Leonid Ouspensky's Icon Theology and the Neo-Patristic Synthesis

abstract: The twentieth-century "neo-patristic synthesis" associated with the Russian émigré theologian Georges Florovsky has had a wide and lasting influence on Eastern Orthodox theology. Recently, scholars have noted parallels between Florovsky and the revivalist icon theology of Leonid Ouspensky. But the relationship between Florovsky's neo-patristic synthesis and Ouspensky's icon theology is often mischaracterized. On the one hand, Ouspensky modeled his Theology of the Icon on Florovsky's Ways of Russian Theology , and several recent critiques of Florovsky's neo-patristic approach can also be applied to Ouspensky's icon theology. On the other hand, Ouspensky departs from Florovsky's notion of "Christian Hellenism" and traditional Byzantine icon theory by championing fourteenth- and fifteenth-century Russian icons and by seeking to correlate changes in artistic style with developments in Orthodox theology and spirituality. This article aims to clarify the relationship between Florovsky's neo-patristic synthesis and Ouspensky's icon theology, noting significant points of convergence and disagreement.