Hermeneutic analysis of the Novgorod signs and the representation of Grand Prince Ivan III’s Muscovite troops in the chronicle narrative for the year 6979 in the Stroevsky and Synodal lists of the Novgorod IV Chronicle

The purpose of this article is to reconstruct the Novgorod point of view on the campaign of Grand Prince Ivan III against Novgorod in 1471 using a hermeneutic analysis of the texts of the Stroevsky and Synodal lists of the Novgorod IV Chronicle, reflecting the independent chronicle of the last years of the existence of the Novgorod Republic. In pursuit of this stated goal, the article analyzes signs contained in the chronicle entry for 6979 and the representation of Muscovite troops. The study establishes that, in describing these signs, the chronicler may have been inspired by various interconnected works with varying degrees of eschatological focus: the Book of Revelation of John the Theologian, the Gospel of Matthew, the Book of Joel, and the Book of Revelation of Methodius of Patara. An analysis of the chronicler’s depiction of the behavior of Grand Prince Ivan III’s troops suggests a kinship with the peoples of the end times found in apocalyptic literature. The chronicler thus believed that Novgorodians were living in the end times, on the eve of the Last Judgment, expected in 7000 (1492 AD) from the Creation of the world. The scientific novelty of the study lies in the hypothesis that the Novgorod interpretation of the events of 1471 was based on the pronounced eschatological views of the author of the text read in the Stroevsky and Synodal lists, and the campaign of Ivan III was perceived in the context of expectations of the coming Last Judgment. This analysis allows for a better understanding of the Novgorod chronicler’s perspective and the independent Novgorodian point of view on the 1471 campaign as a whole.