On the issue of researching statutory written monuments and testimonies relating to the Sarov Monastery. Attribution, hypotheses, general ideological and content characteristics, and conclusions on the monastery edition of “Counsels and rules for novices in the Sarov desert”, 1896

The manuscript under study is known only in the form of a small brochure printed at the end of the 19th century under the title “Counsels and Rules for Novices in the Sarov Desert” that survived to the present day. It represents an authoritative and unique statutory source of the Sarov Monastery. This historical document has not yet been attributed, nor has its content been studied yet. The aim of the research is to provide reliable information about the history of the manuscript and to study its content in terms of its ideas. Also revealed are some general ideological and content features of the manuscript. The goal is achieved through a comparative-semantic analysis of the texts of the archival documents and publications. The article raises questions about the time of writing and authorship of the manuscript, the basis for its writing, and the possible influence of the Optina Monastery. In this regard, hypotheses are presented concerning intra-monastic transformations aimed at improving organization of spiritual care for the monastery brethren. This document is important to study because it reveals and complements the monastic communal life of the brethren in the Sarov Monastery in a more comprehensive way. “Counsels and Rules” authentically reflects the ascetic experience of the Sarov elders who followed in practiced the monastic communal rule at different times. This accounts for the church-historical significance of the presented document.