The Individual in the Eastern Orthodox Tradition / L'Individu dans la tradition orthodoxe orientale - article ; n°1 ; vol.91, pg 41-65

Andréas Buss

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Archives des sciences sociales des religions - Année 1995 - Volume 91 - Numéro 1 - Pages 41-65
The comparative sociology of Louis Dumont (1982) explained the rise of modern inworldly individualism as the result of the transformation, initiated mainly by a changing Church/State relationship since the eighth century, of the outworldly individualism of early Christianity. In this paper the question is asked whether a similar transformation took place in Eastern Orthodox Christianity. The enquiry, which examines Orthodox monachism and the Church/State relationship in Byzantium and in Russia, further the Russian Old Believers, the Slavophiles and Populists, arrives at the conclusion that Eastern Orthodoxy has remained a tradition of holism and of outworldly individualism, of 'integral personality' and of individualism as the lower path to salvation. Modern individualism has no cultural basis in this tradition.
Louis Dumont, dans ses travaux de sociologie comparative, explique l'émergence de l'individualisme intramondain de la modernité par la transformation de l'individualisme extramondain des débuts du christianisme, liée principalement aux changements qui ont affecté les relations entre l'Etat et l'Eglise depuis le VIIIe siècle. Dans notre texte, on pose la question de savoir si le christianisme orthodoxe a connu une évolution similaire. Cette recherche, qui étudie le monachisme orthodoxe, et les relations Eglise/Etat à Byzance et en Russie, mais aussi les Vieux Croyants russes, les slavophiles et les populistes, conclut en affirmant que l'orthodoxie orientale est restée une tradition holiste basée sur un individualisme extramondain et sur la notion de personnalité totale, considérant l'individualisme comme le chemin le moins élevé vers le salut. L'individualisme moderne ne plonge donc pas ses racines culturelles dans cette tradition.
La sociologia comparativa de Louis Dumont (1982) explicó el ascenso del individualismo moderno como resultado de la transformatión del individualismo « fuera del mundo » del cristianismo primitivo. Esta transformación se inició con el cambio de las relaciones entre el Estado y la Iglesia a partir del siglo ocho. El autor de este articulo se pregunta si una transformación similar se produjó en el cristianismo orthodoxo oriental. El autor estudia el monaquismo ortodojo, la relación entre la Iglesia y el Estado en Bizancio y Rusia, y más adelante estudia los « Viejos Creyentes Rusos », los slavófilos, y los populistas. Concluye que cristianismo orthodoxo oriental sigue siendo una tradición de totalización y de individualismo «fuera del mundo», de «personalidad integral» y de individualismo concebido como el camino más bajo hacia la salvación. El individualismo moderno no tiene base cultural en esta tradición.
25 pages
Source : Persée ; Ministère de la jeunesse, de l’éducation nationale et de la recherche, Direction de l’enseignement supérieur, Sous-direction des bibliothèques et de la documentation.

Sujets

• Philosophie et théologie

Informations

• Publié par: Archives-des-sciences-sociales-des-religions
• Publié le: 01 janvier 1995
• Nombre de lectures: 18
• Langue: Français
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 2 Mo

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Andreas Buss
The Individual in the Eastern Orthodox Tradition / L'Individu
dans la tradition orthodoxe orientale
In: Archives des sciences sociales des religions. N. 91, 1995. pp. 41-65.
Citer ce document / Cite this document :
Buss Andreas. The Individual in the Eastern Orthodox Tradition / L'Individu dans la tradition orthodoxe orientale. In: Archives
des sciences sociales des religions. N. 91, 1995. pp. 41-65.
doi : 10.3406/assr.1995.994
http://www.persee.fr/web/revues/home/prescript/article/assr_0335-5985_1995_num_91_1_994Résumé
Louis Dumont, dans ses travaux de sociologie comparative, explique l'émergence de l'individualisme
intramondain de la modernité par la transformation de l'individualisme extramondain des débuts du
christianisme, liée principalement aux changements qui ont affecté les relations entre l'Etat et l'Eglise
depuis le VIIIe siècle. Dans notre texte, on pose la question de savoir si le christianisme orthodoxe a
connu une évolution similaire. Cette recherche, qui étudie le monachisme orthodoxe, et les relations
Eglise/Etat à Byzance et en Russie, mais aussi les Vieux Croyants russes, les slavophiles et les
populistes, conclut en affirmant que l'orthodoxie orientale est restée une tradition holiste basée sur un
individualisme extramondain et sur la notion de "personnalité totale", considérant l'individualisme
comme le chemin le moins élevé vers le salut. L'individualisme moderne ne plonge donc pas ses
racines culturelles dans cette tradition.
Resumen
La sociologia comparativa de Louis Dumont (1982) explicó el ascenso del individualismo moderno
como resultado de la transformatión del individualismo « fuera del mundo » del cristianismo primitivo.
Esta transformación se inició con el cambio de las relaciones entre el Estado y la Iglesia a partir del
siglo ocho. El autor de este articulo se pregunta si una transformación similar se produjó en el
cristianismo orthodoxo oriental.
El autor estudia el monaquismo ortodojo, la relación entre la Iglesia y el Estado en Bizancio y Rusia, y
más adelante estudia los « Viejos Creyentes Rusos », los slavófilos, y los populistas. Concluye que
cristianismo orthodoxo oriental sigue siendo una tradición de totalización y de individualismo «fuera del
mundo», de «personalidad integral» y de individualismo concebido como el camino más bajo hacia la
salvación. El individualismo moderno no tiene base cultural en esta tradición.
Abstract
The comparative sociology of Louis Dumont (1982) explained the rise of modern inworldly individualism
as the result of the transformation, initiated mainly by a changing Church/State relationship since the
eighth century, of the outworldly individualism of early Christianity. In this paper the question is asked
whether a similar transformation took place in Eastern Orthodox Christianity.
The enquiry, which examines Orthodox monachism and the Church/State relationship in Byzantium and
in Russia, further the Russian Old Believers, the Slavophiles and Populists, arrives at the conclusion
that Eastern Orthodoxy has remained a tradition of holism and of outworldly individualism, of 'integral
personality' and of individualism as the lower path to salvation. Modern individualism has no cultural
basis in this tradition.Arch de Sc soc des Rel. 1995 97 juillet-septembre 41-65
Andreas BUSS
THE INDIVIDUAL IN THE EASTERN
ORTHODOX TRADITION
INTRODUCTION
Among the characteristics of modernity individualism surely stands out
as one of the most fundamental Scholars have described its rise in the modern
Occident and even its transplantation to the other great civilizations of the
world as the characteristic feature of modern development They have also
speculated about its origin and have found it sometimes in the Renaissance
as did Burckhardt sometimes in the rise of the merchant class or the modern
city Others again believe that individualism is in one way or another deeply
entwined with the classical tradition of ancient Greece as well as with the
Judéo-Christian heritage and that perhaps the history of the Occident may be
interpreted as its gradual disentanglement and coming to prominence
Certainly there are those with nominalistic or empiricist scientific out
look for whom individuals and individualism exist everywhere in all cultures
and at all times They do not distinguish analytically the empirical human
being the individual sample of mankind which is indeed found in all cultures
and societies from the independent and autonomous individual to whom
paramount value is attached in modern society because of its individualistic
ideology Louis Dumont has insisted on this distinction and this led him to
oppose two kinds of societies where the individual is autonomous and
paramount value he spoke of individualism in the opposite case where the
society as whole is the paramount value and englobes the empirical in
dividuals or particular human beings he spoke of holism 1)
Dumont has also suggested that in the search for the origins of modern
individualism one should follow Max example and attach prominence
to religion With this in mind he has advanced the thesis that in early Chris
tianity the individual as value was conceived as apart from the given social
and political organization outside and beyond it an outworldly individual
as opposed to the inworldly individual in modern society In traditional holistic
societies as for instance also in the Indian instance where the
as value developed only outside of the hierarchical caste system among the
renouncers samnyasin and in the sects Dumont has argued the individual
41 DE SCIENCES SOCIALES DES RELIGIONS ARCHIVES
or individualism can only appear in its outworldly form in the sense that the
individual has devalued or even abandoned his social role and the transfor
mation from outworldly to inworldly individual or from holistic society to
individualistic society and to modernity then needs to be explained
Dumont has proposed an explanation of this transformation along the fol
lowing lines the early Christians first adopted from the Stoics the idea of
relative Law of Nature in order to partially adapt their outworldly values
to the social and political world Very soon however the conception by the
Church of its relation to the State becomes central for it indicates clearly
the relation between the bearer of value the outworldly individual and the
world The conversion of Constantine and then of the Roman Empire to
Christianity forced upon the Church closer relation to the State The first
clear result was Gelasius formula about the relationship between the
auctoritas and the potestas but the dramatic change occurred in the
eighth century the Popes broke their ties with Constantinople and claimed
supreme power not only auctoritas but also potestas in the West This claim
was then based on the forged so-called Donation of Constantine Donano
Constantini and later justified in the theory of the two swords The final
stage is found in Calvin who suggests that the task of the individual is to
work for glory in the world rather than taking refuge from it and where
the Church is not holistic institution any more but society of individuals
and mere instrument of discipline
The inworldliness of the individual will then continue in the sects the
Enlightenment and further on but we leave this Western line of development
which began with the outworldly Christian individual and shall ask ourselves
what happened to this individual in the quite different context of
another Christian tradition Eastern-Orthodox Christianity or to describe more
precisely the range of this study the Byzantine-Russian tradition As the re
lationship between Church and State which Dumont considered to be major
contributing factor in the emergence of the inworldly individual in the West
was quite different in the Eastern Roman Empire and later in Muscovite Rus
sia and as moreover there was no Reformation and no Calvin in Eastern-
Orthodox Christianity the question arises as to whether the individual in
Byzantium and later in Russia has perhaps always been outworldly and
whether modernity therefore has never taken hold there or whether there
have been other mechanisms in the Eastern Orthodox tradition which have
led to inworldly individualism
Individualism and holism among outworldly monks
It is possible to start with thesis about outworldly
individualism encompassing recognition of and obedience to the powers of
this world or with well-known statement that the early Christians
were individuals-in-relation-to-God who though they remained detached
from and indifferent to the socio-political order nevertheless accepted it at
its level according to saying Render unto Caesar the things that are
Matthew 22 21 The State and its ruler private property and
slavery were not simply refused or negated run-away slaves for instance
42 INDIVIDUAL AND ORTHODOX TRADITION
were not accepted as members of monastic congregations and were sent back
to their masters it is interesting to note here similarity with another equally