Changes

'''Prelest''' ({{lang-ru|прелесть}}, from {{lang-ru|лесть}} - cajolery; (charm, seduction), {{lang-el|πλάνη - ''plani''}}), also known as: spiritual delusion, spiritual deception, delusion, illusion, – according to Holy Fathers of [[Eastern Orthodox Church]], a false spiritual state, a spiritual illness, "a wounding of human nature by falsehood" - a man's assimilation of falsehood as truth (St. [[Ignatius (Brianchaninov) of Caucasus|Ignatius Brianchaninov]]).<ref name="ign">[http://orthodoxleader.paradosis.com/articles/on-spiritual-deception/ On Spiritual Deception. Orthodox Life, July-August 1980.]</ref> The concept of prelest should not be confused with somatic mental illness of any kind, prelest is rather a spiritual illness<ref>{{Fr icon}} Jean-Claude Larchet, Thérapeutique des maladies mentales. L’expérience de l’Orient chrétien des premiers siècles (1992, 3rd edition 2008) ISBN 2204045187 {{Ru icon}} [http://www.sociodinamika.com/lib/larshe1.html Жан-Клод Ларше, Исцеление психических болезней. Опыт христианского Востока первых веков] Jean-Claude Larchet writes in his book about mental illnesses and sets apart 3 kinds of them: natural, demonic and spiritual based on the words from many Holy Fathers. Natural illness is associated with body (brain) malfunction, demonic one - with action of demons, and spiritual illness in the first place depends on the person's free will (though free will and demons can also partially participate in the first 2 kinds).</ref> - an illness of the soul in its personal relation to God, an illness that is to be cured by humility and Holy Sacraments and under the guidance of the spiritual father. In the broadest sense, everyone is in prelest: everyone has some wrong thoughts and views, everyone does not fully understand the meaning of life, the degree of own sinfulness etc. When the word "prelest" is used in the narrow sense, i.e. that some particular person is in the state of prelest, that usually means that this person, initially being on the path of pious christian life, became possessed with the strongest pride and self-conceit right up to the thought about personal sanctity. To consider oneself a saint - that is a clear prelest because the closer a man is to God, the more he sees his imperfection, and all true saints considered themselves in the feeling of the heart the greatest sinners. The state opposite to prelest is spiritual sobriety. This article is dedicated to different manifestations of prelest mostly in the "narrow" sense.

Different kinds of prelest are described by many Holy Fathers, including the Fathers of [[Philokalia]]: St. [[Gregory of Sinai]], St. [[Maximus the Confessor]], St. [[Symeon the Metaphrast]], St. [[Symeon the New Theologian]] and others. Even when some Holy Father does not use the term "prelest" explicitly, writing about acetic ascetic life implies writing what spiritual practice is true, i.e. leads to salvation, and what is false, i.e. leads to the opposite and, therefore, accepting it as true is prelest.

Some modern ascetics such as elder [[Joseph the Hesychast]],<ref name="joseph">[http://oprelesti.ru/index.php/kinds-of-spiritual-delusion/134-false-visions/310-true-visions-from-god-are-often-a-consolation-in-suffering Elder Joseph the Hesychast, Monastic Wisdom, From letter 55.] Elder Joseph writes in a letter to a priest about true and false visions and pride. If the person becomes proud - the demons can start to made make a mock of him, showing their own visions that imitate the true ones.</ref> elder [[Paisios (Eznepidis)|Paisios of the Holy Mountain]],<ref name="paisios">[http://oodegr.co/english/anatolikes/Paisios_powers_darkness.htm Elder Paisios of the Holy Mountain, Spiritual Counsels, Vol. 3. Spiritual Struggle. Large part of volume 3 is dedicated to different cases of delusions.]</ref> elder [[Daniel Katounakiotis]]<ref name="daniel">{{Ru icon}} [http://lib.eparhia-saratov.ru/books/10k/katunakskii/katunakskii1/16.html Elder Daniel Katounakiotis. Angelic living.] Elder Daniel had a spiritual gift of counsel allowing him to guard or cure people from delusion. The book contains several his letters about it.</ref> also wrote about prelest.

Identifying prelest in its particular manifestations is called discernment (or discrimination) of spirits. The virtue of discrimination "is greater than any other virtue; and is the queen and crown of all the virtues".<ref>Philokalia, Vol.2, St. John of Damaskos, On the Virtues and the Vices.</ref> It corresponds to a very high degree of spiritual age and requires "three renunciations" (Evagrius<ref>[http://www.ldysinger.com/Evagrius/04_Peri-Log/00a_start.htm Evagrius. On thoughts. Ch.26]</ref>, St. John Climacus)Cassian<ref>[https: //st-takla.org/books/en/ecf/211/2110624.html St. John Cassian. Conferences. Conference of Abbot Paphnutius. Ch. 6. An account of the worldly concernsthree sorts of renunciations.]</ref>, selfishness and vainglorySt.John Climacus<ref>St. John Climacus. The Ladder of Divine Ascent. Step 2.</ref> ): separation from the world, inner fight with passions, acquisition of prayer and deep spiritual knowledge. True discrimination comes after a long previous experience of fighting with passions. The source of discrimination is in the action of Divine grace and the virtue of humility.

Professor N.E. Pestov in his book<ref>{{Ru icon}}[http://azbyka.ru/tserkov/duhovnaya_zhizn/osnovy/pestov_praktika_pravoslavnogo_blagochestiya_27-all.shtml N.E. Pestov. Practice of Orthodox Devoutness.]</ref> writes that in general, the safest spiritual path in relation to prelest is to live in obedience to an experienced and holy elder, or at least to live on the advice of others. The fastest way to fall into prelest is the opposite - to trust own thoughts and not to listen to any advicesadvice.

If the person who saw a vision is humble, he rejects the vision as elder Elder Cleopa also writes in his book "On dreams and visions", providing provides examples of different Saints saints from the Patericonwho rejected the visions because they considered themselves unworthy to see it and due to the danger of delusion. He also quotes arguments of different Holy Fathers saying that one should not easily accept visions even if they have all attributes of true ones - if the saints were fast to accept visions they would be deluded and would not have become saints.

Elder [[Joseph the Hesychast]] says , mentioning the examples from his life, that true visions are always preceded or followed by very intense suffering and sorrows and are given by God only as a consolation.<ref>Elder Joseph the Hesychast. Monastic wisdom. Letter 37.</ref> Even if the vision is true, it is very difficult to withstand the fight with thoughts and not to get proud of the fact of the vision. Elder Joseph writes about pride after visions: "What happens after that? A person becomes the mock of the demons. They fool him with writings and visions, with dreams and revelations, with symbols and numbers, with oracles and a heap of superstitions."<ref name="joseph"/>

Also Elder [[Daniel Katounakiotis]] writes about several such cases of long condition of prelest accompanied by visions. He writes in a letter about one hierodeacon by the name of Ierotheos who had a lot of visions. Even though he confessed everything, nobody of the confessors understood that this was a delusion. Then elder [[Sabbas the Father Confessor of Mount Athos‎|Sabbas]] advised him how to find out the truth. After that the delusion was revealed. But in spite of the fact that the visions ceased after repeated exorcism, the injury to the soul of Ierotheos remained very serious and later he broke all monastic vows. Another case of prelest happened to a lay man Nicolaus. He was also subjected to a long and strong action of demons. Even though elder Daniel convinced Nicolaus that all his visions were false, the traces of delusion were seen to the end of his life.<ref name=>[http://oprelesti.ru/index.php/kinds-of-spiritual-delusion/134-false-visions/653-elder-daniel-about-the-visions Answer of monk Daniel to Marcian, a monk of the Iveron skete, on rejection of dreams]</ref> In the book "danielThe Great Watch"<ref>{{Ru icon}}[https://azbyka.ru/otechnik/Zhitija_svjatykh/velikaja-strazha/ Hieromonk Joachim (Sabelnikov). The Great Watch]</ref>, in the notes of elder Jerome (Solomentsov) from St. Panteleimon monastery on Mt. Athos, the life of hieroschemamonk Theophan is described. He had many visions, and for 15 years he confessed everything to the spiritual father. But then he became noticeably more concealed and proud. He began to think that the spiritual father does not lead such a high life as he does. Once, when he visited the confessor, he told him about some of his visions and then let it slip like this: "And I was not ordered to tell you about some visions." To this the confessor said, "I congratulate you on your prelest!" When he did talk about the two visions that he had concealed, it turned out that they were false. One of the key points was the question of freedom of mind during the vision - if the mind can control the vision, then it is not true (for example, St. Maximos Kavsokalyvites talks with St. Gregory about this). In the following life, father Theophan could not get out of the delusion, he left Athos, engaged in trade and died in torments.

===Trust in night dreams===

* arbitrary teaching and advices advice without being asked (except for the cases when the person was explicitly appointed to teach without being asked);

One of correct motivations of teaching is the obedience to share information with others according to the commandment "Give to every man that asketh of thee" (Luke 6:30, Matthew 5:42). In particular, Elder Joseph the Hesychast quotes these words in his letters when he explains why he gives advices advice not arbitrary, but only when being asked.<ref>Elder Joseph the Hesychast. Monastic Wisdom. Letters 41,45</ref> The same commandment is mentioned by St. [[Gregory Palamas]] in a letter to nun Xenia when he explains why he decided to give her instructions.<ref>{{Ru icon}}[http://azbyka.ru/otechnik/?Dobrotoljubie/dobrotoljubie_tom_5=18 St. Gregory Palamas. To honorable Xenia about passions and virtues and fruits of noetic doing. Ch. 2.]</ref> St. Ignatius (Briachaninov) also writes about arbitrary teaching that "fathers forbid advising neighbors on own accord, without questioning from the neighbor; unauthorized council is a sign of presence of a consciousness of own competence and spiritual dignity – which is obvious pride and self-deception (Opinion of hieromartyr Peter, Metropolitan of Damascus, and other Fathers. Philokalia, Vol. 3). This does not apply to the rectors and superiors, who are required to teach the brotherhood handed to them at all times and on every encountered need without being asked (2 Tim 4, 2). But when they visit other monasteries, they should be guided by the advice of St. Macarius of Alexandria given to St. Pachomius the Great. Pachomius said to Macarius about the guidance of the brethren and judgment over them. Abba Macarius said, "Teach and judge your subordinates and do not judge anyone outside" (Patericon and Memorable Tales of Abba Macarius of the City, Ch. 2). This rule was and is respected by all the abbots wishing to please God."<ref>[http://lib.eparhia-saratov.ru/books/09i/ignatii/charm/6.html St. Ignatius (Brianchaninov). On Prelest. On Living with Advice.]</ref>

Professor of the Moscow Theological Academy [[Alexei Osipov|A.I. Osipov]] analyzes<ref name="piligr"/><ref name="apol">[http://www.holytrinitymission.org/books/english/apologetics_osipov_e.htm A.I. Ospiov. Apologetics.]</ref> the teaching on the prayer by St. Ignatius (Brianchaninov) and points out that the prayer should have three properties: attention, reverence, repentance. Also humility should be the basis of the prayer as St. Ignatius says: "Today I read the declaration of St. Sisoes the Great, which I always particularly liked. A [[monk]] said to him: 'I am in constant memory of God'. St. Sisoes responded to him: 'That is not great; it will be great when you consider yourself to be worse than any creature.' St. Sisoes continues: constant memory of God is a very elevated activity!! However, this height is very dangerous, when the ladder to it is not founded on the solid rock of humility".<ref name="apol"/>(Holy Fathers use the words "memory of God" as a synonym for the Jesus prayer)<ref>[http://www.bogoslov.ru/en/text/2588738.html Metropolitan Kallistos (Ware). The Jesus Prayer in St Gregory of Sinai. 1971.] Metropolitan Kallistos writes: secondly, it is manifested to us in obedience through the methodical and unceasing invocation of the Lord Jesus, that is, through the memory of God. ... The second way is that of inner prayer, and it is characterized above all by the ‘memory of God’, that is, by the continual invocation of the Name of Jesus.</ref>.

#the person does not truly repent of some sins, i.e. he does not want to completely give up some sinful habits for which the consciousness condemns him,<ref name="joseph"/><ref name="ioann"/><ref>{{Ru icon}}[http://www.ioann.org/pisma/molitva.html Letters of elder John (Krestiankin). On Prayer.] Elder John (Krestiankin) writes to some person who has demonic attacks because of the previous devotion to heretic and demonic teachings. Elder John says that when someone starts to pray with Jesus prayer while keeping the passions in the soul and in the heart - that can cause mental damage. So elder John advises that person to reduce the prayer rule.</ref>

St. Ignatius tells a story about the proper way of the prayer. A monk came to him from [[Mount Athos]]. This monk did not need warm clothes in winter because of the internal heat in his body caused by the prayer and was wearing chains. At first, St. Ignatius thought that this is a true ascetic and wanted to hear something useful from him about the prayer. But then he found out that the monk uses wrong way of prayer with exaltation and imagination. St. Ignatius gingerly asked the monk to try to keep the mind in the words of the prayer. That When the monk started to pray this way, that was enough to cure him. All his visions disappeared and he could not make them return. When the monk returned later, he no longer looked conceited. He took off the chains and could not do without warm clothes.<ref name="ign1"/>

During practice of the Jesus prayer, the person always encounters an opposition from the demons through the thoughts. They attempt either to make the person abandon the prayer or to make the prayer unpleasing to God, i.e. to drive the person into pride and prelest. Because There is even such wrong opinion that one can fall into prelest because of that, it the Jesus prayer. This opinion is very important to confess frequentlydenied by Valaam elder John (Alexeev): "One falls into prelest not because of the prayer but because of pride, including self-conceit and following own will".<ref>{{Ru icon}}[http://valaam.ru/ru/letters_john/2651/ Letters of schema-hegumen John. On Jesus prayer.]</ref> This following own will includes neglecting Confession and advice of the confession of thoughtsspiritual father, as elder Joseph the Hesychast notes: "It is not just a matter of saying the prayer, but it is also a matter of being attentive. You must be vigilant with your thoughts, masterfully controlling them. Otherwise, they will take control of you and in the end you will become the laughing-stock of the demons. I have never seen a soul make progress in the prayer without frankly confessing secret thoughts".<ref>[http://oprelesti.ru/index.php/concealment-of-sins-in-confession/309-noetic-prayer-is-incompatible-with-concealment-of-thoughts Elder Joseph the Hesychast, Monastic Wisdom, From letter 55.]</ref>

Sometimes, very rarely, God gives some humble and pious individuals, who reached the highest degree of purification from passions, a gift of unceasing (self-moving) Jesus prayer.<ref name="ambr">{{Ru icon}} [http://www.optina.ru/starets/amvrosiy_letters_chart2_29/#294 Letters of St. Ambrose of Optina. Letter 294.] St. Ambrose warns a nun in a letter about dangers of following own will and unauthorized teaching. That nun thought of herself as received a self-moving prayer when asleep. St. Ambrose says that even among holy men, unceasing prayer happens rarely. So there is a danger for her to fall into delusion, which is difficult to cure.</ref><ref>{{Ru icon}} [http://azbyka.ru/otechnik/?Varsonofij_Ioann/otvety=178 Sts. Barsanuphius and John. Answers to the Questions of Disciples. Question 178.] A question about which stage of spiritual age does unceasing prayer correspond to. The answer reads that unceasing prayer corresponds to dispassion.</ref> That is one of the greatest blessings from God that a person can receive. But if the person is conceited, he may get a similar gift from the demons or may confuse the Divine gift with something naturalor demonic.

''Sisoes' deep understanding of his own imperfection is the main outstanding trait of all true saints and is the most important sign that their revelations where were true.''

Prof. A.I. Osipov says that deviations in the Roman Catholic Church started from such things that are rather subtle and not easy to understand for everyone, even for the person who knows the basics of the spiritual life. A.I. Osipov gives an example of his personal misunderstanding. He speaks in one of his lectures<ref name="lec1"/> about the time when he studied in the Moscow Theologial Theological Seminary in 1950-60s. He knew about the book "Imitation of Jesus Christ" by Thomas à Kempis – in Ignatius Brianchaninov’s writings, there is a case when a landlord saw his daughter with this book, took it out of her hand and said: "Stop flirting playing in romances with God." And A.I. Osipov took and read the book and did not see anything bad: "Why do they criticize it? It is true, we must imitate Jesus Christ." When he looked into this book again after a long time – he saw prelest everywhere: rapture, exaltation, false love. A.I. Osipov adds: "I did not understand, imagine that! I did not see. The people who just knew it and felt it – they understood. They saw where the falseness is."

Nevertheless, as there is no common pattern of development of prelest, there is no universal and suitable for everyone advice for curing it. From the general point of view, fight with prelest is a fight with demonic thoughts mostly containing pride, which, as St. Ignatius (Brianchaninov) notes<ref name="ign1"/>, in the deluded persons sometimes changes into deep sadness and desire of suicide. Keeping this in mind, the means of curing prelest should include some means of fighting with sinful thoughts and decreasing their influence on the deluded person. Elder Paisios of the Holy Mountain says<ref name="paisios"/> that if a spiritual person trusts his thoughts - that is already the beginning of delusion. Pride darkens the mind and even the prayers of holy people do not help such person. He should understand that keeping such thoughts (like "I am holy", "I am better than others" etc.) in the mind - that is prelest. Such thoughts should be disclosed either to the elder, or to the spiritual father, or to the abbess of the monastery, and then thrown away. Because of that, the first way to get rid of prelest is the Sacrament of Confession. If the person saw any vision, he should tell it immediately to his spiritual father not concealing anything.<ref>[http://www.saintseraphimbookstore.com/?page_id=243 Nun Macaria, The Angel of Light and Spiritual Discernment in the Orthodox Tradition.] The article contains a story about a deluded monk who concealed from his elder the fact of talking with an "angel". Concealment of something from the elder can be a sign of delusion or can cause delusion.</ref> Then the person should follow exactly the specific advices advice of the spiritual father. Other Sacraments are needed as well but sometimes deluded persons are forbidden to take the Holy [[Communion]] by their spiritual father for some period of time, sometimes rather long (1–3 years).

Nevertheless, even Even with Divine and human help, as Saint [[Ambrose of Optina]] notes, "It is easier to turn every sinner to repentance than to bring a deluded person to reason".<ref name="ambr"/> However, there are cases when people were instantly healed of delusion. There is an episode in the life of St. Niphon of Athos when he was visited by a monk who accepted a false vision as true and became proud considering himself above the others. Through the prayer of the St. Niphon the monk instantly began to see his pride.<ref>{{Ru icon}}[https://azbyka.ru/otechnik/Nikodim_Svjatogorets/novyj-eklogion/3_8 New Eklogion. Part 3. Life and feats of St. Niphon.]</ref> Another case occurred with Archimandrite Parthenios, hegumen of St. Paul Monastery at Mount Athos. When he was young, he fell into negligence and stopped reading the monastic rule. This went on for a whole year. In the end, he suddenly cried out: "Mother of God, help me, I can not do anything. Make it so that I overcome this state!". And the state of negligence suddenly disappeared: he immediately made 400 prostrations.<ref>{{Ru icon}}Fr. Sergii Tishkun. Ilia Kabanov. People of Greek Church. 2015. Hieromonk Euthimius (Djafarov). P. 326.</ref>

7 years later a demon appeared in front of St. Peter as an "angel of light". The "angel" commanded him to go to the world for salvation of others. When St. Peter refused again and prounced pronounced the names of the Mother of God and St. Nicholas, the "angel" disappeared.<ref>{{Ru icon}}[http://ru.wikisource.org/wiki/%D0%96%D0%B8%D1%82%D0%B8%D1%8F_%D1%81%D0%B2%D1%8F%D1%82%D1%8B%D1%85_%28%D0%94%D0%B8%D0%BC%D0%B8%D1%82%D1%80%D0%B8%D0%B9_%D0%A0%D0%BE%D1%81%D1%82%D0%BE%D0%B2%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B8%D0%B9%29/%D0%98%D1%8E%D0%BD%D1%8C/12 Living of the saints by St. Demetrios of Rostov. June 12.]</ref>

In the Akathist to the Mother of God:<ref>[http://wwwwikitranslate.stsymeon.comorg/wiki/akathist.html The_Akathist_Hymn Akathist to the Mother of God.]</ref> "For thou hast quenched the furnace of deception" (Ikos 5); "For thou hast trampled on the delusion of error" (Ikos 6).