Anniversary and memorable editions of Orthodox ecclesiastical academies: contribution to the formation of corporate culture

The goal oI the article is to identiIy the contribution oI anniversary and memorable editions oI ecclesiastical academies in the Iormation oI corporate culture and the positioning oI Orthodox educational institutions in the inIormation space. The sources Ior the study were publications oI ecclesiastical academies oI the late XIX - early XXI centuries: “The FiItieth Anniversary oI the Kazan Theological Academy” (1893); “The Theological Herald” (No. 11, 1900), dedicated to the memory oI A.V. Gorskiy; “At the Trinity in the Academy” (1914); “Theological Works. Anniversary Collection. Moscow Theological Academy. 300 years (1685-1985)” (1986); “Theological Works. Anniversary Collection Dedicated to the 175^th Anniversary of the Leningrad Theological Academy” (1986); “Biographical Dictionary of Graduates of the Kiev Theological Academy: 1819-1920s” (Kiev, 2014) and others. This study is based on the application of both general scientific and concrete historical methods: the historical-genetic method, the method of comparative analysis, and intellectual history method. The anniversary is not only a reason for conducting celebrations, but also an attempt to rethink the creative or scientific heritage of a public figure, the scale of a historical event. Valuable historical sources were published in anniversary editions: materials from the archives of professors, lectures, correspondence, memoirs, congratulatory letters and telegrams, solemn speeches. The publications formulated the mission of the academies: to keep the best traditions of ecclesiastical education; to serve the mission of spiritual enlightenment, moral and patriotic education. For editions of the XX -XXI centuries, it is important to show the continuity of the scientific and educational activities of the academies, the existence of independent scientific schools, the focus on the solution of key issues of our time, social significance, established scientific ties. The preparation of anniversary publications is accompanied by the necessity to establish constant feedback with graduates aimed at strengthening the academic corporation. For example, during the preparation of the collection “At the Trinity in the Academy” (1914), the idea was expressed to establish a commission or bureau whose functions would be to collect historical information about the academy, as well as information about official appointments and the movement of graduates. Thus, the celebration of the anniversary demonstrates the fact that the phenomenon, person or historical event is firmly entrenched in the cultural context. The anniversary editions are valuable because they rethink the path of development of theological academies, the activities of scientists and teachers who have become role models; the mission and corporate values are formulated; results are summed up and goals for further development are set.

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