HOMJAKOV, Aleksej Stepanovič. Moscow 13./1.5.1804 — Moscow (or Rjazan?) 5.10./23.9.1860. Russian Slavophil author interested in Sanskrit. Studied mathematics at Moscow, then concentrated on literary work. Published rather little in his lifetime. In his writings he gave to the Slavophil ideology its philosophical and theological background. He claimed that Western Europe with its libertarian ideas was heading to ruin and can be saved only through Orthodox Christianity, the only that has completely preserved the Christian truth. Among his supporters he was considered as a kind of new church father, but church itself remained sceptical. Married, father of politician N. A. H. (1850–1925).
Searching for the IE roots of Slavs Homjakov became interested in Sanskrit and studied it. He was a friend and teacher of Kossovič and prompted Hil’ferding to learn Sanskrit. Like the latter, he emphasized the close relation between Slavonic and Sanskrit, calling them dialects of the same language. Although part of his equations were true and although the rôle of Slavonic in IE indeed was much underestimated in contemporary German linguistics, both Hil’ferding and Homjakov were uncritical dilettantes, whose many ideas were unacceptable even when they were first published.
Publications: Poetry, philosophical and political essays, theological and economical studies, collected works, 1-8. 1900.
– A Comparison of Russian and Sanskrit words, in Russian. 1865.
Sources: Bongard-Levin & Vigasin 1984, 73f.; Wikipedia with portrait (as Khomyakov, more detaisl, pictures and references in Russian version).
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