Nº 1 (30) (2025)
Theology and Religious Philosophy
History of science and theology
Resumo
The article discusses the need to introduce a special academic discipline in higher education - the history of science to understand the dependence of the development of various scientific fields on metaphysical and theological concepts. The relevance of the article is due to the fact that the author outlines methods and ways of transmitting Christian spiritual values in modern scientific and student environment in the context of increasing secularization and dehumanization of society.
The purpose of the work is to substantiate the genetic connection of humanitarian technologies with the tradition of biblical hermeneutics and theology as a science. Using the example of Ren Descartes’ Theory, the architectonic principles of Gottfried Leibniz, the concept of the nominal essence of John Locke and other scientific ideas, the author has traced dependence of the beginnings of natural science of the New Age on Christian theology.
The author is of the opinion that reliance on natural sciences without referring to spiritual laws based on the Divine commandments leads to ideas that give priority to physical development to the detriment of spiritual and moral one. The author comes to the conclusion that it is necessary to establish the principle of holistic knowledge in modern science, as well as the benefits of studying a course in the history of science in higher education, through which this principle will be explained to the younger generation.
Theological Collection of the Tambov Theological Seminary. 2025;(1 (30)):14-24
14-24
Influence of the ideas of V. S. Soloviev and Priest Pavel Florensky on the formation of theological views of Archpriest Sergei Bulgakov
Resumo
The object of research in this work is the theological views of Archpriest Sergey Bulgakov, which were shaped by the ideas of philosopher Vladimir Solovyov and priest Pavel Florensky. The relevance of the topic is due to a significant interest in Russian religious and philosophical thought of the early 20th century, as well as its role in the development of modern Orthodox theology. The purpose of the study is to identify how Bulgakov perceived the doctrine of Sophia, the Wisdom of God, borrowed from V. S. Solovyov, and also to determine the influence of criticism and processing of these ideas by Father Pavel Florensky. The main method used is comparative historical analysis, which makes it possible to trace the evolution of Bulgakov’s views from an initial fascination with Solovyov’s ideas to a more independent theological synthesis. As a result, it was established that in the early period of his work, Father Sergius borrowed the fundamental theses of unity and sophiology from V. S. Solovyov, but then, faced with their “editing” from Father Pavel Florensky, he changed his perception and adapted them to his own system. The findings can be applied in studies on theology and Russian religious philosophy of the 20th century. The author comes to the conclusion that the most mature works of Archpriest Sergey Bulgakov demonstrate a critical rethinking and “purification” of borrowed ideas, characterized by greater precision of terminology and theological balance.
Theological Collection of the Tambov Theological Seminary. 2025;(1 (30)):25-40
25-40
Archpriest G. V. Florovsky and K. N. Leontiev: the religious origin of “Byzantinism” in the cultural and historical process and the first prerequisites for neopatristic synthesis
Resumo
The article raises the topical issue of the existence of a probable connection between the idea of the cultural-historical ideal (Byzantine Orthodoxy) of the Russian nation, which was developed by G. V. Florovsky in the Eurasian period of his work, and the “Byzantinism” of K. N. Leontiev. The methodological basis for this study was mainly the means of comparative analysis of the works of these authors and the scientific synthesis of the obtained theoretical provisions and ideas. It is emphasized that the issue raised is of interest in the context of modern studies interpreting the Eurasian period as the basis for the process of forming the concept of neopatristic synthesis, in which Florovsky relied on the idea of returning to the tradition of Byzantine patristic theology. It has been established that Leontiev’s conceptual ideas were present in Eurasianism, where they received a unique interpretation, including from one of the leaders of the movement, Florovsky, in terms of criticism of European rationalism and Slavophilism, as well as an appeal to the thought of A. I. Herzen. It is shown that the idea of a genuine cultural and historical ideal of the Russian nation developed by Florovsky was similar in its specificity to the religious principle of Leontiev’s Byzantinism. A hypothesis is put forward and reasoned that Florovsky could have paid attention to the religious principle of Leontiev’s Byzantinism under the influence of V. S. Solovyov, as well as in connection with the apolitical nature of his views, which manifested itself when understanding the causes and consequences of the Russian revolution of 1917. As a result, it is demonstrated that, compared to other Eurasianists, Florovsky’s ideas were the closest to Leontiev’s concept of Byzantinism. Moreover, it seems that it was precisely this concept that formed the basis of Florovsky’s thought about the need to create a new synthetic philosophy, definitely reminiscent of his future concept of neopatristic synthesis.
Theological Collection of the Tambov Theological Seminary. 2025;(1 (30)):41-66
41-66
Historical Theology and National History
Serving the Church and the Fatherland: the activities of St. Kirill (Smirnov) during World War I (based on materials of the “Tambov Diocesan Gazette”
Resumo
The article presents a historical essay on the activities of Archbishop Kirill (Smirnov) at the Tambov diocese in the context of the outbreak of the First World War. The relevance of the topic is due to the growing scientific interest in the legacy of the new martyrs and confessors of the Russian Church, as well as the demand at the present stage of Russian history for the experience of church-social interaction in wartime. The archpastoral and social service of St. Kirill during his stay in the Tambov diocese is a striking example of true patriotic service.
The material for the study was the publication in the “Tambov Diocesan Gazette” of the “Reviews of His Eminence Kirill, Archbishop of Tambov and Shatsk, of the Churches and Monasteries of the Diocese” based on the results of his archpastoral trips to parishes in 1914-1915, as well as the sermons of the bishop published in the same journal. The work uses scientific methods: content analysis, historical-chronological, and ideographic.
As a result of the study, a complete picture of the archpastoral service of St. Kirill (Smirnov) in the Tambov land was formed, the main areas of his patriotic activity were identified, including material and spiritual support for the front, raising national self-awareness by uniting society around traditional spiritual and moral values. The historical facts presented in the article allow us to project the experience of organizing church-public interaction in the modern activities of the Russian Orthodox Church.
Theological Collection of the Tambov Theological Seminary. 2025;(1 (30)):67-84
67-84
The first revision in Tambov Theological Seminary: circumstances and results
Resumo
The article presents the analysis of the control and auditing activities held by the Educational Committee under the Holy Synod and its contribution to the theological educational development based on the example of Tambov Theological Seminary’s inspection carried out in 1873 by auditor
I. K. Zinchenko. The subject of the study is thus the revision held in Tambov Seminary, which was first carried out after the reform of the theological educational system in the 1960s and at the same time before the transformation of Tambov Theological Seminary which took place in 1877. The principle of comprehensive analysis, historicism and scientific objectivity made it possible to carry out the research and characterize the position of the seminary, which the auditor discovered and recorded in his report. At the same time, special attention is paid to the impact of audit results on the further course of the theological seminary’s development, and it became possible to present the concept of the control and audit activities’ role in the development of theological education in general.
The study shows that the revision carried out at Tambov Theological Seminary in 1873 revealed a number of shortcomings of both educational and administrative nature. For the auditor, it was of great importance to find out the causes of the existing problems, and it was important not only for their elimination in the seminary under auditing, but also for the subsequent preparation of circular definitions for all theological educational institutions. While carrying out the audit, I. K. Zinchenko found out a number of circumstances that had the most negative impact on the course of both educational and administrative work, and the auditor paid the greatest attention to the disagreements among the superiors. As a result of the audit, prescriptions that the board of the seminary needed to follow and to fulfill by the next audit were made, and it took place immediately after the transformation of the seminary.
As a result of the study based on the example of Tambov Theological Seminary, it became possible to conclude that the control and auditing activities of the Educational Committee under the Holy Synod played an important role in theological schools’ formation and development and was an important factor in identifying and eliminating shortcomings both in particular seminaries and in the system of theological education as a whole.
Theological Collection of the Tambov Theological Seminary. 2025;(1 (30)):85-98
85-98
Provincial traditions of public service and preservation of spiritual and moral values (based on the epistolary heritage of the family of Prince N. N. Cholokaev)
Resumo
This article analyzes the letters of the provincial leader of the nobility, the chamberlain of the court of His Imperial Majesty Prince N. N. Cholokaev and his wife Princess E. V. Cholokaeva to their friends and associates B. N. Chicherin and A. A. Chicherina in the period from 1893 to 1915 in order to identify the moral foundations of the worldview of individual representatives of the nobility and their relevance in the context of the growing revolutionary movement. The work provides brief biographical data, some information about the social and state activities of the authors of the letters. Scientific results are obtained through the interaction of the method of diachronic analysis, analysis of historical sources, secondary sources, comparative historical method with the corresponding subjects of research. The object of research in the study of the epistolary heritage of the family of princes Cholokaevs was the ideas of public service during the revolutionary events in Russia at the beginning of the 20th century. Of particular interest is the attitude of the nobility to the reforms of Alexander II, the so-called counter-reforms of Alexander III, the movement for the introduction of a constitution and a parliamentary system of government in 1905-1907 in the capital and the provinces, the personal attitude of noblewomen to these events and the prediction of the prospects of the historical process. As a result of the analysis of the contents of the letters of the Princes Cholokaevs, the contradictory social position of the representatives of the aristocracy in relation to the ongoing historical processes is shown, based on their misunderstanding and the futility of their efforts to maintain stability in the country and prevent tragic revolutionary events.
Theological Collection of the Tambov Theological Seminary. 2025;(1 (30)):99-127
99-127
Novgorod bishops during the Russian church turmoil in the 14th century
Resumo
The article is devoted to the study of the consequences of the time of troubles in the Russian Metropolitanate for the Novgorod Archdiocese. The subject of the study is the activities of the Novgorod bishops during the years of troubles and their position in the struggle of various candidates for the Russian metropolitan throne.
The relevance of this topic is that in historiography, the time of church troubles of the 14th century is usually considered from the position of its central participants (primarily Moscow), while other principalities and participants in the events remain without attention. This article, like a series of our other publications, is intended to fill this research gap. The article uses the following methods: synthesis of data obtained from various types of historical sources, historical-systemic, historical-comparative, as well as the principle of historicism.
The purpose of the study is to consider the participation of Novgorod bishops Alexy and John in the events of the church troubles of the 14 th century. To achieve this goal, the author analyzed a set of historical sources and identified several stories illustrating the issue studied in the article.
As a result of examining several subjects (the refusal of Novgorodians to accept Metropolitan Cyprian in 1377; the activities of Archbishop Dionysius in Veliky Novgorod and Pskov in 1382; disputes between the Novgorod Archbishop and Bishop Stefan (Khrap) of Perm over the jurisdiction of the newly formed Perm Diocese in 1385-1386; the refusal of Novgorodians from the Metropolitan Court of Appeal in 1385), the author identified the position of the Novgorod bishops during the time of troubles in the Russian Metropolitanate. The results of the study may be useful in further studying the regional aspect of the history of the Russian Church and the history of church-state relations in the 14th century.
Theological Collection of the Tambov Theological Seminary. 2025;(1 (30)):128-142
128-142
Church-Practical Sciences
The position of Metropolitan Hierotheos (Vlachos) as a component of the “Theory of the Primacy of Power” of the Patriarchate of Constantinople
Resumo
The article examines the views of one of the outstanding Greek theologians, Metropolitan Hierotheos (Vlachos), as part of the “Theory of Primacy of Power” of the Patriarch of Constantinople in connection with the so-called Ukrainian question. After the Russian Orthodox Church broke off Eucharistic communion with the Patriarchate of Constantinople in October 2018, Metropolitan Hierotheos outlined his theory on granting autocephaly from the position of the Church of Constantinople. This theory, in essence, is a distortion of Orthodox ecclesiology, since the institution of primacy violates equal relations between Local Orthodox Churches.
At the beginning of the article, Metropolitan Hierotheos’s theory of an autocephalous Church is examined. His confidence in the special right of Constantinople to grant autocephaly is unfounded, since one Local Church is granted an excessive privilege that goes beyond its honorary rights and obligations. The Metropolitan’s theory of the gradual granting of autocephaly is examined in detail: 1) “by oikonomia” by the Patriarch of Constantinople, and then 2) “by akrivia”, by the All-Church Council. In any case, the Metropolitan supports the Patriarch of Constantinople in his actions leading to a schism, which complicates the possibility of restoring peace between the Local Orthodox Churches.
In conclusion, the author summarizes: the anti-Russian rhetoric of Metropolitan Hierotheus testifies to his biased and unscientific approach to the history of Russia and the Russian Church. His distorted understanding of history allows him to “justify” the decisions of Constantinople, which radically violated peace and harmony in the Ecumenical Church.
Theological Collection of the Tambov Theological Seminary. 2025;(1 (30)):143-166
143-166
Abrief overview of the historical, dogmatic and liturgical features of the Syrian-Jacobite Church
Resumo
The article is devoted to the history, dogma and current situation of the Syrian Jacobite Church, which is one of the Ancient Eastern Pre-Chalcedonian Churches. The name of the Church, which separated from Antioch in the 6 th century, is associated with the name of its founder Jacob Baradaeus (505-578). In the Syrian Jacobite Church, he is revered as a saint. The figure of Baradaeus is associated with the creation of a parallel hierarchy of Monophysites in Syria.
The author, using comparative historical analysis, examines the clash of imperial Hellenistic and national Aramaic traditions in the context of the emergence of Christianity in Syria in the first centuries of our era. This confrontation accelerated the process of schism associated with the adoption of oros at the IV Council of Chalcedon.
Using diachronic and synchronic methods, the article presents a brief overview of the history of Syrian spiritual culture. At a certain point, due to historical events, the era of prosperity was replaced by a period of fragmentation and decline caused by the onslaught of Arab and Tatar-Mongol tribes. As a result of socio-political persecution and disunity of the Syrian Jacobite Christians, many of them were forced to leave their lands and settle in the territories of modern Turkey, Lebanon and Iraq.
In conclusion, it can be noted that at present there are no results in the theological dialogue between Orthodoxy and the Syriac Jacobite Church. However, there is interaction between Christians in the face of external trials.
Theological Collection of the Tambov Theological Seminary. 2025;(1 (30)):167-180
167-180
Continuity of pedagogical approaches of St. Philaret (Drozdov) and Hieromartyr Thaddeus (Uspensky) in performing the system of spiritual education in Russia: on the formulation of the problem
Resumo
The article is devoted to identifying the ideological continuity in the work of Saint Philaret (Drozdov) (first half of the 19th century) and Hieromartyr Thaddeus (Uspensky) (early 20th century) in reforming the system of spiritual education in Russia. The relevance of the topic is due to the need to study the experience of previous generations in the field of spiritual and moral education and training for the purpose of using it in the modern education system.
The authors studied Charters of the Theological Academies of 1814, 1868, the publication “Filaret, Metropolitan of Moscow and Kolomna. Collection of Opinions and Reviews” in five volumes, containing the memoirs of contemporaries who witnessed the reform of the system of spiritual education in the mid-19th century, as well as the work of Hieromartyr Thaddeus (Uspensky) “Notes on Didactics”. The authors use theoretical-analytical, ideographic, comparative methods of scientific research.
The study revealed the unity of the ideological and methodological approaches of the two archpastors in building a unified system of spiritual education in Russia. The commonality of the approach to transforming the educational model is noted in two areas: a) training of teaching staff and b) developing a common understanding of the purpose and objectives of spiritual education at all levels: from primary (church parish schools) to higher (theological academies). This made it possible to build a holistic vertical of spiritual education by the end of the 19 th century. Out by both hierarchs attempted to solve one of the pressing problems of the spiritual education system - the integration of secular sciences and theology.
Theological Collection of the Tambov Theological Seminary. 2025;(1 (30)):181-201
181-201
Spiritual Literature
Agioseme as a component of the semantic structure of religious vocabulary
Resumo
The article is devoted to the controversial issue of classification of religious vocabulary. It presents a critical analysis of existing approaches to classification and nomination of religious vocabulary. The purpose of this study is to substantiate a new approach to classification of religious vocabulary based on the criterion of the presence of agioseme in the semantic structure of the lexeme.
Agioseme is considered as a minimal component of the semantic structure of a word, which has the meaning of holiness, which is often expressed implicitly or contextually, and allows the lexeme to be classified as a lexical-semantic group “religion”. Agioseme is identified using the methods of component, contextual and comparative analysis, as well as the functional-semantic method. The object of the study is Orthodox religious vocabulary.
As a result of the conducted research, a classification of religious vocabulary is proposed according to the following criteria: 1) by religion (Christian, Islamic, Buddhist), 2) by confessions (Orthodox, Protestant, Catholic, Old Believer, etc.), 3) by source (Biblical, New Testament), 4) by thematic principle, 5) by the presence/absence of agioseme.
The analysis of texts of different functional styles and discourses presented in the National Corpus of the Russian Language made it possible to identify several groups of vocabulary with the semantics of holiness, to analyze the phenomena of desacralization and sacralization. The results of the component analysis, the identification of the agioseme as a marker of religious context make it possible to differentiate religious and non-religious, sacred and profane meanings of one lexeme and to distinguish homonymy in different contexts.
Theological Collection of the Tambov Theological Seminary. 2025;(1 (30)):202-221
202-221
Translation
«Ἐπιτομὴ Ἱστοριῶν» by John Zonaras. The first Christian emperors: from Constantine I the Great (306-337) to Jovian (363364) (Part 1)
Resumo
John Zonaras, a Byzantine historian and canonist of the twelfth century, left behind a significant historiographical legacy in the form of his «Ἐπιτομὴ Ἱστοριῶν» in eighteen books, covering the period from the creation of the world to the accession to the throne of Emperor John Komnenos (1118). The first six books are devoted to biblical history, the next six to Roman history, and the final six to the history of the Christian empire. John Zonaras was largely based on the works of such ancient authors as Josephus and Dio Cassius.
In the “Roman” chapters, Zonaras focuses on periods when the Roman Empire faced internal and external challenges. The focus of this work is on the reigns of the Roman emperors from Alexander Severus to Justin I, including the period from 235 to 285. AD became known as the “crisis of the third century”, when the empire entered a period of significant political and social instability. Zonaras also draws attention to the many “parallel emperors” - usurpers who attempted to seize power in various provinces. «Ἐπιτομὴ Ἱστοριῶν» focuses on the difficulties the empire faced and how they affected the population. With the coming to power of Diocletian and the transition from the principate to the dominate, a new era began: the emperor carried out reforms aimed at strengthening administrative control and restoring the economy. He divided the empire into zones of competence of two Augusti and two Caesars (the so-called tetrarchy), which, in his opinion, should have contributed to more efficient management. However, despite the successful reforms, Diocletian’s reign also saw severe persecution of Christians, also noted by Zonaras.
Constantine I the Great made Christianity a permitted religion according to the Edict of Milan, and in fact began the process of giving it the status of a state religion, which ended with the Edict of Thessalonians “Cunctos populos” on February 27, 380, which made Nicene Christianity the state religion of the Roman Empire. Zonaras describes Constantine as a commander and reformer. Through an analysis of the actions and policies of the emperors, Zonaras takes readers through a panorama of Roman history, demonstrating how the empire faced challenges and changes over the centuries, and how these changes shaped the oikoumene.
The first part of the published translation ends with the removal of Vetranio from power by Constantius II (further events are described in the second part of the translation).
Theological Collection of the Tambov Theological Seminary. 2025;(1 (30)):222-245
222-245