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Empirical Dogmatics
According to the Spoken Teaching of Father John Romanides,
Vol. 2: Holy Trinity-Creation-Fall-Incarnation-Church-
Life After Death
Price: $40.00
Paperback: 456 pages
Publisher: Birth of the Theotokos Monastery (2013)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 960707081X
ISBN-13: 978-9607070814
Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.5 x 1.00 inches
Shipping Weight: 2.25 pounds
MTP Item Number: SB0067
"Volume 2 completes the Empirical Dogmatics of the Orthodox
Catholic Church by Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos,
based on the spoken teaching of Fr. John Romanides. It
addresses central dogmatic issues in the light of the
experience of the Apostles and saints. Fr. John’s approach is
unique, lively, and unconventional. Because of his American
background, his wide-ranging academic research and his
participation in ecumenical dialogues, he sees Orthodox dogma
in its wider context. But his words are also illuminated by the
mystery of his own experience, which he does not completely
succeed in concealing.
The Church’s teaching on the Holy Trinity distinguishes between
the dogma of the Holy Trinity, which it is possible to understand,
and the mystery of the Holy Trinity, which defies human
comprehension. The revelation of the Holy Trinity begins in the
Old Testament: “It is Christ Who appears to the Prophets...Christ
is the Angel of the Lord, the Lord of Glory, Yahweh, the Lord
Sabaoth, the Angel of Great Counsel …”
Fr. John reviews the scriptural and patristic teaching on the
Creation of the World from non-being. Discussing the Demons of
Darkness, he states uncompromisingly: “Being a theologian means
first and foremost that someone is an expert in the wiles of the
devil.” God’s personal direction of world is a matter of experience:
“When someone is in the state of illumination he…sees the
uncreated energy of God within creation.”
Commenting on the Creation of Man, Fr. John declares that we all
possess a noetic faculty (nous) “which is supposed to be in man’s
heart, but it is not in the heart when it is not functioning correctly”.
The illuminated nous returns to the heart and prays: “When man
prays with his rational faculty, that is human prayer...When,
however, his nous prays within the heart, then the Spirit is praying.”
The Fall of Man does not mean “inheriting the guilt of Adam and
Eve. The ancestral sin was not an affront to God, but a sickness
of man.” Fr. John argues against St Augustine’s view that death
is “a punishment from God” and sets out the evidence that it is
an illness. The Incarnation of the Son and Word of God is not just
a historical event but “a spiritual event that is confirmed by
empirical knowledge”. Analyzing the Transfiguration of Christ,
Fr. John comments: “We also know these things from the
experience of glorification, not simply from reading Holy
Scripture.” Christians must personally experience the Mystery
of the Cross and Resurrection of Christ. “God is not reconciled
with man, but man with God through the mystery of the Cross,
and through this reconciliation man is transformed from an
enemy of God into His friend, and participates in the
Resurrection of Christ.”
The Mystery of Pentecost shows that the experience of Pentecost
is repeated through the centuries. Fr. John stresses the empirical
element of St Paul’s teaching: “For someone to be a temple of the
Holy Spirit is an experience. If one reads the Apostle Paul
carefully, he is not using empty words every time he describes
the Holy Spirit...Who prays in man’s heart...This is the reality.”
He also asks: “Without becoming a temple of the Holy Spirit, how
can anyone become a theologian?” Fr. John says characteristically:
“What is the purpose of Orthodoxy? It is clear from the calendar
of feasts. We have Easter and we have Pentecost. Baptism in
water takes place at Easter. Baptism in the Holy Spirit takes place
at Pentecost... And what is the outcome? The Sunday of All Saints.In other words, that all Orthodox Christians may be numbered
Eve. The ancestral sin was not an affront to God, but a sickness
of man.” Fr. John argues against St Augustine’s view that death
is “a punishment from God” and sets out the evidence that it is
an illness. The Incarnation of the Son and Word of God is not just
a historical event but “a spiritual event that is confirmed by
empirical knowledge”. Analyzing the Transfiguration of Christ,
Fr. John comments: “We also know these things from the
experience of glorification, not simply from reading Holy
Scripture.” Christians must personally experience the Mystery
of the Cross and Resurrection of Christ. “God is not reconciled
with man, but man with God through the mystery of the Cross,
and through this reconciliation man is transformed from an
enemy of God into His friend, and participates in the
Resurrection of Christ.”
The Mystery of Pentecost shows that the experience of Pentecost
is repeated through the centuries. Fr. John stresses the empirical
element of St Paul’s teaching: “For someone to be a temple of the
Holy Spirit is an experience. If one reads the Apostle Paul
carefully, he is not using empty words every time he describes
the Holy Spirit...Who prays in man’s heart...This is the reality.”
He also asks: “Without becoming a temple of the Holy Spirit, how
can anyone become a theologian?” Fr. John says characteristically:
“What is the purpose of Orthodoxy? It is clear from the calendar
of feasts. We have Easter and we have Pentecost. Baptism in
water takes place at Easter. Baptism in the Holy Spirit takes place
at Pentecost... And what is the outcome? The Sunday of All Saints.In other words, that all Orthodox Christians may be numbered
among the saints.”
The Spiritual Perfecting of Christians analyses the stages of
purification, illumination and glorification-theosis. Purification is
not just a matter of avoiding sin: “Purification of the heart means
that thoughts leave the heart...so that the heart is left...with one
thought, prayer alone. This...is called prayer of the heart or single
-thought prayer.” Those who reach illumination experience this:
“Noetic prayer is a gift from God and is proof that somebody has
become a temple of the Holy Spirit.” And someone who is glorified
“no longer knows God in prophecies and knowledge and prayers,
but knows Him directly.
Fr. John takes a historical and spiritual approach to the Mysteries
(Sacraments) of the Church, stating: “The Mystery of Chrismation
was intended for those who had already become members of the
Body of Christ, because it was assumed that the Holy Spirit had
already come to them and was praying in their heart.” Heresies
and Councils are seen in a therapeutic perspective: “There is no
therapeutic treatment in heresy...it is dangerous for people. The
Fathers saw heresy as a form of charlatanism...” Considering Life
after Death, Fr. John stresses that Paradise and Hell exist from
the human point of view, not from God’s perspective. “Someone
who is suitably prepared sees God as glory, and someone else,
who is unprepared, who does not have repentance and does not
have divine vision, also sees God, but sees Him as ‘a consuming
fire’. This is the fire of Hell.”
Metropolitan Hierotheos arranges all this material clearly and
systematically, and links it with his own interpretative and critical
comments. The resulting account of Empirical Dogmatics is
comprehensive and compelling, with many surprises. This book
will appeal not only to theologians but to anyone interested in what
Orthodox Christians believe and why.
For more titles by Metropolitan Hierotheos, click here.
The Spiritual Perfecting of Christians analyses the stages of
purification, illumination and glorification-theosis. Purification is
not just a matter of avoiding sin: “Purification of the heart means
that thoughts leave the heart...so that the heart is left...with one
thought, prayer alone. This...is called prayer of the heart or single
-thought prayer.” Those who reach illumination experience this:
“Noetic prayer is a gift from God and is proof that somebody has
become a temple of the Holy Spirit.” And someone who is glorified
“no longer knows God in prophecies and knowledge and prayers,
but knows Him directly.
Fr. John takes a historical and spiritual approach to the Mysteries
(Sacraments) of the Church, stating: “The Mystery of Chrismation
was intended for those who had already become members of the
Body of Christ, because it was assumed that the Holy Spirit had
already come to them and was praying in their heart.” Heresies
and Councils are seen in a therapeutic perspective: “There is no
therapeutic treatment in heresy...it is dangerous for people. The
Fathers saw heresy as a form of charlatanism...” Considering Life
after Death, Fr. John stresses that Paradise and Hell exist from
the human point of view, not from God’s perspective. “Someone
who is suitably prepared sees God as glory, and someone else,
who is unprepared, who does not have repentance and does not
have divine vision, also sees God, but sees Him as ‘a consuming
fire’. This is the fire of Hell.”
Metropolitan Hierotheos arranges all this material clearly and
systematically, and links it with his own interpretative and critical
comments. The resulting account of Empirical Dogmatics is
comprehensive and compelling, with many surprises. This book
will appeal not only to theologians but to anyone interested in what
Orthodox Christians believe and why.
For more titles by Metropolitan Hierotheos, click here.
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