Relations between the monks of Kirillov of Belozersky and Joseph of Volokolamsk monasteries in the 16th century.

The intended letter is not so important for the question to which it is written, but for the circumstances to which the answer concerns. It was borrowed from the manuscript of the Moscow Synodal Library in 4 days, No. 927, 16th century, containing various articles related to Joseph’s Volokolamsk Monastery, and written by the hand of Votmitsky Archimandrite Vassian, as indicated at the very beginning of the manuscript. This Archimandrite, by monasticism, was a disciple of Elder Photius of Volokolamsk, who himself, in turn, used the spiritual instructions of Joseph’s associate Cassian Bosogo. Abbot Votmitsky copied the short patericon of Volokolamsk into his book: the life of St. Joseph, described by Savva Krutitsky, and Dosifey Toporkov’s funeral eulogy for him; also - the life of Elder Cassian the Bosogo and letters to him and about him written by the Grand Duke, and some messages of St. Joseph of Volokolamsk; then, he placed his legend about Elder Photius (1554), his mentor, and the service written by Photius in honor of St. Joseph, and at the end he attached the mentioned letter, written by someone unknown (l.179 et seq.). It is incredible that it belonged to Vassian himself 1: he would not have included his letter in such a book in which he collected only what was especially dear and sacred to him. Whoever the author of this letter was, resolving the question of the reasons for the enmity between the monks of the Kirillov Belozersk and Joseph Volokolamsk monasteries, he concerns people and events more or less close to him in time, and reports some new information about them. From his letter we learn that Pr. Nil Sorsky, before the spiritual instructions he borrowed from the Svyatogorsk monks, was a student of the elder Paisius Yaroslavov, famous for his merits, Hegumen of the Holy Trinity St. Sergius Lavra. It is interesting to know that the question of changes to the monastery was proposed to the council not by the Grand Duke himself, but by a strict hermit - Pr. Neil that the proposal to free the monasteries from the management of the fatherland was made and defended by the elder, who, having mortified all earthly attachments in himself through long spiritual exploits, experienced the true dignity of monastic life in renunciation of everything earthly, in order to thereby freely strive for the one heavenly thing. – It is interesting to see how other godly monks looked at the same subject, and how they justified the then order of affairs, also bearing in mind not selfish goals, but the good of the Church. – This letter, although not in many words, sheds some light on the fate of the Pr. Maxim the Greek. The author, speaking not so much about the visible or seemingly exposed reasons for certain orders, but about the internal, not open to everyone, motives of the main actors, notes that the reason for the persecution of the Svyatogorsk residents was their opinion about the impropriety of monasteries owning villages. So, the addition to the above information about Pr. Nile Sorsk and an explanation of some new circumstances that had an impact on the fate of Pr. Maxim - this is what prompted us to present here a letter from an elder unknown to us, probably from the Joseph Monastery, written around the middle of the 16th century. The attentive reader will see here some other features that vividly characterize that time and complement its history. For our part, we will add in our comments some explanations about the persons and events mentioned in this letter. You asked me why the elders of St. Joseph’s Monastery don’t like the elders? And I will briefly describe the river from which places there is dislike between them. When there was a council under the Grand Duke Ivan Vasilyevich of All Rus' and under Simon the Metropolitan, about widowed priests and about deacons, in the summer of 7012 (1), and at that council there were Archbishops, and Bishops, and Archimandrites, and honest abbots, and honest elders from many monasteries. Yes, there was the elder Paisya Yaroslavov (2), who was the successor of the Great Prince Vasily from the holy font, and his disciple the elder Nil, according to Maykov: this Nil was in the Holy Mountain, and the Great Prince held them in honor in the great. And when the council on widow priests and deacons was held, Elder Nil began to say that there would be no villages near the monasteries, but that the monks would live in the deserts, and would feed on handicrafts: and with him the hermits of Belozersk. And having heard this, Hegumen Joseph began to speak to them contrary to the verb, bringing to the testimony of the holy Venerable Theodosius, the head of the general life, and the holy Venerable Athanasius of Athos, and the holy Venerable Father Anthony and Theodosius of the Pechersk wonderworkers, and many other monasteries that had villages with them. The same verb: if there are no villages near the monasteries, how can an honest and noble man take haircut? And if there are no honest elders, how can we take a Metropolis, or an Archbishop, or a Bishop, and all sorts of honest authorities? And if there are no honest elders and noble ones, there will be a wavering of faith. And God’s destinies did not remain according to their will. That's the first dislike! How Elder Nile passed away, and his disciple Prince Vassiyan Kosoy, Prince Ivanov, son of Yuryevich, and this Prince began to fight for his elder Nile, if there were no villages near the monasteries (3), and with him were other elders, with them the Holy Mountain people (4). This happened under the Grand Duke Vasily Ivanovich of All Rus'. And do not allow this existence, and they have an opinion on Joseph. That's the second dislike! Likewise, the Novgorod heretics began (d.b. began) to repent flatteringly, and not truly. And the elder Prince Vasyan believed them and taught the Grand Duke to grieve for them; and with him, both from the Lord and from the elders, I began to grieve (5). And having heard this, Joseph wrote to the Grand Duke, so that he would not believe their flattering repentance, and would order them to be kept out of prison, so that other people would not be deceived. And the Great Prince Joseph listened. That's the third dislike! And they began to reproach Joseph about this with great reproaches. Yes, at the same time, the elders of Zvenigorod, Prince Dioni (Dionysius), and Nil Polev (6), Joseph’s monks, lived in the desert on White Lake, close to the Kirillov Monastery. And the elder Prince Dionysius of Zvenigorod came to the hermit and saw a cross under his bed, and at that time a worldly priest was with him. And again, at another time, he came to another hermit, and that priest was with him: even that hermit was holding a book in his hands; and his cell is heated. And when Elder Dionysius matured, that hermit threw the book into the oven and the book burned. And the elder Dionysius and the priest saw that great heresy. And Elder Dionysius sent Elder Serapion the godfather to Joseph with a letter, and in it it is written that he saw heresy among the hermits. Joseph read the letter, and sent that letter to the Rostov Archbishop Vasyan, still in his Archbishopric. And at that time Vasyan the Archbishop was in Moscow (7). And Archbishop Vasyan presented that charter to the Grand Duke. And the Great Prince showed that letter to the elder Prince Vasyan Kosoy and said to him: Are your hermits doing good? And Vasyan said to the Grand Duke: that dei, Sovereign, the letter was written with deceit, but everything was lied. Ask the priest, Sovereign. The Great Prince ordered the appointment of a priest, and asked the priest. And the priest said as it was written in the letter. And Elder Vasian Prince asked the priest to be tortured, and the priest was tortured, and his leg was broken, and the priest died, but did not agree (8). And the Great Prince fell out against the elder, against Prince Dionysius, and against the elder Nile, saying: they themselves scolded each other, and they brought me into sin. Yes, the Great Prince ordered Elder Dionysius, and with him the Elder Nile was taken to the Kirilov Monastery, and he ordered their deserts to be burned. That is the last enmity to this day! Even when Elder Dionysus, Prince Zvenigorodsky and Elder Nil Polev were in Kirilov in disgrace, they told us that they then endured much sorrow in great need. And Elder Nil Polev told us this: when, he said, he was in great need and prayed with tears and remembered how, without a blessing, he died from Father Joseph and the promise of his tonsure, and about this he was greatly offended, and forgot all his needs, and was in great fear, and cried out in his heart: what have I done, the accursed one? I'm dying without forgiveness. And he began to call on Father Joseph in his prayer and ask for forgiveness and said, “The Lord’s Father, Pr. Joseph! Even though I am a place of distance far away, but in my heart and in my mind I am before you, forgive me, a sinner,” and I lay down a little, and I saw myself in the monastery of Father Joseph, and again I came to Father Joseph’s cell, and when I saw him, I fell on his nose, asking for forgiveness. He embraced me with his mantle and said to me: God will forgive you. I rose up with joy and found my heart without any sorrow. And in a short time the Great Prince ordered us to go to Joseph’s Monastery. Prince Vasyan the elder had a lot of enmity against Joseph and his monastery, although he wanted to destroy it. And by God’s destinies, a short time later the Great Prince fell in love with him and sent him to Joseph’s monastery (9). He reposed in the monastery and was buried there. O eternally evil enemy of the human race! Joseph removed all decorum and reverence from the Kirilov Monastery. And now the devil, by his opinion, will not reconcile enmity between such luminaries. In truth it will come true, as the Holy Fathers rekos, as opinion is the second fall. And again rekosha: with all the passion of the mother - opinion. 1. The Moscow Cathedral of 1503 is also evidenced by Chronicles 2 and Acts 3. But the Chronicles do not say that at this council they discussed the monastery estates. Meanwhile, a record, or report of the council to the Emperor on this subject, has been preserved in various manuscripts 4 . In this report, the council represented that St. The Fathers did not forbid the saints and monasteries to have villages and hamlets, and that the saints, but by the same rules, “do not dare and do not favor” to give what was dedicated to churches and monasteries, that the Kings of Constantinople and the Grand Dukes of Russia donated inhabited estates and income from them to churches and monasteries, irrevocably. The representation, as is known, had its force: but the decision of the Grand Duke is not in the record. Likewise, no one's opinions or votes are given. This last shortcoming is happily rewarded by the narrator of the life of Pr. Joseph, by name unknown to us, but, as can be seen from everything, close to the time of the Venerable 5 “There was a royal command,” says the biographer, “sacred men from the Bishops in the ruling city, gathering to see about the word, the monastery of the village and the fields, if the essence is not pleasant? By a certain father, who passed through and loved the silence and solitary life and the paternal teachings about the non-acquisition of good things by the monk, more about the acquisition of villages by the monastery, those who enter the monastery create a non-sweating, (as if) vain renunciation of the world: again, like the laity, for these sake they say and seduce with the laity and with themselves, the judge those who go around and those who litigate. And for these, for the sake of the Autocrat, those who have boldness towards him, for the sake of the strong life and virtue of the multitude, are extremely acceptable and respected by the Autocrat. And for this reason I have collected a collection; it is no small matter of good reason to be deprived of the unbearable Father, even if Joseph is not with him, for the sake of forcing him to go to the city of Moscow. Asking about these things - by the common will of the monastery, having accepted the punishment for which wines the village owed from time immemorial? It is tormentingly dangerous, having gained reason, he sat down in a monastery: Russia’s many monasteries at the beginning of enlightenment were still installed as sacred Bishops and Christ-loving Princes.” It is further said that the creators of the monasteries first of all intended to erect St. churches: sacred bread, candles, and incense were needed for sacred rites in churches; it was necessary to support their clergy. In order for the monasteries not to fall after the death of the ktitors, it was necessary to provide them with more durable means of maintenance. “And this is all looking, beautiful and kind, the reverend creator, the love of God, the Bishops and the piety of the Princes of the monastery with their abundant acquisitions of the villages and other estates and incomes, - those who judged righteously and behold, so that if they were squalid, or because of poverty in general, or because of other ailments, the monasteries will accept the bypassing joy, for the sake of mercy and the abundance of the acquisitions of the church that is in them; Consider those who have renounced the world and entered these monasteries - with fasting and prayers, and work in the monastery, in anticipation of their love of strangers... And these monks, who in humble wisdom deign to labor (toil) for the strange and the sick, for the sake of the repose of the sick, and especially for the sake of the church for the sake of men and their sacred representatives, and will demand what they need from the monasteries, and moreover for the church, acceptably, are not only not condemned, but even more so for the sake of guilt, a great reward with their fasting will perceive. And in this blessedness, the saints will receive the eternal reward of love for God from God, and in eternal memory, by remembering the sacred sacrifices, their souls will always enjoy and the offering will relieve them of their sins. “If there are not people who eat ill of the evil of covetousness, and imagine God’s unrighteousness, these alone will raise judgment with passions.” And for the sake of these few, who do not pay attention to their salvation, who take advantage of the little ones and want to save (those who want), despising the sacred justification, cut off from the Church and deprive the blessed creators of so much benefit. - Therefore, obey the ancient God-loving husband more than judge, and the justification of the church is motionless to observe the council, having chosen justification, as if those who truly wanted to be saved were quickly damaged - the acquisitions of the church, those in the monasteries. “In these interrogations,” the narrator concludes, “Hegumen Serapion and Joseph of the Trinity Monastery of Sergius intelligently and kindly corrected (razchinisha) the best for the better, depending on what is beneficial to both.” 2) Paisiy Yaroslavov was the abbot of the Trinity Lavra from 1479 to 1482. But due to dissatisfaction with the Trinity monks, he left the abbot. The Great Prince did not cease to have respect for him and was thinking of elevating him to the rank of metropolitan, in place of Gerontius, to whom he proposed to renounce the throne 6 . Paisius and his disciple Nil Sorsky enjoyed respect from the Russian Hierarchs. When the heresy of the Judaizers opened in Novgorod and expectations of the end of the world in 1492 were widespread, Archbishop Gennady of Novgorod asked (in 1489) Joseph Archbishop of Rostov to consult with these elders on how to talk about these expectations: “Yes, if you could advise them about this: three years will pass, The seventh thousand ends..." and so on. 7 Both elders: Paisius and Nil were invited to the council on the matter of the Judaizers in 1490 8. From Gennadiev’s letter we can conclude that Paisius, having resigned as abbess, retired north to the region of the Rostov Diocese 9: just like Nile, he founded his hermitage there. 3) Prince Vassian, in the world Vasily Patrictyev, son of Ivan Yuryevich, nephew of Grand Duke Vasily Vasilyevich Temnago, saved in 1499 from the death penalty by the petition of Metropolitan Simon, Archbishop of Rostov, and others, only on the condition of tonsure into monasticism 10. He was tonsured at the Kirillov Beloezersky Monastery, and soon managed to meet the great elder Pr. Nilus of Sora, whose epistle to Vassian has come down to us, took care of his desert 11. His way of thinking about the ownership of monasteries by fathers is clearly expressed in his answers at the council of 1531 12: “I do not praise those (monks) who hold villages.” In the book of church rules, or Helmsman, which he compiled and served, among other things, for his accusation at the council, contrary to the truth, it was said: “Likewise, the Rosei lands here are our rulers and miracle workers: Anthony and Theodosius of Pechersk, also miracle workers in Kyiv, and Sergius of Radonezh and Cyril of Belozesk and Dmitry Prilutsky, and Pavel Komelsky - they didn’t go to their monastery, but they taught their students according to the Gospel of life and according to monastic communion 13.” Vassian directly spoke at the council about his dislike for the Joseph monks, among whom Metropolitan Daniel was then: “The elders of Joseph’s monastery do not even visit my cell; I don’t let them in and I don’t care about them.” 4) Of the Svyatogorsk residents who were then in Russia, here we mean Pr. Maxim Grek. The modest author does not call him by name, perhaps because he was still alive. Maximus’s opinion about the inappropriateness of monasteries to own villages and hamlets was expressed by him mainly in two works, which he learned from his long wanderings in the western countries of Europe. There he was captivated by the rules and way of life of the Carthusian order, founded at the end of the 11th century by Brunon Bishop of Gerbipolensky, and depicted the beginning and structure of this order in the “story”, without naming, however, the name of either the order or its founder. The life of this Bishop tells what circumstances led him to the establishment of this order. He was struck by extraordinary phenomena at the death of his mentor, the Parisian doctor, Raymond Diocre, a learned man, but self-deluded and extolled his knowledge to the point of blasphemy. In this state, caught by death, Raymond - among his brethren, who were already preparing to carry him to the grave, suddenly stood up and said: “justo Dei judicio adcusatus sum (or, as Maxim the Greek translates: put this before the Judge),” and died again. After a while, he again woke up from his mortal sleep, and stood up and said: “justo Dei judicio judicatus sum (from Maxim: I am tested),” and again he fell dead on his bed. Finally, he stood up once again to say: “justo Dei judicio damnatus sum (condemned by the ECM),” and no longer awakened to life. 14 Such amazing phenomena, as Brunon’s life says, disposed him and some of his comrades to retire to the wild, secluded desert of Chartres, and set the most strict rules for their society. These rules were admired by the Orthodox zealot piety of St. Maxim, describing the home activities of the monks of Chartres or Carthusian, their non-covetousness, supervision of the deanery and management - and often comparing the Russian monasteries of that time, which was not entirely beneficial for them. They love non-covetousness, like the great spirit of God, to observe them in silence and in all truth and steadfastness in thought.” – What do they contain? - “For all the days, the abbot of the monastery releases the two men, each having a linen skin hanging on the lion’s shoulders, who entered the city to go around the houses of the one street and ask in the name of the Lord for bread for the brethren, and having filled the skins with clean wheat bread, they return to their monastery. In this way, they get their daily food all day long, using the streets of the city 15. The monk of Athos liked such squalor - and in another word or “conversation between Actimon, the non-covetous, and Philoctimon, the covetous,” he tried to reveal the dignity of such a nameless life, and to eliminate the objections that the defenders of a different order of affairs presented to him. Here, in an even harsher tone, he speaks about the incompatibility of the complex affairs of managing villages and villages with monastic vows. “We are disciples of the gospel of the Gospel,” he writes, “who strive to rise to perfection according to God’s life, for whose sake we voluntarily deny all the reds of this vain world, always promising to God before His chosen angels, according to His holy commandments, to arrange the rest of our lives with all humility, righteousness and reverence, Christ-like poverty and meekness, - having forgotten our vow and imagining them as nothing, acquiring again for ourselves and herds of all kinds of livestock, as in the first worldly life, we always strive to acquire, and accumulate gold and silver for ourselves on earth with all untruth and covetousness of lawless growths, the Gospel commandments of the calico, godless gains firmly denying; and in countless sorrows and worldly rumors, litigations and quarrels we inflict on ourselves, just as we hold on to the worldly life”... In vain Philoctimon says to his interlocutor: “not a single condemnation comes to us from the hedgehog of acquiring property, and owning lands and villages: nothing, for no one has his own, below the age of anyone taking anything from these, and not attributing anything: for his sake we are worthy to be called the existence of non-covetous” - Actimon does not accept such a justification, and reflects it with the words of the Apostle: “no one fighting intertwined with the purchases of life 16.” The defender of non-covetousness did not even hesitate to offer an example of the order he described for devouring to Russian monasteries. “In Latin,” he writes, even though many were offended, alien and strange teachings leading from the many-learned Hellenic (pagan) punishment existing in them are seduced, but they do not completely fall away from faith and hope and love, even in the Savior Christ, for whose sake, according to His holy commandments, they diligently instruct their monastic stay among them Mnihi, whose like-minded and brotherly and non-covetous and silent and carefree behavior befits us to imitate, so that we will not find their second... I write this not so as to show the Latin faith to be pure, perfect and upright in everyone: let such madness not be upon me! But let me show to the Orthodox that even the just-wise Latins have care and diligence for the Gospel saving commandments and zeal for the faith of the Savior Christ 17. Vassian, the Prince-monk, was in close relations with Maxim the Greek, and, without a doubt, was very glad to find himself like-minded in the learned Holy Mountain monk. But Daniel, who ruled the metropolitanate at that time, managed to ward off the danger that threatened the monasteries. They found ways to suspect the Orthodoxy of St. Maximus: without showing his approving reviews of the Latin monasteries, they attacked his correction of church books. - Meanwhile, Maxim’s judgments about monasteries owning patrimonies differed among the people, and appeared in the half of the 16th century. false teachers in Moscow knew how to use them to condemn the monks. The student of St. Maxim Zinovy, a monk of the Otensk Monastery, tried to correct the matter. In his refutation of the false wisdom that was eaten up by the heretics of that time, he wrote: “Let us consider the residence praised by Maximus of the Latin monastery, offered from him in the image of non-covetous people, as well as in reproach by the Russian monastery. He speaks about him, praising him, as if every week the doubles go out for this teaching, which has a muscle, and the coming hail collects the food and beer given to them from the citizens and brings it to the monastery, and eats like this; and their living is from love, rather than from giving alms to those who give alms: for they ask and receive love, which is giving, and they have peace in their living. - But the short sin is so numerous from the Latin monastery that it seems to be the Russian monastery, which also accepts love? For the man is willing to create love for those who exist in monasteries, but the commandments of the Lord, and instead of every week, wait for twice as many people to come to his house, and receive love from him, but according to the Latin custom, the only one for the repose of the monastery will give the income of the village to love, the powerful nitati living in monasteries in the coming summer, instead of twice as much for the house in the week. comings and petitions. And just as the monasteries of Russia depend on the alms given to them by the Christ-loving Ones, so the Latin monastery derives its residence from alms by receiving. And the wallpaper feeds on alms, just like the Russian monasteries; They are united only in this way, even though the Latin monastery passes through the city twice a week, collecting waste and wine, and it seems that the city will create the same rumor as in the villages: Russia's monasteries (mnisi?) in one summer, going out to the villages, will collect the fruit and other things of the silent summer in the monasteries, which can sit fast and prayers, unless some other need compels them to proceed.” Then Zinovy ​​notes that different countries have different customs, and this difference is sometimes established by nature itself: “in Egypt there are many monasteries with convenience; in Russia, not everything is possible in a monastery.” Yes, and between the skete Fathers one can notice a difference: some prepared food for themselves only for the day, selling their handicrafts every day; others, cultivating the fields, prepared themselves for the year. Following this, Zinovy ​​continues: “I will find tears from the pity of my heart. I come in memory now, as I sometimes saw the monks of some monasteries, those who were condemned for the sake of the villages by the reverent Vasian and Maxim, who had their hands cursed for the sake of many suffering, and the skin on them was like oxen and disintegrating, and their faces were empty, and their hair was shattered, without mercy from the tormenting tributes they were dragging mercilessly, we beat them with cruelty, like we tortured them from foreigners, and we also tortured the hands of those who were blue and swollen. Ovii is tempting, Ovii is lying around, but with his property he is so powerful (mighty), as if he were a petitioner for the poor, he would rather abound for them. Most of them have five or six pieces of silver, while others have three or two, but those who are the most numerous in them rarely find even a single piece of copper. The only thing that is found in them is oatmeal bread that is not winnowed, or rye grains are crushed, and their bread is without salt, and for those who have cabbage leaves to drink, they have cabbage leaves; and those who have potions in them, beets and turnips; Vegetables for them, when they can be found, are rowan and viburnum. What can we say about clothes? Scratched... I also saw those who were once called non-covetous and who were justified in doing the commandments, having bags of silver and many more lying in them, eating wheat bread, clean, soft, and white and black caviar, and beluga rods, sturgeon, white fish and others, and steamed fish, and white and black and red fish soup, and vegetables. figs, stapids, roztsy, plums, cherries, blows, apples; and those who have the potion, ginger, pepper, rusk, nutmeg, sugar; those who have clothes are soft, warm, and light. May the Lord be able to judge about these money-grubbers who have villages, and about these non-covetous people who imagine themselves walking through narrow gates and sorrowful paths, let him judge: I don’t want to talk about this. Let us also consider the reverent monk Prince Vasian and his rule of law, did he leave the monasteries for the sake of the villages? If you choose to live a deserted life, follow the will of the Grand Duke to live in the Simonov monasteries. Do not deign the Vassians to eat Simonovsky's meat: rye bread and jam, hedgehog from the leaves of cabbage, and from the stems of beets, and porridge built up with meat juice, and milk, which creates quick disintegration, and frozen milk, and beer that cleanses the stomach, which the monastery does not drink: for this is waste. and have beer from the villages, for this reason, for the sake of the monastery waste and beer of Vasiyan, the waste brought to him from the Great Prince's meal, wheat bread, clean, crusty, and other waste very much desired and built up in many places, and everything that is usually brought to the Great Duke's meal, including fish and oil and milk and eggs. And the reverent Vasiyan Prince of the monastery in the monastery from Simonov monastery, for the sake of acquiring two thousand vot: so about ancient times we heard that Simonov had whining, but we don’t know how much to have. Vasiyan is not separated from the Christ-loving and God-loving Grand Duke, who has darkness upon darkness... Piyashe non-covetous romania, bastre, mushkatel, Rensky white wine.” 5) The message of the elders of the Vologda monasteries against Joseph is known, who demanded that the government not pay attention to the hypocritical repentance of convicted heretics of Judaizers 18. In the forewarning to this message it is said: “The elders of the Kiril Monastery and all the Vologda monasteries gathered together, and about this, they put up a counter-testimony to that message of Elder Joseph, choosing from the Divine Scriptures that it is not the repentant heretics and those who do not repent that should be imprisoned, but the repentant heretics and those who curse their heresy, the Church of God accepts with outstretched hands.” The message is written quite caustically in places, and may belong to Prince Vassian. – The message of Joseph himself to the monks about obedience to the conciliar decision regarding heretics is also known (1504). In this letter, Joseph refutes the defenders of the repentance of the Judaizers, and proves: 1) the Judaizers are not heretics, but apostates, therefore, the church rules regarding repentant heretics do not apply to them; 2) that the repentance of the Judaizers was not arbitrary, but forced by fear of the death penalty: “and about this wretched repentance and conversion, in no scripture, even the books that have come down to us, is it written anywhere, how to accept repentance and confession, and how to tempt them, even if they truly repent or flatteringly”; 3) that simple monks, not convicted by any authority in the Church, should not take upon themselves the judgment of a conciliar verdict 19. 6) About these saints: Dionysius Prince of Zvenigorod and Nil Polev in the above-mentioned life of Pr. Joseph says: “Other, while fasting with his father (Joseph) in the monastery, Dionysius, also from the Zvenigorod princes, says, he is more industrious: in the bread-maker, he suffered only two brothers’ work, for these seventy and seven psalms were done and three thousand throws every day. Having loved solitude and asking his father, he was released into existence to Father Nile, and thus receive the petition that shone then, like a light in the desert on Bel Ezer. Together, the Nile departed there, according to Polev, the only illustrious one from those in the Synclite of the sovereign ruler of Volotsk, and followed his son to Ruz, and again with the Dmitra sovereign Prince George.” Elder Dionysius came from the family of Lithuanian native (in 1408) Alexander, Prince of Zvenigorod 20. Dionysius of Zvenigorod and Metropolitan Daniel were both tonsured by St. Joseph of Volokolamsk and probably lived together in his monastery. Therefore, Daniel did not leave him with comforting messages in misfortune 21. – Nil Polev, according to his ancestors, belonged to the Princes of Smolensk, who during the time of V. Prince Vasily Dmitrievich, having lost their reign, retired to Moscow 22. Having accepted the monastic rank, Neil did not hide from rumors and various griefs. Two letters from him to Elder Herman have reached us, written at a time when everyone was still busy with the dispute between Joseph and Archbishop Serapion of Novgorod, due to the reasons for the transfer from the Diocese of Novgorod and the reign of Volotsk under the patronage of V. Prince of Moscow. Neil at that time already lived in the Beloezersk desert. Since these letters introduce us to the spirit of the Nile and some of the circumstances of Joseph’s monks, we will present an extract from these letters 23. “To Mr. Elder Herman, the sinful blueberry Nil Polev was his brow. Elder Dioniy of Zvenigorod was with me now and told me that you are ordering us to say that our father Hegumen Joseph and all of us who are tonsured by Archbishop Serapion of Novgorod have been excommunicated from the holy and life-giving Mysteries of Christ our God and are receiving communion through the rules of St. Father. – Otherwise, we are blessed and forgiven by the holy rules, and then by the entire Council of the Russian Metropolises... And even then we have not been in the monastery for a long time. And if we are excommunicated, then all those who have passed away from excommunication will be tonsured by God’s mercy. – And you also say that it is appropriate for us to humble ourselves and ask for forgiveness from our Archbishop Serapion; and, if not this, you say, with us, all Orthodox Christians, it is not appropriate for you to eat, drink, or copulate. You must first consider this, that our Father Abbot Joseph did not do this work alone, but in the midst of the table and mother of the city and other human city of Moscow and the Autocrat of the Grand Duke Vasily Ivanovich of All Rus' and among the throne of the Patriarchal of the All Russian Metropolis, - and I received forgiveness and permission from the head of all people, that is, from the Metropolitan and the entire cathedral, you command from this unblessed one to demand forgiveness!... If you say that the Patriarch and the entire cathedral, fearing the Tsar, have become weak and judged wrongly... and you go and denounce the Tsar and the entire cathedral. - What if, sir, you take up arms to separate us from these holy places? otherwise, even if God is with us, no one is against us. By the same token, remember the great patriarch Abraham, how God commanded him to leave his home - and without faltering in obedience... And we rudely strive to leave the fatherland, and our land, and in the spirit of the Father and the brethren and peace, and instead of Egypt, to settle in the Beloezersky countries, wanting to endure in an unknown land all sorts of sorrows and troubles from strangers. But even now we are ready to endure the mercy we ask from God, and even more, arm ourselves against us. “But we see and know that for this sake we are torturing our Father Gennady, who is holding us back spiritually, and telling him that your communion is not communion for them, and your good is not good for them.” “Otherwise, sir, when you set fire on your head, you judge the priests and teach them in such things, which it is proper for us to speak of them...” Whenever the word is brought to you about those of Christ and the apostates of the Orthodox Christian faith, about idolaters, you say: it is not appropriate for us to judge anyone, whether they are faithful or not, but it is appropriate to pray for them, not to send them into prison. And now you judge the Metropolitan and the Bishop, and the abbots; and you are a simple monk, just like all of us are foreigners.” - In the second letter, responding to Herman’s apology for the grief caused by the above review, Neil adds: “For this reason I am writing to you cruelly, remembering your spiritual father and my charmless mentor (Joseph?) and his life and labors and his right and true faith in God, and I cannot tolerate not from you, but also from all your advisers, this hissing aspiring." 7) Archbishop Vassian of Rostov was the brother of Pr. Joseph of Volokolamsk. He ruled the Diocese of Rostov from 1506. Gen. 18 d and died on Aug 28. 1516. This determines the time of the described incident. 8) He didn’t talk, that is, he changed his testimony. Below: came to his senses, i.e., put down the disgrace. – And he caused me sin, that is, and I was led into sin. 9) About the fate of Vassian after the council, Prince Kurbsky writes: “Blessed Vassian, having taken away his relative in the flesh (V. Prince), ordered to imprison and bind the holy man, like a villain, in the most bitter prison, and to those like himself in anger, the despicable Osiflans, he sent them to the monastery and ordered them to die a quick death. They, like his cruelty, are quick obedients and indulgers in all evil, and even more so, imitators, put him to death soon” 24. Since the letter we are considering already speaks of the disgrace of the Grand Duke against Vassian, and of the death of this elder in the Joseph Monastery; then from this we can draw a conclusion about the time when it was written. As stated in the indication of materials of Russian History (Journal. Minister. People. Enlightenment 1834) § 119, where between the works of Vassian, Archimandrite Votmitsky mentions enmity against the Josephites. Eg. Soph. Vr. Ed. Stroeva. Frequently II. Page 271 Act. Arch. Expedition T. I. NN 382 and 383 Rukop. Synod. N 79. (Ist. G. Ross. T. VI" pr. 622., Joseph of the Volokolamsk Monastery in 4 d. N 290. and the Moscow Theological Academy under N 200. It is not known on what basis the Historiographer assigns this cathedral to 1500, whereas, according to the evidence of the letter in question, it was in 1503. We use the list from this life, received from Joseph's Volokolamsk Monastery. In addition to Creation St. Ot. 1847 p. 225. It is listed under number three. Soph. Vr. Ed. Stroeva, C.I. page 229. Rukop. Troitsk Serg. Laurels, teachings of various Holy Fathers in 4 d. No. 17. From the works of Paisius dating back to this time, by the way, his record about the Spasokamenny monastery on Lake Kubenskoye is known (Rukop. Trinity. Serg. Lavra). But the so-called extract from the letter to V. Prince Vasily Ivanovich about the consideration of the second marriage, both in time and in its content, cannot belong to this elder, Paisiy Yaroslavovich. See I. G. Ross. T. VI ed. Einerting, p. 174 and note. Act. Arch. Expedition T. 1. No. 173. Read Moscow Historical Society 1847 No. 9. See about this Pilot Description. Hand. Thick. Dept. 1. No. 169, and Paleog. Tables No. IV. Act. SS. Octobr. T 3. R. 538 et 703. The story is terrible and memorable. Sl. 50 in Manuscript of collected works. Ave. Maxim the Greek, Lavroska Library. 182. Word 74 in the same manuscript. L. 367. Vol. And 375 rpm The above-mentioned “story is terrible and memorable.” 190. Ancient Vivl T. XVI pp. 424–428 Rukop. Moscow D. Academy No. 171. L. 250–255. East. State Ross. T.V. Ed. Einerlinga page 109. He may be listed in the Genealogical books by his worldly name, thus “Prince Danilo Lupa, childless; but I was in the monastery in Joseph’s monastery.” Pedigree. Part I. Page 196. Ivan Alexandrovich Zvenigorodsky, the brother of his grandfather Gleb, was elected in Pskov “to reign” in 1463. I.G.R.T. VI. Ave. 4. This is the message of 1528, printed in the I.T.Act.Histor. at number 293. I.G. Ross. T. V. Ave. 19. The genealogical book (Part I, pp. 95–96.) testifies that the Polevs descended from the grandson of the last Prince of Smolensk, Yuri Svyatoslavovich, Boris Fedorovich. In the reign of Volotsk they had their own estates and at times suffered unfair claims from Prince Boris of Volotsk. In his spiritual testament in 1477, he wrote: “and what I have, through my guilt, took from Theodore’s village from Polev, and from his son from Vasily... their ancestral lands and those of their villages are theirs; and they know their fatherland according to the old times.” Sob. State Gr. T. I. Page 252. According to RK. Joseph's Volokolamsk Monastery in 4 building No. 198 and in 8 No. 60. Said. Prince Kurbskogo. Ed. 2nd, 1842 p. 5. You might be interested in: