The Officials of the Department for the Spiritual Affairs of Foreign Confessions as Researchers of Religion

Abstract

This article reveals the character of the responsibilities held by officials of the Department for the Spiritual Affairs of Foreign Confessions concerning the control of the religious life of the country and its legal regulation, using early, unpublished documentary materials from the Russian State Historical Archive, specifically those concerning the departmental duties of officials V.V. Vashkevich (1865-1902) and S.D. Bondar' (1902-1917). These files contain a comprehensive collection of information based on both regular reports and answers to official requests in various departments and provinces of Russian Empire, and on data relating to frequent instances of official travel. This information allowed officials to analyze data about the current condition of non-Orthodox churches, religious organizations and minority religious groups, to draw conclusions about the particulars of Russian confessional legislation, to identify practical difficulties in applying such legislation, and to conduct investigations. The results of these investigations were reflected in numerous publications devoted to historical, sociological, and anthropological questions.