9. Послание владимирского епископа к местному князю

For considerations about the person of the bishop to whom this letter may belong, and the prince to whom it was written, see the History of the Russian Church by Rev. Macaria, vol. V, pp. 385 and 391–393. It was published in Orthodox. Interlocutor 1861 book. III, p. 467 and in Kharkov Materials for the History of Russ. Churches No. III, pp. 14–15. Here it is published based on the Chudovskaya parchment Helmsman (fol. 190 vol.), in which this article directly follows the previous “teaching” (No. 8). By the grace of God and the Holy Mother of God, lover of our good God, about our kind of love for mankind, he gave us many wines for salvation, and always calls and thanks, let us observe more laws and rules, approved by God. By law we first know God, we are instructed by God’s commandments, we follow the will of his and his Mother, the holy Mother of God of Volodymyr. See, son, prince, what great princes were like, your great-grandfathers and grandfathers and your father, Grand Duke Alexander: they decorated the Church of God with choir shrines and books, and enriched the great houses, with tithes in all cities and church courts. And now, my son, prince, I am your father, the Bishop of Vodimir, I remember you, my son, about the Church of God. And you know, my son, that church has already been robbed and its houses are empty. And here I am writing another word: according to the rules of the church courts in all peasant people: abbots and abbess, priests and deacons, monks and monks, dissolution, mercy, kidnapping, beating, entrapment, between husband and wife that there will be talk about life, witchcraft, potion, reproaching whores and potions, heresy, tooth-killer, like father and mother, son or daughter beats, brothers or children touch their asses, church theft. Then all church courts were given by the law of God and by the former kings and our great princes: the prince and the bolyar and the judges should not intervene in those courts, they were not forgiven by the law of God; but this was given to the clergy for needs, and for old age, and infirmity, and for sick children who fell into illness, much more feeding, feeding for the poor, helping the offended, strange diligence, assistance in adversity, in fire and flood, redemption for captives, feeding in famine, provision for orphans and the poor, provision for widows, coverings for the thinner and dying coffins and burial, raising churches and monasteries, refuge and consolation for the living, and memory for the dead. You might be interested in: