The bear and the wolf

This article by Michel Evdokimov explores the relationship between Christian saints and wild animals, through a theological and spiritual study grounded in Scripture and patristic tradition. Drawing on emblematic figures such as Francis of Assisi and Seraphim of Sarov, the author examines how peaceful coexistence with ferocious beasts bears witness to a return to the original Adamic state, made possible through inner purification and ascesis. The article shows that animal "wildness" is a consequence of the Fall, and that its taming by the saints prefigures the eschatological restoration announced by Isaiah. On the theological level, the study articulates anthropology, soteriology and cosmology by proposing that the taming of wild forces — both animal and interior — constitutes the fruit of holiness, of which love remains the sole effective instrument.