A sacred secret of the onomatodoxy in P. A. Florensky's philosophical and theological concept about the symbol

The article deals with some important aspects of priest Pavel Florensky’s doctrine of the name. The author gives a brief overview of the background that produced a substantial influence on the complicacy of the Name Worshipping problem in the early 20ieth century. Some important features of the main documents of the controversy are noted: the book by schemonk Ilarion “On the Caucasian Mountains”, a review by schemonk Khrisanf, the “Apology” by schemonk Antony (Bulatovich), the three reports submitted to the Holy Synod (by archbishop Nikon (Rozhdestvensky), archbishop Antony (Khrapovitsky), S. V. Troitsky) and the Synodic Address of May 13, 1913. Florensky’s philosophical and theological concept of a symbol is considered. On the basis of this concept, the Synodic Address was unacceptable as a whole. According to Florensky, names are the symbols, a higher reality is “revealed” through the symbol which is part of our reality. Florensky was convinced that the notion of a symbol was a key notion of the issue of God’s name and only the “symbolic” world structure, that he identified, was capable of assuring the reality of deification.