Burning Bush : On The Orthodox Veneration Of The Mother Of God

The Burning Bush is the first component in Sergius Bulgakov’s “minor” theological trilogy, followed by The Friend of the Bridegroom and Jacob’s Ladder. This book offers a refutation to the Roman Catholic dogma of the Immaculate Conception. Bulgakov tempers the potential narrowness of such a focus in order to offer an exposition of Orthodox veneration of the Mother of God. The book that results is a consideration of the personal sinlessness of Mary, the truth of which he finds grounded in both gospel witness and the liturgical tradition of the church. Though his most controversial legacy to the theological community, Bulgakov’s Sophiology nevertheless is critical to understanding his Mariology. More than mere sophiological speculation, however, anthropology, eschatology, original sin, human sanctity, and sexuality all find their way into his exploration of the mystery of the woman chosen by God to give birth freely to the Christ.