The story of the white hood is the main idea. Secrets of the Russian faith

THE STORY ABOUT THE NOVGOROD WHITE KLOBUK

MESSAGE FROM DMITRY THE GREK TOLMACH TO THE NOVGOROD ARCHBISHOP GENNADY

The rector of the most honorable and great, holy cathedral and apostolic church of Sophia, the wisdom of God, Mr. His Grace Archbishop of Great Novgorod and Pskov, Vladyka Gennady, the servant of your Holiness Mitya the Small beats with his forehead. With your most holy blessing and through your prayers, I reached the great city of Rome in full health, and by your most holy command I could hardly find the legend of the white klobuk in the Roman annals, because, fearing shame, they hide it very much there. And now I will tell you how I found the legend about this.
First of all, I flattered myself to the book keeper of the Roman church by the name of Jacob and gave him many gifts. The bookkeeper, seeing my kind attitude, showed me great hospitality with many refreshments and drinks. And often I came to him and dined with him in his house. And when one day I came to him, according to custom, to have dinner, he met me with pleasure and, taking me by the hand, led me into his house. And then I dined with him, praising our Greek faith to him, and also spoke to him about the Russian land, about faith and prosperity, and about miracle workers who shone in the Russian land with numerous prophecies and miracles. And then he told him a very surprising story about that white klobuk that you, the saint of great Novgorod, wear on your head. And the book keeper, as soon as he heard all this from me, sighed bitterly and said: “From the oldest and most reliable husbands, we once had the same story about this, as if this honest white hood, which you are talking about, was created in this the great city of Rome by Tsar Constantine, and as a token of honor to the Pope of Rome, Selyvestra was given to wear on his head. But for many of our sins committed in Rome, this klobuk was sent to Constantinople to the Patriarch. The Patriarch sent him to the Russian land in Veliky Novgorod."
I asked, "Is it all written down?" He answered: "There is a new exposition, but there is no ancient one." And I began to question him in detail, but cautiously, so that he would tell me the whole truth, known about this white hood. And that bookkeeper, having suppered with me for a long time with great pleasure, saw how important everything that I asked for was important to me, and told me this story.
“Many of us,” he began, “various heard stories about this in the city, but some say one thing, and others say another, but no one knew the truth, because out of envy of the Orthodox, the former rulers of the city destroyed everything written about this. However, many years later, after the Turks took possession of the reigning city, some pious men from Constantinople took a lot of Greek books, wanting to save the Greek faith from the godless Turks, and went to Rome by sea. for some time they wanted to get acquainted with the writings of Eastern teachers, but earlier the Greek kings did not allow them to do this because of their apostasy from Orthodoxy.And then they took the opportunity and translated the books brought from Greece into their Latin language, and the Greek books themselves were burned in fire.And about white klobuk, about which you ask, also the story from the Greek books into the Latin books was rewritten, because before that, because of the shame in the Latin books, it was not told ia about the white hood. And now they hide it very much."
But when I heard all this from the bookkeeper, I was even more inflamed with the desire to read it, and with an ardent request fell on his knees to give me notes about it. And with great prayers he barely begged him, and secretly rewrote everything for sure, and also the Eight-Part Book, and the Peaceful Circle. And I sent all this to you with a Moscow merchant with Foma and Sarev. Remain, sir, being saved and well in Christ, and do not forget us in your holy prayers, as before.

FROM ROMAN HISTORY A SHORT REPORT
ABOUT THE AMAZING REGULATIONS OF THE ROYAL, ABOUT THE RIGHT OF THE SVYATITELSKY. From part of the life of the noble king Konstantin Roman about the creation of the Holy White Clobuk, and also from where and how it was first perceived by the archbishops of Veliky Novgorod, that they wore it on their heads, unlike other hierarchs, there is a certain news of all this, there is a certain news of this.

After the death of the impious king Maxentius, the persecution of Christians ceased, and complete calm ensued. The people who lived near Rome, although they were obsessed with unbelief, celebrated this great event in their city with fun and joy, accepted the great and glorious Constantine into the kingdom with praises, calling him a savior and benefactor. And himself ready for the good, Tsar Constantine accepted the scepter of the Roman kingdom, and by his command everything was as it should be in both secular and ecclesiastical authorities. And to those who remained in the Christian faith, he commanded to live without persecution, and the Christians, seeing this beneficence, rejoiced all the more and, having fun, celebrated the victory, constantly glorifying the almighty God and Tsar Constantine also insanely magnifying. The Orthodox faith of our Lord Jesus Christ in Rome was then preserved and strengthened by the blessed Sylvester, the Christian bishop; he was then with a small number of associates and in harassment and taught his followers to believe in our Lord Jesus Christ, but he did it secretly, and not openly - for fear of persecution from the Jewish and pagan faiths, because Tsar Constantine himself then adhered to the pagan faith: worshiped idols.
In the third year of his reign, blessed Sylvester, Pope of Rome, baptized one of the king's associates, named Isumfer, and successfully instructed him to believe in our Lord Jesus Christ. And there was a certain Zambria in Rome, a Jew and a sorcerer, beloved by all, with whom later blessed Sylvester performed a great miracle, which, however, we will say elsewhere. And this Zambria could not see the Christian faith and gathered, calling, pagans and Jews. They all came to the king and said: “Lord, all-powerful king! The city of this Christian Bishop Sylvester, reviling us and reproaching us with indecent speech, meanwhile successfully preaches about some kind of crucified, and vilifies our glorious and great gods and declares them unworthy of veneration. Isumfer the nobleman with his speeches deceived and persuaded him to believe in the crucified. And by this he brought us bewilderment and great sadness. And meanwhile he states the same to your majesty, wanting to deceive you with faith in the crucified, as it happened already with Isumfer. , we cannot even hear about this villain and we implore you, great king, just command us, and we will destroy him. The king, having learned this, was terribly angry with the bishop because of Isumfer and wanted to seize him and lock him in prison, and disperse the other Christians. And Sylvester, having only heard of the royal wrath, was frightened and fled and hid on some mountain, so that God would save him for useful deeds. And he remained in hiding for a long time.
But the Creator of all creation, our Lord Jesus Christ, did not by force incline the human race to salvation, but at will, and as he always brings into the mind by action, so he wished to glorify the saint here too. And so, in the seventh year of his reign, the king fell into elephant leprosy, covered with ulcers all over his body, and lay in scabs, barely breathing. And many sorcerers and sorcerers came not only from the Romans, but even the Persians, but did not succeed in anything. And then they decided on a terrible thing and the wicked ones almost inspired the king to do this, saying: “It is necessary to put a font in the Roman Capitol and fill it with pure blood of newly born baby boys and wash yourself with this hot blood, then you will recover; the bodies of these babies give as a sacrifice to the gods. The king ordered this to be done as soon as possible, and three thousand baby boys were brought from all over the Roman region. And on the appointed day, when the king went with those sorcerers to the Capitol to bathe in infant blood, as soon as the priests were ready to slaughter the children, terrible groans and incessant cries were suddenly heard. Hearing them, the king was horrified and stood as if rooted to the spot and saw a multitude of bare-haired women standing and shouting and weeping and groaning with loud voices. And the king asked those who were going with him who these women were and what was the reason for their weeping. And they answered him that on the occasion of the slaughter of these children, it is their mothers who weep. And the king was imbued with pity, and, sighing from the depths of his heart, he began to cry loudly and say: “It is better for me to die for the salvation of these children than to be killed by them.” And, having said this, he returned to his chambers and not only commanded that the children be returned to the mothers, but also, honoring them with gifts, let them go. And those women were united with their children in great joy.
When that day passed and the silence of the night came, the holy apostles Peter and Paul appeared to the king in a dream, saying thus: “Since you did not want to sin and shed the blood of the innocent, we were sent from Christ our God to give you a way to be saved, and through it you will receive health. Hear our order and do what we command you. Since Bishop Sylvester of this city, avoiding your persecution, hides in stone gorges on Mount Sarepta, then, having called him, they commanded him with honor to come to you. It is he who will show you the font of salvation, in which, having washed yourself, you will cleanse all the filth of your scabs, and you will become healthy, and you will be granted eternal life thanks to the life that you bestowed on undefiled babies. and may the Orthodox Churches throughout the universe, at your command, be renewed with sacred beauty, and may the name of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ be glorified in them, and let the service to his glory decorate."
After the appearance of the holy apostles, Tsar Constantine began to search for the bishop, and as soon as they found him, they brought him with honor to the king. And as soon as the bishop entered the chambers, the king stood up and kissed the bishop first and said: "Receiving you in health, we rejoice, honest father!" And Sylvester answered: "Peace will be given to you from heaven and victory." And the king told him about the vision: “Some,” he said, “two men came to me in a dream at night, Peter and Paul called themselves and announced to me about you. And now you have come, so do everything for me that you can, with blessing God and cleanse me from this disease. But I will also ask you, holy bishop: who are these gods, named Peter and Paul? If you have their images, then show me and make them visible, then I will definitely understand that they are truly sent they are from God." Sylvester said: "It is wrong to call them gods, for they are the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ, but after him they are worthy of all honor." Father Sylvester ordered his deacon to bring images of the holy apostles, and, seeing them on the icons, the king immediately recognized them, and admitted this before his princes and nobles, and said: “Truly I saw them in a dream, and they said to me: “Send to the bishop Selyvestre - and he will show you the font of salvation!" - and fell at the bishop's feet. The blessed Bishop Selyvestre raised him and, having instructed him according to the divine Scripture, ordered him to fast for seven days, standing in one sackcloth, and ordered to distribute alms, and then, having blessed, announced it catechumen - and went out.
And when they were ready for the service on Sunday, Sylvester said to the king: “This water, sir, as you see it, by turning to the holy and life-giving Trinity, received divine power, and now it will cleanse any body from the outside of all filth, but at the same time the soul will be cleansed of all sin and all filthiness and will become brighter than the sun. Having said all this and much more, and having blessed the holy water, as soon as the bishop anointed the king with holy oil, and as soon as he entered the holy water - oh! the great sacrament of God then happened! When he was baptized in the name of the Holy Trinity, a sudden brilliance of some infinite light shone from heaven and a voice resounded like ringing copper, and the good-natured and great Tsar Constantine emerged from the water completely healthy, and the scabs fell off his body like scales, and all he cleared. And he said to Selyvestre: “O glorious father! I will tell you the great blessing of God: when I was placed by you in the depths of the font, I saw with my eyes a hand from heaven that touched me, and from it I rose clean, immediately feeling myself cleansed from all leprosy. ". Blessed Sylvester, hearing this, covered him with white robes and anointed him seven times with myrrh, saying: "The god of faith marks you with his seal in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit." And the whole congregation answered, "Amen!" Saint: "Peace be with you."
So, by the grace of God, King Constantine recovered and in holy baptism was named Flavian; Filled with great joy, he gave great glory to Christ the God and Saint Selyvestre and did not recognize him as a man, but honored him as if he were a god, and called him his father and declared him pope. And all the people who were under Roman rule rejoiced not only at the king's recovery, but also for their children, whom they had gathered for slaughter for the sake of the king's health. Their mothers received all of them alive, and then great joy reigned throughout the entire Roman state.

After his healing, Tsar Constantine, at the behest of the holy apostles and on the teachings of the blessed Pope Sylvester, first of all ordered the collection of the remains of the holy martyrs who died at the hands of impious kings for the faith of Christ, and dutifully commanded them to be buried. And he returned all those who were in exile, and freed those sitting in dungeons and prisons, commanded to return the seized estates, to renew the churches of God with all utensils, and ordered to destroy pagan temples and burn them with fire, and transfer their property to the holy churches. And the word was soon followed by deeds, and everything settled down, as it should be for Christian sovereigns. To Pope Selyvestre, Tsar Constantine brought many gifts for church services, and for the service of the most holy pope, from his royal funds and court ranks, he created a dignity worthy of the occasion, and even wanted to place the royal crown on his head. But the Pope said: “Great Sovereign, it is not fitting for us to wear your royal crown on our heads; even if I am worthy of the episcopal dignity, I am still a simple monk according to my vow. And therefore let us pray to the almighty God, so that in the future life we ​​will receive eternal blessings from him. The king, full of gratitude, was offended by these words about the crown, but the pope said: “Do not be offended, sovereign! Your business is to wear a golden crown and all the beauty of this world; our business is to pray to God for your kingdom and, instead of royal beauty, wear signs of humility and sadness on your body. And we should also offer prayer to God for the whole world - not only for those who believe in our Lord Jesus Christ, but also for unbelievers; for we pray for believers for the sake of salvation, for unbelievers for the sake of baptism, so that they too may receive baptism in Jesus Christ, as the blessed Apostle Paul said.” Hearing all this, the tsar was moved and with great desire invited the saint to dine with him.

And when the pope came to the royal palace, the king himself met him and hugged him. He gave the same great honor to other church ranks, and clerics, and monks. During dinner, the God-loving sovereign personally served dishes to His Holiness the Pope and everyone else, and revered him in every possible way, and, in great joy, being before him, constantly peered into his face, and relentlessly pondered what kind of robe he could come up with that could be worn. on his head instead of a royal crown, and could not think of it. And he fed the other holy monks just as satisfyingly, treating them to all sorts of royal brashnas and pleasing them in everything for the glory of the church. At the end of this gloriousfeast, the holy pope wished to return to himself. The worshiper of piety, the faithful king ordered that a chariot be brought with horses worthy of his majesty and royal dignity, and with infinite reverence he embraced the holy pope, and seated him in a place of honor, and, bowing, let him go in peace. And then he went into his bedchamber to rest.
And when he slept on his bed at night, the holy apostles Peter and Paul appeared to him in a dream in infinite radiance and said: “Sire, rejoice in your recovery and the fact that you were vouchsafed holy baptism from Bishop Sylvester, having believed in our Lord Jesus Christ, crucified the Jews and rose again on the third day, and everything that the holy bishop taught you. But the bishop did not take the crown of your kingdom and did not want to wear it on his head, for he is a monk: and he refused to wear gold jewelry. But you, if you want to honor the saint above all others, make him a headdress to wear, the color of the whitest, and the appearance - like that of priests or monks. And they showed him what they had in their hands, a white dress worthy of the head of a saint. The king said to them: "My lords, I will do everything you command; tell me who you are - as soon as you entered, my heart rejoiced and a sweet light shone on me." They answered: “We two are the apostles Peter and Paul, we were with you before, when you still believed in a false god. Now you have known the true God, but also God has learned about you. Therefore, we were sent a second time by the Savior God Christ show you the meaning of piety in faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, since you have heeded our commands and have been honored with eternal life by the hand of the most holy bishop. And the king said: “Now, my lords, I really see and recognized your holy faces and understand that if you had not appeared before me then, I would have succumbed to the spells of the pagans. And if the Lord had not helped me, I would soon have fallen into hell is my soul, and even without that, evil enemies and apostates, servants of demons, almost destroyed me on earth. And the apostles said: "From now on, do whatever the bishop commands you to do, and you will be saved, and you will become a son of light and a heavenly city inhabitant." And having said so, they disappeared. The king, awakening from sleep, immediately went to the pope in joy and conveyed to him everything that the apostles had said. And the pope thanked God for the fact that his work had not gone unnoticed by God. And the king immediately returned to his place.
And prompted by desire, admonished by the holy spirit, in great joy he ordered to gather as soon as possible the best tailors, skilled in embroidering all sorts of outfits, and ordered them to make a white hood instead of the royal crown on the head of the holy pope - at the command of the apostles and according to the model that these men indicated to him. holy apostles. And with his own hand he inscribed for them what he had seen in the hands of the holy apostles. So, with God's help, after a few days, the craftsmen made a klobuk at the command of the king, and decorated it wonderfully, and brought it to the king. And immediately a great fragrance came from him. The king, seeing him, was amazed at both the creation and its perfection.

And on the solemn day of the feast of God, although it was still very early, Pope Sylvester was on his way to the morning service, when suddenly on the way a heavenly light shone on him and a voice rang out, saying this: “Bishop, take heed - Emperor Constantine has prepared for you to wear on your head, white robe; but having taken it, put it in the church of God in which you serve, until the ruler of the house arrives, to whom this lamp is destined. And immediately after what was said, that light soared to the heavens, and the sky parted and received it. The pope froze in place and was amazed at the vision, and the light shone on his heart and all those walking with him; and they saw this light and heard the voice of God. And after such a light, night fell again, and everyone was horrified. Selyvestre marveled at the vision and comprehended the meaning of these words, so that, entering the church, he stood and pondered the whole morning service, saying to himself: “Who will enlighten me, what is the meaning of this glorious vision and what will happen?”
And at the appointed hour of the day when the solemn service was performed, after the arrival of the pope in the church, the faithful Tsar Constantine put on royal clothes, and put the royal crown on his head, and went surrounded by many of his courtiers. And he brought this holy hood to the church and with his own hands solemnly placed it on the head of the holy pope, saying: “This is how it is worthy for you to be bright, like the sun among people, O holy father and teacher!” And the pope made the sign of the cross over the king with his hand, and the king kissed the pope's hand and klobuk, and bowed respectfully before him. Selyvestre, in that hood, descended from his place, and, stepping back a little, reverently bowed before the king in it, and returned to his place. At that time in the church there was one of the king's nobles, named Simeon, who stood before the king, holding a golden dish adorned with pearls and precious stones, on which the king used to place the royal crown. And the pope asked the king for that dish, and removed the hood from his head and put it on the dish. And then, together with all the servants, he reverently kissed him and placed him in the temple in a place of honor, in accordance with the voice that appeared to him in the Lord's radiance. And from now on, only on the Lord's feasts did he put a hood on his head with reverence and then put it in the same place. He bequeathed to do the same after his death.

In the thirteenth year of his reign, the faithful Tsar Constantine made a great decision and said: "Where priestly power and the head of Christian piety is established by a heavenly king, it is not fitting for an earthly king to have power." And, having set forth in the law, as it should be, he transferred the power and, having accepted the blessing from the pope, great Rome entrusted his power; he himself went over to Byzantium, and built a great and glorious city, and named it after his own name Constantinograd, and lived here.
And after the death of the most holy Pope Sylvester, all Orthodox popes and bishops gave great honors to the holy white hood, as bequeathed by Blessed Sylvester. And so many years passed.
The enemy of God and the human race, the adversary and enemy of the devil, brought a great war on the holy church. He raised a certain king, named Charles, and Pope Formosus, and taught them how to seduce the Christian race with their false teachings, and ordered them to depart from the Orthodox Christian faith and break the pious unity of the holy apostolic church. So, according to demonic plans, those impious teachers rejected the Orthodox faith of Christ and the testaments of the apostles and holy fathers, and fell into the Apollinarian heresy, and recognized the unleavened service as correct, and declared the true testaments of Christ, and the holy apostles, and holy fathers, to be false. And the holy apostolic church was defiled with false teachings and services. And they didn’t recognize the holy white hood and didn’t pay honor to him, although it was bequeathed from the beginning, but they took him and put him on the same dish in the far aisle and laid him in the wall, writing on the lid the words in Latin speech like this: “Here is hidden the white hood of Pope Sylvester ". And he stayed there for many years, protected by God.
Time passed, and another pope of the same Latin rite appeared, who did not at all love the Christian faith and the covenants and teachings of the holy apostles, was lifted up with pride and forever abolished the worship of holy icons. And then one day he entered the altar, and saw on the lid of this word about a white hood, and, having read the inscription, wished to see him, and commanded to open the cache. When it was opened, a fragrant smell came out, inexpressible and strong and infinitely wonderful. And papa took the dish with the klobuk and marveled at its perfection. But, instigated by the demon, he hated him, and again laid him in the same aisle, and sealed him tightly. And after that, for many nights and days, that pope often hears a voice in a dream, saying in gospel words like this: “The city cannot hide itself, standing on top of a mountain; they don’t light a lamp, hiding it in a vessel, but put it on a candlestick to shine everyone." And the pope, marveling at that voice, announced it in the assembly of his advisers and scientists. And they realized that the voice was reminiscent of a hood, and then, instigated by the demon, they wanted to burn it in the middle of the city of Rome. When God did not allow them to do this, fear fell on them and they were afraid of the believers. And they came to a different idea: to send the klobuk to distant overseas countries, where they professed the same false teaching, and there to abuse and destroy it to intimidate all other Christians. And therefore, taking that holy hood, they wrapped it in dirty rags, but kept the golden dish with them, and then, having detached envoys rude and arrogant, they gave them written orders what they should do, and sent them in ships with merchants who came to Rome to trade.
When they were sailing on the sea, one of the messengers, by the name of Indrik, - a rude man and a pagan in character, - drunk to the point of drunkenness, vomited filthy things with his lips and even wanted to sit on the holy hood. And immediately pitch darkness attacked him and an invisible divine force did not allow him to sit down, and threw him away from that place, and hit the ship's deck, and again threw him up, and hit him on the sides of the ship. And his arms and legs were taken away from him, and his face turned back, his eyes revolved, and he shouted incessantly: "Oh, have mercy on me!" That's how terribly he died, crying: "Oh, have mercy on me!" The rest of his assistants, seeing all this, were horrified and, afraid to keep the dead man on the ship, so as not to suffer from a terrible sea storm, they immediately threw him into the sea, and he drowned.
And among those ambassadors there was another, named Yeremey, who secretly adhered to the Christian faith and gave many alms to the poor, and secretly revered this holy klobuk. As soon as he saw his companion, who had died so terribly, he was seized with fear. And how they sailed on the sea for five more days, in the middle of the night, when the rest were overcome by sleep, a voice was heard saying: "Jeremey, be strong in the Lord God, and honor the shrine with honor, and keep what you wear, and you will be saved in a storm" . And Yeremey, hearing the voice, arose from sleep, and fear seized him, and he wondered what such a speech meant. But then suddenly darkness attacked them, and strong thunders resounded, and many lightnings shone in the sky, and set fire to the ship, and melted the ship's tar, and everything that was in it, both people and goods, were burned and sunk, the ship itself fell apart and all who were in it perished. And only Yeremey escaped on one plank, and, grabbing a rag with a hood, he held it tightly, constantly shouting in a loud voice: “The noble Tsar Constantine and his teacher, the holy Pope Sylvester! For the sake of this sacred hood, created by you, deliver me this hour from the impending I'm in trouble!"
And immediately there was silence, and the light shone, and two men appeared in the radiance of light, from which the air sparkled: they walked on the sea as on dry land. One of them is in military armor with a royal crown on his head, while the other wore hierarchal robes. They took a rope from the wrecked ship, and tied it to the end of the board, and dragged Yeremey to the shore, already visible from the sea. And then they took out the holy hood from the rag, and, having kissed it with great reverence, put it again in the same rag, and returned it to Yeremey, saying: “Take it for yourself, Yeremey, and keep diligently what you wear, and tell everyone about what happened, for God saved you only for the sake of this. And they disappeared. Yeremey took that rag with a hood, and, carrying it with him, arrived in Rome three days later, and told the pope everything that was with him.
Dad, hearing this, was horrified by great fear and began to tear and bite his beard. And then he ordered that the hood be put in its original place on the same golden dish and put it in the church. And after that, he did not dare to inflict any harm on the hood, but he did not pay any honors either: he was overshadowed by devilish machinations, finally fell into heresy along with other apostates. And he constantly pondered what would be so bad to do with that hood.
The philanthropist God forms everything for the benefit and therefore kept his shrine for universal reverence. One night, when dad was sleeping on his bed, the Lord's angel appeared to him in a frightening form, with a flaming sword in his hands. And he issued from his mouth a voice like thunder - and from such a voice the palaces of the pope shook. And the angel said to him: “O evil and worthless teacher! Isn’t it enough for you to desecrate the holy church of Christ, and destroy many Christian souls with your indecent teachings, and deviate from God’s righteous path, choosing the path of Satan? recklessness: you planned to send the white holy hood to unclean places, you wanted to desecrate it and destroy it.But the lord of all creation preserved it with his vigil, but you, useless, now with great honor send this holy hood to Constantinograd to the patriarch, and that "They will tell you how to deal with him further. If you do not do this, then I will burn your house. And I will bring an evil death on you, and I will betray you ahead of time to eternal fire." And having said all this, he disappeared.
And dad jumped up from sleep, shaking all over, possessed by great fear, and did not dare to disobey the behavior of the angel. In the morning he called his supporters and told them the frightening appearance of an angel. When he came to the church, wanting to take that holy hood, he immediately saw a wonderful vision: before he touched the hood, the golden dish, together with the hood, rose above human height and again returned to its place. The pope, with great fear, took them with both his hands and put them together in a proper vessel, and sealed them with his seals, and detached glorious men, and, having handed them his message, sent them to Constantinograd to the patriarch.
And in Constantinograd was then Patriarch Philotheus, glorified by fasting and every virtue. It was to him that a bright young man appeared in a night vision and said: “The holy teacher, in ancient times the Roman Tsar Constantine, after the appearance of the holy apostles and admonished by God, to the praise of the holy and apostolic church and to the glory of the blessed Pope Sylvester, he made a white hood on his head So now, the criminal pope of Rome now wanted to destroy that holy hood, having desecrated it. By a sign of my frightening appearance, that evil pope now sends this hood to you. And when messengers with that hood come to you, you accept it with honor and having attached the letter of blessing, send that holy klobuk to the Russian land in Veliky Novgorod, and may there Vasily the Archbishop wear it on his head to the glory of the holy catholic and apostolic church of Sophia, the wisdom of God, and to the praise of the Orthodox. the Orthodox faith of Christ. And for this pope, for his shamelessness, the Lord will bring swift vengeance." And, having said that, he disappeared. The patriarch woke up from his sleep, filled with fear and joy, and remained awake all night, thinking about this vision. And then he ordered to call early for matins, and with the onset of the day he called all his close associates and told them about this vision. And everyone gave praise to God, realizing that a holy angel appeared to the patriarch, but they could not decide anything about what he had said.
And so, when they were sitting in their assembly, joyfully surprised, the servants of the patriarch came and told him that messengers had come from the pope. And the patriarch ordered to bring them to him. The envoys entered, bowed, and gave him letters from the pope. The patriarch, having read what was written, was surprised and, having given praise to God, informed Tsar John, then reigning, nicknamed Kantakuzen, about everything, and with all the consecrated cathedral he met the divine treasure. And, accepting the ark with honor and breaking the seals, he took out the holy white hood and kissed it with love. And, looking at him, he marveled at his beauty and the wonderful fragrance emanating from him, he also marveled. And the patriarch was at that time ill with his eyes and head; but as soon as that saint put the klobuk on his head and put it to his eyes, immediately both his head and eyes were cured. And he rejoiced with great joy, and gave glory to Christ God and the ever-memorable Tsar Constantine, who created such a wonderful thing, and he also glorified the blessed Pope Sylvester. And he put the holy hood on a golden dish, which the pope sent along with the hood, and placed it in the main temple in a revered place until he decides with the king what to do next.
Having sent the holy hood from Rome, the malicious pope, taught by heretics, angrily flared up with the Christian faith and raged, already greatly repenting that he had missed the hood, and wrote a false and deceitful message to the patriarch, ordering him to return that hood along with a golden dish. But the patriarch, having read the letter and comprehending the wickedness and cunning of the pope, sent to him excerpts from the holy writings, naming him both a cruel and godless apostate from the faith of Christ, the forerunner of the Antichrist, and cursed him with the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the holy apostles, and holy fathers . And these writings reached the pope. The pope, having read them and having learned that the patriarch holds a white klobuk in great honor and wants to send him to the Russian land in Veliky Novgorod, roared in pain, and changed in his face, and fell into an illness: that pope did not love the Russian land so filthy from -for her Orthodox faith, which he could not even hear about. And all his flesh crumbled, and two sores sat on his chest on both sides, and other sores dispersed from them all over his body from head to toe. And a great stench came from him, and many worms were born in his body, and his back was doubled. Many doctors came, but could not heal him. With bulging eyes, he constantly shouted in a loud voice, and spoke absurdities, and howled like a wolf dog, and grabbed the impurities coming from his body with his hands and, stuffing them into his mouth, ate. And so he did for many days, suffering severely, and fear seized all around him. One of those who were here, by his bed, took a towel and wanted to wipe his mouth, as if a dog grabbed a towel with his teeth and stuck it in his throat, and immediately his body swelled up, and he burst all over - because he was fat, filthy in body. So he ended, damned, his life. And the Romans, having heard about the similar end of this evil pope, did not go to his burial, but spat upon and cursed him. The rulers of the city, taking into account the shameful death of the pope, buried him secretly, and concealed his name in the annals and replaced it with another name: some call him Gervasius, others Eugene, but no one knows his true name.
Meanwhile, Patriarch Philotheus, seeing the beauty of the holy hood shining, began to think about whether to keep him in Constantinograd to wear on his head. And with that, he began to go often to the tsar, and wanted to write to all the patriarchs and metropolitans in order to summon them all to the council. But it so happened on a Sunday after matins that the patriarch entered his room and, as usual, sat down to rest. And then he plunged into semi-forgetfulness and saw in a dream two unknown husbands entering him through the doors, truly bright. One is like a warrior with weapons, with a royal crown on his head, while the other, wearing patriarchal robes, is decorated with noble gray hairs; and the second said to the patriarch: “Philotheus, leave the thought of wearing a white hood on your head. If our Lord Jesus Christ had deigned to be, then it would have happened earlier and would have happened at the creation of this city. from heaven, and the voice of God addressed to me, I was admonished and comprehended the Latin heresy that was coming to us and that falling away from the faith would come in Rome. And in this now reigning city of Constantine, after some time, Muslims will begin to rule for the multiplication of human sins, and they will desecrate and destroy all the shrines, as was also predicted when the city was created.For ancient Rome fell away from the Christian faith due to pride and self-will but in the new Rome, in Constantinograd, the Christian faith will perish as a result of Muslim oppression, and only in the third Rome, that is, on Russian soil, will the grace of the Holy Spirit shine. Know well, Philotheus, that all Christian kingdoms will come to their end and converge in a single Russian kingdom for the benefit of all Orthodoxy. For in ancient times, by order of the earthly king Constantine, from this reigning city, the royal crown was given to the Russian Tsar. This white hood, by the will of the heavenly King Christ, will now be given to the Archbishop of Veliky Novgorod. And how much more worthy this crown is, because at the same time it is both a royal crown of the Archangel degree and a spiritual one. So don’t hesitate, this holy klobuk went to the Russian land to Veliky Novgorod at the very first appearance of the holy angel; and believe my words. Let the Orthodox be enlightened and praised in their faith, and let the Muslims, the descendants of the filthy, not rule over them, and let them not abuse the klobuk, as the Latin pope wanted to do. And just as grace and glory and honor were taken away from Rome, so the grace of the Holy Spirit will be taken away from the reigning city during the years of Muslim captivity and all the shrines will be transferred by God to the great Russian land. The Lord will exalt the Russian Tsar over all peoples, and many of the foreign tsars will fall under his power. The patriarchal rank will also be transferred to the Russian land in due time from this reigning city. And that country will be called illumined by the light of Russia, for God wished with such a blessing to glorify the Russian land, fill it with the greatness of Orthodoxy and make it the most honest of all and above all the former. "And, having said this, they wanted to leave, but the patriarch, being in great fear, fell at their feet and asked: “Who are you both, my lords, you, the sight of which so terrified me and from the words of which my heart was afraid and trembling invaded my bones?” And the one who was in patriarchal robes said: “I - Pope Sylvester, has come by the command of God to tell you the great mystery of God about what will come true in due time. " And he, pointing with his hand to another who came with him, said: "And here is the faithful Tsar Constantine of Rome, whom I revived in the sacred font and led to faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. And he was the first Christian king and my child in Christ, who made this white klobuk for me instead of the royal crown. ”And, having said this and blessing the patriarch, both disappeared.

The patriarch woke up from sleep, and great fear attacked him, as soon as he remembered the words spoken to him by those who appeared, about the white hood, about the conquest of Constantinograd by godless Muslims, and wept for a long time. When the time for the Divine Liturgy arrived, he came to the church, fell before the icon of the Most Pure Theotokos, and wept for a long time. Then he got up and, with great fear, took the holy white hood, kissed it with love, and laid it on his head, and applied it to his eyes, and to his heart also, and felt more and more love for him in his heart, and did all this sobbing endlessly. The attendants, who were nearby, stood and saw him sobbing inconsolably, but did not dare to ask anything. And the patriarch, having slightly calmed down from weeping, told everyone in detail about the appearance of the blessed Pope Sylvester and Tsar Constantine and about their words. And, having heard such speeches from the patriarch, they all sobbed pitifully and said: "God's will be done." The patriarch, having mourned the impending troubles of Constantinograd, did not dare to disobey the command of God and said: "Wherever He wishes, there the Lord will arrange His shrine." And on the advice of the pious Tsar John, he took that white hood and golden dish and reverently placed it in the already known ark. And, having sealed it with his seals, and also describing everything at the command of the holy angel and the blessed pope Selyvestre, he commanded Archbishop Vasily and all subsequent archbishops of Veliky Novgorod to wear this white klobuk at the head. But in addition, he sent many other honorable and wonderful gifts from his church service, for the deanery for the sake of the saintly, and above all - robes embroidered with crosses to the glory of the holy and apostolic church. But this has already been put in another ark. And he handed everything over to one bishop, named Eumenius, and with joy, but with regret, he let them go.
At that time in Veliky Novgorod, the archbishop was Vasily, glorified by fasting and all sorts of virtues. And then one night, when he was praying to God, he sat down to rest and, having dozed a little, he clearly saw an angel of the Lord, meek in appearance and bright in face, who appeared before him, in a white hood, very similar to those worn by monks. And, pointing to his head with the finger of his hand, he said in a low voice:
“Basil, this white hood that you see on my head, from Rome. In ancient years, the Christian Tsar Constantine created it to be worn on his head to the glory of the Pope Sylvester. But the Almighty God did not allow him to be in those lands because of the confluence into the heresy of the wicked Latins. Well, in the morning, hospitably go out of the city to meet the envoys of the patriarch and the reliquary that the bishop carries; in it, on a golden platter, a white hood such as you see - accept it with piety. This white hood marks the bright resurrection of Christ through three days after the crucifixion. From now on, wear a hood on your head, and let all the other archbishops after you also wear it on your head. And therefore I showed it to you in advance, so that you would believe and then no longer doubt. And having said this, he disappeared.
Archbishop Basil, waking up from sleep, marveled at the vision with fear and joy. Early in the morning he sent several close associates to the crossroads to see if everything he had dreamed was true. And the messengers, having slightly moved away from the city, saw an unfamiliar bishop who was walking in their direction, and bowing, they returned to the city to the archbishop, and reported everything to him. And then the archbishop sent heralds throughout the city to gather both the priests and the multitude of people, and ordered all the bells to ring. And he himself, with all his clergy, put on the hierarch's robes. And as soon as he had departed not far from the church of St. Sophia, the above-mentioned bishop approached from the patriarch, carrying from him a reliquary with the seals of the patriarch and with his honorary gifts. Approaching the archbishop, the envoy bowed dignifiedly and handed over the patriarchal letters handed over with him. Then they received a blessing from each other and kissed each other in the name of Christ. And Basil the Archbishop, reverently accepting the letters of the patriarch and the ark with his own hands, took another ark with honorary gifts, and they all went to the church of St. Sophia, the wisdom of God, and placed the ark in the middle of the church in the most honorable place. Vasily ordered the letters sent from the patriarch to be read aloud.
All the Orthodox who were in the church, after listening to the letters, gave praise to God and rejoiced with great joy. And Archbishop Basil the Ark opened it and threw back its lid - and immediately an inexpressible fragrance came out of it and an all-wonderful light shone in the church. And Archbishop Vasily and everyone who was there, seeing all this, were amazed. Yes, and the envoy of the Patriarch Eumenius, only then seeing all the grace of God, was very surprised. And all together they glorified God and offered prayers. The archbishop took a white hood from the ark, and saw that it looked exactly the same as it was on the head of the holy angel, and kissed it with love, and laid it on his head. And at the same instant, a loud voice came from the church dome from the Lord's image: "Holy to the holy!" And, after a little silence, three times the same voice uttered: "Many years, my lord!" And when the archbishop heard those words, and everyone who was here heard, filled with fear and joy, they said: "Lord have mercy!"
And then Basil ordered all those who were in the church to be silent and told them the words of the angel about the holy hood and, in order, everything else that the holy angel had told him at night in a dream. And, thanking God, in that hood he went from the church to his place, and the subdeacons walked in front of him in solemn robes by candlelight and with singing, and it was both decent and glorious to see all this. The people, crowding each other, jumping up, looked over their heads at the hierarch's attire and marveled at it.
By such an action and grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and with the blessing of His Holiness Philotheus, Patriarch of Constantinople, a white hood was established on the heads of the holy archbishops of Veliky Novgorod.

The archbishop, filled with joy, treated the priests and deacons and all the churchmen of all Veliky Novgorod for seven days, endowing them with many dishes. He also fed the beggars, monks, and prisoners gloriously, and asked everyone else to be released. The honorable and holy gifts of the patriarch, with the blessing of the patriarch, he placed in the cathedral for church service. And he also gave the golden dish, on which lay the holy white hood, for worship in the church of St. Sophia. He gloriously honored the envoys of the patriarch and bestowed many gifts, not forgetting to write detailed letters with a petition, and sent them to the king and the patriarch, dismissing all the ambassadors with great honor.
And for a long time afterwards, people from many cities and kingdoms came to Veliky Novgorod and, as if looking at a marvelous miracle, seeing the archbishop in a white hood, were amazed again, and told in all countries and kingdoms. And it's all written about the holy white hood up to this point.

THE MARK OF ARCHBISHOP GENNADY

And, having studied all this description to the subtlety, Archbishop Gennady was terribly rejoiced with great joy that "I was honored during my archbishopric, during the bishopric in Veliky Novgorod, to receive this information about the holy white klobuk, about where it was created and how it got into Veliky Novgorod; everything else about the same white klobuk I found little by little in Novgorod Sophia in books. And all this multi-colored multitude, as if various flowers in an open field, having gathered together in my description and having completely clarified the essence of the matter, I handed over to the cathedral church for information to the Orthodox Dmitry the interpreter spent two long years in Rome and Florence in his inevitable search, and when he returned from there, I, the humble Archbishop Gennady, thanked him with an estate, as well as with clothes and food, I gave him.

* * *

From that time on, the lover of piety, His Holiness Archbishop Gennady, handed over such an institution to the cathedral church.
When he was about to serve the Divine Liturgy, entering the church, he took off his hood from his head, putting it on his shoulder. And, entering the altar, after venerating the holy icons, he would return to his place in the church, where he would put on the hierarch's vestments. The priest, who served with him, brought him a gilded silver dish, and the archbishop, taking off his hood from his shoulder, laid it on this dish. The priest, moving a little away, bowed respectfully to the archbishop, and set up a dish with a hood in the altar in a place of honor near the throne until the very end of the church service. And after the completion of the holy service, the archpriest or chief of the abbots, who served with the archbishop in full vestments, took the dish on which the holy klobuk lay and offered it to the archbishop. The archbishop, accepting the dish with the holy hood, placed the hood on his head and departed. Just as reverently in his cell, the saint laid that hood on a dish.
On the glorious and great feasts of our Lord Jesus Christ and the Most Pure Theotokos, and especially on the day of the flower-bearing Pascha, when you need to march on a colt or donkey to the temple of holy Jerusalem (this custom was created by the God-loving Archbishop Basil), Archbishop Gennady in the house of Hagia Sophia, the wisdom of God , in a large chamber, he set up a meal for princes and boyars, feeding the noble people of the Orthodox of the great city, but also treating all the priests gloriously with many brashens. At the end of such an honorable and solemn feast, and after the distribution of the Mother of God's rolls, His Holiness Gennady ordered everyone who was at the feast to be silent, and the best reader to read aloud the story of the holy white klobuk. And everyone listened to the story to their heart's content, and marveling at God's miracles, they glorified the saint's white hood.
After the reading, the priests, and the choir deacons, and subdeacons sang for many years to the sovereign sovereign, the Grand Duke, and after him to the archbishop. And then His Holiness Gennady blessed everyone, and they kissed him on the klobuk. And he handed out the chalice of the most pure Mother of God with his own hand to all the Orthodox, without bypassing anyone, and then retired to himself, preceded by subdeacons in solemn robes and with candles, who glorified the holiday, seeing him off with honor. And Archbishop Gennady rewarded them enough. And that's it.

"THE TALE OF THE WHITE CLOBE"

Among the religious and mystical works, in which Russia's new place in world history was comprehended, is the Novgorod " The Tale of the White Hood". This story is based on a legendary, religious and mythological interpretation of a real historical event. The fact is that in the middle of the XIV century, the Patriarch of Constantinople sent a monastic headdress to the Novgorod Archbishop Vasily Kalika - white cowl. Gradually, a legendary legend developed around this fact that the white hood owes its origin to Emperor Constantine(306-337), who is revered as the first Roman emperor to give Christianity state status. Constantine presented the white hood to Pope Sylvester as a symbol of the highest church authority. A few centuries later, one of the popes, prompted by a miraculous phenomenon, sent a white hood to Constantinople. Patriarch Philotheos of Constantinople, again under the influence of a miraculous revelation, sent him to Novgorod.

The question of the time of the creation of The Tale of the White Hood remains debatable in modern science, also because a complete textual analysis of all handwritten lists has not yet been carried out. Some researchers believe that it was written at the end of the 15th century at the court of the Novgorod Archbishop Gennady. The author of the text of the "Tale" is supposedly called a well-known scribe and translator of that time Dmitry Gerasimov. Other studies indicate later dates - up to the end of the 16th century. And the reason for creating the text of the "Tale" is sometimes called the reaction of the Novgorod clergy to the establishment in Russia in 1589 of the patriarchate.

In The Tale of the White Klobuk, Russia is called the "Third Rome". It says that after the fall of the "old" Rome and the "new" Rome (Constantinople) "only in the third Rome, that is, on the Russian land, the Grace of the Holy Spirit will shine." Moreover, "all Christian kingdoms will come to an end, and converge in a single kingdom of Russia for the benefit of all Orthodoxy." And in this sense special religious and mystical significance"Tale" gives a white hood - it is regarded as a mystical sign of God's chosen people, as a symbol of God's grace, which Russia inherits from the first Christians.

As you can see, in the "Tale" there is no correlation of the "Third Rome" with the Muscovite state - we are talking about the entire Russian land, and not about the "kingdom". The heir of the “old” Rome and the “new” Rome is not the secular power of the Moscow sovereign, but primarily the church. Therefore, the “Tale” states that the white hood is higher in dignity than the royal crown: “And how much more worthy this crown is, because at the same time it is both the royal crown of the Archangel and the spiritual one.” These ideas turned out to be very close to the Novgorod clergy, traditionally in some opposition to Moscow and not recognizing its supremacy in the state.

The special role of the church, as the main guardian of the right faith, is also emphasized by the prophecy expressed in the Tale that the Russian Church will become completely independent and establish its own patriarchate. Russian sovereigns will acquire the royal title and will rule over many peoples. And then - “that country will be called Russia illuminated with light, for God wished to glorify the Russian land with such a blessing, fill it with the greatness of Orthodoxy and make it the most honest of all and above all the former.” However, if the text of the Tale appeared at the end of the 16th century, this means that already accomplished facts were presented in the form of a prophecy.

Apparently, due to the assertion of the priority of spiritual authority over secular, and also because of its Novgorod origin, the Tale of the White Klobuk was not recognized in official church circles; in the 16th century, the church was already afraid to make such claims. And by the church council of 1667, the "Tale" was generally recognized as "false and wrong."

However, the very symbolic meaning of the white hood was preserved and supported in official church circles. In 1564, the Moscow Local Council adopted a "code" on the right of the Moscow metropolitan to wear a white klobuk. And with the establishment of the patriarchate in Russia at the end of the 16th century, the patriarchs began to wear a white hood.

About the mission of Russia - to take the place of Byzantium, the special responsibility of Russia tells "The Tale of the Novgorod White Klobuk", especially revered by the Old Believers . This story is a legend of the 14th-16th centuries. conveys the doctrine of the coming kingdom of the Holy Spirit. In a figurative form, the story tells about the "schism" between the Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches and differences in dogmas.

The theme of the inevitable coming of the time of the triumph of God's truth is rooted in the first centuries of Christianity, to the messianic teaching of chiliasm, condemned in the 3rd century for a distorted idea of ​​the Messiah and the kingdom of God.

The doctrine of the kingdom of the Holy Spirit began to spread again in connection with the expected end of the world. The Last Judgment, which heralded the onset of a new spiritual and holy age, was to come in 1492 (7000 according to the biblical chronology). But although the end of the world did not come in 1492, nevertheless, eschatological sentiments continued to spread. The next date for the end of the world, some European and Russian theologians began to indicate the year 8000 (2492), while others - 1666, because. this date contained the number of Antichrist 666. Eschatological expectations of the end of time were fulfilled in Russia in the 17th century in the tragic events of the destruction of the usual Orthodox spiritual life.

"The Tale of the White Hood" symbolically recreates the pious essence of Orthodoxy, at the same time revealing the apostasy of the Catholic Church from the apostolic faith and its withdrawal into "heresy". The Pope in the story is a fictional character, the personification of apostasy and heretical Catholicism, in the view of the Orthodox author. The division between the secular authorities and the church is substantiated. The legend is this:

Having defeated the cruel and dissolute usurper Maxentius, the Roman emperor Constantine the Great, at the behest of the apostles Peter and Paul, who appeared to him in a dream, is baptized by Pope Sylvester. Constantine wants to place a royal crown on the head of Sylvester, whom he reveres, but the pope does not agree to this. The apostles Peter and Paul appear to the emperor, who show him in their hands “the robe is white, which is worthy of being worn by the saint on the head”. The Christian emperor orders "the wisest wearers" to create "a white hood for the blessed pope." This white hood is solemnly placed on the head of the pope.

Constantine leads a horse by the bridle, on which Pope Sylvester is seated. Fresco in the Chapel of San Silvestro, Rome

Reigning for many years, Constantine came to the conclusion that where there is hierarchical authority, where the head of Christian piety is established by the heavenly king himself, there should not be the authority of an earthly king. On this basis, Constantine, having taken a blessing from the pope, entrusted him with Rome, and he built himself a new city, which he called Constantinople.

After the death of Pope Sylvester, the white hood initially enjoyed great reverence. But then other times came: the devil raised up a certain king Karul (Charlemagne) and Pope Farmus (Formosa) and taught them to deceive the Christian race with false teachings. They ordered to depart from the Orthodox faith and tear apart the holy apostolic church; they fell into the heresy of Apolinaria and imputed the use of unleavened bread (according to the teachings of Apolinarius, the Son of God received only flesh from the Mother of God, without a soul; whoever partakes of unleavened bread, he takes dead flesh, and not living, because the dough itself is soulless; kvass for the dough is the same as the soul for the body). From that time on, they did not like the holy white klobuk either, and they locked him up "in a chapel of some kind of church walls."

“After many times,” another pope of the Latin ministry arose, who began to reject the worship of holy icons. He tries to burn the white hood, send it to distant countries, and there scold it and exterminate it, but he does not succeed. Then the pope orders to put a klobuk in the church, "but he did not pay any honors to him." In a dream, an angel of the Lord of a terrible appearance appears to the pope with a fiery sword in his hand and tells the pope to send the holy klobuk to Constantinople to the patriarch. The Pope is following God's command.

At that time in Constantinople the patriarch was Philotheus, distinguished by fasting and other virtues, and the king was Ivan Kandakuzen. Patriarch Philotheus in night vision “A bright young man appeared and said: “Holy teacher, in ancient times the Roman Tsar Constantine ... he made a white hood to wear on his head. So, the criminal Pope now wanted to destroy that holy hood, outrageously over him. By the sign of my frightening appearance, that evil dad now this hood is sending you. And when messengers come to you with that hood, you accept it with honor and, attaching a letter of blessing, send that holy hood to the Russian land in Veliky Novgorod, and let Vasily the Archbishop there (actually held the chair from 1330 to 1352)wears it on his head to the glory of the holy catholic and apostolic church of Sophia, the wisdom of God, and to the praise of the Orthodox. For it is only there that the Orthodox Christian faith now really holds. And for this pope, for his shamelessness, the Lord will make a speedy vengeance. "And, having said this, he disappeared<…>.

Having sent the holy hood from Rome, the malicious pope, taught by heretics, angrily flared up with the Christian faith and raged, already greatly repenting that he had missed the hood, and wrote a false and deceitful message to the patriarch, ordering him to return that hood along with a golden dish. But the patriarch, having read the letter and comprehending the wickedness and cunning of the pope, sent to him excerpts from the holy writings, naming him both a cruel and godless apostate from the faith of Christ, the forerunner of the Antichrist, and cursed him with the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the holy apostles, and holy fathers . And these writings reached the pope. The Pope, having read them and learned that the patriarch holds a white klobuk in great honor and wants to send him to the Russian land in Veliky Novgorod, roared in pain, and changed in his face, and fell into an illness: that pope did not like the Russian land so filthy because of her Orthodox faith that he could not even hear about it. And all his flesh crumbled.

What follows in the text is a description of the terrible, disgusting illness of the Pope and his no less terrible death. Probably, according to the author’s intention, the description of the terrible unnatural death was to characterize the Pope in the eyes of the Orthodox as an extreme impious person who was overtaken by God’s punishment, and, accordingly, to extend this characteristic to the entire “Latin faith”, which the Pope was the leader. Disgust and hatred for the “filthy” and “evil” Russophobe reach such an extreme that, the author states, “the Romans did not go to his burial, but spat on and cursed him. The rulers of the city, taking into account the shameful death of the pope, buried him secretly, and concealed his name in the annals and replaced it with another name: some call him Gervasius, others Eugene, but no one knows the true name ”(this reflects the oldest axiom, known even in ancient Sumer: if a person or an object does not have a name, then it’s as if he himself does not exist ...).

Patriarch Philotheos of Constantinople fell into temptation at the sight of the radiance of the holy klobuk and began to think about whether to keep him in Constantinograd to wear on his head. But Pope Sylvester and Tsar Constantine of Rome appeared in a dream. The king said: “Filotheus, leave the thought of wearing a white hood on your head. If our Lord Jesus Christ had deigned this to happen, then it would have happened earlier and would have happened during the creation of this city. But already of old, by the appearance of the light of the Lord, which came down from heaven, and the voice of God addressed to me, I was admonished and comprehended the Latin heresy that was coming to us and that falling away from the faith would come in Rome. And that is why I did not want to wear that holy klobuk on my head and also commanded everyone after me. And in this now reigning city of Constantine, after some time, Muslims will begin to dominate for the multiplication of human sins, and they will desecrate and destroy all the shrines, as was also predicted when the city was created. For ancient Rome fell away from the Christian faith due to pride and self-will, but in the new Rome - in Constantinograd, the Christian faith will also perish under the oppression of the Muslims. And only in the third Rome, that is, on the Russian land, the grace of the holy spirit will shine. So know, Philotheus, that all Christian kingdoms will come to their end and converge in a single Russian kingdom for the benefit of all Orthodoxy. For in ancient times, by order of the earthly king Constantine, from this reigning city, the royal crown was given to the Russian Tsar. This white hood, by the will of the heavenly King Christ, will now be given to the archbishop of Veliky Novgorod .... at the same time he is both the royal crown of the Archangel and the spiritual. So don’t hesitate, this holy klobuk went to the Russian land to Veliky Novgorod at the very first appearance of the holy angel; and believe my words.

Let the Orthodox be enlightened and praised in their faith, and let the Muslims, the descendants of the filthy, not rule over them, and let them not abuse the klobuk, as the Latin pope wanted to do. And just as grace and glory and honor were taken away from Rome, so the grace of the Holy Spirit will be taken away from the reigning city during the years of Muslim captivity and all the shrines will be transferred by God to the great Russian land. The Lord will exalt the Russian tsar over all peoples, and many of the foreign tsars will fall under his power. The patriarchal rank will also be transferred to the Russian land in due time from this reigning city. And that country will be called illumined by the light of Russia, for God wished with such a blessing to glorify the Russian land, fill it with the greatness of Orthodoxy and make it the most honest of all and above all the previous ones ”... And, having said this and blessing the patriarch, both disappeared.

If the beginning of the "Tale" is most likely composed in Constantinople; its ending, which speaks of the transfer of the klobuk to Russia, was undoubtedly composed by a Russian. The story is composed as "Message from Dmitry Grek Tolmach to Archbishop Gennady of Novgorod" about his journey to Rome and the search there for information about the white klobuk. The whole story is a “story within a story” by the “bookkeeper of the Roman church” Jacob, whom Tolmach met in Rome. Jacob gave Tolmach an oral, ancient version of the legend about the white hood of Tsar Constantine.

Since then, "the white hood has been established on the heads of the saints by the Archbishop of Veliky Novgorod." Interestingly, when in 1564 the question was raised at a church council why the Novgorod archbishops wear a white hood, it turned out that “There is no scripture for him, which, for the occasion, the archbishops of Novgorod wear white klobuks.” This is probably how the “de facto” legend came to life. In 1564, the Moscow Local Council adopted a regulation on the right of the Moscow metropolitan to wear a white hood. After the establishment of the patriarchate in Russia in 1589, the patriarchs of Moscow began to wear a white klobuk.

From the history of this legend, it is known that in the "schismatic" 1667, the story condemned the Moscow Cathedral as "lying and wrong "and written by Dmitry Tolmach "from the wind of his head". The practice of discrediting the cultural and historical heritage had already become by that time part of the information war waged by the West against the Russian state. Probably, The Tale of the White Hood was of great ideological significance if it was included in the Nikonian "black list" of literature.

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The legend of the White Cowl formulated the national idea of ​​strong faith as the basis and condition for the greatness of the Russian state. It was emphasized that the mission is to be the guardian of the true faith, " white cowl, entrusted to Russia by God's Providence itself, just as faith in Russia is from Christ himself. In the eyes of the Russian people, their country became Holy Russia.

The theory of the Chiliasts about the advent of the kingdom of the Holy Spirit, having got to Russia, merged with the chronicle evidence of the prediction of the Apostle Andrew - “ on Russian soil the grace of the Holy Spirit has risen ". Later versions of the story say that "all kingdoms will converge in Russia." Here is a call-indication for the unification of all Orthodox Russian lands around Moscow, and the hope that all Christian peoples together with Russia will form one single kingdom after she herself turns into the kingdom of God, the kingdom of the Holy Spirit. To fulfill this destiny, Russia must only preserve pure Orthodoxy. “Her historical tasks and duties in relation to Orthodoxy and all Christianity were defined as protective-conservative, and not missionary-expansive. Moreover, the new doctrine imposed on Russia not new rights, but new responsibilities. These duties were clearly defined: - the preservation by the Russian people of the true Orthodox faith until the coming end of the world and the preservation of the Russian people themselves in the purity and holiness of the Orthodox teaching " (S. Zenkovsky. "Russian messianism").

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In our time, the idea of ​​uniting “all kingdoms” into the universal Kingdom of God was formulated by the philosopher Alexander Sergeevich Panarin (1940-2003) as a GREAT INTERNATIONAL TASK FOR THE PEOPLE OF RUSSIA: “If we could save ourselves alone - as a special chosen area - we would cease to be Christians. Our salvation coincides with the laws of the world's salvation - therefore, it is not for us to turn away from it and oppose ourselves to others in the spirit of the "clash of civilizations" paradigm. Our conflict with modernity, privatized by the victor, is the struggle for all mankind, for a creative time that opposes the militaristic aggression of space and opens up the horizons of what is otherwise possible.

Contrary to the liberal myth of “the end of history” and the principle “no other choice”, we affirm that history is not over, but something else is ahead. The laws of Orthodox life are such that we cannot discover the "other" for ourselves - it cannot be privatized. Only by opening it to others, we have a chance to find it for ourselves.. Such is the paradox of our messianism.”(“Orthodox Civilization in the Global World”).

The fight against heretics for the right faith

“And, having studied all this description to the subtlety, Archbishop Gennady rejoiced terribly with great joy ...”, - says the “Tale” Gennady (from the boyar family of the Gonzovs), who had previously been the archimandrite of the Moscow Chudov Monastery, was appointed archbishop of Pskov and Novgorod in 1484. Together with hegumen Joseph Volotsky, Gennady promoted the theory of the exceptional importance of Russia in the fate of the entire Christian world.

Saint Gennady (lithograph, 1895)

Gennady put the interests of Orthodoxy above all else, and in any violation of them he saw not only an insult to religion, but also a dishonor to his native land and state. Gennady Gonzov was called by his contemporaries "a bloodthirsty intimidator of criminals against the church." The entire 19-year stay of Archbishop Gennady at the Novgorod cathedra passed mainly in the fight against the so-called "heresy of the Judaizers" that came from the West.

In the 15-16 centuries. in Western Europe, the so-called Renaissance has long begun, giving rise to naturalistic, anti-Christian tendencies, and with them - neo-pagan, in fact, occult movements and all kinds of heresies. Some of them actively penetrated into Russia, mainly through the Baltic lands and Novgorod, close to the West, where there was strong opposition to Moscow from the Lithuanian party. There can be no doubt that behind these heretical interventions there were plans for the West to seize Russian spiritual space, and with it political power.

The preacher, known as "Skharia Zhidovin" (Zakharia), supposedly arrived in Novgorod from Kyiv in the retinue of the Lithuanian prince Mikhail Olelkovich in 1471. Other Jews arrived in Novgorod together with the warlock and astrologer Skhariya.

* * * * * * * *

Zechariah "seduced into Judaism" the Novgorod priests Alexei and Denis, Ivan Cherny, who, apparently, became the main distributors of heresy in Novgorod, and then in Moscow. This Jew was not concerned with propaganda among the people. He was interested in the clergy and the upper classes of society. The goal of Zechariah and the "heretics" was to seize political power in Moscow, which then sought to annex Novgorod.

The "Jewish" followed some Jewish prescriptions, denying the main Orthodox dogmas: worship of icons, relics and the cross, sacraments, fasts, holidays, temples, monasticism and church hierarchy. They did not recognize the deity of Jesus Christ, considering him a son of man, and a prophet like Moses, they denied the Second Coming of Christ and His Last Judgment, they denied the Holy Trinity. Heretics rejected the apostolic and patristic writings, while practicing sorcery, Kabbalah and astrology.

Supporters of Zechariah were able to find an arrangement in the grand prince's circle, using understandable material messages. They demanded that the monasteries renounce the ownership of land and serfs, and this could not but find sympathy with the Moscow prince Ivan III. The issue of church land ownership became so acute largely due to the fact that the landowners, expecting the imminent end of the world (in 1492), transferred their possessions to the monasteries for “commemoration of the soul”, and the possessions of the monasteries expanded significantly to the envy of those in power.

By the time of the archbishop Gennady's heresy spread widely not only in Novgorod, but also in Moscow, where many influential people at the court of Ivan III were infected with it. The Grand Duke brought the priests Alexei and Denis closer to him, and in 1480 they received the positions of archpriests in the Assumption and Archangel Cathedrals in Moscow. Their preaching attracted many Muscovites to the heresy, including the daughter-in-law of the Grand Duke Elena, close associates of the Grand Duke, among whom was the diplomat and writer clerk Fyodor Kuritsyn. The heresy of the Judaizers set itself the goal of subordinating Russia to the West through undermining Orthodoxy and the institution of the church in Russia and seizing spiritual power. As a matter of fact, it was an informational and spiritual sabotage against the Russian state.

Saints of God - Joseph Volotsky and Gennady Novgorodsky against the heresy of the Judaizers

Together with Rev. Joseph Volotsky, Archbishop Gennady courageously rebelled against false teachers, wrote accusatory letters against them. Several times he pointed out to Ivan III the danger to the church, described all the obscene riots, pathological debauchery taking place in the diocese. “I bring harlots to my temples,” writes St. Joseph, “and I defile with them with fornication and bathe with them in the trough and take this filthy water and pour this into wine and honey and send that wine and honey to the saints and priests, and to the Bolars and to the guest and to all Orthodox Christians. Reverend Joseph is indignant, arguing that "psychics do not eat anything like that."

Insisting on the execution of heretics, Gennady wrote in 1490 to Metropolitan Zosima of Moscow: “Look, the Franks, according to their faith, what a fortress they hold! When passing through Novgorod, the Tsar's ambassador told me about the Spanish king, how he cleared his land, and I sent you a list from those speeches. Through the mediation of diplomat Yuri Trakhaniot, Gennady ordered to write down from the words of the German imperial ambassador and send to Moscow "Speeches of the Ambassador of the Tsar» about the Inquisition established in Spain. But Metropolitan Zosima did not come out radically in defense of the faith; he himself was a rather vicious, weak character and, in fact, generally prone to unbelief.

Finally, St. Gennady managed to achieve the convocation of a council, which took place in 1488-1490. At the council of 1490, the Judaizers were anathematized. However, Ivan III limited himself only to the punishment of heretics. They were beaten with a whip, and then sent to the Novgorod bishop for condemnation by a church council.

Gennady, gave them a shameful entry into Novgorod. For 40 kilometers from the city, they were put in clownish clothes on horses with a "ridge to the horse's eyes", that is, back to front, on their heads they put on birch bark helmets with the inscription "This is Satan's army" And in this form they drove around the city. In conclusion, birch bark helmets were burned on their heads. Some heretics, as the chronicle tells, were burned at the request of Gennady on the Dukhovskoye field, while others he sent to prison. Subsequently, Archbishop Gennady changed the method of struggle to information and propaganda: he began to search for and distribute books needed to fight heretics.

Gennady and the circle of church scholars that formed around him in Novgorod fought for the independence of the church from the state. Heretics for a long time still retained influence at the court of the Moscow prince. In 1504, Gennady and his associates succeeded in obtaining a complete condemnation of the heretics; but Gennady himself in June of the same year, by the will of the Grand Duke, was removed from the chair. He died on December 4, 1505 at the Miracle Monastery.

The story consists of three parts. The first part is the history of the appearance of the klobuk. In gratitude for the healing of an incurable disease and for "enlightenment" (conversion to Christianity), Constantine named Sylvester pope, gave him a white hood and even placed Rome at his disposal, founding the new capital Constantinople, deciding that it was not appropriate to be a secular power in a single city and church.

The second part is the passage of the klobuk from Rome to Constantinople. Under the impious Pope Formosus and King Karula, after the division of the churches into Catholic and Orthodox, the white klobuk was no longer honored in Rome: Formosus retreated from the Orthodox faith. After a long time, the other pope, puffed up with pride, instigated by the demon, tries in vain to burn the hood, to send him to distant countries, so that there he "to scold and destroy". By the terrible command of the angel, the wicked pope is forced to send the hood to Constantinople, to Patriarch Philotheus.

The third part tells about the passage of the klobuk from Byzantium to Veliky Novgorod. By command "bright youth" who told Philotheus the story of the klobuk, as well as Sylvester and Constantine, who appeared to the patriarch in "thin" dream, Filofey is forced to send a white hood to Novgorod, because "grace will be taken away" from Tsargrad "and all the saints will be betrayed by the great god Rustey of the earth." In Novgorod, the hood is met with honor by Archbishop Vasily, who was warned in advance by an angel of his arrival. "And by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and with the blessing of His Holiness Philotheus, Patriarch of Constantinople, the white hood was established on the heads of the saints, the Archbishop of Great Novagrad."

Researchers believe that the author of the story is the interpreter Dmitry Gerasimov, who took an active part in the translation of biblical books carried out under the direction of Gennady and traveled to Rome on behalf of the archbishop. In the prefaced message addressed to Gennady, Dmitry Gerasimov reports that he fulfilled the order given to him by the archbishop to find the scripture about the white hood in Rome. This he managed to do with great difficulty, for in Rome the scripture "for shame's sake" carefully concealed. Only by begging the book keeper of the Roman Church, Jacob, Dmitry Gerasimov was able to get a Roman copy made from the destroyed Greek original. The text following the message, according to Gerasimov, is a transcription of the Roman copy.

Apparently, this is a kind of literary device that aims to prove the "historical" authenticity, documentary nature of the story. Only a few names are historical in the story: the kings Constantine, Carulus, John Kantakuzen, Pope Sylvester, Formosus, Patriarch Philotheus, Archbishop Basil. The story does not mention the name of the impious pope, who tried to scold and destroy the klobuk, but there is a curious reference to the fact that "His name in writing is utaisha, and applied in a different name: Ovi say Gevras his name, and others Eugenia, but no one is true story." Thus, the author of the story used not only "scripture", but also oral sources!

The central place in the story is given to fiction, subordinated to the general historical, philosophical and political concept of the transition of the symbol of world church power - the white hood from "old" Rome, "pride and own will" fallen away "from the faith of Christ" to the second Rome - Constantinople, where "Christian faith will perish" "by Hagarian violence", and then to the third Rome, "there is a hedgehog on the Russian land"; "all Christians will come to the end and descend into one kingdom of Russian Orthodoxy for the sake of it."

Researcher of the story Η. N. Rozov showed its ideological echo with the works expounding the theory of the Russian state "Moscow is the third Rome". It seems, however, that there was a kind of polemic with the political concept of the Russian state, which was created in the circle of Moscow heretics and received official recognition in the act of crowning Dmitry to the kingdom. It is no coincidence that the third Rome is not specifically named in the story (it is on "Russian land" only!). With the help of numerous miraculous "visions" in the story, it is emphasized that the transition of the hood is carried out "by the will of the heavenly king Christ", while the royal crown "by the will of the earthly tsar Kostyantin" "given to the Bystrian tsar". And the Heavenly Tsar gives this klobuk not to the Metropolitan of Moscow, but to the Archbishop of Novgorod!

The question arises whether this story did not reflect the intention of the militant churchmen and the ambitious dreams of Gennady to oppose the "new Constantine" and the "new Constantine city" - Moscow - the "new Rome" - Veliky Novgorod as the center of true Orthodoxy?

The story consistently conveys the idea of ​​the superiority of spiritual power over secular; white cowl "more honest" royal crown. For the same purpose, the story uses the "document" created in the Vatican - "The Gift of Constantine". At the same time, the veneration of the klobuk is equated with the "worship" of icons.

The wide popularity of the story is evidenced by its numerous lists (over 250) dating back to the 16th-19th centuries. In the middle of the XVII century. the idea of ​​the story about the superiority of the "priesthood" over the "kingdom" was used by Patriarch Nikon. Moscow Church Cathedral 1666–1667 acknowledged "deceitful" and "wrong" writing about the Novgorod klobuk, emphasizing that its author Dmitry Gerasimov "piss from the wind of his head."

The "Tale of the Novgorod White Klobuk" adjoins the one that arose at the beginning of the 16th century. "The Tale of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God" and the finalized "Life of Anthony the Roman".

Thus, in the Novgorod literature of the XV century. reveals the presence of obvious separatist tendencies cultivated by the ruling elites of feudal society: archbishops, posadniks. In an effort to establish the idea of ​​the independence of the "free city", they glorified its local shrines, its archbishops: John, Basil, Moses, Euthymius II, condemned "fierce" Pharaoh Andrey Bogolyubsky, who attempted on the independence of the city. Legendary narrative material is widely used in Novgorod literature. It occupies a significant place in Novgorod hagiography and historical legends. Folk ideas and artistic tastes reflected in it leave a peculiar imprint on Novgorod literature. Her best works are notable for their plot amusingness, concreteness of the image and the simplicity of style inherent in Novgorodians.

• Cm.: Rozov N. N."The Tale of the Novgorod White Klobuk" as a monument to the all-Russian journalism of the 15th century//TODRL. M.; L., 1953. T. 9. S. 178–219.

Among the religious and mystical works, in which Russia's new place in world history was comprehended, is the Novgorod "The Tale of the White Klobuk". This story is based on a legendary, religious and mythological interpretation of a real historical event. The point is that in the middleXIVcentury, the Patriarch of Constantinople sent the Novgorod archbishop Vasily Kalika a monastic headdress - a white klobuk. Gradually, around this fact, a legendary legend has developed that the white hood owes its origin to Emperor Constantine (306-337), who is revered as the first Roman emperor who gave Christianity a state status. Constantine presented the white klobuk to Pope Sylvester as a symbol of the highest church authority. A few centuries later, one of the popes, prompted by a miraculous phenomenon, sent a white hood to Constantinople. Patriarch Philotheos of Constantinople, again under the influence of a miraculous revelation, sent him to Novgorod.

The question of the time of the creation of The Tale of the White Hood remains debatable in modern science, also because a complete textual analysis of all handwritten lists has not yet been carried out. Some researchers believe that it was written at the end of the 15th century at the court of the Novgorod Archbishop Gennady. The famous scribe and translator of that time, Dmitry Gerasimov, is allegedly called the author of the text of the Tale. Other studies indicate later dates - up to the end of the 16th century. And the reason for creating the text of the "Tale" is sometimes called the reaction of the Novgorod clergy to the establishment in Russia in 1589 of the patriarchate.

In "The Tale of the White Klobuk" Russia is called the "Third Rome". It says that after the fall of "old" Rome and "new" Rome (Constantinople) "only in the third Rome, that is, on Russian soil, the Grace of the Holy Spirit will shine." Moreover, "all Christian kingdoms will come to an end, and converge in a single kingdom of Russia for the benefit of all Orthodoxy." And in this sense, the Tale gives a special religious and mystical meaning to the white hood - it is regarded as a mystical sign of God's chosenness, as a symbol of God's Grace, which Russia inherits from the first Christians.

As you can see, in the "Tale" there is no correlation of the "Third Rome" with the Muscovite state - we are talking about the entire Russian land, and not about the "kingdom". The heir of the “old” Rome and the “new” Rome is not the secular power of the Moscow sovereign, but, first of all, the church. Therefore, in the “Tale” it is stated that the white hood is higher in dignity than the royal crown: “And how much more worthy this crown is, because at the same time it is both the royal crown of the Archangel and the spiritual one.” These ideas turned out to be very close to the Novgorod clergy, traditionally in some opposition to Moscow and not recognizing its supremacy in the state.

The special role of the church, as the main guardian of the right faith, is also emphasized by the prophecy expressed in the Tale that the Russian church will become completely independent and establish its own patriarchate. Russian sovereigns will acquire the royal title, and will rule over many peoples. And then - “that country will be called Russia illuminated by light, for God wished to glorify the Russian land with such a blessing, fill it with the greatness of Orthodoxy and make it the most honest of all and above all the former.” However, if the text of the “Tale” appeared at the end of the 16th century, then this means that already accomplished facts were presented in the form of a prophecy.

Apparently, due to the affirmation of the priority of spiritual authority over secular, and also because of its Novgorod origin, the Tale of the White Klobuk was not recognized in official church circles - in the 16th century the church was already afraid to make such claims. And by the church council of 1667, the "Tale" was generally recognized as "false and wrong."

However, the very symbolic meaning of the white hood was preserved and supported in official church circles. In 1564, the Moscow Local Council adopted a "code" on the right of the Moscow metropolitan to wear a white klobuk. And with the establishment of the patriarchate in Russia at the end of the 16th century, the patriarchs began to wear a white hood.

“The Tale of the White Klobuk” received the widest distribution in the manuscript tradition of the 16th-18th centuries. - about three hundred handwritten lists are known. She was especially popular among the Old Believers.

Fragments of the text are published according to: Monuments of Literature of Ancient Russia. Mid 16th century M., 1985. Preparation of the text, foreword and comments by S.V. Perevezentsev, D.V. Ermashov.

THE STORY ABOUT THE NOVGOROD WHITE KLOBUK

Message from Dmitry Grek Tolmach to Archbishop Gennady of Novgorod

The rector of the most honorable and great, holy cathedral and apostolic church of Sophia, the wisdom of God, Mr. His Grace Archbishop of Great Novgorod and Pskov, Vladyka Gennady, the servant of your Holiness Mitya the Small beats with his forehead. With your most holy blessing and through your prayers, I reached the great city of Rome in full health, and by your most holy command I could hardly find the legend of the white klobuk in the Roman annals, because, fearing shame, they hide it very much there. And now I will tell you how I found the legend about this.

First of all, I flattered myself to the book keeper of the Roman church by the name of Jacob and gave him many gifts. The bookkeeper, seeing my kind attitude, showed me great hospitality with many refreshments and drinks. And often I came to him and dined with him in his house. And when one day I came to him, according to custom, to have dinner, he met me with pleasure and, taking me by the hand, led me into his house. And then I dined with him, praising our Greek faith to him, and also spoke to him about the Russian land, about faith and prosperity, and about miracle workers who shone in the Russian land with numerous prophecies and miracles. And then he told him a very surprising story about that white klobuk that you, the saint of great Novgorod, wear on your head. And the book keeper, as soon as he heard all this from me, sighed bitterly and said: “From the oldest and most reliable husbands, we once had the same story about this, as if this honest white hood, which you are talking about, was created in this the great city of Rome by King Constantine and as a token of honor to the Pope Selyvestra was given to wear on the head (1). But for many of our sins committed in Rome, this hood was sent to Constantinople to the patriarch. The Patriarch sent him to the Russian land in Veliky Novgorod.

I asked, "Is it all written down?" He answered: “There is a new exposition, but there is no ancient one.” And I began to question him in detail, but cautiously, so that he would tell me the whole truth, known about this white hood. And that bookkeeper, having suppered with me for a long time with great pleasure, saw how important everything that I asked for was important to me, and told me this story. […]

Meanwhile, Patriarch Philotheus (2), seeing with what beauty the holy klobuk shines, began to think about whether to keep him in Constantinograd in order to wear it on his head. And with that, he began to go often to the tsar, and wanted to write to all the patriarchs and metropolitans in order to summon them all to the council. But it so happened on a Sunday after matins that the patriarch entered his room and, as usual, sat down to rest. And then he plunged into semi-forgetfulness and saw in a dream two unknown husbands entering him through the doors, truly bright. One is like a warrior with weapons, with a royal crown on his head, while the other, wearing patriarchal robes, is decorated with noble gray hairs; and said the second to the patriarch: “Filotheos, leave thoughts of wearing a white hood on your head. If our Lord Jesus Christ had deigned this to happen, then it would have happened earlier and would have happened during the creation of this city. But already of old, by the appearance of the light of the Lord, which came down from heaven, and the voice of God addressed to me, I was admonished and comprehended the Latin heresy that was coming to us and that falling away from the faith would come in Rome. And that is why I did not want to wear that holy klobuk on my head and also commanded everyone after me. And in this now reigning city of Constantine, after some time, Muslims will begin to dominate for the multiplication of human sins, and they will desecrate and destroy all the shrines, as was also predicted when the city was created. For ancient Rome fell away from the Christian faith due to pride and self-will, but in the new Rome - in Constantinograd, the Christian faith will also perish under the oppression of the Muslims. And only in the third Rome, that is, on the Russian land, the grace of the holy spirit will shine. So know, Philotheus, that all Christian kingdoms will come to their end and converge in a single Russian kingdom for the benefit of all Orthodoxy. For in ancient times, by order of the earthly king Constantine, from this reigning city, the royal crown was given to the Russian Tsar. This white hood, by the will of the heavenly King Christ, will now be given to the Archbishop of Veliky Novgorod. And how much more worthy this crown is, because at the same time it is both a royal crown of the Archangel degree and a spiritual one. So don’t hesitate, this holy klobuk went to the Russian land to Veliky Novgorod at the very first appearance of the holy angel; and believe my words. Let the Orthodox be enlightened and praised in their faith, and let the Muslims, the descendants of the filthy, not rule over them, and let them not abuse the klobuk, as the Latin pope wanted to do. And just as grace and glory and honor were taken away from Rome, so the grace of the Holy Spirit will be taken away from the reigning city during the years of Muslim captivity and all the shrines will be transferred by God to the great Russian land. The Lord will exalt the Russian Tsar over all peoples, and many of the foreign tsars will fall under his power. The patriarchal rank will also be transferred to the Russian land (3) in due time from this reigning city. And that country will be called illumined by the light of Russia, for God wished with such a blessing to glorify the Russian land, fill it with the greatness of Orthodoxy and make it the most honest of all and above all the former. And having said this, they wanted to leave, but the patriarch, being in great fear, fell at their feet and asked: “Who are you both, my lords, you, whose appearance so terrified me and from whose words my heart was afraid and trembling invaded my bones? And the one who was in the patriarchal robes said: “I am Papa Seliverst, I have come by the command of God to tell you the great secret of God about what will come true in due time.” And he, pointing with his hand to the other who came with him, said: “And here is the faithful Tsar Constantine of Rome, whom I revived in the sacred font and led to faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. And he was the first Christian king (4) and my child in Christ, who made me this white hood instead of the royal crown. And having said this and having blessed the patriarch, both disappeared.

The patriarch woke up from sleep, and great fear attacked him, as soon as he remembered the words spoken to him by those who appeared, about the white hood, about the conquest of Constantinograd by godless Muslims, and wept for a long time. When the time for the Divine Liturgy arrived, he came to the church, fell before the icon of the Most Pure Theotokos, and wept for a long time. Then he got up and, with great fear, took the holy white hood, kissed it with love, and laid it on his head, and applied it to his eyes, and to his heart also, and felt more and more love for him in his heart, and did all this sobbing endlessly. The attendants, who were nearby, stood and saw him sobbing inconsolably, but did not dare to ask anything. And the patriarch, having slightly calmed down from weeping, told everyone in detail about the appearance of the blessed Pope Sylvester and Tsar Constantine and about their words. And, having heard such speeches from the patriarch, they all sobbed pitifully and said: "God's will be done." The patriarch, having mourned the impending troubles of Constantinograd, did not dare to disobey the command of God and said: “Wherever He wishes, there the Lord will arrange His shrine.” And on the advice of the pious king John (5) he took that white hood and golden dish and reverently placed it in the already known ark. And, sealing it with his seals, and also describing everything at the command of the holy angel and the blessed pope Selyvestre, he ordered Archbishop Vasily (6) and all subsequent archbishops of Veliky Novgorod to wear this white hood on the head. But in addition, he sent many other honorable and wonderful gifts from his church service, for the deanery for the sake of the saintly, and above all - robes embroidered with crosses to the glory of the holy and apostolic church. But this has already been put in another ark. And he handed everything over to one bishop, named Eumenius, and with joy, but with regret, he let them go.

At that time in Veliky Novgorod, the archbishop was Vasily, glorified by fasting and all sorts of virtues. And then one night, when he was praying to God, he sat down to rest and, having dozed off a little, he clearly saw an angel of the Lord, meek in appearance and bright in face, who appeared before him, in a white hood, very similar to those worn by monks. And, pointing with the finger of his hand at his head, he said in a quiet voice: “Basil, this white hood that you see on my head, from Rome. In ancient times, the Christian king Constantine created it to be worn on his head in honor of the Pope Sylvester. But the Almighty God did not allow him to be in those lands because of the infamous Latins falling into heresy. Well, in the morning, hospitably go out of the city to meet the envoys of the patriarch and that ark that the bishop carries; in it on a golden platter there is a white hood such as you see - accept it with piety. This white hood marks the bright resurrection of Christ three days after the crucifixion. And from now on, wear a klobuk on your head, and let all the other archbishops after you also wear it on their heads. And therefore I showed it to you beforehand, so that you would believe and then no longer doubt.” And having said this, he disappeared.

Archbishop Basil, waking up from sleep, marveled at the vision with fear and joy. Early in the morning he sent several close associates to the crossroads to see if everything he had dreamed was true. And the messengers, having slightly moved away from the city, saw an unfamiliar bishop who was walking in their direction, and bowing, they returned to the city to the archbishop, and reported everything to him. And then the archbishop sent heralds throughout the city to gather both the priests and the multitude of people, and ordered all the bells to ring. And he himself, with all his clergy, put on the hierarch's robes. And as soon as he had departed not far from the church of St. Sophia, the above-mentioned bishop approached from the patriarch, carrying from him a reliquary with the seals of the patriarch and with his honorary gifts. Approaching the archbishop, the envoy bowed dignifiedly and handed over the patriarchal letters handed over with him. Then they received a blessing from each other and kissed each other in the name of Christ. And Basil the Archbishop, reverently accepting the letters of the patriarch and the ark with his own hands, took another ark with honorary gifts, and they all went to the church of St. Sophia, the wisdom of God, and placed the ark in the middle of the church in the most honorable place. Vasily ordered the letters sent from the patriarch to be read aloud.

All the Orthodox who were in the church, after listening to the letters, gave praise to God and rejoiced with great joy. And Archbishop Basil the Ark opened it and threw back its lid - and immediately an inexpressible fragrance came out of it and an all-wonderful light shone in the church. And Archbishop Vasily and everyone who was there, seeing all this, were amazed. Yes, and the envoy of the Patriarch Eumenius, only then seeing all the grace of God, was very surprised. And all together they glorified God and offered prayers. The archbishop took a white hood from the ark, and saw that it looked exactly the same as it was on the head of the holy angel, and kissed it with love, and laid it on his head. And at the same instant, a loud voice came from the church dome from the Lord’s image: “Holy to the holy!” And, after a little silence, three times the same voice uttered: “Many years, lord!” And when the archbishop heard those words, and everyone who was here heard, filled with fear and joy, they said: “Lord have mercy!”

And then Basil ordered all those who were in the church to be silent and told them the words of the angel about the holy hood and, in order, everything else that the holy angel had told him at night in a dream. And, thanking God, in that hood he went from the church to his place, and the subdeacons walked in front of him in solemn robes by candlelight and with singing, and it was both decent and glorious to see all this. The people, crowding each other, jumping up, looked over their heads at the hierarch's attire and marveled at it.

By such an action and grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and with the blessing of His Holiness Philotheus, Patriarch of Constantinople, a white hood was established on the heads of the holy archbishops of Veliky Novgorod.

The archbishop, filled with joy, treated the priests and deacons and all the church people of Veliky Novgorod for seven days, endowing them with many dishes. He also fed the beggars, monks, and prisoners gloriously, and asked everyone else to be released. The honorable and holy gifts of the patriarch, with the blessing of the patriarch, he placed in the cathedral for church service. And he also gave the golden dish, on which lay the holy white hood, for worship in the church of St. Sophia. He gloriously honored the envoys of the patriarch and bestowed many gifts, not forgetting to write detailed letters with a petition, and sent them to the king and the patriarch, dismissing all the ambassadors with great honor.

And for a long time afterwards, people from many cities and kingdoms came to Veliky Novgorod and, as if looking at a marvelous miracle, seeing the archbishop in a white hood, were amazed again, and told in all countries and kingdoms. And it's all written about the holy white hood up to this point.

NOTES

1. Konstantin I Great(274–337, Roman emperor from 306) moved the capital of the state in Byzantium (Constantinople). Sylvester states to Byzantium (Constantinople). I- Pope from January 31, 314 to December 31, 335 Scientist, expert in mathematics, physics and chemistry. According to a false charter ("Konstantin's gift"), Constantine allegedly transferred to Sylvester I the supreme power over the western part of the Roman Empire, including over Italy. The falsity of the Gift of Constantine was proved in the 15th century. by the Italian humanist L. Valla - the charter was compiled in the papal office, apparently, in the middle of the 8th century. to justify the claims of the popes to secular power.

2.Patriarch Philotheus - This refers to Philotheus Kokkin, Patriarch of Constantinople in 1353-1355 and 1364-1376.

3.The patriarchal rank will also be transferred to the Russian land - Patriarch is the highest title of the head of an independent (autocephalous) Orthodox Christian Church. The title of patriarch was established by the Church Council of Chalcedon (451); after the division of the Christian Church into Western (Catholic) and Eastern (Orthodox) (1054), he was assigned to the hierarchs of the Eastern Church. In the Byzantine Empire, the Orthodox Church was headed by four patriarchs (Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch and Jerusalem). In Russia, the patriarchate was established at the end of the 16th century. through the efforts of Tsar Boris Godunov, who sought to raise the rank of the head of the church and establish the primacy of the Russian Church in world Orthodoxy. Patriarch Jeremiah of Constantinople, who arrived in Moscow for financial subsidies, was pressured, and in 1589 he convened a church council that elected Metropolitan Job the first patriarch of Moscow and All Russia.

4.And he was the first Christian king - Constantine I the Great (274–337) - Roman emperor who gave Christianity state status. In 324, by the Edict of Milan, Constantine allowed the free practice of Christianity. Constantine himself was baptized shortly before his death, in 337.

5. This refers to John VI Contacuzenus (d. 1383) - Byzantine politician and writer, in 1341-1354. - emperor. In the fight against political opponents, he relied on the Turks. His policy caused discontent, he was forced to abdicate. In 1355, he took the monastic vows under the name Joasaph and wrote the History in the monastery (covering the events of 1320-1356). This work is one of the best historical late Byzantine monuments.

6. This refers to Vasily Kalika, Gregory in the world (d. 1352, Archbishop of Novgorod from 1330), who concluded agreements beneficial for Novgorod with the Grand Dukes of Moscow Ivan I Kalita (1335) and Semyon Proud (1340). The author of the "Message about an earthly paradise" to the Bishop of Tver Theodore the Good (1342-1360). Canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church. In 1335 and in 1346 The Patriarch of Constantinople sent Vasily Kalika, the first in Russia, special signs of episcopal dignity - the “white hood” and “crossed robes”. These signs distinguished the Novgorod bishops from other Russian bishops. "White hood" later received a religious and mystical meaning. It began to be seen as evidence that the Russian Church was the heir not only of the "Second Rome" (Byzantine Empire), but also of the "First Rome" (Roman Empire).