Saint Theophan the Recluse and the publication of his works in the Tambov Diocesan Gazettefrom 1861 to 1894

Abstract

The article examines the founding of the first spiritual and educational periodical in the Tambov Diocese by Saint Theophan the Recluse, which was called the Tambov Diocesan Gazette. Saint Theophan regularly published in the journal he founded during his years in Tambov. Most often, these were sermons, which were later included in the collection Words to the Tambov Flock. During the years of his life and seclusion in the desert, the saint did not break off contact with the journal he founded. In the 1870s, several of Bishop Theophan's works were published in the Gazette. These were, first of all, translations of the Holy Fathers and commentaries on them, as well as interpretations of some books of the Holy Scripture. In 1888, the Tambov Vedomosti published a short essay, “God’s Beads from the Works of Bishop Theophan.” The death of Saint Theophan evoked responses on the pages of the Tambov magazine. One of the first obituaries of the saint appeared in the Tambov Diocesan Vedomosti. After the blessed death of Saint Theophan, the Tambov Vedomosti published his works more than once. Contemporaries drank from his legacy as from a pure source, trying to comprehend and understand the thoughts of the saint, using his instructions in arranging their personal spiritual lives.