Orthodox Anthropology and the Role of the Russian Orthodox Church in Overcoming the Spiritual Crisis

DOI: 10.33876/2311-0546/2026-3/123-136

Authors

Keywords:

Orthodox anthropology, Russian Orthodox Church, spiritual crisis, spirituality

Abstract

Orthodox anthropology today is positioned as the teaching of the Orthodox Church about man and his nature. Its provisions and principles, developed in theology, are not always accepted by secular science. However, human hidden abilities, which determine one’s spiritual essence, remain not fully understood by science itself. The Russian Orthodox Church not only develops the theoretical principles of Orthodox anthropology, but also implements them in practice. Russia is an original civilization with a historically formed Orthodox basis. In modern conditions, its ideology should be based on the unity of national interests. In such difficult times that Russia is going through today, religious organizations are proving to be the most resilient. They are positioned as institutions that consolidate people based on traditional values. Their activities in strengthening the cultural environment, educational and charitable activities, and social partnership in almost the entire social sphere are especially important. Ensuring the spiritual security of Russian society is possible on the basis of preserving the Orthodox tradition and forming a new ideological project for Russia. The purpose of this article is to study the positive experience of the Russian Orthodox Church in the search for ways to overcome Russia's spiritual crisis based on the principles of Orthodox anthropology.

Author Biographies

  • Elena Gryaznova, Minin Nizhny Novgorod State Pedagogical University

    Gryaznova, Elena V. — Doctor of Philosophy, Professor, Department of Philosophy and Theology, Minin Nizhny Novgorod State Pedagogical University (Nizhny Novgorod, Russian Federation). E-mail: egik37@yandex.ru ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3093-2602

  • Nikolay Popov, Rector of the Church of the Beheading of the Head of John the Baptist, Novoguslevo village

    Popov, Nikolay N. — Master of Theology, Rector of the Church of the Beheading of the Head of John the Baptist, Novoguslevo village (Moscow Region, Taldom city district, Novoguslevo village, Russian Federation). Nik.Nik247@yandex.ru ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0009-0004-7366-952X

    For citation: Gryaznova, E. V., and N. N. Popov. 2026. Orthodox Anthropology and the Role of the Russian Orthodox Church in Overcoming the Spiritual Crisis. Herald of Anthropology (Vestnik Antropologii) 3: 123–136.

    References

    Begovatov, D. A. 2022. K voprosu o kadrovom obespechenii sovremennogo klira: analiz nekotorykh problem na osnove Ustava Russkoi Pravoslavnoi Tserkvi [On the Issue of Staffing the Modern Clergy: An Analysis of Some Problems Based on the Charter of the Russian Orthodox Church]. Teologicheskii vestnik Smolenskoi pravoslavnoi dukhovnoi seminarii 2(15): 87–98.

    Bergson, A. 2023. Tvorcheskaia evoliutsiia [Creative Evolution]. Moscow: AST. 413 p.

    Bulgakov, S. N. 1992. Geroizm i podvizhnichestvo [Heroism and Asceticism]. Moscow: Russkaia kniga. 525 p.

    Chursanov, S. A. 2023. Bogoslovskoe ponimanie bogoobraznosti cheloveka v sovremennoi pravoslavnoi antropologii [The Theological Understanding of Human Godliness in Modern Orthodox Anthropology]. Gumanitarnoe prostranstvo 12(6): 554–571. https://doi.org10.24412/2226-0773-2023-12-6-554-571

    Costache, D. 2020. Orthodoxy and Science. Ecumenical Review 72(3): 396–408. https://doi.org/10.1111/erev.12520

    Dunaev, A. G. 2022. Sushchestvuet li pravoslavnaia antropologiia? [Does Orthodox Anthropology Exist?]. Vestnik Sviato-Filaretovskogo instituta 43: 44–82. https://doi.org/10.25803/26587599_2022_43_44  

    Ermishin, O. T. 2023. Obraz cheloveka i antropologiia v filosofii russkogo zarubezh’ia XX veka [The Image of Man and Anthropology in the Philosophy of the Russian Diaspora of the 20th Century]. Filosofskie nauki 66(3): 63–81. https://doi.org/10.30727/0235-1188-2022-66-3-63-81 

    Gryaznova, E. V. 2021. Substratnyi podkhod v issledovanii tsifrovoi kul’tury [The Substrate Approach in the Study of Digital Culture]. Vestnik Tomskogo gosudarstvennogo universiteta 464: 68–75. https://doi.org/10.17223/15617793/464/8

    Gryaznova, E. V. 2024. Fenomen tsifrovoi kul’tury kak predmet izucheniia sovremennoi nauki [The Phenomenon of Digital Culture as a Subject of Study in Modern Science]. Vestnik antropologii 2: 119–128. https://doi.org/10.33876/2311-0546/2024-2/118-128  

    Gryaznova, E. V. 2025. Antropologiia tsifrovogo cheloveka: k voprosu o metodologii issledovaniia [The Anthropology of a Digital Human: Research Methodology]. Vestnik antropologii 2: 173–186. https://doi.org/10.33876/2311-0546/2025-2/173-186

    Kasatikov, A. 2024. Pravoslavnaia antropologiia v sravnenii s inymi predstavleniiami o cheloveke [Orthodox Anthropology in Comparison with Other Conceptions of Man]. Khrizostom 1(9): 11–28. https://doi.org/10.24412/2782-3253-2024-1-11-28

    Katushenko, O. A., and R. U. Arifulina. 2025. Obrazovatel’naia simuliatsiia kak instrument proektirovaniia personal’noi obrazovatel’noi sredy budushchikh pedagogov [Educational Simulation as a Tool for Designing the Personal Educational Environment of Future Teachers]. Vestnik Mininskogo universiteta 13 (1). https://doi.org/10.26795/2307-1281-2025-13-1-4

    Koniushkova, I. A. 2024. Otrazhenie problem pravoslavnoi antropologii v kul’turno-prosvetitel’skoi deiatel’nosti Russkoi pravoslavnoi tserkvi na rubezhe XX–XXI vekov [Reflection of Problems of Orthodox Anthropology in the Cultural and Educational Activities of the Russian Orthodox Church at the Turn of the 20th–21st Centuries]. In Pravoslavnoe uchenie o cheloveke kak osnova dukhovnogo stanovleniia lichnosti: materialy mezhdunarodnoi nauchno-prakticheskoi konferentsii, 11–12 dekabria 2024 goda [Orthodox Teaching on Man as the Foundation of Spiritual Formation of the Personality: Materials of The Scientific and Practical Conference, 11–12 December, 2024]. Kuremäe. 158–165.

    Kowalska-Stus, H. 2025. Modernizm v russkom pravoslavii. Problema antropologii [Modernism in Russian Orthodoxy. Problem of Anthropology]. Rossiiskii zhurnal istorii Tserkvi 6(1): 39–50. https://doi.org/10.15829/2686-973X-2025-179  

    Kugai, A. I. 2021. Russkaia pravoslavnaia tserkov’ kak institut grazhdanskogo obshchestva (filosofsko-metodologicheskii aspekt) [The Russian Orthodox Church as an Institution of Civil Society (Philosophical and Methodological Aspect)]. Vlast’ 29(3): 217–225.

    Leonov, V., prot. 2013. Osnovy pravoslavnoi antropologii [Fundamentals of Orthodox Anthropology]. Moscow: Izdatel’stvo Moskovskoi Patriarkhii Russkoi Pravoslavnoi Tserkvi. 456 p.

    Martynova, M. Yu., N. A. Belova, O. A. Zykina, and M. P. Klyaus. 2023. Obshchegrazhdanskie i sotsiokul’turnye tsennosti v vospriiatii rossiiskoi molodezhi [National and Socio-Cultural Values in the Perception of Russian Youth]. Vestnik antropologii 1: 102–124. https://doi.org/10.33876/2311-0546/2023-1/102-124

    Narinskaya E. 2023. Theology, Anthropology and Practice of Mental Health and Wellbeing: Holistic Approach of Orthodox Christian Experience. Theology: Theory and Practice 2(1): 5–26. https://doi.org/10.24412/2949-3951-2023-0010   

    Pavlov, A. S. 2022. Khristianskii fizikalizm: na rubezhakh pravoslavnoi antropologii i analiticheskoi filosofii soznaniia [Christian Physicalism: On the Frontiers of Orthodox Anthropology and Analytic Philosophy of Mind]. Voprosy filosofii 6: 98–108. https://doi.org/10.21146/0042-8744-2022-6-98-108

    Rashkovskaya, K. A. 2020. Problema cheloveka kak ob”ekt pravoslavnogo bogoslovskogo modernizma [The Human Problem as an Object of Orthodox Theological Modernism]. Vestnik Voronezhskogo gosudarstvennogo universiteta. Seriia: Filosofiia 2(36): 67–77.

    Shaposhnikov, L. E. 2014. Ponimanie traditsii v pravoslavnom bogoslovii [Understanding Tradition in Orthodox Theology]. Vestnik Sankt-Peterburgskogo universiteta. Seriia 17. Filosofiia. Konfliktologiia. Kul’turologiia. Religiovedenie 1: 93–102.

    Shishkin, I. N. 2021. Problemy sovremennogo vuzovskogo obrazovaniia v sopriazhenii dukhovnogo i svetskogo [Problems of Modern University Education in the Context of Spiritual and Secular Education]. In Doshkol’noe i nachal’noe obrazovanie: mnogoobrazie podkhodov: Materialy nauchnoi konferentsii, 1–31 oktiabria 2021 goda [Preschool and Primary Education: Diversity of Approaches: Proceedings of an International Conference, 1–3 October, 2021], Part 1. Yaroslavl: Yaroslavskii gosudarstvennyi pedagogicheskii universitet im. K. D. Ushinskogo. 181–186.

    Shmakov, V. V. 2016. Ideia tserkvi v filosofii i sotsial’noi antropologii S. L. Franka [The Idea of the Church in the Philosophy and Social Anthropology by S. L. Frank]. Solov’evskie issledovaniia 4(52): 163–171.

    Smirnov, A. 2021. Teolog na sovremennom rynke truda. Zapros na mediatora, spetsialista v sfere natsional’nykh i religioznykh otnoshenii [A Theologian in the Modern Labor Market. Demand for a Mediator, a Specialist on the National and Religious Relations]. In Aktual’nye voprosy filologii i metodiki prepodavaniia filologicheskikh distsiplin: sbornik statei Natsional'noi nauchnoi konferentsii (k 125-letiiu so dnia rozhdeniia M. M. Bakhtina), 18 dekabria 2020 goda [Current Issues of Philology and Methods of Teaching Philological Disciplines: A Collection of Articles of the National Scientific Conference (to the 125th Anniversary of M. M. Bakhtin]. Kemerovo: Kemerovskii gosudarstvennyi universitet. 112–117.

    Smirnova, Zh. V., O. T. Cherney, L. I. Kutepova, et al. 2025. Digital Innovations in Education for Training Human Resources in Society. In Lifelong Learning in Central Asia: Relevance of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, ed. by E. G. Popkova. Singapore: Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 123–131. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-96-1941-2_12

    Startsev, K. E., G. A. Zapara, and Ya. M. Platonov. 2022. Vzgliad na problemy bioetiki s tochki zreniia Russkoi Pravoslavnoi Tserkvi [A View on Bioethics Issues from the Perspective of the Russian Orthodox Church]. Refleksiia 6: 72–74.

    Variukhno, A. V. 2021. Molodezh’ kak ob”ekt i sub”ekt sotsial’noi raboty Russkoi pravoslavnoi Tserkvi [Youth as an Object and Subject of Social Work of the Russian Orthodox Church]. In Proektnoe upravlenie sotsial’no-ekonomicheskim razvitiem regiona: Materialy Vserossiiskoi nauchno-prakticheskoi konferentsii, 28 aprelia 2021 goda [Project Management of the Socio-Economic Development of the Region: Proceedings of the All-Russian Scientific and Practical Conference, 28 April 2021], ed. by A. V. Bogomolova and Yu. F. Kolesnikova. Lipetsk: Lipetskii gosudarstvennyi pedagogicheskii universitet imeni P. P. Semenova-Tian-Shanskogo. 20–23. https://www.elibrary.ru/download/elibrary_47504104_49767434.pdf

    Zadorozhnyaya, T. M., and I. I. Boldyreva. 2020. Problema vzaimootnoshenii molodezhi i Tserkvi v sovremennoi Rossii [The Problem of the Relationships Between Youth and the Church in Modern Russia]. Molodezhnyi innovatsionnyi vestnik 9 (1): 55–56.

Downloads

Published

21.09.2026

Issue

No. 3 (2026): Vestnik antropologii (Herald of Anthropology)

Section

Orthodox Anthropology