Love as an Ethical and Axiological dominant of Orthodox Asceticism (on the example of Russian Foolishness)
The article examines the ethical and axiological component of the phenomenon of Russian foolishness on the example of the most important Christian ethical value, namely, love. The theoretical basis was the concept of J. Waardenburg, according to which religion is a system of orientation. The methodological basis of the research was the directions of the systematic approach formulated by the Dutch thinker: the behavior of the fools is considered from the standpoint of the hermeneutics of religious fact; the contextual method was also applied. The historical and cultural space of the feat of the Russian fools and Orthodox theology served as a context. The research was based on such sources as Orthodox hagiographic literature, texts of the Holy Scripture. The article reveals the specifics of the Orthodox understanding of the concept of «love», which is the ethical dominant in the life of Christian ascetics. The article shows how this concept was implemented in the life of Russian fools, whose behavior was perceived by contemporaries as provocative, devoid of any high meaning. The main conclusion of this work is the statement according to which love, as the highest value of Orthodox Christianity, dominates the ascetic service of the fools (personal and social) and is its main goal.
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