Deification and Modern Orthodox Theology: Introduction to Contemporary Debates (Brill Research Perspectives in Humanities and Social Sciences / Brill Research Perspectives in Theology)

Modern Orthodox identity is deeply interwoven with the notion of deification or union with God. This much needed volume undertakes the task of critically examining the extent to which deification informs the main debates inside Orthodox theology, focusing on four essential loci: anthropology, the Trinity, epistemology, and ecclesiology. Contents Abstract Keywords 1 Introduction 2 Deification as the Pillar of Modern Orthodox Identity 3 Anthropology 3.1 The Ontological Premise of Deification 3.2 The Dynamics of Deification 3.3 The Effects of Deification: Person vs Individual 3.4 Gender, Sexuality, and Deification 3.5 Celibacy, Marriage, and Homosexuality 4 Tradition and Experience 4.1 Personal Experience 4.2 Communal Experience as Tradition 4.2.1 Dogmas 4.2.2 Scripture 5 Trinity 5.1 Sophiology 5.2 The Uncreated Energies 5.3 Eucharistic Personalism 6 Ecclesiology 6.1 Trinitarian Ecclesiology 6.2 Eucharistic Ecclesiology 6.3 Hierarchy in the Church 6.4 The Ordination of Women 6.4.1 Female Diaconate 6.4.2 The Ordination of Women to the Priesthood 7 Conclusion Selected Bibliography Modern Orthodox identity is deeply interwoven with the notion of deification or union with God. For some theologians, deification represents the lens through which most, if not all, theological questions should be engaged. In this volume, Petre Maican undertakes the task of critically examining the extent to which deification informs the main debates inside Orthodox theology, focusing on four essential loci: anthropology, the Trinity, epistemology, and ecclesiology. Maican argues that while deification remains central to anthropology and the Orthodox understanding of the Trinity, it seems less relevant in the areas of ecclesiology and complexifies the Orthodox approach to Scripture and Tradition.