Section 02: The Episcopate

The brief, energetic episcopate of St. Theophan (1859–1866): his consecration as bishop in 1859, his six active years as a reforming diocesan hierarch at Tambov and then Vladimir — preaching at nearly every service, promoting diocesan schools and the church press — and the decision, at the height of his powers, to surrender episcopal office in 1866 and withdraw to a remote hermitage for prayer and writing.

Tradition: Russian Orthodox (canonized 1988)

Contents

File Topic
Bishop of Tambov and Vladimir Consecration 1859; Bishop of Tambov (1859–1863) and of Vladimir (1863–1866); the active hierarch — preaching above all, diocesan schools for girls, the diocesan press, the Epiphany Brotherhood and the anti-schismatic effort at Vladimir
The Decision to Withdraw The 1866 resignation of the see of Vladimir; the appointment to and release from the Vysha abbacy; the meaning of a successful, active bishop choosing the contemplative life, and the parallel with St. Ignatius Brianchaninov’s resignation of the Caucasus see in 1861

How to Use

  • Read Bishop of Tambov and Vladimir for Theophan the active hierarch — the man at the front rank of the Russian episcopate, whose pastoral activism makes his later withdrawal all the more striking.
  • Read The Decision to Withdraw for the hinge of his whole life: the deliberate exchange of the crozier for the desk and the prayer-rule, the precondition of the vast literary ministry to come.
  • The reclusion that followed is treated in Section 03: The Reclusion.

Cross-References