FOS SUMMARY - “Spirit and the City”

The Dormition of the Theotokos
by Dorothy Poli & Daniel Padovano

12 August 2008

FOS Summaries are recaps of discussions points, organized and presented conceptually, in a session's dialogue and Q&A among Fr. Frank and FOS participants.  The Summaries' authors further elaborate on certain ideas from a theme offered by Fr. Frank.  All summaries are approved by Fr. Frank prior to e-mail distribution.  Past summaries can be found on the Cathedral website at http://www.thecathedral.goarch.org/FOSSummary/. 

Mary as Theotokos is the birth-giver of God, the vessel, the chalice, the Ark who carries the Covenant, the new Covenant in Jesus.  She is a model for us in terms of what God can do to us and how we can respond to His will.  Because she is fully human, we can become like her.  God can also come into us, spiritually be born in us and transfigure us.  She is an example to us of a human saying yes to the Holy Spirit vs. the no said by another human, Eve.  She is the only human person who has been perfected and achieved theosis (becoming God-like and in union with God).  In her, is the reconnection of glorified body and soul.  In the process of theosis, she was translated bodily into the Kingdom of God.  She is the first to experience bodily resurrection.

Panagia is our Holy Mother.  Jesus establishes the relationship between Mary and St. John, who also represents the rest of humanity.   As such, prayers to the Panagia (meaning all-holy) are intercessory.  That is, we pray through the Panagia as she takes our prayers as pleas to Jesus.  We pray only to God, through others, for only God can save.

Theological principle in the icon: Jesus holds Mary who has the face of mature woman but the body of an infant.  This represents her soul.  This same idea is also signified at Baptism.  A big candle accompanies a small infant.  The candle is bigger than the child because the majority of the light of Christ is outside an infant.  However, over time, the candle gets smaller with use signifying that as person grows he/she reflects more and more the light of Christ burning brighter within them.
 
The Orthodox view is that Adam and Eve were infants and had to grow. Catholics and Protestants believe that Adam and Eve were perfect. For Catholics and Protestants, after death, there is nothing more to do.  They are just resting.  Orthodox believe that after death, the soul is continuing to grow in its mode of existence -- still growing into a relationship with God where it becomes more God-like and comes more and more into its fullness.  Or, if the soul was moving away from God, this is the state of hell.  Neither heaven nor hell is a physical place but rather a state of being defined by a soul’s relationship to God.  Everyone will be transfigured, glorification for those moving towards God and disfigurement for those moving away from God.

Also, in the icon (on the left) are the “Three Youths in a Furnace” (from the Old Testament) who were not burned but experienced the fire as refreshing dew.  Persecuted for their loyalty and devotion to God, they were saved by their faith in God.  Likewise, the burning bush on Mt. Sinai is not consumed.  The Theotokos who carries God also is not consumed.  She carries the fire of God and the light of the world without being burned. 

Moses and Elijah (the law and the prophet) are also depicted. Sts. Peter and Paul are pictured as are eleven of the Apostles.  St. Thomas, the 12th apostle is missing because he was on his way back from India when the Theotokos died and was late to her burial.  Upon his arrival, he found that her body was missing.  This is significant to show that her body was assumed into heaven. 

Three stages of salvation
The first stage is Justification whereby every human person is universally saved, justified by the Blood of Christ.  St. Paul says we must work out our salvation with fear and trembling so that we grow into sanctification and so we don’t fall back into our old ways.  Works are really an expression of our love towards God and one another. By doing “good” works, we are living and growing in our faith. Glorification is the last stage whereby we are transfigured into the image and likeness of God eternally.

Nominalism vs. Universalism
Either one believes that there is a God that is in the world and participates in the world (universalism) or one believes that He is separate (nominalism – individualism.)  The Orthodox believe in universalism.

In nominalism, all things being equal, the theory (explanation) with the fewest assumptions is the best. Medieval philosopher William of Occam posited that when looking at reality, there is no universality, no absolutes.  There is no essence to anything – everything is individualized.  Things, names, words can mean different things to each person.  As an example how and what you perceive as an apple may not be the same as how and what I perceive an apple is to be.

Under this construct, the individual stands alone, by choice.  There is separation from the community and an emphasis on the self, to the exclusion of others, including God. The separation breeds arrogance and pride.

A counter argument is:  Saying there are “no absolutes” is an absolute statement, therefore, contradictory and illogical.  Further, if there are no absolute truths there are no universal laws and therefore no guidance.  This can lead to delusion and chaos.  A differentiation on this point is important.  The truth of something is different from the preference of an individual which is subjective and inherently and not necessarily qualified as truth or falsehood.  A person’s opinion is his/her purview whether it is based in truth or not.  However, truth is truth regardless of any individual’s opinion.

Post-modernism is a descendant of Nominalism. Post-modernism also states that there are no absolutes. This leads to individualism, which has the philosophy: “If it works for me, so be it” and “If I believe it, then it must be true”.  For instance, a nominalist would say that each Apostle saw something different during the Transfiguration.  Whereas, the Orthodox believe that while each person’s reaction was different, nevertheless what was to be seen by everyone was and is the same – that is, the radiance, the light, the Divinity of Jesus as it truly is revealed.

Nominalism and the lack of absolutes led to the Protestant Church.  Protestants exchanged one pope for many popes where each person is a pope unto himself.

Roman Catholic theology, not totally accepting of the absolute, still has a more rational approach than Orthodoxy and straddles the fence.  Catholics accept universality, however, their view is that universals cannot be seen on earth.

Orthodox theology completely accepts the absolute which leads to its mystical quality.  In Orthodoxy, the experience of everyone in relationship with Christ has a common nature.  In other words, it is the same across individuals except that one relationship may be deeper than the other.  While we all participate in a common relationship with God, each individual has a unique relationship with God.  For Protestants, the relationship is completely individualized in that everyone has their own and unique relationship with Christ, but no common relationship.

St. Gregory Palamas (14c) developed the theory of essence and energy (See FOS Summary March 18, 2008).   We cannot know God in His essence.  He is transcendent in His essence.  However we can know and experience God through His uncreated energies.  The Orthodox Sacraments make present the uncreated energies of God through His essence.  In addition, forgiveness, breath, life and love are examples of His uncreated energies.

Application to Holy Communion:  For some Protestants, God is not present in the wine/juice and bread/cracker. It is mainly symbolic.  However, there are variations among the denominations.  Lutherans, Episcopalians, Anglicans, Presbyterians do believe in the real Presence of Christ.  The Catholics accept the changing of the bread and wine into the body and blood of Jesus.  However in their theology, the bread and wine maintain their physical elements while becoming mystically the Body and Blood of Jesus (Transubstantiation).  The Orthodox believe that the bread and wine mystically and mystically become the Body and Blood of Jesus (Transelemental).

Application to Church Architecture:  Within the chasm or division of the Protestants and Catholics, God stepped back and there is distinction between Creator and created.  The pitched roof of Protestant Churches depicts this, that God is distant.  For Catholics, God is transcendent.  The Orthodox Church also holds in the transcendence of God, however, God is also present and active among His children. This Presence is depicted in the round, low roofs or domes of Orthodox Church to represent the immanence of God. 

Another expression of universalism:  St. Paul, though he did not Jesus while on earth as did St. Peter knew Jesus just as well. However, the knowledge and relationship with Jesus for both St Peter and St. Paul are the same.  Also, St. Paul is considered to have been at the burial along with Moses and Elijah.

Summary: For the Protestants, God is separate. There is no universal relationship, only a personal relationship with God.  For the Catholics, God participates in the world.  For the Orthodox, God participates in the world and we know Him by His uncreated energies but not His essence.