Pokrovsky, Alexander Ivanovich

He was born in the family of a rural teacher, who later became a teacher-educator of the schools of the Moscow educational house .

He graduated from the Zvenigorod Theological School (1887), the Bethany Theological Seminary (1893), and, with a candidate of theology, the Moscow Theological Academy (1897) - the professor’s scholarship of the Academy (1897-1898). In 1898-1902 he was an assistant inspector of the Moscow Theological Academy.

In June 1899 he defended his master's thesis "Biblical doctrine of the primitive religion. The experience of biblical apologetic research ”; the work was awarded the second prize of Metropolitan Macarius in 1901).

In 1902-1906 he taught biblical and general church history at the Moscow Theological Seminary; since 1904, at the same time, as a privat-docent, he lectured at Moscow University . Since 1906 - Associate Professor of the Moscow Theological Academy; since 1907 - extraordinary professor in the department of biblical history and editor of the academic journal " Theological Bulletin ".

In 1909, he was dismissed from the academy by the decision of the Holy Synod for liberal views, and during 1909-1916 he taught at the University of Moscow, at the commercial school and at the Higher Women's Law Courses, V. A. Poltoratskaya .

Presented as a doctoral dissertation the book "Cathedrals of the ancient church of the era of the first three centuries" (Sergiev Posad, 1914). On the defense at the Moscow Theological Academy (in 1916), dissertation was sharply criticized by Professor A. I. Almazov as anti-church and scientific-subjective; The rector of the Academy, Bishop Theodore (Pozdeevsky), also took a sharply negative position in relation to this work. As a result, the Holy Synod did not approve the decision of the academy. A.I. Pokrovsky became a doctor of theology only in August 1917, after the February Revolution , when the right to finally decide on the award of academic degrees was transferred to theological academies.

Since November 1916 he corrected the position of an extraordinary professor of law at the Novorossiysk University in Odessa - he lectured on church law.

In 1917, he was reinstated as part of the Moscow Theological Academy over the state by a decision of the Academy Council; He represented the Kherson diocese at the All-Russian Congress of clergy and laity.

In 1917-1918 he was a member of the Local Council of the Russian Orthodox Church ; He supported the inclusion of the laity among the candidates for the Patriarchs.

In 1918 he was a consultant to the Ministry of Confessions of the Ukrainian People’s Republic .

In 1920-1922 - professor of the law faculty of the Odessa Institute of Humanities and Social Sciences (Gumobina); in 1922-1928 - the Odessa Institute of National Economy (Inarhoz). In addition, in 1923-1924 he was a researcher at the Odessa Provincial Archive Administration.

In 1923 he participated in the Renovation Cathedral in Moscow; He was elected a candidate member of the Supreme Church Council and a member of the Holy Synod. In 1924 he participated in the renovationist Ukrainian Pre-Council meeting, at which he opposed the patriarchate. In 1925 he participated in the second renovation cathedral in Moscow, - was elected a member of the plenum of the Holy Synod.

In his writings, he criticized the positivistic theory of progress, the theory of the evolutionary development of religions from polytheistic beliefs to monotheistic religions, as well as the gradual replacement of religion with scientific knowledge. I believed that people in primitive society believed in one God, but then began to profess paganism. I believed that moral standards and the cult of the biblical teachings of the Old Testament were the religious basis for all primitive cultures. He believed that oriental studies should play a significant role in biblical studies.

According to Protodeacon Sergei Golubtsov , Professor Pokrovsky went over to the Renovationists, "outraged by the arbitrariness of Bishop Theodore, who for him personified the monastic bishopric." He in his book about professors and employees of the Moscow Theological Academy argued that

in the memory of those who knew him (church composer N.G. Viranovsky and other Odessa residents) A.I. Pokrovsky remained as a scientist of wide knowledge, a man of firm and direct convictions, and a Christian devoted to the interests of the Church.

• The philosopher Aristide and his recently discovered apology. // Theological Bulletin , 1898, No. 4.6.
• Critical analysis of the evolutionary theory of primitive religion. // Theological Bulletin , 1900, No. 3.
• The Bible as the main source for the study of primitive religion // Theological Bulletin , 1900, No. 6.
• The biblical doctrine of primitive religion. The experience of biblical apologetic research. - Sergiev Posad, 1901.
• Essay on the external and internal history of Protestantism in the 19th century // History of the Christian Church in the 19th century. Volume I "The heterodox West."
• About the cathedrals of South-Western Russia of the XV — XVII centuries. // Theological Bulletin , 1906, No. 9.
• Old Testament prophetism as the main characteristic feature of the biblical history of Israel. // Theological Bulletin , 1908, No. 4.
• Professor Alexei Petrovich Lebedev : (Obituary). - Sergiev Posad: type. St. Tr. Sergius Lavra, 1908
• Biblical prophetism and pagan mantics. // Theological Bulletin , 1909, No. 10.
• Protocols of the Commission on Church Law at the Moscow Law Society for 1911-1912. - M., 1913.
• The cathedrals of the ancient church of the era of the first three centuries. Historical and canonical research. With three applications and two cards. - Sergiev Posad: type. I.I. Ivanova, 1914.
• Civil and Church Marriages of Ancient Christians: Canonical Liturgy. feature article. - Sergiev Posad: type. St. Tr. Sergius Lavra, 1915.
• My apology: (To the history of the doctrine of Prof. A.I. Pokrovsky for his diss. "Cathedrals of the ancient church of the era of the first centuries"): Answer to critics. - Kiev: type. JSC "Peter Barsky", 1917.
• About the variability of church canons. - Samara. 1926
• Odessa Historical Archive // ​​Rumor. - No. 70. - 26 fierce 1943.

He was also the author of articles in the Orthodox Theological Encyclopedia .

• Volkov V.A., Kulikova M.V., Loginov V.S. Moscow professors of the 18th - early 20th centuries. Humanities and social sciences. - M .: Janus-K; Moscow Textbooks and Cartolithography, 2006. - S. 191-192. - 300 s. - 2,000 copies. - ISBN 5-8037-0164-5.
• Sergiy Golubtsov, protodeacon Professor and staff of the Moscow Theological Academy at the beginning of the 20th century. Basic biographical information. - M., 1999 .-- S. 69-71.
• Pokrovsky, Alexander Ivanovich // Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary : in 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional). - SPb. , 1890-1907.

• Biography