An Article by Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan Dedicated to the Collaboration of Bishop Porphyry (Uspensky) with Archbishop Sophrony (Sokolsky) Published in the Academic Journal “Bulletin of the Yekaterinburg Theological Seminary”

An article by Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan dedicated to the intellectual and spiritual collaboration between Bishop Porphyry (Uspensky), the first head of the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in Jerusalem, and Archbishop Sophrony (Sokolsky), the first Archbishop of Turkestan, has been published in the academic journal Bulletin of the Yekaterinburg Theological Seminary.

The article examines their relationship as a unique phenomenon in the history of Russian Church scholarship, significant for the formation of the Russian tradition of studying Christianity in the Middle East.

The conclusion of the study is that the relationship between Archbishop Sophrony and Bishop Porphyry can be interpreted not merely as a private biographical fact, but as an element of a broader cultural and ecclesiastical process, within which the image of the Orthodox scholar-theologian was formed – one who combined pastoral ministry, academic research and missionary work.

Title of the publication: “This Diligent Work of Yours Has Been Highly Valued by Me”: The Relationship and Collaboration of Bishop Porphyry (Uspensky), the First Head of the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in Jerusalem, with Archbishop Sophrony (Sokolsky), the First Archbishop of Turkestan.

The journal Bulletin of the Yekaterinburg Theological Seminary is included in the List of Peer-Reviewed Academic Publications in which the main results of scientific research, as well as the results of dissertation research for the degree of Doctor of Historical Sciences and Doctor of Church History, must be published (the Higher Attestation Commission List).

The article by Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan is available at the following link: https://epds.ru/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Bulletin_N54-2026_e-book.pdf (pp. 174–194).

Citation: Mogilev A.G. “This Diligent Work of Yours Has Been Highly Valued by Me”: The Relationship and Collaboration of Bishop Porphyry (Uspensky), the First Head of the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in Jerusalem, with Archbishop Sophrony (Sokolsky), the First Archbishop of Turkestan // Bulletin of the Yekaterinburg Theological Seminary. 2026. No. 54. Pp. 174–194. https://doi.org/10.24412/2224-5391-2026-54-174-194; EDN NXNVND.