Discerning the Signs of the Times: The Vision of Elisabeth Behr-Sigel

This compilation of articles offers insight into the life and thought of a French Orthodox woman who has been dubbed the “grandmother of western Orthodoxy.” Glimpses of her personal life are augmented by her zeal and love for the Orthodox Church. She was a participant in theological circles which included Metropolitan Evlogy, Frs Sergius Bulgakov and Lev Gillet, Mother Maria Skobtsova, Vladimir Lossky, Nikolai Berdiaev and Paul Evdokimov. The theme of her life, and her articles included here, centers upon the Christian soul confronting modernity. Her message, whether writing about ecumenism, the self-emptying path of Christ, or the place of women in the Church, is one of sobornost, the communion of souls. She envisions the winds of Pentecost blowing across the ancient Church as it discerns the will of God in these times.