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Commemorated on February 17
The Monks
Theodosii (Feodosii) the Bulgarian and his Disciple Roman: The monk
Theodosii began his exploit in the city of Viddino, at the Nikolaev monastery.
After the death of the hegumen Job he settled not far from Tirnovo, then the
capital city of Bulgaria, at the Svyatogorsk monastery of the Most Holy Mother
of God in search of a spiritual guide. He left the Holy Mount (Svyatogorsk) monastery
and for a long while went about from monastery to monastery. Finally, he
learned about the wilderness-monastery termed "Concealed" where in
pursuit of asceticism the monk Gregory the Sinaite (Comm. 8 August) had moved
from Athos. The monk Theodosii found in him an experienced guide of the
contemplative life. The monk Gregory taught: "Before death we lay in
hades; whosoever does not recognise sincerely that he is a sinner, that the
beasts and cattle are more pure, – that one is more wicked than the demons, in
having become their obedient slave".
The wilderness
monastery of the monk Gregory the Sinaite suffered often from robbers. The abba
sent the monk Theodosii to the emperor Alexander with a request for defense of
the monastery. The pious Bulgarian tsar, at the request of the ascetic,
provided him greater means to wall in the monastery by strong walls with
towers, and made secure the monastery with grounds and cattle. During the time
of his final journey to Tirnovo with an errand of the abba to the tsar, a
nobleman turned to the monk Theodosii with a request to take him along to the
monastery. The holy ascetic brought him to the monk Gregory the Sinaite. This
was Roman, – becoming the sincere and beloved disciple of the monk Theodosii.
After the death of the monk Gregory the Sinaite, the monk Theodosii refused to
accept being head of the monastery, and together with his disciple Roman he set
off from the monastery for solitary efforts. They founded a monastery on an
hill round about Tirnovo, afterwards called Theodosiev. The monk Theeodosii was
famous as a zealous defender of Orthodoxy against the many heresies then
appearing, especially the Bogomils, Judaisers and Messalians. Their false
teachings were especially pernicious. The Patriarch and the tsar rendered great
help to the monk Theodosii in the struggle with the heretics. In addition to
this, the holy ascetic translated Greek writings into the Slavonic language. In
1360 he became grievously ill. Wishing to meet with his friend the monk Kallistos,
he set off to him at Tsar'grad, entrusting the guidance of the monastery to his
disciple Roman.
On 17 February 1362
the monk Theodosii died at Tsar'grad. His disciple the monk Roman became head
of the monastery founded by him.
© 1996-2001 by translator Fr. S. Janos.
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