Проблематика русского национализма в церковной публицистике второй половины XIX – начала XX века

Abstract

The article deals with the attitude of the orthodox ecclesiastic authors of the second half of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century (clergy, theologians, journalists) toward such phenomenon of the social and political life of Russian society as nationalism. On the basis of articles and sermons published in eparchial media outlets, religious journals, newspapers and individual brochures, the article reconstructs and analyzes the insights of ecclesiastic journalists in the problem of relationship in Orthodox Christianity between the universal and the national; their ideas of nation and nationalism; the attitude toward cosmopolitanism. Special attention is paid to the issue of the existence of national Orthodox churches as integral parts of the unique Christian Church, to the craving of Orthodox nations for cultural and political separation, and acceptability of nationalism for Orthodox Christians. The author of the article argues that in spite of opinions pluralism regarding these issues, the judgment of the Church representatives about nationalism had much in common which allows to speak about the zeitgeist in assessments of the place of the national in Orthodox Christianity developed in that period of time in the Russian ecclesiastic environment. While not doubting the “universality” of Orthodox Christianity and denouncing national intolerance and “secular” nationalism of West European-style, the majority of ecclesiastic journalists, at the same time, criticized cosmopolitanism and tried to direct Russian nationalism, that was gaining popularity in society, to the ecclesiastic track, placing it at the service of Christianity.