The theological climate at the Council of Florence (1438-1439)

This article by Nicolas Lossky focuses on the Council of Florence (1438-1439), convened with the aim of establishing a union between the Churches of East and West. Written in the context of a colloquium commemorating the 550th anniversary of this council, the study analyzes the theological climate that prevailed there, with particular attention to the debates surrounding the Filioque. The author shows that the exchanges between Latin and Greek theologians were deeply marked by mutual misunderstandings, rooted in divergent doctrinal presuppositions and conceptual frameworks. The main contribution of the article lies in its historical contextualization of these tensions: by reconstructing the intellectual conditions of the fifteenth-century dialogue, Lossky opens the way for a reflection on the contemporary theological advances that the question of the Filioque makes conceivable today in the perspective of ecumenical rapprochement.