Ipatievsky Vestnik № 3 (23), 2023

The works of St. Simeon the New Theologian on the subject of reception of the Christian understanding of holiness are studied. An attempt is made to extract the understanding of holiness by the monk in the "Hymns". The Holy Scripture, the works of the Holy Fathers and Simeon the New Theologian himself are used as the basic material.

A special place in various religions has always been occupied and is occupied by both ideas about the afterlife and the death of a person, as well as rituals (and prayers) related to death, burial — funeral prayers and rituals. Religious consciousness is characterized by the need for prayer, i. e. in communion with God. Such important moments in a person's life as his birth, marriage, and death are sanctified by prayer, appropriate rites and sacred rites. Death in all religions is understood not as the final destruction of the personality, but as a certain moment in a person's life, his transition to another state in which the life of the personality continues. The pinnacle of the Christian teaching about the afterlife is the teaching about the universal resurrection in the body. And death is understood in the Christian tradition as an important moment of a person's transition to eternity, where he will meet God. Therefore, in the Christian Church, from the very beginning of its existence, the death of a person has always been accompanied by prayers and rituals. Despite the conservatism, the Church's resistance to various kinds of changes in the ceremonial side of its existence (which has various reasons), the liturgical forms gradually underwent changes, which often reflected changes in religious beliefs. The texts of funeral services have also undergone changes: some prayers are still used in worship, some have remained in history, and these texts are no longer referred to today as models of prayer, but as sources of knowledge about the past. The formation of the funeral service rite took place gradually. In the early Christian tradition, there is a variety of liturgical forms, the preservation of the practice of prayers by inspiration (the so-called charismatic prayers) until a certain period. In addition, the liturgical forms were formed in isolation (which does not exclude influences or mutual influences at all) like local traditions. The history of the Christian liturgical tradition before the c. traditions is characterized by the initial diversity of local independent ones, which gradually developed along the path of unification

The article describes the results of research conducted by the author in the archival fund of the Office of the Holy Synod (Russian State Historical Archive, St. Petersburg). The plans of the Kostroma Kremlin before its reconstruction in the last quarter of the XVIII century are published for the first time: the general plan of 1772 and the project plan for the development of the territory of the former Holy Cross Monastery. The text of the inventory of the Holy Cross Monastery before the fire on May 18, 1773 is published, and the text of the report on the fire sent by Bishop Simon (Lagov) of Kostroma and Galich to the Holy Synod six days after this disaster is also given. It is noted that the hierarchy of the diocese treated the improvement of the Kostroma Kremlin with special attention, since it was in the Kremlin that the main shrine of the Kostroma land — the miraculous Feodor icon of the Mother of God — was located.

On the basis of archival documents, including previously unpublished ones, the article describes a little-studied period (1909–1915) in the biography of Marshal of the Soviet Union — Vasilevsky A.M. The future commander studied at Kostroma Theological Seminary at that time. In his senior year, he decided to devote his future destiny to military service. The article, based on sources, tells about the behavior, diligence and academic performance for each year of study of the seminarian Alexander Vasilievskiy. It was the last name that the future marshal had during his seminary years. The author of the article provides statistical and factual data on the state of Kostroma Theological School in the period under study. This article is the material for the second edition of the book "Marshal Vasilevsky A.M.: from seminarian to Marshal".

The article analyzes the plot and figurative system of the "Tale of the Battle of Mamaev" in order to clarify the author's thoughts about the significance of Christian sacrificial brotherly love in the salvation and revival of Orthodox Rus'.

The research center for the study of the Old Believers at the Kostroma Theological Seminary "Dialogue" has existed for seven years. The reporting article on the activities of the research center for the study of the Old Believers at the Kostroma Theological Seminary "Dialogue" describes the work over the past three years (2020–2023). The authors report on the main events of the Research Center "Dialogue" and the involvement of the Kostroma clergy and students of the KoDS in them.

This article is devoted to the study of the development of the Old Belief in the territory of the Kostroma region from the moment of its formation in the 17th century to the present, taking into account territorial features and in the context of external relations (with state power, with the Orthodox Church, etc.). The history of the schism is one of the most dramatic pages not only for the Russian Church, but for Russian people. The events of the 17th century divided the nation into two irreconcilable camps and led to the falling away from the Church of millions of Orthodox compatriots. People, regardless of their social status, were divided according to the most important sign for a Russian person — according to religious affiliation. For several centuries, residents of one state, sincerely considering each other Orthodox, began to experience mutual distrust, enmity and did not want any communication. The Kostroma region, despite its territorial remoteness from the capital by the standards of the 17th century, was fully involved in these historical events. Within the framework of this article, a study was made of the quantitative and qualitative state of the Old Belief communities in the context of denominations (interpretations and agreements), and their distribution in the region; short biographies of the most prominent personalities from among the Kostroma Old Belief were compiled; analyzed the relationship of adherents of the old rites within communities and with the outside world throughout history and in modern times.

The article examines the appeal of Archpriest Pimen Simon, rector of the Christmas Single-F aith Church (Erie, USA), to the plenary session of the IV All-Diaspora Council of the ROCOR (2006). In his report, Father Pimen briefly analyses the history of the relationship between the Old Believers and the "Nikonians" and indicates the similarity of their polemical discourse. Despite historical and religious differences, it is necessary to build a constructive interfaith dialogue. Using the example of his community, Archpriest Pimen shows that all possible divisions can be overcome, but for this you need to have courage and determination.

The article is devoted to the analysis of periodic scientific journals published by the theological seminaries of the Russian Orthodox Church in 2020–2022, in which works on the history, culture and the present of the Old Belief were published. Based on the available information, the main indicators that reflect the effectiveness and rating of such scientific journals are highlighted. This work is intended to show both the available scientific potential of publications, their development according to the main given parameters, and the degree of attention devoted to issues related to history, theology, culture, art and other issues related to the topic of Russian Old Belief. The work was carried out on the basis of the research center for the study of the Old Belief at the Kostroma Theological Seminary "Dialogue" and is a way to stimulate interest in the stated topic among the teaching and professorial corporations of theological schools and the research community of the Church.

With the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus', the Educational Committee of the Russian Orthodox Church, together with the Patriarchal Council for Culture, organized and held the second All-R ussian Theology Olympiad among graduate students of theological schools and theological departments of Russian universities in the spring of 2023. One of the winners of the Olympiad, Deacon Dionisy Lapin, who won the 3rd place, gave an interview to the administration of the Kostroma Theological Seminary, during which he revealed the details of his participation and revealed various details of the Olympiad.