Theophan Prokopovich | |
|---|---|
| De-facto head of theMost Holy Synod | |
 Posthumous portrait, mid-18th century | |
| Church | Russian Orthodox Church |
| See | Novgorod |
| Installed | 1722 |
| Term ended | 1736 |
| Predecessor | Stefan Yavorsky |
| Successor | Joseph Volchansky |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1681-06-18)18 June 1681 |
| Died | 19 September 1736(1736-09-19) (aged 55) |
| Alma mater | Kiev Academy |
Theophan orFeofan Prokopovich (Russian:Феофан Прокопович;Ukrainian:Феофан Прокопович,romanized: Feofan Prokopovych; 18 June [O.S. 8 June] 1681[1] – 19 September [O.S. 8 September] 1736)[2] was aRussian Orthodox bishop,[3] theologian,pietist, writer, poet, mathematician, astronomer,pedagogue and philosopher of Ukrainian origin. He was the rector of theAcademia Mohileana in Kiev (1711–1716),[4] the bishop ofPskov (1718–1725), and the archbishop ofNovgorod (1725–1736).[5]
Prokopovich elaborated upon and implementedPeter the Great's reform of theRussian Orthodox Church;[6] he served as the first vice-president of theMost Holy Synod from 1721, which replaced theoffice of the patriarch.[4] He was the de facto leader of the synod (and the Russian Orthodox Church) following the death ofStefan Yavorsky in 1722.[7] Prokopovich also wrote many religious verses and some of the most enduringsermons in theRussian language.
Theophan (born Eleazar or Elisei) Prokopovich was born inKiev,Cossack Hetmanate, a vassal state under theTsardom of Russia. His father, Tsereysky, was a shopkeeper fromSmolensk.[8] After the death of his parents, Eleazar was adopted by his maternal uncle, Feofan Prokopovich.[9] Feofan Prokopovich was the abbot of theKiev Brotherhood Epiphany Monastery, professor, and rector of theAcademia Mohileana.[10]
Prokopovich's uncle sent him to the monastery for primary school.[11] After graduation, he became a student of the Academia Mohileana.
In 1698, after graduating from the Academia Mohileana, Eleazar continued his education at theVolodymyrUniate Collegium. He lived in theBasilian monastery and wastonsured as a Uniate monk under the name of Elisha or Elisey.[12] TheUniateBishop ofVolodymyr,Zalensky, noticed the extraordinary abilities of the young monk and contributed to his transfer to the Catholic Academy ofSt. Athanasius inRome, which was created bytheologians to spreadCatholicism amongEastern Orthodox adherents.
In Rome, he enjoyed access to theVatican Library.[13] In addition to theology, Prokopovich also studied the works of ancient Latin and Greek philosophers, historians, attractions of old and newRome, and the principles of the Catholic faith and of thePope. Throughout his studies, he became acquainted with the works ofTommaso Campanella,Galileo Galilei,Giordano Bruno, andNicolaus Copernicus.
In 28 October 1701, Prokopovich left Rome without completing his full course at the academy.[14] He passed throughFrance,Switzerland, andGermany, before studying inHalle. There he became acquainted with the ideas of theProtestant Reformation.
He returned to Ukraine (then part of theTsardom of Russia) in 1704, first toPochayiv Lavra, then toKiev, where he renounced the Catholic union as well as hispenance andtonsure with theOrthodoxmonks, taking the name Feofan in memory of his uncle.
Beginning in 1705, Prokopovich taught rhetoric, poetics, and philosophy at the Kiev-Mogila Collegium. He also wrote the tragicomedy "Vladimir"(«Влади́мир»), dedicating it toHetmanIvan Mazepa.[15] At the same time, he wrote the theological and philosophical sermons which were seen by the Kievgovernor-generalsDmitry Golitsyn andAlexander Menshikov.
In 1707, he became the prefect of the Kiev Academy. In 1711, Prokopovich gave a sermon on the occasion of the anniversary of theBattle of Poltava. Thetsar of Russia,Peter I, was struck by the eloquence of this sermon,[3] and upon his return to Kiev, Feofan Prokopovich was appointed as the rector of the Kiev-Mogila Academy[16][17][18] and a professor of theology.[19] At the same time, he also became abbot of theKiev Brotherhood Epiphany Monastery.[citation needed] He entirely reformed the teaching oftheology there, substituting the historical method of the German theologians for the Orthodox scholastic system.[3]
In 1716, he went toSaint Petersburg.[20] From that point, Prokopovich spent his time explaining the new scholastic system and justifying its most controversial innovations from the pulpit. Despite the opposition of the Russian clergy, who regarded the "Light of Kiev" as an interloper and semi-heretic, he became invaluable to the civil power. He was promoted tobishop ofPskov in 1718, andarchbishop ofNovgorod in 1725.[3] He died inSaint Petersburg.[a]
As the author of the spiritual regulation for the reform of the Russian Orthodox Church, Feofan is regarded as the creator of the spiritual department superseding the patriarchate, better known by its later name of theHoly Governing Synod, of which he was made vice-president. A pitiless enemy of superstitions of any kind, Prokopovich continued to be a reformer even after the death ofPeter the Great. He simplified Russian preaching, introducing popular themes and a simple style into Orthodox pulpits.[3]
One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Bain, Robert Nisbet (1911). "Prokopovich, Theofan". InChisholm, Hugh (ed.).Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 22 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 434.