St. Augustine and I.V. Popov as researchers of religious experience
St Tikhon’s University Theological Faculty Review September 30, 2025 Peer reviewed DOI: 10.15382/tfr20251.77-86 via Semantic Scholar
Summary
Early 20th-century Russian theology combined interest in St. Augustine with the problem of mystical experience, influenced by William James's "The Varieties of Religious Experience." I. V. Popov's doctoral thesis on Augustine examined mystical states of consciousness, analyzing ancient theories of mystical experience before presenting Augustine's views. Augustine's approach paralleled modern empirical psychology, which draws conclusions from analyzing isolated cases. This raises questions about the relevance of Augustine's methodology and theological language to modern times, a question that merits further investigation.
Study at a glance
| Design | theoretical or philosophical paper |
|---|---|
| Key finding | Augustine's approach to mystical experience parallels modern empirical psychology, prompting questions about the relevance of his methodology and theological language to contemporary thought. |
Abstract
Russian theology of the early 20th century manifests itself as the intersection of many heterogeneous trends. Of these trends, we will highlight two: a keen interest in the legacy of St. Augustine and the problem of mystical (religious) experience, which was actualized both by the general desire to overcome “scholastic approaches” in theology, and by scientific and psychological developments of the topic, in particular, by the work of W. James “The Varieties of Religious Experience”. One of the sections of I. V. Popov’s doctoral thesis “The personality and legacy of St. Augustine”, dedicated to mystical states of consciousness, can be considered as the result of the intersection of these two trends. Having carried out a special analysis of the theories of mystical experience in antiquity, Popov proceeds to present the views of St. Augustine in this area. Augustine seems to have followed a path which is very similar to that of modern empirical psychology, which draws its conclusions from the preliminary analysis of many isolated cases. This spontaneous parallel forces us to question how relevant not only the methodology, but also the theological language of Augustine is to the language of modern times in general. This is the question that requires detailed research; however the very formulation of this question also deserves attention.