Interpretation of time and metahistory in the Russian cultural Renaissance

The article analyzes time as a category of culture and the features of the sense of time in the Russian culture in the early 20th century. The era was characterized by a catastrophic, apocalyptic awareness of the world and perception of the present as a turning point in the history. The turn of the century was most clearly expressed in the Russian spiritual renaissance which gave the main lines for understanding the time concept. The basis of spiritual renaissance was philosophy which united the features of literature and publicism and covered the issues of spiritual culture and social life. The central problem of spiritual renaissance was the relation of the timeless Absolute and the world belonging to time. The most outstanding figure of the century was V. Solovyov. His doctrine settled the question of the definition of "connection mystery" between these two planes of being. His doctrine of the unity and Sophia lined up the plots and the mythologems reflecting the "understanding" of time: Sophian "gathering" of the world, building of the world, recreation of reality and transformation. Solovyov’s ideas of sophiological determinism of the history, transformation of the world as a condition of removing contradictions between time and the timeless had a powerful response in the culture of the turn of the century. They were in harmony with the frame of mind of the century, therefore, they were reflected not only in the philosophy of the thinker’s followers but also in the artistic sphere. Solovyov’s key idea of transforming the world in the works of his followers was associated with the eschatological and apocalyptic expectations of the century in the context of which the idea of time and metahistory was presented. The awareness of the world of the century united the idea of a creative breakthrough into the metahistory and apocalyptic expectations. The beginning of the twentieth century was marked by an activation of the eschatological myth and an original interpretation of the "end of history". The plot of "time completion" was presented by spiritual renaissance in accordance with its two main versions - eschatological and chiliastic ones. In the context of culture of the turn of the century the ambiguous interpretation of these plots distinguished the idea of "active eschatology" dominating in religious philosophy and in aesthetics of symbolism. Appearing under the influence of Solovyov’s doctrine in a particular cultural context this idea became the basis of the religious and mystical search of the century and largely predetermined the perception of the revolution. The eschatological myth in the context of the century was basically interpreted in two ways - "overcoming of time" and "decay of time".

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