Religious elements of the “national soul” in Vasily Rozanov’s anthropology

The article explores Vasily Rozanov’s definition of the concept of nationality and his understanding of the relationship between the national and religious principles, which was examined by the example of reflections on the fate of the Jewish people. The author refers mainly to Rozanov’s late legacy: The Resurgent Egypt (1917-1918) and The Apocalypse of Our Time (1918), as well as to his earlier work Judaism (1899). Initially, Rozanov proceeded from the Slavophile paradigm, according to which the essence of a nation lies in its metaphysical soul. Later, Rozanov moves on to a more physiological understanding of a nation as an extended family, that is, he sees its basis in the unity of “blood and seed”. However, a nation still possesses a single soul, which, as an individual soul, has a gender actualized in marriage. In addition, unlike the Slavophiles, Rozanov sees the basis of the personality of God and, consequently, man not in the Logos, but in Eros, which manifests itself through gender. Rozanov thinks of God as a bisexual deity of fertility, Elohim, who enters into a marriage union with nations: he turns his feminine hypostasis to masculine peoples, and his masculine hypostasis to feminine ones. A nation can draw their strength only by constantly fulfilling their marriage with God and honoring their family ties. Rozanov attributes a similar theological view to Judaism, speaking of the unity of Judaism with paganism. He understands paganism as a single, universal and true religion, whereas Christianity is a harmful anomaly, since, by denying the sanctity of gender, it jeopardizes the value of life. Rozanov’s similar theological view is connected with his denial of the concept of original sin, which would make a Godman, the Church, and evangelical morality necessary. The author declares no conflicts of interests.

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