Nikitina Z.I. The Problem of the Relationship Between True Religion and True Knowledge in Theophan Prokopovich's Creative Work

Abstract: The article is devoted to the cognitive theory offered by Theophan Prokopovich as one of the representatives of the New European concept of knowledge and cognition. The author of the article analyzes Prokopovich' views on the source of human knowledge in terms of the development of modern philosophy. Nikitina also studies the model of the relationship betwen true religion and true knowledge as it is seen by the philosopher. In her article Nikitina provides an insight into the religious content of Theophan Prokopovich's cognitive concept. Philosophical views of an intellectual are represented as an integrity consisting of numerous theoretical and practical provisions, each of them being substantianted in Prokopovich' works written in different styles and for different philosophical, political, religious and social purposes. Philosophical views of Theophan Prokopovich are compared to New European philosophy in order to prove their topical nature and practical importance. The author of the article provides a comparative analysis of the views of Prokopovich and Locke on the problem of innate ideas. For the first time in the academic literature the author describes Theophan Prokopovich' cognitive concept as an element of the integral system of his philosophy but not as an individual theoretical concept. The author also proves the relation between his philosophy and philosophical and intellectual environment of those times as well as Prokopovich' ability to independently form views and concepts of the most important ideological issues of that epoch. The purpose of the present article is to demonstrate Prokopovich' understanding of cognition as well as the relationship between his philosophy and true religion.   

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