The Theological Position of Metropolitan Sergius (Stragorodsky) in the Dispute over Sophiology

This article attempts to assess the theological significance of two "Ukazes" issued by Metropolitan Sergius (Stragorodsky) in 1935 against the Sophiology of Archpriest Sergius Bulgakov and signed by members of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church. It is noted that Metropolitan Sergius insightfully and accurately exposes the main nerve of Sophiology in terms of the methodological problem of mixing philosophical and theological approaches. His own theological approach is based on the distinction between the Dogmatic Idea (dogma), eternally unchanging and self-identical, and the theological attempts of human thought to grasp certain aspects of the dogma, far from exhausting the mysterious fullness of the dogma and certainly not claiming to expand (add) its semantic structure. The article also traces the changing and enriching position of Metropolitan Sergius regarding the dogma of redemption over more than 35 years after defending his famous master's work "The Orthodox Doctrine of Salvation". Even before the main critical work of St. Seraphim (Sobolev) towards Metropolitan Sergius was published, these "Ukazes" already present an understanding of the doctrine of redemption that includes both subjective and objective aspects of redemption. As known, the absence of the latter aspect in the early writings of Metropolitan Sergius was criticized. The views presented in the polemic with Sophiology demonstrate the organic growth and deepening of Metropolitan Sergius' thought, outlining certain accents that will later become the main directions of Orthodox soteriology in the 20th century.