Michel Evdokimov

This article focuses on the theology of the sacrament of confession in the Orthodox tradition, as presented through the thought of Bishop Anthony Bloom, a major pastoral figure of the twentieth century. Michel Evdokimov offers a study centered on the spiritual and sacramental vision of this theologian, examining the way in which he conceives of the penitential process. The main idea is that confession cannot be reduced to a single act, but involves a permanent interior conversion, grounded in the certainty that God welcomes without condition those who repent. On the theological level, the article highlights the anthropological dimension of the sacrament: self-discernment, the re-reading of one's actions, and the continuous movement of metanoia form the heart of an Orthodox ecclesiology of reconciliation, as formulated by Anthony Bloom.

This article examines the representation of demonic supernaturalism in the work of two great Christian novelists, Nicolas Gogol and Georges Bernanos. Through a comparative study of a literary and theological nature, Father Michel Evdokimov analyzes the way in which each of these authors depicts the presence of infernal forces in the human world and the means by which they lead man to his perdition. The central idea is that, despite their distinct confessional contexts — Russian Orthodoxy for Gogol, French Catholicism for Bernanos — the two writers share a coherent vision of evil as an active and personal power. The contribution of the article lies in its illumination of a spiritual and anthropological convergence between two different Christian traditions around the reality of the demon in novelistic fiction.

This article traces the history of the emergence of Orthodox liturgy in the French language in the Paris region in the aftermath of the Second World War. Through a historical and testimonial study, Michel Evdokimov reconstructs the concrete conditions — ecclesiastical, cultural and social — that fostered the proliferation of celebrations in French and led to the founding of the parish known as the Crypte. The central idea is that this parish constitutes a founding moment in the process of the rooting of Orthodoxy in France, marking the transition from a diaspora Church to an ecclesial presence anchored in the local language and culture. The contribution of the article lies in the precise documentation of this transition, offering essential elements for understanding the history of French-speaking Orthodoxy in the twentieth century.

This article examines the intellectual and spiritual connections between the nineteenth-century Russian theologian Alexander Bukharev and the French Orthodox theologian Elisabeth Behr-Sigel. Michel Evdokimov conducts an analytical study of the doctrinal influences that shaped Behr-Sigel's thought, drawing in particular on the thesis she devoted to Bukharev in 1977. The article highlights the centrality of the question of the relationship between the Church and the world in Bukharev's work, a Russian monk whose singular trajectory — marked by his abandonment of monastic life in favor of a Christian vocation lived within marriage and civil society — profoundly shaped Behr-Sigel's thinking. The article's contribution lies in its demonstration of the theological continuity between these two figures, revealing a lasting lineage within modern Orthodox theology on the question of Christian engagement in the world.

This article by Michel Evdokimov is devoted to the figure of Father Alexander Men (1935-1990), a Russian Orthodox priest murdered in September 1990. Written on the basis of a lecture delivered in Paris in 2010, it offers a biographical and theological presentation of this exceptional pastor, from his childhood marked by Stalinist persecution to his martyrdom. The author traces the spiritual influences that shaped Men — the lineage of the startsy of Optino, the disciples of Saint Alexis Mechev, the eucharistic theology of Afanasiev and Schmemann — and analyses his pastoral, missionary and ecumenical commitments. The main contribution of the article is to show how Men embodied an Orthodoxy open to the world, attentive to the de-Christianised Soviet intelligentsia, and how his thought on divine humanity, prayer and ecclesial renewal remains a challenge addressed to the contemporary Russian Church.

This article by Michel Evdokimov offers a comparative study of two major figures of Christian holiness: Francis of Assisi (1181-1226) and Seraphim of Sarov (1754-1833), one from the Western Catholic tradition, the other from Russian Orthodox spirituality. Through a meditative and theological approach, the author examines what unites these two saints beyond their distinct ecclesial contexts: inner transformation through trial, radical self-stripping, and unconditional openness to the other. The central idea is that authentic holiness requires a struggle against the passions and a demanding inner discipline, necessary conditions for the attainment of spiritual freedom. The contribution of the article lies in its ecumenical dialogue between two spiritual traditions, highlighting their deep anthropological convergence in the face of the challenges of a contemporary world marked by hedonism and individualism.

This article by Michel Evdokimov traces the social commitment of his father, the Orthodox theologian Paul Evdokimov, within CIMADE, a Protestant organization providing assistance to refugees, during the second half of the twentieth century. Drawing on biographical testimony and theological reflection, the text concretely describes the management of reception homes in Bièvres, Sèvres and Massy, as well as the support provided to displaced persons, foreign students and undocumented migrants. The central idea is that contemplation, far from being opposed to action, constitutes its very foundation: seeing in every human being the living icon of Christ determines and guides the service of one's neighbor. The theological contribution lies in the articulation between the universal priesthood of the layperson, ecumenical commitment and Orthodox spirituality, illustrating how an iconological anthropology can ground a coherent and lasting social practice.

This article by Michel Evdokimov examines the figure of the mystical wanderer in Russian society and literature of the 19th and 20th centuries. Drawing on historical study, literary analysis, and spiritual reflection, it traces the various forms this figure takes — pilgrim in continuous prayer, fool for Christ, itinerant philosopher, popular righteous man — through works by Pushkin, Tolstoy, and Dostoevsky, as well as through historical figures such as Skovoroda and Basil the Blessed. The central idea is that Russian mystical wandering expresses a radical detachment from worldly goods in favor of a quest for the Kingdom, rooted in a theology of the way in which Christ himself is "the path." The article thus sheds theological and cultural light on a phenomenon specific to Russian Orthodox spirituality, showing how outward peregrination always points to an inward journey toward God.

This article by Michel Evdokimov explores the relationship between Christian saints and wild animals, through a theological and spiritual study grounded in Scripture and patristic tradition. Drawing on emblematic figures such as Francis of Assisi and Seraphim of Sarov, the author examines how peaceful coexistence with ferocious beasts bears witness to a return to the original Adamic state, made possible through inner purification and ascesis. The article shows that animal "wildness" is a consequence of the Fall, and that its taming by the saints prefigures the eschatological restoration announced by Isaiah. On the theological level, the study articulates anthropology, soteriology and cosmology by proposing that the taming of wild forces — both animal and interior — constitutes the fruit of holiness, of which love remains the sole effective instrument.

This article by Father Michel Evdokimov takes as its starting point the devastating 2010 earthquake in Haiti to address the theological question of evil and the suffering of the innocent. Drawing on theological meditation of a pastoral nature, the text confronts the event with the Christian tradition by invoking the figures of Job, Dostoevsky, and several Church Fathers. The central idea is that suffering can neither be explained rationally nor interpreted as divine punishment: it is part of the mystery of iniquity, a consequence of human freedom willed by God. The theological contribution lies in the articulation between divine kenosis, cosmic solidarity, and a call to conversion, emphasizing that God, far from being indifferent, shares in the pain of his creatures and that love alone can overcome suffering.