Liturgical research by professor of the St. Petersburg Theological Academy A.L. Katansky

Contents Scientific activities Sources and literature Priest Gleb Sanyuk – Master of Theology, graduate student of the St. Petersburg Orthodox Theological Academy (saniukgleb@yandex.ru). The article is devoted to the scientific and teaching activities of the professor of the St. Petersburg Theological Academy Alexander Lvovich Katansky. Particular attention is paid to the period from 1873 to 1874, when A.L. Katansky taught liturgics and church archeology at St. Petersburg. A number of his studies in the field of historical liturgics are studied and their historiographical analysis is carried out. The uniqueness of the liturgical heritage of A.L. is revealed. Katansky due to the originality and at the same time continuity of the theological tradition Key words: A.L. Katansky, MDA, SPbDA, N.V. Pokrovsky, I.D. Mansvetov, sacraments, liturgy, dogmatics, historical liturgics. Professor of the St. Petersburg Theological Academy Alexander Lvovich Katansky was born on November 19, 1836 in Nizhny Novgorod into the poor family of deacon Lev Gerasimovich Katansky, who served in the church of St. Sergius of Radonezh. Initially, the life path of the future scientist was no different from the path of his peers, the sons of the provincial parish clergy. Katansky spent his adolescence and youth under the supervision of his parents, who, of course, were of great importance in the upbringing and moral development of young Alexander. He himself writes about this in his memoirs: “My father had a huge influence on me, on my character, inclinations and on the structure of my whole life - both with his personality, the examples of his life and the system of education he adopted” 1 . Alexander Lvovich characterizes his parent as follows: “My father was far from a rich man, forced due to lack of funds to do a lot of housework himself, but he was rich in something else - a strong, unshakable faith in God and deep religiosity. He had a very meek, gentle character and a strict life, he struggled intensely with his shortcomings and sinful inclinations, at times and for a long time indulging in purely ascetic deeds (fasting, prayer, etc.), which we all marveled at. At the same time, he was also a zealous preacher, who did not let a single holiday pass without preaching his own sermon, which was far from common at that time, even among city priests and archpriests, not to mention the deacon.”2 He himself talks about how the character traits of the future scientist were formed in his “Memoirs” as follows: “I grew up alone, without comrades, spending time playing only with my sisters; I didn’t even have children’s toys, except homemade ones... I wasn’t spoiled, and maybe I didn’t have the means. I developed a concentrated character, and maybe heredity had an impact here - from my father. It is not surprising, therefore, that as soon as I grew up and learned to read and sufficiently understand what I read, I soon became addicted to reading, first the lives of the saints. Demetrius of Rostov - from the church library, and then from secular books" 3. In 1847, Katansky entered the second grade of the 4th local theological school, which he graduated from in 1852. The theological school was followed by the Nizhny Novgorod Theological Seminary, where Alexander Lvovich studied from 1852 to 1858. The years of study there occurred during its heyday, and Katansky remembers them as great happiness for him and for his comrades. “We studied,” he says, “with an old, far from perfect program and with old teaching methods, which gave us a lot of scope for independence, with good, in general, teachers and with the strong influence on us of those at the head of the local administration, and finally, with the influence of the beautiful nature of our native city on us, which helped our self-development” 5 . In 1859, Katansky entered the St. Petersburg Theological Academy, where he was placed under the guidance of senior student Ivan Dmitrievich Kasatkin (in the future St. Equal-to-the-Apostles Nicholas of Japan). After finishing his academic course in 1863, Alexander Lvovich chose the topic of his master’s thesis, which was proposed by professor of comparative theology I.T. Osinin: “Review of enterprises and attempts to unite the Eastern and Western churches” 6. According to prof. prot. P. Leporsky, Katansky did an excellent job, and Prof. who reviewed his work. I.V. Cheltsov, the most strict reviewer, highly appreciated its scientific merits. Upon completion of his studies, Katansky was sent to the Moscow Theological Academy as a teacher of church archeology and literature, where he remained until 1867. It should be said that homiletics as a theological discipline in those days was not taken seriously by students of theological schools, and even among the teachers themselves one could notice a somewhat contemptuous attitude towards this subject. Perhaps it was precisely this circumstance that was responsible for the fact that in his course Alexander Lvovich places the main emphasis on church archeology, while homiletics was assigned a very insignificant role 7 . It was at the Moscow Theological Academy that Katansky’s final formation as a scholar-theologian took place. “The Moscow Academy,” he says, “was truly my second mother, who completed my education as an academic teacher. She directed and strengthened my first, still unsteady steps in the scientific field. The years I spent there were more important to me than any trip abroad. And if subsequently I managed to accomplish something that was not completely useless for theological science, then this, undoubtedly, owes much to the law and direction that I received at Russian Oxford” 8. In 1867, at the request of the leadership of the St. Petersburg Theological Academy, A.L. Katansky was transferred to his native alma mater as a bachelor in the department of dogmatic theology 9, where he worked until his resignation in 1896 with the rank of Honored Ordinary Professor, having spent a total of 33 years in service. 10 The fruit of his arduous work in the field of theological education was the publication of several dozen essays, articles and monographs, of which we will discuss in this article, first In general, those that were devoted to liturgics will be of interest. As for the pedagogical activity of Professor A.L. Katansky, then the period from 1873 to 1874, when he lectured at the department of church archeology and liturgics instead of the retired professor V.I., will be of undoubted interest to us. Dolotsky. It should be said right away that A.L. Katansky cannot be called a liturgical scholar in the strict sense of the word, since his main scientific research concerned the field of dogmatic theology, at the same time, we cannot ignore the period of 1873–1874, when he held the position of teacher of church archeology and liturgics at the St. Petersburg Theological Academy 11. It was Katansky who prepared the future head of the department of church archeology and liturgics N.V. Pokrovsky 12, who, under his scientific supervision, brilliantly defended his dissertation pro venia legendi 13. “Ancient Christian Basilica”, after which he was allowed to give lectures with the rank of private assistant professor 14. A.L. himself Katansky writes the following about this: “I managed to select and prepare, from among the fourth-year students of the church-practical department who were graduating at that time, a permanent teacher, N.V. Pokrovsky... My choice turned out to be very successful: N.V. Pokrovsky, later a master, associate professor, sent abroad for scientific purposes... later received great and well-deserved fame not only in spiritual, but also in secular circles” 15. It should be said that for a relatively short period of teaching A.L. Katansky in Moscow theological schools, he managed to prepare a worthy successor, the future professor of homiletics, liturgics and church archeology of the Moscow Theological Academy I.D. Mansvetov, whose works are still classics of the world science of worship 16. As for the curriculum itself for the course of church archeology and liturgics, it essentially differed little from the one that Katansky used as a lecturer at the Moscow Theological Academy, and which was largely determined by the lectures on liturgics by V.I. Dolotsky 17. The course of his lectures consisted of a general overview of the history of the development of Christian worship, a brief review of sources and literature on the subject, and readings on the ritual side of the main church rites and sacraments. In general, this course structure was preserved when giving lectures at the St. Petersburg Theological Academy, except that A.L. Katansky added lectures on the history of the liturgy of Orthodox churches and ancient national liturgies of the West 18, as well as on the history of the development of the rites of the sacraments, the compilation of which, according to the professor himself, required a huge amount of work 19. The difficulty of its implementation was due to the fact that, firstly, at that time there were practically no manuals on the history of the origin of the sacraments, and secondly, the material necessary for consistent There was very little analysis of the historical fate of each of the rites, and, as a rule, it was limited to the period of the 4th-5th centuries, moreover, it required serious work in its ordering and rubrication. To fill the existing gaps in historical data on the rites of the sacraments of the Eastern rite, Katansky did a huge amount of work in studying the works of the holy fathers and writers of the church, which, undoubtedly, was possible thanks to his excellent philological training. As for the novelty of his lectures, he was the first to use the comparative method in liturgics, drawing parallels between Eastern and Western (Roman, Lutheran and Anglican) liturgical rites 20. Starting to review the theological works of A.L. Katansky, it should be noted that in their content they are quite diverse, and in general they can be divided into several groups: 1) works related to dogmatic issues; 2) works on church archeology and liturgics; 3) church historical works; 4) church journalism (articles devoted to church and public life). First of all, in this article we are interested in the second group of studies devoted to the problems of church archeology and liturgics. Although Alexander Lvovich devoted almost his entire life to dogmatic theology, he carried out his first scientific research precisely in the field of historical liturgics. The results of his early theological creativity were the works “Essay on the history of our Orthodox liturgy Church”, as well as “Essay on the Ancient National Liturgies of the West”, written in 1868–1870. Katansky also wrote later liturgical works - “On the history of the liturgical side of the sacrament of marriage” (1880), “Essay on the history of the ritual side of the sacrament of unction” (1880). An important merit of the author is that, unlike his predecessors, in the last two works we have indicated, he tries to offer a scientific solution to issues related to the history of the emergence and development of the liturgical rites of the above sacraments, instead of a mechanical listing of fragmentary historical evidence about various elements of the rite. At the same time, the author himself emphasizes that he is the first to attempt to study the ritual side of the sacraments from the first historical evidence that has been preserved about them, to the consolidation of their rites in the contemporary breviary 21. In the essay “On the history of the liturgical side of the sacrament of marriage” A.L. Katansky tries to reveal the history of the formation of this sacrament in inextricable connection with the sacrament of the Eucharist. The author, based on the evidence presented, shows that marriage in the early Christian era was part of the liturgical prayers, after which followed the joint participation of the spouses in the sacrament of the Holy Body and Blood of Christ 22. A.L. Katansky indicates which elements of the sacrament of marriage were inherent in it initially (the singing of Psalm 127 “Blessed are all who fear the Lord,” prayer before laying on crowns, prayer after the Gospel, blessing of the newlyweds), and which have a later origin, what betrothal was like in ancient times, and how it was formed into a church rite 23 . In “Essay on the History of the Ritual Side of the Sacrament of Anointing” by A.L. Katansky traces the history of the use of oil in the pre-Christian era, provides evidence of its use as a remedy in the Jewish and pagan world, points to the sacramental attitude of ancient Christian communities to oil, which since Apostolic times has been used in prayer and liturgical meetings in the sacrament of Baptism, as well as in the anointing of the sick (the actual sacrament of anointing) as a visible sign of God’s healing grace mental and physical illnesses. The author of the “Essay” makes an attempt to trace the history of the formation of the rite of the sacrament of consecration of oil, while A.L. Katansky indicates which elements of the ritual are the most ancient, and which appeared as a result of later edits. As for the first two works we have identified, in them the author makes an attempt to systematize the liturgies of the Eastern and Western rites according to the existing types of anaphora. In his research, he traces the development of the liturgies of the Byzantine rite during the 1st–14th centuries, as well as the Roman and Ambrosian rites during the 1st–16th centuries. 24 “Essay on the history of the liturgy of our Orthodox Church” is, in fact, the first historical study of the Orthodox Eastern liturgy in Russian theological science, and as its author testifies, until that time there was “not a single experience of a purely historical study of the liturgy of our Orthodox Church, not to mention the liturgies of other Christian societies” 25. In the works indicated above, Alexander Lvovich Katansky relies mainly on the early works of Catholic and Protestant liturgical researchers, such as Binterim, Gueranger, Bunsen, Parker, Goar, etc. It was the latter, I. Goar, who with his research laid the foundation for liturgics as a historical science, and subsequently there was practically not a single historical and liturgical study in which his name was not mentioned 26 . Alexander Lvovich saw the undeniable merit of Catholic scientists in the fact that from the 16th to the 18th centuries. they managed to collect and publish a huge number of ancient manuscripts, liturgical rites and lists of liturgies of all Christian Churches: Roman sacramentaries, Euchologions of the Greek Church, treatises on the Spanish, Gothic, Mozarabic and other ancient liturgies of the West, and publications of the ancient liturgies of the Eastern non-Orthodox Churches (East Syrian, Armenian, Ethiopian). Thanks to the excellent philological training of A.L. Katansky had the opportunity to work both with critical editions of these rites and with liturgical manuscripts published by that time. According to the professor, Protestant scholars were also able to make a great contribution to the comparative study of ancient liturgies, who, among other things, were able to distribute the existing liturgical rites into various families: Alexandrian, Antiochian, Constantinople, Western, Roman. Alexander Lvovich also credits them with the fact that they were able to divide the entire history of the existence of liturgies into chronological periods, while restoring the original text of the rites of worship for each era. As for the research of Russian liturgists, Alexander Lvovich practically does not use them in his scientific research and notes with regret that the existing studies are extremely few in number, and in the field of historical liturgics there are no serious works at all. One cannot ignore the dogmatic works of the professor, in particular his doctoral dissertation “Dogmatic teaching on the seven church sacraments in the works of the most ancient holy fathers and teachers of the church up to and including Origen” (1877), which, although indirectly, was still connected with liturgical issues. According to the modern Russian liturgist priest Mikhail Zheltov, this study was a breakthrough in liturgical science of that time, and partly retains its scientific relevance today 27. Topic chosen by A.L. Katansky, belonged to the least developed historical and dogmatic issues of Western European literature, and therefore presented significant difficulties for its theological research 28 . Despite the significance of this work in relation to the study of the history of the formation of church sacraments and evidence of them in ancient times, A.L. Katansky, unfortunately, was unable to avoid mistakes that were impossible not to make due to the dependence of Russian dogmatic thought of that period on Catholic scholasticism. Having been brought up on educational literature that reduced the entire theology of the sacraments to Western schemes and categories of thought, the author zealously tries to defend those provisions that, in their essence, are not a genuine expression of Orthodox sacramentology. In his work A.L. Katansky seeks to substantiate the thesis that the doctrine of the seven church sacraments existed from the very beginning of the history of the Christian Church, but was not captured in specific formulations. He also insists that the very concept of “sacrament” in the sense in which we understand it now was already present in one form or another in the early Church 29 . The author tries to support his reasoning with evidence from the works of the apostolic men, St. Justin Martyr, St. Irenaeus of Lyons, St. Clement of Alexandria, St. Cyprian of Carthage, Origen, Tertullian, and sometimes comes to conclusions that actually contradict statements he himself had previously made. Undoubtedly, Alexander Lvovich Katansky was a man of his time, and as a worthy representative of Russian theological science of the second half of the 19th - early 20th centuries, in his work he could not avoid the influence of both the strengths and weaknesses of the theological education he acquired. As for the first, it is first of all necessary to note his brilliant knowledge, like that of most other Russian theologians of that time, of sources: liturgical monuments, patristic literature, works of foreign researchers, which is unthinkable without the most serious philological training and culture, which was instilled by the theological academies and seminaries of that time. This highest culture allowed A.L. Katansky to be not only a serious dogmatist, but also a deep patrolologist. The merits of a scientist also include excellent literary presentation, characterized on the one hand by clarity and accessibility, and at the same time maintaining rigor and scientific character. As for the liturgical heritage of A.L. Katansky, then undoubtedly it is of interest for church historical science, since, on the one hand, it is unique in the history of the development of Russian liturgics due to the extraordinary research of the professor of the famous St. Petersburg Theological Academy, and on the other hand, it speaks of the continuity of theological culture and thought in his teaching activities, without which the formation and education of new generations of church scientists is impossible. Gorchakov B.K., priest. Alexander Lvovich Katansky as a dogmatist theologian. Course essay. L., 1964. [Typescript] 222 p. Zheltov M.S., priest. Review of the history of Orthodox liturgical science until the end of the 20th century // Theologian. Scientific theological portal. URL: http://www.bogoslov.ru/text/1883125.html (date of access: 10/24/2014). Journals of meetings of the Council of the St. Petersburg Theological Academy for 1874 St. Petersburg, 1874. 347 p. Journals of meetings of the Council of the St. Petersburg Theological Academy for the 1895/96 academic year. St. Petersburg, 1900. 528 p. Ivanov M.S. The concept of “sacrament” in Orthodox theology // To the truth. Missionary and apologetic project. URL: http://www.k-istine.ru/ba-se_faith/mystery/mystery_ivanov.htm (access date: 11/12/2014.) Katansky A.L. Memoirs of an old professor (from 1847 to 1913). Vol. 2. Years 1867 – 1913. Pg., 1918. 222 p. Katansky A.L. Dogmatic teaching about the seven church sacraments. St. Petersburg, 1877. 427 p. Katansky A.L. Essay on the history of ancient national liturgies of the West // Christian Reading. 1869. No. 4. P. 17–69. Katansky A.L. Essay on the history of the liturgy of our Orthodox Church. St. Petersburg, 1868. 164 p. Katansky A.L. On the history of the liturgical side of the sacrament of marriage // Christian reading. 1880. No. 1–2. pp. 98–127. Katansky A.L. Essay on the history of the ritual side of the sacrament of anointing // Christian reading. 1880. No. 7–8. pp. 92–131. Leporsky P., prot. Fiftieth anniversary of the scientific activity of prof. A.L. Katansky. St. Petersburg, 1913. 19 p. Report on the state of the St. Petersburg Theological Academy for 1873 // Christian Reading. 1874. No. 3. P. 435–476. Uspensky N.D. About Gohar // Theological works. M., 1968. No. 4. P. 37–38. Katansky A.L. Memoirs of an old professor (from 1847 to 1913). Pg., 1918. P. 11. 4 The first grade was preparatory, it taught reading and writing. Katansky A.L. Memoirs of an old professor. P. 71. 7 Katansky A.L. Memoirs of an old professor. P. 185. 9 Leporsky P., prot. Fiftieth anniversary of scientific activity... P. 5.; Gorchakov B.K., priest. Alexander Lvovich Katansky as a dogmatist theologian. L., 1964. [Typescript] P. 12. Journals of meetings of the Council of the St. Petersburg Theological Academy for the 1895/96 academic year. St. Petersburg, 1900. P. 290. Report on the state of the St. Petersburg Theological Academy for 1873 // Christian Reading. 1874. No. 3. P. 460. Leporsky P., prot. Fiftieth anniversary of scientific activity. S. 8. The right to lecture. (lat.) Leporsky P., prot. Fiftieth anniversary of scientific activity. S. 8. Journals of meetings of the Council of the St. Petersburg Theological Academy for 1874. St. Petersburg, 1874. P. 183. Katansky A.L. Memoirs of an old professor. P. 280. Zheltov M.S., priest. Review of the history of Orthodox liturgical science until the end of the 20th century // Theologian. Scientific theological portal. URL: http://www.bogoslov.ru/text/1883125.html (date Dolotsky Vasily Ivanovich (1814–1885) – Honored Ordinary Professor. St. Petersburg Theological Academy. The first professor of liturgics since its introduction to the academies in 1839. According to I.A. Chistovich, “he created the science of liturgics.” His academic unpublished lectures were repeatedly lithographed and subsequently had a significant influence on the subsequent development of Russian science of worship. Katansky A.L. Essay on the history of ancient national liturgies of the West // Christian Reading. 1869. No. 1. P. 17–1 Katansky A.L. Memoirs of an old professor... P. 189. Katansky A.L. Essay on the ritual side of the sacrament of anointing // Christian reading. 1880. No. 7–8. P. 131; His own. On the history of the liturgical side of the sacrament of marriage // Christian reading. 1880. No. 1–2. pp. 126–127. On the history of the liturgical side of the sacrament of marriage // Christian reading. 1880. No. 1. P. 121126. Katansky A.L. Essay on the ritual side of the sacrament of anointing // Christian reading. Katansky A.L. Essay on the history of the liturgy of our Orthodox Church... P. 346. Uspensky N.D. About Gohar // Theological works. M., 1968. No. 4. P. 38. Katansky A.L. Essay on the history of the liturgy of our Orthodox Church... P. 353. Leporsky P., prot. Fiftieth anniversary of scientific activity. P. 10. Katansky A.L. Dogmatic teaching about the seven church sacraments. St. Petersburg, 1877. pp. 2–9.