History and metahistory in the thought of Nicolas Berdyaev

This article by Olivier Clément offers an in-depth study of Nicolas Berdyaev's philosophy of history, drawing on the central distinction between history and metahistory. Berdyaev was a Russian thinker of the twentieth century. Drawing on a long familiarity with Berdyaev's work, Clément sets out its major articulations: metahistory as a spiritual dimension that gives meaning to history, the Trinitarian mystery as the foundation of all personal and cosmic existence, and Christic divine-humanity as the key to understanding the human condition. The article also examines Berdyaev's conception of revelation as a divine-human event, the creative vocation of humanity, and the active eschatology that follows from it. The theological contribution lies in shedding light on an original Orthodox thought articulating Christology, pneumatology, and anthropology, of renewed relevance in the face of the crises of the twenty-first century.