Russia and the universal church

St. Andrew’s Biblical Theological College

Ostkirchliches Institut Regensburg

First Circular [April 2003]

INVITATION AND CALL FOR PAPERS

International Conference Dedicated to the 150th Anniversary of
Vladimir Soloviev (1853-1900)

RUSSIA AND THE UNIVERSAL CHURCH:
HUMANITY OF GOD IN THE PERSPECTIVE OF CONTEMPORARY
INTERCONFESSIONAL AND INTERRELIGIOUS DIALOGUE

23 to 27 September 2003
Moscow, Russia

St. Andrew’s Biblical Theological College in cooperation with Ostkirchliches Institut (Regensburg) and with the support of the Catholic Committee for Cultural Collaboration (Rome) is organizing an International Academic Theological Conference in honor of the 150th anniversary of the birth of Vladimir Soloviev, the great Russian philosopher, one of the founders of Russian religious philosophy. The conference will take place in Moscow from Tuesday, September 23 to Saturday, September 27, 2003. Among the invited participants will be theologians, philosophers and other leading scholars who have contributed significantly to Soloviev’s legacy and to the impact his work has had on the subsequent development of religious philosophy in Russia and abroad.

The conference will pay special attention to the significance of Soloviev’s thought for Church unity, for contemporary interconfessional and interreligious dialogue, and for the role of universal and national factors in the life of the Church.

The main topics for discussion will be as follows:

1. The East and the West in Soloviev’s thought and contemporary interconfessional and interreligious dialogue.
2. What is the Church? The unity of the Church as the mystical Body of Christ.
3. The universality of Christ and his Church and the national churches.
4. The role of Russia in the restoration of the unity of the Church in Soloviev’s philosophy of history.
5. The incarnation of God and the deification of man. Soloviev’s doctrine of Humanity of God (Bogochelovechestvo) in contemporary perspective.
6. Soloviev’s concept of all-unity (vseedinstvo) in contemporary religious philosophy.

THE THEME OF THE CONFERENCE

The religious philosophical foundation of the unity and universality of the Church was one of the main themes in Soloviev’s thought. Concepts of vseedinstvo and Bogochelovechestvo conceived by him are of great importance for understanding the nature of the Universal Church and are very relevant for development of contemporary interconfessional and interreligious dialogue. Soloviev’s religious anthropology indispensably binds love for God with ministry to one’s neighbor, and provides a basis for understanding the Church as the Body of Christ, the sacramental and mystical unity of mankind. The meaning of the national factor in the life of the Church is best realized in a perspective of universality and all-unity through the deep understanding of the all-embracing character of Christ.

Soloviev’s ideas about interreligious dialogue evolved from the way he viewed the mutual bonds between East and West and the necessity of overcoming the opposition between them and one-sidedness in history. His comparative studies of the three monotheistic religions led him to a fundamental conclusion: there is no basic contradiction between the religious laws of Jews or Muslims and Christian New Testament morality. The main controversy lies not in morality but in religious and metaphysical issues. Acknowledging moral equality among the three religions makes possible mutual understanding and positive relations among their adherents. Soloviev writes in the Third Sermon in Memory of Dostoyevsky: „The actual task is not to adopt, but to understand the other’s forms, to recognize and accept the positive essence of the other’s spirit, to become morally united with the other in the name of the higher, universal truth. What is needed is essential reconciliation, and the essence of reconciliation is God, so the true reconciliation is to address one’s adversary not in the human, but in God’s way.“

The East in Soloviev’s thought is a polysemantic category of philosophy of history par excellence. It is a socio-religious stage in world history, a historically one-sided, despotic power (the Muslim East for early Soloviev). It is also the contemplative principle of Eastern Christianity, historically opposed to the active principle of Western Christianity. It is the monotheistic world of Judaism. It is Islam’s faith in one God, historically justified through God’s promise given to Abraham and Hagar in Ishmael. Finally, it is the eschatological, apocalyptic power, personified in the Far East, in Soloviev’s concept of pan-Mongolism.

Russia in Soloviev’s philosophy of history is the place of meeting and union for East and West. Historically and culturally connected with the East, Russia cannot be wholly absorbed by the Western civilization, but is still open to dialogue with the West, ready to adopt all the best it has. In particular, Russia is able to accept Western theological and philosophical thought critically and to apply it harmoniously to the Byzantine and Eastern tradition. That is why Russia has a unique role in the realization of the universal character of the Church.

PAPERS AND PUBLICATION

Those who wish to present a paper must send a summary (no more than 1000 words) by e-mail to St. Andrew’s by June 15, 2003. The full text of all the papers selected will have to be submitted by September 1, 2003. However, it will be possible to participate without a paper (some priests, teachers, and students are expected to be present). The working languages of the conference will be Russian and English. At the conference every participant will receive a summary of all the papers presented and the conference program. Plenary papers are scheduled for 60 minutes each, and sectional ones — for about 30 minutes each. Some papers will be published in St Andrew’s quarterly Pages: Theology, Culture, Education and we hope to publish a collection of papers in a separate volume. Summaries and papers should be sent to:

Olga Smolkova
St Andrew’s Biblical Theological College
Jerusalem St. 3, Moscow, 109316, Russia
Tel/Fax: (+7095) 2702200, (+7095) 2707644
E-mail: standrews@standrews.ru
www.standrews.ru

ORGANIZATION AND ACCOMMODATIONS

The conference will assemble on Tuesday, 23 September for a reception and opening ceremony in the evening. Participants will depart after breakfast on Saturday, 27 September. The conference will be held at the historical site of the seventeenth-century Moscow estate of „Uzkoe“, located in a picturesque park area. Vladimir Soloviev died in this house. Now Uzkoe is a favorite recreation spot for Moscow academicians. The ancient interiors of the estate provide an ideal setting for a peaceful and productive discussion of scholarly issues. The price of a single room and full board at Uzkoe will be approximately US$ 60 per day.

REGISTRATION

Numbers are limited and early registration is strongly advised. Registration will become effective when the registration form and the full registration fee have been received and acknowledged by the registration officer. The registration fee covers participation in conference activities (other than excursions) and entitles the participant to receive summaries of all conference papers.

All registration forms must be sent to the registration officer:
Olga Smolkova
St Andrew’s Biblical Theological College
Jerusalem St, 3, Moscow, 109316 Russia
Тel./Fax: +7095 2702200; +7095 2707644
E-mail: standrews@standrews.ru