Old and New Perspectives on Iosif Volotsky's Monastic Rules
David M. Goldfrank
Scholarly debate in the West, and to a large extent also Soviet Union, concerning fifteenth early sixteenth-century Russian monk losif (né Sanin) Volotsky (Joseph Volotsky), 1439-1515, has generally centered on his political ideas interpretation of Prosvetitel' (Enlightener, or Illuminator) . The monastic side activities is often played down neglected, even though most important aspect daily life for fifty-five years was serious pursuit (for thirty-eight years) abbatial vocation. In provincial Volokolamsk Monastery, which he founded, not only entered into ecclesiastical politics composed didactic apologetics inquisitional invectives that comprise sixteen-discourse (originally eleven) Enlightener but wrote two Rules, are very sources religious intellectual history time.
Slavic Review