Vladimir Sergueyevich Soloviev

Vladimir Sergueyevich Soloviev (1853 – 1900)

Russian Pioneer of Ecumenism – and Sobornost (Unity)

Born – January 16, 1853

Died – July 21, 1900

Born in Moscow on January 16, 1853, into a Russian Orthodox family, Vladimir’s father, a historian, and his mother from a Ukrainian-Polish family raised him in the Orthodox faith.  As a teenager, Valdimir abandoned his faith for nihilim but later returned to his Orthodox faith and remained in it to his death. 

He did, however, take up a great interest in the Roman tradition of Catholicism and felt that his very mission in his life was to help bring about unity or sobornost between the two separated traditions of Christianity.  Soloviev developed his personal philosophy based on Greek, early Christian, Buddhist, Hebrew, Gnostic, and other religious traditions, along with his personal experience of Sophia / Wisdom.  His writings influenced several Russian writers including Dostoyevksy, Tolstoy, the Russian Symbolists, and others.  He constantly sought common ground and unity, using the Russian word for catholic / universal – sobornost -  as the synthesizing goal.

As a mystical theologian and philosopher, Soloviev witnessed to Christianity more as an encounter and relationship with the living Christ than as a set of doctrines or principles.  The spiritual legacy of his less than 50 years of life holds to a prophetic vision of unity of East and West.  Misunderstood by church leaders at the time, some of whom even refused to give him Eucharist.

Valdimir’s mind search far and wide in the East and in the West for whatever truth the various traditions held.  In reference to his own Russian Orthodox Christians and Roman Catholics, in his won words, we read: “Whatever is holy and sacred for us is also holy and sacred for them.” (Zenit, Nov 19, 2003, A Russian)

With a spirit similar to St. Francis of Assisi, Vladimir constantly gave of his money and personal belongings to those who came to him in need.  Pope Leo XIII gave an audience to Vladimir in early 1888 and blessed his efforts toward uniting the Russian Church with the Universal (Roman) Church.  Vladimir recognized the papal office handed down from St. Peter and honored the Pope as rightful successor of Peter.  Vladimir felt strongly that the several patriarchs of the several national Orthodox churches, which seemed to him to be a loosely organized federation, would do well to unite with the Pope in Rome.

For a sample of readings from Soloviev’s book – Russian and the Universal Church, go to -

http://evans-experientialism.freewebspace.com/soloviev.htm

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