N.I.Il`Minskii and the Christianization of the Chuvash
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Durham E-Theses Narodnost` and Obshchechelovechnost` in 19th century Russian missionary work: N.I.Il`minskii and the Christianization of the Chuvash KOLOSOVA, ALISON,RUTH How to cite: KOLOSOVA, ALISON,RUTH (2016) Narodnost` and Obshchechelovechnost` in 19th century Russian missionary work: N.I.Il`minskii and the Christianization of the Chuvash, Durham theses, Durham University. Available at Durham E-Theses Online: http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/11403/ Use policy The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-prot purposes provided that: • a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in Durham E-Theses • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders. Please consult the full Durham E-Theses policy for further details. Academic Support Oce, Durham University, University Oce, Old Elvet, Durham DH1 3HP e-mail: [email protected] Tel: +44 0191 334 6107 http://etheses.dur.ac.uk 2 1 Narodnost` and Obshchechelovechnost` in 19th century Russian missionary work: N.I.Il`minskii and the Christianization of the Chuvash PhD Thesis submitted by Alison Ruth Kolosova Material Abstract Nikolai Il`minskii, a specialist in Arabic and the Turkic languages which he taught at the Kazan Theological Academy and Kazan University from the 1840s to 1860s, became in 1872 the Director of the Kazan Teachers‟ Seminary where the first teachers were trained for native- language schools among the Turkic and Finnic peoples of the Volga-Urals and Siberia. With the help of these teachers and their pupils, as well as those of other schools set up on his model, Il`minskii created alphabets and oversaw biblical and liturgical translations into their languages, thus paving the way for native-language Orthodox parishes with indigenous clergy. The thesis explores the context in which Il`minskii‟s ideas arose and their impact on the Turkic Chuvash people of the Volga region from the 1870s to the 1920s. It traces how teachers and graduates of the Simbirsk Chuvash Teachers‟ School laid the foundations of Chuvash-language Orthodox parishes and liturgical life, leading to the indigenization of Orthodox Christianity among the Chuvash and the transformation, rather than the annihilation, of their traditional religious worldview and rites. The increased sense of Chuvash national consciousness narodnost` resulting from the creation of a Chuvash literary language used in schools and churches, was accompanied by a desire for recognition of their obshchechelovechnost`, their common humanity with all other peoples, which led after the 1917 Revolution to the pursuit of Chuvash political and ecclesial autonomy. The thesis argues that it was Il`minskii‟s own writings and practices, defended from the 1880s as a continuation of Orthodox tradition rather than an innovation, which laid the foundation for what became known as the Cyrillo-Methodian Orthodox missionary tradition in the late 20th century. Narodnost` and Obshchechelovechnost` in 19th century Russian missionary work: N.I.Il`minskii and the Christianization of the Chuvash PhD Thesis Submitted at the Department of Theology and Religion Durham University, United Kingdom By Alison Ruth Kolosova 2015 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS Abbreviations 7 Introduction 8 Historiography of N.I.Il`minskii 8 Nikolai Il`minskii and the Orthodox missionary tradition 13 Inconsistencies in the Cyrillo-Methodian tradition 16 The „reverse side‟ of the Byzantine missionary tradition 17 Summary of Thesis 21 Chapter 1 Metropolitan Philaret of Moscow and the Sanctification of the languages 25 The legacy of the 18th century church seminaries 25 Metropolitan Philaret and the Russian Bible Society 27 Archimandrite Makarii Glukharev, Head of the Altai Mission 31 Bishop Innokentii Veniaminov and the Alaskan and Siberian Missions 36 The motivation of the early 19th century missionaries 41 The recommencement of translation work on the Russian Bible 42 Was there a Cyrillo-Methodian missionary tradition in early 19th century Russia? 44 Chapter 2 Nikolai Il`minskii and the changing missionary paradigm 1845-1872 50 The influence of J.G.Herder and the Slavophiles 50 The Kazan Theological Academy Missionary Departments 53 Archbishop Grigorii Postnikov and missionary work in Kazan in the 1850s 54 Il`minskii and the Tatar and Arabic Department 58 Alexei Bobrovnikov and the Mongolian and Kalmyk Department 60 Fr. Viktor Vishnevskii and the Chuvash and Cheremys Department 61 Il`minskii in Orenburg and his return to Kazan 1858-1862 62 Feodor Bukharev and missionary attitudes at the Kazan Theological Academy in the late 1850s 65 3 The debate concerning Orthodoxy and contemporary life in the periodical press 67 The initial application of Il`minskii‟s missionary principles 1862-1872 69 The debate over the use of native languages in the late 1860s 72 Il`minskii‟s translation methods and missionary vision 79 N.I.Il`minskii and the Christianization of the Chuvash 90 Chapter 3 Ivan Iakovlev and the Simbirsk Chuvash Teachers‟ School 93 The origins and development of the Simbirsk Chuvash Teachers‟ School (SCTS) 93 The Simbirsk Chuvash Girls‟ School 99 The Simbirsk Chuvash Teachers‟ School‟s craft workshops and farm 101 The beginnings of Chuvash liturgical life 105 Liturgical translation at the Simbirsk Chuvash Teachers‟ School 108 The creation of Chuvash Christian terminology 111 S.V.Smolenskii and liturgical music at the Simbirsk Chuvash Teachers‟ School 116 The Church of the Descent of the Holy Spirit as a model for Chuvash liturgical life 120 The ordination and training of the first Chuvash clergy 124 Chapter 4 The Impact on the Villages: The development of native schools, clergy and 131 parishes Native schools, clergy and parishes in the north-east of the compact Chuvash area 131 The south-east of the compact Chuvash area 141 The role of short-term Teachers‟ Courses and local Teachers‟ Schools 148 Iakovlev and the land 151 Tensions in the villages 155 Bishop Gurii (Burtasovskii) and the Chuvash of Samara diocese 159 Bishop Dionisii (Khitrov) and the Chuvash of Ufa diocese 160 Archbishop Vladimir (Petrov) and the Chuvash of Kazan diocese 163 The publication and distribution of Chuvash texts 165 Iakovlev‟s collaboration with the British and Foreign Bible Society 166 4 Chapter 5 The transformation of the Old Chuvash Faith 178 Debates surrounding the origins of the Old Chuvash Faith 178 Sacred Place 192 The replacement of Old Chuvash sacred sites 194 Pilgrimage to sacred places among the Chuvash 197 The pilgrimage to Ishaki 198 The role of icons in Chuvash religious culture in the late 19th century 202 Sacred trees and groves in the wider Eurasian religious worldview 211 Sacred Time 214 Spring festivals and rites 214 Paskha 216 Pentecost, Shimek and Shinshe 222 St Elijah‟s Day 227 Autumn festivals and rites 229 Midwinter traditions 234 The search for national origins 237 Chapter 6 The Challenge of Modernity 250 The movement for ecclesial reform - Clerical Orthodox patriotism 250 The last decade of Il`minskii‟s life: articulation and defence of the Orthodox missionary tradition 254 Il`minskii and clerical Orthodox patriotism 257 The progressive and conservative sides of the Il`minskii legacy 262 The crisis of native mission at the turn of the 20th century 264 The mounting crisis during the 1890s 265 The 1899 Samara Conference 268 The debate on native mission in the opening years of the 20th century 271 The awakening of a native voice 279 The Simbirsk Chuvash Teachers‟ School 1905-1907 288 The native voice after 1905 292 The 1906 Responses of the Volga-Kama bishops 297 5 Bishop Andrei (Ukhtomskii) of Mamadysh and native mission after 1907 300 The 1910 Kazan Missionary Conference 305 Chapter 7 „Once not a people, but now God‟s people‟ The Coming of Age of the Chuvash Literary Language 311 The Simbirsk Chuvash Teachers‟ School after 1907 311 Simbirsk and the publication and distribution of Holy Scripture in the Chuvash language 314 The distribution of religious literature by colportage 318 Other translation work at SCTS in the early 20th century 325 N.V.Nikol`skii and Chuvash translations in Kazan 327 Original Chuvash compositions 329 N.I.Ashmarin and his Dictionary of the Chuvash language 331 The Samara Translation Sub-Committee 333 The events of 1917-1918 and their aftermath 336 Evaluating history: Church, mission and nation 346 Conclusion to Thesis 358 Appendix 1: Russian missionary work in the Volga region before the mid-19th century 367 Bibliography of archival and published sources 394 Maps The districts of Kazan and Simbirsk province with a compact Chuvash population in the late 19th century 436 The Chuvash diaspora in the late 19th/early 20th centuries 437 Migration of the Bulgars and Savirs 438 Europe in the year 1000 AD 439 Main settlement areas of the Chuvash 440 6 Abbreviations AChSSR Autonomous Chuvash Soviet Socialist Republic BFBS British and Foreign Bible Society BSG Brotherhood of St Gurii BSG TC Brotherhood of St Gurii Translation Committee CMS Church Missionary Society KCBTS Kazan Central Baptised Tatar School KMC Kazan Missionary Courses KTS Kazan Teachers‟ Seminary KYO Kazanskii Uchebnyi Okrug (Kazan Educational District) MNP Ministerstvo Narodnogo Prosveshcheniia (Ministry of National Education) NKVD Narodnyi Komissariat Vnutrennykh Del (People‟s Comissariat of Internal Affairs)