Toward the endless day: the life of Elisabeth Behr-Sigel
Toward the endless day: the life of Elisabeth Behr-Sigel
2010
Review of Olga Lossky's biography of the 'Doyenne of Western Orthodoxy,', Elisabeth Behr Sigel (1907-2005).
Related Papers
2023 •
lisabeth Behr-Sigel is one of the giants of Eastern Orthodox theology in our time. I had the privilege of knowing her, corresponding with her, and visiting with her both in Paris and here in the US. It was a great gift to be in her presence, especially once we were no longer only her guests but her friends as well. My wife and I shared a glass or two of port with her in her flat on Boulevard Foch in Épinay-sur-Seine, before taking some photographs-one of which now graces the cover of the English version of her biography. 1 In an action that deeply moved me, she grasped my arm as were leaving, pointed to the priest's cross that a monk friend made for her, and told me that we would always be Lutherans-I had been a pastor in the Lutheran Church before entering the priesthood in the Orthodox Church. After her death, I was given that cross by her family. As Elisabeth said, in an interview the year before her death, throughout her life she had never abandoned her Protestant sisters and brothers. 2 I would say that she never abandoned her Catholic, Jewish, and Muslim sisters and brothers, nor those of other traditions either. Her Paris apartment was filled with icons, but also with photographs. When we visited, I asked her about her wall of friends and she reminisced about them. What a gathering of witnesses to the faith they were! Scattered throughout her essays are profiles and tributes to them. She was formed by some of the most creative and bold visionaries of the faith in the twentieth century. She was close to the great priest and theologian Sergius Bulgakov, writing a commentary on his work when still completing her studies. Elisabeth had as her pastor and friend the mystic and spiritual master Lev Gillet. She would write a comprehensive biography of him and endure the ups and downs of his complex, sometimes troubled personality. She was a good friend of theologian Paul Evdokimov and, like him, devoted herself to ecumenical work. Nor was she afraid to criticize some of Evdokimov's theoretical and romantic ideas about the complementarity and particular charisms of women and men. Elisabeth knew and worked with now-Saint Maria Skobtsova and her house of hospitality team. She and her husband, along with a circle of friends, joined Mother Maria in hiding and evacuating some of those who were the targets of Nazi annihilation in France-Jewish neighbors and others as well. The pioneer historian and proponent of a "new hagiography," George Fedotov, was her teacher; his innovative, pioneering look at the lives of saints shaped her own vision of holiness in life. And there were still others who helped make Elisabeth's life and perspective what they were, like the great theologian Vladimir Lossky and his wife, and the Kovalesky brothers.
Orthodox theology in Western Europe in the 20th century is a fascinating phenomenon. Owing to the revolution in Russia and the economic and political migrations of Orthodox believers from many other European and Middle Eastern countries, the very small Orthodox communities of Western Europe began to grow. The encounter of the migrants with the West provoked new questions, and brought new imperatives to draw on existing sources. In order to ground the theological developments and emphases, the first part of this article sketches the historical, cultural, political, and ecclesiastical contexts of the movements of Orthodox theology to the West in the 20th century. The second part looks at particular people and the major theological themes that concerned them, whilst the third part considers the challenges for the 21st century. For the version with pictures, view http://ieg-ego.eu/en/threads/crossroads/religious-and-confessional-spaces/ivana-noble-tim-noble-orthodox-theology-in-western-europe-in-the-20th-century
2017 •
2012 •
Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe:
Book Review: Walter Sawatsky on Aleksandra Djurić Milovanović & Radmila Radić, eds. Orthodox Christian Renewal Movements in Eastern Europe. London: Palgrave MacMillan, 2017.