Mikhail (Semenov)

Born in a cantonist family of baptized Jews . The year of his birth needs to be clarified, 1874 is indicated in some sources, and 1873 in others ^[1] .

He graduated from the Simbirsk Theological College , entered the Simbirsk Theological Seminary , which he graduated in 1895 . Even in his student years, he began literary activity, publishing articles in the "Simbirsk Provincial Gazette" ^[1] .

He studied at the Moscow Theological Academy , was a student of the Academy's rector, Bishop Anthony (Khrapovitsky) . After the transfer of Bishop Anthony to a similar post in the Kazan Theological Academy , he was transferred to this educational institution, which he graduated in 1899 with a candidate of theology degree. In 1899-1900 he was a professor scholarship holder at the Kazan Theological Academy ; in 1900, Grigory Rasputin met him. In the same year he was sent to Constantinople for six months to study the sources necessary for writing a dissertation. Master of Theology ( 1902 ; thesis: "Legislation of the Byzantine emperors on church affairs up to and including Justinian").

On November 26, 1899, he was tonsured a monk by Bishop Anthony (Khrapovitsky) .

Since February 25, 1900 he was ordained hierodeacon . On February 26, 1900, he was ordained a hieromonk .

Since 1900 - teacher of basic, dogmatic and moral theology of the Voronezh Theological Seminary .

Since 1902 - Associate Professor of the St. Petersburg Theological Academy .

March 29, 1905 was elevated to the rank of archimandrite .

Since September 5, 1905 - an extraordinary professor at the Department of Church Law at the St. Petersburg Theological Academy .

He was one of the most popular priests in the intelligentsia in St. Petersburg . Often participated in public disputes, lectures and discussions held in various churches of the capital, in the lecture rooms of Sampson Cathedral , in the Religious and Philosophical Society, in the hall of the Society for the Distribution of Religious and Moral Education in the spirit of the Orthodox Church, in the People’s House and other rooms. Collaborated in the magazine Russian Pilgrim . He was one of 32 St. Petersburg priests who publicly advocated reforming the church.

According to the memoirs of Metropolitan Manuil (Lemeshevsky) , who was a university student during this period, Archimandrite Mikhail

Bribed his many listeners with gentle treatment, attention to the notes sent to him at such disputation lectures. He delayed the audience until late with fascinating remarks and answers to such requests, etc. And at the end of his speech, no one wanted to leave the meeting and many listeners were waiting for new and new interesting rebuffs from this young talented preacher and speaker, enlightener and missionary - an indestructible apologist for his Orthodox faith. Extraordinary memory, resourcefulness and wide erudition helped him a lot. In convincing and comprehensive answers, he defeated opponents.

Bishop (later Metropolitan) Arseny (Stadnitsky) wrote at this time:

Father Michael is a real Faust before meeting with the devil. There is no free space in the room from books: on the floor, on the table, or on the chairs. He himself, skinny-skinny, with disheveled hair bordering a pretty fair bald spot, extremely nervous, with jerky movements, as if someone was pulling him every second, like Petrushka on a string ... Amazing performance. But it is unlikely that he will live long, or, God forbid, he would not get sick mentally.

In 1906, Archimandrite Mikhail announced his entry into the Labor People's Socialist Party , publicly calling himself a Christian socialist . His activity aroused sharp discontent of the Holy Synod , by the decision of which he was dismissed from the Theological Academy and sent to Zadonsky Monastery . After an unauthorized return, he was convicted and sent to Valaam Monastery , which he also left without the permission of the church authorities. The activities of Archimandrite Michael were sharply criticized by right-wing politicians who focused on his Jewish origin.

He showed interest in the Old Believers, even during his studies, when he played the role of a supporter of the Old Believers at the disputes held during the “history and denunciation of schism” classes, which required a thorough study of the sources. Gradually came to the conclusion that the "Old Believers" were right.

In October 1907, the Old Believer Bishop Innocent (Usov) annexed Archimandrite Michael to his church. Explaining his decision, Archimandrite Michael wrote:

Before my very eyes, the Synod Church was accused of leaving a dead and flabby rag from all the teachings of the church, in which you would not find any living and vital core; that she distorted the teaching of the church about the sacraments, salvation, killed everything that could move the Christian will in this teaching - to build a clean and holy life. I even tried to defend it, but it was during the defense that I saw that I was defending a “phantom”, a fictitious church that did not exist. And that which is is not amenable to any protection.

In 1910 he wrote about the reason for his joining the Old Believers:

I respect and love the Old Believers for the fact that they bought themselves the blood of freedom from slavery to the state, from the enslavement of freedom to the church will of the pope, Nikon or the papal hierarchy that stood up to him. I was sure in his spirit (and now I'm sure) that in him, drenched in rivers of blood, shed for the freedom of thought and belief, it is possible, than anywhere else, to freely reveal the truth of God about earth and heaven.

For the transition to the Old Believers, the Synod was deprived of the rank of archimandrite, which also meant deprivation of the right to reside in capitals. Since 1908 he lived in Beloostrov , then - in Simbirsk , with his sister.

In 1908, Bishop Innocent (Usov) single-handedly ordained him bishop of Canada. At the same time, Bishop Innocent relied on the fact that the Belokrinitsky hierarchy was also solely founded in 1847 by Metropolitan Ambrose (Pappa Georgopoli) .

The Moscow Old Believer Archbishopric faced the question of how to respond to this solemn ordination. On the one hand, the triumph of the old faith: the well-known publicist, scientist, professor of the St. Petersburg Theological Academy became the Old Believer bishop. On the other - a flagrant violation of church discipline, the haste of this step, the lack of expressed need ^[2] .

On February 4, 1909, Bishop Michael, who was appointed without the sanction of the highest church leadership, was banned from serving, but on August 27 of the same year at the Consecrated Cathedral it was conditionally permitted - in case he arrived at the Canadian pulpit. He was ordered to learn to serve and go to the appointed diocese within three months. Otherwise, a prohibition in the ministry ^[2] .

However, due to a lack of funds, Bishop Michael did not reach North America, and therefore, on August 31, 1910, the Consecrated Cathedral again banned him from the clergy ^[3] and recognized a number of his journalistic works as inappropriate to patristic teaching ^[2] .

Later, his candidacy was considered for the Old Believer Kazan-Vyatka diocese , but was rejected, as he was banned and, moreover, he refused, declaring that he had not yet completely been inspired by the spirit of the Old Believers. He was the organizer and leader of the Old Believer Theological Institute of Teachers , the author of the textbook of the Law of God for Old Believer schools.

In May 1911, Bishop Michael was arrested for radical statements, and a year and a half imprisoned in the fortress.

He actively collaborated with a number of Old Believer publications - “Church”, “Old Believer Thought”, “Old Russia”. He published both theological works and works of art, among which the novel “Second Rome” (the church history of Byzantium of the 9th – 10th centuries), the novel “At the Dawn of Christianity” (about the First Christian Martyrs), “Burning with Fire” (about the fate of Archpriest Habakkuk) stand out ), “The Great rout” (about the church history of the 17th century), etc. As early as 1906, in St. Petersburg, under the pseudonym Diak Shigonya, he published the historical drama “The Tired Tsar” about Ivan the Terrible .

He developed the doctrine of “Calvary Christianity”, the essence of which was the freedom of creativity, spiritual renewal, perfection, and the desire to restore the ideals of the early Christian communities on earth. Proponents of this teaching believed that the path to salvation, to the “New Earth” (as an analogue of Jerusalem in heaven) lies through Golgotha, and the whole life of a Christian should be a constant Golgotha. The organizer of the group of supporters of “Calvary Christianity” included the future priest Valentin Sventsitsky , Pavel Florensky sympathized with this movement.

He suffered from a nervous breakdown, a tendency to vagrancy. In the fall of 1916 he went with his sister to Moscow for treatment, where his fate was tragic. On October 15, in the evening, the bishop arrived at Sortirovochnaya station; where he spent the next three days is unknown; On October 18, unknown people robbed the bishop, and when he asked for help, he was mistaken for a thief and brutally beaten (he had four ribs and a collarbone broken). In this state and without documents on October 19, he was found on 1st Meshchanskaya Street and placed in the Old Catherine Hospital , where he lay for several days; after establishing his identity on October 26, relatives who found him transported him to a hospital near the Rogozhsky cemetery , which is the spiritual and administrative center of the Old Believers. The next day, October 27, the bishop passed away, the ban on service was lifted from the dying bishop, and he was chained. He was solemnly, according to the rank of bishop, buried at the Rogozhsky cemetery.

From the illustrated Iskra magazine of November 6, 1916:

The death of the bishop . On October 15, in the evening at the Sortirovochnaya station near Moscow, the Moscow-Kazan Railway, the Old Believer Bishop Mikhail, who was traveling with his sister to Petrograd, went out onto the platform and was lost in the crowd. Since then, his trace has disappeared. Only on October 25, the bishop was found in the Old Catherine Hospital, where he lay in the morning of October 19. He was brought here as an unknown, raised on the 1st Meshchanskaya street. The bishop was unconscious, without a hat, without shoes, in torn linen. Abrasions and bruises were found on the patient's body. The bishop was beaten up somewhere. For lack of free places he was allocated a place in the corridor. In delirium, he tried to get up and run somewhere. They put on a straitjacket. In one of the highlights, the patient told the doctor that he was Bishop Michael. This was immediately reported to the Rogozh Old Believer Cemetery. The patient was transported there, but the next day, October 27, the bishop passed away. ^[4] .

Zinaida Gippius in her diary “Blue Book” wrote about him like this:

This was a remarkable person. Russian Jew. Orthodox archimandrite. Kazan spiritual professor. Old Believer Bishop. Progressive journalist, convicted and persecuted. Intelligent, referenced and hiding abroad. An ascetic in Beloostrov, giving everyone every penny. Religious preacher, the prophet of the “new” Christianity among the workers, stormy, sacrificial, like a helpless child, frail, small, nervous, disorderly, quick in movements, scattered, overgrown with a black round beard, completely bald. He was not at all old: about 42 years old. He spoke soon, soon, his hands were trembling and they were sorting through everything ...

In 1902, the church authorities called him from Kazan to St. Petersburg. as an experienced polemicist with the intelligent "heretics" of the then Rel.-Phil. Assembly. And he fought with them ... But then everything changed.

In 1908-9, he was already with us differently, already in the caftan of the old "bishop", already after the bold and ardent accusations of the Orthodox Church. His "I blame" ... many remember. This is where his startling attempts to create the new Church of Calvary Christianity begin. From the outside, it was a democratization of the idea of ​​the Church, and the denial of sectarianism is very important (it is precisely in “sectarianism” that all such attempts pour out).

Many people know what was happening better than me: during these years Mikhail’s confusion and childhood impulse kept us from being close to him.

But the memory of the rebellious and poor prophet is worthy of great respect. His sacrifice was a value that is so small in the world (and in Christian churches?).

And how completely he ended his life! Truly "hurt", wandering, half-mad when the "people", his own "democracy" - scrap drivers - beat him, broke 4 ribs and threw him on the street; in the crowded hospital for the poor, in the corridor, this "unknown" lay and died. Not only the "democracy" tried over him: they didn’t even examine him, in the 40-degree heat they tied his hands to the bed with ropes - they really crucified him. Even when he called, when the Old Believers went to the senior doctor, he answered them: "Well, see you tomorrow, now evening, I want to sleep." Broken ribs and collarbone were opened only before death, after a 4-5-day “crucifixion” in the “Golgotha ​​hospital”.

On November 2, 2006, an evening in memory of Bishop Mikhail (Semenov) was held in the building of the Theological School on Rogozhsky. At the end of the evening, Valery Volkov, the head of the book depository of the Moscow Metropolis, presented a small exposition of the works and publications of Bishop Michael ^[5] .

November 9, 2016, on the 100th anniversary of his death on Rogozhsky, in the spiritual center of the Russian Orthodox Old Believer Church, an evening dedicated to him took place ^[2] .

• Transformed
• Holy dumb
• The Prodigal Son Week. The prudent son
• Christ is Risen!
• Per week Wai
• Week Wai 2
• On week four of Lent
• To the week of the blind
• Mystery of suffering
• Great Old Believer holiday
• Relax at the foot of the Cross
• Climbing the Cross, we will not give a kiss to Iudin
• Christianity is the religion of the cross
• Angle of heaven on earth
• Living water
• About education. On the feast of the Entry into the Church of St. Mary
• Thoughts for Christmas and New Year .
• By the new year .
• Thoughts for Christmas and New Year .
• Be careful .
• Do not worry .
• Transfiguration into holiness .
• Man is not an imam .
• Prayer of St. Ephraim the Syrian .
• Forgiven day .
• Everyone do your job
• The Saints
• Lead my soul out of prison
• You are standing in the face of the Lord our God. The word in the baptism of children E. in Saratov
• From step by step, up (week of John Climacus)
• Easy commandment
• On the feast of the Annunciation
• How to be saved in the world. Family life
• Father and husband. The head of the family.
• How to be saved in the world. Life in the family.
• How to be saved in the world. Life in the family.

• Legislation of the Roman-Byzantine emperors on the external rights and advantages of the church: (From 313 to 565) Kazan: Tipo-lit. Imp. University, 1901
• Two systems of relations of the state to the church: Roman and Byzantine-glory. understanding of the principle of relations of the state to the church of Kazan: Tipo-lit. Imp. University, 1902
• Love or hate, Christianity or Buddhism is preached by c. L. Tolstoy St. Petersburg: Zh. "Missionary. Review “, 1902
• New Christianity St. Petersburg Komarova, qualification 1902
• Offended children Kazan: Tipo-lit. University, 1902
• Christ at Calvary and the Risen: (In connection with the question of the sufferings of mankind) St. Petersburg: Zh. "Missionary. Review “, 1902
• New and old ways St. Petersburg: religion.-morals. enlightenment in the spirit of orthodoxy. churches, 1903
• On happiness and philistinism St. Petersburg: On-the spread of religion.-morals. enlightenment in the spirit of orthodoxy. churches, 1903
• The first martyrs for the faith of Christ St. Petersburg: Zh. „Nar. education “, 1903
• The Holy Martyrs of the times of Trajan and Hadrian: (St. Ignatius the God-Bearer. St. Eustathius Placidus and his family. Saints Jesper and Zoe) St. Petersburg: Synod. typ., 1903
• St. Petersburg: P.P. Soikin, qualification 1904
• Extra children, abandoned, unfortunate, criminal St. Petersburg: religion.-morals. enlightenment in the spirit of orthodoxy. churches, 1904
• Life and conscience: Lectures, letters, conversations Moscow: type. t-va I. D. Sytin, 1904
• Bloody Easter ": 2 ext. letters of war by priest. Michael, Assoc. SPb spirit. Acad. St. Petersburg: type. M. Merkusheva, 1904
• Korolenko brief critical essay Saint Petersburg: religion.-morals. enlightenment in the spirit of orthodoxy. churches, 1904
• To fathers and children Moscow: type. t-va I. D. Sytin, 1904
• Letters of war Moscow: Dep. type of. t-va I. D. Sytin, 1904
• New Church St. Petersburg: Prince. magician Faith and Knowledge, 1905
• In front of the wall: Before the secret Moscow: type. t-va I. D. Sytin, 1905
• Church, literature and life Moscow: type. t-va I. D. Sytin, 1905
• To the living water St. Petersburg: religion.-morals. education in the spirit of orthodoxy. churches, 1906
• Is the soul immortal St. Petersburg: type. Montvida, 1906
• Days of Creation St. Petersburg: type. Montvida, 1906
• Female worker St. Petersburg: type. Montvida, 1906
• Why don't they trust us? : Towards Church Reform: On Church Communities. spite of the day St. Petersburg: bookseller I. L. Tuzov, 1906
• Damned questions and Christianity St. Petersburg: type. Montvida, 1906
• Prophet of Christian freedom and free Christianity: (Lamene and his “Words of the Believer”) St. Petersburg: type. Montvida, 1906
• The groan of children St. Petersburg: Tipo-lit. M.P. Frolova, 1906
• Madness, as a reason for divorce St. Petersburg: type. M. Merkusheva 1906
• Tired Tsar: The Tale of the “Tired Tsar”: Piece in 4 Acts of Clerk Shigoni St. Petersburg: I. Balashov, 1906
• Are we Christians? St. Petersburg: type. Montvida, 1906
• Christianity and Social Democracy St. Petersburg: type. Thrift, 1906
• Christ and Bartholomew’s nights St. Petersburg: type. Montvida, 1906
• "Tsar-Famine" St. Petersburg: type. Montvida, 1906
• "The Priest-Socialist" and his social novel St. Petersburg: type. Montvida, 1906
• The Gospel of the philistines: 1, 2, 3. Introduction. Description of Jesus according to Renan. The gospel of the philistines. Why betray me with a kiss: (Renan and his Jesus) Moscow: type. t-va I. D. Sytin, 1907
• In the village and in the city: [Near the struggle of labor and capital]: (A story-essays from the life of a priest) St. Petersburg: type. Thrift, 1907
• Woe-misfortune. I. Mother and son. (The story of the drunkard). II. What the drunkard did with his wife and children Moscow: Tipo-lit. t-va on the faith of E. Kudinova and Co. °, 1907
• A woman on the eve of her release St. Petersburg: type. Thrift, 1907
• How I became a people's socialist. I, II, III, IV. First stage. In slavery is a compromise. Quarrels with Dostoevsky and German Christian socialists. Why is the n.-.s. and not the Social-Democrats or s. / A. Mikhail Moscow: typ. t-va I. D. Sytin, 1907
• In the tsar’s field: Another legend of Rus. to the people from the Old Friend St. Petersburg: t-in R. Golike and A. Vilborg, 1907
• St. John Chrysostom: (To the 1500th anniversary of his blessed demise) Nizhny Novgorod: Tipo-lit. t-va I. M. Mashistova, 1907
• Christ in the age of cars St. Petersburg: type. Montvida, 1907
• “Legal” marriage: (Problems of marriage, motherhood, school) St. Petersburg: 1908
• From bursa to removal of dignity St. Petersburg : type. SPb production of Trud, 1908 (type. "North")
• Public interview of Archimandrite Michael with the Synodal Missionary Fr. K. Kryuchkov in Kiev on July 20, 1908: (Wall report) Moscow: Old Believer Union. tellers, 1908
• Burning with Fire: A Tale from the Life of Protopope Avvakum Moscow: Old Believer Union. tellers, 1909
• Twelve Letters on Freedom and Christianity: Letters “On the True Christ” St. Petersburg: type. t-va "Light", 1909
• Apology of the Old Believers Moscow: type. G. Lissner and D. Sobko, 1910
• Conversations with readers Kiev: type. S.V. Kulzhenko, 1910
• Boyar Morozova: East. novel / Old Believers ep. Mikhail Uralsk: Old Believers Publishing House. Church Slavonic books, p / f. "Andrei Vasilievich Simakov", 1910
• Methodology of God's Law Moscow: Tipo-lit. I.M. Mashistova, 1911
• The past and present tasks of the Old Believers Moscow: type-lit. I.M. Mashistova, 1911
• Christianity is not moral Moscow: Zh. “To the New Earth”, 1912
• Great rout: Istor. a story from the time of the first persecution of the Old Believers : At 3 o’clock. Moscow: Prince of Moscow. Old Believer Brotherhood Honest. cross, 1913
• Reading for family, school, and people: Book. 1-6 Moscow: type. P.P. Ryabushinsky, 1914
• The first year of teaching the law of God at the Old Believer school in Moscow: Prince of the Brotherhood honestly. and the life-giving cross of the Lord, 1914
• The answer is about. Karabinovich Moscow: Type-lit. I.M. Mashistova, 1915
• Selected articles: (From the journal "The Church" for 1908-1915) St. Petersburg. : Polytechnic, 1998
• Holy Righteous John of Kronstadt: Complete. biogr. with silt. M., 1999
• Hygiene of the Christian spirit. Barnaul, 2001
• Holy Liturgy: Letters on the Teaching of the Law of God Barnaul: AKOOX-I “Support Fund for the construction of the Church of the Protection of the Holy Virgin Rus. Orthodox. Old Believers. churches ”, 2002
• Great rout. Barnaul, 2004
• The Life and Miracles of St. Righteous John of Kronstadt / Jeromon. Mikhail, Associate Professor, St. Petersburg Theological Academy Moscow: Ark, 2008

• Faust before meeting with the Devil
• Christian Communism Bishop Michael (Semenov)
• Biography
• Biography on the site Bogoslov.Ru
• Confession