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Theology in the Humanities Educational Space

The forum brought together heads of state authorities responsible for the development and implementation of scientific and educational policy, representatives of religious traditions, rectors, professors and teachers of secular and church universities that implement educational programs in theology.

Our university was represented by the curator of the specialty "Theology" candidate of psychological sciences, associate professor Bezborodova N.Ya.

Greetings to the audience addressed: Minister of Education and Science of Russia O.Yu. Vasilyeva, Assistant to the President Russian Federation A.A. Fursenko, who announced the message of the head of the Administration of the President of the Russian Federation A.E. Vaino, as well as Chairman of the Higher Attestation Commission under the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation, Rector Russian University friendship of peoples V.M. Filippov.

Speaking at the conference, Minister of Education and Science of the Russian Federation O.Yu. Vasilyeva, stressed that today in the country "all restrictions have been removed and there are no obstacles to the development and expansion of this area of ​​scientific knowledge."

The final resolution noted that the most important result of the forum is the completion of the process of state recognition of theology. The return of theology to the scientific and educational space of our country at all levels, from undergraduate to degrees candidate and doctor of theology.

Recall that the theological specialty has existed at the Leningrad State Pedagogical University since 2011.

- Father, we haven't been to the studio for a long time. Good evening!

Hello dear viewers! Hello Dmitry! Thanks for the invite, I'm very happy.

Our meeting today is not without reason. You were a participant in the First All-Russian Scientific Conference "Theology in the Humanities Educational Space", which was held in Moscow from June 14 to 15. I would very much like to know how it was, what topics were discussed, in which round tables you had a chance to take part. But so that we can now prepare our viewers for this question, I propose to start the program, in principle, with what “theology” is, what kind of science it is.

With pleasure. Indeed, there is something to talk about, and the results of the conference, I think, will please many of our viewers. But more on that later. What is theology, how much theological knowledge is in demand in the modern socio-cultural situation, how significant and necessary it is?

"Theology" - this word has entered the Russian language, and we understand it as theology ("Theos" - God) - a complex of knowledge about God, the Church, about what and how forms the value being of a person himself. This is knowledge that eventually forms human culture, anthropological practices; it is knowledge that, so to speak, humanizes a person. Therefore, theological knowledge today, as a kind of intellectual product (to put it in secular language), certainly finds its place in scientific research, in the formation of certain social programs. We see this especially in European states. The fact is that theology develops naturally there. By this natural way, I mean the absence of some kind of artificial oppression that we had in Russia during the years of state atheism. In Europe, too, not everything was sweet and smooth, there were also ups and downs, but there was no official state persecution, and theological knowledge has been preserved in European universities to this day.

We know that the first university in Europe appeared in the 11th century, and the very first faculty was the faculty of theology, theology. Because if we teach people theology, then everything else we can teach. This is a very important thesis, which today is available in many universities in Europe. This thesis, by the way, the Minister of Education and Science O.Yu. Vasilyeva voiced at the conference, which was held in Moscow. She was in Europe several years ago, even when she headed the department, was not yet a minister, and wondered why in Europe one of the most prestigious faculties is theological. Firstly, they have deep historical traditions, roots, a large information base (imagine, a university library from the 12th or 14th century) and a special contingent of students who receive a theological education.

After all, it is no secret that theological education is precisely education, and not a profession, it is a special worldview paradigm, a special view of the world, of a person, of the processes that surround you, through the prism of that Divine Revelation that is given to a person. And already How a person realizes his theological education, shows practice, shows cultural, political, economic trends in a particular state, but in any case it is in demand, significant and necessary.

Therefore, theology is not just a conversation about God, it is primarily a study in the field of biblical studies, in the field of Christian anthropology, a study in the field of the axiological (that is, value) sphere of human existence. This is a study in the field of the doctrine of the Church, which is closely related to history. Therefore, it is a complex of knowledge; it must be studied in every possible way in order to preserve the continuity that we need to continue, to follow its traditions in order to form a national, religious and cultural identity. This is what theology is today in Europe; and this is what theology is, probably, in Russia today.

I initially kept silent here and did not say about the mystical component of theological knowledge. For a person who is a believer, one who is churched, I think things are obvious: theology as an opportunity to unite with God is already here on earth. Here I just emphasized, not to say secular, but a certain institutional essence of theological knowledge: formalized, important, necessary, including in academic circles. That's what theology is. And an appeal to theological knowledge is an appeal, as they say, to the topic of the day. Whenever a society is in one critical position or another, turning to theological knowledge smooths out the degree of conflict, smooths out those contradictory questions that a person asks himself in one way or another. I repeat once again: theological knowledge humanizes a person - one thesis. The second thesis is that theological knowledge deifies man. But this is already for church-going, religious people.

Therefore, the trends that are outlined today in our country are not accidental; this is a special appeal to theological knowledge, including at a high state level. And I was just a witness to that.

You spoke about the school of theological education in European countries, which, in general, was not interrupted, and the demand for this educational product (maybe I can put it that way) was and is. And if we talk about our country, then for a long period of time, almost whole century, in every way tried to eradicate spirituality, spiritual education. And in the 90s, an intensive revival of theological schools began, the return of churches, people began to come to churches, and interest in receiving theological education arose again, theological education. And we can say that now we are probably still at the stage of its growth. Right?

Certainly, of course.

- Then what is his condition now?

You know, theological knowledge probably gives true freedom to a person. Everything else enslaves a person ideologically, enslaves, perhaps economically, culturally, or something else. And theological knowledge just makes it possible for a person to look at himself from the position of eternity, to define himself in eternity and here on earth. Therefore, today theological science in Russia is a science that is beginning to revive. Unfortunately, we have lost contact with the extensive tradition of theological education that existed before the revolution. At the same time, we are now starting not just from scratch, but sometimes even at some points from minus one.

For example, biblical studies: after all, this is a special area of ​​theological knowledge that studies the Bible as a sacred text, as a text of culture. And it is clear that in our country for seventy years no research in the field of biblical studies has been conducted, they were simply banned, and the fate of the person who would do this was a foregone conclusion. And in Europe, these studies were gaining momentum. And today, students who study biblical studies turn to the works of Catholic, Protestant researchers, where there are enough interesting work, revealing the essence of a particular era, certain cultural codes, certain biblical artifacts, and so on.

Therefore, today the Russian theological school is just looking for itself. But she is looking for herself, again, not from scratch, but on the patristic tradition that exists. And one of the fundamental tasks of today, as Metropolitan Hilarion also said at the conference, is to support theological schools precisely by issuing new textbooks. After all, it is no secret that until today many theological disciplines (for example, basic theology, comparative theology, pastoral theology) were studied using pre-revolutionary textbooks. Not because the Church is so comparatively backward, but because theological science has been in stagnation for seventy years. And for the twenty-five-year period of a certain value pluralism, there are already quite new interesting studies, interesting scientific and methodological works that need to be replicated in every possible way, and Metropolitan Hilarion supported this.

The Moscow Patriarchate is starting a new project - the publication of textbooks in about sixty directions, which would cover in a completely different way both the history of the Church and existing trends in the field of theological knowledge. This is an important project, it is probably akin to the "Orthodox Encyclopedia" that exists. For example, the Roman Catholic Church does not have such an encyclopedia, but the Russian Orthodox Church does. This really says a lot, that the hierarchies are especially concerned about the continuation of existing traditions and about the connection of the times before the seventeenth year with the current situation.

So let me summarize my thoughts. Modern theological knowledge is beginning, as it were, to reach a new academic level, and it is good that the trends that exist today contribute to this.

You said an interesting phrase about the fact that theology and theological education are, first of all, education, but not a profession. At the same time, we said that this education is in demand. I would like to talk about where in our realities a person who receives a theological education can realize himself, where to apply this knowledge?

What question are you asking? Firstly, this is knowledge for oneself, which, by the way, is also very important. After all, there are educational institutions of the Russian Orthodox Church, where people go with a certain amount of knowledge (with one, with a second higher education) and want to get a theological education as well. These are people who are already socially successful, who have a family, work, some social stability, but they want to get an education for themselves, education as a worldview. This is the first moment.

And the second point is, of course, the opportunity to serve the Church, the Fatherland, people in such, perhaps, difficult, but very gracious service as a missionary, catechist, teacher Sunday school, teacher of "Fundamentals of Orthodox Culture"; perhaps this is further scientific and teaching activity in the field of theology, why not ... It all depends on the person himself, I think. I constantly have to deal with students who also ask such questions: “So I will get theological knowledge - and where?” For example, the Missionary Institute of the Yekaterinburg diocese has already had several graduations of bachelors of theology. And you know, no one has yet regretted that he studied at the Missionary Institute, received the appropriate education, no one spoke out that this education is not in demand anywhere in society.

After all, today the mission of an Orthodox person is sometimes even within the framework of one apartment or landing. Talk about Christ and be an Orthodox person, answer many challenges modern day every person is called, and a person endowed with a theological education is doubly so. Therefore, the more people who are theologically prepared, educated, the world will probably be cleaner, better, more beautiful, sublime and perfect, if I may say so. Therefore, theological knowledge has not yet hurt anyone, offended anyone, but, on the contrary, helped, firstly, to determine oneself in life, and secondly, to help people at all costs. professional levels wherever you serve, whether in the Church or in the world.

Undoubtedly, education is useful for oneself in any case. And if a person receives a theological education and knowledge about God to verify his faith, this is necessary. But where, besides the church fence, can such a person realize himself, having only a theological education?

Today, if we return just to our declared topic, to the conference that took place in Moscow on June 14-15, we can say the following. For the first time (we must remember this, and I am very glad that I was a participant in this historical forum) in the history of our Fatherland after 1917 state system certification recognized theology's right to be a science. To date, the Higher Attestation Commission is developing a passport for the specialty "theology", and it will already be possible to defend dissertations in theology for the degree of candidate and doctor of theology. Not as it was before, when the dissertation work was artificially “customized” to philosophy, history or pedagogy (as a rule, to philosophy), now we will call a spade a spade. In continuation of the theme of being in demand for a theologian, this is a scientific activity.

The next moment: since the state recognizes the right of theology to be a science, it means that the role of departments in secular universities, which are called departments of theology, is increasing. And just at the conference, the idea was voiced that it was necessary to prepare a comprehensive textbook on theology. As there are textbooks of the discipline "philosophy" in higher education, so there should be a discipline "theology" that would orient a person in a certain value field, would create a certain axiological matrix in activity. This is exactly the work associated with excursion activities; work related to social care and care.

Now, if you, Dmitry, having received a theological education, asked me such a question, where could you go as a theologian, I would answer you: today in our parish there is a demand for an assistant dean for youth work. This is an appropriate salary, which is equal to the salary of a deacon, and the load will be appropriate. This means that there is a corresponding demand for a person to work with youth, work with administration departments that are responsible for youth policy, and so on. Such people are necessary and in demand (at least in the situation in which I find myself).

Of course, there are regions where today the theologian may not be in demand as a specialist, he cannot be provided with a full salary, an appropriate salary, and so on. But I am sure that this is a matter of time, this situation will change one way or another, since the very vector of church-state relations is already beginning to head in a completely different direction. And here there is no question of some kind of church dominance, penetration of the Church into some state structures- that's not the question. The question is that we are entering into normal, sound European relations, when religion is perceived as a social institution, and theological knowledge is perceived as precisely knowledge, speaking to a person about the value of his existence.

The fact that I asked this question does not mean that I should or should not have a theological, theological education. I can answer the question where the theologian can apply himself. But for our viewers, I think it will be interesting to reveal this issue.

I think that the theologian would find his application on the Soyuz TV channel as well.

Of course, this is knowledge about God... By the way, we can also set such a vector for our conversation: after all, knowledge about God is one thing, and faith in God is another thing. IN Soviet period taught atheism, when a person could brilliantly know the Bible, Holy Scripture and almost retell entire passages, but at the same time considered himself an atheist, did not believe in God, and this was precisely science for him. How to prevent science education did not overshadow (probably the wrong word I picked up) faith, or at least was in addition to faith.

The question of faith and disbelief is, of course, deeply personal, and here one must look at it individually. We are now talking about a certain knowledge paradigm. We are talking about the fact that people who, as it were, are trying to separate theological knowledge from humanitarian knowledge in general, are people who deliberately impoverish themselves, depriving themselves of a certain cultural code. As for the question of connecting knowledge directly with already living faith, here, of course, the question is personal. After all, we know the Russian proverb: "A slave is not a pilgrim." God can do everything; the only thing that God cannot do is to save man himself by force, against human will. Therefore, this is a very complex issue, and you rightly said that there are a lot of problems here, and not answers to the question that follows from all the latest trends.

How to connect? Practice shows that, as a rule, today people who are already churched or people who are looking for answers to worldview questions go to receive theological knowledge. They are confident that the study of theological disciplines will give them the answer to many questions. And people, receiving theological knowledge, begin to become churched. This is a phenomenon of theological faculties in secular universities. This is a phenomenon, for example, of our Missionary Institute of the Yekaterinburg diocese, when people go purposefully to get a theological education not in order to later become clergymen or church choir directors, but go precisely for education as an opportunity to answer questions for themselves. That is, in any case, this person is already somehow internally predisposed to this.

I can hardly imagine a theologian who would be atheistically minded, it will still not be a theologian, but to some extent a religious scholar. Therefore, it is necessary to separate theological education and religious studies. Theological education is education as a kind of reflection within a particular denomination. And religious education is connected with the awareness of the essence and tendencies of religion as such, social institution as such.

- And not one, but those that are.

Yes, of course. So there is a difference here. And this, by the way, was discussed at the conference I attended, that it is necessary to separate theological studies and religious studies. This is a very important point, and the good of the VAC supports us (meaning the Church) in this. Indeed, these are different degrees of understanding of religious experience as such. That is, theology implies personal participation in one way or another, personal reflection of understanding certain phenomena. And religious studies advocates a certain objective view, although, again, the share of objectivism here ...

- ...very subjective.

Yes, you speak the truth.

There are departments of theology in secular universities (there are not many of them, but they exist), and there are Orthodox higher educational institutions that have a department of theology, in particular the Missionary Institute of the Yekaterinburg Diocese (we will not go far). If we talk about an Orthodox university, then it is clear what faith in which God, what God they will talk about in the classroom, and what vector will be given to everything in general educational process. And if there is a department of theology in secular universities, then it implies the presence of different directions, the study of different religions. Are there any problems with this or not? Have you ever taught in the departments of theology in secular universities?

As you say, we will not go far, let's take Ekaterinburg, the Mining University, at which for several years there has been a department of theology - a department that graduates; prepare bachelors of theology. So, it is in this department that there are two directions: one is Christian theology, and the second is Islamic theology. That is, when we talk about theological knowledge, we say that theological knowledge cannot be some kind of abstract, it always has a confessional coloring. To date, it is emphasized that there are three areas of theology: Christian, Islamic and Jewish. The HAC is currently considering three of these directions.

Therefore, the experience of such interaction exists, it is real, it is productive. And during the entire existence of the Department of Theology at the Mining University (I think I will not be mistaken if I say) there have been no cases of religious hostility, misunderstanding. Everything goes on as usual; everywhere people first of all comprehend the basics of theology, theological knowledge and try to find an application for this knowledge. Therefore, there is such an experience, it is real, in demand, it exists, it is not something sucked out of a finger, but rather an active department that has proven itself at a high academic level both in the field of Orthodox theology and in the field of Islamic theology.

- How many departments of theology in secular universities do we have in Russia?

Unfortunately, I don’t have such a figure now, but this figure is well over fifty - I’ll say that for sure, but, unfortunately, I can’t say specifically. And these are departments, as a rule, graduating. To date, there is a standard in the field of Bachelor of Theology and Master of Theology. As a rule, a bachelor's degree is common, because a master's degree requires special scientific and methodological conditions in order for it to be open, but a number of universities have a master's degree. Of course, St. Tikhon University for the Humanities is a kind of beacon for us in this regard, which was just initially involved in standardizing theology as a specialty scientific direction, both bachelor's and master's programs are also open there. If we take Yekaterinburg, then there is a bachelor's degree at the Missionary Institute, and in the near future (I think active work will begin next year) we plan to open a master's program. Our master's program will be the only one in the field of theology today in the Ural-Siberian region. Fortunately, we have all the conditions and opportunities to open a master's program in theology.

Of course, a lot of emotions and impressions. I am very glad and grateful to the clergy that I was sent to be a participant in this historic conference. In fact, as I already think now, the conference was prepared precisely for a very important moment, which I have already mentioned - for the signing by the Minister of Education and Science of the order that theology is part of the scientific specialties and that theology is recognized as having the right to be an independent science . This is a historic fateful decision, which the Russian Orthodox Church in the person of St. Tikhonovsky humanitarian university pursued for twenty-five years. Imagine, a quarter of a century has passed, a whole generation has grown up, while theology was recognized at such a high academic level.

A good academic report was delivered by Metropolitan Hilarion, Rector of the All-Church Postgraduate and Doctoral Studies, which just outlined the key points in the course of this discussion between state academic structures and the Church on the recognition of theology as a science. Metropolitan Hilarion stressed that much had been done, but much more remained to be done. That is, theology should find itself in scientific circles thanks to the research work, to be; and after research, these are scientific journals, and conferences, and scientific and methodological works, and textbooks, and grant activities (that is, receiving funds from outside, including the state, to conduct certain scientific research). That is, this colossal machine should soon start working. And in this regard, a special role is given to theology departments, where these projects should be implemented jointly with the state and the Russian Orthodox Church (or with other religious organizations, if we are talking about Jewish or Islamic theology).

The state begins to look at the departments of theology in a completely different way. If earlier the department of theology was like a certain a joint project of this or that diocese in this or that higher education institution (“You are conducting, we are ready to support”, and so on), today the departments of theology are primarily assigned to a certain educational component, the formation of national, cultural and religious identity. This, as I said earlier, should be facilitated by scientific research and teaching activities of the faculty of the department.

Another very important point, but it may be purely for the scientific community, for university professors, teachers, managers, is state licensing and accreditation of theology departments, those areas of undergraduate and graduate programs that the department of theology implements. This is a very complex process; they speak bird language incomprehensible language, in the language of paper, numbers, and it is very difficult for a distant person to perceive the standards that exist, the competencies that we must reflect in normative documents organization of educational space and process in the Department of Theology. This problem was also raised, covered, and we are grateful (I think all university theologians will support me) to the educational and methodological department, which deals with the implementation of licensing and accreditation issues in sufficient detail, helping theology departments and diocesan theological universities. Therefore, this moment is very important.

Many participants of this forum shared their impressions and the existing practice that exists in the field: how the departments of theology interact with other departments at the university, what projects exist, what has been implemented, what has not, what plans exist, how these plans can be implemented. Therefore, within the framework of the forum there were three round tables. The first round table, which I have already mentioned, was devoted to the issues of accreditation and licensing of the Department of Theology. The next round table was devoted to the practice of implementing theological programs in secular universities. And the third concerned the direct interaction of the Church and university environment in the dioceses - the creation of a diocesan theological council.

You know, the following question was raised: “Why is the council called diocesan?” What, they say, did you attribute him to the Church like that? To which a fairly good, intelligible answer was given: the fact is that the Church, represented by diocesan structures, advocates the creation of such a council, in every possible way contributes to uniting university professors within the framework of theological knowledge and education. For theology is not just specific theological disciplines; theological knowledge is also present in other, primarily in the humanities, disciplines: these are literature, languages, history. And here, more than ever, a sound, adequate view of theological education is needed. That's what the round tables were about.

On the whole, the conference, of course, was held at a very high orientational scientific level. It was nice to see people from all over our country: Vladivostok, Simferopol (native Crimea), remote areas, provinces, St. Petersburg, and Moscow. These are interested people who kindly rejoice that some unthinkable contradiction of obvious things has finally been removed.

On June 1, the first Ph.D. thesis in the history of our country was defended in the existing dissertation council. And in the Internet environment, just this defense caused a strong reaction from natural scientists, in particular biologists. Vladyka Metropolitan Hilarion emphasized that six negative reviews were received for the dissertation! Can you imagine what six reviews for a dissertation are in some ordinary council? And the authors emphasized precisely the absence of a method of research in theology: they say, how is research done here, where is an objective view of certain points here? Although the dissertation was defended, if my memory serves me, according to Metropolitan Philaret (Drozdov); and in one way or another it dealt with questions of history, his theological legacy, and so on. Nevertheless, it is a good theological dissertation. But somehow natural scientists opposed theology. To which, of course, it was suggested that if biologists consider it necessary to say a word in theology, then, probably, the theologian can also say (if he has something to say) something in the field of biology.

Therefore, many issues that are discussed by natural scientists, humanitarians, today are at the junction, in some kind of contact. We see that there is a process of integration of scientific knowledge as a whole. And many questions that biologists cannot answer, I think theologians will answer; and vice versa. Nevertheless, we see an active discussion. And when there is a discussion, when there are pros and cons, then there is interest.

Therefore, there is a lively, genuine interest in theology today. And the conference just put a good bullet point in the fact that we won. We did not win - common sense won, this is the most important thing. Because we are still talking about a certain knowledge, cognitive paradigm, we say that this knowledge is necessary. And how will you react to them, whether you are believers or non-believers ... but without this knowledge, there is no way today, they are simply necessary. If we emasculate them from the existing consciousness, hide them, push them to the periphery of life, then we obviously impoverish ourselves. But we will not do this in the 21st century, because we love our Motherland, because we value our traditions and wish our children to love their Motherland and traditions and be people who would fit into the existing civilizational model.

Thank you Father John for this colorful story. Very briefly, but succinctly told about the past conference. Indeed, it is a very strange situation when we have the educational standard of a bachelor or master of theology, and there is nowhere to move further in the scientific field. Therefore, thank God, things have moved off the dead center. And, perhaps, in the near future the ranks of candidates, doctors of theological sciences will be replenished.

Thank you for the conversation, for this conversation. Those who are interested in theological, theological education, who are watching us from Yekaterinburg, go to the website of the Missionary Institute of the Yekaterinburg diocese, and Muscovites - to the website of St. Tikhon Humanitarian University. I think that in the city where you live, if you try to find departments or universities that offer such education, then you can do it or, in extreme cases, come to where it is closer and more convenient for you to get to.

Thank you! Come to us.

Presenter Dmitry Brodovikov

Recorded by Nina Kirsanova

On June 14, 2017, the opening of the First All-Russian Scientific Conference "Theology in the Humanities Educational Space" took place.

The purpose of the forum, which is supported by the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation on the basis of the National Research nuclear university"MEPhI" and the General Church Postgraduate and Doctoral Studies named after Saints Cyril and Methodius, - discussion of topical theoretical and practical problems the formation of the theological branch of knowledge and the development of theological educational programs in modern Russia.

Higher educational institutions take part in the preparation and holding of the conference, on the basis of which the Joint Dissertation Council in the specialty "Theology" operates, as well as the Expert Council on Theology of the Higher Attestation Commission under Russian Ministry Education and Science, Federal Educational and Methodological Association in the System higher education on UGSN "Theology", expert group on theology at the Interreligious Council of Russia, Interdepartmental Coordinating Group of the Moscow Patriarchate for teaching theology in universities.

The participants and guests of honor of the event were Orthodox hierarchs and clergymen, leaders of traditional religious communities in Russia, representatives of the Administration of the President of the Russian Federation, the Ministry of Education and Science of Russia, Federal Service for Supervision in the Sphere of Education and Science, the Higher Attestation Commission, the Interdepartmental Coordinating Group of the Moscow Patriarchate for Teaching Theology in Universities, rectors of higher educational institutions.

Among the participants of the conference from the Russian Orthodox Church are the chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, the rector of the General Church Postgraduate and Doctoral Studies named after Saints Cyril and Methodius, the head of the department of theology of MEPhI, Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk; Metropolitan of Tula and Efremov Alexy; Metropolitan Sergius of Samara and Togliatti; Metropolitan Feofan of Kazan and Tatarstan, rector of the Kazan Theological Seminary; Metropolitan of Tambov and Rasskazovsky Theodosius; Metropolitan of Kemerovo and Prokopyevsk Aristarkh; Metropolitan Kirill of Stavropol and Nevinnomyssk, rector of the Stavropol Theological Seminary; Metropolitan Zinovy ​​of Saransk and Mordovia, rector of the Saransk Theological Seminary; Metropolitan of Smolensk and Dorogobuzh Isidor; Chairman of the Educational Committee of the Russian Orthodox Church, Archbishop Eugene of Vereya, Rector of the Moscow Theological Academy and Seminary; Bishop Theophylact of Dmitrov; Archbishop of Pyatigorsk and Circassian Theophylact; Bishop of Rybinsk and Danilovsky Veniamin; Bishop of Tikhvin and Lodeynopol Mstislav; Bishop Konstantin of Zaraisk, Rector of the Kolomna Theological Seminary; Bishop of Glazovsky and Igrynsky Victor; Bishop Eugene of Sredneuralsky; rector of the Orthodox St. Tikhon Humanitarian University Archpriest Vladimir Vorobyov; the rector of the RPU, hegumen Peter (Eremeev); Rector of the Kursk Theological Seminary, Archimandrite Simeon (Tomachinsky); rector of the Nikolo-Ugresh Theological Seminary, hegumen John (Rubin); Dean of PSTGU Archpriest Pavel Khondzinsky; Archpriest Oleg Skomorokh, Deputy Director of the Institute of Theology and Pastoral Pedagogy at the RCCA; Hieromonk Onesimus (Bamblevsky), Chairman of the Department of Religious Education and Catechesis of the Moscow City Diocese; Protopriest Konstantin Pol'skov, Vice-Rector for Science of PSTGU; OCAD Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs Hieromonk John (Kopeikin); OCAD Vice-Rector for Research D.V. Shmonin and others.

At the beginning of the meeting, Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk read out a message of greeting from His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus'.

“Recognition by the state of theology as a scientific specialty, the creation of dissertation councils and expert council WAC marks the beginning of a new stage in history Russian education and science. All this testifies to the fact that society is gradually freeing itself from the burden of false ideas and ideological cliches of the past, according to which knowledge remained outside science that did not fit into the framework of materialistic philosophy and natural science of the 19th century,” states the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church. His Holiness Patriarch Kirill noted that today there is a growing awareness among scientists that theology, which is primarily a systematic expression of religious faith, is also a system of disciplines that meet the criteria of scientific character. “Artificially separating this powerful layer of humanitarian knowledge from science and education means robbing our culture, depriving it of historical memory, worldview and value foundations,” His Holiness is sure.

In his speech at the conference, Minister of Education and Science O.Yu. Vasilyeva announced that an order had been signed, according to which it is now possible in Russia to award the academic degrees of candidates and doctors of theology. The scientific specialty "Theology" appeared in Russia in 2015, however, there were no special academic degrees for theologians.

"I think that Special attention we need to pay attention to the training of scientific personnel. So get up next question- this is strengthening, strengthening the departments of theology, ”said O.Yu. Vasiliev. According to her, in Russia there are no obstacles for the development of this field of science, and this is only the beginning of the path. The Minister of Education also noted that the number of budget places majoring in Theology.

In the message of the head of the Administration of the President of the Russian Federation A.E. Vaino called the recognition of theology in Russia as a complex scientific and educational discipline "an important and significant result of many years of constructive interaction between authorities, religious organizations, pedagogical and expert communities, a powerful stimulus for the development of humanitarian knowledge." The appeal was announced by Aide to the President of the Russian Federation A.A. Fursenko.

According to the head of the Higher Attestation Commission under the Ministry of Education and Science, Rector of the Peoples' Friendship University of Russia V.M. Filippova, today the attitude to theological education in Russian society is based on myths and outdated stereotypes. “These stereotypes are partly caused by ideological blindness due to the impact of aggressive anti-religious propaganda over many decades,” he noted, stating that theology is not limited to religious studies and is a complex scientific discipline covering a significant area of ​​humanitarian knowledge.

Recalling that in Russia, according to the Law on Education, it is inextricably linked with upbringing, V.M. Filippov pointed out: "In the field of theological education, an important direction is the spiritual education of young people."

Then, Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, Rector of the General Church Postgraduate and Postgraduate School, delivered a report on Theology in Modern Russia: the Formation of an Industry.

As part of the forum program, meetings were also held that day round tables on the topics: "Theology as a branch of knowledge: problems and prospects", "Theology and educational standards”, “Theology as a space for interfaith cooperation”. Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk held a panel discussion on Theology in the Education and Upbringing of Modern Man. The head of the Tatarstan Metropolis spoke at the meeting.

Thank you, Vladyka Metropolitan, for organizing this conference together with the Ministry of Education, with the scientific community, with many universities - indeed, the first one, which to some extent will set the tone and movement along which theological science should develop.

Modern Russia is a multi-confessional country, we have talked a lot about this. We also talked about the fact that theological departments should train specialists. Let's go back to the recent past - in the 90s. Look at the enthusiasm with which our people have responded to religious freedom. On the other hand, a huge number of representatives of various religious movements came to us. In the West they said: "Russia is a country closed to the Gospel." And our unsophisticated people received many such preachers with open hearts. Problems began later, when it turned out that the newly-minted "teachers" were not at all going to educate their adherents as full members of the Russian society working for the good of their Fatherland.

True, those times are already gone, a lot has been fixed. But recently I heard on television how they say: “It is very sad that false psychics have appeared.” And this is on Channel One! The definition of "false psychics" suggests the understanding that there are psychics who are truly "necessary and useful", that this is a normal phenomenon in religious life. We know where psychics often lead. On TV channels they show the “Battle of Psychics”, there is some kind of propaganda of these false religious movements.

The question arises: where are the recognized scientific authorities who will give a correct assessment of one or another religious movement? We see what often happens under the flag of Islam, when children from the university are taken into an ephemeral world that leads to extremism.

Only people with recognized authority in religious life and the scientific sphere can answer all these questions, give an analysis of religious movements, give an analysis of those areas that are capable of partnering with the state, have historical roots. The Department of Theology should deal with these issues.

Let me tell you about the potential of interfaith interaction. Again we are talking about secular universities and spiritual universities, about theological faculties. And a surprising thing: we are talking about the fact that theological faculties do not have to strictly adhere to one or another religious doctrine, because the methods of the scientific approach can be general. Theological faculties can become a platform for the interaction of confessions, because working with texts requires special training. The sacred texts in Islam are one, in Christianity - others, in Judaism - the third, but the tools of the scientific approach are the same. This is a very important aspect.

I would like to draw your attention to something else. Considering secularity public education, its non-denominational character, one must understand that there can be no non-denominational theology. Any theology, any theological system expresses the dogma of a particular denomination, is inextricably linked with it and directly follows from those provisions that have the status of Divine revelation for this denomination and enjoy indisputable authority. If we draw a parallel with the exact sciences, we can say that in theology, as in mathematics, there are axioms - truths that are not questioned, and theorems - positions that have the status of conciliar judgments, proven and verified by the experience of the Church. There is also a space of unresolved problems, solutions of which belong to the sphere of private theological opinions. In other words, in no case should the connection that exists between the teaching of theology and theological research of the respective denomination be violated. In each individual case - whether we are talking about a department, and even more so about a department or a faculty of theology - mechanisms should be created to control the content of teaching and scientific research. These may be, for example, supervisory boards, which should include authoritative representatives of the respective confession.

The point here is not at all in limiting the freedom of scientific research, but in observing the principles of theological research, which are based, as already mentioned above, on Divine revelation and research into the spiritual tradition of the corresponding denomination.

I would also like to say a few words in this connection to those scientists who like to remind that in their scientific activity they do not need the hypothesis of the existence of God. We totally disagree with this! Modern man is very afraid that someone - in particular, the Church - will force him to accept certain dogmas on faith, thereby limiting his freedom. I would like to reassure those, recalling the words of the Apostle Paul: “Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty” (2 Corinthians 3:17). This means that a person must make his spiritual choice on his own. But at the same time, according to the apostle Paul, true freedom is spiritual, which is impossible outside the action of the Spirit of God. Theology, like any other science, has its own source, namely Divine revelation, albeit differently understood and interpreted by different faiths. I would advise the most active proponents of scientific dogmatism to oppose not only the teaching of theology in universities, but, for example, also against the elevation of Darwin's evolutionary theory, which still remains just a theory, to the rank of infallible scientific teaching.

I also consider it possible to note that the faculties, departments and departments of theology should be in the center of attention not only of the respective confessions, but also of the state. If denominations must monitor the content of teaching and research in theology, then the state, before making a decision on accreditation, should take into account the balance of confessional forces represented in a particular region. I think it would be fair and important to strive to ensure that the regional departments of theology reflect the real balance of "confessional forces" in a given subject of the Federation.

I speak of this not "from the wind of my head," but from personal experience, because for many years he carried obediences in regions where either the Muslim population prevails, or it is practically a 50/50 ratio, as it is now in Tatarstan. I would like to say that we find mutual understanding and we have practically no interfaith conflicts, because we constantly coordinate actions to some extent. Yes, we defend our religious truths, but we, living in the same society, have a lot of points of contact.

I would like to draw attention to one more question. It is often said: “You know that we have religious studies. Why do we need theology? It must be understood that religious studies study religions from external, supposedly objective positions, compare them with each other, and analyze the religious situation in society. At the same time, it is assumed that the religious scholar himself should be free from any religious views, and if he has them, then these views should not affect the results of his research. Here it should be noted that the study of religions from external positions is far from identical with their objective study, not to mention the formulation of topical theological problems, the resolution of which is important not only for a single confession. Religious studies deals almost exclusively with the description of the phenomena of religious life, doctrinal systems and confessional doctrines. The field of view of this science does not at all include the genesis of theological problems, the assessment of their relevance or the degree of their threat to society. And can the results of religious studies be absolutely authoritative and the only true in a society where 90% of citizens identify themselves as belonging to one or another confession?

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The creation of a high-quality and modern system of theological education in a country like Russia, where people of different faiths have lived in peace and harmony for many centuries, is one of the factors for the sustainable development of the state and interreligious peace in it
June 16, 2017

Report Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk at the plenary session of the First All-Russian Conference "Theology in the Humanities Educational Space", which opened in Moscow June 14, 2017

Dear honored guests and participants of the conference! Dear Colleagues!

Let me, first of all, thank the leadership of the National Research Nuclear University MEPhI and personally Rector Mikhail Nikolaevich Strikhanov for the opportunity for all of us to gather in this hall to discuss the pressing problems of the formation of the Theology industry in modern Russia.

When five years ago we jointly opened in this leading Russian university department of theology, many wondered: what does theology have to do with nuclear physics? why should nuclear scientists study theology? The answer to these perplexities lies in the name of the educational institution, more precisely, in one word from this name: “university”. What is a university? This is by no means a specialized institution of a narrow profile, not a vocational school. This is an educational institution that trains people who, being professionals in their field, are at the same time widely erudite in other fields, including humanities Oh.

Theology has exactly the same relation to nuclear physics as philosophy, history, law, Russian language and literature, and other humanitarian disciplines. For many decades, theology has been artificially thrown out of the educational space.. The Bible, the Koran and the Talmud were in fact forbidden literature, and Jesus Christ was learned mainly from "Masters and Margaritas".

This unnatural situation is corrected today, and theology has taken its rightful place in the system of the humanities taught at a secular university. The question of whether theology is a science or not is actually closed: the inclusion of the specialty "Theology" in the nomenclature of the VAK put an end to disputes on this topic.

This was followed by the approval in September 2015 of the passport of the scientific specialty "Theology". The Expert Council of the Higher Attestation Commission on Theology began its work, the composition of which was formed with the support of religious organizations that are members of the Interreligious Council of Russia. Each of the experts included in the Expert Council has a name in a certain field of humanitarian knowledge, at the same time, they are scientists who are trusted in the corresponding religious organization.

Thus, from the very beginning, the project of introducing the specialty "Theology" into the secular educational space had an interreligious character. And it is no coincidence that representatives of Russia's traditional confessions are present in this hall today.

Under the auspices of the VAK was the first in the history of Russia Joint Dissertation Council in the specialty "Theology" was created. On June 1 of this year, the first in the modern Russian history defense of a dissertation for the degree of candidate of theology. This defense was a kind of strength test for the members of the dissertation council, as atheistic representatives of the biologists' community sent five negative reviews, accusing the candidate of being based on the "hypothesis of the existence of God", and such a hypothesis supposedly contradicts the scientific worldview. However, 21 members out of 22 present voted in favor of awarding the required degree to the dissertation candidate.

This defense demonstrated, on the one hand, a high degree of solidarity among those involved in the formation of the scientific branch of "Theology". On the other hand, it showed that our society still retains the inertia that comes from the times of forcibly imposed atheism, when people were taught that religion is incompatible with science. And therefore, there remains a need to explain again and again what theology is, why it is needed.

Theology is a systematic form of expressing the doctrine of a particular religious tradition, its dogma, it forms a religious worldview. Creation of a high-quality and modern system of theological education in a country like Russia, where people of different faiths have lived in peace and harmony for many centuries - one of the factors of sustainable development state and the interreligious world in it.

To study religious phenomena from a theological point of view means to study them in the broad context of religious tradition, just as the study of philosophical texts and ideas requires their consideration in the context of philosophical tradition. And this requires systematic theological education, an important element of which is internal communication in the theological community, which includes both teachers and students. In this respect theology has all the features that are characteristic of other scientific disciplines.

The combination within the theology of personal experience and theological competencies with the scientific methodology of research gives an effect that is impossible with an external, detached approach to religion. If, for example, a religious scholar studies religious practices by the method of third-party observation, then he must make a special effort to model religious consciousness, while the theologian is already included in religious practices and is the bearer of religious consciousness.

However, this applies not only to religious studies, which is aimed at the study of religion. It is equally important that theological competencies and theological views on the phenomena and processes being studied are useful, and sometimes necessary, for specialists in other sciences, in whose field of vision are man, nature or society.

The theological perspective, along with the philosophical or cultural perspective, is capable of open to representatives of other disciplines new perspectives, approaches, a fresh look to old problems.

In this context, we can talk about the importance of such areas of theological research as theology of personality, theology of culture, theology of education, and pastoral psychology. They are a kind of bridge between theoretical problems theology and practical realities of society.

However Ethics is the clearest mediator here., which makes it possible to perceive and analyze the existing socio-political, cultural, economic and other social processes through the prism of axiological and normative attitudes, which basically - whether someone wants to admit it or not - have a religious basis. It is religious ethics that makes it possible to use a language that is understandable modern man and does not require special theological training.

And all these opportunities are applied where theology is included in the practice of universities and scientific communities, where it is a legitimate and equal participant in scientific and academic communication.

We are moving along this path. This is evidenced by the presence here of a large number of leaders, professors and teachers of numerous secular and ecclesiastical universities in which theological programs are being implemented. And since we are at the National Research Nuclear University "MEPhI", I note that the five-year work of the Department of Theology of this university shows a successful experience in using the possibilities of theology as a humanities.

Those who today try to challenge the scientific nature of theology proceed from certain stereotypes that have developed in Soviet era and not obsolete to this day, in particular, from the idea that scientific and religious approaches are mutually exclusive.

However, it is necessary to point out the conventional nature of scientificity. The idea of ​​what belongs to science and what remains outside of it is the result of a certain convention, that is, an informal mutual agreement scientists. Yes, before scientific revolution In the 17th century, science was identical to learning as such: a philosopher, an erudite, a sage was considered a representative of science.

After the emergence of scientific natural science, the criteria separating science from non-science were established: rationality, empiricism and objectivity. These criteria retain their significance today, but scientific character is determined not only by them. In the process of the development of science, scientific paradigms were replaced, and what was not previously considered scientific acquired a scientific status. In addition to the natural and exact, new humanities and social sciences appeared, which did not immediately find their place in the academic space.

Some of them have acquired scientific status relatively recently, for example, psychology, sociology, cultural studies. In addition, new scientific disciplines have emerged as a result of interdisciplinary interaction: within the framework of natural sciences(for example, biochemistry) and at the intersection of the humanities and natural sciences (cognitive science). In other words, science grew with new disciplines, and this process is likely to continue.

Attention should also be paid to the fact that the recognition of new scientific disciplines was associated with their institutionalization: over time, new specialized departments were opened at universities, and then faculties. Suffice it to recall how difficult it was for sociology to enter the university space, and yet today no one questions its scientific status.

This points to another important circumstance. Scientific research areas are those that are included in organizational structure educational and research institutions. However, such inclusion is not only a recognition of the scientific nature of a certain discipline, but also a guarantee that the research and development carried out within this discipline educational activities will meet scientific criteria.

Thus, the inclusion of theology in the complex of scientific disciplines is a multifactorial process. It is necessary to understand that certain theological disciplines are scientific in terms of research methodology and the procedure for qualifying it as scientific.

Recognition of the scientific status of theology corresponds to modern world experience and the strategy of integrating domestic science into the world scientific community. But it's important to make theology open to public and social problems solved in our country, and its role in the common scientific and humanitarian space is fully used to develop interreligious dialogue and cooperation.

An important issue is the lack of understanding in the academic community of the criteria that determine the scientific status of theology, which prompts some representatives of this community to criticize, which is far from a constructive position.

I will base my analysis and examples on the Orthodox tradition that I represent. Referring to it allows us, for convenience, to use the terms theology and theology interchangeably.

Let me remind you that in the Orthodox tradition, theology is the value-worldview core of faith. It is the basis of normativity, not related to science. However, it is studied by special theological disciplines that expound, interpret and substantiate the teaching of the Church.

For example, dogmatic theology- this is a detailed presentation of the main dogmatic truths that are binding on all members of the Church. Closely related to doctrine are disciplines such as apologetics, moral and pastoral theology, within which doctrine is applied to various areas of church life - mission, religious and moral preaching, counseling.

One more example: patrology engaged in the study of ancient church writing. Its subject area is theological texts and works of church writers of antiquity. In this sense, it is similar to such disciplines and scientific specialties as the history of philosophy or the history of literature.

I note that in recent decades in Russia there have appeared quite a few independent patrological studies of secular and ecclesiastical scientists, many of which are by no means inferior to the works of foreign colleagues. New translations of patristic writings were made, provided with scientific commentaries and reference apparatus, translated into Russian and introduced into scientific turnover fundamental works of foreign authors.

Another example might be liturgy, the subject of which is worship, and related disciplines adjacent to it, for example, the history of church singing.

I will complete the list of examples biblical studies, which also has its own special subject, problem field, research methods. In modern biblical studies, an interdisciplinary approach is widely used. Study Holy Scripture is impossible without a deep study of ancient languages ​​​​(Jewish, Greek, Aramaic, Syriac, Coptic, Latin, etc.) and comparative linguistics, it requires a deep awareness in the field of history and culture ancient world. The study of the Bible is not just the study of an ancient text, it is the study and richest history his interpretation.

Theological are such special disciplines studied and taught in theological schools as the history of the Church, canon law, Christian archeology, and the history of Christian art. These disciplines are theological, since they are directly related to the life of the Church, but in terms of internal organization and methodology, they are similar to other humanities and social sciences. They can be called theological, attributed to the scientific specialty "Theology" and included in a new branch of knowledge.

In passing, I note that talking about theology as a "new" branch of knowledge is possible only in the current Russian context. Historically, it was theology that stood at the origins of university education, and all the largest universities in Western Europe began as theological schools.

I would like to highlight the most important trend recent years in the Russian educational space: gradual convergence of the sphere of confessional spiritual education with the sphere of secular education. IN Soviet time these spheres were parted, and a blank impenetrable wall was built between them. Today, this wall has been destroyed, as evidenced, in particular, by the state accreditation of several leading theological schools of the Russian Orthodox Church.

Preparing our educational institutions for accreditation (and this process is still far from complete), we are taking care to bring them to the scientific level at which secular higher education is in modern Russia. This applies not only to technical parameters (the number of square meters per student, the availability of a gym, etc.), but also the requirements for scientific programs to the teaching methodology itself. Only those theological schools that fully comply with the formal criteria set by the state for higher educational institutions receive accreditation.

One of the actions aimed at raising the level of education in our theological schools was introduction of a unified educational standard. Before learning programs one seminary or academy could be strikingly different from the programs of another theological school of a similar level. Now all theological schools are taught according to a single standard.

Another large-scale project that is being carried out in the Russian Orthodox Church under the direct supervision of His Holiness the Patriarch and the Supreme Church Council is creation of new textbooks for theological schools. Until recently, our students studied either from pre-revolutionary textbooks or from literature published in exile. It's time to update the whole body educational literature so that each discipline is taught at the modern scientific level.

Today I am pleased to present to the high assembly signal copies of three teaching aids, which were discussed and approved yesterday at a meeting of the Supreme Church Council.

The first of these is called "History of Non-Christian Religions". This is a detailed and invaluable description of the religious teachings and traditions of monotheistic religions - Islam and Judaism, as well as other religions, including Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism. The textbook has already been tested in teaching at the Sretensky Theological Seminary and has been highly appreciated by specialists, including secular ones.

Another study guide is called the Four Gospels. This is the first volume of a planned three-volume collection. The book is designed to teach the student to work independently with the text of the Gospel, to compare the parallel narratives of the Evangelists, to identify points of difference and similarity between them. The textbook introduces the student to the ancient and modern interpretations of the gospel texts.

Finally, the third textbook is an anthology of ancient Christian literature under the general title "Holy Fathers and Doctors of the Church." This is an anthology, which is an appendix to the textbook on patrol, which is still in the process of being written.

Why am I presenting these textbooks here, within the walls of MEPhI University, where representatives of secular educational institutions have gathered? Because these textbooks are created not only for theological schools. I hope that they will be equally in demand in the theology departments of secular universities. After all, the availability of modern teaching aids is the most important factor in the success of our common undertaking. And I I perceive the formation of the "Theology" branch as a common project of confessional educational institutions, be it Orthodox, Islamic and Jewish, and secular universities in which this scientific branch is developing.

In conclusion of my report, I would like to draw attention to what we need to do in the near future.

On the last day of May, the Presidium of the Higher Attestation Commission adopted a recommendation to award academic degrees not in “related” fields, as was supposed before (philosophy, history, etc.), but in theology. This means that now, in his research, the theologian is no longer obliged to “tailor” theological topics to these related sciences and work with an eye to the specifics of concrete scientific methodologies or academic habits common in the respective communities of specialists. We can safely rely on the theological methodology proper and the development of theological problems (including issues of dogmatic, liturgical pastoral theology, biblical studies, etc.).

This poses new challenges for us to fill the branch of knowledge "Theology" with real content. As I already said, theology is not analogous to religious studies. It cannot be impersonal from a religious and confessional point of view. The passport of the only scientific specialty 26.00.01, which is so similar to the passport of the religious discipline, does not reflect either the content or the tasks of theology.

At the current stage it is necessary highlight within the branch of knowledge "Theology" specific areas- Orthodox, Islamic, Jewish. I believe that the design of theology as a branch of knowledge should take into account the prospect of the gradual formation of full-fledged groups of specialties relating to a particular religious tradition or denomination.

Convinced that the industry should be built on a religious and confessional principle. The division of theology into three groups of specialties will be similar to, for example, philological sciences are divided into literary criticism and linguistics, and physical and mathematical ones include astronomy, mechanics, and so on. Only the principle of division in this case will be belonging to a certain religious and confessional tradition.

In each of these groups at this stage, one specialty of the same name can be provided. In the future, as the real filling of each of the specialties scientific achievements and the emergence of profile specialists, within the confessional groups of specialties, it is possible to gradually introduce differentiated specialties, breaking down the existing ones.

In order to develop the scientific branch "Theology", we must do not mix religious traditions, but study each of them separately. At the same time, it is important to find in them, with all the doctrinal and cultural differences, a common value-ideological core, and explore it from the standpoint of theology. This is the guarantee of the interaction of different religions, ethnic groups and cultures, and in the long term - the guarantee of preserving the unity of our great multinational country, which we must preserve not only for ourselves, but also for future generations.

On June 14-15, 2017, the First All-Russian Scientific Conference "Theology in the Humanities Educational Space" was held in Moscow.

The preparation and holding of the event was attended by higher educational institutions, on the basis of which the Joint Dissertation Council in the specialty "Theology" operates, as well as the Expert Council on Theology of the Higher Attestation Commission under the Russian Ministry of Education and Science, the Federal Educational and Methodological Association in the System of Higher Education in UGSN "Theology", expert group on theology at the Interreligious Council of Russia, Interdepartmental Coordinating Group of the Moscow Patriarchate for teaching theology in universities.

The participants and guests of honor of the conference were heads and representatives of the Administration of the President of the Russian Federation, the Ministry of Education and Science of Russia, the Federal Service for Supervision in Education and Science, the Higher Attestation Commission, Orthodox hierarchs and clergymen, heads of traditional religious communities of Russia, members of the Interdepartmental Coordination Group of the Moscow Patriarchate for teaching theology in universities, rectors of leading secular and religious institutions of higher education.

At the beginning of the plenary session, which took place on June 14, the rector named after Saints Cyril and Methodius Equal-to-the-Apostles, head of the Department of Theology of the National Research Nuclear University MEPhI (NRNU MEPhI), chairman of the Interdepartmental Coordinating Group for Teaching Theology in Universities, announced the greeting of His Holiness the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russ Kirill to the participants of the conference.

Greetings to the audience addressed: Minister of Education and Science of Russia O.Yu. Vasilyeva, Assistant to the President of the Russian Federation A.A. Fursenko, who announced the message of the head of the Administration of the President of the Russian Federation A.E. Vaino, as well as the chairman of the Higher Attestation Commission under the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation, the rector of the Peoples' Friendship University of Russia V.M. Filippov.

During the plenary session, Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk spoke on Theology in Modern Russia: the Formation of an Industry. Also, reports were made by the rector of NRNU "MEPhI" M.N. Strikhanov and Rector of the Nizhny Novgorod State Pedagogical University named after Kozma Minin, Doctor of Philosophy, Professor A.A. Fedorov.

After a break, under the chairmanship of Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, a panel discussion on the reports was opened. During the round table session, the following speakers spoke: the rector of the Kazan Theological Seminary; President of the Russian State University for the Humanities, Chairman of the Expert Council on Theology of the Higher Attestation Commission E.I. Brewer; head S.L. Kravets; Head of the Department of Education, Science and Culture of the Spiritual Board of Muslims of the Russian Federation Sh.R. Kashaf; rector of the North Caucasian Federal University A.A. Levitskaya; rector; professor of Russian-American educational and scientific center Biblical and Judaic Studies of the Russian State University for the Humanities L.F. Katsis; rector of the Russian Christian humanitarian academy D.K. Bogatyrev; rector of the Volga Orthodox Institute named after St. Alexis, Metropolitan of Moscow, Archpriest Dimitry Leskin; President of the Nizhny Novgorod State Pedagogical University named after Kozma Minin L.E. Shaposhnikov.

As part of the program of the forum, on June 14, a round table was also held: "Theology as a branch of knowledge: problems and prospects" (leader - Professor of the Institute of Philosophy of the St. Petersburg state university, Dean of the Faculty of Philosophy, Theology and Religious Studies of the Russian Christian Academy for the Humanities, member of the expert council on theology of the Higher Attestation Commission R.V. Svetlov).

Professor D.V. Shmonin, Deputy Chairman Hegumen Serapion (Mitko), Associate Professor of the Theology Department of National Research Nuclear University MEPhI Hieromonk Rodion (Larionov) and other participants of the conference.

On June 15, within the framework of the conference, round tables "Theology as a branch of knowledge and a space for interreligious cooperation" were held (the meeting started on June 14 was continued), "Theology and educational standards" (leaders: Vice-Rector of St. Tikhon University for Research, Deputy Chairman of the Federal UMO in theology, Archpriest Konstantin Polskov; Secretary of the Federal UMO for Theology, member of the expert group on theology at the Interreligious Council of Russia M.V. Talankina), "Theology and Prospects for the Development of Diocesan Councils for Theological Education" (leader - Chairman of the Department of Religious Education and Catechization of the Moscow City diocese hieromonk Onesimus (Bamblevsky)). A total of 83 participants spoke during the round tables.

After the break, the final plenary session was held under the chairmanship of Professor M.N. Strikhanov, which was attended by about 270 participants and guests of the conference. The presentations of the leaders of the round tables with reports on the discussions were heard. At the end of the speeches, M.N. Strikhanov briefed the meeting participants on the draft resolution prepared by the program and editorial groups.

The resolution, taking into account the amendments made, was adopted in the course of an open vote in the following wording:

“Participants of the First All-Russian Scientific Conference "Theology in the Humanities and Educational Space" note with satisfaction high level interaction of state power, federal bodies of education and science, religious organizations, as well as the academic community in the formation and development of the scientific branch "Theology".

We can state the completion of the process of state recognition of theology. The return of theology to the scientific and educational space of our country at all levels, from undergraduate to academic degrees of candidate and doctor of theology, has been legally and actually secured. Completed preparatory work on the creation of a multi-confessional model of theological education and theological science.

The following recommendations are proposed for the agenda of the Conference:

Consider it expedient to form the branch of knowledge "Theology" by creating groups of specialties according to the religious and confessional principle (for example, 01.26.00 - Orthodox theology; 02.26.00 - Islamic theology; 03.26.00 - Jewish theology).

Emphasize the importance of obtaining meaningful results in specific research projects relating to various subject areas theology. Consider the need for comprehensive support for scientific research in the field of theology and related interdisciplinary fields.

To consider it necessary, when forming an expert council on theology of the Higher Attestation Commission under the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation and dissertation councils on theological specialties, to formalize the coordination of their composition with the relevant centralized religious organizations (by analogy with the current norm federal law"On Education in the Russian Federation", fixing the coordination of teachers of theological disciplines with the corresponding centralized religious organization).

To note the general humanitarian and interdisciplinary significance of theology in the construction of a block of social and humanitarian disciplines for classical, technical, pedagogical and other higher educational institutions, as well as its value-ideological and educational role.

Consider fundamentally important task deep personal familiarization of the student with the cultural tradition of Russia, expressed in a specific religious tradition, and take into account the importance of this task when developing a competence model, new standards and an approximate basic educational program in theology, based on the proposals of the Federal Educational and Methodological Association for Theology.

OCAD press service / Patriarchy.ru

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