Sophia, the Wisdom of God: An Outline of Sophiology (Library of Russian Philosophy) [Paperback]

Sergei Bulgakov (Author)

Book Description

Series: Library of Russian Philosophy | Publication Date: November 1993

In this brave theological work, Bulgakov shows how the Divine Sophia, in whom all things are created, is present in the Holy Trinity itself and how, as the 'creaturely Sophia', she works together with her divine counterpart in the work of the Holy Spirit for the redemption of the world. From the Esalen-Lindisfarne Library of Russian Philosophy.

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: Russian

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Lindisfarne Pr; First Printing edition (November 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0940262606
• ISBN-13: 978-0940262607
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #589,788 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What is the Wisdom of God?, July 13, 2007

By 

benjamin (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sophia, the Wisdom of God: An Outline of Sophiology (Library of Russian Philosophy) (Paperback)

Sophia: The Wisdom of God: An Outline of Sophiology is one of the most controversial works of 20th century Orthodox theology. Written by the highly-regarded theologian Sergius Bulgakov, it is an attempt to write a theology of the Wisdom of God - a concept found in the Christian Bible, considered from time to time by the Church Fathers and, most importantly, architecturally articulated throughout the Orthodox world in churches such as the famous Hagia Sophia (Holy Wisdom) in Constantinople, which is dedicated to the Wisdom of God.

It is with the church buildings themselves that Bulgakov begins his inquiry - a rather unique place to begin a work of speculative theology. Thus, Bulgakov takes the very existence of Orthodoxy's most famous cathedral and turns it into a theologically valid - the theologically valid - point of entry into the question of what the Wisdom (Sophia) of God is. Grounding theology in the very brick and mortar of a church structure is not a new thing in the history of Christendom - the late-16th century Anglican theologian Richard Hooker did something similar in Book V of his Laws of Ecclesiastical Polity, the Abbot Suger also turned to the aesthetic of architectural beauty in his theological writings on the Cathedral of St. Denis in the 12th century and, within the Orthodox tradition itself, the arguments about icons in the 8th and 9th century were arguments about the inside of the church building as much as an argument about religious artwork qua religious artwork - but it remains an unusual thing. Thus, it would have been welcome for me if Bulgakov had given a greater methodological consideration to and explanation of the validity of this perspective. Like Hooker, the implication seems to be that the worshiping community itself, by worshiping in a particular church building, both validates and shows the validity behind the naming of a particular church whether after a saint, or a Biblical figure or, as in this case, in honor of the Wisdom of God. And so, the lived experience of the community that worships God in Hagia Sophia - the lived experience of the community that worships God in Holy Wisdom - is the beginning part of this book.

There is a second important point that Bulgakov makes early in the book which must be kept in mind: the distinction between the Glory of God and the Wisdom of God. Both Glory and Wisdom are written of in Scripture as being *of* God; Bulgakov's desire to give a theological explanation of the Wisdom *of* God can thus be read, methodologically, as applying equally to the Glory *of* God. There is an unusual amount of Biblical exegesis in this book - that is, unusual for a work of Orthodox theology. I do not mean that Orthodox take no interest in Scripture! Rather, because Scripture is understood as the font of Tradition, all of Tradition is an equally valid resource in Orthodox thought for discussing theology (both as dogma and as mysticism). Bulgakov pays attention to the Fathers, as the Orthodox are well known for doing, but the point nonetheless remains: there is an unusually high level of Biblical exegesis in the book. For me, it is a welcome departure, although because I do not know how the Orthodox have historically approached the Biblical statements about the Wisdom *of* God, I can't tell whether or not Bulgakov is reflective of his own tradition on this point.

The major difficulty with writing a theology of the Wisdom *of* God - it would presumably be the same difficulty that would accompany a theology of the Glory *of* God - is avoiding the implication that Sophia is a fourth person in the Godhead. Bulgakov's Trinitarian theology is thoroughly orthodox; at no point does he claim that Wisdom is a fourth hypostasis (person). Rather, he claims that because Wisdom is *of* God, this means that it a) belongs to the undivided essence of God, which means that b) all three persons of the Trinity - the Father, Son and Holy Spirit - partake of Wisdom in a way which is according to their own personhood. Thus, Wisdom is shared equally and in an undivided fashion among the persons of the Godhead. Presumably, given Bulgakov's distinction between the Wisdom and the Glory *of* God, we could say the same of Glory: it belongs to the essence of God and is therefore partaken of by each person of the Trinity in a way that is according to their personhood. Bulgakov does not claim such in this book, but it seems to me to be the implication he leaves us with.

Although an unusual topic of theological investigation, up through this point it seems to me that Bulgakov is really quite thoughtful and insightful and, above all, thoroughly orthodox. Where his speculation seems to run aground is late in the book where he claims that there is the uncreated, eternal Wisdom *of* God, but also a created, creaturely Wisdom. He further claims that it is the union of eternal Wisdom with created Wisdom that unites God and the created order in relation to one another. While I would think that there would be ways that Bulgakov could take this that would resolve any confusion, the problem is that he doesn't - that is, he doesn't really explain what or who created Wisdom is. What, then, are we to understand created Wisdom to be? If it were humanity in its undefiled state, then it would be clear that the union of eternal Wisdom with created Wisdom was a reference to the incarnation. But again, this isn't made explicit. I think that claiming that creation and God are united in Wisdom - and, one may presume, Glory as well - is a pretty beautiful thing to claim, and a pretty beautiful worldview to have. But, it needs to be clarified how and I just don't think that Bulgakov does this. So, it's not a heretical work, but a potentially confusing one (and the potential confusion is just made worse by the fact that it is a book that advances a "feminine" view of the Godhead, which isn't the point of the book at all, but to consider the theological meaning of a series of feminine Biblical images; I can't help but think that Bulgakov would have cringed at being seen as some sort proto-feminist). Nonetheless, I think it is worth reading, because it presents us with a point of departure for what we all orthodox (ie, Nicene) Christians already believe: that Wisdom is truly of God. How to articulate that fully seems to me to be one of the more important topics for theology today - and Bulgakov does help us get there, even if not perfectly.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The interpersonal essence of the Trinity, July 11, 2009

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Baroque Norseman (Louisiana) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sophia, the Wisdom of God: An Outline of Sophiology (Library of Russian Philosophy) (Paperback)

Sophia the Wisdom of God: An Outline of Sophiology

Sergei Bulgakov attempts to restate Trinitarian theology using Sophianic categories. While his conclusions, much less his arguments, appear esoteric and even heretical at times (though I will maintain and try to show he is within Orthodoxy), he asks questions about Trinitarianism, Christology, and Creation that have to be answered. He phrases the problems on the horns of a dilemma: for example, what is the relationship between the three persons of the Trinity? (or one could substitute the two natures of Christ, God and creation, etc). Most answers in church history have either said there is no relation between the persons (ending in a weird sort of Trinitarian Nestorianism) or positing some relation between them but they are not able to show how this new relation, a third-term, isn't itself a new hypostasis of the Trinity. Bulgakov attempts to correct that.

In short, he argues that the "divinity in God constitutes the divine Sophia (glory), while at the same time we also assume that it is the ousia: ousia = Sophia = glory" (33). The task before Bulgakov is to show how Sophia is distinct from the hypostases yet cannot exist apart from them while eternally being enhypostasized. Through dense reflection, Bulgakov comes to the conclusion that Sophia, the principle of God, is non-hypostatic but capable of being eternally hypostasized at any moment (35). This is important because Bulgakov rebuts the charge that his construction of Sophia is a "fourth hypostasis." I think he is successful in that but not always clear.

Bulgakov spends the rest of the book showing how Sophia illuminates Creation, Christology, Mariology, and the Church. Some chapters are better argued than others are. However, he makes a very important move in his chapter on Creation. Bulgakov sets forth the conundrum like this: "is the content of the life of the world something new for God himself, which was unknown to him prior to creation..." or is creation simply identified with God (63)? If we say the former, then we have to see creation as a self-revelation for God himself. If we accept the latter, then we are pantheists. Bulgakov maintains, in order to avoid these horns, that God creates the world out of the abundance of his own divine resources (63). But isn't this pantheism, too? No, for "the creature [or creation] is distinct from the deity itself not in respect of the source of its being [doesn't St Paul say `in him we live and move and have our very being?'], but only in respect of the particular mode of its reception of that being" (61). Some would say, "That's still pantheism." Fair enough. St Paul, too, is a pantheist (Acts 17:28, especially `we are his offspring'). Anyway, Bulgakov is simply repeating the Fathers, especially Maximus and Gregory of Nazianzus. This means that creation is divinely charged with the Glory of God (English lyrical poetry says as much).

Analysis
Pros: Bulgakov shows us the "interconnectedness" of the Christian faith. If one talks about Trinity then one is speaking also about creation, salvation, and the Church. This is where the East has routinely outperformed the West. It is refreshing to open a small dogmatic treatises (Bulgakov would renounce the word!) and move straight into Trinity and Worship. This openly Trinitarian and doxological approach seems to allow Bulgakov to deal with thorny ontological problems with apparent ease.

Cons: It's easy to see how Bulgakov was thought heretical! Even though I gave him a charitable reading, and even though I believe he defended himself ably, he was skating on very dangerous ground. One objection commonly brought against sophiology is this: "Is it even necessary?" Fair enough. If one comes to the table with specifically Western frameworks and asks only the questions found in a Western treatise, then no, Sophiology is not necessary. But is the Western reading the only one?

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant speculative theology, July 12, 2009

By 

ecclesial hypostasis - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sophia, the Wisdom of God: An Outline of Sophiology (Library of Russian Philosophy) (Paperback)

I came to this book with the awareness that it had been condemned for heresy (I first heard of sophiology through Lossky's scathing critique in 'Mystical Theology of the Eastern Church'), but also an interest in the Russian school through reading Solovyov.

My first comment would be that reports of heresy are greatly over-stated. The most obvious problem would be if Sophia were to be taken as a divine hypostasis, which Bulgakov denies strongly. Given this, the cover and blurb of this edition, which emphasises the 'divine feminine' and the personhood of Sophia, is a bit misleading (though Bulgakov does seem to have inherited from Solovyov the tendency to speak of Sophia as a person).

The positive content of the book is an examination of the various interconnected ways that the concept of the Wisdom of God can enrich our understanding of the Trinity, creation, and the church.

Bulgakov's most daring hypothesis is that Wisdom is the 'matter' of the divine essence, that the essential unity of God is the self-revelation in Wisdom of the Father in the Son and the Spirit. Inside the Trinity this is best called Wisdom, when displayed to the world it is best called the Glory of God. This draws together strands of thought particularly from Irenaeus, Gregory Nazianzus, and to my mind Gregory Palamas as well with the essence/energies distinction.

Regarding creation, Sophia/Wisdom is both the perfect idea of the created order in the mind of God and the inner meaning of creation itself as it struggles to realise its potential through time. Sophia thus unites creation with the being of God in eternity. This is very similar to the 'logoi' of Maximus the Confessor.

Following on from this, Sophia comes in as the potentiality within humanity for deification, through the 'theandric' works of Christ and the Spirit that bring humanity freely and sophianically to union with God. In this context Mary is seen as the foremost example of a human sophianised by union with the Holy Spirit.

This work as a whole is a very edifying and inspiring exposition of the works of the Trinity and humanity's place in salvation history. It relates well to the concept of 'divine-humanity' developed by Bulgakov elsewhere. My criticism would be that a higher level of precision needs to be brought to the terminology and theological definitions. That would allow sophiology to be assimilated to the broader church rather than being inappropriately used by unorthodox groups.

This edition also had a number of typos, particularly a mis-spelled chapter header.