Kyiv Theological Academy Professors at the Beginning of the 20th Century: At the Intersection of Cultures

Abstract

This article attempts to reveal intercultural connections at the Kyiv Theological Academy at the beginning of the 20th century by reconstructing the spiritual biographies of two theological academy professors: Archimandrite (later, Archbishop of Berlin and Germany) Tykhon (Tymofii Liashchenko) and Petro Kudriavtsev. The article demonstrates how different cultural traditions intersected and combined in the spiritual experience of these figures. The author of the article argues that, as a result of revolutionary events in 1917–1919, both Kyiv Theological Academy professors experienced transformations in personal cultural identity, and their spiritual biographies reveal a transition from Russian to Western European and a combination of both (Tykhon (Liashchenko) identities), and from Russian to Ukrainian ideological cultural orientation (Petro Kudriavtsev).

Keywords

• kyiv theological academy
• tykhon (liashchenko)
• petro kudriavtsev
• spiritual biography
• intercultural connections
• church life
• ukrainian language of worship
• ukrainian culture
• russian culture
• western european culture