Sophia under a Bushel. The Sophiological Theme in the Heritage of «the Alternative Orthodoxy»

• Main Author: D. TRIBUSHNY
• Format: Article
• Language: Russian
• Published: St. Tikhon's Orthodox University 2015-03-01
• Series: Вестник Православного Свято-Тихоновского гуманитарного университета: Серия I. Богословие, философия
• Subjects: Sophia; sophiology; palamism; energy; logos; Basil (Krivoshein); Onesimus (Paul); Anthony Michailovsky; Samuel Pasekun; alternative orthodoxy; elder
• Online Access: http://periodical.pstgu.ru/en/pdf/article/2902
• ISSN: 1991-640X; 1991-640X

The paper is devoted to issues of existence of sophiological metaphysics in the USSR. The religious persecution and the particular qualities of the doctrine didn’t allow the sophiological studies to be continued neither in emigration nor in the Soviet Russia. The concept of Sophia, however, appeared in the representatives of «the alternative orthodoxy» scientific work. «The alternative orthodoxy» means Christian underground communities, arose in the Soviet period, that became combined by a charismatic leader — elder, denying of canonical hierarchy and their original tradition. Though, the extracts of the book «Religious basis for a political economy», connected to sophiology, were published in the Paris journal «The way». According to the assumption, made by A. Arzhakovsky, the author of that book was Basil (Krivoshein), the monk. In this paper the story of Krivoshein and sophiology relationship has been reconstructed and the real author of «Religious basis for a political economy» — the monk Onesimus (Paul) has been discovered. We have also analyzed the sophiological theme in works of the underground elders — Archbishop Anthony Michailovsky and Samuel Pasekun. We have found the plagiarism: «thoughts» by Michailovsky were created by Ye. Trubetskoy. The source of Pasekun sophiology has not become clear yet. After the analyses of representatives of «the alternative sophiology» work we have pointed out, that the sophiological writings by Michailovsky and Pasekun are interesting more for the fact of their existence and sphere of functioning, than for their contents. Their publications are suitable for a wide audience. But «the alternative sophiology» is still a marginal phenomenon by now. The scientific work by the monk Onesimus (Paul) needs to be analyzed more deeply.