Olivier-Maurice Clément (17 November 1921 – 15 January 2009) was a French

Eastern Orthodox Eastern Orthodoxy, also known as Eastern Orthodox Christianity, is one of the three main branches of Chalcedonian Christianity, alongside Catholicism and Protestantism. Like the Pentarchy of the first millennium, the mainstream (or " canonical ...

theologian who taught at St. Sergius Orthodox Theological Institute in

Paris, France Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...

. He actively promoted the reunification of Christians (he was friends with

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

), dialogue between Christians and people of other beliefs, and the engagement of Christian thinkers with modern thought and society.

Biography

Olivier-Maurice Clement was born on 17 November 1921, into an agnostic family from the Cevennes. He became a follower of Jesus Christ at the age of thirty, after a long search in atheism and in Asian spiritualities. He had discovered, through reading the Christian philosophers

Nicholas Berdyaev Nikolai Alexandrovich Berdyaev (; russian: Никола́й Алекса́ндрович Бердя́ев; – 24 March 1948) was a Russian philosopher, theologian, and Christian existentialist who emphasized the existential spiritual sign ...

and

Vladimir Lossky Vladimir Nikolaievich Lossky (russian: Влади́мир Никола́евич Ло́сский; 1903–1958) was a Russian Eastern Orthodox theologian exiled in Paris. He emphasized '' theosis'' as the main principle of Eastern Orthodox Christi ...

(of whom he would become a student and a friend), the thinking of the Fathers of the ancient, undivided Church, and he received baptism in the Orthodox Church, within the French-speaking diocese of the Moscow Patriarchate in Paris. He described his childhood, spiritual wanderings and conversion in his autobiography, ''L'Autre Soleil'' (The Other Sun) (ed. Stock 1986). As a history professor, he taught at the Louis-le-Grand lyceum in Paris for a long time. As a professor of the St. Sergius Orthodox Theological Institute (Institut Saint-Serge) he became one of the most highly regarded witnesses to

Orthodox Christianity Orthodoxy (from Greek: ) is adherence to correct or accepted creeds, especially in religion. Orthodoxy within Christianity refers to acceptance of the doctrines defined by various creeds and ecumenical councils in Antiquity, but different Chur ...

, as well as one of the most prolific. He was a founder of the Orthodox Fellowship in Western Europe, and was the author of thirty books on the life, thought and history of the Orthodox Church, and their meeting with other Christians, the non-Christian religions and modernity. He was responsible for the theological journal, ''Contacts'', and became a Doctor honoris causa at the Institute for theology in Bucharest and at the Catholic University in Louvain. Within the scope of his teaching activities, Olivier Clement was particularly engaged in the life and testimony of the Orthodox Church in France. He also inspired the work of the Orthodox Fellowship in Western Europe from its founding in the early 1960s and participated in Orthodox Christian conferences in western Europe from 1971, when every third year Orthodox Christians from the four corners the continent would meet to pray and reflect together. Among contemporary Orthodox theologians he was one who gave most attention to questions of modernity; which he sought to answer through a powerful and poetic reflection, rooted in the tradition of the Church as well as creative and renewing. He was an interlocutor with several great spiritual leaders of his time - Saint Sophrony of Maldon monastery in Britain,

Patriarch Athenagoras Athenagoras I ( el, Αθηναγόρας Αʹ), born Aristocles Matthaiou ("son of Matthew", a patronymic) Spyrou ( el, Αριστοκλής Ματθαίου Σπύρου, links=no; – July 7, 1972), initially the Greek archbishop in North Amer ...

, theologian Dumitru Staniloae,

Brother Roger Roger Schütz (12 May 1915 – 16 August 2005), popularly known as Brother Roger (french: Frère Roger), was a Swiss Christian leader and monastic brother. In 1940 Schütz founded the Taizé Community, an ecumenical monastic community in Burgundy ...

of Taizé,

Andrea Riccardi Andrea Riccardi (born 16 January 1950, in Rome) is an Italian historian, professor, politician and activist, founder of the Community of Sant'Egidio. He served as minister for international cooperation Minister without portfolio, without portfol ...

, founder of the Sant'Egidio community - with all of whom he formed a relationship of trust and friendship. He died on 15 January 2009.

Bibliography

* ''Transfigurer le Temps'' (Delachaux & Niestlé, Paris, 1959) with a 2019 English translation by Jeremy N. Ingpen entitled ''Transfiguring Time: Understanding Time in the Light of the Orthodox Tradition'' (New City Press, 2019) * ''Roots of Christian Mysticism: Texts from Patristic Era with Commentary'' (with Jean-Claude Barreau) (1995) * ''You Are Peter: An Orthodox Reflection on the Exercise of Papal Primacy'' (2003. New City Press) * ''Taize: A Meaning to Life'' (Paperback) (1997. GIA publications) * ''Three Prayers: The Lord's Prayer, O Heavenly King, the Prayer of Saint'' (2000.

St. Vladimir's Seminary St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary (SVOTS) is an Eastern Orthodox seminary in Yonkers, New York. It is chartered under the State University of New York and accredited by the Association of Theological Schools. It is a pan-Eastern Ort ...

Press) * ''On Human Being: A Spiritual Anthropology (Theology and Faith)'' (2000. New City Press) * ''Dialogues Avec Le Patriarche Athenagoras'' (1969. Fayard) ASIN: B0010ED7ZA * ''Le Chemin de Croix à Rome (O.clement) (Paperback) (1998. Desclée de Brouwer) * ''The Church of Orthodoxy (Religions of Humanity) (2002. Chelsea House Publications) * ''Conversations With Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I'' (1997. St. Vladimir's Seminary Press) * '' Berdiaev, un philosophe russe en France'' (Collection DDB) (1991. Desclee de Brouwer) * ''The Spirit of

Solzhenitsyn Aleksandr Isayevich Solzhenitsyn. (11 December 1918 – 3 August 2008) was a Russian novelist. One of the most famous Soviet dissidents, Solzhenitsyn was an outspoken critic of communism and helped to raise global awareness of political repress ...

'' (1976. Barnes & Noble Books)

References

Online works

Noesis The Glory of God Hidden in His Creatures

{{DEFAULTSORT:Clement, Olivier 1921 births 2009 deaths Eastern Orthodox theologians Eastern Orthodox Christians from France Converts to Eastern Orthodoxy from atheism or agnosticism People in Christian ecumenism