The Mother of God in the Theology of Sergius Bulgakov: The Soul of the World

260 Pages·2017·1.066 MB·English

by  Walter Nunzio Sisto

The Mother of God in the
Theology of Sergius Bulgakov
This book explores the Mariology of one of the most unique and fascinat-
ing thinkers in the Russian Orthodox tradition, Father Sergius Bulgakov.
Bulgakov develops the Russian sophianic mariological tradition initiated
by Vladimir Solo’ev and argues that Mary is the “soul of the world” or
the pneumatological hypostasis. Mary is the fi rst and greatest disciple to be
adopted by the Holy Spirit. By situating Mary within the life and mission of
the Holy Spirit, Bulgakov maintains the respect and veneration that Ortho-
dox Christians have for Mary, but also places Mary squarely within the
community of disciples. Mary is a model disciple, who reveals that the goal
of the spiritual life, spiritual motherhood. In addition, this text reveals the
relevance and importance of Bulgakov’s contribution to the contemporary
discussion about the role of Mary in the history of salvation.
Walter Nunzio Sisto is an assistant professor of Religious Studies at
D’Youville College. His research interest is the application of Sergius Bulga-
kov’s theology to contemporary issues. To this end he has published a vari-
ety of articles on Sergius Bulgakov’s Sophiology in journals such as Logos,
Marian Studies, and Irish Theological Quarterly . He has also published the
book, Death & the World Religions (Kendall Hunt, 2015) that was inspired
by Bulgakov’s Sophiology of death.

The Mother of God
in the Theology
of Sergius Bulgakov
The Soul of the World
Walter Nunzio Sisto
First published 2018
by Routledge
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Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2018 Walter Nunzio Sisto
The right of Walter Nunzio Sisto to be identifi ed as author of this
work has been asserted by him in accordance with sections 77 and
78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted
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British Library Cataloguing- in- Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging- in- Publication Data
Names: Sisto, Walter Nunzio, author.
Title: The Mother of God in the theology of Sergius Bulgakov :
the soul of the world / Walter Nunzio Sisto.
Description: New York : Routledge, 2018. | Includes
bibliographical references and index.
Identifi ers: LCCN 2017034765 | ISBN 9781472451651 (hardback :
alk. paper) | ISBN 9781315555454 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Bulgakov, Sergiĭ, 1871–1944. |
Mary, Blessed Virgin, Saint—Theology. | Orthodox Eastern
Church—Doctrines. | Theological anthropology—Orthodox
Eastern Church. | God—Wisdom.
Classifi cation: LCC B4238.B84 S57 2018 | DDC 232.91092—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017034765
ISBN: 978- 1-4 72- 45165- 1 (hbk)
ISBN: 978- 1-3 15- 55545- 4 (ebk)
Typeset in Sabon
by Apex CoVantage, LLC
For my Mother, thank you for your support, inspiration,
and example.

Contents
List of abbreviations ix
Introduction 1
1 The formative events 9
2 Bulgakov’s method and sources 27
3 Russian Mariology and Bulgakov 53
4 Theological anthropology and Mary 75
5 Bulgakov’s Mariology 113
6 Critics and the reception of Bulgakov’s Mariology 191
Conclusion 225
Bibliography 229
Index 241

Abbreviations
BB Sergius Bulgakov, The Burning Bush: On the Ortho-
dox Veneration of the Mother of God. Translated by
Thomas Allan Smith. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerd-
mans Publishing Company, 2009.
BL Sergius Bulgakov, The Bride of the Lamb. Translated by
Boris Jakim. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Pub-
lishing Company, 2002.
FB Sergius Bulgakov, T he Friend of the Bridegroom: On the
Orthodox Veneration of the Forerunner. Translated by
Boris Jakim. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Pub-
lishing Company, 2003.
JL Sergius Bulgakov, Jacob’s Ladder: On Angels. Trans-
lated by Thomas Allan Smith. Grand Rapids, Michigan:
William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2010.
LG Sergius Bulgakov, T he Lamb of God. Translated by
Boris Jakim. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Pub-
lishing Company, 2008. Kindle e- book.
Sophia Sergius Bulgakov, Sophia: The Wisdom of God – An
Outline of Sophiology. Translated by Rev. Patrick
Thomas. New York: L indisfarne Press, 1993.
The Comforter Sergius Bulgakov, T he Comforter. Translated by Boris
Jakim. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing
Company, 2004. Kindle e- book.
UF Sergius Bulgakov, Unfading Light: Contemplations and
Speculations. Edited and Translated by Thomas Allan
Smith. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing
Company, In Press 2012.
PGT Florensky, Pavel. The Pillar and Ground of Truth. Trans-
lated by Boris Jakim. Princeton: Princeton University,
1997.