BERDYAEV, Nikolai (1874-1948):
born in Kiev, Russia. He was attracted to MARXISM,
although he was a member of the RUSSIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH. He was brought to trial by the
Church in 1914 for his NONCONFORMIST religious views and was only saved from sentencing by
the onset of the Russian REVOLUTION. He was expelled from his post as a professor of
philosophy at Moscow University and from the USSR in 1922. He was a prolific writer,
emphasizing freedom, creativity, and the reality of the TRANSCENDENT. He is often referred
to as a CHRISTIAN EXISTENTIALIST. Books: The Destiny of Man (1933), Freedom
and the Spirit (1935), The Beginning and the End (1952).