La «Narrazione sul segno della croce» di Massimo il Greco: esegesi delle Scritture e prassi ortodossa nella Moscovia cinquecentesca

The article is devoted to the Narrative on the Sign of the Cross by Maximus the Greek. The text belongs to the first half of the 16th century, a period when Muscovy definitively asserted itself on the European and Mediterranean chessboard as the third and last surviving Christian world power. The construction of the Russian Empire rested on the definition of Russian Christianity. The contribution Maximus made to this process consisted of revised translations and new translations of sacred texts, of religious essays, as well as of his engagement in the interconfessional and intercultural debates of the times. In all these fields, Maximus applied the tools and methods that he had acquired in Italy under the influence of Humanism. The Narrative offers a good example of Maximus’ approach: Therein he defends the most ancient sign of the cross with two fingers by means of the medieval doctrine of the four senses of the Holy Scriptures. In this way, Maximus not only participated in the definition of Russian Orthodoxy, safeguarding the local tradition, but also sought to raise Muscovy to a higher level of cultural and theological competence, creating the condition for its actual ecclesiastical autonomy.