On April 30, 2026, the second issue of the journal «Theological Bulletin of the Smolensk Orthodox Theological Seminary« was published this year (No. 2(31) 2026). The new issue of The Theological Bulletin of the Smolensk Orthodox Theological Seminary continues the tradition of cooperation with leading experts in the field of theological, ecclesiastical, historical, and humanitarian disciplines based on partnership with spiritual and secular higher educational institutions. This ensures a high level of scientific research. The journal «Theological Bulletin of the Smolensk Orthodox Theological Seminary« is a scientific publication of the Smolensk Seminary, one of the oldest theological educational institutions of the Russian Orthodox Church. The journal was created with the blessing of Metropolitan Isidore of Smolensk and Dorogobuzhsky with the participation of the faculty of the theological school. The journal is included in the scientific database «Russian Science Citation Index« and in the Church-wide list of journals in which it is recommended to publish the research results of applicants for academic degrees in theology and church history. It should be recalled that the «Theological Bulletin of the Smolensk Orthodox Theological Seminary« was included in the current List of peer-reviewed publications (No.2563) of the Higher Attestation Commission (HAC) as of 12/19/2023. The list of scientific journals of the Higher Attestation Commission includes publications of Higher educational institutions of Russia, in which the main results of dissertations for the degree of Candidate of Sciences and Doctor of Sciences should be published. Scientific specialties and their corresponding branches of science, on which articles are published: 5.6.1. Russian History (historical sciences), 5.7.9. Philosophy of Religion and Religious Studies (philosophical sciences), 5.11.1. Theoretical theology (in the research area: Orthodoxy, Islam, Judaism, Protestantism, Buddhism) (theology), 5.11.2. Historical theology (in the research area: Orthodoxy, Islam, Judaism, Protestantism, Buddhism) (theology), 5.11.3. Practical theology (in the research field: Orthodoxy, Islam, Judaism, Protestantism, Buddhism) (theology). The 500—page issue includes articles, publications and reviews (more than 30 scientific papers) prepared by leading scientists, teachers of theological academies and secular universities in Russia and neighboring countries. Historical and theological sections are traditionally highlighted among the materials of the new issue. The Historical Research section presents works on the intellectual environment of Russian theological schools of the 19th century, the issue of recognition of renovationist ordinations in the 1920s, the revival of Orthodox parishes in Vologda in the early 1990s, as well as other relevant subjects of church and social history. Special attention should be paid to the publication of a unique archival document – the transcript of the All-Union Meeting of the Commissioners of the Council for the Affairs of the Russian Orthodox Church in 1963, shedding light on the mechanisms of state control over religious life during the Khrushchev persecution. A significant place in the issue is occupied by theological studies covering a wide range of topics: from the Old Testament principles of the participation of priests in wars and their modern application to the theological analysis of the impact of artificial intelligence on human consciousness, from the methodology of hermeneutic analysis of liturgical texts to the concept of the «death of God« in Western philosophy. The magazine‘s appendix contains the sections «Publications« (for publishing rare archival documents) and «Reviews and reviews« (here are the author‘s reviews of modern textbooks and monographs).
Full-text versions of all materials are publicly available on the official website of the journal: https://theologyjournal.ru/2026-n231/
The editor-in-charge of the Theological Bulletin of the Smolensk Orthodox Theological Seminary,
Priest Maxim Mishchenko
http://theologyjournal.ru/
