Αγαπητοί φίλοι και γνωστοί, μεγάλοι και μικροί, ανεξάρτητα από θρησκεία και το πού ανήκετε.
Με μεγάλη χαρά σας πληροφορούμε ότι η ενδιαφέρουσα θεολογική ημερίδα, του Σαββάτου 24 Απρίλιου, με θέμα πραγματοποιήθηκε με μεγάλη επιτυχία, στην Πανεπιστημιακή Θεολογική Σχολή του Όσλο, (Det Teologiske Menighets Fakultet).
Το πρώτο θέμα ομιλίας, του πατρός Γρηγορίου Παπαθωμά, που έχει δώσει επίσης και την θεματική σε ολόκληρη την ημερίδα, έπεσε πραγματικά σαν ζεστή Θεϊκή αχτίδα στην ψυχή μας, στην καρδιά μας και στο σώμα μας, καθώς είμαστε υποχρεωμένοι να διαβιώνουμε σε μία κοσμική, μη θρησκευτική, διάσταση, όπου έχει ολότελα ξεχαστεί το Μεγάλο, το Θείο που κατοικεί στον άνθρωπο, και χωρίς αυτός να αναγνωρίζει, να συνειδητοποιεί ότι η κρίση στον επίκαιρο κόσμο είναι κρίση ανθρωπίνων αξιών!
Prof. Hdr. Archim. Grigorios D. PAPATHOMAS Oslo 24.4.2010 ―Now therefore you are no more strangers and foreigners,but co-citizens with the You, too, are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone,
in Whom all the building fitly framed together growth unto a (Ephesians 2:19-22).
in Whom all the building fitly framed together growth unto a (Ephesians 2:19-22).
―If someone considers the departure from here [= History] as damage, this man is never perfect on the faith‖(John Chrysostom, ―Homily on the Candiemas, the Mother of God and Simon‖,in
saints and members of the household of God. saint temple in the Lord, in Whom you also are co-built for an habitation of God through the Spirit‖ P. G., t. 50, col. 809). The theme is an attempt to reflect on our experience in using (at first sight) unusual methods in the approach of delicate question. This question is linked to the main ontological perspective of the life and existence of Christians today — and not only — within the History.
At the same time, the aforementioned target subject has usually at least some remote knowledge of so-called
The other side of the coin is that
However, in the present paper, I have tried to avoid the temptation of making cheap comparisons between sanctity as real, eschatological life and the fictive religious life of so-called spirituality, very welcome nowadays in the Christian milieu, but one cannot deny that the technique of comparative positioning may sometimes produce surprisingly illuminative results.
Christians Spiritualities, and such originally technical terms as spirituality, moral(istic) Christian life, mysticism, metaphysics, esoterism, moral purification, meditation, pietism, emptiness, have become an integral part of Christian religious vocabulary and Ecclesial life. sanctity, which is relevant to Christianity in general and every Christian in particular, remain an unexplainable mystery to those, who do not have an ―institutional relationship‖ with the Trinitarian God… * * * * * * First of all, it is necessary to say a few introductory words about the sanctity itself. When the unsuspicious reader studies the Holy Bible, he reads a passage, a speech addressed by God in an
exhortative and inviting – and not in an obliged or obligatory – way to man: ―Be yourself saints, because I am saint‖ (1 Peter 1:16). And then one will 2 reasonably wonder: to what degree is this true, that is, to become saint like Him? To what degree is this possible? He is saint, because He is God. We, men, not being gods, can we become truly saint? And moreover what He is
The word ―sanctity‖ or ―saint‖ refers to a reality totally irrelevant and unrelated to our time, to our culture and the anxieties of modern man. Indeed, in a global society of multiple challenges, such as the modern one, which faces as its more serious problems the financial crisis, the increase in the unemployment rate, the intense social problems, and is dominated by the anxiety of increasing the per capita income, to talk about saints and sanctity is a
exclusively can it be instilled in us and how? Sanctity is a category of the Kingdom, a feature of the Eschata. Can it become a feature also of men, who are still part of History? These are some questions, and not the only ones, posed before this open call of God to us all. Since this call touches the heart of ontology and theological anthropology, it is worth examining, from a personal interest, some of its aspects. challenge, if not a calling to laugh about and sneer at. Thus, the biblical feature of life of the saint, as participant of the Resurrected Christ and citizen by anticipation of the Kingdom of God, has slid on the margin of the life of human society but also of the Church, and sanctity has become a ―forgotten vision‖. The forgotten sanctity It is indeed a ―forgotten vision‖, because it once existed, for this is what inspired our culture, for our people lived with the saints and they drew from them their mission in life, for they were the heroes, the great champions and the ―famous stars‖ of their time. Nowadays, only the names of saints are left and people do not know about the life of the saints whose names they bear, and they prefer now to
individualistically celebrate their own personal birth day and not the memory of the saints. And this tendency is common first and foremost among Christians, despite the biblical and fatherly experience of communion with the saints, ―as co-citizens with the saints and [thus] members of God’s household‖ (Ephesians, 2:19). In such a time of confusion and disorientation, what can one tell about sanctity? His word will fall flat… But how can one not talk about something, which is so basic and fundamental in the life of Christians? Because, if we forget sanctity, the only things that we can found after this within the Church are nothing else that our identification with the world and the direct consequence of this identification, the secularization of the Church and its transformation in something as the ―present century‖ (2 Timothy 4:10, John 18:36-37, Romans 12:2), which gives birth to the modern problem of Christians, the Eonism* (see below, p. 11-12). The misunderstood sanctity However, nowadays sanctity is not only forgotten; it is also misunderstood, when it is a subject of discussion. Indeed, in the minds of people, the notion of sanctity seems to be associated with moralistic and psychological criteria. If someone is virtuous, if he discusses always about God or is charismatic and demonstrates abilities which people lack, then he is considered a ―saint‖, and vice versa, namely, if someone shows a flaw in his personality or in his behavior, then he cannot be considered a ―saint‖. Or if someone
3 does not exhibit supernatural powers one way or the other, the thought that he could be a saint baffles us.
This common but very misunderstood view of sanctity poses some basic questions, when we examine it in the light of the Holy Bible and of our faith.
1)
If sanctity consists first and foremost in respecting the moral principles, then why the Pharisee was criticized by the Lord, while the Tax Collector was vindicated in the well-known parable (Luke 18:10-14)? We tend to call the Pharisee a ―hypocrite‖, but in reality he did not lie when he claimed that he faithfully observed the Law and that he applied as a faithful Jew every task asked by God. Moreover, he did not lie when he qualified the Tax Collector as a ―sinner‖, because the Tax Collector was an unfair person and a violator of the moral rules. Why then does the Tax Collector serve as a model of man for Christ leading to sanctity and not the Pharisee? 2)
A similar question results from the use of the term ―saint‖ by Apostle Paul in his letters. When he addresses himself to the Christians of Corinth, Thessalonica, Galatia, Paul calls them ―saints‖! But later on, in these letters he mentions many moral flaws of these Christians, which he harshly castigates. How is it that the first Christians are called ―saints‖, while it is certain that their daily life does not conform to the commands of their faith itself? Would anyone today think of calling ―saint‖ one of these Christians? 3)
If sanctity is linked to supernatural charismas and thaumaturgy, then we could seek it and find it also outside the Church. Can sanctity exist outside the Church? Moreover, to what extent is sanctity evaluated from any supernatural charismas that impress men? Apostle Paul told to the Corinthians impressed by people with supernatural acts: ―If I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing‖ (1 Corinthians 13:2). The Lord had said also that to command a mountain to move is possible, ―if you have faith as well as a mustard seed‖ (Matthew 17:20-21). But this is not by itself a demonstration of sanctity, this is nothing, says Paul, if there is not the presupposition of love, that is, something that any person can have, without exhibiting any thaumaturgical abilities. Thaumaturgy and sanctity are not identical, and do not necessarily co-exist. 4)
Similar questions result from the association of sanctity with unusual and ―mystic‖ psychological experiences. Nowadays, many follow the Oriental Religions to meet dematerialized ―gurus‖, that is, people of extraordinary self-discipline, exercise and praying. The Church does not consider them saints, however deep and supernatural their experiences may be, and especially however great their virtue may be. Thus, the question posed previously comes finally back: are there saints outside the Church? If sanctity means what the people think (virtues, moral life, supernatural charismas, supernatural experiences etc.), then we have to accept that there are saints outside the Church and from this point of view there are more outside the Church than within Her… If we want to claim that sanctity is possible only within the Church, then we have to seek the reason of sanctity beyond the aforesaid criteria, namely, beyond the virtues, the moral perfection and the supernatural powers and experiences. So let’s see how the Church perceives sanctity. Sanctity, as a Gift of personal relation and as an Ecclesial experience
The Greek term ―aghios‖ (a{gio") has an interesting history. The root of this Greek word derives from ―ag-‖ (a{g-) with many lexicographical derivatives and the
4 profound meaning of this root derives from the verb ―
In the Old Testament, the Semitic word, translated by the Seventy Interpreters (Septuagint) as ―saint‖, is
Thus, the Holy Bible transcends the psychological and religious importance encountered in ancient Greeks (the awe, the
Sanctity for the Christian faith is not man-centered (anthropocentric), but god-centered (theocentric) and does not depend on the moral feats of man, however great these may be, but on the glory and the grace of God,
In Christian faith, this identification of sanctity with God Himself results in its association with the glory of God. Sanctity means God to be glorified by all the people-world. It is not strange that the request of Sunday prayer is nothing else that to ―be sanctified your name‖ (Matthew 6:9). If we take into account that this prayer is
Therefore, sanctity means participation (the Greek patristic ―
After have seen the notion of sanctity itself, it is time to see its link with other parameters and the Ecclesial experience. In the Lord’s Prayer, the character of which is clearly eschatological, it is surprising that exactly after the request ―be sanctified your name‖ is followed by ―the Kingdom come‖. Many researchers of theology believe that, in fact, these two requests mean the same thing.
In interpreting the request of the Sunday prayer ―the Kingdom come‖, st. Maximus the Confessor writes: ―The Kingdom comes; that means, this is the Holy Spirit‖. In the Bible, the coming of the Kingdom is associated with the coming and the inspiration of the Holy Spirit (Acts of the Apostles 2:18). It is not without importance that, according to the Bible and the Church Fathers, the Holy Spirit is always associated with the sanctification of the world. Because He brings the Kingdom of God to History and within the world, for this reason He sanctifies the world. Therefore, the Holy Spirit Himself is also associated with something else: the constitution of the Church. Because, it is indeed the Holy Spirit Who forms the Church, and with this element the group of our approach comes to an end: Sanctity – Kingdom of God – Holy Spirit – Church
Ευχαριστούμε θερμότατα τον Πρέσβη μας κ. Αντώνη Βλαβιανό και τους φίλους από τις ορθόδοξες ενορίες του Όσλο, για τις εκπλήξεις πού προσέφεραν και φρόντισαν έτσι και έτερψαν την ψυχή και την διατροφική όρεξη όλων που παραβρέθηκαν εκεί. Η Ημερίδα αυτή, πραγματοποιήθηκε με συνεργασία του «Καθολικό/Ορθόδοξο Φόρουμ ιδεών» και της Πανεπιστημιακής Θεολογικής Σχολής του Όσλο, «Det Teologiske Menighets Fakultet».
Σύντομη σημαντική-επεξηγηματική παρουσίαση:
Το Καθολικό/Ορθόδοξο Φόρουμ ιδεών είναι μία οικουμενική πρωτοβουλία από μία ομάδα Καθολικών και Ορθοδόξων Χριστιανών με δραστηριότητες και τρόπο δράσης που αγκαλιάζει και είναι ανοιχτός σε όλους, ανεξάρτητα από την όποια πίστη και θρησκεία.
Κύριος επίσημος προσκεκλημένος ομιλητής ήταν ο Έλληνας Ορθόδοξος Αρχιμανδρίτης Δρ. Γρηγόριος Παπαθωμάς, Καθηγητής στο Πανεπιστήμιο Αθηνών, των Παρισίων και του Ταλλίν της Εσθονίας. Σαν κληρικός υπάγεται στην Ιερά Αρχιεπισκοπή Αθηνών, υπό τον Αρχιεπίσκοπο Αθηνών και πάσης Ελλάδος κ. κ. Ιερώνυμο Β΄. Ο Δρ. Γρηγόριος Παπαθωμάς είναι μία καταξιωμένη προσωπικότητα διεθνώς σαν Έλληνας θεολόγος και νομικός, εξειδικευμένος στον τομέα του Κανονικού (Εκκλησιαστικού) αλλά και του Ευρωπαϊκού Δικαίου.
Μεταξύ των υπολοίπων ομιλητών της Ημερίδας περιλαμβάνονταν οι προσωπικότητες Lars Roar Larsen και Per Kværne, που δεν είναι απαραίτητη περισσότερη εισαγωγή.
Με θερμούς χαιρετισμούς
Βασιλική Γέμου-Engesaeth Δρ. Πανεπιστημίων Αθηνών και Όσλο Καθολικό/Ορθόδοξο Φόρουμ Ιδεών
Νομικός εκπρόσωπος της Ελληνικής Ορθόδοξης Ενορίας της Νορβηγίας «ΕYANGELISMOS TΗS THEOTOKOY» www.greskorthodokskirke.no, vasiliki@online.no
azesthai‖ (a{zesqai), which means the awe before a mystical and terrible power (Aeschylus) as well as the respect for the bearer of this Power (Homer). Thus, in ancient Hellenism, sanctity is associated with power, with what Otto calls mysterium fascinorum et tremendum, namely, what causes attraction and fear at the same time. gôdès, akin to the Assyrian word kuddushu meaning ―to cut, to separate‖, to distinguish radically, to purify, to purge away (hence its association with ―saint‖ (a{g-io") and ―pure‖ (aJg-no;"), with purity). Saints things are those that one distinguishes radically them from the others, especially in the worship, and devotes them to God. fear, the respect to a superior power) and associates the notion of ―saint‖ with the absolute otherness [alterity], the absolute Other, fact which leads the Holy Bible in associating the ―saint‖ with God Himself, the absolute transcendence with relation to the world. Only God is saint, and every sanctity derives from Him, only from Him and from the personal relation with Him (cf. ―Saint, Saint, Saint is the Lord Almighty‖ [Isaiah, the prophet of the sanctity of God]). Therefore, in the Holy Bible, sanctity is identified with God and not with man or holy things, like in ancient Hellenism, and, in the Fathers of Church, sanctity is identified with person(s), with the Holy Trinity, with which the Fathers identify the three ―Saint, Saint, Saint‖ of Prophet Isaiah. on the degree of our personal relation with the personal God. Therefore, Church considers that sanctity is not the individual property of any person, however ―saint‖ one may be in one’s life, but it is a matter of our personal relationship with God. God sanctifies at His own discretion any person He (the Sanctifier) wishes, without the sanctification being dependent on anything else but only the free will of the person sanctified (the sanctified one). St. Maximus the Confessor (6th – 7th cent.) points out that people only contribute their free will, without which God does not act. The human endeavor and exercise does not entail our sanctity, since these can turn out to be ―rubbish‖ (Philippians 3:8) and utterly worthless. Our endeavor and exercise reveal the disposition and extent of our free will. Nothing else. eschatological, that is, it refers to the final state of the world, it is clear that what is sought in this Sunday prayer, in ―Our Father‖ (Matthew 6:9-13), is that all people-world glorify God, is the moment to come when all people will say along with the Cherubim what the prophet Isaiah saw and heard in his vision: ―Saint, Saint, Saint is the Lord Almighty, the whole earth is full of Your glory‖ (Isaiah 6:3). methexis‖) and communion in the sanctity of God. Besides, this also means ―theosis‖ (deification-divination). Any sanctity relied on our virtues, on our any morality, on our qualifications, 5 our exercise etc., is anthropocentric and totally unrelated to the sanctity of our Church. Therefore, there is no other sanctity than that of God, and the saints do not have their own sanctity, but they participate in the sanctity of God. This means that in Church there are saints only in the sense to ―be sanctified‖: ―For their sake I sanctify Myself, that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth‖ (John 17:19), of those who received the uncreated light, the glory and the uncreated grace from God Himself. Sanctity and Kingdom of God are not only closely interrelated, but one could also say that they are identical. What we request from God in the prayer ―Our Father‖ is His Kingdom to come to the world, so that all people and the whole Created, the ―whole Earth‖ (Isaiah 6:3), to glorify and to recognize as saint only the saint God, and to participate (methexis-deification) in His sanctity and glory. Sanctity and Kingdom of God supplement and explain each other. Sanctity is not understood without the Kingdom of God and the participation in the sanctity of God. Thus, sanctity becomes an equivalent quality for God (by nature) and for man (by grace). And it is God Himself who makes this quality same and equivalent. Paris-Tallinn-Athens Νομικός εκπρόσωπος της Ελληνικής Ορθόδοξης Ενορίας της Νορβηγίας «ΕYANGELISMOS TΗS THEOTOKOY» www.greskorthodokskirke.no, vasiliki@online.no
Sanctity, the “forgotten vision” of the Christians today
