Orthodox Theology of Personhood: A Critical Overview (Part 1)

Abstract

This paper offers a critical overview of the theology of personhood which has become one of the distinctive features of Orthodox theology in the 20th Century. A systematised synthesis of traits and elements within this movement is offered, thus rectifying a certain lack of it in current literature. On one hand it is shown that this theology springs forth from the neo-patristic 'turn' of Orthodox theology. On the other hand it is demonstrated how theoretical instances of this 'turn' bear upon, and appear within the model of the conception of personhood: in its Trinitarian, Christological, ecclesiological and anthropological dimensions. It is this model of personhood, in its basic elements and connections, which is at work in the ongoing debate on the human person in the Orthodox Church. The model of personhood and the model of eucharistic, i.e. ecclesial self-understanding of the Church are shown to implicate each other intrinsically.