“Protector of religion”: the fate of the quotation from the Encyclical of the eastern patriarchs of 1848 in Russian religious thought of the Synodal period
The article focuses on references to the Encyclical of the Eastern Patriarchs of 1848 in Russian religious thought. It highlights the particular attention Russian theology paid to the fragment of the letter that characterizes the «people» as the «body of the Church» and the «Protector of religion»....
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | Russian |
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St. Tikhon's Orthodox University
2025-12-01
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| Series: | Вестник Православного Свято-Тихоновского гуманитарного университета: Серия ИИ. История, история Русской Православной Церкви |
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| Online Access: | https://periodical.pstgu.ru/ru/pdf/article/8634 |
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| Summary: | The article focuses on references to the Encyclical of the Eastern Patriarchs of 1848 in Russian religious thought. It highlights the particular attention Russian theology paid to the fragment of the letter that characterizes the «people» as the «body of the Church» and the «Protector of religion». The article examines the history of the usage of this quote in various contexts and its changing meanings depending on the ecclesiological views of the authors who referred to the text. The period under consideration spans from 1849, when A. S. Khomyakov mentioned the quote from the Encyclical of the Eastern Patriarchs, to the end of the Synodal period, during which participants in the discussion about the composition of the Local Council referred to the Encyclical. The Encyclical of the Eastern Patriarchs was written in the context of a polemic with the Epistle of Pope Pius IX and aimed at criticizing the Catholic doctrine of papal primacy. In his early references to the letter's text, A. S. Khomyakov sought to emphasize the peculiarities of the Orthodox understanding of ecclesiastical infallibility in contrast to the doctrine of the infallibility of the Roman pontiff. However, even during this period, the quote from the Encyclical was given particular significance in connection with the interpretation of the «people» as a community of lay believers who either accept the decisions of church councils or actively resist attempts by the episcopate to distort Orthodox doctrine. The understanding of the laity as the «Protector of religion», opposed to the doctrine of episcopal infallibility, shifted from interfaith polemics to discussions about the role of the laity in the church community and their participation in church governance. Participants in the polemic interpreted the words from the Encyclical of the Eastern Patriarchs as referring to the laity and the hierarchy or explained the function of «protectoring of religion» through the acceptance of hierarchical decisions by the believers. The article concludes that the perception of the quote from the Encyclical transformed depending on the practical tasks set by the historical situation faced by the authors referring to the text. |
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| ISSN: | 1991-6434 2409-4811 |