The Sophianic Task in the Work of Vladimir Solov’ëv

The article explores Sophia’s role in the thought of Vladimir Solov’ëv from the perspective of the task assigned to humanity within his system. Drawing on three metaphors used to describe Sophia in biblical, mystical and poetic literature –play, the mirror and light– it seeks to arrive at an understanding of the sophianic character of this task by challenging more conventional notions of human activity in and on the world. The article goes on to explore Solov’ëv’s gnoseology, arguing for the centrality of feeling and prophecy to its construction. The final section looks at Solov’ëv’s aesthetics and the idea of sophianic ‘balance’, as well as his attempt to integrate reason into the sophianic task.