Y URTEODOX THEULOGY An Introduction HaVLADIMIR LOSSKY ORTHODOX THEOLOGY: An Introduction Translated by JAN AND IHITA KESARCODI-WATSON ST, VLADIMIR'S SEMINARY PRESS 1978‘ary of Congres tating Pubcon Da oun Foreword Prologue FAITH AND THEOLOGY Chapter One THE TWO MONOTHEISNS i, Inrodsction ii The Negative and de Positive Wy iit The Tanity ix, Trinitarian Texmiology ‘The Procesion of Persons and the Divine Ateibutes Chapter Two THE CREATION i Introduction The Creative Tinity and Divine Less 4k Creation: Time and Eternity ji Creston: Cosi Order *, Image and Likeness WE Chetan Anthropology Chapter Three ORIGINAL SIN i, Inuoducion ee ii The Meaning of the O18 Tesement The Incarnation Chapter Four CHRISTOLOGICAL DOGMA i. Introduction : fi, "Form of God and “Form of Sera li, Two Energies, Two Wis iy, Duality and Uaity ia Cit ‘. Redemption vis Resusection Posscript IMAGE AND LIKENESS Table of Contents B 2 3 36 40 45 st ss 38 6 ” » 85 95 100 102 107 110 us 19FOREWORD Ik was a mesing with Leite Oupely an his wife in Ont les chica te Eepioning! ft taaton yo now hie bs You, The Guys ad Ieee nayg aoe Hons ofS Sep an? Aba ‘stp ite oe Sy Beg tes une, 1 Gone Tor ce uo betes Ue Ent Oe ‘ctuatta of Cisne an Angas "We fl oligo any thin ag which was or cmt pet for Wadi Lond ad A pee" on Em thon' ame» toe commnat+ teat of alleen in wt Sod wont fo Ue mip co tn in Fase cps, cen the pen a Soe the 3 Loy, ood ae ogi Ronan wi wi nig, mah reponse for tert atacion san Onn bots fe Niclas expos, Bejan fea tldva ftps etas a) ws ac mre fay elon ad bens wee done fore ging opto Onfrd and war now (hat tht fan) oa eslogy well tested ts ct ‘be sane becouse 9 hs eon geist {ee te Tsim tnew ety toch of whl Thad ey sal Loss The Mytiel Theaogy of the Bose Chacha er tl cone ot of Cnt espns Of mbt spicy eve wt, he ont of GA i nite n dingy rom a Center Ron watt on toy ioe Sight Sattphe Hebe We, wees feat ee tri aon by Lemide® orn hand an em Ts Shes among yet alae el, tc, net feipspoper on by Lente oo "The ean” bat ser 75 corriopox PasoLocy ack ses ofthe Meseger de "Bsercbt de Patrace rane tn Europe ovina (Now 46 47,48, $5, 30 [1964903], Svoamal dsated song te Engr commanty in Pats, “afing a ses of ated pees by Loy, under the geo fia beading, Thologie Dogmatiqae, Teaedy seal em, Sti here and then vowed to proffer ‘trasation int Engh tthe soonest propiioss moment. ‘That moment bas fe longer in coming than I had hoped, and twas att tome yess ater (150), hea Tate 3 wife who was an xe in both Pench nd Rusa, that twas clear wat fete. Eten then, it wat not uot ste 1974, on our aeal in Australi, thot we actly Began Ont ined has been thoroug For the French (he ball of the sep), Ita (my wile) would mike the ial translation, chp by chapie, 1 would compare this tans Int wil my owe: we would dics our diferences (often the most tecme of the sgt); aller agreement on these, Tomi eevee ee pe se nl eel Die English sense, but‘so acepsbe and, x0 fara proved whiny power, cet Deologie ene, ‘This tas Stage often took me longer than sll the eters togeter ‘We would then discs my final version and etabah the thips tow has nthe case ofthe Rosine Postript, elge and Liktes’—ovr metbod was identeal, with the crion of the second sage, my Inowledge of Rauian ing minimal Ins, onthe otter hand isan expert the Tangage "er result ou have before you an English rendering of a work we conte to be of calle compare to the bat Lntypredored, end in seng i forth, we can ony hope {thas the impact on cers at Losi’ oer works com tinue to have on me “Though Taow intrct snl in Tdian spiritual, de suet ete this may suggest away fom he Ontodoe tration of Crstendoet may be more appuene thre Tne een oo devoted mainly to nds al eed Enter Spirited (gam Pritashsn, New Debi, 1976), Sees to lata cena edesvour by reference o words From Lows Mute Theology in whi he declare bit rossworD ° ‘theological tsk tobe but “theos logos"—conveyng. Tadmit an immense debe to Lossy, and fel rather that [have moved to # different tradition of expreson in moving the while to the Hind and Buddhise word, than in any sense avay ‘om the heatt ofthis man's teaching, of rather, “conveying.” recall Nicolas Zemov, whose sllststed lectures 08 "The Tage” in the Ashmeleaa Theatee were + highlight of my seats in Oxford, in conversation confessing with 3 wy sale thar Oxodoxy numbers the Buddha among its saints. He ‘was refering tothe Famous sory of Sts, Barlaam and Joasaph, 4 Christianized version of «Buddhist legen, inal probability the work of Se John of Damascus Yer the broader point ‘hich e was trying to make aso holds trae. ‘Indeed, an interesting study coold be done lining parle lels between Lossky's expression of the Onhodox tiation and the orthodoxy of Hinduism at leas. I would naturally fot care to underate the differences presented by the status (of Cast i the forme, but I nonetheless am ever more con- ince that, in their quest mystics, enuch that is central to these two great traditions i Irgly shared, Perhaps this ‘stro of ll mystcoms, ia thee very nature. Peehaps there 1 no place moce replete with Religious Knowledge, ot the “wisdom” (gnosts, which orginally comes from the Sanskrit, jing,” “sscred knowledge") it conveys, than. in these Lneition’ varying myscims,” The tile of Losky’s main Book i n0 accident. Nor i i an accident that Hinduism tnd Buddhism (also Jainism, Sikhism) sometimes ae called "mysteq” religions (om the Greek mprteion, “that which is hidden"; “ido,” that 18, fom teely “mundane re Searches, being open only to what Lossy rightly syles "he shoes"). Bat here is sot the place to delve further into tis. I men tion these parses oF possible parallels only to show why T belive there may be more to the wore of this great the ‘logian than what be presents as an apologist for just one tradition think there is more. T thik his message is uni Sesil ina way carely found among thote normally sled “theologians” in academies purporting to study this science For Lasslys “conveying” i ia the tadition of the Cap-10 ‘oxrioo0x THEOLOGY fpuocian Father, of Dignpsios the Aropagte, and of citer Ecar (by whom be wes much influenced), a tad tion whith peas to the human contion where 1s 20m, ft its prose conte nd spetoalafliatone, 0 the bo Thun contion bere nd now thared i anvetaly and 0 ‘Reel to some condition enjoyed only by afew of ern tation as paragon forthe roe. Tamm not denying Loss ‘SFirmation of Chis a same way “super” You tusey have to lock atthe chapter tiled “The Two Moor thes” i this preset ek to note him affiming tha Noram soggestng tat go alongwith eveything be says. aon mel ugeng that his andcesending of Corsini, ide that shed by the thee fave mentioned, i one that deady bat cosmic embrace, and seal tome way te Claes al people, merely eames Spit snd at one erly parochial In tones In ti, he sand ab 2 salutary coe Erte to many of te desictie aves Chisiaiy fhe more parochial Kind has perptted ins own name. In this, Dis wocks—snd ot leo this present one—are suey Ciulally important ia he. growing” worldwide yesring, Sinalles by tach developments 2 he ennai! movement thin Chany, for sos, more mutual sharing song {plies of efferent shapes and aidan rally, itis well to note that pee vey smi to the ap pended Postscript, luge ad Lice” barappestd as chap. {ers of hated Theology. Os pec, however i endred tira fom a Husian redaction wich orally appeared Ss Obuar | Polsbie i Zharnal Moshorsot Path, 3 (ose), pp 5364, and not Lom the Frond at in-ytcal Theology. There se minor differences, and these have thei interstAlto, the Prolog, "Fath tnd. Theslgy,” ong inalysppeicd ae “Poi ce Theslogie" in Contact 13, 34 (9). pp. 163576, snd aot in the Merger The reason fer tieittuson bere ofthese two pleces 38 Prologue and Povtcrip sould be fal ces. Apatt from the coc fo Pst is Pagibapsg pac ah oo foes pee rom Loss mate yeas, the ater, “Tage and Likeness” (Obras | Podsbie") anyway smmatizes Lossy's "con ‘ering of Orthod teaching 6n divine aod hams “shape” ouwor a most splendidly, and the former, “Faith and Theology” ("Foi et Theologie"), likewise, the teaching on the place and nature of theology generally. Accordingly, the latter ‘well concies this presenstion, andthe forme, quite as well, begins “ses” its ground, T should also draw attention to the toy excellent, and, to ay Knowledge, exhaustive bibliogaphy of wotls by Lossky found at the end of Dr Image and Likeness of God, ‘another ecent wansation (1976) of selected pieces by Tosiky, again from the preses of St, Viadimir's Seminary. Indeed, SE Vladimir's has in recent years published, or 18> ppblied, all of Losity’s welings presenly available in English, ately great sevice. Two Codicils [A word of very spacial thanks in two dietons. Fity again fo the Ouspeatiy, whore kind permision to peed {ih this translation, Hot Yo mention the entsting of the French foc to me inthe fist place, his rendered the pro ct possble, Aad secondly, to Me. john H. Erickson of St ‘Vislimirs Seminsy Pros, who eocouragemeat snd simple Enendship, exprencd entzely through leters, have. been langely intrest ia seeing ie piee to the press. "hou alo ad that, ws is Foreword fhe work of coe hand, the tata is very csc aad in every Sens the woth of twoor eter, of four My wife is more igus San ly 01 more theologian than she. Bot gether {5 weak has been conceived and together excoted lax Kesascomi Parson, La Trobe University, Vietoria, Anstralia 1 October 1977Profogue FAITH AND THEOLOGY Authentic guosi is inseparable from a chasms, an ile luminaton by grace which tansforms our intelligence. And since the object of contemplation ia personal existence and presence, tile goosis implies encounter, secproity, faith a8 5 persoal adberence 9 the personal presence of God Who reveals Himself In the strict sease, among the ascetics of the Cheistian ast gnosis constitutes the peak of the life of peayer—a peak where gnosis is glen by God to man “who knows himself fallible” says Erageus, sd transforms his indigence in an unfolding of faith. We know ragrvn's formula, which has became an adage: "The one who has pacity in peayr etre ‘heologian, and the one who i tre theologian hss pity in pape "But perity in prayer implies the state of silence. The hesychasts are the "slats"? encounter and itt, gnosis is placed beyond the vole; it demande the surmouating 2nd Srrest of thonght. Acconingly, this notion of silent gnosis as tre theology oes not ectly correspond to theological teaching, 2 theology which can snd must be expresed though language. ‘The direct foundation of theological tesching i the Inca tation of the Word just as iis for iconography. Siac the ‘Word has incarnated Himself, the Word can be thopht and taught-aod in the same way the Word can be painted ‘Dat the Incamnation of the Wotd has no other goal than to lead us to the Father, in the Spirit Theology ss word land as thougit mast necessarily conceal a gnostic dimension, inthe sense of the theology of contemplation and silence. Te B“ ‘oxrioo0x Hx0Lo3r is ater of opening owe ugh 0 rey whi oe nt Re ot ee mode of tag ee Zech dos tot nile oe nl toc ba Ea al LEN So sae mora nd id y template ike 5 telogia tachg oes fell it ay Cer or rns 0 ce conan ad SSE etecige aes epee onl seen “Thecloeal ingests tt ot sea ine 2 elven ling ye os fos Sip wo fae ott pon jo cone ee Free nb: fut ps te ele True Ede hinkag. concen Cisse, seeped eng cots one's mally td BORE! Gea ear ac nk te ee Of sft ge vin fat yond ny, of wht cite ee went st acleai we ie Sat Get iliget-on welding i es Shih uid tent he ean coir te mnpsg of Be vor! whi coming Tolga eng Si the conta, b made for ie so Ee eae an We ate pc {etic eaten td pins fae mt see at at foge tntenpaton: anor acl Frm nun of Slog sac snd ten ses ot kat ws mga nll Nowibed i coy Celanese ble alee at sel top te lene, han, by «new we of ong sad wel “he i why eslgy mus be pie and mast dpe sty pate Gel h ee Grpey of Mesa, © Se Sion thc New Thelin bos thon Inve mee te mane ‘Nidan’ ie etree Renaies einen bape pe eter See ee ange Tp ae ew ng th i logy bos eae Terps “Seah Ear act ge ie Peet elo th so becomes hindance, and fo ere ape tale hacieecaTeeet sot Eel ibion of eet Bist ef Proce (ups FAITH AND TEOLOGY 3 7 sad 8) reds ws tthe intellect, unl has achieved i poy lf and aoe a's ns floured by prayer: then ie prefers tedlopial ought hich low ito“ el Bat coe mat not fog Uhat ere is prayer which surpasses Cs “latte state of those who, in lity ae fied with vine ea “Theological thoughe must cipote to praise and epress ‘contemplation One must avid h becoming 2 fight betoe the mcsary “contraction” of prayer, 10 replace te mystery lied in silence with meatal Shamate cul handed, ce (sn, and whose we canis but whic ae wlialy ore wk theology with tun fatness between the “autre wore” heed by St Paulin the “iid heater” (te one which goeeEeyond the opposition ofthe seabe haven and he ilps hezven Shi represents the Divine Isl the Uncrate) and ‘pineme, the contact tenpiation of the theclopan? Phe ‘fg tem could well be sop, wisdom. Caray, sem [St divine ame, But one et taketh word int pimitve Sense which, in ancient Gres, indisted cetit bursa ‘gai, mostly 2s, tthe inpred sl of the cafeeman 2nd he srt) With Homer, oplia the Evteyvos cost of ihe ancient Greeks, quliiel te sill of the catonan, of the ant of the post. The Seprugin bas tandated by Sophia the Hebrew expession which Sevgnates Divine Wit dim ss God's perfect tahaique in His work. ‘This sense nies wih tha of eronomy, of catia prudence porone td sophie ate bee vey cos “Theology at rophis i connected at once to gros and to epitome Ie restons, bt seks always to g0 Bord con fepis, Here a neesty moment of te felre of baman tough breaks in before the mystery Sat it wats to make lnowable A thology tat consiutes elf ito asym [salways dangerous Tt inprsons inthe enclosed spre of thought the rei to which it mst open though i St Pal, Knowiedge of God wis nel nto a per sonal reltlonhipexpesied in tems of tcp seo:6 ‘onTH0ox THFOLOSY iy whe bj of ag (ot il a Tan Go ila cts Seton dog, eer hk Ee Tae oe was One ai der ei aie SP GE whan eer ey poe sd itl pei ty Solar ee Rah ree ee one te ac pc) as ces rare (at) Carag oo ‘arp Sante en! oe Stefan” Senet os Sees ite ASAD eae Farm asp TuzoLocy ” Irenaeus) implies the very faculty of receiving it, “The heretics who have perverted the se of tut,” St leeaseus wrote, "preichthemvelves when they belive hat they are presching Cavsianity (Avera Iucreser, Book Ill Th Ely i the peconal existence of man iti his nature made to autimiate self to divine hfeboth motifed i thee Sse of separation snd desth and viified by the presence ofthe Holy Spirit Fath as ontological partkipation included fn periomal mesting i therefore the fist conliton for theological knowledge "Tcology opie would therefore be the apacy, the sult apt coe thoght tw clin to fd Rf tnd inspired words which would bear wins Ja the la geht not inthe limiteof hora shows, in repli {othe acede of the moment Ie ist mater of the tet reconsraction of ovr facies of Knowing, conditioned by the presence in us of the Holy Spt. "You have ceived the Snoioting ofthe Holy One an you al know - = The Sinting you have ceived frm Hm ermine in you and You have nonce tobe taught. Ad as His aolating teaches Jo about everthing. as i has taught you, abide Him" {F Jota 250,"27). ‘The anciting-chrim~denates ete the presence ofthe Holy Spt Chanians ar the anointed, the "Gist of the Lord. Nobody therefore can tach 1 che truth Mf this presence which opens to al koow edge is ot alendy Within bt is tte Chvitian eons poston of the Platonic avamnern, since the clrsm gives ['kaowledge of all things the Christian know ally Bat beology i neesary to acute thi knoniedge lead the Prophets, parcel in Jeremiah, one Cas the notion fof tis kaonledge which wll be given to all men by the Spint of God: "Tsll place My low in he depehs of thee being sad Tahal waite eon tei hers... They all all now Me...” (Jet 3133334), Ouiside of fsth theology bas ao sate: i can ealy be used on interior evidence of the tat inthe Spt, on the teaching ofthe tuth bythe tuth ie. "The repula fe the fist acantion of this evidence. Ts his intetioe evidence thats sresed by St. AUgostine nis reste om the Interior18 ormovex THEOLOGY Maser: Tove spoken tall However tose ia whom Scolating dors ct spe, tore wha ace nt taught inwardly ithe Holy Spt always departed andac. The fea of Hin ‘Who teaches is found io the bevens I speak of the Lorkvuc” “Only the acto of inst inthe feat slows tbe best not wo fenain in slit. Only the Interior Mater, fetches Where ising ab, extemal word sl theca to 9 purpose No oe eat tteore ase the exch ight of teah- ingin the Cnc. The Spt gven toa snanng the Miner alone te Chit. he Spt which inspire whe teaches smst be found inthe who len, cue they "ill tar noting. Ty wil therefore be not ey isencs but ingen Each must become witners to the th, The sense Sf external teaching fo ante the pf of the Spit thet oor thoght abo potptes i th Fath et be tart ms acute, with ah erential conscious he “hbstance of things hoped for her presence in us aih mois and sive the intel, ales the inligenee rf toogh a logether sw ontological eles wih God,» reetonip proper tothe Cuan snd which Fite ctevon within us 6ftath ‘Gol speaks to us Uvouph His Son, the Inaction 2 couplsht fevelaton: it reveals and it consiutes seve fiom iuele."To thine theatogily 1s ot te thik of thi fevelation, but to tink by tans of ithe Fates often invoke “out plomply.” In fa, toe metiod of th "less Goch propery dents theology) is bse on sn arpronchopponte fo tat of spevltion. Theology sa Trot fact Teaton, "God hae spoken fo wt Sally Ahr His Son” (Heb. 1:2). The phlospy ich spc Inte Sn God sar on ite onan rw an eae SBeslogian, the poit of departure i Chis, and W's also the point of srl. The lompher res himselt to an dentro another es o fom a Brovp of generaliaed fats According tan ide. For cetain poopie the serch for God ceresponds to an iohrent neces in their hough Sou ust exists thi hel conepion ofthe universe might Be coherent Thee follows the sesch for sigumeat to Fam AND THEOLOGY 9 dermansate the existence of tis seesny God vence these "proofs ofthe extence of God," profs” which the {helogan can well do ibn Tt Bereore no sping thatthe notin of the abe solute sould be very diffrent scording to the philosophers The God of Dexartes iss mathematicians Gol t [sty the inate Ideas of material truths 2 saprene mater tkian who has calsated eventing isl tery 1 aces {Sry Iris by the will of sich Ged that wo pall es Ga never cass For Leite, Gods aeesry fo justify he precnabled harmony Between oot pecepna and el Ferenc peron constutes 4 closed worl” Hence, tht all theo wort nay corepood hat they tay form ut single tne, there must be ropene Monat in which the monads Converge aod order therecves harmoniously, in sus wap thar he tof pacepten for one cmcdes with tha oF ereepon forall” Only God, it has been ssi could wee Be"Hlmdoogy. Kents ertte thot qesions mets By: we know oly out perceptions an Rant, to explain EX ously of knowl eran analy of con tik, But he nese the ict of Got inthe moal sphere {bt himin is Ctiae of Pacical Rewon, God appa 36 the secs postte of moral Ife. Ia his pve I, Kint wars poling sad psctsing Lthern fn his met pista, e fefuses ll spetultion pon Gol, Bat, in his les: he posites Gate exten The God of Bergson {Ba God of cestive esi, Te is the limps, aa Sot in becoming 1 oe ii to ges od a eile fone nthe philosophies of sntiquy. Eten bere, 2000. Siete God Sf Ate th anon moves posted Bye eames of meeps He i i ele ta on beings primary substance—thowght which thks i Sa and moves isl te pelea a Pst never [pesls or almost aevernof God, However, was ser. 12y fox him to give foundation to cen very conctete det, the pouty of fost maa, of 4 sige. Sovates was fondamnel by the oy bese he practi’ a diferent fs fete te one, How then wa one fo asf te use,20 lonrii0ox HroLocy how to construct State where the jast man had his place? Rastng himeelf thos from this fundamental demand towards the knowledge of that which really Plato discovers stable realty inthe world of ideas which thought slone can grasp. Going even bigher, he has preseatinent of the "Good ‘whichis beyond being” (the seventh book of The Republi) then he reaches this point, be fonpete the search for just Saaz, and justice itselt, in contemplation. The point of de- parture and the pint of artival, nevertheless, remain human, The Republic concludes with the necesity oF giving power to philosophers, or rather of obliging them fo govern, at Ieatt for # certin time for those who know bestitade do ‘ot wish to descend again into the cave ‘Theologial procedure is quite different Since God re veils Himself to us, our whole thooght-really, oor whole Approach, out converiatio™should respond and corespand to this fact, should conform to this revelation gathered in faith, Philosophers constrict an ides of God. For the the- clogian, God is someone Who revesls Himself 2nd Who Cannot be known outside of revelation, One mast open one- {elf to this pesonal God, to encounter Him in a total ax volvement: chat isthe only way to know Him, But this con- ‘ete and. personal God contains the abstract and imper- Sonal God of philosophers Who isnot, most often, a mere ‘mirage, bot also reflection in himan thought ofthe personal God: Certsiniy, starting from this reflection, by efleeton or by speculation, iis imposble to know the ral God. The pro- cedare of faith ig necestry, Fundamental, primordial. ‘But then this God of the philosophers takes His place in the total reality of the Tiving Gol as Clement of Alexandsia ‘Prete, "He will grow unto the plenitude of Chest” Christ is the perfect mensure of all dings: He breaks the closed ‘stems in which the philosophers imprison and denature the teflection of the living God in human thought—but He also rings His accomplishment to the intuitive attention whidh the philosophers have devoted this reflection, ‘Nevertheless, one cannot make from these intitons, from these thoughts, an introduction to theology: that wold be to revesse the correct relationship. One has no right Farm ano THEOLOGY a start from a treatise De deo sno, from a God Who is & purely intellectual substance accesible to teasoa, possessing AIL perfection to an eminent degre, containing all ideas of all things, principle of every order and every tality. For then, to go Lom tis God othe Trinity, one must jrtapoce for resins of credibility, it wil be sutd~the God of sever ton mith that of the palcsophers, Now, in producing these reasons, one remains On the level of "natural theology.” one conzines to play the phlosopiers’ game, A Chest hat ‘origi to separate, even in thought, tke One and the Theee ‘when he speaks of God. To go, rationally 5010 speak, fom the One to the Thee, is 2 four de force, an intelectual com juring trick rather than a logical development ‘One must therefore stat {rom faith~and that isthe only way to save philosophy. Philosophy ite, on its suit, demands dhe renuncation of speculation; questing God, it tains the moment of supreme ignorance: a. negitve wy ‘where the failure of human thought is ackaowledge Here, philosophy ends in 2 mysticism and dies in becoming the ex perience of an Unknown God Who can no long even be famed. Iti this Unknown God tat Se. Paul came to pretch (to the court) upon the Areopagus. In fact, we know that the alae tothe Unknown God was erected in honour of one fof the many gods whom one was afraid of ignoring or dis regarding, Athens being a mighty motherciy. Paul, never. theless, seems to have kaown the best of Greck thovght, Stoic for example, and itis to the best of this thought that be wished to reply. If the summit of philosophy is 2 question, theology mast eply by beacing winess that wanscendence is revested in the immanence ofthe Incsrnation. The notion of revelation implies this immanence. But, inthis immanence ise, God revels Himself 2s tansccodent. To evoke tanscendence feriouly in a Clirstan perspective, one most go. beyond fot only all the nations of the created world, but also the no- tion of the first cause of this world, Divine earaity inthe cretion supposes yet spain a link with its effect. God mast be conceived beyond plosopbicl tanscendencet one must transcend the tanscenence ofthis ist causality which pts2 ‘onriio00% THEOLOGY Ge in relation with the world. One must adit that the Sori hus been crested ficely by God, but tt Gol might fonts well noc have cestel Cretion ss Gee at of Mioze wl, In the geat Pitonic eadion, God is always Concave asthe pritiple of everthing tnt exists and te So Sevelops fom them, wid ontologies bree or Ghrisians on the conta, allemasationam i impose, Ee entlopeal break tl, cleston ex mo fee Here i propersand fundamenalsgiven ofthe biblical wad tha, whether Juda Chan of Abrahamic "The word would pot ave exited mere God oot even that which He ig Faas, God als Himself. “Tam He Whos" Christan have wanted t ee ia this divine name Ge sesponse to all human philosophic They have sified the philosophers by teading this pasage. The being that one Canot nate anes Himself Name above sl i Sipendet of every ter exsence. Ie wil abuser de tebvocton of be uate" seprsed” from ll being~and il ontelogially sexe the ulerse, sth abil tai Ton ye feist same of "Himy Who in an absolue trunae"k his Corfe (Book 7), Se. Augestine evokes Nsmedtaton ons te “Tho ist ell me iom aa, ing ia truth eg som qui som. And T head Tee a9 one teks inthe beat andT could no tonge dobe. 1 could ave AEabhed see ey the fac hat Is alive an that fia case trah which can be known in contemplating Craton: brings rel do ot ave being, "ey ae because they ave fom Thee, they ae aot esse they are not Wht, Thaw “This name—at lat, such a uadestod by St, Acgusine and many of te Fats God a8 plenitude of beings ‘ana howeve, on Be concepadl sphere. ‘We conceive ing by sariag from what we Kaow st being fom bags. Tea aly “apante ne Ope mu ose Gad Teyond al that can Be knowa a5 bing. As Hegel hs shown, the concept of being is opposed to tat of anche: bing fe ‘nothgmess, while Coninting two conceplini, isn kad Gody the Ting Gols i beyond this supreme conceptual couple’ Hegel crique sees at belg Fam AND nugoLocy 23 de most vacuous of notions, the mast abtrct and im poverished of concepts, virwally identical t0 is opposite, footing, The notion of being is, ia sum, ous thought be comming its own objec. Concete brings exist concrete. The foncept of being is none othe than our thought sbout them, ‘what is absiacly common to them. One knows Hegel’ solotion: to find reality, one aust think being and non- being together, think them together as movement 38 con crete becoming; Hege!’s God i divinized dialectic: Becom- Jing appests 25 the Hist concrete concep. let us remember only tat the concept of “being” can: sot denote the highest but only the lowest ‘The Living God rust he evoked beyond the opposition of being and. ooa- being, beyond all canceps, including, oF course, that of be coming. He cannot be opposed to anything. Hie kaows no hothingoess which would oppose Hm. Thovght must go boon seo apponch Hii naming Hi, Ose must grasp Him by aot geasping, Low Him by not know. ing, Such is the only ‘natural theology for a. Chistian "Aningiar inating inatingibilver” said. Nicholas of Gasi, in a compact formula that may be translated thus “That whichis beyond all atinment canaot be attained ex cept in a manner which does not attain it.” One cannot fox (Goa with » concep, even that of essence. Sock is "les! ‘ignorance God therefore remains transcendent, radially tan sceodeat by His nature, in the very immaneace of His mani festaion. ‘Tha is why’ the apopatic (oe negative) way hat heen adopted by Christians, finding its perfec expression in the Poeudo-Aseopagite who wrote his Myutzal Theology to- ‘wards the end of the fifth century. ‘The apophatic wa, ia the Dionysian sense, demands in speaking of God the nega: tion of the highest ames, even the One of Plotinas does ‘ot sit tis God Who transcend every human notion One ‘would find dhe same attiude in St Augustine: "God is He {Whom we know best in not knowing Hin” Tt is He sbout Whom we have no knowledge unless it be to know how we 4a not know Him ( De ordine). And in his De doctring ‘hvstina, Augustine stresses that one cannot even 519 that4 ‘oxruoeox mHroLoce God is ineffable, since by sying this we say something and rae 2 "battle of words" which must be overcome by silence, "Thos is demonstrated te breskdown of uman thought before the radial transcendence of God. Philosophy took i+ ‘Sells fa ag ths breakJown inthe grest Platonic line. Plat, Inthe Phedo and in The Republic (Look 6, 19.5259) evokes the Beautiful which arpa al possibly of expression.” La the Parmenider i found the first hypothesis about the One: Lf the One is relly one, I is not beng, since the hought of being imple a dyad, tat of being and nonbeing. We can Ihave 90 opinion, thought, or knowledge of It; It is beyond tverything, Dionysus ws to cite this text Iteally—wvhat 5 tore, without naming Psto. Fisally, itis well known that Plotaus elaborated dhs negative way most remaslably ‘On revelation, the Fire Epistle of Joha states: “No one dna eve seen God” (1 John 4:12). And Se. Paul says: "God lone possesses immorality, He resides in inaccessible ight; ‘no man has sen Blin or can see Him (1 Tim, 6:16) ‘One must understand thatthe apophasis of Easteenthe- logy not borrowed from the philosophers. The God of the Christians is more transcendent than that of the pilos ophers. In Plotius, the One, the Absolute that cannot be inimed, is in a cetsin manner jn continuity with the Intel Ic, and finally withthe world, The univesse appears 25 2 manifestation, a5 2 degradation of the Absolute—rmoreover, fithout any’ estatrophie process. One must remember Plotinus aversion for the gndstcs. Cosmegony coincides with ‘eogony. Far Christians, on th coateary, the break is radial between the living God—the Trinty-and the crested worl, se much ini intligble modality a in its sensble modal ‘The Fathers have used the philosophical technique of neg tion in order to posit the transcendence, absolute this time, of the living God, The apophaticsm of ‘Ozthdox theology is fo technique of interionantion whereby one absorbs onesel Jnto an absolute more or les "conatural” with the Intellect, It i 2 prosration before the living God, radially un grsspable, unobjecufiable and unknowable, becuse He is personal, beenose He is the fe plenitude of pewsonal ex Intence, “Apopbat is tbe incription in burn Language, i FarTH No THEOLOGY 2 eoloicl longnoge, of the mystery of faith. Foe this we Leowable God revels Hinsel, and, becse ‘He. tat end, in His fee personal existence, His vey essence, He Gan cally make Hitelf' paripston. "No-one bak eer Sern God: His only Son, He Who isin de bosom of he Father has manifested Him fo ws” (John 1218). This my tery of faith as personal encosnter and ontoogsa pte tn isthe toi foundation of theological language, 2 ha ipoge that apophass opens to the sence of dsicationChapter One THE TWO MONOTHEISMS, 1 Intodaction God is not the object of a since, and theology differs tadisally fom the thought of plulosophers. The theologian ‘oes act search for God as # man secks an objec be is scined by Him as one is seized by a person. And itis be ‘ute he has initially been found by God, becuse God, one Ihight sy, bas gone forth to find him in the encounter of Tevelaton, that he can then search for God, as one searches fora presence with all one's being (and 30 also with one's intlltt). ‘The God of theology is 2 "Taou"; He isthe lie ing God of the Bible, the Absolute, certainly, bu 2 personal “Absolute whom one tan address intimately fa pest “The selationship of “T-Thou” between a dewree and a sonal God is, of course, sso encountered outside of the Jadaco Christan tradition. But this god isnot then the su preme and unique God he is only one ofthe numerous divine Pevsonages of a polytheism Polytheism is in general only [Re lesser aspect of + monotheism; bat the absolute into which the "gods" teabsorb themtelves i sever pessona.” The “fous, in Inia, even the “personal” godare no more thn aspects manfeststioas of an impersonal absolute: mai festations 28 contingent, for the non-Christian Orient, 2 the ‘would which they coaftont, Being destined lik itt efface themselves, to abior themselves in the inwardness of Tota] entity. And thie Identity ignores “the other,” engulfing all petonal relationship. imi in the religion of ancient Greece, the gods had to submit to an anonymous and dominating "Necessity." The Philosophers placed above these gods, not = Person, but 2 aPy ‘onriH000x THEOLOGY superior univers of sabity and Tht, the sphere of besuy Gi sa imperonal being~thos Plt the Sroes and. even ‘Aritole And "NeoPlatonsn” was to end in 2 "oye. iii" of sborption whch reminds oe of Inia Tt is worth pausing a while on Potinay, who cepresents perhaps the pesk. of non-iblical.antiguy, and” whose Eeoghe il £6 assimilated apd wsed by numerous Father, Staining throgh ther» toe fulflinet For Plots, dhe fit lve of knowledge is located in the World Soa!’ which integrates he vets ty of the Cosmos and of which the goer 20 many aspects, Above thin maa as 3 te hear of the world nage, sn ‘ven higher degre of unity. This level of be i lo that of being, oe rater, there isan identity Between VOOR and fing, bxween thought snd its abject, the objet exile bo Giuse it thought, the thought, breate Be bie finally redces to an intelectual esence. ‘This ident, howeveh fot bao, sine i transposes elf ino a alenating ‘eiprociy in whch themes sl sobs. To know he One Falp in then, neceuary to tanacend vob. ‘When one goes beyond the thought and the thought ce ali, the ultnite dyad of Being and nteligence, one a Five 2t nondntligence nod non-Being, the negation here indisting something positive, « tanxendeace. But then Slence imposes sell: One cannot name the inefable, since it oppotes ef to nothing since nothing lini it. The only say fo attain it is through not knowing ithe nooo igs, 4 breskingthrougs beyond eveything, whichis ce S59. Philosophy colminstes and suites 5 the threshold of the unknowable. One con only now the One before sod ftter the ec; that io 57 one cannot Know it ice Tt isnot the eet. And during the later, tere i no longer anything cls, ene 0 kaowing. Four tes ia his ey orp tel um Plone knew estas. Bat this nome of divine natore is achieved ad canceled out simultaneously fn the impersonal of uaknowing. ‘Against the majoriy of eliglns and metaphysis where the selationship "Thos" duappens a8 Soon a2 one eae tures ino the sphere proper to divily, the Dile aims ‘rue wo woNorESMS » the ieducibleultimay of 2 personal God, at once absolute fand personal. But then, ia connection with the full revla tion of Christianity, anather Limitation emerges: the God of the Jews hides the profundities of His naure; He manifests isself only Uuough His auborty; His name islé is wn pronounceable, He surrounds Himself with inacesble light Zod man cannot see Him without dying” nether tue reciproc ly nor face to face encounter are pole between this te tlying divine mond an the hurity of the crested, From God alone comes speedy, Word; from man comes ooly the cbscurty of obedience and of faith, "Theology," ip the proper sense, ait is understood by the Fathers, remains closed fo bse. ‘Thus outside of Christianity one sees these oppositions: among the Jews (and later ia Islam, which is "Abaamic") 4 monotheism wich affirms the personal characte of God but i ignorant of His nature, a living God but not the divine life; inthe ancient world (and still today in talons alien to the Semitic) 2 metaphysical monotheism which anticipates the nature ofthe Absolute bat can only gain access to it by dissolving the peson. On one hand one finds a personal Imystcim of sbsorption where Knowledge of God proves, possible, since His person itself must be reaborbe! into the ineffable; on the other, a personal obedience ta per sonal God but without a vision Of the divine nature, 3 kagw- tle forbidden bythe person of God since this is closed upon sei: on one side, nature drowning the person, on the other fide te divine person hiding nature. Thus, outside of Chis tianty an imperble knowledge (since it denies the known tnd the knower) and a forbidden knowledge (siace thee i fo common messire, no mediation, between the Creator and ‘he creature) ate opposed, CCustianity frees man from these two limitations, by re veiling fly and at once the personal God and His nature Te thus accomplishes the best Of Istel and the best of the other religions of metaphysis, not asa cultural synthesis, but Ia Christ and throwgh Christ. Ia Him, indeed, humanity snd Givinity ate united, and divine aature communicates itself to uman nature to dell its this isthe answer to Israel. But30 ‘oxrionex THz0L03r the Son i csubstantial with the Father and with the Spit find thi is he ansver to impersonal metaphysics, The devine ‘aru isnot beyond the person: its Fullaes, on th conta, resides ia the communion of the divine persons, and its com munication to man is effected by 2 personal cumusion. Bat these answers are dificult understand, and tis falfllmeat in Citi both “scandal” and “folly — "scandal to the Jews": how could the unique the tan sendent, the God without common measute. with san, have a Son, Himself God, and yet a mn, haraisted and crucified? ~ "folly tothe Gresks”: how could the impersonal Absolute incarnate itself in 2 person, how could unmoving eternity enter into time?” How could God become that which one rust, secesaiy, go beyond to merge with Him? “Thor Chunisnty at ooce fulfils and scandals, But whatever ay be the atid ofthe "Grek" and the Jews ‘who deny Civ n the Church—that i to sy in the ody oF dis Word which ces all ings makes Anew, pice fu pts every tith i ts proper place—there should be no dlifeence between Grek and Jew ‘Two dangers appear here: the fit is hit the theologian ima be "Greek the Church that he may allow ine to be dominated by bis forms of expression tothe point of Inelctaling revelation and to lose at once the bbc sense of the otc and hs existential character ofthe en Counter with God. which is concealed in the apparent ao thropomorpiam of Tel "To this danger, which goes fom the Scholanis tothe itcllecale of the sneteeahceatury, corcesponds in oat agen iaverse danger: thet of 9 some: fwhat raced” lcm which wes to. oppo. the Hebrew tuition to "Grek plilesophy,” and tempts tt mike theory in paly Semi categories, ‘Dut theology most be of universal expression, Tt at by accident thst God as paced the Fatrs of the. Church ins Grek stings the demands for hclty in pilsophy ‘ie Two MONOTHEIS ey snd profundity ia gnosis have forced them to puify snd to Sanctfy te language of the philosophers and of the mys fic, 10 give to the Christian message, which sacides but goes beyond Israel all ts universal seach, I. The Negative andthe Postve Way God is known in revelation at in = personal tlstonship. Revelstion is slays reveition to someone tis made up of cocounters which order themscives into a history. Revel fiom in is totality is therfore 2 history; i is Uh sealty of history, ffom creation to the parousi. Revelation is thus a "theowxmic relationship whigh iar clades us, Not only can we aot know God out it but we cannat judge i "objectively" from oxtide, Revelation ous of 0 “outside,” for it i this relationship between God and the werd within which, like # oF not, we find our selves ‘But in the immanence of sevelation, God affirms Hlim- self to be tznscendent to crestion, Tf one were 10 define 4 transcendent that whigh escapes the sphece of our knowl- fege and experience, one must say that Gos not only i not 4 pat of this world but even transcends His own revelation. God is immanent and transcendent at the same tine immanence and transcendence mutually imply one snother Pure transcendence it imposible: if one conceives God 28 the transendent cause of the universe, He cannot be purely transcendent since the very ides of 2 cause implies that of tlfec. In the dialectic of revelation, immanence allows us fo name transcendence, But there would be no iemanence Whateoever if trancendence were aot, init depth inaces le. “That ie why we cot think of God in Himself, in His sence in His tcresy. To attempt to think of God in Him- Self reluces us to sence, as aesther thought nor language fan imprison the infinite in those concepts whic, in defi lng, limit, That i why the Greck Fathers had recourse, for Knowledge of God, to tbe negative wy.2 lorrionox sxoLocy “The negative (spophatic) way attempts to know God not in what He is (that is to sy, in relation to out experi fence as creatures) but in what He is not. It proceeds Series of negations. The NeoPlaonists and India use this ‘Way t0, ait is imposed on all thought which toss to God, raising itself towards Him, Te calminates, with Plotines, in the suicide of plulosopty, ia the metamorphosis of the Philosopher into the mya, Dut outside of Christianity, it nly ens inthe depersonalization of God, and of the maa ‘who seeks Him. ‘Thos an abyss separates this quest from Christan theology, even when the latter appears to follow the way of Pltines. Indeed, a Gregory of Nyssa or a Pseudo- Dionysius the Accopapite (ia his treatise, Ow Mystical The cology) doce not se, in spophaticism, revelation bat the fe- eptacle of evelation: they ative atthe peesonal presence (of shddden God. For them the negative way is not fsalved fn a void where subject and objet will be reabsorbed: the human person is not dissolved but has acess to a face (0 fice encounter with Ged,» union without contasion accor trace Apaphaticim const i nepating that which God is not: one eliminates first all creation, even the cosmie glory of the starry heavens and the intelligible Tight of the aagels Inthe sy. Then one excndes the most lofty atibutes, poo! ‘ess, lve, wisdom. One finaly excludes being itself. God ie none of allthis in His own nature He is the unknowable He's not.” But here is the Christian paradox; He is the {God to Whom Tsay "Tho," Who calls me, Who revels Hine self 2s personal, 25 living. To the litoegy of St. Yohn Chrysos. tom, before the Lord's Praver, one prys: "Aad prant us, O ‘Loed, to date to inveke Thee with confidence and withost fear, by calling Thee Fethez” "The Greck txt says exactly ‘hist "Thou, Exauoewoy Gcby (se, God on hiah Whom fone cannot sume, the apaphatic God), to name Thee Father fand to dare to invoke Thee.” One prats to have the audacity fnd the simplicity to s37 "Thou" to God. ‘Thos, side by side with the nesstive way, the postive way, “catphatio" opens out. God Who isthe hidden God, Deyoad ll that reveals Him, is also He that reveals Hinwelf ‘ru rwo wonomieisus 3 He is wiso, love, goths Bt Hi tue rei Kowa ine Sep and tat sec why He ee Him The emioent meron of ppt most the eat woe Hust py St comps by coc Shah nace sapere them fem bei led Titi te linted wong Caray God we, Totin te toa ene of can ort poser Aad isles se sto el seco of sate Tie ight some een love expen do at st the dine ecco combate te tts by eh ‘Sim commer soll wiht see suc, ‘shy cer becoming exhumed, or beaming Oetied Feat cts. Oo pst concep ele ws fo Fench Gute ine sos ele bin meses en Ect ine Hin ute can sees sehen enone, oe woul be devine’ hy Hs seo: He de ‘a! by ng el hat psy why Hepes. 'S Cupuy of ys fos merc! i his es pon the Sing of Sons in he este mpl mrtg Fi sa nt he Coe) wih God The ee oe Stes be beloved te st seckng ts Ga The beloved Sons and ecpes Gad este ue the mre the sal ows ins eno He sper ae te more loves Hig There Gol satin th sper, the me tit ors posse whch sor tl and ree ea tein pas The mre fled wit God the me eee in mcm he ul ete wih the ine pss bt sa ene Sept in he nea Bic Succ p o0 sh eee Thos ae tsi bdomes rena nn hfe aon OF eel ee Tove anny onerfows ad reves Sef fom Sheng to begune™ Gregory se Gite moc tf tse on key te ey wate eek te ost Be Go "Te ean of etre with th Cette snes he where the sol he ore Bi rans percenes tin Stance ines) ‘Soruned bet sonys fie Renee ul nd te die Shea's tune whch lows acl forth love. God SG: Zale endo nehell h ovess Hina ‘onriios0x TieLoce and conceal Him at the same time; and we cannot reach Him unless it be inthis rlaonship which, to et, demands that in His esence God sense forever bu of teach “The Old Tester itl tons this negative MEE this i dhe imag, 0 often used by The Chan cones Fates, of dotinca“Tie hav mde drs Hs soe Eats Pal 17, and Solomon, in his payer of conseaticn of te Temple (Bok of Kings) sys fo Gals “Thea Whe tas wished to nell n dane” Let ws tink ao of the ‘tos of Sal The experience ofthis tansendence is appropriate © the myst lfe ofthe Chitin: "Even when Tam une to Thee” sys Se Maca, "ven whan Seams tn me {bat Tmo longer am separste from They I know tit Thou 3% the maser ond I he sees” Ths no longer te inctabie fsion of the esny of Plotin, but peronal relationship which fr fom Liming the Absolute, te veals it tobe "ater," that i to iy alway ow, nexus. Ul. This is the relationship betwece the person of God, 2 nature a4 sch iacesble (the Uden of eacace here doc ‘ot bar lovee the contrany—buteepesents the logis est of voyage ote Tie” whch wold oud nd exhawst God), andthe person of many man even in is hinges 36 person mb inthe uton, dor oot betome abolished but i fansfigued and remains, or tthe fall Becomes, 2 pesca Oterwise these ho longer eligi that it mp, + bon, relationship. “The source of tue Cheiien theology is thas the con fesion of the Incarnation ofthe Son of Go. Through the Incarmaton, ded, = peson emtes in hanself the te scandent, unknowable store of vn, to human nate ‘he union ofthe two natures tn Chit shat ofthe open celestial and the ext, cried st far asthe thas a, Indeed, 8 Hell Tn hist tanscendene is mae nenanent and gives us the pssbity of talking shot God, that i of being theologian Here le all theme, that a ay see (and sees) God in Chin, tat he may sce (and ses) in Ghist the sing fot of the vine tate, This talon thot mitre advise bumaniy in single person rie Two MoNoTHES 38 excludes» setapysielapophsis which would sweep sway the Tiiniy to engulf Huet in the mperona on the con try, it manages to establish revelation a8 an eXOun + “Orth Crec thowght has a cae opened and closed the vay ty Chisy I pent dy toca te ges Toe the celestial Besa, nt of Go teat of he dive Ii doned iby thrsting the wise man back towards» al tion throug eason Some have wished to oppose the joe Le vine of the socent world to the sombre character of Gutnty, This st forget the tape sense of destiny io the Grech theatre, and the shacp scam of Plato, is ees tion “bodytem" (0Oua~ohye), the dualism which be Jnueduced between the sensible athe intelligible, to die {hulfy at once the sul, simple efleton, and fo invite She to fle from it Js certain way, acer thought prepares {he way mot only for Chistian, where superseded, ot {ho fore more tT cre lina of he gros 7 femsand Monchseiam, where it set against Chis, “Tut whichis acing fo this hough, hat which would heat ence a chance of fllment snd 2 stumbling bck for the selty of the Incertion. St Augosting, when he ‘members his you, is the sda wimes of this con [fomtaton between Antiqty and Christaiy: "There T have Ha" be supe in tcaling his Ocovery of the Ennead), Shai he Begining was the Word (ee escorts Senin Pltinas). 1 bave ead that the han soa lens Tiesto the ig but eno et ight. But T have er nly not found thatthe Word cme fo this world sad was fo rcied thee I have ot found tat tie Word became Tesh I have found tat the Son cane the equal of te Fath bot not tat He snnlted Hine, humited to denn onthe Cross and tat God the Father gave Hin {Be ame of Jesun” iin on the comtery, wth this very fame that heblogy starts36 loxmiooox mHx0L00" ML, The Trinity ‘The lncamation, the point of depature for theoogy i snedstely puts he cart of the ater the mystery of he “Teniy. He Who is iacsmsted is indeel none other thn Be ‘Word Wat isto sy the second peren of the Tiny. te carnation and Tnty are te feeparsble and apanst 2 Certain Protestant crc, spss itera whi would ppose Gael and theology. we mast ses the evange foot of the onhodor tology, Can one ined ed the Gospel witout king the qesion’ who iy Jess? And sen we hear the confson'of Peter: "Ton atthe So {oF the living Gol” (Matt. 16:16) when St Joon opens to "stent with his Gospel, we event thatthe ony pos. ble answer the dogma of the Tiny, the Chr Gay Son ofthe Father, God equal to the Father ent day fd eiferent pion “The chet torce of oor bnowlede of the Tit i indeed one ote ts the Prone of St. Joh (and =e the fir epi of the same), ond hat is wy the Shor of these amating txts Bat eee, in the Ortho teaition the aame of St.John the ‘Thooloian. Fem the Fes yee af the Prolog, the Father ered Go, Chat ced {he Word-and the Wor in ths besining whichis here tet tempo Bot ontological, iss onee Ged (in the be Binning the Word wat Gol") and othe than the thet, (Cad the Word wes with Gol"). Thewe thee affenntions Of S Jon "In the begining was the Wordand the Word te wth Godand the Word was God,” const the germ Of all tetarian thesogy. They. imnedately eet out though tothe eblition of affiming atthe sme tne, he idenity snd the drat of Go Cerny iti tempting to hater the antnony by rx ‘inating Oe or te oer ofits tna, Tees thee have sppeted, more or less explcly, two major ret! tender ie Unitrin and Titel ‘Unitransm has often assumed the aspect of an she solute moarchantm: there i oly one peron in Go tht OF the Father, Whose Son snd Spit sre ony emanations ‘THe Two MoNOTHEISNS 7 foros is most perfect expresion was inthe thitd cetay, the modalan of Gabel, where the very tion of ero hood disappeared. For Sibelius indend) God ss 28 impex Sal eee ch manifest dere one The thee perions are then no longer spying Ba tee ducenive toss of action, tree appeaanss © he Work Gf the some monad slays single i ise. Through ese fin Goo takes on the shape of Father. The Father thus the aspect of» fr phase of dine manifestation inked with the gona andthe pareduseal site. But in moified the relation between God and man; the es ofthe Father fished id God took totter sspert that ofthe Son, woke com> plete maifeaton cocesponded tothe Incenton, With Beascersion, the fla mode of divinity was once more ab Sorbed ino the etental saitiacion and a new made 3p Dre, that ofthe Spit, At the Fa Judgement, when he Eikere will be dienuse, everthing wil enter ito he ie ivble monad, This socesve Tanay remain thus 2 pre Spyerance and in no way cones the well Hal of Cod ie ature completely absorbs the pesos. “fhe opposte rey, pute Tsiteam, has never been ex pest. But ifthe sbutdy of verge Tina e2aot femal, one on ober» cram wake of the taran cegprociy: = Telly witout equity an tial elingished Before Nise sbordinaoni aden Gies-were powertal ia Ceistian tooght, partiary with Origen Under the inven of NeoPltoinn, he Father sea znd with supreme unity 50 thet one could not Ibereaferdtnguised the Son exp by suboranating Hin, Disny a aot propery belong fo Hine onl partipated in the divine nature ofthe Father, The Lagor thas became the instrament of the One, andthe Hoty Spit in itt Served as an instrament forthe Sop with which to sency fon bea ofthe Fate Wit Aras this tendency Beane a heresy which broke the Wnitarian uaiy. Ants Kentfied Gol and the Father, fd claimed that all which isnot God i crested. ‘The Som Stereo cently since He & ober than the Fader, and the pessoal difference sels in an onolgial break. This38 ‘ormiovox mHr0LoGr ceened Son cess ia His tin the Spit, and the Tenity fevers to a hneschy where the ifeior serves os iste tment to the soprin, ard which i shot clean trough 2y that insoperable gap’ which seprates the created from the tncrested Generation becomer creation, the Son nd the Spa,” grandsons” wh sre estas eadaly dint fom pteral ving, ond the triad only sures by dang the fronad, By contest, fut jealously preserved by the Church, seized in a single movement, wih a single adhesin, the Unity and the diversity of God. Bot oor intelligence must Ss be vligtus snd snot only feeling, but ss thowgh, Svhich mast open sel wo te eth or exter neither of therm ‘Kpurately but our whole being, st ence ferent and fd ‘The erat of Carita thought i fo have elaborated ovet tbe fit four centers, and puticalarly daring the fost, trntarat” por exclline, 3 definition which gave 0 Ce heathen inkling of the fulles ofthe Tent: this was tot the caionalztion of Citianty but tbe Chtanization Cf season, a tsmumuting of pllosopy into contemplation, {saturation of tought by 4 yey which not a sce oneal, but a0 inexhaustible light) This grand wotk, over ich Atbanasis of Alxsnde, Das Gregory of Nyse Ind Gregory of Nasinasy, and also Hilary of Pots, all Allaborted finally enabled the Charch to expres, by the term Buo00GI0e te mystery of the divinity st once momad Shi tad, "Opootowe mesos constant, iene in rene, co-cisentsl hn i Be adjective which qualifies the Sco, God and other thn "Ye God,” the sme but n0t the Fate “The Word was with God” says the Prologue of St John: mpd tov Be6v”Mpde deates movement, 2 dynamic losencts one could tapas s as “owards” raer than Site “The Word wat Yoards God.” Mpbe ths inades the ides of» clatonship: is eelainship between the F ther and the Son i teal genertion, and wee hah ite troduced; by the Gospel self, to the life of the diviae per sons ofthe Trinity. Te is also the Gospel that reveals to us the trntaran ‘tun Two wonoruisus 2 toction” ofthe Holy Spi, and the eltons which ess Its own peronal uniqueness It is eaoogh to red ia St Joa the fst words ofthe Lard to the Apostles “And I ill Dray othe Father to se04 you another Comforter (Proctor) {oe with you always the Spit of Trt” (5:1617) and "guns "The Protector, the Holy Spt Whom the Fate? Will {nd ia fny Name” (15:26), "The Spit is ten oer than the Son, Who i alo a Comforter but He, the Spi 8 Sat in the ame ofthe Son fo bear ites toi. His ration to the Soni then ether one Of opposition nor of spare on, bit of divest and reciprocity" thas, of communion in the Father, Its the sae forthe relation ofthe Spc othe Father: “the Spat of Trath, which proceeds fom the Fater™ (15.26), the Spt ie ferent from the Father, bat waited 1b Him bya bond of procession whichis pope to Bi and dicfers fom the geatation of the Son “The Son and he Spirit thas appear, troughout the Gos pekas tro divine patos sen int the worl, the forme Gouken ou persotal bey, ee ites to unite Tel with Ste ntore ai regenrate These two persons each have thi proper rlaten fo the Father (Senctaton and proces Sion); they also have Between them a velationship of roe ips is tanks to tae putin of the Vii by the Spink thatthe Som could be vento mn, a i bythe prayer of the Son ascended bck tothe sight hand of the Father that the Spit is dispensed to them (the Patecor Whom I will Sead ou front te Father” John 1526). And these two rion appeat, inthe etraity which anflds, eal in ig Ely to the Father and seni! Yo Him in absence. They frowsucad the modd where they act* the one andthe other Sie ined "witb" the Father, Who doesnot Himself come iit the world, and thir closeness tothe Father, souce of the civie nator, manages to locate for oor Seowght the ‘Tait in ts tancendence, is stably and is fulloes.40 ‘oxriio00x TixoL06y WW. Trnitarien Terminology “The great problem of the four century was to express st once divine ty and diversi, the coizldence in God Of the monad andthe tad One is then preset with the Tuer, ats te tonmstton of languages sing either losophital tems or words ofthe cent language, te Bunge te eanng wl ey art ndred 2 ence pus tis prodigious new tsi which Christin alone {evel euely tat Of personhoodin Gol ain ma, since tan i inthe image of God, aod in the Tei on re seveated huranty, snc the Church efits the divine life. "To expres the tality common tothe thee, "ivding ia tice the nonivisble tivity,” a6 Gregory of Nexans Sythe Father chore the word oloie. thie word belonged to he language of poopy and meant “esene,” though [t was son wlguted to mean, for example, 4 "property fr a category. It had a0 ontological resomaee, deed os {tis from the verb ein. "ta be," ad could be well used to fres the ontological nity of dvity,expcily stone also find it inthe term Suo0bo0G ales Chssionoed by the council of Nicaea, to denote the eosenaity of the Paher Sd the Soa, ‘Ojeotciee and obola, however, insisted on ‘Henity, and this wos the familie road to the thought of late Helle, centred, as we have aid, om the eesatic Giovery of the One, “Ouoodoieg had already induced tm immense innovston, since the ieatiy of essence which ‘spree wai, without rabeosbing them nto ther own ‘ni, two sedacbiy diferent perions Dati was pueely this the mystery of the other” that bad to be alfamed, Bring ths oason so saaly foreign tothe thought of the sncients, who tended, ontological, pot high value ‘pon sameness” and to denounce the notion of “the cher” wha they took to be a distprtion of being. Sige Sifksat of this atttuge in the vorabulary of the acients tear the absence of any designation for "feron” For the Tain perone the Greek psoumoy merely denoted the delimilng, deceptive, and Gnally sory spect of the lat ‘lvidsl notte open face of pectonal beng, atthe masked ‘THE TWo MonorHEIsMs a eee a oe = nae Sere oe es ee ee PS eee ee eee ce Slice td mat J of Denes ee ree erectile Rpg eon cree ee oe eee ees = eo ee ee ee es oat etre eh oe aes@ ‘orriionex THEoLosY the esl ofits stomizaton 4 to sp, There it nohing of the sot io the Teniy, where every bypess assumes ia flac de pnt nal eat os ope Zed repetve: exch possi ls faction of oar; but ine {ria divide, Hi always the same aie, whook Stheabe deriy! The poses, onthe oer hand ae Inintely united sod nil diferent they are the vine thture,bur sone posses one breaks fo owe Siosely e's focnely bese cat one apes elt Se the, focus fnyshace ate most reson, tat te later is pot dvidel. And ths indie nate gives every Ippostns to depth, confi niques reese foe itis oni of te nig in this commnin in wid vey ison, wills Cotas sues nel i te er ‘Ebinre te se one the ote they at iver, since ting of he oma tre apes them de moe th tte vere the mote they are ae, since tel unt nti pecs tnfoomiy, bee eto of ted dee Jipran sbundace of a “cruminceson without mote ot {ohn (St ob of Dams). "Tntacan theslogy th opens 1 ws 4 ew aspect of the humanely: Bet of peroabood, Acer pinoy ft indo gooant of themesaing of pono. Gree Thought ai aoe go beyond sn tome" conception of he iu ona ong pg oe a ee kine! pein Oomph joel atonsps. Only the revelsiog of te a0. ge fudon of hin Sthrpology, could state in an sbolte mar ie Por the Ethernet peso’ sesamin ti to mate: clades ll condoning, be payologial Semon vey ste is repetiie belogs fo mare Shs found spin song aie! indvidle Evens cher of quale ct be found chewhere. Perona uniqueness is ‘tha remains when on tees swap all omc conte, socal i intl, dest, at ay be cepa Hhsing concept feuenbood cannot be defined ei he incomplete whllprbes, One can nly a pi divs, not persons The person is always nique The Concept chet sod cll Only thought metodily ‘nae Two MONOTHEIS 4 “deconcepuzed” by apopbasis can evoke the aystey of pesoahood. For thit whch remains ivelacble 1 eery rare canot be defined, but only designated tony 1 be seized ough personal seladeastip nce Abalogous to that ofthe hypostates of they no ue feting mach goes beyond te ope banality uf the word of adidas. Por Be approach f personhood i penton inso'® pesonal universe atoncessoumed and openendd that ofthe highest ase cestion, tat above al, some: times vey bumble ut alway unique, Of 2 le offered std mastered "The divine atiibutes relate to common nature: itl ligence, wil, lve, peace concern the thee bypass t- sgeber and caonotdiferetate them, One cana in a a folie way qully each hypostans with «dive mame, We ave sad tht personal uniqueness ehder every dfintion, that personhood can only berevoked ii ceaoon with a set ‘The only way t ising the byposacs wll thre fore be by malig prods the reltonsipy and above all thei relationship to the common source of vii, fo the “viipsoorce” of the Father, "Not to be procttel, fo be proceate, to prose, caraerie te Father, the Son ana He Whom we call the Holy Spin.” writes Gregory of Nesianus, “The smeribily of the Faber witoot bea: fing (Isis the base idea ofthe monary ofthe Pathe, the fll importance of which we will oon se), the geno tion of the’ Son and the pocesion ofthe Holy Spite te the elaocahipe whch allow sto distinguish the per fons, Dut two remarks inpore themselves ete: te fis that these relationships ict, but do nor undelete typostic divecsiy, Divers iam absolute sy. Ie is rotted inthe tiple and primordial mystery ofthe dine pr. dong, and-our hoop, which fe prcodes intial, cant evoke it except in negative way by declaring that the Fee {Bec witout begining tether the Son or the Holy Spc, that the proceed fon ts aiher the Holy Spt hoy Be Father, tint the Spine proceeding fom the Father i nether the Father not the Sof Tie scond roma a follows these relstion ae no relations of oppostio 2s Latin the“ ‘ort090x THtEoLoGy logy affirms, but simple slations of diversity. They do not ‘lifeeeniate nature in persons, Bey confirm the absolute Sentity andthe no les absolute diversity of the hyposases; nd above al, in connection with exch byposasi, they ace emery, an can never relia the duality which is precisely Implied by oppostion. It is impossible indeed to fit one iypostasis into a dyad, impossible to evoke it without im imately causing the other two 10 vse up the Father is ich only sa tlation to the Son and the Spt. As for he ienesaton of the Son and the procession of the Spirit they reins cerain way snultancou, the ove implying the ots “This denial of opposition and hence of duality i, epard- ing the ‘Tinty, rather more the denial or, better, the sur. ‘mounting of suimber, God is "identically monad and tia, Sid Se Masimue the Confessor. He is at once unitsinity Sand truaty, with the double equation of 1=3, of 31. In his treatise on the Holy Spt, St. Basl evokes this “mets inathematis": "Infact we do not count by adding, starting from unity to end with plaraity, for we do not say: one land two and thee, or fs, secood an thd. 1 am in fact the Tus God and Tam the Last (I. 44:6), And of 3 sc ‘ond God we have not yet heard tell until this day, for in Noring a God of Gots we confess the characteristic of Inypostates and remain within the monarchy.” ‘Sermounting of the monad: the Father is» total gift of His divinity t0 the Son and to the Spin. Were He only Imonad, were He to identify with His essence instend of giv. ig it He would not fully bea person. That is why the God of the Old “Testament is not tbe Father, Pecsonal but closed pon Hisel, He is all the more teerible fr being uble only we caer into 2 tclatonship with beings of another nature ‘whence His "tyannial” appearance. Between Him and man Tere is no eecipeovity. That is why St. Cyl of Alexandria fonsiered that the name of Father is supesor to that of ‘God: for if God is sich only for those who are not God, the Fer isthe Father in elation tothe Soa, Who is in no way infenor to Hi. In the unfolding ofthe biblical monad, the shame of Father revels itself 38a itorior name of God, “The monad being unfolded, the personal plenitude of God ‘THE Two Monomieists 4% cannot stabilize self upon dyad, becuse two imple op fostion and reciprocal limtston. Two would dice te divine nature and would locate within the sfiite the oot ‘ofthe indefinite, heft polarity ofa eation which would Iecome, 25 inthe gnostic ystems, manifestation. Divine ce ali is therefore unthinkable sa two persons. The sommount ing af tes th of pur as ent turn to the Origin bt a Blosoming of personal being Three In fact isnot here the sm ofan addon. The soltly diverse relies cannot be counted; thee Absolute do not add up together. Thre, beyond al alaltion, beyond all oppostion, extablishes sbsoite dives, Teasceding num beh i des not ntate sor enclose» seve, bt pens, beyond ‘8 infinity: not the opacity of the nelle sbsorpton Of return to the One, bat the opennded intinty of he living God, the ineehaontble profuion of divine le. "The ‘monad i in ttion by vist of ts sicnes, the dyad is Surpass, for divinity is above mater and form the tad is enclosed within perfection, fri isthe ist to g0 beyond the composition of the dyad” The mystery that Gregory of Necanaus evokes in there Plotinan frm opest to ut a ster domain beyond al logic and ll metphpsc. Feth her Tees and elevates thought beyond lant unto a cote lation whose sum peecsly i bt to share in the dine le Ef the Tit V. Th Procession of Persons and the Divine Atribates Cvistisn theology doce sot know aa abstact divinity od cannot be conceived outside of the three pent. If ‘sa and "hypstst” are almoit synonym tin onder to break ou tedton, t prevent from objecting divine cssence oxide ofthe pens and theie “tema movement St love" (St. Maxims the Confess). The Gad af Chis a tology 2 oct ol ance wpe dvi at fence common to the thee hyposases end proper fo eich of them to the Father a suze, to the Son proceed 19 the Spt as proceeding from the Father46 ‘ormionox #0103" ‘The term of “ions forth Father score in the gro thon ofthe fourth cent, Hstees tt the ey Sie of diy is penon, The Father is dvi, but rely becuse He the Father, He confers tnt ull ip on te two eer pesos. The later take Sie otin ffom the Tater, eom Spy single pce, whence the term “inonaiy” te “niyasuce a Dios the ‘rcopogie sy of the Tater It fom tis nae that ‘prnwin ths hat rotel—the ident, naire, bat Heep cunmnaatel ivy of the Son and te Holy Spi "The soto of nary tetefoe denotes ia snge send ue emty andthe aiference 9 God, rig fom « even prnple. The grestat Deologan of he Tent, Se Greg of Nasa could ely evoke this sry Shovel rable poy, sone epee of iting oe eye onde They ate sot vied in'will he we, ae overt ia power" nor in any eter state “Tn bi at b me hed cur amg the rer ee sms than’ pect‘ antic snge would be the Tih Tor the'Wort anf the Spit are fo ray of fe sume 5, o“ier two news" “Thur be Tenis the ina str, he Holy of Holes of teaver, be vey te of he iden Gol, of te fig Goi Only poet can evoke precly ecu i Cclenaes ant oct no petead t9 epln. All eece SEE bnowledge are peter to he Teniy and find in ic te the Tiny cot be ged by man uber the Tsnty Gat soe man s8d Pwo pase i Tin Oude of pase and alton, esd of the Per Sona felatinip bf faith om ngage when eng of fhe Tay naleay fale! 1 Groin tne Thelogan wets Fete tat “They ae aot died in wl es Besse fe cant sp that the Son bs been protested by the wll Wie Pater” We conot think the Father without th Sn: eis FatherwithesSon ii ut frm ll ery. There Ino act inte Tan, and fo even speak of ste would opp 1 pasty whic woul oot be spropite. "When sr cipt today, theft cas, te monary, the nee Be Che pas ts and when we pee ar en ‘THE Two MoNomuniss a in the me eeiy and pls, we ten adore the tree” (6 es Sooo ane mee eee Bene hen ate ah ree pe see eee oe ge Bett ae 0 En yee foe cet to gird beta! been! Sapopat eg meneacen Tree, Ce ee eee eee eee is ee apni tle we aa reer ie epee meas Sree Tose Weer menmenee see it go STE pesco lormionox mHE0L06y which is generation and procesion, and the work of wil, Which is the eration of the world. The work of nator, moreover, is aot a work in the proper sense, but the very bing of God, for God i, by His nature, Father, Son and Holy spc, God has no aced to reveal Himself to Himself, bya soit of wakening of consciousness of the Father within te Som and the Spin, s¢ Belgakow believed Revelation is thinkable only in telation to the otherthan-God, tht is to Sy, within ctetion, Just a8 the triaiavian existence & not {De revalt of an act of will, ts impossible to see here the process of an intemal necessity ‘One imust therefore carefully distinguish the camality of the Father-which locates the three hyposases in thee ab Solute diversity, though without the possiblity of establish ing any order berweer them—from its revelation or mani Jestation. The Spit leads ws, through the Son, to the Father, fohere we discover the unity of the dee. The Father, 2¢ Coding to the terminology of St Basi, reveals Hime! ‘heough the Son inthe Spr. Hleve is affirmed a process, an fonder from which isues that of the three mames: Father, ‘Son end Holy Spee Tikewise all the divine names, which communicate tos the life common eo the thee, come to us from the Father through the Son in the Holy Spit. "The Father isthe source, the Son the manifestation, the Spirit the force which mani: fests, Ths the Father is the source of ove, the Son, love which reveals itself, the Spiit, love realred in ws. Or, ac Corin to the admirable formula of Metropolitan Phare fof Moscow, the Tather is cracying love, the Son, love Crucified, the Spit love uiamphant. The divine names are the Flow ofthe dvie life whose souice isthe Father, sows tous by the Son, and communicated to us by the Spit. Byzantine theology cals these divine names "energies" “The word is puticolarly apt for this eternal radiance of the vine nature, Better tan the "attibutes” of scholey the- ‘logy, it evokes for vs these Living fores, these outbursts, these ovesflowings of the divine gory. For the theory of weceated ears preounly iia the De often trokes the Hating and thonderous glory which makes God ‘THE TWO MONOTHEISNS * taown outide of Himself, all the while hiding Him under profusion of light Cyt of Alexa. speaks of the Spbniour of the tne tence whan maesed The iBninous tems which ate ot at all metphoral here but expres the experience of the highest contemplation r=ot putimaly to denote the splendou of ezling beauty. The SBvine glory is eliform™ "Jesus id many ter things if ne nec (owe tha dona one by one the wale word, Totve could not contain the Books one would wit sbut them Gin 2125) Tikowse the whole world could not contain the cous tee tamer of ploy. “Auer, Powers” id. Peado- Dronyise and Sones be spesis In te sins, me Une in the plural, The nmber bere sof 0 consequence: tet one, nt Seer, Bu a nity of divin names Go is ‘ido, love, sie nt bctuse He wishes ft 5, but tecoue He's such Thee rao masquerade bee: God shows stat He i We cannot know the divine ence dows f Te deepest dept, but we Know thi rolance of ley which Iu) God for wheter we cil the vie re “esenc" dingo ars it peau trnncendence or “energy” fa £0 far asf gloriously anf fuel ti always te te ator, "Pater, glolfy me with this Bory which I bad be fore the world bean” (oa 17:5)-—The energetic mani festaon doct at therefore depend cn cretion i Is per pl radance, which i in no way conlitoned by the Exitence or nomcitene of the world Ceaaly we dix over inthe ctu for “sine the ceaton of the wold, the works fot God) tender ve to intelligence His in ‘able atures” (Romans 1:20): te erature i stamped With te el of ving, But the din presence i « er ane lon tena, + noweoningent ‘manifestation of Sone, end sud tknowable Ts isthe Light which fan ery xe the pie, pre el, of tanta ieChapter Tos THE CREATION 1 Introdaction “The world wat created by the will of God 1 of an- other nature thon Godt It exists outside of God, “not by ce bat by naate” (S.J of Daseses). These simple Eiimatons of fai opet onto mystery as wnfaiemable that ofthe dvine beng: the mystery of the created being, the realty ofa beng extemal to any presence of God, fee Incanto Hs onporenc, having on ite aay ew in face ofthe tara plenite,n bri the zealty GF the ersbenGod, the elude oatlogial densiy of the ober Cheatin alone, or more preci, the Judo hes tian tation, koows the aoton Of absolute cretion, Cie tin ex midis dogma ofthe faith, Te fas is fit ox presion in the Biblia the sscond Book of Macabes {Gi2s) where a motienexoring her son to maryedom, {aps to him: “Bebold the heavens and the eat, and een HI tue thee, yoo wil wadertand that God has ceed FE from athing (be bx Srv, secording tothe easton the Septusin). If one remembers that Oe iss adel tegation which, by cots with the other adv) of nest toms leaves no sour for db and that i i here sed fytcntially against the rules of grammar, one ean meas {Ee otal impiaton of the expression: God has not eeted Saving frun something, but sting with wat is no, fom “rashingness ‘Thete b nothing semotely similar in other religions o¢ mci, Sones etn i i to ep Fossbly ef being permanently open to demise ondeing ”32 ‘ormionox nizoLocy such as dhe prime mater of ancient thought, which im: ‘mutable being Was said to inform, This mater doce at exist, in itself. Tes 2 pute posisity of being, nom-being certainly, but the un 6y, which is aot the abeolte nothingness, Bs, By feflecton, it receives a certain versmiltad, a pre- ‘oat evocation of the word of ses. OF such ia pstclae is Platonic dualism, but also, with certain differences, the perpetsal takingof-form of matter in Aristotle ‘Sometimes we encounter the idea of cestion as a divine procession, God bringe fort from His owa beiag, often by 2 primcelial polarization which pves rise to the maltiform ‘universe. On this understanding the world is manifesstion fr emanation of divinity Such is the Fundamental concep tion of Inds, which we find again in the Hellenic world With gaostcism aad to which the thought of Potins, which tends towards @ monism, is very close- Here cosmogony be- comes a theogoay: the absolute becomes relative through stages of descending “condenstion” it manifests and dowa- tres itself inthe universe. ‘The world is fallen God who Steins to become God agsin, Tis origin resides sometimes in a mysterious catastrophe which one may call the fall of God, sometimes in an toner necesiy, in a strange cosmic ppision where God seeks t0 sesime consciousness of Him Self, sometimes in a lic temporality of manifestations and reabsorption’ which seem to be imposed vpon God Himelt In neither of the two cases does the idea of a restion ex illo exis. For in Christianity, matter itself is created ‘This mysterious matte which Plato said only bastard com cepts could grasp, his pve passbility of being, i itelf ce- sted, as St. Augustine has remarkably well demonstrate. ‘And on the other hand, how could creation have an uncreated ‘ubstatem, how could it be God doubled, since it iby exsence the otberdham-God? Creation i therefore a fee at, a geatitous act of God. 1 does not respond to any necestty of divine being what ‘ever, Even motel motivations which ate sometimes atebuted torit ace platitudes without impostance: the Goa-Trinigy is plenitude of Jove; Ithas no need of another to pour out Its love, since the ther is aleeady in Te in the cicumincession ‘HE canarion 3 ofthe posses. Goi therefore creator because He wishes 4 thas the name of cestor is secondary in slaton Yo the three names of the Tent. Gol i eternally Tent. He is fot tral creator, a Origen believed, who, prone! of the gli conceptions of amiguty, therefore mae Him de pendent on the crete, If tie sles of creation ata totaly Free act emburases ws, itis becuse our thought, bing viatd by sin, ideiles Ubety aod lene. God therefore {cre to Us whimsical tyra But if for vs liberty, when It does not adhere to the laws of eretion within which we find ourselves, is an ool license which daintepates being, for God, who transcenls ceaton, ist i nity good Je ves ue being In cretion iaded, we recognae set, figaliy, love~all te very opposite of lcanse. "The qualities of Gol, which ave nothing to Jo with our dsolte pared Uber, here masiest themselves. The very being GF God intetected inthe cestre and calito hace in Hs dvi ‘This call and the possibilty of rxponding to i cone for those who are within crestion the only justcaton of the lots The craton ex wiilo isthe work of the wll of God “hati why Se Jou of Damascer opps to the gener tion of the Word: “Since the genwaton” he says "i a ‘work of nature and poceds from te very substnce of Cod, ust needs be witout beginning and tems, for other wise the begeting would be subject to ehange and tere Twould be « God before and another God sft God would Suffer inereae As forcention, tis the wodk of te wil of God, therefore iti not coternal with God. For it cant be that what is brought forth fom nothingness could be Coetermal with tht whch exists without origin and aways ‘Tis woe is contingent! God might not have crested Bat, contingent in relation tothe vey being of the Tiny it ones on crested beings the necesito ext and 1 ext Aerever: contingent for Gad, cation is necessary for ioe, Because Got fs makes of the crested being what must fe ‘Thus the postive meaning of divine geatitousness ap- pears to us. This is 1 speak by analogy (bot thi analogy4 ‘oxrtionox Tusonocr consintes the very meaning of cresion), the gautoas Stor of ihe port "Poot ofthe heavens abd of the eat See cul cl God, ranlating word for word the Grd fon of he Cee, Thue can we penetrate the mystery of the crested beng. To crest ooh to rele once ia a min even that of pime matter 1 8 vaaly to de thoelf mare to take eveything wot oneself. fis 2 call Sty fore of mene One iit sls ay 4k of ew we When Gol rises, cute of Hinsell, 3 pew sbjet, fie subjects thats the peak of His ceave a Divine frsclom tf sompabed tog cea thi supreme sk sther(eadom, "Tee why one cannot objctify the, origins! nothing “Nike mean hee Simply hat "before” creation nothing crimes “ouside” of Gout Or rather that this “ouside” and Seslefowe’ te abd, since i precy the craton Sthih posts Ghem, "To" think eis “outde” isto knock pune othing ts oy, long Yo beable fo thik fez nly ough the creation, ie His “spacing out (Carpecemen?) ieee which conatates the creation. Sim (estore candor evoke what existed. before the Gestion the heglaing is no meting tn Gos born wth te ane beng i cesion whch constitutes tne, of which Sse an “afte” are expresions. Like “ouside,” “be fore” rer to iit and stifles Bought. The one and {Retire Gusmans woul ny, te Tit concep” Thus the whole dslecte of being and nothingness i baud halngnss has no exigent of is Own (would anyway et recicion fn aja) it comelative to the ery Elng‘of creature, te later re founded eter in theme Ent no inthe dine ect, bot nigely onthe wll of Gok Sully, permanency for tbe cresture i eefore its ‘ation to Ce Ip reaton fo Heel amounts to nothing "The “ncwnest of ciation als nothing, tercore, 1 the Heng of Gol. Our concep proceed by jusaponon, oorling to + "hing imagery, but one cannot ald up Gol atthe word, Taught nt proced ere by analogy, Seaver died to cpp ot one the flan ad the Etlerece forthe creature ets aly in God, in tis sur cxzamion 38 creative will which precisely makes it different from God, tht is to sp, makes it "eretur.” “Creatures ae posed on the creative word of God 38 on 3 diamond bridge; beneath the abyss of vine infinity, above the abyss of their own hothingness” (Phiacet of Mosow). 1, The Creative Testy and Divive Ideas Creation isthe work of the Tenity. The Ctedo names the Father "crestor of beaten and earth” the. Soa “Te through whom sl things were mae," the Holy Spit Stor of life” Goowotss. The wills common to the thee Sn it ths that eats the Father can therefore ot be feator unless the Soa and the Spirit sf also crestor. The Futher cates Uhrongh the Word inthe Holy Spit 9 he asic adage, aad St. Irenaees calls the Son tnd the Spit Fie two hands of God.” "This the economic masfestation ofthe Tent. The thre Persons eetetogeter, but each ue in way whi is His own, and he cated being iste frat of ther colaboraton. Aco to St Bs the Fo ther “te, pmol case of eveything Dat hasbeen trae,” the Son "the operative cause,” the Spit “the per fering cate” Rooted in the Fat, the scion of ie ‘Taint is presented asthe dole economy of the Son and Gf the Spt the former making te desire of God come fite existence, the later accompishing it In gosnes and beauys the one calling the cesta t lead it fo the Pater (end is cal cones on its onologal densi), the ober [Ghg the eeatce to rexpond tots ll and communica dng perfection 0 ‘When te Fates test ofthe economical manifestation of the Taint, cater than the name of Sot, which denotes Stu teint teatonshps they prefer Bat of Word. The ‘Word indeed is revelation the manifestation of the Father: a someone, i consequence, who binds the notion of the ‘Word to te domain of economy. Se. Gregory of Nevanzas Zhsles in his Fourth Theologtl Oration this function of ihe Word, ‘The Son is the Logs, be ss, becuse, while36 lorriooox tuxoLoce semsning oie tthe Father, He revels Hi. The Son “Elin the Tater. The Son i therfore sbi! and simple {Eituon ofthe astre ofthe Fath Every ected thing has i logo" “sential rasa: snd, sy St Gregory, in ayng exit which dot ot {ean on the die Logos Nothing est which = not founded om the Logos vst te par exelece. BY Iehs everthing been made: gts to he ened word nt tly the onder Spied by is tame, bots very ontologi feng The Logs isthe cine hess once fy the ce ve tay, te “ogo” pela to cate, these chusaive sorb uf Gol which a one suse up snd name ll beings very being therefore has ities," “reason” in God ths tog ofthe Cento who prods not tro api, fat wil “ees (and This Gs yet aother meaning of Tago). Dine iets ae te cea restons of crates Hide the thought ofthe Father scons 10 take op « Patni ‘onaaces Are we ia the presence of 2 Chriaa Plain? ict compen wil low us to understand that the Fathers, they have tued certain elements of Grek pil: Srl, ave ently renewed their content ithe fia 3c Rus mach tee bible than Platonic Th Plato, the “leas” cepeset the very aphere of Being The sense wold as 0 ven only webu: daly real fara pacts tthe dens. T contemplate the lates ne ost cape te precarious universe of ange, the foe of geneton and contption Tes epee hte Bicthe sop level of beng ot God but he Divine, The Memon! the gous ate indeed infriof thm. The “cess tin” of wiih be Lamsas speaks remsinn «myth, for Be Srovld ha lays exited: cterally de "domige” shapes it Bp coping i from the model of the ideal worl, the toe weak” Nee Pltnism, which codig to the cxpresion Bi fan Wank, hypontsaes the Hypottes of Paty” ab asthe netlablc One above the Hoong vores he ess tettloche sre Base of drine Iteligence of the YOO wich cmeaats from he abwoste peor to being incl [Br Angin, after having sea extracts from te Ennead fraud sto Latin, allowed himself tobe fasted by ‘nu exsanion 7 thee thames of Plains, Bur the Grek Father, who Inew {he pllosopers much betes, mastered their ought fat itor easy and used itn all feedom, For Wemy God is fo oly a inteligence containing divine hea: Hi eence Infielytancends Leas. fee sd prsoaal God who Creates aby Hi will and His wisdom the Hes of all things are contained ia tis wil bad ve asdom, and oot the vine enence, The Greek Fathers have. consequent ‘fused both to introduce the tlie word into fe iat ter beng of God. and to seprte ths, the intelligible wor, fom the serie. ‘Their feeling forte divine being Ts made them reject an intligle God, while thelr feet ing forthe creed being bas fbidden them to tedace Him tora hid copy. St Augasioe inslf st the end of his ie is bis Retation, tet the Gali iplic inhi ale Txemplaran’ hee ate oot two worlds pe the aftimed Hower i caching shut the idesscosaized ia the very ting of Goll at once av dcteminaton of sence and af xemplay cases of eesturs, inpesed ie upon West fen telogy and lds = maj place in Thomiaie 3s feral Toe Ortotony, on te ctny, kf ntinkble {hat God, in onder to ctte, shoul be content to produce 2 replica of sown thought, filly of HimselE. 1t woukd fe whdcaw from the cated word 18 oigialiy and feloe,depecate creation and hence God as cfstor” Aad Tbewhcl bible, and particaary the Book of Job the Pals, the Proverbs, copie the absolute and splendid newnes af ceaon belo which angel te ref joy—the Ces. {oBenicion of Genes, Creation Ply of Wisdom, “hyn front mareouly composed to te allpoweefl foc,” at Sr Gregory of Nysn wates ‘The Grek Fathers therefore have sen in Patni the discovery, pata and dangerous, of reali: not dais, fat the tatepueny ofthe vet the inv They bi "ot heated to soe ts language, to speak of “pualigns fed ides” Bt they ave impregnate this langusge ih Shoroghly bibl respect forthe seosble 2nd he ltng Got THe bring the Logos closer to the “word” whigh Be ‘alse eve al above al fo those catve words resoun-38 joxrio00x mHEoLoSr Ing in Genesis. The ideas then ate no longer ney Arermination odin beng, but the resting wil te ing trond of God. They 20 eager conte shitter But the very depth of toe cere hs med of para ing i date chergy, syste to the highest love. The hue wl of Gol inp oder sd yess seats sr Ising Sess the "opcnget™ of the crestons i de Tims Tot dfn in “ousie™ ofthe dvise ae Se Joa of Dunascs in is account of he hoor Fath Spells tow of esto interme of Searls or rater of ‘Pittonal thoughts Thus the vie sess af inspale Tro the cette ineaton.Withot Sobt God as ee ily thooghe the wor teal in tition this other Sich aot "egins tat fo By, ly the foundations of Tine Thus aceatng to tbe Scope Wisdom which petions the sven pls of the mannn. The tee world EPao see ted shout ss sm tte of ceo, fot soe beyon it God inorder to cst, Shine fin an ths ought gies sali to tbe beg af gs She ius are Wind he vite work, or exer, 0 ‘Wino twos exemplars if ne 50 wis, utd Ghat of 2 wllthongi or wllword in wich ze ote the “toga of thing By the vine Word the wor [ee oyer is owt sthrgoesn, and there sone wor! fr eth hig, oe word in ech Sing, whch sees oem crouse and ts vay to tnpction, The sit whe ‘feted wll coopers fey wth the wllides of God Wh once esis an sls fy perceves tough the de iced cenemplaon of ate, te word a sal 3 fengenent If exch hing be hus» word ofthe Word, he tha bg po more for hn in this Frventdeciering of th book ef the mov tha an exsing word for heron death may pas avy, tty woes Wl not pss sna ‘Giae 2453) II, Creation: Time and Eternity “In the begining was the Word,” wstes St John, and ‘Tae cusanion Py Genesis affirms: "Ia the beginning God ceated the heaven snd the earth.” Origen identifies these evo documents: ‘God, he says, “ceated everthing in Jiis Word, thus through all eternity in Himself.” Mester Eckhart makes the same identification: the principle evoked in the double ‘rinipro is for him God $s intellect containing the Word as Well 38 the world, Ariss, on the contary, confusing. the Gres homonyms Yavuya, bith, and ylveonG, cei, Ine texpets St John in terms of Geness, and transforms the Son "The Fathers, to underline both the unknowabity of the divine essence and the divinity of the Son, have distinguished ‘between these two begianings« distinction between the work of nature, primoidial being of God, and the work of will, Implying elation with the other whichis set up by thi el tion self. St, John thus evokes an eternal "bepining,” thst Of the Word: the term here is analogical and denotes an ete ‘il relationship. On the other hand, “beginning” assumes 5 fall sense ia the Genesis text, wheve the calling (orth of te world gives rise fo time. Ontologicall, Genesis is thas ‘second compared to St. Joba's Prologue: the "two begin. hinge” aze diferent without being forall that completely {ovign to eich oer, if we temember the intetional natore ofthe divine ideas, of the Wisdom, at once eteral and yet fumed towards this “othe” which, propesy speaking, must hve a bepinning. For Wisdom ise procaine: "The Lord has bad me as fist fruit of His wajs, 28 prelude of His works, singe all time” (Prov. 8:22). The “beginning” of {he frst verse of Genesis thus signifies the cretuon of time. In this way, the relation of time and clerity i established, = problem which joins that of creation ex milo ‘One must here dispose of two obstacles. The first would be that of Being "Greck,” that is, being pure metuphysician ‘when confronted with biblical data and tyiag #0 fedace {hough teason the mystery of ther symbolism, to the point of rendering usles the "leap of faith.” Theology docs not have to beg explanations {fom philosophers: # alone can snawer thet peobloms, not against mystery and faith, but by mutesing de intllstion of the mystery, by transforming@ orriovox muroLoey 4, tuough faith, in toe commsitment ofthe penton, Trae theology goes beyoad and transigures metaphysics. Bet the other obstacle wosld be, thongh bated for Phlosphers tbe solely “Jew,” tht i to take Ira fhe concrete symbol of the Serpture’ Censin modern txegcten, mstly (but aot ony) Protestants want very cae fully to banish from thi choughe everyting, however ii, hat smacks of phlowpiy. “Thus, Ont Callmann in is beck Gln ond Pome apts to rect as Platonic on Hellenic Ail problems of temity aod fo bring the Bible down tts be text. Now the bible as dep: butte most ancent prt pustclaly Genet, proceed scoring to an shai logic ‘which doct at sepaite e concrete fom the absrc, the Image from the ie, the symbol fom the symbolized rely Pod lop, you wisy ot screntl oe whoze spicy ‘sony apparent, pregnant ast with 4 Word that ives the Het (isepataiy trom words and things) an income. Jpnble tcaspatncy. Our language ino longer sich less Total pethaps, but more conscious and. more rigooas, It ven sche intellect of is Hesbly envelope. Te grasps Jest the level of thought: fot of eaticaation, one mist fe pest, bt of contemplate intleion. A.mosem man, if Pentre the Bible, mus thus bave the courage to tik focene des no ct ikea eid with spent Ione refuses to abstract at depth, eae aonebelss divas, by the very Tete of using language: but one abstracts at the surface, Sn thas oge ends, aot withthe chilike wondemen ofthe Sicha wate, but wth ifanle postions, Then etsaity comes lines, like vie; one thinks of tas an indefinite line!” And the tepocalexteae of the world, Hom ces tio to the psoas bots fate potion ofthis line, Eten ty thas sees tos be without Beginning or end then Finte redvces fo the indelinte. But what Becomes thea of teancendence? ‘To nderine the poverty of ths pilsophy (oc sucht inl i) i ties fo remember that the te {i not cmmensarable with the infinite ‘Nether Grek no Jer it Cristian, che Fathers gave this pcblem sn answer tht, ae fom Maspeing the Bible hough ratiocination oe plait, see in is depth Tie cxsarion a For Bas, the fst moment of time isnot ye time “As the beginning of s road i ot yet te rsd, not the be: sinning of s house, house tho the beponing of time i ot Yet tine, aoe even a mininal pat of tne” This ist no ines, for uy is unthinkablef, that is, we weakly deine the stat af = point in time (4 false sepesenation, a Se ‘Augustine has shown, snc the future becomes past wilt esting, without our ever being abe to grasp the psent in time). Now te fst moments ot dbl, es ot eve Fintely smal, but without meee according to time: i the moment 2s limit ths without duction. ‘What then is the moment? ‘This problem preocuicd ancient thought Inthe impasse of cables tacit “Zeno raced te othe aba, since itwasor rather could tot benat ence movement and rest More mae of mys tery, Plato had remariale thoughts oo the “stan” which, he ti, not ime but imi, and wc, an opening ont stemniy. ‘The preset witout dimension, withot darston, foveal elt ah the presene of etemty For St Bas ths it precely that is momeat in which the entice assemblage of being appested, symbolized by he even and te ent” The crete sss Up ina "instant ‘whichis at once elesoal and temporal, on the froater of Eenty an time. ‘The "begoning”logslly analogous to the geometric notion ofthe eon (between fo plat’, for cxample) ssa sort of instantaneounes,nomtempora i self, bur whose creative eplosea gives tke to tine. This i the point of contact of the divine will with what wal henceforth Become snd end: the very origin of the ces thie i thus & change, a begining” and thats why fine is 2 form of crested being, wheres temiy properly Belongs to God, But this oxgins! contingency in way betes the CGested bei: the cestace wll never diappen, forthe word Sf God is unsakeable (I Peer 1:25). The world thir cre ‘hel will always exist eten when tne i ablited, or ether, Since ime el i retire, when is tensformed nto te teal newness of the apocstanaia “Thus ae joined in the sme mystery the fist and the eighth day, wich coincide ia Sanday. For the later is bots@ fxrtonox 7IE0L00% de fist andthe eight day ofthe week, that of Ee Su the Fit and way ple loses on Saterday ithe SES so ery Sour beyond tat, Sanday, the, doy Of Be ret ot nad reteation of dhe worl, the day ofthe Resin creation The cunan of tray Hat of he a ht Me tice even tn the Alexndsians, Bas Bae tat nse nots, sessing tat, fo ee presence” Te ee one mst at ela Sanday ince 08 at 0 teh oe Tes temporalnes tenes symbolically rarer gan where the upright man, the eed mB, Poe Uelpmetinthe broserhood of te Reseed pats gun avid the categories of ime when, O08 “es canny, Te however, the Bible uses them 1 fo wok, of ch soli the PAINS wd pen te eocontes of Goo and Man PS techy 2 an advent of aman frend ve oe tanstgoraion The Fathers have, wel Sly, hse gunedes themselves gaint ding Cea this and te ime, If the ccegoris of tne ste movers, as ats old mde ma fll uo an ca shu SE a ate pst is satus (he sme and fro te woe. an bong tS “els tM ge that Be ws “consti wh at ones and fess of is flesh” The Fo0 ‘orrigsox munoLocr ers eat the proceson ofthe Holy Spit with what they eat we prowestn of Eve, frente Adam yt of the Sine atte os hn: unity ef nature and plraliy of pessoas hoe arte yg fhe New Tete ak jis to wuman bot infor t0 man: for ove semanas Eialty gd love alone wished thi pemoral polarization, ‘Sire of ll the vers of he Bum species. V. tage and Likeness Ancient philosophy understood the ental condion of anata bea edn te nar ofthe “microcosm” For the Sloe ny particlay if man i superior to he common ther nse us op and ger ing: for te amos loge nan jt an is stall cosmos. “The idea ofthe miocoam hasbeen taken op again by the Fathers but wih tiga ypasing of al iapanenti, Stren temastable,” sia $6 Gregory of Ns “inva being te iage and Ienes of te universe: for the earth pases away, the sy changes, and all that is com thnel hein as noi Sat which conte” Paced wiite coum magi of ecining stig, the sme af bc “in thing to exalt buman autre Sicough thi impostg name Gregory adds, "Bey did ot noice thot us at ound himself vested a te sume tine with Ate auld of mosptoes ad mice” The true grestese ‘tm poo in is conte Kaship with te unter, ACG a pein ince plete he sey wn REABAF of the “image” and the "Lens." “Ie my Tiny Of nth fam ached to if here Blow,” wits Se Beast of Nevanruy “but beng ss tine patel, 1 Seay bes ne ds fora fata fe ‘Mis arnt! being ike God, snd m0 ind patare such a he darscter of te divine sage in hin His sl Seas le cunt finds elf someow iavered when wea wh te cncptins of anti istend of be Sakae andvduaine® to become “came” and to mege sue casamion n fe cant pet tat 2 al et ai oa remem ie Ale heats pel re ren Toe Fs ieee: eared ee ee ate ane ee els eee = See ei Seeresie eae ees ee eee oe ee sep mer Mamie oa Seca e eee caer Sotalol ecru” er teenie ana Papcateltedcbeed riled feng et in tearm hag s whe fs moe tg Wi, ob ol2 ‘orrionox mHroLo6Y say, to become by gice in « movement boundless as God, {Bak whch God i by Hi mature And dhs ell demands 4 free repens’ God wishes that this movement be a move tren of love, Unson ithost love woud be automate and tov implies feedom, the possibly of chice and refusal Grcoue. theres 1 non personal line the Bind movement Of dente sae of atl fore. Bat such isnot the hve Gf Son ox of angel for Gol: elie we woul be aia that Stach emacs to God thugh = sort of ebicare gus {Sua ateation, To be what one must i loving Gody one ‘Sot tat at ne can bee poste; one must edi that Ure can vevole The esstunce of eedom sone gives sense BS ation The love that God claims is not physical Ssagneans but the ving tension of opposes This fee {come from Got tis the seal of ur divine pati tin, de maepice of the Caer. "speonal Beg is apie of loving someone moc than nis oun nate more inn his owe life The person, that ly. he age of Got mn, is then man's fcedom wi reled to saat, Whe fat of Bing fed from nee Ti antPon being subet fo the Joinaton of nature, bat SS deeming oneal feel” (Se Gregory of Ns). Mi St mon often under nara inpales He is com Biiooed by his temperment, his hancter, his beep, aie ox pane sou ambiance, indeed, his vey histo. Bcd of an is beyond sil contoning: tnd is dig ae ean ing able teat himself fom his nate ap consuming tr abandoning fo sself ike the ancient rental sper bu by tansigting tin Co. “Te goal of feed, aS. Gregory of Nazianas ex. pie slate the pod tclongs int oi who chooses Seal dos ot ish to rerun in pss of the good Tie Soied re wats from man moe tan tind e Ercy natural purtction, He want nan consciously fo a SE Bi nae tolposese free as good, to recone Re phnade i fap inthe unites te gift of vine ior. eronl beings const the pes of cretion, ince th con Nea Gal by he ie ad grace Wah thom, the st exzamion. % divine omnipotence rises up a radical “intervention,” an in. tegeal newness. God ceates beings who like Him con—let te recall the Divine Counc of Genesis decide and choose But these beings can decide against God: i this not for Him the risk of destoying His ceston? This risk, itis ecesity to cep, mat, parsdoxically, eegister ts presence Ir the very height of omipotence, Creston, tly to "in ovate," cfeates "the then” that isto say, a personal being Capable of refusing Him Who created him. The peak of fpowesfulnss is thus recived a8 poweressaess of God, fs t divine tsk. ‘The person isthe highest creation of God tnly because God giver it the possbiity of love, therefore ff teal, God rake the eteral ruin Of His highest ces tion, precisely that may be the highest. The paradox isi redudble: in his very grestness, whichis t0 be able to be- ‘Sime God, man is fallible, but with falbiity thee would The no peestnes. That is why, confirm the Fathers, man most Undorgo atest the mip 0 25 o gai awareness of bis free- ‘dom, of the fee love that God avats from him, "iGo created man like an animal who has resived the onder to become God,” sys 2 deep saying of St. Basil, re porte by Se Gregor of Navianss. To excete this ones, one Trost be able to refuse it. God becomes poverlers before human feedom, He cannot volte it since it flows from His own omalpotence. Certainly man was crated by the will gf God alone; but be cannot be deified by it alone. A Tingle will for crestioa, bat two for defiation. single ‘Sil to rise up the image, but two fo make the image into Tkeness ‘The love of God for man is so great that i cannot Constain; for there is no love without respect. Divine wil Stays wil submit ielf to gropings, to detours, event {evlts of human ail to bring i to.a free consent: of such ‘Sulvine providence ad the cesial image ofthe pedagogue imost seem feeble indeed to anyone who has felt God a8 2 ‘Beggue of love walling at te Soul's door without ever dar sng 0 force itu ‘oxrioo0x tunoLoce Vi. Chrision Antbropology ‘St Mawimas the Confessor has described with sa incom parable poser and fllaess the mission devolving upon man. ‘To the succesive divisions that constitute creation there must couespond unions or spatheses accomplished by man, thanks to the “synergy” of freedom and grace ‘The furnatnental division in which the very tealty of the created being is rooted is that of Gol and the ssemblage of feats, of the created and the unceated. Created nature accordingly divides itself ito celestial and terest, ato intelligible and senble, In the sensible univere, heaven is separated from the eaeth. On the later’ surface, Paradise Set apart. Fisally, the inhabitant of Paradise, mas, is himself ‘lived into two Sexes, male and female ‘Adam mist overcome these divisions by a conscious ac- tion to reunite ia himself the whole of the created cosmos land to become deified with it, He must fist overcome the ‘esul separation bya chaste lif, by 2 non more total han the external union ofthe sexes, ban "intgvty” which would be inteption, Ata second sage, be must reeite Paradise to the rest of the teseestal cosmos, bya love of God which ‘would at once detach him from everyiag and allow him to embgace everthing: always earring Paradise in himself, hie would have transformed the whole eatth into Paradise Tn the thied place, his spr, and his body itself, would te timp over space by uafying all of the sensible word, the fasth adie firmament, At the net stage, lhe must peatrate into the celestial cosmos, live like the angels, assimilate their Intelligence and reunite ia himself the intligible world tothe sensible woeld. Fiaally, the cosmic Adam, by giving him self without rtuea to God, would give Him back all His ‘teat, and would receive fam Him, by the mutuality of Tovey tht isto any By grace, all Bat Gost possesses by virtue of This nature, ‘Thus in the overcoming of the primordial {epacation ofthe created and uncreated, there would be se complished man's deifation, and by him, of the whole "The Fall as tendered man inferior to his vocation. But ‘nur cxeanion * the divine plan has sot chnged, The mision of the ft ‘Alli accotdingly most be failed by the celestial Adar, ‘tomely Chast nat tat He subsites Hinself for man, for the infinite love of God wold not replace the bon! of hhuan freedom, but inorder to return to mn the pony of accomplishing hi tas to reopen for him te path to diction, this sopeeme sythesi, trough man, of Cod and the crested covmen wherein re the messing of al of Cu tn amwopolog. Thus, because of si, ia der that man right become God, was necesnry that God sould become tian, and ths he second Adam atl insagurate the "new {ceaton” in sumountng al the divons of te old ose Inet by His vuginal bit, Chit overcnes the dion of the sere and; forthe redemption of "eon" opens two ths united nly inthe peron of Mary, at ence wrgin and others the path of Clrian marrisge andthe pa of Sonachixm. On the cots Christ rented the whole of the fenestra cosmos to Paradise! for when He allowed death to enter Him to conse it by contact wilh Hs dvi the ‘skew place on earth esomes radiant there i no ger inp acursed place. After the Resuretion, the very body Gf st mocks spatial imtations, ands sa iteration of SIL that is seal unis earth and esven By the Aace Son, Chast reunites the clea and teresa words, the Engle choise to the human race. Filly, He Who ss at ihe ight hand ofthe Father itoduces many above the Angele orders and into the Tey Tself and these ate the EIS frat of ceumiedeifetion "Tout we cantet recover the flies of Adamic nate cescept in Chit the second Adams Bot to understand i State betes, we must poe swosificl,thoghy asi hap fens connecied probes the problem of soz and that of Eat. Ts the biological condition in which we find ourselves today that of man before the Fall? "Is ths conten, com feted to the tragic dalectic of love and death rote ia the puncsacal sxe? Here the thought of the Fathers, preely becuse it cannot evoke the elpariise except tough the secured eat, sks Becoming incomplete, ond thos opening ilé to non Chitin iflences which Would%6 ‘oxritovox TizoLoor roake it pasial, A dilemma emerges: citer » biological ‘Smully Gxists in Paatt, as the diving onder to multiply Sigg But then is tt aot, in man's fist condton, a ‘reening ofthe dine age bythe prescace ofan animal "once laying mulplicty and desth? Or the paradsic endion is poe ofall animal, Dut then sin ets in he Stry fact of our biological fe and we fll to a srt of ‘Moriches. ‘Ceraily the Fathers have sce, with Origen, this sscond soliton, But they ave succeded aly wih iffcaly Jn laying the fr String withthe undeniable connec ton inthe len worl, of sx and deat of anil and Iota, they sk themssles wheter the cweation of toma, fing up 2 bilogial conan linked to fatale, ould not have thestned frm the Begining of Paradise Ue potelal immortality of man. Since tis negative side of the aivision of the sacs nuoduces + era albiiy, Shuman nutute wou henceforth be vulnerable aad the Fall nena “Gregory of Nyss tien up on this point by Maxims the Coniston, bes challenged this neceiary linking of the sevual division andthe Fall. For him, sealy must have ice cesed by God in prevision of sn to peste humanity ster the Fall though simply a8 2 possibly. The sexual Polarization endowed human notre with 2 safeguard that Uplies no coastait: likewise the pasenger wos given a Iiebaoy, bit in no way tempted by ts to ul inset into the sas Thisposlity can only be acraized atthe foment whea, trough a sn tat has nothing to do. with Sex uman nature will break and Become dosed to grace Ie is only inthis fallen stat, in which death isthe Wages sin, tht possibilty wll become neces. Hece intervenes the exces dating from Phil, of the “wos of skin” with, hich God clothes man after the Fall: ese tunis woald Iepreset out acta naire, ou crude bilopal se, quite {Efferen foc the transparent comporeaiy of Paradise. A new ecsns is formed, which defends self aginst finite throog ey thus founding the lw of irs and desta. In ‘pur xzanion ” this conte, sex appears nota the cause of matali, bat as is vlaive ante One canst, however follow Gregory when, arguing aout this "peveave™ character of eral, be ates thatthe divin ito mele and female is “sper impose! ‘pon th nage It sin fat not this vison ony but the lvons of ceaton which have acqled in consequence of Sin charactr of death and of spation, Ad hub lve, the absolute passion of lover, bar never ceed harbousag, Jn the very fatality of i fle,» paca owas there heim and art are Too, Farsdiseal sony, Sonming completly from consbatantal intriony at ‘whose marvelous ankipistion, which shold fl everthing, ‘Poul ceil have demanded neither mpi oor deat, almost entry unknown to 8; for ain by objecting edie ("they saw that Bey were oaked"), cade the fist fo hotman eates two spate nature’ two india ings having between Gem cncmal elaine Bet the new Gieaton in Chat, te scond Adam, allows us to perce {he profound messing of vison which eta Bad ae ing "superimposed" Matiolgy, the love of Chat snd Be huss te socamen of arog bing fo igh» fall ‘es that orignates in te ceton of women~fllnes not ilpee, however, excep in he une enc ofthe Virgin, {or ar fallen condition sways ences, demanding for tbe accomplishing of but human reaton not only the integra ing cosy of marriage bot abo and pep primary the sshiimaung chatty of monschsm, ‘Cn on sy tat Adin is pared! conan, was seally total? "Good ad aot ctte dent” says the Book GF Wisdom, Forsch eoigy Senses for expe ‘Raum wat aetier ecesarly moral nor nec ‘moral: hs astute, sch in pote, mallee, could be Consaotly norihed by gece al wansformed By itt the foint of surmountng alte rks of aging aod death The Fouts of moray extl bat mone fo be mde pox {e. Such waste testof Adan recdom. "The ue of Tea tbe center of Ptsdise ands nourishing of immorality feted tetefores posbiliy th, in our Chstoeclesatia7” oxriooox niroLocy realities, the Bachar, which heals us, nourishes and for ‘fies us, spiritually and bodily. One must feed oneself with God to attain freely deificaton, Aad itis ia this personal effort that Adam failed “As for the divine interdiction, it poses » double prob- lem: that ofthe kaowledge of good snd evi aed Bat of the interdict itself. Nether knowledge in itself, nr that of good and cil, is Bad, But recouse to this dicemment implies Sn existential inferiority «fallen sate, Inthe condition of Sin, one must certainly know good and evil to do one 2nd void the oer. But for Adam in Paradise this knowledge bi no ose, The very exitence of evil implies « oluntary separation from God, 4 denial of God. As Tong 35 Adam ‘emained united with God and fulfilled His wil, as long ashe nourished himself with His presence, sucha distinction twat of noe “That is why the divine interdiction was less the knowing of good and evil (since evi did not exist, other than as 3 fis that of Adam's tansgession itself) than a delibente test designed to make conscious the freedom of the first iman. Adam was to emerge from an infantile unawareness by agrecing, tough love, to obey God. Not that the i teedice was atbitary: for the love of God, if it was freely consented 10 by man, would engulf him’ completely, snd throug him make the universe tsnsparent to grace. How tea could be desire something else, sola one sspec, ane frit, of this transparent universe to maddy i in egocentric deste, and with the sme movement make it opaque 2nd make himelf opaque to the full divine presence? "Do aot ft...” "Do not fouch -..": itis the very possibility of « teal conscious love, of an evergrowing love that would take Iman away from an autonomous eajoymeat not of one tue but of all tres, not of one fruit, but of all that is Sensible, consume him, and all the universe with hie, in ‘enjoyment of God alone Chapter Three ORIGINAL SIN Le Inerodaction ‘The problem of ei is esentlly Chrinion, For aces minded Stes, eil 8 only an sopett of the shar For 3 Find atest the temporary felt of stl imperfect Oxide of cy a ten moi et i, it oecesaely qualifies the crested as seperate rom Eon bt it then aly a sion, Ina alent its sll the “ote,” mateal or peincpal ads, but 23 cteral 28 God. Evil ar «problem ths sts neces from Gusti, ow hy expan i weil as by ia vision in which reo spp itisily good? ven considering hunan iby ab fepeig te dee lan, one cannot ref fom the sion’ what tex? “Yet the gueston i aly ut, for ities that ev is “someting "To hear iy ote it tempted to seein vl an essence, the “princple of evil” the "antiGod” of the Manichseans. The utivese then sppesrs a "no man's land” beret the ond Go andthe tl od, i ch and erty ss ply of light and shade stemming from tae Suga of thle to pispes, “This vision fins + certain sein acetic expesience, and ait elements have constantly tied to insnete tenses {nto Chistaniy, parila io monastic hfe. Yet for Orbe dior thought, thi vison it flue: God has no counterpart, oe cannot imagine nates that would be foregut Ti From the end of the third century to St. Augustin, the Fs thers have vigoramiyfoupht Manichacism, bat they ve done 20 by wing philosophical elements whose ves) prob Tematie somewhat missed the question. For the Fathers ia ”50 lormionox mitroLocy cffc, ei i ack, sve am inperfestion: not nate, Sat whats nase lacs tobe perfect In ennai fasion, they thnk that evil does ot ex, tht ioe ah Sdoqeacy of being. This wat anemer cough to Mankhacie, bat ellen before the rely of evil wixh weal fed, be fore the ev present and acting inthe woeld. For finaly, ifthe las reuest ia the "Oot Father” cn be wanted Fhilvplitaly by "Delver ue from ei,” the cry of out EGncren angus cnsidy: “Deliver ut fom te ev dost" iA Father Boer hos pointedly noted, te problem of evi in an suhentlly Chstian perpen, is duce fo Uhr ofthe eibdoee And te evi-doet not an inadesacy of being, slack of cst, no ove indeed than hel at fn cvildos, an essence; for hiya, cesed by God, 0d. The evildoers pero, samen. "Bl ceanly has no place among the execs, bit 3 aot only tic: tere tan activity nt Evi i ta ate, tat a sate of mature, ar the Fatere woud say mote jos funy It tur appears av an iloes, ara passe existing caly by vite ofthe nature he Ives off. More precy, SF sa of the will of this nate tea lon will with fegurd to God Evils ceolt agate God, that st 9,4 petonal atte "The exact won of evi thw note Ents bu personalise “The word is place in evi” sys Sr Joa: thal the stein which one finds the nae Of thotepeonal bxings whe have tamed from God, “Ts the orga of evil Uns in the bey of crates “That is why evi is texcule: fort has no otter origin than the icy ofthe sing who scomplhe ie "There oe or ete exists nly tthe morbent that i done, tres Didecs of Phot, sod Gregory of Nyt ene Tes the paradox of im who sob to evi he exit in ‘Man bas thes given place to evil in bit wil, and as inuoduced tito the work. Cetily mam who’ was Oat rly prenporel to Kowa Tove Gad, has chosen. ei cate wat suggested to him: that i exactly the serpents tole. Evil ia mate snd through man inthe etcihly cmos, {hus appese linked tos contamination: bet the later i not comin sn st st all automatic; it could nt be propagated except thea 2 tee aceon of horton wilt Man has spel to low himself «6 be dominated ‘Yet evil has 3 ongin in the angelic works and i is worth passing Bete "The anges cant be defined sx “inorpoea spits.” ven thowgh calle thie by the Fathers andthe Isr, they ate ot "pe sprit” "These i an angelic cmporedty that can even mae elf visble. Although the se of incorporestty of angels in the West ended by crying the iy ‘with Thomism, the molival Feancicang ately Bonaventura, held to the opposite positon. Aad ia sine teenthcentry Russia, Insts Dranchonin defended this Angelic coepoeiy against Thophanes the Recs. Wha. tver the cae, angels do not haves biological ondon sim {ur to ours, ant koow nether morality nor reprodction. “They hove no "tis of sin “Fhe unity of the angelic world is therefore completely filling ia one celity all tat is symbolized by the Hebrew Passover, For feed from death andthe isteoducton of hae tan nature ito God's Kingdom selize the only toe Exodus ‘This scifice, this surrender of wil self to which Adam coold not consent, certainly represents an expiaton, But hove all, it represents 2 sacrament scrament far excelence the fee gift to God, by Cvs in His humanity, of the frst Ete of creation, the felilment ofthat immense socramental ation, devolving frst upon Adam, which the new humanity rust complete, the offesng of the cosmos as receptacle of rice. The Resurrection operstes a change ia fallen nature, ‘peas prodigious possiblity: the possiblity of sancifying ‘Ssth ital, Hencefore, death is 96 longer an impose, but stot to the Kingdom’ Grace is given back to us, and if ‘cmusroxocicn, posta a7 fealty wil now take on + power which ranqpes death a Nien te Cocina teats eae but in total freedom. ao me oe eee i sae SEAS ep era ort item eee orene ‘onriooox THxoLoce separate man from grace, In Ghvst, man's fe can always ‘iin afresh, however burdened with sin. A'man can always forendes his life to Ct, 0 that He may restore I to him, Tiberated and whole, And this work of Christ is valid for the ence assemblage of humanity, even beyond the visible Tumis of the Church. All faith in the tlumph of life over death every presentment of the Resurrection, are implit belie in Chit for only the power of Christ ses, and will fis, the dead. Since the istry of Christ over death, the KResucecion has become universal law for creation; and not only for humanity, but for the beasts, the plants and the Sones, forthe whole cosmos in which each one of us is the fend "We are baptized in the death of Christ, shrouded in tater to ise again with Him, And for the soul lustated In the boptismal waters of tens, and ablaze with the fre ‘of the Holy Spit, the Reserection i not only hope but present realye The pavousa begins ia the souls of the Efi and St Simeoa the New Theologian can waite: "For those’ who became chien of the light and. sons of the thy to come, for those who always walk in the light the Diy of the Lord will ever come, for they are already with Gol and in God" An infinite ocean of light flows from the ssen body of the Lord Postscript IMAGE AND LIKENESS ‘Aihoogh man contig in isla the elements which {osm the wor, is ue perfection of whieh he cud Be prow lis fot in ths “There i nothing remarable” ssp St Gregory af Ns, “Yo want fo mnke of man the Iiage and ikencss of the univene; for the eth poses vay, the sky changes and all tat is contained tea 28 tose ah the cotane” “Te has ben sad at an 2 microcosm. ‘Thinking t exalt buman gate by this i fasng name, men didnot noice that it ested an wih {he qualities of Boch monpitoes and meer" Maus pec tin es notin that wich Tenshi to thee of cation, but in that which distinguishes him from the cosmos and likens him this Crete Divine veveltion teres at szan was made inthe image an Likes of God. ‘AL the ‘Fathers of bath the astro and. Westen CChutces sw in the very fact that man was ested ip Gols image and likeness « eran pmol congrunce Bete ‘mats being and God's being’ However te Weclogeal ox resins ofthis feveled tat were oeacfferet though Bot altogeter contradictory, io the Fasten and ‘Ween tradition. Se. Angusing sttng to form an lea of Cod, Stars withthe inage of God la ur and testo telisovet 2a Go wht oan ine so een ge is method of pryologal analogie applied to Be nowtndge of Gol to thology” St Gregon et Nyse, 00 the oter hand, sects as point of sepature wha’ the revelation tllt'us of God la‘erer to fied in tun wt corresponds to the image of God. This theslogia method "Ov he Sratr of Ma VE, PG, 7D 80, 9120 ormiggox THE0L00" is applied to the science of man, wo anthropology. The fint A SPREE, to now God by sting from man ctested ia TH iiage The second way want define man's tue tela ep searing fom the concept of God, in Whose image man wat mode i we wih o find in the Holy Fea wots a dest etniion of what corresponds in wl to Go's image, we Fk SEREN eos asertion which, while ot Being rear feoy,caanot be applied fo aay Pot of mans beog. ISI Sees he lineaments of God's image ae atts eit tovecig character, is domination over the Bh pmatsn, or God's inoge i sought inthe spinal natuce Epi stnrin the sul, or io he prnepal part ruling (AY lov) his being in the mind (200%), in the Bigher Se sok te ntl Fa (N68), tHe fee capaci proper to man of inner sel-deermiaaton (ortEouelo) bf nhote virtue ma himself becomes the eee eens Someines Gos image i likened ee haley of Oe soul ts simplicity ors immortiy, 18 Ri euifed wit de wu!'s capacty to know God, 1 ect Sermon with Hian in the presence of the Holy Split a's soul Sometimes, sin the SPraal Homilies Se deta Se Macau of Eaypt, the image of God pee aeecst'n evo mays, Ki fit ofall tbe formal fre ee eee rel of the will of fieedom of coke, oF ot be destroyed by i secondly, ste "beaver Te Serta the poave content of God's image, Sach Wee cramenion with God that imveted mans being, sree tat withthe Word andthe Holy Spsit* Fall, eee oe renens of Lyon, St Gregory of Nyssa and St B28) Palomas, got ony the sol, but also man's body ee renter of God, having ben ated in His image Se ee nkine anys St Gregory Palms, “is ot 3p- Fr carey to the woul oft she body, bit to both fo, Bree For together they were made inte image of Go.” “pil oii 3M 16,2, gp PO M938, SS ep ve iéie Ths wk i atsbutd oS. Gan tage AND LIKENESS nm Man, according to St. Gregory Palamas, was made in God's Jiage to 2 grester degree than were the angels, becuse His spin, joined to man’s body, possessed an animating power With ‘which He energizes and controls man’s body. Tt is this capacity that the angels, 35 bodilss spirits, Tack al Shoup hy ar even la fo God tog the iplity of their spiritual nature" “These! multiple aad. diverse definitions show that the thinking. of the Holy Fathers seeks to avoid Limiting 10 ny single pare of mat's being what selates to the divine image Indeet, the biblical aarstive does aot specify the Ghaticteristic lineaments of God's image, bat presents the ery ceation of man asa special at, difereat ftom the Centon of oer beings. Like dhe angels, who were crested, Se Iuac the Syrian expreses i "an silence,” man was fot formed by the dvige command given tothe earth. It Sead, God Hunslf formed him from the dust of the earth feith His own hands that i ef St Henaeus of Lyon under ands it wth the Word and the Spin and He breathed invo him the breath of life, St. Gregory of Nazianzs ine terpets this passage in Genesis inthe following way: “The ‘Word, having talen a lod of the newlysmade exth, with Immoral hands formed my image and imparted to it His life becuse He sent into # His Spit, whichis the eff fee of the unlnown divinity. Thus oat of dust and beeath ar man made in the image of the immoral one, because Jn them both the nature of spit is supreme, Accordingly, in my quality of exh, 1 am attached to life here below, ‘but being also 4 divine pale, Ubesr in my breast the de fee for 4 future life: In dis same poem dedicated to the foul, he says "The soul is a breath of God, snd, though spin Hea aren a 6 oO ma 9) i A. Werinde (Ampenam 128) 9.12 inser, TVs pn § POL at 8, nd ah, + RSS ane Ease ve Taien va they cr pica es SEG ew, oTm loxriooox maxoLoce heavenly, it sulfers a mingling with the earthly, Te i the Iight ercosed ina cve, although ‘ti divine and inex. tiigisable™ "To take these wocd Icy, we must appacey infer from these wo ext the ancrsted character of He soul tnd seein man s god butdened with « body aac, ot a test the mingling of god and animal. Understood in thi vey, cretion of ania G's image would contact the Brin tei wih in an» ere, ed to stan son with God, to become god by grt, bat cr ‘Sinly not God By his vey ong. Evan without mentioning tice improbable consequences of such > supporitn, the problem of evil would be incomprehensibe esse of Ether Adam coal n0t sn, since, being God in ht soa, he tras 4 particle of divi, ot elie orginal sa would ls) be relleted spon divine nature s0 tat God Hinself would five sine! in Adon. St Gregory of ‘Nasinaus totally teed sch point of view, Tn Ws ostion on mars mate, Iessdtenes hi sul ths: "And if you ae teaiy God's breath fed of Go's design, a you think yourself, Oy sal then put side all une hat T may believe in you. ow cin ou so trouble yoursif wih te insinuations of the desta the Advesary you ar ited withthe hesvely Spit? Te ‘ven with such aid you Bow down tothe erty then la Shs how allpoweral must Be yout dsiotive sin The Soul, mingled” (weveueim) with the "hesvenly Spc” is ded, cousuently, by something higher Gan ise. Only the presence iit 6 cviae energy slows ito be called “face of divinity” for takes sours from the divine elitunce bested into i, which is pace. "Te divine bres fndicates he method of man's crston by wire of whieh tion's spt, closely bound to grace, is prodaced, jot a8 ovement of nr produced the beth conning hi Fath sad inseparable from it” This isthe. commenion ith divine energy, laren in he soa, whichis Seoted iy nc ale etn ee a Dae Be ge ears at ‘beac AND LIKENESS 125 the tem “pale of nity” Indeed in one of his Tomiie, SE Gregory of Netansusspeais of conminin Tit the divine tang, refering fo te "thw lh” of heh the fine God, “the ugh, seffale ip the lone angel etn lfvence’ (2roppeh Ti) a ot Sromunion(eetousta) wt tbe fae Ugh hed ih ‘Rin alto called ight becuse hs pn it by te pmo Sat Ligh which b Goi" Ths exten fa God mage Sh anes mpicecommninn withthe dine Bing, wh Goal Tis nln th comerion pesppones race “Tne image of Gol in my 20 La seh, 8 according we Coogoyof Nisa, meclysokowsble, fon welacting te plvtste Wis proms fe ton ma rssh rly of te dive beg’ That iso ir is anpasbl to cee wha consttoes God's image Iran We enor conceine otherwise than Brggh te Hicrot communion th the aint goons of Got "God iis seu pote el” oye Se Gregory of Nye. ‘or er, God tenses goons cern iat fa Can contr compucend. Consent, He mae hams SIG fem mo ciher fms than bee Fi good. Belg Joh nd having undecsken for ths reson sone the cee Sono human se He i nt ih fo mit oy ASP Ghetawen of Fis peoinesy endowing witha pat 0 Tis poodles whe alos refting to soe the reine. {Tne verypeleton of goodnen ip manifested io Him by Ser the de He als an forth fom none t being {Su Sadana to him everthing tht goed. The Ser of tice Pessings 0 gree st imposible to Tatncste them. They ae, however, contained ily ib fhe sping tat man wos ade in Gossage Forth ihe Shing tne God me foman ate cmmuicant of Ces goul cs Bat te inge ase ih the Situ te protoype, man would acter) be Hie Henge tur woutdlmege ith Him What distinction would see eerecen he dn beng and wn resembles Hin? Thc folowing. numa, tnt he vine eng was wrest, “ore in, “0 tin” 5.36 ah SB an Babee ener124 lorrionox misoLocy veil man exits by vita of 2 cresive act ** ts obvions That Se Gago) of Nyse enestands here bythe image of God the ulamate pete teste of man's dello, fricating in te plentude (ipoua) of the dine Evista the abuoduice of divine goodnes, ‘That is why, spesking of Gos image in any el in tht rn sare {Eiycetan Blessing, fan image ae yet incomplete, be ses Inesments characertie to man as being made in God's igen parcular "i that mane Uibetaed fom neces: ytd it mjc tothe mnercgny of stare a cab demi hel scosding to his own jodgemeat’ For vi tor i inpendnt and is ber own mises Ths iy 30 toy, the forma” age, the neesrycondon inorder for man fo atin psf likeness to God. AS far a8 man ise in the image of God he is presented asa personal Iring who is otto be ruled by mature, but who can i> {ei ae nature lkening I to bis ditne prot: Mas pero isnot» att of mans being, st the pesos of the Holy Tiny ace not pars of God. That is Ai the character of Gos image dots not refer to oe ee Inet of tas cmposon, bet eft ll of aman astre The lust man, conning in Hinseif all of buna ate, feo leo the ange penn: "or the name Adm se Br Geegry of Nyssa "t not now given to crested abe Fas dean aie Foe wed min Bo ‘pela same; bee univers en, encompassing in inwel TESS humaniy. 80 the, by is Geugnaton of Ads ver sure, we ae led to wadetand tht de provi toce sad cergh eabiace in primordial cation the whole rman race, For God's image i not confined to ae pat tt stre or grace ony one india among thse beloog. Stee bat nc nai extends over the whole human ‘Ree. nore isto disicton between the man formed at the teganing of the world’s ceston, od him bowl ‘Shr i ends ty bein thomas the sue image of Gad “Conseqcnt” man mate God's inage is ature 0 i Sat of Mae, V1, PG $8, NC Mow the Sure of Me, 188. AACE AND LIKENESS 2s understood as a whol, reflecting the likeness of God." Geils image, proper to Adam's person, tates to all of mani © "univers an.” That is why ia Adam's race fe mulplicy of persons, each of whom bea God's image {oe may sy tsi the maliplying of God's image in he Sit of human hyposases), in #0 Way contents the knoe seca al men Ques {he opposite. human person canot realize the fulness t0 it be i caleds he Fle of Becoming the perfect image Wr Goa if he appropcates a pst of the ture, cnsiering fras'be his perma property For Gods mage in an at thine peeccion only’ when buman nature becomes like Gots nature, when it begins fully to putcpte in enented Seoinces Only one ature exists, common to all en, 3: ough fe spear to ue fropmenied by sin prclied ont took, marh” persons. This original any of nate, te ERiblbtel in be Chase, appeared to the Apo Paul 50 Somplet that he veferred to a the Body of Chi. thea, men postess single cornmon stare in. many ton persons This distinction of nature and person in man BMGo iss aificalt to understand than the analogical dif festa beeween single nature and thee pesos in God Gee suse tat of all ike into account tht the person 3 Cikoowa vos, shat ithe human hypostass in it tro ex Prenon fieedeom every admixture What we asilly call Pron” or “personal” denotes rater individuals or n- Geen, We fave grown seastomed to sev in these 600 {ine penon and fndvidal—virsal synonyms, We se ‘fam bl iniserminately to denote one zed he same thing However, in the sctepted sens, “individual” and "pero Hove oppose ieaninga for “individal” expreses some mae ee te person with clement helonging fo conan Tate, while "person" denotes what is dsingwibed from nate Twou present contin we kpow a person though Tehidoal chd as Be individual, When we want 00 de ioeto charaeriae 8 person, we gather up the iadividual Seales the characte tats which ace s1s0 found,126 lorrionox TiroLoy however, in oer indvihsl, Since they belong to common fotre; ese tty are never completely "petonl” Ue imately we condude that what for ws ost de fn ore Iman being, what preciely males him “himself” remains sndetinable, for in his ato there is nosing that would Belong properly to his own person always unique, income pscble having none othe ite ele. The man ole by his future sad acting according to is natural properties, acord ing to his ches i te let personel He establishes ‘Nself ae aa sndividal, asthe postsoe of is own mire, hi" which he sets ia opposition fo the natres of thet Individuals, this confusing person and nate. This con: fasion prope to fallen human thease Tear of the Eaten Cte, scaled someon? (BSxom, WaT), ose tue mesning canoe Be conveyed by the woid gis We expeince some dificty in connection with de ctvistaioptal dogiay which considers wil 38 Fonction of foture ft is esr for us 10 nag the peion 38 some: thing wich deeper self and forrs at wo recopire by wire of its will However, te ides of the peson i ples the idea of ftetom in elton to nar.” The pr foo i fre from, and undetemined by, is natute. The Inman pose can oly reveal isl by renouncing ts own wil, Scat the later determines us 2nd subjects us 0 te ial nee, Brenthing individ, everthing sell-de mining, in which he person i confased wih ature and thereby loses its tue freedom, must be destroyed. This is the baie principle of asrticam: the voluntary renanciaton Of person wily of the chimes of indivisal freedom in ‘ude to redacover te freedom, the freedom of the pet Son, which i len the image of Got proper to every men ‘Taatis why, scoring to Se Nis of Sina, the perfor tronk "topards, after God every man as Godt Hinelfo™ ‘Rooter mas person wil appear at Gods image to him ‘who knows owt renounce his indvidoal limitations in on Pagndh18, B69, 1%C: Ratan tain Love of nn OS ta Moan 8) pa eae AND URES a7 der to rediscover the common nate, nd i thi very wa {© atin te flowesing of hi own perion. oo “What corresponds a us to Gol" inage i oot « part of cur natu, but the peso inching nate in tel. Lents fi Byzantiam,«tesogian ofthe sth cetuy forthe natre Confined ins peston was the specal term "Ewaboneroy” folypestsied, that Js ich ais found in 2 hypomasi cf pen sll nats, be declare enclosed in 2 hypo Sa such beng the nature ofa pps at cant est Giherwte Bat on the lower stapes of being, yposiacs denote invest iavidal beings, They dete persons aly when Ita mater of spital begs sch ab men, Shuts or God Inthe ease of the person (an not the in ila), Iypows dos not ide e ature, genera dng several vpaate ates. The Holy Try isnot thee fob, but only one. Ifthe aulplcty of human penors Eflpnent ator, pscels tout to # mutase of indivi, that because we know of 0 otis generiton thn tht fri eppesred after the Fall, when human. ate fost Tikeess 6 vine nature We have sce that for St Gregory of Nyssa and Se. Maximes the Confesoe the very creation St Ee ated becomes an act wrought by God so the fore Sowedge of sin ond it conscquences for bums. How rer Eve, taken fom Adam, "bone of bis bone and flesh this edna new human person, completed Adam's ature, Stas of the sume aatre, "the sme fist." Only in cone quence of sin did these two fist haman pesons Become tb scparte nates, two individual Seng, hsving between thocles external eationshipe~"and your dsr wil Be for Jour hsiead, and he wil be lord over ou" (Genes 3:16). ‘Rhee Fallof te fe people aman aature became divided, Fragmented, paclled out fo 8 mlplicty of individuals. Mat shows Hansell in» double aspect” atid! tare, be becomes pat of the who, ane of the component el Tents of the wodd; but ss pss, he By means 2 pas, Fe cntinsevethigg in himgelf. The nature ithe content gyi Nein aR, 6, 2, PED. Tee ae ee ee a en tects (BO. 94, ea S30) ak SSR Waa Ataf de ado al 1K.ns ‘exrosox TueoL0er of the pecton; the peron isthe image of this aatr's ex ‘Hence. A peson,affiming hingell as an iadividal and Confning nell tothe lie of hs seprste nate, ca tet flower flly and grows imported” Only by renoune Ing be own coment, ficly ging It wp, ceasing to exit for Hel alone, does a penon fly express hse in the Single ature of all, Renouning hs seperate goed, be nd dey expand, and is enriched by everthing hat eles to Ai "A person becomes the psf nage of Gad by dione. ing Hi likeness which foe pesfcon of the atore com ‘Bin toll men, The diction bewewn pesons snd ature reproduces in humanity the order of dine hfe expesed Uy the dogma ofthe Trin. This isthe bast of sl Chri thn aothopoogy, of all evanglal moray, for, accord ing to Su Grepry of Nysn, "Christianity inthe tation of Gods nate ‘Made in the image of God, man is personal beng confroting 2 personal God. God aides him a8 4 pt fon, and fan eponds to. God S. Basil the Crest sid that un iva creature who recived the command to Become fol" Butts command seed to human Freedom i 2 flercion, AS s personal being, man cn acept OF fej Gots wll He will remain a pertn, however f2t he may fey from God tad Tove Fis Hees in his mare. Ths mets that Gods image in man is inderctble. ‘Man will Termin» personal being by fling God's wil, by showing 1 pesfot Tienes to Hin in his anor. For, acoding 3 Gregory of Nesanm, "Wo respect man's feedom, God placed in Paradise thie ran so tht goodness might Felons Eully to the man who chee iano him who tid is fige sedso™ Consequety, whether man choose 004 tv, wheter he manifts Go's ikenest or "alleness” he rh Go Ne spatial oe oe Sie mance a ibaxce AND LKENESS 129 freely possesses his nature, becuse be isa pesson made in the image of God, However, as far 36 the person is ia- separable from the nataze existing in i, so fat every flaw, very unlikeness” of the nature Timits the perion, obscures Init "the image of God” In fact, if we posses freedom, inofar as we ave perios, then the will widh which we at property of out nature. In the words of St. Maximus the CCnfesor, the will is 2 “aurual fore dieced to what i Consistent with nature, a force which embraces all the esea- tu properties of nati.” Sh. Maxims distinguishes thie fatal will (QOdmjex gusty), which isthe dete for good Sought by rational mtu, from the will which chooses (6 nis ysoundv) an Belongs to the person." The natore wills and acts, but the peeson chooses! it acepts or sets What nate wills However, according to Se. Maxims, his Freedom of choice i ready 3 flaw, a limitation of true fee- ‘dam: perfect nature has 20 need of choice for i knows ‘what if good in natural way. Its freedom is based on this Knowledge Our fresiom of will (Youn) seveals the im perfection of fallen human nature, the loss of God's ike fess. Since this nature is cbscured by si, it does not know fs true. good. and ie directed consandy to what is “ant ature,” ‘Thus the lumn person i always confronted by the fecesty of choice, It gropes is way forward. This vill tion in the ascent to whit is good is known 28 "feedom of will" The person, called to sion with Ged, to perfect a Similation though grace of hie natore with divine nature, is found to = mutated nature, crippled by sin, ravaged by Contradictory dsizes. Knowing and wiling according t this Imperfect nature, the petson is in practic, lind and weak Ii o0 longer knows how to choose, and too often yields to the impulses of a nature which bas become the slave of sn. Tn his wap, what was made in us in God's image is dawn down into the abyss, although it still retains its feedom of Choice and ite ability to retum to God. Sopacla Phono Pln, Ad Marna, P91 eh DAB ses a 440A PRC. Came wih Thy of Dan, Ri con i ds Fa, ek130 ‘oxmiiov0 rH ‘Man was made perfect. Yet this does not mean that bis original state coincided with the ultinate am, that he was Jn union with God from the moment of cretion, Until the Fall, Adam was nether “pure natute™ nor deified man, At already mentioned, the cosmology and the anthiopology of the Esstra Church have a dynamic character, and exclude ‘very external combination of the ideas of nate and race ‘They interpenetrate each other, exist in one another St John of Damascus sees the profoundest mystery in the fac that man was cested “by witve of his own desire for God, transformed into god through communion with divine i luminatin."* "The perfection of out first nature wat pric marly expressed inthis capacity to unite with God, to cling tree mote to the plenitude of the divine being » plenitude ‘which was to penctate and tansfigue created use. St Gregory of Naviansus refered. preiely to. thie higher faculty of the human spiie when he spoke of God breathing to mun with His breath a "particle of His divinity” that is grace. Grace is preent from the beginning ia the soul tod the later is capable of receiving and assimilating thie ‘keying energy. For the human person wae called, ia the swords af St Maximus the Confessor, "to bring togeer in Tove created nature 2nd unereated nature, showing them in unity and identity by the acquisition of grace"™ Unity and ‘entity relate here fo the peson, to the human byposass. So then, man was to bring topether ia grace two natures in his crested bypostasis, to become a “crested god.” a "god by grace," in contast to Chis, Who, although a divine per $0, assumed oman nature. The reciprocal action of Both ‘ills is necessary to attain this end on the one hand, deify- Ing divine will, endowing grace though the Holy Spict Who is preeat in the human person: on the other hand, the arian will, which subaits to the divae wil in that it 2. cepts grace, asimlates it and allows it to penetrate allie ature ‘Ths, a the wil fan active fore ia rational nature, sets through grace to the same degree that nature par alt egrtedermy he Onbto th, Wy 70.9, 5h rneace ano emkeNess| BL tkiptes in grace and becomes ay the ens of God means of the “transforming fire." a “The Fathers ofthe Grck Chic presented human mature tha: ier atthe arte compostion of spy soul aa fry (0065, oy Ou), or the uno af soul and ed, Se dtncton between the sdvectes of dota ad aihoomsm reduce generally to one of teaiology, The dihotomis seein te vote the higher fay of the Tana ssl he fac by wove vite man att it Grnmunion with God psn or te bamanbypets Seats al The pos of thik ata composton,expees Stel pall ne who exit ait andhrvgh fl Made in Gans image its the constant origin of human mar, dye famic and angele, deed slays by i will {0 30 ‘Stal end iny be silat he tage in» vine sa, Stamped on te nate and placing ie # pees! reaton SiaGods a pefciy none teliobip for every men tein. This Wstonshp i made rel by means of the will Chik diets the whole ate to God Whom man mast find al the fulles of his being "For the maa soul” ps SE"Tkhon Zaconsiy, "spe made by Goa ely ia Gh by Whom i ws mate io Hr image snd ke, cn Sheer contenment, repos, pene solace ad Joy ad Sten ays fom Hh fed ty find i ples i ered tgs and detent pawns sma feed alt Gerba, ut does mo fad proper eon and oy ad die frm hunger. For psi fod aecfalw the human Spat™ The buna spit mae find mrtre i Cod, ve in EE he sat mst noish te spt the Fogy rt ie ia the ioouch was the rial design of mas immortal tutoe, Tuning any fom Go, bomen, he pir stead UF pring fod to te sul, begins to Ive a te sus x ese, ding elf ih i aubstance (dhs Is what te fly caled “pial vate). The soln to, be sre exon “np vg Sa” lee Dida of Pi, rie ae on te faust oe XVM ed Ke Foer hry 188) va ‘ow Gof cy he Set eRe § Mo, Wank St Tn zany (Gh ok Mew, 18) WT32 oxro00x ninorocr ins to live from the life ofthe body, and this the ergin ‘of the passions Final, the body, compelled to seck is ford inthe extemal world, 1a soulless mater, inthe ead discovers Aeath. Man's structuce falls to pict. Til entered into the world tough the wil of man. Tt is not a ature (0:6), but a condition (Ete). "The nature of good is stronger than the habit of ev” says Dindochus of Photie, “for good exists while evil does ah, for tater, it exists only a¥ that moment when tis pot ints practice" According to Se. Geepory of Ns, Sins 2 Sickness of the will, which ers in tang for good the mere ‘lesion of good. That is why even the very desire fste the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil was already a sin, for, according to St. Gregory, knowledge presupposes 2 certain disposition towads the objec that one desires to now. Consequently, evil, not existing by itself, ought not to have been known El becomes real only by means of ‘he wil, which isthe sole reason for ite existence. It is precisely the wil that gives evil a cetuin being. That man, ‘atually disposed to now and love God, should have ste with his will after aonexisteat ood, after an illusory end ‘ould only be explained as the effect of an external” infa fence, the insinustion of an alien will to which the human will gave its assent” Before entering into the cathy world Uhrough Adams wll, evil had found ts origin in the spiritual world, It was the will of angele etenally resolved to be hostile towards Gad that fire pave birth to evil. Pel is he attraction of the will towards non-being, the negation of ‘eatin, and of God, and tis, particularly, a violent hateed ‘of grace, to which the rebellious willis obrately opposes ‘Athough they have become spiis of darkness, the fallen angels sil remain crestures of God's making, but in thet self-determination, which i opposed to God's will, they are ‘The Orson othe Ac” oh, Pap (ie 905) vo, pei Tite ton cnet Spt fcr pad, om tr Sse of Mam XX. PG 4 297380 “Oye Ld Por st MaDe ace AND anseNess 133 otesed by a desperate string for 3 oo-ing Ut th Wil never ain. ‘The tral descent atte a fave no end, St, Serphin of Stroy Said of he denne "Tay ae abominable thie enna testa ee sumed ‘them ito angels of vine ‘nto eninge monster. But being by nti angel, they poses seas poet, The leat of them could desoy We cot fe {ee ad toe rendered powers ther bared of ote ten, Bu they sive toldeoy enon om wibie bee resting human frenam to eu Refering toe ee Uansltion ated to St. Anthonys Se Sephin ene suits thie wil acing ia man. The list ake wind Gai the pect and secempeve wil the stond fe oh of man, whic, while not sees desta, sat fuel redemptive wil ial, there 8 he dennis nie Which sets ot desacton Tn Orthodox asceism thee se spc tems to dente the dre ee ae iy eel sonal ‘There ace the "Woughe™ (Royiagel) images ine auto te over eens oes es A ‘Then thee the “seduction” (MPOUBORN) hate ons cace of an alien thought, atviog rm witost eed troduced by 2 hale wil ito the tonsioumes “It's sot 4 Sa" ys i Mack the Hermit bata wna ous fe don 's"Sn bens ly wih the "union (ooyneets: c),* thats the cleaving of the mind to She inde fhovgbe or image. OF rather, tis cetain interest or ate don aledy shows the Beising ofan accord wah he Soe le wil For evl alwajs presipposes feelom cern, ic would be merely coor, conjesng man fom nite ‘Man singed freely. 60 then What as te Sigil? Phe Rennes of 5. Sebi of Soe (Pat, 1992), fron maa whe the dee wily ee in! tf be fond a teu 2 mbt To Gal, Vora ane Bales ‘ae of Ondniee dieicine Se Petbur TSon. Tas Wl ee Si Mad he Hemi, "Om Spi! Lan” 34, PO, 6 e2924 loxrioo0x mesoLocr The Fathers of the Chvich ditingied several momeats inthe determing of fice will which separates aa from Gol The mot moment (and that tests the personal foment is contained inthe option of al the Fathers in obedonce fo, wolaton of, foe divine plan man bad Scerpred God's commandnent ia the spt of fil lovey he ould have repondel to Gods wil incomplete slfzeaur Zion, he would lingly hove rected not only the fo SEES aie but also evry entra object, o 5 to live only 1E'Gou, to stv siglemindedly for ution wih Fim, God's Gonmandnent showed bunan wil the path to fellow to 2 fin detfcton, te pt of the reauniion ofall that is wr Ged But hua will chose the opposite path. Separate Ing fel fram God, i ssbmited jel to the power of the Eat st Gregory of Npss and Se Mesimus the Confesor fave turned ther tention particuely to the phys side OF in instead of folowing is natura dspostion towards Gea the aman rin! tne fowacd the word insead of Gwatiaing the boo, ie gave tel 9 We cortent of animal ee cool ite, obit ul to the material wold, St Simeon the New Thclogi sees the progesive develop Mose aon the fact tat aan, isesd of tepenting, a Cape to july hinge before Gods Adam Lys the entire TERE Bil co Eves ihe wife Sst Thow paves ey" ths abing Gol the eign cause of his own fal, Bee accuses the npentRefon tosecogaize tat the oigin of ei ‘es ily in Se ow fee wl men reject the possiblity SF Eetng hamster ev, and sat thelr freedom {5 cxemal necsiy, ‘The wil hardens and close iselé ‘Palos God As Pile, Metopaltan of Mosow, ss, Sin hasarested in hans he effuence of divine grace.” ‘Bid he ev los of pace oxasion man's fall no sn? “The notion of ute sapeerogatoria that, race which i MMied‘to nae in oder to cree towards God, is for Siete the racing ofthe Estee Chuich. Made in God's fee fe fmman person was dieted fo Its protrype, is rte Bath nin in So ton wo in Ran te og Bt se -nuAce AND LANES - ature iesisiby sought God by vw of is wil, which i 2 sprial and atonal power. “The sghtconsnes of print tre man” ws based onthe fact tat mun avng been made 1y God, could only be a good nature, deted to good, that 4s, to communion with God, tothe scquston of uncested grace Ie tt pod nature stayed from hs eres, i coud nly ave happened trough is capacity for inet sl dettorination fe conekovol Ii this that gives an the esi of sng dling ot ny not wh is natural inclinations, but also in oppostion his ova tatu, which he can distort aod mabe antnatue” "The all of human sare isthe dct consequence ofthe foe uideermition of sn, wb0 von sieced inl to this condton, The’ ant-nteral condition must lend to the dintegrston of homan nature; tis dismege tion finds concsion ia deuh, which the final soge in distorted atures falling away from God Ia this cs toned nature there is 0 longer any pace for crestd grace, ln‘, acoudng to Se. Gregory of Nye, the mid, lke the Give of 8 enor insted of selling God, tke ile {ttf the image of fomlee mater" whee te pasion vo Inte the orginal hierarchical sructre of the fuman beng. “The les of grace tot therfore the cai, but rather the

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