Some aspects of criticism of the teachings of archp. S. Bulgakov in the context of the topic of the correlation of philosophy and theology

Abstract

The article considers V.N. Lossky’s criticism of the teachings of Prot. S. Bulgakov in the context of the topic of the correlation of philosophy and theology. Examples of N.A. Berdyaev’s assessments of the state of contemporary theology in Russia and encyclopedic definitions of the features of theology are given. Attention is drawn to the complexity of the issue and the lack of clear criteria by which Christian theology can be distinguished from Christian religious philosophy. In that connection, the criteria for such a distinction, which were proposed by V.N. Lossky, are considered: the need for “apophase” in theological research and the theologian’s stay in the mystical “stream” of the Tradition of the Church. V.N. Lossky linked those requirements necessary for the theologian to the concept of “ecclesiasticism”. Thus, he once again raised the question of the need to give a dogmatically precise definition of the Church and its “borders”. After a brief analysis of the formulation of a similar issue by E.N. Trubetskoy in the early twentieth century the author makes the principal conclusion that the concept of “boundaries of the Church”, as well as the criteria for distinguishing theology and religious philosophy, is apparently impossible to give a rational definition.