Воины, мстители, мученики: агиология милитантного дискурса в современном российском православии

Studia Religiosa Rossica: научный журнал о религии. 2019. № 2. С. 11–35.

Зыгмонт А. И., Knorre B. K.

The article considers the role that the images of the saints play in the discourses of war and violence in contemporary Russian Orthodoxy, primarily among Orthodox nationalists, parish subculture and movements of 2012–2018. Taking Mark Juergensmeyer’s concept of “cosmic war”, the authors
examine the images of the saints as the personifications of the sacred that express certain meanings in the context of the symbolic struggle between good and evil. The saints establish the sacred cosmos, protect it, purify it, and sacrifice themselves for its sake, and their examples is used both in constructing the narrative and performing of the militant-minded believers. In the article, the images of the saints are classified into four categories: warrior-rulers, purifying rulers, protectors of faith, and soldiers martyrs. Particular attention is paid to the role of saints in legitimizing real wars, public conflicts and rallies against the demonstration of “blasphemous” films, exhibitions and performances. The authors conclude that these personifications constitute an autonomous source of authority that makes “militancy” the feature of the tradition, and that the image of a particular saint is highly variable, being able to legitimize violence to a greater or lesser extent depending on the character of a group.

Keywords: война, Russian Orthodox Church, РПЦ, war, насилие, violence, православные националисты, прихрамовая среда, Orthodox nationalists, saints, святые, 'cosmic war', Juergensmeyer, parish milieu, 'космическая война', Юргенсмейер

Publication based on the results of: "Теология войны" и феномен "военно-охранительного сознания" в постсоветском российском православии (2018)