THE ACCUSATORY WORD OF JOSEPH VOLOTSKY AS A TOOL FOR COMBATING PAGAN CULTS IN THE RUSSIAN STATE IN THE XV–XVI CENTURIES

Annotation

In the article we consider the damning texts of the “Enlightener” Joseph Volotsky in relation to the Novgorod and Pskov heresies of the strigolniks and Judaizers. It is concluded that these heresies arose under the influence of archaic remnants of paganism in the north-west of the Russian state. References to the worship of sacred stones (the Blue Stone, the sacrificial stones of the Tiversky settlement, the Horse Stone on Konevets Island on Lake Ladoga) during the time of Joseph Volotsky and centuries after his death indicate that a significant part of the Slavic and Finno- Ugric populations adhered to the dual faith. The sources also include “The Word of a certain lover of Christ and zealot for the right faith”, “The Lives” of Arseny Konevsky and Irinarch the Recluse (Irinarch of Rostov). Both general scientific methods are used: analysis, synthesis, induction, deduction, analogy, comparison, and special methods: historical- genetic, historical- chronological. As a result of this research, we have established that the text of the “Enlightener” by Joseph Volotsky shows that he linked the rites of heretics with pagan sacrifices and faith in fate. For example, condemning the heresy of the Judaizers, he mentioned the Slavic rozhanitsy, that is, creatures responsible for the fate of man. It is concluded that the threat of neo- Paganism in Russia at that time was no less dangerous for Orthodoxy than the threat of union with the Catholic Church after the Ferraro- Florence Council. Thus, the spiritual texts of Joseph Volotsky, directed against the heresy of the Judaizers and the heresy of the shearers, can be considered as a verbal weapon against the remnants of paganism and double- faith. If earlier researchers focused on the distortion of the Christian Orthodox faith by Novgorod and Pskov heretics, then we examined these heresies in the key of neo-paganism.

Keywords

Joseph Volotsky, The Josephites, paganism, The heresy of the Judaizers, The heresy of the Strigolnikov, Novgorod, Pskov, Arseniy Konevsky, Tiverskoye settlement, The sacrifice

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