D. S. Merezhkovsky, Russian Symbolism, Religious Philosophy Russian Religious Renaissance, Historiosophical Novel.

The article examines the life, artistic development, and religious-philosophical thought of Dmitry S. Merezhkovsky (1865–1941), one of the leading theoreticians of Russian Symbolism and a prominent figure of the Russian religious renaissance. It focuses on the central themes of his aesthetic and philosophical system, particularly the idea of synthesis as a means of overcoming the oppositions between body and spirit, paganism and Christianity, and religion and culture. Special attention is devoted to his historiosophical trilogy Christ and Antichrist, the concept of the “new religious consciousness,” and the doctrine of the “Third Testament,” envisioned as a future religion of the Holy Spirit. The article also discusses Merezhkovsky’s reflections on sexuality, androgyny, and the sacred body, as well as his interpretation of Tolstoy and Dostoevsky as representatives of the principles of body and spirit. Finally, it evaluates his influence on Russian Symbolism, religious philosophy, and modern European literary culture.

The article examines the life, artistic development, and religious-philosophical thought of Dmitry S. Merezhkovsky (1865–1941), one of the leading theoreticians of Russian Symbolism and a prominent figure of the Russian religious renaissance. It focuses on the central themes of his aesthetic and philosophical system, particularly the idea of synthesis as a means of overcoming the oppositions between body and spirit, paganism and Christianity, and religion and culture. Special attention is devoted to his historiosophical trilogy Christ and Antichrist, the concept of the “new religious consciousness,” and the doctrine of the “Third Testament,” envisioned as a future religion of the Holy Spirit. The article also discusses Merezhkovsky’s reflections on sexuality, androgyny, and the sacred body, as well as his interpretation of Tolstoy and Dostoevsky as representatives of the principles of body and spirit. Finally, it evaluates his influence on Russian Symbolism, religious philosophy, and modern European literary culture.