Innocent of Kherson

Innocent (Ivan Alekseevich Borisov), Archbishop of Kherson, famous preacher and scientist, b. December 15, 1800, died May 26, 1857 The son of a priest in Yelets, he studied first in Voronezh, then in Sevsk seminaries, in 1823 he graduated from a course at the Kyiv Theological Academy as the first master and was then appointed inspector and professor of the St. Petersburg Seminary and rector of the St. Petersburg Theological School. On December 10, 1823, he became a monk and took the chair of theological sciences at the St. Petersburg Theological Academy, where he was an inspector, a member of the board, the conference and the spiritual censorship committee, in 1826 he was made an archimandrite, and in 1829 he was elevated to the degree of Doctor of Theology. On August 27, 1830 he was appointed rector of the Kyiv Theological Academy; November 21, 1836, elevated to the rank of Bishop of Chigirin, vicar of the Kyiv diocese, March 1, 1841, moved to the episcopal see in Vologda; On December 31 of the same year he was made bishop of Kharkov, on April 15, 1845 he was elevated to the rank of archbishop; finally, on February 24, 1848, he was moved to the diocese of Kherson, where he died. While still a student, he amazed everyone with his remarkable talent. Although the first year of the newly reformed (in 1819) Kyiv Academy included only the best students from the seminaries of the Kyiv district, according to the most strict selection, nevertheless, the student Borisov was so superior to all his comrades in success that, according to their own review, having written Borisov first in the rank list, they should have left five or six places empty and then written others. He wrote the semester's essays, after preliminary deliberation, straight away, and yet they were so good that three of his learned treatises and four of his sermons, together with some other works of his comrades, were published at the expense of the Academy in the book “Collected experiences of the first year students of the Kyiv Theological Academy” (Kyiv, 1824). Regularly listening to the lectures of the Academy professors, whose composition at that time was very good, and doing everything required for a student, young Ivan Borisov independently studied the latest German philosophy and read lectures about it to his comrades, which fascinated them, perhaps, more than the readings of the professors, studied the latest Western theology, about which no lectures were given at the Academy, and especially diligently became acquainted with the works of the great church speakers of the West. In these studies, Borisova finds an explanation for the bold innovation in the field of theology with which he declared himself immediately after occupying the professorial chair at the St. Petersburg Theological Academy: making extensive use of the latest Western theological literature, mainly Protestant, and even more showing original scientific creativity, in his lectures he completely reformed the setting and method of the theological course: instead of the old scholastic system, he introduced the history of dogmas, created completely new branches of theological science: “religiosistics” (now usually called “basic theology”), “comparative theology” (evaluation of different faiths from the point of view of Orthodoxy), “ecclesiastics” (the doctrine of the composition and jurisdiction of the church) with “symbolism” (a review of symbolic presentations of Christian teaching in historical order). Innocent did not write his lectures either at this time or later, when he was a professor in Kyiv, but they were partially preserved in the notes of students: some of them were published in the collection of his works, others are in manuscripts in the library of the St. Petersburg Theological Academy (in the collection of Metropolitan Isidore), in the library of P.I. Savvaitov, as well as from some Kyiv students of Innocent. Innocent's brilliant, artistic lectures aroused general delight and unusually raised interest in science among students; but the old routine raised persecution against him. He and his fellow professor G.P. Pavsky, a famous philologist and Hebraist, was accused of “neologism.” Three remarkable works of his belong to the St. Petersburg period of Innokenty’s professorship, for which, according to the proposal of three members of the conference - G.P. Pavsky, I.S. Kochetov and Archimandrite John Dobrozrakov, in 1829 he was elevated to the degree of Doctor of Theology: “The Life of St. Cyprian", "Life of St. Apostle Paul”, and “The last days of the earthly life of Jesus Christ”. Published in Christian Reading, these and other works of Innocent made this magazine one of the most widespread at that time. “The Last Days of the Earthly Life of Jesus Christ” - one of the most beautiful works of Russian spiritual literature to date, seemed to some then so liberal that despite the special interest in this work in society, it could not be published again until the death of Innocent (in 1857). Particularly brilliant and fruitful was the professorial and rectoral activity of Innocent in Kyiv, where in the person of Metropolitan Evgeniy Bolkhovitinov, this great scientist, he found himself, if not a patron, then an impartial connoisseur. The time of his rectorship and professorship in Kyiv constituted, one might say, the most remarkable, brilliant period in the history of higher theological education in Russia. The first thing Innocent did upon his arrival at the Kyiv Academy was to abolish the teaching of theology in Latin, which had existed for centuries. Innocent was here an innovator and founder not only in the field of theological education itself, but also in the general educational half of the academic course, which includes philosophy, history, literature, etc. And into this area Innocent brought a hitherto unprecedented revival, pointing out new methods of science, expanding and updating programs, entering directly into all the details of teaching; He quite often attended the lectures of professors and gave them his comments and advice. He paid special attention to student essays, he himself assigned topics for them (mostly historical), and he himself revised and published some of these essays (for example, his work “Historical Review of Liturgical Books” appeared, which went through 4 editions). Innocent had a special gift for arousing in students a love for academic work, and many of the Academy students of his time subsequently made a good name for themselves as scholars. However, even at this time, regarding several inaccurate expressions in student notes of his lectures given back in St. Petersburg, the Synod, at the insistence of Moscow Metropolitan Philaret, appointed a secret inquiry “about the way of thinking of Archimandrite Innocent.” Having learned about Filaret's participation in this matter, Innocent addressed him a respectful letter, in which he bitterly complained about unfair persecution on his part. Satisfied with his humility, Filaret replied that from now on “he will pursue him only with his love.” For the above-mentioned incorrect expressions in student notes, Innokenty was found not responsible, since these notes were not edited by him. At the same time, Innokenty founded a new spiritual weekly magazine, “Sunday Reading,” in Kyiv. In 1836 he was elevated to the rank of Bishop of Chigirin. During his stay in St. Petersburg for initiation, he was elected a full member of the Russian Academy and delivered a brilliant speech at its solemn meeting. When Metropolitan Eugene died the following year and the department of the Kyiv metropolitanate was occupied by Filaret (Amphitheaters), Innocent soon left his professorship, devoting his work exclusively to the duties of the rector and the affairs of the diocesan administration, and mainly to armchair academic studies and preaching. At this time, he began many scientific enterprises, of which he did not manage to fully implement all of them, constantly encountering difficulties either due to the lack of the most necessary scientific aids at hand, or in various other circumstances. His learned friends in St. Petersburg and Moscow tried to make his scientific work easier, looking for books and manuscripts for him, according to his instructions, both in Russian libraries and from foreign antiquaries. Of the scientific works of Innocent during this period, we will name here the most important: 1) “Monument of Faith” - a collection of symbols and creeds of Christian teaching, in the original and in translations, from the beginning of the church to later times. While he was in Kyiv, Innokenty managed to carry out this colossal work only until the 12th century; subsequently it was completely finished, after many delays it was printed, but sent, before publication, for the final review of the author in Odessa, in 1857, it was never published after his death. 2) “The History of Ecumenical and Local Councils, in their authentic deeds” (acta conciliorum), - this work was completed only recently by the Kazan Academy, but completely in accordance with the plan outlined by Innocent; 3) “Spiritual Vertograd” - a chronological collection of the best sermons of all times and peoples; 4) “Church Archive” - a library of ancient and new works on the history of the church, like Stritter’s “Memoria populorum”; 5) “Monuments of the Union” - a collection of materials on the history of the Union; 6) publication of “Palinode” by Zakhary Kopystensky and other remarkable anti-Uniate works; 7) translation and publication of the complete original text of the “Helmsman’s Book” - a work undertaken by Innocent at the insistence of the Chief Prosecutor of the Synod Nechaev; 8) detailed “Theological Dictionary”; 9) publication of the “Notes” of Peter Mogila and his “Orthodox Confession of Faith”; 10) “History of the Russian Church in connection with the history of Slavic churches”; 11) “History of Christianity in Poland” (from this work Innokenty published in the “Journal of the Ministry of the People. Enlightenment." two chapters: “On the beginning of Christianity in Poland” and “On the Reformation in Poland”); 12) translation into Polish of the Orthodox liturgy, the annual cycle of liturgical hymns and the Catechism of Metropolitan. Philareta; 13) translation of the same Catechism into Moldavian. Of these scientific works, some were completely carried out by Innocent himself, for others he collected materials and gave detailed programs. In 1837, the synodal chief prosecutor, visiting the Kyiv Academy, found it in excellent condition in all respects and in his annual report reported to the Emperor as an extraordinary phenomenon in the life of the church, “about a new brilliant gift of spiritual eloquence that has reached full development” in Kyiv. The Emperor granted the preacher the Order of St. Vladimir 3rd Art. The collections of sermons published by Innocent in Kyiv, especially the famous “Weeks” - “The First Week of Great Lent”, “Holy Week” and “Bright Week” - quickly spread throughout Russia and were read with delight at the Court and in high society. The preacher became an all-Russian celebrity. This time marks the beginning of Innocent's extensive connections in high society and in government spheres, as well as among figures of science and literature, which gave him the opportunity to bring much benefit during his subsequent life beyond his immediate hierarchical responsibilities. How extensive was the sphere of social and state influence of Innocent in the last 15–20 years of his life is shown by the collection of his papers and letters to him that he left behind (kept in the Imperial Public Library). From it we learn that Empress Alexandra Feodorovna and Prince I.G. Oldenburgsky consulted with him about the organization of women's educational institutions; on behalf of Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolaevich, he compiled a chapter on the position of priests in the fleet for the Naval Regulations; he owns the edition of the legislation on marriage that is still in force in our country (on behalf of Count Bludov); for the Minister of Internal Affairs gr. Perovsky, he compiled a note on the issue that arose at that time about the use of Christian blood by Jews; for Kyiv Governor-General D.G. Bibikova compiled notes on the political movements taking place in the south: “On the political significance of the clergy in the southwestern provinces”, “On the structure of Kyiv University”, and “A look at the management of educational districts”; When he was in Odessa, Innokenty was a constant close adviser to the prince. M.S. Vorontsov in matters related to spiritual management in the region; He also actively corresponded with the Ministers of Public Education, Prince. Golitsyn, gr. Uvarov and Norov, with the Minister of State Property gr. P.D. Kiselev, with gr. Ya.I. Rostovtsev. In addition, Innocent was in correspondence with gr. Nesselrode, Knyazhevich, Prince. V.A. Dolgorukov, Sukhozanet, book. Menshikov, book. Paskevich, Prince. Vasilchikov, Prince. VIIirinsky-Shikhmatov, gr. Stroganov, book. Golitsyn, gr. Tendryakov, book. Vyazemsky, Shakhovsky, Obolensky, book. Kochubey, gr. Pototsky, Levashev, Davydov, Nikitin, Osten-Saken, T.B. Potemkina and many other more or less famous people. The main sphere of Innocent's fruitful influence was, of course, the area of ​​church administration. Four chief prosecutors of St. Synod - Nechaev, Protasov, Akhmatov and c. A.P. Tolstoy turned to him for every important matter; his opinions were constantly asked by synod businessmen - Serbinovich, Voitsekhovich, Poznyak; about twenty bishops corresponded with him about general church affairs. According to Innocent’s thoughts, a scholarly description of the Moscow Synodal Library was begun, which was subsequently carried out by Gorsky and Nevostruev, and the manuscripts were moved from monasteries and other places to theological academies, where they are better preserved and serve as the subject of scholarly processing; he presented a project to the Synod on the issue of improving the material life of the clergy; they consulted with him every time there was talk of revising programs and changing the composition of academic subjects in theological academies and seminaries. A full assessment of Innocent's significance in this area belongs, however, to the future. One thing can be said for now: in the field of church administration, as in other spheres of his influence, he was always an ardent supporter and often the initiator of all useful reforms during the period 1834–1857. As a diocesan bishop, in many respects he was also a model for other bishops of his time: in his relations with people below him in position, he was distinguished by his extraordinary accessibility; in all the dioceses where he served as bishop, he energetically and successfully worked to raise the mental and moral level of the clergy, took care of improving their material life, improved the order of office work in consistories, was directly involved in all the affairs of theological educational institutions, he himself carried out exams for those appointed to church degrees, took care of improving preaching in villages, increasing the number of churches and especially public schools, defended rural clergy and the common people from the oppression of the landowners, strenuously fought against schism and sectarianism, etc. Innocent's favorite work and main concern, as a diocesan leader, was the restoration of abolished and opening of new monasteries and monasteries, which he found necessary to raise the religious level among the people and for missionary purposes; he restored the monasteries: Totemsky, Akhtyrsky, Svyatogorsky and Georgievsky-Balaklava; Several monasteries were re-established in Crimea. Innocent lovingly devoted his leisure time to scientific studies, not only theology and church history, but also secular sciences. Among his works are two extensive treatises on philosophy: “On Neologism or Rationalism” and “A View of Greek Philosophy”; he was interested in natural sciences, collected a good collection of minerals and more than once undertook geological excursions in the Crimea; he corresponded on issues of astronomy, cosmography, numismatics, ethnography with academicians Savich, Somov, Khavsky, P.I. Savvaitov and gr. F.P. Litke; about the political affairs of the East and the policies of the Western powers, about the news of Western scientific literature - with Burachok, Palauzov, Kaznacheev, Sturdza; about the classical and Christian antiquities of Greece and Athos, about the religions and literature of the ancient East - with Archimandrites Zephaniah and Antoninus, with the Athenian professor Typaldos; with Snegirev and Tereshchenko - about works of Russian and Slavic folk art; with Bodyansky, Nevostruev and Prince. M. Obolensky - about Slavic and Russian paleography and about the monuments of ancient Russian and Slavic literature; with M.P. Pogodin, his closest friend and publisher of his works, with bar. Chaudoir, M.A. Maksimovich, Feof. Novitsky - about Slavic and in particular Polish history; with Count A.S. Uvarov, Murzakevich, A. Budberg and Ashik about the antiquities of the Crimea and the Caucasus, etc. Especially important in the area of ​​these activities foreign to Innocent are his services for the archeology of Crimea: he took the initiative in the study of the antiquities of the Crimea, in particular in the excavations of Chersonesus; but in addition, in each of the dioceses where he served as bishop, he either himself began ethnographic and historical-statistical work, or chose capable individuals for them; Thus, under his leadership, Askochensky, Maksimovich and others worked on the history and archeology of Kyiv. In general, there was no branch of knowledge with which Innocent was not familiar, or in which, at least, he was not interested. Innocent loved to patronize beginning scientists and generously spent the money received from the sale of his works on benefits to those in need, and willingly interceded for them with his acquaintances in higher spheres. He was close to many writers of his time: gr. A.K. Tolstoy, I. Kukolnik, Kvitka, N.F. Shcherbina and others; Gogol poured out his soul to him in the difficult moments of his life, after the blow inflicted on him by Belinsky for “Correspondence with Friends.” Innocent's activity at the Kherson department as a political figure appears in a new and remarkable light. Russian archimandrites who were at our missions in Athens, Jerusalem, Constantinople, Bucharest, who were his comrades or students at the Kyiv Academy, his friends, learned Greeks: Panteli (translator of Karamzin’s history into Greek), Popandopoulo (translator of the “Theology” of Metropolitan Macarius into Greek), Athenian merchant Valiano, Athenian Professor Typaldos, Greek Metropolitan Agafangel, who lived in Odessa, acquainted Innocent in detail with the state of church affairs and with the political mood in the East; a young Bulgarian who arrived in Odessa, N.X. Palauzov, acquainted him in detail with the disasters of the Turkish Slavs and Innokenty through Greek diplomatic agents in Russia - Zografo, Negri, Deliani and Metaxa - on the one hand, through Russian diplomatic representatives in the East - Basili and V.P. Titov, on the other hand, tried to direct the course of affairs in the East in the spirit of unity and peace between the Greeks and Slavs. The result of these concerns was the construction in Constantinople, with the permission of the Sultan and with the consent of the Patriarch, by Prince Vogorides of a special church for the Bulgarians and the elevation to bishop of the educated Slavic patriot Stefan Kovacevich, with the instruction that he be the official representative of the Bulgarian nationality in Turkey. The famous Greek theologian Constantine Ikonomos, thanks to the intercession of Innocent, was given, by the Highest command, the title of member of the conference of the St. Petersburg Theological Academy with a salary of 2000 rubles. For the Bulgarians, Innocent established a “Bulgarian Abbot” in Odessa, which took care of emigrants from Turkey, giving them a means of subsistence and education. When the war began and Russian troops headed to Bulgaria, Innocent recommended his young friend N.X. to the Russian government. Palauzov, who was seconded to the Russian commander-in-chief “for relations with the Bulgarians” and brought a lot of benefit. When Crimea became the theater of war, local priests and hieromonks, by order of their bishop, wrote him the most detailed reports about everything that was happening; from these letters a large volume was compiled, preserved in the papers of Innocent; Thus, he knew perfectly well the intimate history of the Crimean epic, and when the great princes traveled to Sevastopol, they spent the whole night in Simferopol in conferences with the Odessa archpastor. In Sevastopol, during the battles, Innocent fearlessly walked around the ranks of the troops, encouraging and blessing the heroes. But the main work of Innocent's whole life was his preaching. He preached in churches on almost every holiday and Sunday; For the most part, he did not write his sermons in advance, but only carefully thought about them on the eve of delivery, and wrote them down after delivery. Nevertheless, almost all of his sermons are excellent works of true oratory and true examples of highly artistic Russian speech. As a preacher, Innocent is rightly ranked along with the primary luminaries of church rhetoric. Five collections of sermons, published when he was rector in Kyiv, were followed by collections of his sermons: “To the Vologda flock” (1841), “Conversations on the Pentecostal Day” (1844), “Conversations about sin and its consequences” (1844), “God is with us,” conversations on the Nativity of Christ (1845), “Conversations to the Kharkov flock” (1847), “Words from Odessa” (1855), “Words and speeches spoken during the invasion of enemies,” etc. (1855–1856). With his preaching activities, Innocent made, one might say, a real revolution in Russian preaching, forming a whole new school of Russian preachers, to which most of the best of them in subsequent times belonged. Metropolitan Seraphim, who on behalf of the Synod set out a resolution on the “secret inquiry into his way of thinking” and shared the conviction that the Kyiv rector belonged to the neologians, warmly welcomed him as a preacher: “God has given you the great gift of speech, use it to His glory.” Philaret of Moscow himself, who meticulously criticized his sermons, could not help but admit that they “had a lot of ability.” The press organs of that time, one and all, spoke enthusiastically about his sermons, some of them were reprinted in secular newspapers and magazines; in “Moskvityanin” they reviewed his sermons by I.V. Kireevsky and S.P. VIIevirev, and in “Revue critique” (ed. Cherbulier) the famous Western theologian - Vinet; Sturdza excellently translated a significant part of them into French, and the best French spiritual magazine of that time, Semeur, enthusiastically welcomed the genius of the “Russian Bossuet.” His published sermons were also translated into German, Polish, Serbian, Modern Greek and Armenian; his sermons, the first of Russian works of this kind, became known in Western Europe and earned honor to his name. In general, having looked at all the activities of Innocent, we must recognize him as one of the most remarkable Russian people of the 19th century. He was of great importance not only as a theologian, church historian and preacher, but also left a noticeable mark on the history of the mental development of Russian society in general. The complete works of Innocent in 11 volumes were published in 1871–1875. “Materials for the biography of Innocent, Archbishop. Kherson", published by N.I. Barsov, 2 volumes; Butkevich, “Innocent, Archbishop. Kherson", 1887; Macarius, “Biograph. note about Innocent" in volume V. "Scientific. Zap. II department Academician Sciences", XXXVIII-LIV; M. Pogodin, “Wreath on the grave of Rev. Innocent", 1864 and 1887; N.I. Barsov, “Innokenty Borisov, architect. Kherson, based on new materials", 1884; collection of Innocent's papers preserved by N.X. Palauzov, in the Imperial Public Library.