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Reinterpreting Democracy Through Zizioulas' Ontology of Personhood

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Reinterpreting Democracy Through Zizioulas' Ontology of Personhood p-ISSN: 2302-5476 e-ISSN: 2579-3934 JURNAL TEOLOGI 07.02 (2018): 105-122 REINTERPRETING DEMOCRACY THROUGH ZIZIOULAS’ ONTOLOGY OF PERSONHOOD Angga Indraswara a,1 a Universitas Sanata Dharma, Yogyakarta, Indonesia 1 [email protected] ABSTRACT In the landscape of modern theology, John D. Zizioulas is noted for his con- tribution in retrieving the works of the Cappadocian Fathers in the areas Keywords: of Trinitarian theology and ontology of personhood. Disenchanted by the predominance of Augustinian “Substantialism”, which he claims to place John D. Zizioulas; too much emphasis on the unity of God, Zizioulas turns to the ideas of the Trinitarian theology; Cappadocian Fathers in order to offer a “Personalist” approach in Trini- personhood; tarian theology. Such an approach, in turn, leads to the development of a hypostasis; particular ontology of personhood, in which Person is understood both as ekstasis; hypostasis and ekstasis. This article appropriates Zizioulas’ conception of democracy; person to provide an ontological justification for the idea of democracy. communion Zizioulas’ conception of “Person” as hypostasis can form the ontological ground for the notion of equality, whereas his idea of “Person” as ekstasis offers the ground for the cultivation of a democratic political culture, in which communion with the “Poor and Suffering Other” is not simply a theo- logical possibility, but a civic duty. With the collapse of the Soviet Union endeavor to tackle these challenges and and the end of the Cold War in the twilight provide a stronger ground for democracy. of the twentieth century, liberal democra­ Due to its faith in the Incarnate God whose cy was widely perceived as the model of salvific work takes place in the flow of his­ governance par excellence. Calls for de­ tory, Christianity and the Catholic Church mocratization echoed in many countries. cannot but be involved in this collective act The dream for global peace under the blan­ of revitalizing democracy. Such an involve­ ket of democracy, however, was quickly ment can materialize either into a move­ shattered by the surging wave of identity ment to support pluralism and democracy politics. As this frequently manifests in le­ or in the form of a theological reflection. thal acts of violence which beset the pro­ As it seeks to offer a theological justifica­ cess of democratization, proponents of de­ tion for democracy, the aim of this article is mocracy cannot but engage in the common clearly the latter. DOI: 10.24071/jt.v7i2.1199 W: http://e-journal.usd.ac.id/index.php/jt | E: [email protected] JURNAL TEOLOGI 07.02 (2018): 105-122 To achieve this aim, this article seeks to forming a sufficiently deep understanding unearth the riches of early Christian theolo­ of the relations amongst the persons of the gy and demons trate its significance in help­ Trinity. For Zizioulas’, the focus on the one­ ing democracy counter the challenges posed ness of God has unwittingly made otherness by identity politics. As a starting point, it will secondary to oneness. look into the work of John D. Zizioulas’ on The tendency to subordinate otherness, the Cappadocian Fathers’ Trinitarian theol­ in Zizioulas’ view, has serious ramifica­ ogy. According to Zizioulas’, the Trinitarian tions for the vitality of the Church. Given theology of the Cappadocian Fathers gener­ the prevalence of “Substantialism” in the ates an ontology which defines personhood Western Church, Zizioulas’ observes that as both hypostasis and ekstasis. These twin “the West always started with the one God concepts will be appropriated in this article and then moved to the Trinity, whereas the to present an ontological justification for the East followed the opposite course … [Quite idea of demo cracy. Firstly, it will demonstrate often, this] has amounted to the West’s be­ that Zizioulas’ conception of “Person” as hy­ ginning and ending up with the one God postasis can form the ontological ground for and never actually arriving at the Trinity”.3 the notion of equality. Secondly, it will show Zizioulas’ claims that such a failure makes that the idea of “Person” as ekstasis is equal­ the Church bland and dour, for it exagger­ ly important for it calls for the cultivation ated the importance of unity and underrat­ of a democratic political culture, in which ed the worth and richness of otherness. Ec­ communion with the “Poor and Suffering clesiologically, this manifests in a penchant O ther” is not simply a theological possibility, for bestowing ontological priority to the but a civic duty. universal church over the local church.4 Not infrequently, this means the imposition FROM A “SUBSTANTIALIST” TO A of the view of the universal Church on the “PERSONALIST” THEOLOGY local Church.5 As the emergence of local Zizioulas’ attempt to retrieve the Cap­ initiatives is curbed, the local Church grad­ padocian Fathers’ ontology of personhood ually loses its otherness, and with that, the stems from his initiative to offer an alter­ vibrancy of its heritage. native to the “Substantialist” approach in Against this backdrop, Zizioulas’ calls for Trinitarian theology. According to Ziziou­ the retrieval of a “Personalist” approach to las’, Trinitarian theology in the Western the doctrine of God. To achieve this aim, he Church has for far too long been predeter­ turns mainly to the ideas of the Cappadocian mined by Augustinian “Substantialism”.1 Fathers, namely St. Basil the Great, bishop The term refers to a specific approach in of Caesarea in Cappadocia (c.330­379), St. Trinitarian theology that is influenced by Gregory of Nazianzus (c. 330­89/90), who Greek ontology in such a way that it de­ became bishop for a brief a time in Sassi­ scribes the being of God by giving ontolog­ ma, Cappadocia and then Archbishop at ical priority to substance (ousia) over per­ Constantinople, and St. Gregory of Nyssa sonal relations.2 Consequently, as Zizioulas’ (c. 335­394), the younger brother of St. contends, Western Trinitarian theology Basil.6 In the history of Christianity, these displays a tendency to overemphasize the three Church Fathers are revered mainly for unity or oneness of God at the expense of 106 H. Angga Indraswara: Reinterpreting Democracy Through Zizioulas’ Ontology of Personhood JURNAL TEOLOGI 07.02 (2018): 105-122 their decisive contribution in giving the final For this redefinition to be successful, shape of the doctrine of the Trinity.7 The im­ however, the Cappadocians had to be able to portance of their idea was such that Ziziou­ provide a satisfying answer to the problem las’ regards their influence as a “theological of reconciling the idea of three persons and and philosophical originality” that “sealed the oneness of God. To solve this riddle, the the entire history of Christian thought” and Cappadocians suggested that ousia (sub­ “ignited ‘a radical reorientation of classical stance) or physis (nature) is a general cat­ Greek thought’”.8 egory, whereas hypostases refer to concrete individuals.13 This allows them to speak of The Cappadocians left their indelible God as one substance and three hypostases mark in the history of Christian doctrine through the analogy of three men. Such an primarily through their redefinition of the analogy, however, could have been easi ly term hypostasis. Prior to their interven­ misunderstood as tritheism. tion, in Greek speaking Christianity the terms ‘ousia’ and ‘hypostasis’ essentially To avoid it, the Cappadocians carefully meant the same thing.9 Both referred to a de lineated the being of man and the being general metaphysical category which des­ of God. God and man are differentiated by cribed the unchanging being or what is the eternality of God’s existence and the underlying and fundamental within each temporality of human existence.14 As cre­ individual thing.10 As a result, the Church ated being are bound by time and space, could not find a proper formulation to ex­ humans share the human nature, which press its faith in the Trinitarian God. When pre­exists before each particular individ­ the Cappadocians burst on the theological ual. The divine nature, in contrast, does landscape, however, they provided a break­ not precede the three divine persons, be­ through by distinguishing the terms ‘hy­ cause God is beyond the confines of time postasis’ and ‘ousia’, so that the two would and space.15 Since God did not have a be­ no longer be regarded as synonyms. From ginning, the three divine persons do not ex­ then on, the Latin word ‘substantia’ was ist prior to their divine nature, but coincide translated into Greek as ousia (in English, with it.16 As Zizioulas’ affirms, “God is not it would either be ‘substance’ or ‘nature’), first one and then three, but simultaneously whereas the term ‘hypostasis’ would mean One and Three”.17 Unlike humans who are ‘person’.11 By doing so, they disassociated divided into individuals, the three persons the term ‘hypostasis’ from ‘ousia’ and iden­ of the Trinity are united in an unbreakable tified it with ‘prosopon’ – a term which is communion. None of the divine persons per definition relational. “This meant that can be conceived without the others. More from now on a relational term entered into importantly, this shows that communion is ontology and, conversely, that an ontolog­ itself ontological. ical category such as hypostasis entered Zizioulas’ regards the solution provided the relational categories of existence. To be by the Cappadocians as an “ontological rev­ and to be in relation becomes identical.”12 olution”. By redefining the term “hyposta­ Henceforth, the term person acquired an sis”, the Cappadocians presented a defini­ ontological significance, and this is why tive solution to the puzzle of reconciling the Zizioulas’ defines his theological approach oneness of God and the faith in the Trini­ as “Personalism”.
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