Gedeon
Gedeon, the monastic name of Georgii Andreevich Krinovsky, was a prominent religious figure in 18th-century Russia, born in Kazan around 1729-1730. He began his career as a teacher in Kazan before relocating to Moscow, where he gained favor and became the court preacher for Empress Elizabeth. His rise in ecclesiastical ranks was notable, as he held several positions, including archimandrite of wealthy monasteries, although many of these roles were largely ceremonial. Gedeon was known for his extravagant lifestyle, reflected in his luxurious attire, and his complex personality, exhibiting both a playful and tyrannical demeanor towards his subordinates.
His literary contributions primarily consist of sermons delivered at the court, characterized by a standard three-part structure typical of the time, alongside a blend of traditional stories and newer, innovative elements presented in the vernacular Russian language. While his sermons were perceived as original by some, they generally adhered to conventional forms and themes. Gedeon’s life came to an early end in 1763, leaving behind a legacy that intertwined both his theological teachings and his complex character.
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Gedeon
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- Born: c. 1730
- Birthplace: Kazan, Russia
- Died: June 22, 1763
Biography
Gedeon was the monastic name taken by Georgii Andreevich Krinovsky, born in Kazan to a sacristan (the church official in charge of keeping the sacred vessels and vestments in an Orthodox church). The exact date of his birth has been lost, but since the seminary at Kazan lists his age as nine in 1738, he was probably born in either 1729 or 1730. There are also disputes about his ethnicity, although it is more probable that he was Russian than Ukrainian.
What is certain is that he rose rapidly in the ranks, and after teaching for five years in Kazan, he fled to Moscow to teach at a theological academy. The bishop in Kazan was not pleased and tried to order him back, but he had apparently gained some influential protectors in Moscow, and the Synod accepted him as a teacher at the Zaikonospassky Monastery. This decision enabled him to meet Empress Elizabeth during her visit to Moscow, and she quickly made him her court preacher. The sermons he gave in the court chapel are his primary literary legacy.
He was made archimandrite (abbot) of one wealthy monastery after another, but these appointments were sinecures that allowed him to collect his salary while making only token appearances. Gedeon quickly developed luxurious sartorial tastes, and his cassocks of velvet and sick were said to fill an entire room. He also indulged in the petty tyranny that was expected of a man of his standing, and there are several stories of his pulling vicious pranks on underlings, then turning around and giving them generous gifts, even replacing what his practical jokes had damaged several times over.
His sermons, while often considered by his contemporaries to have been works of great originality, are in fact rather pedestrian in nature. Each of them follows the standard three-part structure expected of a sermon at that time, and contain the expected words of praise to the sovereign as an exemplary Christian. His sermons often contain various examples such as stories, fables, and vignettes, often lifted from various traditional literary works such as a mythologized history of Alexander the Great that was commonly circulated in the Slavic world. However, he does appear to have introduced some innovations in the delivery of his sermons and in the rejection of Church Slavonic structures for a vernacular Russian that would have had strong overtones of reformist leanings. Gedeon died at a relatively young age in 1763.