Orthodox views on the Holy Spirit

  • Thread starter Thread starter brian614
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
Cavaradossi said:
It really is this simple, because at some point every one who is seriously engaged with theology (and I should hope that those who pontificate here are at least somewhat seriously engaged with theology, though sometimes I get the impression that they are not), needs to return to the fathers in order to test whether the claims made by modern theologians about them are true. Who, for example, is more faithful in his reading of Thomas Aquinas? Is it Karl Rahner or Cardinal Cajetan? Who is more faithful in his interpretation of Maximos? Is it Metropolitan John (Zizioulas) of Pergamon, or Fr. Nikolaos Loudovikos? If one is not willing to grapple with these questions, then he probably should not be reading theological works anyway, but rather he should affirm to the extent of his knowledge the formulae (like homoousios, two natures, hypostatic union, etc.) which were devised by the Church in order to distil the right doctrine into easily explainable, easily repeatable, and easily transmissible phrases, for the benefit of all.
Click to expand...
I agree, broadly. But I suspect that there are very few pontificators here - and even fewer commenters - who are seriously engaged in theology.
That way of thinking is nonsensical, because the Orthodox do not reject reason, but we reject the incorrect use of reason against nature. The Orthodox reject the sufficiency of reason alone (rationalism), because reason, being a faculty of the intellect (nous) can be abused unnaturally by one with a darkened intellect (this state we know as ‘spiritual delusion’) toward unnatural ends (that is, towards falsehood). Unfortunately, it is true that some have misinterpreted this to mean that we reject reason all together.
Click to expand...
I agree.
No more so than there being an obviously correct theological school in Roman Catholicism.
Click to expand...
Perhaps. Probably with experience it is easier to have a well-calibrated barometer to discern what is worth paying attention to and what is not. What needs to be addressed versus dismissed.
Most cradle Orthodox are probably not confused because they have a point of reference for what constitutes Orthodoxy, and that is normally what they grew up with.
Click to expand...
The barometer. And for one who is starting from scratch, that easy sense of reference can take some time to develop. Usually, a bit more time than it takes to develop a pontificator’s voice.
 
dvdjs said:
The barometer. And for one who is starting from scratch, that easy sense of reference can take some time to develop. Usually, a bit more time than it takes to develop a pontificator’s voice.
Click to expand...
I’ll agree to that, with the one qualification that the barometer, while useful, can sometimes fail rather catastrophically (20% of Greek Orthodox Christians in the States attend church weekly, for example). I guess it needs to be, in this case, a barometer which is open to frequent recalibration.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top