The Evolution of the Ideas about Deification in St. John Popov’s Theological Legacy
https://doi.org/10.22394/2073-7203-2022-40-4-306-332
Abstract
The idea of deification (theosis) is one of the most relevant topics for the Orthodox theology today, and not only in Russia: “The Oxford Handbook of Deification” is forthcoming in 2023. However, there are numerous gaps in the history of Russian theology, which, for various reasons, have not drawn the attention of researchers. One of those gaps is related to the name of an outstanding early twentieth century Russian patrologist, Ivan Vasilievich Popov. He was the first in Russian theology to provide a conceptualization of this topic. While returning to this topic a few times in different contexts, Popov did not repeat himself but made substantial changes to his conception. In particular, in his last work he formulated the thesis on two forms of deification in the ancient Church: “realistic” and “idealistic”. Of much interest is also the context of his work, which is associated with the names of Popov’s elder contemporaries — Adolf von Harnack and Vladimir Solovyov. Without identifying himself entirely with other approaches, Popov ultimately tried to integrate the conception of deification into his own views on the ideal of Christian life.
Supporting agencies: Article is prepared within the “Russian religious academic theology of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century: ideas and contexts” project with assistance of St. Tikhon’s Orthodox University and Fund “The live Tradition”.
About the Author
P. Khondzinskii
Saint Tikhon’s Orthodox University of the Humanities
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Pavel Khondzinskii — Archpriest, Associated Professor
Moscow
References
1. Антоний (Храповицкий) митр. Полное собрание сочинений: В 3 т. Казань, 1900.
2. Гаврюшин Н.К. Русское богословие. Очерки и портреты. Нижний Новгород, 2011.
3. Голубцов С.А. Стратилаты академические. М., 1999.
4. Дионисий Ареопагит. Сочинения. СПб., 2002.
5. Лосский В. Н. Спор о Софии. М., 1996.
6. Оболевич Т. Мирра Лот-Бородина: историк, литератор, философ, богослов. СПб., 2020.
7. Попов И.В. Естественный нравственный закон. Сергиев Посад, 1897.
8. Попов И.В. Труды по патрологии. Т. 1. Сергиев Посад, 2004.
9. Соловьев В.С. Россия и вселенская Церковь. М., 1991.
10. Соловьев В.С. Собрание сочинений: В 10 т. СПб., 1912.
11. Флоренский П. Столп и утверждение истины. М., 2003.
12. Янышев И., протопр. Сущность христианства с нравственной точки зрения. СПб., 1877.
13. Antonii (Khrapoviczkij) mitr. (1900) Polnoe sobranie sochinenii [Complete Works], in 3 vol., Kazan`.
14. Coates, R. (2019) Deification in Russian Religious Thought. Between Revolution 1905–1917. Oxford.
15. Comte, A. (1967). Système de politique positive, Tome premier, Osnabruck.
16. Dionisij Areopagit (2002) Sochineniia [Works]. Saint-Petersburg.
17. Florenskii, P. (2003) Stolp i utverzhdenie istiny [Тhe Pillar and Affirmation of Truth]. Mosсow.
18. Gavryushin, N.K. (2011) Russkoe bogoslovie. Ocherki i portrety [Russian Theology. Essays and Portraits]. Nizhnii Novgorod.
19. Golubtsov, S. (1999) Stratilaty akademicheskie [Warriors of the Academy]. Mosсow.
20. Gross, J. (1938) La Divinisation du chrétien d’après les Pères grecs. Contribution historique à la doctrine de grâce. Paris.
21. Harnack, A. (1893) Dogmengeschichte. Freiburg und Leipzig.
22. Keating, D. (2015) “Typologies of Deification”, International Journal of Systematic Theology 17(3): 267–283.
23. Losskii, V.N. (1996) Spor o Sofii [The dispute about Sofia]. Mosсow.
24. Obolevich, T. (2020) Mirra LotBorodina: istorik, literator, filosof, bogoslov [Mirra LotBorodina: Historian, Writer, Philosopher, Theologian]. Saint-Petersburg.
25. Pilch, J. (2018) ‘Breathing the spirit with both lungs’: Deification in the Work of Vladimir Solov’ev. Leuven — Paris — Bristol.
26. Popov, I.V. (1897) Estestvennyj nravstvennyi zakon [The Natural Moral Law]. Sergiev Posad.
27. Popov, I.V. (2004) Trudy po patrologii [Works on Patrology]. T. 1, Sergiev Posad, 2004.
28. Russell, N. (2004) The Doctrine of Deification in the Greek Patristic Tradition. Oxford.
29. Solov’ev V. S. (1912) Sobranie sochinenii [Collected Works]. V 10 t., Saint-Petersburg.
30. Solov’ev V. S. (1991) Rossiia i Vselenskaia Tserkov’ [Russia and the Universal Church]. Mosсow.
31. Yany`shev I., protopr. (1877) Sushnost’ khristianstva s nravstvennoi tochki zreniia [The essence of Christianity from a moral point of view]. Saint-Petersburg.
Review
For citations:
Khondzinskii P. The Evolution of the Ideas about Deification in St. John Popov’s Theological Legacy. State, Religion and Church in Russia and Worldwide. 2022;40(4):306-332. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.22394/2073-7203-2022-40-4-306-332
Views:
33
Email this article 