Sergius Bulgakov is widely considered to be the twentieth century's foremost Orthodox theologian, and his book "The Comforter is an utterly comprehensive and profound study of the Holy Spirit.

Encyclopedic in scope, "The Comforter explores all aspects of the doctrine of the Holy Spirit, as they are viewed in the Orthodox tradition and throughout church history. The book has sections on the development of the doctrine of the Spirit in early Christianity and on the development of the doctrine of procession in the patristic and later Byzantine periods. It also touches on the place of the Holy Spirit in the Trinity and explores Old and New Testament notions of the Spirit of God. A concluding chapter deals with the mystical revelation of the Holy Spirit. Made available in English through the work of Boris Jakim, today's premier translator of Russian theology and philosophy into English, Bulgakov's "Comforter in this edition is a major publishing event.

"The Friend of the Bridegroom" offers a compelling theological interpretation of John the Baptist as seen through the eyes of Eastern Orthodoxy. Written by Sergius Bulgakov, the greatest Russian theologian of modern times, this book sheds new light on the mission and meaning of John the Baptist, commonly referred to in Orthodoxy as the Forerunner of the Lord. Bulgakov traces the Baptist's life from beginning to end -- his birth, his preaching of repentance, his baptism of the Lord, his agony, his death, and his veneration in the context of Eastern Orthodoxy. In addition to its use of the Gospel narratives, Bulgakov's profound portrait of the Baptist is colored by sacred tradition as it is embodied in patristic literature, in liturgy, and in iconography. Yet this is not a work of arcane scholarship intended just for academic readers. Typical of all of Bulgakov's books, "The Friend of the Bridegroom" is steeped in devotional language and holy awe. In the words of translator Boris Jakim, it is a work of prayer that will stir the souls of Christians everywhere.

Esteemed translator Boris Jakim here presents for the first time in English two major theological essays by Sergius Bulgakov. In On Holy Relics, Bulgakov?'s 1918 response to Bolshevik desecration of the relics of Russian saints, he develops a comprehensive theology of relics, connecting them with the Incarnation and showing their place in sacramental theology in general. In On the Gospel Miracles (1932), Bulgakov presents a Christological doctrine of the Gospel miracles, focusing on the question of how human activity relates to the works of Christ.
Both works are suffused with Bulgakov?'s faith in Christian resurrection and with his signature religious materialism, where the corporeal is illuminated by the spiritual and the earthly is transfigured into the heavenly.

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