M.E. POSNOV (1873-1931): THE MAIN STAGES OF SCIENTIFIC BIOGRAPHY
The author of this article saw his task in reconstructing the scientific biography of M.E. Posnov (1873-1931), a well-known representative of Orthodox thought who studied the history of Ancient Israel and early Christianity. To solve this problem, the author analyzed the following sources: office documents characterizing the official activities of M.E. Posnov and deposited in the funds of the Holy Synod; materials of correspondence between M.E. Posnov and N.N. Glubokovsky, preserved in the fund of the latter in the Department of Manuscripts of the Russian National Library; letters, memoirs and diaries of his colleagues, acquaintances and relatives; scientific works of M.E. Posnov, published in Russian and Bulgarian. Based on these documents, the author identified two main stages in the scientific biography of M.E. Posnov: Kyiv and Bulgarian. During his work in Kyiv, the scientist’s life proceeded quite predictably. He graduated from the Kyiv Theological Academy, defended his master’s thesis, received chairs at the Kyiv Theological Academy and the University of St. Vladimir. At the same time, in his scientific search, he went from the study of Judaism to the reconstruction of Christian Gnosticism. This topic attracted his attention due to his acquaintance with the Protestant thought of the 19th century. In 1917, he defended his doctoral dissertation on the history of Gnosticism. However, some of M.E. Posnov’s conclusions were critically evaluated by his colleagues, who questioned not only his scientific conclusions, but also the general methods of work. While working in Bulgaria, M.E. Posnov also found himself in the center of a major academic scandal that cost him a place at the Sofia Theological Academy and Sofia University. However, the conflicts that arose did not affect the scientist’s scientific activity, and it was in Bulgaria that he completed his work on the history of the Christian Church, having studied its history from 30 to 1054. M.E. Posnov’s works are distinguished by attention to sources, familiarity with the latest literature of the subject and the desire for scientific objectivity. At the same time, he always sought to combine secular historical research with a theological approach, revealing human and divine elements in the history of Ancient Israel and the Ancient Church.