“An article by an unidentified author about Nikon, the Patriarch of Moscow” (text study and publication)
Abstract
Among the materials included in the collection of manuscript books Archim. Leonid (Kavelin) at the Research Department of Manuscripts of the Russian State Library, the author's attention was drawn to a source that had previously come to the attention of scientists. In the inventory of the fund, it is called "An article by an unidentified author about Nikon, Patriarch of Moscow." An unknown author of a publicistic essay attempted to compare two significant figures in the history of Russia: Patriarch Nikon and the Russian public and statesman M.M. Speransky. In the present study, the observation is made that. The "Article" is part of a larger work. The part that has not survived, apparently, was dedicated only to M.M. Speransky. The "Article" was written in the 1870s-1880s, when its author, a sincere admirer of Patriarch Nikon, as well as a Little Russian, as evidenced by the language and style of presentation, became known to the main publications about the life, deeds and veneration of His Holiness. The first publications of fragments of works and letters of M.M. Speransky and his biography date back to the same time. The study is structured in accordance with the logic of the presentation of the material in the source. First, an assessment is given to the features of the similarities and differences of the two persons listed by the author of the “Article”; then the cursory biography of Patriarch Nikon is critically interpreted; further, following the author of the "Article", the attention of the researcher is focused on the key points of the "case" of Nikon; in the end — conclusions are drawn. This is the first time that the text "Articles by an Unidentified Author" is published. This publication substantially supplements the assessments of the personality and activities of His Holiness Nikon known in pre-revolutionary social thought. Enabling Archimandrite Leonid (Kavelin) of the newly found document in his collection of materials about Patriarch Nikon proves not only the breadth of interests of a remarkable and profound scientist, but testifies to his personal veneration of the Moscow Primate, whose arduous deeds and difficult biography he studied and comprehended with great love and enduring interest.
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