The primary purpose of faith in and theology and dogma about Christ and His relation to the Father and the Holy Spirit is to lead humanity:
The subject "Jesus Christ - The Life of the World" is, therefore, primarily and essentially therapeutic and perfectionist in nature, and in this sense ecclesiological. Only the illumined and glorified are members of the Body of Christ and temples of the Holy Spirit. In this respect purification and illumination have some parallels in the therapeutical sciences, especially psychiatry, but glorification (theosis) is known and preserved only at the core of the Christian tradition and possibly in Judaism also. They are related to the social sciences not as an ethical or moral principles, but as therapeutic asceticism. As one cannot separate psychiatric knowledge from practice, similarly faith, prayer, theology, and dogma cannot be separated from their therapeutical application. As one cannot transform psychiatric knowledge into an abstract or metaphysical system, in the same way one cannot do this with the Orthodox tradition either. The relationship between knowledge and therapy is about the same for patristic theology as it is for medical science. Truth is measured by the success of therapy, and successful therapy establishes the descriptive analysis of the ways and means it was and is accomplished.
- to the purification and illumination of the heart, i.e. the therapy of the center of human personality, and
- to glorification (theosis), which is the perfection of personhood. In the vision of the uncreated glory and rule (vasileia) of Christ in and among His saints, the members of His Body, the Church. Faith, prayer, theology, and dogma are the therapeutical methods and signposts on the road of illumination to perfection which, when reached, abolishes faith, prayer, theology, and dogma, since the final goal of these is their abolishment in glorification and selfess love (1 Cor. 13, 8, 10).
The subject "Jesus Christ - The Life of the World" is, therefore, primarily and essentially therapeutic and perfectionist in nature, and in this sense ecclesiological. Only the illumined and glorified are members of the Body of Christ and temples of the Holy Spirit. In this respect purification and illumination have some parallels in the therapeutical sciences, especially psychiatry, but glorification (theosis) is known and preserved only at the core of the Christian tradition and possibly in Judaism also. They are related to the social sciences not as an ethical or moral principles, but as therapeutic asceticism. As one cannot separate psychiatric knowledge from practice, similarly faith, prayer, theology, and dogma cannot be separated from their therapeutical application. As one cannot transform psychiatric knowledge into an abstract or metaphysical system, in the same way one cannot do this with the Orthodox tradition either. The relationship between knowledge and therapy is about the same for patristic theology as it is for medical science. Truth is measured by the success of therapy, and successful therapy establishes the descriptive analysis of the ways and means it was and is accomplished.
Δεν υπάρχουν σχόλια:
Δημοσίευση σχολίου