13) Проф. Алексей Попов.

Orthodox Russian Akathists, published with the blessing of the Holy Synod. The history of their origin and censorship, features of content and construction. Church-literary research. Kazan, 1903. The named work, being in its content and method of research, as indicated in the subtitle, of a church-literary nature, nevertheless contains quite a few pages devoted to the presentation and disclosure of Orthodox views of a fundamental nature on the essence and features of Christian “asceticism” in general and some of its special manifestations and forms, in particular. This fundamental theological element is not introduced into the work by chance, but is required by the very train of thought of Prof. Popova. The content of the akathists is generally “the education of spiritual victory, won with the help of God, the Holy Spirit.” ascetics and righteous people above the claims of evil and the vanity of the world.” 1228 That is why in akathists “the essential facts of the righteousness” of the glorified person are recalled, “his moral image is reproduced”, “the features of the ideal of Christian life are indicated, which he realized through his life.” 1229 From here it is natural that in the sections of his book: “Akathists to holy ascetics”, 1230 “Akathists to saints and saints”, 1231 “Akathists to saints without silver”, 1232 “Akathists to holy fools”, 1233 - in all these sections Mr. Popov strives to show how common the Orthodox teaching is on these points reflected in the akathists of each of the sequentially analyzed groups of the named church creativity. The fundamental theological element is introduced by the author on a fairly broad scale, if we keep in mind the immediate and immediate task of his dissertation. However, if, perhaps, a specialist in the historical and literary field will complain about this, bearing in mind the excessive generosity of the author in this regard, then from a theological point of view, these pages do not deserve reproach and can even please the theologian, since Mr. Popov, quite accurately, definitely and correctly, in a living and visual language, briefly sets out the Orthodox teaching about the essence, conditions and forms of manifestation of Christian asceticism. Of course, for someone who has studied the issues being treated from primary sources, the work does not provide anything special, original or deep, and cannot serve as a guide in any sense - but in any case, it is gratifying to see the expression of a correct understanding of the matter in the work of a scientist who treats the subject in a non-specialized manner. In the present case, we have neither the opportunity nor the need to present Mr. Popov’s thoughts in detail, but we consider it unnecessary to note his essential position, in view of the indicated merits of the essay. The life of a Christian “naturally and inevitably” is “asceticism or the active creation of one’s salvation through prolonged efforts and labors, with grace-filled help from above.” 1234 “The salvation of Christians was created and, therefore, can be created in all conditions of life: in communication with people and at a distance from the world, in a state of high social status and in complete humiliation, in social-practical life and in solitary self-focused contemplation of God, through the word and through silence,” etc. 1235 “Christian virtues” are “more conveniently nurtured and developed in St. monasteries than in the world,” since “monastic life, by its structure, provides the necessary conditions for the long and persistent development (?) of high Christian qualities and virtues.” 1236 The author compares the removal of Christians to the monastery with the sending of the sick to be treated in clean mountain air. 1237 Prof. Popov allows, so to speak, the specialization of virtues, the implementation in a certain chosen kind of life primarily of one virtue, which constitutes the main task and predominant goal of the feat carried out by every Christian. “The righteous life of the saints of God usually represents the predominance of certain Christian virtues, akin to this or that pious soul.” 1238 In particular, the author analyzes Christian states - faith 6, 1239 hope, 1240 love for God 1241 which find their most direct expression in prayer; 1242 also concerns humility, 1243 meekness, 1244 abstinence and fasting, 1245 reveals the basic meaning of monastic vows, 1246 clarifying the meaning, in particular, of stylite life, 1247 silence. 1248 The dissertation under consideration by Mr. Popov, thus, is not sterile in ethical and theological terms; it contains sound and accurate thoughts on the issue we are revealing, although not specifically substantiated. The clarification of the Orthodox understanding of “asceticism” undoubtedly concerned - at least only incidentally and partially - many courses of lectures given at Theological Academies by professors of Moral Theology (except, of course, the lectures of Fr. I. L. Yanyshev, which, due to their undeniable merits, occupy a special position, and therefore have already been considered by us to the best of our ability at the beginning of this “Review”. 1249 However, from experiments of this kind in the press very little is known. From this category of works, the academic lectures of two young, beginning scientists, later famous hierarchs - Archbishop of Kherson Innokenty (Borisov) and Bishop of Smolensk John (Sokolov) - deserve some attention and at least a brief mention, although the origin of these lectures dates back to a time long past.