The views of St. Theophan the Recluse on science and his influence on the development of scientific thought

Annotation. The article examines how Saint Theophan the Recluse treated science, the boundaries of its knowledge and the possibility of studying it for an Orthodox Christian. Its influence on the development of some modern research in pedagogical and philosophical sciences is shown. Saint Theophan the Recluse had an inquisitive mind, enormous capacity for work, and with a strictly Orthodox dogmatic view of any problem, he had the inner courage to answer the most unusual questions for contemporary theology, including whether there is life on other planets. He “...knew several foreign languages, and his library consisted half of foreign books. The saint's extensive library was constantly replenished. He subscribed to Russian and foreign books, for which he spent most of his pension. The main wealth of his library were books of spiritual content, but there were also secular books: historical (for example, “World History” by Schlosser, “History of Russia” by S. Solovyov, etc.), philosophical (works by Kant, Hegel, Fichte, Jacobi, Kudryavtsev, etc.), natural sciences (“A Course in Physics” by Lyubimov and Pisarev, works by Darwin, Vogt, Humboldt, etc.), books on medicine (mainly on homeopathy), anatomy, hygiene, pharmacology, as well as fiction (works by Shakespeare, Pushkin, Griboedov, etc.)” [9]. In science, the saint saw both its enormous potential and its limitations in the possibility of knowing even the laws of the material world: “Sciences can contain the truth, but often they do not. There are people who sit day and night studying some science - mathematics, physics, astronomy, history, etc., thinking that they are feeding their soul with truth, but their soul withers and languishes. Why? – Because there is no truth in the places where they want to find it?! I don’t say this because science cannot contain truth. But that it is often expelled from there, and is replaced either by dreams or assumptions that are contrary to the truth. “But you can’t deceive a soul, just as you can’t deceive a hungry man by giving him a stone instead of bread.” Here she is languishing! But this seems to be another useful activity - scholarship. “What can we say about those who greedily read our periodical writing?” [2]. Saint Theophan answered the materialists of his time: “You invite me to look at what you will construct regarding the solution to the question that occupies you about the unity of matter and forces on the basis of chemical laws in order to explain everything through movement. I’m very glad to look at it... although I’m not strong in natural sciences, especially in chemistry, you can see the general thing - whether it works or not from a Christian point of view. And we can say in advance that as long as you are going to educate the world on its own (bummer, the ship has sailed), then, of course, this is illegal. Even that is illegal if you limit yourself only to forces and laws, without showing where the forces came from and who is the successor and guardian of the laws. For this too is a silent theory of the self-education of the world. Somewhere I came across talk about the unity of matter and forces and about the derivation or explanation of everything from motion. Everything there seemed dreamy and arbitrary to me” [7]. “The force is not in the movement, but in the mover. direction of movement - addition and decomposition - chemical process. This is true in the mineral, plant and animal kingdoms. But addition and decomposition are also external forms. Tell me: who adds and decomposes?.. And how? And why is this so?.. This will give real knowledge of the form of addition and decomposition. Chemistry has brought it under the laws and boasts: know us, this is what we have come to!.. in reality, we have not come to anything. This is the same: we step from foot to foot and walk. What they say: this is akin to this and is connected to this, but this is not akin to this and is not connected, the same thing exists, only in a different form of expression. So, chemical decomposition and addition itself also does not explain anything, but requires explanation. Moreover, in addition to the composition of material things, the entire initial part of physical phenomena comes from the domain of chemistry” [7]. In one of his letters, the saint gives recommendations on how an Orthodox Christian should engage in science: “Your academic studies, you say, distract from prayer and cool it. This is par for the course. All spiritual pursuits of this kind and business enterprises of all kinds, and scientific work, and artistic works are all of the same nature. And about those who are even lower, there is nothing to say about them. There is one way to avoid this, this is to do everything on behalf of God, according to the principles of the truths revealed by Him, not allowing yourself any suggestions that are contrary to them, but, on the contrary, turning everything into confirmation of them. Try to come to your “Laboratory” with the thought of God, that you are walking into the work of His hands, and examine it in more detail, so that when you see the work, you glorify His wisdom. Be in this mood during all classes. Maybe in this case, I think, the soul will not cool down so much” [6]. At the same time, there is no reason not to engage in scientific activity in itself: “And the peaceful pursuit of chemistry cannot bring anything bad, especially if the various procedures here are reinterpreted in a spiritual sense or see in them a reflection of manifestations of spiritual life. And chemistry is part of the book of God - in nature. And here it is impossible not to see God, the Wise... and the most incomprehensible" [7]. Saint Theophan was undoubtedly one of the most influential Orthodox spiritual writers of the 19th century, who had a great influence on the development of Russian theology and on social thought in general, actively publishing and entering into correspondence on spiritual issues. And now his spiritual heritage is not only still in demand, but, as it were, is being discovered in a new way, being the basis for scientific research in the philosophical and pedagogical sciences. According to the statement made in the candidate’s dissertation for the degree of candidate of pedagogical sciences A.A. Ignatova: “His practical activity was successful, he embodied the best features of a Russian teacher: deep love and constant desire to help the student, high professional skill, etc. The essence of the pedagogy of Theophan the Recluse is that it is built on the basis of Orthodox anthropology, based on the three-hypostatic understanding of man: body, soul, spirit. Based on this idea, Saint Theophan developed the concept of personal education, which was based on a system of hierarchically structured education, where the basis of education was the movement of a person towards God” [3, p. 4]. A.B. Khokhlova, in her dissertation for the degree of Candidate of Pedagogical Sciences, classifies Saint Theophan as one of the classics of Orthodox pedagogy, “since he is one of those thinkers in the history of mankind who created their own theoretical system, within the framework of which a deep pedagogical teaching is contained, where the anthropological system and the most important pedagogical categories are revealed (spirituality, morality, personality, virtue, sin, etc.)” [8, p. 3]. E.N. Nikulina, in her PhD thesis on pedagogy, classifies St. Theophan “among the authors who paid attention to the religious and anthropological foundations of pedagogy” [5, p. 3], notes that he developed “an internally consistent concept of education aimed at revealing and realizing the full individual potential of the student” [5, p. 3]. Interest in the heritage of St. Theophan on the part of representatives of various sciences is currently increasing. In his dissertation for the academic degree of Candidate of Philosophical Sciences A.V. Abramov wrote: “The ethical teaching of Theophan the recluse was not systematically studied before the revolution and was considered primarily not in research, but in descriptive discourse from the point of view of the moral theology of the Orthodox Church. At the beginning of the Soviet era, research in this area was practically not carried out in Russia for ideological reasons, and in emigration, among the few works of Fr. G. Florovsky, N.A. Berdyaev and some other authors characterized only certain aspects of the moral teaching of Theophan the recluse. In the post-war period of Soviet times, especially in the 70-80s, the situation changed somewhat for the better; first, individual theological and philosophical author's publications about Theophan the Recluse began to appear, and then a systematic study of his works began to develop, literature about him appeared, and above all, the works of Archimandrite. Georgy Tertyshnikov. However, these studies largely complemented pre-revolutionary works, did not reveal the ethical teaching of Theophan the Recluse in essence and did not draw out its relationship with secular ethical thought. In post-Soviet times, scientific research into the works of Theophan the Recluse appeared, especially among psychologists. Separate publications appear that analyze his teaching from the point of view of secular ethics, which is reflected in the teaching on the history of Russian ethics” [1, p. 4–5]. The discovery of the legacy of St. Theophan for the mass Orthodox and non-Orthodox readers, for new directions of scientific research, became possible thanks to the works of Bishop Metropolitan Clement and his assistants. One cannot but agree with Hieromonk Korniliy (Zaitsev), who wrote in his candidate’s thesis in theology: “We should especially note the enormous work of the Chairman of the Publishing Council of the Russian Orthodox Church, Metropolitan of Kaluga and Borovsk Clement and the staff of the Scientific Editorial Council: Abbot Euthymius (Moiseev), M.I. Shcherbakova, Bishop Pitirim (Tvorogov), E.V. Nikolaeva, N.I. Sobolev and others based on the publication of the Complete Works of St. Theophan the recluse, dedicated to the bicentenary of the birth of the Vyshensky ascetic in 2015. A keen interest in the teachings of St. Feofan is observed among many students of Theological schools of the Russian Orthodox Church and individual Orthodox admirers" [4, p. 5]. The publication of the complete collection of the saint’s works and the holding of many scientific events at various levels are attracting the attention of an increasing number of researchers to his heritage. It can be assumed that today we see only the beginning of systematic work to comprehend it. Many of the thoughts expressed by St. Theophan the recluse still sound contemporary today, being for us a kind of spiritual guidelines that allow us to find answers to questions that are relevant to every person, regardless of what time and in what society he lives. 1. Abramov A.V. Religious and ethical teaching of Theophan the recluse. Author's abstract. diss. Ph.D. philosopher. Sci. Ivanovo, 2016. 2. Inner life: words of Bishop Feofan: (from words to Tamb. and Vladimir. flocks, 1859–1866). – Rep. ed. – [Moscow]: Galaxy, 1994. P. 45. 3. Ignatov A.A. Pedagogical views and practice of spiritual education of St. Theophan the Recluse. Author's abstract. diss. Ph.D. ped. Sci. Kursk, 2004. 4. Korniliy (Zaitsev), priest. The teaching of St. Theophan, the recluse of Vyshensky, about the human soul in the light of Orthodox anthropology. Author's abstract. diss. Ph.D. theology. Sergiev Posad, 2016. 5. Nikulina E.N. Anthropological and pedagogical views of St. Theophan the Recluse. Diss. Ph.D. ped. Sci. M., 2016. 6. Saint Theophan the Recluse. Letters. Issues 1–8. https://www.rulit.me/books/pisma-vypuski-1–8-read-415465–125. html (date of access: 04/15/2021). 7. Saint Theophan the Recluse. Symphony based on the works of St. Theophan, the Recluse of Vyshensky. Science. URL: https://azbyka.ru/otechnik/Feofan_Zatvornik/simfonija-po-tvorenijam-svjatitelja-feofana-zatvornika-vyshenskogo/29 (date accessed 04/16/2021). 8. Khokhlova A.B. Innovative and heuristic significance of the legacy of St. Theophan the Recluse for the development of modern Russian education. Author's abstract. diss. Ph.D. ped. Sci. Kursk, 2011. 9. Chelovenko T.G. Orthodox scholarship in the life and work of St. Feofan (Vyshensky Recluse). URL: http:// www.verav.ru/common/mpublic.php?num=52 (accessed 04/14/2021).