Download Sergius Bulgakov`s Sophiology Robert Thompson November 10

Sergius Bulgakov’s Sophiology
Robert Thompson
November 10, 2009
Provisional statement of the thesis topic
To what extent can Fr. Sergius Bulgakov’s sophiology be understood as a hermeneutic principle for
contemporary Christian thought and practice? What I propose to do in my paper is to sketch out, in
general terms, the philosophical tradition in which Bulgakov’s sophiology makes sense. Within the
context of this tradition, I will suggest some ways in which Bulgakovian sophiology might function as a
lens through which to re-focus and re-envision our situation as persons and communities embedded in
life—both in the church, and in the world.
Methodology
Thesis development will draw on the methods of intellectual history but it will also be programmatic in
suggesting potential relevance to considerations of kenosis, divinization/theosis, and the restoration of
all things (apocatastasis).
Who is Fr. Sergius Bulgakov (d. 1944)?
“The greatest Orthodox theologian since St. Gregory Palamas” --Constantin Andronikov (d. 1997)
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Biographical – Encounters with Sophia, “Philosopher’s Ship”
Philosophical – Moscow School of Christian Neoplatonism (Khourjy) – Imiaslavie Controversy
(1911-1913)
Theological – Russian School versus Neo-Patristic Synthesis
Sociological – Levite
Bibliographical – Current state of translations
Influence / Reception
What is distinctive about the “Russian Idea?”
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Holy Rus – Significance of beauty (Dostoevsky)
Kitezh and Third Rome (Daniil Andreev, d. 1959)
Religious-Philosophical Renaissance – Slavophiles/Westerizers, Symbolist Movement
Some key terms and perspectives from which to consider Bulgakov and his milieu
sobornost, all-unity, divine-humanity, Chalcedon, sophiology, integral knowledge, God/world relations,
conscious labor and theandric action, panzoism, revelation, essence/energies distinction, synergy,
creation/emanation, German Idealism, Neo-Romanticism, Perennialist thought, the Great Tradition
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Some key figures in Bulgakov’s milieu
Fyodor Dostoevsky (d. 1881), Vladimir Soloviev (d. 1900), Leo Tolstoy (d. 1910), Vladimir Ern (d. 1917),
Fr. Pavel Florensky (d. 1937), Nikolai Berdyaev (1948), Aleksei Losev (d. 1988)
The Christian Neoplatonic stream
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Dionysius the Areopagite (5th/6th centuries) – The One as overflowing, super-luminous darkness
Maximus the Confessor (d. 662) – Cosmic liturgy
Richard of St. Victor (d. 1173)
Meister Eckhart (d. 1328) – “A new kind of action”
Gregory Palamas (d. 1359) – Essence/energies distinction
Nicholas of Cusa (d. 1464) – “Coincidentia oppositorum” and “learned ignorance”
Vladimir Soloviev – Philosophy of “All-Unity”
Pavel Florensky – Creation as “one living being praying to its creator and Father”
Semyon Frank (d. 1950) – Intuitivist/personalist – “antinomian monodualism”
What is sophiology?
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“Sophia is the divine world before creation.” --Sergius Bulgakov
Eastern Orthodoxy in dialogue with modernity (Paul Valliere)
Orthodox “liberalism” (Mikhail Sergeev)
Extended metaphor for the Kingdom of God (Rowan Williams)
“The gnoseological answer that is achieved on the way of synthesis of faith and knowledge”
(Marina Vasina)
Sophia as “the ontological side of divine humanity” (Tatjana Kochetkova, in The Search for
Authentic Spirituality in Modern Russian Philosophy)
Cosmogonic context of economy (theandric action) – “Nothing” can be left out
What follows upon seeing things in the “Light of Tabor”
Western sophiology – antecedents
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Jakob Boehme (d. 1624)
John Pordage (d. 1681)
Jane Leade (d. 1704)
Emanuel Swedenborg (d. 1772)
Johann Goethe (d. 1832)
Some “layers” of sophiology
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Experiential (personal)
Phenomenological (life world)
Philosophical (philosophy of language, philosophy of nature, logic/antinomies)
Theological (development of dogma)
Literary/Artistic (creativity)
Scriptural/Traditional (Margaret Barker - First temple tradition)
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Contemporary sophiology
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Fr. Michael Meerson – History of modern Russian theology - The “anthropological turn” in
theology; retrieval of Medieval love mysticism, Russian Franciscanism
Antoine Arjakovsky – Ecumenical studies
Celia Deane-Drummond – Philosophy of science
Anthony Paul Smith – Theological phenomenology
Sergey Khourjy – Theological anthropology
Basarab Nicolescu – Transdisciplinary studies, “included middle”
Fr. Michael Plekon – Ecclesiology, Afanassiev
Institute for Orthodox Christian Studies - The Figure of Wisdom in Patristic Literature Project
(Marcus Plested)
Henry Corbin (d. 1978) – Sophiology in Islamic philosophy
G. I. Gurdjieff (d. 1949) – Conscious labor
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Holy Wisdom
(Sophia)
Novgorodian Type
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Holy Wisdom
(Sophia)
Novgorodian Type
(in outline)
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Fr. Sergius Bulgakov
Portrait by Sr. Joanna Reitlinger
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Fr. Sergius Bulgakov
Deathbed sketch by Sr. Joanna Reitlinger
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