Christological Foundations of Universal Hope in Sergius Bulgakov and Moral Responsibility

Abstract

The aim of the study is to analyze the Christological foundations of the hope of universal salvation in the eschatology of Sergius Bulgakov and to assess its implications for human freedom and moral responsibility. The method applied includes a hermeneutics of theological sources (analysis of Bulgakov’s writings in authorized translations), an exegesis of selected patristic texts, and a theological-philological analysis of key eschatological concepts, complemented by a comparative theological approach. The analysis is conducted within a Christological and personalist framework, taking into account the contemporary debate on salvific universalism. The conclusions indicate that Bulgakov’s hope for universal salvation does not constitute a doctrine of necessity or a deterministic form of universalism, but rather remains a theological hope grounded in the kenotic love of Christ. This eschatology does not weaken moral responsibility but deepens it, presenting moral action as an eschatological response of human freedom to the love revealed in Christ.