Theology and spirituality in Vladimir Lossky

This article, written by Nicolas Lossky, son of the theologian, offers a biographical account and theological analysis of the work of Vladimir Lossky (1903-1958), a major figure of Orthodox theology in exile. Drawing on an intimate knowledge of the man and his thought, Nicolas Lossky traces the journey of a theologian formed in both the Eastern patristic tradition and Western medieval thought, who chose to write and teach in French in an ecumenical spirit. The article highlights the central principle of Vladimir Lossky's theology: the inseparability of theology and spirituality, all authentic theology being "mystical" in that it aims at the deification of man. It also examines his conception of the human person, his pneumatology, and his contribution to what is known as the "Paris School," heir to the Russian patristic renaissance of the nineteenth century.