A leter from St. Tikhon of Zadonsk “To a young nobleman living in St. Petersburg” in the context of the problem of the influence of Johann Arndt on the views of the Zadonsk ascetic

The author of this article analyzes an important episode in the history of Russian theology, namely, the widespread belief that the Orthodox hierarch St. Tikhon of Zadonsk was under the influence of the Lutheran theologian Johann Arndt. First of all, the author places the main texts relevant to the issue in the context of the era, taking into account the state of St. Petersburg society, to which the addressee of St. Tikhon’s letter belonged. It is on the basis of a letter to this nobleman that, as a rule, the assumption is made that St. Tikhon of Zadonsk placed the value of Arndt’s works above all books except for the Bible. Further, based on the material of the texts written by the saint, the inner logic and the course of his thought are analyzed in the article. In conclusion, the letter itself is considered, on the basis of which the usual conclusion about the dependence of the works 34 Христианское чтение № 4, 2018 of St. Tikhon on the works of Arndt has been made. The author comes to a different conclusion: St. Tikhon of Zadonsk does not put Johann Arndt above all authors, except for the Bible. On the contrary, Johann Arndt for St. Tikhon is an author, to whom one can turn if there is no other way out. This conclusion is unexpectedly confirmed in the Ways of Russian Theology by Archpriest George Florovsky