ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the life of Inochentie of Balta, the Moldovan monk who inspired the Inochentist movement, as recorded in both history writing and hagiography. Most accounts of the life of Inochentie of Balta, whether originating with the Russian Orthodox Church or with the secular authorities, have been antagonistic towards their subject. This chapter draws on two significant but often overlooked sources, Nicolae Popovschi’s history of the Inochentist movement and the insider hagiographical account of Inochentie’s miracles and sufferings, both of which reveal aspects of Inochentie of Balta’s life and deeds poorly reflected in other sources. The purpose of this chapter is twofold; first, it aims to give an account of the life of the Moldovan peasant boy who became Inochentie of Balta, and second, it explores the way that the sacred narrative produced by his followers establishes him as a Christ-like figure worthy of veneration and imitation, instating a model of religious dissent replicated by his followers throughout the twentieth century.
