Père Serge Boulgakov

This article by Father Sergius Bulgakov, translated here into English for the first time, offers a dogmatic exegesis of John 19:34, the verse recounting the flow of blood and water from the pierced side of Christ on the cross. Proceeding through rigorous theological analysis, Bulgakov develops the idea that this blood and water — an expression of the fullness of Christ's humanity, soul and body — remained in the world after the Resurrection and Ascension, constituting a real and permanent presence of Christ on earth. This presence, distinct from the eucharistic presence, is designated by the figure of the Holy Grail, understood not as a legendary relic but as a cosmic mystery: the entire world is the cup containing the humanity of Christ. The major theological contribution lies in the articulation between Christology, ecclesiology and eschatology: the whole of human history is permeated by the active compassion of Christ, and oriented toward its final transfiguration.