George Florovsky’s critique of the Russian eligious-philosophical renaissance: an attempt at evaluation
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15633/lie.3767Keywords:
George Florovsky, Russian Religious Philosophy, NeopatristicsAbstract
In the present paper I present a project of Neopatristic synthesis by prominent Russian thinker Fr. George Florovsky, as well as the main reasons for which he criticised the existing style and direction of development of Russian thought in the form of religious-philosophical renaissance, or “the Silver Age.” By engaging in polemics with Florovsky’s approach, I advance four remarks. First, Florovsky himself was under the influence of the Russian religious-philosophical renaissance. Second, it was not Florovsky who initiated the Patristic studies in Russia, since they had been conducted from the 18th century. Third, the Neopatristic synthesis and the “Silver Age” philosophy could have been perceived as complementary projects rather than contrary in their tenor. Fourth, Florovsky left his own postulate uncompleted. In the concluding part of the paper I compare Florovsky’s and Zenkovsky’s approaches, arguing in favour of the latter thinker.
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