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Theosis
,it
{{spirituality}}
''Alternative spellings: Theiosis, Theopoiesis''
== Orthodox theology ==
The statement by St. [[Athanasius of Alexandria]], "The Son of God became man, that we might become god", [the second g is always lowercase since man can never become a God] indicates the concept beautifully. II Peter 1:4 says that we have become " . . . partakers of divine nature." Athanasius amplifies the meaning of this verse when he says theosis is "becoming by grace what God is by nature" (''De Incarnatione'', I). What would otherwise seem absurd, that fallen, sinful man may become holy as God is holy, has been made possible through [[Jesus Christ]], who is God incarnate. Naturally, the crucial Christian assertion, that God is One, sets an absolute limit on the meaning of ''theosis'' - it is not possible for any created being to become, [[ontology|ontologically]], God or even another god.
All of humanity is fully restored to the full potential of humanity because the Son of God took to Himself a human nature to be born of a woman, and takes to Himself also the sufferings due to sin (yet is not Himself a sinful man, and is God unchanged in His being). In Christ, the two natures of God and human are not two persons but one; thus, a union is effected in Christ, between all of humanity and God. So, the holy God and sinful humanity are reconciled in principle, in the one sinless man, Jesus Christ. (See Jesus's prayer as recorded in [[Gospel of John|John]] [http://drbo.org/cgi-bin/d?b=drb&bk=50&ch=017 17].)
== Comparative considerations ==
=== ''Theosis'' in the Christian West ===
Although the doctrine of ''theosis'' came to be neglected in the Western Church, it was clearly taught in the Roman Catholic tradition as late as the 13th century by Thomas Aquinas, who taught that "full participation in divinity which is humankind's true beatitude and the destiny of human life" (''Summa Theologiae'' 3.1.2).
=== Union with God, East and West Some Protestant use of the term "theosis"=== In Western Catholic theology, addition to the strong currents of ''theosis'' refers to a specific in early and rather advanced phase of contemplation of God. [http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/10663b.htm] The process of arriving to such a statesome contemporary Catholic theology, or moving toward one can find it (as arrival there is not necessary for [[salvation]]), involves different types of prayer which are recognized as beneficial. Various stages of prayer life are recognized as being likely to occur should a person respond to faith by moving along the purgative, illuminative, and unitive ways. See [[ascetical theology]]. Some Western writers refer to theosis using the same implications given above recurring theme within Anglicanism: in Lancelot Andrewes (e.g17th c., [http://ic.net/~erasmus/RAZ184.HTM], [http://www.kensmen.com/catholic/purgatory.html]). It is common to find western writings that suggest that eastern spirituality manifests ''theosis'' and that by implication the West is lacking in this regard, but this is a case of rhetoric obscuring fact: under different terminology the western spiritual traditions, which also reach to the origins hymnody of Christianity John and Charles Wesley (in the East18th c.), share the objective of sharing in the life of GodEdward B. Pusey (19th c. It is also necessary to recall that in the west there is a problematic form of ''[[ecumenism]]'' in vogue), in which people are quick to deny their own truths in order to appear to exalt the ''other''. Some Catholic writers consider it lamentable that the term ''theosis'' is not used more extensively in western theologyand A. [http://wwwM.kensmenAllchin and E.com/catholic/solafideCharles Miller (20th c.html] It is, therefore, a mistake to attribute to Eastern Orthodoxy a special insight into the existence of the possibility of union with God: the theological difference between East and West is rhetorical. Whether or not eastern liturgies are more conducive to ''theosis'' is another matter; in the west there has been much discussion of the merits of the [[Novus Ordo Missae]]). The [[Tridentine Mass]] is available in hundreds Finnish school of locations and is very much conducive, if for some faithful the Novus Ordo is not, to the kind of prayer life Lutheranism led by Tuomo Mannermaa argues that leads one along toward Martin Luther''theosis''. Virtually all spiritual books of any consequence published in the west manifest overt awareness of all the issues comprised in s understood justification to mean ''theosis'' (some books may focus on specific stages and treat unitive themes more briefly). ===Protestant use of the term "theosis"===
''Theosis'' as a concept is used among [[Methodist]]s Methodists [http://www.frimmin.com/faith/theosis.html] especially in relation to the [[pietism|pietist]] movement and in the distinctive [[Protestant]] doctrine of ''entire sanctification'' which teaches, in summary, that it is the Christian's goal, in principle possible to achieve, to live without any [[sin]]. In [[1311]] the [[Council of Vienne]] declared this notion, "that man in this present life can acquire so great and such a degree of perfection that he will be rendered inwardly sinless, and that he will not be able to advance farther in [[grace]]" (Denziger §471), to be a [[heresy]]. Instead of theosis, '''sanctification''', being set apart or made holy, is the term that is used more in Protestant theology. Specifically, ''progressive sanctification'' is the term that is used for the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit, whereby an individual is made more holy.
The Protestant conceptions of [[praxis]], [[phronema]], [[ascetical theology]], and [[sacrament]]s are quite different from Catholic and Orthodox understandings, but the use of the term ''theosis'' may <!-- only "may" because the conception of perfection may reflect a radical difference, depending upon the theological tract being compared-->illustrate a commonality of objective or hope.
===Deification in [[Mormonism]]===The doctrine of theosis or [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exaltation_%28Mormonism%29 deification] in [[Mormonism|The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]] differs significantly from the '''theosis''' of Orthodox Christianity. In Mormonism it is usually referred to as ''exaltation'' or ''eternal life''. While the primary focus of Mormonism is on the atonement of Jesus Christ, the reason for the atonement is exaltation which goes beyond mere [[salvation]]. All men will be saved from sin and [[death]], but only those who are sufficiently [[obedient]] and accept the atonement of Jesus Christ before the [[judgment]] will be exalted. One popular Mormon quote, coined by the early Mormon "disciple" Lorenzo Snow in 1837, is "As man now is, God once was; As God now is, man may be."[http://www.lightplanet.com/mormons/basic/godhead/farms_man.htm] The teaching was taught first by Joseph Smith while pointing to John 5:19 of the New Testament, "God himself, the Father of us all, dwelt on an earth, the same as Jesus Christ himself did." (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pp. 345-46).
==See also==
* [[Soteriology]]
==Published works==
* Stavropoulos, Archimandrite Christoforos. ''Partakers of Divine Nature''. trans. by [[Stanley S. Harakas]] (ISBN 0937032093) [http://www.light-n-life.com/shopping/order_product.asp?ProductNum=PART100]
* Kärkkäinen, Veli-Matti. ''One With God: Salvation As Deification And Justification''. (ISBN 0814629717)
* Alexander, Donald L., ed. ''Christian Spirituality: Five Views of Sanctification''. (ISBN 0830812784)This is a Protestant text from InterVarsity that does not directly address the Orthodox theology of ''theosis''.* Gundry, Stanley, ed. ''Five Views on Sanctification''. (ISBN 0310212693) This is a Protestant text from Zondervan that does not directly address the Orthodox theology of ''theosis''.*Williams, A. N. ''The Ground of Union: Deification in Aquinas and Palamas''. (ISBN 0195124367)*Allchin, A.M. ''Participation in God: A Forgotten Strand in Anglican Tradition''. (ISBN 0819214086)*Mannermaa, Tuomo. ''Christ Present in Faith: Luther's View of Justification''. (A literal translation would be: ''In Faith Itself Christ is Really Present: The Point of Intersection Between Lutheran and Orthodox Theology''.) (ISBN 0800637119)
==External links==
* [http://theosis.riewe.com Theosis - Achieving Your Potential In Christ] by Fr. [[Anthony M. Coniaris]]* [http://www.orlapubs.com/AR/R75.html Energy in the New Testament and in Later Theology] by Dr. Athanasios Bailey, Orchid Land Publications.
* [http://www.affcrit.com/archives/ac_02_02.html Deification] - online issue of ''Affirmation & Critique'' devoted entirely to the topic of ''theosis''
* ''The Divinization of the Christian According to the Greek Fathers'', by Gules Gross (ISBN 0736316000)
* [http://groups.yahoo.com/group/arbible/message/25368 Q&A: About Orthodox Theosis]
* [http://www.monachos.net/patristics/clement_intro.shtml Theosis and the Work of Christ: A beginner's introduction to the thought of Clement of Alexandria]
* [http://groups.yahoo.com/group/arbible/message/41842 "Theosis"--What does the word mean and what does it not mean? - message by Dn. E. Danial Doss]
* [http://www.zeitun-eg.org/StAthanasiusTheosis.pdf Theosis in the writings of St Athanasius of Alexandria]
* [http://www.myriobiblos.gr/texts/english/Russell_partakers.html Norman Russell: "Partakers of the Divine Nature" (2 Peter 1:4) in the Byzantine Tradition - From the hommage to Joan Hussey ΚΑΘΗΓΗΤΡΙΑ, Porphyrogenitus Publ., Camberley UK, 1998]
[[Category:Theology]]
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[[it:Divinizzazione]]
[[ro:Îndumnezeire]]