleep to our eyes, and let us seek the wisdom of God, let us not deviate on our right hand or on our backs, so that we may be saved like from the snare of a chamois.

Solo. Oh, let our eyes see the wisdom of the Mother of God, in whom God the Word ineffably dwelt, and from her he took flesh without thought and was born. Today the apostolic countenance at the repose of Thy flows through the air, singing the original song, blessed is our God born from You.

Glory. May people honor the wisdom of God, the named Sophia, and embrace us. He will destroy the captivity of our sins, and give a crown to our heads, and we will take care of him like a lustful bee, and we will be glorified by all.

And now. Life, which was once a temple, you have enhanced everlasting life, but through death you have passed on to life, even having given birth to a composite life. We are raised up from the depths of evil by crying out to You, praying to the all-singing Lady. Confusion.

Glory, even now. Kontakion, tone 4. P we see people and see the miraculous icon of the Most Holy Mother of God. We call it the wisdom of God, the appearance of Sophia, before the temple was animated, the Only Begotten Son and the Word of God. This, then, shines like a ray of light in His most holy temple, and our hearts rejoice those who come with faith, and who look with fear and reverence at this most pure icon. Thinking in our hearts, that truly the wisdom of God is the village, and His mysteries are looked upon. We see a vision of Her fiery, and we worship (bow) as Her true and immaculate virginity in her birth and after her birth. Again, from Her came the divine fire, burning away corruptible passions, and enlightening our souls and creating pure things. By whom the Father created forever, the same wisdom and word and power will be called, the radiance of glory and the image of the Father's hypostasis, we pray and fall down, kissing this most honorable icon of the wisdom of God to the Mother, and crying out loudly: O merciful Lady, save Thy servants from the violence of the devil, from the presence of a foreigner, for You are the giver of all good things, flowing to You with faith and asking for great mercy.

Ikos. In the firmament my mind and thoughts are good, God the Father Almighty. For I dare to glorify the world’s Intercessor and the Immaculate Virgin Bride. Thou didst call her virgin soul Thy divine church, and for the sake of Thy incarnation Thou didst call Sophia the wisdom of God, and Thou didst command the name of Tsar Ustinian to create a church in that name. And to the blessed Cyril the philosopher, after the appearance of the Maiden chosen by the name Sophia, that is, the wisdom of God, you bestowed. You imagined the image of Her face as fire-like, and from Her came the fire of Your Divinity, that is, Your Consubstantial Son, scorching our bodily passions. You gave the wing to the disembodied heavenly powers, and you placed the royal crown on Her head. Thou hast placed the scepter at Her right hand, and into Her shuits the unknown hidden secret, It is incomprehensible to know even an angel. The reeds are in Her ears, the life of an angel, revealing the resting place of Your Holy Spirit. The girding of Her loins, the eldership of the holiness. Nose should be placed on the stone, as if you would establish Your Church on it. The image of Thy Christ with His head is bowed down by heaven, and the sight of the carnal sacrament is revealed, as if He were the Son before the age of Thy Father's radiance. The same one was born in the same age from the most immaculate Virgin, without a seed, and in all Toy’s likeness was united. For this reason, we all cry out, for truly the wisdom of God is the companion, and the canopy of heaven, and the Giver of all good things, and the Patroness of those who flow to Her with faith, and those who ask for great mercy.

Song 7. Irmos

You have three burdens in Babylon, having turned the command of torment into violence, and thrown into the middle of the fire, cold, blessed be the Lord God of our fathers.

Solo. The hand of the elect will hold back the wisdom of God, since it is better to eat silver and gold on the top of the walls, and sit down at the gates of the mighty, and boldly say: Rejoice with me, you who seek Me.

Solo. With the glory of God's wisdom they will inherit, for it gives long life and years of life, and adds peace, and corrects all good things, and preserves the path of life for us.

Glory. By speaking the truth, the so-called Sophia will inherit the wisdom of God, for her blessing is more than wine, and the stench of her world is more than the aroma of all. Let us seek her, let us follow her, and grant us justice and truth.

And now. At the sacred repose of the divine Ty and the incorruptible Matera, the most worldly powers on high, rejoice with those who are on earth singing to You, blessed art thou, Lord God of our father. Confusion.

Song 8. Irmos

O Lord of all things, having formed the wisdom of all things, firmly established the earth as if it weighed the bottom, established the walk on the immeasurable waters, and with the same cry all chanting, bless the works of the Lord without ceasing.

Solo. With Ophia the wisdom of God, named by the Lord Himself, to King Ustinian in the creation of this wonderful temple, revealed by an angel, with the same cry chanting Ti, bless all the works of the Lord without ceasing the Lord.

Solo. And the Lord commanded Israel to build a tabernacle in Siloam, and to keep it honestly, since even more so is the most honest animated tabernacle, not created by Bezalel, but made by God Himself, called Sophia. God the Word Himself has dwelled in us; bless all the works of the Lord without ceasing.

Glory. Mystical grapes, the temple of Sophia of the wisdom of God, that is, the womb of the most pure Mother of God, from Him came the divine fire, burning our soul-smothered passions. Bless all the works of the Lord continually.

And now. Oh, above the mind of miracles, the Virgin and Mother of God, having entered into the tomb to show the Paradise that is coming to him, today we rejoice and sing and say, bless all the works of the Lord without ceasing the Lord. Confusion.

Song 9. Irmos

The most pure mystery of God is in You, the most pure mystery of the Virgin is manifest, for God became incarnate from You for mercy, and with the same we magnify You as the Mother of God.

Chorus with a bow. E When the perplexed king built the church of God in what name, then an angel appeared to the youth sharpening the weapon in the form of a smith, saying: swear in the name of Sophia the wisdom of God, in Her name this church will be built.

Solo. But when he saw the phenomenon, he became extremely joyful, and carefully concerns himself with the perfection of the chosen church of God, and for the sake of guilt the crown of wisdom is bestowed, and the king is condemned first in piety.

Glory. For our salvation, the only begotten Son and the Word God's temple Having created for herself, in the most holy womb of the Virgin Mary, Sophia the name wisdom of God, who is a virgin soul. In the same way, we magnify You as the Mother of God.

And now. Receive from us the original song of the Mother of the Living God, and the luminous Ty and the divine grace of autumn, the victorious princess and peace for Christ-loving people, and forgiveness of sins, and giving salvation to souls. By the same token, we magnify Theotokos. Confusion.

Deserver: In the Lady's Lady, accept the prayer of Your servants, and deliver us from all need and sorrow. You are the Mother of God, our weapon and wall. You are the intercessor, and we resort to You, and even now we call on You for prayer, that you may deliver us from our enemies. Let us exalt You, all the immaculate Mother of Christ our God, South of autumn the Holy Spirit (bow to the ground). T is holy, and according to “Our Father”. Prayer of Isusov: G Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on us. Ah min. We read the troparion (written at the beginning of the canon). Glory, and now - kontakion (written according to the 6th song of the canon). G Lord have mercy (40 times). Glory, even now.

Prayer to Sophia the Wisdom of God

The incomprehensible and all-sung wisdom of God, Sophia, is the eminent, virgin soul. In other words, only begotten Son and Word of God, accept this prayer song from our unworthy and vile lips. Even if the essence is written, the song is not beautiful in the mouths of sinners, but the thief was saved by one word. The publican was justified by groaning, and the daughter of Canaann was healed by her mother’s petition. Because You, Lord, are Good and Lover of Mankind, You enlighten those who come into the world, and forgive the sins of sinners, and fill the ignorant with reason, and make wise the buoyant, and give water to the thirsty souls of good words with Your teaching, like the Samaritan woman, with animal water. Make the fornicator chaste. You open Paradise to the thief. For Thou art the giver and understanding of all good things, and the guardian of life, O Christ our God. And to You we send glory and praise, honor and thanksgiving, and praise, and worship, with Your beginningless Father, and with the Most Holy and Good and Life-Giving Spirit, and with Your Most Holy and Immaculate Matter, the Lady Theotokos, and the ever-Virgin Mary. Now and ever and unto ages of ages, amen.

Most honorable Cherub... Glory, even now. Lord have mercy (twice), Lord bless (with bows).

Let us go: Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, prayers for the sake of Thy most pure Mother, and the holy Wisdom of God Sophia, the most eminent, and for the sake of all the saints, have mercy and save us, for He is Good and Lover of Mankind. Ah min. Lord have mercy (three times). Initial bows.

Sophia The Wisdom of God is a sacred concept of Orthodox theology. Born in the silence of mystical contemplation, it acquires not only religious, but also social, moral, and general cultural meanings in the history of Eastern Christian civilization.

In Byzantium, Sophia is the name of the main temple - a symbol of the dedication to God of the Christian empire, arranged by the Providence of the Almighty. Harmony and proportionality of spaces, golden shimmer of smalt, majestic figures of mosaics, as if united by the rhythm of heavenly liturgy, images of emperors humbly offering God the fruits of their government activities, - models of the cities they founded and the temples they built... The iconographic and architectural program of Hagia Sophia of Constantinople expresses with particular force and persuasiveness the idea of ​​the presence of God in history, the action of the Divine Logos lasting “here and now” in the world. At a time when the purity and spontaneity of the perception of temple art were not yet clouded and erased, people felt the beauty and splendor of Sophia as the clearest proof of the truth of Orthodoxy. The words of the ambassadors of Prince Vladimir Svyatoslavich, preserved by the Tale of Bygone Years, are famous: “... we don’t know whether we were in heaven or on earth, because there is no such view and beauty on earth, and we are not able to describe them; We only know that God dwells there with people... We cannot forget this beauty, for every person, having tasted the sweet, turns away from the bitter.” Sophia of Constantinople became a kind of “godmother” Orthodox Rus', who perceived, in the words of Sergei Averintsev, “beauty as holiness.”
It is widely believed that the dedication of the churches of Sophia to the Wisdom of God began only in the 6th century, during the era of Justinian the Great. Indeed, after Sophia of Constantinople, in the key cities of the Byzantine Empire (Trebizond, Thessaloniki, Nicosia, Ohrid, Edessa, Chersonesus - the place of baptism of Prince Vladimir, Sugdei - Sudak), Sophia churches appeared one after another. But the majestic Justinian Temple itself was built on the site ancient church Sofia, burned down during the Nika uprising. Also known is the early, pre-Justinian Church of Sofia, built in the city of Sredets (Serdika, now Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria) and preserved to this day.
And yet, it is with Sophia of Constantinople that the embodied idea of ​​Sophia of the Wisdom of God is firmly connected. Let's say a few words about this prototype of the Russian Sophia churches, about which the architectural historian Choisy wrote that “never have the geniuses of Rome and the East produced such a striking and harmonious work in their combination.” Emperor Justinian made the decision to build a new vast temple forty days after the pacification of the Nika rebellion. The development of the project was entrusted to two architects, Anthimius of Thrales and Isidore of Miletus, who were fully aware of the principles of wisdom known at that time (today we would call them specialists not only in the field of architecture, but also in the field of physics). The most significant cities of the empire, in which monuments of ancient art were still preserved, participated with voluntary and forced sacrifices in the decoration of Hagia Sophia of Constantinople. Eight porphyry columns taken from the Temple of the Sun were brought from Rome; Ephesus donated eight green marble columns. The best decorations were brought to the capital from Cyzicus, Troas and Athens. But precious marbles did not satisfy Justinian - he used gold, silver, ivory... 10 thousand people built a grandiose cathedral over the course of just over four years, and on December 27, 537, the temple was consecrated. Under Justinian, the staff at the temple was designed for 555 people. This number later increased to 600.
The famous dome, more than 30 meters in diameter, dominates the average ship and rests on four concave triangle-sails, in turn supported by four massive pylons. To ensure that the support points did not give way and the entire building did not fall apart, divine services were performed daily during construction, and particles of relics were placed into the very body of the building. A contemporary of the construction, Procopius of Caesarea, wrote about the temple as an image of the cosmos, inspired by the invisible presence of God: “This place is not illuminated by the sun from the outside, but the brilliance is born within it.” The dome, surrounded at the base by a ribbon of windows, gave the impression of hanging in the air - as if it had been lowered from the sky on a golden chain...
Tradition says that an angel suggested the name of the temple to Justinian. “The Legend of Sophia the Wisdom of God,” preserved in the Novgorod patericon (17th century copy), tells: the king “was offended by this, when he named the church, and an angel appeared in the form of a youth, and called by the name of Saint Sophia, who are Wisdom God's." In the altar of Sophia of Constantinople there was an image of the Archangel Michael as a guardian of the temple (the image of the archangel-commander " heavenly powers disembodied” also begins to connect with the Sofia theme).

THE FACE OF RUSSIA ITSELF
After being revealed by restorers ancient icon painting Our Lady of Vladimir Maximilian Voloshin wrote the following lines:

...From under the vestments and pious scabs
You showed your true face,
The bright face of the Wisdom of Sophia,
A ray of hope in a sad fate,
And in the future - the face of Russia itself,
Despite slander and struggle.

For Rus'-Russia, the theme of Sophia the Wisdom became an expression of faith in the Universe-Creating Word, incarnate for the salvation of humanity. The emphasis on the incarnation brought the image of the Mother of God closer to the Sophia theme. The service of the Ever-Virgin Mary was interpreted by medieval authors as the “temple of Wisdom.” The St. Sophia churches in Rus' were a visible confirmation of the continuation of the tradition of sacred, God-centered statehood: it is noteworthy that Ivan the Terrible, who at one time planned to move the capital to Vologda, ordered the construction of the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, which received the name of St. Sophia. The icons of St. Sophia, known in several versions, or “translations” (Kiev, Novgorod, Yaroslavl - Polotsk probably also existed, but its monuments have not survived), are complex allegorical compositions showing high level theological and symbolic consciousness of Ancient Rus'.
Art critic Vera Bryusova gives the following classification of Sophia’s images. In Kyiv iconography, Sophia appears as the Mother of God, Mother of Emmanuel. In Novgorod iconography she has the appearance of the Virgin, but in different translations, and also appears in the image of Emmanuel. In the Yaroslavl version (in particular, on the fresco of the Church of St. John Chrysostom, dating from the 16th-18th centuries), the main place belongs to the Mother of God in the seven-pillar Solomon Temple, with Christ on the cross (the Crucifixion becomes like the seventh pillar). The ciborium temple is crowned with the image of the Lord of hosts and is surrounded by several tiers of images of saints: prophets, apostles, saints, martyrs and martyrs. Later, this composition - going back to biblical verses from the book of Proverbs of Solomon (9:1 et seq.) - is expanded, supplemented and given the name “Wisdom created a temple for herself.”
The most famous and widespread version of the icon of Sophia the Wisdom of God has been known since the mid-15th century as a temple image of the St. Sophia Cathedral in Novgorod. Most likely this iconographic version arose during the time of the Archbishopric of Euthymius II and became especially widespread under Gennady of Novgorod, and then under Metropolitan Macarius of Moscow. This image was widely circulated throughout North-Eastern Rus'(including in Yaroslavl land). On it we see a “fire-like” (“fire-like”), fire-winged angel (sometimes described as a Virgo), seated on a four-legged golden throne with a pillow of fiery color, against the backdrop of a round radiance - “glory”. The angel is depicted wearing a royal crown, a royal dalmatic. In his right hand is a staff with a radiant cross at the top, in his left hand is a scroll. On the sides are the Mother of God and John the Baptist; above Sophia's head is a half-length figure of Christ. At the top, the composition embraces the scroll of heaven, where Etimasia, the Prepared Throne, is located. The temple feast of the icon was established on the day of the Dormition of the Mother of God.
The biblical and iconographic theme of Wisdom gave rise to many interpretations that were lively and relevant reading. Already in one of the first monuments of East Slavic writing - the Izbornik of Svyatoslav of 1073 - one can find the so-called interpretation of Hippolytus-Anastasius. Especially for Novgorod icon, as its interpretation, the “Tale of Wisdom” was written, preserved in three copies of the 15th and 16th centuries. “The Tale is Known about Sophia the Wisdom of God” belongs to the pen of the famous spiritual writer of the 16th century, Zinovy ​​​​of Otensky. In the second quarter of the 17th century, Semyon Shakhovsky wrote “The Service of Hagia Sophia” for the Novgorod St. Sophia Cathedral. Finally, in 1687, Ignatius Rimsky-Korsakov, archimandrite of the Moscow Novospassky Monastery, the family tomb of the Romanovs, composed a detailed “Explanation of Sophia” in the style of a court panegyric (the text was presented to Princess Sofya Alekseevna when sending troops to the Crimea)…
“Overflowing” across theological boundaries, the semantics of Sophia was associated with such concepts as creative construction, creative knowledge, spiritual unity. According to the fair remark of the famous Byzantinist A. N. Grabar (1896-1990), no subject is so closely connected with the religious history of Russia as Sophia the Wisdom of God: from ancient times to the present day, it has been a topic that tests the insight of commentators.

"SPIRITUAL SWONSE"
The problem is that from the end of the 19th century, after several philosophical and poetic works (and even more personal conversations-revelations) by Vladimir Solovyov, the category of Hagia Sophia became the object of mystical and magical speculation, which gave rise to an entire “sophiological” literature. Echoes of sophiological disputes can be heard to this day, and sometimes it is difficult to immediately understand which interpretation of the image of Hagia Sophia is professed by this or that respected author. Thanks to the activities of emigrant philosophers and theologians, the term “Sophia” abroad has firmly become one of the “Russian brands”: when it is difficult to say anything intelligible about the “Russian soul”, they talk about its sophia...
Solovyov came to the theme of Sophia as the World Soul, the Eternal Feminine from metaphysical optimism, from the justification of the cosmos: “On the dark basis of discord and chaos, an invisible force brings out the bright threads of universal life and harmonizes the disparate features of the universe into bright images.” The cosmic principle governing existence in one of Solovyov’s poems is called “the bright daughter of dark chaos”... In the 1890s, towards the end of his life, Vladimir Sergeevich was literally captured by a magical whirlwind that had a distinct erotic overtones: it postulated the existence of a certain female aspect of the Deity (“feminine shadows of the Divine"), which has a personal existence.
The work “The Meaning of Love” states that “eternal Femininity, striving for realization and embodiment, is not only an inactive image in the mind of the Divine, but a living spiritual being, possessing all the fullness of strength and action. The whole world and historical process there is a process of its realization and embodiment in a great variety of forms and degrees.” It turns out that it is to this strange cosmic creature (strongly reminiscent of a pagan goddess - the wife of the demiurge god) that all lovers and lovers raise their feelings, without realizing it: “The heavenly object of our love is only one, always and for everyone the same but the eternal femininity of God.” Priest Georgy Florovsky, who had amazing quality spiritual sobriety, characterizes the “Sophia” opuses of the celibate philosopher as “a terrible occult project of connecting humanity with God through heterosexual love.” Indeed, Vladimir Sergeevich asserts that “the transformation of an individual female being into a ray of eternal Divine femininity, inseparable from its source, will be real, not only subjective, but also an objective reunion individual person with God, the restoration in him of the living and immortal image of God.”
There is no doubt that behind such constructions is Solovyov’s personal visionary experience, which raises strong doubts about its good quality. The merciless Florovsky writes about later years Solovyov: “It was, it seems, the darkest period in his life, “spiritual fainting,” temptation by erotic magic, a time of rotten and black passion.” Obviously, the son of the great historian in his youth experienced something that he interpreted as a meeting with the Soul of the World (this spiritualistic experience is described by him in the poem “Three Dates”). Throughout his life, Solovyov remained faithful to the “Virgin of the Rainbow Gate” of his visions, sang her in poetry and awaited her coming in an “imperishable body.” Shortly before the death of the philosopher, a tragicomic episode occurred to him, perceived by some authors as “retribution to the mysticist.” One day, an elderly lady, Anna Schmidt, appeared to Vladimir Sergeevich and decisively and in all seriousness declared that she was the incarnation of Sophia, and Solovyov was the incarnate Logos. The alarmed philosopher asked the lady not to talk to anyone about him, but rather to pray more... However, Mrs. Schmidt did not calm down and after Solovyov’s death, being already a completely insane old woman, she annoyed Blok with her visits.
But Alexander Alexandrovich had his own candidate for the role of the Virgin of the Rainbow Gate - his wife Lyubov Dmitrievna Mendeleeva. “Eternal Femininity” became one of the favorite themes of the Silver Age; it was especially popular in the circle that met at Blok’s Shakhmatovo estate. Today it may seem somewhat pathological and wild, but adult, educated and talented people (among whom, by the way, was the poet Andrei Bely) in the summer of 1904 declared Blok’s young wife the embodiment of Eternal Femininity and began to ritually honor her (the most interesting thing is that her husband was also not against). But one cannot amuse oneself with mysteries. The gaming cult ended in nervous breakdowns and psychological breakdowns. However, it should be recognized that Blok and his friends exactly followed Solovyov’s program, which provided for the “epiphany” of Sophia’s imperishable features in an ordinary woman... As one of the eyewitnesses of the events and moods of those years, Georgy Chulkov, recalled, “such haze arose around the “eternally feminine” that Not only weak heads were spinning, but also quite strong heads were spinning. And the “highest” sometimes turned out to be “the abyss below.”
Vladimir Solovyov was a rather unchurch man, and his constructions for the time being did not affect the theological consciousness of the Church. The situation changed when thinkers invested with pastoral rank began to speak from a sophiological position—priest Pavel Florensky, archpriest Sergius Bulgakov. The theological work of Father Paul was interrupted (as was his life later) by Bolshevik repressions, but Sergei Bulgakov managed to turn the Theological Institute in Paris, which he led, into a real stronghold of sophiology. It should be noted that disputes about Hagia Sophia poisoned not only the philosophical and intellectual, but also the moral atmosphere of the Parisian island of the Russian Abroad. Consider one well-known episode dating back to the apogee of the discussions (November 1935). One of the participants in the religious-philosophical debate, the sophiologically inclined Boris Vysheslavtsev (author of the book “Ethics of Transformed Eros”), after the end of the controversy, completely lost his composure, beat his opponent Maxim Kovalevsky until he bled. Apparently, his eros was far from completely transformed... It is characteristic that Vysheslavtsev’s friend, Nikolai Berdyaev, belongs to highest degree critical remark: “People who believed in Sophia, but did not believe in Christ, could not distinguish between realities.”
Among the definitions of Hagia Sophia scattered in the works of Florensky and Bulgakov, in addition to purely artistic images(“The Great Root of the Whole Creation”, etc.), there are many that evoke a feeling of some new god-building: “the idea of ​​God”, “ creativity world", "Kingdom, Power and Glory of God", "holiness of creation", "the truest, purest and fullest humanity", "Great, Royal and Feminine Being" and, finally, especially unfortunate: "goddess" and "fourth hypostasis" . Sophia turns out to be a living being with a personal existence, “neither God, nor the eternal Son of God, nor an angel, nor a holy man” (Florensky, “The Pillar and Ground of Truth”) and at the same time “the line that lies between God and the world, Creator and creature, she herself is neither one nor the other, but something completely special, simultaneously connecting and separating both” (Bulgakov, “The Non-Evening Light”).
At a certain point, sophiological constructions began to really threaten the religious and cultural identity of the Russian emigration. It is necessary to name the names of those who showed in their works the actual isolation of sophiologists from the Christian tradition. After the appearance of the brilliant church-historical study “On the Veneration of Sophia the Wisdom of God in Byzantium and Rus',” the insufficient level of competence of Bulgakov, Florensky and their followers became obvious. In the fight against the “newly invented temptation,” the forces of foreign countries and the Church remaining in the Fatherland united. The theologian Vladimir Lossky, who lived in exile, prepared the materials of the Decree of the Patriarchal Locum Tenens Metropolitan Sergius (who himself was an outstanding theologian). A document condemning sophiology as a heretical teaching appeared in 1935. For that part of the emigration that did not recognize the “sub-Soviet” church leadership, the opinion of the ardent monarchist Archbishop Seraphim (Sobolev) mattered. His book “The New Teaching of Sophia by the Wisdom of God,” containing a detailed, point-by-point, critical analysis of the writings of sophiologists, was published in the same 1935 in the capital of Tsarist Bulgaria, Sofia. After the publication of these studies, sophiological debates began to decline and practically died out during the Second World War.

CHRIST IS THE WISDOM OF GOD
Why did conservative-minded Orthodox Christians consider the thoughts of Solovyov, Bulgakov, Florensky not just heresy, but outright blasphemy? The fact is that the mysterious, esoteric symbolism of Hagia Sophia has a very clear dogmatic dimension. And dogmas, according to the same Bulgakov, are “the ledger of religious experience” - a fence designed to protect the shrines of faith. Who does Christian tradition mean by Sophia? The answer is quite clear. Hypostatic, personal Wisdom Church of God names Christ.
The concept of Divine Wisdom is expressed in a number of books of the Old Testament - in particular, the book of Proverbs of Solomon and the non-canonical Wisdom of Solomon and the Wisdom of Jesus son of Sirach tell about it in detail. Let us cite one of the most famous passages telling about Wisdom (Prov. 8:22 - 31): “The Lord made me the beginning of His way, before His creatures, from time immemorial; I have been anointed from everlasting, from the beginning, before the existence of the earth. I was born when there were no deeps yet, when there were no springs abundant with water. I was born before the mountains were erected, before the hills, when He had not yet created either the earth, or the fields, or the initial specks of dust of the universe. When He prepared heaven, I was there. When He drew a circular line across the face of the abyss, when He established the clouds at the top, when He strengthened the sources of the abyss, when He gave the sea a charter so that the waters would not cross its borders, when He laid the foundations of the earth: then I was an artist with Him, and I was a joy every day, having fun before His face all the time, rejoicing in His earthly circle, and my joy was with the sons of men.”
Summarizing the work of many generations of interpreters, the “Explanatory Bible” notes: “In this section, the fathers and teachers of the Church, not without reason, saw under the pre-eternal and peace-giving Wisdom the hypostatic Wisdom, the Second Person Holy Trinity, the Son of God, bringing the concept of her closer to the concept of the Word of God, which, according to the teachings of the Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian, was with God from the beginning, was God himself, through whom “everything came to pass, and without whom nothing that happened began to be” (John 1:1-3, cf. Heb. 1:2; Rev. 3:14). The next chapter of Proverbs opens with verses that formed the basis of one of the translations of the Sophia icon: “Wisdom built herself a house, hewed out its seven pillars, slaughtered a sacrifice, dissolved her wine and prepared a meal...” The sacrificial “Feast of Wisdom” is perceived as a prototype of the New Testament Eucharistic meal and Christ's atoning sacrifice. The image of a house founded by Wisdom is a symbol of the establishment by Hypostatic Wisdom of the Kingdom of God or the Church among people, for their spiritual nourishment, enlightenment and sanctification. The seven pillars were interpreted as the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit (wisdom, understanding, counsel, strength, knowledge, piety, fear of the Lord - see Isa. 11: 1 - 3), seven sacraments of the Church, seven apocalyptic churches, seven Ecumenical Councils.
In the first centuries of Christianity, the doctrine of Jesus Christ as the Wisdom of God was not yet fully established in the general church consciousness. Saint Theophilus, Bishop of Antioch (died in the 80s of the 2nd century) and Saint Irenaeus, Bishop of Lyons (130-202) identified Wisdom with the Third Person of the Holy Trinity, the Holy Spirit. Later, Hippolytus (3rd century), a student of Irenaeus of Lyons and the great Origen, created a classic interpretation of the 9th chapter of Proverbs. In the Izbornik it is included in the questions and answers of Anastasia Sinaita: “Christ of God and the Father wisdom and power (created) his flesh; The Word became flesh and dwelt in us and established the seventh pillar of the Holy Spirit with the sevenfold figure, just as Isaiah spoke...” The interpretation of Wisdom as the Second Hypostasis was developed by Saints Cyprian of Carthage, Athanasius of Alexandria, and Basil the Great.
Archbishop Seraphim Sobolev in the book “New Teaching about Hagia Sophia” provides an overview of the acts of the Ecumenical Councils, clearly indicating that the understanding of Wisdom as the Logos - Christ was firmly established in the dogmatic consciousness of the Church. This same understanding is reflected in the liturgical practice of Orthodoxy. The canon for Maundy Thursday of the Venerable Kozma of Mayum contains the following words, linking the images of Christ and the Mother of God within the framework of the Sophia theme: “The infinite Wisdom of God, which created and preserved all living things, created for itself a dwelling from the pure unmarried Mother, for having clothed itself in the bodily temple, Christ our God, solemnly became famous."
The same perception of Sophia is reflected in icon painting and temple construction. One of the earliest images of Sophia was in the catacombs near Alexandria. It was described by the Russian researcher Kondakov at the beginning of the twentieth century, but now, unfortunately, it has been lost. Wisdom had the appearance of Immanuel with wings and the inscription “sofha”. Later (mainly in the West) Sophia is depicted both as the Hypostatic Wisdom - Christ, and as the personification of wisdom - sometimes the confusion of these categories leads to a darkening of the meaning of the compositions.
The spiritual program of Sophia of Constantinople was also Christological. The temple holiday there was Monday of St. Thomas Week, in commemoration of the confession of faith in Christ by the Apostle Thomas, expressed in the words: “My Lord and my God” (John 20:28). During the services in the St. Sophia Church before the capture of Constantinople by the Turks, the troparion of the Wisdom of God was sung: “The Wisdom of the Father, the Radiance of Glory and the Image of His Hypostasis, who founded the heavens and the earth in the beginning, bless Thy heritage, preserve our King in peace, save the Church, Thy city and Thy people " Especially for his temple, Emperor Justinian composed the prayer “Only Begotten Son,” which is still performed in Orthodox churches. Despite the difference in the iconographic programs of the Kyiv and Novgorod Sophia, both churches, according to Vera Bryusova, “reveal an understanding of Wisdom as Christ.” Sophia Christology was adopted and developed in Rus'. Maximus the Greek's student Zinovy ​​Otensky, explaining the confusion of his contemporaries regarding the concept of Hagia Sophia, decisively distinguishes names, showing that Wisdom, Logos, Word and Power of God refer to the Son of God; Comforter, Paraclete - to the Spirit of God. The Mother of God (which some also began to identify with Sophia after the establishment of the temple holiday of Sophia of Novgorod on the day of the Dormition) is accompanied by other “words” - the Most Pure One, the Mother of the Heavenly King, the real Mother of God...
The fiery Angel of the Novgorod icon is interpreted by the Orthodox consciousness as the Son of God - “Angel of the Great Council”, in accordance with the prophecy of Isaiah: “For to us a child is born - a Son is given to us; the government will be upon His shoulder, and His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isa. 9:6). The icon itself caused controversy in the 16th century - some conservatives were inclined to see in it a “fictitious likeness”, “Latin wisdom”. Indeed, a certain overload of this composition with symbols, its “literary quality” evoke analogies with Western, Catholic monuments. However, popular veneration of the shrine (the image was considered miraculous) received high support from the Archbishop of Novgorod, later Metropolitan Macarius of Moscow.
...One of the semantic fields of the inexhaustible theme of Sophia of the Wisdom of God is associated with the concept of wholeness, integrity - the Divine simplicity of the Logos. Perhaps it was precisely this moral and spiritual line that determined the high demand for icons and legends dedicated to Sophia in those periods when Rus' especially needed unity. As V. G. Bryusova writes, completing her large-scale study “Sophia the Wisdom of God in ancient Russian literature and art", "in admiration of the divine miracle one feels the mysticism of the mystery of resurrection Orthodox man after innumerable disasters." This hope is given by faith, from the absurdity and “madness” of which the “apostle of tongues” taught to draw strength: “For when the world through its wisdom did not know God in the Wisdom of God, it pleased God through the foolishness of preaching to save those who believe. For both the Jews demand miracles, and the Greeks seek wisdom; But we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to the Jews, and foolishness to the Greeks, but to those who are called, Jews and Greeks, Christ, the Power of God and the Wisdom of God” (I Cor. 1:21-24).

Sergei ANTONENKO, Rodina magazine