St. Theophan the Recluse on the church and the state during his rectorship at the St. Petersburg Theological Academy (1857-1859)

This article examines the church-social views of archimandrite Theophan (Govorov), rector of the St. Petersburg Theological Academy in the era of the Great Reforms of the XIX century. There is a holistic teaching of St. Theophan about the structure of the state system, in which, as in a person, he distinguishes the physical (or material) and spiritual sides. The structure is hierarchical, with the dominant position of the spiritual principle. The saint bases one of his sermons on the idea of the Manifesto of Emperor Alexander II of March 19, 1856. on the need to strengthen the faith that preserves and improves public morality. Progress and development are possible only in the field of human knowledge, and not in the field of faith, which the saint puts at the foundation of state-building. Therefore, he opposes all “new formations” in the field of faith, which distort and destroy the integrity of the state organism. In the words of the rector, addressed to the students of the Theological Academy on the day of the fiftieth anniversary, there is a call for pastors to actively preach as a tool to combat various misconceptions and false teachings.