The Life of Nicholai Velimirovich

Abstract

Political Science, axiology, and history are united through the life and works of Nicholai Velimirovich. Bishop Nicholai moves from the rational to the empirical instance and overcomes the limitations of the causal in the understanding of man’s meaning on earth. For him, as for many spiritual individuals, life on earth is temporary and limited. Velimirovich broke through the boundaries of the acausal and penetrated the spiritual orbit, which he easily interprets with a secular vocabulary. Bishop Nicholai spent his life as a monk and Bishop (in the period from 1909–1956) at the geographical crossing between East and West. The period between monasticism (1909–1920) was the period of his fruitful oratory (1910–1912) and then political and agitation practice (1912–1918). After the diplomatic and humanitarian missions in the Anglo-American countries during the Great War, Velimirovich has ordained a Bishop, first of Žiča (1919–1920), then of Ohrid and Ohrid-Bitola (1920/21–1936), and again of Žiča (1936–1956). The curriculum vitae attached here was written based on the literature of previous authors and the author’s separate research in Anglo-American countries and the Republic of Serbia. The analyzes and results of this paper, as well as the diagram attached, should contribute to assembling the entire picture of Nicholai Velimirovich’s life and as such represents an addition to existing scientific knowledge about the Serbian Bishop, all-Orthodox, and the world.