Otensky Zinovy

About his life we know little. He was a pupil of Maxim the Greek, and therefore, perhaps, suffered disgrace and exile. Since the late 1520-ies. the end of life (1568), he lived in a remote desert Otensky Novgorod region. Main work Zinovy - "Truth testimony to the issue of a new doctrine". It was born of heresy Kosoy and manuf in the form of interviews with "kryloshanami" neighboring monastery, confused doctrine Kosoy. Zinovy consistently reveals the teachings of the Orthodox Church of God, the Holy Trinity, the Son of God (His incarnation, suffering and the redemptive mission), about the veneration of icons, saints, relics, the church rites, hierarchies. Along with the "Educator" Joseph Volotsk, "the testimony of Truth" - the earliest original Russian and systematic theological treatise, moreover, represents a step forward compared with the "Educator". Zinovy shows great erudition in the Holy Scriptures and the patristic literature. In his arguments he is a skilled exegete and original thinker, he piles up citations, . not "saith the" only "from the Scriptures", . but resorting to arguments of reason, . borrowed, . example, . from the field of science: the so -, . the question of the existence of God Zinovy using known physico-teleological arguments, . cosmological constant (with examples of natural science), and historical and ethnographic (consensu gentium), . examples, . available for the Russian people interested in the relevance,
. In the doctrine of the Trinity Zinovy enjoys known in patristic analogy between it and the man, in which he distinguishes between the mind, word and breath. In exegesis, . along with a completely correct attempts to interpret individual texts in connection with the entire contents of the book and involving historical commentary, . Zinovy pays tribute to the century, . usnaschaya his account strained, . purely scholastic allegories and arbitrary interpretations,
. Besides, . Zinovy resorts to wit in the medieval style, . arguing, . example, . that the doctrine Kosoy is false because, . that he "oblique", . or resorts for the excursions in the area of his biography, . to, . tarnished the reputation of moral Kosoy, . undermine his dogmatic views,
. Style Zinovei places alive and inspired, but often there is lack of taste, heaviness and tension presentation. Zinovy certainly felt the educational impact of Maxim the Greek, but in addressing two key issues of Russian church life in the XVI. (monastic estates, . attitude towards heretics), he did not share the views of teachers, . Being close to Josephites: he stands for the preservation of the monasteries of their estates, . as well as the most ferocious persecution of heretics: they were "wolves", . who are excluded from the commandment to love one's neighbor,
. "Truth testimony" is important as a rich, albeit biased, source for the history of heresy Kosoy and curious figure the intellectual level of church intellectuals era Terrible. Furthermore, the testimony of Truth ", survived two words Zinovy opening of the relics of St. Nikita, and Bishop Iona. The first great instinct of nature, the second - full of life and fire of an angry depiction of violence "vladuschih" Russian land and its reduction. Zinovy attributed to another, for valid reasons, dogmatic "verbose message on zlomudrie Kosoy, due to the promotion of the latter in Lithuania. Autograph "Truth testimony" is stored in the Public Library. "Testimony of Truth" published in "Legal Interlocutor and otd. (Kazan, 1863), "verbose message" - in the "Readings of the Moscow Society for the History and Antiquities" (1880, No. 2, and separately, Moscow, 1880). - See. F. Kalugin "Zinovy monk Otensky (St. Petersburg, 1894). A.El-h.