I was hunting for an Eastern Orthodox commentary on Romans, which I couldn’t find (at least in English), but I stumbled across this new book: Deification in the Eastern Orthodox Tradition: A Biblical Perspective, by Stephen Thomas. (see also here). It looks interesting and, at least by the title, very relevant to my project. I’ll have to get the department to order it for the library to see how good it is. His doctorate is from Durham, so it must be good. : )
Monday, 30 July 2007 at 11:25 pm
Great find! I haven’t heard of this book before, but it looks intriguing. I’m presently reading through “Deification in the Greek Patristic Tradition” by Norman Russell. As the title suggests, it traces the concept of deification through the Greek Fathers. Russell improves on the work of Gross by being more careful re: each Fathers’ deification language.
I’m excited to see you in a month or two.
Monday, 6 August 2007 at 3:51 pm
Reading this book now. Will give fuller review once I am finished. However it is very good. Seems to be written for Western Christians and especially for Protestants who do not have a good grasp of Orthodox Theology. For those who have read Russell’s work or are very knowledgable in the doctrine of deification it might be somewhat dissapointing. But as an introductory text to deification and to the theology of the Orthodox church it is very good. I would tell others to read this book before Russell’s so that they could go into Russell’s with somewhat of an understanding and thus get more out of it.
BH- CArl Peterson
Monday, 6 August 2007 at 4:24 pm
Yeah, definitely share your thoughts about the book, and table of contents.
I liked Russell’s book, but I was left wanting at the end for a chapter to wrap things up instead of just leaving it as a summary of individual authors. However, I did some work on Irenaeus and it was a helpful place to start.
Monday, 6 August 2007 at 8:02 pm
Ben,
I liked Russell’s book also but I thought his categories were a little manufactured. I have read many of the church fathers and I se more unity in their thought than Russell. For instance Russell put Gregory of Nazianzus in the ethical deification camp. I see many examples of ethical deification in his writings but I see realistic deification also. I think he held a view of an organic participation in God through the sacraments. We do not just become a god because we are imitating Christ (God) but because we encouter him and partake of Him in the Eucharist. We are united with him in a way similiar to the thought of Athanasius but Gregory just stressed ethical deification more.
In Russell’s text itself he admits that what I am saying (generally) is true. But he stresses his categories so often and only alludes to the fact that these categories only demonstrate their tendencies and not all of their thought.
But anyways overall it is a good text. I just think that the doctrine of deification in the Fathers is a more unified expression and both more simple and complex than Russell argues for in his text.
Monday, 6 August 2007 at 8:17 pm
Did you see the article in the most recent JETS by Donald Fairbairn: Patristic Soteriology: Three Trajectories? I thought it was an interesting thesis. I’ve only really read Irenaeus and a little of Cyril, and I can tentatively agree with him on his analysis of them. But I haven’t read the others enough to have an informed opinion about them.
Monday, 6 August 2007 at 10:24 pm
No but I will check it out and speak to tell you later.
Thursday, 27 November 2008 at 1:30 am
I am glad that my book is found useful as introductory to more advanced and exalted works, such as that of Norman Russell. That was my intention. I am concerned about the price! But let us not forget the concise, beautiful and masterly survey of Jules Gross, written in French in the 1920s. It has come out in a very good English translation:
Jules Gross, “The Divinization of the Christian According to the Greek Fathers,” trans. Paul A. Onica, intro. Kerry S Robichaux & Paul A. Onica, Anaheim CA, A & C Press, 2002.
This is the best book to start with on the Fathers.And so newest isn’t always best! I think it’s the best book of all on the subject. It is written very clearly – and all the references are there, including sections on Hellenistic pagan ‘divinization’ and on biblical sources. There are many useful quotations. The references to Greek words are untransliterated, that’s the only disadvantage as a starter-book, but this is just a detail.
Note that ‘divinization’ is another translation of ‘theosis’ than ‘deification.’ It is the usual French expression. So in looking the subject up under indices, try not only ‘deification’ but also ‘divinization.’