Venerable Makarii Glukharev

Makarius Glukharev (born Mikhail Yakovlevich Glukharev; October 30 [November 10], 1792 – May 18 [May 30], 1847) was an archimandrite of the Russian Orthodox Church and the founder of its Altai Mission. In 2000, he was canonized for his role as the Apostle of the Altai. He received his primary education at the Vyazma Theological School (1800–1803) and the Smolensk Theological Seminary, where he studied from 1803 to 1813, with an interruption caused by Napoleon's 1812 invasion. He possessed a rare gift for languages; thanks to his father, he was able to translate short texts from Russian into Latin at the age of seven. By the age of 20, Makarius had learned Hebrew, Greek, German, and French. By a synodal decree of May 22, 1814, two of the best students from the Smolensk seminary, Zakhar Smiryagin and Mikhail Glukharev, were delegated to St. Petersburg for the second class of the St. Petersburg Theological Academy. Mikhail graduated from the academy ranked tenth in his class, with his written work standing out. It was here that the rector of the academy, Filaret (Drozdov), became his lifelong mentor. In 1834, Makarius proposed to the Holy Synod, through Metropolitan Filaret, that a translation of the Bible into contemporary Russian be undertaken. Filaret, however, concealed Makarius's proposal to protect him from the hostility of his superiors, who were not favorably disposed toward the idea. Makarius himself translated the Book of Job into Russian in 1837 and the Book of Isaiah two years later. His 1825 proposal to establish a community of deaconesses to assist missionaries, particularly with nursing and teaching, also met with a lack of understanding from the church hierarchy. Nevertheless, three women, including a doctor, did support Makarius in his missionary work in this capacity. He strove for a joint mission of Christians, Muslims, and Jews and even wished to build a temple for the common prayer of these traditional religions.