Sergius Bulgakov

Fr. Sergei Nikolaevich Bulgakov
(June 16, 1871, Livny - July 12, 1944, Paris)

"The greatest Orthodox theologian since Saint Gregory Palamas"
-- Constantin Andronikov (d. 1997), French translator and editor


Fr. Bulgakov's grave at Sainte-Genevieve-des-Bois (Tomb 579, Plan I) near Paris	Fr. Bulgakov's funeral was held at Cathedrale St. Alexandre Nevsky 12, rue Daru, Paris

Dear Father Sergius,

You were a Christian sage, a teacher of the Church in the purest and most lofty sense. You were enlightened by the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Wisdom, the Spirit of Understanding, the Comforter to Whom you dedicated your scholarly work. He transformed the Saul in you into Paul. He guided you to your last breath. Twenty-six years ago you partook of His gracious gifts in the sacrament of ordination and you bore the cross of priesthood in the Holy Spirit. It is significant that you received this gift on the day of the Holy Spirit--when He descended upon the holy apostles in tongues of fire. Thus you had a share in them. You were an apostle in your life...It is significant too that you celebrated your last liturgy on earth on that very day of the Holy Spirit, the anniversary of your ordination as a priest...How bright your countenance that day! Your soul was conscious of its last triumph in this world. And it was on that day that the Lord called you to cease your priestly service on earth so as to continue it there, at the throne of God, in the choir of holy angels and apostles.

-- Excerpt from funeral homily by Metropolitan Evlogy

Sophia (Divine Wisdom)

Displayed here by kind permission of
iconographer Eileen McGuckin

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Following is an open-ended listing of resources. Within these sections, resources are given in no particular order at this time. New resource entries are generally, but not always, added at the end of each section. Please scroll to the last section of this page for Bulgakov Society Notes.

Encyclopedia entries on-line:

Fr. Sergius Bulgakov - St. Pachomius Library entry by Norman Hugh Redington
Sergej Nikolajewitsch Bulgakow - Entry by Friedrich Wilhelm Bautz in the Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon (in German)
Sergey Nikolayevich Bulgakov - article in the Encyclopaedia Britannica Online (access to full article requires registration)
Sophia - article by Mikhail Sergeev in the Polish encyclopedic dictionary, Ideas in Russia: Russian-Polish-English Leksikon, ed. Andrzej de Lazari, vol. 4, Lodz, Poland, 2001, pp. 524-535.

Other web pages dedicated to Sergius Bulgakov:

Fr. Sergius Bulgakov - A page of linked resources maintained by Gregorios (Jarno) Wassen, Netherlands
Archpriest Sergius Bulgakov (In Russian) - maintained by Aleksandr Gurevich

Bibliographies:

Works by Sergius Bulgakov - Bibliography and publication history document, in development (Word format)
Bulgakov Bibliography - Bibliographic information provided by Brandon Gallaher, Oxford University, on September 26, 2005. Subject to re-sequencing at some later date.
Bulgakov/Sophia Bibliography - Prepared by Kristi Groberg in 1992 and placed here by permission.
Bibliography - From Mikhail Sergeev, Sophiology in Russian Orthodoxy: Solov’ev, Bulgakov, Losskii and Berdiaev. Lewiston, Maine: The Edwin Mellen Press, 2006
Bibliographie Sergij Nikolaevič Bulgakov (German) - Compiled by Heinrich Michael Knechten
Sergej Nikolajewitsch Bulgakow - Entry by Friedrich Wilhelm Bautz in the Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon (in German)

Links to primary resources on-line:

Philosophy of Economy: The World as Household (Chapter 1) [PDF] - By Sergei Bulgakov
The Power of the Cross - A sermon preached by Sergius Bulgakov
The Vatican Dogma - By Sergius Bulgakov, with Introduction by L. A. Zander
Prayer for Unity - By Sergius Bulgakov
Talks with Elder Symeon - By Sergius Bulgakov
The Orthodox Church - By Sergey Bulgakov. These are excerpts as "edited" by Bishop Alexander (Mileant) and others. Why is the date of Fr. Bulgakov's death is shown as 1954?

Links to secondary resources on-line:

Review of Bulgakov's The Bride of the Lamb - By Svitlana Kobets, University of Toronto
Review of Bulgakov's Bride of the Lamb - By John Chryssavgis, Holy Cross School of Theology, Brookline, Massachusetts. Review appeared in Theology Today, October 2002.
Review of Bulgakov's The Comforter - By Myroslav Tataryn, St. Jerome's College, Waterloo, Ontario. Review appeared in Anglican Theological Review, Fall 2005.
Review of Rowan Williams's Sergii Bulgakov, Towards a Russian Political Theology - By Antoine Arjakovsky, Catholic University of Ukraine, Lviv
Review of Rowan Williams's Sergii Bulgakov, Towards a Russian Political Theology - By Joseph S. O'Leary, Sophia University, Tokyo
Bulgakov's Ecumenical Thought [DOC] - By Anastassy (Brandon) Galaher, doctoral student in theology at the University of Oxford specializing in Russian thought, especially Bulgakov. This was previously published in Sobornost. Illustrations and original formatting have not been retained.
Divine Wisdom and the Trinity: A Twentieth Century Controversy in Orthodox Theology [DOC] - By Mikhail Sergeev
The Divine Sophia in the Holy Trinity - By Gregorios (Jarno) Wassen, Netherlands
Sergii Bulgakov, the Fellowship of St Alban and St Sergius, Intercommunion and Sofiology - Abstract to article by Bryn Geffert at Taylor & Francis Group
The Paris School of Theology: Unity or Multiplicity? - By Paul Valliere, Butler University, prepared for the Conference on La Teologia ortodossa e l'Occidente nel XX secolo: Storia di un incontro, Seriate, Italy, October 30-31, 2004. As originally posted to the LiveJournal of Bishop Seraphim Sigrist at the bottom of this journal entry where you will need to scroll down.
Sergej Bulgakov on Pol and Sexuality - An abstract, by Evgenii Bershtein, Reed College
Heresy on Mt. Athos: Conflict over the Name of God Among Russian Monks and Hierarchs, 1912-1914 - By Tom E. Dykstra, University of Washington. Has sub-section on "Sergius Bulgakov's Contribution." The Dykstra thesis can also be found at another website here.
The Sophiology of Father Sergius Bulgakov and Contemporary Western Theology - By Antoine Arjakovsky, Ukrainian Catholic University. Originally presented in Russian in Moscow in March, 2001, in a conference on Sergius Bulgakov at the House of the Russian Emigration. English version prepared for St. Vladimir's Theological Quarterly.
The Spirit prays in us: The liturgical meaning of the Jesus prayer - By Fr. Michael Plekon, Baruch College, City University of New York. Prepared for XII Ecumenical Conference, Monastery of Bose, September 18, 2004. Contains references to Fr. Sergius Bulgakov.
Daniil Andreev and the Russian Mysticism of Femininity - By Mikhail Epstein. This appears as a chapter in Bernice Glatzer Rosenthal's book, The Occult in Russian and Soviet Culture (Cornell University Press, 1997). This chapter contains references to Fr. Sergius Bulgakov, particularly with respect to Bulgakov's sophiology.
General cognitive scheme of preparation for scientific researches and projects - By Vladimir I. Razumov, Omsk Institute of Moscow State University of Commerce. References to Bulgakov occur in 3.3. Development of PSR world-view level into human knowledge complex schematization within the boundaries of Nature and Spirit, and in 3. CS ontological basis of the triad representation of quality at Subsections 3.3 and 3.18, and in 5. CS as a cognitive homeostat and providing understanding of knowledge systems at Subsections 5.9 and 5.10.
The Kenosis Problem in von Balthasar's Reading of Bulgakov - By Anthony D. Baker, Episcopal Theological Seminary of the Southwest. An earlier embodiment of this research was presented to the Eastern Orthodox section at the Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Religion (AAR) in 2002.
Wisdom from Above? The Sophiology of Father Sergius Bulgakov [ZIP] - Article by Aidan Nichols, O.P., in New Blackfriars, Volume 85: Issue 1000. (The article is a PDF file contained in a ZIP file.)
Exiled Russian Orthodox Leaders in Paris and the Struggle to Establish a Home Away from Home (1925-1944) - Article by Jonathan Seiling, University of Toronto, in Historical Papers 2005: Canadian Society of Church History, pp 69-82. Following are links to the individual pages (in PDF) that constitute this article: Page 69, Pages 70-71, Pages 72-73, Pages 74-75, Pages 76-77, Pages 78-79, Pages 80-81, Page 82.
The Spirit of the Grand Inquisitor - By N. A. Berdyaev, "Regarding Ukaz of Met. Sergei condemning the Theological Views of Fr. S. Bulgakov"
A Pneumatological Parousia: Continuities and Discontinuities of the Spirit's Role in the Second Coming According to Jurgen Moltmann and Sergius Bulgakov [DOC] - 2006 paper by Kyle D. Bennett, graduate student at Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena, California
The Comforter and Divine-Humanity - paper by Nadia Delicata, Th.D. candidate, Regis College, University of Toronto, appearing in the on-line journal, Theandros, Volume 5, number 1, Fall 2007
"Sweet Yielding Consent of Sophia": The Wisdom Visions of Merton via Solov’ev and Bulgakov [DOC] - paper by Kristi Groberg, Ph.D., presented at AAASS in New Orleans, November 2007
Sergei Bulgakov: Eastern Orthodoxy engaging the modern world [PDF] - Article by Myroslaw Tataryn, University of Saskatchewan, in Studies in Religion/Sciences Religieuses, Volume 31, Numbers 3-4, 2002
Modernity and its Critique in 20th Century Russian Orthodox Thought [PDF] - Article by Kristina Stockl, University of Innsbruck, in Studies in Eastern European Thought (2006) 58:243-269
Bulgakov, The Trinity and Ecumenism [PDF] - Paper by Adam V[erslype], prepared at Religious Studies Department, University of Dayton (no date given)
Fr Sergius Bulgakov (1871-1944): A study in the Eastern Orthodox hermeneutical perspective [PDF] - By A. I. Negrov, University of Pretoria, Faculty of Theology, in Hervormde Teologiese Studies, 58 (1) / Mar, pp 250-263. Negrov is also Academic Dean, St. Petersburg Christian University (Russia).
Sergius Bulgakov and the Theology of Divine Wisdom [PDF] - By Barbara Newman, Northwestern University, in St. Vladimir's Theological Quarterly, Vol. 22, No. 1 (1978). The text of this paper is available here by permission of the author.
Sergii Bulgakov's Eschatological Perspective on Human History [PDF] - By Marta Samokishyn. This paper, as published in Logos: A Journal of Eastern Christian Studies, 49: 3-4 (2008) 235-262, is a shortened version of Marta Samokishyn's MA thesis at Saint Paul University, Ottawa. The text of this paper is available here by permission of the author.
Bulgakov’s Sophiological Conception of Creation - By Fr. Robert Slesinski. This paper is the text of a presentation delivered at the 2007 national convention of the AAASS in New Orleans. The paper was subsequently published in the second volume for 2008 of Orientalia Christiana Periodica (OCP 74 920080 443-454). The paper is available here by kind permission of the author.

Other resources (primary):

Problems of Idealism: Essays in Russian Social Philosophy - Book edited by Randall A. Poole. Contains essays by Bulgakov and others.
A Bulgakov Anthology: From Marxism to Christian Orthodoxy - Book edited by Nicholas Zernov and James Pain
Sophia, the Wisdom of God: An Outline of Sophiology (Library of Russian Philosophy) - By Sergius Bulgakov
The Holy Grail and the Eucharist - By Sergius Bulgakov, translated by Boris Jakim
The Virgin and the Saints in Orthodoxy - By Sergius Bulgakov, a chapter in Eastern Orthodox Theology (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1995) edited by Daniel B. Clendenin
Orthodoxy and Modern Society - Book edited by Robert Bird, University of Chicago. Contains three important essays by Bulgakov: "Social Teaching in Modern Russian Orthodox Theology," "Russian Society and Religion," and "Sophia." Supplemented by a bibliography of Bulgakov's works in English. This and other relevant titles can also be purchased directly from the author/publisher (Variable Press).
Apocatastasis and Transfiguration - Book edited by Robert Bird, University of Chicago. The main part of the book comprises an essay excerpted from Bulgakov's Bride of the Lamb, part of his sophiological trilogy, which gives a good introduction into Bulgakov's theology. The essay is supplemented by a memoir of Bulgakov by Sister Joanna Reitlinger and an introduction by the translator, Boris Jakim. This and other relevant titles can also be purchased directly from the author/publisher (Variable Press).
"The Correspondence of Bulgakov and Florovsky: Chronicle of a Friendship." Wiener Slavistischer Almanach (Munich) 38, Fall 1996, pp. 37-49 - By Catherine Evtuhov, Georgetown University. See Professor Evtuhov's link for other related edited materials.
The Light that Never Sets - A book notice (in English) of a book (in Italian) by Sergej Bulgakov, as translated into Italian by Maria Campatelli and introduced by Piero Coda

Other resources (secondary):

The Cross and the Sickle: Sergei Bulgakov and the Fate of Russian Religious Philosophy, 1890-1920 - Book by Catherine Evtuhov, Georgetown University
Eastern Orthodox Thought: Sergius Bulgakov, Paul Evdokimov, Mother Maria Skobtsova - Chapter by Michael Plekon, Baruch College, that appeared in The Blackwell Companion to Political Theology (2003)
The Kenotic Theology of Sergius Bulgakov, Scottish Journal of Theology (August 2005) - Article by Paul L. Gavrilyuk, University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, Minnesota
Universal Salvation in the Eschatology of Sergius Bulgakov [DOC] - by Paul Gavrilyuk, University of St. Thomas, St. Paul. Subsequently published in the Journal of Theological Studies (abstract here).
The Tragedy of Theology: Sergei Bulgakov - Article by Robert Bird, was to have appeared in Religion, State and Society (UK)
The Trinitarian Panentheism of Sergej Bulgakov - Article by John O'Donnel, S.J., in Gregorianum 76/1 (1995), pp. 31-45.
Neither Humanism Nor Deep Ecology: Sophianic Environmentalism in Sergei Bulgakov's Philosophy of Economy [PDF] - Keynote presentation by Bruce V. Foltz, Eckerd College, at Conference of International Association for Environmental Philosophy (2004)
Russian Religious Thought: Recovering the roots of Russian religious philosophy - Book edited by Judith Deutsch Kornblatt and Richard Gustafson. Contains essays on Bulgakov and others.
Book review of Russian Religious Thought by Kornblatt and Gustafson - Review by Tom Dykstra, University of Washington. This review provides further information about a book that attends particularly to the Sophiological concerns of Bulgakov and others.
I Love, Therefore I Am: The Theological Legacy of Archimandrite Sophrony - Book by Nicholas V. Sakharov. Has sections relating to Sergius Bulgakov.
A History of Russian Philosophy: From the Tenth to the Twentieth Centuries, edited by Valery A. Kuvakin, Ph.D. - Contains a chapter by Kuvakin on Sergei Bulgakov focusing on: His Legal Marxism, From Marxism to Idealism, From Religious Revolution to Monarchism, From Christian Philosophy to Dogmatic Theology, His Methodology and the Theory of Knowledge, Antinomism as a Principle of the Metaphysics of All-Unity, Word and Being, Sophiological Ontology, and The Historiosophy of All-Unity
A.I. Resnichenko. Category of Name and Ontology Experience: Bulgakov, Florovsky, Losev. - in Voprosy Filosofii, N 8 2004
Sergei Bulgakov: His Life and His Reflections in It: A Case Study for the Churching of the Russian Intelligentsia, an essay by A. M. Choufrine. This essay appears in Natalia Pecherskaya, editor, The Emancipation of Russian Christianity, translated by R. Coates. (Toronto Studies in Theology, Number 33, ISBN 0-7734-8871-5) Edwin Mellen Press, 1995.
Sergius N. Bulgakov: From Marxism to Sophiology - Article by Winston F. Crum in St. Vladimir’s Theological Quarterly 27, no. 1 (1983): 3-26.
Essai sur le père Serge Boulgakov (1871-1944): Philosophe et théologien chrétien - Book by Antoine Arjakovsky, Catholic University of the Ukraine, Lviv, published by Parole et Silence (Paris), May 2006, ISBN 2845734123, 214 pages.
Sergius Bulgakov and His Teaching - Article by Rev. Stanley S. Harakas in Greek Orthodox Theological Review 7, Nos. 1-2 (1961): 92-105.
The Tragedy of Russian Religious Philosophy: Sergei Bulgakov and the Future of Orthodox Theology - Article by Robert Bird in Orthodox Christianity and Contemporary Europe, Eds. Jonathan Sutton and Wil van den Bercken. Leuven-Paris-Dudley, MA: Peeters, 2003. 211-28.
The two Philosophies of the Divine Name: Alexei Losev and father Sergii Bulgakov vis-à-vis Pavel Florenskij: Hermeneutical and semiological meditations over the Byzantine hesyschast theology and Russian nominalism - Article by Dennis Ioffe in Kritika i Semiotika, Novosibirsk State University, Higher Education Support Program, Open Society Institute – Budapest, September 2007 (forthcoming).

Dissertations and Theses:

Bulgakov-Related Dissertations - A listing prepared in December 2004 by Kristi A. Groberg, Ph.D., Department of History and Religion, North Dakota State University
Making perfection: An experiment in theological ontology (Nicholas of Cusa, Sergei Bulgakov, Friedrich Schelling) - By Anthony D. Baker, Ph.D., University of Virginia, 2004
Sophia, the wisdom of God conceptions of the divine feminine in Russian culture, 1880--1917 (Vladimir Soloviev, Aleksandr Aleksandrovich Blok, Pavel Kuznetsov, Sergei Bulgakov, Nikolai Roerich) - By David Matthew Borgmeyer, Ph.D., University of Southern California, 2004
Maria Campatelli of Ezio Aletti Study and Research Center evidently did a dissertation on Bulgakov at Pontifical Oriental Institute in Rome. Dissertation title and date are not known to us.
Local Church and Church Universal: Towards a Convergence between East and West: A Study on the Theology of the Local Church according to N. Afanasiev and J. M.-R. Tillard with Special Reference to Some of the Contemporary Catholic and Orthodox Theologians - by Joseph G. Aryankalayil at University of Fribourg, Switzerland, August 2004. Contains a section on Bulgakov in connection with Afanasiev.
Divine onomatology: Naming God in imyaslavie, symbolism, and deconstruction (Sergei Nikolaevich Bulgakov, Aleksei Losev, Pavel Florensky, Vyacheslav Ivanov) - By Helena Gourko, Ph.D., Boston University, 2005. Also available from Amazon.
Tradition and modernity: Sergei Bulgakov's quest for a Christian civil society in late Imperial Russia - By Scott Van Lingenfelter, Ph.D., University of Illinois at Chicago, 2005.
Father Pavel Florenski’s Theological and Philosophical Thought - Abstract of Ph.D. thesis by Fr. Nicolae Nicolescu. Contains some reference to Bulgakov.
A Sophia of Substance - The Divine Ecology of Sergius Bulgakov - By Kerry George - Thesis submitted November 5, 2004, as part of the requirements for the Degree of Bachelor of Theology with Honours in Systematic Theology at Murdoch University, Perth, Australia
Where is Hope to be found? Sophia and the Battle for the World in the theology of Sergei Bulgakov - Working title for dissertation-in-progress (Ph.D.) by Kerry George, Murdoch University (Australia)
Sergii Bulgakov and the sophiological controversy: an historical inquiry into the encounter of Russian orthodoxy and Western modernity - Dissertation-in-progress (Th.D.) by Jonathan R. Seiling, School of Theology, University of Toronto. (As referenced at Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, 2005 Scholarships and Fellowships.)
Spirit of Freedom, Spirit of Love: The Dialectic of Freedom and Necessity and the Analogy of Love in the Trinitarian Theologies of Sergii Bulgakov, Karl Barth and Hans Urs von Balthasar - Dissertation-in-progress (D.Phil.) by Brandon Gallaher, University of Oxford.
Ecologies of salvation: New roots for environmental ethics in three Christian traditions - By Willis Jackson Jenkins, Ph.D., University of Virginia, 2006. The second part of the dissertation offers critical reappraisals of three soteriological traditions through readings of Thomas Aquinas, Karl Barth, and Sergei Bulgakov.
Sergei Bulgakov: Between Two Worlds in Sophia - Thesis submitted by Ruth Nares, St. Chad's College, University of Durham, for M.A. in Theological Research
Man as the revolutionary image of God. The philosophical anthropologies of Sergii N. Bulgakov and Nikolai A. Berdiaev - Dissertation-in-progress (in German), by Regula Zwahlen, at Universität Freiburg, Institut für Ost- und Ostmitteleuropa, Departement der Philosophie. Dissertation Abstract: "Within the Russian idealist movement at the beginning of the 20th century, the ex-marxists Nikolai A. Berdiaev and Sergei N. Bulgakov were prominent members. Their ideas of the absolute dignity of human personality are based on the Christian notion of man as an image of God, which they consider to be a revolutionary and liberating concept. Nevertheless their social and religious philosophies differ in many aspects. The purpose of this dissertation is to differentiate the philosophies of Berdiaev and Bulgakov on the basis of their notions of man, as well as to survey their different philosophical development." Regula Zwahlen has also worked with Katharina Breckner (at the Freiburg Faculty of Theology) on a translation into a German edition with commentary (not yet published, as of January 2008) of "Dva grada" and "Filosofija khozjajstva" by S. N. Bulgakov.
The Development of the Political and Religious Philosophy of Sergii Bulgakov, 1895-1922 - Dissertation by Philip Walters, London School of Economics, 1978.
That All May be One in the Eucharist and the Church: A Comparison of the Eucharistic Theologies and Ecumenical Possibilities of John Paul II and Sergius Bulgakov - Thesis by Angela McCormick, presented to the Faculty of the Aquinas Institute of Theology, St. Louis, Missouri, 2009

Blogs (Web Logs) and Discussion Groups:

Sergius Bulgakov Discussion - Our associated discussion group at Yahoo!. Please join and participate!
The Unburnt Bush - The blog of Gregorios Wassen, seminarian at Saint Vladimir Orthodox Theological Seminary. Contains some excerpts of texts by and about Fr. Sergius Bulgakov.
Milbank on Sophiology - By Joel Garver in his blog, Sacra Doctrina. This relates to Professor John Milbank's recent (2005) reflections on Sophiology, in Bulgakov and more generally.

Theology and Philosophy Cooperative

Sophia - A report by Peter J. Leithart at his blog concerning the presentation by Professor John Milbank at the Theology and Philosophy Cooperative meeting on November 18, 2005, in Philadelphia. This was in conjunction with the annual meeting of the American Academy of Religion. Professor Milbank's presentation touches on an approach to understanding Sophia in Bulgakov's work and on the meaning and function of Sophia more generally.
Sergius Bulgakov on Church Unity - By Andrew Matthews on March 26, 2005, at his Unpopular Opinions: Challenging the status quo in church and state blog
Fr. Sergius Bulgakov and Christology (Christ's Baptism) - Discussion thread from February 23, 2005, at CopticHymns.net
Thoughts on Fr. Sergius Bulgakov - Evlogite blog entry, from September 16, 2004
Entering with Heresy? - Pensate Omnia blog entry, from September 16, 2004
Wisdom Christology - OrthodoxChristianity.net blog thread from August 8, 2004, largely on Sergius Bulgakov
On The Eucharistic Dogma - Pontifications blog thread, from June 21, 2004, on this book by Sergius Bulgakov.
Sophia in the Patristic Tradition - Discussion forum at Monachos.net.
Bulgakov, Fr Sergeii - Discussion forum at Monachos.net.
Running Off at the Keyboard: about the world seen through Catholic eyes - Blog entries for February 1-7, 2004, by Carrie Tomko. Although these are focused largely on Solovyov and Sophiology, there are numerious references to Bulgakov.
Should Catholics Follow the Utopian Vision of Modern Democracies? Part III-3 The Problems of Utopia - Blog entry (June 2007) by Henry Karlson at the on-line journal, Nova Vox. Contains reference to Bulgakov's “Heroism and Asceticism” essay.
Rejoice, O Virgin Theotokos! - September and October, 2007, journal entries by an unidentified blogger who acknowledges appreciation for the theology of Sergius Bulgakov.
Sergius Bulgakov on the Incarnation - March 5, 2008, blog entry by Joe Rawls at his The Byzantine Anglo-Catholic blog.

Critical and Polemical:

Parisian School - From on-line edition of Ecumenism--A Path to Perdition by Ludmilla Perepiolkina, University of Tampere, Finland. A perspective from within Russian Orthodox Church Abroad (ROCA)
Sophian Heresy - From on-line edition of Ecumenism--A Path to Perdition by Ludmilla Perepiolkina, University of Tampere, Finland. A perspective from within Russian Orthdodox Church Abroad (ROCA)
Russian Inok: Russian Liturgical Choral Aesthetics: Its Past in Tradition and its Present in Ruins: Epilogue - By Olga Dolskaya. A disparaging view of the influence of Russian emigres, including Bulgakov, Berdyaev and others.

Temporarily Unclassified:

A Sergius Bulgakov Page - From the on-line Library of Landmark (In Russian). Babel Fish (AltaVista) translation of this resource.

Conferences and Lectures:

Theologians in the Church: Fr. Sergius Bulgakov and Fr. Nicolas Afanasiev - Scheduled presentation to be given by Fr. Michael Plekon, Baruch College, City University of New York, as Track 2 (Living Icons: Persons of Faith from the Orthodox Church in the 20th Century), Session 3, in the Eagle River Institute, Eagle River, Alaska, August 3, 2006.
Living Tradition--Social theory working with theology: the case of Fr. Sergius Bulgakov - Presentation by Fr. Michael Plekon, Baruch College, City University of New York. Delivered on June 3, 2006, at a conference on Radical Orthodoxy: a Christian Answer to Postmodern Culture held at the Institute of Ecumenical Studies, Ukrainian Catholic University, L'viv, Ukraine. This paper is made available here by permission of the author.
The Eastern Orthodox Studies Group, which meets regularly during the annual meetings of the American Academy of Religion (AAR), dedicated one of its 2006 sessions to various aspects of S. Bulgakov’s theology.
The Dogmatics of Identity: Sergei N. Bulgakov's Early Theological Writings - Presentation by T. Allan Smith, St. Michael's College, Toronto, Canada, given at conference of the Association for the Study of Eastern Christian History and Culture (ASEC) at Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, October 2005.
Soloviev's Early Idealism and the Birth of Sophia - Presentation by Jonathan Seiling, Emmanuel College, Toronto, Canada, given at conference of the Association for the Study of Eastern Christian History and Culture (ASEC) at Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, October 2005. Of relevance to the sophiological tradition as later re-worked by Bulgakov.
Sergei Bulgakov and Orthodox Civic Identity in Late Imperial Russia - Presentation by Scott Lingenfelter, University of Illinois, Chicago, Illinois, given at conference of the Association for the Study of Eastern Christian History and Culture (ASEC) at Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, October 2005.
Sophiology and Theurgy: The New Theological Horizon - Presentation by John Milbank, University of Nottingham. Delivered on October 1, 2005, at a conference on "Transfiguring the World Through the Word: An Encounter between Radical Orthodoxy and Eastern Orthodoxy" held at The Institute for Orthodox Christian Studies (IOCS), Wesley House, Cambridge, England. This paper, which is an early version that Professor Milbank expects to rewrite, is made available here by permission of the author and is copyright of the author and The Institute for Orthodox Christian Studies (IOCS).
Glorification of the Name and Grammar of the Wisdom: Serge Bulgakov and Jean-Marc Ferry - Presentation by Antoine Arjakovsky, Catholic University of the Ukraine, Lviv. Delivered on October 1, 2005, at a conference on "Transfiguring the World Through the Word: An Encounter between Radical Orthodoxy and Eastern Orthodoxy" held at The Institute for Orthodox Christian Studies (IOCS), Wesley House, Cambridge, England. This paper is made available here by permission of the author and is copyright of the author and The Institute for Orthodox Christian Studies (IOCS).
Kant's Third Antinomy and Spinoza's Substance in the Sophiology of Florenskii and Bulgakov - By Jonathan Seiling, University of Toronto - Final version of paper presented at Florensky conference in Moscow in September 2005.
Rublev's Trinity in the Iconology and Triadology of Bulgakov - Presentation by Marina V. Vasina, Sankt-Petersburg, Russia, given at the Ecumenical Conference at Bose, Italy, on September 16, 2005.
Study Day on Holy Wisdom - As reported by Second Spring: A Journal of Faith and Culture, this study day is to be held at Oxford Centre for Mission Studies, Oxford, England, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, April 23, 2005. Invited speakers are Dr Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury, to speak on Creation, Creativity and Creatureliness: The Wisdom of Finite Existence and Prof. Celia Deane-Drummond, to speak on "Ecology, Wisdom and Beauty in Bulgakov, Balthasar and Aquinas." The study day is to be chaired by Bishop Kallistos of Diokleia. Contact for more information: warden@sttheosevia.org.uk
Sex in Russian Modernist Theology: Father Sergii Bulgakov and Others - Lecture by Professor Evgenii Bershtein (Russian, Reed College) in the Noontime Scholars Lecture Series at Russian, East European, and Eurasian Center (REEC) at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign on Tuesday, March 29, 2005. At this link you will need to scroll to the lecture notice for March 29, 2005.
The epiclesis of life, a radical Orthodox approach - Presentation by Antoine Arjakovsky, Catholic University of the Ukraine, Lviv. Delivered on October 30, 2004, in Leuven. This paper is made available here by permission of the author and will be published with the proceedings of the Omnes Gentes conference organised by Missio and the Leuven Catholic University. Contains some references to Bulgakov.
Russian Theology in European Context - Conference on Bulgakov and Contemporary Western Religious Philosophical Thought, held at St. Andrew's Biblical Theological College, Moscow, 9/29/04 - 10/3/04
The Reality of the Sophianic Dimension - Presentation (in German) by Elke Kirsten (Institut für Ökumenische Studien, Universität Fribourg/Schweiz) at the St. Andrew's conference on Bulgakov, in Moscow (2004).
Les archetypes de la saintet dans la tradition orthodoxe - Presentation by Antoine Arjakovsky, Lviv, Ukraine, 4/10/04 (in French). Contains numerous references to Bulgakov.
Personne, Sagesse, Hypostase, une vision renouvelee de la divino-humanite - Presentation by Antoine Arjakovsky, Lviv, Ukraine, 2/9/04 (in French). Contains numerous references to Bulgakov.
Le heritage de l'ecclesiologie sapientielle de Vladimir Soloviev - Presentation by Antoine Arjakovsky, Lviv, Ukraine, 10/31/03 (in French). Contains numerous references to Bulgakov.
La Figura e l'Opera di P. Sergej N. Bulgakov - Conference, Padova, 3/29/03
Christ or Antichrist? The Political Economy of Fr. Sergius Bulgakov - Presentation by Daniel Payne, Baylor University, to the Ethics, Society and Cultural Analysis section of the 2003 Southwest Regional meeting of the American Academy of Religion (AAR)
Sergius Bulgakov and Christian Unity - University guest lecture given at Cambridge Theological Federation (UK) by Fr. John A. Jillions in 2002.
The Christian Socialism of Fr. Sergii Bulgakov: Toward an Orthodox Political Economy - Presentation by Nikolas K. Gvosdev and Daniel P. Payne at the Christianity and Economics: Integrating Faith and Learning in Economic Scholarship conference held November 7-9, 2002, at Baylor University.
Sacramentality of Creation: An Assessment of Recent Studies in the Theology of Creation in the Eastern-Oriental Tradition - Lecture by Kadavil Mathai (Faculty of Theology, K.U.Leuven, Belgium) at Leuven Encounters in Systematic Theology III, Theology and Conversation: Developing a Relational Theology, November 6-9, 2001. "Our study will briefly introduce the sophiological approach of Vladimir Soloviev, who tried to reconcile the pantheistic worldview with the Christian doctrine of the incarnation, and of his followers Paul Florensky, Sergius Bulgakov and Nicholas Berdyaev." At this link you will need to scroll down to the lecture proposal by Kadavil Mathai.
Bulgakov's Sophiology: A Post-Modern Hermeneutic - Presentation by Myroslaw Tataryn at the American Academy of Religion National Conference, Nashville, Tennessee, 2000

Photographs and Drawings (subject to re-numbering):

Undated

1 - Fr. Sergius Bulgakov - With label showing date of death. Image courtesy of Fr. Seraphim von Abele
2 - Fr. Sergius Bulgakov - Smaller version of the image at the previous link
3 - Fr. Sergius Bulgakov - Image linked from website of Gregorios (Jarno) Wassen, Netherlands
4 - Fr. Sergius Bulgakov - Smaller version of the image at the previous link.
5 - Bulgakov and others - Linked from website of the Fellowship of St. Alban and St. Sergius. This is a smaller version of photo 29-1926 listed below.
6 - Fr. Sergius Bulgakov between Metropolitan Evlogi and Serge Bezobrazov (Bishop Cassien) - At St. Serge. Image courtesy of Anastassy Brandon Gallaher, Oxford University
7 - Color portrait of Fr. Sergius Bulgakov by Sr. Joanna Reitlinger - Image courtesy of Anastassy Brandon Gallaher, Oxford University
8 - Fr. Sergius Bulgakov with Joanna Reitlinger - Image courtesy of Anastassy Brandon Gallaher, Oxford University
9 - Fr. Sergius Bulgakov with Fr. Alexander Kalachnikov - Image courtesy of Anastassy Brandon Gallaher, Oxford University
10 - Fr. Sergius Bulgakov's manuscript of Vatican Dogma - Image courtesy of Anastassy Brandon Gallaher, Oxford University
11 - Prayer to St. Sophia, the Wisdom of God - Bulgakov manuscript. Image courtesy of Anastassy Brandon Gallaher, Oxford University

Before 1920

12 - Bulgakov clan, 1904 - Image courtesy of Anastassy Brandon Gallaher, Oxford University
13 - Bulgakov clan, 1904 - With caption. Image courtesy of Anastassy Brandon Gallaher, Oxford University
14 - Sergius Bulgakov, 1905 - With caption. Image courtesy of Anastassy Brandon Gallaher, Oxford University
15 - Sergius Bulgakov, 1905 - Image courtesy of Anastassy Brandon Gallaher, Oxford University
16 - Fr. Sergius Bulgakov with his sons Ivashechka and Fedia, 1909. - Linked from website of Gregorios (Jarno) Wassen, Netherlands
17 - Sergius Bulgakov with boys (Ivashecka and Fedia), 1909 - At the time of Ivashecka's nephritis, with inscription. Image courtesy of Anastassy Brandon Gallaher, Oxford University
18 - Sergius Bulgakov and others, 1910 - At Serguiev Possad, with caption. Image courtesy of Anastassy Brandon Gallaher, Oxford University
19 - Sergius Bulgakov with children, Florensky, unknown monk, Novosselov, 1910 - At Serguiev Possad. Image courtesy of Anastassy Brandon Gallaher, Oxford University
20 - Philosophers (Portrait of Pavel Florenskiy and Sergey Bulgakov) - Painting by Mikhail Nesterov, 1917. Oil on canvas. The Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow
21 - Sergius Bulgakov and Fr. Florensky, 1917 - Grey image of painting by M. Nasterov. Image courtesy of Anastassy Brandon Gallaher, Oxford University

1920's

22 - Fr. Sergius Bulgakov, 1923 - In Prague. Image courtesy of Anastassy Brandon Gallaher, Oxford University
23 - Fr. Sergius Bulgakov with three-barred cross, 1923 - In Prague. Image used at this website (at top). Image courtesy of Anastassy Brandon Gallaher, Oxford University
24 - Fr. Sergius Bulgakov with Peter Struve and Bishop Serge Korglev, 1923 - In Prague. Image courtesy of Anastassy Brandon Gallaher, Oxford University
25 - Fr. Sergius Bulgakov at the grave of Pavel Novgorodtsev, 1924 - Image courtesy of Anastassy Brandon Gallaher, Oxford University
26 - Fr. Sergius Bulgakov with wife, Elena, and daughter, Marie, 1925 - Image courtesy of Anastassy Brandon Gallaher, Oxford University
27 - Fr. Sergius Bulgakov at ACER, 1926 - At Chateau d'Argeronne. Image courtesy of Anastassy Brandon Gallaher, Oxford University
28 - 1926 - In addition to Fr. Bulgakov, this photo includes Metropolitan Evlogy (seated on the bench, middle, with white beard), Antoine Kartashev (last on the right, on the bench, with a goatee), Paul Evdokimov (back row, tallest, with hair parted in the middle) and Lev Zander (standing, at right, the completely bald one). The clerics lounging on the grass and the others in the back row are not identified. From the Fellowship of St. Alban and St. Sergius archive. Image courtesy of Anastassy Brandon Gallaher, Oxford University
29 - 1926 - In addition to Fr. Bulgakov, this photo includes Metropolitan Evlogy (middle, with white beard) and Antoine Kartashev (at right, with a goatee). The cleric seated next to Fr. Sergius and the other bishop (second from right, with books) are not identified. From the Fellowship of St. Alban and St. Sergius archive. Image courtesy of Anastassy Brandon Gallaher, Oxford University
30 - 1926 - From the Fellowship of St. Alban and St. Sergius archive. Image courtesy of Anastassy Brandon Gallaher, Oxford University
31 - 1927 - From the Fellowship of St. Alban and St. Sergius archive. Image courtesy of Anastassy Brandon Gallaher, Oxford University
32 - 1927 - From the Fellowship of St. Alban and St. Sergius archive. Image courtesy of Anastassy Brandon Gallaher, Oxford University

1930's

33 - Fr. Sergius Bulgakov, 1930's - YMCA, Struve. Image courtesy of Anastassy Brandon Gallaher, Oxford University
34 - Fr. Sergius Bulgakov with Prof. Auguste Lecerf (left) and Fritz Lieb (right) at Ecumenical Conference, 1933 - At Rengsdorf. Image courtesy of Anastassy Brandon Gallaher, Oxford University
35 - Fr. Sergius Bulgakov with B. Zenkovsky & Fr. Serge Tchetverikov at ACER, 1935 - At Boissy. Image courtesy of Anastassy Brandon Gallaher, Oxford University
36 - Fr. Sergius Bulgakov photo by Zander (1), around 1935 - Image courtesy of Anastassy Brandon Gallaher, Oxford University
37 - Fr. Sergius Bulgakov photo by Zander (2), around 1935 - Image courtesy of Anastassy Brandon Gallaher, Oxford University
38 - Fr. Sergius Bulgakov and congress attendees on the Areopagus, 1936 - At First Congress of Orthodox Theology, Athens. Image courtesy of Anastassy Brandon Gallaher, Oxford University
39 - Fr. Sergius Bulgakov and congress attendees in front of University of Athens, 1936 - At First Congress of Orthodox Theology, Athens. Image courtesy of Anastassy Brandon Gallaher, Oxford University
40 - Fr. Sergius Bulgakov with Arch. Athenagoras, left. P. Anderson, 1936 - In the United States. Image courtesy of Anastassy Brandon Gallaher, Oxford University
41 - Fr. Sergius Bulgakov on his way to America, September 1936 - Image courtesy of Anastassy Brandon Gallaher, Oxford University
42 - Probably the Anglo-Russian Theological Conference of April 28-30, 1936, held at the House of the Resurrection in Mirfield, England - From the Fellowship of St. Alban and St. Sergius archive. Image courtesy of Anastassy Brandon Gallaher, Oxford University
43 - 1936-37 - From the Fellowship of St. Alban and St. Sergius archive. Image courtesy of Anastassy Brandon Gallaher, Oxford University
44 - 1936-37 - From the Fellowship of St. Alban and St. Sergius archive. Image courtesy of Anastassy Brandon Gallaher, Oxford University
45 - Fellowship Conference, High Leigh, 1937 - From the Fellowship of St. Alban and St. Sergius archive. Image courtesy of Anastassy Brandon Gallaher, Oxford University
46 - Fr. Sergius Bulgakov with Evelyn Underhill and Fr. Florovsky at Fellowship of St. Alban and St. Sergius Conference, High Leigh, 1937 - Image courtesy of Anastassy Brandon Gallaher, Oxford University
47 - Life and Work Conference, Oxford, 1937 - From the Fellowship of St. Alban and St. Sergius archive. Image courtesy of Anastassy Brandon Gallaher, Oxford University
48 - Believed to be Life and Work Conference, Oxford, 1937 - From the Fellowship of St. Alban and St. Sergius archive. Image courtesy of Anastassy Brandon Gallaher, Oxford University
49 - Faith and Order Conference, Edinburgh, 1937 - From the Fellowship of St. Alban and St. Sergius archive. Image courtesy of Anastassy Brandon Gallaher, Oxford University
50 - Faith and Order Conference, Edinburgh, 1937 - From the Fellowship of St. Alban and St. Sergius archive. Image courtesy of Anastassy Brandon Gallaher, Oxford University

1940's

51 - Deathbed Sketch of Fr. Bulgakov, July 7, 1944 - By Sister Joanna Reitlinger. Image courtesy of Anastassy Brandon Gallaher, Oxford University
52 - There is said to be a reproduction of a drawing by Sister Joanna Reitlinger of Fr. Sergius Bulgakov's face as he was on his deathbed, in the special issue of Le messager orthodoxe devoted to Fr. Bulgakov (No. 98, p. 87). This information appears in Footnote 2 of an article by Fr. Michael Plekon on Fr. Lev Gillet.

Occasionally Mistaken Identities:

Handbook for Church Servers - By Sergei Bulgakov, translated by Fr. Eugene Tarris. According to Anastassy Brandon Gallaher, the author of this translation work-in-progress is not S. N. Bulgakov but S[ergei]. V[asil'evich]. Bulgakov.

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Bulgakov Society Notes:

If you would like to join in occasional or periodic conversation in Memphis about the life and work of Fr. Bulgakov, please let us know.

Note to Researchers: Fr. Bulgakov's first name is variously spelled as Sergius, Sergii, Sergei, Sergey and Sergej in the literature. His last name is variously spelled as Bulgakov and Boulgakov.

The photograph of Fr. Sergius Bulgakov's gravesite, near the top of this webpage, has been made available to us courtesy of Roman Zaviyskyy, Oxford University.

Bulgakov Discussion List: To receive occasional Bulgakov Society notices, please join Sergius Bulgakov group at Yahoo!.

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We would also like to hear from others outside of Memphis as to how we might cooperatively promote conversation and scholarship in the broad area of Russian School theology in general and in the life and work of Fr. Sergius Bulgakov in particular.

Please let us know of other resources that might be appropriately added to this web page.

Sergius Bulgakov Society was pleased to host a reception for Fr. Paul Christy of Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church following his Chapel talk at Memphis Theological Seminary on November 10, 2004.

The background music you may be hearing at this web page is a sample (mid format) of Shen khar venakhi (Georgian), recorded 1999.

Last modified: September 7, 2009

Webmaster (rthomp2272@yahoo.com)

Sergius Bulgakov Society--An informal network and open Christian fellowship for the encouragement of the study and appreciation of the life and work of Fr. Sergius Bulgakov

"The liturgy is heaven on earth." -- Fr. Sergius Bulgakov