FLORENSKY, PAVEL A

FLORENSKY, PAVEL A., priest, theologian, scientist (1882-ca. 1946). Florensky, very popular in post-Soviet Russian Christian circles, is known primarily as a multidisciplined theoretician and metaphysician who maintained his identity as a Christian and priest in academe and society at large in the face of Soviet persecution. His primary theological works included a number of journal articles and the book The Pillar and Foundation of Truth. His contributions to the humanities and science remind one of Leonardo da Vinci: Fictions in Geometry, astronomical calculations of a geocentric conception of the universe, The Doctrine of Dielectrics, monographs on the history of art with a focus on wood carving, Moscow Soviet Arts School professor of perspectival painting, musician, inventor of ‘dekanite’ (non-coagulating machine oil), etc.

Just as with Vladimir Soloviev and Sergius Bulgakov (qq.v.), Florensky’s metaphysics centers on sophiology-to the extent that he speaks of Sophia (Wisdom) as a fourth divine hypostasis (person), and it appears to function as a mediating principle between God (q.v.) and creation, among other things. For this position his entire theology has been called into question (Georges Florovsky [q.v.]) and described as unfounded in Eastern tradition and overly speculative.

Florensky was repeatedly imprisoned by the Soviets in the Solovki concentration camp, insisting that he renounce his priesthood. (When he occupied a chief post on the Commission for Electrification and attended the Supreme Soviet for National Economy, he always wore his cassock.) After his last ten-year term of imprisonment, he “disappeared” in the Soviet Union in 1946 and was unofficially reported dead to the European emigre community. It is assumed that he was one of the millions of silent martyrs (q.v.) who died under Stalin.