Episode 1: “Holy Scripture & Greek Philosophy”, in "Mystical Theology", with Dr. Christopher Veniamin

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Series: Mystical Theology
Unit 1: Introduction
Episode 1: Holy Scripture & Greek Philosophy

Introducing the theology and spiritual life of the Orthodox Church, with particular reference to the Holy Bible and the witness of the Church Fathers, past and present.

This Unit, "Holy Scripture & Greek Philosophy", consists of a presentation of select passages from Holy Scripture and a discussion of the language of the Bible, in both Old and New Testaments. Followed by a brief presentation of (chiefly) Platonic philosophy, we endeavour to underline the key features of these fundamentally different worlds.

Inspired by the spiritual lineage and ascetico-theological vision of Sts. Silouan and Sophrony the Athonites, a wide range of themes pertaining to the mystical theology of the Christian Church will be discussed.

It is hoped that these presentations will help the enquirer discern the interwoven character of theology and the Christian living, and to identify the ascetic and pastoral significance of the Orthodox ethos. 

Q&As related to Episode 1 available in The Professor’s Blog.

Recommended background reading: Christopher Veniamin, ed., Saint Gregory Palamas: The Homilies (Dalton PA: 2022). 

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: I wish to express my indebtedness to the spoken and written traditions of Sts Silouan and Sophrony the Athonites, Fr. Zacharias Zacharou, Fr. Kyrill Akon, Fr. Raphael Noica, Fr. Symeon Brüschweiler; Fr. John Romanides, Fr. Pavlos Englezakis, Fr. Georges Florovsky, Prof. Constantine Scouteris, Prof. George Mantzarides, Prof. John Fountoulis, and particularly to Mtp Kallistos Ware and Prof. Panayiotes Chrestou: certain sentences and phrases utilized in these presentations are taken directly from my notes of some of their lectures. My presentations have been enriched by all of the above sources, owing to the adoption of certain structures, lists, schemata, and the paraphrasing of themes taken from them. Responsibility for the content of my presentations is of course mine alone. ©Christopher Veniamin 2023

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Dr. Christopher Veniamin D.Phil. (Oxon.)