Home – Home – Jornals – Humanitarian sciences in Siberia 2017 number

The article is devoted to the evolution of eschatological ideas of Old Believers of the Fedoseev’s denomination in the context of the Enlightenment concepts. It seems appropriate to use the concept of textual communities proposed by B. Strok to study the identity of traditional communities, such as Old Believers. The applied sources provide an opportunity to correlate the practice of oral controversies used by Fedoseevtsy and their statutory works where eschatological teaching is presented. The paper explores the content and context of a work reflecting a polemic between representatives of sensible understanding (by Popovtsy) and Antichrist spiritual understanding (by Fedoseevtsy). It should be noted that rational arguments proposed by Fedoseevtsy were characterized by their opponents as being similar to the Protestant doctrine, not the Orthodox tradition. Analysis of the statutory work recognized as authoritative one by all Fedoeevtsy has shown that the instructors warned their followers against unnecessary speculation about the essence of Antichrist and relied primarily on the interpretation of the Holy Gospel and the Church Fathers. Thus, the arguments inherent for oral practice are more rational and freer than those used for textual monuments preserving more conservative and traditional features, which continued the traditions of Ancient Russia scribes. The correlation of statutory works content and the position expressed by the representatives of Fedoseevtsy in disputes with opponents, on the one hand, showed differences in “text” representations and the actual religious experience, and on the other hand, it led to the conclusion that rational arguments included in eschatological constructions did not deny, but enriched their teachings about the “last days” in accordance with the Enlightenment spirit.