Job Boretsky

Job Boretsky (Ukrainian: Йов Борецький, Polish: Iwan Borecki; unknown, Bircza, Ruthenian Voivodeship – 2 March 1631, Kiev, Cossack Hetmanate) was a Ukrainian Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth Eastern Orthodox metropolitan (official title – Metropolitan of Kyiv, Galicia and all-Rus).

He was known as an outstanding church leader and educator, defender of the Orthodox faith and the Orthodox Metropolitan of Kyiv (1620–31).

Biography

His family came from Bircha (Bircza) in Galicia. He was educated at the Lviv Dormition Brotherhood School and abroad. He worked as a teacher and rector at the Lviv Dormition Brotherhood School (1604–5) and was the first rector of the Kyiv Epiphany Brotherhood School (1615–18). In 1619 he became hegumen of St. Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery of Kyiv.

In August 1620 the patriarch of Jerusalem, Theophanes III, ordained Boretsky metropolitan of Kyiv, Galychyna, and All-Rus'. Boretsky had a strong influence on the Cossacks under Petro Konashevych-Sahaidachny's hetmancy. As metropolitan Boretsky composed a petition in defense of the Orthodox hierarchy entitled Protestacja (1621). Along with the Greek-Catholic Metropolitan bishop of Kyiv Josyf Veliamyn Rutsky, he favored a general reconciliation within the Ukrainian church but failed to gain the support of the Cossacks for his plans. A prolific translator, Boretsky also wrote poems honoring saints, petitions, prefaces, and edicts. "Perestoroha" is attributed to him. He was the co-author of "Apolleia Apolohii" (A Refutation of 'A Defense,' 1628) and the translator of "Antolohion" from the Greek (1619).

References

• Boretsky, Yov at the Encyclopedia of Ukraine