Tyumen Orthodox Theological School. Magazine "Orthodox Enlightener"

April 25, 1985, on Thursday of St. Thomas Week, in the 74th year of his life rested in the Lord one of the oldest hierarchs of the Russian Orthodox Church by consecration archbishop Tambovsky and Michurinsky Michael(in the world Mikhail Andreevich Chub). For 3 years he served the Church as a good shepherd and an outstanding theologian.
The life of the deceased saint was not easy, like the life of many of his peers who shared the trials that befell our Fatherland. But among all everyday sorrows, God’s mercy always supported and endowed Vladyka Michael with generous gifts.
Mikhail Andreevich Chub born February 18, 1912 in the family of Deacon Andrei Trofimovich Chub (†October 22, 1960), cleric of the church in honor of the icon of the Mother of God “Joy of All Who Sorrow” in Tsarskoe Selo (later Detskoye Selo, now the city of Pushkin, Leningrad Region). The father of the future hierarch, who came from a poor peasant family, served as a psalm-reader at the Cross Church of the Metropolitan of St. Petersburg from 1901 to 1903 Antonia(Vadkovsky; †1912). Subsequently, Andrei Trofimovich was ordained presbyter at the Church of Constantine and Helena in Tsarskoe Selo, and then, until 1934, was its rector.
Archbishop Michael's childhood memories are connected with the Church of Constantine and Helena. From the first years of his life, he fell in love with the temple in which his father served for about 20 years.
At the beginning of the 20th century, the entire Christian world celebrated the 1600th anniversary of the Edict of Milan - a document that marked the beginning of a new era in the life of the Church of Christ. On the occasion of this date, a hospital church was built in Tsarskoye Selo in the name of Equal-to-the-Apostles Constantine and Helen. The temple was built in a semi-basement, and its interior, in accordance with the plans of its creators, resembled an early Christian catacomb church. This temple, according to the memoirs of Bishop Michael, brought him closer to that distant era when the Church, already glorified by the exploits of the apostles, preachers of the Gospel and martyrs, constantly expanded its boundaries and grew, multiplying the number of its members. His youthful impressions largely determined the serious theological interests of Archbishop Michael. Already in those years he fell in love with patristic writing. His early love for prayer (from childhood he knew the akathist to the Mother of God by heart) and solitude made the patristic works constant companions of his life.
Having received his secondary education at the first labor school in Detskoe Selo, Mikhail Andreevich studied from 1930 at the Correspondence Hydrometeorological Institute, and then at the Correspondence Institute of Foreign Languages, which he graduated in 1940.
The ability for languages, which appeared early in the Lord, was also inherent in his parents. He later noted that he owed much of his research on the holy martyr Methodius to his parents, and especially to his mother, who knew several European languages. Archbishop Michael was fluent in French, German and English, and knew other European languages, as well as Hebrew.
During the Great Patriotic War, Mikhail Andreevich was a teacher of foreign languages ​​at a tank school located in Rybinsk (now Andropov). He was awarded government awards, in particular the medals “For victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945”, “For valiant labor in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945”.
In 1947, Mikhail Andreevich entered the Leningrad Theological Academy. During his years of study at the Academy, he became spiritually close to the professor, the famous patrolologist Alexander Ivanovich Sagarda († 1950), who had a great influence on the formation of his theological interests. M.A. Chub enthusiastically studied the spiritual heritage of the holy martyr Methodius of Olympus (Patara; † c. 311). Research and theological understanding of his creations became the work of Vladyka Michael’s entire life.
Having graduated from the Leningrad Theological Academy in 1950 with a candidate of theology degree for the essay “St. Methodius of Olympus. His life, works and theology,” Mikhail Andreevich was left at the Academy as a teacher of general church history. Subsequently, he had to teach various disciplines, but his academic lectures on the history of the Ancient Church enjoyed special recognition from colleagues and students. On June 11, 1950, with the blessing of Metropolitan of Leningrad and Novgorod Gregory (Chukov; † 1955), Mikhail Andreevich was ordained Bishop of Luga Simeon(Bychkov; † 1952) as a deacon, and the next day as a presbyter at the academic church in the name of the Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian.
By the decree of His Holiness Patriarch Alexy and the Holy Synod of October 16, 1953, Associate Professor of the LDA, priest Mikhail Andreevich Chub, was determined to be Bishop of Luga, vicar of the Metropolitan of Leningrad and Novgorod for the management of the Patriarchal parishes in Finland. On December 4, 1953, on the feast of the Entry into the Temple of the Most Holy Theotokos, Metropolitan Gregory performed monastic vows on Father Michael in the LDA Church. When he was tonsured, he was again given the name Michael - now in honor of the Archangel of God Michael. Upon the elevation of Hieromonk Michael to the rank of archimandrite, on December 12, in the academic church, he was named Bishop of Luga.
December 13, 1953, on the day of remembrance of the Apostle Andrew the First-Called, Metropolitan Gregory of Leningrad and Novgorod, Archbishop Nikon of Kherson and Odessa (Petin; † 1956), Bishop of Tallinn and Estonian Roman (Tang; † 1963) and Bishop of Kostroma and Galich Ioann (Razumov; now Metropolitan of Pskov and Porkhovsky) was committed episcopal consecration Archimandrite Michael. He was the first of the graduates of the revived Leningrad Theological schools to be called to hierarchal service.
Fulfilling his episcopal obedience in managing the Patriarchal parishes in Finland, Bishop Michael did a lot for the elderly monks of the Valaam monastery. As a great shrine, he kept the image of St. Seraphim of Sarov, which they presented as a sign of gratitude for their care, written on part of the stone consecrated by the thousand-day prayer of the Rev.
Since November 1954, His Eminence Michael ruled the Old Russian Vicariate of the Leningrad Metropolis. All this time he continued to teach at the Academy and Seminary. Having accepted the administration of the Smolensk diocese with the title “Bishop of Vyazemsky” at the beginning of 1955, Bishop Mikhail humbly petitioned His Holiness Patriarch Alexy for the opportunity to complete the course of lectures at the Academy. As he himself later recalled, it was sad to leave the academic department without finishing the year-long series of lectures, albeit for the sake of the saintly department. The request was granted.
In April 1955, Bishop Mikhail was confirmed as Bishop of Smolensk and Dorogobuzh. From August 1957 to March 1959, Bishop Michael ruled the Berlin and at the same time Smolensk dioceses. Since March 1959 - Bishop of Izhevsk and Udmurtia. From March 1961 to November 1962 he ruled the Tambov diocese, after which he was appointed Bishop of Stavropol and Baku. In February 1965 he was elevated to the rank of archbishop. In 1966, Archbishop Mikhail temporarily ruled the Krasnodar diocese. In February 1968 he was appointed Archbishop of Voronezh and Lipetsk, in October 1972 - of Vologda and Veliky Ustyug. From September 1974 until his death, Archbishop Mikhail ruled the Tambov diocese.
Simultaneously with his archpastoral labors, His Eminence Michael carried out extensive scientific and theological activities. His works published in “Theological Works”, “Journal of the Moscow Patriarchate”,. “Stimme der Orthodoxie” (“Voice of Orthodoxy”), “Bulletin of the Russian Western European Patriarchal Exarchate”, testify to the depth of his theological research and breadth of interests. He was perhaps the first of the modern Russian theologians to respond to archaeological discoveries related to the history of the Qumran community. Archbishop Michael’s historical and hagiographical essays dedicated to Russian saints and ascetics of piety (St. Tikhon of Zadonsk, St. Herman of Alaska, Bishop Ignatius (Brianchaninov), Elder Silouan of Mount Athos) received high praise from readers. Following the development of heterodox theological thought, Archbishop Michael often appeared in the church press with reviews of the most interesting works.
Archbishop Michael took part in the external activities of the Russian Orthodox Church. Since the mid-50s, he has participated in many interviews with representatives of various Christian denominations. In August 1957, he was appointed deputy chairman of the Department of External Church Relations and served in this position for several years. Among his many obediences, it is necessary to note Bishop Michael’s participation in the first official meeting of representatives of the World Council of Churches and the Russian Orthodox Church in Utrecht, the Netherlands, in August 1958. Subsequently, His Eminence Michael was appointed a member of the Holy Synod Commission on Christian Unity. Since the founding of the collection “Theological Works” (1959), he has been a permanent member of its editorial board.
On March 9, 1974, in the Assembly Hall of the Leningrad Theological Academy, the defense of the dissertation “The Holy Martyr Methodius and His Theology” took place (see about this ZhMP, 1974, No. 7, pp. 7-10), presented by Archbishop Michael for the degree of Master of Theology. In his work, His Eminence Michael gave a comprehensive theological and historical analysis of the activities and written heritage of St. Methodius. Members of the Academy Council unanimously supported the awarding of a Master of Theology degree to Archbishop Michael. Archbishop Michael's research aroused great interest in theological circles both in our country and abroad. It was published in Theological Works (collections 10, 11, 13, 14).
The last foreign publication of Archbishop Michael was an abstract presentation of materials for a report on St. Methodius of Olympus at the 7th International Conference on Patristic Studies, held in Oxford in 1975 (Sonderdruck aus Studia Patristic a. Vol. XV. Papers presented to the Seventh International Conference on Patristic Studies held in Oxford 1975. Akademie-Verlag. Berlin, 1984, S. 69-70).
The theological knowledge and high Christian culture of Archbishop Michael were most fully revealed in his preaching ministry. His sermons were spiritually deep and edifying, at the same time understandable and close to the hearts of all those who listened.
In connection with the celebration of the 300th anniversary of the founding of the Tambov diocese and the 150th anniversary of the repose of St. Seraphim of Sarov, His Eminence Archbishop Michael addressed messages to the clergy and laity of the Tambov diocese in 1982 and 1983.
For services to the Holy Church, Archbishop Michael was awarded the Order of Saint Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir, II degree, the Order of the Alexandrian Orthodox Church - Holy Apostle and Evangelist Mark, II degree, as well as other church awards.
In the last year of his life, Vladyka Michael was often ill, but in the summer months he went to the cities and villages of his diocese every Sunday.
For the parishioners of the Intercession Cathedral in Tambov, the services of Archbishop Michael in the pre-Easter and Easter days of 1985 were another evidence of the love of the archpastor for them, who served, overcoming illnesses.
The last time before his death, Vladyka Mikhail served in the St. Nicholas Church in Morshansk. He especially loved this temple.
The death of His Eminence Michael occurred around noon on Thursday of Thomas Week. The infirmities of the body, causing suffering to His Eminence Michael, could not change his attitude towards life, his activities and remained unnoticed by those around him. As always, in these last days allotted to him by the Lord on earth, Vladyka Michael showed love and care for the people who visited him, did not abandon spiritual studies, constantly feeding his mind and heart with the works of the Fathers of the Church: on his desk, next to his bed of the deceased saint, extracts from the Philokalia were found, apparently made shortly before his death.
The body of the deceased archpastor was prepared for burial according to the monastic rite, dressed in full priestly robes, and, according to the position of the coffin, covered with a mantle. The coffin of the deceased was placed in the Intercession Cathedral. The clergy of the diocese performed a lithium prayer for the newly deceased saint and read the Gospel.
On Friday, April 26, with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Pimen, Bishop (now Archbishop) of Voronezh and Lipetsk Methodius arrived in Tambov to perform the funeral service for the deceased hierarch. In the cathedral, having venerated the remains of the deceased and addressed the clergy with the Easter greeting “Christ is Risen,” Bishop Methodius performed a funeral litany.
On Saturday, April 27, Bishop Methodius, co-served by the cathedral clergy and the clergy of the Tambov and Voronezh dioceses who had arrived to bid farewell to the newly departed Vladyka Michael, celebrated the Divine Liturgy. After the dismissal of the liturgy, a priestly funeral service for the deceased hierarch was performed, which was performed by Bishop Methodius in the concelebration of almost all the clergy of the Tambov diocese, who had gathered to see off their beloved Bishop on his way to all the lands. According to the sixth song of the canon, a word imbued with filial love for the deceased and grief over the loss was spoken by the secretary of the Tambov diocesan administration, Archpriest Vyacheslav Stolyarchuk.
Many pilgrims who arrived from all over the diocese filled the Intercession Cathedral.
At the end of the funeral service, the coffin with the body of the deceased Bishop was transported to the Peter and Paul City Cemetery, where a lithium was celebrated in the church in the name of the supreme apostles Peter and Paul.
Vladyka Michael was buried near the altar apse of the temple, near the grave of one of his predecessors in the Tambov See - Archbishop

On March 2 (February 18, old style) we celebrate the 105th anniversary of the birth of one of the graduates of the St. Petersburg Theological Academy, a bishop of the Russian Orthodox Church, as well as a teacher of patrolology at our Academy - Archbishop Michael (Chub).

Archbishop Michael (in the world Mikhail Andreevich Chub; 1912 - 1985) was born into the family of a deacon who served in the church in honor of “Joy to All Who Sorrow” in Tsarskoe Selo. Before entering the Leningrad Theological Academy, in 1930 he received his education at the Hydrometeorological Institute, and in 1940 he graduated from the correspondence institute of foreign languages, fluent in French, German and English. During the Second World War, Mikhail Andreevich Chub was a foreign language teacher at the tank school in the city of Rybinsk. He was awarded government awards, namely: “For the victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War of 1941 – 1945.” and “For valiant labor in the Great Patriotic War 1941 – 1945.” The future archpastor studied at the Leningrad Theological Academy from 1947 to 1950, receiving a candidate of theology degree for the work “St. Methodius of Olympia. His Life, Creation and Theology." During his years of study at the LDA, Alexander Ivanovich Sagarda, who was a famous patrolologist and professor at the Theological School on the Neva, had a significant influence on the formation of the future bishop of the Russian Orthodox Church. After graduating from LDA, Mikhail Andreevich Chub was appointed teacher of general church history at the Leningrad Theological Seminary. In 1950 he was ordained to the rank of deacon and then presbyter. In 1953, he lectured on the History of the Ancient Church at the Theological Academy. In the same year, on December 4, he was ordained a monk, and on December 18, he became Bishop of Luga, vicar of the Leningrad diocese, with the responsibility of managing the patriarchal parishes in Finland. From November 11, 1954 - Bishop of Starorussky, vicar of the Leningrad diocese, from February 2, 1955 - Vyazemsky, from April 5, 1955 - Smolensk and Dorogobuzh, from August 15, 1957 - Berlin and German, from March 5, 1959 - Izhevsk and Udmurt, from August 8, 1961 - Tambov and Michurinsky, from November 16, 1962 - Stavropol and Baku. On February 25, 1965, he was awarded the title of archbishop. From February 27, 1968 – Archbishop of Voronezh and Lipetsk, from October 11, 1972 – of Vologda and Veliky Ustyug, from September 3, 1974 – of Tambov and Michurin. In the period from 1957 – 1959. His Eminence Mikhail was the deputy chairman of the DECR, Metropolitan Nikolai (Yarushevich). On March 9, 1974, Archbishop Michael received a Master of Divinity degree for his research work “The Holy Hieromartyr Methodius and His Theology.” During the last decade of his life, His Eminence Michael again put in a lot of work to manage the Tambov and Michurinsk diocese, starting from September 3, 1974 until the day of his death. On April 25, 1985, Archbishop Michael (Chub) reposed in the Lord. Having entered the Lenten period, we would like to bring to the attention of our readers the sermon of His Eminence Michael (Chub), which he delivered before the Holy Shroud during the last days of Lent, commemorating the suffering, death and resurrection of our Savior Jesus Christ.

Application:
List of scientific works of Archbishop Michael by year:

1. Some words of Methodius of Patara (Slavic and Russian text). Typescript. L., 1950. – P.53-283.

1. From Athos antiquity (agreement of 1466 between the Rila Monastery and the monastery of St. Panteleimon on Athos) // Journal of the Moscow Patriarchate. M., 1953. No. 09. pp. 31-35.
2. Stay of the delegation of the Russian Orthodox Church in Bulgaria // ZhMP. 1953, No. 7. P.16.
3. Speech at the naming of Bishop of Luga on December 12, 1953 // ZhMP. 1954, No. 1. P.26-28.

1. Agraphs in the works of St. much Methodius // ZhMP. 1954, No. 6. P.43-50.
2. Patriarchal Intercession Community in Helsinki // ZhMP. 1954, No. 11. P.41-47.

1. Bibliography // ZhMP. 1955, No. 7. P.68-76.
2. Bibliography on Kurt Aland’s book “Church History in Biographies” // ZhMP. 1955, No. 12. P.71-73.
3. Once again about the treaty of 1466 // ZhMP. 1955, No. 4. P.64.
4. Lectures on Patrology, given to fourth-year students of the Leningrad Theological Academy in the 1954-55 school year. g. (typescript).
5. Monuments of ancient Christian writing // ZhMP. 1955, No. 12. P. 56-63.
6. The glorious path of serving the Church (to the eighty-fifth anniversary of Metropolitan Gregory of Leningrad and Novgorod) // Journal of the Moscow Patriarchate. M., 1955. No. 03. pp. 21-28.

1. Elder Silouan // ZhMP. 1956, No. 1. P.48.
2. From the teachings of Elder Silouan // ZhMP. 1956, No. 2. P.54-58; No. 3, pp. 42-49.
3. Four Gospels of 891 // ZhMP. 1956, No. 4. P.43-49.
4. Sign of the times // ZhMP. 1956, No. 4. P.71-74.
5. Assumption Cathedral in Smolensk // ZhMP. 1956, No. 7. P.28-33.
6. Delegation of theologians of the Anglican Church in the Soviet Union // ZhMP. 1956, No. 9. P.24.
7. From the history of the relationship between the Russian and Anglican Churches // ZhMP. 1956, No. 10. P.38.

1. St. Nicholas Church and parish in Helsinki // ZhMP. 1957, No. 3. P.34-36.
2. To the 10th anniversary of discoveries on the shores of the Dead Sea // ZhMP. 1957, No. 12. P.54-64.
3. History of Eastern monasticism of the 4th century: (Lectures) (typescript). ???

1. Shroud of the Smolensk Assumption Cathedral // ZhMP. 1958, No. 4. P.44-50.
2. The significance of the restoration of the Patriarchate in the Russian Orthodox Church (Speech at the solemn act at the Moscow Theological Academy on May 13, 1958) // ZhMP. 1958, No. 6. P.73-79.
3. John the Baptist and the Qumran community // ZhMP. 1958, No. 8. P.65.
4. The attitude of the Russian Orthodox Church to socio-political life (Report at a meeting with representatives of the WCC in Amsterdam) // ZhMP. 1958, No. 9. P.34.

1. Preface to an extract from the Slavic collection of works by St. Hieromartyr Methodius // Theological works. M., 1961. No. 2. pp. 145-151.
2. Methodius of Patara, martyr. To [S]istelius on leprosy (to Istelius on leprosy) / trans.: Michael (Chub), Archbishop // Theological works. M., 1961. No. 2. pp. 173-183.
3. Methodius of Patara, martyr. Prayer (from the essay “On the Resurrection”) / translated by: Michael (Chub), Archbishop // Theological works. M., 1961. No. 2. pp. 152-153.
4. Methodius of Patara, martyr. About life and about rational activity (the second word “On the life and action of reason”) / trans.: Mikhail (Chub), Archbishop // Theological works. M., 1961. No. 2. pp. 154-159.
5. Methodius of Patara, martyr. About the leech, which is spoken of in the book of Proverbs, and about (the words) “The heavens preach the glory of God” (About the leech that exists in parables and about Heaven confess the glory of God) / trans.: Michael (Chub), Archbishop // Theological works. M., 1961. No. 2. pp. 184-205.
6. Methodius of Patara, martyr. About the distinction of food and about the heifer mentioned in the book of Leviticus, the ashes of which were sprinkled on sinners (about the separation of the meat and about the unit of menimea in the Levite, whose ashes of sin are sprinkled) / trans.: Michael (Chub), Archbishop // Theological Works. M., 1961. No. 2. pp. 160-172.

1. Sermon on the Feast of the Ascension of the Lord // ZhMP. 1962, no. 5.

1. Word before the Shroud // ZhMP. 1963, No. 3. P.16-18.
2. Homily for the 25th week after Pentecost // ZhMP. 1963, No. 11. P.27.

1. Preface to the dialogue of St. Hieromartyr Methodius “On Free Will” // Theological Works. M., 1964. No. 03. pp. 187-191.
2. Additional information about the results of finds at Qumran // Bulletin of the Russian Western European Patriarchal Exarchate. M., 1964. No. 048. pp. 234-251.
3. Methodius of Patara, martyr. On free will / trans.: Michael (Chub), Archbishop // Theological works. M., 1964. No. 03. pp. 192-208.

1. Constitution on the Church": (Analysis of the constitution on the Church adopted by the 2nd Vatican Council) // ZhMP. 1966, No. 5. P.65; No. 6. P.71.

1. Bishop Ignatius (Brianchaninov). (To the 100th anniversary of his birth). Lecture given in the assembly hall of LDA 13.V. 1967. Typescript. L., 1967. – 38 p.
2. Bishop Ignatius (Brianchaninov) // ZhMP. 1967, No. 5. P.75; No. 6. P.58.

1. Report at the 3rd All-Christian Peace Congress. (Prague, March 31, 1968) // ZhMP. 1968, No. 5. P.35-46.
2. Word for the 25th week after Pentecost // ZhMP. 1969, No. 12, p. 32-35.
3. On the minuscule codex of the Four Gospels of 891 in the Library of the USSR Academy of Sciences. Berlin, Akademie-Verlag, 1968. 198-201 With. Reprint from the collection “Studia evangelica V.” Edited by F.L.Gross. Berlin, 1968.
4. Christological problems in Western theology (about the collection of articles “The Historical Jesus and the Preached Christ.” Berlin, 1960) // Theological works. M., 1968. No. 4. pp. 281-288.

1. Reverend Herman the Alaskan Wonderworker // ZhMP. 1970, No. 11. P.60-72.

1. Sermons of the Archbishop. Luke of Simferopol and Crimea // ZhMP. 1971, No. 6. P.69-75.
2. The teaching of St. Tikhon of Zadonsk about true Christianity // ZhMP. 1971, No. 10. P.60-75.

1. Holy Hieromartyr Methodius and his theology // Theological works. M., 1973. No. 10. pp. 7-58.
2. The spirituality of Orthodoxy in its outstanding representatives // Theological works. M., 1973. No. 10. pp. 117-120.
3. Holy Hieromartyr Methodius and his theology // Theological works. M., 1973. No. 11. pp. 5-54.

1. Holy Hieromartyr Methodius and his theology. Master's dissertation. Typescript. L.: LDA, 1974. – IV. 316, VIII p., 10 p. ill.
2. Holy Hieromartyr Methodius and his theology. Abstract of the dissertation. L., 1974. – 27 p.
3. Feast of the Ten Virgins of the Hieromartyr Methodius // ZhMP. 1974, No. 9. P.67-68.

1. Greek philosophy and literature in the works of St. Methodius // Theological works. M., 1975. No. 14. pp. 134-143.
2. On the question of the sources of the theology of St. Hieromartyr Methodius. Holy Scripture in the works of St. Methodius // Theological works. M., 1975. No. 13. pp. 172-180.
3. Tradition of the Church in the theology of St. Methodius // Theological works. M., 1975. No. 14. pp. 126-133.
4. Ancient Greek manuscripts of the New Testament (Lecture given on November 18, 1951 for LDA students by Rev. Priest Michael Chub). B/m, b/g. – 38 s., 23 s. ill.

The material was prepared by 3rd year undergraduate student reader Konstantin Babak