About us

The Florovsky Society brings together members of the Princeton University community interested in Eastern Christian theology, thought and culture: graduate students from various departments and programs, undergraduates, faculty, staff, and interested individuals in the broader Princeton community.

Officers

Our officers for 2015-2016 are:
President: Denis Zhernokleyev, Ph.D. Candidate, Princeton University Department of Slavic Literature
Vice President: Natalia Ermolaev, Ph.D., Digital Humanities Project Manager, Princeton University Library and Center for Digital Humanities
Treasurer: Alex Petkas, Ph.D. Candidate in Classics, Princeton University
Secretary: Arkadi Choufrine, Ph.D., Senior Bibliographic Specialist, Princeton University Library

Advisors and Committee Members

Seraphim Danckaert, Ph.D. Candidate, ACEOT, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam Faculty of Theology
Nicholas Marinides, Ph.D.,  Post Doctoral Fellow at University of Basel

Adedoyin Teriba, Ph.D. Candidate, Princeton University Department of Art & Archeology                                                                               George Parsenios, Ph.D., Associate Professor of New Testament, Princeton Theological Seminary                                                                     Alexis Torrance, D.Phil. (Oxon.), Assistant Professor at University of Notre Dame

 

Our Purpose

Our main purpose is to honor the memory of Fr. Florovsky by promoting the study of his thought, as well as the study of the patristic sources upon which Fr. Florovsky relied.

Firestone Library holds most of Fr. Florovsky’s personal papers, many of which remain unexamined and uncatalogued. We hope to increase awareness of this collection and inspire scholarly publication or re-publication of work by or about Fr. Florovsky.

We also intend to provide venues for the scholarly and devotional study of Orthodox Christian theology in general, always remaining faithful to Fr. Florovsky’s emphasis on Orthodoxy’s patristic heritage.

Plans for Future

The Fr. Georges Florovsky Orthodox Christian Theological Society aims to promote study of Orthodox theology among Orthodox Christians themselves but also in dialogue with the intellectual life of Princeton University and of the world at large. Some plans for specific activities include:

  • An annual lecture, delivered by an eminent Orthodox thinker and geared toward the entire campus community. A memorial service for Fr. Florovsky would be offered in conjunction with this lecture.
  • Occasional conferences or symposia, which would bring together scholars of patristic theology and Fr. Florovsky’s work.
  • Publicizing of the Florovsky papers in the broader scholarly and theological community, to encourage full cataloguing and subsequent study of his thought.
  • Occasional guest speakers or panels, co-sponsored with other campus organizations or academic departments and programs, engaging with contemporary theological and intellectual issues (e.g. religious philosophy in Russia today, religion and the theory of evolution, Genesis and the Big Bang, etc.).