In memory of Fr. George Florovsky

Source: ancientfaith.com

 

Fr. Georges Florovsky is arguably one of the greatest and most influential Orthodox theologians of the 20th century. I did my best to read everything that he wrote that was translated into English or actually written in English. He very much shaped my approach and understanding of Orthodox theology in my formative years. I never met      him, and the first time I saw him he was vested in his priestly vestments and lying in his coffin!  For I served his funeral as an acolyte in 1979 while a student at St. Vladimir's Orthodox seminary. I "inherited" a chair of his at this time and to this day it is the chair at my home office desk. Fr. Florovsky was truly a towering figure! Christians are not committed to the denial of culture as such. But they are to be critical of any existing cultural situation and measure it by the measure of Christ. Yet problems and needs of ‘this age’ in no case and in no sense can be dismissed or disregarded, since Christians are called to work and service precisely ‘in this world’ and ‘in this age.’”

- Fr. Georges Florovsky, Christianity and Culture 

Today marks the 46th anniversary of the repose of Archpriest Georges Vasilievich Florovsky(September 9, 1893–August 11, 1979). Dean of Saint Vladimir's Seminary from 1951 until 1955, Fr. Georges is remembered as one of the most important and profound Orthodox theologians of the twentieth century. Members of the Seminary community will conduct the memorial service today at the grave of Fr. Georges and his wife Mka. Xenia (1893–1977) at St. Vladimir's Russian Orthodox Christian Cementery in Trenton, NJ. May God remember them always in His Kingdom!

Contemporary Classics of Orthodox Literature

 

Dear Parish Faithful & Friends in Christ,  

"Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God ..."  - Heb. 13:7

 

 

Contemporary Classics of Orthodox Literature

 by Fr. Steven Kostoff

It is my observation that today many Orthodox Christians are reading a good deal of contemporary Orthodox literature - books on spirituality, liturgy, theology and history. These are books that are read immediately upon publication and which are very well promoted - if not well "marketed." A steady Orthodox reading discipline/program is essential in today's world perhaps more than ever. We are so ideologically bombarded from so many disparate quarters, that we need to remember who we are and what we believe! 

I am writing, though, with a particular concern in mind: Perhaps we are only - or mostly only - reading the most contemporary literature. Most of the Orthodox literature that I am now referring to can be accessed on Ancient Faith Radio. There is a circle of well-read authors there who are fairly prolific and have a wide Orthodox reading audience. I am not writing anything against those authors or their books.

However, because I am from an older generation, and have been an Orthodox priest for over forty years now, I want to make a heartfelt plea for the great writers who nurtured me, who nurtured an entire earlier generation or two, and who wrote the classics of twentieth century Orthodox literature. This is a great literature that placed Orthodoxy on the "map" both in America and in Europe and beyond - into Russia and other parts of the world. 

I strongly believe that we need to read these classics of the twentieth century, because these are the very books that served as the foundation for others to build on. These were books that allowed Orthodoxy to emerge from its sheltered ethnic communities; books which revived an abiding and lasting focus on the Fathers of the Church; books which completely restored the apostolic vision of the Liturgy and the Eucharist; and books that penetrated deeply into our genuine spiritual Tradition with the insights and practices that lead us to lives of holiness. 

I repeat: I am not claiming that our newer contemporary literature cannot do that, but our newer authors are standing on the shoulders of the "giants" who prepared the vision that may sustain them. For the sake of balance and wholeness, we must not neglect these classics. It would be a great loss if these books - and their authors - were more-or-less forgotten as the years pass. A further point is that the authors I am about to enumerate were steeped in a centuries-old Orthodox culture. They did not need to be overly defensive defensive, polemical or apologetic. 

This is not a "nostalgia fest" on my part. Of that, I can assure you. I think that as clergy and laity, we need a broad a range of theological grounding as much possible, and again, the classics go a long way in assuring that. (I of course, assume that everyone is reading the Scriptures and Fathers with regularity).

There were four great writers from the Orthodox Tradition that wrote brilliant and compelling books for many decades throughout the twentieth century. I read their works over and over - and over. They have had a lasting effect on me, and I like to think that in my own very modest way, I have applied their vision in my own pastoral ministry, from liturgy to theology. With the exception of Lossky, the other three - especially Frs. Schmemann and Meyendorff - were the key "architects" in establishing the Orthodox Church in America. I had the great privilege of actually knowing, studying under and worshiping with, Frs. Alexander Schmemann and John Meyendorff while a student at St. Vladimir's Seminary (1978-1981), as well as with Fr. Thomas Hopko. An unforgettable experience.

So, here are a few of the authors and books that I would like to highlight and bring to your attention:

+ George Florovsky (1893 - 1979)

His collected works have been published in 13 volumes, I believe, but I would single out:

Vol 1 - Bible, Church, Tradition - An Orthodox Perspective - A collection of essays that provide insight after insight into the meaning and relationship between Scripture and Tradition.

Vol. IV - Creation and Redemption - Another set of brilliant essays that incorporate the works of the Church Fathers in understanding the divine oikonomia from the Incarnation to the Resurrection.

There is a new volume of many never-before translated works, though it is quite expensive. Still, a worthwhile investment. Everything is simply brilliant that is contained in this volume, which also has a great Introduction:

The Patristic Witness of George Florovsky - The Essential Theological Writings 

+ Vladimir Lossky (1903-1958)

The Mystical Theology of the Eastern Church - This book is the Orthodox classic of the twentieth century, written in 1945. It takes some real concentration, but endlessly fascinating and insightful.

The Image and Likeness of God - Essays that cover the whole range of theological, anthropological and Mariological themes.

Orthodox Dogmatics - A comprehensive study of dogmatic subjects by a brilliant theologian who leans heavily on the Church Fathers. 

 

+ Alexander Schmemann (1921-1983)

For the Life of the World - An absolute "must read" classic.

Great Lent - Considered the best single volume on the subject in the English language by Met. Kallistos Ware.

The Eucharist - Fr. Schmemann's final study of his life-long engagement with the meaning and practice of the Eucharist.

Church, World, Mission - A series of challenging essays about the Orthodox Church facing the challenges of the contemporary world. 

 

John Meyendorff (1926-1993)

Byzantine Theology - Historical Trends and Doctrinal Themes - A "classic" study of the Byzantine roots of our theological Tradition.

The Byzantine Legacy of the Orthodox Church - A great collection of essays that distinguish between the relative and eternal components of the Byzantine legacy.

Imperial Unity and Christian Divisions - A more detailed look at Church History from the 5th - 8th c. A brilliant work of historical synthesis.

 

Metropolitan Kallistos Ware (1934-2022)  

We cannot fail to mention him! He comes from a background different than the "big four," but he was a decisive figure in bringing Orthodox literature to the non-Orthodox Christian world.

The Orthodox Church - Still the best one-volume introduction to the Orthodox Church.

The Orthodox Way - a great supplement to The Orthodox Church focusing on what we call Orthodox spirituality. A real favorite!

Sacraments of Healing -  Just published and a further supplement to the two other books by Met. Kallistos. To be read together in this year's upcoming Fall Adult Education Class.

The Inner Kingdom - A collection of endlessly fascinating essays by Met. Kallistos, covering his conversion to Orthodoxy to profound insights into the last judgement - and beyond.

 

Other contemporary authors that are excellent and who have been writing for some time now, are: John Behr (Becoming Human), Andrew Louth (Introducing Eastern Orthodox Theology), Metropolitan Ilarion (The Orthodox Faith), Peter Bouteneff (How To Be a Sinner), Nona Verna Harrison (The Many-Splendored Image of God). Metropolitan Anthony Bloom (God and Man; Beginning to Pray);  Metropolitan John Zizioulas (Being and Communion), and, of course, Fr. Thomas Hopko (The Orthodox Faith in four volumes), are writers who have rather recently "fallen asleep in the Lord." 

I fully realize that I could be "preaching to the choir," and I apologize if it sounds as if I am implying that you have not read any/some/many of the books above. You may know this literature very well, indeed! And, I do not want to sound patronizing. But, I have been around and reading since the early 1970's(!), so I thought to share some of my own experience with Orthodox literature with those of you who have not been Orthodox for as long. Please accept my advice in that spirit. If anyone would like to pursue this further, a group of us could have a zoom session on this or a related theme.

In Christ,

Fr. Steven

Fr. Georges Florovsky, 'On The Tree Of The Cross', Part 2

HOLY TUESDAY

Dear Parish Faithful,

Again turning to Fr. George Florovsky for today's Holy Week meditation. Notice how closely related the Cross and Resurrection are organically related. The very death of Christ is a "resurrecting death," it is not a tragedy or miscarriage of justice reversed by the Resurrection.

Redemption is, above all, the salvation from death and destruction, a restoration of the original unity and stability of human nature. But it is only possible to restore the unity in human nature by restoring the communion between humanity and God. The resurrection is only possible in God. Christ is the resurrection and the life. The way to and hope of resurrection was revealed in the incarnation. Humanity sinned but also fell into corruptibility; therefore, the Word of God became a human person and received our body... Death had been implanted in the body; therefore, life had to be implanted again in order to save it from corruptibility and clothe it with life. Else it would not be able to be resurrected.

The decisive reason for the death of Christ is the mortality of humanity. Christ suffered death, but He conquered death and corruptibility and destroyed the power of death. In the death of Christ, death itself receives a new meaning.

- On the Tree of the Cross, p. 146

Fr. Georges Florovsky, 'On The Tree Of The Cross', Part 1

Dear Parish Faithful,

Holy and Great Monday

"For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified."
(I Cor. 2:2)

As I wrote last week, I intend to share a few short, but remarkable passages, from the writings of Fr. George Florovsky (+1979), perhaps the preeminent Orthodox theologian of the twentieth century, as we enter into the mystery of Holy Week. 

 

Fr. George wrote extensively on the Orthodox understanding of redemption, or how Christ accomplished our salvation through the Cross and Resurrection. He was always engaged in discovering the "mind of the Church" by carefully reading and studying the great Church Fathers. In fact, he attempted to synthesize their thought in a cohesive and convincing manner. A great deal of what her wrote on redemption is helpful for a better appreciation of the culmination of Holy Week in the Cross and Resurrection.

The incarnation of the Word was a revelation of life; Christ is the Word of Life. But the highpoint of the Gospel is the Cross; the death of the incarnated. Life was completely revealed in death. This is the paradoxical mystery of the Christian faith; life through death; life from the grave. We are born to a true eternal life only by our baptism into death and burial in Christ; we are reborn with Christ at the baptismal font. This is the unchanging law of true life: "what you sow is not made alive unless it dies" (I Cor. 15:36).


Redemption is an historic event, as much as it is also an eternal design. It is a sovereign deed of God, but it is also an offer to humanity, and humanity's response in faith belongs to the very structure of the actual redemption. The world has been redeemed, once and forever, but it is still being redeemed, and is to be redeemed. Christ's coming is itself both an accomplishment, a consummation of the promise, and an inauguration of the New Covenant, of the New Humanity, of the "New Creation: " Christ and His Body cannot be separated.

From On the Tree of the Cross - George Florovsky and the Patristic Doctrine of Atonement, p. 144 & 154