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He brought Orthodoxy to Japan: Russian priest's works published in two languages

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He brought Orthodoxy to Japan: Russian priest's works published in two languages


19.10.2018

nyblago.org

The Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) will issue in Russian and Japanese a full collection of the works by the Orthodox Saint Nikolas (Kasatkin), Archbishop of Japan. Thanks to Saint Nicholas, Orthodoxy became a part of the cultural landscape of Japan, the chairman of the Department of External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, Metropolitan of Volokolamsk Hilarion says. The first two volumes of the large collection are already published, TASS reports.

A large group of researchers, clergymen, translators, philologists, and other specialists from several countries are working on the publication. Representatives of the Japanese Orthodox Church also participate in the work, they search for the texts of the saint, published in their country. The compilers are convinced that the publication will spark interest both in Russia and in Japan where Orthodox worships revere Saint Nicholas.

Nikolai Kasatkin was born in the Smolensk region. In 1860 after graduation from the Saint Petersburg Theological Academy at the age of 24 he willingly went to Japan to preach the Orthodox faith. For eight years he studied language and customs to develop properly his missionary activity. He survived persecution of Christians and the Russian-Japanese war. During the wartime, he supported his parish and helped Russian prisoners. The first Orthodox cathedral was built in Tokyo grace to him.

The publication of the Saint Nicholas works is timed to coincide with two memorable dates: the 50th anniversary of the Orthodox saint glorification in 2020 and the 150th anniversary of the Russian spiritual mission in Japan.

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