Sophiology

What better way to approach systematic theology than to use the writing method they taught us in junior high – the 5 w's?¹

The first sentence of the Wikipedia article on Sophiology can act as our starting point. Sophiology – “from Greek Σοφία Sophia (wisdom)(in Bulgarian and Russian: София) is a philosophical concept regarding wisdom as well as a theological concept regarding the wisdom of God.

Why?

I didn't set off to be living proof that dissertation topics are obscure – I really didn't! In choosing my theme for further study in the field of theology, I hoped to bring to light a relatively unknown idea that could be a resource for contemporary theologians. I felt that these voices from the East (both tied to church tradition and yet free to engage their mind and interact with contemporary thinkers) might just hold a key for bringing Wisdom out of her marginalization and into the lexicon of the wider church. I hoped that this the concept of Sophia might lead not only to a re-thinking of certain preconceived notions about God and God's relationship to the world, but that it could also lead to changes in contemporary practices in the realms of ethics, inter-faith and ecumenical relationships. In short, I had hoped that my work might find some resonance with readers today.

Vladimir Solovyov (on a good hair day)

Now, two years in to my research, I understand better both the problematic areas of Sophiology and the resources that it offers for those who both desire to remain within the framework of orthodox (though probably not Orthodox) Christian thinking and yet come to new interpretations of the church's teachings for the modern world.

Regarding my desire to find something useful for ethical questions, because of the limits of writing a dissertation at a state-sponsored university, I'm having to put these sorts of “practical” questions aside for the moment. While early versions of my dissertation outline were full of attempts to apply my research in concrete ways to wider questions, I eventually came to understand that this will need to remain outside of the bounds of my dissertation as such. For now, these ideas sit in folder on my computer, waiting for proper attention until after I get the major work (in the area of theology as such) done.

When? / Where? / Who?

Pavel Florensky and Sergei Bulgakov in the painting
 "Philosophers" by Mikhail Nesterov

The theological movement that I'm studying is rooted in the intellectual environment of late 19^th and early 20^th century Russia. The concept of Sophia, the Wisdom of God, permeated the philosophy, theology and even poetry of the period; part of my task is to describe why it was an attractive idea at the time. I'll then be then tracing the concept through the lives and thought of three fascinating individuals - one of Russia's most famous philosophers, Vladimir Solovyov, one of Russia's most gifted and unusual talents, Father Pavel Florensky, and Archpriest Sergei Bulgakov, the former Marxist economics professor whose entire worldview in his mature years was formulated around Divine Wisdom and who, therefore, developed Sophia as a full-fledged philosophical-theological concept.

What = Wisdom?

Theologian, Bulgakov scholar, and Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Rowan Williams, has said that “Father Bulgakov's thought has often seemed impenetrable to the casual Western reader, or even the not so casual Western reader.”² Sometimes Dr. Williams' works can feel the same way, so as you can imagine, I have my work cut out for me. That's even more true if another Bulgakov scholar, Catherine Evtukhov, is right that Bulgakov was careful never to give a complete and final definition of who/what Sophia was.



I think that Evtukhov is wrong, though, and my dissertation sets out to show Bulgakov really does have a well-defined theology of Divine Wisdom that flows through every major area of systematic theology he touches (and he touches them all.) Yet, saying that Sophia is important for these thinkers is not the same as saying who or what she is. And here I'll do my best to give a short summary. The best starting point from which to understand Wisdom in Sophiology is through a rather unusual Biblical text, from Proverbs 8 and 9. (NIV. Particularly important verses for the Sophiologists are in italic):

8.1 Does not wisdom call out? Does not understanding raise her voice? 
2 At the highest point along the way, where the paths meet, she takes her stand; 
3 beside the gate leading into the city, at the entrance, she cries aloud: 
4 “To you, O people, I call out; I raise my voice to all mankind. 
5 You who are simple, gain prudence; you who are foolish, set your hearts on it.
6 Listen, for I have trustworthy things to say; I open my lips to speak what is right. 
7 My mouth speaks what is true, for my lips detest wickedness. 
8 All the words of my mouth are just; none of them is crooked or perverse. 
9 To the discerning all of them are right; they are upright to those who have found knowledge. 
10 Choose my instruction instead of silver, knowledge rather than choice gold, 
11 for wisdom is more precious than rubies, and nothing you desire can compare with her.
12 “I, wisdom, dwell together with prudence;  I possess knowledge and discretion. 
13 To fear the LORD is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance evil behavior and perverse speech. 
14 Counsel and sound judgment are mine; I have insight, I have power. 
15 By me kings reign and rulers issue decrees that are just; 
16 by me princes govern, and nobles—all who rule on earth.
17 I love those who love me, and those who seek me find me. 
18 With me are riches and honor, enduring wealth and prosperity. 
19 My fruit is better than fine gold; what I yield surpasses choice silver. 
20 I walk in the way of righteousness, along the paths of justice, 
21 bestowing a rich inheritance on those who love me and making their treasuries full. 
22 “The LORD brought me forth as the first of his works, before his deeds of old;  
23 I was formed long ages ago, at the very beginning, when the world came to be. 
24 When there were no watery depths, I was given birth, when there were no springs overflowing with water; 
25 before the mountains were settled in place, before the hills, I was given birth, 
26 before he made the world or its fields or any of the dust of the earth. 
27 I was there when he set the heavens in place, when he marked out the horizon on the face of the deep, 
28 when he established the clouds above and fixed securely the fountains of the deep, 
29 when he gave the sea its boundary so the waters would not overstep his command, and when he marked out the foundations of the earth. 
30 Then I was constantly at his side. I was filled with delight day after day, rejoicing always in his presence,  
31 rejoicing in his whole world and delighting in mankind....
9.1 Wisdom has built her house; she has set up its seven pillars. 
2 She has prepared her meat and mixed her wine; she has also set her table. 
3 She has sent out her servants, and she calls from the highest point of the city, 
4 “Let all who are simple come to my house!” To those who have no sense she says,“Come, eat my food and drink the wine I have mixed. 
6 Leave your simple ways and you will live; walk in the way of insight.”

After reading this passage, you might ask - "What is this Wisdom?" Is it some sort of being? If so, is the being created or Divine? Perhaps it's not a being at all, but simply a poetic personification of one of God's attributes? While Biblical scholars tend to lean toward that last answer today, that does not mean that there is universal agreement. The situation is even more complicated for the Russian thinkers mentioned above because they also have a multifaceted tradition of Wisdom in the Orthodox church to deal with, along with (at least in some cases) their own (mystical) experience of Sophia (Yes, for them Wisdom is “She”).

For the Orthodox, theology
can be captured in icons. So
when two icons of Sophia  
(such as these two here) 

have such different symbolic
meanings, this indicates a
 lack of theological clarity.

Where do the Sophiologists end up in their theological development? Well, we cannot really say except in the case of Bulgakov.⁴ Still, I'll be writing perhaps 200 pages on that question. But, to put it very succinctly, Bulgakov interprets Sophia as the essence of God (the divine substance or “ousia” for those of you interested in Trinitarian theology,) at the same time both part of the Godhead and (in its created, as opposed to Divine, aspect) the substance of the world (this is panentheism, for those of you interested in developments in later 20^th century theology).⁵


This approach to theology was quite controversial at the time, though political concerns (related to the divisions of the Russian church's representatives abroad that occurred because of the Revolution) were of at least as important here as theological ones. I know that I am certainly not fully convinced by the approach of the Sophiologists. Yet, on the other hand, I'm impressed by Father Bulgakov's devotion to challenging an ossification of the church that equates orthodoxy with teaching that is wholly static. At the same time, Bulgakov had no interest in joining those hypercritical of the church, rejecting its teachings outright. Bulgakov shows himself to be a true modern moderate who can make, with a creative approach that rejects long-out-dated stereotypes, orthodox Christianity intellectually interesting and engage in mutually-enriching dialog with the modern world.


That's why I'm continuing my work. And since I find Bulgakov interesting not just when he deals directly with Divine Wisdom, in the coming months I hope to finish a side project that I've been working on for a long time. Bulgakov wrote a small book called On the Gospel Miracles that has yet to be translated into English. If I can figure out the technical side of things, I'll be publishing this annotated translation on Amazon in early 2012.

* * *
1With a 6^th added on for good measure...and without the “h” since writing about the “how” of Sophiology, the methodology, is giving me headaches. I wanted to spare you that pain.

2 “Creation, Creativity and Creatureliness.” Speech for the Wisdom of Finite Existence Study Day organized by the St Theosevia Centre for Christian Spirituality, Oxford. 2005. http://www.archbishopofcanterbury.org/99

3 Sergei Bulgakov. Philosophy of Economy. trans. and ed. Catherine Evtukhov. Yale 2000.  10-11.

4Solovyov died without having systematized his thought. Florensky's life was cut tragically short when he was executed under Stalin.

5In highlighting some of Bulgakov's major themes, I see one more reason why I was attracted to Sophiology – these same topics are quite important to one of my favorite contemporary theologians, Jürgen Moltmann.   

Ministry Inside and Out

 Writing for this blog has taken a back seat for the last couple of weeks - I've spent quite a bit of time on the road or in preparation for being away. Now that I've returned to Novosibirsk, I hope to make up for my absence by posting a couple of different entries this week. The second will be related to one of the reasons I was away – to go to Helsinki to meet with my dissertation adviser and other doctoral students about my research. Since from time to time some of you have asked about my studies, by Friday I'll haven written a summary of the work I am doing there in the area of “Sophiology.” (Don't be scared! It's not as bad as you think!). :)

But for now, though, I'll return to church and its situation here in Siberia.

Our congregation building on October 30.
It's whiter still there now.

Rather, I'd like to return to the church. Instead, though, I feel like the church on the congregational level is still a bit too puzzling to be able to be write about it in a way that is understandable. Instead what I feel like I can do is write about my confusion. For example: just before worship began on the 30^th of October, I was told by a member of the church council that there would be funeral after the service. It would be held in the home of a very elderly woman who had not been able to attend church for the past 6-8 years. I was invited to come and to preside. This took me by surprise, to say the least. The last and only time I had presided at a funeral was 9 years ago in Novgorod; though I have my own materials prepared for such a situation, they were at home (and I certainly would have brought them had I been informed earlier!) I was tempted for a minute to say that I wasn't prepared and therefore wouldn't lead the service, but this seemed to me to be the worse of the two options before me. When we arrived we found the typical situation after an elderly person dies here – family and friends were gathered in the living room around the coffin, taking turns paying last respects. Four women from the congregation lead the singing (with some of the hymns proclaiming a word of hope for the deceased and others (the greater number) reminding those gathered that they, too, will die some day and that they'd better get their spiritual houses in order), and I did my best to lead prayers and give a short homily. After the service ended, a few people present (none of whom had ever been to a Lutheran service) address some rather unexpected questions to us, so as “Does your guardian angel stay with you in heaven or come back to help someone else?” and“How should we bury Maria, with her head or her feet at cross?” I took my time in answering, and one of the women jumped in – her answers surprised me as much as the questions themselves. Part of me wanted to react immediately – to make clear that I should be told immediately if someone dies (and that I should have a list of the home bound to visit so that I can provide spiritual care to the elderly before they die), that the answers given to the questions do not really have a good basis in the teachings of our church. And, as pastor, I actually have a certain responsibility to make such these things clear. Yet, our relationship has not yet developed to such a point that my “corrections” are likely to bring about the desired effect. So, I'm trying to follow a course of “responsible inaction” by patiently and consciously developing relationships with congregational members such that I can eventually influence the congregation's life in positive ways.

The situation is quite different for me outside of the congregation, where I have no direct responsibility and, therefore, fewer limitations on the way I work. In exploring ministry outside of the congregation, it has become clear to me just how important it is that we keep a wide definition of what and were the church is. While the congregation is important, it perhaps is not where I will focus most of my energy right now.

Together with Deacon Vyacheslav (Slava)
 at the Reformation Day Service

I've been able to become acquainted with one very interesting sphere of ministries outside of the congregation thanks to the help of a deacon in the local Finnish-tradition church, Vyacheslav (Slava, for short). Slava has spent many years engaged in prison ministry. While this aspect of his work is practically inaccessible to me – every time a foreigner wants to visit a prison, permission must be received from Moscow - there are many prison-related fields in which I might be able to take part.

Slava's work is not limited to what happens behind prison walls. His work there led rather quickly to the realization that there was a whole complex of social issues related to those who had been incarcerated. First, it brought him into contact with the families of the men he had been visiting; he found that most were suffering, and that many had been infected with tuberculosis, which is a wide-spread problem in Russian prisons. Their children (if diagnosed properly) would be sent to a special hospital complex for a minimum of six months of therapy. In fact, the situation was very close to one in an orphanage – relatives visit rarely and staff are occupied with caring for the physical needs of the children but have no resources for providing more. Slava gathers donated toys, cloths, diapers and other materials for these children and brings them to the hospital at least once a month. He also gets together special gifts for those who had birthdays that month, and he presents them and other special treats to the kids at the afternoon tea break. He usually does a short program with the older kids to help them see God's love for them.

In addition, when following-up with the men who had been released from prison, Slava found that a large number were suffering from substance abuse and in need of rehabilitation. Eventually a rehab center in Novosibirsk that was looking for some spiritual support approached Slava for help, and since that time he makes weekly visits there for Bible study as well as providing counseling at other times. He and another man from his congregation have worked closely with this rehab center and hope to open a Lutheran church-based center in the near future.

Men at the rehab center.
Picture taken with their permission (or, rather, at their request)

And this reminds me of another rehab center I had the opportunity to visit in the last days of October. This center was about an hour outside of Novosibirsk in an isolated village. I traveled there with a group of friends working on HIV prevention. Since about 70% of new cases of HIV here come about through the sharing of infected needles, these friends are trying to increase awareness among former or current drug users about HIV. On the one hand they hope that this will allow HIV positive people to have the opportunity to receive treatment at these centers (instead of being forced out because of a fear about the “dangers” of being around HIV positive people), and on the other they want to encourage those in the centers to get an HIV test so that they might know their status and take appropriate steps if needed. Of the people I traveled with to this center, two of them came to faith in Christian rehab centers....unfortunately, by the time they started to heal from their drug addiction, they had already become HIV positive. That these two friends (we'll call them Ivan and Anna) were able to kick the habit is really a bit of a miracle – the recovery rate at rehab centers (including at Christian ones) is disappointingly low, and some Christian organizations use the rehab centers as a for-profit business, whereas others make membership in their church a condition for continued help with recovery. On the other hand, there are few alternatives accessible to addicts, and so these church centers are the best option at the moment. And for folks like Ivan and Anna, they were crucial in their recovery...and now this effect is being multiplied by their engagement in trying to bring help to others.

I feel very privileged to have had the opportunity to see the church beyond the borders of the congregation in these past few weeks. But I don't want to leave the impression that nothing new is possible in the congregation. Just recently, in fact, we did something that would be typical in the U.S., but which is rather innovative here – we gathered 3 congregations (our church, the Finnish-tradition Lutheran congregation, and a local Baptist congregation) together to celebrate Reformation Day. While I realize that in the context of the West there is the danger of simply glorifying the past on this day, for us here it was not only an opportunity for education (since not that many people are familiar with the Reformation), but was also one of the few chances we have here to see a concrete example of churches working together. There were not many of us at the service (it was a Monday night, after all), but I believe that all three congregations felt strengthened spiritually by our evening together, and I hope that in time we'll find more ways that we can continue to strengthen one another....perhaps in social service projects and youth work? I'll let you know how our efforts in those directions work out.

Reformation Day Service at the Lutheran Church of Christ the Savior (Evangelical Lutheran Church
of Ingria in Russia). Gennady Moskalin (center) is in charge of that parish; Presbyter Russell Phillips
 from the Baptist congregation is just left of center.