Divine Sophia: The Wisdom Writings of Vladimir Solovyov

324 Pages·2009·21.638 MB·English

by  Vladimir Sergeyevich Solovyov, Judith Deutsch Kornblatt

E WISDOM WRITINGS OF
#3$ - •
Vladimir Solovyov
Judith Deutsch Kornblatt
Including Annotated Translations by
AKIM
«
Digitized by the Internet Archive
in 2019 with funding from
The Arcadia Fund
https://archive.org/details/divinesophiawisdOOsolo
Divine Sophia

Divine Sophia
THE WISDOM WRITINGS
OF VLADIMIR SOLOVYOV
Judith Deutsch Kornblatt
INCLUDING ANNOTATED TRANSLATIONS
BY BORIS JAKIM, JUDITH KORNBLATT,
AND LAURY MAGNUS
Cornell University Press
Ithaca and London
Copyright © 2009 by Cornell University
All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in a review, this book, or parts
thereof, must not be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from
the publisher. For information, address Cornell University Press, Sage House,
512 East State Street, Ithaca, New York 14850.
First published 2009 by Cornell University Press
First printing, Cornell Paperbacks, 2009
Printed in the United States of America
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Solovyov, Vladimir Sergeyevich, 1853-1900.
[Selections. English. 2009]
Divine Sophia : the wisdom writings of Vladimir Solovyov /
[edited and annotated by] Judith Deutsch Kornblatt.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-8014-4729-7 (cloth : alk. paper)—
ISBN 978-0-8014-7479-8 (pbk. : alk. paper)
1. Wisdom—Religious aspects. 2. Religion—Philosophy. 3. Solovyov, Vladimir
Sergeyevich, 1853-1900—Criticism and interpretation. I. Kornblatt, Judith Deutsch. II. Title.
B4262.A5K67 2009
231.'6—dc22 2008027724
Cornell University Press strives to use environmentally responsible suppliers
and materials to the fullest extent possible in the publishing of its books. Such
materials include vegetable-based, low-VOC inks and acid-free papers that are
recycled, totally chlorine-free, or partly composed of nonwood fibers. For further
information, visit our website at www.cornellpress.cornell.edu.
Cloth printing 10 987654321
Paperback printing 10 987654321
To my family

Contents
Preface xi

Editorial Method xv

Permissions xvii

Part I Who Is Solovyov and What Is Sophia? i
Introduction: Visions and Re-Visions of Sophia 3
The “Life Drama” of Solovyov 12
Positivism and Spiritualism / Feminism and Pansophism 23
Wisdom’s Bequest: Sophia through the Ages 34
Solovyov as Self-Conscious Heir 82
How to Write a Vision? 88
Conclusion: Sophia as Divinely Human Mediator 93
Part II The Wisdom Writings of Solovyov:
Annotated Translations 99
1. Early Sophianic Poems 101
Reading Guide 101
Early Poems 105
“My tsaritsa appeared to me” 103
“My empress has a lofty palace” 103
“Near, far off, not here, not there” 107
Vll
viii Contents
2. The Sophia: A “Mystical-Theosophical-Philosophical-
Theurgical-Political” Dialogue 109
Reading Guide 109
The Sophia 115
“On Man’s Metaphysical Need” 115
“Sophie. First Triad. First Principles” 119
“First Dialogue: The Absolute Principle as Unity (The Principle of
Monism)” 119
“Second Dialogue: The Absolute Principle as Duality (The Principle of
Dualism)” 127
!“Third Dialogue”] 134
“Second Dialogue: The Cosmic and Historical Process” 141
“Third Chapter: Morality and Politics” 161
3. Sophia in Philosophical Prose 165
Reading Guide i6j
“Fragments”: An Overview 168
“On the Three Worlds” 169
“On the Three Conditions (in General)” 170
From “Theological Principles” 171
From Lectures on Divine Humanity: An Overview 173
Lecture Seven 176
Lecture Eight 179
Lecture Nine 185
Lecture Ten 190
Lectures Eleven and Twelve 190
From Russia and the Universal Church (Book Three): An
Overview 191
“HI. The Divine Essence and Its Threefold Manifestation” 192
“IV. The World Soul as the Foundation of Creation, Space, Time, and
Mechanical Causality” 195
“V. The Higher World. The Freedom of the Pure Spirits” 200
“VI. The Three Chief Stages of the Cosmogonic Process” 204
“VII. The Threefold Incarnation of Divine Wisdom” 207
“The Idea of Humanity in Auguste Comte”: An Overview 211
“The Idea of Humanity in Auguste Comte” 213
4. “At the Dawn of Misty Youth”: A Semiautobiographical
Short Story 231
Reading Guide 231
“At the Dawn of Misty Youth” 233