The role of reason in the formation of the doctrine of the Trinity

This article examines the role of reason in the development of Trinitarian doctrine within contemporary Orthodox theology. Aristotle Papanikolaou conducts a critical and argumentative study aimed at reassessing the place of rationality in dogmatic discourse. The central idea is that the excesses of apophaticism, as they manifest in Vladimir Lossky's Trinitarian approach, are detrimental to a coherent and rational understanding of the dogma of the Trinity. Drawing on the theology of Father Sergius Bulgakov, the author advocates for a rehabilitation of a more rational and systematic approach. On a theological level, the article contributes to the debate on the articulation between reason and spiritual experience in the Orthodox tradition, by offering a critical reinterpretation of two major figures of twentieth-century Orthodox theology and by questioning the epistemological foundations of Trinitarian discourse.