The Pillar and the Ground of the Truth

by Florenskii, P. A.; Jakim, Boris

• ISBN13: 9780691032436
• ISBN10: 0691032432
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1997-11-01
• Publisher: Princeton Univ Pr

Summary

Pavel Florensky--certainly the greatest Russian theologian of the last century--is now recognized as one of Russia's greatest polymaths. Known as the Russian Leonardo da Vinci, he became a Russian Orthodox priest in 1911, while remaining deeply involved with the cultural, artistic, and scientific developments of his time. Arrested briefly by the Soviets in 1928, he returned to his scholarly activities until 1933, when he was sentenced to ten years of corrective labor in Siberia. There he continued his scientific work and ministered to his fellow prisoners until his death four years later. This volume is the first English translation of his rich and fascinating defense of Russian Orthodox theology.Originally published in 1914, the book is a series of twelve letters to a "brother" or "friend," who may be understood symbolically as Christ. Central to Florensky's work is an exploration of the various meanings of Christian love, which is viewed as a combination of philia (friendship) and agape (universal love). Florensky is perhaps the first modern writer to explore the so-called "same-sex unions," which, for him, are not sexual in nature. He describes the ancient Christian rites of the adelphopoiesis (brother-making), joining male friends in chaste bonds of love. In addition, Florensky is one of the first thinkers in the twentieth century to develop the idea of the Divine Sophia, who has become one of the central concerns of feminist theologians.

Table of Contents

TRANSLATOR'S PREFACE AND ACKNOWLEDGMENTS	vii	(2)
INTRODUCTION TO THE TRANSLATION	ix
Richard F. Gustafson
THE PILLAR AND GROUND OF THE TRUTH
I. To the Reader	5	(5)
II. Letter One: Two Worlds	10	(4)
III. Letter Two: Doubt	14	(25)
IV. Letter Three: Triunity	39	(14)
V. Letter Four: The Light of the Truth	53	(27)
VI. Letter Five: The Comforter	80	(26)
VII. Letter Six: Contradiction	106	(18)
VIII. Letter Seven: Sin	124	(27)
IX. Letter Eight: Gehenna	151	(39)
X. Letter Nine: Creation	190	(41)
XI. Letter Ten: Sophia	231	(53)
XII. Letter Eleven: Friendship	284	(47)
XIII. Letter Twelve: Jealousy	331	(13)
XIV. Afterword	344	(7)
CLARIFICATION AND PROOF OF CERTAIN PARTICULARS ASSUMED IN THE TEXT TO BE ALREADY PROVED	351	(76)
XV. Certain Concepts from the Theory of Infinity	351	(4)
XVI. A Problem of Lewis Carroll and the Question of Dogma	355	(4)
XVII. Irrationalities in Mathematics and Dogma	359	(6)
XVIII. The Concept of Identity in Scholastic Philosophy	365	(3)
XIX. The Concept of Identity in Mathematical Logic	368	(7)
XX. Time and Fate	375	(3)
XXI. The Heart and Its Significance in the Spiritual Life of Man According to Scripture	378	(3)
XXII. An Icon of the Annunciation with Cosmic Symbolism	381	(3)
XXIII. On the Methodology of the Historical Critique	384	(6)
XXIV. The Turquois Environment of Sophia and the Symbolism of Sky-Blue and Dark-Blue	390	(17)
XXV. Pascal's "Amulet"	407	(4)
XXVI. On the History of the Term "Antinomy"	411	(2)
XXVII. Estheticism and Religion	413	(2)
XXVIII. Homotypy in the Structure of the Human Body	415	(5)
XXIX. Remarks on Trinity	420	(5)
XXX. The Basic Symbols and Elementary Formulas of Symbolic Logic (for reference)	425	(2)
NOTES AND BRIEF COMMENTS	427	(2)
NOTES	429	(160)
CLARIFICATION OF CERTAIN SYMBOLS AND DRAWINGS	589	(2)
INDEX	591