Archbishop Nikanor (Brovkovich) vs. M. N. Katkov: on the classicism and aims of spiritual education

The article is devoted to a dispute between two thinkers of the second half of the 19th century — M. N. Katkov and Archbishop Nikanor (Brovkovich) on the organization of education for future priests and clergymen. First of all, the discussion turned around the importance of studying Latin, Ancient Greek and Hebrew. This topic has not only historical significance, but is relevant from the point of view of the development of modern theological education. In the course of a comparative analysis of Katkov’s and Archbishop Nikanor’s views, it was revealed that Katkov’s position in the discussion was determined by class boundaries. It was revealed that the views of the Archbishop Nikanor on this question proceeded from the content-semantic aspect of the question about purposes of spiritual education. He believed that the priest should be able to navigate in modern knowledge more than in ancient languages. His opinion coincided with the opinion of Metropolitan Filaret, who believed that the clergy should receive knowledge that helped strengthen the faith in the people. In this sense, it is found that Katkov extremely unilaterally interpreted the views of Metropolitan Filaret, trying to show him an unequivocal supporter of classical education. In this respect, the Archbishop Nikanor appears as an adequate spokesman for Metropolitan Filaret for theological education.