Original Research

Aspects of political theology in the spiritual autobiography of Nicolas Berdiaev

Iuliu-Marius Morariu
HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies | Vol 75, No 4 | a5316 | DOI: https://doi.org/10.4102/hts.v75i4.5316 | © 2019 Iuliu-Marius Morariu | This work is licensed under CC Attribution 4.0
Submitted: 04 November 2018 | Published: 02 May 2019

About the author(s)

Iuliu-Marius Morariu, Faculty of Orthodox Theology, ‘Babeş-Bolyai’ University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania; and, Department of Systematic and Historical Theology, Faculty of Theology and Religion, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa

Abstract

Despite its importance for the understanding of ideas and the genesis of Nicholas Berdiaev’s works, his spiritual autobiography, written at the end of his life, has not been fructified enough by contemporary research until today. Therefore, this research aims at bringing it into attention and emphasising the aspects of political theology it contains. The author investigates elements such as the philosopher’s eschatological notes, his conception about freedom and slavery or about the superior human condition, trying to see how they influence his representation of political theology. Moreover, he links his political and religious attitudes, in an attempt not only to identify the context in which his ideas regarding this topic were born and to find influences of the context in which he lived, but also to emphasise the contemporary dimension of his way of thinking and the place the topic holds in his spiritual autobiography. For this purpose, he also uses the works of the aforementioned philosopher, the book reviews and dictionary entries dedicated to his autobiography, as well as the books, articles and reviews dedicated to Berdiaev and his work, starting from his lifetime and up to these days.

Keywords

Spirituality; Freedom; Eschatology; Russian Revolution; Communism

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Crossref Citations

1. Aspects of political theology in Thomas Merton’s spiritual autobiography
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