Sophia in the Bible and in Russian Sophiology: Aspect of Wife
The article explores the unique, but scantily investigated in Russian sophiology, concept of Sophia the Wisdom of God as “a Wife clothed with the sun”. According to the Bible, the first Sophia’s witness was The God Himself and his Prophets, on which all Russian sophiologists accentuated their attention. Religious mystical experience of sophiologists is the important determinant for acknowledgement of Sophia image. The topic in the article is researched by comparing notions of Russian religious philosophers and implicit texts of the Holy Scriptures about Sophia as well as by using method of biblical exegetics. The key in the work is the method of spiritual contemplation and inner intuitive-sensual cognition of truth, while special emphasis is put on drawing conclusions in the form of definitions and theses. The various functions of Sophia are revealed as a Woman Clothed with the Sun who possesses on the one hand the force and power to condemn and defeat the ancient serpent and on the other hand gives all-unite salvation to all creatures and mankind through their rebirth in Christ. Sophia’s personification is carried out in order to get detailed knowledge of her soteriological role. The importance of religious mystical experience of sophiologists is underlined as determinant of deeper knowledge of Sophia image and sophilogy in general.
1. Berdyayev N. A. Samopoznaniye. Russkaya ideya [Selfknowledge. Russian idea]. St. Petersburg, 1998. 300 p. (in Russian).
2. Berdyayev N. A. Novoye religioznoye soznaniye i obshchestvennost [The new religious consciousness and society]. St. Petersburg, 1907. 233 p. (in Russian).
3. Bibliya [The Bible]. Moscow, 2005. 1337 p. (in Russian).
4. Garayeva G. F. Ontognoseologicheskaya sushchnost sofi ologii i ee mesto v russkoy fi losofi i: Solovyev V. S., Florenskiy P. A., Bulgakov S. N. [Ontognoseological essense of sophiology and its place in Russian philosophy: Solovev V. S., Florenskiy P. A., Bulgakov S. N.]. Diss. Dr. Sci. (Philos). Armavir, 2000. 346 p. (in Russian).
5. Florenskiy P. A. Stolp i utverzhdeniye Istiny [Pillar and the statement of Truth]. In: Florenskiy P. A. Sobr. soch. [Collected works: in 2 vols.] Moscow, 1914, vol. 1. 809 p. (in Russian).
6. Bulgakov S. N. Apokalipsis Ioanna [Apocalypse of John]. Paris, 1948. 353 p. (in Russian).
7. Ustyantsev V. B., Orlov M. O., Danilov S. A. Ocherki sotsialnoy fi losofi i: prostranstvennyye struktury, poryadok obshchestva, dinamika globalnykh sistem [Essays on social philosophy: spatial structures, the order of society, the dynamics of global systems]. Ed. by V. B. Ustyantsev. Saratov, 2010. 248 p. (in Russian).
8. Narekatsi G. Kniga skorbnykh pesnopeniy [The book of mournful psalms].Trans. from ancient Armenian. Moscow, 1988. 407 p. (in Russian).
9. Kozyrev A. P. Pod znakom Sofi i. Tvorchestvo khristianskogo fi losofa Sergiya Bulgakova. Beseda s Sergeyem Gromovym [Under sign of Sophia. Creations of the Christian philosopher Sergey Bulgakov. Talk with Sergey Gromov]. Svoy [His], 2014, October, pp. 6–9 (in Russian).
10. Solovev V. S. Chteniya o Bogochelovechestve [Lectures on Divine Humanity]. Moscow, 2011. 293 p. (in Russian).
11. Bulgakov S. N. Svet nevecherniy: Sozertsaniya i Umozreniya [The unfading light: Contemplation and speculation]. Moscow, 1994. 417 p. (in Russian).
12. Bulgakov S. N. Nevesta Agntsa [The Bride of the Lamb]. Paris, 1945. 621 p. (in Russian).