Zernov, Nikolai Mikhailovich

He was born on October 9 ( 21 ), 1898 in Moscow, in the family of the doctor Mikhail Stepanovich Zernov (1857-1938) and Sofia Alexandrovna Kesler (1865-1942). The father of Mikhail Stepanovich was Archpriest Stepan Ivanovich Zernov (1817-1886), an honorary member of the Moscow Theological Academy and a member of the Spiritual Consistory . The maternal grandfather, Alexander Ivanovich Kesler (1815? —1870), was the only son of the Lutheran pastor Johann Kesler (although the family believed that he was the illegitimate son of Baron Rosencrantz and a certain Baltic baroness). Three more children grew up in the family: Sophia (1899-1972; Secretary of the International Organization for Refugee Assistance), Maria (1902-1965; wife of G. G. Kulman , founder of the Pushkin Club in London), Vladimir (1904-1990; author of scientific articles immunity) ^[2] .

He graduated from the Polivanov High School with a gold medal (1917). He entered the medical faculty of Moscow State University .

In 1921, the Zernov family emigrated to Constantinople , then to Belgrade . In the fall of 1921, Nikolai Zernov entered the theological faculty of the University of Belgrade and graduated in 1925.

In 1925 he moved to Paris . In 1927 he married Militsa Lavrova , the daughter of Vladimir Andreevich Lavrov (1867-1936) and Alexandra Nikanorovna Nikolskaya (1872-1957).

Secretary of the Russian Student Christian Movement and the first editor of the journal “ Vestnik RSHD ” (together with I. A. Lagovsky; 1925-1929). He lectured on accusatory (comparative) theology at the St. Sergius Orthodox Theological Institute in Paris ^[3] .

In 1930-1932 - a graduate student of Oxford, received a Ph.D. In 1934 he settled in London and for 13 years was secretary of the Brotherhood of Saints Albania and Sergius . He taught the basics of Eastern Orthodox culture at Oxford University (1947-1966). He also worked at Catholic College in South India . Professor of Theology at the American Universities of Drew (Iowa) and Duke . In the last years of his life, he directed the activities of the House of St. Gregory of Nyssa and Macrina at the Commonwealth of St. Albania and St. Sergius at Oxford. He was awarded an honorary doctorate from Oxford University. The author of several dozen books in Russian and English on the history of Russia , the Orthodox Church and the problem of the unity of Christianity .

At Oxford, Zernov was fairly close friends with Clive Lewis , author of The Chronicles of Narnia . Later, the Zernovs were very proud of the photograph where "Jack" sits in their living room. In early childhood, Lewis disliked his name "Clive" and called himself Jack, then all friends and relatives called him that name.

Zernov wrote about this meeting: “Outwardly, he looked more like a farmer than a professor, philosopher and poet. Casually dressed, with a large, red face, he liked to laugh out loud for a glass of beer with his friends. But behind this prosaic appearance was a man of knightly nobility and deep spirituality, who knew how to penetrate into the recesses of the soul. Friendship with him was for me a source of inexhaustible inspiration. My wife also loved him. He often came to us for dinner. Sometimes we invited students to meet the famous writer. He was a fascinating interlocutor, and everyone caught his every word. ” Nikolai Zernov read the report “ Solovyov on Good and Evil” at the Socrates Club (founded by Lewis). The meeting was chaired by Lewis, and another Russian speaker , Eugene Lampert , spoke at it.

The grains were at the Lewis funeral on November 26, 1963. Militsa Zernova brought a cross of white flowers, but she was told that there would be no flowers in the temple. In the end, they allowed to put a wreath on the coffin, already in the cemetery. “Who would have thought? - writes Andrew Walker, one of the British attending the funeral, “Jack Lewis is buried under the Russian cross ...” ^[4] .

Zernov’s book “Russian Religious Revival of the 20th Century” and a two-volume chronicle of the Zernov family compiled by him and his wife, brother and sister: “At a turning point. Three generations of one Moscow family ”and“ Abroad. Belgrade, Paris, Oxford ”, which shows the cultural life of pre-revolutionary Moscow and post-revolutionary Russian emigration through the history of their family ^[5] .

• Russian Church and Ecumenical Orthodoxy. // Way - 1932. - No. 34 - S. 73-75
• St. Cyprian of Carthage and the unity of the ecumenical church. //Way. - 1933. - No. 39. - S. 18-40
• Orthodoxy and Anglicanism. //Way. - 1934. - No. 43 - S. 49-61
• Reform of the Russian Church and the pre-revolutionary episcopate. //Way. - 1934. - No. 45 - S. 3-15
• The unity of the Anglican Church. //Way. - 1935. - No. 47 - S. 51-65
• Ninth Anglo-Orthodox Congress. //Way. - 1935. - No. 49 - S. 82-85
• Some Figures Illustrating the Present State of the Eastern Orthodox Church. 1935
• Moscow - The Third Rome. //Way. - 1937. - No. 51 - S. 3-18
• Moscow the third Rome. - London, 1937. 112 p. (6 editions, including the American one - in 1971).
• At church crossroads. //Way. - 1938. - No. 55 - S. 68-80
• English theologian in Russia of Emperor Nicholas I (V. Palmer and A. S. Khomyakov). //Way. - 1938. - No. 57. - S. 58-83
• Anglican ordinations and the Orthodox Church. //Way. - 1939. - No. 59. - S. 57-73
• St. Sergius Builder of Russia. - London, 1939.155 p.
• World Congress of Christian Youth. //Way. - 1940. - No. 61. - S. 22-25
• The Church of the Eastern Christians. - London, 1942. 114 p. (4 editions).
• Three Russian Prophets (Khomiakov, Dostoevsky, Soloviev). - London, 1944. 171 pp. (Reprinted in the USA in 1974) (Norwegian and Russian (Three Russian prophets: Khomyakov. Dostoevsky. Soloviev. - M.: Moscow Worker, 1995. 214 p.) Translations).
• The Russians and their Church. - London, 1945.176 p. (4 more editions - 1954 (reprint), 1964, 1968, 1978) (Greek translation (1972, 1978)).
• The Reintegration of the Church. - London, 1952. 128 p.
• Ruslands Kirke og Nordens Kirker. - Copenhagen, 1954 (Swedish (1955) and Finnish (1958) translations).
• The Ecumenical Church and Russian Orthodoxy. - Paris: UMSA-Press; Commonwealth of St. Albania and St. Sergius of Radonezh, 1952.- 3I5 p.
• The Christian East. - Delhi, 1956. 138 p.
• Eastern Christendom. - London, 1961.326 p. (Italian (1962), Spanish (1962) and Polish (1967) translations).
• Orthodox Encounter. - London, 1961.200 p.
• The Russian Religious Renaissance of the XX Century. - London, 1963.410 p. (Russian ( Russian religious revival of the 20th century . - Paris, 1963. 382 p. (2nd edition - 1974)) and Italian (Milano, 1978. 356 p.) Translations).
• Ha fracture. Three generations of one Moscow family. 1812-1921 - Paris, 1970 .-- 478 p. (editor).
• Abroad: Belgrade - Paris - Oxford: Chronicle of the Zernov family (1921-1972) . - Paris, 1973. - 561 p. (editor together with M.V. Zernova).
• Russian writers of emigration: Biographical information and bibliography of their books on theology, religious philosophy, church history and Orthodox culture. - Boston, 1973.
• A. V. Kartashev // Russian religious and philosophical thought of the XX century. Collection of articles edited by N.P. Poltoratsky . Pittsburgh, 1975. - S. 262-268
• Russian religious experience and its influence on England // Russian religious and philosophical thought of the XX century. Collection of articles edited by N.P. Poltoratsky. Pittsburgh, 1975. - pp. 125-132
• Russian Student Christian Movement Abroad // Russian religious and philosophical thought of the XX century. Collection of articles edited by N.P. Poltoratsky. Pittsburgh, 1975 .-- pp. 92-98
• The Fellowship of St Alban and St Sergius: a Historical Memoir . 1979
• Sunset Year: A Russian Pilgrim in the West. - London, 1983

• Andreev N.E. In memory of the departed. N. M. Zernov // “The New Journal” (The New Review). - NY - 1980. - No. 140 - S. 259—261
• Shmeman A.D., archpriest. N. Zernov (1898-1980) // "Bulletin of the Russian Christian Movement." - Paris - New York - Moscow - 1980. - No. 132
• Kirlezhev A. The Apostle of the Christian Brotherhood // Russian Thought. - 1998 - No. 4242
• Pronin A.A. Nikolai Zernov on the role of the intelligentsia in the history of the fatherland // The intelligentsia of Russia in the history of the 20th century: unfinished disputes. On the 90th anniversary of the Milestones collection. Abstracts of reports and messages. All-Russian Scientific Conference. - Yekaterinburg. - 1998
• Yuzhakov R. M. Russian Orthodoxy in England: Nikolai Zernov and Anthony of Sourozh // Russian World. - 2000. - No. 2
• Genieva E. Yu. The difficult road to the temple: The fate of Russian libraries at the turn of the century / E. Yu. Genieva. - M .: Text, 2004 .-- S. 75—76. - 192 p. - 1,500 copies. - ISBN 5-7516-0422-9 . (per.)
• Antonov K. M. Zernov // Orthodox Encyclopedia . - M .: Church and Scientific Center "Orthodox Encyclopedia" , 2009. - T. XX. - S. 114-116. - 752 s. - 39,000 copies. - ISBN 978-5-89572-036-3 .
• Zernov / A.V. Sobolev // New Philosophical Encyclopedia : in 4 volumes / before. scientific ed. Council V. S. Styopin . - 2nd ed., Rev. and add. - M .: Thought , 2010 .-- 2816 p.

• Nikolai Mikhailovich Zernov in the Great Russian Encyclopedia
• Zernov Nikolay Mikhailovich (1898-1980)