Bertrand Vergely

This article by Bertrand Vergely examines the nature and foundations of Christian moral theology. Through philosophical and theological reflection, the author proposes a progressive approach to ethics, distinguishing several levels of moral engagement. He first examines morality based on the immanent principles that govern life in society, recognizing its capacity to humanize human relationships and structure communal living. The study then shows that Orthodox moral theology goes beyond this framework by grounding ethical action in the relationship with God. The main contribution of the article lies in this distinction between an autonomous morality, sufficient on a social level, and a theological ethics in which human action becomes the site of cooperation with the divine. This perspective offers an original contribution to contemporary reflection on the relationship between ethics and Christian faith.

Bertrand Vergely, philosopher, examines in this article the notion of spiritual warfare and its theological and anthropological foundations. Through a philosophical and critical approach, he analyzes the passionate mechanisms at work in all war logic, showing how the designation of the enemy as the incarnation of evil legitimizes the resort to violence. The main idea is that the concepts of "just war" and "moral war" rest on dynamics inherent to the fallen world, incompatible with authentic Christian spirituality. The article draws on the contemporary situation, particularly the rhetoric of the Russian government justifying its military intervention through moral and religious arguments. The theological contribution lies in the distinction between a spirituality of peace, rooted in the Gospel of the Beatitudes, and ideological constructions that instrumentalize the sacred to legitimize war.

This article examines Olivier Clément's anthropological thought through the lens of contemporary philosophy. Bertrand Vergely, a philosopher, offers a contextual study that situates Clément's work within the intellectual landscape of the twentieth century, marked by the great crises of modernity and questions about the human condition. The central idea is that Clément develops an original theological anthropology, articulating human freedom and the vocation of the person to life in Christ, in critical dialogue with the philosophical currents of his time. The contribution of this article lies in shedding light on the internal coherence of this anthropology, which rejects both materialist reductionism and abstract idealism, in order to propose a vision of humanity grounded in transfiguration and openness to divine transcendence.

This article by Bertrand Vergely offers a study of the thought of Olivier Clément, a twentieth-century Orthodox theologian, situating it within the category of pioneering thinkers rather than systematic philosophers. The approach is that of an intellectual and spiritual synthesis, articulated around three fundamental axes: beauty as the originary experience of the transcendent, death as an irreducible existential question, and resurrection as the Christian response to the absurd. The article shows how Clément, starting from an atheism rooted in his upbringing, developed a coherent vision in which beauty, love, and the deification of man mutually correspond. The theological contribution lies in highlighting the centrality of transfiguration in his thought, as well as in his dialogue with post-1968 modernity, for which he proposes a freedom of spiritual rootedness as an alternative to radical individualism.

This article by Bertrand Vergely, professor at the Institut Saint-Serge, offers a systematic study of Paul Evdokimov's moral theology based on the posthumous work *Une vision orthodoxe de la théologie morale* (Cerf, 2009). The approach is both analytical and comparative: Vergely examines the philosophical foundations of morality and theology, traces the crisis of moral theology in Western Europe, and evaluates the responses provided by Nietzsche before setting out the Orthodox contribution. The central idea is that Evdokimov refuses to ground morality in abstract principles, natural norms, or social structures, choosing instead to anchor it in the experience of personal transformation proper to ecclesial life — liturgy, sacraments, communion, and interiorized monasticism. The theological contribution lies in the valorization of the patristic concept of deification as the only coherent foundation for an authentic Christian ethics, transcending both religious moralism and secular moralism.