Title
Divine Judgment in Pavel Florensky and Sergius Bulgakov
Department/School
Theology
Date
2018
Document Type
Article
Keywords
Pavel Florensky, Sergius Bulgakov, divine judgement, universalism, image and likeness of God
Abstract
In this article, the author analyzes the accounts of divine judgment in Pavel Florensky and Sergius Bulgakov. According to the Russian theologians, divine judgment consists in the act of disclosure of the person’s “likeness of God,” the comparison between the empirical self and the ideal prototype of the person that exists in Christ, and the separation of the sinful aspect of the empirical self from the person. They maintain that the separation between the sheep and the goats is a figure of speech that indicates a division within each human being, not the division of humanity into two groups. With this central point in mind, they mount a case for universal salvation. Drawing on Matthew 5:29–30, they argue that divine judgment entails spiritual amputation and purification, not the damnation of any person in toto.
Published in
International Journal of Orthodox Theology
Citation/Other Information
Gavrilyuk, Paul L. “Divine Judgment in Pavel Florensky and Sergius Bulgakov.” International Journal of Orthodox Theology 9, no. 3 (2018): 9-31.