Home›Open Questions›How much of the Conversation with Motovilov is Motovilov's record of Seraphim, and how much is Sergei Nilus's editing?Open QuestionsHow much of the Conversation with Motovilov is Motovilov's record of Seraphim, and how much is Sergei Nilus's editing?Citation FormatsGeneral ReferenceGeneral Reference Citation TextDivinity Atlas. "How much of the Conversation with Motovilov is Motovilov's record of Seraphim, and how much is Sergei Nilus's editing?." Accessed August 30, 2026. https://divinity.interactivelion.com/open-questions-index/how-much-of-the-conversation-with-motovilov-is-motovilovs-record-of-seraphim-and-how-much-is-sergei-niluss-editing.Copy General ReferenceAPA StyleAPA Style Citation TextDivinity Atlas. (n.d.). How much of the Conversation with Motovilov is Motovilov's record of Seraphim, and how much is Sergei Nilus's editing?. Retrieved August 30, 2026, from https://divinity.interactivelion.com/open-questions-index/how-much-of-the-conversation-with-motovilov-is-motovilovs-record-of-seraphim-and-how-much-is-sergei-niluss-editingCopy APA StyleBibTeXBibTeX Citation Text@misc{divinityatlas-how-much-of-the-conversation-with-motovi, author = {Divinity Atlas}, title = {How much of the Conversation with Motovilov is Motovilov's record of Seraphim, and how much is Sergei Nilus's editing?}, year = {2026}, url = {https://divinity.interactivelion.com/open-questions-index/how-much-of-the-conversation-with-motovilov-is-motovilovs-record-of-seraphim-and-how-much-is-sergei-niluss-editing}, note = {Accessed August 30, 2026} }Copy BibTeXOpen QuestionCross-Tradition ConnectionsSourcesComments (0)Reader Challenges (0 open reader challenges)Open QuestionNilus published the text in 1903 from papers he said reached him from Motovilov's widow, roughly seventy years after the conversation it describes. The manuscript he worked from has not been available for examination. Nobody holds a position on the proportions, because there is nothing to hold one against: this is an absence of evidence rather than a disagreement between readings.What would resolve this The recovery of Motovilov's original papers, or of any independent copy predating Nilus, and a textual comparison against the printed version. Failing that, a stylometric study of the printed text against Nilus's other known writing would narrow the question without closing it.OpenRussian church history; textual criticismIrina Paert, Spiritual Elders: Charisma and Tradition in Russian OrthodoxyCross-Tradition ConnectionsQuestion OnSeraphim of Sarov, Figures Well-attested Source Spiritual Elders: Charisma and Tradition in Russian OrthodoxyIrina Paerttier 1SourcesSpiritual Elders: Charisma and Tradition in Russian Orthodoxytier 1Irina Paert, Northern Illinois University Press, 2010On the Motovilov materialComments (0)No comments yet. Be the first to share a thought.Sign in to join the discussion.Reader Challenges (0 open reader challenges)No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.View At A Past YearThe atlas records no dated fact of its own for this entry, so there is no other year to choose.Show This Year