№ 6. Замечания, сделанные Преосвященным Филаретом конференции Московской Духовной Академии об усовершенствовании дел Академических.

On April 22, 1830, the Commission of Theological Schools authorized His Eminence Philaret to revise the Moscow Theological Academy in terms of academics so that, at the end of the public tests, he would deign to notify the Commission about the future with the delivery of students' essays to it. Having fulfilled the order, His Grace Philaret wrote: Commission of Theological Schools proposal On May 8th, I began to fulfill the order of the Commission of Theological Schools to review the Moscow Theological Academy, with a resolution that demanded that essays prepared for open testing be submitted to me for consideration. As a result, on May 30, two arguments from students in the higher department and one from a student in the lower department were presented to me. It turned out that these essays were unsatisfactorily finished and insufficiently corrected, which is why they were returned to the Academic Board the next day upon proposal, from which I present the certified list. In June, two arguments were again presented to me; and again did not turn out to be suitable for the purpose. At the same time, I present a list of the resolution I gave about them on June 9. Arriving at the Lavra on June 26, I again immediately demanded from the Rector of the Academy of Reasoning. Two are immediately presented: one about Chiliasm, long, but not completely finished, the other about the vow of Jephthah, not very extensive, however, according to its purpose, it was sent for printing that same evening, and then read at an open trial. A copy thereof is presented. So that from the above-mentioned unsuccessful experiments the Commission of Theological Schools does not conclude that the students are insufficiently successful, I consider it not superfluous to add that the essay that was awarded publication was presented to me in a student’s manuscript with very few and minor corrections by the Rector, and barely required the correction of a few words from me. The preliminary tests of the Academy students were completed before me and a preliminary rank list was drawn up. In order to verify it personally, with greater freedom than in an open test, I held two Academic Meetings on the 27th and 28th days. Certified lists from the journals of the Academic Board about these meetings are attached herewith. On July 2 and 3, an open test of Academy students took place. A summary of it is attached. On July 7 and 8, the Conference met for the final verification of the rank list, which included, among other things, the examination of essays written by students during the test and during the continuation of the educational course. Certified lists from the journals of these meetings are attached. The Academy has to submit the final rank list. For this reason, which seemed necessary to propose to the Academy for consideration and guidance, I proposed to the Conference on the 12th day, upon my return to Moscow. At the same time, a list is presented from this proposal, showing the current state of the Academy; and also attested from my proposal to the Academic Board on July 8, 1828, to which I often refer in the current proposal to the Conference. What I said at the conclusion of the proposal of the Conference, I testify before the Commission of Theological Schools, namely, that the comments I made to improve the affairs of the Academy do not prejudice its current state. By testing and examining the students' essays, their diligence and success, and especially the dignity of those who are elected to the master's degree, are sufficiently proven. As for the noticed imperfections in the finishing and censorship of some works prepared for testing; this must come from the mistake that it was allowed to take too extensive plans for these works; This is why they did not have time to process them in advance, and when I demanded these works in advance before the test, haste occurred both in finishing and in censorship, and from this there was a type of malfunction. I did not have time to pay attention to writing and the management of the Academy, because, apart from the Academy, I was busy with the affairs of the Lavra and the test at the Bethany Seminary, not having the convenience of extending my stay at the Lavra due to the upcoming test at the Moscow Seminary and for other reasons. You might be interested in: