Jean Breck

This article is a personal testimony by Father John Breck, professor emeritus at the Saint Sergius Institute in Paris, dedicated to the figure of Father Boris Bobrinskoy, Orthodox theologian and spiritual father. Written in the form of a memorial evocation, it traces more than fifty years of relationship between the two men, from their first meeting in Neuchâtel in the late 1960s to the final years of Father Boris's life at Bussy-en-Othe. The author describes the decisive role played by Bobrinskoy in the conversion of his family to Orthodox Christianity, in his priestly ordination, and in his vocation as a teacher of theology. The principal contribution of this testimony lies in the light it sheds on the pastoral and spiritual dimension of Bobrinskoy, whose influence was exercised as much through personal accompaniment as through a theology deeply rooted in liturgical and ecclesial life.

This article by John Breck addresses the Christian theology of marriage in light of contemporary debates on gender and sexuality. Drawing on theological and anthropological reflection, it examines the scriptural and patristic foundations of conjugal union in the Orthodox tradition. The central idea is that Christian marriage, conceived as a monogamous and heterosexual union between a man and a woman, constitutes an image of the mystical union of Christ and the Church, and cannot be redefined under the influence of contemporary cultural theories. The author analyzes the anthropological implications of gender theory, which he considers to lack solid scientific grounding, and questions the coherence of homosexual union with Christian anthropology. The contribution of the article lies in its rigorous articulation between the Orthodox theological tradition and current ethical issues, particularly the question of the educational responsibility of adults in the face of the weakening of the institution of marriage.

This article by Jean Breck, professor at the Saint-Serge Institute, offers an analytical study of Paul Evdokimov's biblical hermeneutics based on a corpus of articles published between 1949 and 1989. The author examines how Evdokimov evaluates the major figures of twentieth-century Protestant exegesis — Barth, Bultmann, Bonhoeffer, Tillich, Cullmann — as well as Catholic contributions, before setting out the hermeneutical principles specific to the Orthodox theologian. The central idea is that Evdokimov articulates a balanced synthesis between patristic reading and modern historical-critical methods: the spiritual meaning of the text is not external to the letter but internal to it, and all authentic exegesis is accomplished within the Church, under the action of the Holy Spirit. The theological contribution of the article lies in its highlighting of a coherent Orthodox hermeneutics, capable of engaging in dialogue with exegetical modernity without abandoning the typological and dogmatic tradition of the Eastern Fathers.