: ''This article is about the Russian theologian and philosopher by this name. For the author of the ''Handbook for Church Servers'', see [[Sergius V. Bulgakov]].'' '''Fr. Sergei Sergius Nikolaevich Bulgakov''' was a [[priest]] of the [[Church of Russia]] in the early twentieth century. He was noted as an Orthodox [[theologian]], philosopher, and economist. After an early interest in Marxism, he returned to his religious roots in Orthodox Christianity. He wrote extensively, and after being exiled by the new Communist government of Russia, he became part of the community of Russians in Paris, taking part in the founding the of [[St. Sergius Orthodox Theological Institute (Paris, France)|St. Sergius Orthodox Theological Institute in Paris]].
==Life==
Bulgakov became prominent in the activities of the Church in Russia, taking part in the [[All-Russian Church Council of 1917-1918|All-Russia Sobor of 1917]] that elected [[Tikhon of Moscow]] to the restored position of [[Patriarch]] of Russia. In 1918, he was [[ordination|ordained]] to the [[diaconate]] and then to the priesthood. He continued to write even as the Russian Civil War tore apart his Russia. Living in Crimea he wrote the ''Philosophy of the Name'' and ''Tragedy of Philosophy'' where he revised his views about relations between philosophy and dogmatism.
On [[December 30]], 1922, Bulgakov was among the approximately 160 prominent intellectuals, including also [[Nikolai Berdyaev|Nicholas Berdyaev]], who were exiled by the Bolshevik government. Bulgakov initially settled in Prague, Czechoslovakia. In May 1923, he was named professor of Church Law and Theology at the Russian Research Institute in Prague. From Prague he moved to Paris, which was his home until his death. In 1925, he participated in the establishment of the St. Sergius Orthodox Theological Institute. He became the head of the institute, where he also was the professor of Dogmatic Theology.
In addition to his writing, he participated in the Anglican-Orthodox interchange that was formalized in the [[Fellowship of St. Alban and St. Sergius]]. Bulgakov remained active in the large community of Russian expatriates in Paris until his death on [[July 12]], 1944, from throat cancer. His funeral was conducted at the Cathedral of St. Alexander Nevsky in Paris. He was buried at St. Geneviève-des-Bois near Paris.
==Controversy==
"Bulgakov's theological speculations Bulgakov’s teaching on the Divine Wisdom (Sophiology) provoked heated discussion: they never prevailed even in France where his influence was greatest, and were eventually condemned as heretical sophiology is highly controversial. The attempt to understand it properly is hindered by the Moscow Patriarchate highly political controversy surrounding it in 1935 and by the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia1930’s. The "sophiology" debate has cast something of a shadow over Fr. Bulgakov's memory<ref>For commentary, but it would be hard to dispute his significance as texts and a Christian role model for Russian intellectuals fuller account of his generationthe sophiological controversy see Antoine Arjakovsky, Essai sur le père Serge Boulgakov (1871-1944), philosophe et théologien chrétien (Paris: Les Éditions Parole et Silence, 2006), pp."<ref> [http99-125 and La génération des penseurs religieux de l’émigration Russe:La Revue ‘La Voie’ (Put’), 1925-1940 (Kiev//wwwParis: L’Esprit et la Lettre, 2002), pp.433ff., N.voskreseT.info/spl/XsergeEneeva, Spor o sofiologii v russkom zarubezh’e 1920-bulgakov1930 godov (Moscow: Institut vseobshchei istorii RAN, 2001), Igumen Gennadii (Eikalovich), Delo prot.html ''FrSergiia Bulgakova: Istoricheskaia kanva spora o Sofii (San Francisco: Globus Pub. , 1980), Bryn Geffert, ‘Sergii Bulgakov, The Fellowship of St Alban and St Sergius , Intercommunion and Sofiology’, Revolutionary Russia, 17:1 (June 2004), pp.105-41, ‘The Charges of Heresy Against Sergii Bulgakov: The Majority and Minority Reports of Evlogii’s Commission and the Final Report of the Bishops’ Conference’, ''St Vladimir’s Theological Quarterly''] at , 49.1-2 (2005), pp.47-66 and especially Alexis Klimoff, ‘Georges Florovsky and the Sophiological Controversy’, ''StVladimir’s Theological Quarterly'', 49.1-2 (2005), pp.67-100. Pachomius Library</ref> St. It should be noted that by 1931 there existed three separate Russian Orthodox jurisdictions in Europe: [[John MaximovitchROCOR|Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia (Sremski Karlovtzy Synod)]], in his book ''The Orthodox Veneration under [[Anthony (Khrapovitsky) of Kiev|Met. Anthony (Khrapovitsky)]]; the Virgin Mary'', devotes an entire chapter on why the sophiology of Sergius Bulgakov is [[heresyChurch of Russia|‘Patriarchal’ church]], specifically one as destructive as answering ultimately to [[NestorianismSergius I (Stragorodsky) of Moscow|Met. Sergius (Stragorodsky)]]. Speaking of those who attempt to deify Moscow (of which the Theotokos, he wrote: :''In the words young [[Fr. Sergius BulgakovVladimir Lossky]], when was a member); and the Holy Spirit came to dwell [[Patriarchal Exarchate for Orthodox Parishes of Russian Tradition in the Virgin Mary, she acquired "a dyadic life, human and divine; that is, She was completely deified, because Western Europe|Russian Church in Her hypostatic being was manifest Western Europe]] (Bulgakov’s own jurisdiction as well as the living, creative revelation church of the Holy Spirit" [[Georges Florovsky]]) under [[Eulogius (Archpriest Sergei Bulgakov, The Unburnt Bush, 1927, p. 154Georgievsky). "She is a perfect manifestation of the Third Hypostasis" (IbidParis|Met., p. 175), "a creature, but also no longer a creature" Evlogy (P. 19 1Georgievsky)....But we can say with ]] that was under the jurisdiction of the words [[Church of St. Epiphanius Constantinople|Patriarch of Cyprus: "There is an equal harm Constantinople]] -- though in both these heresies1934, Metropolitan Evlogy was privately reconciled to Metropolitan Anthony, both when men demean the Virgin and when, on the contrary, they glorify Her beyond what is proper" (Panarion, "Against the Collyridians"). This Holy Father accuses those who give Her an almost divine worship: "Let Mary be in honor, but let worship be given 1935 he went to the Lord" (same source). "Although Mary is Karlovtzy for a chosen vesselspecial reunion conference, still she was a woman by nature, not to be distinguished at all from others. Although which time the history of Mary schism betwen him and Tradition relate that it ROCOR was said to Her father Joachim in the deserthealed<ref>[[Kallistos (Ware) of Diokleia|Timothy Ware]], 'Thy wife hath conceived,' still this was done not without marital union and not without the seed of man" The Orthodox Church'' (same sourceLondon: Penguin Books, 1964)p. 184. "One should not revere </ref> In 1936, Metropolitan Evlogy again cut his ties with ROCOR, quite possibly because of the saints above what is proper, but should revere their Mastercontroversy over [[Sophianism]]. Mary is not God<ref>Protopresbyter George Grabbe, and did not receive ''Toward a body from heaven, but from History of the joining of man and woman; and according to Ecclesiastical Divisions Within the promiseRussian Diaspora'', like IsaacLiving Orthodoxy, She was prepared to take part in the Divine EconomyVol. ButXIV, on the other hand, let none dare foolishly to offend the Holy Virgin" (StNo. Epiphanius4, "Against the Antidikomarionites"). The Orthodox ChurchJuly-August, highly exalting the Mother of God in its hymns of praise1992, does not dare to ascribe to Her that which has not been communicated about Her by Sacred Scripture or Traditionpp. "Truth is foreign to all overstatements as well as to all understatements. It gives to everything a fitting measure and fitting place" (Bishop Ignatius Brianchaninov)."''37-39</ref>
Sergei Bulgakov was an enthusiastic follower of Aleksey Khomyakov's In [[ecumenismSophianism#Decree_of_the_Moscow_Patriarchate|ecumenistican ukaz of 24 August, 1935]] idea of union between Met. Sergius, Bulgakov’s teaching on ‘Sophia’ was described as ‘alien’ to the Russian Orthodox Church and faith.<ref>Bulgakov responded to the ukaz in his O Sofii Premudrosti Bozhiei: Ukaz Moskovskoi Patriarkhii i dokladnye zapiski prot. Sergiia Bulgakova Mitropolitu Evlogiiu (Paris: YMCA, 1935), pp.20-51. [[Vladimir Lossky]] then published a well-known critical analysis of Bulgakov’s response to the Anglican churchukaz as ''Spor o Sofii'' (Paris, 1936). He </ref> This ukaz was one largely based on the epistolary reports of Alexis Stavrovsky, the founders president of the Anglican-Orthodox ecumenical Brotherhood of St Photius ([[Fellowship Vladimir Lossky]], was the vice-president, and Evgraf Kovalevsky, Leonid Ouspensky and (later monk and famous iconographer) Gregory Krug were also amongst the 12-15 young laymen who made up its numbers) whose members had left the jurisdiction of Met. Evlogy for that of Met. Elevthery of StLithuania. Alban and StThis exodus was in reaction to Met. Sergius]]having removed, on 10 June, 1930, which devoted itself Met. Evlogy as the head of the Russian Orthodox Church in Western Europe (since Met. Evlogy had continually refused to agree to the establishment 30 June, 1927 Declaration of such Loyalty to the Soviet government) and named Elevthery as his replacement. In late 1935, Met. Evlogy appointed a unioncommission to look into the charges of heresy leveled against Bulgakov.
The commission quickly broke into factions. In June of 1936 the majority report (prepared by Vasilii Zenkovskii, Anton Kartashev and others) rejected the charge of heresy but had serious objections about Sophiology. The minority report of 6 July, 1936 was prepared by Fr Sergei Chetverikov and signed by Fr [[Georges Florovsky]], who despite his personal respect for Fr. Sergius, remained an ardent critic of Sophianism for the remainder of his life. Meanwhile, the Church Abroad formally accused Bulgakov of heresy in 1935.
==Notes==[[Sophianism#Decree_of_ROCOR|The 1935 decision of the Church Abroad]] was based on Archbishop Seraphim (Sobolev) of Boguchar’s Novoe uchenie o Sofii (Sofia, 1935), as well as on the arguments of St. [[John Maximovitch|John (Maximovitch)]].<div class="referencesref>Protopresbyter George Grabbe, ''Toward a History of the Ecclesiastical Divisions Within the Russian Diaspora'', Living Orthodoxy, Vol. XIV, No. 4, July-small"August, 1992, p. 38</ref>St. John, in his book ''The Orthodox Veneration of the Mother of God'', discusses at length why the [[sophianism]] of Sergius Bulgakov is [[heresy]], specifically one as destructive as [[Nestorianism]]. Speaking of those who attempt to deify the Theotokos, he wrote: :In the words [of Fr. Sergius Bulgakov], when the Holy Spirit came to dwell in the Virgin Mary, she acquired "a dyadic life, human and divine; that is, She was completely deified, because in Her hypostatic being was manifest the living, creative revelation of the Holy Spirit" (Archpriest Sergei Bulgakov, The Unburnt Bush, 1927, p. 154). "She is a perfect manifestation of the Third Hypostasis" (Ibid., p. 175), "a creature, but also no longer a creature" (P. 19 1)....But we can say with the words of St. Epiphanius of Cyprus: "There is an equal harm in both these heresies, both when men demean the Virgin and when, on the contrary, they glorify Her beyond what is proper" (Panarion, "Against the Collyridians"). This Holy Father accuses those who give Her an almost divine worship: "Let Mary be in honor, but let worship be given to the Lord" (same source). "Although Mary is a chosen vessel, still she was a woman by nature, not to be distinguished at all from others. Although the history of Mary and Tradition relate that it was said to Her father Joachim in the desert, 'Thy wife hath conceived,' still this was done not without marital union and not without the seed of man" (same source). "One should not revere the saints above what is proper, but should revere their Master. Mary is not God, and did not receive a body from heaven, but from the joining of man and woman; and according to the promise, like Isaac, She was prepared to take part in the Divine Economy. But, on the other hand, let none dare foolishly to offend the Holy Virgin" (St. Epiphanius, "Against the Antidikomarionites"). The Orthodox Church, highly exalting the Mother of God in its hymns of praise, does not dare to ascribe to Her that which has not been communicated about Her by Sacred Scripture or Tradition. "Truth is foreign to all overstatements as well as to all understatements. It gives to everything a fitting measure and fitting place" (Bishop Ignatius Brianchaninov)."<references ref>St. John Maximovitch, [http://www.ortodoks.dk/>On_Orthodox_Veneration_of_the_Mary.htm ''The Orthodox Veneration of the Mother of God''], (Platina, Ca: St. Herman Press, 1978), p. 40f</divref>
Bulgakov responded to the heresy accusation in his ''Dokladnaia zapiska Mitropolitu Evlogiiu prof. prot. Sergiia Bulgakova'' (Paris, 1936). Archbishop Seraphim then rebutted Bulgakov in his ''Zashchita sofianskoi eresi'' (Sofia, 1937). No final report was prepared on the sophiology controversy by the commission set up by Bulgakov’s own jurisdiction. However, Met. Evlogy convoked a bishop’s conference on 26-9 November 1937 to bring closure to the matter. The bishops in their statement were working from reports by Archimandrite Cassian (Bezobrazov) and Chetverikov and they concluded that the accusations of heresy against Bulgakov were unfounded but that his theological opinions showed serious flaws and needed correction.
Vladimir Lossky responded to Bulgakov's self-apology in a large and deep study : ''Spor o Sofii'' (The Debate on Sophia, Paris, 1936), pointing out the various dogmatic errors of Bulgakov's theology.
==Books in English==
*''The Orthodox Church''. St Vladimir's, 1997. (ISBN 978-0881410518)
*''Philosophy of Economy''. Yale, 2000. (ISBN 978-0300079906)
*''Sophia, the [[Holy Wisdom |Wisdom]] of God: An Outline of Sophiology''. Lindisfarne, 1993. (ISBN 978-0940262607) ==Notes== <div class="references-small"> <references /> </div>
==External links==
