The patristic heritage and modernity

This article by Father Hilarion Alfeyev, a Russian theologian and monk, examines the question of the relationship between the patristic heritage and the demands of contemporary Orthodox theology. Belonging to both theological study and scholarly inquiry, it advocates a creative reading of the Church Fathers, distinct from a repetitive conservatism that would reduce Tradition to a frozen past. The author analyzes the concept of *consensus patrum*, highlights the contextual diversity of patristic traditions — Greek, Latin, Syriac, and Eastern — and proposes a contextual method for interpreting sources. He argues for a "neo-patristic synthesis" capable of responding to the challenges of the twenty-first century. The main contribution of the article is to provide rigorous methodological foundations for renewing Orthodox patrological scholarship, by integrating non-Byzantine traditions and articulating mystical experience with ecclesial doctrine.