Pavel Alexandrovich Florensky (1882-1937) was a Russian Orthodox theologian, priest, philosopher, mathematician, and scientist. He is considered a polymath in the same way as Pascal or Leonardo. His book The Pillar and the Ground of Truth (1914) is widely seen as a masterpiece of Russian orthodox theology. In 1933 he was sent to forced labor camps where, four years later, he was executed on false charges during the Soviet anti-religious purges of the 1930s.