Limning the Commonwealth: Of Greeks and Russians in the Seventeenth Century

Following the rejection by the Russians of the Union of Florence (1439), Russian contacts with the Orthodox East entered a hiatus until they picked up again in the early sixteenth century, when more regular communication was established, especially with the Patriarchate of Jerusalem and monasteries on Mount Athos.¹ The Muscovites resumed the practice of seeking advice from Greek clergymen in matters of faith, as is evidenced most notably by the case of Maksim Grek.² The legitimation of the Muscovite grand prince’s title as tsar in mid-century and the establishment and recognition of the Patriarchate of Moscow by the Eastern patriarchs