Theosis

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THEOSIS: PARTAKERS OF DIVINITY WITH GOD PROF. M. M. NINAN (Pope Benedict XVI. "Lectio Divina." The Holy See. The Holy See, 24 Feb. 2010. Web. 22 Aug. 2014.) (http://w2.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en/speeches/2010/february/documents/hf_ben-xvi_spe_2010021 8_parroci-roma.html) "The Gospel of the Transfiguration of the Lord puts before our eyes the glory of Christ, which anticipates the resurrection and announces the divinization of man." (Pope Benedict XVI. "For Lent 2011." The Holy See. The Holy See, 4 Nov. 2010. Web. 22 Aug. 2014.) (http://w2.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en/messages/lent/documents/hf_ben-xvi_mes_20101104_lent-20 11.html) "Thus Jesus tells us that it is only by conforming our own will to the divine one that human beings attain their true height, that they become 'divine'; only by coming out of ourselves, only in the 'yes' to God, is Adam's desire - and the desire of us all - to be completely free." (Pope Benedict XVI. "General Audience." The Holy See. The Holy See, 1 Feb. 2012. Web. 29 Aug. 2014.) (http://w2.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en/audiences/2012/documents/hf_ben-xvi_aud_20120201.html) "In the context of the Christian faith, 'communion is the very life of God which is communicated in the Holy Spirit, through Jesus Christ'. It is a gift of God which brings our freedom into play and calls for our response. It is precisely because it is divine in origin that communion has a universal extension. While it clearly engages Christians by virtue of their shared apostolic faith, it remains no less open to our Jewish and Muslim brothers and sisters, and to all those ordered in various ways to the People of God. The Catholic Church in the Middle East is aware that she will not be able fully to manifest this communion at the ecumenical and interreligious level unless she has first revived it in herself, within each of her Churches and among all her members: Patriarchs, Bishops, priests, religious, consecrated persons and lay persons. Growth by individuals in the life of faith and spiritual renewal within the Catholic Church will lead to the fullness of the life of grace and theosis (divinization). In this way, the Church's witness will become all the more convincing." (Pope Benedict XVI. "Angelus." The Holy See. The Holy See, 14 Sept. 2012. Web. 22 Aug. 2014.) (http://w2.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en/apost_exhortations/documents/hf_ben-xvi_exh_20120914_ecc lesia-in-medio-oriente.html) Out of the English Reformation, an understanding of salvation in terms closely comparable to the Orthodox doctrine of theosis was recognized in the Anglican tradition, J. Bloor examines deification/theosis in the late 121
THEOSIS: PARTAKERS OF DIVINITY WITH GOD PROF. M. M. NINAN Anglican Priest and theologian Canon A. M. (Donald) Allchin, but it is also explored in the writings of Lancelot Andrewes, who described salvation in terms vividly reminiscent of the early fathers: Whereby, as before He of ours, so now we of His are made partakers. He clothed with our flesh, and we invested with His Spirit. The great promise of the Old Testament accomplished, that He should partake our human nature; and the great and precious promise of the New, that we should be "consortes divinae naturae", "partake his divine nature," both are this day accomplished. C.S. Lewis, speaking on his personal belief in the subject of literal deification, stated as follows: It is a serious thing to live in a society of possible gods and goddesses, to remember that the dullest and most uninteresting person you talk to may one day be a creature which, if you saw it now, you would be strongly tempted to worship. In a more complete statement on his beliefs in literal deification, C.S. Lewis stated in his book, "Mere Christianity" as follows: “The command Be ye perfect is not idealistic gas. Nor is it a command to do the impossible. He is going to make us into creatures that can obey that command. He said (in the Bible) that we were "gods" and He is going to make good His words. If we let Him—for we can prevent Him, if we choose—He will make the feeblest and filthiest of us into a god or goddess, dazzling, radiant, immortal creature, pulsating all through with such energy and joy and wisdom and love as we cannot now imagine, a bright stainless mirror which reflects back to God perfectly (though, of course, on a smaller scale) His own boundless power and delight and goodness. The process will be long and in parts very painful; but that is what we are in for. Nothing less. He meant what He said.” “It is a serious thing to live in a society of possible gods and goddesses, to remember that the dullest and most uninteresting person you talk to may one day be a creature which, if you saw it now, you would be strongly tempted to worship. . . “—C. S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory “The object of our salvation, according to Orthodoxy, is not simply salvation from sin, but a mystical union between the believer and Christ (see John 17:21-23 and 2 Pet. 1:4). This is part of the theology of divine ascent, called "deification" or "theosis", whereby the believer is drawn up into the grace and "energies" (but not the essence) of God. This is not simply an eschatological destination, but a present process which is made evident in the Divine Liturgy. One may find similar ideas in the west, but you must dig deep to find them. In Anglicanism there are a number of thinkers and devotional writers from the seventeenth century including the Cambridge Platonists and Henry Scougal ("The Life of God in the Soul of Man") that come to mind. The modern evangelical emphasis on having a "personal relationship with Christ" conveys a similar reality. By comparison, though, it lacks depth, mystery, and theological grounding in the church Fathers. Clearly, the Orthodox notion of "theosis" can enrich our understanding of salvation by focusing our attention upon the ultimate purpose of God's grace. One can only wonder what western theology would look like if controversies over faith, works, and justification had not consumed its attention for so many centuries. 122
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the individuals under given conditi
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Theosis

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