Gamotska Y. The concept of religious power in Shiism (on the material of "Compendium of theological scinces" by Abu Ja'far al-Kulini, the 10th century)

The thesis is a research of the Shiite religious power concept from the early period of its formation. The research is based on the data of the chapter "The book of theological proofs" of the shii "Compendium of theological sciences" by al-Kulini. The compendium is the source for the late dogmatic treatises and is one of the principal ones for the formation of the religious and political Shii literature. "The chapter of theological arguments" is one of the most remote documents which contains the systematic description of the shii concept of religious power. Traditions fixed by al-Kulini are the generalization of the theological items, which created the twelve imams. The analysis of the contents of the compendium permits to do certain conclusions on the state of religious power concepts at the time of disappearance of the last imam (the 10th century). Special attention is paid to the block of traditions, which shed light on the Shiite interpretation of the Islamic history and dogmatic disputes in the tenth century Muslim society. The information of the treatise fixes the point of beginning of the transformation of the early Shiism from the political group to the religious sect.