CONCERNING THE HISTORY OF THE BOOK EXCHANGE BETWEEN NOVGOROD AND LITHUANIAN RUS IN THE 15TH CENTURY («LIBRARY OF THE HERETICS»)

Abstract

The conflict between the church and the freethinkers accused of heresy and nicknamed the Judizers, is believed to be one of the main events in the ideological and literary life of Rus at the end of the 15th century. The article offers an original interpretation of the valuable source concerning the heretics’ ideas, a list of the books lacked by the persecutors of heresy and possessed by the heretics. A comprehensive approach to the list makes it possible to reconstruct in general terms the contents of the manuscripts that were included in the list and lost afterwards. Among those is the text of paramount importance, the Epistle of the Patriarch of Constantinople Photios to Tsar Boris, the baptizer of Bulgaria.