Orthodox Theology and Postmodernism: an Attempt to Find Contact
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Lex Orandi, Lex Credendi: the Doctrine of the Theotokos As a Liturgical Creed in the Coptic Orthodox Church
Journal of Coptic Studies 14 (2012) 47–62 doi: 10.2143/JCS.14.0.2184687 LEX ORANDI, LEX CREDENDI: THE DOCTRINE OF THE THEOTOKOS AS A LITURGICAL CREED IN THE COPTIC ORTHODOX CHURCH BY BISHOY DAWOOD 1. Introduction In the Surah entitled “The Table Spread” in the Quran, Mohammed, the prophet of Islam, proclaimed a long revelation from God, and in a part that spoke of the role of Mary and teachings of Jesus, the following was mentioned: “And behold! Allah will say: ‘O Jesus the son of Mary! Did you say to men, ‘worship me and my mother as gods in derogation of Allah’?’” (Sura 5:116).1 It is of note here that not only the strict mono- theistic religion of Islam objected to the Christian worshipping of Jesus as God, but it was commonly believed that Christians also worshipped his mother, Mary, as a goddess. This may have been the result of a mis- understanding of the term Theotokos, literally meaning “God-bearer”, but also means “Mother of God”, which was attributed to Mary by the Christians, who used the phrase Theotokos in their liturgical worship. Likewise, in Protestant theology, there was a reaction to the excessive adoration of the Virgin Mary in the non-liturgical devotions of the churches of the Latin West, which was termed “Mariolatry.” However, as Jaroslav Pelikan noted, the Eastern churches commemorated and cel- ebrated Mary as the Theotokos in their liturgical worship and hymnology.2 The place of the Theotokos in the liturgical worship of the Eastern Chris- tian churches does not only show the spiritual relation between the Virgin Mother and the people who commemorate her, but it is primarily a creedal affirmation of the Christology of the believers praying those hymns addressed to the Theotokos. -
Theology Today
Theology Today volume 67, N u m b e r 2 j u l y 2 0 1 0 EDITORIAL Christmas in July 123 JAMES F. KAY ARTICLES American Scriptures 127 C. CLIFTON BLACK Christian Spirituality in a Time of Ecological Awareness 169 KATHLEEN FISCHER The “New Monasticism” as Ancient-Future Belonging 182 PHILIP HARROLD Sexuality as Sacrament: An Evangelical Reads Andrew Greeley 194 ANTHONY L. BLAIR THEOLOGICAL TABLE TALK The Difference Calvin Made 205 R. BRUCE DOUGLASS CRITIC’S CORNER Thinking beyond Easy Tribalism 216 WALTER BRUEGGEMANN BOOK REVIEWS The Ten Commandments, by Patrick Miller 220 STANLEY HAUERWAS An Introduction to the New Testament Manuscripts and Their Texts, by D. C. Parker 224 SHANE BERG TT-67-2-pages.indb 1 4/21/10 12:45 PM Incarnation: The Person and Life of Christ by Thomas F. Torrance, edited by Robert T. Walker 225 PAUL D. MOLNAR Religion after Postmodernism: Retheorizing Myth and Literature by Victor E. Taylor 231 TOM BEAUDOIN Practical Theology: An Introduction, by Richard R. Osmer 234 JOYCE ANN MERCER Boundless Faith: The Global Outreach of American Churches by Robert Wuthnow 241 RICHARD FOX YOUNG The Hand and the Road: The Life and Times of John A. Mackay by John Mackay Metzger 244 JOHN H. SINCLAIR The Child in the Bible, Marcia J. Bunge, general editor; Terence E. Fretheim and Beverly Roberts Gaventa, coeditors 248 KAREN-MARIE YUST TT-67-2-pages.indb 2 4/21/10 12:45 PM James F. Kay, Editor Gordon S. Mikoski, Reviews Editor Blair D. Bertrand, Editorial Assistant EDITORIAL COUNCIL Iain R. -
How to Acquire an Orthodox Phronêma in the West: from Ecclesiastical Enculturation to Theological Competence
Copyright © 2019 Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky Institute of Eastern Christian Studies. All Rights Reserved Logos: A Journal of Eastern Christian Studies Vol. 58 (2017) Nos. 1–4, pp. 251–279 How to Acquire an Orthodox Phronêma in the West: From Ecclesiastical Enculturation to Theological Competence Augustine Cassidy The Eastern churches have much to offer the West. By way of examples, I might list dignified and solemn worship, fi- delity to the apostles and their successors, a living witness of saints, rich piety, exuberant joy, irreproachable theology, mys- ticism grounded in a holistic view of this good creation, time- honoured disciplines for spiritual development, aesthetics that make present the holiness of God, ancient principles that lead to union with God, a profound sense of communal identity, compassionate understanding of sins coupled with the recogni- tion that sin is not central to human life, courage and perseve- rance in the face of oppression even unto martyrdom, unflin- ching opposition to heresy, and access to a wealth of theology not otherwise available. These blessings are not necessarily all equally available, nor are they presented as such by Eastern Christians, nor indeed are they all mutually consistent. Some are probably aspirations rather than realities. This is, in effect, to admit that my list is synthetic, uncritical, and indicative of what people have claimed to find in the Eastern churches. And a similar list could assuredly be populated with problems en- demic to the Eastern churches that no Westerner would find appealing or attractive in the least. But I begin with a register of the blessings that, having freely received, Eastern Christians freely give, since my purpose in this paper is to analyse some aspects of Western conversions to Eastern Christianity. -
Ignatian and Hesychast Spirituality: Praying Together
St Vladimir’s Th eological Quarterly 59:1 (2015) 43–53 Ignatian and Hesychast Spirituality: Praying Together Tim Noble Some time aft er his work with St Makarios of Corinth (1731–1805) on the compilation of the Philokalia,1 St Nikodimos of the Holy Mountain (1748–1809) worked on a translation of an expanded version of the Spiritual Exercises of St Ignatius Loyola.2 Metropolitan Kallistos Ware has plausibly suggested that the translation may have been motivated by Nikodimos’ intuition that there was something else needed to complement the hesychast tradition, even if only for those whose spiritual mastery was insuffi cient to deal with its demands.3 My interest in this article is to look at the encounters between the hesychast and Ignatian traditions. Clearly, when Nikodimos read Pinamonti’s version of Ignatius’ Spiritual Exercises, he found in it something that was reconcilable with his own hesychast practice. What are these elements of agreement and how can two apparently quite distinct traditions be placed side by side? I begin my response with a brief introduction to the two traditions. I will also suggest that spiritual traditions off er the chance for experience to meet experience. Moreover, this experience is in principle available to all, though in practice the benefi ciaries will always be relatively few in number. I then look in more detail at some features of the hesychast 1 See Kallistos Ware, “St Nikodimos and the Philokalia,” in Brock Bingaman & Bradley Nassif (eds.), Th e Philokalia: A Classic Text of Orthodox Spirituality (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2012), 9–35, at 15. -
The Problems with the Toll House Theory
Law Without Grace: The Problems with the Toll House Theory Matthew Raphael Johnson Johnstown, PA The Aerial Toll-House debate is strange only in that it derives from a dream, and a bizarre one at that. The dreamer is not a saint and his actual identity is open to dispute. The sequence of events is related in the text The Tale of Theodora and the Aerial Toll-Houses.1 St. Theodora lived in Constantinople during the 10th century. A widow, she became a nun under St. Basil the New and became a solitary. When she reposed at a great age, Gregory, a student, asked Basil to speak of the saintly nun's ascent to heaven.2 This Gregory fell asleep that night, and “a youth of comely appearance came to him.” This is supposed to be an angel. He said to “Come quickly, Father Basil summons you to visit Theodora.” He quickly followed the angel, while asleep, and soon found himself in a labyrinth. Such a labyrinth is an ancient symbol of Gnostic initiation (see more below). In addition, Julius Evola argues that “Toll Gates” are an essential and foundational element of Mithratic Initiation. Variations of the “toll gates” are discovered in most non- and pre-Christian movements. He came upon a bolted gateway, and he yelled through a keyhole to an unidentified woman there, who informed him that this is where Fr. Basil speaks with his “children.” Gregory is depicted as banging on the door, demanding to be let in. This is hardly the monastic way. Then, Theodora arrives and begins to tell Gregory about the Toll Houses. -
John D. Caputo CURRICULUM VITAE
John D. Caputo CURRICULUM VITAE EMPLOYMENT: Thomas J. Watson Professor of Religion and Humanities, Syracuse University, 2004– David R. Cook Professor Emeritus of Philosophy, Villanova University, 2004– David R. Cook Professor of Philosophy, Villanova University, 1993-2004 Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, Professor, Villanova University, 1968-2004 Visiting Professor, New School for Social Research, Spring, 1994 Distinguished Adjunct Professor, Fordham University Graduate Program, 1985-88 Visiting Professor, Fordham University, Fall, 1980 Visiting Professor, Duquesne University, Fall, 1978 Instructor, St. Joseph's University (Philadelphia, 1965-68) EDUCATION: Ph.D., 1968, Bryn Mawr College M.A., 1964, Villanova University B.A., 1962, La Salle University AWARDS Winner of the ForeWord Magazine Best Philosophy Book of 2007 award for What Would Jesus Deconstruct? 2008 Loyola Medal (Seattle University), 2007 American Academy of Religion Book Award for Excellence in Studies in Religion, “Constructive-Reflective Studies,” for The Weakness of God: A Theology of the Event (Indiana UP, 2007). 2004, Appointed Thomas J. Watson Professor of Religion and Humanities, Syracuse University; David R. Cook Professor Emeritus, Villanova University 1998, Choice Magazine, “Outstanding Academic Book Award” for Deconstruction in a Nutshell (Fordham UP, 1997) 1992, Appointed David R. Cook Professor of Philosophy 1991-92, National Endowment for the Humanities, Fellowship for College Teachers 1989, Phi Beta Kappa, Honorary Member, Villanova Chapter 1985, National Endowment for the Humanities, Summer Stipend 1983-84, American Council of Learned Societies, Fellowship 1982, Outstanding Faculty Scholar Award (V.U.) 1982, Summer Research Grant (V.U.) 1981, Distinguished Alumnus, V.U. Graduate School 1979-80, Phi Kappa Phi Honorary Society, Villanova University Chapter, President 1972, American Council of Learned Societies, Grant-in-aid (Summer grant) OFFICES Member, Book Awards Committee, American Academy of Religion, 2008-2009. -
Self-Help for Anxiety Practical Suggestions
Self-help for Anxiety Practical suggestions I’ve been asked for practical suggestions for people who are especially anxious about the financial crisis–—or anxious in general. Have you been feeling “edgy”… tense… irritable? Do you tire easily but find it hard to get a good night’s sleep? Do worries make it hard to concentrate or do you “go blank”? If this has been going on for awhile, it’s time to give yourself a break! Here are possibilities to relieve the body, mind, and spirit. Before making changes in diet, supplements, or exercise, it would be a good idea to consult with your physician. Likewise, if you have longstanding or debilitating symptoms, have your physician rule out organic causes. Group 1: To help the body release anxious tension • Learn the art of deep breathing from the diaphragm. Shallow breaths cue the body to tense up. Deep breaths cue our body to relax more. • Yawning also cues the body to relax. • Sip often on water, tea, or other healthy beverages–—hot or cold. Swallowing cues your body to relax. In a pinch, using concentration, you can increase saliva flow with the same result. • Eat well. Lots of produce and foods with B vitamins and omega 3 fatty acids. • Avoid caffeine, sugar, and processed foods. On the go it’s tempting, but in the long run, it makes you feel worse. • Avoid alcohol and any sedatives. They can make anxiety worse. • Learn the art of progressive muscle relaxation. There are many good self-help books and even guided recordings to progressive muscle relaxation on the internet. -
The Sanctity and Glory of the Mother of God: Orthodox Approaches
79 THE SANCTITY AND GLORY OF THE MOTHER OF GOD: ORTHODOX APPROACHES By KALLISTOS OF DIOKLEIA OVE AND VENERATION for the Virgin, the russian theologian Fr Sergei Bulgakov (1871-1944), states: is the soul of orthodox piety, its heart, that which warms and L animates its entire body. A faith in Christ which does not include the virgin birth and the veneration of his Mother is another faith, another Christianity, from that of the Orthodox Church. His words are typical, and they indicate the unique place held in orthodox devotion by her whom we like to describe in our prayers as 'the joy of all creation'. How has this living heart of our piety, the life-giving source of our hope and joy, been understood in orthodox thinking, greek and russian, during the past sixty years? Scarcely ever in the history of Eastern Christendom has the Blessed Virgin Mary been the subject of controversy. There is in the East nothing comparable to the elaborate discussions in the medieval West about the Immaculate Conception, or to the catholic-protestant debate from the sixteenth century onwards about the whole position of the Virgin in christian theology and devotion. The main eastern controversy involving our Lady -- the fifth-century conflict between Nestorius and St Cyril of Alexandria over the title Theotokos -- was concerned not so much with the person of Mary as with the doctrine of the Incarnation. The name of the Holy Virgin is constantly on our lips, her face is always before us in the holy icons, she is everywhere present like the air we breathe ~ to use the analogy of Gerard Manley Hopkins- she is honoured, revered, loved, but not the subject of critical analysis. -
ON IDEALISM and THOMAS MERTON by Fr. Seraphim Rose
On Idealism Fr. Seraphim Rose 3 4 On Idealism devote yourself especially to the question of "peace." In an age A letter from Fr. Seraphim Rose to Roman Catholic monk, Fr. Thomas when war has become virtually "impossible," this is, of course, of Merton. 1962 central concern to any Christian, but your remarks particularly on this subject have left me troubled. Dear Fr. Merton, What, first of all, are the real antagonists of the spiritual I am a young American convert to Russian Orthodoxy-not warfare of our age? To say "Russia and America" is, of course, the vague "liberal" spirituality of too many modern Russian trivial; the enemy, as you say, "is in all of us." But you further say, "religious thinkers," but the full ascetic and contemplative "The enemy is war itself" and its roots, "hatred, fear, selfishness, Orthodoxy of the Fathers and Saints-who have for some years lust." been studying the spiritual "crisis" of our time, and am at present Now I can quite agree with you that war today, at least writing a book on the subject. In the course of my study I have "total war," is quite unjustifiable by any Christian standard, for the had occasion to read the works of a great number of Roman simple, reason that its "unlimited" nature escapes measure of any Catholic authors, some which (those, for example, of Pieper, sort. The point in your argument that disturbs me is your Picard, Gilson, P. Danielo, and P. de Lubac) I have found quite statement that the only alternative to such war is "peace." helpful and not, after all, too distant from the Orthodox The alternative to "total war' would seem to be "total perspective, but others of which I have found quite disturbing in peace;' but what does such a "peace" imply? You say, "we must try the light of what seems to me the plain teaching of the universal as best we can to work for the eventual abolition" of war; and that Church. -
The Revival of Political Hesychasm in Greek Orthodox Thought: a Study of the Hesychast Basis of the Thought of John S
ABSTRACT The Revival of Political Hesychasm in Greek Orthodox Thought: A Study of the Hesychast Basis of the Thought of John S. Romanides and Christos Yannaras Daniel Paul Payne, B.A., M.Div. Mentor: Derek H. Davis, Ph.D. In the 1940s Russian émigré theologians rediscovered the ascetic-theology of St. Gregory Palamas. Palamas’s theology became the basis for an articulation of an Orthodox theological identity apart from Roman Catholic and Protestant influences. In particular the “Neo-Patristic Synthesis” of Fr. Georges Florovsky and the appropriation of Palamas’s theology by Vladimir Lossky set the course for future Orthodox theology in the twentieth century. Their thought had a direct influence upon the thought of Greek theologians John S. Romanides and Christos Yannaras in the late twentieth century. Each of these theologians formulated a political theology using the ascetic-theology of Palamas combined with the Roman identity of the Greek Orthodox people. Both of these thinkers called for a return to the ecclesial-communal life of the late Byzantine period as an alternative to the secular vision of the modern West. The resulting paradigm developed by their thought has led to the formation of what has been called the “Neo- Orthodox Movement.” Essentially, what the intellectual and populist thinkers of the movement have expressed in their writings is “political hesychasm.” Romanides and Yannaras desire to establish an Orthodox identity that separates the Roman aspect from the Hellenic element of Greek identity. The Roman identity of the Greek people is the Orthodox Christian element removed from the pagan Hellenism, which, as they argue, the Western powers imposed on the Greek people in the establishment of the modern nation-state of Greece in 1821. -
Being of God: a Trinitarian Critique of Postmodern A/Theology
RICE UNIVERSITY (DE)CONSTRUCTING THE (NON)BEING OF GHD: A TRINITARIAN CRITIQUE OF POSTMODERN A/THEOLOGY by B. KEITH PUTT A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY APPROVED, THESIS COMMITTEE Niels C. Nielsen, Jr.,Director Professor Emeritus of Philoso¬ phy and Religious Thought Werner H. Kelber Isla Carroll Turner and Percy E. Turner Professor of Reli¬ gious Studies Stjeven G. Crowell Associate Professor of Philoso¬ phy Houston, Texas May, 1995 Copyright B. Keith Putt 1995 ABSTRACT (DE) CONSTRUCTING THE (NON) BEING OF G8D: A TRINITARIAN CRITIQUE OF POSTMODERN A/THEOLOGY by B. KEITH PUTT Langdon Gilkey maintained in 1969 that theological language was in "ferment" over whether "God" could be ex¬ pressed in language. He argued that "radical theology," specifically the kenotic christology in Altizer's "death of God" theology, best represented that ferment. Some twenty- five years later, in the postmodern context of the 1990's, whether one can speak of God and, if so, how remain promi¬ nent issues for philosophers of religion and theologians. One of the most provocative contemporary approaches to these questions continues to focus on the "death of God." Mark Taylor's a/theology attempts to "do" theology after the divine demise by thinking the end of theology without ending theological thinking. Taylor's primary thesis, predicated upon his reading of Jacques Derrida's deconstruetive philos¬ ophy, is that God gives way to the sacred and the sacred may be encountered only within the "divine milieu" of writing. God is dead, the self is dead, history has no structure, and language cannot be totalized in books; consequently, theo¬ logy must be errant and textually disseminative. -
Course Syllabus WINTER 2017 CONTEMPORARY THEOLOGY
Course Syllabus WINTER 2017 CONTEMPORARY THEOLOGY: EXISTENTIALIST ROOTS OF POSTMODERN THEOLOGY THEO 0537 WEDNESDAYS, 2:15PM – 5:05PM JANUARY 11 – APRIL 12, 2017 INSTRUCTOR: THE REVEREND DR. VICTOR SHEPHERD Telephone number: 416 226 6380 ext. 6726 Email: [email protected] Office Hours: (as posted) To access your course material, please go to http://classes.tyndale.ca. Course emails will be sent to your @MyTyndale.ca e-mail account. For information how to access and forward emails to your personal account, see http://www.tyndale.ca/it/live-at-edu. I. COURSE DESCRIPTION A survey of major theological developments from the 19th to the 21st century. Topics covered may include liberal Protestantism, existentialism, neo-orthodoxy and current liberation, hermeneutical, ecumenical and evangelical theologies. This course aims at introducing students to existentialist philosophy in both its theistic and atheistic expressions, and in having students discern the influence of existentialism as either an ingredient of or a foil to contemporary philosophy and theology. In addition the course endeavours to have students assess whether existentialism is the precursor of postmodernism or the latter’s contradiction. Prerequisites: THEO 0531 and THEO 0532 II. LEARNING OUTCOMES At the end of the course, students will be able to: 1 1: be acquainted with the thought of major representatives of the philosophical movement known as “existentialism”, and will be helped to see the influence of existentialism in the genesis and development of contemporary philosophy and theology. 2: locate existentialism in the history of western philosophy and theology. 3: trace the putative link between an existentialist thinker like Nietzsche (the most widely-read philosopher in history) and postmodernism.