The content and function of the concept of “mladostarchestvo” in the church discourse of the late 1980^s – early 2000^s

   This article is devoted to the phenomenon of “mladostarchestvo” (lit. young elderhood) in the Russian Orthodox Church. This problem got especially severe from the 1980s till the beginning of the 2000s, when a large-scale campaign against “young elders” was organized. The article reconstructs the main stages of this campaign, defines the most important features attributed to “mladostarchestvo” and restores the context of the 1990^s, which demonstrates the active development process of the Orthodox book publishing industry. The author shows that although the condemnation of “mladostarchestvo” followed at the official level only in the late 1990^s, its very content was not new, in contrast to the term. An analysis of Orthodox literature published in huge numbers during this period demonstrates an enormous interest in elderhood. This contributed to the fact that the “elder – servant” relationship was projected onto the relationship of a neophyte and an inexperienced priest. At the same time, another radical movement was emerging which rejected all “elderhood” and spiritual guidance in the modern world. Noting the ambiguity of the concept of “mladostarchestvo,” the author suggests that it was used not so much to condemn a certain group of spiritual fathers, but to try to regulate the activity of priests in general in a context of great interest in elderhood and demand for pastoral guidance, but over time it became possible to speak of “mladostarchestvo” as a convenient element in criticizing pastorship, spiritual fatherhood, and even clergy as such.

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