38 Teologie [i Via]\

THE HOMILETIC SERVICE

OF THE METROPOLITAN JOSEPH NANIESCU

Rev. Lect. Ph.D. Nicușor BELDIMAN,

Faculty for Orthodox Theology „Justinian Patriarhul” in Bucharest

Abstract

This study describes and examines the homiletic activity of the Metropolitan
Joseph Naniescu who occupies a leading position among the great bishops of the Roma-
nian Orthodox Church and of the Romanian nation, a worthy servant of Jesus, a grand
founder of holy establishments and churches, a scholar, a promoter of culture and arts,
and father to all those in grief and need. Due to his vigilance and efforts, he managed
to restore the prestige of the Metropolitan Church of Moldova and Suceava, acquired
during the times of his admirable predecessor, the metropolitan bishop Veniamin Cos-
tachi, whilst the Romanian Church in its entirety found great support in him, a stead-
fast brick laid at its foundation, being often represented by him before the state
authorities of those times, defending the Church’s rights and asserting its role in creating
a unification of faith, language and nation, as such was played throughout the centuries.
At the same time, he was a skilful speaker, with his soft, pleasant voice, controlled with
sagacity and great artistic sense. He had a rich imagination and extensive knowledge of
the Holy Scripture and of the Holy Fathers A scholar with widespread concerns, Joseph
Naniescu dedicated most of his activity to the preaching mission, standing out as a
remarkable figure of the word delivered from the rostrum of the ancestral church.
Keywords: sermon, preacher, Joseph Naniescu, missionary, History of Roma-
nian Orthodox Church.

Introduction

Among the remarkable figures of the 19th century, a leading

position is occupied by the great metropolitan bishop of Moldavia,
Joseph Naniescu, a man of honour, piety, adorned with the vir-
tues that fit the valour of a bishop. Due to his exceptional qualities
as well as the numberless activities carried out with passion and
devotion toward the priority ideals of the Romanian nation, in its
process of ongoing affirmation, the metropolitan bishop Joseph
remained in the history of the Romanian Orthodox Church as an
 Mo[tenirea spiritual\ [i cultural\ a Bisericii 39

icon hallowed by piety and gratitude, like a tree who has sprung
near the water springs, destined by God to be of the righteous
nation, a fervent patriot who knew how to generate in the souls
of his disciples unswerving feelings for their country and people
and a dour critique of the unfair rulers, a humble clergyman de-
dicated to prayer, a merciful missionary and a protective father.

1. Biography of Joseph Naniescu

Born on July 15th, 1818 he was the son of priest Anania Miha-
lache and of Teodosia, from the village of Răzălăi-Bălţi. After a
couple of years, his father died and his mother was left widow
with two children to raise John and Jeremiah. Following some
inner urges, divine calling and the advice of her uncle, the hiero-
deacon Joseph, she becomes a nun under the name of Fevronia,
and raises her second son, Jeremiah, in the spirit of God, sending
him to attend the schools of those times so that he may marry and
become a priest1. In turn, John is raised and educated by a rela-
tive of the family, Theophylact, hierodeacon from the Frumoasa
Monastery. In 1831 he is brought to the Saint Spiridon Monas-
tery in Iaşi, to study. Here he learns to write, read, and he learns the
pattern and music of the psalms. In 1834, the hierodeacon Teo-
phylact is appointed Father Superior of the Monastery of Saint
Samuil the Prophet of Focşani, being accompanied here by his
nephew. On November 23rd, 1835, is made a monk under the
name of Joseph by the bishop Chesarie of Buzău, who addressed
to him the following words: “I gave you the name Joseph, the
name of my abbot, so that you may be a worthy man, and be like
him some day!”2. The next day, Sunday, November 24th, he was
ordained deacon, due to his intellectual training and special
voice. As an apprentice of bishop Chesarie, in 1836, the hiero-
deacon Joseph enters the School of Theology in Buzău, established
1
Deac. P. I. David, Mitropolitul Iosif Naniescu, milostivul, lesne-iertătorul şi cti-
torul-ierarh (Iosif Naniescu, Metropolitan Bishop, the Merciful, the Readily-Forgiving
and the Founder), in ,,Mitropolia Moldovei și Sucevei”, LXVI (1990), nr. 1-3, p. 143.
2
Protos. Vasile Vasilache, Iosif Naniescu, strălucit mitropolit al Moldovei (Iosif
Naniescu, Brilliant Metropolitan Bishop of Moldavia), Neamt Monastery, 1940, p. 144.
40 Teologie [i Via]\

at that time, and graduates it in 1840. His uncle and protector dies,
and Joseph graduates the School of Theology with outstanding
academic results, and registers with the ,,Sfântul Sava” College in
Bucharest. Here, he completes his general education, also becoming
acquainted with the exact sciences. At the same time, he mastered
French and took serious interest in classical languages.
In 1849 he is appointed Father Superior at the Monastery of
Şerbăneştii Morunglavului-Râmnicu Vâlcea. Here, he rebuilds the
monastery and establishes a monastic life worthy of being fol-
lowed; as a result, he caught the benevolent attention of bishop
Atanasie Stoenescu of Râmnic. However, as the monastery was
under the protection of the „Eforia şcoalelor” of Bucharest, Joseph
is summoned by bishop Nifon and ordained priest by the prelate
Timotei Troadoş, on August 29th 1850. In November 1852 he is
promoted to the rank of protosinghel by the Saint Calinic of Cer-
nica himself. In 1857 he is appointed Father Superior at the Găiseni
Monastery (nowadays the Strâmbu Convent in Giurgiu district).
Once again he becomes well-known due to his exemplary life,
his flawless mass and his thrifty spirit, the metropolitan Nifon
awarding him the rank of archimandrite and appointing him
Father Superior of the Sarindar Monastery of Bucharest in 1863.
As result of the transformations that took place in the romanian
provinces, particularly of the secularization of the monastery
estates and dissolution of the Father Superior position, archiman-
drite Joseph Naniescu was appointed Religion Teacher in 1864,
first at the ,,Gheorghe Lazăr” Secondary School in Bucharest,
where he remained two years, and then, in 1866, at the beginning
of the school year he transferred to the ,,Matei Basarab” High
School where he worked until he was elected bishop of Arges3.
On April 23rd, 1872, the archimandrite Joseph is ordained pre-
late. In January 1873, he is appointed bishop of Argeş, and on
June 10th, 1875 he was elected metropolitan bishop of Moldavia
and Suceava, being instituted on July 6th. After the solemn cere-
mony and after being handed the crutch, Joseph praised God for
3
Rev. PhD. Cand. Ioan Vicovan, Un mitropolit de seamă al Moldovei – Iosif
Naniescu, in ,,Mitropolia Moldovei și Sucevei”, I (new series) LXVII (1991), nr.
4-8, p. 60.
 Mo[tenirea spiritual\ [i cultural\ a Bisericii 41

everything, thanking the Mother of God and the Allpious Para-

scheva for advocating and placing such hope in his humble per-
son. On the day that followed the festivities he began the work of
the merciful Samaritan, examining the clergy, the monasteries and
the parish churches. Almost everything was a ruin. The vaulted
ceiling of the Metropolitan Cathedral had collapsed several times.
The image of Manole the Craftman from Argeş, where he had
come from, persisted, but the relentless hierarch was filled with
hope, a strong faith and complete love. For 27 years, the venerable
metropolitan bishop rules the Metropolitan Church of Moldavia
with unseen gentleness and wisdom. This is where his richest
spiritual, theological, pastoral and social activity in his entire life
was carried out, standing as a living example, so hard to imitate.
On January 26th, 1902 the metropolitan bishop Joseph Naniescu,
”the holy and full of mercy” leaves behind his spiritual sons and
moves to the heavenly home to stand before the Great Hierarch
Jesus Christ. His tomb can be found on the southern part of the
metropolitan church.
The Metropolitan Bishop Joseph is the first hierarch who,
holding the Holy Cross in one hand and sprinkling the holy water,
declared Romania’s independence4. He is also the one who in-
scribes the martyrs and heroes of the Independence in the nation’s
diptychs, ordering that funeral monuments be raised in honour of
those who sacrificed their lives for faith in Christ, against pagans
and who shed their blood for their ancestral land5. The name of this
great hierarch is connected with the completion of the building
of the Metropolitan Cathedral in Iasi, initiated by the metropoli-
tan bishop Veniamin Costachi. The repair and construction works
lasted almost ten years, and in this endeavour he was helped by
a former colleague from the Saint Sava School, Vasile Boerescu,
who, in the meantime, had become minister of Cults. The skil-
fulness of the great hierarch, his dignified appearance, the com-
petence of the architects of those times led to the completion of the
construction that had started in 1833. The furniture, the liturgical
recipients, the sanctified objects, all was carefully gathered. The
4
Protos. Vasile Vasilache, op. cit., p. 74.
5
Deac. P. I. David, op. cit., p. 150.
42 Teologie [i Via]\

painting was executed by his friend, Gheorghe Tătărăscu. The con-

secration took place on April 23rd, 1887, in the presence of King
Carol I, Queen Mary, 12 prelates, a large number of priests, dea-
cons and Christians6.
The second great foundation of his predecessor – preserved by
Joseph – that he saved, was the „Veniamin Costachi” School of
Theology in Socola. As it did not have a building of its own, it
rented rooms in traders' houses. Seeing this, the Metropolitan
Bishop Joseph bought the palace that had belonged to the for-
mer ruler Mihail Sturza in Iaşi, had it repaired and moved the
theology school there. This was followed by the restoration of the
following churches „Sfinţii Trei Ierarhi”, „Sfântul Nicolae Dom-
nesc” in Iaşi, the Houses and Chancellery of the Metropolitan
Church and other parish churches, convents and monasteries.

2. His homiletic activity

The Metropolitan Bishop Joseph was also a man of light. Day

and night he would study books, sermons and manuscripts, prac-
tice psalm and linear technique. He was thus artfully preparing
what would later become the treasure of the Cultural Heritage,
organizing libraries and endowing them with church books and
works of the soul sprung from the wisdom of the world, making
them available who those who wished to receive light and avoid
the secularization. In defence of the right faith he established
,,Revista Teologică” („The Theological Magazine”) from his own
fund. He remarked himself with translations and printings, by
deciphering certain manuscripts and by prosody to musical works.
Notable is the fact that he donated his own library, consisting of
over 10,000 books and 300 old Romanian printings to the Roma-
nian Academy.
At the same time, he was a talented speaker, gifted with a smooth,
pleasant voice, which he controlled with intelligence and artistic
sense. His was a rich imagination, and he had thorough know-
ledge of the Holy Scripture and of the Holy Parents. A scholar
with wide interests, Joseph Naniescu dedicated a great part of
6
Rev. Ioan Vicovan, op. cit., p. 63.
 Mo[tenirea spiritual\ [i cultural\ a Bisericii 43

his activity to the preaching mission, standing out as a remar-

kable figure of the word uttered from the rostrum of the ances-
tral church. Thus, driven by the advanced ideas of those times, he
used the sermon as means for the religious, moral and social edu-
cation of the Christians, being a missionary before the occurrence
of the missionary issues and fighting against many injustices that
affected his pastorate.
At the impressive masses held in the grand cathedral, which
shined in all its glory, the prelate of Moldavia showed particular
attention to the rostrum he had erected, ensuring that it was lit
with the zeal of famous preachers. As much as time would allow
it, he would often preach himself, but in order for the live spring
of holy knowledge to continuously flow in the souls thriving for
the holy truth, he always made sure that the preaching position in
the cathedral was taken by worthy priests. Thus, at the beginning,
there were the archimandrite Isaia Teodorescu, professor and
principal of the ,,Veniamin Costachi” School of Theology, prelate
Varlaam Răileanu, and later the young hiero-deacon Nicodim
Munteanu, a most dearest spiritual son, the future patriarch of
Romania (1939-1948). To make sure that the sermon was thor-
oughly prepared, he would have the preacher present the sermon
in writing to him on Saturday evening. This shows us what great
value he placed on the sermon. Its thorough preparation and the
fact that the hierarch himself was subjected to verification are
two testimonies of the manner in which the rostrum of the Metro-
politan Cathedral came to its brilliance during the time of Joseph
Naniescu. Undoubtedly, the metropolitan bishop was aware of the
following imperatives regarding the preacher and the sermon:
– The priest must know whom he is preaching to, that is,
what spiritual training and what vocation each individual has,
because the sermon is an admirable means of persuasion and spi-
ritual guidance of man;
– Some are interested in the form of our sermon, others are
drawn by our awareness, attitude and gestures, many come bearing
in mind the preconception that nothing interesting is to be found
in a sermon, and it is these that we see leaving, one by one, when
the priest climbs into the rostrums – very few open their con-
science to be evangelically seeded, and even fewer find in the
44 Teologie [i Via]\

sermon an occasion for spiritual search and for checking their

religious sincerity;
– No sermon can be convincing if the preacher does not
undergo a ,,spiritual transposition”, if he does not put himself in
spiritual contact with his listeners, observing them and even cap-
turing their moods, so that, like a doctor who gives the right
medicine for the diagnostics, he too, in his sermon, can appease
all consciences. That is why, first and foremost, the preacher must be
an experienced psychologist, so that he may know whom to
preach the Gospel to and that he may preach it fully and with be-
nefit for all; any lack of inspiration that so many preachers com-
plain about is just the natural consequence of the ,,factory-made”
sermon, of the sermon laboriously prepared from sermon books
and lacking any personal religious experience; he who is talented,
who practices and who shows intensity can master his sermon by
reflecting on it. Words will come easy, inspired and alive. How-
ever, quite often, due to unexpected indispositions, unforeseen
nervousness, he is at loss for words, for the proper expression, he
repeats himself, risks pleonasms and at times, con-ventionality;
– A sermon, in itself, is neither long nor short – but it can
always be bearable or unbearable – namely, interesting and there-
fore passionate, or bland and dull and therefore impossible to
follow with sympathy and thrill by the audience7;
– The sermon’s role is to update the assertion “Today he was
crucified on wood!”. The priest should place his Eucharistic expe-
rience before everything else. The sermon is the permanent act
of the embodiment of the Logos, thus representing a soteriologi-
cal act; a second imperative consists in stressing the importance of
preaching the fundamental truths, which have always been chal-
lenged or contested during history; the third imperative is based
on the idea that the priest has the duty to preach from the depth
of his own inner life or from the reality of the present day and
the working of God’s word8.
7
Rev. Prof. PhD. Grigore Cristescu, Predică şi cateheză, Sibiu, 1929, pp. 66, 92.
8
Idem, Predică şi predicator în vremea noastră, in ,,Studii Teologice”, XII (1950),
nr. 3-4, p. 149.
 Mo[tenirea spiritual\ [i cultural\ a Bisericii 45

In addition to the sermons delivered in the Metropolitan

Cathedral and in the churches where he served, the metropoli-
tan bishop was invited to deliver solemn speeches at festivities,
whenever grand events in the life of the church and the nation
were being celebrated, in the presence of the intellectual class of
the high rank aristocracy, where the front seats were occupied by
the country’s ruler and by the metropolitan bishop of the country.
Over time, the life and activity of Joseph Naniescu consti-
tuted the subject of many studies and research which highlighted
various aspects. For this reason, further on, we shall attempt to
briefly present the homiletic preoccupations of the great metro-
politan bishop, by selectively examining some of the speeches
delivered on such occasions. As an overview of all the sermons
of the prelate Joseph Naniescu would require an extensive edito-
rial space, we shall take into analysis, as an example, only two
pareneses:
a. Funeral speech for the late blessed Chesarie, Bishop of Buzău,
who died on 30 November, in the year 1846 and mentioned at the time
of the 40th day evocation, by the Hierodeacon Joseph Naniescu, speech
which was printed at the time through the efforts and at the expense of
the Bishopric of Buzău, in the printing shop of pitar. Zaharia Carcalechi
in Bucharest, at the beginning of the year 18479
The outline of this necrology is classical: a biblical text, intro-
duction, approach and closing. What we notice is that there are
no forms of greeting. The sermon has the following structure:
The biblical lexicon (the motto): „Remember your great men
who gave you God’s word and, watching their life become ful-
filled, to follow their faith” (the Jews 13,7). As the rules of using
the text provide, the metropolitan bishop Joseph announces the
subject matter proposed to be dealt with from the very start.
The Introduction starts from the idea that God is the Master
of Heaven and Earth and expresses the truth that life and death
are in his hands. By invoking the words of psalmist David: „From
the very beginning, You, Oh, Lord, have founded it and the work
of Your Hands are the skies; these will vanish and change, but You
shall always remain the same, and Your years shall not lessen”
9
Tipografia Cărţilor Bisericeşti, Bucureşti, 1892.
46 Teologie [i Via]\

(Psalm 101, 25), the author makes the following remark: „Therefore,
all in this world are because they should be; they come to light
for a while, just to vanish and change; this is the fate of all crea-
tures in the world, and it is man’s as well, man, this earthly god:
to be born, to live and to die, this is his motto. Yes, my brothers, we
are born only to die and pass through the world like travellers
who come, go and disappear”10.
The Approach comprises words of praise addressed to his spi-
ritual father, bishop Chesarie of Buzău, who is a model worth
following through “his humble, restrained and holy existence, his
fervent zeal, both in matters of the church and enhancement of
good moral, as well as for the advancement and happiness of his
nation; and, above all, his entire perseverance which he delibera-
tely would put in everything in order to stimulate morality by
word and make an example by action”11.
After evoking the figures of bishops Damaschin of Râmnic,
Chesarie of Râmnic, Filaret and Joseph of Argeş, the author out-
lines a brief biography of bishop Chesarie, where he also presents
his accomplishments of great value, and then, like a refined psy-
chologist, he presents to us the following characterization: “The
humbleness of his conduct and the truly monastic frugality of
his existence, the rigor of the gospel morale perseveringly pre-
served in word and action; the rite and panophy of the heavenly
mass in all its grandeur; the deliberate caring for the proper order
of churches and behaviour of priests for the fulfilment of their
debts. All these were those things of significance for which his
Holiness sacrifices, with content and enthusiasm, most of his years
in the Pastoral Throne... His desire, for a better condition of the
10
Mitrop. Iosif Naniescu, Cuvânt funebru pentru răposatul întru fericire Chesarie,
Episcopul Buzăului, răposat la 30 Noiembrie, anul 1846 şi pus la pomenirea de 40 de
zile, de Ierodiaconul Iosif Naniescu, care cuvânt s-a tipărit atunci cu cheltuiala casei
Episcopiei Buzăului, în tipografia pitar. Zaharia Carcalechi în Bucureşti, la începutul
anului 1847 (Funeral speech for the blessed deceased Chesarie, Bishop of Buzau, who
died on November 30th, 1846 and mentioned on the occasion of the 40 day comme-
moration by the Hiero-deacon Joseph Naniescu who printed the speech at the expense
of the Bishopry of Buzau, in the printing press pitar Zaharia Carcalechi in Bucharest,
in early 1847), Tipografia Cărţilor Bisericeşti, Bucureşti, 1892, p. 4.
11
Ibidem, p. 6.
 Mo[tenirea spiritual\ [i cultural\ a Bisericii 47

Romanian Church and of its clergy, the fervent zeal to reach the
fulfilment of his ideal as soon as possible, tormented him day
and night, and if a power beyond that of human would have
been at his disposal, then we would have seen the birth of those
things that only hearts with the most truthful feelings barely dare
to wish for humankind, for their country and nation. But man’s
powers are limited and circumstances different, he can only work,
want and pray within these boundaries. This is what he, blessed
man, did: whatever was in his power he worked, what not he
desired, what he desired he prayed for”12.
The Conclusion consists of two moments: a brief synthesis of
those previously elaborated and the following advise addressed to
those present: “Everyone who is a true Romanian, of good soul
and mind, shall shed a tear today over the grave of he who valued
above all what was Romanian, virtuous, hones and true. Shed, I
say, a tear for he whose actions show him in his true feelings,
and calls, repeating his words: unselfishness, sacrifice, faith, justice,
correction...May all the malevolence, envy and rottenness of this
world know that we are mourning a pious prelate, a virtuous
patriot, a man unique in his kind”13.
b. Speech delivered by the His Holiness Archbishop and Metropoli-
tan Bishop of Moldavia and Suceava and exarch of the Lands, D. D.
Joseph Naniescu on the occasion of the consecration of the great church,
the Metropolitan Cathedral of Iaşi14
This sermon, with rich theological contents, was delivered in
the presence of King Carol I, of Queen Mary, of 12 prelates, a
large number of priests, deacons and Christians on April 23rd,
1887. The plan of the sermon is the following: gospel text, intro-
duction, approach and conclusion.
The biblical text (the motto): “Oh, Lord, I have love the good
decorum of Your house and the locale of the establishment for
Your worship” (Psalm 25, 8); “After that, I walked the path to the
western gate, before the temple and I contemplated and behold,
the Lord’s glory filled the temple of the Lord and I fell to the
12
Ibidem, p. 14.
13
Ibidem, p. 16.
14
Tipografia Naţională, Iaşi, 1887.
48 Teologie [i Via]\

earth with may face down” (Iezechiel 44, 4). These two texts clearly
show the subject matter approached by the preacher during the
sermon.
The Introduction includes the evoking of the figure of the first
founder of the cathedral, the metropolitan bishop Veniamin
Costachi, who, by printing many books at his own expense, by de-
corating all monasteries, from the greatest to the most smallest
convents “lost in villages spread on the hills and fields of our
country”, during the entire time of his pastoring, acted as a leader
of public teaching15. He then evidences the importance the Church
had to the spirituality and unity of the Romanian nation, as well
as the all-presence and care of God: “When prophets Ezekiel and
Isaiah, referring to the Church, say the House of the Lord, it is
from these words of the prophets that we come to learn the greatest
and undescribed glory of the Lord’s power and grandeur... We
must understand, therefore, that this name is but a dispensation
for the mortal and limited nature of man and we must perceive its
figurative sense, just as we understand when, together with the
psalmist we say: «The Heavens speak about the glory of God
and the skies announce the working of His Hands». Which is,
therefore, the House of our Lord almighty and endless? For, if
we imagine that God lives in a house with boundaries, made by
man, we shall sin. But the great prophet Isaiah allows us no mis-
take in this sense. He says, as if speaking for God: What house
shall you build Me, says the Lord? Which is My haven? Is not
the sky My throne and the land beneath My Feet? (Isaiah 66, 1) and
the prophet adds: For the Almighty lives not in houses made by
human hand, for He is without boundary in His Being”16.
The Approach comprises a description of the Church’s role in
the life of the Romanian nation, its purpose being to “unite all
righteous believers in one thought, in one faith, in one feeling
15
Mitrop. Iosif Naniescu, Cuvântul făcut de Înalt Prea Sfinţitul Arihiepiscop Mi-
tropolitul Moldovei şi Sucevei şi exarh al Plaiurilor, D. D. Iosif Naniescu cu ocaziunea
sfinţirii bisericii celei mari Catedrala Mitropoliei din Iaşi (Speech prepared by His
Holiness Metropolitan Archbishop of Moldavia and Suceava and exarch of the Lands,
D.D. Joseph Naniescu on the occasion of the consecration of the great church, the Me-
tropolitan Cathedral in Iasi), Tipografia Naţională, Iaşi, 1887, p. 6.
16
Ibidem, p. 8.
 Mo[tenirea spiritual\ [i cultural\ a Bisericii 49

and even in the same aspiration, through love and dedication for
the common good”17. After a brief depiction of the efforts made to
raise and decorate the stately cathedral, the metropolitan bishop
Joseph further shows that the Church, in addition to the purpose
of guiding Christians towards redemption, bringing them closer
to God, also had a social and charitable role, namely to help those
in suffering and sorrow, because “our immortal rulers of old have
attired the homeland with these religious monuments, churches
and monasteries, endowing them with sufficient estate to maintain
and preserve them for the generations to come, for the existence
of those living in them, servants of the Church, and for the shel-
tering of the poor, of the disabled and of the widows who came
running to these refuges of redemption, fleeing the storms and
needs of worldly life”18.
However, the Church, points out the author, also worked
towards attaining an educational, moral and cultural goal, consti-
tuting the “foundation of society, the foundation of the existence
of this nation. The Church was the school of the people, a school
of morale and enlightenment, a school of order and discipline, a
school of love and brotherhood; because our Church is a national
Church, and because our clergy is a national clergy, elected and
sprung from the bosom of the Romanian nation; for all these rea-
sons, it can only feel and think in the Romanian spirit”19.
The scholarly Metropolitan Bishop does not forget to show
the truth that the ancestral Church is the one that preserved the
national being, it was “in all past times the ship that, like Noah’s ark,
from the time of the universal flood, represented the salvation of
the Romanian people, opposing relentless strength against the
rage of the invading waves of intruding tribes from past centuries,
and preserving, up to this day, our language, our history, our na-
tionality, through the unity of religious faith”20.
The Conclusion comprises practical advice of particular con-
temporary nature: “Let us maintain faith in God together with our
ancestral traditions and customs, because our forefathers lived
17
Ibidem, p. 10.
18
Ibidem, p. 11.
19
Ibidem, p. 22.
20
Ibidem, p. 29.
50 Teologie [i Via]\

in their spirit, fought the all the hardships transgressing the cen-
turies up to present day and preserving for us our country, our
church and our national identity, which cannot be separated. And
the God of your parents shall always be with us, as He was with
them, for it is only in this way that we shall keep our heritage, the
most sacred depository they entrusted to us, and the reason they
asserted that the jewellery and happiness of a nation is the pro-
tection of its ancestral laws”21.
Upon reading the texts of these sermons, we can observe that
the metropolitan bishop Joseph Naniescu carried out an outstanding
activity in the homiletic field as well, being driven by his great
passion and awareness of the duty to transform the rostrum of the
Church into a genuine dais in the service of his pastorates, through
which he conveyed to them religious, moral, cultural and patriotic
knowledge.
We notice that the language of the sermons is simple, carefully
selected, with a rich biblical fund, adapted to the listeners and the
circumstances where he delivered them. It is necessary to high-
light the richness of the vocabulary and of the literary means used
by the author in his preaching. The nuanced and varied vocabulary,
the close connection and the high esteem of the author for the live,
colourful tongue of the nation. In his speeches the admirable
hierarch uses various rhetorical figures. Among these we men-
tion: the epithet: “such fatal destiny”, “our deep sorrow”, “proper
mourning”, “a language rich in speech”, “higher calling”, “sublime
hours”, “the undusked light”; the metaphor: “it is the model of
pastors and the pride of the Prelates”, “a new battlefield now
opens to the good fighter”, “he rests in the bosom of eternity”, “res-
pectful and holy shadows”, “through your deeds you have sacri-
ficed yourself on the altar of the Motherland”; personification: “he
restored the subjugated language”, “awakening the memory of past
time... the Church calls”, “the convents in the mountains today
mourn, the churches, the houses and other things call and shall
continue to call until the end of time”, “the most sincere hearts
hardly dare to wish humankind”; prosopopeea: “Blessed are you,
deified soul, praise be you, happy souls!”; the comparison: “and
21
Ibidem, p. 30.
 Mo[tenirea spiritual\ [i cultural\ a Bisericii 51

the world seems a theatre with different stages”, “they, like morning
stars adorning the heavenly sky, shine in the national temple
through the light of their virtues”, “thus, like a new Zorobabel,
began to rebuild this Jerusalem”; the rhetorical interrogation: “why
do we anguish ourselves so, aggrieve and mourn for those who
die?”, “But about the blessed Gregory the Metropolitan Bishop,
what shall I say?”; antithesis: “like the wave of the river no longer
seen by the sunset, washing on the same shore where it saw the first
light of sun”, “not knowing how to live or die”, “he was splin-
tered by the day and night”; the rhetorical exclamation: “Praised
be you, happy souls!”, “And yet, you, respectful and holy shad-
ows...!”; rhetorical invocation: “Lord of kindness and wisdom!”,
“Oh, blessed man of earth! Oh, pious Prelate! Oh, blessed mor-
tal!... Oh, virtuous soul!”; synecdoche: “almost all convents bene-
fitted from His benefactor and helpful hands”.
The Grammatical Style is characterized by fairness, purity, accu-
racy, propriety, orality, clearness, fineness, artlessness, dignity and
harmony. His realistic sermon based on the Holy Scripture and
the Holy Parents, but deeply rooted in the matters of life, are the
most eloquent example of how a sermon should be. Only by fol-
lowing this path it shall attain its goal: the happiness of the Chris-
tians on earth and the acquiring of redemption in eternal life.
Furthermore, we must remark that this entire oratorical effort
sustained by the metropolitan bishop Joseph Naniescu, from be-
ginning to end, is vibrant with humbleness and simplicity, virtues
that characterized his entire exemplary life.

Conclusions

Deeply impressed by the exemplary activity of the metropo-

litan bishop Joseph, the historian Nicolae Iorga chose to illustrate
his life in words of particular sensitiveness and literary beauty:
“Elected Metropolitan Bishop of Moldavia in 1875, this Basara-
bean, who lived until old age in the poorest sanctums near the
metropolitan church of Veniamin Costachi, built on the basis of
the layouts of Gheorghe Asachi himself and sanctified by a King
of Romania, was, as was the great Veniamin, always merciful and
generous, the honest guardian of the estate left to the Metropolitan
52 Teologie [i Via]\

Church, consisting of buildings, adornments and vestments, a faithful

servant in the church of his Lord and unequalled lover of culture,
like a ring of gold among the bronze of the old church books and the
harsh iron of the new laic culture, descended upon the Church
as well. What resident of Iasi, Moldavia, what Romanian trea-
suring the law of his ancestors did not shed a warm tear when the
body of the 82 year old senior was lowered in 1902, in the monk
style, in the grave outside the church walls where he, a live saint,
had spent over thirty years in worship, among the faces of the
immortal saints? An era in the history of the Romanian church
ended when the long with eyelashes closed on the cheeks grown
hollow from the harsh life, forever sealing the light of the eyes
once full of life”22.
In addition to the variety of the subjects approached in the
speeches delivered by the metropolitan bishop Joseph, we must
observe their well-trimmed form, illustrating the superior theo-
logical and laic culture of the distinguished orator. They also
demonstrate that the author is a master of the art of the rostrum.
Invited to speak before a pretentious audience, the preacher would
prepare his sermon in an orderly manner, and with a great degree
of clairvoyance, as can be noticed from the careful reading of his
speeches. As a preacher extremely well familiarized with the me-
ssage of the gospel and skilled at summarizing and conveying
the teachings of the Holy Scripture, the author masters the con-
tents of the texts of the New and Old Testament which he quotes
in every speech.
Permanently concerned with the proper functioning of the
church life in all its aspects, the metropolitan bishop Joseph Na-
niescu remains an enlightened mind of our Church, a great lover of
culture, teacher of innovation, protective father of those in need
and helpless, a role model with his life lived to the last breath in an
exemplary holiness that rose to the height of the service Christ
had entrusted upon him. For this, he has remained in the memory
of his successors under the name of Holy Joseph, dignified and
22
Nicolae Iorga, Istoria Bisericii Româneşti şi a vieţii religioase a românilor, second
edition, vol. II, Editura Ministerului Cultelor şi Instrucţiunii Publice, Bucureşti,
1932, p. 242.
 Mo[tenirea spiritual\ [i cultural\ a Bisericii 53

pure like the patriarch Joseph, merciful and gentle like Saint Ni-
cholas, poor in terms of material belongings, but rich in the spi-
ritual ones, crowned by virtues and worthy of having his name
placed in the sinaxar of the saints23.

23
Rev. Lect. PhD. Zaharia Matei, 110 ani de la plecarea la cele veşnice a mi-
tropolitului Iosif Naniescu, în ,,Ziarul Lumina, 25 ianuarie 2012, p. 5.