Russian Religious-Philosophical Thought of the 19th century and the Oxford Movement

Abstract

The article gives an attempt to consider the reasons of mutual interests of Russian thinkers of the nineteenth century and participants of the Oxford Movement. The author argues the phenomenon is connected with the fact that, thanks to translation of ideas started in the seventeenth century, by the early nineteenth century, Russia was included not only into the European scientific and philosophical thought but also — through some persons of its intellectual elite — into the religious-philosophical field; recent research shows that it happened thanks to the mighty influence of pietism, which had been an important part of the Russian theological education since the late eighteenth century. Key problems of ecclesiastical life were formulated as early as in the epoch of the Counter-Reformation, particularly, at the Council of Trent; they attracted
attention of laic people and clergy in Europe. First of all, there were issues of ecclesiology: the role of Christian community in the ecclesiastic life, the role of liturgy in the life of the community (and the closely connected points on the communion, preaching, etc.). Philosophers inclined to the religious paradigm insert certain philosophical aspects into that discourse. Thus, the topic of Christian unity was considered in the context of organic unity of the world, typical for Romanticists and followers of Schelling; in the Russian tradition, that trend was presented by A.S. Khomyakov in his article ‘Church is One’, which was written under the influence of the Oxford Movement and the contemporary English religious thought, in general; the philosopher was acquainted with it through his communication with participants of that Movement in England and Russia.