I have been sharing the ideas of both Athanasius and Cyril about Jesus. They saw Him as Perfect God and Perfect Man and the Council of Chalcedon affirmed their understanding. If Athanasius and Cyril, by defending the divinity of Christ … Continue reading
Category Archives: Learning Our Faith from the Church Fathers
Although Cyril’s Christology needed to be more clearly defined, the Council of Chalcedon did not, in any way, disavow Cyril. It only attempted to answer the legitimate fears of the Antiochians that Cyril had fallen into Apollinarianism. Not only does … Continue reading
I would continue sharing Cyril’s ideas about Christ as Savior in the East. There is no doubt that Cyril used ambiguous terminology (like his formula one nature incarned of God the Word, which he unknowingly borrowed from Apollinaris), but his … Continue reading
We Eastern Christians follow St. Maximos the Confessor, one of the greatest of systematic theologians. He died in 662 CE from mutilation that was inflicted by the government after his arrest along with Pope St. Martin I. He named eight … Continue reading
I have been sharing the thoughts of St. Cyril on Christ as the Emmanuel. The whole spiritual experience reflected in Cyril’s Christology implies two central intuitions: (1) God, in the search for incomplete humanity, does not stop halfway, but goes … Continue reading
In the last issue of this article, I began sharing with my readers the thoughts of St. Cyril of Alexandria about Christ, Who is the Emmanuel. He once proclaimed, paraphrasing Isaiah, that “it is not an elder, nor an angel, … Continue reading
I would first offer a few more thoughts from our Father Athanasius of Alexandria. In the last bulletin I ended this article by sharing with my readers that the divine identity of Jesus, equal to the Father, was not a … Continue reading
According to all three Synoptic Gospels, Jesus, on the way to Caesarea Philippi, a few days before the end of His messianic ministry in Jerusalem, asked His disciples a question about their belief concerning His personal identity: “Who do you … Continue reading
In the last issue I shared with you St. John Chrysostom’s concept of the condescension of God involved in His Incarnation. His concept involved a distinction between the essence and energies of God. In this there is a remarkable resemblance … Continue reading
What is John Chrysostom’s gnosiology (the theory or philosophy of learning) which forms his understanding of the revelation of God. I know that this may be rather abstract, but it believe it will become clearer as you read on. St. … Continue reading