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Unlike two other prominent Orthodox philosophers of the 20th century in the Russian tradition, Fathers Sergius Bulgakov and Pavel Florensky, Frank's work never was condemned as heretical; he did not develop Sophianism or Sophiology as did those other two writers, although he shared some of the same influences but with his own specific intellectual genealogy as noted above. While he wrote hopefully amid Communist and Nazi threats to Christianity of a potential Christian universalism, praised the writings of the ancient Sufi writer Hussayn ibn-Mansur al-Hallaj, and had connections in the diaspora with the YMCA press and the World Council of Churches as a source of refugee aid, he was not active in organized ecumenism as were some other Russian emigre scholars. ''Writings'''
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In Frank's development of social philosophy, he articulated a view of society as an interaction of ''sobornost'' (hidden organic spiritual connectedness encouraging a sense of holistic unity in the God-man Jesus Christ) and mechanical organizational aspects of human life tending toward individualism, which leads him to an Orthodox definition of justice and natural law different from that which developed in the Catholic and Protestant West. Likewise, in his articulation of ontology and epistemology, he highlighted interaction between an objective hidden-but-experiential unity of reality in Christ, and cognitive understanding that was individualized. Frank argued that it was the unfathomable or unknowable aspect of being that ultimately was the source of concrete personhood and intuitive objective reasoning. In all this, his overall cosmology and anthropology reflect closely aspects of St. Maximus the Confessor's teachings, as well as those of St. John of Damascus in finding personhood in Christ rather than what Charles Taylor calls the "buffered self" of modernity emerging from late Scholasticism. Frank's philosophy finds its context also in coping with the evils of totalitarianism in the 20th century, as experienced particularly by Russian Orthodox Christian culture but also in relation to the Holocaust and his Jewish background.
'''Assessments of his work'''
Highly praised for the clarity of his writing style by Zenkovsky and Nicholas Lossky in both their classic histories of Russian philosophy (and again rated overall by Zenkovsky as the greatest Russian philosopher), Frank nonetheless was criticized by them, especially by Lossky (also a prominent contemporary Russian philosopher) for articulating a sense of "total unity" allegedly at odds with Christian distinctions between God and Creation. Another prominent contemporary Russian philosopher, Nikolai Berdyaev, likewise [http://www.berdyaev.com/berdiaev/berd_lib/1939_446.html praised Frank’s overall contribution to Christian philosophy, while criticizing what Berdyaev called a monism inadequately taking into account the nature of evil].
But Frank’s writings as they relate to cosmology and anthropology arguably are not problematic from the standpoint of Orthodoxy when read in light of scholarship since on St. Maximus the Confessor's work, which they closely parallel, and to the application of hesychastic teaching and practice hesychasm to psychology articulated by Metropolitan Hierotheos Vlachos and others. Frank’s philosophy parallels Vlachos’ writings in not emphasizing individual personalism in the same way as Berdyaev (along with commonalities), stressing personhood in the unfathomable “hidden God” of the Cross and Resurrection. Unlike two other prominent contemporary Russian Orthodox philosophers, Fathers Sergius Bulgakov and Pavel Florensky, Frank's work never was condemned as heretical; he did not develop Sophianism or Sophiology as they did. He shared some of the same influences but with his own specific intellectual genealogy as noted above. In terms of theodicy, Frank in his works ''The Fall of the Idols'' and ''The Meaning of Life'' shows keen awareness of the suffering and disruption of Russian Orthodox life amid the unleashing of great evil, which he identifies with demonic idolatry as , in its objectifying self and others unto death. His biographer has said his approach to evil as of inconsequence in the face of love may also reflect Frank's need for tranquility amid the turmoils of 20th0century Russian Orthodox both 20th-century refugee life, and given his own Jewish background. Frank disagreed with Berdyaev's brief post-World War II reconciliation with the Soviet Unionstate, seeing the Soviet system as a great totalitarian evil, although he had earlier in exile defended the post-Tikhonite Moscow Patriarchate's situation under the Soviets. While he wrote hopefully amid Communist and Nazi threats to Christianity of a potential Christian universalism, highly praised the writings of the ancient Sufi Muslim mystical writer Hussayn ibn-Mansur al-Hallaj, and had connections in the diaspora with the YMCA press and the World Council of Churches as sources of refugee aid, he was not active in organized ecumenism, and resisted American Protestant influence on the YMCA Russian youth movement among emigres. All his works remain relatively little studied in 21st-century global Orthodox scholarship, which is perhaps related in part to Frank's lack of firm academic institutional affiliation abroad, his unique refugee status as an ethnically Jewish Russian Orthodox philosopher, and not having the controversial notoriety of some contemporary emigre intellectuals. Besides Jakim's introductions to his translations, another secondary source on the philosopher is Philip Boobbyer's biography, ''S.L. Frank: The Life And Work Of A Russian Philosopher, 1877-1950'' (1995).
Most of Frank's major works have been translated into English, mainly by Boris Jakim. Those in English (with their original publication dates, in Russian or German):
Of the two other major untranslated works by Frank: ''The Object of Knowledge'' (1915), based on his Ph.D. thesis, is summarized in early sections of ''The Unknowable'', which has been translated; and the concluding chapter of ''The Fall of the Idols'' (1924), his analysis of the Russian Revolution, is found at the end of the English text of ''The Meaning of Life''.
Arguably, ''The Unknowable'', which updates and summarizes his philosophical work, and ''The Spiritual Foundations of Society'', his articulation of his social philosophy, are his most important books. All , but his works remain relatively little studied last two (''The Light Shineth in 21st-century global Orthodox scholarship, which is perhaps related in part to FrankDarkness''s lack of firm academic institutional affiliation abroad, his unique refugee status, and not having the controversial notoriety surrounding some ''Reality of his contemporaries. Besides JakimMan''s introductions to ) reflect his translations, another secondary source intensified reflections on the philosopher is Philip Boobbyerfaith and God's biography, ''S.L. Frank: The Life And Work Of A Russian Philosopher, 1877-1950'' (1995)Creation.
