The Revival of a Person in the Interpretation of Nikolay Berdyaev: Explanation of the Idea of Sobornost’ on the Example of Kabbalistic Concept about Adam Kadmon

Abstract

The questions about how human can be seen and recognized as a person were asked throughout the centuries. The Russian thinker Nikolay Berdyaev as a representative of personalistic school answers this question through the prism of the calling of man. Thus, he distinguishes between a person and an individual, when the former is created by God, and the latter is a social construct. In this fallen world human exists rather as an individual, but his aim is to become a person. According to the thinker, human by his spiritual exaltation is able to reveal himself as a person, but finally he admits it is possible only along with other people. Berdyaev connects the topic about human becoming a person with the idea of Sobornost’, which finds analogy in the Western theological literature in terms like “catholicity” or “conciliarity.” In his explanation of this topic the Russian thinker refers to the Kabbalistic tradition takes its idea about Adam Kadmon as an example for a perfect unity of all beings. Still, Berdyaev develops his vision about the idea of unity of all creation on the basis of the idea of human creativity and his destiny. And in such a spiritual unity of all beings every human revealed himself as a person what is foremost vision of Berdyaev’s personalistic sight.