Shestokryl (book)

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Freethinking as "heresy"

"A question of an entity of Heresy of the Judaizers, at scarcity of cash data, - the academician A.I. Sobolevsky says, - should be considered as unsolvable".

Really, we were not reached by any composition of any representative of this "heresy", about it it is possible to judge only by those accusatory messages which belong to Joseph of Volokolamsk and Gennady Novgorodsky - ardent opponents "zhidovstvuyushchy". Thus, the researcher is in the same state into what there are historians trying to judge by accusatory compositions of fathers of church on an entity of heresies of the first centuries of Christianity as compositions of heretics were carefully exterminated by fathers of church. With so-called "Heresy of the Judaizers" the situation was even worse because this imaginary as it seems to us, "heresy" and could not leave any written marks of the dogma in the absence of like those. Acts of investigation of this heresy and judicial office-work also did not reach us.

How did exposers state the doctrine of "zhidovstvuyushchy"? In general the maintenance of heresy was as if that "zhidovstvuyushchy" denied a troichnost of persons in god. Jesus was considered the ordinary person, rejected his wonderful birth from the maiden, revival, sacraments of church, blamed monkhood, rose against honoring of icons. this idolatry which accepted character in Ancient Russia. But present all this in the form of some harmonious philosophical system prosecutors' heretics could not, it is obvious because nothing similar was. It was as a last resort possible to speak only about freethinking, rationalism of the famous group of persons. Belonging of Jews to this group of persons "gave a cause to Orthodox Christians, - the academician A.I. Sobolevsky says, - to suspect that the heretical doctrine has Jewish, coloring, and turned innocent, apparently, opinions on excessiveness of honoring at Orthodox Christians of the virgin, Saints and icons (to the detriment of honoring of god) - almost into recreancy from Christianity". Really, if to lay aside Jews, it is impossible to think that such persons as the archpriest Alexey, Dionysius, afterwards priests of two main cathedrals in the Moscow Kremlin, and, at last, the Metropolitan of Moscow Zosima, accused of heresy, made Easter under the Jewish law and recognized trimming what they were suspected of. Along with it it is extremely important to learn that Gennady convicting "zhidovstvuyushchy" in one of the messages points that "they did not open the heretical thoughts for anybody without the special purpose; if they were called for court, they it is oath assured judges of the Orthodoxy and damned all heresies". On Cathedral of 1492 where the heresy, all defendants "those heresies zapre-shasya", as stated in the chronicle was for the first time officially condemned. The heresy was condemned. But, in any case, heretics were not subjected to the death penalty.

In what entity of so-called heresy? "One is not subject to doubt, - the academician A.I. Sobolevsky says, - "zhidovstvuyushchy", both Russians, and Jews, were people for the time formed, loving science and books and. The Novgorod heretics had in the hands a large number of books, by the way, such what the archbishop Gennady could not find at the Novgorod Orthodox Christians. To guess permissibly that they owned the code of the bible books addressing then in Russia and that Gennady used their list of these books for arrangement of the church code of bible books".

There is a good saying: "Tell me what you read, and I will tell you who you are". It can quite be applied also to "zhidovstvuyushchy". Having laid aside bible books which in itself could not contain anything heretical, of course, we will pay all the attention to others, reached in different lists our time; they are well described by the academician A.I. Sobolevsky who detected them in the collection of the 16th century of the Holmsky museum. We see here, with surprise, Logic, Cosmography, then Shestokryl, "Secret secret" and some other. Of course, it not all that reached us. And in spite of the fact that it is not any own works "zhidovstvuyushchy", and just the transfers from the Jewish and Greek works of the Western European literature of that time made by inquisitive people of Russian intelligentsia of the middle of the 15th century, all these books after secondary condemnation of zhidovstvuyushchy are included in the index - the list of the books prohibited by orthodox church - and are furiously destroyed.

1471: Zakhary Skara is astronomer-astrologer from Kafy - brings Shestokryl to Novgorod

Along with it the figure of the astrologer Zachariah Skar who (under a name of Skhariya) is considered chroniclers and our historians the chief heresiarch and the founder of heresy "zhidovstvuyushchy" is curious. Joseph of Volokolamsk speaks about him: "sow to a byasha of devils a vessel and Kiev is studied to any rascally invention, sorcery and a chernoknizhiya, a zvezdozakoniya and from astrology zhivy in a hail, naritsayemy". On behalf of Zachariah Skar - the Karaite, the Crimean native from Kafy (nowadays Feodosiya), we have the person, highly educated on that time, - the astronomer and the astrologer. Distinctive feature of a karaimstvo was the respect for science, especially to philosophy, mathematics and astronomy. About existence at this time in Kiev of the persons who were engaged in sciences we learn from the message of Karaite Solomon bin Abraham who writes from Kafy to Kiev to the brothers in faith in 1481:

"I know long ago that in your (Kiev) communities, both in Karaite, and in rabbanitsky, there are a lot of people who are given to knowledge and sciences".

In 1471 Skara in suite of the prince Mikhail Olelkovich moved from Kiev to Novgorod where he approaches the local intellectuals - nobility and clergy. The close circle of the inquisitive people who are interested in the Western European science who, according to the chronicler, "a nachasha you study is formed. to volshebsky books" or as one contemporary said, - "a zvezdozakoniya and a volkhovaniya uprazhnyayushchesya". Two Novgorod priests - Denis (Dionysius) and Alexey famous in the city for the learning were a part of this circle soon. In what did occupations of this circle consist? Possibly, conversations of the court astrologer Skara about the device of the universe and possibility of prediction of solar and lunar eclipses could seem very entertaining to the Novgorod intellectuals which level of development at that time stood much above, than in other cities of Russia, owing to frequent obshcheniye of Novgorod and Pskov with the abroad. But, of course, circle. Skara was engaged in astronomy together with astrology. It is necessary to remember that that sharp distinction which was drawn between astronomy and astrology afterwards in the 15th century did not exist, and even such prominent astronomers as Quietly to Braga and Kepler were engaged in astrology later. Joseph of Volokolamsk Educator directly says century: "... basnoslovy certain and zvezdozakony to an uchakh, and on smotreta stars also you build a rozheniye and life human".

"Cosmography"

Now we will address the astronomical literature which was in the address among the Novgorod heretics.

First of all Cosmography. The maintenance of Cosmography shows that "zhidovstvuyushchy" had to have at that time the idea of the universe which is not differing from Western European of that time. The system of the world, of course, was a ptolemeeva ("a yak of the speech Ptalomey"). Circles heavenly nine. "First the fact that there are no stars at it, and another under ty, and at it 12 domovo zadeyny, and Wuxi other stars at the same; and sedm planets, a kazhda at the sky. First planet of Kroner; under the same Zeves, and under that Arys, under that the sun, and under that Avfrodis, and under that Ermis, and under that the Moon, it smaller usekh... The earth bo at to the middle of the sky, and - does not leave to a nikolizha the mestyets... Wuxi heaven one uv one, as an onion (the Ukrainian name of onions to which lamination the concentric location of spheres of Ptolemaeus assimilates)... And under a circle zadeyny (zodiac) seven stars transitional go (planets). Kroner (Saturn) the zodiyaka in 30 years, Zeves (Jupiter) for 12, Arys (Mars) for 2 years obyikhodit, the sun for 365 den and for the fourth share of day, Aphrodites (Venus) and Ermis (Mercury) of a yak the sun, the Moon for seven both for 20 den and for eight times (hours) in the way close... Names to inventions si essence: Aries, Yunets (Taurus), Twin, Cancer, Lev, Maiden, Yar (Scales), Skoropia, Strelets, Goat horn, Vodoly, Fishes. And the vsyakaa an invention is divided into 30 stepen (degrees), a kazhda degree on 60 drobnits (minutes), and a kazhda of drobniyets for 60 utory (seconds), and everyone utory into 60 third (thirds)...".

Most curiously in Cosmography "A word about death lunar and solar (eclipses), the IC of what that: know, see the sun is more than earth of 166 parts; protozh to osiayet bolsh polovitsyu the earth. Death of a lunna if it is complete also beside the head snake or beside his tail against the sun. But togda the earth in the middle of them, and a shadow that will fall to the moon. To Alya prick the sun and the moon from the head or from a tail of menshiya of 12 degrees, death not on everything mesyatsyu. And takezh prick the sun and the moon a pospola at the head or at a tail or mezhyu dvunadesyat degrees; if sya he will give birth, togda are closed to us by the sun; and the moon from the earth of a soroka a share". From this fragment at first sight can seem that in it the most ancient prejudice that eclipses - "death" of the Sun or the Moon - come from their ingestion for a while a serpent or a dragon repeats. Mysterious "serpent" is mentioned as well in other book - Shestokryla about which the speech will be farther and A.I. Sobolevsky in perplexity in the note on p. 415 asks concerning a serpent: "what means?". Case speaks simply. Ecliptic nodes in astronomy are designated by the character which is no other than the hieroglyphic image of a dragon or serpent. It is the inheritance which remained modern astronomy from the most ancient representations as eclipses occur then when in points of nodes or near them there is the Sun or the Moon where they, on beliefs of far old times, were trapped by a dragon. From here and term: "drakonichesky" month. The mysterious "serpent" mentioned in Shestokryla, of course, was taken not literally, and figuratively as terminus technicus. By the way, it is possible to see it from one Russian manuscript (SOBR. Public library, F. VI, 19), in which on ll. 317 and 318 with the astrological purpose reference designations of heavenly bodies among which it is met also with explanations are given:

"the head of a zmiyev" and "oshib (tail) of serpents" - upper and lower nodes of an ecliptic in which there are eclipses of stars. A.I. Sobolevsky, reproducing in the work as the facsimile one of pages of the manuscript Shestokryl, without suspecting that, gave us an illustration of this ancient allegorical fight of stars against dragons. On it we see as an explanation of a solar and lunar eclipse by discarding of shadows of stars, and symbolical dragons.

Shestokryl

"Cosmography" was at "zhidovstvuyushchy" the theory of "zvezdozritelny charm" as at that time ironically called astronomy, its this practical course was Shestokryl which commentator was an Italian Jew Immanuel of bin-Jacob living in the 14th century of Shestokryl - no other than six lunar tables from where its name appeared, allowing by simple mathematical acceptances ("get palets from width of the page and from a page dolzhina, that sya on one strotsa of a spotkala") to calculate with the known accuracy lunar phases and eclipses forward. To have some idea of the nature of comments on these tables, we give some clearest excerpts. "Krilo the first. If hoshchesh of a vedata of a ponovleni (new moon) equal (exact) or opposition (opposition, i.e. a full moon) equal to which mesyatsyu if you skhocht go to a soba to the first kril...' and any circle... holds the 19th year, and ty 19th year to catch a circle lunar... Take a thuja a line everything, and still take numbers against summer (year)... and still take a number soba against that month that you look for to it a ponovleni or opposition, simple against simple, pribytochny against pribytochny and write a drobla soba against a drobla (minute of an arc), a stupla against a stupla (degrees), zodiya against a zodiya and protyagn under ty the devil-ku and elect them (put end and put)... After a yak you zbert all chisl and you will sign under line, there will be to an okommignenye toba a ponovleniye or opposition equal". The last words printed with discharging can be translated: "exact moment of a new moon or full moon"; here it is curious to see that modern expression "during a moment of an eye" in the 15th century had the form "a mignenye eye" and it is used by the translator for designation of "moment".

It is specified to find a method in the second wing "at a horse to the moon" or "ukon to a serpent", apparently, inducement of the Moon and its node. The third, fourth, fifth and sixth wings specify methods of calculation of time of eclipses and value of their phase. For example, "Wing the fourth. If you hoshcht vedat a measure a temnost lunar and its hours, go to the fourth wing, and udolzh covered vnid also with a dragon lunar and take that there will be numbers fingers, a temnost and their drobl. But only there will be a measure a temnost, and still take that will leave of hours and from a drobla, from a stroka it is written upward, a pravaa veremya, it will be:) veremya from a temnost ear to a half, or from a half' up to the end".

Shestokrnl is translated from Jewish. Russian and Jewish say names of zodiac signs about it (the Russian letters): The aries - tala, the Taurus - shor, Fishes - dagy, Aquarius - put, etc. The Shestokryla language is West Russian with the few tserkovnoslavyanizm.

Browsing the text of comments Shestokryl and its table, on the one hand, it is necessary to be surprised to the fact that at us in the 15th century the fact of the address and wide dissemination of similar compositions testimonial of high cultural level of the Kiev, Novgorod and Moscow intellectuals of that time was possible. From the.drugy party, quite clearly as what horror blew from the Shestokryla pages for the reader who unilaterally is brought up on ecclesiastical writing.

The page from Shestokryl with the image of eclipses and two serpents.

First of all the course of a reasoning in Shestokryla, it seems: "go to the second kril and vnid to width of a kril... yes get palets from page width", pointed to some manipulations reminding acceptances of conjectural and charodeysky books. If here still to add frequent mentioning of a mysterious serpent, then it is quite possible to imagine psychology of the semi-ignorant reader for whom this serpent, himself, was inspired with six kryla of the title of the unclear book, and all it could seem to it than other as black knizhnicheskim manual to calling in an image of a serpent of the devil.

The page from Shestokryl ("a wing the fifth").

Not without reason afterwards even such educated person as Maximus the Greek, called works of this sort "zvezdozritelny to a besoboyaznye", and Shestokryl in its time is included in the list of otrechenny books. The Gennady Novgorodsky struggling with heretics notes that "zhidovstvuyushchy" mathematical manuscripts which on the intricate figures and outlines had to seem to ordinary Russian scribes magic notebooks and chernoknizhiy used.

It seems to us that Shestokryl was nearly the most important and interesting book at a group of persons which inquisitiveness was inflated to heresy degree. Apparently, Shestokryl in Zachariah Skara's hands was also that main tool with which it, perfectly knowing them, could predict lunar and solar eclipses. There were enough one-two such successful predictions for inquisitive Novgorodians to force them to get acquainted with the new remarkable book brought by the erudite Jew from Kiev and to learn the "zvezdozritelny charm" doing possible forward to predict day and hour of "solar or lunar death". And these signs heavenly always initiated curiosity of Novgorodians as it is visible at least from our chronicles which saved to us their fair descriptions, and to nobody else as the Novgorod chronicler, possesses the first-ever observation with the naked eye of a solar protuberance during a total solar eclipse on May 1, 1185.

The name of Skara was so closely connected with Shestokryl that afterwards it, apparently, is published even in prayer books where lunar tables were located. So, in the prayer book of 1536 there is "An ecclesiastical calendar with a lunovnik" at the end and on sheet 286 costs: "This Tipik Skare is conducted yes is, the circle begins a yak of a lunniya from 1 genuariya and stick to 19 years". What it for Skare, is asked by the academician V.N. Peretts and right there makes quite probable assumption: whether "not is it is the original mysterious Skhariya who is considered the preacher and a nasaditel of Heresy of the Judaizers"?

Shestokryl riveted on itself attention and exposers of imaginary heresy. Without being content with some dogmatic, artificially strung charges, they wanted to convict the educated Novgorodians of sorcery that it is easier for that to be through with them, perhaps. Some priest Nahum issued to Gennady existence of a group of persons, being interested in "zvezdozritelny charm", told probably any nonsense, obviously prikrasit the freethinking existing in this group bright paints of a bogootstupnichestvo and heresy, and from now on "case began". As far as the circle of the Novgorod intellectuals was careful, it is possible to judge by the fact that its existence opened only accidentally. "And if only the priest Nahum did not put repentance, - Gennady wrote, - Eno Kako powerfully of a uvedata si on their oath". Naum brought to Gennady and some books addressing in Skara's circle; among their Gennady also Shestokryl which he begins to study carefully calls, - "ispytno passes", obviously, considering its main tool of charodeysky acceptances of heretics. Being a clever and educated person of the time, owning method of calculation of an ecclesiastical calendar and knowing, obviously, the scheme of lunar tables, Gennady is disappointed, of course, in the assumptions soon that is visible from one his message (1489): "and that Shestokryl they to itself having studied and that preleshchat Christianity, thinking, a yak with not demon a sign reduce, Eno that not their sostavleni byst, Shestokryl bo is taken from astronomy, a yak a drop from the sea". But this certificate is very valuable to us on the other hand as supports our reason that the interest of inquisitive mind in Shestokryl was that this book taught "reduce from sign heaven", i.e. predict eclipses. At the same time it partly throws light on freethinking of the educated Novgorodians, perhaps, laughing at those "neveglasyam" which in "death lunar or solar" saw a finger of God - an omen of the future troubles as, for example, the author of the I Pskov chronicle,.sdelavshiya at the description of an eclipse the Sun 1476 the characteristic note: "Sitsevy signs are shown by god on a mnogy of a paguba to people".

1491: Waiting of doomsday after the termination of 6999 g from creation of the world

For complete explanation of the fact of fast development and distribution of so-called heresy it is necessary to remember that the seventh thousand years "from creation of the world" at that time has come to an end. With the expiration of the 6999th year - 1491 our way to notation, - our ancestors in Russia waited for the end of the world, and in ecclesiastical calendars of that time calculations were led up only till this critical year, and at the end of ecclesiastical calendars wrote in a special circle: "the grief, the mountain which reached till the fulfillment of the ages" or "ZTE fear, ZTE grief like in a crucifixion Christoff this circle byst, this summer and on the end be, in it tea and your global coming" (the manuscript from the Novgorod Sofia library, N1421). Further, on beliefs of our ancestors to be engaged in calculations of holidays there was no sense as in celestial the awful sound of a pipe Arkhangelsk had to be distributed, the earth had to burn down, and the sky with stars to be curtailed as a roll with letters.

The ominous comet shining over Novgorod in January, 1491, the grandiose polar lights on November 8, 1490 described in the IV Novgorod chronicle, and, at last, eclipse of the Sun, almost complete for Novgorod, of course, strengthened on May 8, 1491 belief in the fast end of the world. Waited for the end of the world on the night of March 25, 1492 because according to Epiphanius Premudry (died in 1419) in March Christ suffered and revived - "March of month pack ices tea of revival of the dead and the second coming". Feodosiya, the archbishop Rostov, afterwards the metropolitan, still wrote in the diploma of 1455: "yak nowadays priluchisya sedmyya tysyashcha of the last hundred 63rd summer". On one manuscript the copyist wrote: "Pesach by the evening solar day of run, ssdmorichny, the river, centuries". The book was ended in 1489 when the three-year kingdom of Antichrist which had to precede the end of the world "began".

The belief in the end of the world at the end of the seventh thousand years was at that time in Russia almost general: it is known that this look was separated by hierarches Photius and Philip. From Gennady Novgorodsky's message to Ioasaf Rostovsky and Yaroslavl it is visible with what alarm this issue was discussed in 6997 g, - in three years prior to fatal term. Gennady asks Ioasaf, "yes that sent es on Paisius yes on. And with them es would advise Neil (large authorities of that time on questions of belief)" "three summers will come, the sedmy tysyashcha comes to an end". Eno and yaz heard at Alexey: "and we are togda.budy are necessary. Eretitsa to themselves reliably repair Eno and Shestokryliye of an esma taught that for and obretokh. in it heresy".

"Heresy" Shestokryla was that in it the Judaic era from creation of the world was accepted, in Ancient Russia was recognized Byzantine between which difference makes 1748, namely - in 6999 g, on notation of our ancestors, only 5251 g on Shestokryla came to an end that considerably removed the moment of the end of the world. "Eno that is taught, - Gennady says, - summer of the Christian chronicler skratishasya, and ours stay. And that want that charm show, Kako is izoydt by our ecclesiastical calendar". Our freethinkers also based the objections on data Shestokryl, with them in hands they also laughed at the existing fears. This moment in the history of imaginary heresy was insufficiently estimated writing about "kikes-stvuyushchikh". And meanwhile astronomical art "reduce signs from the sky", i.e. predict eclipses, and made? our freethinkers popular in broad masses. Gennady wrote: "And about this the rumor was in people, not only in simple, but also preimushchy, about this much doubt byst". Joseph of Volokolamsk in Educator also notices: "Both in domekh and on the ways and on torzhishcha of an inotsa and a mirstiya and a vsa somnitsya and vs about belief torture" (i.e. about belief in the end of the world), and in other place: "To Prispa by the end and a sedmy tysyashcha of years from creation of the whole world, an eretitsa to a glagolakh, yakosedmtysyashchuletokonchasya an ipaskhalia rot, and the second Christ's coming nest". That is why, despite of horrors of the being expected end of the world and despite taken place then the resolution of Cathedral of 1492, heresy not only did not decay, and blossomed, i.e. the scepticism and freethinking found to themselves favorable circumstances in the masses which were not wishing accident. The words about universe durability proceeding from Skara's circle, obviously were greedy caught, to the people who were safely dispelling fears began to listen attentively, - there was a wish to die to nobody.

The clergy bethought, but already with big delay. Three bishops - Gennady Novgorodsky, Phylofairies the Perm and Metropolitan of Moscow Zosima who was considered as the secret follower of heresy hastily were accepted to continuation calculations Paskaly, on "an osmy tysyashcha of years"; in their calculations made in three hands the full consent turned out. Paskaly it was provided to Cathedral of 1492 and it is approved when the fatal 7th thousand years was already performed. Evolution of views of Joseph of Volokolamsk is curious. In the Educator written after the Cathedral which accepted an ecclesiastical calendar he proves insolvency of opinion on end of the age in 7000 g whereas earlier, being in the desert in 1489 and rewriting Bogorodichnik, he made on it an addition: "napisa of the last of hundred sedmitysyachny centuries, the ninety seventh summer". Therefore, in three years prior to the Cathedral which accepted a new ecclesiastical calendar it too still separated belief in the fast end of the world.

Moscow circle of free-thinking and hobby for Ivan III's astrology

The Novgorod freethinkers threw the activity to Moscow thanks to happy combination of circumstances by then. The name of Skara, however, disappears. V.N. Tatishchev's instructions that Skara was executed at suppression of a mutiny in Novgorod, unreasonably. Apparently, Skara left along with the prince Mikhail Olelkovich who stayed in Novgorod only four months and then after a while went to the Crimea. John III's correspondence with the tamansky prince Jews-nyanom by Zachariah Skaroyu (Guygursis) asking for permission to move to Moscow belongs to 1487 - 1488. E.E. Golubinsky and others thought that it and is that Skhariya who was in Kiev and then in Novgorod. Zakhary Skara wrote John III; "if your ospodarstviye voskhoshcht acceptance the uniform servant, like exchange, esm hotyashch and is ready tokmo hearing for the sake of great dobrot and praise, Yuzha of Eno's imeesha of all earth". John answers it: "and as you will be at us, ozh god will give, you will see our salary to a soba. And you pokhocht to us you serve, and we you want a zhalovata, but do not pokhocht at us life, and vskhocht to the earth poyekhat again, and we will release you voluntarily, without having held".

On what "service" does Zakhary Skara and why John III so hospitably and willingly invites him three times ask, promising complete freedom? Possibly, it was talked of service of the court doctor and astrologer to which the Moscow tsars were so greedy. Curiously to compare with it that else in 1480 priests Denis and Alexey who were pleasant to John III the learning were taken them in the Kremlin cathedrals and in Moscow similar was formed Novgorod the circle of freethinkers which found to themselves high protection on behalf of the most grand duke through the favourite of that time - the ambassadorial clerk Fedor Kuritsyn who returned from Hungary century 1488. Zachariah Skare was not necessary to move to Moscow in spite of the fact that all measures through our ambassador of that time in the Crimea D.V. Shane were taken to it. The special security group from Tatars waited for Zakhary on border till May, 1491, but it, referring to embarrassment family, eventually refused.

Now Fedor Kuritsyn becomes the central figure of the Moscow circle. It was the person very educated and influential. Gennady with destruction wrote about it in 1490 to the metropolitan Zosima: "And that se, mister, there was a trouble, from subjects of places as Kuritsyn from the Ugrian lands (Hungary) arrived and settle out eretitsa ran away to Moscow... Yes arrived with Fedor with Kuritsyn from the Ugrian earth ugryanin, call Martynk". Perhaps, this Martyn from Hungary was an astrologer too. Kuritsyn and the archpriest Alexey were well familiar with astrology as it is visible from Iosif's words: "tolikozh plainness then to an imeyakh to majestic (i.e. to the grand duke) the archpriest Alexey and Fedor Kuritsyn, a yak niktozh in, a zvezdozakoniya bo to a prilezhakh and many basnosloviy both astrologers to sorcery and a chernoknizhiya of a nauchish".

From these words it is visible that the Moscow circle of freethinkers was also engaged in astronomy and astrology, as well as Novgorod. To us it is thought, as in Moscow it there was no heresy too, and just group liberal; it is visible to deal shortly from the fact that afterwards, at search of heretics when Iosif received influence at court and managed to convince John III of need cruelly with heretics, the grand duke said to him what he knew, "which heresy was held by the archpriest Alexey and which Fedor Kuritsyn". Here, undoubtedly, the instruction on distinction of views and beliefs of those which were consists then are integrated under the general nickname of "zhidovstvuyushchy".

The historian N.M. Nikolsky says: "The first that we should note, consists in diversity of a social base of heresy. In Novgorod - it is supporters of the Moscow batch from small people and kliroshan, in Moscow are, on the one hand, confidants of the prince, with another - the nobility driven by it. In other words, adjoined heresy also of that time "left" as the Moscow prince pursued policy of fight against specific feudalism and northern city particularism, and on the other hand, and of that time "right" as the nobility fought for preserving of the lands and privileges. Inconsistency is normal, pretty often arising at the moments of transitional eras. Therefore we will understand an entity of heresy and its fancy windings only if we constantly look back at socio-political fight of an era and for its critical moments. Emergence of heresy in Novgorod matched fierce fight of the Novgorod batches before the second campaign of Ivan III to Novgorod... Moscow seemed to nobility and its religious ideologists anti-christian the kingdom. When Novgorod falls, Antichrist will triumph, and end of the age will soon come...

From twenty three Novgorod heretics of 15 people - priests and the kliroshena or sons of priests, and the others belonged to the Moscow batch consisting mainly of black people who expected from connection with Moscow of cheap bread. The nobility and the archbishop had the Novgorod secular clergy, just as black people in complete subordination. Here from where reasons of the Moscow sympathies of a church part of the Novgorod heretics".

E.E. Golubinsky asks a question: "how Kuritsyn managed to keep the grand duke in belief as if there is no heresy?" also gives on it such answer: "Kuritsyn could assure the grand duke that, really, there were in Novgorod few persons which from the Jews coming from Lithuania borrowed not only knowledge of astrology, and and the most Jewish belief, but that they are punished by Cathedral of 1492, and there are only people who are engaged only in astrology, in which Jewish only only the fact that it is borrowed from Jews... Belonging to number of diligent admirers of astrology, the grand duke not only could not have hunting to search whether is what behind astrology, but, on the contrary, could have very deliberate hunting to interfere with this that owing to revelations he had not to refuse the astrology". A guess, of course, witty, and we quite accept it, with only that difference that assurances of the grand duke by Kuritsyn are represented to us quite sincere.

1505: Burning of the Russian astronomers alive

Defeat of the Moscow circle of liberal happened only when Joseph of Volokolamsk who insisted on convocation of the second Cathedral over heretics which took place at the beginning of December, 1505 Ioann began to influence the grand duke died in October of the same year. The cathedral pronounced the death penalty to heretics which with such bloodthirstiness Gennady and Iosif coveted.

On the first Cathedral the fiery execution over heretics was groundless. The example of the Spanish inquisition was to the taste extremely to our hierarches. Gennady with pleasure noted, "as the shpansky king cleared the earth of heretics". After the first Cathedral, in powerless rage on prohibition of the death penalty by Ioann, Gennady arranged public mockery over convicts: at entry into Novgorod put berestovy helmets with a text on them: "se satanino troops", clothes turned them back to front, the heads they were put on by straw wreaths, visited basts and in conclusion burned their helmets on the heads, having imprisoned then convicts. What their provision in prisons was, it is possible to judge by what the priest Denis (Alexey died to - Cathedral) in a month terminated violent insanity. Also chernets Zakhar went crazy soon.

On the second Cathedral, in 1505, Iosif demanding an execution proved that "the sinner or the heretic ubita hands, or a prayer, common an essence". Main of defendants, the clerk Ivan Volk Kuritsyn, the brother of the died Fedor, Dmitry Konoplev, Ivan Maximov, were burned in cages in public in Moscow. Not beauty to Rukavy language was cut, and then it was sent to Novgorod where it was also burned together with Cassien - the yuryevsky archimandrite. Thus, and we in Russia had fires, and on them burned with Giordano Bruno for hobbies for astronomy, astrology and for free-thinking in affairs of belief.

Joseph of Volokolamsk (Volotsky's) icon in the museum of cathedral of Christ of Christ Redeemer in Moscow. the 1910th, Moscow, salary of a workshop of Mitrofan Ryndin

However the literary heritage of "zhidovstvuyushchy" - Shestokryl entered afterwards in the list of "otrechenny" books after that addressed for a long time among book people as the curious prohibited book. The way of penetration of this book to us as it obrisova is howled on the basis of everything told above is interesting. At first Shestokryl is delivered, apparently, by sea travelers in Cafu on the Crimean peninsula with which Italy conducted at that time the brisk trade intercourses. From Kafy Shestokryl gets together with Zachariah Skara to Kiev, and from here it is brought to Novgorod in 1471. The traveler Ambrose Kontarini in 1474 who was in Kiev in only three years after departure from there to Novgorod of Skara with the prince Mikhail Olelkovich writes: "The city of Kiev is on border of Tataria. Here the great number of merchants from Great Russia with different bellows which they send to Cafu with caravans gathers; but these caravans very often are attacked by Tatars in way".

Zakhary Skara too in one of letters to Ioann IH, asking to it on service of the astrologer, wrote about failure of the first trip from Kafy owing to attack in a way of the voloshsky voivode. Stepan who tormented him "just not up to the end" and robbed absolutely.

All this shows that, despite dangers, a trade way Italy - Kafa - Kiev - Novgorod or Moscow in the 15th century was adjusted also on this way, along with other Western European literature of that time, got to us and Shestokryl comprising knowledge "reduces signs from the sky", i.e. predict solar and lunar eclipses.