Just as false teachings and heresies appeared in the Greek Orthodox Church, so in Russian Church from its very foundation, various church perplexities and disputes arose. The culprits of these disputes were the opponents of the Church, who stubbornly defended their wrong opinions and, over time, gradually prepared the ground for a schism.

In the second half of the 14th century, Karp Strigolnik and Deacon Nikita (defrocked) appeared in Pskov, who began to teach that bishops and priests are appointed for a fee (for a bribe), and therefore no sacraments should be accepted from them. Going further in their delusion, the Strigolniki denied the hierarchy, church rites (as if laymen could also teach; one must repent, kneeling to the ground, without a priest; the Eucharist must be understood in spiritual sense), Ecumenical councils, even the Gospel Scriptures and the resurrection of the dead. Preaching such a destructive doctrine, they were excellent at being hypocritical and seemed to the people to be fasters and ascetics. From Pskov the false teachers moved to Novgorod, where they found many followers. Here, at first, they acted against the Strigolniks with cruel measures: after a church curse, the people grabbed Karp and Nikita and drowned them in Volkhov. But milder measures turned out to be more effective: messages Patriarchs of Constantinople Nila and Anthony and the admonitions of Metropolitan Photius calmed the agitation of minds. Nevertheless, the opinions of the Strigolniks are still repeated in some schismatic sects.

A century after the Strigolniks, an even more harmful heresy of the Judaizers appeared in Novgorod. In the second half of the 15th century, in 1470, the Jew Skhariya, famous for his learning and familiar with cabalism and astrology, came to Novgorod. Under the guise of Jewish teaching, he began to spread disbelief in the fundamental truths of Christianity and taught that God is one and does not have a Son and the Holy Spirit, who are consubstantial and co-throne with Him, that the Messiah has not yet come, and if he comes, he will not be God, but a simple man, like Moses, David and other prophets. At the same time, the dignity of the Lord Jesus Christ was humiliated, Mother of God, saints, sacraments were rejected, holy icons, relics, fasts, monasticism and other institutions and accessories were mocked Orthodox Church. Some went so far as to deny the immortality of the soul, the resurrection of the dead and future life. Favoring passions and licentious morals, the heresy of the Judaizers quickly spread and captivated many clergy. Among them were, for example, the Sofian archpriest Gabriel, priests Alexei and Dionysius. The last two later occupied a prominent position in the rank of cathedral archpriests in Moscow, where the heresy of the Judaizers also began to spread, so that, finally, among its followers it had the clerk Kuritsyn, a strong figure at the court, and other boyars, and even penetrated into royal family, where her patron was the daughter-in-law of the Grand Duke, the mother of the declared heir to the throne, Elena. Things got to the point that, through the machinations of the Judaizers, one of the secret adherents of the sect, Simonov’s Archimandrite Zosima, was elected and elevated to the throne of the Metropolitan.

The first to rebel against heresy was Gennady, Archbishop of Novgorod. With messages to the Grand Duke, Metropolitan and bishops, he gave such publicity to the matter that Zosima himself in 1491 was forced to convene a council in Moscow to judge heretics. The council condemned them: some heretics were sent to prison, others were sent to Novgorod for correction. Zosima himself pretended to be Orthodox and even denounced heretics.

The heresy subsided, but not for long: Gennady’s strict measures caused only outward repentance in the heretics, and they, having fled from Novgorod, again began to spread their false teaching; and Zosima and Kuritsyn remained in Moscow. Soon it found a new favorable reason for its spread: at the end of the 15th century, in 1492, the 7th thousand years had passed since the creation of the world. Both in Greece and in Russia, many were confident that with the end of this thousand there would be the end of the world; the fateful year passed, and the end of the world did not follow; The heretics therefore began to laugh at the expectations and, in general, the faith of the Orthodox. Then the Monk Joseph, abbot of Volokolamsk, came to Gennady’s aid. To reassure the Orthodox, a council was convened in Moscow in 1492, at which it was decided to continue the Easter service, and Archbishop Gennady compiled it for 70 years. Following this came a remarkable essay St. Joseph, directed against the heresy of the Judaizers, under the name “Enlightener”. Since heretics rejected all the most important dogmas of Orthodoxy, The Enlightener is an almost complete and systematic presentation of theological teaching. In particular, he deals in detail with the question of monasticism, which was mainly attacked by heretics. At the same time, the Monk Joseph boldly denounced Metropolitan Zosima, calling him a traitor Judas and the forerunner of the Antichrist. After this, Zosima no longer had the opportunity to remain at the metropolitan see, and he was forced to retire. But even with the removal of Zosima, the heresy of the Judaizers did not stop: clerk Theodore Kuritsyn and Princess Elena secretly supported them. The heretics even had favorable prospects for the future, when Grand Duke John III not only proclaimed him heir, but also in 1498 crowned his grandson Demetrius, the son of Helen, for the great reign. Soon, however, circumstances changed. John recognized the machinations of Helen's supporters, canceled the appointment of Demetrius and declared his son Vasily Ivanovich, born from his second wife Sophia Paleologus, as his heir. From then on, the heresy of the Judaizers began to weaken and decrease in the number of its adherents. The final defeat was inflicted on her at a council convened at the insistence of the Monk Joseph in Moscow in 1504. The most guilty of the heretics were condemned to burning; others were sent into exile and sent to monasteries. At the beginning of the next year, the patroness of the evil heresy, the unfortunate Princess Elena, also died in prison.

Strigolniki and Judaizers. The first voices of protest against the feudal church organization began to appear at the end of the 14th century. The heretical movement that began then was essentially urban and relied on the young Russian burghers, mainly on the craft part of it.

Having started in Pskov, it migrated to Tver and Novgorod, then to Moscow and, despite all measures, continued to remain there for a century and a half, changing form and content, but maintaining a tendency to fight the feudal church. At present, there is no documentary information about the beginning of the Strigolniki heresy, as the church called the first Russian heresy. It is known that this name was given in accordance with the craft of a cloth shearer - a cloth maker of one of the founders of the sect.

The starting point of the heresy lies in the local Pskov church relations, which had difficulty coexisting next to the feudal organization of the Novgorod archbishop's see. From the clash of the city church with the claims of the feudal lord, who was the Novgorod archbishop, the Strigolnik sect arose. At the beginning of the 14th century. Pskov became independent from Novgorod politically, and the desire of the Pskovites to achieve the same in church terms became noticeable. Dependence was expressed in the right of the Novgorod bishop to collect taxes from the Pskov clergy and to call Pskov clergy to his court. Soon a conflict arose between the bishop and the Pskovites, which was resolved by a compromise. Novgorod limited the collection of taxes. However, this did not suit everyone. Then the Strigolniki appeared, rejecting the existing legality, who slandered the entire ecumenical council.

It was not difficult to find reasons for this. The first, most important thing was that patriarchs, metropolitans and bishops sell the spirit and take bribes for the appointment of clergy.

Novgorod opponents were unable to object to this, justifying themselves only by the fact that such payment exists everywhere and, therefore, is not prohibited by the canons. Having made this conclusion, the Strigolniki admitted that if bribes are taken everywhere, then the true priesthood cannot be found anywhere, and since If there is no true hierarchy, then it is not needed. Strigolniki found in the Holy Scriptures that the Apostle Paul commanded to teach and to the common man. And so, in the place of drunkard teachers who eat and drink with drunkards and take gold and silver from them, the heretics set themselves up as teachers over the people; they created themselves with their heads as feet, they created themselves as shepherds while they were sheep, as one of their accusers puts it.

And terrible things began: the laity judged the priests and executed them, anointed themselves with the priesthood and performed baptism. Characteristic was the position that the heretics took in relation to prayers for the dead. Already Karp the Strigolnik said that he was not worthy to sing over the dead, nor to perform services, nor to bring offerings for the dead to the church.

It is unclear what this was based on. Perhaps Karp considered the teaching that a person can be saved by the prayers of others without his own merits to be incorrect. The most extreme representatives of the heresy went even further. Mention was made of heretics who deny the gospel and apostolic gospel and public worship with all its accessories. These were already attempts to create new faith and the new cult, however, such an extreme movement was very weak.

These general features of the Strigolnic heresy are completely clear in their nature before us - a movement that is not of an ascetic-dualistic character, but of a Protestant-Reformation character. Both Lutheranism and Strigolism oppose the exploitation of the local church by someone else's spiritual master, i.e. Strigolism comes from here to the denial of those provisions that are a source of income for this lord and his clergy, the need for a professional hierarchy, the need to maintain the clergy, the need for prayers for the dead. Thus, the first Russian manifestation of Protestantism should be considered the Strigolniks, and not the Judaizers.

The multifaceted religious movement known by this name arose in the last quarter of the 15th century. and is especially curious. On a social basis, it was broader than Strigolnichestvo and incomparably more powerful. It is not surprising that church historians studied it especially carefully, but were completely confused by it.

In the person of the Judaizers, we are dealing with a complex and broad phenomenon that played an important role in the events of the late 15th and early 16th centuries. Having arisen in Novgorod, the heresy, according to Joseph Volotsky, penetrated to Moscow, to the court of the prince himself, infected Metropolitan Zosima himself and spread to the Trans-Volga monastic hermitages. It is obvious that, despite Joseph's assurances that all heretics held the same views, this was not the case at all; the diversity of the social environment captured by heresy must have led to significant shades in ideology.

However, church historians came to the most opposite conclusions about the essence of heresy. A.S. Arkhangelsky came to the conclusion that there was no heresy, but only individuals who expressed critical opinions on various issues of doctrine and church government. At the opposite pole is E.E. Golubinsky, who stated that the heresy of the Judaizers was nothing more than complete and real Judaism, or Judaism, with a complete denial of Christianity.

Between these extremes is the opinion of Panov, who considers the heresy of the Judaizers to be a direct continuation of Strigolism, which accidentally experienced the influence of Judaism. For correct judgment about heresy we have to evaluate those sources that tell us about it. There are letters from the Novgorod Archbishop Gennady with fragmentary information about heretics. The news of Metropolitan Zosima about the council of 1490 denouncing heresy and the verdict of this council in the case of heretics and the work of Joseph Volotsky the Illuminator, entirely devoted to exposing heresy.

The latter includes 16 words exposing various errors of heretics, and as a preface gives the Legend of the Newly Appeared Heresy, which is an outline of the heresy, which tells how the heresy arose in Novgorod, how it penetrated from Novgorod to Moscow, and the Moscow heretics are indicated by name. The legend ends with a story about the cathedral of 1490, and in the 15th word information about the cathedral of 1504 is reported, inserted into the book after its publication. The value of the first two sources is beyond doubt; they document the existence of heresy in Novgorod and make it possible to judge the nature of this heresy.

But the messages of the Enlightenment must be treated with great caution. In contrast to Gennady, who personally dealt with heretics in Novgorod, Joseph was in his monastery until 1503 and wrote about Novgorod heretics partly on the basis of Gennady’s messages, partly on the basis of other rumors that reached him and, moreover, passed on the information received not only without any critical verification, but also added his own explanations of heresy.

It was while Gennady, admitting some Jewish influence, believes that the heresy in Novgorod arose mainly under the influence of the Marcellian and Massilian heresies, Joseph found the key to the heresy in the word Jew, and from his light hand the incorrect term Judaizers came into being. In his presentation of the ideology of the heretics, Joseph significantly diverges from the verdict of 1490, which does not contain even half of the heresies that Joseph speaks of. Further, the Moscow heretics were Joseph’s political opponents, because stood for the secularization of church property; therefore, when characterizing them, Joseph seeks first of all to denigrate them from the moral side, but about the ideology of the heretics, he can only say that they are some kind of fable and teach star law and look at the stars and build the birth and life of man, and despise divine scripture as if it were nothing and unneeded by man.

Therefore, the messages of the Enlightener cannot in any way be used as the basis for our judgment about heresy.

They can only be meaningful after verification by other sources. But for characterizing the views and methods of the Osiphlian party of supporters of Joseph Volotsky, the Enlightener is, of course, of paramount value. The first thing we should note is the diversity of the social base of heresy. In Novgorod, these are supporters of the Moscow party, from small people and clergy in Moscow, these are, on the one hand, close associates of the prince, on the other hand, the boyars persecuted by him.

In other words, the then leftists also joined the heresy, since the Moscow prince pursued a policy of fighting appanage feudalism and northern urban particularism, and, on the other hand, the then rightists, since the boyars fought to preserve their lands and privileges. The inconsistency is common, often arising during transitional eras. Therefore, we will understand the essence of heresy and its bizarre twists only if we constantly look back at the socio-political struggle of the era and its acute moments. The appearance of heresy in Novgorod coincided with the fierce struggle of the Novgorod parties before the second campaign of Ivan III against Novgorod.

From the very beginning this struggle was not alien to some religious motives. Moscow, which had crushed Pskov and was ready to crush Novgorod, seemed to the boyars and their religious ideologists to be the kingdom of the Antichrist when Novgorod would fall, the Antichrist would triumph, and the end of the world would come. This expectation found support in the church document Paschal was calculated only until 1492, which was supposed to correspond to 7000 from the creation of the world. In one collection of the 15th century. At the end of Easter, a postscript was made that said this summer, at the end of tea, the world triumph of your coming. The same postscript is repeated in the chronicles of the 15th century. and it was used in the teachings of the then hierarchs.

The Novgorod heresy appears simultaneously with the revival of eschatological aspirations. Joseph cites, from the words of Gennady, the names of the first Novgorod heretics with the designation of their profession. Of the 23 persons, 15 were priests, or kryloshans, or sons of priests, and the rest belonged to the Moscow party, which consisted mainly of black people who expected cheap bread from the union with Moscow.

If we remember that the Novgorod white clergy was subordinate to the boyars and the archbishop, then the reasons for the Moscow sympathies of the church part of the Novgorod heretics will be clear. The ideology of heretics is also rooted in the vicissitudes of the party struggle of the late 15th century. and on the one hand, develops the doctrine of the Strigolniks, since the latter criticized the doctrine and rituals of the feudal church, on the other hand, it arms itself against the eschatological expectations of the boyar party, which were a method of party struggle, a means of influencing the superstitious black people. The arguments of the heretics were framed in such a scientific apparatus that it was difficult for representatives of the feudal church, accustomed to the rebuke method, to fight.

The heretics took advantage of all those sources of cultural enlightenment that the wide Novgorod trade provided, and not only knew such biblical books as the book. Genesis, Kings, Proverbs, Jesus son of Sirach, which were not known even to Archbishop Gennady, but had an understanding of such church fathers as Dionysius the Areopagite, knew logic and became acquainted with medieval Jewish Kabbalah, astronomy and astrology.

Moscow was for the boyar party in Novgorod the kingdom of the Antichrist.

The heretics, as representatives of the Moscow party, had to refute this view. They knew the Jewish Six-Winged, a book that was very widespread at that time among bookish people from among the city clergy, and from this Six-Winged the heretics could learn that according to the Jewish account, almost 750 years less had passed since the creation of the world than according to the Christian and since the Jewish the count was kept according to the original, according to the Hebrew Bible, and not according to the Alexandrian translation, in which the chronological data diverges from the Jewish ones, and since then, after the end of biblical times, the Jews kept count according to the old, biblical method, and the official church used the pagan Julian calendar, then the heretics were It is clear which chronology should have been given preference. And since in 1492 there will be not 7000, but only 6250 from the creation of the world, then all the rumors about the second coming have no basis and Moscow does not contain anything of the Antichrist.

But, starting with criticism of eschatological ideas, the heretics went further.

They moved on to criticize the Novgorod feudal church. In their opinion, this church, which opposes itself to the Moscow state, is in fact itself full of errors and teaches obvious inconsistencies. The Church says that we must worship the cross and icons as divine things, but they are the work of human hands, they have mouths and speak like all those who hope in her and the heretics not only did not worship the cross and icons, but blasphemed and swore at them, cut them out of bread images of the cross and threw them to dogs and cats.

Criticism of icon worship was followed by criticism of the God-manhood of Jesus Christ. The heretics considered him a prophet similar to Moses, but not equal to God the Father, finding that it was unthinkable for a god on earth to dream and be born of a virgin, as man is one God, and not threefold, for in the story of the appearance of God to Abraham at the oak of Mamvre it is clearly stated that there were God and two angels, and not three persons of the Trinity.

In other words, heretics were strict monotheists, and rejected all objects of worship that at least indirectly reminded of polytheism: icons, relics, crosses, etc. But the heretics not only did not reject the teachings of Christ, but even performed the Eucharist ritual of communion, understanding it, however, in the Reformed spirit, bread is just bread, wine is just wine, these are only symbols, and not the real body and blood of Christ. Criticism of the doctrine was followed by criticism of the church organization. We do not know how the heretics treated the highest church hierarchy, but we must assume that they rejected it, at least Gennady denounces one of the heretics, the monk Zakhar, who did not receive communion himself and did not give communion to others on the grounds that no one had to receive communion, for everyone is placed on the bribe of the old strigolnic motif.

After this, you can believe Joseph, who assures that the heretics considered monasticism contrary to the gospel and apostolic teaching, for neither Jesus nor the apostles were monks, and that even moreover, they explained the origin of the image of monasticism by the machinations of the devil; it was not an angel, but a demon who appeared to the founder of monasticism Pachomius in dark clothes, such as monks wear, and not in light ones, like angels.

Naturally, the heretics subsequently expressed doubt about the existence afterlife and they rejected the main function of prayer books - prayers for the dead. And something is the kingdom of heaven, and something is the second coming, and something is the resurrection of the dead. There is nothing like that, he died, then he died, that’s where it was. It is quite understandable that the Novgorod heretics, with such views on The feudal church and monasticism easily gained favor and even patronage from the Moscow prince.

Having ended Novgorod's independence in 1478, Ivan III personally proved to the Novgorod boyars and the princes of the Novgorod church that they were right in their own way in considering Moscow the kingdom of the Antichrist. The leaders of the heresy, priests Alexei and Denis, were brought closer by the Moscow prince and appointed to the court churches, and Archbishop Theophilus, who did not want to reconcile with the Moscow authorities, was removed from the department and imprisoned in one of the Moscow monasteries.

Having beheaded the Novgorod church, he also undermined its economic base, transferring first 10 lordly volosts and half of the possessions of six richest monasteries to the Moscow sovereign, and then, in 1499-1500. more than half of the lord's and monastic estates. A few years later, he transported the Vladyka’s treasury to Moscow. The same expropriation befell the cream of the Novgorod boyars.

The Novgorod lords were broken, the Novgorod church became part of the Moscow volost, the prince began to appoint the ruler by agreement with the metropolitan, and the first task of the Moscow pastors was to introduce in Novgorod the cult of Moscow saints, Metropolitans Peter, Alexei and Leonty of Rostov. The Antichrist triumphed. Thus, the seemingly unnatural alliance of the noble Moscow prince with the Judaizing heretics finds a completely clear explanation: the allies had the same social enemy. But the matter took a curious turn in Moscow, where the heresy spread after the fall of Novgorod and where it received a new type of connection with the struggle of Moscow parties that flared up around the issue of monastic lands.

The heretical priests Alexei and Denis, assigned to the Moscow court churches, transferred the heresy to Moscow society, where it, however, began to spread among people in a different circle than in Novgorod. Her soul was the Grand Duke's clerk Fyodor Kuritsyn, who was, apparently, an enlightened man for his time, was distinguished by freethinking and loved to repeat a quote from the apocryphal Epistle of Laodicea: the soul is autocratic, faith is the barrier. He set up a salon where his like-minded people gathered, but among them we do not meet representatives of the burghers.

On the contrary, in Moscow, representatives of the social group that in Novgorod was its province - representatives of the old boyars - joined the heresy. The looming threat of confiscation of estates called into question the existence of the boyars. The storm had to be given a different direction and the boyars, in the struggle for self-preservation, decided to make such a sacrifice as the afterlife of their ancestors.

The anti-monastic ideology of the heretics, who told the prince day and night that it was not proper for monks to own estates, was to the advantage of the boyars, and their prominent representatives joined the heresy, even occupying leading positions. Among the leaders of the heresy are Princess Elena, the wife of Ivan III’s son from his first marriage, John the Young, and such major boyars as Prince Ivan Yuryevich Patrikeev and Semyon Ivanovich Ryapolovsky.

Of course, they were interested not so much in ideological as in practical struggle, and they brought to the throne Metropolitan Zosima, who was an ardent supporter of the secularization of monastic possessions. The fight against heretics. While the heresy was only in Novgorod, the orthodox monastic party, the Osiphlans, who received such a name on behalf of the leader Joseph of Volotsky, rather indifferently listened to the complaints of the Novgorod Archbishop Gennady.

But when the heresy appeared in Moscow, they started talking about it in all Moscow houses, when the heretics began to say that a council on faith should be convened, the Osiphlans became worried and began a fierce counterattack. One of its manifestations was the mentioned book The Enlightener. The book was filled with denunciations of heresy, gleaned from scripture, but, believing that such evidence would not affect the prince, Joseph gave other arguments. He tried to intimidate the prince with the threat of a revolt of his subjects with the blessing of the church; he meaningfully says that one must obey the king, but one who is a true servant of God, but if the king has nasty passions and sins, then such a king is not God’s servant but the devil.

When addressing heretics, Joseph does not disdain slander and denunciation. He writes that heretics sacrificed the Jews to the priests, and created the Jewish Passover and the Jewish holidays. Apparently, these accusations turned out to be stronger than the accusations from the scriptures and an investigation was ordered into the heretics in Novgorod and Moscow, and in 1490 Zosima was forced to convene the first council on heretics, to which the supporters of heresy found in Novgorod and Moscow were betrayed.

The council's verdict, however, was not as decisive as the opponents of heresy would have wished. Instead of merciless execution for all of them, as Gennady demanded, they were excommunicated and damned. A typical inquisitorial punishment of heretics was used against a number of prominent heretics: they were put on horses backwards in Spain, they were put on donkeys, but there were no donkeys in Novgorod, they put demonic caps with horns on their heads, and on the chest of everyone they hung the inscription “This is Satan’s war.”

After that, they were taken throughout the city, and everyone they met had to spit at the preachers of free will; this was a punishment for pride. Then some were executed, many were exiled to distant monasteries. Similarities to actions Holy Inquisition not by chance. Gennady spoke very flatteringly about the experience of his Western European colleagues and arranged the described action exactly according to the Spanish manuals on combating heresies.

But the most important heretics in the eyes of the Osiphlans, those who belonged to influential Moscow circles, were not only not punished, but acquired even greater authority. In the same 1490, Elena's husband John died and the boyar party managed to nominate his son Dmitry as heir to the throne. The theological authority of heretics also rose in 1492. Paschal ended, but the second coming did not follow. Zosima used this in favor of his party to publish the Paschal for the eighth thousand years and in the introduction to the Paschal argued that this millennium begins with new era the third Rome of Moscow and the new Tsar Constantine, Grand Duke Ivan III. Seeing the failure of the legal struggle, the Osifans resorted to the method of intrigue and conspiracies, but even here, at first, they were unsuccessful.

They supported John's second wife Sophia, whose adherents plotted against Dmitry's life in 1497, but the plot was discovered. The whole struggle was concentrated at the court.

The Osifans saw that until they achieved influence over the prince, they had nothing to dream of maintaining their positions. But the desired moment came in 1499. The intrigue led by Sophia was crowned with success. The prince returned his favor to Sophia and her son Vasily, and the leaders of the Old Boyar party fell into disgrace. Ryapolovsky's head was cut off, and the Patrikeevs were tonsured as monks and exiled to the Volga monasteries. But the struggle did not end there. On the contrary, the exiled heretics found support for themselves, since these monasteries were significantly different from other monasteries, and the Trans-Volga elders were defenders of non-covetousness and ardent opponents monastic land ownership.

They were representatives of a unique current of Russian monasticism, which set itself the task, like the rest of monasticism, to achieve personal salvation, but went towards this goal along other paths. The founder of the Trans-Volga movement was a contemporary of Joseph Volotsky, Nil Sorsky. He himself considered himself a peasant, but in reality had nothing in common with peasants. From his early youth, he lived in Moscow and was a shorthand writer, that is, he copied books.

Having become a monk, he went north to Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery, where there was very strict discipline. But this monastery was also infected with money-grubbing and was a large commercial and industrial enterprise. Neil left there, traveled to Athos and studied the methods there for saving the soul. His initial profession brought him into contact with representatives of the then small intelligentsia; his personal monastic experience and trip to Athos also did not go in vain for his religious views.

Thus, Neil developed a critical attitude towards the then type of monastic life and created an idea about the possibility and necessity of a different path to salvation. To implement his method of saving the soul, Nil founded his own monastery on the Sora River in the Belozersky region. His example caused imitation and several hermitages of his followers appeared near the monastery of the Nile. This is how the Trans-Volga elders appeared.

There was nothing original in the new path; it was copied from eastern ascetic systems. The main starting point is the kingdom of evil in the world. The world lies in evil; daily experience shows the colic of sorrow and corruption in this passing world and the colic of evil it creates for those who love it. Fancying for his good - according to apparently the essence good, but inside is filled with a lot of evil. Therefore, monks living in the world, in its conditions Everyday life false monks, and their lives are vile. The soul cannot be saved in the ways they indicate: acquiring a deadly poison for a monk.

A monk who wants to save his soul must live alone in his monastery and feed on the labors of his own hands; he can also accept alms from Christ-lovers in the form of ruba from the treasury or boyars, but only in money or kind. Lonely life in a monastery is conducive to internal improvement. Direct study of the Holy Scriptures provides sufficient scope for the individual inclinations of each monk, so Nile does not teach mandatory rules to anyone, but only gives advice and guidance.

Removal from the world, almsgiving and ascetic exercises are not an end in themselves, they are means for conquering human passions. When they are conquered, a person will reach a state of religious ecstasy, will feel himself in incomprehensible things, where one knows not, not knowing whether he is in the body or without a body, and ascetic exercises will become unnecessary for a person who has inner prayer; there is no need for singing psalms and reading prayers. will need fasting, feeding on a single vision of God.

We have before us a mystical contemplative system, widespread in the east in the first centuries of Christianity, during the era of the development of church organization, when differentiation was made among church members and revived more than once in Western Rus' and Europe in the form of mystical sects in eras of social crises. But in the conditions of the late 15th century. when Nile of Sorsky lived, it had no basis and was not a broad movement, but the lot of individual exalted and educated people in the hermitages of the Nile after his death there were only 12 elders.

If it attracted attention and acquired social significance, it was due to the moment of the political struggle of the late 15th and early 16th centuries, which flared up around the issue of church property. This question, which occupied a secondary importance in Neil’s writings, came to the fore for the politicians of that time and overshadowed Neil’s main position - the contemplation of monastic life.

Just as earlier the Moscow authorities, in their struggle for church property, did not disdain the Novgorod heretics, so now they began to seek help from the Trans-Volga elders. And soon after the council of 1490, Neil became involved in Moscow politics in private secret meetings arranged by the prince on the issue of the right of monasteries and churches to own property, he participated as a prominent and pleasant authority for the prince. The Osifites became agitated, and their Metropolitan Simon had to use the entire stock of examples from the Old Testament, church history and the lives of saints in order to shake the positions of opponents of church fiefdom. But it was not possible to destroy them; on the contrary, Prince Vasily Patrikeev, who took the name of Vassian in monasticism and joined the disciples of the Nile in exile, published three works directed against the patrimonial ownership of monasteries and against Joseph.

It became obvious to the Osifites that in order to preserve the monastic property, it was not enough to fight only on the basis of religious ideology.

The theory of the soul-saving synodik was undermined by heretics and Trans-Volga elders, who even sacrificed the peace of mind of their ancestors, and with the obvious sympathy of the princely authorities. It was clear that even if all the heretics were caught and punished, the stronghold of the synodik would still be shaken. The people of Osif began to realize that it was necessary to take into account the change in the socio-political situation and, instead of threatening the prince with riots, make political concessions to him, the content of which there was not even a shadow of doubt, the church had to meet the aspirations of the Moscow kings, sanction the autocracy of the Moscow prince, which grew on the basis of the development of the money economy and in the fight against specific particularism, and at the same time give up all the feudal rights that turned the church into a state within the state.

Moreover, the church had to recognize the Moscow prince as its single head, who had already begun to openly act as the head of the Moscow church. If until now the prince’s power over the metropolis was expressed in the unofficial choice of a candidate for the metropolitan see, now, when appointing a successor to Metropolitan Zosima, the chroniclers noted a completely extraordinary and hitherto unprecedented moment of dedication.

After the formal election of Simon at the Council of Bishops in 1495, at the direction of the Grand Duke, during the solemn consecration of the new metropolitan, the Grand Duke personally sold him to the bishops and ordered him to accept the shepherd's rod and ascend to the seat of eldership. This indicated the line of conduct for the Osiphlites.

Without ceasing the struggle against heretics, the Osiphlans gradually transferred it to purely political grounds. The Council of 1503, officially convened to resolve the issue of widowed priests, once again showed the Osiphlans that there was no need to delay action and that the center of gravity was to establish new relations with the power of the Moscow prince. When the issue of widowed priests was resolved, the prince unexpectedly proposed to the cathedral to resolve the issue of monastery property. This proposal fell like snow on the head of the Osiphlian party, whose main leader, Joseph, had already left the cathedral at that time.

They sent after him; he returned and managed to protect the property, but it was felt that this was only a delay. It was necessary to act, and Joseph, immediately after the council, took advantage of the painful state of the elderly Prince Ivan III in order to finally take him into his hands and motivate him before his death to the soul-saving work of searching for and executing heretics. This council of 1503 was, in contrast to the council of 1490, a swift and cruel reprisal.

The inquiry took place in the favorite way of the Spanish Inquisition to organize a trial of heretics, Joseph Volotsky proposed to start with the arrests of two or three heretics, and they would all be told under torture, of course, people could not stand it and slandered even the innocent. After listening to many true witnesses, the council condemned the heretics, and handed over their leaders to the prince for appropriate punishment. The show trial ended with another inquisitorial performance. On the ice of the Moscow River, the main representatives of the Moscow heretical circle were burned in a wooden cage - Ivan Volkov, brother of Fyodor Kuritsyn, son-in-law of Archpriest Alexei, Ivan Maksimov, and Yuriev Archimandrite Cassian.

The remaining heretics were sent to monasteries under the supervision of abbots. Playing into the hands of the Osiphlans, the Trans-Volga elders began to object to these cruelties, referring to the Gospel story about Jesus’ forgiveness of sinners and the commandment, do not judge, and you will not be judged.

Joseph objected that there is only one way to kill a heretic by hand or by prayer, and that the hand that inflicts a plague on a heretic is thereby sanctified. And when the sarcastic Vassian suggested that Joseph himself set an example and make a prayer so that the earth would punish unworthy heretics and sinners, Joseph could not stand it. He stated that the Trans-Volga elders were taught by heretics, instilling in them the idea of ​​​​the need for mercy on heretics. After this, Joseph sets out a whole inquisitorial theory of cooperation between secular and spiritual authorities in the persecution of heresy.

The Church only searches for heretics, using divine wisdom and God-taught cunning, i.e. by resorting to methods of detection and torture, when the heretics are discovered, the church can kill them either with one word, or through the agency of the civil authority, which puts them to proper execution. This polemic, firstly, gave the Osiphlans the opportunity to suspect the Trans-Volga elders they disliked of heresy, and, secondly, brought them closer to the grand-ducal authorities in the field of fighting sedition.

Thus, the Osiphlians offered their inquisitorial services to the princely authorities and emphasized that the enemies of the prince were at the same time enemies of the church. Thus, the timid beginnings of the development of free thought in Rus' were put to an end. Single heretics continued to be burned, but the union of church and state succeeded especially actively in this regard in the second half of the 17th century, when it had to deal with the Old Believers. In fairness, it should be noted that in this union the church forever occupied a subordinate, and after Peter, simply a slave position, into which it itself led and continues to lead Russian society from the end of the 15th century to the present day. List of used literature 1. Nikolsky N.M. History of the Russian Church.

M. Politizdat, 1985 2. Skrynnikov R.G. State and church in Rus' XIV - XVI centuries. Novosibirsk Science, 1991. 3. Klibanov A.I. Reformation movement in Russia in the XIV - first half of the XV centuries. M. USSR Academy of Sciences, 1960.

End of work -

This topic belongs to the section:

Heretical movements of the 14th-15th centuries

The Church is also being transformed in terms of organization, ideology, and relations with the state. During the second half of the 15th century. and.. The dynamics of this era are confusing, because... in the course of events, the most... Having started in Pskov, it migrated to Tver and Novgorod, then to Moscow and, despite all the measures, continued...

If you need additional material on this topic, or you did not find what you were looking for, we recommend using the search in our database of works:

What will we do with the received material:

If this material was useful to you, you can save it to your page on social networks:

Brief historical information

Medieval heresies

There were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will introduce destructive heresies and, denying the Lord who bought them, will bring upon themselves quick destruction. And many will follow their depravity, and through them the path of truth will be reproached.

(2 Pet. 2:1-2)

Heresy- a conscious deviation from generally accepted religious teaching on dogmatic or even canonical issues, offering a different approach to religious teaching. Any community or community that has separated from christian church, due to dogmatic or canonical issues, is heresy. Heresies often served as a religious shell for social protest, and the peasant-plebeian heresies were especially prominent in this regard. Later, heresies lost their significance, although they still exist in the form of religious sects.

The emergence of heretical movements in Russia dates back to the end of the 13th and beginning of the 14th centuries. Speeches of freethinkers of the 14th century. lay the beginning of the history of Russian rationalist thought, from the standpoint of which the Church and the religious doctrine of Orthodoxy were criticized.

1. Strigolniki (XIV century)

The first mass heresy in Russia was strigolniki , which appeared in Pskov and Novgorod in the middle of the 14th century. The main ideologists and leaders of the Strigolniks were the Pskov deacons Karp and Nikita.

Strigolism is considered by Orthodox church historians as a schism in the Russian Church. Reliable information about strigolnichestvo is practically absent, because the writings of the movement's ideologists were destroyed by the authorities. Church critics associated their ideology, as a rule, with either Judaism or Catholicism.

The Strigolniki separated from the official Church due to the fact that they did not want to recognize the bishops and priests of their day as true shepherds. They rejected church hierarchy and expressed dissatisfaction with the corruption of the Orthodox Church, accusing the clergy of simony (i.e., selling church positions or clergy). The ideal for Strigolniks was the unmercenary priest.

Strictly speaking, the practice of obtaining ecclesiastical positions for a fee is simony- was legalized under Emperor Justinian the Great back in the 6th century. All officials of the Byzantine Empire had to make a contribution to the state treasury for their assumption of office, and the bishops of the Church at that time were already officials of the Empire. The glaring contradiction with the ancient canons of the Church, which commanded the deprivation of the dignity of those who received it for payment, was circumvented with the grace characteristic of the East. Allegedly, this is payment not for the priesthood itself, but only for a church position, for a place, so to speak. In addition, it is not a payment, but a pious tradition of making rich offerings on the occasion of taking office.

Initially, the Strigolniki did not rebel against dogmas Orthodox faith. They were outraged by the simony legalized in the everyday life of both Greece and Rus'. But radical conclusions were drawn: since all ordinations are performed for a fee, it means that they are not legal and there is no such thing as a priesthood. Dissatisfied with the worldliness and wealth of the Church, they questioned the effectiveness of the sacraments performed by unworthy clergy. From this flowed doubt as to the very necessity of their implementation. Strigolniki adhered to severe asceticism and believed that pious laity could replace priests in shepherding.

Strigolniks repented in front of special stone crosses under open air, Baptism and the Eucharist were understood “spiritually.” Other sacraments were completely denied.

Strigolniki denied going to church, held their own separate meetings, considered the church class unnecessary, taught water baptism, replaced confession in the church with repentance to the earth, denied the worship of icons, the performance of church rituals, especially prayers and remembrance of the dead, did not recognize the Holy Tradition and the Holy Fathers. They based their teaching only on Holy Scripture, at the same time they were skeptical about the doctrine of the resurrection of the dead and even doubted the gospel story about the resurrection of Christ.

A visible sign of dedication (a special haircut - Catholic tonsure - hair cut in a circle on the top of the head) testified that the Strigolniki did not hide their convictions and did not formulate secret societies, but, on the contrary, they openly professed their faith and demonstratively declared their protest against the official Church.

To solve the problem of strigolism, a church council was convened in Novgorod, where Metropolitan Cyprian of Moscow, as well as representatives of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, spoke out against the heretics. Based on the decision of the council, the secular authorities of Novgorod undertook severe repressions against the Strigolniks.

In 1375, the leaders of the Novgorod Strigolniks were anathematized and executed (drowned by order of the authorities in the Volkhov River), but separate groups existed until the 15th century.

Modern researchers disagree about the origin of the name heresy. The most common points of view are the presence of a special haircut for followers of the heresy (possibly the Catholic tonsure), or the status of the founder of the heresy, clerk Karp, after excommunication - defrocking, or “strigolnik”.

2. Heresy of the Judaizers (XV century)

Heresy of the Judaizers - an Orthodox church ideological movement that gripped part of Russian society at the end of the 15th century, mainly Novgorod and Moscow. The founder is considered to be the Jewish preacher Skhariya (Zechariah), who arrived in Novgorod in 1470 with the retinue of the Lithuanian prince Mikhail Olelkovich. For a year he had conversations with illiterate Novgorod priests. As a result of these conversations, many Novgorod hierarchs began to emphasize the advantages Old Testament over the New, referring to the words of Christ that He came not to destroy the law or the prophets, but to fulfill (Matt. 5:17). Gradually, under the influence of the Old Testament and Judaism, their theology was formed.

"Judaizers" ( or "subbotniks") complied with all the Old Testament instructions, expected the coming of the Messiah, denied the most important dogmas of Orthodox doctrine - the Holy Trinity, the divine-human nature of Jesus Christ and his role as Savior, the idea of ​​posthumous resurrection, etc. They criticized and ridiculed the texts of the Bible and patristic literature. In addition, heretics refused to recognize many traditional principles of the Orthodox Church, including the institution of monasticism and icon veneration.

Seduced by the “Judaizers,” Grand Duke John III invited them to Moscow and made two of the most prominent heretics archpriests - one in the Assumption Cathedral, the other in the Arkhangelsk Cathedral of the Kremlin. All the prince’s associates, starting with the head of the government, clerk Fyodor Kuritsyn (secretary of the Ambassadorial Prikaz and the de facto leader of Rus'’s foreign policy under Emperor Ivan III), whose brother became the leader of the heretics, were seduced into heresy. The Grand Duke's daughter-in-law Elena Voloshanka also converted to Judaism. Finally, the heretic Metropolitan Zosima was installed in the see of the great Moscow saints Peter, Alexy and Jonah.

He led the theoretical and practical struggle against the heresy of the “Judaizers” who tried to poison and distort the foundations of Russian spiritual life (†1515). In 1504, on his initiative, a church council was held, which sentenced four heretics to be burned in a log house, including Ivan Volk Kuritsyn (a clerk and diplomat in the service of Tsar Ivan III), brother of Fyodor Kuritsyn.

Joseph Volotsky considered the spread of heresy not just as an apostasy from Christianity, but also as a huge misfortune, a danger for Rus' itself - they could destroy the already established spiritual unity Rus'.

Domestic “heresies” of the 14th and 15th centuries. - “Strigolniks” and “Judaizers” - are not comparable either with the European religious movements of their time, or with the Russian sectarianism of the 18th - 19th centuries. Even the little that we know about the Strigolniki and Judaizers does not allow us to talk about these heresies as major movements that had any noticeable impact on the subsequent history of Russian religious culture.

Sects and heresies of modern times (XVIII century - early XX century)

As is known, in the 1650-1560s, in order to strengthen the church organization in Russia, Patriarch Nikon began to carry out church and ritual reform. Dissatisfaction with the innovations of the Church, as well as violent measures for their implementation, were the reason for the split of the Russian Orthodox Church and led to the emergence of numerous Old Believer movements. A number of Orthodox Christians began to leave the Church and create their own communities. The breakaway communities begin to independently reflect on the correctness of their beliefs, to explain and interpret the Bible as they see fit. All this led to the fact that from the end of the 17th - beginning of the 18th centuries. heretical movements began to develop already in line with sectarianism.

Approximately from this time, such a current of religious diversity began to appear in Russia as spiritual Christianity , whose followers began to be called spiritual Christians . However, from the point of view modern understanding spirituality, as a holy way of life, the spirituality of spiritual Christians was very conditional.

The scope of this movement was enormous. Researchers estimate that the number of people involved in this movement was close to a million. The main adherents of spiritual Christians were peasants and democratic strata of the urban population. The basis of the doctrine of spiritual Christians is the confession of faith in “spirit and truth,” i.e. understanding of faith as the ability of every believer to satisfy their spiritual needs, improve their mind, feelings and behavior. Spiritual Christians represented the church organization as a community of fellow believers, without division into laity and clergy, with high social ideals of brotherhood, equality and moral perfection.

Spiritual Christianity has never been a single movement. It was split into different meanings. The main currents within spiritual Christians were:

• whips
• eunuchs
• Doukhobors
• Molokans

The oldest of the sects of the direction of “spiritual Christians” were the “Khlysty”, who always called themselves “people of God”. In literature, this movement is known as Christ-belief (i.e. faith in Christ), but among the people it is better known as Khlysty.

3. Whips (XVII - XVIII centuries)

Khlystyism- one of the mystical sects of spiritual Christians that arose in the middle of the 17th century, simultaneously with the Old Believers. The sectarians themselves did not apply the name “Khlysty” to themselves and considered it offensive. They called themselves “people of God,” in whom God dwells because of their godly lives. In modern religious literature, the terms “Khlysty” and “Christ Believers” are used as equivalent terms.

There are two main versions of the origin of the name “whips”. According to one of them, sectarians began to be called this way because of the ritual of self-flagellation with plaits and rods that occurred among them. According to another version, “Khlysty” is a distorted “Christs”, and this name is due to the fact that sectarian communities were led by “Christs”.

History of Khlysty

The founder of the sect is considered to be Danila Filippov, a peasant from the Kostroma province who fled from military service. He was a pious man; there were many Old Believer books in his house. As legend says, one day Danila Filippov received a wonderful revelation from the Lord. He collected all these books in a bag and threw them into the Volga, declaring that neither new nor old books lead to salvation, but that “Sir the Holy Spirit himself” leads to salvation. In 1645 (according to another version, in 1631) he declared himself the incarnate “Sabaoth,” “the Most High God.”

Preaching throughout the Kostroma, Vladimir and Nizhny Novgorod provinces, Filippov acquired many followers. The peasant of the Murom district of the Vladimir province, Ivan Timofeevich Suslov, became his zealous assistant. In 1649 Danila Filippov recognized him as his “beloved son, Jesus Christ.”

Suslov chose his wife Akulina Ivanovna, calling her “the Mother of God,” and 12 “apostles” and continued to actively preach the teachings of “Savaoth” in the Vladimir and Nizhny Novgorod provinces. The peasants, excited by the events associated with the “Nikon” reform, innocently believed that they had come “ last times"And Christ in the image of Suslov again descended to earth. Suslov was given all kinds of honors, bowed at his feet and kissed his hand.

Soon Suslov moved to Moscow, where the new teaching also found many supporters, not only among the common people, but also in monasteries. In particular, followers of Khlystyism appeared among the nuns of the Nikitsky and Ivanovo monasteries. In Moscow, Suslov purchased his own house, which was called the “house of God”, “house of Zion”, and also “new Jerusalem”. This house became the main meeting place of the Khlysty. At the end of 1699, “Savaoth” Danila Filippov also arrived in Moscow, but a week later he died; according to the beliefs of the Khlysts, he ascended to heaven.

After the death of Suslov, Procopius Lupkin, one of the Streltsy, who after the Streltsy riot was exiled to Nizhny Novgorod, was recognized as Christ. He spread the teachings of the sect in the Nizhny Novgorod province, and also founded the first Khlyst community in the Yaroslavl province. Like Suslov, Lupkin enjoyed absolute authority among the Khlysty and had unlimited power. People baptized him as if he were an icon, and when he appeared they shouted: "king! king!" The main prayers took place in his house, but in Moscow there were several more houses that belonged to the Khlysty, where meetings of members of the sect were held.

By 1732, followers of the Khlysts already existed in eight Moscow monasteries. Thus, Lupkin’s wife spread the teachings of the sect in the Ivanovo women’s monastery, where after her death one of the nuns, nun Anastasia, was proclaimed the new “Mother of God.”

The current situation attracted the attention of the authorities. In 1733, the first investigation into the Khlyst sect was carried out. 78 people were involved in the case. Three leaders: nun Anastasia, hieromonks Tikhon and Filaret were publicly beheaded, others were whipped and exiled to Siberia. However, toAzni did not stop the spread of Khlystyism.

In 1740, a new “Christ” appeared in Moscow - the peasant of the Oryol province Andrian Petrov. He presented himself as a blessed man and a fortuneteller. In his house, located not far from the Sukharev Tower, crowded meetings of the Khlysty took place. Soon rumors spread throughout Moscow about the “blessed fool” who “predicts the future without words.” Petrov began to be visited not only by ordinary townspeople, but also by superstitious representatives of the nobility. The new “Christ” even visited the houses of Count Sheremetev and Princess Cherkassy. With the patronage of several noble persons, Khlystyism easily regained its position in Moscow monasteries and began to spread among the “white” clergy.

In addition to the Moscow, Nizhny Novgorod, Kostroma, Vladimir and Yaroslavl provinces, the sect appeared in Ryazan, Tver, Simbirsk, Penza and Vologda. During the same period, Khlystism spread throughout the Volga region, as well as along the Oka and Don.

In 1745, a second investigation into the whips was launched. 416 people were involved in this case, including priests, monks and nuns. Many of them were exiled to hard labor, some were sent to distant monasteries. However, this also did not become a sensitive blow for the sect.

In the 1770s, a sect emerged from Khlystyism Skoptsov, which took away from the Khlysty a significant part of the most fanatical followers. However, Khlysty managed to survive this difficult period of its history. It continued to develop in parallel with the Skoptchestvo.

At the beginning of the 19th century, during the reign of Alexander I, a passion for Freemasonry and mysticism spread among the upper strata of Russia. This time can be called a time of prosperity and whiplash. The Khlysts were sympathized with the Freemasons and even the Chief Prosecutor of the Holy Synod, Chairman of the Bible Society A. N. Golitsyn. There is an opinion, unsupported by facts, that at the end of the 19th century Grigory Rasputin belonged to the Khlysts.

In Soviet times, Khlystyism was practically exterminated, but the ideas of the Khlysty found expression in new sects of the post-Soviet period, such as the White Brotherhood and the Church last testament. According to some reports, in several remote Russian villages, Khlyst communities have survived to this day.

Khlysty communities

Khlyst communities were called “ships.” These “ships” were completely independent of each other. The Khlyst “ships” were led by mentors - “steers”, who were called “Christ”. Each helmsman in his ship enjoyed unlimited power and enormous respect. He had unquestioned authority and was the guardian of faith and morality in his community. The feeder was assisted by a “feeder,” otherwise called “mother,” “receiver,” or “Virgin Mother.” She was considered the "mother of the ship."

Other members of the sect - “ship brothers”, according to the degree of their initiation into the secrets of Khlysty, were divided into three categories: some attended only conversations, others were allowed to simple zeal (divine services), and others participated in annual and extraordinary zeal.

Khlysty services ( zeal) usually took place at night in some hidden place. The place of prayer was called the “Upper Room of Zion,” “Jerusalem,” or the “House of David.”

The Khlysty's prayers included the singing of spiritual songs, "zeal", and prophecies. The zeal consisted of self-flagellation and running around the room and spinning until frenzy (state of ecstasy). As a result of circling and running around, the participants in the zeal reached a complete frenzy, fell into a trance, as a result of which they began to have hallucinations, incoherent muttering, etc. All this was considered the action of the Holy Spirit. Zeal, according to the teachings of the Khlysty, has a very important. In them, carnal passions are mortified, and the soul turns to God - all thoughts and feelings of a person rush to the heavenly world. The head of the community gave instructions, as a rule, about abstinence, chastity and the vanity of worldly pleasures.

Teaching of the Khlysty

Klystyism is based on the idea that Christ “did not die in spirit” and did not leave the earth, but continues to inhabit other bodies. He can inhabit different people an indefinite number of times. Such incarnations occur almost continuously: each “Christ” is immediately followed by the next one. So God was incarnated in Moses, in Christ, in Danil Filippovich, in Suslov, etc. The indwelling of “Christ” occurs out of spiritual need and is associated with the moral dignity of the people in whom “Christ” indwells. It is noteworthy that not only Christ can incarnate, but also the Mother of God and even God the Father. In the person of Danila Filippov the Host was incarnated, in the person of Ivan Suslov - the Son of God, and the Holy Spirit “rolls over” many. Incarnation is carried out through long fasting, prayer and good deeds. There can be several “Christs” and “Virgins” at the same time.

The Khlysty rejected the Orthodox Church, considering it “external” and “carnal,” and recognized only their own sect as the true, “spiritual” or “internal” church.

The Khlysty did not recognize the church hierarchy, priests, church books, denied saints, worship of icons. They also did not recognize church sacraments and rituals. At the same time, the Bible was not directly rejected; at ceremonies it was sometimes read and individual passages were interpreted in favor of the teachings of the sect.

The Khlysty preached renunciation of marriage and mortification of the flesh. They considered marriage to be an invention of the devil, and they contemptuously called children puppies, imps, and Satan’s pleasure. Theatre, dancing, music, playing cards and other amusements were categorically condemned. According to the teachings of the Khlysty, the goal of man is to free his soul from the power of the body, to kill natural desires and needs in himself, achieving complete dispassion, to “die in the flesh” in order to “resurrect in spirit.” This was associated with the refusal to eat food meat and alcohol, as well as self-flagellation during labor.

Theoretically, any sexual relations among the Khlysty were also condemned, but in practice only the institution of marriage itself was rejected. All spouses who joined the sect were required to end their marriage. At the same time, the Khlysty received “spiritual wives,” who were given to them by “Christs” or “prophets” during zeal, “to take care of the maintenance of chastity by these wives.” It is noteworthy that carnal relations with “spiritual wives” were not considered a sin, since here it is no longer the flesh that is manifested, but “spiritual,” “Christian love.” Such “spiritual wives” could be close relatives, even sisters.

In general, the Khlysty proclaim strict asceticism, food and sexual abstinence. Human body, according to their views, is sinful and is a punishment for original sin. The Khlysty also believed in the transmigration of souls, in the fact that human souls migrate from person to person and even to animals, depending on the merits of life.

4. SKOPTSY

Skoptsy(“lambs of God”, “white doves”) - a sect that broke away from the Khlysts, elevating the operation of castration to the level of a godly deed. Skopchestvo as an independent sect arose in the second half of the 18th century. The founder is considered to be the runaway serf Kondraty Selivanov, who left the Khlys sect of the “Virgin Mother of God” Akulina Ivanovna, having become disillusioned with his former religious beliefs.

Communities of eunuchs believed that the only way to save the soul was to fight the flesh through castration.The basis of the teaching of the eunuchs was a line from the Gospel: “There are eunuchs who were born like this from their mother’s womb; and there are eunuchs who are castrated from people; and there are eunuchs who made themselves eunuchs for the Kingdom of Heaven. Whoever can accommodate, let him contain.”(Matt. 19:12).

According to the teachings of the eunuchs, Old Testament circumcision served as a prototype of the great “sacrament” of castration. In order to open people to the path to purity and holiness, the Heavenly Father sent His Son to free people from carnal life. It was believed that Jesus Christ accepted castration from John the Baptist and at the Last Supper He Himself castrated His disciples. His sermon is nothing more than a call to emasculation.

The first people, according to the beliefs of the eunuchs, were created disembodied, that is, without genital organs. When they violated God’s commandment, distinctive sexual characteristics formed on their bodies. Their bodies changed from ethereal to fleshy, and people indulged in “splendour,” that is, voluptuousness. Since the genitals are the result of sin, they must be destroyed. Hence the need for emasculation to achieve moral perfection. Castration is perceived as “fiery baptism”, the acceptance of purity, God’s banner with which the eunuchs will go to the Judgment. After castration, a person takes on an “angel-like appearance.”

The Skoptsy had their own view of the Gospel (they believed that all the apostles were castrated) and created their own mythology related to their relationship with the Russian tsars. So, according to the fiction of the eunuchs, Paul I was killed precisely for refusing to accept the eunuchs, and Alexander I, who agreed to be castrated, became king.

Castration was performed on both men and women.

Castrated woman whose breasts were removed

Skoptsy strictly observed abstinence from meat food, did not drink alcohol at all, did not smoke, avoided homelands, baptisms and weddings, did not participate in entertainment, did not sing secular songs, and did not swear at all. Unlike members of Old Believer communities, eunuchs willingly attended the Orthodox Church and even showed great zeal in matters of religious ritual. At the same time, they openly ridiculed Orthodox rituals and sacraments; the temple was called a “stable,” priests were called “stallions,” worship services were called “the neighing of stallions,” marriage was called “mating,” married people were called “stallions” and “mares,” children were “puppies,” and their mother was called “a bitch, from she stinks and you can’t sit in the same place with her.” Childbirth was called the cause of impoverishment and ruin.

The beginning of the reign of Alexander I was favorable time for the eunuchs, which the eunuchs themselves called the “golden age.” The celebrations were performed practically legally, with great solemnity. The police were forbidden by the highest order to enter the house where they were passing. The sectarians openly called Selivanov “god,” and he, waving a cambric handkerchief, said: “My holy cover is over you.” All this madness attracted superstitious St. Petersburg ladies and merchants, who went to ask the “elder” for blessings. Selivanov's popularity grew. In 1805, the emperor himself visited him.

Under Nicholas I, the Skopchestvo was recognized as the most harmful sect, the very membership of which was persecuted by law. They were exiled to monasteries, but even there they found new followers. By 1832, eunuchs already existed in almost all provinces.

5. Doukhobors (XVIII century - present)

Doukhobors(Dukhobors) - a religious movement of the Christian direction, rejecting the external ritualism of the Church. Ideologically close to the English Quakers who preached in the Kharkov province. One of a number of teachings collectively called “spiritual Christians.”

The founder of Doukhoborism was the peasant Siluan Kolesnikov, who lived in the village of Nikolskoye, Yekaterinoslav province in 1755-1775.

Like Quakers, Doukhobors believe that God resides in the soul of every person. God is spiritually present in human soul, and sensually - in nature. The souls of people existed before the creation of the world and fell along with other angels. Now, as punishment, they are sent to earth and put on bodies. The Doukhobors do not recognize original sin. Heaven and hell are understood allegorically. Doukhobors believe in the transmigration of souls: the soul of a righteous person transmigrates into the body of a living righteous person or a newborn, and the soul of an unbeliever or criminal transmigrates into an animal. Christ is perceived as an ordinary person, gifted with divine intelligence. The clergy is absent, the priesthood is rejected. Divine origin The Bible is recognized, but at the same time it is affirmed that every person has the right to take from it only what is useful for him.

The basis of the Doukhobor doctrine is their own mind, illuminated Divine light; heartfelt faith, equality and mutual respect, both socially and in the family. Doukhobors recognize some of the Christian sacraments (confession, communion), while others reject them (marriage), as well as the veneration of icons and statutes of the Holy Fathers. Orthodox holidays are not recognized, but are celebrated due to the reluctance of conflicts with the Orthodox. Doukhobors deny secular and spiritual authority and, accordingly, the oath, oath and military service. The state is recognized and viewed only as a weapon against crime. Liturgical meetings of the Doukhobors take place either in the open air or in special rooms. The service consists of reading psalms, singing and mutual kissing. The religious symbols of the Doukhobors are bread, salt and a jug of water, which are placed on the table during worship.

The Doukhobor ethics are based on the commandments of Christ about the love of God and the 10 commandments of Moses, which are interpreted quite categorically. Under the influence of L.N. Tolstoy, the ideas of vegetarianism penetrated among the Doukhobors.

Doukhoborism spread throughout many provinces thanks to their quiet, sober and righteous life. Subsequently, the Doukhobors were persecuted by the Orthodox spiritual authorities and the police, deported, and sent to hard labor. In 1839, By decree of Nicholas I, the Doukhobors were deported to the Akhalkalati district of Georgia, classed as a particularly harmful sect. In 1898 - 1899 With the permission of Emperor Nicholas II, more than seven thousand Doukhobors emigrated to the USA and Canada.

In 1991, Russian Doukhobors founded the “Union of Doukhobors of Russia.” The total number of Doukhobors at the end of the 20th century. is about 100 thousand people living in all regions of Russia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Central Asia, Ukraine, Canada and the USA. The ethnic composition is predominantly Russian.

6. Molokans (XVIII century - present)

Molokans- a movement that took shape under the influence of Doukhoborism in the 60s of the 18th century and spread intensively at the beginning of the 19th century. IN Russian Empire were classified as “especially harmful heresies” and were persecuted until the decrees of Alexander I dating back to 1803, which gave the Molokans and Doukhobors some freedom. However, already under Nicholas I, their communities began to be persecuted.

The founder of Molokanism is considered to be the wandering tailor Semyon Uklein (former Dukhobor).

Unlike the Doukhobors, the Molokans recognized the Bible, which they associated with the image of spiritual milk that feeds a person. The Molokans explained the self-name of the movement with words from the First Council Epistle of the Apostle Peter: “Like newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, so that from it you may grow to salvation.”(1 Pet. 2:2). In general, the cult practice of the Molokans is close to the evangelical Protestant movements, especially the Baptists.

Molokans rejected the church hierarchy, priests, monasticism, did not recognize churches, church sacraments and rituals, they rejected the saints, did not make an image of the cross, did not cross themselves during prayer, and did not venerate the relics of the saints. The functions of clergy among the Molokans were performed by “elders”, who were mentors of individual communities. The Molokans' worship consisted of reading the Bible, singing psalms and spiritual songs, and was carried out in the homes of community members. Molokans believed in the imminent second coming of Christ and the establishment of the thousand-year Kingdom of God on Earth.

The Molokans were not a single church, but rather a religious movement with a single root, but with great differences in views, chants, teachings, and observed holidays. Among such trends in Molokans, the “wet Molokans” (practicing water baptism), Molokans-jumpers, Molokans-subbotniks (observing the Sabbath), dukh-i-zhizniks (placing the book “Spirit and Life” in the throne, considering it the third part of the Bible) stood out noticeably ) and others.

Some communities of Molokans - jumpers, fastniks, subbotniks, evangelical Christians - have survived to the present day. The printed organ is the magazine “Spiritual Christian”. The total number of Molokans at the end of the 20th century. - about 300 thousand people scattered around the world, mainly in Russia (Stavropol and Krasnodar Territories), USA (California), Australia, Mexico, Armenia, Turkey.

7. Tolstoyism

Tolstoyism - a religious social movement in Russia at the end of the 19th - beginning of the 20th centuries. It originated in the 1880s in the Russian peasant environment under the influence of the ideas of Doukhoborism and religious and philosophical teaching. The followers are Tolstoyans. The founder and first propagandist of Tolstoyism was Prince Dmitry Khilkov (Kharkov landowner, lieutenant colonel of the guard), passionate about the ideas of social democracy.

The foundations of Tolstoyism are set out by Tolstoy in his works “Confession”, “What is My Faith?”, “The Kreutzer Sonata”, etc.

Religious views within the framework of Tolstoyism are characterized by syncretism (the combination of heterogeneous doctrinal and cult positions).

The basis of the Tolstoyan doctrine is the ethics of love and non-resistance to evil through violence. Having Christian basis, it includes elements of paganism, Buddhism, Islam, and Hinduism. Basic Christian dogmas are rejected: the Trinity, the divinity of Christ, the dogmas of original sin and immortality of the soul. The only shrine is considered human life. The reality of Christ's existence is recognized, but only as one of the prophets. The basic commandments set forth by Leo Tolstoy are revered: “do not resist evil,” “do not litigate,” “do not swear,” “do not steal,” “do not commit adultery.” Tolstoy arbitrarily interprets the Gospel, rejecting the rest of the books of the Bible. Some religious books of Leo Tolstoy are recognized as sacred. Tolstoyans refuse to serve in the army and pay taxes. There is no worship service.

In 1897, Tolstoyism was declared a harmful sect in Russia.

In the 90s of the XIX century. - early 20th century Tolstoyism consisted mainly of the intelligentsia and their number reached about 30 thousand people. By the end of the 20th century. Followers of Tolstoyism have survived in Europe, the USA, Japan, and India.

Modern period

Within the Orthodox Church, not everything is calm today. Our time is not something exceptional. Modern heresies are often camouflaged with eloquence and scientific language; they successfully hide behind the authorities of some theologians and theologumena of the Holy Fathers (i.e., theological opinions that are not generally binding for all Christians). If the Spirit of God does not enlighten, then one can easily fall into various errors when listening to some “enlighteners” and even serving priests.

Material prepared by Sergey SHULYAK

TO BE CONTINUED...

Used Books:

1. S. V. Bulgakov. Guide to heresies, sects and schisms

2. Glukhov I. A. Notes on sect studies, 4th grade MDS, 1976.

3. St. Ignatius (Brianchaninov). The concept of heresy and schism

The emergence of heretical movements in Russia dates back to the end of the 13th – beginning. 14th centuries, when the first results of restoration were felt. strength after Mong. conquests: development p. farms, cities, crafts, trade. From ser. 13th century Waves of national liberation are sweeping across the country. adv. uprisings. The most striking monument is the anti-church. The protest of this time is the “Tale of False Teachers,” written between 1274 and 1312. In this anonymous work, “false teachers” refers to the clergy, who are exposed in greed, subservience to those in power, parasitism and concealment of the “word of God” from people. In contrast to the church. hierarchy, the author of “The Tale of False Teachers” puts forward a demand for the right to the teaching of faith for the laity and for the ordinary clergy - readers and singers: The first open E. in Russia were the Strigolniki, who expressed the interests of democratic. Posad circles. The hearths of E. strigolnikov were Pskov and Novgorod, where they appeared around the middle of the 14th century. Strigolniki protested against the greed and ignorance of the clergy, and denied a number of churches. sacraments, demanded the rights of religions. sermons for the laity. Some of them denied the church teaching about the resurrection of the dead. In 1375 feudal-church. and the secular authorities of Novgorod executed the leaders of the Strigolniki. movements. However, the movement continued to exist in the 1st third of the 15th century, and the last mention of the activities of the Strigolniks dates back to 1490. Simultaneously with the Strigolniks in Tver, Bishop Fyodor the Good spoke with the teaching that the earthly paradise had perished and that paradise should be understood spiritually. At the end of the 14th century. another Tver bishop, Evfimy Vislen, appeared before the church. council for non-recognition of "saint apostolic church "In the 80s of the 14th century in Rostov the Great, the heretic Marcian, expelled by the authorities from the city after a public dispute with the Rostov bishop Jacob, preached anti-trinitarianism and iconoclasm. The speeches of the freethinkers of the 14th century laid the foundation for the history of Russian rationalistic thought, with positions of the church and the religious doctrine of Orthodoxy were criticized. The growth of cities, the further development of crafts and trade, the gradual formation of the preconditions of bourgeois. and theoretical deepening began to criticize the norms of thought and morality. Following the demands of the “cheap church” and the democratization of the church, after the criticism of the doctrine of the sacraments, attacks on the fundamentals became the most important. the doctrine of Christianity - the triune god. Started by Marcian in Rostov the Great, these attacks in the mid-15th century caused the so-called Alleluia debate in the 2nd half. Rus. anti-Trinitarian heretics and iconoclasts militant churchmen of the 15th century. nicknamed "Judaizers". The Judaizer movement is characterized not only by rationalism. criticism of the Trinitarian and Christological. the teachings of the church, but also the development of humanistic principles. thoughts - affirmations of man, the idea of ​​accepting earthly life, equality of peoples and faiths. After a certain decline in the wave of heretics. movements at the beginning 16th century, it again rose high in the middle. 16th century, expressed in the heresies of Matvey Bashkin and Theodosius Kosoy. Theodosius Kosoy proclaimed the slogan of social and national. equality, affirmed the possibility for man to become his own “savior” and “redeemer.” In his sermon there are hints of a demand for community of property. Theodosius Kosom owns materialistic. guesses about the eternity of the world in the spirit of ancient Greek philosophy. materialists. In contrast to the developing elements of rationalism, materialism. and humanistic thoughts in Russian teachings. freethinkers of the 14th–16th centuries, feudal-church. the camp tried to justify its religions. doctrines. Efforts in this direction were made already in the 14th century. Epiphan the Wise, and in the 15th century. Joseph Volotsky. All R. 16th century Zinovy ​​Otensky expounded on cosmology. and ontological. proof of the existence of God, and Ermolai-Erasmus spoke in the spirit of the philosophy of the Middle Ages. realism, trying to present the diagram of the Universe in the form of hierarchical. the infinity of ternary complexes, crowned by the trinity as a universal of the highest order. E. in Russia have long been an important form of antifeudalism. struggle.

About him