Voltaire's terrible death. How famous atheists died and what they said before their death. The Ancient Patericon tells about examples of the death of the righteous and the sinner

VOLTAIRE - French philosopher, writer and wit, devoted all his literary work to the fight against Christianity and Christ. However, Voltaire's struggle against Christ ended in complete defeat for the Frenchman. It is known that his last night was terrible: he was writhing in pain and screaming. He called for help precisely the One Whom he had been pursuing all his life.

In his dying moments, Voltaire begged his doctor: “I conjure you: help me, I will give you half of my property if you extend my life by at least six months; if not, then I will go to hell, and you will follow there.”

He wanted to invite a priest to ease his soul, but his free-thinking friends did not allow him to do so.

He shouted: “I am abandoned by God and people. I'm going to hell. O Christ! O Jesus Christ!

A French sister of mercy spent several hours at Voltaire's deathbed. Later she was invited to help an Englishman who was in a difficult situation, dying. She immediately asked:

Is this Englishman a Christian?

Oh yes! - they answered her. - He is a Christian who lived in the fear of God. But why are you asking this?

She replied:

Sir, I served as a nurse at Voltaire’s deathbed, and I tell you that for all the riches of Europe, I do not want to see another atheist die. It was something terrible.

Obviously, Voltaire's death testifies to the existence of God much more eloquently than his life.

God bless you!

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Once, a group of scientists conducted a study: what the famous atheists Nietzsche and M. Monroe, Lenin and Voltaire said before their death.. What the engineer who built the Titanic “joked” about and what he was sure of...

FRIEDRICH NIETZSCHE:
Lost my mind. Died barking in an iron cage

Voltaire - the great mocker.
He had a terrible end. He shouted for mercy all night. His nurse said:
“For all the money in Europe, I would not want to see a death like Voltaire’s - the death of an unbeliever.”

DAVID HUME is an atheist.
Before his death he constantly shouted:
"I'm on fire!"
His despair was terrible...

NAPOLEON - Emperor.
His attending physician wrote: “The emperor died alone, abandoned by everyone. His dying struggle was terrible...”

CHARLES IX:
“I died. I am clearly aware of this."

Hobbes - English philosopher:
“I stand before a terrible leap into darkness.”

WOLFGANG GOETHE:
"More light!"

LENIN :
He died with his mind darkened.
I asked the table and chairs for forgiveness for my sins...
How strange this is for a man who was a leader and ideal for millions of people...

YAGODA - head of the Soviet secret police:
“There must be a God. He is punishing me for my sins."

ZINOVIEV - comrade-in-arms of Lenin,
executed by order of Stalin.
“Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one God,”
These are the last words of one of the leaders of an atheist state.

WINSTON CHURCHILL- English Prime Minister during World War II:
“What a madman I am!”

YAROSLAVSKY- President of the Atheist International Movement: “Please burn all my books. Look at the Saint! He has been waiting for me for a long time. He's here!

1 JOHN LENNON: at the peak of his fame (in 1966), during an interview with a leading American magazine, he said: “Christianity will soon end, it will simply disappear, I don’t even want to argue about it. I'm just sure of it. Jesus was OK, but his ideas were too simple. Today we are more famous than HE! After he declared that the Beatles were more famous than Jesus Christ, he died tragically. One psychopath shot him six times at point-blank range. It is noteworthy that the killer did this in order to take away his popularity and become famous throughout the world as the killer of the famous singer.

2. Brazilian politician Tancredo di Ameido Neves: during his presidential election campaign he publicly said: “If I get 500,000 votes from my party, then not even God himself will be able to remove me from the presidential post!” Of course, he gained these votes, but suddenly fell ill and died suddenly one day before becoming president.

3. Brazilian composer, singer, poet: during a show in Rio de Janeiro, taking a drag from a cigarette, he noisily blew smoke into the air and blasphemously proclaimed: “God, this is for you!” He quickly died at the age of 32 from AIDS.

4. The engineer who built the Titanic: after the completion of construction work, when asked by reporters how safe his miracle ship would be, he answered with irony in his voice: “Now even God cannot sink it!” Surely everyone knows what happened to the unsinkable Titanic.

5. Famous actress Marilyn Monroe: During the presentation of her show, evangelist Billy Graham visited. He said that the Spirit of God sent him to preach to her. After listening to the preacher, she replied: “I don’t need your Jesus!” Just a week later she was found dead in her apartment.

6. In 2005 in the city of Campinas, Brazil: A group of drunken friends came to pick up their friend from home for further entertainment. This girl’s mother, very worried about them, walked her to the car and, holding her daughter by the hand, said with trepidation: “My daughter, go with God, and may He protect you,” to which she boldly replied: “In our car already there is no room for Him, unless He climbs in and rides in the trunk...” A few hours later, the mother was informed that this car had been in a terrible car accident and everyone had died! The car itself was mutilated beyond recognition, but the police reported that, despite the fact that the entire car was completely destroyed so that it was impossible to even recognize its make, the trunk remained completely undamaged, which is completely contrary to common sense. Imagine everyone’s surprise when the trunk easily opened and a tray of eggs was found in it, and not a single one of them broke or even cracked!

What did the famous atheists Nietzsche and M. Monroe, Lenin and Voltaire say before their death? What the engineer who built the Titanic “joked” about and what the pop music idol Lennon was sure of. How did the righteous die?

Apostle Paul wrote: “Remember your teachers, who preached the word of God to you, and, considering the end of their lives, imitate their faith” (Heb. 13:7). Why is it necessary to look at the death of a person? His death can reveal a lot!

Friedrich Nietzsche:

Lost my mind. Before his death, he went blind, and finally suffered from an apoplexy. They say he died barking in an iron cage

Friedrich Nietzsche in a psychiatric clinic, 1899

Voltaire - the great mocker:

All my life I struggled with God. However, the last night of his life was terrible. He begged the doctor: “I conjure you, help me, I will give you half of my property if you extend my life by at least six months, if not, then I will go to hell, and you will follow there.” He wanted to invite a priest, but his free-thinking friends did not allow this. Voltaire, dying, shouted: “I am abandoned by God and people. I will go to hell. Oh, Christ! Oh, Jesus Christ.”

American atheist writer Thomas Paine:

He said on his deathbed: “I would give the worlds, if I had them, so that my book “The Age of Reason” would never be published. Christ, help me, be with me!”

David Hume - atheist:

Before his death he constantly shouted: “I am in flames!” His despair was terrible...

His attending physician wrote: “The Emperor died alone, abandoned by everyone. His dying struggle was terrible...”

Charles IX - the penultimate king of France, destroyer of the Huguenots

He died at the age of 24 in a fever from pulmonary edema due to tuberculosis: “I died. I understand this clearly.”

His words before his death: “I stand before a terrible leap into darkness.”

Before his death he exclaimed: “More light!”

He died with his mind darkened. He asked the table and chairs for forgiveness for his sins... How strange this is for a man who was a leader and ideal for millions of people...

Genrikh Yagoda - People's Commissar of Internal Affairs of the USSR

"There must be a God. He is punishing me for my sins."

***

Last words before execution: “Listen, Israel, the Lord our God is one God,”

Winston Churchill - English Prime Minister during World War II:

"What a madman I am!"

Emelyan Yaroslavsky (Gubelman Miney) is one of the most ardent fighters against God and persecutors of the Church of the Soviet regime:

"Please burn all my books. Look at the Saint! He has been waiting for me for a long time. He is here!"

At the height of his fame (in 1966), during an interview with a leading American magazine, he said: “Christianity will soon end, it will simply disappear, I don’t even want to argue about it. I’m just sure of it. Jesus was OK, but his ideas were too simple Today we are more famous than HE! After he declared that the Beatles were more famous than Jesus Christ, he was tragically shot at point-blank range six times. popularity and become famous throughout the world as the killer of the famous singer.

Brazilian politician Tancredo de Ameido Neves

During his presidential election campaign he publicly said: “If I get 500,000 votes from my party, then not even God himself will be able to remove me from the presidency!” Of course, he gained these votes, but suddenly fell ill and died suddenly one day before becoming president.

Kazuza - Brazilian composer, singer, poet, bisexual:

During a show in Rio de Janeiro, he took a drag from a cigarette, noisily blew smoke into the air and blasphemously proclaimed: “God, this is for you!” He quickly died painfully at the age of 32 from lung cancer

Builders and owners of the "unsinkable" Titanic

After completing construction work, when asked by reporters how safe his miracle ship would be, his design engineer answered with irony in his voice: “Now even God won’t be able to sink it!” Surely everyone knows what happened to the unsinkable Titanic.

During the presentation of her show, evangelist Billy Graham visited. He said that the Spirit of God sent him to preach to her. After listening to the preacher, she replied: “I don’t need your Jesus!” Just a week later she was found dead in her apartment.

Lord in the trunk

In 2005, in the city of Campinas, Brazil: a group of drunken friends came to pick up their girlfriend from home for further entertainment. This girl’s mother, very worried about them, walked her to the car and, holding her daughter by the hand, said with trepidation: “My daughter, go with God, and may He protect you,” to which she boldly replied: “In our car already there is no room for Him, unless He climbs in and rides in the trunk...". A few hours later, the mother was informed that this car had been in a terrible car accident and everyone had died! The car itself was mutilated beyond recognition, but the police reported that, despite the fact that the entire car was completely destroyed so that it was impossible to even recognize its make, the trunk remained completely undamaged, which is completely contrary to common sense. Imagine everyone’s surprise when the trunk easily opened and a tray of eggs was found in it, and not a single one of them broke or even cracked!

Jamaican journalist and dancer Christina Hewitt

She once declared: “The Bible is the worst book ever written!” Soon, in June 2006, she was found burned beyond recognition in her own car.

***

“Do not be deceived, God is not mocked. Whatever a man sows, that will he also reap” (Gal. 6:7)

***

Evidence for the Existence of God- Deacon Andrey Kuraev
God is amazing- Deacon Andrey Kuraev
Proof that spontaneous generation of life on Earth is impossible. Chlorophyll as the main enemy of atheists- Maxim Stepanenko
Why don't I go to Church- Priest Gleb Grozovsky
Materialism is before the court of being and consciousness. Anthropological essay- Saint John Maksimovich
Dawkins as an illusion- Alistair McGrath
The end of the lives of famous atheists and righteous people- Orthodoxy.Fm
We believe... 53 famous scientists say about faith in God- Blagovestnik
The birth of science, the Inquisition and the witch hunt- lecture by Deacon Andrey Kuraev
Dialogue with an atheist- Archimandrite Epiphanius Theodoropoulos
Dialogue with an atheist- Priest Vitaly Babichev
What to answer to Steve Jobs, or Again about a child’s tear- Alexander Tkachenko
Atheist minority- Grigory Kertman

***

Demise of the Righteous

During the service, we ask God for a painless, shameless and peaceful death. This is our wish, but by no means a requirement. How can we dare to demand anything from the Master of the world and the Lord?..

Sometimes, according to the remark of Schemamonk Paisius the Holy Mountain, the Lord gives a deliberately painful, painful, and even outwardly tempting death in order to humble the ascetic even more and in order to elevate him through this humility.

Once a modern Athonite ascetic, Elder Paisius, was asked: what is the reason for a person’s torment before death, is it only in the sinfulness of the dying person? The elder replied: “No, this is not unconditional. It is also not unconditional that if a person’s soul comes out of him quietly and calmly, then he was in good condition. Even if people suffer and suffer in the last moments of life, this does not necessarily mean , that they have many sins. Some people, out of great humility, earnestly ask God to give them a bad death - so that after death they can remain in obscurity. Or someone may have a bad death in order to spiritually pay off a small debt. For example, during his lifetime a person was praised more than he deserved, so God allowed him to behave somehow strangely at the hour of death in order to fall in the eyes of people. In other cases, God allows some to suffer at the hour of death so that. those who are nearby understood how difficult it is for the soul there, in hell, if it does not put itself in order here..."

This may be because we all consist of soul and body. And the body can suffer from various diseases. And gradually, in suffering, it can die according to the physical laws of the course of the disease. The Lord can ease a person’s suffering, but he can also allow him to drink the whole cup of suffering to the end. According to the thoughts of the holy fathers, in this case we can say that by giving a person physical suffering, the Lord, who wants every soul to be saved, gives it to atone for sins.

Only a person who is completely far from God, who believes that he knows better than God what and how it should be, can be embarrassed by this. The ascetics also died painfully and painfully, as their last words were about. Let us at least remember the Savior, who took upon Himself the entire burden of the sins of the world. His last words: “Eli, Eli! Lama Savachthani? My God, My God! why have You forsaken Me?”, “I thirst,” “Father, into Your hands I commend My spirit,” “It is finished”!

Sometimes the Lord allowed the ascetic to be freed from suffering and torment before death, and such a person passed on to the other world calmly. Their last words even became a posthumous testament to us remaining in this world. But the ascetics of the faith never died miserably. Even though their physical suffering was extreme, their souls lived with the anticipation of a new life. There, into blissful eternity, she departed. Sometimes in the last words of dying believers we can touch the secret that was the content of their earthly life, or the one that was revealed to them on the border of this and other worlds.

***

The last words of the holy Patriarch Hermogenes spoken to people: “May there be mercy on them from the Lord God and blessings from our humility.” After these words, the Poles stopped bringing food to him in prison, and after some time, on February 17, 1617, he died.

***

Here are the words of His Holiness Patriarch Tikhon, Confessor of Russia, before his death: “Glory to Thee, Lord, Glory to Thee, Lord, Glory to Thee, Lord!”

****

Russian religious philosopher Prince Evgeny Trubetskoy. His last words were: “The Royal Doors are opening. The Great Liturgy begins.”

***

Father John Krestyankin says: “The professor of the Petrograd Theological Academy Vasily Vasilyevich Bolotov, a famous scientist, a man with colossal knowledge and with humble faith in his heart, was dying in full and clear consciousness. He was dying, guided into eternity by Confession and Communion, and his last words on earth were the delight of his soul before the bliss revealed to his spiritual gaze: “How beautiful are the last minutes... how good it is to die... I am going to the Cross... Christ is coming... God is coming..."

***

Hieromartyr Hilarion of the Trinity: “How good, now we are far from...” And he gave up his spirit to God.

***

The dying words of the ascetic bishop Afanasy Sakharov (who died in 1962) were: “Prayer will save you all.”

***

The last words spoken on July 22, 1992 by Protopresbyter John Meyendorff: “Eucharist’s icon” (Russian translation: “Icon of the Eucharist”). "What was Fr. John talking about? Perhaps about his love for the Eucharist, which was the center of everything for him - both theology and spiritual life. Or he imagined his favorite fresco from the altar of the seminary church, in front of which he prayed so much (according to At the request of Fr. John, an icon was painted in the Byzantine style - Christ giving communion to the Apostles). Or maybe he already contemplated with his spiritual gaze the heavenly Eucharist, the eternal Liturgy, which is celebrated unceasingly in the Kingdom of God? (Metropolitan Hilarion Alfeev).

***

And this is how Protopresbyter of the Russian Army and Navy Evgeniy Akvilonov, professor of the St. Petersburg Theological Academy, author of remarkable theological works, died. Father Evgeniy was dying of sarcoma; he was 49 years old. Feeling the approach of death, Fr. Eugene picked up a lit candle and began to read to himself the Sequence on the exodus of the soul from the body. With the words: “O Lord, rest the soul of Your servant, Protopresbyter Eugene,” he passed away into eternity.

***

This is how the 20th century ascetic Venerable Seraphim Vyritsky gave up his spirit to God: “Save, Lord, and have mercy on the whole world.” These are not just words, this is the credo of the great shepherd, who gave all his strength, to the last drop, to pray for the world. During the years of the Bolshevik bacchanalia, during the war years, Rev. Seraphim spent many hours in prayer on the stone to which he was led, and sometimes carried and from which he was removed, exhausted.

Name: Voltaire (Francois Marie Arouet)

Age: 83 years old

Activity: philosopher, poet, prose writer, historian, publicist

Marital status: wasn't married

Voltaire: biography

Two astrologers told Voltaire that he would live to be 33 years old. But the great thinker managed to deceive death itself; he miraculously survived due to a failed duel with a certain nobleman from the de Rohan family. The biography of the French philosopher is full of both ups and downs, but, nevertheless, his name has become immortal for centuries.

Voltaire, who went to England as a writer and returned as a sage, made an undeniable contribution to a special form of knowledge of the world; his name is on a par with and. The writer, who did not have a drop of noble blood in his veins, was favored by great rulers - the Russian Empress, the King of Prussia, Frederick "Old Fritz" II and the owner of the Swiss crown, Gustave III.

The thinker left stories, poems, and tragedies to his descendants, and his books “Candide, or Optimism” and “Zadig, or Fate” were divided into quotes and popular expressions.

Childhood and youth

François-Marie Arouet (the philosopher's name at birth) was born on November 21, 1694 in the city of love - Paris. The baby was so frail and weak that immediately after birth the parents sent for a priest. Unfortunately, Marie Marguerite Daumard, Voltaire's mother, died when the boy was seven years old. Therefore, the future ruler of the thoughts of Western Europe grew up and was brought up with his father, who was in bureaucratic service.

It cannot be said that the relationship between little Francois and his parent was friendly, so it is not surprising that already in adulthood Arouet declared himself the illegitimate son of the Chevalier de Rochebrune, a poor poet and musketeer. Francois Arouet Sr. sent his child to the Jesuit college, which now bears the name of the Lyceum of Louis the Great.

In this college, Voltaire studied “Latin and all sorts of nonsense,” because the young man, although he received serious literary training, for the rest of his life hated the fanaticism of the local Jesuit fathers, who put religious dogma above human life.

Voltaire's father wanted his son to follow in his footsteps and become a notary, so Francois was quickly assigned to a law office. Soon the young man realized that legal science, favored by the ancient Greek goddess Themis, was not his path. Therefore, in order to dilute the green melancholy with bright colors, Voltaire took up an inkwell and a pen not to copy documents, but to compose satirical stories.

Literature

When Voltaire turned 18, he composed his first play and even then had no doubt that he would definitely leave his mark on history as a writer. Two years later, François-Marie Arouet had already gained the reputation of the king of ridicule in Parisian salons and among sophisticated ladies and gentlemen. Therefore, some literary figures and high-ranking officials were afraid to find Voltaire's publication exposing them to society in a bad light.

But in 1717, Francois-Marie Arouet paid for his witty satires. The fact is that the talented young man ridiculed the regent of the French kingdom under the young king, Philip II of Orleans. But the ruler did not treat Voltaire’s poems with proper humor, so the writer was sent to the Bastille for a year.

But in prison, Voltaire did not lose his creative fervor, but, on the contrary, began to intensively study literature. Once free, Voltaire received recognition and fame because his tragedy “Oedipus,” written in 1718, was performed on the stage of the Comedy Française theater.

The young man began to be compared with famous French playwrights, so Voltaire, who believed in his literary talent, composed one work after another, and these were not only philosophical tragedies, but also novels and pamphlets. The writer relied on historical images, so theater regulars could see actors dressed as Brutus or Mohammed on stage.

In total, François-Marie Arouet's track record includes 28 works that can be classified as classical tragedy. Voltaire also cultivated aristocratic genres of poetry; messages, gallant lyrics and odes often came from his pen. But it is worth saying that the writer was not afraid to experiment and mix seemingly incompatible things (tragic and comic) in one bottle.

He was not afraid to dilute rational coldness with notes of sentimental sensitivity, and exotic characters often appeared in his ancient works: the Chinese, Iranian-speaking Scythians and coats of arms professing Zoroastrianism.

As for poetry, Voltaire's classic epic "Henriad" was published in 1728. In this work, the great Frenchman condemned despot kings for their frantic worship of God, using not fictitious images, but real prototypes. Then, around 1730, Voltaire worked on his seminal satirical parody poem “The Virgin of Orleans.” But the book itself was first published only in 1762; before that, anonymous publications were published.

“The Virgin of Orleans” by Voltaire, written in a syllabic twelve-syllable, immerses the reader in the story of a real-life personality, the well-known national heroine of France. But the writer’s work is by no means a biography of the army commander, but a complete irony on the structure of French society and the church.

It is worth noting that he read this manuscript in his youth, the Russian poet even tried to imitate Voltaire in his poem “Ruslan and Lyudmila” (but, having matured, Pushkin addressed a very critical work to the “French mentor”).

Among other things, François-Marie Arouet distinguished himself with philosophical prose, which gained unprecedented popularity among his contemporaries. The master of the pen not only immersed the book holder in adventure stories, but also made him think about the futility of existence, the greatness of man, as well as the meaninglessness of pure optimism and the absurdity of ideal pessimism.

The work “The Innocent,” published in 1767, tells the story of the misadventures of an adherent of the “theory of natural law.” This manuscript is a mixture of lyrical element, educational novel and philosophical story.

The plot revolves around a typical character - the noble savage, a kind of Robinson Crusoe of the Enlightenment, who illustrates the innate morality of man before his contact with civilization. But it is also worth paying attention to Voltaire’s short story “Candide, or Optimism” (1759), which instantly became a world bestseller.

The work gathered dust behind a hopeless curtain for a long time, since the work was banned due to obscenity. It is interesting that the author of “Candide” himself considered this novel stupid and even refused to acknowledge his authorship. “Candide, or Optimism” is somewhat reminiscent of a typical picaresque novel, a genre that developed in Spain. As a rule, the main character of such a work is an adventurer who evokes sympathy.

But Voltaire's most quoted book is endowed with absurdity and angry sarcasm: all the adventures of the heroes are invented in order to ridicule society, the government and the church. In particular, the Saxon philosopher who propagated the doctrine described in Theodicy, or the Justification of God, fell into disgrace.

The Roman Catholic Church blacklisted the book, but this did not stop Candide from gaining fans in the form of Alexander Pushkin, Gustave Flaubert, and the American composer Leonard Bernstein.

Philosophy

It so happened that Voltaire returned again to the cold walls of the Bastille. In 1725–1726, a conflict arose between the writer and the Chevalier de Rohan: the provocateur allowed himself to publicly ridicule Francois-Marie Arouet, who, under the pseudonym Voltaire, allegedly tried to hide his non-noble origins. Since the author of tragedies will not go into his pocket for a word, he allowed the offender to say:

“Sir, glory awaits my name, and oblivion awaits yours!”

The Frenchman literally paid for these daring words - he was beaten by de Rohan's lackey. Thus, the writer experienced first-hand what bias is and became an ardent defender of justice and social reform. Having left the exclusion zone, Voltaire, unnecessary in his homeland, was expelled to England by order of the king.

It is noteworthy that the government structure of the United Kingdom, which was fundamentally different from conservative monarchical France, amazed him to his fingertips. It was also useful to get acquainted with English thinkers, who unanimously argued that a person can turn to God without resorting to the help of the church.

The French thinker outlined his impressions of his travels around the island state in the treatise “Philosophical Letters,” promoting teachings and denying materialist philosophy. The main ideas of the Philosophical Letters were equality, respect for property, security and freedom. Voltaire also hesitated on the issue of the immortality of the soul; he did not deny, but also did not affirm the fact that there is life after death.

But on the question of the freedom of human will, Voltaire moved from indeterminism to determinism. Louis XV, having learned about the treatise, ordered Voltaire’s work to be burned, and the author of the unceremonious work to be sent to the Bastille. To avoid a third confinement in a cell, François-Marie Arouet went to Champagne to visit his beloved.

Voltaire, a supporter of inequality and a zealous opponent of absolutism, criticized the structure of the church to the nines, but he did not support atheism. The Frenchman was a deist, that is, he recognized the existence of the Creator, but denied religious dogmatism and supernatural phenomena. But in the 60s and 70s, Voltaire was overcome by skeptical thoughts. When contemporaries asked the enlightener whether there was a “higher authority,” he replied:

“There is no God, but my lackey and wife should not know this, since I don’t want my lackey to kill me, and my wife to disobey me.”

Although Voltaire, contrary to his father’s wishes, never became a lawyer, the philosopher was later involved in human rights activities. In 1762, the author of Candide participated in a petition to overturn the death sentence of the merchant Jean Calas, who was the victim of a biased trial due to a different religion. Calas personified Christian xenophobia in France: he was a Protestant, while others professed Catholicism.

The reason why Jean was executed on the wheel in 1762 was the suicide of his son. At that time, a person who committed suicide with his own hands was considered a criminal, which is why his body was publicly dragged on ropes and hanged in the square. Therefore, the Kalas family presented their son’s suicide as a murder, and the court considered that Jean killed the young man because he converted to Catholicism. Thanks to Voltaire, three years later Jean Calas was rehabilitated.

Personal life

In his free time from writing treatises and philosophical thoughts, Voltaire played chess. For 17 years, the Frenchman's rival was the Jesuit Father Adam, who lived in the house of Francois-Marie Arouet.

Voltaire's lover, muse and inspiration was the Marquise du Châtelet, who passionately loved mathematics and physics. This young lady even had the opportunity to translate a fundamental work in 1745.

Emily was a married woman, but she believed that all responsibilities to a man should be fulfilled only after the birth of children. Therefore, the young lady, without transgressing the bounds of decency, plunged into fleeting romances with mathematicians and philosophers.

The beauty met Voltaire in 1733, and in 1734 she provided refuge from re-imprisonment in the Bastille - her husband’s dilapidated castle, in which the philosopher spent 15 years of his life, returning there from numerous trips.

Du Châtelet instilled in Voltaire a love for equations, the laws of physics and mathematical formulas, so the lovers often solved complex problems. In the fall of 1749, Emily died after giving birth to a child, and Voltaire, having lost the love of his life, sank into depression.

By the way, few people know that Voltaire was actually a millionaire. Even in his youth, the philosopher met bankers who taught Francois how to invest capital. The writer, who became rich by the age of forty, invested in equipment for the French army, gave money to buy ships and bought works of art, and on his estate in Switzerland there was a pottery production.

Death

In the last years of his life, Voltaire was popular; every contemporary considered it his duty to visit the Swiss house of the wise old man. The philosopher hid from the French kings, but with the help of persuasion he returned to the country and Parmesan, where he died at the age of 83.

Voltaire's Sarcophagus

Bibliography

1730 – “The History of Charles XII”
1732 – “Zaire”
1734 – “Philosophical Letters. English letters"
1736 – “Newton's Epistle”
1738 – “Essay on the Nature of Fire”
1748 – “The World as It Is”
1748 – “Zadig, or Fate”
1748 – “Semiramis”
1752 – “Micromegas”
1755 – “The Virgin of Orleans”
1756 – “Lisbon earthquake”
1764 – “White and Black”
1768 – “Princess of Babylon”
1774 – “Don Pedro”
1778 – “Agathocles”

Quotes

“It is impossible to believe in God; not to believe in him is absurd.”
“For most people, improving means changing your shortcomings”
“Kings know no more about the affairs of their ministers than cuckolds know about the affairs of their wives.”
“It is not inequality that is painful, but dependence”
“There is nothing more unpleasant than being hanged in obscurity”

THE DEATH OF VOLTAIRE

Voltaire, a French philosopher, writer and wit, devoted all his literary work to the fight against “religious prejudices.” However, Voltaire's struggle against Christ ended in complete defeat for the Frenchman. It is known that his last night was terrible: he was writhing in pain and screaming. He called for help precisely the One Whom he had been pursuing all his life.

In his dying moments, Voltaire begged his doctor: “I conjure you, help me, I will give you half of my property if you extend my life by at least six months, if not, then I will go to hell and you will follow there.”

He wanted to invite a priest to ease his soul, but his free-thinking friends did not allow him to do so. He shouted: “I am abandoned by God and people. I'm going to hell. Oh Christ! Oh, Jesus Christ!

A French sister of mercy spent several hours at Voltaire's deathbed. Later she was invited to help an Englishman who was also dying. She immediately asked:

Is this Englishman a Christian?

Oh yes! - they answered her. - He is a Christian who lived in the fear of God. But why are you asking this?

She replied:

Sir, I served as a nurse at Voltaire’s deathbed, and I tell you that for all the riches of Europe, I do not want to see another atheist die. It was something terrible.

Obviously, Voltaire's death testifies to the existence of God much more eloquently than his life.

Voltaire said that a hundred years after his death there would be no more Christianity. But instead, only 25 years after his death, the British and Foreign Bible Society was founded, which was located in his own home.

It began to print the Bible on precisely the same printing presses that Voltaire’s books were printed on.

FAITH OF THE GENERALISSIMO

The word "religion" means "connection." Religion is a connection with a higher life, with God. Anyone who wants to elevate and improve their life connects it with what is better than it, stronger than it. And better than human life is Divine life. And man connects himself with this Divine life in various ways: with the mind - by reflection, and with the heart - with love, and with the will - with the creation of good. This is religion.

The higher the religion, the more perfect the content of life and the deeper its knowledge. There are different stages in religious knowledge. Believing in false and evil ideas is the same as bowing to idols, animals, stones - they do not elevate, but degrade the human spirit. To honor as gods beings who are morally weak and full of passions, such as, for example, the Greek gods of Olympus, and, moreover, beings who do not exist in reality, means, of course, hindering the possibility of moral improvement.

To honor the Living God in spirit and truth, to see the light of God in the mind of the Gospel, in the face of Christ, means to correctly understand the path to God as the joy of endless exaltation, wisdom and resurrection... This is the path of the flourishing of the human personality. The Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world, His reason, love and truth is the real power of life, truly creating man. Here is the beginning and end of religion - the highest connection of man and humanity with its Creator and Heavenly Father. Not understanding this very simple truth, and sometimes simply not wanting to understand and accept it, militantly atheistic people would like to destroy all faith, and above all, faith in Christ.

N but in fact, true religion (we emphasize: true, not false) sharpens, strengthens and revitalizes the most healthy principle in people...

The greatest prophet of anti-Christianity of our era, the German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, loses his mind and becomes mentally ill. His faithful and fanatical followers: Hitler, Alfred Rosenberg, Ludendorff and others, who imagined themselves to be titans, supermen and plotted to blot out the name of Christ throughout the world, become mentally ill maniacs and destroy not only themselves, but also drag their people into destruction. “You have defeated me, Galilean,” the worst enemy of Christianity, Emperor Julian, who was mortally wounded during the battle with the Persians, exclaimed turning to Christ.

All the evil in the world comes from materialism and selfishness, wherever this spiritual death manifests itself. Lasting, genuine values were created only by the power of God. And many heroes of human history knew this and believed in it. A striking example of this is the so famous name of Alexander Vasilyevich Suvorov...

Suvorov deeply believed in God, loved the Son of God Jesus Christ and was a faithful child of the Russian Orthodox Church.

Here, for example, is how Swedish general Gustav Armfeldt (1757-1814) recalls his meetings with Suvorov: “Suvorov invited me to dinner at 8 o’clock in the morning. I came and found him at the service. He read a large book, threw himself on the ground (that is, made prostrations), and then went and took musical notes, which he hummed in an undertone for a long time, examining them before giving them to the boys who were singers in the regiments and to the choir singers. The church was perfectly organized; I was assured that there was enough of everything there, and that everything was done with six horses.

This is the only personal convoy of the Prince Generalissimo. Then we went down the stairs through the courtyard and entered the shack, where the heat was unbearable. A very small room with a bed, a table and four chairs made up Suvorov’s bedroom and study. The other, also very small, was his dining room and living room. We sat down at the table - I was next to him, and the meal consisted of the most tasteless Russian Lenten food...”

Everything here is typical of Suvorov, who loved the Church... The following passage from Armfeldt’s memoirs is also interesting:

“On the third day we dined with the old man (i.e., with Suvorov)... Among the many oddities that he said, there were, however, many amazing words and expressions... When we got up from the table, he said : “Gentlemen, it is not English money, not Russian bayonets, not Austrian cavalry and tactics, not Suvorov who will restore order and win victories with the desired consequences, but justice, selflessness, which will be brought into politics by directness, nobility and decency, attracting hearts - this is what You can achieve anything..."

Is it impossible to repeat these words of Suvorov today? Faith in God not only did not weaken Suvorov, but it also gave him the strength to be a fearless and moral person, a Christian warrior.

PIROGOV - SURGEON AND CHRISTIAN

There is no more famous name in Russian medicine than the name of the surgeon Nikolai Ivanovich Pirogov. A monument to him stands in Moscow, and his exploits during the Sevastopol campaign and scientific achievements in the field of medicine are an honorable page of Russian science.

His involvement of female nursing care for wounded soldiers, the creation of the female community of sisters of mercy of the Honest and Life-Giving Cross became the beginning of a century-long feat of Russian women in military hospitals and on the battlefields.

AND as a scientist and as a brilliant practicing surgeon (who was the first to use anesthesia during operations in Russia), N.I. Pirogov became an example for Russian doctors...

He lived precisely at that time (the middle of the last century) when unbelief began to arise in Rus'. Ideas of materialism and nihilists appeared, well described by Dostoevsky, especially in the novel “Demons.” In this era of the sixties, the type of that crude atheist arose who, having emerged from underground after the October Revolution, began to openly persecute the Church, closed and desecrated churches, but was defeated and stopped by the people's faith.

In these sixties of the last century, the dishonest use of the honest name of science to fight God also began. Those who fell into a serious illness of unbelief did not want to be simply unbelievers - they certainly wanted to think that they “scientifically” (and not in any other way) did not believe in God. At this time, lived the greatest surgeon of Russia, Pirogov. And this is what he thought and wrote:

“Boldly and despite any historical research, every Christian must assert that it was impossible for any mortal to think of, much less reach, the height and purity of moral feeling and life that are contained in the teachings of Christ; one cannot help but feel that they are not of this world. Believing that the fundamental ideal of the teaching of Christ, by its inaccessibility, remains eternal and will forever influence souls seeking peace through an inner connection with the Divine, we cannot doubt for a moment that this teaching is destined to be an unquenchable beacon on the winding path of our progress.

N.I. Pirogov saw the main, real progress of humanity in people approaching the Gospel in their spirit, becoming kind, truthful, pure in heart, selfless and merciful. Of course, the progress of social reforms among nations is necessary, but it is unthinkable without the progress of human relations, without the improvement of each individual human soul. A stone thrown into water causes ripples. A person’s feelings, thoughts and deeds also cause corresponding circles in the world around them: either good or evil. Human goodness generates a response of goodness, improving human relationships and life itself. The evil that lurks in one heart poisons the lives of many... This may be against the laws of materialism, but it corresponds to the truth of the world.

The book of the highest perfection - the Gospel - was Pirogov's favorite book. He believed that the gospel revelation is the true Word of God, and that this Word leads the soul into eternity: Pirogov built his life on gospel foundations. Such a deep religious attitude towards life marks the path of all great scientists, true servants of humanity.

N.I. Pirogov believed that in world history the path of progress is tortuous, there is no straight line in the moral improvement of humanity. By deviating from the truth of Christ, people at times fall into a bestial, even worse than bestial, demonic state. Haven't we witnessed this in our century? Humanity is darkened , when he departs from the image of God's truth, purity and mercy that was given to him V the face of the Son of God, Jesus Christ.

Brilliant learning, love for Christ, the fight for truth, justice in the world, mercy for the suffering and the sick - this is the image of the philanthropic doctor Pirogov. When you read his thoughts about the world and humanity, one ancient prayer comes to mind:

Lord, my God!

Honor me to be an instrument of Your peace,

so that I bring love where there is hate;

so that I forgive where they offend;

so that I unite where there is a quarrel;

so that I tell the truth where there is error;

so that I build faith where doubt crushes;

so that I arouse hope where there is despair;

that I may bring light where there is darkness;

so that I can stir up joy where grief lives.

Lord, my God! Honor,

not that I should be consoled, but that I should be consoled;

not so that they understand me, but so that I understand;

not to be loved, but to be loved.

For whoever gives, receives;

he who forgets himself finds;

whoever forgives will be forgiven,

whoever dies wakes up to eternal life.

Archbishop John (Shakhovskoy)

MARK TWAIN'S VISION

When the writer Mark Twain was visiting his sister, he had a terrible dream that his brother Henry was lying in a metal coffin; on his chest is a bouquet of white flowers with a single red rose in the middle. Twain's first thought in the morning was that his brother was really dead, but he pushed this thought away and only the next morning he told his sister about his dream. At that time, around 1850, Twain and his brother Henry worked as raftmen on the Mississippi between St. Louis and New Orleans. A few weeks after that nightmare, the brothers returned home to St. Louis on different ships. On the Pennsylvania, where Henry was sailing, a boiler exploded and almost all the passengers died. Henry was among them.

Although nearly all of the dead were buried in wooden coffins, for Henry, the people of St. Louis settled for a metal coffin. At the funeral, Twain, standing next to the deceased, saw that the whole scene coincided in the smallest detail with what he saw in the dream, only there were no flowers. But then a woman approached the coffin and placed a bouquet of white flowers with a single red rose in the middle on Henry’s chest.

GOD'S THOUGHT

Talking about the time when he lived in Nizhny Novgorod, the writer Maxim Gorky cited an incident that happened to a good friend of his, Pimen Vlasyev.

“One Saturday we took a bath with him,” Gorky recalled, “and went to the tavern to drink tea. Suddenly Pimen, looking at me with sweet eyes, says:

Wait a minute.

His hand, holding the saucer of tea, trembled, he put the saucer on the table and, listening to something, crossed himself.

What are you doing, Pimen?

And you see, dear friend, this minute God’s thought touched my soul, soon, it means, the Lord will call me to His work...

Come on, you're such a big guy!

Silence! - he said importantly and joyfully. - Don't tell me - I know!

He was killed by a horse on Thursday.”

A. I. HERTZEN (1812-1870)

I read the Gospel a lot and with love, in Slavonic and in Luther’s translation. I read without any guidance, I did not understand everything, but I felt sincere and deep respect for what I was reading. In my early youth I was often carried away by Voltairianism, loved irony and mockery, but I don’t remember ever picking up the Gospel with a cold feeling: this carried me through my whole life; At all ages, under different events, I returned to reading the Gospel, and each time its content brought peace and meekness to my soul.

FAITH OF SCIENTISTS

Popov A.S. (1859-1905) - inventor of radio, creator of the world's first radio receiver. It is interesting that he graduated from a theological school and seminary and professed the Orthodox faith. The great chemist D.I. Mendeleev (1834-1907), who developed the periodic system of elements in the 19th century, was also a deeply religious Christian. Academician I.P. Pavlov (1849-1936), physiologist, Nobel Prize laureate, was also Orthodox. It is known that he was a parishioner of the Znamenskaya Church in Leningrad. He received his education at a time when psychologists were talking about only “mental processes,” denying that a person has a soul. But Pavlov managed to break away from “psychology without metaphysics”; This is what he said about the immortal human soul: “I study higher nervous activity and know that all human feelings... are connected, each of them, with a special cell of the human brain and its nerves. And when the body ceases to live, then all these feelings and thoughts of a person, as if torn away from brain cells that have already died, by virtue of the general law that nothing - neither energy nor matter - disappears without a trace, and constitute that immortal soul the soul which the Christian faith professes."

Blaise Pascal (1623-1662), French religious philosopher and mathematician.

Earthly science must be understood in order to love it, and Divine science must be loved in order to understand it.

"WILL DIE IN RED BOOTS"

When Alexander II was born in Moscow in 1818, Empress Alexandra Feodorovna ordered that the holy fool Theodore, then famous in Moscow, be asked about what was expected of the newborn. Theodore answered: “He will be mighty, glorious and strong, he will be one of the greatest sovereigns in the world, but still,” he said with horror, “he will die in red boots.” It was difficult to foresee that this referred to the bloody and crushed feet of the martyr king.

FROM PUSHKIN’S LETTER TO CHAADAEV

As for our historical insignificance, I absolutely cannot agree with you. The wars of Oleg and Svyatoslav and even the feuds of appanages - isn’t this the life full of seething fermentation and passionate and aimless activity that characterizes the youth of all peoples? The Tatar invasion is a sad and great spectacle. The awakening of Russia, the development of its power, its movement towards unity (toward Russian unity, of course), both Ivans, the majestic drama that began in Uglich and ended in the Ipatiev Monastery - is all this really not history, but just a pale and half-forgotten dream? And Peter the Great, who alone is the whole world history! And Catherine II, who placed Russia on the threshold of Europe? And Alexander, who brought you to Paris? And (hand on heart) don’t you find something significant in the current situation in Russia, something that will amaze the future historian? Do you think that he will put us outside of Europe? Although I personally am heartily attached to the Emperor, I am far from admiring everything that I see around me; As a writer - I am irritated, as a person with prejudices - I am offended - but I swear on my honor that for nothing in the world I would not want to change my fatherland or have a history other than the history of our ancestors, the way God gave it to us.

ANTOINE BECCEREL (1852-1908), French physicist, harbinger of the discovery of radioactivity.

“It was my work that led me to God, to faith”

THE FATE OF THE DECEMBER

The Optina elder Barsanuphius talks about a mother to whom the future of her son, one of the Decembrists, Kondraty Ryleev, was revealed.

This is the story.

« When the son was three years old, he fell dangerously ill and was near death; the doctors said that he would not live to see the morning. I myself guessed about this, seeing how the child was thrashing and suffocating, and burst into tears. I thought: “Is there really no salvation? No, it is! The Lord is merciful, with the prayers of the Mother of God He will heal my boy, and he will be healthy again... What if not? Then, O God, support me, the unfortunate one!” And I fell in despair before the faces of the Savior and the Mother of God and prayed fervently, fervently, with tears.

Finally, leaning my elbows near the baby’s crib, I fell into a light sleep. And suddenly I clearly heard someone unfamiliar, but pleasant, sweet-sounding voice telling me: “Come to your senses, don’t ask the Lord for the child’s recovery... He, the Omniscient, knows why he wants you and your son to avoid future suffering. What if his death is now needed? Out of goodness, out of My mercy, I will show you - will you really pray for his recovery then?” - “Yes, I will!” - “Shall I show you his future?” - “Yes, yes, I agree to everything.” - “Well, then follow Me.” And I, obeying a wonderful voice, went without knowing where. A long row of rooms appeared in front of me. The first, in the entire situation, was the one where the dying child now lay. But he was no longer dying. The death rattle was not heard, he slept quietly, sweetly, with a slight blush on his cheeks, smiling in his sleep. I wanted to go to the crib, but the voice was already calling me to another room. There was a strong, playful boy there, he was already starting to study, there were books and notebooks all around on the table. Then I saw him as a young man, then as an adult, in the service. But here is the penultimate room. There were a lot of strangers sitting in it, they were talking animatedly, arguing about something, making noise. My son excitedly proved something to them, convinced them... The next room, the last, was closed with a curtain. I wanted to head there, but I heard the voice again, now it sounded menacing and harsh: “Come to your senses, you crazy one! When you see what is hidden behind this curtain, it will be too late! It’s better to submit, don’t beg for the life of a child, now such an angel who knows no evil...” But I shouted: “No, no, I want him to live!” - gasping, she hurried behind the curtain. Then he slowly stood up, and I saw... the gallows! I screamed loudly and woke up. I leaned over to the child, and what was my surprise when I saw that he was sleeping calmly, sweetly, smiling, with a light blush on his cheeks. Soon he woke up and stretched out his little arms to me, calling: “Mom!” I stood motionless, as if enchanted. Everything was as if in a dream in the first room... Both the doctors and the acquaintances were all amazed at the miracle that had occurred.

Time passed, my dream was fulfilled with literal accuracy in all, even small details: his youth, and, finally, those secret gatherings... When my son introduced me to his new friend, I immediately recognized the man I saw in the penultimate room. And then... I can’t continue. You will understand: this death... the gallows... oh God! I swear to you that this is not nonsense, not my sick imagination, but the truth!”

“We have at our disposal a historical document that has not yet been published anywhere - the suicide letter of the Russian Decembrist poet Kondraty Ryleev, written by him on the day of his execution on July 13 (old style) 1826. The letter was given to his wife, by that time probably already a widow, through the priest. Then, we do not know when exactly, this letter from Ryleev came to a family related to him, and until recently was with elderly members of this family living outside the Soviet Union. We received the original, written by Ryleev, through one of our listeners. The deeply religious content of this letter characterizes the man who played a leading role in the Decembrist uprising. We send the text."

“God and the Sovereign decided my fate. I must die, and die a shameful death. Let His holy will be done. My dear friend, surrender to the will of the Almighty, and He will console you. Pray to God for my soul. He will hear your prayers. Do not grumble against Him or the Sovereign. It would be both reckless and sinful. We cannot comprehend the inscrutable fate of the Incomprehensible. I never once complained during the entire time of my imprisonment, and for this the Holy Spirit wonderfully comforts me.

Marvel, my friend, when I am occupied only with you and our little one, I find myself in such a comforting calm that I cannot express to you.

Oh, dear friend, how saving it is to be a Christian! I thank my Creator that He sanctified me and I die in Christ. This wonderful calmness is a guarantee that the Creator will not abandon you or our little one. For God's sake, don't give in to despair. Seek solace in religion. I asked our priest to visit you. Listen to his advice and instruct him to pray for my soul. Give him one of the golden snuff boxes as a token of my gratitude, or, better said, as a keepsake, because only God can thank him for the benefit that he showed me with his conversations.

Don’t stay here long, but try to finish your work as soon as possible and go to the venerable mother. Ask her to forgive me, and ask all your relatives for the same. Bow to Katerina Ivanovna and her children and tell them not to grumble at me for M.P., it was not I who involved him in the common misfortune. He himself will testify to this. I would like to ask to see you, but I decided that I might upset you. I pray to God for you and Nastenka, for your poor sister, and I will pray all night.

At dawn, a priest, my friend and benefactor, will be with me and give me communion again. I mentally bless Nastenka with the Image of the Savior Not Made by Hands and entrust all of you to the holy protection of the Living God. I ask you to take most of all care of her upbringing. I would like her to be brought up with you. Try to pour your Christian feelings into her, and she will be happy, despite any vicissitudes in life, and when she has a husband, she will make him happy, just as you, my dear, kind and invaluable friend, made me happy for eight years.

May I, my friend, thank you with words. They cannot express my feelings. God will reward you for everything.

To the most venerable Praskovya Vasilyevna, my heartfelt, sincere dying gratitude.

Goodbye. They tell you to get dressed. Let His holy will be done. Your sincere friend K. Ryleev.”

Yes, the ways of the Lord are mysterious! The Lord wants everyone to be saved and to come to the understanding of truth; He does not want the death of a sinner and accepts everyone who turns to Him with repentance, as He accepted the thief who repented on the cross at the last hour.

When God is with us, there is no fear in dying, for then the Holy Spirit wonderfully comforts us, as the author of this letter says. Eternal memory to him.

V. G . BELINSKY(1811-1848), Russian literary critic.

There is a book in which everything is said, everything is decided, after which there is no doubt about anything, an immortal, holy book, a book of eternal truth, eternal life - the Gospel. All progress of mankind, all successes in the sciences, in philosophy lie only in greater penetration into the mysterious depth of this Divine Book...Book

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I dedicate it to my father, a great lover of historical literature, and my grandmother, a history teacher, to whom I owe my entire interest in the topic of this book.