St Cyprian in Russian Theology of the First Third of the Twentieth Century

This article analyses publications on the legacy of St Cyprian of Carthage in the Russian diaspora during the early 1930s. The works of German Lutheran and Reformed theologians — Otto Ritschl, Richard Sohm, and Gustav Koch — well known to Russian authors, provide important contextual background. The main argument is that while these theologians increasingly evaluate St Cyprian’s ideas and personality positively, the Russian diaspora’s attitude remains critically distant. This critique culminates in the work of Nikolay Afanasyev, who characterised the ancient saint as the creator of a ‘universal ecclesiology’, contrasting it with what Afanasyev deemed the original and true ‘Eucharistic’ ecclesiology. However, a critical re-examination of Afanasyev’s approach suggests that his Eucharistic ecclesiology represents more of a modern construct than a genuine return to early Christian roots.