“The finger of God and the scourge”: perception of social and political events in the letters of the Optina elders
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.51216/2687-072X_2025_4_192-204Keywords:
St. Macarius of Optina, St. Ambrose of Optina, Optina elders, Russo-Turkish War, humility, repentance.Abstract
This article analyzes the perception of military events in the spiritual legacy of the Optina elders. Consistently framing their discussions of military conflicts within a socio-political context, the Optina elders viewed them through the prism of repentance within a spiritual and ascetic discourse, which distinguished their perspective from that of some other clergy of the time.
Methodologically, the article relies on a contextual interpretation of the elders’ personal letters, as well as a historical and theological analysis that allows them to relate their views to the historical context of imperial autocracy.
The Optina elders characterized armed conflict primarily as punishment for a sinful lifestyle, and they interpreted it not as an external cause, but as a consequence of internal sinful passions (anger, vanity, and avarice) and a test of faith. This article analyzes in detail the position of the Optina elders, which is seen in the clear delineation of the responsibilities of the state authorities, which are engaged in military operations, and the Church, which is fulfilling its sacramental mission.
The Optina elders pointed out that war, which is a consequence of human passions, can be prevented by eliminating its root cause, which is the passion of anger. Therefore, the New Testament instruction to refrain from anger toward “one’s brother” should be viewed as a reference to the eradication of this passion, rather than to the legal regulation of external actions.
The article concludes that the elders’ pastoral mission was focused on developing personal moral responsibility in their flock, oriented toward the spiritual struggle with passions, which was seen as a path to the transformation of both individuals and society.
For citation: Vanifatev N. A. “The finger of God and the scourge”: perception of social and political events in the letters of the Optina elders. DOI: https://doi.org/10.51216/2687-072X_2025_4_192-204. EDN: XPXPSK // Theological Collection of Tambov Theological Seminary, 2025, no. 4 (33), pp. 192-204. (In Russian).
Received 17 July 2025.
Accepted for press 01 November 2025.
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