Correlating Sobornost: Conversations between Karl Barth and the Russian Orthodox Tradition

Description

The diaspora of scholars exiled from Russia in 1922 offered something vital for both Russian Orthodoxy and for ecumenical dialogue. Under new conditions, liberated from scholastic academic discourse, and living and writing in new languages, the scholars set out to reinterpret their traditions and to introduce Russian Orthodoxy to the West. Yet, relatively few have considered the works of these exiles, particularly insofar as they act as critical and constructive conversation partners. This project expands upon the relatively limited conversation between such thinkers with the most significant Protestant theologian of the last century, Karl Barth. Through the topic and in the spirit of sobornost, this project charters such conversation. The body of Russian theological scholarship guided by sobornost challenges Barth, helping us to draw out necessary criticism while leading us toward unexpected insight, and vice versa. Going forward, this volume demonstrates that there is space not only for disagreement and criticism, but also for constructive theological dialogue that generates novel and creative scholarship. Accordingly, this collection will not only illuminate but also stimulate interesting and important discussions for those engaged in the study of Karl Barth's corpus, in the Orthodox tradition, and in the ecumenical discourse between East and West. Foreword: Changing the Subject xi Acknowledgments xix Abbreviations xxi Introduction xxiii Part I. Historical Theology 1. The Conciliar Fellowship of the Church in Karl Barth and Modern Orthodox Theology Paul Valliere 3 2. The Limits of the Ecclesiology of Faith and Order: Rethinking in a Postdenominational Way the Foundations Given by K. Barth and G. Florovsky Antoine Arjakovsky (Translated by Tracy L. Russell) 35 Part II. Systematic Theology 3. “Offenbarung, Philosophie, und Theologie”: Karl Barth and Georges Florovsky in Dialogue Matthew Baker (1977-2015) 59 4. “A Supertemporal Continuum”: Christocentric Trinity and the Dialectical Reenvisioning of Divine Freedom in Bulgakov and Barth Brandon Gallaher 95 5. One Person, Many Persons: Adding Up the Personality Disorder in CD I/1 §§8–9 John C. McDowell 135 6. Some Reflections on Election and Apophasis: Barth and Lossky Scott A. Kirkland 163 7. Analogy in Karl Barth and Orthodox Theology Andrew Louth 189 Part III. Moral and Political Theology 8. “Soborny” Spirituality: Spirit and Spirituality in Berdyaev and Barth Ashley Cocksworth 213 9. Symphonic Theology and the Cacophonous World: Barth and Solovyev on Political Theology D. Stephen Long & Richard J. Barry IV 241 10. The Politics of Sophia in the Socialism of Barth David J. Dunn and Joshua B. Davis 273 11. Struggling Together toward Human Being: Sobornost and the Ethics of Karl Barth Ashley John Moyse 311 Met. Kallistos Ware Afterword 335 Bibliography 343 Contributors 373 Index of Names and Subjects 379