“Ladder” of St. John of Sinai in Spiritual Letters to the Laymen of St. Ambrose of Optina. The Function of Quotes

The article examines the semantic function of quotations from the work of St. John of Sinai “The Ladder” in the spiritual letters of St. Ambrose of Optina addressed to laymen. The specificity of spiritual letters as a special genre of epistolary literature is determined by the purpose of both the author and the addressee, which is to resolve issues of spiritual life. The author’s affiliation with the institution of eldership – a special type of holiness – is also important. In his letters, the elder relies on his ascetic experience, which is inseparable from the experience of the Church. The letters of St. Ambrose of Optina contain a large number of quotations from the Holy Scriptures and patristic literature, to which “The Ladder” of St. John of Sinai belongs. St. Ambrose took part in the work on the translation of the Ladder, knew this text well and quoted it mainly from memory, as a result of which the quotations are presented mainly in an indirect form – paraphrases, allusions, reminiscences. The addressees in most cases are private individuals – laymen of various social status and character; a number of letters are addressed to “everyone”, intended for publication and have the character of interpretations or sermons. In his letters, St. Ambrose, referring to the “Ladder”, strives to convey the thought and spirit of this creation. The main semantic function of the quotations is to convey the experience of ascetic practice aimed at fighting the passions, as well as to clarify or authoritatively confirm the main idea of the elder, instructing his addressee on the path of salvation of the soul. In general, in the letters of St. Ambrose, the idea of the Ladder is visible as a gradual ascent of man along the path of spiritual perfection, which is associated with man’s overcoming of passions.