Man's creation and salvation according to George V. Florovsky

References (162)

1. Creaturehood 50
2. It must be noted that this is one of the difficulties in the understanding of Florovsky's esseys. To find out his pre- suppositions is sometimes almost a question of guessing. But we have some hints -here the terms microcosm and hypostasis -to find out what he means though he does not give explicit information about the matter.
3. Florovsky can say: Man is "One hypostasis in two natures" Res. of Life 223. Cf. also Redemption 197 f f .
4. Greek Orthodox Theological Review. Vol XIII No. 2 P.192.
5. Cf. G. Lanczowski, Article "Microkosmos und Macrokosmos" in Heligion in Geschichte und Gegenwart". Vol. 4 p.624 f. See also Thunberg, Anthrolopolgy 140 f f .
6. Cf. John of Damascus, de fide orth. 11,12.
7. Cf. Nemesius, de natura homin. I PG 40, 529 B. See also Creaturehood 73-
8. Creaturehood 73.
9. Darkness 85.
10. Cf. below the discussion of Florovsky's doctrine of the divine energies.
11. Cf. St. Basil PG 31,909 B; John of Damascus PG 94, 972 A Tatian PG 6, 820 B; Athanasius PG 25, 104 A; Caesarius PG 38, 1120.
12. Aghiorgoussis 180.
13. Soul and body being the two natures, which are united in the one hypostases. Cf. Note 10.
14. We will discuss the doctrine of deification later. The basis for i t is Christological. It is nicely summarized by Athanasius: "God became man in order that we may become Gods" (de inc. et c. arianos 8; PG XXVI 996).
15. Cf. PG 91, 1304 D -1305 A. See also Lossky 108.
16. Cf. Lossky 48-52 and his reference to John of Damascus.
17. Cf. Balthasa* 26l: "Man kann das 'Personale' nicht zum 'System' erheben, sondern es immer nur in und an der 1 Natur 1 zur Gegebenheit bringen".
18. Revelation 21.
19. Florovsky sees the beginning of this doctrine already in S. Athanasius (Cf. Athanasius 52 and G. Dragas, Grace and Nature according to St. Athanasius in Athanasiana pp.99-142), St. Basil (Cf. Ad Amphilochus, PG XXXII, 869 A-B), Gregory of Nyssa (Cf. cant. h. XI, PG XLIX I0I3B), Gregory Nanzianz (Cf. Oratio 38,7 cant, h XI in Theophaniam, PG XXXVI, 317B). For Gregory Palamas Cf. J Meyendorff, A study of Gregory Palamas, London 1964, pp.202-227.
20. Gregory Palamas, Capita physica Throl. 68F; PG CL, 1169.
21. Cf. Athanasius 6lf; Palamas 117,119; Creaturehood 67f..
22. Palamas 117.
23. Cf. Gregory Palamas, Capita physica theol. 127; PG CL 1209, see also cap. phys. theol. 135 PG CL 1216.
24. Cf. Redemption 275, note 8l, which I could not verify.
25. Cf. Gregory Palamas, Cap. phys. theol. 140^ PG CL 1220 A: "j <f< 2 / 0 a. Idea 70. The idea is older and can already be found in John Damascene, de fide orth. I,l4-PG XLIV : Xv jf A ? t^d^/^i-
26. Cf. Creaturehood 68: "None of these energies is hypostastic, nor hypostases itself, and their incalculable multiplicity introduces no composition into the Divine Being". Cf. also Gregory Palamas, Theophanes; PG CL 929 A.
27. Creaturehood 70.
28. Idea 73.
29. Cf. Idea 67.
30. Cf. Athanasius 52; "But, obviously, 'being' preceeds 'will' .... of course it is but a logical order: there is no sequence in "the Divine Being and Life'.'
31. Cf. Idea 73, Creaturehood 72.
32. Cf. Palamas 117. Gregory Palamas' distinction was finally accepted at the councils of Constantinople 134l and 1351•
33. Cf. Florovsky's correct statement Palamas 118: "in fact, the teaching of St. Gregory affects the whole system of theology, the whole body of Christian doctrine". Therefore I have to discuss the problems of this doctrine below in Section . 219- Creaturehood 6l. In saying this Florovsky asserts again that the divine and the human live in two different modes of existence.
34. Res. of Life 220. Cf. also Lamb 23; Redemption 146, 306f. The definition of death can be found also in Plato, Phaedo 64 C. I t derives from the Platonic Socrates and became the classical description of death. It was regarded as a correct and self- evident presupposition.
35. Florovsky is always emphasizing this at great length, referring to Plotinus, Cicero etc. Cf. Redemption l l l f f .
36. Res. of Life 224.
37. Redemption 115.
38. 113- Res. of Life 223. Cf. also Redemption 107f.
39. Cf. Athenargoras, de resurrectione mort. 13: "Soul and body compose one living entity" (Lamb 23) and Pseudo-Justin, de resurrectione, in: Holl, Fragmente der vornicanischen Kirchen- vater aus den Sacra Parallela, Harnack-Gebhardt, Texte und Ujitersuchungen, vol XX, 2 1889. Frg. 107 P.^5t Ti vi* ItTlv "
40. V A 0J (, K O V } 115. Cf. Florcvsk's presentation of the development of the understanding of the unity of human nature in Redemption 115-120.
41. Florovsky does not say what the body is. Apart from his des- cription of it through the term 'flesh' one has to assume that body denotes the corporality of man (Cf. Redemption 105). In Res. of Life 221, Florovsky follows Pseudo-Justin's description of man as a "rational animal",^which is obviously the Aristotelian def inition of man: Ai^ov tjfviv . He might be in full agreement with this traditional definition, which would"mean that soul is the distinctive sign of man, which distinguishes him from all other creatures. -This definition of man was vigorously attacked by Luther in his tract 'de nomine', because it is not a theological description of man.
42. Justin, dialogus cum Trypho 5- 118. Cf. Justin, op.cit. "6 and Res. of Life 2l6, 2l8 and 240.
43. Res. of Life 217.
44. Last Things 259.
45. Cf. also Res. of Life 2l4f.
46. High Calling 33. Cf. also Redemption 107, 283 note 23.
47. Redemption 119. Cf. also Redemption 125.
48. Cf. Res. of Life 220. The salvation of the Christian person -Ecclesiology
49. Ascension 27.
50. Cf. ibid and above p.96. The restoration of the image of God in man is the recreation of his capacity for God.
51. Cf. High Calling 33.
52. Ascension 27.
53. Cf. High Calling 33.
54. Cf. Ascension 28 and John Chrysostom, on Ephesians 1,22.
55. High Calling 33.
56. Cf. Veneration 208; Communion 20; Pat. Age 66.
57. Cf. Mother 173.
58. Cf. Lamb 28; Christ 2; Pat. Age 66.
59. Cf. Last Things 254.
60. Communion 19.
61. Mother 186.
62. Cf. Mother 173, l86f.
63. Cf. Veneration 203-
64. Cf. especially Florovsky's essays on monasticism, for example Christianity 126: "Monasticism is in principle, an exodus from the world".
65. Veneration 203-
66. Catholicity 45.
67. Communion 4.
68. Ibid. :
69. Cf. Redemption 156f. As regards the sacraments Florovsky follows to a large extent Nicolas Cabasilas. In his treatise 'The life in Christ', Cabasilas is concerned with the sacramental life of the Christian and its effects, i.e. the complete transfiguration of man into a deified creature. Beside Gregory Palamas, Cabasilas (1322/3 to 138?) is the second later Orthodox Father.Florovsky refers to for a great deal. He was a defender of Gregory's doctrine of the divine energies, when Palamas was Nicolas' Bishop in Thessalonica. Though Cabasilas does not refer to Palamas' hesychast doctrine explicitly he agrees with it. Cf. Bobrinskoy's introduction to Cabasilas in "Life in Christ" pp.17-42.
70. John Chrysostom, de proditione Iudaae 1,6; MG XLIX, 380. Florovsky is referring to him, when he asserts the identity of everything in the celebration of the eucharist with the things in the upper room.
71. Redemption 156.
72. Cf. Veneration 207.
73. Cf. Redemption 308, where Florovsky refers to Odo Casels' explanation of sacramental symbolism and its realism.
74. Nicolas Cabasilas, vita in Christo; MG CL, 612 CD.
75. Redemption 158.
76. Redemption 131.
77. Mother l8l.
78. Redemption 152f.
79. C The Christian Hope
80. Cf. Pat. Age 64.
81. Valley*15.
82. Cf. Redemption 151; Christ 3-
83. Cf. Ibid and above PT(> • (=0$.
84. Christ 4. This would be a good starting point for Florovsky's ethics.
85. Cf. Last Things 255- 11. Last Things 255-Here is the starting point for the explicit Eschatology.
86. Cf. Redemption 307 note I l l A_Critical_Assessment_of _Florovskj[]_s_Doc trine
87. Cf. Lossky's distinction of three divine spheres p.KJnote 190.
88. Karl Barth, Church Dogmatics, vol. I I , 1, 332. The term 'form' however is not very fortunate.
89. Creaturehood 66.
90. Idea 69.
91. Jiingel, Verhaltnis 35^-Cf. also Rahner, de trinitate 322: "Dieses Geheimnis scheint nur um seiner selbst willen mitgeteilt zu sein.. Es bleibt, auch nach seiner Mitteilung, als Wirklichkeit in sich selbst verschbssen".
92. Creaturehood 69.
93. Plato, Politeia I I , 379 a. Cf. also Jiingel, Geheimnis 3l6f, who shows that the assertion of the impossibility to talk about God's being, is * HK^^U *oii**.
94. Cf. Lossky 28, 231 and others.
95. Creaturehood 69.
96. Lossky 8l.
97. Jiingel, Geheimnis 355.
98. -John Damascene, de fide orth. 1,3. Cf. also Idea 67.
99. Cf. above p/Uj and John Damascene, de fide orth. 1,1; PG XCIV 789.
100. John Damascne, de fide orth. 1,1; PG XCIV 797- 16. Idea 72.
101. Cf. Jiingel, Geheimnis 33^.
102. Cf. explicitly on this problem: Jungel, Geheimnis 307-^08, especially 33^, 3^3f, 38lf and 405f.
103. Cf. above p.^Y NOTES FOR PAGES 129 to 131
104. Cf. Creaturehood 56.
105. The term 'double-creation' is unfortunate. It just wants to denote the coming into existence of something other than the Godhead. And even the thought of a creation shows that God is already "outside" himself, that he started to think about some- thing other than himself. It is -to use a scholastic term - an "opum ad'extra internum"
106. Creaturehood 55- 24. Athanasius 57.
107. JUngel, Geheimnis 301.
108. Jungel, Geheimnis 45. Cf. Year 3* where Fiorovsky uses quite the same terms in referring to S. Maximus, but he means something different.
109. M. Luther, de servo arbitrio. W3f 18, 636, 27-29.
110. Luther however in asserting that freedom is "plane divinum nomen" speaks of man as having no free will. Man can only be freed. This does not mean that Luther does not speak about man's freedom! Cf. his tract "de libertate Christiana".
111. Cf. Idea 71f: "in the course of theological reflection, it is exactly the person of the Incarnate Word which is the starting point. But for formulating triadological faith, abstraction must, be made of Christology too".
112. M, Luther, de servo arbitrio. WA 18 685, 29-31.
113. Ibid. 606, 26-28.
114. Loci communes rerum theologicarum seu hypotyposes theoligicae. 1521. Cf. also Barth's discussion on this in Church Dogmatic vol. 11,1 259f. Also Weber, Grundlagen I 442-5.
115. Cf. M. Luther, Genesisvorlesung 1535-^5. WA 44 586,26-19. This is not the place to discuss Luther's difficult distinction between 'deus absconditus* and 'deus revelatus'. Cf. for the discussion of the problem G. Ebeling, Luther pp.259-279.
116. It must be emphasized that God is still a mystery, but it is a revealed mystery! Cf. Rahner 'de trinitate 345: "Es .ist selbstverstandlich, das die Trinitatslehre dauerrj sich des Geheimnisses bewu §t bleiben mu §, dajS der gottlichen Wirlichkeit wenigstens quoad nos jetzt und immer, also auch in der visio beata zukommt .... da § dieses Geheimnis wesentlich identisch ist mit dem Geheimnis der absoluten Selbstmitteilung Gottes in Christus und seinem Geist an uns". Cf. also Rahner, de trinitate 349-
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