Theological Metalanguage in the Angelologies of Dionysius and Archpriest Sergius Bulgakov

Abstract

This article aims to explore the different theological languages employed by the author of Corpus Dionysiacum and Father Sergius Bulgakov to express their respective ideas about angels. We argue that in order to engage fully with Bulgakov’s ideas there is a need to approach his texts not as sui generis theological or philosophical system but as an interpretation of traditional Christian theology as it is found in scriptural, liturgical and patristic sources. The main difference between these two approaches is that, while the former envisages only one logical level — the logic of the whole system (otherwise the system would disintegrate), the latter presupposes a parallel existence in the same text (or body of texts) of two distinct logical levels — the logic of that which is being interpreted, and the logic of the interpreter (the ‘metalanguage’). We also argue that the same approach can be applied to the analysis of the Corpus Dionysiacum. Thus, we distinguish three different theological languages in the writings on angels by Dionysius and Archpriest Bulgakov. We demonstrate that the anthropological and philosophical languages are continually reinterpreted by Dionysius in his metalanguage of hierarchy, and by Bulgakov in his metalanguage of Sophiology.