The Study of Religion in Russia at the End of the 19th and the First Quarter of the 20th century: From Phenomenological Description to Critical Study

This article is devoted to the main trends in the development of the science of religion in Russia at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century. Unlike in other European countries, Russian universities lacked theological departments, and the study of religion was concentrated exclusively within the Church schools. This was one reason for the late development of the science of religion in Russia. Yet, by the end of 1916, the situation was poised for further development, as Russian religious studies had begun to take shape within Oriental studies, classical studies and ethnography, and in close academic contact with foreign scholars. The researchers working in history of Christianity and biblical studies were in a less favorable position due to censorship restrictions. There were two orientations in the study of religion, one following the tradition of confessional studies, and the other using methods of critical scientific analysis. The latter developed in line with contemporary European scholarship: the evolutionary anthropological approach was commonly used, and sociological theories gradually became more attractive.