Hieromartyr Vladimir (Bogoyavlensky), the Guardian of National Sobriety

Abstract

The article examines the legacy and activity of the Holy Martyr Metropolitan Vladimir (Bogoyavlensky) in terms of his influence on public sobriety. He was among the first bishops who theologically justified the Church’s activities to sober up the people, proposing a practical approach to the establishment of sobriety, and spoke not about the fight against vice, but about promoting sobriety on the basis of spiritual and moral education of the people. The article examines the literary heritage and educational works of Holy Martyr Vladimir, which not only characterize the harmfulness of drunkenness, but also give specific advice to parents on how to raise a sober person. In his report at the All-Russian Congress of Practitioners in the Fight Against Alcoholism in 1912, he set the direction for the development of sobriety, focused on educating the people. The author uses a substantive, thematic analysis as the main methodological line. It allows revealing the depth of Hmrt. Vladimir’s thoughts as a leader of the sober movement and adapting them to the contemporary problems. Based on historical parallels, the relevance of sobriety ideas of that time is shown in the context of the rapid growth of various addictions in our days. Metropolitan Vladimir’s legacy is currently a valuable historical experience necessary for the development of mechanisms for implementing the concept of the Russian Orthodox Church for the promotion of sobriety and the prevention of alcoholism. The article states that the ideas of sobriety, the theological and methodological foundations of which are formulated in his writings, deserve close attention. All this leads to an understanding of the need for further in-depth study of the sobriety legacy of the Hieromartyr Vladimir (Bogoyavlensky), and its practical implementation in order to establish sobriety in modern Russian society. The article shows that Metropolitan Vladimir’s ideas inspire the clergy and laity to establish sobriety today. The revival of the aspiration for sobriety in the Church, state and society is largely based on the ideas and works of the Holy Martyr Vladimir (Bogoyavlensky), formulated more than a century ago.