“The holy work of serving the printed word to the people”. Archbishop Nikon (Rozhdestvensky) and spiritual censorship
Keywords:
the Holy Synod, The Publishing Council at the Holy Synod, The School Council at the Holy Synod, The Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra, The Bethany Theological Seminary, “Trinity Leaves”, “God’s Field”, spiritual censorship, Metropolitan Vladimir (Bogoyavlensky), Archbishop Nikon (Rozhdestvensky), Archpriest Andrey BelyaevAbstract
on the basis of unpublished materials introduced into scientific circulation for the first time, the article discusses the attitude of Archbishop Nikon (Rozhdestvensky) to spiritual censorship. In 1907 The Holy Synod considered the petition of Metropolitan Vladimir of Moscow (Bogoyavlensky) and made an extraordinary decision, according to which Vladyka Nikon, while continuing to remain a publisher, was simultaneously appointed censor of his own publications, including the well-known Trinity Leaflets throughout Russia. This was almost the only case in the entire history of spiritual censorship in the Russian Empire. This exception is explained by many years of publishing experience, the strict views of the bishop and the authority he enjoyed among Orthodox believers. This exception is all the more interesting because Vladyka, unlike most of the then episcopate, did not have a spiritual and academic education behind him. Nevertheless, Bishop Nikon’s active publishing activity was the reason for his appointment in 1913 to the post of chairman of the Publishing Council at the Holy Synod.
