Church and reunion in the theology of Sergii Bulgakov and Georges Florovsky, 1918--1940

The project of recovering the Orthodox ecumenical heritage has become important for Orthodox and non-Orthodox churches alike in the wake of the collapse of the Soviet system in Eastern Europe and Russia, especially in light of vocal Orthodox opinions that an open ecumenical attitude toward other churches is foreign to the Orthodox Church. Using historical and theological analysis of primary sources, this dissertation reconstructs the formative history of modern Orthodox ecumenical ideas in the way they emerged or were appropriated, developed, and entered public discourse through the work of key ecumenical figures of the Russian Orthodox Church in exile, Sergii Bulgakov and Georges Florovsky, between 1918 and 1940.; This study finds that Bulgakov's drive for reunion among Christian churches was originally rooted in his desire to overcome the consequences of the Russian Revolution. Bulgakov's ecumenical work was based on his convictions that the Christian Church is already one in reality, that ecumenical work belongs within the limits of the Church, that human beings have to pursue actively the work of reunion of the Church, and that current ecumenical achievements represent the beginning of a process leading to full reunion in history and to its ultimate fulfillment in heaven.; This study also finds that Florovsky's drive for reunion among Christian churches was originally rooted in Slavophile-influenced convictions that Slavic nations and the Orthodox Church would provide solutions for the problems of the Western world. Florovsky's ecumenical work was based on his convictions that the Church (the Orthodox Church) is separated from other Christians by a wall that reaches heaven, that ecumenical work does not belong within the limits of the Church, that human beings have nothing to contribute to Christian reunion, that current ecumenical achievements represent the last remnants of the former unity of the Church, and that reunion will come from Christ in His second coming.; Findings of this study suggest that the ecumenical views expressed by Florovsky and oriented toward the question of teaching with authority within the limits of the Church may be less effective in addressing current problems of the world than the ecumenical views expressed by Bulgakov, whose position was oriented toward addressing current needs of life prophetically.