The conversion of a philosopher

This article presents a personal letter by the Russian religious philosopher Nicolas Berdyaev, written in 1907 and translated by Philippe Arjakovsky. It is an autobiographical testimony in which Berdyaev describes his inner conversion to Christianity, which occurred after a period of spiritual crisis and involvement in socialism. The central idea is that this conversion does not stem from an intellectual change, but from a profound existential transformation, linked to personal suffering and the discovery of Christ as the conqueror of death. Berdyaev affirms his vocation as a philosopher in the service of the religious cause, announcing a project of religious gnoseology in the tradition of Soloviev. The theological contribution of this document lies in the early formulation of a theology of joy and creative love, opposed to all "religious sadism," which foreshadows the major orientations of his later thought.