Theosis pp 2331 Michael J Christensen Promise Premise Engaging inspiring powerful idea What does becoming god really mean Origin and Development of the concept Interpretation of 2 Peter 14 ID: 259343
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Slide1
The Problem, Promise and Process of Theosis, pp. 23-31
Michael J. ChristensenSlide2
Promise Premise
Engaging, inspiring, powerful idea
What does becoming god really mean?
Origin and Development of the concept
Interpretation of 2 Peter 1:4
Irenaeus and AthanasiusSlide3
Process Premise
Soteriology
What is the
process
of human deification in patristic soteriology?Slide4
Problem Premise
The contemporary philosophical and theological
problems
, if any, with human beings becoming divineSlide5
The Promise of Theosis
Is there a Divine
promiseof
divinization implicit in Scriptures?
Fathers associate
thosis
with Divine intention:
Gen 1:26-7; Gen 3:5; Ps. 82:6;
Jn
10: 34-35; Mt 5:48;
2Cor 3:18; 2Pt 1:4; 1Jn 3:1-2Slide6
Promise,contd
According to
Pelikan
promise of salvation seen as
theosis
based on two passages:
Ps. 82:6 “You are gods”, quoted in
Jn
10:34-35
2
Pt
1:4 “
exceedongly
great promise” that believers would become “partakers of the divine nature and thus escape the corruption of the world and its passions”Slide7
Promise, Contd
Pelikan
posits two promises:
1) righteous men and angels would become divine
2)Being united with Christ is the means
SIMILARITY to Christ: a deifying force
Greek Paganism: rise from active to contemplative
Greek
Chrty
: 3
rd
step (be made divine)Slide8
Promise, contd
Gregory of Nyssa
,
De
hominis
opificio
: humans created neither male nor female. Rather, a dual nature “God created them male
and
female.” Likeness lost in differentiation into genders, but restored in Christ, in whom neither male nor female.Slide9
Promise, contd
Origen
, De
Principiis
, Image at first creation, likeness at consummation
Irenaeus
,
Adversus
Haereses
, created in innocence, humans have capacity to grow into maturity in God
“You will be like God” in Gen 3:5 spoken by serpent is God’s promise, but actualized through obedience not disobedience
Augustine
,
De
Natura
et Gratia
: Pride as originating sin that thwarts or delays
theosisSlide10
Promise, contd
Ps 82
”You are Gods” is a call to act like God, to be just
Jn
10: 34-5
J
esus responds to accusation that he made himself to be God and quotes Ps 82
Mt. 5:48
similar: Be ye perfect as Father
Perfection often = deification
(but be careful not to
ellide
all terms)Slide11
Promise, contd
2
Pt
1:4
SOMETIMES interpreted as promising
theosis
, by participation
1
Jn
3:2
we shall be like him
2Cor 3:18
we will be changed into his likeness, from glory to glorySlide12
The Process of Theosis
Plato
:
Thaetetus
, highest human aim is
eudaimonia
(to be blessed with a good internal divinity)
Likeness to God so far as possible
Neoplatonic
Christian tradition would debate how far is possibleSlide13
Process, contd
Clement of Alexandria
,
Paedagogus
:
Baptized, illuminated, made sons, made perfect, made immortal, then quotes Ps 82:6 You are gods
Origen
,
Contra
Celsum
:
theosis
possible because of
enanthropesis
Divine and human woven together in Christ. Prolonged fellowship with divinity makes human nature
divinizable
.Slide14
Process, contd
Origen
,
Exhortatio
ad
marytrium
:
Education of souls, transformation of nature, unification with God.
God is all in all
Apokatastasis
ton
panton
Image of ascent, taking flightSlide15
Process, contd
Ephrem
the Syrian
,
Hymns on Faith
Great chasm between divinity and humanity, but God comes down, so we may ascend
I mage of three-staged growth of birds from egg to nest to flight, until they spread their wings in the form of a cross, so also humans
Ephrem
also uses images: luminous eye, polished mirror, medicine of life, garments of light & glory, Tree of ParadiseSlide16
Process, contd
Gregory the Theologian:
God polishing the mirror of the Image in us
(only partial, until we know as we are known)
Gregory of Nyssa
De Vita
M
oysis
:
No limits to the degree of perfection, knowledge of God or likeness that can be progressively achieved: gradual
tansfromation
from glory to glory. Never satiated.Slide17
Process, contd
Cyril of Alexandria
,
Commentarium
in
Johannem
:
Deification as supreme goal of created beings
Participation and interpenetration
Eucharist, Holy Spirit
Images of 2 pieces of wax melted together, of iron in the fireSlide18
Process, contd
Maximus the Confessor:
Theosis
as
perichoresis
- INTERPENETRATION
First communion in Christ, then mystical union
Human by nature, we become divine by grace, progressively in this life, fully in eternal lifeSlide19
Process, contd
In
Sophiological
or
Sophianic
tradition
Solovyev
,
Bulgakov
,
Florensky
, Sheptytsky:
Divine-humanity (
Bohochelovichestvo
)
God’s
consciousnerss
of self through humanity and humanity’s consciousness of self through Divinity
Simultaneous kenosis and
theosisSlide20
Process, contd
While images and terminology used may differ among Eastern and Western Christian traditions, agreement on the fact that human beings are called in some way to become god.Slide21
The Problem of Theosis
Quotes the Orthodox Study Bible and its caution against what deification is not
What is the problem with
theosis
that it
requirtes
such a cautionary commentary?
Psychology,
Philosphy
, TheologySlide22
Problem, contd
Psychology has moved from ancient notions of essential soul (psyche) that is able to transcend human nature
Now psychoanalysis of the relational or constructed self in the process of becoming an integrated whole Slide23
Process, contd
Philosophy:
Theosis seen as problem of the One and the Many
In
post-
structuralist
philosophy
no essential self or foundational reality, either as unity or plurality
Post-structuralism
Any of various theories or methods of analysis, including deconstruction and some psychoanalytic theories, that deny the validity of structuralism's method of binary opposition and maintain that meanings and intellectual categories are shifting and unstable
. –
The
F
ree DictionarySlide24
Problem, contd
Theology
Deification as ontological is objectionable in most Western Christian
trdaitions
This is not only an issue of us not becoming deified and thus negating the otherness of God.
It is also an issue of union with God possibly meaning a destruction of our human selves.Slide25
Problem, contd
“enlightened” theologians try to dilute or domesticate:
Retranslation as sanctification, imputed or imparted righteousness, glorification,
Christification
, etc.
Omission or objection to the term and the concept
Historicization
(forgive those
carzy
ancients)Slide26
Problem, contd
This volume
:
Both historical and contemporary contexts
Within various Christian traditions