Question for Othodox Christians

[gurneyhalleck1]

I heard one time, several years ago, and I can’t remember where exactly, that the Orthodox believe that Christ was cut off from the beatific vision during his Passion. Is that true or just an opinion of a few Orthodox theologians, or a local belief here and there? If so, what is the thinking and rationale behind this belief? I always found it fascinating and wondered how true it is. I’d appreciate it if any Orthodox could answer. God bless to all of you this Good Friday. Praise to Our Lord Jesus Christ on this sad day.

 

[Alethiaphile]

I heard one time, several years ago, and I can’t remember where exactly, that the Orthodox believe that Christ was cut off from the beatific vision during his Passion. Is that true or just an opinion of a few Orthodox theologians, or a local belief here and there? If so, what is the thinking and rationale behind this belief? I always found it fascinating and wondered how true it is. I’d appreciate it if any Orthodox could answer. God bless to all of you this Good Friday. Praise to Our Lord Jesus Christ on this sad day.

I’ve never heard anything like that in the Orthodox church. In fact, the Orthodox priest I’m most familiar with has made a point of saying that Christ was not estranged from God during His passion, which I’m not sure whether I accept that or not.

Sounds like just an individual opinion to me.

 

[gurneyhalleck1]

I was hoping to get some replies from guys like Nine_Two, Mickey, Mick, Hesychios, and the gang…come on fellas…

 

[Nine_Two]

I’ve heard of the belief before, just not connected with Orthodoxy. I think it may even have read it was denounced by a council.

Such a belief seems to contradict everything I’ve been taught about the nature of God (How can God be cut off from his own vision?) So I’m not really sure what to say about it.

 

[John_Larocque]

Here’s a couple of odd links. Not sure they’ll answer the question but it might open up the discussion more. Every time I come across the expression “beatific vision” I think Aquinas.

The first from Fr. Romanides:

romanity.org/htm/rom.07.en.remarks_of_an_orthodox_christian_on_religious_fre.htm

The doctrine of beatific vision, borrowed by Augustine of Hippo from the Neo-Platonists, whereby man’s destiny is to become completely happy in the possession of the vision of the divine essence, is unknown to the Orthodox Patristic tradition. Man’s destiny is rather the transformation of the desire for happiness into a non-utilitarian love which does not seek its own. Whereas in Neo-Platonic Christian theologies the reward of the just will be or is the vision of God, and the punishnient of the unjust will be the privation of this vision, in the Orthodox tradition both the just and the unjust will have the vision of God in His uncreated glory, with the difference that for the unjust this same uncreated glory of God will be the eternal fires of hell. God is light for those who learn to love Him and a consuming fire for those who will not.

Here Pope Benedict contrasts St Thomas Aquinas with another Western doctor (and post-schism Franciscan saint), St. Bonaventure (the Papal address also “namechecks” Pseudo-Dionysus).

vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/audiences/2010/documents/hf_ben-xvi_aud_20100317_en.html

Consequently St Thomas and St Bonaventure define the human being’s final goal, his complete happiness in different ways. For St Thomas the supreme end, to which our desire is directed is: to see God. In this simple act of seeing God all problems are solved: we are happy, nothing else is necessary. Instead, for St Bonaventure the ultimate destiny of the human being is to love God, to encounter him and to be united in his and our love. For him this is the most satisfactory definition of our happiness.