Patriarch Nicodim (Munteanu)

Patriarch Nicodim (Munteanu) (1864-1948)

Nicodim may be spelt Nikodim, Nicodemus.

Nicolae may be spelt Nikolai, Nikolaos, Nicolas, Nicholas.

Early life of Nicolae Munteanu

On 6 December, 1864, Nicolae Munteanu was born in the village of Pipirig, Neamţ County, Moldavia (Western Moldavia) in the Principality of Romania (1862). Moldavia had become united with the principalities of Wallachia and Southern Bessarabia to form this principality.

Nicolae’s parents were stateless people (because of wars and movements of borders) who were nevertheless wealthy. They owned a whole foothill at the foot of Ceahlău Massif in the Bistriţa Mountain Range of the Eastern Carpathians. They also lived to a ripe old age with God’s blessing. In their advancing years, each was tonsured to monastic life : Nicolae's father was tonsured to be a monk with the name Varnava, and his mother was tonsured with the name Veniamina.

Raised in an atmosphere of simple purity near the Neamț Monastery, the young Nicolae Munteanu lived in the spirit of the Orthodox Christian Faith throughout his childhood. He attended the Temple of Saint Nicholas in his home village. He thus grew up in the bosom of the Romanian Orthodox Church.

Saint Nicholas Temple, Pipirig

He received his primary education in Pipirig, and then in Târgu Neamţ. He was gifted, and he learned to write with great ease. In his association with the monks, he was urged to penetrate, with love and patience, the mysteries of the hymns and the Church services. In 1878, at the age of 14, he went to the Protection Hermitage, where his uncle Vasian was abbot ; and then he moved to the Neamţ Monastery.

In 1881, the Kingdom of Romania was established.

Higher education

In 1882, at age 17, Nicolae Munteanu was urged by his uncle, Igumen Vasian, and by Igumen Timotei Neamţ to study theology. He first went to the Socola Monastery southern Iaşi, Moldavia. There, he enrolled in the "Veniamin Costache" Orthodox Seminary.

At that time, the building of the seminary was in a difficult situation, reflected by the small number of students living in the boarding school, but also by the lack of minimum equipment necessary for the educational act faced by both its management and teachers.

In 1885, when Brother Nicolae Munteanu was a student in the third year, the decision was made to move the Seminary into the city of Iaşi itself, and to quarters being rented for this purpose. The Minister of Cults and Public Instruction, Dimitrie A Sturdza, wrote to King Carol I about this state of affairs : “It is absolutely necessary to build a completely new place. However, until this edifice is erected, the seminary must be relocated to a proper place, in which the health of the young seminarians is assured, and in which order and school discipline can be reintroduced. It was not possible to find a house large enough, with a more spacious yard, than in the city".

Finally, after much diligence with the authorities of the time, Metropolitan Iosif (Naniescu) managed to persuade Prince Dimitrie M Sturdza to sell the residence he had received from his father, the former Prince of Moldavia Mihail Sturdza. The palace was located in the immediate vicinity of the Metropolitan Cathedral. The move of the headquarters of the theological seminary to this building occurred only in 1893, 3 years after Brother Nicolae Munteanu had graduated from this school.

Veniamin Costache Seminary, Iaşi

It was while he was studying in this seminary that Brother Nicolae became a disciple of the faithful Metropolitan Iosif (Naniescu), who was later glorified as Saint Iosif the Merciful. Metropolitan Iosif became his benefactor, as was his custom with many students. He cared for serious students, just as he cared for the poor, for non-Christians, for clergy and for laity in need. Sometimes, he borrowed from his friends so that no-one would leave his door unaided. Throughout his life, he provided money, books, or clothing for pupils and students, and he supported students with scholarships for specialisations abroad.

Metropolitan Archbishop (Saint) Iosif (Naniescu) of Iaşi.

Autocephaly of the Church of Romania, 1885

After many previous requests, the autocephaly of the Romanian Orthodox Church was obtained from and decreed by the Church of Constantinople on 25 April, 1885.

This establishment was followed by the requests that the Autocephalous Church of Romania be recognised as and declared to be a patriarchate. There were to be many more requests before this was granted in 1925.

Continuing his studies

In addition to theoretical-academic training, seminary students were encouraged by their illustrious teachers to go to Divine Services, and to preach on Sundays and public holidays. This was a work which the metropolitan had blessed, and which he considered to be "very good and useful from all moral and instructive points of view". The homilies prepared by the seminarians were heard and approved by the director of the seminary and the professors. The chroniclers of the time show how the metropolitan himself spent time often in the midst of the seminarians in order to pray with them, or to enter into dialogues on various theological and spiritual topics.

In one of his homilies addressed to the seminarians in 1890 (the student Nicolae Munteanu was in his final year), Metropolitan Iosif (Naniescu) urged them to deepen their teaching of the Orthodox Christian Faith and to be steadfast servants of the Church :

 Do not pay attention to and do not live according to the so-called philosophical ideas of today, 
 which are nothing but materialistic ideas, speculative and volatile ideas and which another 
 new current is coming to change, transform and move just as the autumn wind carries the leaves that 
 fall from the trees and takes them from place to place by chance.  Be steadfast in the Faith and 
 respect of our holy Religion with the precepts and dogmas which teach us, as we inherited them from 
 our Fathers, from our estates and ancestors, together with our ancestral national customs.  Of these 
 our elders said that the adornment and happiness of a nation comes from the guard of the 
 ancestral laws, as well as from love with fervent zeal to increase the adornment of the 
 nation.  By the word law, he understands religion and also the old civil laws.

While he was a student at the seminary, Brother Nicolae Munteanu was amongst those who witnessed the completion of the construction of the Iaşi cathedral, and he was amongst the many who participated in its sanctification by Metropolitan Iosif on 23 April, 1887 (in the presence of King Carol and Queen Elizabeth).

Studies at the Peter Mohila Theological Academy in Kiev, Russian Empire, 1890

In 1890, Nicolae received the blessing (and a scholarship from Metropolitan Iosif (Naniescu)) to continue his studies at the Peter Mohila Theological Academy in Kiev, in the Russian Empire.

Kiev Theological Academy

In doing so, he followed in the foot-steps of Metropolitan Iosif (Naniescu). While he was in Kiev, one of his colleagues was the future Primate of the Church of Greece, Archbishop Chrysostom (Papadopoulos) of Athens.

In 1895, Nicolae graduated and he received a Licentiate Degree in theology.

Monastic tonsure, 1894

On 2 August, 1894, Nicolae Munteanu was tonsured to be a monk by Igumen Teodorit at the Holy Ascension Neamţ Monastery in the Neamț County. He was given the name Nicodim.

Neamț Monastery

Diaconal ordination, 1894

On 6 August, 1894, Monk Nicodim (Munteanu) was ordained to the Holy Diaconate by Metropolitan Iosif (Naniescu) in the Metropolitan Cathedral of Iași, Moldavia.

Diaconal service

Hierodeacon Nicodim (Munteanu) then returned to Kiev, and to the Kiev Academy.

There, he sang in the choir at all services. He appreciated the reverence, order, and dignity with which the services were offered. He remembered this style of serving when he later became a hierarch. His motivation was his sense that the Church should be the visible image of the unseen Heaven, and that the earthly services should reflect the Heavenly.

In Kiev, he showed fully the qualities of a man of prayer and study, with a special passion for classical languages, and also for the writings of the Holy Fathers.

Immediately after he received a degree in theology for his thesis "Papist Propaganda for Romanians", he was invited by the then leadership of the Theological Academy in Kyiv to remain a professor at this school (he had mastered the Russian language to perfection). However, he chose to return home, next to his spiritual father.

In 1895, Metropolitan Iosif appointed him to serve as preacher of the Metropolitan Cathedral of Iaşi, where he succeeded Bishop Varlaam (Răileanu), former director of the Seminary of Iaşi. Metropolitan Iosif was very anxious that the sermons delivered in the Metropolitan Cathedral be thoroughly prepared. Therefore, every Saturday evening, the ordinary preacher was obliged to present to the hierarch the written text of the homily. Such, then, was the quality of these homilies that the metropolitan blessed the publication of some of them.

In late 1895, Metropolitan Iosif (Naniescu) elevated Hierodeacon Nicodim (Munteanu) to the dignity of archdeacon.

Presbyteral ordination, 1896

On 1 January, 1886, Hierodeacon Nicodim (Munteanu) was ordained to the Holy Priesthood by Metropolitan Iosif (Naniescu) in the Metropolitan Cathedral of Iași.

Cathedral of Saint Parascheva, the Meeting of the Lord, and Saint George, Iași (early 1900s)

Pastoral service

Hieromonk Nicodim (Munteanu) continued to serve under obedience as he was directed, first as the ecclesiarch of the cathedral.

In 1898, Hieromonk Nicodim (Munteanu) was elevated to the dignity of Protosinghel (chancellor).

He was given liturgical, pastoral, and administrative responsibilities, so that he had the opportunity to know in depth the ecclesial realities not only in the capital of Moldavia, but also in rural parishes, in many village communities (some of them very poor), as well as the many Moldavian monasteries.

In 1900, he was elevated to the dignity of archimandrite, and he was also given the blessing to wear the mitre.

Archimandrite Nicodim (Munteanu)

On Saturday, 26 January, 1902, Metropolitan Iosif fell asleep in the Lord after having received the Holy Mysteries from Archimandrite Nicodim. Archimandrite Nicodim had the responsibility for the proper organisation of all the services and details associated with the repose and funeral services of Metropolitan Iosif (who had served for 27 years in that responsibility).

In 1903, he was called to Galaţi (a port town on the Danube River) by Bishop Pimen (Georgescu) of the Lower Danube Diocese. He assigned Hieromonk Nicodim to serve as “Archimandrite of the Chair” (a sort of administrative vicar) next to the Lower Danube Metropolitan Church. In addition, he entrusted Archimandrite Nicodim with the direction of the “Saint Andrew’s” Theological Seminary in Galaţi.

In Galaţi, Hieromonk Nicodim published his first sermons, in the volumes entitled “Liturgical Homilies” and “The Guide of the Christian in the Church”.

Saint Andrew and Saint Nicholas Cathedral, Galaţi

Bishop's Residence at Galaţi

In 1909, Archimandrite was taken to Moldavia with his protector, Bishop Pimen (Georgescu), who had at that time been elected and had become Metropolitan of Iași and Moldavia. He continued to serve there under Metropolitan Pimen.

On 18 February 1912, Archimandrite Nicodim (Munteanu) was chosen and elected by the Holy Synod of the Church of Romania to become a bishop.

Episcopal ordination, 1912

On 3 March, 1912, Archimandrite Nicodim (Munteanu) was ordained to the Holy Episcopate in Huși, Western Moldavia, in the Cathedral of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul (founded by Saint Stephen the Great). He was ordained by bishops of the Holy Synod of Romania.

Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral, Huși

Episcopal service

Bishop Nicodim (Munteanu) was enthroned in the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul on 2 March, 1912, and he served in the Huși Diocese.

Bishop Nicodim was distinguished as a good orator, preacher, and liturgist. In 1917, he was sent to represent the Romanian Orthodox Church at the All-Russian Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church. He was therefore present at the time of the October Revolution of 1917 and the terrifying events that followed. Later, it was said about this situation that his experience in Russia was of benefit for his future in the leadership of the Church of Romania.

Union of Bessarabia with the Kingdom of Romania, 1918

On 9 April, 1918, the Bessarabian Governorate (now freed from the Russian Empire) entered into union with the Kingdom of Romania. With the blessing of Patriarch Tikhon (Belavin) of Moscow, the Church in Bessarabia chose to transfer to the Church of Romania.

On 19 June, 1918, Bishop Nicodim was given the additional responsibility of assisting Archbishop Anastasy (Gribanovsky) of Chișinău and Hotin with the task of re-organising the Church in this Romanian province. At the end of 1919, Bishop Gurie (Grosu) was chosen to become the Metropolitan of Chișinău, and Bishop Nicodim was able to give his full attention to his pastoral work in Huși.

Honourary member of the Romanian Academy

On 15 October, 1918, Bishop Nicodim was elected an honourary member of the Romanian Academy, on the basis of his research and of his contribution to the field of ecclesiastical literature.

Unification of Transylvania with the Kingdom of Romania, 1918

On 1 December, 1918, the union of Transylvania with the Kingdom of Romania was declared by the assembly of the delegates of ethnic Romanians held in Alba Iulia (a city historically important for Romanians, Hungarians, and Transylvanian Saxons). This day came to mark also the union within the Kingdom of Romania of Bessarabia, Bukovina and parts of Banat, Crișana and Maramureș. These details give a sense of the complex composition of the kingdom (later, a republic).

In 1920, Bishop Nicodim (Munteanu) was given the degree “Doctor Honoris Causa” by the University of Cernăuți (Chernivtsi).

Abbot of Neamț Monastery, 1924

In late 1923, Bishop Nicodim was released from his responsibilities in the Diocese of Huși.

In 1924, he was returned to his “home” monastery of the Holy Ascension at Neamț, Vânători-Neamț, Neamț County.

Neamț Holy Ascension Monastery

From the time of his return, he served as abbot of the monastic brotherhood. One of his predecessors as abbot in this monastery was Saint Paϊsiy (Velichkovsky) in the 18th century (1779-1794). He had served earlier as abbot also in Mount Athos, Dragomirna and Secu, and his Christ-loving labours engendered a revival of monastic life. the talents of Saint Paϊsiy “included his personal holiness combined with love for education, his ability to organise coenobitic monastic life, his ability to attract and teach many students, his skill in creating a school of spiritual asceticism, and his great literary talent in the task of correcting old translations and making new translations of the ascetic literature of the Holy Fathers. His students became influential amongst the monks in Moldavia and Russia well as on Mount Athos itself”.

As an abbot, Vladyka Nicodim was compared favourably by various authors with this great light of the Orthodox Christian Faith. Mihail Sadoveanu wrote that the arrival of Vladyka Nicodim “to Neamț meant the rebirth of its ancient and beautiful foundations”. It was during this time that Bishop Nicodim worked diligently at the translation of the Holy Scriptures and of liturgical texts.

Bishop Nicodim as Abbot of the Neamț Monastery, outside his residence

As Abbot of the Neamț Monastery, for 11 years, Bishop Nicodim dedicated himself completely to the service of the Altar : the serving and the singing in the monastery. Seeking to awaken amongst the monks the wisdom and dedication of old scholars of the past, he founded a monastic seminary in 1928, which then moved to Cernica Monastery. He also founded a school for the brotherhood of the monastery. He later recalled his old labours at the Neamț Monastery, as he spread the teachings about the nurture of the soul and spirit through thousands of pages written or translated by him into clear Romanian language. Most of these pages were published in the collection “Evangelical Seeds for the Field of the Lord”, numbering 35 volumes, which he initiated in 1932 and which appeared until 1947 at the publishing house of the Holy Neamț Monastery.

Romania declared to be a Patriarchate, 1925

It was only on 25 February, 1925, that the Patriarchate of Constantinople agreed to the elevation of the Metropolitanate/Archbishopric of Romania to the dignity of patriarchate.

On 12 November, 1934, Metropolitan Pimen (Georgescu) reposed in Christ in Bucharest.

On 23 January, 1935, Bishop Nicodim (Munteanu) was elected by the Holy Synod of the Church of Romania to become Metropolitan of Moldavia.

Metropolitan of Moldavia, 1935

On 4 February, 1935, Bishop Nicodim (Munteanu) was enthroned in Iași, in the Metropolitan Cathedral of the Meeting of the Lord, of Saint Parascheva, and of Saint George.

His title became Archbishop of Iași, Metropolitan of Moldavia and Bucovina. The enthronement was served by Patriarch Miron (Cristea) and by bishops of the Church of Romania.

He was immediately elevated to the dignity of metropolitan.

Iași Metropolitan Cathedral of the Meeting of the Lord, of Saint Parascheva, and of Saint George

In his archpastoral service, he continued on in the same spirit with which he had nurtured the Holy Neamț Monastery.

During 1936-1938, along with Gala-Galaction (pen-name of Grigorie Pișculescu) and Professor Vasile Radu Metropolitan Nicodim translated the Bible from Hebrew to Romanian.

Repose of Patriarch Miron (Cristea), 1939

Upon the repose in Christ of Patriarch Miron (Cristea) on 6 March, 1939, Metropolitan Nicodim (Munteanu) was summoned to Bucharest in order to take up the responsibility of Locum-Tenens of the Patriarchal Throne. This procedure is typical for the Orthodox Church, and in Romania it was included in the regulations of the Kingdom of Romania. He refused to be a candidate for Patriarch, and he urged Metropolitan Nicolae (Balan) of Transylvania to accept the responsibility.

However, he did not receive his desire. On 30 June, 1939, 2 months before the outbreak of World War II, the Grand Electoral College almost unanimously chose Metropolitan Nicodim to be the next Patriarch. Only then did he consent to comply with their determination.

Patriarch of Romania, 1939

On 5 July, 1939, during the Primatial Divine Liturgy at the Cathedral of Saints Constantine and Helen in Bucharest, Metropolitan Nicodim (Munteanu) was enthroned by bishops of the Holy Synod of the Church of Romania, with others, to be the Patriarch of Romania.

Patriarch Nicodim (Munteanu)

Patriarchal Cathedral of Saints Constantine and Helen

Patriarchal service

Patriarch Nicodim (Munteanu) became the second Patriarch of Romania in history.

The words spoken by him at the time of the enthronement indicate his active intention in his patriarchal service :

 I will evangelise the people ; I will declare the law of the Lord in season and out of
 season ; I will always make the people Christian and sanctify them until they are all
 citizens, capable citizens of the earthly kingdom of the Fatherland.

The words can be seen to show how the political life and religious life of the Romanian people are woven together, merged, and how the Church could not be separated from the state ; but on the contrary, these 2 great elements must help and rely on each other. He also called for the foundation of Church schools. In these schools, not only were lay-persons prepared for their Christian living, but also those who would be called would begin their formation for service in the holy priesthood and in monastic life.

Despite any shortcomings of the Church schools, the Seminaries, the Academies, or the Faculty of Theology, he showed his great care for the perfect formation of the younger generations of priests and monks in order that they become spiritual mentors of the Faithful.

He was concerned with the renovation of the monasteries, the commissioning of the Biblical and Missionary Institute, and the strengthening of the Romanian Orthodox Church.

The whole activity of the Patriarch was devoted to service of the Church and of the Nation.

This is how the work of Patriarch Nicodim was defined by the Romanian historian and Byzantinologist, Ion D Stefanescu : “[...] it is recognised as being led by a determined line from which it has not departed. [...] The Church has the duty not to lose sight of the Gospel and the Saviour's commandment ; for the Gospel and for Romania, no sacrifice should be spared”. The Saviour left as a commandment and testament to His disciples about Christian love : “Love one another, as I have loved you” (see John 15:12). Patriarch Nicodim did not understand any injustice. He suffered and struggled for all those who suffered. [...] He succeeded in causes of exceptional importance”.

The period of time in which Patriarch Nicodim led the Church of Romania was rife with political turmoil. First came the involvement in World War II. Then came the overthrow of the monarchy and the establishment of a communist-atheist government. Regardless, Patriarch Nicodim resolutely led the Church with care through it all. Governments rise and fall, but the patriarch is the shepherd-father of the Faithful.

Patriarch Nicodim and others

Patriarch Nicodim had the strength from God to find good solutions for the settlement of the Church under the new conditions ; and especially, he left a heritage of cultural value, being a worthy model for future generations.

Patriarch Nicodim was supportive of the Royal Family of Romania and a notable anti-Communist, who refused to give support for the Soviet-backed Communist regime in the process of installation in Romania during 1945-1947.

Although Patriarch Nicodim had not opposed openly the post-war installation of the new regime, he was reticent, nevertheless, about the rise of Communism. In fact, he proved to be an obstacle in the new government's initial attempts at taking control of the Church.

It was during the time of the patriarchal service of Patriarch Nicodim (Munteanu) that Bishop Polycarp (Moruşca) of North America came to be confined in Romania because of the political circumstances which arose after his arrival in Romania in 1939 for a meeting of the Holy Synod.

Following are photographs of Patriarch Nicodim's activities during his years of service :

Patriarch Nicodim (Munteanu) at a ceremony, along with Italian soldiers and other dignitaries

Patriarch Nicodim in his office, 1944

Patriarch Nicodim (Munteanu) and Petru Groza together with clerics and dignitaries participating in the proceedings of the assembly of democratic priests

General Ion Antonescu, King Mihai (Michael) and Patriarch Nicodim (Munteanu) and others in front of the Patriarchal Cathedral

Patriarch Nicodim (Munteanu) with Metropolitan Irineu (Mihălcescu) of Modavia, Metropolitan Nifon (Criveanu) of Oltenia, at their departure from the Royal Palace

Translator of the Holy Scriptures, and other works, into Romanian

Patriarch Nicodim translated into Romanian 51 books of Holy Scripture (24 from the Old Testament, according to the Greek text of the Septuagint, and the New Testament in its entirety). He also published the New Testament in 5 editions, as well as the Psalms (4 editions), translated by him.

The second patriarch of Romania made numerous translations also feom Russian theological literature. He made his own works, inspired by the Holy Scriptures and other writings related to the pastoral care of time, either large volumes or simple brochures, for everyone to understand.

"This combination of the text of the Holy Scriptures and the pastoral social context showed that Patriarch Nicodim was a realistic theologian and a pastor who brought to life the word of life, the word of salvation, the word that unites us with God the Word and the whole Holy Trinity" said Patriarch Daniel (Ciobotea).

The writer Cezar Petrescu places Father Patriarch Nicodim "in the tradition of the old scholars of the times". He wrote that he was "a servant of the words, and not only of the altar".

In the homage volume about Patriarch Nicodim, the writer remembered the years when, at "Neamţ Monastery, protected from all the barren turmoil of the century, with the scorn of the old scoundrels, Patriarch Nicodim toiled at his books and interpretations".

Thus, Cezar Petrescu shows that the light from the scholar-monk's cell (of Patriarch Nicodim) was emanating from the perspective of a man of culture.

"I do not know and I do not think that at that time it had any meaning in the administrative hierarchy of our Church. He was just a lonely figure, withdrawn from the world, as a silent rebuke of our vanities and of the time", the contemporary writer evoked about the second patriarch of Romania [Patriarch Nicodim].

"Until late at night, the light from his work cell shone like a guiding, warm star in the darkness. Monks, vacationers, hikers, all calmed down after the evening bells rang. The light from the cell of the scholar-monk watched until the second crowing of the roosters", noted Cezar Petrescu.

The writer considers that “from that meticulous service of the Slavs, and not only of the altar, more than a hundred original books, interpretations and writings were collected page by page, linking the thread with the scholarly beginnings of the former student of the Theological Academy of Kiev”.

He mentioned the translation of the Bible, but also "that invaluable translation of Bible History, according to the text of the Russian Professor Lopuhin, an immense, overwhelming work, in 6 volumes of 700 pages each, enough to fill the working life".

Suggesting the hardships that Patriarch Nicodim went through in times of political and social tensions, Cezar Petrescu asked :

 Could there be a stronger example of steadfastness ? And could a writer of profane words pay 
 another pious homage to a scholar who devoted his life to spreading and the enlightenment of the 
 teachings of Christ ?

Cezar Petrescu thus concludes rhetorically the text contained in the homage volume "†Nicodim (1865-1945)", published at the Church Books Printing House in 1945.

Waning strength

In the context of the recent war and the turmoil in Romania that followed it, Patriarch Nicodim had become worn out and exhausted. By June, 1947, he was already so weary that some feared that his life might not last much longer. He submitted his resignation to the King on 3 October, 1947. The King rejected the resignation, as he wrote in his response, because it was for the good and the joy of all. Patriarch Nicodim agreed to carry his Cross to the end, and to remain at the head of the Church as a sign of hope and stability. Because his health was deteriorating, he was brought from Neamţ to Bucharest. At the end of December 1947, he learned from the patriarchal palace the news of the king's abdication. Then the old patriarch said, "If he leaves, I have no purpose".

Removal of the patriarch by the state, 1947

Despite his statement, Patriarch Nicodim made an archpastoral visit to Curtea de Argeș in order to strengthen and encourage the Faithful. It was on this visit, however, that he contracted pneumonia.

Patriarch Nicodim (Munteanu)

Repose, 1948

On Friday, 27 February, 1948, at 5:45 p.m., Patriarch Nicodim (Munteanu) fell asleep in the Lord. Officially, the cause of death was written to have been pneumonia, but some historians consider the cause of his death to be suspect (in the context of the process of installing the pro-soviet communist regime in Romania). However, all available evidence supports the official statement.

On 4 March, 1948, the Funeral Service for the Burial of a Hierarch was served at the Saints Constantine and Helen Patriarchal Cathedral in Bucharest by the Locum-Tenens of the Patriarchal Throne and other bishops of the Orthodox Church of Romania. Only the Churches of Constantinople, Russia and Bulgaria sent representatives. The highest-ranking of these was the Russian representative, Metropolitan Elevtheriy (Vorontsov) of Prague and Czechoslovakia.

Romanian politicians did attend : Constantin Parhon ; Mihail Sadoveanu ; Ştefan Voitec ; Ioan Niculi ; members of the High Presidium of the Romanian People's Republic : Prime Minister Petru Groza ; Ministers Traian Săvulescu ; Gheorghe Gheorghiu-Dej ; Teohari Georgescu ; Tudor Ionescu ; Emil Bodnăraş ; Octav Livizeanu ; Stanciu Stoian ; Romulus Zăroni ; Teodor Iordăchescu ; Florica Bagdasar ; and other state dignitaries.

Photographs during the ceremonies are a rarity for the communist world, which depict representatives of the "People's Democrat" power sitting and listening in the patriarchal cathedral to the burial service of Patriarch Nicodim, and with lighted candles in their hands. However, it served, in fact, as an opportunity to deny the religious persecution that was at that time beginning to manifest itself.

But even if the dignitaries were hypocritical, the funeral speeches did contain appreciation that Patriarch Nicodim fully deserved. Even the enemies had to recognise the value of the one who "was and remained, throughout his life, a peasant and a monk".

After the Funeral Services for the Burial of a Hierarch, his body was entombed in the Patriarchal Cathedral of Saints Constantine and Helen in Bucharest.

— Bishop of Huși 1912-1923.

— Metropolitan of Iași, Moldavia and Bucovina 1935-1939. Preceded by : Metropolitan Pimen (Georgescu). Succeeded by : Metropolitan Miron (Cristea).

— Patriarch of Romania 1939-1948. Preceded by : Patriarch Miron (Cristea). Succeeded by : Patriarch Justinian (Marina).

Tomb of Patriarch Nicodim (Munteanu)

Reflections

A scholar hierarch

During his pastoral life, Patriarch Nicodim (Munteanu) was concerned with the spiritual state of the clergy, the monastic life, the theological education, and the ties with the Sister Orthodox Churches. His cultural activity is remarkable. Through his contribution, the Patriarch is at the forefront of the most important theologians of his time. By compiling numerous original works, making numerous translations of 19th-20th-century Russian theological literature, Patriarch Nicodim became the most prominent personality of his time. As a consequence, the Honourary Doctor of the Faculty of Theology of Cernăuţi was elected to be an honourary member of the Romanian Academy.

Publications

After printing the "Illustrated Bible" (1936) in Neamţ, the first such work in Romania, in 1936 and 1944, new editions of the Holy Scripture were published, in which 51 books were translated by himself (24 in the Old Testament, and the New Testament in its entirety). He also printed the New Testament in 5 editions, and the Psalter (4 editions) was translated by him.

Patriarch Nicodim (Munteanu) during the communist regime

Since the beginning of its rule, the Communist regime had begun a sweeping purge of the Orthodox Church. Thus, some unwieldy hierarchs of the new regime were removed from their sees, retired or sent to monastic retreat. By Decree no. 166 of 1947, measures were taken against them all, as against priests and monks. They all were accused of legionary sympathies and imagined crimes of conspiracy against the social order.

Ill and old, permanently threatened with removal and retirement, Patriarch Nicodim managed to oppose the transformation of the Romanian Orthodox Church into an instrument in the hands of the communist regime. Accused of having collaborated with the Legionary regime and then that of Marshal Antonescu, Patriarch Nicodim tried not to enter into controversy with the new communist structures, or with the new orientation aimed at an unnatural approach to the Russian Orthodox Church, "the great sister of the East".

Negative local consequences after a visit from the Patriarch of Moscow, 1947

The same attitude of Patriarch Nicodim (Munteanu) was to be seen when Patriarch Alexei I (Simansky) of Moscow made a visit to Romania (May-June, 1947). This visit was regarded as a "ruse by the Romanian eparchy" by the "liberating" Orthodox Church of the USSR. This was the reason for a serious reproach from Prime Minister Petru Groza, since he had said, "the USSR represents a great empire, and the Church in this empire with its huge number of believers and its material possibilities appears as an indisputable protector and supporter of Orthodoxy in the world".

Increasing pressure by the state against the Orthodox Church in Romania

Under the conditions of tightening control over all institutions in the Romanian state, the Romanian Orthodox Church suffered. Thus, in the spring of 1945, the Romanian security authorities identified the "books in which the Communist Party is defamed", and they found that "these books are disseminated by various schools, by trams and on the streets", being printed by the Orthodox Faith Publishing House of the Romanian Patriarchate in Bucharest. As a result, the control measures against the Church were strengthened.

In 1946, the government introduced a new electoral law, which abolished the Senate Chamber. This chamber was attended by representatives of the main religious bodies. In the new parliament, the hierarchs, "reactionaries and ruined masses, true church boyars were eliminated".

The Romanian Orthodox Church benefitted in the period 1945-1947 from the protection of its own Statute of organisation and functioning, since it was approved by the state. That is why, starting with 1948, the communist regime initiated the replacement of the old Cults Law (1928) with a new one.

After the Petru Groza government was installed, the Ministry of Religious Affairs issued a decision whereby the post of Archdiocese-Vicar of the Metropolitan Church of Ungro-Wallachia was temporarily transferred to the Metropolitan Church of Moldavia. This measure was taken without consulting or with the agreement of the Orthodox Church and its leader. The political instigation within the Romanian Orthodox Church continued even more through such dictatorial measures.

The new civil legislation concerning the Romanian Orthodox Church provided that "all members of the Assembly of Deputies, Orthodox men, elected in the entire constituency of the respective Metropolitanate" were to be included in the election of the Metropolitans. This intrusion of the communist regime in the election of the hierarchs of the Romanian Orthodox Church was aimed at trying to control Romanian Church life.

Removal of the patriarch by the state

From the summer of 1947, Patriarch Nicodim was sent in retirement to Neamţ Monastery, "under permanent supervision".

(From an article by : Adrian Ignat (6 January, 2019))

Honours

Honourary member of the Romanian Academy (5 October, 1918)

Doctor "honoris causa" of the Faculty of Theology in Chernivtsi (1917, 1920)

2012 annual Memorial Service for Patriarch Nicodim

Writings

Patriarch Nicodim (Munteanu) published apologetic sermons/homilies, which enriched parish libraries with homiletic material.

He gave a new translation of the "Psalter" (in 3 editions : Chisinau, 1927, Bucharest, 1931 and 1943) and the New Testament (in 5 editions : Neamț, 1924, 1926, 1931, 1937 and Bucharest, 1941).

The appearance of the Bible in 1935 at the Printing House of Church Books, in which was not only a co-ordinator but also a translator together with the priest-professors Gala Galaction and Vasile Radu, is recorded in the publications of the time and remains one of the most valuable spiritual and cultural Romanian landmarks.

In 1936, the "Illustrated Bible" (prepared in collaboration with Professor I D Stefanescu) was published. This work, the first of its kind in the country, has a remarkable significance. It has a total of 181 pages and 96 illustrations.

Nicolae Colan, Bishop of Cluj (member of the Romanian Academy), later wrote about the patriarch's speeches that his writing “is clean and with good spirits, like the wine when you drink it in the cellar : do not mix it with words that the nation would not recognise. Thus, the High Hierarch speaks the same way : whether he addresses the scholars, or he speaks to the people, everyone listens to it and understands it”.

Original works and translations in collaboration

• “Evangelical Seeds for the Field of the Lord”, 35 vols. (Neamț County : Neamț Monastery Publishing, 1932-1947) which he initiated in 1932 and which appeared until 1947, at the publishing house of the Holy Neamț Monastery.

• “What to believe and how to live : Christian Morality and Ethics” (Bucharest, 1905) (10th ed. published in 1935).

• “Liturgical Homilies” (Bucharest, 1906).

• “The Guide for Christians in Church or How should the Christian behave in Church at the Divine Liturgy” (Bucharest, 1907). (12th ed., Neamț, 1943, and two other editions in Sibiu).

• “Western Orthodoxy and Christianity” (Bucharest : A P Lopuhin and others, 1912 ; 2nd ed., Sibiu, 1922 ; 3rd ed., Bucharest, 1943).

• Liturgical Homilies : “God and His Justice” ; “God's Hand in the seen World” ; “Brief Explanation of the Divine Liturgy”, and “The Remembrance of the Dead” (Neamț County : Neamț Monastery Publishing, 1933).

• “Speeches, Pastorals and Exhortations” (Neamț County : Neamț Monastery Publishing, 1940)

Translations :

Most of these translations appeared in the "Ogorul Domnului" (“Evangelical Seeds for the Field of the Lord”) collection, with 35 vols., initiated by the patriarch when he was at the Neamț Monastery (1932-1947).

• From Archbishop Innocent of Odessa : “Six Talks on Nature” (Bucharest, 1904) ; “51 Speeches at Lent” (Bucharest, 1909) ; “58 Speeches at Lent”, 2nd ed. (Neamt, 1932) and republished in Bucharest, 1998 ; “Homily at the royal Holidays” (Neamț, 1933) ; “Homilies on the Feasts of the Mother of God, Sunday Homilies on the Mother of God” (Neamț, 1933) ; “Sermons on the Fall of Adam, Sin, Death, and Resurrection” (Neamț, 1939).

• From Archbishop Sergiu of Vladimir : “Speech about Apologetics on the Fundamental Truths of the Orthodox Christian Religion” (Bucharest, 1905) (2nd ed., Neamț, 1932).

• From Priest Constantin Stratilatov : “26 Sermons on the Christian Faith or the Interpretation of the Creed” (Bucharest, 1912) ; “23 Sermons on Christian Hope or Clarifications on the Prayer ‘Our Father’ and the 9 Happinesses” (Chisinau, 1928) ; “75 catechetical Sermons for the People” ; “The Interpretation of the Creed” ; “Our Father” ; “9 Beatitudes and 10 Commandments” (Neamț, 1932).

• From Priest Grigory Petrov : “In the Footsteps of Christ” (Bucharest, 1908-1909) (Chisinau : Ed. A II-a, 1926), (Neamț : Ed a III-a, 1943) ; “Seminary Life” (Bucharest, 1909) (2nd ed., Neamț, 1943) ; “A model Pastor” (Bucharest, 1918) ; second ed., Sibiu, 1925 ; third ed., Neamț, 1938).

• From Lev N Tolsloi : “The Mention of Science and Art : Religion is the Science of Sciences” (Neamț, 1932), and several pamphlets, all in several editions.

• From Archbishop Serghei Cetfericov Paisius, Abbot of the Neamț Monastery : “His Life, his Teaching and his Influence on the Oppression of the Orthodox Church” (Neamț, 1933), (Neamț : Ed. A ll-a, 1940-1943).

• From F V Farrar : “The Life and Works of the Holy Fathers and Teachers of the Church” , vol. 1 (Chisinau, 1932) ; vol. 2 (Neamț, 1934) ; vol. 3 (Neamt, 1935) ; “Sermons for School Youth” (Neamț, 1935) ; “The first Days of Christianity”, 3 parts (Neamț, 1938) ; “The Life and Works of St. Paul the Apostle”, 3 parts ; “The Life of Jesus Christ”, 2 vols. (Neamț, 1944-1945).

• With A P Lopuhin, “Biblical History : Old Testament, 4 vols. (Bucharest, 1944-1946) ; New Testament, 2 vols. (Bucharest, 1947).

• Patriarch Nicodim translated the New Testament (5 editions in Neamt, 1924, 1926, 1931 and 1937 and in Bucharest, 1941) ; and the Psalter (3 editions in Chisinau, 1927, Bucharest, 1931, 1943, plus one in Cluj in 1943.

• With regard to the 1936 “Synodal Bible”, 24 books from the Old Testament were translated by Patriarch Nicodim and the rest were translated by Gala Galacti and Vasile Radu).

• In the 1944 edition of the “Synodal Bible”, 24 books from the Old Testament were translated by him and all 27 books of the New Testament also.

• The text of the “Synodal Bible” of 1936 is the basis of the editions of 1968, 1975 and 1982.

• In 1913, the Patriarch published the “Little Bible” in collaboration with Archimandrite Iuliu Scriban and Priest Pavel Savin (several editions have appeared since then).

• Together with Professor I D Stefanescu the Patriarch published the “Illustrated Bible” accompanied by artistic illustrations and scientific clarifications (Neamț, 1936).

• Patriarch Nicodim collaborated with others to translate texts from Russian and publish them in the magazines : "Romanian Orthodox Church" ; "Viitorul" (Iaşi) ; "Luminatorul" (Chisinau) ; "Mitropolia Moldovei" (Iaşi).

References

Romanian Orthodoxwiki biography

Wikipedia biography

Romanian Wikipedia biography

Romanian Encyclopaedia biography

Timpul.md biography

Russian Wikipedia

CrestinOrtodox.ro biography

“Spiritual Journal” biography

Additional information :

Aron, Priest Gelu, “Patriarch Nicodim Munteanu : theological and missionary Life and Work as a Translator” (Galați : Archdiocese of the Lower Danube Publishing House, 2019). ISBN : 978-606-8890-37-1.

Deletant, Dennis, “Romania under Communism” (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania : Routledge, 2020). ISBN : 9780367585570.

Enache, George, ‘Patriarch Nicodemus during the Years of “popular Democracy”, 1944-1948’ in “Ziarul Lumina” (20 February, 2010)

Iancu, Fr. Dorin-Demostene, ‘Patriarch Nicodim Munteanu : a Model of Firmness for the Clergy’ in “Ziarul Lumina” (3 February, 2019)

Ignat, Dr. Adrian, “Nicodim Munteanu : a scholarly Patriarch in adverse Times” (6 January, 2019)

Iorin, Hostiuc, ‘Patriarch Nicodim Munteanu, the Romanian Orthodox Church and the first Clashes between the Church and the communist State’ in “Candela” nos. 11-12 (2012), pp. 26-30.

Păcurariu,Prof. Dr. Mircea , “Dictionary of Romanian Theologians”, 2nd edition, (Bucharest : Encyclopedic Publishing House, 2002). ISBN : 973-45-0409-6.

……, ‘Romanian Christianity’ in “The Blackwell Companion to Eastern Christianity” (Oxford : John Wiley & Sons, 2007). ISBN 10 : 0631234233 ; ISBN 13 : 9780631234234.

Petrescu, Cezar “73 Years since the Death of Patriarch Nicodemus, a ‘Servant of the Words, and not only of the Altar’”.

……, "†Nicodim (1865-1945)" (Bucharest : Church Books Printing House, 1945).

Stan, Lavinia ; Turcescu, Lucian, “Religion and Politics in Post-Communist Romania” (USA : Oxford University Press, 2007). ISBN 978-0-19-530853-2.

Stănescu, Dorin, ‘Patriarch Nicodim Munteanu as seen by his Contemporaries’ in “Ziarul Lumina” (3 August, 2019)

Vasile, C, “The Romanian Orthodox Church in the first Decade of Communism” (Bucharest : Curtea Veche Publishing, 2005)

Vasilescu, Gheorghe, “Nicodemus, the second Patriarch of Romania” in “Historical Magazine”, no. 5 (1998), pp. 42-45.

Church of Romania web-site

Orthodoxwiki article about the Church of Romania

Wikipedia article about the Church of Romania

Romanian Orthodox Archives articles (2019-2021)

Video about Patriarch Nicodim (in Romanian) (27 February, 2019)

“Trinitas TV launches 2 documentary films about Patriarch Nicodim Munteanu and Patriarch Iustin Moisescu” (24 October, 2019)