Known as the Russian Leonardo da Vinci, he became a Russian Orthodox priest in 1911, while remaining deeply involved with the cultural, artistic, and scientific developments of his time. Arrested briefly by the Soviets in 1928, he returned to his scholarly activities until 1933, when he was sentenced to ten years of corrective labor in Siberia. There he continued his scientific work and ministered to his fellow prisoners until his death four years later. This volume is the first English translation of his rich and fascinating defense of Russian Orthodox theology. Originally published in 1914, the book is a series of twelve letters to a "brother" or "friend," who may be understood symbolically as Christ. Central to Florensky's work is an exploration of the various meanings of Christian love, which is viewed as a combination of philia (friendship) and agape (universal love). Florensky is perhaps the first modern writer to explore the so-called "same-sex unions," which, for him, are not sexual in nature. He describes the ancient Christian rites of the adelphopoiesis (brother-making), joining male friends in chaste bonds of love. In addition, Florensky is one of the first thinkers in the twentieth century to develop the idea of the Divine Sophia, who has become one of the central concerns of feminist theologians.

    We admire what we know to be inexhaustible, unfathomable. It must be deep calling out to deep, if admiration is to be wholehearted and overpowering.” So writes Dom Anscar Vonier of the splendor of the Incarnation of the Son of God.Abbot Vonier, who was among the most popular of England’s great homilists and theological writers in the early twentieth century, composed “The Personality of Christ” to show how Christ, while remaining a divine person, brings salvation to humanity precisely through his human actions. This text is notable first for its unusually clear explanation of the metaphysics of the Incarnation in St. Thomas Aquinas, but also and for its perceptive scriptural study of Christ’s actions and relationships within human society. Vonier shows that much of the unique, dramatic character of the gospels derives from the great distance between Christ’s infinite personality and the finite human personalities that he elevates through his human works."The Personality of Christ" is the first of three great Christological texts by Abbot Vonier. It is followed by "Christ the King of Glory" and "The Victory of Christ."