Abstract
The article traces the formation of Eastern Christian anthropology as a new religious and philosophical tradition within the Early Byzantine culture. The notion “Patristics” is reasoned as a corpus of ideas of the Church Fathers, both Eastern and Western. The term “Eastern Patristics” means the works by Greek-Byzantine Church Fathers, who in the theological disputes with the Western Church Fathers elaborated the Christian creed. Based on an analysis of the texts of Greek-Byzantine Church Fathers, the most important provisions of Eastern Patristics are deduced and discussed, which determined the specificity of Christian anthropology. In this context, different approaches of the Eastern Fathers to the explanation of the Old Testament thesis on the creation of man in God’s image and likeness and the justification of the duality of human essence are shown. Particular attention is paid to considering the idea of deification as overcoming the human dualism and the entire created universe, the doctrine of the Divine Logoi as God’s energies, and the potential elimination of the antinomianism of the earthly and Divine worlds. The article reflects the anthropological ideas of the pre-Nicene Church Father Irenaeus, the non-canonical early Christian work The Shepherd of Hermas, and the teachings on the man of the classical Eastern Patristics period by Athanasius of Alexandria, Gregory of Nyssa, and Maximus the Confessor.
Highlights
Eastern Christian Patristics in the period of its formation (4th–8th centuries) created a stable model of the theocentric universe, doctrinally and canonically justifying it, and stated the principles and fundamental ideas of Christian anthropology with a unique vision of an individual in their constant and uninterrupted relationship with God
The coming-to-life Christian anthropology included in its field of consideration the most important ideas related to the substantiation of human nature, ways of God-knowing and self-cognition, possibilities of preserving God’s image as the meaning and goal of life, and achieving the lost likeness
The hermeneutic method of studying early Christian and medieval texts is used, which allowed me to identify the main ideas of the representatives of Patristics and deduce the formation of Christian anthropology and the theocentric worldview in early Byzantium
Summary
Eastern Christian Patristics in the period of its formation (4th–8th centuries) created a stable model of the theocentric universe, doctrinally and canonically justifying it, and stated the principles and fundamental ideas of Christian anthropology with a unique vision of an individual in their constant and uninterrupted relationship with God. Patristic thought has established the idea that an individual who has taken this path may achieve the coveted deification and approach a certain spiritual state and sense of unity with God (Climacus John 1908) but may lose it forever. In this regard, the actions and thoughts of the individual were justified according to the opposing soteriological notions of death and salvation. The hermeneutic method of studying early Christian and medieval texts is used, which allowed me to identify the main ideas of the representatives of Patristics and deduce the formation of Christian anthropology and the theocentric worldview in early Byzantium
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
