Deification....?

[davidoffinland]

From Finland.

I read that Anthanasius said, "God became Man so that men might become gods."

Couple of questions:

1. Why was deification more important in the Eastern Church and not in the Western?

2. Couldn´t this term cause misinterpretation in the modern setting and what it really meant in the Eastern Orthodox theology?

3. Any links?

Thank you,
David.

[Oblio]

Welcome to TAW David !

Achieving Your Potential in Christ: Theosis (http://www.geocities.com/verseoftheday/theosis.html)

[countrymouse33ad]

2. Couldn´t this term cause misinterpretation in the modern setting and what it really meant in the Eastern Orthodox theology? The term "deification" did confuse me the first time I encountered it. When you read Orthodox material with a western mindset the full communication does not always take place. Fortunately, there have been plenty of excellent articles written explaining what it means, and anyone who really wants to know (rather than just wanting to find fault) can find out. Good places to start (other than the link already posted above): oca.org; goarch.org; antiochian.org.

Whatever else you may want to know about Orthodoxy, I recommend exhausting those resources first, because they are the websites of Orthodox jurisdictions in North America, and they are reliable. With other websites it is sometimes "reader beware."

[Strength&Honour]

This is one of my favorite bible verses, I think it is saying a lot about THEOSIS. I think that Theosis is the Prize.
Phillipians 3:12-14

12Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.


13Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, 14I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

[Strength&Honour]

Thanks for the great link, Oblio

[vanshan]

I remember when I was deceived by the heterodox doctrines of the "charismatic movement" and somewhat influenced by "Word of Faith" teachings that I heard one of their teachers stating that we are little gods. At the time this shocked me. The basic idea is that God has given over His power to us, so that man can act as little gods, performing miracles of healing and signs and wonders by faith.

This is far from the Orthodox teaching of theosis, but I just wanted to offer it as a sidebar to our discussion. Also to clarify for anyone in that error that this is definitely not what we mean by deification!

Basil

[The Virginian]

From Finland.

I read that Anthanasius said, "God became Man so that men might become gods."

Couple of questions:

1. Why was deification more important in the Eastern Church and not in the Western?

2. Couldn´t this term cause misinterpretation in the modern setting and what it really meant in the Eastern Orthodox theology?

3. Any links?

Thank you,
David.

1).A lot of things were happening during the early years of the newly formed Christian Church, not the least of which were political and intellectual advances. While there were "Theologians", and brilliant men among the saints on both sides -Alexandria and Antioch- of the debates concerning 'dogma', the West was for some odd reason, taken with more of a spirit of human reasoning. Their counterparts in the East on the other hand, although not discounting the intellect, saw their brothers as wandering away from the true essence of the Christian life, becoming like Christ. This has been; and will remain, the cornerstone of Eastern Orthodoxy

2). There are those who in the throes of their Protestant illumination will tell you that the Orthodox are teaching heresy whenwe talk about man sharing in the divine nature. Even though this is clearly taught in the pages of the Bibile they carry around. The mis-understanding comes when no differentiation is made between "nature/image" and "essence".

3). I can't offer you any better links than those already given.



"...and immediately He was led by the Spirit
into the wilderness, where He fasted forty
days, and afterwards He was tempted by
the devil...."

[blakesto]

I'm sure theosis does create misunderstandings quite often. I remember the first time I read about it, it reminded me of Mormonism.

[Eusebios]

Another New Testament passage which points directly to theosis is 2Peter1:4.
We are according to this passage, to become partakers of the Divine nature. Theosis in a nut shell.
In Xp,
Eusebios