The Work of Maxim the Greek and the Sermons of Andrei Denisov: towards the Formulation of the Problem

Abstract

The literary school created by the Vyg Old Believers the early 18th century is a unique phenomenon of Russian culture. The Vygovtsy' desire to use the latest rhetorical strategies was organically combined with a reliance on national tradition, represented, in particular, by a system of book authorities. These included the 16th-century Greek-Russian theologian, philosopher, and philologist Maxim the Greek, deeply revered by the Old Believers. The defenders of the Old Rite not only used his writings in ecclesiastical polemics to defend their position. It was the Vyg Old Believers, led by their mentor Andrei Denisov (1676-1730), who continued the manuscript tradition of Maxim' writings, creating a new codex on the basis of his texts — the Pomorian Codex. The article emphasizes that Maxim the Greek influenced the literary work of Andrei Denisov, the leader of the Vyg Old Believers. He was not only the initiator of many years of work on the creation of the Pomorian Codex and not only one of the main compilers of the Pomorian Answers, where the arguments of Maxim the Greek were used. The name of Maxim and references to his writings can be found in Andrei Denisov's sermons, and one of Maxim the Greek's plots, borrowed from the work of Hieronymus Savonarola, formed the basis of Andrei Denisov's popular work in the Old Believer tradition — Slovo plachevno o zlostrafaniyah i skorbeh Tserkvi Christovoy [the Lamenting Tales for the afflictions and sorrows of the Church of Christ]. The author of the article makes assumptions about the influence of some artistic principles of the work of the famous Athonite on the poetics of Andrei Denisov's sermon.