A conversation about ancient manuscripts and in particular about Svyatoslav’s Izbornik

In “A Conversation on Ancient Manuscripts and in Particular on the Izbornik of Svyatoslav” (1834–1835) St. Filaret of Moscow (Drozdov) addresses an Old Believer who strives for knowledge of “true and intact church antiquity.” Through a series of conversations, he presents a number of ancient Slavic manuscripts stored in the largest library collections in Russia and dwells in detail on the “Collection of Grand Duke Svyatoslav.” The saint names the date of its writing (6581 years from the creation of the world = 1073 A.D.), structure and purpose (a collection of selected passages from the Scriptures of the holy fathers and ancient teachers). The saint cites quotations from the “Izbornik”, confirming the correct pronunciation of the name of Jesus Christ and the original wording of the Creed (“and in the Holy Spirit of the Lord, the Life-Giving One,” without the addition of “true”). The conversation also contains a description of images of temples and crosses (four-pointed, equal-pointed), demonstrating the presence of Christian symbolism already in the 11th century, which refutes the claims of the Old Believers about the “imaginary antiquity” of their rituals. The saint urges the reader to personally examine the manuscripts in libraries, verify the facts presented and reject apostasy from the Orthodox Church. “A Conversation on Ancient Manuscripts and in Particular on the Izbornik of Svyatoslav” is both a scientific review of early Slavic manuscripts and pastoral instruction aimed at confirming the historical authenticity of Orthodox dogmas and rituals through direct study of original sources. Conversation with the famous Old Believer about ancient manuscripts and especially about Svyatoslav’s Izbornik Since the desire to provide you with the most convenient and at the same time the most reliable means for knowledge of true and intact church antiquity forced me from time to time to talk with you, an Old Believer who desires the truth, to my great consolation it turned out and still turns out that important evidence of antiquity, which could be considered lost, was only forgotten or little known, and yet was preserved and is being preserved intact and unharmed. I say this especially about the evidence of ancient manuscripts. In a conversation on March 25, 1834, in an additional conversation in February 1835, and in addition, as evidence of the true ancient scripture and the pronunciation of the worshiped name of Jesus, I indicated to you the following ancient charatean manuscripts: 1) The Gospel, stored in the Imperial Public Library in St. Petersburg, is the oldest known Slavic manuscript of the eleventh century after the Nativity of Christ, which originally belonged to Ostromir, a relative of Prince Yaroslav. 2) The Gospel, stored in the library of the Novgorod St. Sophia Cathedral, twelfth century. 3) The Gospel of St. Moses, kept there, from the fourteenth century. 4) The book of stichera, kept there, from the twelfth century. 5) The Mstislav Gospel, kept in the Moscow Archangel Cathedral, early twelfth century. 6) Collection of Grand Duke Svyatoslav, stored in Moscow in the Synodal Library, eleventh century. 7) Theology of John of Damascus, stored in the same library, written no later than the thirteenth century. I have not yet indicated a large number of manuscripts, not because they did not exist. On the contrary, I know others of similar antiquity to the above, and I even know in some of them (as in the example of the Charatean Gospel of Demian the Priest, in the Imperial Library) evidence similar to that which I cited from the above-mentioned seven manuscripts. Maybe I'll point them out when I have time and convenience. But is it necessary? Isn’t there enough evidence from seven books of extreme antiquity that belonged to great princes, or holy men, or the most noble churches - therefore, books written by selected scribes, carefully verified and faithfully preserved as far as possible? After these numerous, ancient, reliable testimonies, to be at enmity against the name of Jesus would clearly mean to be at enmity against the ancient Church, at enmity against the obvious truth. Meanwhile, the concern still does not leave me to clarify for you more and more these testimonies of the truth, to more and more equalize for you the path to knowledge of true church antiquity. For this purpose, with the help of the benevolent Authorities, I have achieved the opportunity to get to know you better and to introduce you to the Charatean manuscript, which is second in antiquity among the known Slavic manuscripts, and due to the diversity of its contents, is capable of providing evidence about more than one of the church objects subject to the controversy of the old believers. This is a collection of Svyatoslavs, which was mentioned above under number 6. This is what is written at the end of this book in the same hand with which the book itself was written: “And the end of all books. If you don’t like it for yourself, then don’t do that to your friend. In the summer of 6581 John the Deacon of the Elector wrote to the great Prince Svyatoslav" From this it is clear with complete certainty that this manuscript was written in 1073 after the Nativity of Christ. The name Izbornik was given to it very appropriately: because it contains selected passages from the writings of the Holy Fathers and other ancient writers about various subjects of knowledge and Christian life. I have given evidence from this ancient book about the name Jesus elsewhere, but here I present one more. Sheet 245. “We confess our one identity and one Son and Lord Jesus Christ, both God and man.” On page 23 of this book on the back there is a brief account of the Second Ecumenical Council. In it the subject of this Council and what the Holy Fathers did at it is stated in the following words: “The Holy Spirit God, essence (essence), is life-giving and consubstantial (consubstantial) preaching to the Father and the Son, bringing closer to the mind of the Father the syllable about the Holy Spirit, hedgehog: lordly and life-giving, and so on (and so on).” Consider, Old Believer, what is at stake here. There is something especially useful here for you. The Fathers of the Second Ecumenical Council brought it closer, that is, they added to the syllable laid down by the Nicene Fathers, that is, the article of the Creed about the Holy Spirit. What article? Next: lordly and life-giving and so on. Don't you see that here true antiquity is not saying what your imaginary antiquity would want? In your opinion, it should be said: lordly, true and life-giving, but the Fathers of the Second Ecumenical Council did not put the word here: true. Don't you see that the Fathers of the Council laid down in the Creed exactly those words that the Orthodox Church still reads in it today: and in the Holy Spirit of the Life-Giving Lord? Another remarkable testimony about the subject discussed by the Old Believers among you is given by the same manuscript through the paintings contained in it. There is no doubt that these paintings are contemporary with the manuscript itself: they are on the same charate sheets, on the other half of which the manuscript itself appears. On the 3rd page of the book there is a picture that represents some kind of church with an open arch. The arch depicts the Cathedral of various saints. In front of the others, three saints are visible in phelonions and omophorions. Three of the other saints hold in their hands four-pointed crosses of the following size and type: In the picture, which is on the back of the same sheet, four more four-pointed crosses of the same type are visible in the hands of the saints depicted on it. On sheet 128 again there is a similarity of a church with an open arch in which the saints are visible, and with one large dome, above which there is a small dome and on it a four-pointed and equal-pointed cross of the following size and type: Look, the verb Old Believer. Here is a four-pointed cross in the hands of saints; here he is at the height of the holy church; and this in the eleventh century, at a time when the Monks Anthony and Theodosius of Pechersk flourished in Kyiv. This is true antiquity! It is 474 years older than the Stoglavy Cathedral, which is the root of your imaginary antiquity. Thus, I give you a way, through one deeply ancient book, to verify three controversial subjects for you: the true pronunciation of the name Jesus, the correct reading of the symbol of faith and the antiquity and holiness of the four-pointed cross. Isn't it true that this method is not very difficult? Don’t be lazy, my dear, and don’t be stubborn: neither laziness nor stubbornness will lead to the salvation of the soul. Take care to find out the truth; and obey her when you recognize her. If you don’t trust what I’m telling you, because you didn’t expect that from antiquity: go to the Synodal Library, or send a person you trust; open the book; Consider for yourself what I am pointing out to you in it; make sure of the truth and stop, under unfair pretexts, alienating the true Church of Christ, which does not want you to perish outside its saving fence, which opens its gates of truth to you, which extends its motherly embrace to you.