Russell, Norman – The Doctrine of Deification in the Greek Patristic Tradition

Description

Deification was not only a pagan concept but a metaphor for a deeply Christian view of the purpose of human life. Norman Russell brings together much recent research on the Church Fathers from the second to the seventh centuries, offering an analysis of their spiritual teaching and setting it within the context of the times.

CONTENTS

1 Introduction
2 Deification in the Graeco-Roman World
3 The Jewish Paradigm: From Ezekiel to the yored merkavah
4 The Earliest Christian Model: Participatory Union with Christ
5 The Alexandrian Tradition I: Christian Schools and Study-Circles
6 The Alexandrian Tradition II: The Imposition of Episcopal Control
7 The Cappadocian Approach: Divine Transcendence and the Ascent of the Soul
8 The Monastic Synthesis: The Achievement of Maximus the Confessor
9 Epilogue