Georges Florovsky (Russian Георгий Васильевич Флоровский; * August 23, 1893 in Odessa; † August 11, 1979 USA), Eastern Orthodox theologian, historian and ecumenist. August 23 is the 235th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (236th in leap years), with 130 days remaining. ... 1893 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... The geographical situation of Odessa city and province within Ukraine Odessa (Ukrainian: Одеса, Odesa; Russian: ) is a city in southwestern Ukraine, a major port on the Black Sea, and the administrative centre of the countrys Odessa Oblast. ... August 11 is the 223rd day of the year (224th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... This page refers to the year 1979. ... Eastern Orthodoxy (also called Greek Orthodoxy and Russian Orthodoxy) is a Christian tradition which represents the majority of Eastern Christianity. ... Theology is literally rational discourse concerning God (Greek θεος, theos, God, + λογος, logos, rational discourse). By extension, it also refers to the study of other religious topics. ...

Life

Florovsky was born in Odessa as the fourth child of an Orthodox priest. Inspired by the erudite environment in which he grew up, he learned English, German, French, Latin, Greek, and Hebrew while still a schoolboy . At eighteen, he started to study philosophy and history. After his first graduation, he taught for three years at high schools in Odessa and then made his full graduation including the licensia docendi at all universities in the Russian empire. In 1919, he began to teach at the University of Odessa, but his family was forced to leave Russia in 1920. The young Florovsky realized at that time that there would be no return for him, because Marxism did not accept the history and philosophy he taught. Florovsky thus became part of the great emigration of the Russian intelligentsia, which also included Nikolai Berdyaev, Sergei Bulgakov, Nicholas Lossky, his son, Vladimir Lossky, Alexander Schmemann, and John Meyendorff, the latter two of whom later followed Florovsky as Dean of Saint Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary. The geographical situation of Odessa city and province within Ukraine Odessa (Ukrainian: Одеса, Odesa; Russian: ) is a city in southwestern Ukraine, a major port on the Black Sea, and the administrative centre of the countrys Odessa Oblast. ... Roman Catholic priest LCDR Allen R. Kuss (USN) aboard USS Enterprise A priest or priestess is a holy man or woman who takes an officiating role in worship of any religion, with the distinguishing characteristic of offering sacrifices. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... Latin was the language originally spoken in the region around Rome called Latium. ... Hebrew (עִבְרִית ‘Ivrit) is a Semitic language of the Afro-Asiatic language family spoken by more than 7 million people, mainly in Israel, the West Bank, the United States and by Jewish communities around the world. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... HIStory: Past, Present And Future - Book 1 was a double-disc album by Michael Jackson released in 1995. ... The geographical situation of Odessa city and province within Ukraine Odessa (Ukrainian: Одеса, Odesa; Russian: ) is a city in southwestern Ukraine, a major port on the Black Sea, and the administrative centre of the countrys Odessa Oblast. ... 1919 (MCMXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... 1920 (MCMXX) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar) // Events January January 7 - Forces of Russian White admiral Kolchak surrender in Krasnoyarsk. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Emigration is the act and the phenomenon of leaving ones native country to settle abroad. ... The intelligentsia (from Latin: intelligentia) is a social class of people engaged in complex mental and creative labor directed to the development and dissemination of culture: intellectuals and social groups close to them (e. ... Nikolai Berdyaev Nikolai Alexandrovich Berdyaev (Николай Александрович Бердяев) (March 18 [O.S. March 6] 1874 – March 24, 1948) was a Russian-Ukrainian religious and political philosopher. ... Mikhail Nesterovs Philosophers, Pavel Florensky (left) and Sergei Bulgakov (right) 1917 Fr. ... Vladimir N. Lossky was a 20th century Russian Orthodox theologian. ... Alexander Schmemann (13 May 1921 - 13 December 1983) was a prominent 20th century Orthodox Christian priest, theologian, and writer. ... John Meyendorff (1926-1992) was a leading Orthodox theologian, writer and teacher. ... Saint Vladimirs Orthodox Theological Seminary is an Orthodox Christian seminary located in Crestwood, New York in the United States. ...

In the 1920s, he had a close personal and vocational friendship with Nikolai Berdyaev. The two became somewhat more distanced in later years, largely through Berdyaev not understanding Florovsky entering Holy Orders, and also through Florovsky's critical attitude towards Berdyaev's philosophy of religion in his own "Ways of Russian Theology". The 1920s were a decade sometimes referred to as the Jazz Age or the Roaring Twenties, usually applied to America. ... Nikolai Berdyaev Nikolai Alexandrovich Berdyaev (Николай Александрович Бердяев) (March 18 [O.S. March 6] 1874 – March 24, 1948) was a Russian-Ukrainian religious and political philosopher. ... Holy Orders in the modern Roman Catholic Church and in the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Anglican, Assyrian, Old Catholic, and Independent Catholic Churches, includes three degrees: bishop, priest, and deacon. ... Philosophy of religion is the rational study of the meaning and justification of fundamental religious claims, particularly about the nature and existence of God (or gods, or the divine). ...

In 1925, Florovsky was appointed professor for patristics at the St. Serge Institute of Orthodox Theology in Paris. In this subject, he found his real vocation. Patristics became for him the benchmark for Orthodox theology and exegesis, as well as a source for many of his contributions and critiques of the ecumenical movement. Despite not having earned an academic degree in theology (apart from several honorary degrees he was awarded later), Florovsky would spend the rest of his life teaching at theological institutions. 1925 (MCMXXV) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ... Patristics is the study of early Christian writers, known as the Church Fathers. ... The Eiffel Tower has become a symbol of Paris throughout the world. ... Theology is reasoned discourse concerning God (Greek θεος, theos, God, + λογος, logos, word or reason). It can also refer to the study of other religious topics. ... This article discusses textual hermeneutics. ...

In 1932, Florovsky was ordained priest of the Orthodox Church. During the 1930s, he undertook extensive researches in European libraries and wrote his most important works in the area of patristics as well as his magnum opus, Ways of Russian Theology. In this massive work, he questioned the Western influences of scholasticism, pietism, and idealism on Russian theology and called for a re-evaluation of Russian theology in the light of patristic writings. The work was received with either enthusiam or condemnation - there was no neutral attitude to it among Russian emigrés. Among the critics were Sergei Nikolajevitch Bulgakov, the head of the St. Serge Institute and prominent exponent of the Russian theological tradition of the 19th century, as well as Nikolai Berdyaev, exponent of the religious renaissance of the 20th century. 1932 (MCMXXXII) is a leap year starting on Friday. ... Ordination is the process in which clergy become authorized by their religious denomination and/or seminary to perform religious rituals and ceremonies. ... Roman Catholic priest LCDR Allen R. Kuss (USN) aboard USS Enterprise A priest or priestess is a holy man or woman who takes an officiating role in worship of any religion, with the distinguishing characteristic of offering sacrifices. ... Eastern Orthodoxy (also called Greek Orthodoxy and Russian Orthodoxy) is a Christian tradition which represents the majority of Eastern Christianity. ... // Events and trends A public speech by Benito Mussolini, founder of the Fascist movement The 1930s were described as an abrupt shift to more radical lifestyles, as countries were struggling to find a solution to the global depression. ... Magnum opus (sometimes Opus magnum), from the Latin meaning great work, refers to the best or most renowned achievement of an author, artist, or composer. ... Scholasticism comes from the Latin word scholasticus which means that [which] belongs to the school, and is the school of philosophy taught by the academics (or schoolmen) of medieval universities circa 1100 - 1500. ... Pietism was a movement, in the Lutheran Church, lasting from the late-17th century to the mid-18th Century. ... Idealism is an approach to philosophical enquiry. ... Mikhail Nesterovs Philosophers, Pavel Florensky (left) and Sergei Bulgakov 1917 Fr. ... Nikolai Berdyaev Nikolai Alexandrovich Berdyaev (Николай Александрович Бердяев) (March 18 [O.S. March 6] 1874 – March 24, 1948) was a Russian-Ukrainian religious and political philosopher. ...

In 1949, Florovsky moved to New York City to take a position as Dean of Saint Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary. Florovsky's oversight of the development of the theological curriculum led to the Board of Regents of the University of the State of New York granting the Seminary an Absolute Charter in 1953. He retired as Dean in 1955. Among the most prominent students and successors of Florovsky is metropolitan John Zizioulas. 1949 (MCMXLIX) is a common year starting on Saturday. ... Nickname: The Big Apple Motto: Official website: City of New York Location [[Image:|250px|250px|Location of City of New York, New York]] Location in the state of New York Government Counties (Boroughs) Bronx (The Bronx) New York (Manhattan) Queens (Queens) Kings (Brooklyn) Richmond (Staten Island) Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R... Saint Vladimirs Orthodox Theological Seminary is an Orthodox Christian seminary located in Crestwood, New York in the United States. ... The University of the State of New York (USNY; acronym usually pronounced USE-nee) is the governmental umbrella organization of the US state of New York which is responsible for most institutions and much of the personnel that are in any way connected to formal educational functions (public and private... A charter is a document bestowing certain rights on a town, city, university, land or institution; sometimes used as a loan of money. ... 1953 (MCMLIII) is a common year starting on Thursday. ... 1955 (MCMLV in Roman) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... When the word metropolitan (from the Greek metera = mother and polis = town) is used as an adjective, as in metropolitan bishop, metropolitan France, or metropolitan area it can mean: of or characteristic of a metropolis; see also metropolitan area, Metropolitan Police, Metropolitan Railway of or belonging to the home territories... Dr. John Zizioulas metropolitan of Pergamon, member of the Athens’ Academy, one of the world’s leading theologians. ...

Works

• Eastern Fathers of the Fourth Century. Paris, 1931.
• The Ways of Russian Theology (online
• The Catholicity of the Church online
• The Lost Scriptural Mind online
• On Church and Tradition: An Eastern Orthodox View online
• St. John Chrysostom. The Prophet of Charity online
• The Ascetic Ideal and the New Testament. Reflections on the Critique of the Theology of the Reformation online
• The Limits of the Church, Church Quarterly Review, 1933 (online)
• Following the Holy Fathers (Excerpt of the The Collected Works of Georges Florovsky Vol. IV, "Patristic Theology and the Ethos of the Orthodox Church," Part II, p. 15-22) online
• St Gregory Palamas and the Tradition of the Fathers, 1961 online
• Revelation and Interpretation online
• Scripture and Tradition: an Orthodox View online
• The Work of the Holy Spirit in Revelation online
• Holy Icons online]
• Collected works published 1972 by Nordland Pub.:
  • Collected Works. Volume 1: Bible, Church, Tradition
  • Collected Works. Volume 2: Christianity and Culture excerpts online
  • Collected Works. Volume 3: Creation and Redemption [ excerpts online]
  • Collected Works. Volume 4: Aspects of Church History excerpts online
  • Collected Works. Volume 5: Ways of Russian Theology, Part I
  • Collected Works. Volume 6: Ways of Russian Theology, Part II
  • Collected Works. Volume 7: Eastern Fathers of the Fourth Century
  • Collected Works. Volume 8: Byzantine Fathers of the Fifth Century
  • Collected Works. Volume 9: Byzantine Fathers of the Sixth to Eight Centuries
  • Collected Works. Volume 10: Byzantine Ascetic and Spiritual Fathers
  • Collected Works. Volume 11: Theology and Literature
  • Collected Works. Volume 12: Philosophy
  • Collected Works. Volume 13: Ecumenism I: A Doctrinal Approach
  • Collected Works. Volume 14: Ecumenism II: An Historical Approach

Literature

• Andrew Blane: Georges Florovsky. Russian Intellectual and Orthodox Churchman, ISBN 0-88141-137-X
• Peter A. Chamberas, Georges Vasilievich Florovsky : Russian intellectual historian and orthodox theologian - 1893-1979 - Religious Historians, East and West, Modern Age, Winter 2003 (FindArticles online Version)

External links

• Collected Works of Fr Georges Florovsky, in part online
• Lewis Shaw, Georges Florovsky's Model of Orthodox Ecclesiology
• Bishop Chrysostomos of Etna, Protopresybter Georges Florovsky
• John S. Romanides, F. Georges Florovsky, the theologian in service of the church in ecumenical dialogue Lecture at St. Vladimir's Seminary 23 May 1980
• Harvard Divinity School Faculty Writings File: Georges Florovsky
• Princeton University Library: George Florovsky Papers
• Nikolai Berdyaev, Ortodoksia and Humanness, 1937, Critique of Florovsky's "The Way of the Russian Church"