Freedom, Faith, and Dogma

V. S. Soloviev, Vladimir Wozniuk

Description

Often remembered for his association with the Russian novelist Fyodor Dostoevsky, V. S. Soloviev (1853–1900) remains the foremost representative of ecumenism in nineteenth-century Russia. Working in the name of the Universal Church, with the goal of restoring its unity, he often criticized the institutional churches severely for their contradictions and imperfections.

Freedom, Faith, and Dogma is Vladimir Wozniuk's fourth volume of translations of Soloviev's writings. These essays display the Christian philosopher's concerns about the obstacles that religious and political dogma present to the free pursuit of faith. Many of them explore the reasons why neither Judaism nor Christianity was ever able to establish a truly just "kingdom of God." Several also reflect Soloviev's steadfast and outspoken championing of full religious and civic rights for Jews throughout Russia and all of Europe. Wozniuk's introduction places Soloviev squarely in the mainstream of Christian thought and highlights the concerns that dominate this collection: the meaning of church unification, the proper relationship between church and state, and how to deal with the tendency of the powerful to exploit the powerless, concerns that remain relevant to this day.
Acknowledgments

Introduction: Freedom, Faith, and Dogma

1. On Spiritual Authority in Russia

2. On the Ecclesiastical Question Concerning the Old Catholics

3. The Jews and the Christian Question

4. New Testament Israel

5. The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles

6. The Talmud and Recent Polemical Literature Concerning It in Austria and Germany

7. On Counterfeits

8. On the Decline of the Medieval Worldview

9. When Did the Hebrew Prophets Live?

10. Byzantinism and Russia

11. The Secret of Progress

Editor’s Notes
Supplemental Listing of Soloviev’s Relevant Writings
Index of Biblical References
General Index

Sujets

• Religion
• Christianisme
• USSR
• Soviet Union
• Russia
• History of religions
• Union des républiques socialistes soviétiques
• Russie

Informations

• Publié par: State University of New York Press
• Date de parution: 22 octobre 2008
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9780791477960
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 2 Mo

Extrait

Freedom, Faith, and Dogma

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Freedom, Faith, and Dogma Essays by V. S. Soloviev on Christianity and Judaism

Edited, Translated, and with an Introduction by Vladimir Wozniuk

State University of New York Press

Published by State University of New York Press,Albany

© 2008 State University of New York

All rights reserved

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For information, contact State University of New York Press, Albany, NY www.sunypress.edu

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Library of Congress CataloginginPublication Data

Solovyov, Vladimir Sergeyevich, 1853–1900.  [Essays. English. Selections]  Freedom, faith, and dogma : essays by V. S. Soloviev on Christianity and Judaism / V. S. Soloviev ; translated, introduced and edited by Vladimir Wozniuk.  p. cm.  Includes bibliographical references and index.  ISBN 978-0-7914-7535-5 (hardcover : alk. paper)  1. Christianity and other religions—Relations—Judaism. 2. Judaism— Relations—Christianity. 3. Christianity. 4. Judaism. 5. Russia— Religion—19th century. I. Wozniuk, Vladimir. II. Title.

BM535.S668213 2008 261.2'6—dc22

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

2007048683

Contents

Acknowledgments Introduction: Freedom, Faith, and Dogma

 1

 2

 3

 4

 5

 6

 7

 8

 9

10

11

On Spiritual Authority in Russia

On the Ecclesiastical Question Concerning  the Old Catholics

The Jews and the Christian Question

New Testament Israel

The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles

The Talmud and Recent Polemical Literature  Concerning It in Austria and Germany

On Counterfeits

On the Decline of the Medieval Worldview

When Did the Hebrew Prophets Live?

Byzantinism and Russia

The Secret of Progress

Editor’s Notes Supplemental Listing of Soloviev’s Relevant Writings Index of Biblical References General Index

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7

3

4

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9

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233 241 243 247

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Acknowledgments

Successful completion of this project would have been more difficult without the course release time granted to me by Western New Eng- land College, and the library resources made available to me through my affiliations with Harvard’s Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies and Yale Divinity School. My sincere thanks go to these in- stitutions, as well as to various reviewers, whose comments proved helpful in many ways.

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Introduction: Freedom, Faith, and Dogma

In prefatory comments appearing in a revised edition of one of his better known books,Justification of the Good, the idealist Russian religious philosopher Vladimir S. Soloviev (1853–1900) stressed the intrinsically close connection that existed between “true religion 1 and sensible politics.” Soloviev’s understanding of the relationship between religion and politics emerged organically from his reading of the New Testament, which he believed required that continuous progress be made toward perfection in all human affairs. The key to the eventual achievement of this goal of perfection could be found in the core Christian mission of moral reconciliation, which, as Soloviev himself observed, could be translated into philosophical language assynthesis—the Hegelian resolution of two opposing claims, or a 2 contradiction, into a third, higher truth. According to Soloviev, this Christian mission of reconciliation applied to all of reality, both past and present, and included the rationality of Greek philosophy as well as the elements of ancient pagan religion that seemed to him to be a necessary preparation for the future appearance of Christianity 3 and subsequent human progress. He also proclaimed this mission of moral reconciliation to be a major part of Russia’s role in universal history, situated as it was both geographically and culturally between East and West. Soloviev relentlessly critiqued all of European culture for its seemingly unremitting abandonment of Christian principles in favor of secularization, while he at the same time indicted all three major branches of Christianity for the failure to preserve and promote unity among believers in light of this circumstance. Yet Soloviev’s main focus remained his native Russia and Eastern Orthodoxy, not because there was less to find fault with in Western Europe but because he under- stood his own mission as directed first and foremost to his homeland. And yet, since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Soloviev’s

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