The Quarterly Journal of St. Philaret’s Institute

This article presents a comprehensive study of hegumen Innocent Pavlov’s theological legacy, encompassing his scholarly, teaching, and educational activities. The aim of the study is to trace the evolution of his scholarly views and methodological approaches in the context of the development of theological thought in Russia in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. The article is based on an analysis of the scholar’s published and unpublished works, as well as materials from hegumen Innocent’s personal archive. The study identifies key stages in the development of hegumen Innocent as a theologian: from the traditional Slavic school through biblical studies to liberal theological approaches. His main scholarly interests were analyzed, including the study of the “Teaching of the Twelve Apostles” (Didache), the history of the Russian Church in the 20th century and biblical criticism. The formation of hegumen Innocent’s as scientist began simultaneously in several interconnected fields — patrology and biblical studies. At the intersection of these fields was the study of the early Christian writing “The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles,” which became central to both the study of early Christian doctrine and community, and the development of the scholar’s personal religious views. His interest in textual criticism, including Slavic studies, was inspired by the works of N. K. Nikolsky, I. E. Yevseyev, and N. N. Glubokovsky. The article also touches on peripheral areas of his research — the legacy of I. I. Brilliantov and St. Sophronius of Vratsa. The main conclusions demonstrate that the scholarly legacy of hegumen Innocent was deeply rooted in the work of the early Christian community. Innocent’s theory, based on traditional scientific principles, which was still rare for church scholarship in the 1980s and early 2000s, is characterized by a gradual transition from traditionalist to liberal theological views (including the search for “historical Jesus” and fidelity to “Paulinism”) while maintaining fundamental church principles.