Nikolai Nikolaevich Afanas’ev (1893–1966), one of the most important priest-theologians of the Russian Orthodox tradition, stands at the center of this study by Aidan Nichols. Widely regarded as the most influential modern Russian thinker on the nature of the Church, Afanas’ev played a decisive role in shaping the contemporary rapprochement between East and West—especially the Orthodox and Catholic churches.
Nichols highlights two major pillars of Afanas’ev’s thought. First is his conviction that the Eucharist forms the very foundation of the Church’s identity and structure, an insight that helped shift modern Orthodox ecclesiology toward a more universal and sacramentally centered understanding. Second is his contribution to a renewed Orthodox perspective on the Roman Church and the role of the Pope within a potentially reunited Christianity.
These themes have become increasingly significant since the formal inauguration of the modern Orthodox–Catholic dialogue at the Monastery of St. John on Patmos in 1980. Afanas’ev’s thought continues to illuminate key questions facing both traditions today, especially concerning primacy, communion, ecclesial unity, and the theological meaning of the Eucharist.
In presenting the first sustained Catholic appraisal of Afanas’ev’s contribution, this book offers a valuable window into how Russian Orthodoxy understands the Church and provides a hopeful theological basis for future unity between the Orthodox of all the Russias and the See of Rome.
About the Author
Aidan Nichols, O.P., is a Dominican theologian and a member of the community at Blackfriars, Cambridge. Renowned for his prolific scholarship, he has authored numerous works on Catholic and Orthodox theology, Church history, and the dialogue between Christian traditions.
