Joseph Volotsky and Gennady of Novgorod: the Borrowing of Ideas in the Context on anti-“Judaizers” Polemics

Abstract

Hegumen Joseph of Volokolamsk’s writings and Archbishop Gennady of Novgorod’s epistles are the bulk of sources for the history of the heresy movement known as the “Judaizers”. However, the subject of relationship between these two accusers of heresy is still not sufficiently studied, and we have no proof of direct contacts between the Volotsk monastery and the Archbishop’s throne. At the same time, using the hagiographical sources about Joseph Volotsky allows us to suggest that these contacts did exist in the form of exchanging letters, and some books at the Volotsk Monastery library, judging by the scribes’ additions, were made at the scriptorium of the Novgorodian throne. The transfer of several works from Novgorod to Volok probably was a decisive factor for hegumen Joseph’s notions of the heresy, and some of the works received had direct influence on his polemic essays against the heretics. The author proposes a hypothesis that the notions of Judaic origins of the heresy were formed as a result of Archbishop Gennady comparing iconolatry practices occurring in Novgorod with the description of iconoclasm from The Epistle of Photios, the Patriarch of Constantinople, to Mikhail, the Prince of Bulgaria. Thus, iconoclasm became one of the main features of the “Judaizers”. But the “Judaizers” themselves did not view their common worshipping practices as heretical. This attitude towards the accusations allowed Archbishop Gennady to also accuse them of involvement with the Messalian heresy. Gennady based his charges on The Old Slavonic Nomocanon paragraphs on Messalians. Probably, the manuscript of this Nomocanon was delivered from Novgorod Archiepiscopal Court to Volokolamsk monastery along with the copies of other “Judaizers”’ writings, found by the archbishop. Some paragraphs on Messalians from the The Old Slavonic Nomocanon brought us to conclusion that they were used by Joseph Volotsky as the main source for his theory of “wise guiles”, which were supposed to reveal heretics.