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John Meyendorff - Orthodoxy and the modern world. John Meyendorff - living tradition Scientific works, publications

John Meyendorff (1926 -1992) - archpriest, world-famous specialist in the field of patristics and Byzantine history, one of the most remarkable Orthodox theologians our time. Father John Meyendorff was born on February 17, 1926 in the mountains. Neuly (Haut Seine, France) in a family of Russian emigrants. He studied at the Orthodox Theological Institute of St. Sergius in Paris, at the School of Practical Theology at the Sorbonne, where in 1959 he defended his doctoral dissertation on the theological views of St. Gregory Palamas. In the same year, after being ordained a priest, he was invited to St. Vladimir's Theological Academy in New York to teach Church history and patrology.

He also taught at Harvard, Columbia, and Ford Universities in the USA. In 1977 Father John was elected a Corresponding Member of the British Academy. He was an honorary doctor of the University of Notre Dame (Indiana, USA), the Theological Institute of the Episcopal Church in New York and the Orthodox Theological Academy in St. Petersburg. Father John Meyendorff long time Head of the External Relations Department of the Orthodox Church in America.

He was one of the initiators of the creation of the canonical organization of this Local Church (the beginning of which dates back to the Russian mission in Alaska approved in 1794), which received its autocephaly from the Moscow Patriarchate in 1971. From 1968 to 1976. he headed the "Faith and Order" commission of the World Council of Churches, of which he was a member of the Central Committee.

Father John was among the initiators of the creation in 1953 of the Syndesmos v World Federation of Orthodox Youth, its first secretary and then chairman. From May to June 1992, Protopresbyter John Meyendorff was the rector of the St. Vladimir Theological Academy.

Books (6)

Marriage in Orthodoxy

The purpose of the book is to reveal marriage as a sacrament, that is, to delve into that aspect of it that neither psychology, nor physiology, nor sociology touches.

However, the author is convinced that the Orthodox understanding of the sacrament of marriage implies the only possible attitude in Christianity to the most burning problems of our time. This understanding, of course, is at odds with that which is recognized as traditional in Western Christianity. In this difference, perhaps, lies the way for the practical transformation of marriage in Western society.

Introduction to Patristic Theology

The proposed summary of the course of lectures on patristics is based on student notes of lectures delivered at St. Vladimir's Theological Academy (New York) in 1979-1981.

The proposed course does not claim to be a comprehensive scientific coverage of the material related to the subject. Rather, its purpose is to identify the historical setting, the main directions of theological thought and the main issues that need explanation and discussion.

Byzantium and Muscovite Russia

A book about the history of the Russian Orthodox Church. Rather, it is an essay on the history of church and cultural relations in the 14th century.

This is the time of the formation of an independent Muscovy, torn apart by civil strife and the pressure of hostile peoples. The time of the fight against the Tatars and the Battle of Kulikovo; the time of the fall of Byzantium, and the establishment of the patriarchate in Russia.

Living legend. Evidence of Orthodoxy in the Modern World (part)

This work is the fourth chapter of the collection: Protopresbyter John Meyendorff. Living Tradition. Evidence of Orthodoxy in the Modern World.
Theology
The meaning of tradition
Scripture, Tradition and the Church
Tradition and dogma
Tradition and legends
Orthodox Church and Mission: Past and Perspectives of Our Time

The temptation of complete identification with the world - with the state, with the nation, with parties, with ideologies, with politics, with social activity, with social success - is an everlasting temptation for church people...

More often, the state and various ideologies impose themselves on the Church and use the Church for their own purposes.

If the Church is used by others, then it can no longer fulfill its service to God and the world.

Protopr. John Meyendorff. "His Holiness Patriarch Tikhon - Servant of the Unity of the Church." 1990

The cover design features the fresco "Pentecost" by E.P. Ozolina in the Church of the Three Hierarchs of St. Vladimir's Theological Seminary in Crestwood. Photo: Glen Mules

The Historical Theology of Father John Meyendorff

Protopresbyter John Meyendorff (1926–1992) is the last prominent representative of Russian Orthodox theology in the 20th century. He completes the era of Russian foreign theology. His name is on a par with such theologians as Archpriest Sergei Bulgakov, Archpriest Georgy Florovsky, A.V. Kartashev, V.N. Lossky, Archimandrite Cyprian (Kern), Protopresbyter Nikolai Afanasiev, Archbishops Kassian (Bezobrazov) and Vasily (Krivoshein), Protopresbyter Alexander Schmemann. He was the only one of them who survived until the beginning of the church revival in Russia, in which they all believed so much and for which each worked in his own way. He became a witness and hoped to be a participant, but a sudden death prevented this. Father John belongs to the generation of those people of the Russian emigration who were already born in exile. His life is connected with France until the middle of the century and with post-war America, where he moved in 1950. He completed his education in the Old World, and the full application of his knowledge was already in the New. Theological education of Fr. John went to St. Sergius Orthodox Theological Institute in Paris; the first years of his teaching passed here. He received scientific diplomas and degrees at the secular institutions of France - at the Sorbonne and at the Practical School of Higher Studies. In 1958 he defended his doctoral dissertation at the Sorbonne on the life and theology of St. Gregory Palamas.

A few years before that, I.F. Meyendorff married, and a year earlier accepted the priesthood and soon moved to America, becoming a professor of church history and patristics at St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary in New York. His entire subsequent life was connected with this educational institution; after the death of Alexander Schmemann Fr. John succeeded him as Dean of the Seminary (1984-1992), leaving this position shortly before his own death. The years spent by John Meyendorff in America became a time of intensive scientific research, creative work, teaching, pastoral cares and active international church and academic activities.

With his scientific destiny and many-sided church ministry, Fr. John Meyendorff showed the image of an Orthodox historian and theologian, who has high authority in the most diverse strata of the modern Russian church audience, marked by a wide variety of opinions, passions and preferences. If we ignore the acute questions about the Church in the modern world, free ourselves from the problems of the relationship of Orthodoxy with other Christian denominations, then academically, the scientific activity of Fr. John should be attributed to historical theology. It is in this aspect that we will try to consider his work, as well as trace the influence he had on modern church processes.

Historical theology is understood as a type of theological research in which two areas of work are combined - historical and theological, and their share ratio varies among different theologians; in some, the historical predominates over the theological; in others, on the contrary, the theological has a clear advantage over the historical. In the face of John, we have the happy case of a natural and balanced combination of an excellent and academically impeccable historian with a shrewd and ecclesiastical theologian. The defining feature of historical theology is its inherent historical character, the recognition behind history of the most important factor in religious life, which gathers in itself the totality of the experience of the sacred. In relation to Christian theology, this means taking as the starting point for cognition the historical fact of the coming of God into the world, the event of the Incarnation (“the theology of facts,” as Fr. John liked to define it, following Fr. George Florovsky). History also covers the subsequent fate of the Christian community, includes the history of the Church, the history of theology, the experience of communion with God, the presence of God in the world and the world in God. All the richness of the accumulated Christian experience constitutes the church heritage, which historical theology constantly turns to for its study, perception, communion, and thereby continuation in further history. The vast majority of books and article publications about. John Meyendorff performed in the vein of historical and theological research. Two millennia of the existence of Christianity represent for him a universe of theological meanings and spiritual insights. A close study and updating of this history for the present constitute the main content of Fr. John.

Historical theology is characteristic of traditional Christian denominations, primarily Orthodoxy and Catholicism. IN lesser degree it is inherent in Protestantism, which is easily explained if we take into account that for historical theology the starting point is Tradition in its historical extent and material concreteness. No matter how differently Orthodox and Catholics understand Tradition, they agree on one thing: Church history contains indelible refractions of the Truth, as it appeared to the ancient generations of the faithful. Their experience is precious to both traditions. Both think of themselves in unity and succession with their ancestors and predecessors, enriching themselves with the heritage received from them. That is why the historical-theological tradition is so rich in both scientific schools. The factor of history is perceived differently by Protestant thinkers and believers. History, of course, has its value for them, but the starting point in any theological judgment is the factor personal experience, direct perception of the sacred, which every person is gifted with. Therefore, here the advantage lies with another type of theological study, that which is commonly called philosophical theology; it clearly predominates in Anglo-American and German theology, which is largely associated with Protestantism. Historical theology in this tradition is reduced to a special discipline of the "history of dogmas" (Dogmengeschichte), which is mainly negative in relation to history.

Historical theology is characterized by a certain set of principles and major areas of application. Double obligations - historical and theological - prescribe the observance of the requirements, on the one hand, of good historical research, on the other hand, the applicability of the results obtained in the course of historical research to establish timeless theological truth. At the same time, historical theology bears the marks of its own historicity, in other words, it is part of the very unified history that it studies itself. In theological terms, this means its indispensable belonging to the church tradition; in this respect, it turns out to be an integral part of that great Tradition, in the study of which it is immersed. A logical consequence of this fact is the fundamentally ecclesiastical and confessional nature of historical theology. She also has a predominant area of knowledge. This is, first of all and most of all, Holy Tradition - its nature and fate - questions of its development and immutability, and finally, these are always painful questions of doctrinal truth and dissent.

Father John Meyendorff by all indications belongs to the theological tradition of historical theology, which has deep roots in Russian Orthodoxy. Among his direct predecessors are the famous theologians of the older generation, Archpriest Georgy Florovsky, V.N. Lossky and others. From o. Georgy Meyendorff had a special relationship; the influence of ideas, the most important publications and personal communication with him had for the formation of Fr. John key. Therefore, in one of his last speeches, he admits: “I am absolutely and almost unconditionally a student of Father Georgy Florovsky ...” He really turned out to be the heir and continuer of the work inspired by Fr. Georgy Florovsky, who all his life sought to unravel the divine mystery of history. Years of reflection led Fr. George to a clear understanding of the theology of history as the most complete comprehension of the historicity of the universe, as the main characteristic of human existence. His main thesis is this: the highest meaning of history is the theological meaning, since the beginning and end of history, its Alpha and Omega, is the Divine Logos, and this understanding corresponds to the program of theological research developed by him, which received the somewhat inaccurate name “neopatristic synthesis”. Its essence boils down to a set of requirements facing theological science: 1) historicity, 2) metaphysics, 3) existentiality. This program clearly fits into the framework of historical theology. Many Orthodox researchers and theologians have worked and continue to work in accordance with this program. Father John Meyendorff is one of her outstanding supporters and performers.

Completely in the spirit of George, he speaks about the theological vocation of a Christian historian and the historicity of theological consciousness. Peers and witnesses of the life of Fr. John, Archpriest Nikolai Lossky and Protopresbyter Boris Bobrinsky recall how he “often said that a theologian cannot but be a historian, since any dogmatic definition, clarification or ecclesiastical statement is always born in a certain historical context and responds to challenges that distort the purity of Orthodox contemplation and confessions of faith. Along with this, Fr. John believed that the historian of the church must be a theologian: if he is not a theologian, then he runs the risk of not understanding the categories with which he has to deal, and then his historical science will be purely phenomenological and exclusively human. This dichotomy - a historian and a theologian - marked the scientific and spiritual position of Fr. John in its unity and consistency; both sides mutually enrich and substantiate each other.

Father John, on the one hand, is an excellent historian who has proven himself to be a perceptive observer of near and distant processes of church life. His historical competence covered almost all times and regions of the history of Christianity. He possessed a deep knowledge of ancient sources that have come down to us in the languages of Christian antiquity, and he also perfectly oriented himself in the rich scientific tradition of their study, which in itself has almost five thousand years of intensive development. On the other hand, he is a shrewd and brilliant theologian who never relieved himself of this lofty responsibility. And his understanding of the requirements facing Orthodox theology, his awareness of the vocation of Christian thought were quite clear to him and were repeatedly clearly formulated by him. This combination makes his contribution a precious asset to Orthodox scholarship.

John is profoundly alien to the protective position of "repetitive" theology, as he liked to call that method of evading theological responsibility, whose adherents, in solving any spiritual or scientific problem, are satisfied with referring to ancient authority or are limited to a formal reproduction of ancient theological wisdom. There is a false conservatism inherent in such theology; it turns out to be a "closed" theology. In fact, for such an approach, the historical value of the ancient Christian heritage is indifferent; under him, historical facts are perceived as self-sufficient truths, devoid of internal volume and their own destiny. Father John took a fundamentally different position. It is characterized by an "open" theology, responsive to modern demands, generous in its responses thanks to its reliable support on the inexhaustible riches of church tradition. He highly valued the quality of openness in Christianity, and found signs of it throughout church history. Narrow historical specialization in Christian science, which relieves itself of the call to interpret its subject, immerse itself in its true reality, and on the other hand, frees itself from responding to the troubles of our time, to the sorrows of the surrounding world, as it seems, is deeply alien to Fr. John both as a scholar and as a Christian.

In his work, theological insights were confirmed by historical material, and historical intuition was guided by theological guidelines. Such is the “two-naturalness” characteristic of his scientific methodology. On the most difficult question of the content of the Palamite disputes and their historical significance, to which we now turn, Fr. John managed to formulate, although probable, but very plausible hypotheses and explanations. It is clear that historical conjectures and confirmed assumptions always leave room for clarification and even possible subsequent refutation. But something else is essential: the theological explanation of the dramatic events that took place in the past explains much in the present; it contributes to a better understanding of the general course of world history. And the main works of Fr. John.

As his doctoral dissertation at the Sorbonne in 1958, Fr. John presented a detailed study of the life, works and theology of the great Orthodox saint of the XIV century - St. Gregory Palamas. We note in passing that it is precisely this area of research by Fr. John accounted for his well-deserved fame as a historian and theologian. In particular, he is credited with the first complete critical edition of the original text of the most important work of Palamas - "Triads in defense of the sacredly silent", as well as their translation into French and commentaries. A key episode in the history of Orthodox theology is connected with the life of St. Gregory, in which philosophical, ascetic, social and historical lines are tightly intertwined. We are talking about an episode in the church history of Byzantium, which was named after this saint - the Palamite disputes. The discussion revolved around the question of a peculiar methodology Orthodox prayer, used both by Athos monks and by the laity of the Byzantine capital; according to one of the elements, more precisely, according to the highest stage of this prayer - silence ( Greekἡσυχία) - the practice itself was called hesychast, and the broader phenomenon it caused - hesychasm. Hesychast prayer was characterized by a combination of psychosomatic techniques with a reliable experience of spiritual contemplation and communion with the uncreated Divine Light. This practice was rooted in the deep antiquity of Christian spirituality, but it aroused suspicion among some educated people and individual church hierarchs of that era. Gregory publicly defended this doctrine, laying the theological foundation for it. Thus arose the main body of his most complex theological works. Palamite disputes ended with the official ecclesiastical recognition of the correctness of Palamas and his supporters. Success was secured at a number of authoritative church councils; The memory of the winner was given a special day of church veneration - the second Sunday of Great Lent. The effect of the victory affected various areas of church and public life Byzantine Empire. Father John, in a number of his studies, showed how the triumph of the Palamites, among other things, affected the political strengthening of the outskirts of the Orthodox world, in particular, with this he associated such seemingly remote events as the victory in the Battle of Kulikovo and the subsequent unification of Russia, the centralization of church power and the flourishing of church arts in the work of Theophan the Greek and St. Andrei Rublev. However, the achieved height of theological teaching for a long time was the property of only a few educated theologians. In the life of Orthodoxy, for a long time it remained almost unnoticed, although the practice of prayer itself was preserved in various Orthodox communities for centuries until new flowerings of Orthodox spirituality.

The undoubted scientific and spiritual merit of Fr. John lies in the new discovery of Palamite theology, in its detailed exposition and broad historical interpretation. In it about John sees "a constructive response to the challenge posed to Christianity by the New Age - a personal-existential theology and asceticism freed from Platonic spiritualism, which completely includes a person in new life» . The historical feat of Palamism is also important for the modern witness to Orthodoxy; on the basis of this synthesis of theology and spiritual practice, a modern strategy of Orthodox theology, which is commonly called neo-Palamism, can be built.

living tradition

Evidence of Orthodoxy in the Modern World

Foreword

Today a book of articles by Protopresbyter John Meyendorff comes to the Russian reader. His story about the path traveled, about his ancestors is published as an appendix to the book. Therefore, we will not dwell on biographical data in detail. Father John, as they said in Soviet times, was widely known in narrow church and scientific circles not only as an active church figure, but also as a Byzantine scholar, as an Orthodox theologian who represented the Orthodox Church at international theological forums. He was a man of broad church views and an active life position. Conservatives in the SSL accused him of almost collaborating with the godless authorities in the USSR, imputing him and Father Alexander Schmemann to blame for the autocephaly of the Orthodox Church in the USA granted in the early 1970s. And the atheistic authorities did not forgive him for the afterword, which he wrote in 1977 to the book by Lev Regelson "The Tragedy of the Russian Church." After that, Fr. John was no longer allowed into the USSR. Again he came to Russia only after the fall of the atheist regime.

The book "Living Tradition" has absorbed articles by Protopresbyter John Meyendorff on theological topics, scattered in various English and Russian journals. It was first published in St. Petersburg in the early 90s. Paradoxically, the Parisian L.A. Uspenskaya translated from English even those articles that were written by Father John in Russian. This certainly reduces the value of the St. Petersburg edition. Even during the life of Father John, his book Byzantium and Moscow Russia was published in Paris in a samizdat translation made in Moscow. Father John was extremely annoyed with the quality of the translation and the fact that he was not given the opportunity to edit it. He spoke about this with chagrin to the author of these lines during his last visit to Russia. Sadly, the translation was repeated and only slightly edited in a publication undertaken by St. Tikhon's Theological Institute in 2003.

"Living Tradition", which the reader holds in his hands, carefully reproduces the articles of Father John, written by him in Russian. Translations from English re-edited by Elena Dorman. This collection is surprisingly relevant today, when many Orthodox in our rapidly changing society have lost the patristic guidelines. The book of Father John Meyendorff, covering the two thousand year path of Christianity, both Eastern and Western, effectively helps our contemporaries find the right path. The articles in the collection are distinguished by a deep knowledge of the history of Christianity, a theological flair and an accessible presentation. The book was published with the help of the Religious Books for Russia foundation.

Sergei BYCHKOV, Doctor of Historical Sciences

INTRODUCTION

How can an Orthodox person keep his faith and bear witness to it in the changing world of the twentieth century? There can be only one answer to this challenge of our time - living Tradition.

All Orthodox theology and all Orthodox witness are necessarily traditional in the sense that they correspond not only to Holy Scripture, but also to the experience of the Church Fathers and saints, as well as to the constant sacrament of the death of Christ and His Resurrection in the worship of the Church. However, the term "traditional theology" can also mean dead theology, if traditional is identified with mere repetition. Such a theology may be unable to see the questions of its time, may oppose yesterday's arguments to new heresies.

But dead traditionalism cannot be truly traditional. Patristic theology is characterized above all by the fact that it was able to respond to the challenges of its time, while maintaining fidelity to the original, apostolic faith. So, simply to repeat what the Fathers said is to change their spirit and the idea that they embodied in their theology.

The great Cappadocian Fathers of the fourth century, Sts. Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian and Gregory of Nyssa are true pillars of Orthodox Christianity because they were able to keep the faith in the face of two great dangers. The first was the Arian heresy, which denied the deity of Christ, the second was a challenge thrown by ancient Greek philosophy, which had a great influence. This philosophy has reigned over the minds of enlightened people for centuries; and precisely because of its attractiveness, traditionality, prestige, it prevented many Greeks from accepting the new biblical faith of the disciples of Christ. Both of these problems the Fathers saw clearly and answered them competently. They did not just anathematize the Arians, but created a positive and modern terminology to clarify the mystery of the Holy Trinity, the terminology that is embodied in the Creed. They not only denied the value of Greek philosophy, but also showed that its best insights can be successfully used in Christian theology, provided that the gospel of Christ is recognized as the highest criterion of truth.

Thus, to be "traditional" means for us to imitate the Fathers in their creative work, reasoning, and theological intuition. Like them, we must devote ourselves to the cause of saving people from error, and not just hold on to abstract and declarative truths. We must imitate their focus on understanding their contemporaries and use categories and terms that are accessible and familiar to the modern world. True Tradition is always a living Tradition. It changes, always remaining the same. Tradition changes not because its essential content undergoes changes, but because it finds itself in different situations. Its content is not something abstract; it is the Living Christ Himself who said: "I am the Truth."

In this last quarter of the twentieth century, the Orthodox Church and Orthodox theology found themselves in a very special situation of fragmentation and isolation. IN Eastern Europe where the majority of Orthodox Christians live, political conditions make it extremely difficult for any expression of a living theology. The church survives within the limited framework of liturgical life, which the state tolerates as an obsolete museum piece. However, many signs indicate that the spiritual potential of Orthodoxy, preserved primarily in the remarkable dynamism of its worship, will remain unaffected. Moreover, the tragic and artificial isolation of Orthodox communities may one day turn out to be providential. Separating Orthodoxy from the rest of the world, as the Turkish yoke did in the past, may mean protecting it from the temptations and vacillations of modern Western secularism.

Our position in the West is quite different. Our complete mental freedom is not hindered by any formal restrictions. This does not mean that we do not face temptations, often more subtle and in a certain sense more dangerous than those to which our Orthodox brethren in Eastern Europe are subject. Thus, our liturgical crisis and the canonical chaos in which we live clearly show that we do not use our God-given freedom for the glory of God.

The task of living theology, expressing the one and living Tradition of the Church, is to define the problems of the present day and give an answer to them in accordance with the requirements of the one truth of the Gospel of Christ. The need to cope with this task becomes all the more obvious because non-Orthodox Christianity, as well as the secular non-Christian world, provide us with many favorable opportunities to clearly testify to Orthodoxy. This book contains several reports read by the author at ecumenical meetings and during interfaith dialogues. We have, however, no grounds for Orthodox triumphalism in the sense of any concrete achievements. It must be admitted that the participation of various Orthodox Churches and many Orthodox theologians in the ecumenical movement in recent decades has not led to significant results in the development of Western theology.

An example is the many years of "friendship" between Orthodoxy and Anglicanism. But neither this friendship nor the serious warnings of the Orthodox prevented the recent events in the Protestant Episcopal Church of America. The bishops approved the priesthood of women, and also rejected the proposal (meaning the supposed rapprochement with Orthodoxy) to abandon the Latin insertion of the filioque in the Creed. If our Anglican friends are for the most part so obviously indifferent to the traditional position of Orthodoxy, then how can we expect a more positive attitude from the numerous Protestant communities whose representatives we meet at various ecumenical meetings? This apparent lack of interest in the contemporary witness of Orthodoxy on the part of what might be called the Western Christian theological and ecclesiological establishment sometimes leads the Orthodox themselves to a negative and pessimistic judgment about the ecumenical witness to Orthodoxy. However, before falling into such pessimism, one should think about a more "catholic" notion of the responsibility of the Church in the modern world. It is not necessary to be limited by the formal structure of the ecumenical movement.

Theologian, Patrologist and Church Historian (Orthodox Church in America)

One of the organizers of the World Federation of Orthodox Youth "Syndesmos" (1953). Secretary (1953), then President (1954-1964) of Syndesmos.

Prominent figure in the ecumenical movement. For many years he was a member of the central committee of the World Council of Churches (WCC). For about seven years he was a moderator of one of the leading commissions of the WCC "Faith and Church Order" ("Faith and Order").

In the last days of his life, Father John received communion daily; shortly before his death, the Sacrament of the Consecration of the Unction was performed on him.

He died suddenly on July 22 at the Virgin Mary Hospital in Montreal (Canada) from pancreatic cancer. Metropolitan of All America and Canada Theodosius (Lazor) served the funeral service for the deceased in the church of St. Vladimir's Seminary with a congregation of concelebrants and a large gathering of worshipers. At the request of Fr. John, he was buried at Oakland Cemetery in Yonkers, closest to St. Vladimir's Seminary.

Compositions

St. Gregoire Palamas et la mystique orthodoxe. - Paris, 1959. 200 p. (English translation - St. Gregory Palamas and Orthodox Spirituality. - New York, 1974; Russian translation - in the collection of works of Protopresv. John Meyendorff "History of the Church and Eastern Christian mysticism". -M .: DI-DIK; Orthodox. St. -Tikhon, Theological Institute, 2000. -576 p.).
Introduction al "etude de Gregoire Palamas. - Paris, 1959 (English translation - A Study of Gregory Palamas. - New York, 1964. 245 p .; Russian translation - Life and Works of St. Gregory Palamas: Introduction to Study. - St. Petersburg: Byzantorossika, 1997. -480 p.).
L "Eglise Orthodoxe hier et aujourd" hui. - Paris, 1960. 200 p. (Italian, German translations - 1962, English translation - The Orthodox Church: Yesterday and Today. - New York, 1964).
Orthodoxy and Catholicism. - Paris: Seuil, 1965. 162 p. (collection of translations of individual articles into French).
La Christologle Byzantine. - Paris, 1967.
Le Christ dans la Theologie Byzantine. - Paris, 1968.
Christ in the Eastern Christian Thought. - New York, 1969 (Russian translation - Jesus Christ in Eastern Orthodox theology. - M .: Orthodox St. Tikhon. Theological Institute, 2000. -318 p.).
Marriages: An Orthodox Perspective. - Tukahoe (N.Y.), 1970. 104 p. (2nd edition - 1970. 143 p .; Russian version - Marriage in Orthodoxy: In the collection: Soloviev V. The meaning of love. Trinity S. Christian philosophy of marriage. Meyendorff John, archpriest. Marriage in Orthodoxy. -M .: Way, 1995. -285 pp. (2nd edition of the collection - M.: Way, 2001; separate edition - Marriage in Orthodoxy. -Klin: Christian life, 2000. -94 pp.)).
Byzantine Theology: Historical Trends and Doctrinal Themes. - New York: Fordham University Press, 1974 (Russian translation - Byzantine theology: Historical trends and dogma. - M .: Kogelet, 2001. - 432 p.; 2nd edition: Byzantine theology: Historical and doctrinal topics. - Minsk: Rays of Sophia, 2001. 334 p.).
The Living Tradition. - New York, 1978. (Russian translation - Living Tradition: Evidence of Orthodoxy in the Modern World. - St. Petersburg: RKhGI, 1997. -272 p.).
Orthodoxy in the modern world. - New York: V. Chalidze Publishing House, 1980 (2nd edition, supplemented - M .: Way, 1997. -246 p.).
Byzantium and the Rise of Russia. - Cambridge, 1981 (Russian translation - Byzantium and Moscow Russia. - Paris, 1990; also republished in the collection of works of Protopresv. John Meyendorff "History of the Church and Eastern Christian mysticism". -M .: DI-DIK; Orthodox St. - Tikhon, Theological Institute, 2000. -576 p.).
Byzantine Legacy in the Orthodox Church. - New York, 1983.
Catholicity and the Church. - New York, 1983.
Introduction to patristic theology. - New York, 1985 (2nd edition - Vilnius; M .: Vest, 1992. 357 p.; 3rd edition - Klin: Christian life, 2001. 445 p.; 4th edition - Minsk: Rays of Sophia , 2001. 384 p.).
Witness to the World. - New York, 1987.
Vision of Unity. - New York, 1987.
Imperial Unity and Christian Divisions. - New York, 1989.
Orthodoxy and modern world(Lectures and articles). -Minsk: Rays of Sophia, 1995. -111 p.
Church History and Eastern Christian Mysticism: The Unity of the Empire and the Division of Christians. Saint Gregory Palamas and Orthodox mysticism. Byzantium and Muscovite Rus / Per. -M.: DI-DIK; Orthodox St. Tikhon. Theological in-t, 2000. -576 p.
Blessed Saturday / Protopresv. Alexander Schmemann, prot. John Meyendorff, Abbot. Hilarion (Alfeev). -M.: Krutitsk. farmstead; Association of Lovers of Church History, 2001. -98 p. (one of the authors of the collection).
Rome-Constantinople-Moscow: Historical and Theological Studies. M.: Orthodox St. Tikhon Theological University, 2005. 319 p.
Introduction to patristic theology. Minsk: Beams of Sophia, 2007. 384 p.

Father John Meyendorff was born on February 17, 1926 in the mountains. Neuly (Haut Seine, France) in a family of Russian emigrants. He studied at the Orthodox Theological Institute of St. Sergius in Paris, at the School of Practical Theology at the Sorbonne, where in 1959 he defended his doctoral dissertation on the theological views of St. Gregory Palamas. In the same year, after being ordained a priest, he was invited to St. Vladimir's Theological Academy in New York to teach Church history and patrology. He also taught at Harvard, Columbia, and Ford Universities in the USA. In 1977 Father John was elected a Corresponding Member of the British Academy. He was an honorary doctor of the University of Notre Dame (Indiana, USA), the Theological Institute of the Episcopal Church in New York and the Orthodox Theological Academy in St. Petersburg.

For a long time Father John headed the Department of External Relations of the Orthodox Church in America. He was one of the initiators of the creation of the canonical organization of this Local Church (the beginning of which dates back to the Russian mission in Alaska approved in 1794), which received its autocephaly from the Moscow Patriarchate in 1971. From 1968 to 1976. he headed the "Faith and Order" commission of the World Council of Churches, of which he was a member of the Central Committee. Father John was among the initiators of the creation in 1953 of the Syndesmos v World Federation of Orthodox Youth, its first secretary and then chairman. From May to June 1992, Protopresbyter John Meyendorff was the rector of the St. Vladimir Theological Academy. For the last three years of his life, he visited Moscow and St. Petersburg many times, lecturing and preaching.

Protopresbyter John died in Montreal (Canada) at the age of 66 from a serious illness. His last words were: "Icon of the Eucharist (Eucharist's icon)". A world-famous specialist in the field of patristics and Byzantine history, one of the most remarkable Orthodox theologians of our time, he was led on his last journey by the head of the American Orthodox Church, Metropolitan Theodosius of Washington, who performed the burial rite in the chapel of St. Vladimir's Theological Academy in Crestwood (New York). , USA).

Scientific works, publications:

The works of Father John Meyendorff have been translated into 12 languages of the world, he is the author of such studies as "Introduction to the Teaching of Gregory Palamas" (Seil, 1959), "Saint Gregory Palamas and Orthodox Mysticism" (Seil, 1959), translation and critical edition of "Triads in defense of the sacredly silent Saint Gregory Palamas" (in 2 vols., Louvain, 1959), "The Orthodox Church Yesterday and Today" (Seil, 1960, 2nd ed. 1969), "Orthodoxy and Catholicism" (Seil, 1965), " Christ in Byzantine Theology (Surf, 1969), Introduction to Byzantine Theology (Surf, 1975), Marriage: Its Perspective in Orthodoxy (YMCA-Press, 1986), many articles. On the English language Byzantium and the Rise of Russia: A Study of Byzantine-Russian Relations in the 16th Century (Garvard University Press, 1980), Byzantine Heritage in the Orthodox Church (St. separation. Church in 450-680 AD" (Publishing House of the Seminary of St. Vladimir, 1981), as well as collections of articles published at the St. Vladimir Theological Academy: “Living Tradition” (1978), “Catholicity and the Church” (1983), “Witness to the World” (1987), “ Vision of Unity (1987).