04 — The Writings
St. Nilus of Sora is one of the very few medieval Russian saints whose mind we can read directly, because he left writings: the Ustav (Skete Rule), a sustained treatise on the inner life and the warfare against the eight thoughts; the Predanie (Tradition), the shorter monastic rule for his brotherhood; four letters of spiritual counsel; and a brief, austere last will. These files present the Ustav with its analysis of the eight passions and its method of mental warfare, and then the Predanie and the letters with their teaching on inner work — the textual heart of the whole collection.
Tradition: Russian Orthodox (hesychast; “Non-Possessors”)
Where Sections 06–08 must reconstruct Nilus’s public role through layers of later legend, this section stands on firm ground: the writings survive, their authenticity is broadly secure, and they have been critically edited and translated. Here the historical Nilus speaks for himself. The two files treat, first, his major work — the Ustav, where his psychological precision and his transmission of the hesychast method are fully displayed — and, second, the Predanie, the letters, and the will, where the same teaching is set out for the practical governance of a skete and the direction of individual souls.
Files in This Section
| File | Description |
|---|---|
| The Skete Rule (Ustav) | Nilus’s major work, a treatise in eleven chapters on the inner life: the structure of the Ustav, the analysis of the eight thoughts (passions), and the method of mental warfare against them. |
| The Tradition (Predanie) and Letters | The Predanie, the shorter rule for the brotherhood; the four surviving letters of spiritual direction; and the last will — and the teaching on inner work that runs through them all. |
See Also
- The Philokalic Inheritance — the patristic sources from which the writings are woven
- Guarding the Thoughts — the analysis of the thoughts set out in the Ustav
- The Prayer of the Heart — the contemplative core of the Ustav
- The Ascetic Fathers — the ascetic tradition the writings transmit
References
- Maloney, George A., S.J., trans. Nil Sorsky: The Complete Writings. New York: Paulist Press, 2003.
- Goldfrank, David M., trans. and ed. Nil Sorsky: The Authentic Writings. Cistercian Studies 221. Kalamazoo: Cistercian Publications, 2008.
- Maloney, George A., S.J. Russian Hesychasm: The Spirituality of Nil Sorsky. The Hague: Mouton, 1973.