Abstract:

This paper explores the relationship between Mary, Sophia and the Eternal
Feminine in the writings of Pierre Teilhard de Chardin and Sergei Bulgakov.
It argues that Teilhard’s poem to the Eternal Feminine is a meditation
on the Virgin Mary and reflected his own dedication to her. While Teilhard’s
attention to wisdom is veiled and somewhat restricted, it flowers in
the theology of Bulgakov, who finds in Mary the expression of perfected
creaturely Sophia. Both authors have a high place for Mary and her cosmic
significance, though this is muted somewhat in Teilhard’s account by his
strong attention to cosmic Christology. While Mary and nature have long
been associated in the Christian tradition, a Sophianic interpretation of her
importance allows for an ecological reading of Mary’s significance that
goes beyond the interpretation of both Teilhard and Bulgakov.

Author: Celia Deane-Drummond