Khristianstvo na blizhnem Vostoke

4-84

Authors: Dmitrii Safonov

Published documents from the State Archives of Israel are associated with the activities of Nikolai Romanovich Seleznev (1871-26.05.1925). Before the outbreak of World War I, he served as an assistant to the manager of the metochion of the Imperial Orthodox Palestinian Society (IOPS) in Jerusalem. The office of management was located on the Sergievsky building. With the outbreak of the war, Palestine, including Jerusalem, became the arena of military operations. According to the IOPS circular, the Society’s departments were closed and the staff left Palestine. The Ottoman authorities also ordered all subjects of the Russian Empire to leave the territory of Palestine. The war and the subsequent revolution in Russia for a long time interrupted the connection of the Palestinian society with its property in Palestine, Syria and Lebanon. After the abdication of Emperor Nicholas II, the Imperial Orthodox Palestinian Society ceased to use the word “imperial” in its name, resigned from the post of chairman, Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna, and after the revolution political events dispersed members of the Society for different ideological camps and even countries. In 1919 in Jerusalem resumed its work management Representation of the Orthodox Palestinian Society (OPS). N.R. Seleznev returned from Russia to Jerusalem in July 1919. He was sent to the Holy Land with authority from the Supreme Governor A.V. Kolchak member of the Council of the Palestinian Society AA. Neratov, who at that time served on the board of the Armed Forces of the South of Russia. By September, he is receiving recognition from the British Mandate authorities and is beginning an active work to stop the process of seizure of property of the OPS, formalize the rights of the company on the objects belonging to the Society and receive from their lease funds that could be spent primarily on charity goals. At that time, Palestine was already under British rule, and Syria and Lebanon – under a French mandate. Only February 24, 1920 with great difficulty, N.R. Seleznev as a representative of the Orthodox Palestinian Society was recognized as the supreme British and local authority. He survived very difficult times, trying to preserve the property of the Society. N.R. Seleznev maintained contact with A.A. Neratov and Prince A.A. Shirinsky-Shikhmatov, elected in 1917 as chairman of the Society after the departure of Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna, but left Russia in 1918. The story of an attempt to revive the Russian presence in Jerusalem, undertaken by N.R. Seleznev, is vividly reflected in the published documents containing valuable information on the history of Russian property in the Holy Land.

89-103

Authors: German Krylov

There is a point of view in the Orthodox Christian world that Copts and other monophysites are not heretics, and that the perspectives of unity with the “antichalcedonians” are quite real. Champions of this view explain that it was the adherence to the ambiguous theology of St. Cyril of Alexandria and his “mia physis” formula that made Copts and other monophysites use alternative theological language to express the same beliefs. This thesis is popular among the Copts who remind the political dimension of the theological dispute given to it by imperial repressions against them. Besides the differences related to the substance and terminology, the Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox (monophysites) don’t agree in their attitude towards the protagonists of the anti-chalcedonian schism drama. Thus Dioscorus of Alexandria, anathematized by the Orthodox, was sanctified by the Coptic Orthodox Church. Oppositely Pope Saint Leo the Great, sanctified by Orthodox, is deemed heretic by Copts. To Orthodox mind, Dioscorus was a monophysite, although not so extreme as Eutiches of Constantinople. To Coptic mind, Leo supported the heretic ideas of Nestorius. Thence, Orthodox and Coptic anathemas of Nestorius and Eutiches are not enough to unite them in hagiology. Copts don’t accept but the first three Ecumenical Councils. The consequence was the spread of monenergism and lack of immunity to iconoclasm, resulting in its outburst one millennium after its neutralization by Orthodox. Copts’ and other monophysites’ nonacceptance of the whole list of Ecumenical Councils causes critical stance towards the dialogue with them within the Orthodox camp.

121-157

Authors: Ilya Kashitsyn

In the times of so called Arab Spring Christian minorities in list of countries of the MENA region faced the unprecedented persecution from militants of radical groups, operating under Islamic slogans. This subject is very interesting from the side of threat to interreligious relations as well as from the position of research of the position of Middle Eastern Christians in general during the conflicts. This article intended to introduce the reader to the particular things about the Christian communities in countries, where they faced the worst persecution: Syria, Iraq, Libya and Egypt. These countries are in the top positions in charts of persecution during recent years. The situation there not so univocal as it seemed to be. For example, in Egypt, sequence of revolutions had not only external influence, but internal reasons. We will see in the article, that opposition between Christians and Muslims here has the long history. Unique feature of Christian community in Syria is its policonfessional character – Christians are divided into different Churches, that weakens they as religious group. In Iraq Christian community had to go through two huge waves of persecution. It pushed many of them to the decision of leaving the country forever. Libya is notorious by almost total determination of Christian presence. In atmosphere of clannish wars Christians are killed purposefully and scot-free. This article aims to identify similarities and differences, estimate the mentioned phenomenon.

4-13

Authors: Besik Khurtsilava

In 1936 when St. Grigol Peradze was in Jerusalem he met a resident of Jerusalem – someone “Mr. Siksek”. He turned out to be a George Siksek, a wellknown person in the Christian community of Palestine who held various positions in the period of the British Mandate. The paper explores the oral tradition of the Siksek family. According to the narrative the ancestor of the Sikseks was Simon, an envoy and a secretary sent by the Georgian king to Jerusalem to help the Cross Monastery in the 14th century. The Cross Monastery Agapes No. 84/81, 65/63, 206/203 dating back to the 14th century mention Svimon Elmelikisdze. In two cases he is mentioned as the abbot of the Cross Monastery and in one case as a secular assistant of the abbot. Based on the chronology and other crucial details the author of this paper concludes that Simon, the ancestor of the Sikseks is the same person as Svimon Elmelikisdze mentioned in the Cross Monastery Agapes. The author believes that the Sikseks’ narrative is true and verifies it with the data of historic sources.

29-35

Authors: Anna Ivanova

This article presents the review of the historiography of the tradition of veneration of St. Maron, the hermit of Syria, of the XX–XXI centuries. During this period there was no much attention paid to the initiation and further formation of the veneration of St. Maron in Russian historiography – over the period of 1917 to the late 1980s there were no works specially dedicated to St. Maron in Russian language. The historiography of the 20th century is represented by studies of foreign scientists. The revival of church life in the late XX – early XXI centuries encouraged the awakening of the interest of Russian scholars to the ancient Syrian Saint of the undivided Church who is venerated both in the East and in the West. Today the evidence of particular significance of St. Maron to the faithful of Maronite Catholic Church is that his statue was enshrined in the Cathedral of St. Apostle Peter in Vatican in 2011.

61-73

Authors: German Krylov

Gamal Abdel Nasser was not the first president of Egypt, but he initiated a chain of crucial changes which altered the face of his country and the whole Arab world. One of the authors of the Free Officers coup, Nasser became the head of the state in 1956 and launched a series of radical political and socio-economic reforms which was bound to have a significant impact on the Coptic community and church. The rhetoric of Nasser who spoke about socialism as the principle attribute of the first Islamic state (Mohammed’s Caliphate), made some Coptic activists think that the true objective of Nasser was the islamization of Egypt. In fact, this period was marked with significant growth of the influence of the Coptic church. Radical changes undermined the positions of archons, the Coptic nobles who used to play an important role in Egypt’s Christian community by dominating the Coptic General Community Council. Cordial relations between the Coptic Patriarch Cyril VI and President Nasser helped to smooth over many of the sharp contradictions between the state and the Church. Cyril VI promoted a number of energetic young church servants to its hierarchy, thus preparing ground for crucial changes in it.

85-88

Authors: Oleg Ozerov

This review was read on the defense of candidate thesis on theology of Ilya Kashitsyn on 27 November, 2017. The article describes the relevance of the subject, its necessity and innovative character. The thesis presents broad and detailed factual base, the methodology of complex approach let solve the adopted tasks and propose practical measures for defense of persecuted Christians. The author marks the broad list of sources in the dissertation. Speaking about the imperfections, the author wishes to see in the thesis analysis of influence of the political Islam in MENA region and consequences of the Islamic Revolution in Iran. In case of revision and publication in foreign languages this thesis could be the invitation for dialogue between Western and Eastern Civilizations.

4-11

Authors: Evgenii Palamarenko

The events that preceded the election of the Patriarch of Venedict to the pulpit of the hierarchs of the Church of Jerusalem were reflected in the correspondence not only of the Russian church hierarchy of Jerusalem, but also of ordinary nuns who lived near the Jerusalem Patriarchate. The election of the Patriarch in Jerusalem in 1957 was the only one in the nineteen-year period (1948–1967), when the Old City of Jerusalem and the Jerusalem Patriarchate as a whole were under the direct administrative control of the Jordanian government. The Arab authorities exerted influence not only on the course of the elections, but were entitled to postpone elections and not to recognize their legitimacy. In the "campaign" for the promotion and struggle for the patriarchal throne, the efforts of the most obvious candidates for the patriarchate in mutual attempts to discredit their competitors are of interest. In the current "race" was reflected the struggle of the two components of the Jerusalem Patriarchate – Greek and Arab. If the former tried to maintain the status quo, when for many centuries the leading posts in the Jerusalem Patriarchate were replaced by representatives of the Greek clergy, the latter attempted to bring about the desired changes when the ancestor of the Arab environment, Metropolitan Isadore of Nazareth, was elected. Thanks to the messages received from Jerusalem, the specifics of the relationship between the Orthodox Jerusalem Patriarchate and the Jordanian government became clear in Moscow, relations with which were built through the establishment of personal contacts and a kind of lobbying of interests. The archival materials that formed the basis of this article are bright and one of the few sources that sheds light on the church-state relations in Jordan in 1948–1967, the vision of which is presented in the letters of representatives of the Russian-speaking community of Jerusalem to the patriarch Moscow Alexius I.

29-35

Authors: Pavel Anishchyk

The article deals with the problem of applying methods of statistical analysis of the contemporary Christian persecution dynamics and trends. The reasons why it is difficult to create the information basis of the research are identified. It is concluded that an emerging science religious demography is not able to provide a reliable, complete and up-to-date database of the victims of Christian persecution. Sources of obtaining relevant information about the repressed Middle East Christians in order to give them practical support are considered.

51-65

Authors: Baby Varghese

Among a wide range of imageries that St Ephrem used, that of ‘clothing’, a simple routine act of man in his daily life, describes the depth of the meaning of fall and restoration and the future glory of man. Early Syriac tradition used the clothing imagery to describe the mystery of incarnation as well as our union with Christ. The entire purpose of the incarnation is to re-clothe Adam with glory that he had lost. It is also the wedding Garment of which Christ spoke, which gives us the privilege to participate in the Eucharist, the feast of the Kingdom of God. In Syriac shubho, the word for glory, also means praise. Robe of glory, therefore, implies the restoration of our priestly dignity and the regaining of our liturgical vocation.

81-88

Authors: Faris Nofal

This work is the first commentary in the Russian science on the translation of the work of the miaphysite theologian, philosopher, doctor and preacher Abu Zakariyi Yahya b. Adi at-Tikriti (893-974), dedicated to the explanation of the main part of the third member of the Creed, common to all historical Christian churches. The text of the translation is preceded by a short biographical note, which reconstructs, in general terms, the biography of the author of the treatise on the basis of Arabic-language sources of the classical era. In his foreword and comments, the author of the translation seeks to show how some dependence of Abu Zakariya on the thought of the Eastern Fathers of the Church and church authors, and direct influence on the concept of the theologian medieval Arab-Muslim philosophy – in particular, the metaphysics and natural philosophy of the mutamilite school of kalam. According to the researcher of the works of Yahya b. “Adi”, the text offered to the attention of the reader contains in itself echoes of polemics with the Nestorians and Chalcedonites, and also reveals the acquaintance of the “head of philosophers” of Baghdad with the teachings of Aristotle. As for the semantics of the terminology used by Abu Zakariya, it is characterized by the author of the translation as “dynamic”, characteristic of the explications of the “logic of the process” of the ArabMuslim civilization – and, therefore, in many ways contrary to the traditional “static” “logic of substance” of patristic philosophy.

97-99

Authors: Ilya Kashitsyn

Alexey Sarabyev, science fellow of Institute of Oriental Studies of RAS, became the first Russian author who presented fundamental work, dedicated to comprehension of the plight of Christians of the Middle East from the historical and contemporary points of view and future prognosis. Taking in account that, as Christian leaders worldwide unanimously say, the problem took the scale of genocide, it’s difficult to overestimate the relevance of such research. In our review we examine role and place of the book, its structure and notional message, make estimation of author’s views and our suggestions.

5-11

Authors: Dmitrii Safonov

The case of Christian persecution in MENA region is one of the most important in Russian Orthodox Church external activity. It takes also important place in Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs policy. Moscow Patriarchate from the very beginning of so called “Arab Spring” has been realizing multiple initiatives, dedicated to the defense of rights of Christians in international community, as well as to direct humanitarian aid to the persecuted Christians. Our report should make a notion about such initiatives and comprehend its results.

51-73

Authors: German Krylov

The brief period of the islamists’ reign in Egypt (their candidate Mohamed Morsi ruled in 2012–2013) was quite difficult for Egyptian Christians. The return of the military to power with which the Copts linked hope for better security and civil rights respect provoked in August 2013 a wave of anti-Christian violence almost in all provinces of the country. The special governmental fact-finding committee announced that the ousted Muslim Brotherhood was behind the attacks. The new leadership proclaimed determination to guarantee security for Christians, but the violence against them did not cede. In many cases its instigators escaped from punishment, and the practice of extra-judicial settlement of religious conflicts by means of traditional reconciliation councils sponsored by security forces persisted, despite its actual contradiction to the state’s law. In 2016 the Parliament adopted the new law aimed to facilitate the procedure of construction and renovation of churches regulated before by the old one going back to the times of Ottoman Empire. The Copts hoped that the new law would decrease the number of attacks against them, many of which were provoked by the suspicions that they built churches illegally against the backdrop of actual impossibility to get the official license.

91-110

Authors: Irina Smirnova

In the article on the materials of Russian archives and foreign archives, the goals and methods of the work of Catholic and Protestant missionaries in the Christian East in the context of the competition of great powers in the middle of the 19th century were considered. Particular attention is paid to the activities of British and French diplomats in the Ottoman Empire, who used the missionary movement as an effective instrument of foreign policy. A study of the analytical reviews of Russian diplomats submitted to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs allows us to conclude that the key role in European diplomacy in the Middle East in the mid-belonged to the British Ambassador at Port, Sir Stratford-do Cunning, who, assessing the importance of the confessional factor in the Christian East, acted primarily through church channels. The British consular network headed by him in the Ottoman Empire for organization and efficiency of work in many respects surpassed the system of Russian diplomatic missions. The principles and approaches of such well-known missionaries in the Christian East as Bishop Samuel Gobat, pastor John Hill, Latin Patriarch Giuseppe Valga, whose goal was to promote the political interests of their powers, was also considered. The main means for achieving this was the schooling of the Orthodox population under the leadership of heterodox missionaries. Russia’s response to the missionary activity of the Western powers was the development of Russian ecclesiastical and diplomatic presence in the region.

129-151

Authors: Besik Khurtsilava

The article analyzes the chronology of the inscriptions discovered on the site of the excavations of St. Theodore Georgian monastery in Bi’r el-Qutt near Jerusalem. Three inscriptions in Georgian and one in foreign (Greek or Latin) language were dated to the V–VI centuries by different researchers. The reason for this dating was the fact of mention in the inscriptions the names of famous people, in particular the church figure Peter the Iberian (411–489), his grandfather Bakur (+416), the father Buzmir (+438) and Abba Anthony the companion of the Saint Simeon Stylites (VI century). Based on known historical data, the author has revised the chronology and proved that the inscriptions belong to different periods of the Byzantine period. Namely, inscriptions №1 and №4 refer to the first half of the VI century. The inscription №2, where the living king of Iberia Buzmir and his son Peter the Iberian is mentioned, was made in the late 30-ies of the V century. The inscription №3, where is mentioned alive and without any regalia the grandfather of Peter the Iberian, the famous Roman military dignitary and later the king of Iberia Bakur the Great can be attributed to 388–392 years, i.e. to time of the founding of the St. Theodore Monastery in Bi’r el-Qutt. In addition, the article focuses on the problem of clarifying the secular name of Peter the Iberian before monastic tonsure in various editions of the life encountered as Nabarnug and Murvanos. Thus, in the inscription №2 name Maruan is fixed which is probably the ancient Arabic equivalent of the Greek word «petros» (stone, rock), that can be explained by the influence of people speaking on the Syro-Arab koine.

167-181

Authors: Andrei Izotov

The article is a review of the historiography of the pilgrimage to the Holy Land of the XIX – XXI centuries. The history of investigation of pilgramage to the Holy Land is divided into three periods: XIX century, XX century and contemporary monographies. Famous people and ordinary pilgrims visited: A.N. Muravjev, A.S. Norov, Prince A.A. Shirinskiy-Shikhmatov (hieromonk Anikita), D.A. Skalon, etc. During the second period of historiography (1917-1980s), researchers of the Russian history were not interested in the question of the Russian presence in the Middle East. The important monographies in this period are the books of archimandrite Cyprian (Kern) and mitropolitan Nikodim (Rotov). Most of all, the main modern scientists in the field of history of the Russian presence in the Holy Land are the members of the Imperial Orthodox Palestinian Society.