Aleksey Khomyakov

Lore & Background

Khomyakov's whole life was centred on Moscow, which he viewed as the epitome of the Russian way of life. Equally successful as a landlord and conversationalist, he published very little during his lifetime. For Khomyakov, socialism and capitalism were equally repugnant offspring of Western decadence.

The West failed to solve human spiritual problems, as it stressed competition at the expense of co-operation. He viewed the Russian obshchina as a perfect example of sobornost and extolled Russian peasants for their humility. Khomyakov died from cholera, infected by a peasant he had attempted to treat.

Reader's Guide

Berdyaev emphasized that Khomyakov approached the essence of the Church from within, seeing it as a living organism of love and freedom, not subject to formal definitions. For Khomyakov, freedom must be actualized in sobornost, not in individualism, and the Church is unity in love and freedom, not an institution or authority. Florensky claimed that for Khomyakov, the decrees of the whole Church appear true because they are the decrees of the whole Church, rather than a discovery of transcendent truth. Despite this criticism, Florensky acknowledged Khomyakov's significance as a thinker and the nobility of his person.

Did You Know?

• Khomyakov co-founded the Slavophile movement with Ivan Kireyevsky.
• His son Nikolay Khomyakov was a speaker of the State Duma.
• His writings were published posthumously by friends and disciples.