Over a Beer with Barth and Bulgakov: Cosmodicy - Public Orthodoxy (original) (raw)
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If "Orthodox theology was reborn in the twentieth century," it could be argued that Fr Sergius Bulgakovs work is a major part of this rebirth. Perhaps it is too much to say that there has been a Bulgakov renaissance. However as Jason Byassee observes in assessing the impact of Orthodox theology, the translation of Bulgakovs works progresses at a "furious pace." Antoine Arjakovsky also notes the growing number of serious studies of Bulgakov in the West. Bulgakovs return to Christian faith and life came about through a rediscovery of the Church in the mystery of the Incarnation, in the many consequences of the "humanity of God" [Bogochelovechestvo] for the world and all of life. From this came his conviction, one shared by many others in the Russian emigration, of the need to transform the social order, not by imposition of ecclesiastical rituals or a state religion but in the "churching" [votserkovenlie] of life.
Reconsidering Sergius Bulgakov as a Theologian of the Eucharist
ANZATS Conference Brisbane, 2018
Geopolitical change at the start of the 20th century wrought significant change to the study of theology. After the Russian Revolution, exiled intellectuals found their way to the West and connected with like-minded scholars. One of these was Sergius Bulgakov, whose life was particularly complex: beginning as a Marxist and later returning to Orthodox Christianity, he became one of the most prominent, and contentious, theologians of the Russian diaspora. He forged ecumenical connections, including with the Fellowship of St Alban and St. Sergius. Traditionally, scholars have categorised him with the so-called “Russian School”, largely due to his sophiology. But scholars have come to question the accuracy of this categorisation. For example, Andrew Louth has proposed that Bulgakov be regarded as a theologian of the eucharist. Consideration of period documents confirms Bulgakov’s eucharistic consciousness, especially with ecumenism, corroborating Louth’s hypothesis. More research is justified into an important direction in the study of Russian diaspora theology.
The First World War as a Neglected Moment in the Development of Orthodox-Protestant Relations
World War I has not been neglected as a factor in the rise of interwar inter-confessional efforts--a phenomenon that Bryn Geffert has called an "outbreak of ecumenism"--but to a large extent it has been neglected as a moment in which much of the important groundwork for these later developments was laid. That is, the moment itself, and the important shifts in conceptions and attitudes that occurred during the war years themselves, have been very little studied. Before Christians of certain confessions can work with Christians of other confessions toward common goals, they have to have a language in which they can conceive of these other Christians as genuine, if at times misguided, Christians. This paper examines how Russian religious philosophers, especially Sergei Bulgakov, began to articulate a positive understanding of British Protestantism in wartime journalism and lectures.
International Journal of Orthodox Theology, 2020
The following article deals with the early stage of contacts between the Old Catholics and the Eastern Orthodox in the union conferences held at Bonn in the 19 th century. A historical summary of bilateral Old Catholic-Eastern Orthodox relations will provide the reader with a clearer picture of the ecumenical dialogue. The discussion of theological teachings, such as the Filioque, the authority of the Church, Holy Scripture and Tradition, and the validity and correctness of the 174 Panteleimon Champidis ecclesiastical sacraments, permeates the course of century-long efforts made to reach doctrinal agreement and union. Thus, the historical and theological examination of the proceedings of the two conferences which took place in Bonn between 1874 to 1875, as well as their later reception by both sides, may offer illuminating insights concerning the prospects of inter-Christian and inter-Orthodox relations in the 21st century. This article will rely methodologically on the historical accounts recorded by Friedrich Reusch, Nikolaos Damalas and Zikos Rossis, as well as the secondary literature of notable academics, such as George Florovsky and Ioannis Karmiris.
The Ecclesiological Foundations of Fr. Sergius Bulgakov's Project for Partial Intercommunion
The Quarterly Journal of St. Philaret’s Institute, 2023
This article examines Fr. Sergius Bulgakov’s project for the establishment of Eucharistic communion between the Anglican and Orthodox Churches in the context of the history of the Fellowship of St. Alban and St. Sergius, paying special attention to the project’s ecclesiological foundations, including: a “molecular” method to acquisition of church unity, “spiritual intercommunion”, and unity of faith as expressed in common prayer, “substantial dogmatic agreement”, and the “sacramental blessing” of church hierarchy. The study is accompanied by and concludes with the first-ever publication in Russian language of the 1935 edition of the project’s text, entitled “partial intercommunion”. Upon the founding of the Fellowship in 1928, Fr. Sergius expressed doubts as to the possibility of Eucharistic reunion between the Anglican and Orthodox Churches in the near future, though by five years later he had completely changed his opinion and become a primary advocate of intercommunion. It is important to note that initial conceptions of partial intercommunion differed from those of open intercommunion, as practiced in Protestant churches where any baptised Christian is invited to receive at the Remembrance of the Lord’s Supper, and were based upon an understanding of church unity as a gift of the Holy Spirit, rather than as an achievement of ecclesial-political agreement. In addition to sacramental (eucharistic) paths toward the attainment of church unity, Fr. Sergius acknowledged the charismatic path for building communion steadily through the sacrament of Soborovanije, accompanied by communion in prayer, life and theological dialogue. This accent on the sobornal nature of the Church, understood as the common fellowship of the whole Christian world through acceptance of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, makes it possible to call Bulgakov’s teaching on the Church “charismatic ecclesiology”.