The Path of Parisian Theology

This collection contains all the articles by Archpriest Sergius Bulgakov, published in the magazine “Put” from 1925 to 1939. This magazine was published under the editorship of N.A. Berdyaev in Paris by the Religious and Philosophical Academy with the subtitle “Organ of Russian Religious Thought” In this edition, the pious and enlightened reader is offered a complete collection of publications by Archpriest Sergius Nikolaevich Bulgakov from the Parisian magazine “The Path”. In any field of knowledge, not excluding theology, church history and canon, there are names whose lack of acquaintance with the heritage of which (regardless of our agreement or disagreement, full or partial acceptance or rejection of what this heritage contains) deprives us of the right to call ourselves people who are fully educated and competent in this or that field. If we talk about the history of Russian theological thought of the 20th century, then among these names - together with Priest Pavel Florensky, Metropolitan Anthony Khrapovitsky, Vladimir Nikolaevich Lossky, Protopresbyter Alexander Schmemann, Protopresbyter John Meyendorff, Archimandrite Cyprian Kern, Archbishop Seraphim Sobolev - should be Archpriest Sergius Bulgakov was also included. His theological work has always caused an ambiguous attitude. Let us recall the textbook-known rejection of his sophiology and its condemnation both by theologians, hierarchs who supported Metropolitan Sergius (Starogorodsky), especially Vladimir Nikolaevich Lossky, and among supporters of the Karlovac Synod. The same can be said about other aspects of the theological creativity of Father Sergius. In the proposed collection, the reader will see articles devoted to the problems of ecclesiology, sacramentology, comparative theology, on current issues of canonism and church practice. With all the breadth of the range of theological thought of Archpriest Sergius Bulgakov, we cannot help but notice the characteristic features that unite these works. Almost each of them contains something very borderline to the main direction of church tradition. On the other hand, they all relate to the most pressing aspects of Orthodox dogma and church doctrine in the broad sense of the word that concern us in those years and now. A person who is truly passionate about theology cannot help but appreciate this tendency of the thought of Archpriest Sergius Bulgakov not to the obviously calm, problem-free and irrelevant, not to the fact that another of the endless series of works was written under the general title “Chrysostom as a Homilet” or “Homilet as Chrysostom”, but to what is really a challenge from the non-church consciousness, an internal problem for the Christian worldview, unresolved canonical practice or church-historical relevance. This is methodologically important today. More than ever at the beginning of the 21st century, in the situation of the current internal church and church-state external freedom of our theological thought, it is necessary to be able to speak in an understandable language with responsible theological depth about what is truly important for our Christian worldview, and not about what we can talk about more calmly and more conveniently. And it is precisely in this regard that we can learn a lot from the works of the most worthy representative of the professorship of the St. Sergius Paris Theological Institute, Archpriest Sergius Bulgakov. In addition, familiarity with his legacy will help to more adequately assess today's debates and discussions. In particular, it becomes obvious from reading his works devoted to the sacrament of the Eucharist that ninety percent of the volume of argumentation of opponents of the Orthodox reception of the doctrine of transubstantiation as permissible, acceptable and natural for Orthodox theology goes back precisely to the position of Archpriest Sergius Bulgakov and almost nothing was added from that time by the adherents of this doctrine until the beginning of the 21st century. It seems to me that those who read the article dedicated to the Apostle Jude will be able to better appreciate those attempts at modern reinterpretations of the Gospel that now exist in the public consciousness in the light of Christian understanding of the tragic collision of the disciple-traitor. The volume offered to the reader is not a teaching book, nor can it be a source of unconditional church truth. Everything in it should be checked based on the idea formulated by Archpriest Sergius Bulgakov himself in his book “Orthodoxy”: the criterion of church truth is the verification of this or that opinion by church tradition. As we read these fascinating, deep and vibrant pages, we will try to attach to them the word of the author himself - Archpriest Sergei Nikolaevich Bulgakov.