Christianity Between Russia and Ukraine: Conflict, History, Theology

(3 Credit Hours) · Undergraduate

Russia’s war in Ukraine has exposed a profound religious divide between the two countries. For decades, if not centuries, the world has failed to notice this rift, treating Ukrainian Christianity as a sub-species of Russian Orthodoxy. The course aims to help interested upper-level undergraduate and master’s students to understand the similarities and differences between the two religious cultures. It highlights pivotal moments in the history of the Ukrainian and Russian churches, as well as the key figures who have shaped their theology throughout the centuries, from the medieval period of Kyivan Rus to the present day. Students will become familiar with notable Ukrainian religious thinkers and ecclesiastical figures, such as Petro Mohyla, Melety Smotrytsky, Hryhory Skovoroda, Andrey Sheptytsky, and Josef Slipyj. Russian religious thought will be represented by the works of Piotr Chaadaev, Alexey Khomiakov, Vladimir Solovyov, Leo Tolstoy, Sergius Bulgakov, and Pavel Florensky, among others. Thematically, most of the course material focuses on the topics of political theology, theology of history, theology of culture, theology of ritual, and issues of Christian unity.