The Philosophical Faith of Father Sergius Bulgakov

The Article examines the world view evolution of Father Sergius Bulgakov; namely, the stage of his radical reorientation to the problems of philosophical idealism and religious metaphysics. That world view is shaped by a tension between his mystical spiritual experiences described in his diary and jos attempts to externalize them as Christian politics. He articulates the relationship between philosophy and religion as an antinomy and therefore cannot be resolved only through rationalization. It demands for the orthodox consciousness the justification of philosophy in the light of religion. Overcoming the autonomy of reason is possible due to the rooting of philosophical reason in a specific religious experience. It is in the religious existential experience of the transcending subject that it is possible to go beyond the limits of empirical existence and overcome limitations of the secular autonomous reason. Thus, Bulgakov's views are largely in tune with European existential philosophy in interpreting the nature of philosophy as creativity rooted in the deepest, pre-rational foundations of human existence.