Denys the Areopagite and the canon of icons in Russia in the XVI-XVII centuries

In the paper the author analyses the facts of adoption of Denys the Areopagite texts in Russian philosophical and theological conceptions in order to understand his influence on forming the icons' canon. The theory of symbol expounded in the Corpus Areopagiticum has been briefly described. It has been mentioned that this theory was widely reflected in polemics between Ivan Viskovatiy and metropolitan Makariy and in the work of Ivan Begichov, it determined the views of the Russian thinkers on the problem of representation of angels.