ESCHATOLOGICAL VIEWS OF ARCHPRIEST FEODORE GOLUBINSKY

Mikhail I. Zhigalov

Kostroma theological seminary, Kostroma, Russia

Email: brfhec2@yandex.ru

ORCID: 0000–0002–9789–5386

Issue: № 4 (28), 2024

Pages: 22

Annotation

The eschatological views of Archpriest F. A. Golubinsky are set forth in the work "The Wisdom and Goodness of God in the destinies of the world and humanity (about the ultimate causes)." Here he considers in particular two concepts: 1) moral evil, i. e. sin, and 2) physical evil — suffering. The eschatological views of Father Theodore can be divided into three parts. 1) The ultimate fate of the world (inanimate nature). The flora also belongs to this block. This is due to the fact that the biblical narrative does not refer the term "living soul" to plants. With the end of the age, Feodor Alexandrovich connects not the appearance of an absolutely new world, but the "transformation" of an existing one, or the "renewal of nature." A distinctive feature of the new world is the complete destruction of physical evil in it. 2) The ultimate fate of living nature, in which there is a living soul. Theodore Golubinsky believes that animals will pass into eternity, and will be freed from suffering and the influence of physical evil. But due to the fact that animals are impersonal and dependent beings and there is no "breath of life" in them, and therefore there is no basis for infinite existence in them. Thus, animals, losing their separate existence, will return to the general life of nature as a part of it in a completely painless way. 3) The ultimate fate of man. The skills acquired in earthly life can be both positive and negative. And therefore, both a positive and a negative vector of moral development is possible beyond the grave. The question arises: will moral evil last forever? And Feodor Alexandrovich gives a positive answer. The bottom line is that man, as a free being, can choose both the path of "endless improvement in goodness" and "non-stop striving along the path of evil, … distance from God."

Keywords

Archpriest Theodore Golubinsky, the doctrine of final causes, the doctrine of the human soul, moral evil, physical evil, eternity, the ultimate fate of inanimate nature, the ultimate fate of living nature, the ultimate fate of man

For citation

Zhigalov M. I. Eschatological views of archpriest Feodore Golubinsky // Ipatievsky vestnik. 2024. № 4. Р. 22–36 (In Russian). https://doi.org/10.24412/2309– 5164–2024–4–22–36