V.S. Soloviev Between Orthodoxy and Catholicity: Responses of Contemporaries

Abstract

The article is devoted to the foreign and Russian reception of theocratic utopia of V.S. Soloviev, presented in his French works “The Russian Idea”, “Saint Vladimir and Christian Politics”, “Russia and the Universal Church”. Soloviev’s theocratic project, which assumed the subordination of the Russian emperor to the pope and the reunion of the Orthodox and Catholic churches, aroused great interest abroad. His report “The Russian Idea”, dedicated to Russia’s mission to conciliate the two branches of Christianity, was enthusiastically received by the Catholic press and received many praise. The Russian philosopher was seen by Western critics as a new apostle, called to return the Orthodox to Catholic unity. However, the treatise “Russia and the Universal Church” turned out to be unacceptable for Catholics for its mysticism, Soloviev’s teachings about Sophia and creation seemed like a gnostic heresy. Abroad Soloviev’s ecclesiology, philosophy of history, his theocratic project, which in Russia were perceived as treason to Orthodoxy and as an anti-national utopia, were in demand. Despite the fact that the philosophical and religious foundations of his views were shared by many Soloviev’s French writings evoked an unfavorable impression in the government and the Holy Synod (K.P. Pobedonostsev), indignation and irritation of the Slavophils (I.S. Aksakov, S.F. Sharapov), the Pochvenniks (N.N. Strakhov) and conservative circles (L.A. Tikhomirov); Orthodox clergy (Nikolai (Kasatkin), Anthony (Khrapovitsky), Vladimir (Guettée)) spoke extremely negatively about them. The most favorable were the assessments of K.N. Leontiev and T.I. Filippov. The philosopher’s Russian followers embraced Soloviev’s metaphysics, sophiology, his doctrine of total unity, while in his theocratic aspirations the philosopher remained alone.