DOCSLIB.ORG

The Revival of Political Hesychasm in Greek Orthodox Thought: a Study of the Hesychast Basis of the Thought of John S

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
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. Romanides and Yannaras want to remove the Western and pagan elements from the Hellenic identity of the people, and replace it with the Orthodox identity rooted in hesychast spirituality based on the teachings of Gregory Palamas. Using an interdisciplinary approach to the study of the thought of Romanides and Yannaras, the work employs constructivist sociology with history and theology to arrive at a complete understanding of their politico-theological arguments. Furthermore, the work examines the theological sources as well as the historical setting for the development of their thought. Additionally, the project assesses their political theology and provides opportunities for further theological development. 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 by Daniel Paul Payne, B.A., M.Div. A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of Baylor University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Glv,JA'fJl. CharlesWmlaceA.7f~McDam , Ph.D. U?~ arry A. Harvey/,Ph.D. Accepted by the Graduate School August 2006 1. Larry Lyon, Ph.D., Dean I Copyright © 2006 by Daniel Paul Payne All rights reserved CONTENTS PREFACE v ACKNOWLEDGMENTS vii DEDICATION xi CHAPTER 1. Ethno-Religious Nationalism as a Constructivist Project: An Evaluation of Recent Scholarship and an Interpretation of the Neo-Orthodox Movement in Greece 1 Introduction Social Constructivism, Religion, and Identity Theory Nationalism as Social Construct and Symbolic Universe Multiple Modernities and Globalization Theory The Neo-Orthodox Movement in Contemporary Greece Conclusion 2. Hellene or Romaios? The Debate over Modern Greek Identity 69 Introduction The Development of Eastern European Nationalism and the Formation of the Modern Greek State The National Identity Debate 3. The Development of Hesychasm from the Fourth through Fifteenth Centuries 129 Introduction Early Byzantine Hesychasm Byzantine Hesychasm from the Tenth through Fourteenth Centuries The “Political Hesychasm” of the Fourteenth Century The Hesychast Revival of the Eighteenth Century Conclusion 4. The Life and Thought of St. Gregory Palamas, Archbishop of Thessalonike 203 Introduction The Life of St. Gregory Palamas iii The Theology of St. Gregory Palamas Conclusion 5. The Rediscovery of Orthodox Spiritual Theology in the Twentieth Century 267 Introduction Roman Catholicism and the Eastern Churches The Orthodox Rediscovery of Gregory Palamas The Palamite Theology of Vladimir Lossky John Meyendorff and the Historical Tradition Conclusion 6. The Neo-Patristic Synthesis of Georges Florovsky 321 Introduction “Return to the Fathers” The Christian Hellenism of Georges Florovsky Florovsky and Gregory Palamas Conclusion 7. The Synthesis of Hesychasm and Romeosyne in the Thought of John S. Romanides 383 Introduction Brief Biography The Romeic Thesis of John Romanides Human Rights, Religious Liberty, and Justice Conclusion 8. The Political Hesychasm of Christos Yannaras 445 Introduction The “Clash of Civilizations” and the Problem of the West The Political Theology of Christos Yannaras The Political Hesychasm of Christos Yannaras 9. Conclusion 486 APPENDIX 501 Archival Permission Letter BIBLIOGRAPHY 503 iv PREFACE In 1990 I began a journey of faith to the Orthodox Church. In that year I began reading the works of Fr. Georges Florovsky, Fr. John Meyendorff, Fr. Alexander Schmemann, and Vladimir Lossky. These writers introduced a spiritual and theological world to me that I knew existed but had not experienced. In the course of reading their writings, I became aware that my own theological thought had changed, and I entered the Greek Orthodox Church in 1994. A few years later, I enrolled at Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology to continue my theological education. There I was introduced to the thought of Christos Yannaras and Fr. John Romanides. At the seminary a group of seminarians assembled to read and discuss the works of Romanides, for we had yet to be introduced to the hesychast tradition. Romanides’s understanding of the spiritual life intrigued us, as we hungered for spiritual food. His insistence on the three-fold path of spiritual development of purification, illumination, and glorification instilled in us the need for our repentance and cooperation with the Holy Spirit in our lives, leading to participation in Christ. Furthermore, thanks to Fr. George Dragas, we had the opportunity to meet and listen to Fr. John, as he had been invited to receive an honorary doctorate from the school. While the effects of his ill health were noticeable, his eyes and face shone with the love of Christ. During those years at the seminary, the teachings of Fr. John and of his disciples provided many of us with the spiritual nourishment to graduate. We owe much to him. May his memory be eternal. I also became familiar with some of the writings of Christos Yannaras while at seminary. Under the guidance of Fr. Emmanuel Clapsis, I began to realize the v importance of Yannaras’s theology for social ethics, especially his understanding of the human person. During that time, I began to desire to do advanced graduate work on the thought of Yannaras. At the time, though, I did not realize what a daunting task that would be. Thank to Fr. Emmanuel, I had the opportunity to meet Professor Yannaras at a conference held at Holy Cross in 1996. His theology had had a large impact on my own thought. While some may argue that the theology of Romanides and Yannaras leads to a Palamite fundamentalism in the church, I believe that their theology is important for the contemporary church, both in the homeland and in the diaspora. Their emphasis on the importance of the essence and energies distinction in God protects the transcendence of God in an age when God is domesticated and indistinguishable from the other consumer idols from which we choose in the marketplace of religion in the West. But the distinction also allows for a “knowledge” of God that “passes all human understanding,” whereby human beings are enabled to participate in a relationship of communion with the source of all being that leads to the transfiguration of all of creation. In an age of ecological suicide and material hedonism, the world needs such a vision of transfiguration rooted in the Being and Energy of God. May we have the courage to be partakers in the divine nature that leads to the salvation of the world. vi ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This project is the culmination of a spiritual and theological journey that began over twenty years ago. During that time numerous theologians, social scientists, historians, philosophers, and other intellectuals influenced my thought. As a result, this is a testimony to the education that they have given to me and to which I am indebted. I have been honored to discuss the ideas contained in this book with many people over the years, who have given me invaluable advice, direction, and feedback, challenging me to look at other dimensions of the issues. To all of my professors, friends, and family, I give you my most humble appreciation and thanks. Especially, I would like to acknowledge the professors who have served on the doctoral committee. Dr. Derek Davis, former director of the J. M. Dawson Institute of Church-State Studies, has been my mentor in church-state studies for the past seven years. He has greatly influenced my thought on the necessity of holding a separatist position. Many times he has challenged me in this area. His advice, editing, and comments have been greatly appreciated as I worked through the arduous process of completing this project. Thank you Dr. Davis for bringing me to Baylor and helping me to understand the importance of religious liberty. I would also like to thank Dr. Christopher Marsh, who has also served as a mentor and friend to me. His influence upon me has chiefly been to return to the thought of Peter Berger and constructivism as a social science tool in understanding religious phenomena. His advice and friendship have provided the impetus for finishing the book. Additionally, I would like to thank Dr.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • The Age of Globalization (1945-2001)
    THE AGE OF GLOBALIZATION (1945-2001) Volume 8 of “AN ESSAY IN UNIVERSAL HISTORY” From an Orthodox Christian Point of View Vladimir Moss © Copyright Vladimir Moss, 2018: All Rights Reserved 1 The communists have been hurled at the Church like a crazy dog. Their Soviet emblem - the hammer and sickle - corresponds to their mission. With the hammer they beat people over the head, and with the sickle they mow down the churches. But then the Masons will remove the communists and take control of Russia… St. Theodore (Rafanovsky) of Belorussia (+1975). Capitalism has lifted the poor out of poverty. In 1918, 1.9 billion people lived in extreme poverty according to the World Bank’s statistics, or 52 per cent of the world’s population. This has fallen to 767 million people, or 10.7 per cent of the population in 2013. This dramatic improvement coincides with China and India moving to market economies. Hence it is the capitalists who love the poor, not the socialists who condemn them to poverty. Jacob Rees-Mogg, M.P. In order to have a democracy in society there must be a dictatorship in power. Anatoly Chubais. The best way to shake people out of their inertia is to put them in debt. Then you give them the power to realize their dreams overnight, while ensuring that they’ll spend years paying for their dreams. This is the principle upon which the stability of the Western world rests. A Serb. Twenty years ago, we said farewell to the Red Empire with damnations and tears.
    [Show full text]
  • Empirical Theology, the Only Dynamic Reality Vitalizing the Synergy Between Academic Theology and the Church Mission in the Contemporary Society
    ICOANA CREDINȚEI No. 9, Year 5/2019 EMPIRICAL THEOLOGY, THE ONLY DYNAMIC REALITY VITALIZING THE SYNERGY BETWEEN ACADEMIC THEOLOGY AND THE CHURCH MISSION IN THE CONTEMPORARY SOCIETY Assoc. Prof. Ph.D. Ion Marian CROITORU, Faculty of Orthodox Theology and Education Sciences, “Valahia” University, Târgovişte, ROMANIA, E-mail: [email protected] ABSTRACT Spiritual experiences of the Church Saints and the Church teachings are stored in various testimonies (texts, monuments, artistic expressions etc.) about the Church presence and walk in the world. Theology, as a science, under the form of curriculum disciplines, searches for answers, draws conclusions, rehabilitates in a critical manner, studies and interprets all these testimonies or draws arguments from them in the endless dialogue between the Church and the world. The framework of this approach, aimed at studying the Church testimonies, also includes the education offered in the Faculties of Theology. This education transmits to students, on the one hand, knowledge obtained as a fruit of scientific theological research, and, on the other hand, gives them orientation in the Church life, namely in the life according to Jesus Christ’s teaching, as it has been lived and experienced by the Saints. Theology, in all its manifestations, represents a Church function, and its space is the Church body, consequently it is related to the Church mission in the world. For this reason, the function of the Church, as place of worship and of healing for man, and the function of School, be it Faculty of Theology or Theological Seminary, are related, being one. Both the Faculty of Theology and the education it provides belong to the vocational domain, which supposes not just external training, namely the appropriation of knowledge, but especially inner training, spiritual transformation and ascension, because the graduates’ role, regardless of whether they become clerics or religion teachers etc., is to be a catalyst in the society and to promote a fundamental thing: man’s salvation.
    [Show full text]
  • The Holy Person in Comparative Perspective
    The Holy Person in Comparative Perspective Thomas Head Hunter College and the Graduate Center, CUNY A holy person is one who serves as an exemplar of virtue and an embodiment of sacred power. The holy person lives according to the highest ideals of a religious tradition. The word "saint" is frequently used in English for such persons. Explicitly Christian in its origin, this term (and many many linguistically similar terms in modern European languages) comes from the Latin sanctus (holy man) or sancta (holy woman). It was Peter Brown who--in a 1971 article entitled "The Rise and Function of the Holy Man in Late Antiquity"-- coined the phrase "holy person" in its modern scholarly usage through the brilliantly simple expedient of taking his Christian sources literally. Brown has since (see the citations below) regularly rethought this concept in the light of more recent scholarship on Christianity. Scholars of other religious traditions have freely used this term and concept in studying other traditions. Thre fruists of those studies provide a useful mirror on the practice of holiness in Christianity. Early Christians, such as those studied by Brown, honored as saints specifically those persons who were thought to have earned immediate entrance to the kingdom of heaven after their death. In practice only a limited number of people were so venerated. The first to be so recognized were martyrs, who had died for their witness to the name of Christ. With the end of persecution, monks who endured the symbolic martyrdom of rigorous self-denial came to be officially honored as saints.
    [Show full text]
  • Pursuing Eudaimonia LIVERPOOL HOPE UNIVERSITY STUDIES in ETHICS SERIES SERIES EDITOR: DR
    Pursuing Eudaimonia LIVERPOOL HOPE UNIVERSITY STUDIES IN ETHICS SERIES SERIES EDITOR: DR. DAVID TOREVELL SERIES DEPUTY EDITOR: DR. JACQUI MILLER VOLUME ONE: ENGAGING RELIGIOUS EDUCATION Editors: Joy Schmack, Matthew Thompson and David Torevell with Camilla Cole VOLUME TWO: RESERVOIRS OF HOPE: SUSTAINING SPIRITUALITY IN SCHOOL LEADERS Author: Alan Flintham VOLUME THREE: LITERATURE AND ETHICS: FROM THE GREEN KNIGHT TO THE DARK KNIGHT Editors: Steve Brie and William T. Rossiter VOLUME FOUR: POST-CONFLICT RECONSTRUCTION Editor: Neil Ferguson VOLUME FIVE: FROM CRITIQUE TO ACTION: THE PRACTICAL ETHICS OF THE ORGANIZATIONAL WORLD Editors: David Weir and Nabil Sultan VOLUME SIX: A LIFE OF ETHICS AND PERFORMANCE Editors: John Matthews and David Torevell VOLUME SEVEN: PROFESSIONAL ETHICS: EDUCATION FOR A HUMANE SOCIETY Editors: Feng Su and Bart McGettrick VOLUME EIGHT: CATHOLIC EDUCATION: UNIVERSAL PRINCIPLES, LOCALLY APPLIED Editor: Andrew B. Morris VOLUME NINE GENDERING CHRISTIAN ETHICS Editor: Jenny Daggers VOLUME TEN PURSUING EUDAIMONIA: RE-APPROPRIATING THE GREEK PHILOSOPHICAL FOUNDATIONS OF THE CHRISTIAN APOPHATIC TRADITION Author: Brendan Cook Pursuing Eudaimonia: Re-appropriating the Greek Philosophical Foundations of the Christian Apophatic Tradition By Brendan Cook Pursuing Eudaimonia: Re-appropriating the Greek Philosophical Foundations of the Christian Apophatic Tradition, by Brendan Cook This book first published 2013 Cambridge Scholars Publishing 12 Back Chapman Street, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE6 2XX, UK British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Copyright © 2013 by Brendan Cook All rights for this book reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the copyright owner.
    [Show full text]
  • The Theosophist
    THE THEOSOPHIST VOL. 133 NO. 2 NOVEMBER 2011 CONTENTS Buddhist Teachings on Relationships 3 Radha Burnier Live the Life and You Will Come to the Wisdom 8 Mary Anderson Coordination of Science and Human Values 14 C. A. Shinde Some Difficulties of the Inner Life — II 19 Annie Besant The Roots of Modern Theosophy 25 Pablo D. Sender The Life-Path of a Theosophist 32 Vinayak Pandya Theosophical Work around the World 37 International Directory 38 Editor: Mrs Radha Burnier NOTE: Articles for publication in The Theosophist should be sent to the Editorial Office. Cover Picture: Gate at the Headquarters Hall — by Richard Dvorak Official organ of the President, founded by H. P. Blavatsky, 1879. The Theosophical Society is responsible only for official notices appearing in this magazine. 1 THE THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY Founded 17 November 1875 President: Mrs Radha Burnier Vice-President: Mrs Linda Oliveira Secretary: Mrs Kusum Satapathy Treasurer: Miss Keshwar Dastur Headquarters: ADYAR, CHENNAI (MADRAS) 600 020, INDIA Secretary: [email protected] Treasury: [email protected] Adyar Library and Research Centre: [email protected] Theosophical Publishing House: [email protected] & [email protected] Fax: (+91-44) 2490-1399 Editorial Office: [email protected] Website: http://www.ts-adyar.org The Theosophical Society is composed of students, belonging to any religion in the world or to none, who are united by their approval of the Society’s Objects, by their wish to remove religious antagonisms and to draw together men of goodwill, whatsoever their religious opinions, and by their desire to study religious truths and to share the results of their studies with others.
    [Show full text]
  • Dositheos Notaras, the Patriarch of Jerusalem (1669-1707), Confronts the Challenges of Modernity
    IN SEARCH OF A CONFESSIONAL IDENTITY: DOSITHEOS NOTARAS, THE PATRIARCH OF JERUSALEM (1669-1707), CONFRONTS THE CHALLENGES OF MODERNITY A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA BY Christopher George Rene IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Adviser Theofanis G. Stavrou SEPTEMBER 2020 © Christopher G Rene, September 2020 i Acknowledgements Without the steadfast support of my teachers, family and friends this dissertation would not have been possible, and I am pleased to have the opportunity to express my deep debt of gratitude and thank them all. I would like to thank the members of my dissertation committee, who together guided me through to the completion of this dissertation. My adviser Professor Theofanis G. Stavrou provided a resourceful outlet by helping me navigate through administrative channels and stay on course academically. Moreover, he fostered an inviting space for parrhesia with vigorous dialogue and intellectual tenacity on the ideas of identity, modernity, and the role of Patriarch Dositheos. It was in fact Professor Stavrou who many years ago at a Slavic conference broached the idea of an Orthodox Commonwealth that inspired other academics and myself to pursue the topic. Professor Carla Phillips impressed upon me the significance of daily life among the people of Europe during the early modern period (1450-1800). As Professor Phillips’ teaching assistant for a number of years, I witnessed lectures that animated the historical narrative and inspired students to question their own unique sense of historical continuity and discontinuities. Thank you, Professor Phillips, for such a pedagogical example.
    [Show full text]
  • Mysticism and Greek Monasticism
    Mysticism and Greek Monasticism By JOHANNES RINNE There is reason to assert that Christian mysticism is as old as Christianity itself. In the Pauline epistles, e.g., there are obvious signs of this fact. The later Christian mysticism has, in a high degree, been inspired by these ele- ments and likewise by various corresponding thoughts in the Johannine writings, which traditionally are interpreted from this angle and which have played a central role especially for the Orthodox Church.' In the light of the above-mentioned circumstances, it seems fully natural that there exists, from the very beginning, a clear connection also between mysticism and Christian monasticism. It has been pointed out by certain authors that the role of mystical visions is of essential and decisive significance also as regards the development from the stage of the hermits of the deserts to that form of life which, in the proper sense of the word, is characterised as monastic. There is, generally speaking, no possibility to understand correctly the intentions and the thoughts of the great pioneers of monasticism, unless one takes into account the mystically visionary factors. To this end it is neces- sary, furthermore, to penetrate in an inner, spiritual way, into the holy sym- bolism of the monastic tradition and into the sacred legends of its history.2 In other words, it is necessary to keep constantly in mind the visionary factor and to remember that the pioneers of monastic life, as a rule, are men of which it may be said that they have their conversation in heaven: on the mystical level of vision they converse with the angels as the representatives of the heavenly world and as those organs, by means of which the principles of monastic life are transmitted and given to the men of mystical visions.' The things mentioned above are not merely history.
    [Show full text]
  • The Devil: Does He Exist? and What Does He
    m :^^ r^^\:r:- mSm:,,: .Xhe Devil : ^^ ^ ^ -rioES ' HE ' mMx:'^ ; A j. J ^ AND WHAT DOES HE DO ? BY FATHER DELAPORTE, OF THE SOCIETY OF MEBCY, Doctor of Theology, Professor of Dogma in the Faculty of Bordeaux. ^ranslatilr from tit ^ixil Ifxzntl 'EUiion, BEVISED AND COBBEOTED BY THE AUTHOE, By MES. JAMES SADLIER. NEW YOEK: D. & J. SADLIER & CO., 31 BARCLAY STREET. MONTREAL I COR. NOTRE DAME AND ST. FRANCIS XAVIER STS. 1871. \, • vt • • • -•••" •'•!••. • « • « • <• * ! . • . • r Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1871, By D. & J. SADLIER & CO., In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington. Stereotyped by VINCENT DILL, 85 & 27 New-Chambers St, N. Y. TRANSLATOR'S PREFACE, The valuable and interesting little work now first presented to the public in an English form, appeared, some two or three years since, in France, where it passed through several editions in the space of a few weeks. Its popularity was immense, notwithstanding that other and larger works of a similar nature were already extant. Soon after its appear- ance, it was brought under my notice by an esteemed missionary priest of this city, a member of the same community as the reverend and learned author. I at once commenced its translation, which IV TRANSLATOR S PREFACE. was soon unhappily interrupted by severe and protracted family affliction. After many attempts to continue the transla- tion, I have at length succeeded in ac- c mplishing my task, and now present Father Delaporte's admirable httle work to the American pubhc. If it only in- terests readers as much it did myself in translating it, it will be no less popular here than in France.
    [Show full text]
  • Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
    MIDWESTERN BAPTIST THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY UNCHANGING BEAUTY: FAITH AS THE APPREHENSION OF THE IMMUTABLE GOD’S GLORY REVEALED IN THE SON A PAPER SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE COURSE DR 01-37395 ADVANCED SYSTEMATIC THEOLOGY BY SAMUEL G. PARKISON KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI AUGUST, 19 2018 Introduction Two topics that have generated considerable attention in the field of systematic theology as of late are aesthetics1 and classical theism.2 Though neither topic is new to the Church’s life, each have experienced relative neglect and resurgence. However, notwithstanding how much attention both these theological loci have received, they are not often discussed in relation to one another. This paper seeks to explore their convergence in Christology. To be specific, we seek to answer: is the doctrine of divine immutability compatible with an aesthetic-soteriology, in which Christological glory elicits faith? This paper will contend for the affirmative: indeed, not only is divine immutability compatible with such an aesthetic-soteriology, it is necessary for it to work. Christology will thus serve as the gravitational center for this study, pulling these two areas of interest together. The aesthetic interest of saving faith is Christ, the Word made flesh. Likewise, the central challenge to divine immutability is Christ, the Word made flesh. Structurally, this paper will move from an examination of the aesthetic dimension of saving faith, to Christ’s revelatory role of the immutable God in the incarnation, and will conclude with a brief consideration and response to divine immutability’s challenge in light of the incarnation. Thus, we will show that saving faith in Jesus—as a response to his irresistible beauty—results in mediated access to the unchanging, beautiful Triune God.
    [Show full text]
  • March 2019 RADICAL ORTHODOXYT Theology, Philosophy, Politics R P OP Radical Orthodoxy: Theology, Philosophy, Politics
    Volume 5, no. 1 | March 2019 RADICAL ORTHODOXYT Theology, Philosophy, Politics R P OP Radical Orthodoxy: Theology, Philosophy, Politics Editorial Board Oliva Blanchette Michael Symmons Roberts Conor Cunningham Phillip Blond Charles Taylor Andrew Davison Evandro Botto Rudi A. te Velde Alessandra Gerolin David B. Burrell, C.S.C. Graham Ward Michael Hanby David Fergusson Thomas Weinandy, OFM Cap. Samuel Kimbriel Lord Maurice Glasman Slavoj Žižek John Milbank Boris Gunjević Simon Oliver David Bentley Hart Editorial Team Adrian Pabst Stanley Hauerwas Editor: Catherine Pickstock Johannes Hoff Dritëro Demjaha Aaron Riches Austen Ivereigh Tracey Rowland Fergus Kerr, OP Managing Editor & Layout: Neil Turnbull Peter J. Leithart Eric Austin Lee Joost van Loon Advisory Board James Macmillan Reviews Editor: Talal Asad Mgsr. Javier Martínez Brendan Sammon William Bain Alison Milbank John Behr Michael S Northcott John R. Betz Nicholas Rengger Radical Orthodoxy: A Journal of Theology, Philosophy and Politics (ISSN: 2050-392X) is an internationally peer-reviewed journal dedicated to the exploration of academic and policy debates that interface between theology, philosophy and the social sciences. The editorial policy of the journal is radically non-partisan and the journal welcomes submissions from scholars and intellectuals with interesting and relevant things to say about both the nature and trajectory of the times in which we live. The journal intends to publish papers on all branches of philosophy, theology aesthetics (including literary, art and music criticism) as well as pieces on ethical, political, social, economic and cultural theory. The journal will be published four times a year; each volume comprising of standard, special, review and current affairs issues.
    [Show full text]
  • The Concept of “Sister Churches” in Catholic-Orthodox Relations Since
    THE CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY OF AMERICA The Concept of “Sister Churches” In Catholic-Orthodox Relations since Vatican II A DISSERTATION Submitted to the Faculty of the School of Theology and Religious Studies Of The Catholic University of America In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree Doctor of Philosophy © Copyright All Rights Reserved By Will T. Cohen Washington, D.C. 2010 The Concept of “Sister Churches” In Catholic-Orthodox Relations since Vatican II Will T. Cohen, Ph.D. Director: Paul McPartlan, D.Phil. Closely associated with Catholic-Orthodox rapprochement in the latter half of the 20 th century was the emergence of the expression “sister churches” used in various ways across the confessional division. Patriarch Athenagoras first employed it in this context in a letter in 1962 to Cardinal Bea of the Vatican Secretariat for the Promotion of Christian Unity, and soon it had become standard currency in the bilateral dialogue. Yet today the expression is rarely invoked by Catholic or Orthodox officials in their ecclesial communications. As the Polish Catholic theologian Waclaw Hryniewicz was led to say in 2002, “This term…has now fallen into disgrace.” This dissertation traces the rise and fall of the expression “sister churches” in modern Catholic-Orthodox relations and argues for its rehabilitation as a means by which both Catholic West and Orthodox East may avoid certain ecclesiological imbalances toward which each respectively tends in its separation from the other. Catholics who oppose saying that the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church are sisters, or that the church of Rome is one among several patriarchal sister churches, generally fear that if either of those things were true, the unicity of the Church would be compromised and the Roman primacy rendered ineffective.
    [Show full text]
  • 'Cast Thy Burden Upon the Lord, and He Shall Sustain Thee': Consolatory Letter Practices at the Muscovy Tsar's Court in Th
    ‘Cast Thy Burden upon the Lord, and He Shall Sustain Thee’: Consolatory Letter Practices at the Muscovy Tsar ’s Court in the Second Half of the Seventeenth Century Anastasia A. Preobrazhenskaya National Research University Higher School of Economics Moscow, Russia Abstract: Consolation in Orthodox Christianity, tightly bound with the idea of death, was traditionally included within the scope of religious and church practices, and constituted a distinct consolatory discourse. Preachers and parish priests consoled relatives of deceased persons with their sermons, quoting verses from the New Testament (e.g. Matthew 9.24, Phil 1.23, Jn 11.25, etc.), and by engaging laity in oral consolation discourses in private conversations. Ecclesiastic authorities created consolatory epistles1 that functioned as a written substitute for spoken dialogue and were addressed to tzars and princes, sometimes to fellow clergymen, and in later periods — to laity. However, consolatory discourse was not solely a verbal practice, though the verbal aspect constituted a large part of it. In general, consolation encompassed icons (icons depicting the Virgin Mary, mainly of the Eleusa type, Ἐλεούσα), accompanying liturgical texts (kondaks, acathistoses, troparions), and corresponding parts of the Old and New Testaments, read during liturgies and included in sermons and literature. In the canons and decrees of the Sixth Ecumenical 1 Ceræ: An Australasian Journal of Medieval and Early Modern Studies, 3 (2016) Council it was stated that, ‘Depiction is inseparable from the Gospel, and vice versa the Gospel is iconic […] What is communicated by a word through hearing, iconography shows silently, through depiction.’2 The verbal part of the discourse being the most powerful and the most commonly used was built upon three principal biblical figures and associated motifs: God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Virgin Mary.
    [Show full text]