Natalia Sergeevna Gurianova,
Doctor of Historical Sciences, Institute of History of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk, Russia, e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
On the Creative Heritage of the Old Believer Timofey Matveyev Lysenin
DOI: 10.31518/2618-9100-2025-3-12
The article critically examines the creative legacy of Timofey Matveyev Lysenin, a prominent ideologist of the deacon’s agreement. It is noted that in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the scholar P.S. Smirnov attributed to Lysenin four manuscripts from the Russian National Library, specifically from Pogodin’s collection, ms. 1256. Within these works, Lysenin engaged with the principal controversies faced by the Old Believers regarding the alterations made to the rites and liturgical practices of the Russian Orthodox Church by Patriarch Nikon. Furthermore, he delineated the foundational principles of the doctrine of the deacon’s agreement. Lysenin drew upon these manuscripts when composing “The Book on the True Faith” in 1714, which is preserved in a manuscript from M.N. Tikhomirov’s collection, currently housed at the State Public Scientific and Technical Library of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The article provides a comprehensive analysis of the text and includes a Table of Contents published in the appendix. In conclusion, the article posits that T. Lysenin endeavored to articulate his perspective on what he considered to be the true doctrine, firmly rooted in church tradition. His context involved a critical appraisal of the reforms instituted by Patriarch Nikon, which he deemed as detrimental alterations to the established rites and practices of the Church. Lysenin also scrutinized the contemporary church authorities’ justifications for these innovations, which he perceived as violations of tradition. Within this critical discussion, the exposition of the doctrine of agreement emerged as a reaffirmation of its preservation. Since the entirety of the text is imbued with an eschatological understanding of time, T. Lysenin presents his vision for addressing the contentious issues of religious life as a valid interpretation of true Christian teaching − one that he asserts has the potential to save both humanity and the world in what he identifies as the “last times”.
Publishing: 28/06/2025
The article has been received by the editor on 18/05/2025
How to cite: Gurianova N.S. On the Creative Heritage of the Old Believer Timofey Matveyev Lysenin // Historical Courier, 2025, No. 3 (41), pp. 183−196. [Available online: http://istkurier.ru/data/2025/ISTKURIER-2025-3-12.pdf]
The article was made on the topic of the state assignment “The Past in the Manuscript Sources of the 16th−20th Centuries: Preservation and Development of Traditions” (FWZM-2024-0006).
Links: Issue 3 2025
Keywords: 18th century; Old Believers; deacon’s agreement (dyakonovo soglasie); ideology; Timofey Lysenin