2021 Volume 38 Pages 74-86
This paper investigates the problem of atonement in the thought of the Russian religious thinker, Nikolai Fedorovich Fedorov (1829-1903), who planned the task of universal resurrection, which is to be carried out by humankind and not solely by God. Several studies accused Fedorov of making light of Divine Grace. However, I argue against this view mainly from the perspective of the recapitulation theory of atonement, which was formulated by Irenaeus of Lyons and elaborated in the history of Eastern Christianity. Based on this theory, Fedorov postulated that the Deed of Christ continues through the activity of humans.
This paper also analyzes Fedorov’s criticism of some of his contemporaries’ Christological comments, such as Albrecht Ritschl and Leo Tolstoy. The analysis indicated that Fedorov considered Jesus Christ as the Son of God, who sacrificed himself for humanity’s salvation. Additionally, this paper discusses the implications of Fedorov’s remarks about Jesus Christ’s resurrection and the raising of Lazarus in the context of modern thought, especially Ernest Renan’s work. He was mentioned in Fyodor Dostoevsky’s famous letter (to Nikolai Peterson, Fedorov’s disciple), which motivated Fedorov to write his first work.
Overall, this paper shows how Fedorov responded to modern people’s skepticism and built a new Christology without renouncing its traditional framework.
