Editing Foolishness for Christ

{{Short description|Flouting social norms for religious purposes}}
[[File:Sant Basil The Prayer.jpg|thumb|[[Basil Fool for Christ]] praying. He did not wear clothing either in summer or winter. Fools for Christ often challenge accepted norms to serve a religious purpose. Painting by [[Sergei Kirillov]], 1994.]]

'''Foolishness for Christ''' ({{langx|el|διά Χριστόν σαλότητα}}; {{langx|cu|оуродъ, юродъ}}) refers to behavior such as giving up all one's worldly possessions upon joining an [[ascetic]] order or religious life, or deliberately flouting society's conventions to serve a religious purpose—particularly of Christianity. Such individuals have historically been known as both "holy fools" and "blessed fools". The term "fool" connotes what is perceived as [[feeblemindedness]], and "[[blessing|blessed]]" or "holy" refers to innocence in the eyes of God.<ref name="Frith, Uta 1989">Frith, Uta. (1989) Autism: The Elegant Enigma. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing.</ref>

The term ''fools for Christ'' derives from the writings of [[Paul the Apostle]]. [[Desert Fathers]] and other saints acted the part of Holy Fools, as have the ''yurodivy'' (or iurodstvo) of [[Eastern Orthodox]] [[asceticism]]. Fools for Christ often employ shocking and unconventional behavior to challenge accepted norms, deliver prophecies, or to mask their piety.<ref name="Parry 1999, p. 233">Parry (1999), p. 233</ref>

== Old Testament ==
Certain [[prophet]]s of the [[Old Testament]] who exhibited signs of strange behaviour are considered by some scholars<ref name=":0">Gorainoff I. ''Les Fols en Christ...'' pp. 15–16; Saward J. Dieu a la folie. p. 15.</ref> to be predecessors of "Fools for Christ".  The prophet [[Isaiah]] walked naked and barefoot for about three years, predicting a forthcoming captivity in Egypt ({{bibleverse|Isaiah|20:2, 3|KJV}}); the prophet [[Ezekiel]] lay before a stone, which symbolized beleaguered [[Jerusalem]], and though God instructed him to eat bread baked on human waste, ultimately he asked to use cow dung instead ({{bibleverse|Ezekiel|4:9–15|KJV}}); [[Hosea]] married [[Gomer (wife of Hosea)|a harlot]] to symbolize the infidelity of Israel before God ({{bibleverse|Hosea|3|KJV}}).

In the opinion of certain scholars,<ref name="jclc">J.- C. Larchee. ''Healing of mental illnesses: The experience of first centuries in the Christian East''. Translated from French into Russian. Moscow. Publishing House of Sretensky Monastery, 2007. 224 pages.</ref> these prophets were not considered fools by their contemporaries, because they sought to gain people's attention in order to awaken their [[repentance]].<ref name="jclc"/>

== New Testament ==
[[File:Boyaryna Morozova by V.Surikov - sketch 09.jpg|thumb|upright|''A God's Fool Sitting on the Snow'', by [[Vasily Surikov]], 1885]]

According to Christian ideas, "foolishness" included consistent rejection of worldly cares and [[Imitation of Christ|imitating Christ]], who endured mockery and humiliation from the crowd. The spiritual meaning of "foolishness" from the [[Early Christianity|early ages of Christianity]] was closely related to that of rejection of common social rules of hypocrisy, brutality and quest for power and gains.<ref name="jclc"/>

By the words of [[Anthony the Great]]: "Here comes the time, when people will behave like madmen, and if they see anybody who does not behave like that, they will rebel against him and say: 'You are mad', — because he is not like them."<ref name=":1">''Apophtegmy (Alphavitnoye sobranie). About Avva Anthony. 25 (in Russian: Memorable stories.) p. 427.''</ref>

===Paul the Apostle===
Part of the [[Bible|Biblical]] basis for it can be seen in the words of the [[Apostle Paul]] in {{bibleverse|1|Corinthians|4:10|KJV}}, which famously says:

:"We are ''fools for Christ's sake'', but ye are wise in Christ; we are weak, but ye are strong; ye are honourable, but we are despised." ([[KJV]]).

And also:

:"For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God's sight. As it is written: 'He catches the wise in their craftiness.'" ({{bibleverse|1|Corinthians|3:19}})

:"For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God." ({{bibleverse|1|Corinthians|1:18}})

:"For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe." ({{bibleverse|1|Corinthians|1:21}})

== Western Christianity ==
[[File:Cavallucci - San Benedetto Giuseppe Labre.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Benedict Joseph Labre]]]]
In Western Christianity there have been several saints who lived lives that were rather eccentric and seemingly foolish. Among the earliest of them was St. [[Nicholas of Trani]], a young homeless man who died in 1094 AD. He apparently never stopped repeating the phrase '[[Kyrie Eleison]]' and behaved foolishly.<ref name=":0" /> Similarly Blessed [[Pietro Crisci of Foligno|Peter of Foligno]] lived in voluntary poverty and was deemed crazy.<ref name=":1" /> 

Other notable lay men who led saintly albeit eccentric lifestyles were [[Trevi nel Lazio|Blessed Peter of Trevi]], [[Teobaldo Roggeri]], [[Benedict Joseph Labre]], St. [[Saint Salaun|Salaun of Brittany]], [[Ludovico Morbioli]] and [[Venerable Casimiro Barello|Casimiro Barello]] among others. The key characteristics of foolishness for Christ in Western Christianity are sleeping rough (outdoors) and homelessness, a minimalistic lifestyle with very few if any possessions and a strict dedication to prayer and self-renunciation.

Some ascetics are known as [[mendicant]]s and are organised into [[mendicant orders]]. The most famous example in the Western church is [[Francis of Assisi]], whose order was known for following the teachings of Christ and walking in his footsteps. Thus, upon joining the order, Franciscans gave away all possessions and focused on preaching in the streets to the common man.

[[Juniper (friar)|Servant of God, Brother Juniper]], an early follower of the [[Franciscan]] order, was known for taking the doctrine of the Franciscans to the extreme. Whenever anyone asked for any of his possessions, he freely gave them away, including his clothes. He once even cut off the bells from his altar-cloth and gave them to a poor woman.<ref>Frith, Uta. (1989) ''Autism: Explaining the Enigma''. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing.</ref> His fellow Franciscans had to watch him closely, and strictly forbade him from giving away his clothes. While such behaviors were embarrassing to his brothers, he was also recognized as a pure example of the Franciscan order and thus esteemed.

"The Little Flowers of Saint Francis of Assisi",<ref>Hudleston, Dom R. (1953) ''The Little Flowers of Saint Francis of Assisi", 1st English translation, revised and amended. London: Burns & Oates.</ref> which documents the oral traditions of the Franciscans, told several stories of "Brother Juniper". The most famous of these is the story of how Brother Juniper, when he heard a sick brother request a pig's foot as a meal, took a kitchen knife and ran into the forest, where he saw a herd of swine feeding. There, he quickly cut the foot off of one of the swine and carried it back to the brother, leaving the swine to die. This angered the herdsman, who complained to Saint Francis. Saint Francis confronted Brother Juniper, who joyfully exclaimed, "It is true, sweet father, that I did cut off the swine's foot. I will tell thee the reason. I went out of charity to visit the brother who is sick." Brother Juniper likewise explained to the angry herdsman who, seeing the "charity, simplicity, and humility" (Hudleston, 1953) in Brother Juniper's heart, forgave him and delivered the rest of the pig to the brothers.

== <span id="Holy fool"></span>Eastern Christianity ==
[[File:Василий-Блаженный.jpg|thumb|right|upright | [[Basil Fool for Christ]] (1468–1552), a holy fool to whom [[Saint Basil's Cathedral]] in [[Moscow]] is dedicated]]
[[File:Misha-samuil-1.png|thumb|upright|{{ill|Misha Samuil|ru|Миша-Самуил}} (1848–1907), a holy fool from [[Pereslavl]]]]
The Holy Fool or ''yuródivyy'' (юродивый) is the [[Russia]]n version of foolishness for Christ, a peculiar form of [[Eastern Orthodox]] [[asceticism]]. The yurodivy is a Holy Fool, one who acts intentionally foolish in the eyes of men. The term implies behaviour "which is caused neither by mistake nor by feeble-mindedness, but is deliberate, irritating, even provocative."<ref name="Ivanov, S. A. 2006">[[Sergey Ivanov (Russian historian)|Ivanov, S. A.]] (2006) "Holy Fools in Byzantium and Beyond." Oxford: Oxford University Press.</ref>

In his book ''Holy Fools in Byzantium and Beyond'', [[Sergey Ivanov (Russian historian)|Ivanov]] described "holy fool" as a term for a person who "feigns insanity, pretends to be foolish, or who provokes shock or outrage by his deliberate unruliness."<ref name="Ivanov, S. A. 2006"/> He explained that such conduct qualifies as holy foolery only if the audience believes that the individual is sane, moral, and pious. The Eastern Orthodox Church holds that holy fools voluntarily take up the guise of insanity in order to conceal their perfection from the world, and thus avoid praise.<ref name="Ivanov, S. A. 2006"/>

Some characteristics that were commonly seen in holy fools were going around half-naked, being [[homeless]], speaking in [[riddles]], being believed to be [[clairvoyant]] and a [[prophet]], and occasionally being disruptive and challenging to the point of seeming [[immoral]] (though always to make a point).

Ivanov argued that, unlike in the past, modern yurodivy are generally aware that they look pathetic in others’ eyes. They strive to preempt this contempt through exaggerated self-humiliation, and following such displays they let it be known both that their behaviors were staged and that their purpose was to disguise their superiority over their audience.<ref name="Ivanov, S. A. 2006"/>

Fools for Christ are often given the title of [[Beatification|Blessed]] ([[wikt:блаженный|блаженный]]), which does not necessarily mean that the individual is less than a saint, but rather points to the blessings from God that they are believed to have acquired.
[[Image:NesterovMV NaRusi206x483GTG.jpg|thumb|left|''The Soul of the People''. Notice the old man in the background, with his arms stretched to heaven, painting by [[Mikhail Nesterov]]]]

The [[Eastern Orthodox Church]] records [[Saint Isidora|Isidora Barankis]] of Egypt (d. 369) among the first Holy Fools. However, the term was not popularized until the coming of [[Simeon the Holy Fool|Symeon of Emesa]], who is considered to be a [[patron saint]] of holy fools.<ref name="Parry 1999, p. 233"/><ref name="kopc">''Holy Foolishness, by the Rev. Frank Logue, King of Peace Episcopal Church, Kingsland, Georgia, February 2002''</ref> In Greek, the term for Holy Fool is ''salos''.

The practice was recognised in the [[hagiography]] of fifth-century Byzantium, and it was extensively adopted in [[Muscovite Russia]], probably in the 14th century. The [[Insanity|madness]] of the Holy Fool was ambiguous, and could be real or simulated.  They were believed to have been divinely inspired, and were therefore able to say truths which others could not, normally in the form of indirect allusions or [[parable]]s. They had a particular status in regard to the [[Tsar]]s, as a figure not subject to earthly control or judgement.

The first reported fool-for-Christ in Russia was [[Procopius of Ustyug|St. Procopius]] (Prokopiy), who came from the lands of the [[Holy Roman Empire]] to [[Novgorod]], then moved to [[Ustyug]], pretending to be a fool and leading an ascetic way of life (slept naked on church-porches, prayed throughout the whole night, received food only from poor people). He was abused and beaten, but finally won respect and became venerated after his death.<ref name="prm">{{cite web|url=http://www.pravmir.com/article_205.html |title=Foolishness-for-Christ, Article on Pravmir Portal |publisher=Pravmir.com |access-date=2012-01-04}}</ref>

The [[Russian Orthodox Church]] numbers 36 ''yurodivye'' among its [[saint]]s, starting from [[Procopius of Ustyug]], and most prominently [[Basil Fool for Christ]], who gives his name to [[Saint Basil's Cathedral]] in [[Moscow]]. One of the best-known modern examples in the Russian Church is perhaps [[Xenia of Saint Petersburg|St Xenia of Saint Petersburg]].

== Common phrases or epithets ==
[[Image:Pavel Svedomskiy 011.jpg|thumb|upright|''A God's Fool'', by [[Pavel Svedomsky]]]]

===Crazy for God ===
"Crazy for God" is an expression sometimes used in the United States and other English-speaking countries to convey a similar idea to "Foolishness for Christ."  It has been especially connected to the [[Unification Church of the United States]].  In ''The Way of God's Will'', a collection of sayings popular among church members, [[Unification Church]] founder [[Sun Myung Moon]] is quoted as saying: "We leaders should leave the tradition that we have become crazy for God."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.unification.org/ucbooks/WofGW/wogw1-03.htm |title=''The Way of God's Will'' Chapter 3. Leaders |publisher=Unification.org |access-date=2012-01-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716085154/http://www.unification.org/ucbooks/WofGW/wogw1-03.htm |archive-date=2011-07-16 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In 1979 Unification Church critic [[Christopher Edwards (author)|Christopher Edwards]] titled a memoir about his experiences in the six months he spent as a church member: ''Crazy for God: The nightmare of cult life.''<ref>{{cite web |url=http://theologytoday.ptsem.edu/oct1979/v36-3-booknotes20.htm |title=Crazy for God |publisher=Theologytoday.ptsem.edu |access-date=2012-01-04 |archive-date=2012-02-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120216091315/http://theologytoday.ptsem.edu/oct1979/v36-3-booknotes20.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In 2007, author [[Frank Schaeffer]] titled his autobiography ''Crazy for God: How I Grew Up as One of the Elect, Helped Found the Religious Right, and Lived to Take All (or Almost All) of It Back''. It tells of his upbringing as the son of a well-known [[Evangelicalism|evangelical]] minister and his later conversion to the [[Greek Orthodox Church]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.powells.com/ink/schaeffer.html |title=Ink Q & A Frank Schaeffer |publisher=Powells.com |date=2011-12-05 |access-date=2012-01-04 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111205145816/http://www.powells.com/ink/schaeffer.html |archive-date=2011-12-05 }}</ref>

In the same year [[Stephen Prothero]], author and chairman of [[Boston University]]'s Department of Religion, wrote in the ''Harvard Divinity Bulletin'': "I am crazy for people who are crazy for God: people nearly as inscrutable to me as divinity, who leave wives and children to become forest-dwelling [[Buddhist monk|monks]] in [[Thailand]], who wander naked across the belly of [[India]] in search of self-realization, who [[Glossolalia|speak in tongues]] and [[Snake handling in Christianity|take up serpents]] in [[Appalachia]] because the Bible says they can."<ref>[http://www.hds.harvard.edu/news/bulletin/articles/prothero.html Belief Ubracketed: A Case for the Religion Scholar to Reveal More of Where He or She Is Coming From] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090211224000/http://www.hds.harvard.edu/news/bulletin/articles/prothero.html |date=2009-02-11 }}, ''Harvard Divinity Bulletin'', November 6, 2007</ref>

==Modern theology==
One of the more recent works in theology is ''Fools for Christ''<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qwtjGQAACAAJ |title=Fools for Christ - Jaroslav Pelikan - Google Boeken |access-date=2014-03-19|isbn=9781579108021 |last1=Pelikan |first1=Jaroslav |date=2001-11-07 |publisher=Wipf and Stock Publishers }}</ref> by [[Jaroslav Pelikan]]. Through six essays dealing with various "fools," Pelikan explores the motif of fool-for-Christ in relationship to the problem of understanding the numinous:
<blockquote>
The Holy is too great and too terrible when encountered directly for men of normal sanity to be able to contemplate it comfortably. Only those who cannot care for the consequences run the risk of the direct confrontation of the Holy. 
</blockquote>

==The ''yurodivy'' in art and literature==
There are a number of references to the ''yurodivy'' holy fools in 19th century Russian literature. The holy fool Nikolka is a character in [[Pushkin]]'s play ''[[Boris Godunov (play)|Boris Godunov]]'' and [[Boris Godunov (opera)|Mussorgsky's opera]] based on the play.<ref>{{cite book|title=Shostakovich and Stalin: The Extraordinary Relationship Between the Great ...|first= Solomon |last=Volkov |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=x__ntDIlYGYC&pg=PT8|isbn= 9780307427724 |date= 2007 |publisher= Knopf Doubleday Publishing }}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title= St Petersburg: A Cultural History|first= Solomon |last=Volkov|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6JheQS-7drEC&pg=PA86|isbn= 9781451603156 |date= 2010 |publisher= Simon and Schuster }}</ref> In Pushkin's narrative poem ''[[The Bronze Horseman]]'', the character of Evgenii is based in the tradition of the holy fools in his confrontation with the animated statue of [[Peter the Great]].<ref>{{cite book|last1=Rosenshiels|first1=Gary|title=Pushkin and the Genres of Madness: the Masterpieces of 1833|date=2003|publisher=University of Wisconsin Press|page=112|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=H0z7egVzKZ8C|isbn=9780299182045}}</ref>

The yurodivy appears several times in the novels of [[Dostoevsky]]. ''[[The Idiot]]'' explores the ramifications of placing a holy fool (the compassionate and insightful epileptic [[Prince Myshkin]]) in a secular world dominated by vanity and desire.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Grayling|first1=A.C.|title=The Heart of Things: Applying Philosophy to the 21st century|date=2010|publisher=Hachette UK|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PjRTDxZ-xXYC&pg=PT178 |isbn=9780297865643}}</ref> According to [[Joseph Frank (writer)|Joseph Frank]] "though the gentlemanly and well-educated prince bears no external resemblance to these eccentric figures, he does possess their traditional gift of spiritual insight, which operates instinctively, below any level of conscious awareness or doctrinal commitment."<ref>{{cite book|last1=Frank|first1=Joseph|title=Dostoevsky: A Writer in His Time|url=https://archive.org/details/dostoevskywriter00fran_254|url-access=limited|date=2010|publisher=Princeton University Press|page=[https://archive.org/details/dostoevskywriter00fran_254/page/n603 579]|isbn=9780691128191 }}</ref> In ''[[Demons (Dostoevsky novel)|Demons]]'', the madwoman Marya Lebyadkina displays many of the attributes of the holy fool,<ref>{{cite book|last1=Frank|first1=Joseph|title=Dostoevsky: A Writer in His Time|url=https://archive.org/details/dostoevskywriter00fran_254|url-access=limited|date=2010|page=[https://archive.org/details/dostoevskywriter00fran_254/page/n682 658]|publisher=Princeton University Press |isbn=9780691128191 }}</ref> as do the characters of Sofya Marmeladova in ''[[Crime and Punishment]]'' and Lizaveta in ''[[The Brothers Karamazov]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://jimandnancyforest.com/2008/09/the-way-of-the-holy-fools/|title=The Way of the Holy Fools|date=22 September 2008}}</ref>

Another fool-for-Christ is Grisha in [[Leo Tolstoy|Tolstoy's]] ''Childhood. Boyhood. Youth''.<ref name="prm"/> Callis and Dewey described Grisha as follows:

:He was an awesome figure: emaciated, barefoot and in rags, with eyes that "looked right through you" and long, shaggy hair. He always wore chains around his neck...Neighborhood children would sometimes run after him, laughing and calling out his name. Older persons, as a rule, viewed Grisha with respect and a little fear, especially when he suffered one of his periodic seizures and began to shout and rant. At such times adult bystanders would crowd around and listen, for they believed that the Holy Spirit was working through him.<ref name="Birukoff, Paul 1911">Birukoff, Paul & Tolstoy, Leo. (1911) ''Leo Tolstoy: His Life and Work.'' New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons.</ref>

Grisha's abnormal social conduct, seizures, and rants were common behaviors amongst holy fools. The esteem expressed by adults was also common. In his autobiography, Tolstoy expressed such esteem in reaction to overhearing Grisha praying:

:“Oh Great Christian Grisha! Your faith was so strong that you felt the nearness of God; your love was so great that words flowed of their own will from your lips, and you did not verify them by reason. And what high praise you gave to the majesty of God, when, not finding any words, you prostrated yourself on the ground.”<ref name="Birukoff, Paul 1911"/>
A further example is Kasyan in the ninth sketch from [[Alexander Turgenev|Turgenev's]] [[Sketches from a Hunter's Album]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Turgenev |first=Ivan Sergeevich |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/22736825 |title=Sketches from a hunter's album |date=1990 |others=Richard Freeborn |isbn=0-14-044522-6 |edition=Complete |location=London, England |oclc=22736825}}</ref> The protagonist's coachman describes him as "one of those holy men," who lives by himself in the forest, strictly differentiates between eating bread which he calls "God's gift to man" and "tame creatures" on the one hand, and birds "of the free air" and creatures "of the forest and of the field" on the other hand, the latter of which he sees as being sinful. 

== Notable people described as fools for Christ ==

* [[Andrew the Fool]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Blessed Andrew the Fool-For-Christ at Constantinople |url=https://www.oca.org/saints/lives/2017/10/02/102838-blessed-andrew-the-fool-for-christ-at-constantinople |access-date=2025-04-30 |website=www.oca.org}}</ref>
* [[Basil Fool for Christ]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Blessed Basil of Moscow the Fool-For-Christ |url=https://www.oca.org/saints/lives/1999/08/02/102185-blessed-basil-of-moscow-the-fool-for-christ |access-date=2025-04-30 |website=www.oca.org}}</ref>
* [[Benedict Joseph Labre]]<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=Sciambra |first=Joseph |date=2015-01-10 |title=The Orthodox Fool for Christ: A Tradition Sadly Lacking in Roman Catholicism |url=https://josephsciambra.com/the-orthodox-fool-for-christ-a-tradition-sadly-lacking-in-roman-catholicism/ |access-date=2025-04-30 |website=josephsciambra.com |language=en-US}}</ref>
* [[David the Dendrite]]<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |title=On Holy Fools {{!}} Dominicana |url=https://www.dominicanajournal.org/on-holy-fools/ |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20200821114821/https://www.dominicanajournal.org/on-holy-fools/ |archive-date=2020-08-21 |access-date=2025-04-30 |website=www.dominicanajournal.org |language=en-US}}</ref>
* [[Francis of Assisi]]<ref name=":2" />
* [[Saint Isidora]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Blessed Isidora the Fool of Tabenna in Egypt |url=https://www.oca.org/saints/lives/2015/05/10/101345-blessed-isidora-the-fool-of-tabenna-in-egypt |access-date=2025-04-30 |website=www.oca.org}}</ref>
* [[John of Moscow]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Blessed John of Moscow the Fool-For-Christ |url=https://www.oca.org/saints/lives/2025/07/03/101881-blessed-john-of-moscow-the-fool-for-christ |access-date=2025-04-30 |website=www.oca.org}}</ref>
* [[John the Hairy]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Blessed John “the Hairy” and Fool-For-Christ at Rostov |url=https://www.oca.org/saints/lives/2017/11/12/103288-blessed-john-the-hairy-and-fool-for-christ-at-rostov |access-date=2025-04-30 |website=www.oca.org}}</ref>
* [[Simeon the Holy Fool]]<ref name=":3" />
* [[Justo Gallego Martínez]]<ref>{{Cite web |date=2017-03-09 |title=91-Year-Old ‘Fool for Christ’ Builds Massive Church in Spain |url=https://www.ncregister.com/blog/91-year-old-fool-for-christ-builds-massive-church-in-spain |access-date=2025-04-30 |website=[[National Catholic Register]] |language=en}}</ref>
* [[Nicholas the Pilgrim]]<ref name=":0" />
* [[Nicholas Salos of Pskov]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Blessed Nicholas (Salos) of Pskov the Fool-For-Christ |url=https://www.oca.org/saints/lives/2013/02/28/100616-blessed-nicholas-salos-of-pskov-the-fool-for-christ |access-date=2025-04-30 |website=www.oca.org}}</ref>
* [[Procopius of Ustyug]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Righteous Procopius the Fool-For-Christ and Wonderworker of Ustya, Vologda |url=https://www.oca.org/saints/lives/2008/07/08/102283-righteous-procopius-the-fool-for-christ-and-wonderworker-of-usty |access-date=2025-04-30 |website=www.oca.org}}</ref>
* [[Xenia of Saint Petersburg]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Life of Saint Xenia |url=https://obitel-minsk.org/saint-xenia-of-petersburg |access-date=2025-04-30 |website=obitel-minsk.org |language=en}}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[Divine madness]]
* [[Mast (Meher Baba)]]
* [[Psychology of religion]]
* [[Sign of contradiction]]
* [[Jerusalem syndrome]]

== Notes ==
{{Reflist}}

== References ==
*{{cite book
  |editor-last = Parry
  |editor-first = Ken
|editor2=David Melling |editor3=Dimitri Brady |editor4=Sidney H. Griffith |editor5=John F. Healey
  | title = The Blackwell Dictionary of Eastern Christianity
  | publisher = Blackwell Publishing
  | year = 1999
  | location = Malden, MA
  | isbn =978-0-631-23203-2  }}
*''Russia and the Russians'', [[Geoffrey Hosking]]; {{ISBN|0-14-029788-X}}
*[http://www.slavdom.com/index.php?id=35 Yurodstvo, by S.Kobets]
* S.A. Ivanov. [https://web.archive.org/web/20110716064702/http://ec-dejavu.net/j/Symeon_New_Theologian.html Symeon the New Theologian as Foolishness for Christ] (in French)
* [[Georg Feuerstein]]. ''Holy Madness: The Shock Tactics and Radical Teachings of Crazy-Wise Adepts, Holy Fools and Rascal Gurus'' (Spirituality, Crazy-Wise Teachers, and Enlightenment). Hohm Press,  2006.
* [[Marius Kociejowski]] ''The Street Philosopher and the Holy Fool: A Syrian Journey'' Sutton Publishing, Stroud, 2004, contains much on holy folly in both the Christian and Islamic traditions
*[https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00085006.2018.1447741 Svitlana Kobets, "From the Tabennisi nunnery to Pussy Riot: female holy fools in Byzantium and Russia,"] Canadian Slavonic Papers 60, no. 1–2 (2018)

== Further reading ==
* Petzold, H.G. (1968): Gottes heilige Narren. Hochland 2, 1968, 97–109.{{ISBN?}}
* Petzold, H.G. (1977): "Zur Frömmigkeit der heiligen Narren". In: Die Einheit der Kirche. Festschrift für Peter Meinhold, hrsg. v. Lorenz Hein. Franz Steiner Verlag, Wiesbaden, 140–53.{{ISBN?}}
*Ewa M. Thompson, Understanding Russia : the holy fool in Russian culture, Lanham, MD: University Press of America, 1987

== External links ==
{{wikiquote}}
{{Commons category|Foolishness for Christ}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20080204220422/http://stnicholas-billings.org/Saints/HolyFools/holyfools.htm Holy Fools for Christ]
*[http://www.fatheralexander.org/booklets/english/saints/andrew_foolish.htm St. Andrew, Fool-for-Christ-sake]

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Foolishness For Christ}}
[[Category:Christian asceticism]]
[[Category:Yurodivy|*]]
[[Category:Types of saints]]
[[Category:Christian terminology]]
[[Category:Biblical phrases]]