Re: What God Knows

Janice -

It sounds as if you're claiming that the Orthodox Church teaches process theology. Is that what you mean?

Shalom
George
http://web.raex.com/~gmurphy/
  ----- Original Message -----
  From: Janice Matchett
  To: Carol or John Burgeson ; asa@lists.calvin.edu
  Sent: Tuesday, April 04, 2006 2:47 PM
  Subject: 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 15:05:56 2006