FILARETE GUMILEVSKIJ. – Archbishop of Černigov (1805–66), born Konobejevskij, called “humilevskij” from the Latin humilis, on account of his small stature and humility.
After brilliant ecclesiastical studies, he became a monk, assuming the name F. in honour of F. Drozdov, then metropolitan. He taught ecclesiastical history, Sacred Scripture, moral theology, and pastoral theology at the Ecclesiastical Academy of Moscow; he later became archimandrite and rector of the Academy. In 1841 he became bishop of Riga, where he propagated his doctrine among the Protestant peasants; in 1848, bishop of Charkov; and in 1859, archbishop of Černigov. F. was one of the most learned and erudite prelates of his age. He founded the journal of the Ecclesiastical Academy entitled The Works of the Holy Fathers in Russian Translation, with Additions of Ecclesiastical Content (these additions constitute the journal properly speaking, which, from 1891, was replaced by the Bogoslovskij Vestnik, that is, “Theological Messenger”). F. was one of the most prolific Russian ecclesiastical writers, though not free from the ordinary defects of polygraphers; 159 works are attributed to him. Among the most important are: Compendium of Russian Ecclesiastical Literature (2 vols., Charkov and Petersburg 1859–61; 3rd ed. Petersburg 1884); Historical Teaching on the Holy Fathers (3 vols., Petersburg 1859); History of the Russian Church (up to the year 1827 [4th ed. Černigov 1862–63]), which long served as a manual but is now outdated; Orthodox Dogmatic Theology (2 vols., Černigov 1864; 3rd ed. Petersburg 1882), the author’s theological masterpiece. F. also wrote on the hymnographers and hymns of the Greek Church, on Russian saints, on the Epistle to the Galatians, and on St. Giovanni’s teaching concerning the Word, and published 6 vols. of sermons, homilies, and addresses.