THE CATEGORY “PARTICULARLY HARMFUL HERESIES” ACCORDING TO THE CODE OF CRIMINAL AND CORRECTIONAL PUNISHMENTS OF 1845

The article researches various issues connected with the responsibility of the followers of «particularly harmful heresies» according to the Code of criminal and correctional punishments of 1845 that are referred to the second part «About heresies and schisms» of the chapter «About retreat from the faith and ordinances of the church» of section two «About crimes against the faith» in the original version of the Code of 1845. Taking into account the abovementioned title of the second part, the work emphasizes correlation between the terms «schism» and «heresy». It also considers variants of grouping the articles included into the part «About heresies and schisms» depending on what religious groups they refer to (Old Believers, members of fanatic sects, members of particularly harmful sects, etc.). Thus, the articles more or less concerning those particularly harmful heresies have been identified. Apart from the analysis of the concept «a particularly harmful heresy» itself the article considers a number of issues concerning the responsibility of the followers of those doctrines for advocacy of their ideas. In particular, it deals with comparison of the concepts «dissemination» and «seduction» (into doctrines considered to be heresies) and specific character of punishments for such activity. The article also studies some documents that influenced the contents of the Code articles, including the Highly approved opinion by the State Council dated October 20, 1830 «About the Dukhobors, iconoclast, malakans, the Judaizers, and the other heresies recognized as particularly harmful».