Vl.S. Solovyov's idea of Christian unity in the conditions of the 20–21st centuries challenges
Publication Title:
Vl.S. Solovyov's idea of Christian unity in the conditions of the 20–21st centuries challenges
Abstract:
This article examines the concept of Christian unity in the context of Russian philosophical thought. The author analyzes the works of Vl.S. Solovyov, as well as the works of Russian religious philosophers of the early 20th century, theologians and church leaders of the 20th-21st centuries, devoted to issues of ecclesiastic unity. The study demonstrates the enduring relevance of Solovyov’s ideas on ecclesiastic unity in the context of modern geopolitical and sociocultural challenges. The work relies on the encyclicals of the Roman pontiffs, the official decrees of the Second Vatican Council, the definitions of the Bishops' Council of the Russian Orthodox Church, the views of Russian philosophers of the 20th century, among whom N.O. Lossky, V.V. Zenkovsky, G.V. Florovsky, S.N. Bulgakov, S.L. Frank, and A.F. Losev. The author implements the historical and philosophical research method, as well as methods of historical analysis and comparative religion. The article analyzes the evolution of the idea of Christian unity in the thought of Vl.S. Solovyov from the project of ecclesiastic unity to the eschatological pessimism of “Three Conversations about War, Progress and the End of World History”. The author pays attention to its reception in the intellectual and church space of the 20th and 21st centuries and the relevance for determining the directions of contemporary Russian society’s development. In essence, the author of the article substantiates the thesis that the idea of Christian unity of Vl.S. Solovyov could be a possible intellectual basis in formulating responses to the challenges that the church faces today regarding its participation in creating humane world order.
References:
(Sources)
- Dekret ob ekumenizme [Unitatis Redintegratio], in Dokumenty II Vatikanskogo Sobora [Documents of the Second Vatican Council]. Moscow: Paoline, 2024, pp. 170–192.
Collected Works
- Solov'ev, V.S. Tri razgovora o voyne, progresse i kontse istorii [Three Conversations on War, Progress and the End of World History], in Sobranie sochineniy v 10 t., t. 10 [Collected Works in 10 vols., vol. 10]. Saint-Petersburg: Prosveshchenie, 1914, pp. 139–280.
Individual works
- Bulgakov, S.N. U kladezya Iakovleva [At Jacob's Closet], in Khristianskoe vossoedinenie. Ekumenicheskaya problema v pravoslavnom soznanii [Christian Reunion. The Ecumenical Problem in Orthodox Consciousness]. Paris: YMCA-Press, 1933, pp. 9–33.
- Florovsky, G.V. O granitsakh Tserkvi [On the Borders of the Church]. Put', 1934, no. 44 (July – September), pp. 15–44.
- Frank, S.L. Tri besedy o Vladimire Solov'eve [Three conversations about Vladimir Soloviev], in Voprosy filosofii, 2017, no. 6, pp. 109–122.
6. Losev, A.F. Vladimir Solov'ev I ego vremya [Vladimir Soloviev and his time]. Moscow: Progress, 1990. 624 p.
7. Losskiy, N.O. Istoriya russkoy filosofii [History of Russian Philosophy]. Moscow: Sovetskiy pisatel', 1991. 482 p.
(Articles from Scientific Journals)
8. Besschetnova, E. Vladimir Solovyov’s idea of ecclesiastic unity and the Holy See, in Zeitschrift fur Slawistik, 2024, vol. 69, no. 1, pp. 101–114.
9. Besschetnova, E. The Idea of Christian Unity at the End of the Nineteenth Century (the Case of Vl.S. Solovyov), in Church History and Religious Culture, 2019, no. 99, pp. 46–63.
10. Besschetnova, E.V. Stal li Vl.S. Solov'ev katolikom (istoriko-filosofskiy analiz) [Did Vl.S. Solovyov as a Catholic (historical and philosophical analysis)], in Istoriya Filosofii, 2021, vol. 26, no. 1, pp. 76–86.
11. Besschetnova, E.V. Entsiklika L'va XIII o khristianskom edinstve «Praeclara Gratulationis Publicae» (1894) i ee retseptsiya A.A. Kireevym [Encyclical of Leo XIII on Christian unity “Praeclara Gratulationis Publicae” (1894) and its reception by A.A. Kireev], in Edinstvo Tserkvi v Predanii, istorii i sovremennosti: materialy nauchnoy konferentsii [Unity of the Church in Tradition, History and Modernity: Materials of a Scientific Conference]. Moscow: Izdatel'stvo PSTGU, 2021, pp. 143–155.
12. Chernyaev, A.V., Berdnikova, A.Yu. Put' V.S. Solov'eva k «Istorii i budushchnosti teokratii»: polemika o dogmaticheskom razvitii tserkvi na stranitsakh zhurnala «Vera i Razum» (1884–1891) [Vladimir Soloviev’s Way to “The History and The Future of Theocracy”: Controversy about the Dogmatic Development of the Church on the Pages of “Faith and Reason” Magazine (1884–1891)], in Vestnik RUDN. Seriya: Filosofiya, 2019, no. 2(23), pp. 118–132.
13. Likoudis, J. Vladimir Soloviev (‘The Russian Newman’) on Christian Politics and Ecumenism, in The Catholic Social Science Review, 2011, no. 16, pp. 195–211.
14. Obolevich, T. The Metaphysical Foundations of the Ecumenical Project of Vladimir Solovyov, in Journal of Eastern Christian Studies, 2015, vol. 67, issue 1–2, pp. 33–45.
15. Vorozhikhina, K.V. V.S. Solovyov mezhdu pravoslaviem i katolichestvom: otkliki sovremennikov [Soloviev between Orthodoxy and Catholicism: responses from contemporaries], in Istoriya Filosofii, 2021, vol. 26, no. 2, pp. 35–45.
(Monographs)
16. Noble, I. Essays in Ecumenical Theology I: Aims, Methods, Themes, and Contexts. Leiden: Brill, 2019. 286 p.
17. Pilch, J. Breathing the Spirit with both Lungs: Deification Vladimir Solov’ev. Leuven: Peeters, 2018. 249 p.
(Electronic Resources)
18. John Paul II Ut Unum Sint. Available at: // https://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/encyclicals/documents/hf_... (access11.07.2024).
19. John Paul II Fides et Ratio. Available at: // https://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/encyclicals/documents/hf_jp-ii_enc_14091998_fides-et-ratio.html (access 10.10.2024).
20. Opredelenie osvyashchennogo Arkhiereyskogo Sobora Russkoy Pravoslavnoy Tserkvi (Moskva, 24–29 iyunya 2008 goda) «O edinstve Tserkvi» [Definition of the consecrated Council of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church (Moscow, June 24–29, 2008) “On the unity of the Church”]. Available at: // http://www.patriarchia.ru/db/text/428916.html (access 11.07.2024).
21. Pius XI Mortalium animos. Available at: // https://www.vatican.va/content/pius-xi/en/encyclicals/documents/hf_p-xi_... (access 10.07.2024).
Key words:
ecclesiastic unity, Christian unity, ecumenical movement in 20 century, Church history in 20–21 centuries, interfaith dialogue, globalisation, post-secular society
The DOI index:
10.17588/2076-9210.2024.4.055-065
Publication file:
