The witness of a deep and free orthodoxy

This article pays tribute to Élisabeth Behr-Sigel (1907-2005), a French Orthodox theologian, on the occasion of the centenary of her birth. Written in the form of a personal testimony by Father Boris Bobrinskoy, who knew her personally for nearly sixty-five years, the text traces the major stages of her intellectual and spiritual biography: her conversion to Orthodoxy, her ecumenical commitment, her teaching at several European theological institutions, and her written work. The central idea is that Behr-Sigel embodies an Orthodoxy that is both rooted and open, capable of questioning established traditions without rejecting them. Her major theological contribution lies in her pioneering reflection on the place of women in the Church and the question of women's ordination, which compelled Orthodox theology to deepen its anthropology and move beyond the sole argument of tradition.