Bulgakov, Sergius

(1871–1944)

   Theologian and Ecumenist.

   Bulgakov was the son of a Russian Orthodox priest and was educated at a seminary in Orel and at the University of Moscow. After teaching at the Polytechnic Institute at Kiev and at Moscow, he was elected to the Duma. In 1918 he was ordained and in 1922 he was expelled from Russia by the Communist government. After a stay in Prague, he settled in Paris where he was a founder member of the Orthodox Theological Institute. He taught that the universe was created out of nothing as an emanation of the divine nature and that divine wisdom, or Sophia, is the agent of mediation between God and the universe. He was the author of many books including (in their English translations) Agnus Dei, the God-Manhood, The Orthodox Church, The Comforter and The Wisdom of God. Bulgakov is primarily remembered for his commitment to the ecumenical movement and for his teaching on Sophia.

   J. Pain and N. Zernov (eds), A Bulgakov Anthology (1976);

   L. Zander, God and the World: The World Conception of Father S. Bulgakov (1948);

   D. Ford, The Modern Theologian (1997).