Additional education courses at the Moscow Theological Academy. On Theological Education for the Laity

REGULATIONS ON THEOLOGICAL COURSES

I. General provisions.

Theological courses aim to give the sum of the necessary knowledge about Orthodoxy, Christian culture and history. Education in the courses is open to high school students (from 15 years old), students and adults without age restrictions.

Teaching is conducted on Sundays and in the evenings of weekdays. The duration of the course is 3 years.

Education is free.

Upon completion of the Theological Courses, certificates of the type established by the Course Guide are issued.

II. Disciplines.

The courses teach the following disciplines:

• Fundamentals of the doctrine of the Orthodox Church (1-3 years);
• Introduction to the Old Testament (1-3 years);
• Introduction to the New Testament (1-3 years);
• Liturgy (Introduction to Orthodox Divine Liturgy) (1-3 years);
• History of the Church (1-3 years);
• History of the Russian Orthodox Church (1-3 years);
• Church Slavonic (1-2 years);
• Church art (2nd year);
• Sect studies and the basics of spiritual security (3 years);
• Comparative Theology (year 3);
• The Orthodox Church and the modern world (1 year).

III. Leadership and teachers.

The director of the Theological Courses is the Dean of Churches of the Stupino District, rector of the Church of All Saints in the Russian Land of the Resplendent in Stupino, who coordinates all educational and creative work.

The teachers of the theological courses are the clergy of the Stupino deanery, who have a higher theological education, as well as invited specialists from certain branches of church science.

At each course, a headman is elected, who is the link between the students and the Course Director. The headman is elected from among the listeners. His responsibilities include solving organizational issues, as well as the implementation of the tasks set for the students by the Course Management.

IV. Timetable of classes.

The schedule of classes is drawn up at the beginning of the academic year by the Director of Theological Courses in agreement with the teachers. The duration of one lesson is 50 minutes. The break time between classes is 10 minutes.

During all the years, eight disciplines are studied in each course. Depending on the circumstances, at the decision of the Course Management, the number of subjects, as well as the sequence of their study, may change.

ATTENTION TO STUDENTS OF THEOLOGICAL COURSES

Announced eighth set at the Theological Courses at the Church of All Saints in the Russian Land of the Resplendent in the city of Stupino. Admission will be based on an interview with the Course Director.

The interview will take place on September 19 and 26 at the Church of All Saints in the Russian land who shone forth in the city of Stupino (Pushkin St., 25) at 12.00. Classes will start on October 4th.

IF YOU CALL FOR KNOWLEDGE AND CALL FOR REASON;

IF YOU LOOK FOR IT LIKE SILVER,

AND TO SEARCH IT LIKE A TREASURE,

YOU WILL UNDERSTAND THE FEAR OF THE LORD AND

YOU WILL FIND THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD.

(Proverbs of Solomon 2:3-5)

The history of theological education is quite ancient. Education for everyone, not only for clergy and church ministers, was a prerequisite for a person to have the right to call himself a Christian. Spiritual education, containing the truths of faith and understanding of the personal path of a Christian, people received during public discussions. These were not just 1-4 conversations with those wishing to be baptized. It was a whole period in a person's life when he gradually entered the life of the Church, when he consciously prepared for a new life. In some cities of the Roman Empire (Edessa, Alexandria ...) there were even catechumens schools.

Gradually, the practice of announcing became more formal and even partially lost. People, for the most part, baptized from childhood, had to be instructed in the faith by their parents - this is how theological knowledge was passed down from generation to generation, preserving both living faith and prejudices and distortions accumulated by many generations. but there was another form of enlightenment - the sermons of the priest in the temple. But, since the level of education of the priests was very different, their parishioners, respectively, had a different idea of ​​faith. Of course, the human soul aspires to God, and this was enough for very many people so that, not being well-taught people, they were enlightened by Christ himself.

In Russia, spiritual education was received mainly by clergymen and clergymen in monasteries, while reading books on their own, when these books became more accessible. Systematically organized spiritual education begins to appear in the end of the 16th century. in Ukraine, where the fraternal schools that existed there become the basis of the Kiev-Mohyla Academy. At the end of the XVII century. in Moscow, the Slavic-Greek-Latin Academy is being created, which today we already know as the Moscow Theological Academy.

In the next century, religious educational institutions began to open in Russia at the bishop's houses. Later they became known as seminaries. The very word "seminary" is borrowed through the Polish seminarium from lat. sēminārium "planting place": sēmen "seed". Seminaries were not just an educational, but an educational institution for young men. Later, the leading seminaries were transformed from theological academies, and into n. 19th century a three-level spiritual education arose (theological school, seminary, academy). It is interesting that teaching was conducted in Latin until the gradual transition to Russian in the 19th century.

However, seminaries did not provide only spiritual education. Their programs included general education sciences (as in a classical gymnasium). Seminarians who completed the course could do other things or enter another educational institution. But the best of them were appointed to the clergy, became priests or took the places of teachers and overseers in theological educational institutions.

And what about the laity? They could attend parochial and Sunday schools, study the Law of God in the gymnasium, listen to sermons and study on their own. The traditions of catechumens were lost, and systematic spiritual education was available only to those who wished to devote themselves entirely to service in the Church or to the children of clergymen.

Today the situation has changed. Today, not only the clergy, but also the laity have the opportunity to receive a theological education, and there are many who want to take advantage of this opportunity. But the question arises: why should parishioners of churches study theology? Is it not enough to believe in God, to know the Creed, to attend services, to pray, to read Holy Scripture, the writings of the Holy Fathers? We know that many saints sometimes had no education at all.

Indeed, the uneducated (in our understanding) saints had a path of direct knowledge of God, they had heartfelt faith and trust in God. However, among them were those who, having the above-mentioned gifts, were educated, and knowledge did not interfere with him, but helped him find the way to God. We remember that the Lord himself called upon his disciples to teach and enlighten the nations.

As noted by ig. Kyprian (Yashchenko) today there is a special problem: most of the people are baptized, but not enlightened. Meanwhile, the knowledge of God is the direct purpose of the human mind. Through the study of the experience of the Church (and this is theological knowledge), a person is formed "a crystal lattice, on which faith is strengthened and becomes more effective" (ig. Cyprian).

According to Patriarch Kirill, people need a theological education, regardless of whether they are going to work in a church or do something else. This education allows a person to better assimilate the truths of faith himself, and to correctly tell others about them. “The importance of theological education is not so much that the student experiences personal spiritual growth thanks to it, but that, by studying theology and related sciences, he learns to speak about his faith” (A. Mitrofanov, prophet MDS).

Previously, theological education was mainly available to men (more often to those whose life was somehow connected with service in the Church). Can an Orthodox woman today aspire to receive such an education? Not only can, but must (St. Viktor Kobzov). We remember that the Savior himself spoke sacred words, addressing women. Today, women work in churches, carry out various obediences in parishes. It is to a woman that it is easier to turn for help to a person who first comes to the temple. The mother is primarily responsible for the upbringing of the children. So theological education for a woman today is “not a luxury, but a necessity,” and spiritually educated women today must participate in the life of the Church.

Theological education at the courses at the Donskoy Theological Seminary today can be received by any person of the Orthodox faith who is ready to work a little on the path of knowledge and has a desire to use the knowledge gained both for their own internal development and for the benefit of those who are at the beginning of the Christian path.

2. Construction of the temple 3. Vestments

In the 3rd year it is supposed to write a thesis. The listener can optionally choose either the implementation of practical work, or the coverage of a theoretical issue in one of the studied disciplines. The volume of written work is 50-60 printed pages. When performing a thesis work, one should be guided by methodological instructions.

I. Leadership of Theological Courses.

Parish Theological Courses are a division of the Perlovsky Spiritual and Educational Center at the Church of the Don Icon of the Mother of God and are administered by the Director of the Perlovsky Spiritual and Educational Center, appointed by the Rector of the temple and accountable to him. The Director is assisted by the Deputy for Academic Affairs, as well as the prefects of the first, second and third years, appointed by the Director with the consent of the majority of students.

II. Purpose of Theological Courses.

The purpose of the Theological Courses is to introduce a person into the life of the Church, to form Orthodox ideas and systematic knowledge about God, the world, man, spiritual life in Christ.

III. Admission to Theological Courses and Expulsion.

Theological courses accept both Orthodox Christians and persons preparing to enter the Church - high school students, students and adults with no age limit.

Admission to the Theological Courses is carried out before the start of the academic year after an interview with the Rector of the Church and (or) the Director of the Center. At the same time, those wishing to enroll in the Courses personally fill out a standard form containing the necessary information (name, date and place of birth, education, place of work, place of residence, contact information, Angel Day). Thus, by signing the questionnaire, the entrant to the courses expresses his consent to the processing of the necessary minimum information about himself.

Also eligible for the course free listeners. They are not required to attend all classes, pass tests and exams. Upon completion of training, they are issued only a certificate-certificate stating that they have attended a course of theological disciplines. If a free student wishes to receive a certificate of completion of the Theological Courses, he must gradually pass all the tests and examinations provided for by the program, and after them, prepare a final work in accordance with the general requirements set forth below.

Expulsion from the number of students of theological courses before graduation is carried out by order of the Director of the Center in the following cases:

Gross violations of discipline and decency, incl. committing acts unworthy of an Orthodox Christian;

Missing more than 50% of classes in a semester without a valid reason.

IV. Organization of the educational process.

During the academic year, seminars are organized and held in the classroom, at which students make their reports on the issues under study. For individual subjects, students write essays, and at the end of each semester they pass tests and exams.

The educational process at the Theological Courses is carried out on the basis of curricula and curriculum developed by the leadership and teachers of the Theological Courses.

The learning process includes the development of the main theoretical program, as well as independent extracurricular work with the literature offered by the teacher.

The training involves a three-year program.

Currently, the following disciplines are taught in theological courses:

1. Fundamentals of the doctrine of the Orthodox Church (Iwell);

2. dogmatic theology (II- IIIwell);

3. Apologetics (IIIwell);

4. Old Testament: Biblical History and Archeology (I- IIIwell);

5. Introduction to the New Testament (I- IIIwell);

6. Liturgics (Guidance to Orthodox Divine Liturgy) (I- IIIwell);

7. Church Slavonic (I- IIcourse +IIIcourse - biblical poetics and the church tradition of the interpretation of the Psalms);

8. History of the ancient ChurchI- IIwell);

9. History of Local Orthodox Churches (IIIwell);

10. History of World Religions (IIIwell);

11. Comparative Theology and Sect Studies (IIwell);

12. Fundamentals of the social concept of the Russian Orthodox Church (IIwell);

13. Introduction to Orthodox Pedagogy (IIIwell);

14. Introduction to Orthodox Psychology (IIIwell);

15. Greek (optional) (II- IIIwell);

16. Church singing (optional) (I- IIIwell).

Each academic year is divided into two semesters, which end with a credit-examination session.

A prerequisite for studying is passing a test or exam in each subject of study at the end of each semester in each course of study. The type, content, volume, and rules for passing the test-exam are determined by the teacher in agreement with the Director of the Center.

The results of the test-examination sessions are recorded by the teachers of the disciplines in the relevant statements and the educational journal.

The headman of the course maintains a journal in which teachers write down the topics of classes, give grades for the test-examination sessions and note the attendance of classes by students.

As part of the learning process, educational trips to Orthodox shrines are conducted, extracurricular activities, film screenings, conferences, round tables are organized, participation in the publication of the parish newspaper, the development of the church website and library, social church service, and festive evenings are organized.

Such an integrated approach to teaching is based on the desire not only to provide a systematic theological education, but also to create a circle of lively fellowship in the parish, to make parish life as meaningful and interesting as possible.

V. Learning rules.

The academic year begins in the first week of October. The exact date of the beginning of classes is determined by the management of the courses. On the website of the Donskoy Temple ( ) allocated for the Spiritual and Educational Center, there is an educational calendar.

The beginning of the first lesson is preceded by a prayer service and a general meeting of students in the assembly hall of the Spiritual and Educational Center.

The oral responses of the course listener in the exams are evaluated according to the standard five-point system. If the student has received an unsatisfactory score, he has the right to retake the exam within the time limits set by the administration of the Theological Courses.

VI. Timetable of classes.

Teaching is conducted on Sundays and weekday evenings.

The schedule of classes is drawn up at the beginning of the academic year by the leadership of the Theological Courses in agreement with the teachers and is posted on the web page of the Courses and on the stand of the Center.

The duration of one lesson is 50 minutes. The break time between classes is 10 minutes and after the third lesson there is a break from 15.50 to 16.10 - tea in the refectory.

The winter session takes place in the first two weeks after the Christmas holidays, the spring session takes place in May (according to the academic calendar). Retake exams of the winter session - until the end of February, spring - until the end of October. If the student did not pass the exams within the established time limits, he is transferred to the category: “auditor”, without the right to take further exams in these subjects. In those subjects for which the volunteer has no debt, he can take exams at his own request.

If during the third retake in the presence of a commission headed by the Director of the Center, the student receives an unsatisfactory score, then he will also be transferred from the “students” to the “auditors”.

For the duration of the sessions, a special schedule is drawn up in agreement with the teachers and the leadership of the Theological Courses; it is brought to the attention of all listeners through the elders and is placed on a stand in the building of the Spiritual and Educational Center.

VII. Graduation from Theological Courses.

At the end of each course, the headman sums up: draws up the final statements of a special sample and lists:

• students who completed the year without academic debts,
• students who completed the year with academic debts,
• free listeners.

These lists are approved by the Director of the Center and posted on the stand of the Center.

Students who have completed 3 years of study without academic debts are allowed to take a comprehensive exam: "Theological minimum" and complete their studies by writing a final work. The listener can optionally choose either the implementation of practical work (for example, the preparation of manuals, including computer and multimedia), or the coverage of a theoretical issue in one of the studied disciplines.

Preparing for the defense of the final work, the student is obliged to make a report on the topic of the work at the annual spring Theological Conference of the Perl Spiritual and Educational Center, go through pre-defense and pass the "Theological minimum".

Pre-defense of works and a comprehensive exam "Theological minimum" is held at the end of August. Protection and release - in early September.

Students who have defended their graduation work, in a solemn atmosphere after the Divine Liturgy and thanksgiving service, receive a certificate of completion of the Theological courses with an appendix that indicates all the subjects studied, the number of hours, grades received, the topic and profile of the defended work. Volunteers receive a certificate-certificate that they have attended a course of sciences at a 3-year theological course.

VIII. Financial support for theological courses.

Classes are held in the assembly hall and auditoriums of the Perlovsky Spiritual and Educational Center.

The financial support for the functioning of the Theological Courses is carried out at the expense of voluntary donations from course participants and parishioners of the Donskoy Church.

The beginning of the 21st century is marked by the rapid growth of distance education. Today, millions of students around the world receive education or improve their skills using the Internet. Orthodox education did not remain aloof from this process either. Every year there are more and more opportunities to study theological disciplines and even get a degree in theology remotely. What can the Russian-language segment of the Internet offer to an inquisitive Orthodox believer at the moment?

In a general sense, the word "remote" means only that the student and the student are separated from each other by a certain distance (or time) that does not allow them to communicate face to face. Questions that once Christians passed on to their mentor, receiving a written answer to them, can also be considered as distance education. Therefore, we can say that distance learning has existed in the Church since apostolic times.

However, today the term "distance education" means, as a rule, the educational process carried out with the help of telecommunication networks, primarily the Internet.
Education in the field of Orthodox theology has two target audiences - students of theological schools (that is, future clergymen) and lay people who want to improve their theological level. Projects for both audiences appeared in Russia almost simultaneously. At the end of 2003, a distance learning project was launched for theological schools on the basis of Sretenskaya Seminary, and at the beginning of 2004, the St. Tikhon Orthodox Theological Institute (now PSTGU) organized the first distance courses. Therefore, we can say that the history of Orthodox distance education has been going on for ten years. How has the situation changed over the years?

Acquaintance with the projects presented on the Internet today allows us to assert that three main directions are developing steadily. This is, firstly, a distance learning system for theological schools. Secondly, systematic long-term and short-term distance learning in the field of Orthodox theology for the laity. And, finally, thirdly, individual Orthodox educational projects aimed primarily at self-education.

Education,but not education

The last group includes several well-known portals where Orthodox literature of various purposes is laid out - from liturgical books to fiction, calendars with lives and readings from Holy Scripture, programs offering quotes "for every day", etc. and multimedia materials. In the strict sense of the word, such projects cannot be classified as educational, due to the fact that education - and especially spiritual education - involves interaction between the teacher and the student. This interaction should be obligatory (hence, organized by the teaching party), systematic and built according to methodologically justified schemes. When the educational process is reduced to the form of “ask a question”, then no educational interaction is obtained: the student himself initiates communication and, therefore, does not go beyond the knowledge or ignorance that he already has. Only a teacher can put before a student a task or problem that is still unknown to him and thereby create conditions for his development. Therefore, the portals mentioned above would be more correctly attributed to information resources of an educational orientation.
A good example is the well-known portal "Azbuka Veri" (http://azbyka.ru), which, in addition to materials for self-education, also offers tests for self-control. The Synodal Missionary Department operates the "School of the Orthodox Missionary" (http://orthomission.ru). Also last year, the site of electronic textbooks of the Educational Committee of the Russian Orthodox Church (http://mpda-dl.ru) was launched, which offers everyone electronic textbooks in the disciplines of the preparatory department of the MTA with tests on each topic.

Flagships for seminarians

Of greatest interest are two other categories of distance educational projects that allow you to directly and purposefully influence the development of the level of spiritual education, expand and deepen it. The largest educational undertaking aimed at improving the quality of teaching and learning in the entire network of seminary educational institutions of the Russian Orthodox Church is the project of the Study Committee. It is implemented with the participation of OJSC Rostelecom (http://www.uchkomportal.ru). Its prototype was the attempts made back in 2005 by the Sretensky Seminary to broadcast lectures by leading teachers and authoritative specialists to remote seminaries. But these were separate lectures, not connected by a single educational program. Now, under the auspices of the Educational Committee, this idea has received not only its continuation, but also development. In addition to broadcasting live lectures on various subjects studied in seminaries, the organizers provide an opportunity for students to “ask a question”, to which the lecturer will answer either during the lesson or after the lecture; lectures are recorded with the possibility of access for those who, for various reasons, were not able to “attend” the class, “feedback” and another kind are organized, allowing inspectors from Moscow and St. Petersburg to observe the examinations and the defense of theses in any seminary of the Russian Orthodox Church .

The organizers plan to develop the system further and expand the capabilities of the WebTutor platform used (developer - WebSoft company). In addition to broadcasting and recording lectures, it allows you to post electronic learning materials and tests. It is also possible to connect not only seminaries, but also individual users, which in the future may be useful to support distance learning.

Another project for the use of distance learning for seminaries that needs attention is the student support system developed at the St. Petersburg Academy and Seminary (http://learn.spbda.ru) and implemented on an open platform popular in Russian universities. Moodle (this platform is free, but requires the school to have its own programmers to set it up).
Both projects, in addition to being directly aimed at improving the quality of training of future clergy, are united by their corporate nature. Only seminary students can study with their help: one (as in the SPDAiS project) or a network of seminaries (as in the Study Committee project). Such closeness is, of course, both necessary and justified. Both projects are a kind of flagship in Orthodox distance learning, the content and methodology of which are equal to all others.

For the laity

The last component of Orthodox distance learning is systematic long-term and short-term distance learning for the laity. The pioneer in this area is the Orthodox St. Tikhon University for the Humanities, which, almost simultaneously with the Sretensky Seminary, opened the first distance learning programs for the laity (http://pstgu.elearn.ru). PSTGU has developed a short-term one-semester catechism program "Fundamentals of Orthodoxy" and a long-term educational program of theological training "Theology", designed for several years of study, which has been successfully implemented completely remotely for ten years now (students come to the university in person only for final certification). Over time, the educational program was transferred from the outdated VirtualUniversity platform to the more modern eLearningServer (developed by Hypermethod). Tools such as webinars, wikis, blogs, student peer assessments, and more are now available. In addition to the theological programs proper, courses on general cultural topics were also implemented.

Simultaneously with the training of students at PSTGU, the systematization of the experience gained and targeted research in the field of adult education in general, spiritual education for adult laity and the very possibility of spiritual education using distance learning tools were carried out. The results were articles, methodological developments suitable for use in theological educational institutions, as well as in the implementation of distance learning in the field of the humanities and, above all, ideological disciplines. The authors of this article also developed a training course for "remote" teachers (advanced training), which has already been carried out several times, including for teachers of theological schools, and completely remotely.

Among the educational projects of theological education for the laity, one should name the remote department of the Higher Theological Courses of the Moscow Theological Academy (http://dist.kursmda.ru) and the Higher St. Vladimir Orthodox Theological Courses (Kyiv). The purpose of creating a remote department of the Higher Theological Courses of the MTA, stated on the website, is "to familiarize everyone with the basics of the Orthodox faith, with the essence of Orthodox Christianity remotely via the Internet." The target audience of the project is not well defined; offered educational programs - several short-term courses from different areas and different levels.

The Higher St. Vladimir Orthodox Theological Courses offer an educational program that, as stated, consists of "more than 20 academic disciplines taught by specialists from theological and secular educational institutions." As an audience, "persons of the Orthodox confession (from 15 years old) (regardless of their social status, place of residence and citizenship)" are designated.

Mission

The courses at the Patriarchal Center for the Spiritual Development of Children and Youth (http://pravkurs.ru) (Orthodox Internet Courses, PIK) deserve special attention. The mission, goals and objectives of the project are detailed on the project website, and the target audience is outlined. Unlike the previous ones, this project sees the communion of those who have already acquired a certain experience of church life with those who have just approached the threshold of the Church as the basis of all activity. The content side of education is secondary to this main task. PIK is a basic level course focused not on systematic theological education, but on missionary-catechetical activity. A distinctive feature of PIK is its focus on a well-defined audience and the appropriate development of the educational concept.

In accordance with the mission of the project, the available free Moodle platform is used as a distance learning platform. It is safe to say that PIK is an original development that fully complies with the declared mission and covers a certain target audience.
Recently, several more Orthodox educational institutions have announced the launch of distance learning projects. The RPU of John the Theologian developed distance learning courses “in the areas of church service” together with the Yakutsk and Ulan-Ude dioceses, as well as the distance learning course “Fundamentals of the Orthodox Worldview”. From the 2014/2015 academic year, the Poltava Theological Seminary (http://orth-mission.org.ua/today/distancyonnoe) plans to start distance learning for part-time students.

Thus, ten years after the first experiences of Orthodox distance learning, a great deal of experience has been accumulated in the use of educational and educational projects of various levels, intended both for students of theological educational institutions and for everyone who wants to join the experience of the Church through education. We can say that it is quite wide - every Orthodox Christian now has access to the type of church education that he needs at the moment, at a particular stage of his spiritual and church life.
Considering the size and geography of the Russian-speaking audience, the constant attention to the topic by the hierarchs, as well as the ongoing development of information and communication technologies, one can expect a serious development of existing and the emergence in the near future of new interesting projects in the field of Orthodox distance learning.

Reference. Archpriest Gennady Egorov - Candidate of Psychological Sciences, Associate Professor. Graduated from the Faculty of Physics of Moscow State University, the Faculty of Theology of PSTBI. Founder and first dean of the Faculty of Additional Education, where the distance learning system was developed and launched. Currently, he is Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs of PSTGU and Head of the Department of New Technologies in Humanitarian Education of the same university.

Melanina Tatyana Vladimirovna - Candidate of Technical Sciences, Head of the Educational and Methodological Department of PSTGU. A graduate of one of the first sets of the distance professional retraining program "Theology" at the Faculty of Additional Education of PSTGU. As Deputy Dean of the FDO, she stood at the origins and took an active part in the organization, development and implementation of distance learning.