Alexander Schmemann
Alexander Schmemann
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Full Name and Common Aliases
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Alexander Men (also spelled Alexandr Men) was a Russian-American Orthodox priest and theologian. His full name is often cited as Alexander Mikhailovich Schmemann.
Birth and Death Dates
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Born: September 13, 1921, in Tallinn, Estonia
Died: December 13, 1983, in New York City, USA
Nationality and Profession(s)
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Schmemann was a Russian-American Orthodox priest, theologian, and writer. He was also a prominent figure in the ecumenical movement.
Early Life and Background
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Alexander Schmemann was born to a family of intellectuals and artists. His father, Mikhail Schmemann, was a Russian émigré who had fled his homeland after the October Revolution. Schmemann's mother, Natalia (née Gouriev), was a talented musician and artist.
The young Alexander received a classical education in Paris, where he studied literature, philosophy, and theology at the Institut des Hautes Études Internationales (Institute for International Higher Studies). He later moved to the United States, where he continued his theological studies at St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary in New York.
Major Accomplishments
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Schmemann's career was marked by several significant accomplishments:
Priesthood: Schmemann was ordained as a deacon and later as a priest of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (ROCOR).
Theologian: He taught theology at St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary for over 20 years, becoming one of the most influential theologians in the American Orthodox community.
Ecumenist: Schmemann played a key role in promoting ecumenical dialogue between Eastern and Western churches.Notable Works or Actions
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Some of Schmemann's notable works include:
"For the Life of the World" (1963): A classic work on Orthodox theology, which explores the relationship between faith and culture.
"The Eucharist: Sacrament of the Kingdom" (1984): Posthumously published, this book is a collection of Schmemann's lectures on the sacraments.Impact and Legacy
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Alexander Schmemann had a profound impact on Orthodox theology in America. His writings helped to shape the theological landscape of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia and beyond. His commitment to ecumenism contributed significantly to the development of interfaith dialogue between Eastern and Western churches.
Schmemann's emphasis on the importance of liturgy, sacraments, and community has inspired a new generation of Orthodox theologians and clergy. His legacy continues to be felt in the many institutions he helped establish or support throughout his career.
Why He Is Widely Quoted or Remembered
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Alexander Schmemann is widely quoted and remembered for several reasons:
Theological insight: His writings offer a unique blend of Orthodox theology, ecumenical sensibilities, and cultural critique.
Influence on ecumenism: Schmemann's commitment to interfaith dialogue helped pave the way for greater understanding between Eastern and Western churches.
Inspiring leadership: He served as a model for Orthodox clergy and laity alike, demonstrating the importance of community, liturgy, and service.
Quotes by Alexander Schmemann
Religion is needed where there is a wall of separation between God and man. But Christ who is both God and man has broken down the wall between man and God. He has inaugurated a new life, not a new religion.
The natural dependence of man upon the world was intended to be transformed constantly into communion with God in whom is all life.
It is significant that whereas in the West Mary is primarily the Virgin, a being almost totally different from us in her absolute and celestial purity and freedom from all carnal pollution, in the East she is always referred to and glorified as Theotokos, the Mother of God, and virtually all icons depict her with the Child in her arms.
In the radiance of His light the world is not commonplace. The very floor we stand on is a miracle of atoms whizzing about in space. The darkness of sin is clarified, and its burden shouldered. Death is robbed of its finality, trampled down by Christ’s death. In a world where everything that seems to be present is immediately past, everything in Christ is able to participate in the eternal present of God.
Whether we “spiritualize” our life or “secularize” our religion, whether we invite men to a spiritual banquet or simply join them at the secular one, the real life of the world, for which we are told God gave his only begotten Son, remains hopelessly beyond our religious grasp.
Simone W eil has said that though a person may run as fast as he can away from Christ, if it is toward what he considers true, he runs in fact straight into the arms of Christ. Much.
The Church, if it is to be the Church, must be the revelation of that divine Love which God “poured out into our hearts.” Without this love nothing is “valid” in the Church because nothing is possible. The content of Christ’s Eucharist is Love, and only through love can we enter into it and be made its partakers.
We are approaching again the Great Lent – the time of repentance, the time of our reconciliation with God. Repentance is the beginning and also the condition of a truly Christian life.
As we make the first step into the “bright sadness” of Lent, we see – far, far away – the destination. It is the joy of Easter, it is the entrance into the glory of the Kingdom. And it is this vision, the foretaste of Easter, that makes Lent’s sadness bright and our lenten effort a “spiritual spring.” The night may be dark and long, but all along the way a mysterious and radiant dawn seems to shine on the horizon.
How shall I begin to deplore the deeds of my miserable life? What beginning shall I make, O Christ, to this lament? But since Thou art compassionate, grant me remission of my trespasses.” “Like as the potter gives life to his clay, Thou hast bestowed upon me Flesh and bones, breath and life; Today, O my Creator, my Redeemer and My Judge, Receive me a penitent... ” “I have lost my first made beauty and dignity, And now I lie naked and covered with shame...