Sacrament of Deification: the Uche Aristic Vision of Alexander Schmemann in Light of the Doctrine of Theosis Janet Puppo
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Duquesne University Duquesne Scholarship Collection Electronic Theses and Dissertations Spring 2007 Sacrament of Deification: The uchE aristic Vision of Alexander Schmemann in Light of the Doctrine of Theosis Janet Puppo Follow this and additional works at: https://dsc.duq.edu/etd Recommended Citation Puppo, J. (2007). Sacrament of Deification: The uchE aristic Vision of Alexander Schmemann in Light of the Doctrine of Theosis (Doctoral dissertation, Duquesne University). Retrieved from https://dsc.duq.edu/etd/1067 This Immediate Access is brought to you for free and open access by Duquesne Scholarship Collection. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Duquesne Scholarship Collection. For more information, please contact [email protected]. SACRAMENT OF DEIFICATION: THE EUCHARISTIC VISION OF ALEXANDER SCHMEMANN IN LIGHT OF THE DOCTRINE OF THEOSIS A Dissertation Presented to the Faculty of the Departmemt of Theology McAnulty College and Graduate School of Liberal Arts Duquesne University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy by Janet M. Bellotti Puppo April 10, 2007 To my parents, Dominic and Mary Bellotti, who taught me to believe, to hope, and to love above all things ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to acknowledge with gratitude those who have accompanied me on my wonderful journey into the world of Eastern Orthodoxy. First of all, I am very grateful to Rev. Dr. Michael Slusser for his confidence in the viability of this study, and for his assistance in preparing the proposal. I am deeply grateful to Dr. Jean Donovan, whose direction kept me focused on the wisdom of Hansel and Gretel, and the importance of the narrative. I am also indebted to Orthodox priest and theologian, Rev. Dr. Radu Bordeianu. My work, as well as the Duquesne University community, has been especially blessed by his timely presence. In addition, I extend my gratitude to my first professor at Duquesne, Dr. George Worgul, whose wisdom and sacramental insights encouraged my interest in sacramental theology. A special note of thanks is due to scholar and friend, Dr. Marie Baird, for her support and encouragement of this study. I would also like to acknowledge the Rev. Dr. John Erikson and Dr. Paul Meyendorff, for their gracious hospitality during my visit to St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary. I am especially grateful for their permission to reproduce my interviews with them in this investigation. I would like to thank Karen Jermyn, the Assistant Librarian at St. Vladimir’s Seminary library, for her assistance in my research. In addition, I would like to extend my appreciation to Fr. Thomas Hopko for his response to my inquiries about his father-in-law, Fr. Schmemann. A thank you is in order to Dr. Donald Fairbairn for his permission to elaborate on the theme of his text, Eastern Orthodoxy Through Western Eyes. Lastly, a special thank you to the staff of Barbour Library and the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary for the use of their resources over the years. iii CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. ii INTRODUCTION . 1 Chapter 1. CALLED INTO BEING . 10 Introduction . 10 A Eucharistic Crisis. 12 Secularism . 17 Liturgical Unconsciousness . 24 Theosis is Rooted in Perichoresis . 32 Trinitarian Perichoresis . 32 Christological Perichoresis . 40 Soteriological Perichoresis . 44 Trinitarian Perichoresis and the Origin of Creation . 47 Creation Implies Theosis . 51 The Cosmology of St. Maximus the Confessor . 54 Staniloae and Cosmic Transfiguration . 59 Theosis: The Theological Vision of Eastern Christianity . 65 Theosis and Human Destiny . 70 The Deifying Role of the Holy Spirit . 75 Theosis and the Doctrine of the Holy Spirit . 77 The Church and the “Spirit” of Pentecost . 80 Baptism and Eucharist: The Means of Theosis . 86 Conclusion . 93 iv 2. ENGAGING EASTERN CHRISTIANITY ON ITS OWN TERMS Introduction . 97 The Meaning of Creation . 101 Creation: A Spiritual Geocentrism . 106 Created in the Image of God . 113 The Fall . 124 From Innocence to Corruption . 125 Evil . 134 The Garments of Skin . 138 Summary . 150 Elevation: More Than Redemption . 151 From Descent to Ascent . 152 The Cross and the Holy Spirit . 158 The Ark of Salvation . 164 Conclusion . 168 3. THEOSIS; THE BLESSED TELOS FOR WHICH ALL THINGS WERE MADE Introduction . 173 The Doctrine Unfolds . 179 Theophilus of Antioch . 180 St. Irenaeus of Lyons . 183 Theosis and the Sacraments . 191 St. Athanasius . 195 The Deifying Role of the Holy Spirit . 200 St. Gregory of Nyssa . 209 The Transcendence of God . .. 210 Created In the Image of God . 213 The Fall of the Deified Form . 220 The Incarnation . 223 Sacramental Dimension . 225 The Soul’s Ascent to God . 229 v Deification as Participation in Divine Light: The Monastic Tradition . 239 St. Symeon the New Theologian . 245 St. Gregory Palamas . 250 Gregory Palamas and Theosis as Participation in Divine Light 254 Conclusion . 267 4. THE EUCHARISTIC VISION OF ALEXANDER SCHMEMANN Introduction . 274 Baptismal Beginnings . 280 The Cosmic Nature of Baptism . 285 Humanity as King, Priest, and Prophet . 288 Baptism and Eucharist: A Holistic Approach . 298 The World as Sacrament . 300 Western Influence . 310 The Eucharist: The Fulfillment of the Sacramentality of the World . 316 Eucharist: The Sacrament of the Church . 320 The Eucharist: The True Form of the Church . 324 Passage and Ascent . 328 Eucharist: Sacrament of the Kingdom . 335 Schmemann’s Theological Vision . 337 The Messianic Banquet . .. 342 Schmemann and Eschatology . .. 345 Eucharist: Sacrament of Deification . 347 The Human Person Created for Eucharist . 349 Fullness of Knowledge . 351 Communion With the Father . 354 Fullness of Freedom . 356 Remembering Until Christ Comes Again . 360 Conclusion . 367 vi 5. HINTS OF THEOSIS IN WESTERN EUCHARISTIC THEOLOGIES OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY Introduction . 374 The Liturgical Movement and the Encounter Between East and West . 387 Romano Guardini and the Spirit of the Liturgy . 388 Yves Congar: The Father of Roman Catholic Ecumenism . 399 Congar and the Orthodox . 404 Jean Daniélou: Symbolism and Secularism . 407 Sacramental Symbolism . .. 408 Secularism . 419 Louis Bouyer: Theology of the Eucharist . 422 Bouyer and the “Theology of Liturgy” . .. 425 Summary . 433 The Role of the Liturgy in the Order of Preachers . 434 Hints of Theosis in the Eucharistic Vision of Marie-Vincent Bernadot, O.P. 436 Divine Grace: The Mode of Presence . 444 The “Supernatural Vocation” of Humankind . 445 The Holy Spirit: “The Artisan of [Humanity’s] Deification 448 Summary . 451 Hints of Theosis in the Eucharistic Vision of Jean-Marie Roger Tillard, O.P. 455 The Eucharist as the First Moment of Salvation . 459 The Eucharist as the Second Moment of Salvation . 465 Summary . 474 Conclusion . 476 5. TOWARD A RENEWED THEOLOGICAL VISION Introduction . 481 Observations . 481 Theosis in Western Eucharistic Theologies . 495 Inferential Arguments.