Theodosius Vasiliev

Theodosius Vasiliev was born in the family of the Orthodox priest of the Krestetsky Pit (now Kresttsy ), Novgorod province , Vasily Evstratievich, a descendant of the kind of “ noble Usov nobles, or Urusovs ”. At the death of his father, Theodosius was almost forcibly taken by residents of the Krestetsky Pit to Novgorod and presented to Metropolitan Korniliy “ to put him in his father's place ”, but for his “ youth ” he was defined only as a clerk ^[5] .

At first, he advocated Nikon's corrections and was hostile to those who separated from the ruling church . In 1690, under the influence of some “ God-loving husbands ”, he changed his views and popularly “ renounced the dialects ”. After that, he was " by holy rule, from certain Orthodox Christians " baptized and named Dionysius . His wife, all the children and two brothers ^{[6] [5]} were also baptized with him.

After that, he left Yam and settled in a nearby village where, after some time, his wife and daughter died. Widowed, Theodosius, according to his schismatic " Life ", " zealously adhering to virtuous mussiness " and " diligently honoring " the scriptures, " day and night ... learning " ^[7] . Having received the necessary knowledge, Theodosius felt a call to preach in himself and began to go around " countries, cities, towns and villages ", instructing in the truths of ancient piety. Soon he becomes one of the “ fathers ” of the Novgorod bespopovinsky community and acquires such a decisive influence on his whole life and structure that subsequently the community began to bear his name, being called the Fedoseyev sense ^{[8] [5]} .

Around 1692, Theodosius Vasiliev traveled on behalf of the community to Sweden , at the Black Manor, near Narva , to expose a misguided brother. On July 1, 1692, with his assistance, the first communal cathedral was held in Veliky Novgorod , partly about the trip. In 1694, the second such cathedral undoubtedly takes place under his main leadership. The successes of the new schismatic alarmed the Novgorod authorities, and they began to search for him. Upon learning of this, Theodosius with his mother and son left for the Polish border in 1699, where his followers began to gather in large numbers from Russia ^{[5] [9]} .

Abroad, he organized two vast cloisters - male and female - and became the head of them. From here from time to time Theodosius traveled to Russia to meet with his followers in Novgorod and the Novgorod Region; in 1703 and 1706 he stopped by Vyg for dogmatic disputes with the local bespopovinsky mentors. As the monasteries founded by Theodosius in Poland grew rich, their existence became more difficult due to the constant extortion by the Polish troops. “ Not without their greater oppression ” also from the Russian troops located within Poland on the occasion of the Northern War . Therefore, after nine years in a foreign land, Theodosius decided to return to Russia ^{[5] [10]} .

Prince A. D. Menshikov allowed Theodosius Vasiliev to settle “ with the whole brotherhood and with other numerous Christians ” in the Vyazovskaya volost of Velikolutsk Uyezd and tried to prevent the immigrants from repressing any secular and spiritual authorities. In 1710, the prince gave the Ryosein manor in the Yuryev district to the possession of the Fedoseyevites, but he still did not allow them to move there. To expedite this matter, Theodosius went to Novgorod, to the official on whom it depended, but was unexpectedly detained by the servants of Metropolitan Job , shackled, and put into a chamber under the cell of the Metropolitan. After interrogations and fruitless contests and exhortations from the Metropolitan and others, he was locked up in a rumpled chamber full of “ darkness and dust, ” where he died after “four weeks” (July 18, 1711) ^{[5] [11]} .

Theodosius delivered his own doctrine, which, however, concerned mainly ritual and household trifles. Comparing mainly with the Pomors , he distinguished themselves from them in that he recognized the marriage union concluded by the spouses before going to schism, legitimate, he called the priests urgent “ needy bishops ”, called the solemn and dirty naughty, introduced the reading of priestly prayers at birth, baptism and the burial and even the use of priestly instructions, he accepted the title laid by Pilate on the cross of Jesus, did not contain hallelujah bows, etc. He set forth his views in writings written for the purpose of controversy with Pomeranian mentors (split with them in 1703), Nizhny Novgorod schismatics, and Orthodox. In addition, he compiled a “definition” of the Novgorod schismatic cathedral of 1694 ^{[12] [5]} .

• “Message to Andrei Denisov on the dogma and the title” (published by P. Smirnov in “Disputes and Section. In the Russian schism in the first quarter of the 18th century”);
• “Message to Andrei Denisov on marriage in 1710” (published in the work of Prof. P. Smirnov “From the history of the split of the first half of the 18th century”, St. Petersburg, 1908);
• Message to Andrei Denisov about the same (manuscript);
• “A message on Vyg about marriage in conviction of A. Denisov” (manuscript);
• “The second letter from Poland in the Pomerania about disagreements with the Pomeranians” (published in “Readings of the Imperial Society of Russian History and Antiquities”, 1869);
• “Conversation with the Orthodox in December 1707” (manuscript);
• “The church cathedral drawn in Poland for the destruction of certain imperfections in the church” (manuscript);
• “Three Messages to the Shepherds of Souls on the Improvement of the Church” (manuscript);
• “The Exhortation to Keep to the Split” (published by P. Smirnov in “Disputes and Section. In the Russian Schism in the First Quarter of the 18th Century”)
• "The exhortation to run and lurk" (ed. P. Smirnov in "Disputes and Section. In the Russian schism in the first quarter of the XVIII century.").

• Tuberozov N.V. Theodosius (Vasiliev) // Russian Biographical Dictionary : in 25 volumes. - SPb. - M. , 1896-1918.
  • Druzhinin V. G. "The Writings of Russian Old Believers", St. Petersburg, 1912
  • St. John "Complete historical news of the schismatics", St. Petersburg, 1831
  • Macarius . “History of the Russian schism,” St. Petersburg, 1858
  • Pavel Curious . “Historical Dictionary and Catalog of the Old Believer Church,” ed. N. Popova, M., 1886.
  • Popov H. "Materials for the history of insubordinate consent in Moscow." “Readings of the Imperial Society of Russian History and Antiquities”, 1869
  • Smirnov P. “From the history of schism in the first half of the 18th century”, St. Petersburg, 1908