25) Проф. В. Никольский.

Along the way, a very brief, but quite correct and meaningful definition of the essence of Christian asceticism (in contrast to Count L. Tolstoy’s understanding of asceticism) is presented by Prof. V. Nikolsky in his bibliographic note: “Tolstoy and Nietzsche as depicted by the English writer (International Journal of Ethics. Vol. XI, No. I. M. Adams. The Ethics of Tolstoy and Nietzsche).” 1391 The essence of Mr. Nikolsky’s views on asceticism is expressed in the following provisions. According to the true Christian concept, asceticism is not at all a well-known specific way of life (for example, monastic, hermitic), but a spiritual mood, thanks to which a person, in the fight against the sinfulness of his nature, defeats the passions that dominate him and acquires certain virtues. Asceticism is not some separate virtue embodied in one unchanging way of behavior, but rather the foundation, the soil on which all Christian virtues are formed.... 1392 It is not difficult to notice the similarity of the judgments developing further on this basis with the understanding of asceticism established by Fr. Protopresbyter I. L. Yanyshev (partly V. S. Solovyov and Prof. V. I. Nesmelov). (See, for example, the definition of “carnal life” in the sense that it is “will” enslaved by “nature”). 1393 This is where we end our consideration of works - scientific dissertations and journal articles written by Russian Orthodox theologians. Of the works belonging to foreign, Western European scientists, in this “Review” we will focus only on those most outstanding of them, which offer a particularly noteworthy fundamental coverage of the issue of Orthodox asceticism and in which we find characteristics of certain essential aspects of the Orthodox ascetic worldview and certain important features of the actual implementation of asceticism. Some Protestant scientists with special interest and even, one might say, with undisguised sympathy, studied Eastern Christian asceticism, seeing in it the implementation of an individual, apart from the church, relationship to Christ and seeing in this something similar to the Protestant denial of the significance of the visible church (for example, let’s name Ho11, Zöckler). In hermit monasticism they even saw a direct protest against churchism, a negative or at least completely indifferent attitude towards church institutions, public prayers, and church sacraments. They interpreted monasticism in the person of its worthy and best representatives, real monks, as the bearer of extraordinary, charismatic gifts, which seemed to obscure, push into the background and completely replace the official bearers of the blessed hierarchical gift. In general, the views of some Protestant scientists concern very important aspects, essential features of Orthodox asceticism, from the point of view of which many issues of primary importance are illuminated in an original way (for example, about the ascetic understanding of the essence of Christian “salvation”, about the relationship of hermit monasticism to churchliness, to church cult and hierarchy, etc.). The views and conclusions of the scientists involved in this case are far from always correct, very often tendentious (and regarding them, of course, we must present an appropriate statement of the true state of the matter); however, in any case, it should be recognized that, thanks to the original formulation of the issue in their works, sometimes such aspects of the issue are highlighted that on their own would perhaps remain unnoticed or not highlighted in sufficient relief. That is why the works of, for example, Holl undoubtedly gave impetus to the development by our Orthodox theologians of questions that either directly relate to clarifying the essence and characteristics of “asceticism” or are closely related to it. 1394 Among the representatives of Western European theological science, we will focus first of all on the largest figure in Protestant church historical science - Adolf Harnack, and then move on to his students - Gaul and Zeckler. Orthodox Interview 1902 March (our subject is actually only concerned with pp. 437–438). We primarily mean the journal articles of Prof. I. V. Popov and the master's thesis of prof. S. I. Smirnova.