Perhaps no Russian social class has been more colorfully and crudely pigeonholed than the 'ecclesiastics'
from the nihilistic seminary student through the village priest, exotic sectarian, and high-ranking but obscurantist religious bureaucrat. This path-breaking volume corrects the picture with fascinating unexpected histories: of a Russian Orthodox Enlightenment, of miracle-verification in a Marxist era, of academic churchmen developing theism out of Kant and legal philosophers insisting on a religious base for human dignity, of Pushkin (and Pasternak) read through a sacred lens and Vladimir Solov'ev through a liberal one. A treasure-house of solid research and intellectual rigor, in which we see the believing Russian mind working together with the Russian heart.
Caryl Emerson, Princeton University Perhaps no Russian social class has been more colorfully and crudely pigeonholed than the ecclesiastics from the nihilistic seminary student through the village priest, exotic sectarian, and high-ranking but obscurantist religious bureaucrat. This path-breaking volume corrects the picture with fascinating unexpected histories: of a Russian Orthodox Enlightenment, of miracle-verification in a Marxist era, of academic churchmen developing theism out of Kant and legal philosophers insisting on a religious base for human dignity, of Pushkin (and Pasternak) read through a sacred lens and Vladimir Solov ev through a liberal one. A treasure-house of solid research and intellectual rigor, in which we see the believing Russian mind working together with the Russian heart. Caryl Emerson, Princeton University A testament to the high level of diversity, vibrancy, and innovation currently present in the study of Russian religious thought and Russian Orthodoxy. American Historical Review Offer[s] a panoramic view of how Russian Orthodox thought informed religious practice, shaped church politics, and permeated virtually every aspect of Russian cultural production. Russian Review A serious contribution to the analysis of Russian religious history [that] will, hopefully, stimulate further reconsiderations of the role of lay and ecclesiastical religious thought in Russia s intellectual and cultural development. Slavic Review Whereas scholarship has focused on Church history, the clergy, and popular Orthodoxy, it has largely neglected Russian religious thought. This volume examines leading figures, from Platon (Levshin) to Pavel Florenskii, as well as critical issues, such as Imiaslavie and miracles; its impressive erudition, original research, and critical rethinking of key texts and figures make this a major contribution to our understanding Russian Orthodoxy. Gregory Freeze, Brandeis University Whereas scholarship has focused on Church history, the clergy, and popular Orthodoxy, it has largely neglected Russian religious thought. This volume examines leading figures, from Platon (Levshin) to Pavel Florenskii, as well as critical issues, such as Imiaslavie and miracles; its impressive erudition, original research, and critical rethinking of key texts and figures make this a major contribution to our understanding Russian Orthodoxy.
Gregory Freeze, Brandeis University