The Doctrine Of Deification In The Greek Patristic Tradition

Deification was not only a pagan concept but a metaphor for a deeply Christian view of the purpose of human life. This title brings together much recent research on the Church Fathers from the second to the seventh centuries, offering an analysis of their spiritual teaching and setting it within the context of the times.

"Contributors to this volume refute the widely held perception that the doctrine of deification primarily belonged in the Eastern Church, and that the Western Church reduced the rich biblical and Greek patristic understanding of salvation to a narrow view of redemption. To the contrary, these essays provide evidence of the wide-ranging use of deification themes in major Latin patristic sources, showing that deification was a native part of early Latin theology that was consitently and creatively employed"--

The notion of the deification of the human person (theosis, theopoièsis, deificatio) was one of the most fundamental themes of Christian theology in its first centuries, especially in the Greek world. It is often assumed that this theme was exclusively developed in Eastern theology after the patristic period, and thus its presence in the theology of the Latin West is generally overlooked. The aim of this collection is to explore some Patristic articulations of the doctrine in both the East and West, but also to highlight its enduring presence in the Western tradition and its relevance for contemporary thought. The collection thus brings together a number of capita selecta that focus on the development of theosis through the ages until the Early Modern Period. It is unique, not only in emphasising the role of theosis in the West, but also in bringing to the fore a number of little-known authors and texts, and analysing their theology from a variety of fresh perspectives. Thus, mystical theology in the West is shown to have profound connections with similar concerns in the East and with the common patristic sources. By tying these traditions together, this volume brings new insight to one of mysticism’s key concerns. As such, it will be of significant interest to scholars of religious studies, mysticism, theology and the history of religion.

Combining meticulous research with thoughtful conclusion, this remarkable collection of essays explores ancient Egyptian and early Christian thought and leads to a better, more comprehensive understanding of these ancient peoples' key beliefs. Worlds Apart is composed of four well-written essays, each chosen with the purpose of engaging both the layperson and the researcher. Using literary, philosophical, historical, and psychological approaches, Ihab Khalil examines several important components of these two vastly different cultures. Topics include Dualism in ancient Egyptian thought The Myth of Osiris Early Christian Christology, both orthodox and heterodox Christian Mysticism Khalil includes an extensive bibliography of his sources conducive to further study and research. In addition, illustrations, footnotes, and tables complement Khalil's writing, leading to an even more thorough understanding of his subject. Insightful and deeply engaging, Worlds Apart is destined to become the definitive work on understanding the core beliefs of these two cultures.

This volume illustrates the complexity and variety of early Christian thought on the subject of the image of God as a theological concept, and the difficulties that arise even in the interpretation of particular authors who gave a cardinal place to the image of God in their expositions of Christian doctrine. The first part illustrates both the presence and the absence of the image of God in the earliest Christian literature; the second examines various studies in deification, both implicit and explicit; the third explores the relation between iconography and the theological notion of the image

Norman Russell's innovative study offers fresh insights into the developing concepts of theosis across Eastern and Western traditions.

Asked about the Orthodox doctrine of salvation, many people will say it has to do with theosis or deification, yet few can explain what theosis actually means. Normal Russell builds on his magisterial study, The Doctrine of Deification in the Greek Patristic Tradition, to present this complex teaching of the Fathers with uncompromising scholarship and welcome clarity. The book will interest specialists and non-specialists alike. About the Author: Norman Russell is an independent scholar who has written widely on Orthodox themes, specializing in early Greek patristics and fourteenth-century hesychasm. He is the author of The Doctrine of Deification in the Greek Patristic Tradition.

Early Christian writers preferred to speak of the coming resurrection in the most bodily way possible: the resurrection of the flesh. Twentieth-century theologian Karl Barth took the same avenue, daring to speak of humans' eternal life in rather striking corporeal terms. In this study, Nathan Hitchcock pulls together Barth's doctrine of the resurrection of the flesh, anticipating what the great thinker might have said more systematically in volume V of his Church Dogmatics. Provocatively, Hitchcock goes on to argue that Barth's description of the resurrection--as eternalization, as manifestation, as incorporation--bears much in common with some unlikely programs and, contrary to its intention, jeopardizes the very contours of human life it hopes to preserve. In addition to contributing to Barth studies, this book offers a sober warning to theologians pursuing eschatology through notions of participation.