The origins of Russian Christian thought

This article presents the French translation, by Jean-Claude Roberti, of the first pages of Georges Florovsky's *Ways of Russian Theology*, a reference work in twentieth-century Orthodox theology. Adopting a historical and theological approach, Florovsky examines the origins of Russian Christian thought through three axes: the intellectual silence of ancient Russia, the persistence of paganism beneath Christian culture, and the Byzantine graft effected by the baptism of Russia. He argues that the delay in Russian intellectual development does not result from an absence of culture, but from an internal crisis linked to the progressive rupture with the Byzantine heritage. The contribution of the article lies in its reassessment of the Bulgaro-Byzantine influence and the work of Cyril and Methodius as constitutive foundations of an original Russian Christian thought, distinct from the Western model.