Metropolitan Evgeny (Bolkhovitinov) is a scholar and enlightener. History of the study of creative heritage.
Abstract
Metropolitan Eugene Bolkhovitinov is a scholar and enlightener. History of the study of creative heritage. The article is devoted to the analysis of the historiographical tradition of studying the creative heritage of Metropolitan Eugene Bolkhovitinov. The author sets before herself the task to examine the key works that shaped the image of Metropolitan Eugene as a scholar and an enlightener. Formed by the efforts of several generations of the researchers of the XIX-XX centuries, historiographical tradition assigns to Eugene Bolkhovitinov the role of a collector and a bibliographer, who became a metropolitan by the will of circumstances. Such distinction and opposing the Eugene’s church activity to his secular one does not give the opportunity to compose his integral image. This problem can be overcome due to the consideration to the personality and activities of Eugene Bolkhovitinov in the broader intellectual and cultural context of the Russian Enlightenment at the end of the XVIII-th and the first third of the 19-th century. The pre-revolutionary authors considered Eugene's educational activity exclusively as a scientific and educational one. The Soviet historians made a significant contribution to the differentiation of the concepts "The Enlightenment" and "The Russian enlightenment " and the study of enlightening ideology. At the beginning of the XXI century the question of Russian religious enlightenment was raised, the role of the church intellectuals in the Combining the of church doctrine and European ideas was examined. The educated Russian society was offered an Orthodox interpretation of the ideas of equality, moral improvement, social progress. The enlightening activity of Metropolitan Eugene Bolkhovitinov, who exemplified the inextricable link between ecclesiastical and secular scientific ministry, is still awaiting its study.
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