Russia under the Old regime

THE CHURCH A SERVANT OF THE STATE

lishment, quite different from any then in existence in Russia. Volokolamsk operated on communabrinciples, which permitted the monks no private property: all the posessions of the abbey were institutionally owned. Its brethren were remired to reside in the monastery, where they were subject to strict diciplinary codes drawn up by its abbot. Volokolamsk had property aid yet it was not corrupt. Joseph's innovations showed that it was possible to combine ownership of land with the ascetic habits demanded by tie church, that wealth did not necessarily lead to the abdication of mord responsibilities, as the Transvolga Elders were charging. It was for th" reason that the clergy, shaken by Nil's speech, turned to Joseph to ead the counterattack. In upholding the principle of monastic landhoiing, Joseph had a powerful argument in his favour. Orthodox canon Lw requires the parish priests to marry but the bishops to remain celibat - a rule which forces the church to draw its bishops from the ranks of tie monastic clergy. Referring to this rule, Joseph argued that it was uireasonable to expect Orthodox monks to spend all their time supporting themselves; for if they did so, they would have no time left to acquire tie knowledge and the experience that they would need when called up"n to administer a diocese. Further harm resulting from this practice vould be the likelihood that the better sort of people, namely boyars, OL whom the church heavily depended to manage its abbeys and bisruprics, would stay away from monasteries should they be required to prform menial labour. The argument was practical, almost bureaucrat;, in nature. Joseph did not stop here but went on to question the moives of the Transvolga Elders. He was a rabid foe of the Judaizers, pEaching that they be rooted out by sword and fire, without even being panted the opportunity to recant. Nil and his followers, while in no wis sympathetic to heresy, preferred excommunication to the death penilty. Exploiting the more tolerant attitude of the 'anti-property' group Joseph assailed their orthodoxy. In his principal work, a collection c essays gathered by his pupils in book form and inappropriately titled lie Enlightener [ProsvetiteV), he piled citation upon citation from the scriptires and patristic writings to prove his points, intermingling arguments wit diatribes against the Judaizers and anyone who had for them the least tcerance. In his opinion, the Russian church as it then stood was the puret and most perfect in the world: 'In piety, the Russian land now surpases all the others.'8 The implication of this view was that any reform wald debase the country's religious standing and diminish its inhabitants'issurance of eternal salvation.

Joseph reinforced his argiments with ruthless intrigues at the court designed to turn the tsar ajainst the reformers and their supporters among the courtiers and boars. An advocate of the 'church militant', during his early career he hd occasionally run foul of the crown; but