The concept of “Moscow as the New Jerusalem” in the Russian religious culture of the 16th–17th centuries: origins, semantics, and communication

Abstract

The relevance of this study stems from the growing interest in traditional spiritual values and the historical foundations of national identity in modern Russian society. The concept of “Moscow as the New Jerusalem”, which emerged in the 16th–18th centuries, played a signifi cant role in shaping the religious and metaphysical foundations of Russian culture. This article aims to analyze the evolution of the concept of “Moscow as the New Jerusalem” in Russian reli gious culture of the 16th–18th centuries, identify its theological, philosophical, and cultural roots, and determine its role in the formation of national identity. The research is based on P. B. Uva rov’s communicative theory of the historical process and Georges Dumézil’s structuralist ap proach. The primary sources include monuments of Russian chronicles and theological literature of the 16th–18th centuries (The Book of Degrees, The Illustrated Chronicle Codex, The Nikon Chronicle, and the works of Patriarch Nikon), as well as materials on sacred architecture (St. Bas il’s Cathedral, the New Jerusalem Monastery, and the Spaso-Vifansky Monastery). The study demonstrates that the concept of “Moscow as the New Jerusalem” grounded in Eastern Christian realism differed fundamentally from the political and imperial ideology of “Moscow as the Third Rome”. The latter focused on political succession, while the former was primarily religious and metaphysical in nature, allowing for multiple interpretations of transcendental reality. The evolution of this concept can be traced from the triumphant sacralization of Moscow as the New Jerusalem in the 17th century to a penitential and transformative understanding of Russia’s national destiny in the 18th century. The article focuses on the theological polemic between Patriarch Nikon and Paisius Ligarides, which highlights the principal difference between Eastern Christian realism and Western nominalism. The concept of “Moscow as the New Jerusa lem” has become an essential mechanism for the formation of Russian national identity.