Orthodox Christianity Church in the diary M. M. Prishvin’s (1905–1954)

Abstract

The article is devoted to the topic of the Church in the diaries of M. M. Prishvin. The emphasis is placed on the evolution of the writer’s views, as well as the factors that determine it. The author notes that for the first time M. M. Prishvin thought about the nature of the Church during his participation in the religious and philosophical circle of D. Merezhkovsky. Not understanding the true purpose of the Church, he attempts to explain its nature and purpose of existence through the prism of the pantheistic ideal. In the pre-war period, M. M. Prishvin believes that a person’s involvement in the Church is not at all mandatory, but with the beginning of the First World War and the revolution of 1917, his views undergo an important change: he discovers in it a significant benefit not only for the individual, but also for the whole country. The Second World War played a decisive role in M. M. Prishvin’s acceptance of the Church and trust in it. In the last years of M. M. Prishvin’s life, we do not find him criticizing the Church, but, on the contrary, we find numerous records about hits important soteriological significance for man. The author comes to the conclusion about M. M. Prishvin’s complex eclectic view of the Church, which is due to his youthful fascination with Marxism, pantheistic views on the world, as well as the huge influence of Valeria Liorko. In spite of this, however, the writer continued to think about the topic throughout his life, which eventually led him to consciously position himself as a member of the Orthodox Church.