Teaching Church history in Russian schools

Abstract

The article presents some aspects and features of teaching Church history in Russian schools. The first part of the article is devoted to the substantiation of the term "Church History", its relation to history as a science, as well as its place among other fields of sciences. The historical retrospective reveals the emergence and development of the subject of the God's Law in Russian schools and its structure, in which several sections were distinguished, among which were studied: catechism, the doctrine of worship, prayers, Sacred history and Church History, which was considered a continuation and complement of the latter. The main content of the article outlines the purpose, objectives, significance and some methodological features of the study of Church history in the pre-revolutionary period, which were a kind of basis for the development of the study of Church history in modern Orthodox schools in Russia. In the final part, the author gives an overview of the main manuals on Church history in the pre-revolutionary and modern period, identifies modern curricula and other individual aspects directly related to the teaching of Church history in Orthodox schools, such as the psychological and pedagogical characteristics of students studying the section of Church history and interdisciplinary connections. The article concludes with the author's reflections on the further development of teaching Church history in Russian schools.