The MDA Publishing House has released a new issue of a magazine “Vstrecha”

The Moscow Theological Academy Publishing House has released # 41st issue of a student magazine publishing by the Academy since 1996.

The thematic section entitled "Sickness, Death, Fear" contains articles written by students and teachers and related to the spiritual lessons of both the current pandemic and the disease in general. 

It opens by a very informative article by Semyon Eryshev, Deputy head of the Far Eastern Office at the Academy, on the understanding of disease in Chinese philosophy. Another relevant study is presented by Hieromonk Damian (Voronov) on "The Completion of Human Life: the Problem of the Criterion of Death". It raises an urgent problem of bioethics, the boundaries of life and death and leads to some issues of donorship. 

In addition to the articles, the thematic section contains an interview with A.V. Prosvirin. He took an active part in the treatment of COVID-19 patients during the "first wave". There is also firstly published Russian translation of the St. Jerome’s of Stridonsk homily "On the healing of Peter's mother-in-law" made by the editor-in-chief Peter Trofimov. In this text, St. Jerome explains the Church's teaching about human sufferings and the mercy of Christ the Healer.

The section "Orthodoxy and Literature" contains an interview with S.V. Burmistrova, PhD in Philology and Associate professor of the Philology Department, where she explains the meaning of "Orthodox literary criticism" and topical problems of studying literature in a religious context. Also, there is essay from Anastasia Titova, a student of the Moscow State University, who won an essay competition "The Book That Changed My Life."

Также редакция предполагает осуществить проект по публикации ряда статей, посвященных разъяснению трудных для понимания мест богослужения. Первой подобной работой стало вышедшее в настоящем номере исследование Евгения Фадеева «Кто такие вратницы адовы?».

The editors also intend to carry out a project devoted to some difficult places of worship. Evgeny Fadeev’s research on "Who are the gatekeepers of hell?" opens this series of articles. Within the framework of another project - "The Voice of Antiquity", it is planned to publish materials from little-known pre-revolutionary theological magazines. This issue presents a bright polemical essay by Archpriest John Yakhontov “Letter of an Orthodox Russian priest to a former compatriot and co-religionist, and now an apostate of Orthodoxy, living abroad”, published in 1858 in the # 1st issue of a journal “Spiritual conversation”.

The creative part of the magazine contains students’ sermons and poems.

Bishop Theodorite, Rector of the Moscow Theological Academy and a publication coordinator, highly appreciated the work of an editorial board:

I am glad, as the Rector of the Academy, to welcome this issue. Our students have chosen a difficult topic but our times are not easy either. A Christian should examine everything through a prism of his faith, which teaches him not to lose heart and despair in any obstacles. Reflecting on what is happening in the world now, it will undoubtedly help to draw right conclusions and make us stronger, wiser and more experienced. On the pages of this issue we will come across very interesting points of view on various topics articulated by both students and teachers of the Moscow Theological Academy.

It is gratifying that our magazine continues to maintain a high standard in content and design. I wish the editor-in-chief and the entire creative team continue to find answers to crucial questions of our times».

You can purchase a new issue on the website of the Moscow Theological Academy Publishing House.