Re-reading Starec Filofey: Vision of Russia as “Romeyskoe tsarstvo” in Filofey’s Epistle to Misiur Munekhin (1523)

Abstract. Filofey’s utterances about Russia as “Romeyskoe tsarstvo” in his famous epistle to Misiur Munekhin (1523) have been analyzed in context of the entire text of the epistle, its copies and redactions, as well as in context of other writings which handle the theme of Muscovy’s identity. It proves to be, that, first, for Filofey, Russia as the “Romeyskoe tsarstvo” is not a state entity; it is a Church-state entity, in which Church and state are mingled together to a degree of un-distinctiveness (up to the logic of symphony between Church and state); it is an expression of “imperial eschatology” (G. Podskalsky’s term). Secondly, such vision of Russia as “Romeyskoe tsarstvo” is a paraphrase of the same motive as “Holy Russia”, “Russia as Israel”, “Russia as empire of the orthodox people”; behind this motive stood a paradoxical vision of Russia as a Church-state. Thirdly, such a formula of identity is opposite to that of “Muscovite Russia is a natio”; confessional and “national” are mixed up in this formula to a degree, when there is no room left for the “national”. Fourthly, in the given case the logic of relations between “ecclesiastical”, “statist”, “religious”, “secular”, “national”, when constructing discourses of identity, functions radically different than in the western medieval experience.

Keywords: The Third Rome, “Romeyskoe tsarstvo” Filofey, Muscovite Russia, Orthodoxy.