The Pillar and Ground of the Truth : An Essay in Orthodox Theodicy in Twelve Letters / Pavel Florensky.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Florensky, Pavel, author.

Contributor:

Gustafson, Richard F.

Jakim, Boris.

Standardized Title:

Stolp i utverzhdenie istiny. English

Language:

English

Russian

Subjects (All):

Theodicy.

Genre:

Electronic books.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xxiii, 595 p. :) ill. ;

Place of Publication:

Princeton, NJ : Princeton University Press, [2018]

Language Note:

In English.

Summary:

Pavel Florensky--certainly the greatest Russian theologian of the last century--is now recognized as one of Russia's greatest polymaths. Known as the Russian Leonardo da Vinci, he became a Russian Orthodox priest in 1911, while remaining deeply involved with the cultural, artistic, and scientific developments of his time. Arrested briefly by the Soviets in 1928, he returned to his scholarly activities until 1933, when he was sentenced to ten years of corrective labor in Siberia. There he continued his scientific work and ministered to his fellow prisoners until his death four years later. This volume is the first English translation of his rich and fascinating defense of Russian Orthodox theology. Originally published in 1914, the book is a series of twelve letters to a "brother" or "friend," who may be understood symbolically as Christ. Central to Florensky's work is an exploration of the various meanings of Christian love, which is viewed as a combination of philia (friendship) and agape (universal love). Florensky is perhaps the first modern writer to explore the so-called "same-sex unions," which, for him, are not sexual in nature. He describes the ancient Christian rites of the adelphopoiesis (brother-making), joining male friends in chaste bonds of love. In addition, Florensky is one of the first thinkers in the twentieth century to develop the idea of the Divine Sophia, who has become one of the central concerns of feminist theologians.

Contents:

Frontmatter

CONTENTS

TRANSLATOR'S PREFACE AND ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

INTRODUCTION TO THE TRANSLATION / Gustafson, Richard F.

THE PILLAR AND GROUND OF THE TRUTH

I. To the Reader

II. Letter One: Two Worlds

III. Letter Two: Doubt

IV. Letter Three: Triunity

V. Letter Four: The Light of the Truth

VI. Letter Five: The Comforter

VII. Letter Six: Contradiction

VIII. Letter Seven: Sin

IX. Letter Eight: Gehenna

X. Letter Nine: Creation

XI. Letter Ten: Sophia

XII. Letter Eleven: Friendship

XIII. Letter Twelve: Jealousy

XIV. Afterword

Clarification and Proof of Certain Particulars Assumed in the Text to Be Already Proved

XV. Certain Concepts from the Theory of Infinity

XVI. A Problem of Lewis Carroll and the Question of Dogma

XVII. Irrationalities in Mathematics and Dogma

XVIII. The Concept of Identity in Scholastic Philosophy

XIX. The Concept of Identity in Mathematical Logic

XX. Time and Fate

XXI. The Heart and Its Significance in the Spiritual Life of Man According to Scripture (An extract from P. D. Iurkevich's article)

XXII. An Icon of the Annunciation with Cosmic Symbolism

XXIII. On the Methodology of the Historical Critique

XXIV. The Turquoise Environment of Sophia and the Symbolism of Sky-Blue and Dark-Blue

XXV. Pascal's "Amulet"

XXVI. On the History of the Term "Antinomy"

XXVII. Estheticism and Religion

XXVIII. Homotypy in the Structure of the Human Body

XXIX. Remarks on Trinity

XXX. The Basic Symbols and Elementary Formulas of Symbolic Logic (for reference)

Notes and Brief Comments

NOTES

CLARIFICATION OF CERTAIN SYMBOLS AND DRAWINGS

INDEX

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (p. [429]-588) and index.

Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (publisher's Web site, viewed 23. Mai 2019)

ISBN:

9780691187990

0691187991

OCLC:

1132222903