Françoise Jeanlin

This article examines the central place of the Theotokos in the theology of Paul Evdokimov, one of the leading Orthodox theologians of the 20th century. Through a systematic study of his major works, the author analyzes how Evdokimov articulates the Marian figure around several interdependent axes: Christology, pneumatology, ecclesiology, and eschatology. The main idea is that Evdokimov makes Mary an archetype of saved and divinized humanity, a figure of the Church and of human holiness, in correspondence with the Holy Spirit. The theological contribution of the article lies in shedding light on the original synthesis that Evdokimov forges between the patristic and Byzantine tradition, Palamite theology, and certain insights of Russian sophiology, thereby integrating Mariology into a comprehensive theological anthropology in which the virginal motherhood of the Theotokos illuminates the spiritual vocation of every human being.