1 KATHOLIEKE UNIVERSITEIT LEUVEN FACULTY OF THEOLOGY SOPHIA, THE WISDOM OF GOD. AN EASTERN CHRISTIAN POLITICAL THEOLOGY IN THE SOPHIOLOGY OF SERGEI BULGAKOV A research paper presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Advanced Master’s Degree in Theology and Religious Studies Promoter by Prof. Dr. Jacques HAERS S.J. Radu Costin IACOB 2011 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS Bibliography .................................................................................................................................................. III-XII Introduction .......................................................................................................................................................XIII CHAPTER I. THE HISTORY OF SOPHIA, THE WISDOM OF GOD .................................................. 1 § 1. THE SOPHIOLOGICAL CURRENTS ..................................................................................................................... 1 A. THE PHILOSOPHICAL THEORIES ............................................................................................................................. 1 B. THE BIBLICAL NARRATIVES .................................................................................................................................... 5 C. THE GNOSTIC MOVEMENTS ..................................................................................................................................... 8 D. THE CHRISTIAN SOPHIOLOGIES ............................................................................................................................ 10 § 2. THE RUSSIAN TRADITION ............................................................................................................................... 13 A. PRELIMINARIES ..................................................................................................................................................... 13 B. SOLOVYOV .............................................................................................................................................................. 15 CHAPTER II. THE CONCEPT OF SOPHIA IN THE THEOLOGICAL WORKS OF SERGEI BULGAKOV ........................................................................................................................................................... 19 § 1. INITIAL FORMULATIONS ................................................................................................................................. 19 § 2. THE THEOLOGICAL CONCEPT ......................................................................................................................... 22 A. PRELIMINARIES ..................................................................................................................................................... 22 B. THE DIVINE SOPHIA AND OUSIA ........................................................................................................................... 24 C. THE DIVINE SOPHIA AND THE PERSONS OF THE HOLY TRINITY ........................................................................ 27 D. THE CREATURELY SOPHIA .................................................................................................................................... 30 CHAPTER III. SOPHIOLOGY AND POLITICAL THEOLOGY ............................................................. 36 § 1. POLITICAL IMPLICATIONS OF SOPHIOLOGY ................................................................................................. 36 A. WHERE IS “POLITICAL THEOLOGY” TO BE FOUND? ........................................................................................... 36 B. ARE SOPHIOLOGY AND POLITICAL THEOLOGY ‘COMPATIBLE’? ........................................................................ 39 C. SOPHIOLOGY - BETWEEN PANENTHEISM AND PANTHEOSIS .............................................................................. 41 C. PANENTHEISM AS APOCATASTASIS, OR GOD’S LOVE FOR CREATION ................................................................ 45 § 2. POLITICAL THEOLOGY ..................................................................................................................................... 50 A. SOPHIOLOGY AS HISTORIOSOPHY ......................................................................................................................... 50 C. THE CHURCH AND SOCIETY ................................................................................................................................... 57 Conclusions ........................................................................................................................................................... 60. 3 Bibliography Alojz Litva S. J. “La “Sophia” dans la creation selon la doctrine de S. 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