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Epistles and Statements, 1918–1923

St Tikhon of Moscow, The Christian East, 1920–23; Emhardt, 1929

Chapter 1

The humble Tikhon, by God’s grace Patriarch of Moscow and of all Russia, to the beloved in the Lord hierarchs, clergy, and all faithful members of the Russian Orthodox Church.

‘The Lord deliver us from this present evil world’ (Gal. 1: 4).

The Holy Orthodox Church of Christ is at present passing through difficult times in the Russian land; the open and secret foes of the truth are striving to destroy the work of Christ by sowing everywhere in place of Christian love the seeds of malice, hatred, and fratricidal warfare.

The commands of Christ regarding the love of neighbor are forgotten or trampled upon; reports reach us daily concerning the astounding and beastly murders of wholly innocent people, and even of the sick upon their sick-beds, who are guilty perhaps only of having fulfilled their duty to the Fatherland, and of having spent all their strength in the service of the national welfare. This happens not only under cover of the nocturnal darkness, but openly in daylight, with hitherto unheard-of audacity and merciless cruelty, without any sort of trial and despite all right and lawfulness, and it happens in our days almost in all the cities and villages of our country, as well as in our capital, and outlying regions (Petrograd, Moscow, Irkutsk, Sevastopol, and others).

All this fills our heart with a deep and bitter sorrow and obliges us to turn to such outcasts of the human race with stern words of accusation and warning, in accordance with the command of the holy apostle: ‘them that sin reprove in the sight of all, that the rest also may be in fear’ (I Tim. 5: 20).

Recall yourselves, ye senseless, and cease your bloody deeds. For what you are doing is not only a cruel deed; it is in truth a satanic act, for which you shall suffer the fire of Gehenna in the life to come, beyond the grave, and the terrible curses of posterity in this present, earthly life.

By the authority given us by God, we forbid you to present yourselves for the sacraments of Christ, and anathematize you, if you still bear the name of Christians, even if merely on account of your baptism you still belong to the Orthodox Church.

I adjure all of you who are faithful children of the Orthodox Church of Christ, not to commune with such outcasts of the human race in any matter whatsoever: ‘cast out the wicked from among you’ (I Cor. 5:13).

The most cruel persecution has likewise arisen against the holy Church of Christ, the blessed sacraments, sanctifying the birth of man into the world, or blessing the marital union of the Christian family, have been pronounced unnecessary and superfluous; the holy churches are subjected to destruction by reason of the gunfire directed against them (e.g., the holy cathedrals of the Moscow Kremlin), or to plunder and sacrilegious injury (e.g., the Chapel of the Saviour in Petrograd). The saintly monasteries revered by the people, as the Alexandro-Nevsky and Pochaevsky monasteries) are seized by the atheistic masters of the darkness of this world and are declared to be in some manner national property; schools supported from the resources of the Orthodox Church to train the ministers of churches and teachers of the faith are declared superfluous, and are turned either into training institutes of infidelity or even directly into nurseries of immorality.

Property of monasteries and Orthodox churches is alienated from them under the guise of being national property, but without any right and even without any desire to act in accordance with the lawful will of the nation. . . . Finally, the government which is pledged to uphold the right and truth in Russia, and to guarantee liberty and order everywhere, manifests only the most unbridled caprice and crassest violence over all, and especially in dealing with the holy Orthodox Church.

Where are the limits to such mockery of the Church of Christ? How and wherein may the attacks upon it by its raging enemies be stopped?

We appeal to all of you, believing and faithful children of the Church, rise up in defense of our injured and oppressed holy Mother.

The enemies of the Church seize rule over her and her property by force of death-dealing weapons; but you rise to oppose them with the strength of your faith, with your own nation-wide outcry, which would stop those senseless people and would show them that they have no right to call themselves protagonists of the people’s welfare; initiators of a new life in accordance with the national ideal, for they are directly against the conscience of the people.

And if it should become necessary to suffer in behalf of the cause of Christ, we invite you, beloved children of the Church, to suffer along with us in accordance with the words of the holy apostle: ‘Who shall separate us from the love of God? Shall tribulation, or anguish, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?’ (Romans 8: 35.)

And you, brethren, hierarchs and clergy, do not lose even an hour in your spiritual task, and with fiery zeal call upon your members to defend the impugned rights of the Orthodox Church; convene religious gatherings; appeal not because of necessity, but take your place in the ranks of spiritual warriors of your own free choice, and oppose to the external violence the force of your genuine spirituality; we then positively affirm that the enemies of the Church of Christ shall be shamed and shall be dispersed by the might of the cross of Christ, for the promise of the divine Cross-bearer is immutable: ‘I will build my Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it’ (St. Matt. 16: 18).¹

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