The Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) faced various iterations of modernization throughout its history. This conflicted encounter continues in the ROC’s current resistance against—what it perceives as—Western modernity including liberal and secular values. This study examines the historical development of the ROC’s arguments against—and sometimes preferences for—modernization and analyzes which positions ended up influencing the official doctrine. The book’s systematic analysis of dogmatic treatises shows the ROC’s considerable ability of constructive engagement with various aspects of the modern world. Balancing between theological traditions of unity and plurality, the ROC’s today context of operating within an authoritarian state appears to tip the scale in favor of unity.
Regina Elsner
Prof. Dr. Regina Elsner studierte Katholische Theologie in Berlin und Münster. Seit 2024 ist sie Professorin für Ostkirchenkunde und Ökumenik am Ökumenischen Institut der Katholisch-Theologischen Fakultät in Münster. Zuvor arbeitete Elsner u.a. als Wissenschaftliche Mitarbeiterin am Zentrum für Osteuropa- und internationale Studien ZOiS in Berlin sowie als Projektkoordinatorin für die Caritas Russland in St. Petersburg. Elsner ist Co-Sprecherin der Fachgruppe Religion der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Osteuropakunde DGO e.V., Beraterin der Ökumenekommission der Deutschen Bischofskonferenz und Mitglied der deutschen Kommission Justitia et Pax. Zuletzt erschien von ihr »The Russian Or-thodox Church and Modernity. A Historical and Theological Inves-tigation into Eastern Christianity between Unity and Plurality« (2021). Ihre Veröffentlichungen wurden unter anderem in »Religion, State and Society«, »Nationalities Papers«, »Osteuropa«, »Review of Faith and International Affairs« und »European Theology Studies« sowie zahlreichen Sammelbänden veröffentlicht.
Mikhail Suslov
Mikhail Suslov, Cand. Sc., Ph. D., is Assistant Professor of Cross-Cultural and Regional Studies at the University of Copenhagen. His papers have appeared in Acta Slavica Iaponica, Eurasian Geography and Economics, The Russian Review, Europe-Asia Studies, Geopolitics, Global Affairs, Kritika, Ab Imperio, Revolutionary Russia, Russian History, Demokratizatsiya, Voprosy filosofii, Voprosy kul’turologii, and Forum noveishei vostochnoevropeiskoi istorii i kul’tury. His recent publications include The Post-Soviet Politics of Utopia: Language, Fiction and Fantasy in Modern Russia (I.B. Tauris 2019), co-edited with Per-Arne Bodin, and Contemporary Russian Conservatism: Problems, Paradoxes, and Perspectives (Brill 2019), co-edited with Dmitry Uzlaner.
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Delivery time
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Delivery time 2-3 working days.
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| Foreword by | Mikhail Suslov |
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Number of Pages |
388
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Language |
English
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Format |
21,0 cm x 14,8 cm
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Publication date |
20.10.2021
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Type |
Paperback
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Series |
Soviet and Post-Soviet Politics and Society
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ISBN
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978-3-8382-1568-6
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Weight
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506 g
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Product safety information (EU GPSR)
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“Regina Elsner is the first to present a study that elaborates on the theological foundations for the anti-modern positioning of the Russian Orthodox Church and uses it as a yardstick for assessing this attitude. The book provides an excellent overview of the intellectual historical currents that have played a role in Russian Orthodoxy and still play today, as well as of the basic characteristics of Orthodox theology. The book is highly recommended to those interested in a better understanding of the Russian Orthodox Church.”—Dr. Dagmar Heller, Institute for Ecumenical Studies and Research, Bensheim, Germany
“With her choice of the ‘unity’ vs. ‘diversity’ discourse, Elsner has clearly identified a relevant meta-theme of the Russian theological tradition and spells out its significance throughout history and in current debates with competence and in an inspiring way. Elsner’s book forms a valuable contribution to a better understanding of the conflicts emerging from modernity and of some probably inappropriate solutions as well as the motives behind them. The book deserves wide reception.”—Dr. Alfons Brüning, Professor of Eastern Christianity, Universities of Nijmegen and Amsterdam
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