Abstract

As part of the work to “transcend the dichotomy” of the “two schools” of the Russian Religious Renaissance, the study of individual theologians reveals different approaches to theological synthesis. The present paper is a study of Nicholas Afanasiev’s patristic engagement and the specifics of his approach to neo-patristics. Two ecclesiological conceptions emerged as consistent themes in his work: eucharistic ecclesiology and ecumenical theology. Afanasiev was a trained historian, and his analysis of the Fathers of the early Church—in particular Ignatius of Antioch, Clement of Rome and Justin Martyr—became a catalyst of original theological insight. This was the case with his eucharistic ecclesiology and his influence on the ecumenical movement near the end of his life. The originality of his neo-patristic insight differentiated Afanasiev from other theologians of the Russian Religious Renaissance.