“SINGING IS BEAUTIFUL – READING IS HOLY”. SACRED TEXT, BOOK AND GODLINESS IN THE PAREMIC FOLKLORE OF THE OLD BELIEVERS OF THE NOVGOROD REGION

The article considers the mutual influence of the written and oral traditions of the Old Believers-Bespopovtsy of the Novgorod region on the example of proverbs that exist in those communities at the present time. The article substantiates an application of the approach to the Old Believers, considering it as a textual community, and reveals the role of interpretation of written sources in the oral paremia tradition.

WHY DID AVVAKUM PLAY THE HOLY FOOL? AN АNALYSIS OF THE ARCHPRIEST AVVAKUM’S CREATIVE PROCESS IN WRITING HIS "LIFE"

The article studies the polemical orientation of the hagiographical Life of the Archpriest Avvakum, Written by Himself in relation to the author’s earlier works, The Answer of the Orthodox, and other texts that were included together with the Life in the Pustozersk Collection. An analysis of the creative evolution of Avvakum’s thought will demonstrate that the Life’s appeal to holy foolishness at its narrative climax was its strongest ideological weapon against the new Church elite (the Nikonians). This appeal gave rise to an unprecedented emphasis on the author’s personal life experience that was meant to be proof of the “theoretical” arguments against Nikonian rationalism in the The Answer to the Orthodox. As a demonstration of a mystical-experiential approach to knowledge of God, his dramatized holy foolishness justified his choice to present his own biography as a publicistic hagiographical narrative.

KALINOVSKY CROSS. A RESONANT MIRACLE OF 1923 IN THE CONTEXT OF THE FOLKLORE NARRATIVES

The publication considers the main motifs of evidences about the so-called Kalinovka miracle that took place in the summer of 1923 in Ukraine (Podolia province). Analyzing folk stories about the “Kalinovka miracle” that are contemporary to the event, one can show how the evidences of miracles that occurred around the Kalinovsky cross correlate with the traditional plot schemes of folk legends about sacred objects and with ritual practices that arise and develop around venerated holy places. As it is shown in the legends, memorates, and folklore texts of other genres that were popular in 1923, the fact of the “Kalinovka miracle” became significant for society in the context of other phenomena, including rumors generated by the renewal of sacred objects or the general level of religious sentiment in that period of time. The influence of subjects related to the “Kalinovka miracle” not only on the folklore tradition of Podolia and Volyn’, but also on the traditions of other regions of Ukraine and Russia, is confirmed by the fixation of numerous versions of folklore texts that reflect this fact of religious life.

OLD BELIEVERS-BESPOPOVTSY IN ODESSA

Odessa has always been distinguished by its polyethnic and polyconfessional nature. Old Believers were among the first inhabitants of the city including Bespopovtsy (supporters of a priestless sect) who had their own prayer houses in the early of the 19th century. Odessa became one of the centers of Bespopovtsy by the middle of the 19th century. The article traces some aspects of the history and culture of the Old Believers-Bespopovtsy of the city from the foundation of the community to the termination of activity at the end of the 19th century. That analysis is based on archival, reference and periodical data. The article focuses on the issue of the existence of the community, which includes some aspects: attempts to close the prayer house in pre-revolutionary and Soviet times; a description of some prominent figures, such as Nikita Yakovlev, the Alekseev family; the article describes the religious and cultural traditions of the Odessa Old Believers-Bespopovtsy

ICON PAINTER PIMEN SOFRONOV (1898–1973) AND HIS STUDENT THE BENEDICTINE MONK JERÔME LEUSSINK (1898–1952)

The author turns to the little-known biographical aspects of two outstanding icon painters – the Old Believer-Bespopovets from Estonia Pimen Maksimovich Sofronov and the Catholic monk of the Benedictine Holy Cross Monastery in Chevetogne (Belgium) Father Jerôme Leussink. From December 1939 to the beginning of the 1940’s, Leussink studied icon painting with Sofronov in Rome. The article is based on archival materials of the Holy Cross Monastery, in particular on Leussink’s letters to his abbot. They show that the relationship between the teacher and the student quickly developed into a genuine cooperation, and then into a deep mutual respect and friendship. The author emphasizes that Pimen Sofronov not only conveyed but also revived the Old icon-painting tradition in Europe and in the New World, across boundaries between Churches. This was made possible by the help of his numerous students and friends in Paris, Prague, Rome and America.

OLD BELIEVERS IN THE NATIONAL CONTEXTS OF THE BALKANS AND THE BALTIC STATES

The author considers the current situation with Russian Old Believers in the Balkans and the Baltic States by analyzing two aspects in the development of the Old Believers Diaspora development in the context of the membership of some Balkan and Baltic countries in the European Community: 1) Old Believers as Russian minority living in the “new” European democracies in comparison with the “Soviet” Russians; 2) Old Believers as a religious and ethnic community, which is intensively participating in the postmodern processes of reviving their own culture, traditions and identity. The article studies concepts of the minority in the national discourse of the “new” EU countries (Bulgaria and Romania in the Balkans and Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia in the Baltic States). The article is based on field researchers in the Balkans and the Baltic States conducted by the author in 2008–2017, as well as published and archive materials

CORRESPONDENCE OF THE STAFF OF THE MANUSCRIPT DEPARTMENT OF THE LIBRARY OF THE RUSSIAN ACADEMY OF SCIENCES WITH I.N. ZAVOLOKO (1972–1983)

Ivan Nikiforovich Zavoloko (1897–1984) – a well-known figure of the Old Believer movement, historian, local historian, folklorist, collector of antiquities, educator, who had great authority both among the Old Believers and the scientific community. He actively collaborated with the Pushkin House and the Library of the USSR Academy of Sciences (BAN) in Leningrad in collecting manuscripts in the Baltic States and studying them. The published correspondence covers the period from 1972 to 1983 and includes 46 documents. Those are letters from I.N. Zavoloko to the curator of the manuscripts of the BAN N.Yu. Bubnov, to other employees of the Manuscript Department; and some response letters.

FEMALE DEMONS IN INDRA’S NETS. A CHAPTER ON WITCHCRAFT FROM THE MEDIEVAL TAMIL POEM “KALINGATTUPPARANI”

Indrajāla (literally “Indra’s net”) has the meanings of “illusion”, “deception”, “witchcraft” and belongs to the basic concepts associated with the magic in Indian culture. The paper offers a translation from Old Tamil and commentaries to a fragment of the poem “Kalingattupparani” by the poet Jayankondar (12th century), containing description of “witchcraft”. In that poem the demonesses (Tamil pēy), who make up the retinue of the victory goddess Kottṟavai, are deceived by a sorceress who creates illusory pictures of the battle. The demonesses, feeding on the corpses of warriors, horses and elephants who died in battle, are so exhausted by hunger that they are glad to be deceived and cannot distinguish a magical mirage from reality. The presented fragment of the poem shows the demonesses as comic characters.

WOMEN WITHOUT MEN. THE FATE OF THE OLD BELIEVERS OF UPPER KAMA REGION IN THE MIDDLE OF THE 20TH CENTURY, CHRISTIANITY AND COMPROMISE

Upper Kama region (Verkhokamye) is considered as one of the most studied regions of the Old Believers. The research interest has long been focused on the manifestations of a high spiritual and rich material culture.However, in the 20th century, the region underwent complex transformations. As a result social roles changed and also their religious assessment. The article considers several women’s strategies of self-determination in life (“the synodic’’, “wayward”, “girlfriend/mate”), as well as the development of compromise assessments of each category by the Old Believers society