...continued from part one.
2. Philosophical and Empirical Theology About God
Before reading the summary of the "Outline", an observation should be made, which is one of the most basic teachings of Father John Romanides: that there is a clear difference between the philosophical way of theology of the heretics, and the empirical way of theology of the Fathers.
The Prophets in the Old Testament saw the pre-incarnate Word in the Light, as well as the Triune God, but they had a different terminology, they spoke of God as the Lord of Glory; or they spoke of God as the Angel of the Great Council; or they spoke of God as Yahweh. The Apostles and the Saints saw the incarnate Word in the Light by the Holy Spirit and through Christ they saw the Father, who is identical in image, as happened at the Transfiguration of Christ on Mount Tabor. That is why in the Old and New Testaments they spoke of God as Light and of three Lights. We see this in Holy Scripture and the ancient tradition of the Church.
However, the Aristotelian philosophers, mainly from Syria, claimed that since Christians believe that the world did not always exist, but was created later, this means that the God of the Christians was potentially the Creator of the world and with His creation He is the actual Creator of the world, something that shows that the God of the Christians was imperfect and created the world in order to perfect Himself.
At that time, the Christian theologians, in order to face the challenge of the Aristotelian philosophers, asserted that God is in essence unchanging, but in energy He is the creator of the world. Thus, the distinction between essence and energy in God was developed by the first philosophizing Christian theologians (Paul Samosata, Lucian, Arius, Eunomius), but in a philosophical way.
However, since the philosophical theologians (heretics) also accepted the distinction between essence and energy in God, they then proceeded to the Trinitarian theme to examine the relationships between the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, based on the distinction between essence and energy. They spoke, therefore, about the fact that there is in essence no relation between the Father and the Word, because the relation in essence is a relation of necessity, therefore God created the Word by energy and by will, therefore He is a creation. Others spoke about the fact that the Word is the rational energy of God and the Holy Spirit is the loving energy of God. When, later, they progressed from Triadology to Christology, they spoke about the fact that God's rational energy became human. Thus a heretical philosophical distinction between essence and energy in God was introduced into theology, which while in cosmology solved some problems, however in Triadology and Christology it created heresies.
The Church Fathers, in order to respond to this challenge, accepted the terminology essence and energy, but gave a different interpretation, that is, they taught that the energy of God is not interpreted philosophically, but empirically, which means that the uncreated energy of God is the uncreated Light of divinity, of which the saints participated in by theoptia. The Word and the Holy Spirit are not the rational and loving energy of the Father, but special persons who have the same essence and energy as the Father. The three persons of the Holy Trinity share an uncreated essence and energy. The deified see the glory/energy of God, according to revelation/theoptia, and not His essence, with unspoken words and then formulate this theoptia experience with constructed words, meanings and images.
Thus, there is the philosophical distinction between essence and energy in God, which resulted in many Triadological and Christological heresies, and the empirical distinction between essence and energy in God which is the theology of the Prophets, Apostles and Fathers. There should be no confusion between these two teachings.
In general, it should be noted that the heretics philosophized on theological issues with reason and reflection, while the Fathers spoke from the experience they had or followed the revelatory experience of the Prophets, Apostles and Saints. The following should be read from this perspective.
Here is the summary of the Outline of the Orthodox Patristic teaching of Father John Romanides, whose central points are: 1. God and the World, 2. The Holy Trinity - Triadological Dogma, 3. Christology, 4. On the Church - Ecclesiology. In the fourth part there is talk in general about the Church, the sacred Tradition of the Church, about perfection through the mystery of the Cross and the Resurrection of Christ and about the end times.
PART THREE
2. Philosophical and Empirical Theology About God
Before reading the summary of the "Outline", an observation should be made, which is one of the most basic teachings of Father John Romanides: that there is a clear difference between the philosophical way of theology of the heretics, and the empirical way of theology of the Fathers.
The Prophets in the Old Testament saw the pre-incarnate Word in the Light, as well as the Triune God, but they had a different terminology, they spoke of God as the Lord of Glory; or they spoke of God as the Angel of the Great Council; or they spoke of God as Yahweh. The Apostles and the Saints saw the incarnate Word in the Light by the Holy Spirit and through Christ they saw the Father, who is identical in image, as happened at the Transfiguration of Christ on Mount Tabor. That is why in the Old and New Testaments they spoke of God as Light and of three Lights. We see this in Holy Scripture and the ancient tradition of the Church.
However, the Aristotelian philosophers, mainly from Syria, claimed that since Christians believe that the world did not always exist, but was created later, this means that the God of the Christians was potentially the Creator of the world and with His creation He is the actual Creator of the world, something that shows that the God of the Christians was imperfect and created the world in order to perfect Himself.
At that time, the Christian theologians, in order to face the challenge of the Aristotelian philosophers, asserted that God is in essence unchanging, but in energy He is the creator of the world. Thus, the distinction between essence and energy in God was developed by the first philosophizing Christian theologians (Paul Samosata, Lucian, Arius, Eunomius), but in a philosophical way.
However, since the philosophical theologians (heretics) also accepted the distinction between essence and energy in God, they then proceeded to the Trinitarian theme to examine the relationships between the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, based on the distinction between essence and energy. They spoke, therefore, about the fact that there is in essence no relation between the Father and the Word, because the relation in essence is a relation of necessity, therefore God created the Word by energy and by will, therefore He is a creation. Others spoke about the fact that the Word is the rational energy of God and the Holy Spirit is the loving energy of God. When, later, they progressed from Triadology to Christology, they spoke about the fact that God's rational energy became human. Thus a heretical philosophical distinction between essence and energy in God was introduced into theology, which while in cosmology solved some problems, however in Triadology and Christology it created heresies.
The Church Fathers, in order to respond to this challenge, accepted the terminology essence and energy, but gave a different interpretation, that is, they taught that the energy of God is not interpreted philosophically, but empirically, which means that the uncreated energy of God is the uncreated Light of divinity, of which the saints participated in by theoptia. The Word and the Holy Spirit are not the rational and loving energy of the Father, but special persons who have the same essence and energy as the Father. The three persons of the Holy Trinity share an uncreated essence and energy. The deified see the glory/energy of God, according to revelation/theoptia, and not His essence, with unspoken words and then formulate this theoptia experience with constructed words, meanings and images.
Thus, there is the philosophical distinction between essence and energy in God, which resulted in many Triadological and Christological heresies, and the empirical distinction between essence and energy in God which is the theology of the Prophets, Apostles and Fathers. There should be no confusion between these two teachings.
In general, it should be noted that the heretics philosophized on theological issues with reason and reflection, while the Fathers spoke from the experience they had or followed the revelatory experience of the Prophets, Apostles and Saints. The following should be read from this perspective.
Here is the summary of the Outline of the Orthodox Patristic teaching of Father John Romanides, whose central points are: 1. God and the World, 2. The Holy Trinity - Triadological Dogma, 3. Christology, 4. On the Church - Ecclesiology. In the fourth part there is talk in general about the Church, the sacred Tradition of the Church, about perfection through the mystery of the Cross and the Resurrection of Christ and about the end times.
PART THREE