Archimandrite Serapion ( Vladimir Mashkin in the world; March 29 ( April 10 ) 1854 - February 20 ( March 5 ) 1905 ) is a Russian theologian and philosopher whose Christian philosophy system became one of the pillars of the work of the early Pavel Florensky .
| Archimandrite Serapion | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Vladimir Mikhailovich Mashkin |
| Date of Birth | March 29 ( April 10 ) 1854 |
| Date of death | February 20 ( March 5 ) 1905 (aged 50) |
| Alma mater | |
| Direction | christian philosophy |
| Core interests | |
Biography
He came from a noble family, was brought up on his father's estate, and since 1866 in St. Petersburg. In 1868-1874 he studied at the Naval College. He began military service, but already in 1876 he retired as midshipman . In 1877 he entered as a volunteer of the natural branch of the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics of St. Petersburg University . He attended lectures on the philosophy of V. S. Solovyov .
In 1881 he was arrested as part of the murder of Emperor Alexander II , his connection with the Narodnaya Volya was not established and he was quickly released. This caused a nervous breakdown. He left the university and spent several months in revelry, and then in 1882–84 he was treated in clinics in Moscow and St. Petersburg. Suffered from hallucinations and nervous attacks.
After treatment, he returned to his father’s estate and soon, on the advice of the spiritual father, went to Athos where he became a novice of the Panteleimon Monastery . He stayed there until 1889 when a relapse of the disease forced him to return to his homeland. In 1892 he entered the Moscow Theological Academy and in October of this year he received monastic tonsure . In 1896 he graduated with a degree in Candidate of Theology (graduation essay " On Moral Reliability ").
In 1897 he was appointed rector of the Znamensky Monastery in Moscow , in 1898 he was elevated to the rank of archimandrite . In 1898, he prepared a master's thesis on the topic “ The Experience of the System of Christian Philosophy ” (also known as the “ Experience of the System of Doctrine and Cause of Jesus Christ ”). She was returned to him for revision, which hurt him, which led to a return to alcoholism . During one of the drinking bouts in 1900, Serapion did not meet Emperor Nicholas II, who visited the Znamensky Monastery, for which he was dismissed from his post and sent to retire in Optina desert where he died in 1905.
Serapion occupied the position of extreme church and political radicalism: [1]
- reproached the church for the heresy of Caesaropapism ;
- refused to worship when the police were in the temple;
- considered the activity of the priest Gapon , whom he called a martyr for truth, as a model of social activism;
- justified, referring to biblical precedents, the practice of secret political killings;
- He called the Russo-Japanese War not charitable since he considered Japan morally superior to Russia, sent a call to John of Kronstadt for a debate on this topic, which remained unanswered;
- supported the principles of the French Revolution and at the same time defended Christian theocracy in the form of the monastic republic of Athos.
Notes
- ↑ Florensky P. "To the honor of the highest rank." (Character traits of Archimandrite Serapion Mashkin) // Questions of religion. M., 1906. Issue. one
Literature
- Mashkin Vladimir Mikhailovich // Russian writers. 1800-1917. T.3. M .: Publishing house "Big Russian Encyclopedia", 1994. S. 549-550.
- Elchaninov Ivan Nikolaevich , Florensky Pavel Alexandrovich . Data for the biography of archim. Serapion (Mashkin): Genealogy of Archimandrite Serapion. The ideological tree of Archimandrite Serapion. Mashkin family tree (inaccessible link) // Theological Bulletin, 1 No. 2/3 (1917) 17. Pages: 338–354.