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{{about|the sect| the 15th century prince of the Taman peninsula, called Skariya the Jew by Ivan III of Muscovy|Zacharias de Ghisolfi}}
The '''Thought of Skhariya the Jew''', much more commonly known in the church terminology as the '''Heresy of the Judaizers''' or ''Zhidovstvuyushchiye'', was a religious concept that existed in [[Novgorod the Great]] and [[Grand Duchy of Moscow]] in the second half of the 15th century and marked the beginning of a new era of schism in Russia. Some scholars consider it to have developed from the earlier [[Strigolniki]] religious concept that also had developed in Novgorod in the 14th century. Initially popular among high-ranking statesmen and even the royal court, the concept was persecuted by [[hegumen]] [[Joseph Volotsky]] and [[Gennady (Archbishop of Novgorod)|Archbishop Gennady of Novgorod]].
==Terminology and beliefs==
The term ''Zhidovstvuyushchiye'' ({{lang|ru|Жидовствующие}}), as it is known in the sources, is derived from the Russian word жид (''zhid'', from Judea, an older Russian term for Jew which is now considered pejorative).<ref>Immonen, Visa. "The stratigraphy of a life: An archaeological dialogue with [[Leo Klejn]]." ''Archaeological Dialogues'' (2003), 10: 57-75, Cambridge University Press. For more on the origins of the word see Henrik Birnbaum. ''Essays in Early Slavic Civilization/Studien zur Fruhkultur der Slaven'' W. Fink, 1981. pp 26-36.</ref> ''Zhidovstvuyuschiye'' may be loosely translated as "those who follow Jewish traditions" or "those who think like Jews". [[Hegumen]] [[Joseph Volotsky]], the main critic and persecutor of this thought, considered the founder of this religious movement to be a certain Skhariya (a.k.a. Zakhariya, Skara; Russian: Схария, Захария, Скара). This was Zacharia ben Aharon ha-Cohen, a scholar from Kiev brought to Novgorod by [[Mikhailo Olelkovich]] from the [[Grand Duchy of Lithuania]] in 1470. Zacharia translated a number of Hebrew texts on astronomy, logic and philosophy.<ref>Janet Martin, ''Medieval Russia'', p290</ref>
Their nickname arbitrarily presupposed their adherence to "[[Judaism]]", even though most of Skhariya's followers had been ordinary Russians of [[Russian Orthodox]] faith and low-ranking Orthodox [[clergy]] and had never confessed Judaism. Almost all we know about their religious beliefs is found in accounts left by their accusers. This makes it rather difficult to determine the exact beliefs of the adherents, since the aim of the accusers was to blacken the name of the "sect" and crush it. According to most accounts though, the ''Belief of Skhariya'' renounced the [[Holy Trinity]] and the divine status of [[Jesus]], [[monasticism]], [[ecclesiastic]] hierarchy, ceremonies, and [[immortality]] of soul. Some adherents even professed [[iconoclasm]]. The adherents also promoted the idea of "self-authority", or the self-determination of each individual in matters of faith and salvation. Priests Denis and Aleksei were considered ideologists of this heretical movement.
==History==
In the late 15th and early 16th century, this religious movement spread over Moscow. In 1480, even Grand Prince [[Ivan III]] himself invited a few prominent adherents to visit the city. The Grand Prince's seemingly strange behavior could be explained by the fact that he had sympathized with heretics’ ideas of [[secularization]] and the struggle against [[feudal]] division. Thus, the Judaizers enjoyed the support of high-ranking officials, statesmen, merchants, [[Yelena Stefanovna]] (wife of [[Ivan the Young]], heir to the throne) and Ivan's favorite [[deacon]] and diplomat [[Feodor Kuritsyn]]. The latter even decided to establish his own club in the mid-1480s.
Despite the growing popularity of this religious movement in Novgorod and Moscow, Ivan III was wary of the fact that it could irreversibly infiltrate broader masses of ordinary people and deprive him of ecclesiastic support in his foreign policy. Indeed, a denial of the Trinity and the divinity of Christ would destroy Christianity, while the adherents' opposition to the clergy and the secular authorities would have undermined the entire society. This made Ivan III renounce his ideas of secularization and ally with the clergy.<ref>On Ivan's policies regarding the sect, see George Vernadsky, "The Heresy of the Judaizers and the Policies of Ivan III of Moscow", ''Speculum'', Vol. 8, No. 4 (Oct., 1933): 436-454.</ref>
===Persecution===
The struggle against the adherents was led by hegumen [[Joseph Volotsky]] and his followers (иосифляне, ''iosiflyane'' or Josephinians) and [[Gennady (Archbishop of Novgorod)|Archbishop Gennady of Novgorod]].<ref>John I. L. Fennell, ''Ivan the Great of Moscow'' (London: Macmillan, 1961), 329; David M Goldfrank, "Burn, Baby, Burn: Popular Culture and Heresy in Late Medieval Russia", ''The Journal of Popular Culture'' 31, no. 4 (1998): 17–32; Andrei Pliguzov, "Archbishop Gennadii and the Heresy of the 'Judaizers'" ''Harvard Ukrainian Studies'' 16(3/4) December 1992: 269-288.</ref> After uncovering adherents in Novgorod around 1487,<ref>Vernadsky, ''The Heresy of the Judaizers and the Policies of Ivan III'', 439.</ref> Gennady wrote a series of letters to other churchmen over several years calling on them to convene ''sobors'' ("church councils") with the aim "not to debate them, but to burn them." Such councils were held in 1488, 1490, 1494 and 1504. The councils outlawed religious and non-religious books and initiated their burning, sentenced a number of people to death, sent adherents into exile, and [[excommunicate]]d them. In 1491, Skhariya the Jew was executed in Novgorod by the order of Ivan III. More adherents were executed with Gennady's approval, including [[archimandrite]] Kassian of the Iuriev Monastery (who had allowed a number of adherents to hide there), Nekras Rukavov (they first tore out his tongue and then burnt him at the stake), a [[Pskov]]ian monk Zakhar and others.<ref>E. E. Golubinskii, ''Istoriia Russkoi Tserkvi'' (Moscow: University Typography, 1900), vol. 2, pt. 1, p. 582.</ref>
By the end of the 15th century, some of the adherents remained under the protection of Yelena Stefanovna and her son [[Dmitry Ivanovich (grandson of Ivan III)|tsarevich Dmitry]] (grandson of Ivan III). However, in 1502 Dmitry was stripped of his title (transferred to [[Vasili III]] – son of Ivan III and [[Sophia Paleologue]]). As soon as Ivan III died in 1505, Yelena and Dmitry were arrested and imprisoned, leaving the adherents vulnerable to attacks from the authorities. In 1504, diak (secretary) Ivan-Volk Kuritsyn, Dmitry Konoplev and Ivan Maksimov were burnt at the stake.<ref>Golubinskii, Ist. Russk. ''Tserk'', vol. 2, pt. 1, p. 582</ref> Other adherents were banished, imprisoned, or excommunicated. Feodor Kuritsyn's adherents' club ceased to exist.
==19th-century groups==
In the early 19th century, a number of communities appeared in [[Tula, Russia|Tula]], [[Voronezh]] and [[Tambov]], which followed Jewish traditions and [[halacha]]. They were also called ''zhidovstvuyuschiye'' and were persecuted severely in the times of [[Nicolas I]]. Since the beginning of the 20th century, they have been also called ''iudeystvuyuschie'', from ''iudeystvo'', a neutral term for the [[Jewish religion]]. Now they are generally considered a part of [[Jewish people]] (although with no real Israelite descent) and some of them have [[Aliyah|immigrated to Israel]]. These groups, however, are not linked to the teaching of Skhariya.
==See also==
{{portal|Christianity}}
*[[Judaizers]]
*[[Jewish Christians]]
==References==
{{Reflist}}
[[Category:Eastern Orthodox independent churches]]
[[Category:Nontrinitarian denominations]]
[[Category:Christianity and Judaism]]
[[Category:Jewish Russian and Soviet history]]
[[Category:Novgorod Republic]]
[[Category:15th-century Eastern Orthodoxy]]
[[Category:Eastern Orthodoxy in medieval Russia]]
[[Category:15th century in Russia]]
The '''Thought of Skhariya the Jew''', much more commonly known in the church terminology as the '''Heresy of the Judaizers''' or ''Zhidovstvuyushchiye'', was a religious concept that existed in [[Novgorod the Great]] and [[Grand Duchy of Moscow]] in the second half of the 15th century and marked the beginning of a new era of schism in Russia. Some scholars consider it to have developed from the earlier [[Strigolniki]] religious concept that also had developed in Novgorod in the 14th century. Initially popular among high-ranking statesmen and even the royal court, the concept was persecuted by [[hegumen]] [[Joseph Volotsky]] and [[Gennady (Archbishop of Novgorod)|Archbishop Gennady of Novgorod]].
==Terminology and beliefs==
The term ''Zhidovstvuyushchiye'' ({{lang|ru|Жидовствующие}}), as it is known in the sources, is derived from the Russian word жид (''zhid'', from Judea, an older Russian term for Jew which is now considered pejorative).<ref>Immonen, Visa. "The stratigraphy of a life: An archaeological dialogue with [[Leo Klejn]]." ''Archaeological Dialogues'' (2003), 10: 57-75, Cambridge University Press. For more on the origins of the word see Henrik Birnbaum. ''Essays in Early Slavic Civilization/Studien zur Fruhkultur der Slaven'' W. Fink, 1981. pp 26-36.</ref> ''Zhidovstvuyuschiye'' may be loosely translated as "those who follow Jewish traditions" or "those who think like Jews". [[Hegumen]] [[Joseph Volotsky]], the main critic and persecutor of this thought, considered the founder of this religious movement to be a certain Skhariya (a.k.a. Zakhariya, Skara; Russian: Схария, Захария, Скара). This was Zacharia ben Aharon ha-Cohen, a scholar from Kiev brought to Novgorod by [[Mikhailo Olelkovich]] from the [[Grand Duchy of Lithuania]] in 1470. Zacharia translated a number of Hebrew texts on astronomy, logic and philosophy.<ref>Janet Martin, ''Medieval Russia'', p290</ref>
Their nickname arbitrarily presupposed their adherence to "[[Judaism]]", even though most of Skhariya's followers had been ordinary Russians of [[Russian Orthodox]] faith and low-ranking Orthodox [[clergy]] and had never confessed Judaism. Almost all we know about their religious beliefs is found in accounts left by their accusers. This makes it rather difficult to determine the exact beliefs of the adherents, since the aim of the accusers was to blacken the name of the "sect" and crush it. According to most accounts though, the ''Belief of Skhariya'' renounced the [[Holy Trinity]] and the divine status of [[Jesus]], [[monasticism]], [[ecclesiastic]] hierarchy, ceremonies, and [[immortality]] of soul. Some adherents even professed [[iconoclasm]]. The adherents also promoted the idea of "self-authority", or the self-determination of each individual in matters of faith and salvation. Priests Denis and Aleksei were considered ideologists of this heretical movement.
==History==
In the late 15th and early 16th century, this religious movement spread over Moscow. In 1480, even Grand Prince [[Ivan III]] himself invited a few prominent adherents to visit the city. The Grand Prince's seemingly strange behavior could be explained by the fact that he had sympathized with heretics’ ideas of [[secularization]] and the struggle against [[feudal]] division. Thus, the Judaizers enjoyed the support of high-ranking officials, statesmen, merchants, [[Yelena Stefanovna]] (wife of [[Ivan the Young]], heir to the throne) and Ivan's favorite [[deacon]] and diplomat [[Feodor Kuritsyn]]. The latter even decided to establish his own club in the mid-1480s.
Despite the growing popularity of this religious movement in Novgorod and Moscow, Ivan III was wary of the fact that it could irreversibly infiltrate broader masses of ordinary people and deprive him of ecclesiastic support in his foreign policy. Indeed, a denial of the Trinity and the divinity of Christ would destroy Christianity, while the adherents' opposition to the clergy and the secular authorities would have undermined the entire society. This made Ivan III renounce his ideas of secularization and ally with the clergy.<ref>On Ivan's policies regarding the sect, see George Vernadsky, "The Heresy of the Judaizers and the Policies of Ivan III of Moscow", ''Speculum'', Vol. 8, No. 4 (Oct., 1933): 436-454.</ref>
===Persecution===
The struggle against the adherents was led by hegumen [[Joseph Volotsky]] and his followers (иосифляне, ''iosiflyane'' or Josephinians) and [[Gennady (Archbishop of Novgorod)|Archbishop Gennady of Novgorod]].<ref>John I. L. Fennell, ''Ivan the Great of Moscow'' (London: Macmillan, 1961), 329; David M Goldfrank, "Burn, Baby, Burn: Popular Culture and Heresy in Late Medieval Russia", ''The Journal of Popular Culture'' 31, no. 4 (1998): 17–32; Andrei Pliguzov, "Archbishop Gennadii and the Heresy of the 'Judaizers'" ''Harvard Ukrainian Studies'' 16(3/4) December 1992: 269-288.</ref> After uncovering adherents in Novgorod around 1487,<ref>Vernadsky, ''The Heresy of the Judaizers and the Policies of Ivan III'', 439.</ref> Gennady wrote a series of letters to other churchmen over several years calling on them to convene ''sobors'' ("church councils") with the aim "not to debate them, but to burn them." Such councils were held in 1488, 1490, 1494 and 1504. The councils outlawed religious and non-religious books and initiated their burning, sentenced a number of people to death, sent adherents into exile, and [[excommunicate]]d them. In 1491, Skhariya the Jew was executed in Novgorod by the order of Ivan III. More adherents were executed with Gennady's approval, including [[archimandrite]] Kassian of the Iuriev Monastery (who had allowed a number of adherents to hide there), Nekras Rukavov (they first tore out his tongue and then burnt him at the stake), a [[Pskov]]ian monk Zakhar and others.<ref>E. E. Golubinskii, ''Istoriia Russkoi Tserkvi'' (Moscow: University Typography, 1900), vol. 2, pt. 1, p. 582.</ref>
By the end of the 15th century, some of the adherents remained under the protection of Yelena Stefanovna and her son [[Dmitry Ivanovich (grandson of Ivan III)|tsarevich Dmitry]] (grandson of Ivan III). However, in 1502 Dmitry was stripped of his title (transferred to [[Vasili III]] – son of Ivan III and [[Sophia Paleologue]]). As soon as Ivan III died in 1505, Yelena and Dmitry were arrested and imprisoned, leaving the adherents vulnerable to attacks from the authorities. In 1504, diak (secretary) Ivan-Volk Kuritsyn, Dmitry Konoplev and Ivan Maksimov were burnt at the stake.<ref>Golubinskii, Ist. Russk. ''Tserk'', vol. 2, pt. 1, p. 582</ref> Other adherents were banished, imprisoned, or excommunicated. Feodor Kuritsyn's adherents' club ceased to exist.
==19th-century groups==
In the early 19th century, a number of communities appeared in [[Tula, Russia|Tula]], [[Voronezh]] and [[Tambov]], which followed Jewish traditions and [[halacha]]. They were also called ''zhidovstvuyuschiye'' and were persecuted severely in the times of [[Nicolas I]]. Since the beginning of the 20th century, they have been also called ''iudeystvuyuschie'', from ''iudeystvo'', a neutral term for the [[Jewish religion]]. Now they are generally considered a part of [[Jewish people]] (although with no real Israelite descent) and some of them have [[Aliyah|immigrated to Israel]]. These groups, however, are not linked to the teaching of Skhariya.
==See also==
{{portal|Christianity}}
*[[Judaizers]]
*[[Jewish Christians]]
==References==
{{Reflist}}
[[Category:Eastern Orthodox independent churches]]
[[Category:Nontrinitarian denominations]]
[[Category:Christianity and Judaism]]
[[Category:Jewish Russian and Soviet history]]
[[Category:Novgorod Republic]]
[[Category:15th-century Eastern Orthodoxy]]
[[Category:Eastern Orthodoxy in medieval Russia]]
[[Category:15th century in Russia]]