Conclusion of a Memorandum from the Revd.Sergius Bulgakov to the Iiost Rev.Metropolitan Nulogius the Above May Be Summarized As
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/ Conclusion of a Memorandum from the Revd.Sergius Bulgakov to the iiost R e v . M e t r o p o l i t a n nulogius The above may be summarized as follows:- 1. The report of metropolitan oergius to the Synod about my doctrine of Sophia is evidently not based upon acquaintance Kith my writings in the original, b u t only upon quotations from them, w h i c h were furnished to him. Neither was I- in- -formed of the trial in process, n o r was there any previous consideration by competent theologians. The inaccuracy and incompleteness with which my opinions are treated in M e t r o - -politan oergius1 report are such that I cannot consider that it constitutes a satisfactory judgement. Besides, t h e personal judgements of metropolitan jergius deal not so much v,ith the central points of my doctrine, a s with details,some- -times not even connected with it. The report has more the character of a theological polemic, in which, b y the way,the persons! o p i n i o n s of metropolitan Sergius are not always u n - -assailable from the viewpoint of Orthodoxy. 3.1n reply to the accusation that my views are "pagangnostic", I solemnly declare that,as an orthodox priest} I confess all the true dogmas of Orthodoxy, i/1 у oophiology doeB not concern the content of those dogmas, b u t only their theological inter- -pretation. It is my personal theological conviction, w h i c h I never have and never shall exalt to the position of obligatory Church dogma.1 I consider myself as a theologian entitled to hold my own theological ideas, w i t h no pretension to their general acceptance until the Spirit of God melees H i s judgement known.In the history of the Church there have always been differ- ences in theological schools and opinions (we need only recall the schools of Alexandria and Antioch) end without freedom for theological study, of course within the limits of the Church's dogmas, theology cannot live. Sophiology has always been a teaching at least tolerated in the Russian Orthodox Church, (the priest i'lorensky, VI. 3olovieff3, end myself in the "Unfading Light», 1 3 1 7 . l.Let me cite as evicence the fact that in my book "L'Ortho- -cloxie" (The Orthodox Church")intended for the information of non-Orthodox about Orthodoxy, the question of Sophiology is not even mentioned. 3.Soloviefx's Sophiological doctrine, although subject to question in some points, w a s admitted even by the Roman Cath- -olic Church in so far as in h i s work "Ьа Eussie et l'Eglise Universelle", he joins it with his defence of the primacy of the Pope. 3.1 have given the true exposition of my sophiological doctrine, as related to various dogmatic questions, in a series of books and articles, b e g i n n i n g in 1917 (''The U n f a d i n g Light") a n d e s - -pecially in books about the Orthodox veneration of the Virgin, St John the Baptist, the angels, about ikons and other venerat- -ion and in an extensive study "Of the God-мап" of which the first volume, "The Lamb of God"l. on Christology has appeared. The second, "The Comforter" is now in press. M y doctrine never has included the acceptance of a "fourth hypostasis" in the Holy Trinity, but deals chiefly with the relation between God and the world. Further, it has no connection whatever with pa.ga.n gnosis, which I am accused of holding. Rather it is inspired by Russian Orthodox veneration of Sophia, the Divine Wisdom, a s expressed in Church architecture, liturgy, iconography, and represents an essay in the dogmatic interpretation of this v e n - -eration.2. 4# The fact of the condemnation of my doctrine, as it has been pronounced by Metropolitan Sergius, w i t h o u t any general discuss- -ion in the Church, is not in keeping with Orthodox "sobornost" and bears rather the character of Roman Catholic pretense to hierarchical infallibility exsese, in matters of faith, itfot recognising any such external hierarchical organ of dogmatic infallibility, the Orthodox Church gives its dogmatic judge- -rnents by the action of the Holy Spirit, in various ways, b u t always in ways of Church "sobomost".(oecumenicity) Sometimes these judgements are arrived at by long and stormy discussions (the Christological disputes) and are consummated by a solemn definition of the faith in oecumenical or local councils, a c c e p t - e d oy the Church as the words of truth, (and sometimes rejected, as in the case of the false councils) or else tacite consensu, by the life of the Church itself. In the present instance, a s regards my doctrine, its proper general theological discussion has not yet begun, d i s c u s s i o n which cannot be achieved by any premature forced judgement. M y doctrine belongs not to d o g m a s , but to theological opinions, in which Orthodoxy, according to its spirit and its dogmatic basis, p e r m i t s the proper freedom of thought. Interference with, or diminution of this freedom threatens the life of the Orthodox Church and touches the vital interest of all theologians, regardles s of the differences in their theological opinions. Paris.October,1935. Rev.S.BULGAKOV. 1.1 have presented a brief exposition of the leading ideas of "The Lamb of God" in Russian (PUT" No 41,) in English (Theology" 1934) and in German (Theologisches Zentralblatt" 1934) H e n c e they are available for a n y o n e . S.See the table of different icons of Sophia the Divine Viisdoni in the new book by Alexis van der Mensbrugghe ".from Dyad to Triad" 1835.(The Faith Press) THE FELLOWSHIP OF ST ALBAN AMD ST SERGIUS, 30,St James's Square, London,S.Ή.1. December 13th/o5. Dear member of the Fellowship, It is, w e think, v e r y likely that you have heard reports concerning a condemnation of certain theo- -logical opinions of Fr.Sergius Bulgakov, and we believe, in consequence of this and also because Fr.Bulgakov is one of the oldest and most venerated of our friends, t h a t you will be glad to have a statement of the actual facts of the case. They are, b r i e f l y , as follows :- Fr.Sergius Bulgakov is one of the leading exponents of the theory of Sopiiiology, w h i c h is an attempt to state and solve the perennial problem of the relation between God and the world and of Creation. This h a s been a matter of controversy in the Russian Church since the middle of the last century, and the supporters of this line of thought have included such well-known theologians and phil- osophers as V.Soloviev, P.Florensky, N.Berdyaev, and V.Zenkovsky, each of whom has of course, developed the theory in his own particular way. The discussion has been particularly vigorous in the post-devolution period in the exile. At the beginning of October news was received in Paris that the'Presiding ^ishop of the Church in Russia, the Metropolitan Sergius of Moscow, h a d issued a censure of Fr.Bulgakov's writings, p a r t i c u l a r l y the sophiological_ portions. Some time later the document itself reached Paris. At the request of the Metropolitan iiulogius, Fr.Bulgakov's own superior in Peris, F r . B u l g a k o v prepared ε .reply to the accusations. This reply, together with Hetro- -politan Sergius· Document, h a s been published in book form by the Y.m.C.A. Press in Paris at the end of November. Part of it consists of a solemn profession of orthodoxy by Fr. Bulgakov, in which he insists that he has never taught Sophiology as part of Christien dogma, and that it is a private theological and philosophical opinion compatible with Orthodoxy. There, at the moment, the matter rests. The actual method toy w h i c h the censure was issued was as follows:- The information on which metropolitan Sergius acted was prepared for him toy t h e Brotherhood of at Fhotius, a smell body of laymen, i5 or 20 in numtoer, and was communicated to metropolitan Sergius toy m e t r o p o l i t a n Ileutherius of Lith- uania, who is under his immediate jurisdiction. The Russian Diocese of v.'estern E u r o p e, w e may remark, to which Fr.Bulgakov belongs and whose head is the metropolitan ICulo^ius, w a s cut off from canonical relations with Russia in consequence of its refusal to accede to a demand received from Moscow in 1937· requiring the clergy of the Exile to affirm their loyalty to the Soviet power, end the status of metropolitan Euloglus since 1932 has been that of an Exarch of the Oecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople. This change of jurisdiction was however reseated by a small minority, w h o eventually аск* -nowledged as their ^ishop the metropolitan Fleutherius of Lithuania, who being a Lithuanian subject, w a s not included in the demand for a profession of loyalty and so remained in canonical relations with Metropolitan Sergius of Moscow.