Orthodoxy

Orthodox Anti-Ecumenism 2.0: Mobilization Model, Securitization and Revanchism

From “Bioethics” to “Christian Bioethics”: Significance of H.T. Engelhardt’s Legacy in Today’s Russia

A perception of “Christian bioethics” developed by the American philosopher Hugo Tristram Engelhardt in Russia requires a systematic interdisciplinary analysis. This is due to the realities of medical practice, as well as cultural and historical differences between the Russian and American societies. In Russia, there are certain difficulties in the open discussion of ethical issues in the public sphere.

Politics in the Church: For Whom Do Orthodox Priests Call to Vote?

The article provides a study of the relationship between politics and religion in contemporary Russia. The authors analyze the materials of the survey “Socio-Political Preferences of Russian Society” (number of people identifying themselves as Orthodox believers N=2,735), which showed that at least 21.1% of the sample make decisions concerning their electoral choices under direct influence of priests and fellow parishioners. The authors reveal the political forces who are beneficiaries of the Orthodox vote.

Old Believers Wanderers in the Second Half of the 19th — Early 20th Century (Based upon Reports of Kargopol Missionaries)

The article discusses the patterns of everyday life of the Old Believerswanderers in the territory of Kargopol district of the Olonets province. It draws upon new archival materials of church and secular origin, as well as a number of significant works by the missionaries. The study explores peculiarities of the wanderers’ worldview, the forms and methods of their preaching activity, and the structure of their communities. The wonderers’ teaching was deeply eschatological, which led to a complete break with “the world of Antichrist”.

On Anna Stepanova, a Peasant from the Kostroma Uyezd, Revered as the Theotokos

This paper examines the eighteenth-century Kostroma Christ-believers’ community. It is based on the 1747 police investigation case against the merchant Ivan Krupennikov, held in the Fund of the Most Holy Synod at the Russian State Historical Archive. One of the important figures in the case was Anna Stepanova, a peasant from the Kostroma district, revered as the Theotokos. The paper introduces new archival materials and describes some religious practices of heterodox communities in eighteenth-century town of Kostroma.

History of Russian Orthodoxy in the Age of Revolutions and Modernization: Review of an International Conference in Smolensk

The conference “Russian Orthodoxy from modernity to the present day (late 19th — late 20th centuries): projections of the Great Russian revolution in history and historiography” was held on June 15–17, 2018 at Smolensk State University. The conference was attended by more than 30 scholars from various academic centers of Russia, Belarus, Latvia, Poland and the USA.

Religion and Identity in Buryatia: Competition between Orthodoxy and Buddhism in Late Imperial Russia (On Materials from St. Petersburg Archives)

This paper discusses the political importance of religious identity in the context of competition between Orthodoxy and Buddhism in the Buryat spiritual space in the nineteenth and the beginning of the twentieth century. Christianization of Buryats as well as other non‑Russians in the remote regions of Russia seemed a necessary tool for strengthening the borders of the empire, which were under threat from Qing China.

“Alanian Princess, Princess of Vladimir”: Maria Yasynia, Russian-Ossetian Connections, and Conservative Family Values

This article is devoted to a canonization initiative — to bring the local (Vladimir diocese) saint, Maria Shvarnovna (Yasynia) (c. 1158–1206), grandmother of Alexander Nevsky, to the Church-wide veneration. Maria Yasynia is seen to be of Alanian (Ossetian) origin, and hence the great interest to her personality among Orthodox activists in today’s North Ossetia-Alania, as well as among some people from local government and Moscow ecclesiastical establishment.

’The Calendar Question’: Conciliar Discussions Throughout History and Today

This article examines the role of church councils in reaching a common date for Easter in the first millennium (the Quartodeciman debates, the First Ecumenical Council and after), as well as attempts towards a pan-Orthodox solution of the calendar issue in the 20th century (with a special focus on Russia).

The Roman Catholic Church and the Construction of National Identity in Estonia in the Interwar Period (According to Vatican Archival Materials)

The paper deals with the relations of the Holy See and Estonia in the interwar period. During this period, the Vatican showed interest in the possibility of advancement of Catholicism in the newly formed Estonian state. This activity of the Holy See was met with understanding on the part of the Estonian political elite.

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