Vatican Dogma (Bulgakov)

The Vatican Dogma by  Sergius  Sergius Bulgakov

Copyright 1959 St. Tikhon’s Press;

Introduction

by  .  . !. "ander

 The course o# $r. Sergius Sergius Bulgakov’s Bulgakov’s spiritual develop%ent &as highly co%ple' co%ple' and varied. (e )egan &ith theoretical *ar'is%+ passed on to ,antian philosophy and and -er -er%an %an idea ideali lis% s% and and ende ended d )y the the livi living ng #ait #aith+ h+ Chri Christ stia ian n thou though ghtt and and rthodo' priesthood. (is nu%erous )ooks and articles %ark the di/erent stages o# his path. But having returned to the #aith o# his #athers $r. Sergius retained his critical 0udg%ent and his strictly o)0ective and scholarly %ethod o# approaching the pro)le%s that li#e set )e#ore hi%. (e )elieved like a child+ )ut veried his #aith like a scholar+ a philosopher and a theologian. !ccordingly+ even &hile he &as a )eli )eliev evin ing g Chri Christ stia ian n 2#r 2#ro% 1934 1934 till till his his deat death h in 19 1966 he enco encoun unte terred and and overca%e %any trials and te%ptations. !%ong these te%ptations &as+ rst+ the pur purely ely hist histor oric ical al inte interp rprretat etatio ion n o# Chri Christ stia iani nity ty++ char charac acte teri rist stic ic o# li)e li)era rall Protestantis%+ and+ second+ the 7o%an Catholic conception o# the Church.  The rst is dealt &ith in a nu%)er o# articles collected collec ted in the t&o volu%es called Two Cities 219116 and Quiet thoughts 219186. The titles o# the articles sho& &hat he had in %ind :. $euer)ach’s religion o# deied %an+ :Pri%itive Christianity 2&hat it contained and &hat &as a)sent in it6; :Pri%itive :Pri%itive Christianity and %odern %o dern social socialis% is%; ; :!pocal !pocalyp yptic tics s and and social socialis% is%; ; :Chris Christ’s t’s resur resurrrection ection and %ode %odern rn thought; :The Church and culture (Two Cities, v. I and II6; :*odern !rianis% 1. Pro#essors’ Pro#essors’ religion. religion. 4. The crisis o# Christianity Christianity in %odern Protestantis%. Protestantis%. esus live?6 . Christianity and %ythology. !nother te%ptation &as 7o%an Catholicis%. This is &hat $ather Sergius hi%sel#  &rites a)out it in his auto)iographical notes :I %ust speak a)out the te%ptation I &ent through during the )itter days in the Cri%ea under the Bolsheviks+ at the ti%e o# the rst and the %ost devastating persecution o# the Church in 7ussia. It played terri)le havoc &ith the church as an institution+ and led to its inner disintegration e'pressed )y the appearance o# the so called :iving Church; all this %ade %e #eel ho& dread#ully de#enceless and disorganised the church &as+ ho& unprepared #or the struggle 2I no& think that its

in&ard+ %ystical preparedness &as #ar greater than it appeared+ and I do not kno& &het &hethe herr the the %or %ore cent centra rali li@e @ed d Cath Cathol olic icis is% % &oul &ould d have have &ith &ithst stoo ood d such such a persecution6. But at that ti%e+ in the #ace o# the historical testing o# 7ussian rthodo'y+ I set %y hopes on 7o%eAin spite o# %y so%e&hat Slavophil past. I )egan reconsidering the Church’s general attitude to&ards its earthly structure and papal supre%acy. !t that ti%e there lived in alta a certain ithuanian priest+ persecuted )y the Poles+ a good Catholic+ a convinced and enlightened papist+ &ho had received his theological training in 7o%e. (e provided %e &ith the )ooks I neededDnder the i%pression o# &hat &as happening to the church in 7ussia and o# %y o&n studies I )egan in&ardly+ silently+ and un)ekno&n to anyone+ to incline %ore and %ore to&ards Catholicis% 2this trend o# thought is reEected in %y dialogues At dialogues  At the walls of Khersones, o# course unpu)lished6. unpu)lished6. >ust at that ti%e I &as e'iled #ro% 7ussia Feedless to say+ I got over %y Catholic in#ection+ partly unde underr the the i%pa i%pact ct o# e'per 'perie ienc nce e 2inc 2incid iden enta tall lly+ y+ the the e'per 'perie ienc nce e o# Cath Cathol olic ic propaganda in Constantinople6 and partly through the inner &ork o# thought. I do not repent o# %y in#atuation &ith Catholicis%+ #or I think it &as a dialectically inevita)le stage in the develop%ent o# %y conception o# the church+ and indeed I )elieve it &as salutary #or %e i# only as a preventive inoculation. The chie# thing is that that I have have lost+ lost+ I think think #orev #orever+ er+ the spiri spiritua tuall taste taste #or papacy papacy. The dog%a dog%atic tic grounds #or it al&ays see%ed to %e unconvincing and rather #arG#etched. This in&ard in&ard struggle le#t a theological trace in %y essays Peter and John, the two chief  apostles apostles and The atican atican dog!a" dog!a"  The pole%ical pole%ical character o# )oth these essays gave %e the reputation o# an ene%y o# Catholicis%+ &hich I certainly a% not.  Throughout  Throughout %y in&ard in&ard co%)at &ith papacy I &holly preserved %y respect #or Hestern Christianity+ and nally ca%e out on to the )road high&ay o# oecu%enical rthodo'y #reed #ro% all provincialis%. But speaking generally+ the ti%e #or a relationship )ased upon %utual recognition and respect #or each other’s individual character has not yet co%e #or astern and Hestern Christianity; and I #or %y part do not &ant to increase the chas% )et&een the% &hich is+ I think+ pri%arily due to deepGseated psychological and historical causes. It is the task o# love &hich is the li#e o# the church to ll up the chas% )y &orking together+ and thus prepare the ground #or the reGunion o# the churches 216.  To  To these &ords o# $r. Sergius Sergius Bulgakov Bulgakov the #ollo&ing #ollo&ing re%arks re%arks %ay )e added. The article on #The atican dog!a$ #or%s part o# the series #%ssays on the doctrine about about the Church$ Church$ and &as pu)l pu)lish ished ed in J 15 and 1K o# the 0our 0ourna nall Put 2Paris 19496. The rst three articles are an atte%pt to delineate the rthodo' ecclesioG logyAa pro)le% to &hich $r. Sergius returned at the end o# his li#e in the )ook The &ride of the 'a!b pu)lished in 195+ a#ter his death. !#ter &riting The atican dog!a $r. S. Bulgakov+ #or practical reasons+ re#rained #or seve severa rall year years s #ro% #ro% pu)l pu)lis ishi hing ng it. it. But But cert certai ain n arti articl cles es in the the Cath Cathol olic ic pres press+ s+ accusing hi% o# :not )eing rthodo' induced hi% to have it printed in spite o# its pole%ical character. In an introductory note $r. Sergius says that his %otive in doing so &as :the &ish to su)%it to unpre0udiced theological discussion the %ain Luestion &hich divides ast and Hest. The article &as &ritten not in a spirit o#  hostility+ )ut out o# a sincere desire #or %utual understanding leading to greater nearness 246. 4

216 !uto)iographica !uto)iog raphicall notes 2in 7ussian6. .*.C.!. Press 19K p. 8G9.  8G9. 246Put  246Put + F. 15+ p. uly >uly 1anuary 45+ 18N1 (e#ele &rote to his #riends at Bonn as #ollo&s :Dn#ortunately+ I %ust say &ith &ith Schu Schult lte e that that #or #or %any %any year years s I thou though ghtt I &as &as serv servin ing g the the Cath Catholic olic Chur Church ch++ )ut )ut I serv served ed the the dist distor orti tion on 2das 2das "er) "er)il ild6 d6 inEi inEict cted ed upon upon it )y 7o%anis% 7o%anis% and >esuitis%. It &as only in 7o%e I sa& &ith per#ect clarity that &hat is happening there is Christian in na%e and appearance rather than in reali eality ty;; the grai grain n has has disap isapp peared ared and only nly the the husk usk re%ai e%ain ns+ everythin everything g is co%pletely co%pletely e'ternali@ed e'ternali@ed (0erausse (0erausserlicht rlicht)$ )$ 2i). 4486. !s the reader can see #or hi%sel# this is anything )ut unLuestioning su)%ission to in#alli)le authority. authority. Si' &eeks later+ ho&ever+ (e#ele’s tone changes )y reG interpreting the dog%a he )eco%es reconciled to it+ and soon su)%its altogether 2i). 4496. Bishop Stross%eyer at rst &as also irreconcila)le. n Sept. N+ 18N3 he &rote to Pro#essor 7einkins 2&ho later )eca%e an ld Catholic )ishop6+ speaking o# the pope’s despotic and ar)itrary )ehaviour at the Council and o# :una)ashed and hideous use o# papal in#alli)ilityAin order to %ake that in#a in#all lli) i)il ilit ity y a dog% dog%a a 2454 24546. 6. :Papac apacy y has has )eco )eco%e %e enta entang ngle led d in pett petty y &orldly trade and sunk to the level o# a purely Italian institution 245an. 13