Ethical Reflections on Self-Sacrifice in Russian Monasticism

Abstract

This paper analyses self-sacrifice as the highest form of love, focusing on the Byzantine perception of ethical principles of self-sacrifice that was transferred into Russian cultural space via translations of neptic literature, thus continuing the ancient philosophical tradition. On the basis of a historical source (Eusebius of Caesarea) the author highlights cases of self-sacrifice in individuals’ lives out of charitable love for their neighbours and illuminate a new Christian axiological outlook on sacrifice. Sacrifice and self-sacrifice are not understood in the sense of a victim of the system, but rather as a sacrifice out of love for one’s neighbour. Christians approach death positively either through conscious sacrifice/self-sacrifice or through spiritual struggle, ascesis. In relation to this, this paper outlines the topic of self-sacrifice in relation to martyrdom and, subsequently, the martyrdom of conscience, in which the essence of ascetic life originates. The basic aim is to compare the Greek and Russian understanding of self-sacrifice by using specific examples. The foundational sources for this paper are neptic texts, the authors of which, on the basis of their own experience, asked their readers for spiritual struggle and sacrificing their lives to God. Their ideas were transferred to Russian context through the Dobrotolublye, which had a profound impact on the spread of the hesychastic tradition in Russia in the nineteenth century. Exemplars of spiritual struggle within representatives of Russian monasticism, who sacrificed their lives to God and brought a Byzantine understanding of spiritual struggle against passion into Russian culture include Paisiy Velichkovsky, Nazariy Kondratyev, Serafim of Sarov, and the Optina elders Mosey, Leonid, and Makariy.