Essay on the place and position of Byzantine philosophy in the history of Russian philosophy as a civilizational project

Abstract

The article considers some aspects of the reception of Byzantine philosophical thought in the history of Russian philosophy. The place and significance of John Damascene’s works for the philosophy of Byzantium and Russia are determined. Information about Byzantinists is given and their contribution to the study of the heritage of Byzantine philosophy within the framework of the Slavophile project is characterised. In order to clarify the historical and philosophical context, the studies of both modern Byzantologists and the works of philosophers and scholars who wrote on Byzantine studies in the Soviet period are considered. The importance of the works on Byzantine studies that appeared at the end of tsarist Russia and were published in the new Russia is noted. Special attention is paid to one of the first Russian historians of philosophy, Archimandrite Gabriel (Voskresensky) and his History of Philosophy (1839–1840), which for the first time presented the experience of comprehension of Byzantine philosophy and its influence on the formation and development of philosophical thought in Russia. The treatise of John Damascene The Source of Knowledge and its interpretations in Russian philosophy are analyzed. It is concluded that in our time are still relevant the issues related to the perception and interpretation of Byzantine thought, which, in fact, is the foundation of Russian philosophy. Thus, the civilisational project of Russia requires not to make a “turn to the East” or “to the West”, but to remain the ideological heiress of Byzantium. The study of Byzantium contributes to a better understanding of the Russian philosophical tradition.