St. Tikhon’s University Review . Series I: Theology. Philosophy. Religious Studies

This article examines the teaching on predestination of the noted scholastic philosopher and theologian Petrus Aureolus, who lived during the first half of the fourteenth century. The author demonstrates that this teaching was quite novel for the Latin theological tradition, at the center of which lies the conception of a possible obstacle in the path of the workings of grace (obex gratiae). The article also takes into account the formal structure of Aureolus’ teaching, the ways and arguments with which it was constructed, together with the logistics employed by the opponents of Aureolus in their own proofs and counter-proofs to the work of Aureolus.

OBEX GRATIAE, БЛАГОДАТЬ, ЗАСЛУГИ, PETRUS AUREOLUS, PREDESTINATION, OBSTACLES TO THE WORKINGS OF GRACE, GRACE, MERITS

Karpov Kirill

Academic literature until now has ignored the possibility of seeing the roots of Dostoevsky’s idea of a God-bearing people in the Saint Dimitri of Rostov’s conception of the passion bearer. But, on the contrary, obvious parallels between the two permit the author to speak of a deliberate coincidence. On the other hand, the two are divided in their conceptions of the reasons for human suffering.

SAINT DIMITRI OF ROSTOV, GOD-BEARING PEOPLE, CHET’I-MINEI (LIVES OF THE SAINTS), PASSION-BEARERS

Hondzinsky Pavel, archpriest

The terms «empirical theology» and «practical theology» are not widely employed in our country, and in most ecclesiastical and theological (and humanistic) schools, such subjects are not taught (most probably because their place is usurped by the teaching of pastoral theology). The aim of the author is to describe the principles of empirical theology based on the works of one of its foremost proponents — Jan van der Veen, who for several years was the dean of theological studies at the Catholic University of Nymegen (Netherlands).

JAN VAN DER VEEN, PRACTICAL THEOLOGY, EMPIRICAL THEOLOGY, METHOD IN THEOLOGY, CONTEMPORARY CATHOLIC THEOLOGY

Zabaev Ivan

This article examines the polemical rapport between Aksakov and Solov’ev regarding the relationship of the national and that of common humanity principles in the history. Special attention is focused on the ideas of national self-denial and national identity. The author concludes that Aksakov gave more importance to the national idea while Solovyov highlighted that of common humanity.

NATION, HUMANITY, NATIONALITY, SELF-DENIAL, IDENTITY, V. SOLOVYOV, I. AKSAKOV

Atyakshev M.

In this article the problem of artistic invention is examined in the religious aesthetics of the noted literary critic, essayist, and philosopher of the Russian emigration, Vladimir Weydle. According to Weydle, invention is thought to be one of the principle symbolic forms in the history of art, without which the natural functioning of the mechanisms of culture is impossible. The author of this article highlights how the theme of invention displays itself in various aspects of the aesthetic thought of Weydle: questions of the philosophy of language, the theology of the icon, the anthropology of art and others. Special attention is given to the role of invention in Weydle’s conception of the cultural crisis.

FANTASY, MIMESIS, MYTHICAL-LOGICAL THOUGHT, EXPRESSIVE SIGN, BIOLOGY OF ART, CULTURAL CRISIS, ARTISTIC STYLE, V. WEYDLE

Varaev Maksim, priest

This article studies the idea of a friendly action which leads to a new understanding of responsibility and meaning ofthe ethics. The friendly action is analyzed as an «invitation» of one person to the other, which leaves the other the absolute freedom of reacting or of doing nothing. it examines the very possibility of a new form of existence — or of the coming into existence of a new form. This analysis is conducted according to the guidelines of the philosophy of deconstruction provided by a text of Jacques Derrida.

FRIENDLY ACTION, GESTURE OF FRIENDSHIP, SOCIAL NORM, INVITATION, REACTION OR NON-REACTION, RESPONSIBILITY AND THE RESPONSIVENESS OF ETHICS, ARISTOTLE, J. DERRIDA

Zheleznov Andrei

This article analyses the apparent parallelism between cases, one of which takes place from the deliberate breach of principles, while the other is that in which a less than optimal result is reached through a lack of cooperation — the so-called prisoner’s dilemma. The author demonstrates that in spite of apparent similarities between the two cases, there nevertheless exists a fundamental difference which does not allow them to be classed as the same. On the other hand, the reasoning behind both of these situations may be explained by resorting to a type ofprinciple or maxim which can best be described as finding a middle way. The basic structural difference between the two types may be described as follows: if the hypothesis seems probable, the given principle will condition the decision in different situations and on different levels of thought.

PRINCIPLES, CONVICTIONS, RATIONALITY, BEHAVIOR, DECISION, OPTIMAL DECISION, RISK, DILEMMA, PRISONER’S DILEMMA

Cherniak Aleksei

The views of Isidore of Seville on predestination are described based mainly on the thirtieth chapter of the second book of his De differentiis verborum and the sixth chapter of the third book of his Sententiae. A comparative analysis of the texts of Isidore with their sources follows. As a result, the author of this article refutes earlier argumentation claiming that Isidore’s teaching on predestination contained nothing new but was totally lifted from that of Fulgentius of Ruspe and Gregory the Great. The author on the contrary points out the original elements in Isidore’s teaching.

ISIDORE OF SEVILLE, POPE GREGORY THE GREAT, FULGENTIUS OF RUSPE, GRACE, FREE WILL, PREDESTINATION

Vorontsov Sergei