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Theoria Original

Our original translation of this text — available exclusively to Scholar members. Includes facing Russian original inside the reader.

The Pillar and Ground of the Truth

Pavel Florensky

23h 32m read
Modern

This is Pavel Florensky's essay in Orthodox theodicy, cast as twelve letters on truth, love, the Trinity, Sophia, and the life of the Church.

Table of Contents

1I. To the ReaderFree preview
2II. First Letter: Two Worlds
3III. Letter Two: Doubt
1I: What is the sun? — She: "The dear sun." — I: No, *what* is it? — She: "The sun just is." — I: And why does it shine? — She: "Well, just because; the sun is the sun, that's why it shines. It shines and shines. Look, there's the dear sun…" I: But *why*? — She: "Lord, Pavel Aleksandrovich, as if I would know! You're the educated folk, the learned ones, and we — we're unlearned."
1IV. Letter Three: The Tri-Unity
2V. Fourth Letter: The Light of Truth
3VI. Letter Five: The Comforter
4VII. Letter Six: Contradiction
5VIII. Letter Seven: Sin
6IX. Letter Eight: Gehenna
7X. Letter Nine: The Creature
8XI. Letter Ten: Sophia
9XII. Letter Eleven: Friendship
10XIII. Letter Twelve: Zeal
11XIV. Afterword