Tag Archives: Sergius Bulgakov

“The Spirit of the Grand Inquisitor” by Nikolai Berdyaev

Posted on 20 August 2020 by

This following article was written by the Russian Orthodox Philosopher Nikolai Berdyaev, soon after his friend Fr. Sergius Bulgakov received his first condemna­tion from the Moscow Patriarchate, on September 7th of 1935. It was published in the December issue of … Continue reading →

Posted in Sergius Bulgakov | Tagged , , , , , , | 22 Comments

Dogma, Damnation, and the Eucatastrophe of the Jesus Story

Posted on 17 August 2020 by

In both The Orthodox Church and “Dogma and Dogmatic Theology,” Sergius Bulgakov cites eschatology, among others, as a topic of theology open to dogmatic definition, the implica­tion being that standard Orthodox teaching on the last things—including ever­lasting perdi­tion—can only be … Continue reading →

Posted in Eschatology, Theology | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 22 Comments

Orthodoxy, Dogma, and the Neuralgic Question of Doctrinal Development

Posted on 19 July 2020 by

The debate on apokatastasis inevitably raises the question: Has Orthodoxy definitively, infallibly, irreversibly, dogmatically rejected the universalist hope? Must Christians believe that some, perhaps many or even most, will—or as some prefer to say may—be eternally damned? Is it constitutive … Continue reading →

Posted in Sergius Bulgakov, Theology | Tagged , , , , , , , | 36 Comments

Transmutation or Transubstantiation: Sergius Bulgakov and Herbert McCabe on the Holy Eucharist

Posted on 17 March 2020 by

That the Holy Orthodox Church confesses the Holy Gifts to be the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ no one can doubt. But satisfactory interpretations of the eucharistic mystery are difficult to find. Somewhat surprisingly, Eastern theologians have tended to … Continue reading →

Posted in Herbert McCabe & Friends, Sacraments, Sergius Bulgakov | Tagged , , , , , , | 13 Comments

Apocatastasis: The Heresy That Never Was

Posted on 29 October 2019 by

This article has now been superseded by my article “Did the Fifth Ecumenical Council Condemn Universal Salvation?“ When first presented with the universalist hope, many Orthodox and Roman Catholics imme­diately invoke the authority of the Fifth Ecumenical Council (A.D. 553), … Continue reading →

Posted in Eschatology | Tagged , , , , , , | 27 Comments

Hell as Universal Purgatory

Posted on 19 September 2019 by

“A human being cannot fail to love the Christ who is revealed in him, and he cannot fail to love himself revealed in Christ” (The Bride of the Lamb, p. 459). This striking statement represents the most provocative claim in … Continue reading →

Posted in Eschatology, Sergius Bulgakov | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

The Irresistible Truth of Final Judgment

Posted on 18 September 2019 by

And he shall come again with glory to judge both the quick and the dead; whose kingdom shall have no end. The Great Assize—I am brought into the courtroom of the Divine Judge. The prosecutor presents a movie of my … Continue reading →

Posted in Eschatology, Sergius Bulgakov | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Afterlife Possibilities: Is There Repentance Beyond Death?

Posted on 17 September 2019 by

If the eschatological vision of Origen, St Gregory of Nyssa, and St Isaac of Nineveh is to be fulfilled, then it must be possible for those who die in a state of alienation from God to subsequently repent of their … Continue reading →

Posted in Eschatology, Sergius Bulgakov | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments