Orthodox Church Research Articles

Orthodox Christian Conception of Hell and African Traditional Religion (ATR) Eschatology

Hell in orthodox Christian eschatology is presented as a place of eternal punishment for the damned or sinners. Damnation follows from disobedience to God’s will. Hell is contrasted with heaven, a place of eternal reward and benefits for the righteous. In contrast to this eschatology, African Traditional Religion (ATR) broadly denies the existence of hell. ATR rather asserts that violators of God’s moral codes receive their punishment on earth while those who have lived ethically laudable lives transition to a new phase of existence in the ancestral realm, the ideal home. Given that the ancestral realm can be compared with the Christian heaven, more or less, African eschatology paints a less gloomy picture of human destiny than orthodox Christian eschatology. We assert, in this article, that the ATR eschatology that denies the existence of hell is more ethically attractive than the Christian eschatology that punishes temporally bounded wrongdoing with eternal damnation. We argue the attractiveness of the African view from the perspective of the understanding of God as a benevolent being, which both orthodox Christian theism and traditional African theism endorse.

Sculpting Civilizations: The Influence of Artwork in the Maintenance of Ancient Cities

The role of art in the development of urban life is an important topic relating to communication, creativity, and the Great Traditions of urbanism. Art is a necessary way to communicate ideals and traditions; for example, stained glass in orthodox churches is used as an alternative to the Bible to teach the illiterate the stories about orthodox religion. Trends in art forms, styles, and subject could indicate a lot about urban values and how these values change over time as cities develop. This free range of expression gives insight into what city populations valued. Styles reveal how conservative a community is, or what mindsets and way of thinking people have. For instance, abstract styles tell us about the more scattered ways people approach issues and themes, while something like pop art can tell us about the value of cultural revolution and a progressive mindset. Art, particularly public art, illuminates political ideologies, inequalities, public consciousness, narratives, and religions. The study of urban art can also simply help us visualize and recreate what experiencing a city is like in the viewpoint of the citizens living there. Through a close analysis of the impact of artwork in Ancient Egypt and Ancient China, we can see which famous theories on the development on ancient cities can be applied to explain the role of art in its maintenance.

Politics and Religion in Communist Romania—Case Studies: André Scrima and Valeriu Anania

(1) Background: The present research aims to emphasize the interest of the Securitate in theological matters with the help of information provided by the Romanian Securitate Archives. To this end, we will focus on two important personalities of the Romanian theological space, namely André Scrima (1925–2000), who left Romania in 1956 and refused to go back, and Valeriu Bartolomeu Anania, who was imprisoned for political reasons and later sent to the USA between 1966 and 1977. Both were writers and theological and cultural personalities (Scrima was well known internationally, while Anania had made a name for himself within the borders of the country). Therefore, the question this research will try to answer is the following: What was the interest of the Romanian Securitate in terms of religious aspects and particularly in the Orthodox Church? (2) Results: This analysis of the documents from the Romanian Securitate Archives proves that, although such an interest existed, it was rather superficial and was mostly related to the potential relations between politics and theology. (3) Methods: This analysis is qualitative and consists of a case study based on the interpretation of primary sources. (4) Conclusions: The conclusion of this research is that the Romanian Securitate was interested in the personalities and the work of André Scrima and Valeriu Bartolomeu Anania and their relationships with various people. However, the theological aspect was only of secondary interest to the Romanian Securitate.

Сучасний геноцид українців крізь призму концепції совєтського геноциду Рафала Лемкіна

In his speech delivered in New York in 1953, the famous international lawyer, the author of the term “genocide”, Raphael Lemkin proposed his own vision of the policy of the USSR towards Ukrainians as genocide. He believed that not only the extermination of Ukrainians by famine in 1932–1933 should be seemed as genocide, but also more broadly all actions of the Kremlin aimed at the Russification of the Ukrainian nation. The lawyer spoke of four “strikes”, “prongs” of the attack on the Ukrainian nation. Even after Ukraine became independent in 1991, the Russian pressure directed against the Ukrainian statehood continued. The events escalated in 2014 with the occupation of Crimea and Russian invasion to the Donetsk and Luhansk region. The purpose of the repressive measures the pro-Kremlin forces (such as physical attacks against active people, exclusion of the Ukrainian language from all spheres of social life, etc.) took on the occupied territories was to break the “spine” of the Ukrainian resistance there. Importantly, R. Lemkin’s concept can also be applied to the events of the Russian-Ukrainian fullscale war, which has been ongoing since February 24, 2022 and which many countries of the world have already recognized as genocidal. At the same time, the scholarly discussions about the genocidal nature of this war and ways of using of this term in international law and politics are ongoing. In particular, the Russian occupiers destroy the “brain of the nation”. They kidnap, imprison and kill Ukrainian intellectuals, journalists and writers, confiscate Ukrainian-language books from libraries as “Nazi literature” and burn them down, and deny children access to education in the Ukrainian language. The invaders are also attacking the “soul of the nation”, destroying churches and repressing the clergy of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine and Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church. Instead, the Kremlin uses the Russian Orthodox Church under its control to popularize anti-Ukrainian ideas among the general public. The occupiers are also massively destroying the “body of the nation” – the population of the occupied territories, “average Ukrainians”. This happens due to the killing of civilians, physical, psychological and sexual violence against them, creation of conditions incompatible with life (humanitarian disasters) on the temporarily occupied territories, systematic shelling and destruction of critical infrastructure, etc. In addition, we should mention the confiscation of crops from Ukrainian farmers, which is reminiscent of the actions of the Bolsheviks during the Holodomor. Finally, the enemy fragments the Ukrainian nation by Russifying and deporting the inhabitants of the temporarily occupied territories, including children, to Russia and populating the captured Ukrainian lands, cities and towns with representatives of other nations. Therefore, the analysis of current events through the prism of R. Lemkin’s concept reveals the tenacity of the Russian misanthropic policy towards the Ukrainian nation and Moscow’s boundless imperial ambitions. In particular, the actions of Russian troops in the occupied territories (systematic violence, repression, attack on the Ukrainian language and culture, encroachment on religious freedoms, forced deportations, etc.) pose a serious threat to the Ukrainian identity of the residents and lead to theRussification of the temporarily occupied territories. As in the times of the USSR, the current leadership of the Kremlin manipulates information, hiding its crimes from the world and using propaganda to create a positive image of the government among the population. Putin’s regime already objects to comparing the events of a full-scale war with the Holodomor, and this tendency is probably going to increase in the future. In conclusion, our approach also demonstrates a certain universality of R. Lemkin’s ideas regarding the actions of the Kremlin against enslaved nations. Keywords: genocide, Holodomor, Raphael Lemkin, Russian-Ukrainian war, crime, Ukrainian nation.

On the crossroads of faith: the catholic church and the Serbian Orthodox Church in the Kingdom of the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes/Yugoslavia through the eyes of US ministers and consuls in Belgrade and Zagreb

On the crossroads of faith: the catholic church and the Serbian Orthodox Church in the Kingdom of the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes/Yugoslavia through the eyes of US ministers and consuls in Belgrade and Zagreb

RETRACTED: Kokkinopoulou et al. Associations Between Christian Orthodox Church Fasting and Adherence to the World Cancer Research Fund's Cancer Prevention Recommendations. Nutrients 2022, 14, 1383.

The Nutrients Editorial Office retracts the article "Associations between Christian Orthodox Church Fasting and Adherence to the World Cancer Research Fund's Cancer Prevention Recommendations" [...].

The Orthodox parish as a mirror of post-Reform Russia

The article is a review of the monograph by A.L. Beglov, dedicated to the history of the Orthodox parish in pre-revolutionary Russia. The article reveals the place of the monograph’s topics in historiography dedicated to the history of the Orthodox Church, features of the study of this topic at different stages of the development of historical studies. The main aspects of the content of the monograph are elucidated, the features of the theoretical, methodological and source base of the study, its advantages and disadvantages are revealed.

The terror of the red partisans against the clergy and believers during the Civil War in the South-Western Siberia: an experience of generalization

The article summarizes the results of the analysis of a dramatic chapter in the history of the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) during the civil war in the South-Western Siberia. Based on archival material and information from publications of the early 20th century, as well as the works of Siberian historians, this study examines the reasons for the persecution of clergy, the geographical distribution of the red “partisanism” activities, the connection between anarcho-syndicalism and terror. In additions, the paper estimates approximate the number of victims and the consequences of these tragic events. It was revealed that pogroms of believers and clergy, robbery and destruction of prayer facilities took place everywhere throughout South-Western Siberia. The escalation of terror was exacerbated by the influence of anarchist ideas among the commanding staff of the partisan detachments, who took an implacable and more radical attitude than the Bolsheviks to the institution of the church and the clergy.

In the vicious circle of bureaucratization and reform of parish life

The paper discusses the main points and conclusions of A. L. Beglov's monograph "The Orthodox Parish at the Decline of the Russian Empire". It notes contribution of this research to the study of the history of the Russian Orthodox Church in general and the parish in particular.

Retraction: Dietary patterns in adults following the Christian Orthodox fasting regime in Greece

Retraction: Dietary patterns in adults following the Christian Orthodox fasting regime in Greece

Materials and Techniques of the Mural Paintings in the Church-Ossuary of the Rila Monastery, Bulgaria

This presented research examined the wall paintings in the Church-Ossuary Presentation of the Blessed Virgin, part of the most important Rila Monastery complex in Bulgaria, painted by the painters from Mount Athos in 1795. The painting materials used to create the unique murals were studied for the first time by optical microscopy (OM), attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared (ATR–FTIR), scanning electron microscopy energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM–EDS), and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The vibrational and elemental analysis showed that the color palette of the paintings is composed of pigments traditional for Orthodox church wall paintings such as natural pigments, including yellow ochre, red ochre, green earth, and calcite, as well as other historical pigments of synthetic origin, including smalt, red lead, cinnabar, and verdigris. The analysis of the binders by the ATR–FTIR spectroscopy and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) analysis implied the use of the post-Byzantine egg tempera technique. Only the blue backgrounds in the murals were painted using a smalt-based paint mixed with a carbohydrate binder. Based on the current analysis and comparison with the successive paintings in the other churches of the Rila Monastery, it could be concluded that the technology of the painting process followed by the Athonite artists during the work in the Church-Ossuary became a point of reference for many Bulgarian icon-painters later.

Русская Зарубежная Церковь и начало «Свободной Церкви» (1990–1995 гг.)

The article is devoted to the history of the creation of a non–canonical structure by the Russian Church Abroad - the so-called "Russian Orthodox Free Church" (ROSC). The article explores the reasons why the ROCOR in 1990, instead of reconciliation with the Moscow Patriarchate, went to confrontation, creating dioceses on its canonical territory. The reasons why the Russian Orthodox Church did not become popular in the Orthodox environment and was marginalized at the very beginning of the 1990s are also being investigated. The reasons for the conflict between this structure and the ROCOR leadership are also considered. Based on documents and materials, as well as the periodicals of the ROCOR and the Russian Orthodox Church, it is concluded that the reason for the failure of the "Free Church" was, first of all, the misunderstanding of the leadership of the Church Abroad of Russian realities, groundless confidence that the Russian population will massively move to a new structure. Among other reasons is the impoverishment of the spiritual and intellectual forces of the ROCOR, confident in the success of the new project. The result was an unsuccessful personnel policy, the admission of far from the best representatives of the clergy to the Russian Orthodox Church. In parallel with the problems that began, representatives of the Russian Church Abroad began to understand that its "return" to its homeland should take place not through the creation of a non-canonical parallel "Church", but through dialogue.

Новые типы епархиальных духовно-учебных заведений в Российской империи в начале ХХ века

The article is devoted to the topic of additional diocesan educational institutions in the system of spiritual educational institutions of the Russian Empire. The crisis of spiritual education, which appeared at the turn of the XIX–XX centuries, intensified by the revolutionary events of 1905-1907, caused a heated debate in the public and church environment about the upcoming reform. The paper examines the causes and patterns of the emergence of new schools and courses at the local level, which preceded the legislative formalization of innovations, their integration into the existing state system of spiritual education. A special place in the article is given to trends in women's spiritual education: the creation of local theological schools alternative to diocesan women's schools, which preceded the reorganization of educational institutions for girls under the management of the Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church. The article attempts to study the emergence of local diocesan educational institutions not only as separate events in the life of the dioceses of the Russian Orthodox Church. The article attempts to study the emergence of local di-ocesan educational institutions not only as separate events in the life of the dioceses of the Russian Orthodox Church. A generalized view of new educational institutions in the context of social and social phenomena makes it possible to see the relationship of additional schools with the transformations of the theological school after 1917.

The local Cathedral is under management The Russian Orthodox Church and its theological meaning

This article is devoted to the institute of the Local Council, which, according to the Charter of the Russian Orthodox Church, is the central governing body. We emphasize that the Patriarch must report to the Local Council. Moreover, the Bishops' Council has the right to judge the Patriarch. It is in the work of the Council that collegiality and conciliarity in making ecclesiastical and theological decisions are expressed. In addition to the administrative meaning, the Local Cathedral also has a theological semantic content, since the Church is considered not only as a social institution, but also as a mystical divine-human organism. At the Cathedral, people may differ in the context of life experience, some ideological details, but at the same time they stay in a single spiritual space. The central place of the Local Council in the life of the Church fully corresponds not only to the administrative expediency, but also to the theological essence of the Russian Orthodox Church.

«Умелое слово» священника А. В. Анисимова: из истории русской духовной миссии в Иерусалиме во 2-й пол. 1880-х гг.

The article characterises the educational activities of the visiting employee of the Russian Spiritual Mission in Jerusalem, priest Alexander Vasilyevich Anisimov in 1887–1889. It describes the main facts of his biography and shows that prior to his appointment to Jerusalem he had had close contacts with the Holy Land as a pilgrim and spiritual writer. The position of a visiting employee established on the initiative and with financial support of the Orthodox Palestine Society, was associated with the need to accompany Russian pilgrims during their trips to Holy Places, to hold cultural and educational lectures (Palestinian readings) in Russian houses in evening time. A. V. Anisimov, who worked under the direct supervision and in collaboration with the head of the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission, Archimandrite Antonin (Kapustin), successfully coped with his responsibilities and gained love and respect of pilgrims. The readings were devoted to regular Christian holidays, the Sacred history of the Old and New Testaments, the history of the Russian Orthodox Church, various spiritual and moral issues, and were accompanied by a demonstration of pictures and choral singing. The obstacles to the continuation of A. V. Anisimov’s work included health problems, his desire to go beyond the boundaries of his duties, confl icts with the Greek clergy of Jerusalem Patriarchate. It is concluded that A. V. Anisimov’s activities laid the foundation for the Palestine Readings, which at that time were a new form of work and by the mid-20th century gradually transformed into a mass phenomenon, involving millions of Orthodox people throughout Russia.

(Safe) Water as the Condition for Sustainable Development in Light of the Climate Crisis: An Eastern Orthodox Reflection

After reflecting on the issue of (safe) water in the context of SDG 6 with the support of the most recent scientific data, the present study provides clear theological reasoning based on insights developed within the Eastern Orthodox tradition, such as ontological interconnectedness, deep incarnation, and cosmic liturgy towards an eco-ethos which can contribute to sustainable environmental development.

Mediums, Media, and Mediated “Post”-Truth: Baba Vanga in the Russian Imagination

Abstract It is impossible to understand the phenomenon of disinformation without unraveling the more perplexing notion of “truth.” This article explores how a Bulgarian psychic or prophet named Baba Vanga (1911–1996) became one of the most noteworthy mediums of “truth” in twentieth- and twenty-first-century Russian imagination. With Bulgarian-Russian transnational ties as context, we trace how belief in Baba Vanga’s abilities and prophecies was propagated by witnesses via word-of-mouth, newspaper articles, books, TV programming, and the internet. We periodize the ways Vanga secured a place in Russian “truth worlds,” drawing upon both science and religion or a conglomeration of both. We look deeper into the origins and more recent circulation of a purported Vanga prophecy from 1979: namely, that Russia would rise to be the ruler of the world. The dissemination of this message, we argue, is not a Russian state plot to bolster aspirations in Ukraine and its standoff with the West. Instead it has been transmitted in far more fragmented and mediated ways and even countered by the Russian Orthodox Church. A deeper pondering of these mediations of Baba Vanga can help us better understand what we call the “post”-truth world, in which truth is crafted by online “posts.” In contrast to the notion of “post-truth” that posits a dearth of truth, our concept of “post”-truth recognizes that truth is not just in unprecedented excess today but is built through a complex and participatory bricolage that uses science and religion to build shared realities as never before in history.

Positive Influence: Negotiating a Church Historiographical Canon with the West

The present article discusses the way in which the historiographical canon on the history of the Orthodox and Greek Catholic Churches in Transylvania during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries was reconceptualized during and in the aftermath of the academic visit of Western specialists in Romania. Keith Hitchins’s visit to Romania in the early 1970s to undertake research in the church archives for his work on the history of the Romanian intelligentsia in the Austro-Hungarian Empire made an impact on how the history of the Greek Catholic Church was portrayed in the religious journals of the Romanian Orthodox Church. The subtle shifts in the canon included distinguishing the Greek Catholics from the Orthodox in Transylvania and reintroducing the Greek Catholic interwar historiography into the interpretation.

Revival of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church (1989-1991)

Revival of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church (1989-1991)

Историческая значимость деятельности Иоанна Каподистрии в решении греческого вопроса в первой половине XIX века

The article examines the activities of Ioannis Kapodistrias as an eminent politician and diplomat in the history of Russia and Greece. It analyzes Kapodistrias’ contributions to the national liberation struggle of the Greek people for independence from Ottoman domination. The role of Russia in facilitating Greece’s path to independence is highlighted, alongside an exploration of the leaders of the Greek national liberation movement. The significance of Orthodox faith, indigenous traditions, and culture for the Greek people is also addressed. The research underscores the pivotal role of Ioannis Kapodistrias in fostering relations between the peoples of Greece and Russia, grounded in their shared Orthodox faith and the institution of the Orthodox Church. An examination of archival data, scholarly works, historical literature, and the statements of high-ranking officials from the Russian Federation provides essential groundwork for further study of the personality of Ioannis Kapodistrias, as well as the application of his experiences and insights in the modern geopolitical conjuncture.