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.

The Pillar and Ground of the Truth: An Essay in Orthodox Theodicy in Twelve Letters

Politics & Social Sciences

Florensky, Pavel

Philosophy

Princeton University Press

History

Russia

Profound writings by one of the twentieth century's greatest polymaths "Perhaps the most remarkable person devoured by the Gulag" is how Alexandr Solzhenitsyn described Pavel Florensky, a Russian Orthodox mathematician, scientist, linguist, art historian, philosopher, theologian, and priest who was martyred during the Bolshevik purges of the 1930s. This volume contains eight important religious works written by Florensky in the first decade of the twentieth century, now translated into English—most of them for the first time. Splendidly interweaving religious, scientific, and literary themes, these essays showcase the diversity of Florensky's broad learning and interests. Including reflections on the sacraments and explorations of Russian monastic culture, the volume concludes with "The Salt of the Earth," arguably Florensky's most spiritually moving work.

Early Religious Writings, 1903-1909

Religion & Spirituality

Jakim, Boris

Christian Books & Bibles

Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.

At the Crossroads of Science & Mysticism: On the Cultural-Historical Place and Premises of the Christian World-Understanding

The present volume represents the most substantial theological contribution in Pavel Florensky’s great multi-volume “anthropidicy,” At the Watersheds of Thought: The Elements of a Concrete Metaphysics. Florensky argues that his epoch (the early 20th century) bore witness to a spiritual shift in the direction of a revitalized Christian world-understanding. In modern times, the Renaissance world-understanding, which is anti-Christian in nature and whose treasure lies in man, had replaced the Medieval world-understanding, which is Christian in nature and whose treasure lies in God. But the rationalistic Renaissance culture was now coming to an end, to be replaced by a new Middle Ages, a coming period to be characterized by the fusion of science and mystical faith—an epoch of discontinuity, of abrupt leaps into reality rooted in the life of the spirit, destined to replace the former mechanistic world-view. This change, Florensky maintains, will touch on every aspect of life and every discipline of knowledge. A revitalized Christianity will emerge which will find its experiential validation both in mysticism and in scientific inquiry.
 "Pavel Florensky was one of the most important thinkers within the Russian sophiological tradition. This welcome new translation of a selection of his essays provides an excellent introduction to his thought, whose relevance to the early 21st is even stronger than its relevance to the early 20th century."--JOHN MILBANK, University of Nottingham, author of Theology and Social Theory
 "The present volume--another invaluable translation by Boris Jakim--displays not only Florensky's boldness of thought, but also the true expansiveness of his knowledge in such disparate domains of investigation as patristics, linguistics, art history, mathematical theory, philosophy, and scientific method."--ROBERT F. SLESINSKI, author, Pavel Florensky: A Metaphysics of Love
 "Boris Jakim's translation, vivid and accurate as always, represents a valuable first step towards the dissemination of Pavel Florensky's later thought. The publication of Florensky's later work will stimulate a substantial re-assessment of Florensky as a philosopher."--ROBERT BIRD, Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures, University of Chicago

Semantron Press

The Meaning of Idealism: The Metaphysics of Genus and Countenance

Pavel Florensky’s treatment of Platonism in the present work is one of the most important studies on this subject ever written. The great scholar of antiquity, Aleksei Losev, called The Meaning of Idealism the most profound work on Platonism and Idealism produced in the 20th century. It is a journey: from Plato and Aristotle to Neoplatonism, from Neoplatonism to Medieval theories of being and knowing, from these theories to Orthodox spirituality, from Orthodox spirituality to Vedic mysticism, from Vedic mysticism to astrology, from astrology to modern science—including relativity, the mathematical theory of invariants, and the multidimensional universe. In the course of this journey Florensky corroborates his theories with etymological discussions and analyses of modern art, including the works of Rodin and Picasso.The most novel dimension Florensky introduces in his interpretation of Idealism is his doctrine of genus and spiritual countenance (lik in Russian, related to litso, face, and lichnost, person). Finally, Florensky links his understanding of the Platonic idea with images of the ancient gods and their use in the ancient mysteries. 
Arguably the greatest Russian theologian of the early 20th century, Pavel Florensky (1882–1937) also did original work in such fields as liturgical aesthetics, iconographic theory, the philosophy of names, theoretical mathematics, and even electrical engineering. He became a Russian Orthodox priest in 1911, while remaining deeply involved with the cultural, artistic, and scientific developments of his time. Arrested by the Soviets in 1928, he returned to his scholarly activities until 1933, when he was sentenced to ten years of labor in Siberia. There he continued his scientific work and ministered to his fellow prisoners until his death four years later.

Angelico Press

The Meaning of Idealism is a journey: from Plato and Aristotle to Neoplatonism to Medieval theories of being and knowing, from these to Orthodox spirituality, to Vedic mysticism, from Vedic mysticism to astrology, from astrology to modern science-including relativity, the mathematical theory of invariants, and the multidimensional universe.

Angelico Press/Semantron

Beyond Vision is the first English-language collection of essays on art by the Russian polymath Pavel Florensky (1882_1937), with two introductory essays by the editor and an extensive bibliography. Florensky_s reputation as a theologian and philosopher is already established in the English-speaking world. This first collection in English of his art essays will be a revelation to those in the field.Pavel Florensky, a brilliant writer, mathematician, theologian, scientist, and art historian was condemned to a Siberian labor camp in 1933, and executed four years later. Nicoletta Misler is Professor in the Department of Eastern European Studies at the Istituto Universitario Orientale, Naples. Wendy Salmond is head of the Art History program at Chapman University, Orange, California.

Beyond Vision: Essays on the Perception of Art

Arts & Photography

Reaktion Books

Beyond Vision is the first English-language collection of essays on art by Pavel Florensky (1882–1937), Russian philosopher, priest, linguist, scientist, mathematician – and art historian. In addition to seven essays by Florensky, the book includes a biographical introduction and an examination of Florensky’s contribution as an art historian by Nicoletta Misler. Beyond Vision reveals Florensky’s fundamental attitudes to the vital questions of construction, composition, chronology, function and destination in the fields of painting, sculpture and design. His reputation as a theologian and philosopher is already established in the English-speaking world, but this first collection in English of his art essays (translated by Wendy Salmond) will be a revelation to those in the field. Pavel Florensky was a true polymath: trained in mathematics and philosophy at Moscow University, he rejected a scholarship in advanced mathematics in order to study theology at the Moscow Theological Academy. He was also an expert linguist, scientist and art historian. A victim of the Soviet government’s animosity towards religion, he was condemned to a Siberian labor camp in 1933 where he continued his work under increasingly difficult circumstances. He was executed in 1937.

History & Criticism

Letters from the Gulag

Literature & Fiction

Essays & Correspondence

Independently published

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Florensky, Pavel. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Florensky, Pavel

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Florensky, Pavel. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

The Pillar and Ground of the Truth: An Essay in Orthodox Theodicy in Twelve Letters

The Pillar and Ground of the Truth: An Essay in Orthodox Theodicy in Twelve Letters

Early Religious Writings, 1903-1909

At the Crossroads of Science & Mysticism: On the Cultural-Historical Place and Premises of the Christian World-Understanding

The Meaning of Idealism: The Metaphysics of Genus and Countenance

The Meaning of Idealism: The Metaphysics of Genus and Countenance

Beyond Vision: Essays on the Perception of Art

Beyond Vision: Essays on the Perception of Art

Letters from the Gulag