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Orthodox Theology Part II - God

Orthodox Theology Part II - God. St. Mary & St. Mina Coptic Orthodox Church Servants Meeting January 14, 2018. Who is God ?. Two contrasting facts: God is the “wholly Other” – invisible, inconceivable, transcendent, beyond all words and all understanding

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Orthodox Theology Part II - God

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  1. Orthodox TheologyPart II - God St. Mary & St. Mina Coptic Orthodox Church Servants Meeting January 14, 2018

  2. Who is God ? • Two contrasting facts: • God is the “wholly Other” – invisible, inconceivable, transcendent, beyond all words and all understanding • God is, the same time, very close to us, filling all things and present everywhere. He is present in a personal way • God dwells in light unapproachable and yet we can talk to Him as we talk to our friend www.themegallery.com

  3. God as Mystery • Yes, God is our friend, but we have to always remember who God really is. Always approach him in “fear and trembling” • God is beyond our understanding. In the litrugy according to St. Gregory, we say “without beginning, inconceivable, timeless, ….” • Mystery not only signifies hiddenness, but also that something is revealed www.themegallery.com

  4. God as a Person • In the Creed, we do not say “I believe that there is a God”, but we say “I believe IN one God” • Believing in God means trusting Him, turning to Him • Faith means a personal relationship with God. It is to know God as a person. To know someone as a person means to love him/her www.themegallery.com

  5. God as a person • Personal love between the believer and God: • St. Polycarp • The martyrs • The monks and ascetics • We are all called for this loving relationship with God www.themegallery.com

  6. God • The name by which God revealed Himself is Yahweh, meaning the “One who Exists” – “I AM WHO I AM” • This means • “I live, I am here, I am together with you” • The superiority of God’s being over all other beings” • After the Babylonian captivity, the Jews refrained out of reverential awe from uttering the name of Yahweh, and used instead “Adonai” (the Lord)

  7. Divine Names • Lord – His power, dominion & glory • Lord of Hosts • King of Glory • Almighty – Pantokrator • Holy, All-good • LOVE • There are also names that originate in human experience (Shepherd, Lamb, Way, Door)

  8. Attributes of God • Uncreated & without beginning • No higher principle or cause of existence beyond Him. He is the cause of everything • Being infinite & boundless • God exists beyond the categories of space and is free from all limitation. He cannot be measured

  9. Attributes of God • Eternal • Exists beyond the category of time. • “I am the first, and I am the last” (Isa. 48:12) • “I am the Alpha and the Omega” • Immaterial • By nature, “God is spirit” • Indefinable, invisible and inconceivable

  10. Theology Summarized • It is not by speculative knowledge but in the depths of prayerful silence that the soul can encounter God, who is beyond everything, and who reveals himself to her • The truth encountered by the saints is what is formulated in the dogmas • “A theologian is one who prays”

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