Re: What God Knows

At 12:25 PM 4/4/2006, Carol or John Burgeson wrote:

>I had mentioned: "...All the authors seem to be somewhat skittish of
>process theology; at least this is my first impression."
>
>Janice commented: "@ Maybe that's because they know that process
>theism is just a philosophical theology in the sense that it is not
>grounded in claims of special insight or revealed truth but in
>philosophical reflection."
>
>I'd maybe phrase it differently. It is not because they "know," but
>because they are firmly committed to the position that PT is
>incorrect because it is a philosophy and not grounded in revealed truth."

@ Would you like to rephrase this, too?:

"Historically, the word theosis was employed both in pre-Christian
Greek antiquity, and also in pagan quarters existing
contemporaneously with the early Christian Church, as F.W. Norris
notes: "The use of theosis was daring. Non-Christians employed it to
speak of pagan gods deifying creatures. The philosophers Iamblichus
and Proclus, the poet Callimachus and the dreaded Julian the Apostate
had used theoo in that way. It was not first a Christian word nor
always employed by only Christians after they made it central. From
within his deep contemplative life and from previous Church Tradition
the Theologian picked it up, cleaned it up and filled it up with
Christian sense. He and his fellow theologians took it captive and
used it to speak about Christian realities" ~ Norris, F.W.,
"Deification: Consensual and Cogent". Scottish Journal of Theology,
49, No. 4, 1996.

>Now I am not a PT pretty much for the same reasons. But my
>impression is that the essayists in the book don't analyze this question.
>
>I admit to only one reading of the book so far; I may come to a
>different conclusion the second time through. ~ Burgy

@ Another question worth analyzing is, "What is the chief end of
man?" Here are some conclusions that have been reached:

Eve: "My 'chief interest' is to become like God."

Eastern Orthodox: "Theosis is the chief end of humanity. Humans were
created for deification."

Others place the emphasis elsewhere: "The chief end of man is to
glorify God and enjoy him
forever." http://www.blueletterbible.org/faq/evil.html

Cyprian: "Whom Satan cannot prevail against by intemperance, those he
prevails against by pride and vainglory." Oh let us take heed of
self-worshipping! Aim purely at God's glory."

Some details:

An Overview of Eastern Orthodoxy
http://www.leaderu.com/isot/docs/orthdox3.html

[snip]

Humanity, Sin, and Redemption

Eastern Orthodox theological thought regarding humanity, sin, and
redemption is closely linked and revolves around the concept of
theosis. The doctrine is also called deification or divinization, and
though it is a hallmark of Eastern Orthodoxy it is shrouded in
mystery which the Orthodox are hesitant to analyze. Simply put,
theosis means being deified or becoming like God. Theosis connotes
participation in God's nature while maintaining a distinct human
nature. Orthodox thinkers consistently deny that theosis is a
pantheistic worldview on the grounds that theosis does not involve
the destruction of the human nature as part of the process. Theosis
is held by the Orthodox to be the chief end of Humanity. Humans were
created for deification [11].

Eastern Orthodoxy's assertion that humanity's ultimate goal is
theosis, or participation in the Divine life, has informed and shaped
their doctrine of the Fall.

Their understanding of original sin differs from that of Western
theologians in that Adam and Eve are not responsible, through their
sin, for universal guilt, but for universal mortality. Adam's
personal sin did not bring condemnation upon all people, it brought
death upon all people. The experience of mortality leads otherwise
guiltless individuals to sinful acts [12], but the Orthodox maintain
that each person's sin is the result of his or her own choice and not
the choice of Adam [13].

Given this idea that humanity's basic problem is mortality, the
Orthodox view of redemption is much broader than that of the Western
church. Western theological tradition emphasizes the judicial aspect
of salvation, asserting that in salvation, God is primarily concerned
with the remission of sin [14]. The Orthodox view is that the gospel
is not primarily the solution to man's problem with personal sin. It
is God's provision of divine life in Christ, the beginning of
theosis. A residual benefit of beginning the process of deification
is the remission of sins. Baptism is the means by which the believer
enters into this new life. John Meyendorff summarizes the idea of
redemption in Eastern Orthodox theology well. He says,

Communion in the risen body of Christ; participation in divine life;
sanctification through the energy of God, which penetrates the
humanity and restores it to its "natural" state, rather than
justification, or remission of inherited guilt--these are at the
center of Byzantine understanding of the Christian Gospel [15]. [snip]

More:

It should be noted that the Catholic Church has adopted a much more
Eastern understanding in recent years. In fact, the Catechism of the
Catholic Church is very Eastern in its approach to original sin.
http://www.east2west.org/original_sin.htm

~ Janice
Received on Tue Apr 4 14:48:03 2006