Freedom, Faith, and Dogma

A collection of works by nineteenth-century Russian religious philosopher V. S. Soloviev, critic of secularization, anti-Semitism, and the religious life of his time. Often remembered for his association with the Russian novelist Fyodor Dostoevsky, V. S. Soloviev (1853–1900) remains the foremost representative of ecumenism in nineteenth-century Russia. Working in the name of the Universal Church, with the goal of restoring its unity, he often criticized the institutional churches severely for their contradictions and imperfections. Freedom, Faith, and Dogma is Vladimir Wozniuk's fourth volume of translations of Soloviev's writings. These essays display the Christian philosopher's concerns about the obstacles that religious and political dogma present to the free pursuit of faith. Many of them explore the reasons why neither Judaism nor Christianity was ever able to establish a truly just "kingdom of God." Several also reflect Soloviev's steadfast and outspoken championing of full religious and civic rights for Jews throughout Russia and all of Europe. Wozniuk's introduction places Soloviev squarely in the mainstream of Christian thought and highlights the concerns that dominate this collection: the meaning of church unification, the proper relationship between church and state, and how to deal with the tendency of the powerful to exploit the powerless, concerns that remain relevant to this day.