Svetlana Klimentyevna Sevastyanova,
Doctor of Philology, Siberian Institute of Management – Branch of RANEPA, Novosibirsk, Russia, e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Archpriest H.K. Maksimov’s Dissertation “Patriarch Nicon in the Literary Struggle with Paisius Ligarides” and Her Contribution to the Study of Patriarch Niсon’s “Objection”
DOI: 10.31518/2618-9100-2024-2-2
The article for the first time analyzes the content of Archpriest Khristofor Konstantinovich Maximov (1851–1938) candidate’s thesis, devoted to the study of one of the key narratives in the “case” of Patriarch Nicon (1652–1666; † 1681) – “Objection” of the disgraced Moscow high priest against boyar Simeon Lukyanovich Streshnev questions about Nicon and the responses to them by Paisius Ligarides, Metropolitan of Gaza, in August 1662. The research part of the article is preceded by a biographical note about Archpriest Maximov, whose name was never mentioned in connection with the scientific historical and philological projects carried out in the second half of the 19th century at the Moscow Theological Academy, including those devoted to the polemical and literary journalistic works of Patriarch Nicon and Paisius Ligarides. The tasks of the young researcher, the sources of the dissertation, Maximov’s level of mastery of contemporary historiography of the topic, and the methods of studying the main polemical work of Patriarch Nicon by the dissertation author are characterized. The author of the article evaluates the literary techniques of Patriarch Nicon noted by Maximov: speaking and thinking in images of the Holy Scriptures, almost verbatim reproducing fragments of handwritten and printed sources, among which in the first place were the products of the Moscow Printing House of the first half of the 17th century and manuscripts from the Patriarch Nicon cell library in Resurrection New Jerusalem Monastery. Maksimov’s contribution to Russian niconology is shown. A conclusion is made about the prospects of a comprehensive study of Patriarch Niсon’s “Objection” in the inextricable connection of this work with the question-and-answer essay of Streshnev-Ligarid. The author of the article notes: an interdisciplinary approach based on the achievements and methodology of church historical and theological sciences, hermeneutic study and historical-critical assessment of sources, laid down by Archpriest Maximov’s dissertation back in 1877 has not yet been implemented, despite repeated instructions from researchers on the importance of a comprehensive study of the monumen.
Publishing: 28/04/2024
The article has been received by the editor on 13/01/2024
How to cite: Sevastyanova S.K. Archpriest H.K. Maksimov’s Dissertation “Patriarch Nicon in the Literary Struggle with Paisius Ligarides” and Her Contribution to the Study of Patriarch Niсon’s “Objection” // Historical Courier, 2024, No. 2 (34), pp. 26–37. [Available online: http://istkurier.ru/data/2024/ISTKURIER-2024-2-02.pdf]
The research was carried out as part of the Russian Science Foundation project No. 22-28-00153 “Metropolitan of Gaza Paisius Ligarides’ Сomposition about the Patriarch Nicon’s Trial: Translation and Research”.
Links: Issue 2 2024
Keywords: Archpriest Khristofor Konstantinovich Maksimov; dissertation “Patriarch Nicon in the literary struggle with Paisius Ligarides”; “Objection” of Patriarch Nicon; russian niconology