113. 1485 г. Послание новгородского архиепископа Геннадия к волотскому князю Борису Васильевичу, с оправданием от упрека в неправильном получении святительского сана и с напоминанием об отнятой у Софийской церкви земле в волоколамском уделе

This hitherto unknown message is published according to the list found in the collection of the Pogodinsky Tree Depository (now the Imperial Public Library), No. 1287, fol. 153–156. In the collection of Undolsky's papers, stored in the Moscow Public Museum, No. 141), l. 210–211, there is a copy of the same message made by him in his own hand, but with the incorrect meaning that it was extracted “from the Pogodinsky collection of the 16th century, on 313 sheets, in 4°, No. 668.” Summer 90 third, Archbishop Gennady To Mr. Prince Boris Vasilyevich, the Right Reverend Archbishop Gennady of the God-saved cities of Veliky Novgorod and Pskov, I bless and bless. What are you, sir, wrote about this from the apostolic canons (which I sent to you), resolving: “I received the rank of hierarch by means of wealth, or worldly princes by weakness”: otherwise I am alien from both of those gaps. And that our sovereign great prince, your brother, forced us 2930 and with his father the Metropolitan, and with all the rulers; Even though I am unworthy, knowing my limits, because I am not content with such service, I prayed a lot to my father, Gerontius, Metropolitan of All Rus', and I beat your brother, and my sovereign, with my forehead to the Grand Duke that I am not worthy for such service: and they set obedience above many virtues. I did not create contradictions among the judges, nor did I lead the great sovereigns into languor, I placed my unworthiness and conscience on God’s mercy and on my father Gerontius, Metropolitan of All Rus', and [on] about him the divine council of bishops and all the church venerables who judged me in such a service. For this reason, I obeyed their will, and accepted their prayer to help against visible and invisible enemies who are fighting the Church of God. And you wrote the gospel word to me, saying: “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, for you place heavy burdens on men that are not easy to bear, but you yourself cannot touch with a single finger,” and I myself know my unworthiness and my laziness, but I am afraid of the apostolic commandments. He writes: “If a newly appointed bishop does not adhere to his service and is not cared for by the people entrusted to him, he will be excommunicated until he resumes his service with the zeal of his service.” 2931 It would behoove you, the great sovereign, to take time, if only for the sake of property, or something else, to have a stingy profit, but now I am, except for that gap; I'm searching for something that won't weigh on my soul. And what did you write from the Gospel: “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees,” and in the same Gospel it was written to you, the great sovereign, and to all Orthodox Christians: “the scribes and Pharisees sat in the seat of Moses,” and so on, even as you said; Again, it was said quickly to you: “Listen to their teachings, but do not walk in their works.” And you, great sovereign - you are called shepherds of the verbal sheep of Christ - it would be fitting for you to have care for them, like Christ himself. We have been appointed by shepherds and teachers, not only to foretell less, but also to you yourself, the great sovereign, to pray and forbid, so that not only the earthly kingdom will be held, but with this earthly and temporary 2932 kingdom we will receive the eternal heavenly one. For this reason, I will write to you, the great sovereign, “The Word of the Holy Fathers of the Hundred and Sixty and Five” 2933, whoever offends the holy churches, and honor, having found what you are looking for in the divine rules. And having written that chapter, I sent it to you: “Of this great city of ours and with your most holy archbishops, one hundred and sixty and five, we commit this in writing to the holy church that has offended God and to their sacred authorities, given by the Lord as an inheritance of eternal blessings and in memory of the last generation, those who have offended by the power given by those who unlawfully take away villages and vineyards,” as if it will come true for us. Yes, I will remember this 2934 after my offense 2935, but now - what did I begin to talk about; it is written: “if someone begins to offend the rank, or to admire the courts of the church and justifications, or to attract by violence a bishop or a priest or a deacon and everyone who simply decides, sacred, or a monastery given by robbery and violence and taking away from them everything given by Christ, if anyone invents this, creating great and crumpled atrocities the holy churches, the quaternity, and let the church revert back. If those who are proud of their rank begin to be indignant at our command, they do not repent of the true rules of the Holy Fathers, no matter in what rank we may be, or a governor, - he is alien to the rule.” Do not imagine that I am saying this about myself: I wrote this to you from the divine rules; and you, Great Sovereign, will read this yourself, and before all your sigklit [read], and they too would know the truth, which you will restrain them from evil, and your princess and your children would hear: above all, everyone needs to take care of their immortal souls. I will write this and the end of the chapter to you: “and if they begin to be indignant with great indignation, forgetting the fear of the highest, enveloped in shamelessness, our authority commands to burn them with fire, and give their houses to the holy churches of God, having offended them. If those who wear the crown themselves begin to follow the same guilt, hoping for riches and nobility sincerely not giving birth, nor giving back, those who have offended holy churches or monasteries will be guilty of the same guilt.” And the end of that chapter is no laughing matter for you to write, since the essence is so difficult; If you want to take it away, you yourself can read the divine rule: this is the end of the chapter. For this reason, I wrote to you, the great sovereign, who, without knowing, your boyars, or governors, or tivuns, should do such a thing, so that his head will always be honored, and he will retreat from evil, and choose the truth; and there would be no harm to your sovereign soul. And there are some lands of St. Sophia here on Volots: about this I will beat the sovereign again with my forehead; Now I will repose the word. May the mercy of the great God, our Savior Jesus Christ and St. Sophia, the Wisdom of God, and our blessing and prayer be on you, the great sovereign, and on your noble princess, and on your divinely crowned children, and on all your army, and forever, amen. We are repeated here again in the manuscript. The 36th Apostolic Canon is given (not in exact words). Wed. in the Helmsman's interpretation of the 17th rule of Antiochus. cathedral You might be interested in: