The Philosophy of Life in the philosophical-theological synthesis of St. Justin the New (Popović)

This article investigates how St. Justin Popović adopts and transforms the notion of a “philosophy of life” within his broader theological and spiritual vision. Focusing on pre-war writings and the later work Svetosavlje as a Philosophy of Life, it traces the term’s conceptual origins in contemporary European Lebensphilosophie while showing how Justin reconfigures it through Orthodox dogmatic, ascetical, and liturgical experience. In contrast to rationalist epistemologies and secular philosophies of life that privilege intuition or emotion, Popović grounds knowledge in the synergy of all human faculties, with faith and prayer at the center. Ascetic and prayerful practice leads, in his view, to an experiential appropriation of Trinitarian and Christological dogma, culminating in a “sense of eternal life” embodied in the lives and deaths of the saints. The article argues that Justin’s identification of Svetosavlje with a philosophy of life does not primarily seek recognition within European intellectual debates but rather discloses an Orthodox response to the problem of death and the crisis of modern Europe. It concludes that Justin’s Christian philosophy of life—rooted in perception of the Logos in all things and the acquisition of Christ-like love—retains significant relevance for contemporary theological and philosophical reflection.