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One Love
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Date Joined Jan 2003
Total Posts : 13888
| Posted 3/22/2010 10:58 AM (GMT -6) |   | | From Evdokimov. Chapter 1
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Every human being possesses a rudimentary person, a psychological center of integration which makes the whole gravitate around the metaphysical Self, and constitutes self-awareness; this is the prosopon, a natural element of the human substance. By contrast, on a deeper level, while all are invited, few of the chosen succeed in becoming a hypostasis. The hypostasis is this advanced stage of the imago Dei (image of God), the organ and place of communion with God which confirms our theandric structure in the image of Christ. In the age to come, "we shall be like him," as St. John says (1 Jn 3:2)
This theandrism is already contained potentially in the imago Dei. The degree to which the image is actualized determines the germination and maturing of the prosopon into hypostasis --the transition from "natural being" into "Christ-being"--by following the great sacramental initiation in which the human structure is recarved entirely, like a statue, according to the model of Christ, our Archetype. In Christ, it is God who united Himself with the human; this communion is the highest and most unique because the place of communion is the Word; and it is the divine Hypostasis that enhypostasizes the particular human nature. In every human being formed "in the image of Christ," the place of communion is the human person which receives its theandric structure in Christ (en Christo), and becomes a hypostasis. In the human being, it is within the self-awareness that the divine awareness occurs, and theandrism is achieved: "We will come to him and make our home with him" (Jn 14:23). "It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me" (Gal 2:20). St. Paul's pastoral task aspires to this, that "Christ be formed in you!" (Gal 4:19).
"Man," St. Basil said, "is a creature who has received the command to become god," to become a deified hypostasis. This concept is clarified with great precision in St. Maximus the Confessor. In order to become a hypostasis, the person (prosopon) is called upon "to unify, though love, created nature with uncreated nature (...) by the acquisition of grace (kata ten exin tes charitos)." As we can see, the human being, by grace, unites in his created hypostasis the divine and the human in the image of Christ, and thus becomes a created god, God according to grace. The hypostasis is precisely specified; it is the person of the deified human being. In Christ, deified human nature is enhypostasized in a divine Person. In the deified human being, the created person sees how, in this divinization, his nature is united with the divine deifying energy. Thus, the hypostasis is the personal, unique, incomparable mode of the theandric existence of every Christian. Here is where the radical, mystical, and trans-essential demarcation between the old man and the new creation is to be made. But at this point, any phenomenological analysis changes into trans-phenomenology to reach a state which transcends the primary human state: holiness. The "individual" is a sociological and biological category (OL's Note: Zizy's "biological hypostasis" ) that belongs entirely to nature. The individual is part of the natural whole, and is separate from it either by a contrast, by a demarcation, or through isolation. In the natural state, the prosopon merges with the individual; it is but a "potentiality" of the person. But once actualized, it demands maturing into a hypostasis, which is a spiritual category. It is not a part, but contains the whole, which explains its ability to be enhypostasized.
The individual to whom one ascribes "a strong personality" merely presents a particular mixture of natural elements, with certain prominent traits. Despite these salient traits, such a person ultimately creates only the impression of deja vu. A saint is striking because of a countenance unique in the world, because of a light that is always ultimately person. He or she has never seen before.
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Whenever E. talks about "theandric structure", I believe he's describing what I talked about before...
Fully Actualized Human Existence:
Subject
Holy Spirit
Human Spirit
Divine Will/Mind
Human Will/Mind
BPARU Function or Bi-polar assymetrical relational unity
Next, the Template Setter...
Christ:
One divine person
Holy Spirit ("rests" in the Son naturally)
Human spirit (taken on with human "flesh" )
Divine Will/Mind (One Will of the Trinity)
Human Will/Mind (the "faith OF Jesus", evidenced in Gethsemane)
Incarnation, Condescension
Finally, us...
Christian:
One non-divine person
Holy Spirit ("rests" in the "son-in-the-Son" by Grace)
Human spirit (natural aspect of human existence)
Divine Will (Paraclete, Christ's Spirtual Presence)
Human Will (the "faith IN Jesus", evidenced by Paul)
Theosis, Ascension
Humans were INITIALLY DESIGNED to become created "gods" ("sons" of God) who always have God's Spirit as our "determining element." Fully realized human nature is really a theandrism...a "divine humanity" like Nesteruk talks about. And the Incarnate Word confirms all this in his coming.
Post Edited (One Love) : 3/22/2010 11:25:14 AM (GMT-5) | | Back to Top | | |
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One Love
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Date Joined Jan 2003
Total Posts : 13888
| Posted 3/22/2010 11:13 AM (GMT -6) | | By the by, Tom...would the idea of "theandrism" align with the Copts were thinking?
The Copts basically agree that the Son is both fully divine and fully human, they just didn't like the language of "two natures" because for them it made more sense to say any one PERSON had a single set of all that person's attributes...whether some are divine and some are human dudn't matter...they're all still THAT one person's attributes. And the Copts have a point. From the perspective of the one person, all his attributes belong TO that one person. But from the perspective of NATURE, one can distinguish further two sets of attributes, one that is uniquely divine and one that's uniquely human.
In Christ, the theandrism is realized in the one uncreated person of God the Son when "the Word became flesh."
In the "created god", the theandrism is realized in the one created human person by participating in Christ's Spiritual Presence via the Holy Spirit.
Post Edited (One Love) : 3/22/2010 11:25:44 AM (GMT-5) | | Back to Top | | |
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One Love
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Date Joined Jan 2003
Total Posts : 13888
| Posted 3/22/2010 11:41 AM (GMT -6) | | God presides in the great assembly;
he gives judgment among the "gods":
"How long will you defend the unjust
and show partiality to the wicked?
Defend the weak and the fatherless;
uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed.
Rescue the weak and the needy;
deliver them from the hand of the wicked.
"The 'gods' know nothing, they understand nothing.
They walk about in darkness;
all the foundations of the earth are shaken.
"I said, 'You are "gods";
you are all sons of the Most High.'
But you will die like mere mortals;
you will fall like every other ruler."
Rise up, O God, judge the earth,
for all the nations are your inheritance.
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Again the Jews picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus said to them, "I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?"
"We are not stoning you for any good work," they replied, "but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God."
Jesus answered them, "Is it not written in your Law, 'I have said you are "gods" ' ? If he called them 'gods,' to whom the word of God came—and Scripture cannot be broken— what about the one whom the Father set apart as his very own and sent into the world? Why then do you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, 'I am God's Son'? Do not believe me unless I do the works of my Father. But if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father." Again they tried to seize him, but he escaped their grasp.
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So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.
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Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
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There seems to be a link between true humanity living up to it's theandric dignity and responsibility (God's calling for us to be who we truly are)...and being "lead" by the Spirit of Adoption, the Holy Spirit (God empowering us to be who we truly are)...as we live in faith through Grace (us opening up to God's Empowering Presence).
Post Edited (One Love) : 3/22/2010 11:49:08 AM (GMT-5) | | Back to Top | | |
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One Love
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Date Joined Jan 2003
Total Posts : 13888
| Posted 3/22/2010 12:02 PM (GMT -6) | | A Difference between a Child of God and Satan...
A Child of God joyfully realizes that God is the center and ground of all (and each) created being, including Satan and demons.
Satan knows this to be true...but can't stand it.
Kierkegaard puts it this way in "The Sickness Unto Death"...
The ever increasing intensity of despair depends upon the degree of consciousness or is proportionate to this increase: the greater the degree of consciousness, the more intensive the despair. This is everywhere apparent, most clearly in despair at its maximum and minimum. The devil's despair is the most intensive despair, for the devil is sheer spirit and hence unqualified consciousness and transparency; there is no obscurity in the devil that could serve as a mitigating excuse. Therefore, his despair is the most absolute defiance.
and...
Demonic despair is the most intensive form of despair: in despair to will to be oneself. It is not even in stoic self-infatuation and self-apotheosis that this despair wills to be itself; it does not will to be itself as that does which, mendaciously to be sure, yet in a certain sense, wills it according to its perfection. No, in hatred toward existence it wills to be itself, wills to be itself in accordance with its misery. Not even in defiance or defiantly does it will to be itself, but for spite; not even in defiance does it want to tear itself loose from the power that established it, but for spite wants to force itself upon it, to obtrude defiantly upon it, wants to adhere to it out of malice—and, of course, a spiteful denunciation must above all take care to adhere to what it denounces.
Rebelling against all existence, it feels that it has obtained evidence against it, against it's goodness. The person in despair believe that he himself is the evidence, and that is what he wants to be, and therefore he wants to be himself, himself in his torment, in order to protest against all existence with this torment.
Just as the weak, despairing person is unwilling to hear anything about any consolation eternity has for him, so a person in such despair does not want to hear anything about it, either, but for a different reason: this every consolation would be his undoing—as a denunciation of all existence. Figuratively speaking, it is as if an error slipped into an author’s writing and the error became conscious of itself as an error—perhaps it actually was not a mistake but in a much higher sense an essential part of the whole production—and now his error wants to mutiny against the author, out of hatred toward him, forbidding him to correct it and in maniacal defiance saying to him: No, I refused to be erased; I will stand as a witness against you, a witness that you are a second-rate author.”
A Child of God has total openness and love towards her Divine Ground...and self-relates on that basis. Demonic perspective "curves in on itself" and DISDAINS it's Divine Ground on behalf of itself, self-relating from that standpoint.
(The infinity of God can overpower finite bouts of "spite" by finite beings, I'm sure...)
Post Edited (One Love) : 3/22/2010 1:12:58 PM (GMT-5) | | Back to Top | | |
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PotOnWheel
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Date Joined Jul 2001
Total Posts : 9890
| Posted 3/22/2010 10:30 PM (GMT -6) | | | | |
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