In presenting the ideas of the Eastern Fathers of the Church, I am attempting to emphasize the fact that the spirituality of our Eastern Church is different from that of the Western Church. It is a long and noble tradition … Continue reading
Category Archives: Learning Our Faith from the Church Fathers
I have been sharing in this article what the Eastern Fathers taught about the idea of the Original Fall, especially as it is connected with the Mystery of Baptism. They maintained that the fall resulted in human mortality and not … Continue reading
There is indeed a consensus in Greek patristic and Byzantine traditions in identifying the inheritance of the Fall as an inheritance essentially of mortality rather than of sinfulness, sinfulness being merely a consequence of mortality. The idea appears in Chrysostom, … Continue reading
The Greek patristic understanding of man never denies the unity of mankind or replaces it with a radical individualism. The Pauline doctrine of the two Adams (“As in Adam all men die, so also in Christ shall all be brought … Continue reading
In order to understand the many major theological problems which arose between East and West, both before and after the schism, the extraordinary impact upon Western thought of Augustine’s polemics against Pelagius and Julian of Eclanum must be fully taken … Continue reading
For the entire patristic and Byzantine tradition, knowledge of God implies participation in God and includes not only intellectual knowledge but the experience of being in union with God. In the monastic tradition of Macarius, this idea of participation is … Continue reading
I would preface my sharing of Maximus’ thoughts on man this week by repeating a paragraph that I used to end last week’s installment. This is how last week ended. As Maximus stated, the natural participation of man in God … Continue reading
The thoughts of Maximus, which I have been sharing with you during the past several weeks, leads me to sharing with you Eastern Christianity’s thoughts about man. The view of man prevailing in the Christian East is based upon the … Continue reading
St. Maximos the Confessor was born in Constantinople in 580 CE, the son of a noble Byzantine family. He majored in philosophy and theology in school and, in 610, became confidential secretary to Emperor Herakleios until the Emperor’s death in … Continue reading
I have been sharing in this article the thoughts of Maximus the Confessor on divinization and spiritual progress. He taught that the experience of God is a type of knowledge that is based on active engagement or relationship with God … Continue reading