Maintaining a fragile balance between fidelity to Tradition and sensitivity to the demands of the present day is a serious challenge for any historic Church which has accumulated a centuries-old heritage of spiritual and intellectual achievements and, at the same time, strives to keep abreast of contemporary issues without losing touch with a rapidly changing sociocultural landscape. Contemporary Eastern Orthodox theology is engaged in a retrospective analysis of the striking diversity of theological schools and movements that have emerged within academic discourse over the past century.
An attempt to provide a comprehensive overview of the achievements and shortcomings of 20th-century Orthodox theology was made in Dr. Paul Ladouceur’s 2012 article, “Treasures New and Old: Landmarks of Orthodox Neopatristic Theology.” On the one hand, the Canadian scholar avoids in-depth analytical exploration, instead providing a schematic list of authors and key studies that have shaped the intellectual phenomenon broadly referred to by the umbrella term ‘neopatristic synthesis’. On the other hand, the practical value of this article lies in identifying the historical links between neopatristic theology and Russian religious philosophy, as well as in addressing the pressing anthropological, bioethical and sociocultural challenges of the present day.
In his review of the aforementioned article by P. Ladouceur, Rev. Dr. Andrii Shymanovych seeks to clarify the extent to which the researcher’s attempt to provide an expert assessment of the internal architecture of Orthodox thought in the 20th and 21st centuries has been successful. It should be noted that the review offered by Fr. Andrii is one of the least complimentary of all twenty article reviews published on the website of the CF “Academic initiative”. The main reason for this is the distinct shallowness and fragmentary nature of the author’s analysis, as well as the presence of factual errors.
You can read the full review of Dr. Paul Ladouceur’s article “Treasures New and Old” via this link: https://www.academic-initiative.org.ua/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/20-Ladouceur-from-restoring-to-revitalising.pdf (in Ukrainian)
