Christian History Magazine—Issue 54: Eastern Orthodoxy
Overview
Orthodoxy rarely gets positive press in the West—and it’s not hard to see why. Themes of victory and theosis (divinization) take the place of Western theological strongholds like justification. Beliefs crystallize into images rather than ideas, into stories rather than statements. The incomprehensibility of God causes Easterners to celebrate while Westerners grow anxious. This issue of Christian History and Biography includes both Orthodox and Protestant authors who lend perspective on the Schism, the key similarities and differences between Rome and Constantinople, and the many ways in which the West can learn from the East.
Due to digital rights restrictions, this product may not include every image found in the print edition.
Top Highlights
“The contrasting conversions signal a key difference: in the Orthodox East, aesthetics play a major role in theology; the West prefers to work primarily with texts.” (source)
“John Meyendorff (d. 1992), ‘The Christian faith and experience can in no way be compatible with the notion of sola scriptura’ and the rejection of all ecclesiastical authority except Scripture. This elevation of the Bible above the church, the consequence of which is private interpretation, George Florovsky (d. 1979) once called ‘the sin of the Reformation.’” (source)
“Orthodoxy believes that the Spirit of God speaks to his people through apostolic tradition. This tradition is expressed through Scripture, to be sure, but also through the seven ecumenical councils, and to a lesser degree, the church fathers, liturgy, canon law, and icons.” (source)
“Latins thought primarily of Christ the victim on the Cross, Greeks of Christ the victor over death. Latins talked more about redeeming sinners, Greeks, about the deification of humanity.” (source)
“It is fascinating to observe the total absence of the doctrine of justification by faith in large segments of Orthodox history and theology. Instead, the idea of theosis or ‘deification’ takes center stage. The startling aphorism—attributed to many early church fathers, including the champion of trinitarianism, Athanasius—summed it up well: ‘God became man so that men might become gods.’” (source)
- Title: Christian History Magazine—Issue 54: Eastern Orthodoxy
- Author: Christian History Institute
- Series: Christian History Magazine
- Publisher: Christianity Today
- Print Publication Date: 1997
- Logos Release Date: 2009
- Era: era:Contemporary
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
- Subject: Eastern Orthodoxy
- Resource ID: LLS:CH54
- Resource Type: Magazine
- Metadata Last Updated: 2022-10-05T16:40:35Z
