Reverend Iustin Popovich: biography, works, interesting facts

The Monk Justin (Popovich) is one of the outstanding defenders of the Orthodoxy of the 20th century. He comes from Serbia, from the southern city of Vranje, where he was born on April 6, 1894 in the pious family of Spiridon and Anastasia, and then became a priest in the seventh generation. In honor of the feast of the Annunciation, the parents christened him with the name Blagoye, which means "the evangelist." There were eight children in their family, but only three survived - Stoyan's daughter and two sons - Stoyadin and Blagoje. As a child, the future saint witnessed the miraculous recovery of his mother. And when the time came for her to move to another world, from her peaceful face, he realized that there was a physical death, but there was no spiritual death. Throughout his life he will express the unshakable faith in Jesus Christ - the true Savior, who gave mankind victory over death.

Childhood

Pp. Justin (Popovich), while still a child, loved to visit the monastery of Prokhor Pczynski with his parents. He honored the holy fathers and read the Holy Scripture a lot.

After graduating from high school, he enrolled in the Belgrade Seminary of St. Sava. On Blagoje, Bishop Nikolai (Velimirovich) exerted special influence, who quickly noticed a great love for theology in the young man and outstanding literary talents.

After graduating from the seminary in the early summer of 1914, Blagoje had determined intentions to become a monk, but his parents sharply opposed this and even wrote a letter to the Belgrade Metropolitanate.

War

In the First World Good, Popovich was drafted into the army. He began to serve as a military medic in the hospital "Chele Kula" in the city of Nis. Soon typhus began, Blagoev overcame them, like many others. During a short vacation he visited his parents. Since January 1915, he held the post of paramedic. The Serbian army suffered losses and retreated through Kosovo to Albania.

Having gone through all the horrors of the war, Blagoje began to strive even more for deification. And on New Year's Eve December 31, 1915, Archimandrite Veniamin (Taushanovich) tonsure him into monks with the name in honor of the holy martyr Justin the Philosopher.

Russia

In January 1916, especially gifted theologians, among whom was Justin, the Serbian government, with the submission of the Serbian Metropolitan Dimitri (Pavlovich), sends to Russia - to the Petrograd Theological Academy, so that they continue to study theology there. Saint Justin was impressed by the piety of the Russian people. He revered before such great Russian associates as Seraphim of Sarov, Sergius of Radonezh and John of Kronstadt. A little later, tears poured out of the eyes of St. Justin at the mention of Russian New Martyrs, especially when it came to the Russian patriarch Tikhon.

However, due to the woes of the martial law, he did not have to stay there for a long time. In the summer of 1916, Justin Popovich entered Oxford University in England and studies there until 1919. Then he begins to write his doctoral dissertation on the work of Dostoyevsky Fyodor Mikhailovich. In this work he outlined the critical attitude of the great classic of Russian literature to Western humanism and anthropocentrism. But the scientific leaders of Father Justin insisted that he make some changes to the text, and for him it was unacceptable, since these amendments were contrary to the truth. And then, not having received a doctorate, he left England.

Teaching Activities

Since 1921 Justin Popovic in the Sremski Karlovtsi becomes a teacher of a theological seminary. From there he goes to the University of Athens theology, where he again works on his doctoral thesis on "The problem of personality and knowledge of St. Macarius of Egypt." He will defend it a little later, in 1926.

Returning to his homeland in Serbia, he closely approached the Russian bishops who found refuge in his country , the metropolitan of Kiev Anthony (Khrapovitsky) and the archbishop of Chisinau, Anastasius.

In 1922, Justin Popovich was ordained as a hieromonk. Then, in 1930, he was appointed assistant to Bishop Joseph of Bitola. From this moment begins his missionary activity in the cities of Transcarpathia - Uzhgorod, Mukachevo and Khust. He was to be appointed bishop of the newly created Mukachevo diocese, but he refused.

Justin Popovich, "The Dogmatics of the Orthodox Church"

Since 1932, St. Justin has published his first volume of "Dogmatists" - "On the God-Man's Way", for which he received the title of professor in 1935, and begins to teach dogmatic theology at the Bitol theological seminary.

In 1934 he was already an assistant professor at Belgrade University in dogmatic theology. Justin Popovich became one of the founders of the Serbian Philosophical Society (1938).

The Second World War, when the Germans invaded Serbia, entailed the closure of the theological faculty. Father Justin was forced to live in different monasteries, where he was engaged in translating the traditions of the holy fathers of the Church. Justin Popovich did not sit idly for a minute. Interpretation and commentary on Holy Scripture, "Dogmatics of the Orthodox Church" (the second volume is "God in Himself, God's relation to the creature", the third is "Soteriology, Ecclesiology"), "The Life of the Saints" in 12 volumes became the results of his writings. Some of them were published only at the end of life. Father Justin believed that only with the saints one can know the mystery of the Lord Christ. Lives of the saints, in his opinion, are the dogmas realized in life, which created such a necessary and true "Encyclopedia of Orthodoxy".

Arrests and interrogations

Deprived of all rights, he wandered around the monasteries. Then he lived almost like a prison in a convent. But here he was never left in peace and periodically summoned for interrogation. When he was not let out for a long time, the sisters went with the hegumen to Valjevo and silently stood in front of the police building. The Communists feared the disturbances of the local residents and at once released Father Justin. During these long years, not only fellow countrymen came to the holy confessor, but also the spiritual brothers from other countries. The unity of Orthodoxy was central to him, and it stood above any national division. His best students he sent to study in Greece, at the end of his life he gave them his instructions: "Love the Greeks, because they are our faithful teachers and enlighteners."

In 1945, under communist rule, St. Justin (Popovich), along with other teachers, was expelled from the university. Then he was arrested in a monastery and imprisoned in the Belgrade prison. He was almost shot as an enemy of the people, but the patriarch Gabriel interceded for him.

Saint Justin (Popovich): books

In recent years, the conditions of imprisonment of St. Justin have softened a little, and the patriarchate invited him to teach at the faculty, but he refused, wishing them to work for the unity of the Church. At the end of his life he happily reacted to the publication of the "Lives of the Saints" and the last, the fourth volume of "Dogmatics" - "Pneumatology. Eschatology". Altogether 40 volumes were written by Father Justin, published to date.30 His writings cover the whole area of church life. One of his best works was a book titled "Comments on the New Testament," written with a fervent love for Christ, a real poetic language, comparable only to the language of Bishop Nikolai of Ohrid (Velimirovich), his teacher.

Canonization

In May 1948, he became confessor of the women's monastery of Celia, located near the town of Valjevo. There he will spend the rest of his life and die on the Annunciation in 1979. His body will be buried in the monastery of Celia.

The canonization of St. Justin took place on April 29, 2010. This event occurred on the decision of the Bishops' Council of the Serbian Orthodox Church.

June 12, 2014, his holy relics were found in the monastery of Celia and for some time placed in the monastery church of the Archangel Michael, until the temple of Savva of Serbia was built, which was built with the funds of St. Justin.

On the death of St. Justin, clergymen of different nationalities came from all over Serbia, Greece and Europe and buried. One of his disciples said of him that his main sorrow was the unity of the Church, which suddenly came true at his funeral. Since that time, the streams of Orthodox pilgrims flowed to the grave of the saint, the miracles were performed at the prayers of the saints at the place of the repose of the saint.