The Mystical Theology of the Eastern Church

Vladimir Lossky's "Mystical Theology' is one of the most profound books ever written about Christianity. It is a superb volume for armchair theologians, clerics of every stripe, those seeking a greater understanding of God in Trinity and human nature, and those wishing a lucid explanation of the differences between the Holy Orthodox Church and more occidental, rational, and secular forms of Christianity. Mystical Theology revolves around several themes such as God's Love, the centrality and inexplicability of Mystery, the importance of the early Church fathers (and mothers), and man's relation to the Godhead. Lossky was one of the great apologists for Orthodoxy in the west from 1923-1958 and his scholarship is peerless. Reading Mystical Theology is profound and profoundly rewarding, but it takes effort. No; the book is NOT poorly written- it is clear. But the concepts presented cause one to go slow, to stop, to ponder, and to pray, sometimes for days. Are you ready to think about the difference between Eastern and Western notions of Grace, about the three hypostases of the Trinity and how the Son is begotten of the Father while the Spirit proceeds from Him? Are you interested in St. Gregory of Nyssa's intriguing view of Hell and how that relates to the concepts of uncreated energy described by St. Gregory Palamas? If so, you will just love this volume. It might even be life-changing for you! Man can never comprehend the Godhead, as Lossky himself points out, but this book will allow us to understand more than we otherwise ever would!

While this title appears on many recommended lists of books on Eastern Orthodoxy, it would not be easy reading for someone uninitiated to mystical Christian writings (from either the east or the west). It also helps to have at least a passing knowledge of Greek as many of the terms appear in Greek.Lossky spends over half the book laying a foundation on the Eastern understanding of apophaticism (describing God by what He is not), asceticism, the Holy Trinity, uncreated energies of the Godhead, image and likeness, the "economy of the Son" and the "economy of the Holy Spirit," before discussing the goal of Christian mysticism which is theosis or union with God, the Divine Light. To me, the heart of the book is in the chapter on "The Way of Union," but it would be meaningless without the preceding chapters.Lossky quotes profusely from the great mystical theologians of the Eastern Church, from various epochs and geographic locations to display the inherent unity of thought on mysticism in the Eastern tradition.Readers who need an introductory work before tackling Lossky might want to try "The Illumined Heart" by Frederica Matthewes-Green, "Beginning to Pray" by Anthony Bloom or "The Art of Prayer" by Igumen Chariton of Valamo.

As my first encounter with theology in the Eastern Orthodox tradition, I was very surprised to be informed of its substantive divergence from the Roman Catholic tradition. Vladimir Lossky, an Orthodox theologian, notes that many individuals in the Orthodox and Catholic traditions--I would include myself here--roseately assume that the differences between the churches are few, minor, and even easily surmounted. Yet as he so wisely points out, the doctrinal differences between the churches are not superficial and, indeed, penetrate to the core of individual spirituality. This duality is deeply expressed by the Dominican Yves Congar, whom Lossky quotes in the introduction: "We have become different men."Mystical theology in the Catholic Church has developed along very different lines. In the Latin tradition, Eastern mysticism is interpreted in the context of the overall development of Western mysticism, so that mysticism in the Greek Church is conceived as the necessary foundation for the flowering of mysticism in the Latin Church. In addition, the Latin tradition has two distinctive traits. First, Western mysticism is notably individualistic, understood to be perfected in the rarefied experiences of figures such as St. Francis of Assisi, St. Catherine of Siena, or St. John of the Cross. Second, the emergence of Aquinas' grand Aristotelian synthesis approximates the time of separation between the Western and Eastern Churches, so that mystical theology in the Catholic Church uses the vocabulary of Scholasticism, which almost never appears in the Greek tradition.In the Greek tradition, on the other hand, the mysticism of the first centuries is not seen as the seed but rather as the fruit. Moreover, because the writings of the Eastern mystics are very closely interpenetrated with the exposition of early Church dogmas, mystical theology is, in effect, a species of dogmatic theology. Mystical theology in the Greek tradition is communal in the sense that it sets forth the pattern by which all individual members of the Orthodox Church are expected to grow in the mystical understanding of dogma. Lossky states the Orthodox position this way: "The eastern tradition has never made a sharp distinction between mysticism and theology; between personal experience of the divine mysteries and the dogma affirmed by the Church." Eastern mysticism also exists in the milieu of Hellenistic philosophy, specifically neo-Platonism, so that this perspective colors all Eastern mystical theology.Besides these broad distinctions, there are very precise differences in doctrine as well, and the thoughtful reader will find enough theology in this book for unhurried, profound reflection. Subtle yet immense differences become apparent in the highly developed mystical theology that Lossky expounds as he proceeds from one topic to the next, beginning with the via negativa of Pseudo-Dionysius, moving on to nature of the Trinity, the meaning of theosis or divinization, the mystical visi

For Vladimir Lossky, theology is by its very nature mystical. He contends that theology is rooted in religious experience, and religious experience leads into theology. There is no separation in the Eastern tradition, according to Lossky, between dogmatics and religious practice, as he states, "Christianity is not a philosophical school for speculating about abstract concepts, but is essentially a communion with the living God." With this idea comes the style of his writing which is extremely complex, extremely orderly in its argument and contention, yet actually elegant in how the Christian life is portrayed in its heavenly and mystical sense. The dependence on Early Fathers is not simply a source for authority, but there is definitely a continuance of the same devotional quality couched in elaborate philosophical expressions that the Fathers perfected. The starting point for understanding Lossky and Eastern Theology is the primacy of apophatic theology. Essentially, this means that the most perfect way of discussing God is by stating not what God is, but rather discussing what God is not. For God in his essence is unknowable, we have no possible way of understanding that which is beyond us, and have no analogy for that which has no equal. This reality leads to the complete inability for a believer to ascend towards God by way of intellectual pursuit. The goal of the Christian, then, is not so much to have a philosophical understanding of the divine, but rather to reach the point of union with God, to be deified. In fact, in order for this to occur the Christian must learn how to become completely detached from human understanding, as this way of knowing distorts and misleads understanding about God. True theology in the Eastern conception is relational not philosophical, concerned with communing with God, and abandoning conceptions which limit the limitlessness of the Divine. This is not to say, however, that nothing can be said about God. For although God in his essence is indeed beyond comprehension, he has been revealed to us in various ways. While we cannot know the God who is, we can know the God who does. One of the most delightful aspects of Lossky's theology, and Eastern thought in general, is the very high regard the Trinity is held, not only in dogmatic assertions as in oftentimes true in the West, but in the actual working out of their theology. The understanding of the Trinity is the most sublime of all doctrines, and essential to understand how God works in the world. For although God is one, God is three, and this antinomy is the highest level of understanding and communion with God. For even as he is three in persons, so he is three in activity, with each person of the Trinity expressing an individual part of the continued creation and sustenance of the world, but each part intertwined and interacting with the others. These individual activities and roles are called economies. Each person has a specific

Far from dry theology, Lossky interacts with the Orthodox tradition with expertise knowledge and a genuine faith in the reality of the Father's activity in this world through His Son and Spirit, in the context of the Church. The book is worth buying just for the introduction, which outlines the meaning of theology in the Orthodox Church. Is Christian theology just neo-Platonism? Is God transcendant just because we are limited in our understanding? Is grace created or uncreated? Is deification (theosis) a hellenic leftover or the meaning of union in Christ? Why was Christ incarnate and what does the Holy Spirit do? What do we say about how God is in Himself and how God is in relation to creation? Lossky tackles these and other pertinent subjects in this masterpiece. You will not read this book and remain unchanged, not because Lossky is such an original and innovative thinker (he is that), but becasue Lossky faithfully interprets the Tradition. The rest of this review is taken from the jacket of the book itself. "Vladimir Lossky established himself as one of the most brilliant of Orthodox scholars in the years between his departure from Russia in 1923 and his death in 1958. His uncompromising faithfulness to Scriptural and patristic tradition, coupled with his constant concern for an articulate Orthodox witness in the West, make his works indispensable for an understanding of the theology of the Eastern Church today. In this classic study of Orthodox theology, Lossky states that 'in a certain sense all theology is mystical, in as much as it shows forth the divine mystery: the data of revelation...the eastern tradition has never made a sharp distinction between mysticism and theology, between personal experience of the divine mysteries and the dogma affirmed by the Church.' The term 'mystical theology' denotes in the realm of human experience, that which is accessable yet inaccessable; those things understood yet surpassing all knowledge." Other books of interest include: "The Orthodox Way" and "The Orthodox Church" by Kallistos (Timothy) Ware; "Byzantine Theology" by John Meyendorff; any Georges Florovsky books; "The Roots of Christian Mysticism" by Olivier Clement; The Gospel of St. John; Jaraslov Pelikan's 5 volume series "The Christian Tradition"; "New Seeds of Contemplation" by Thoman Merton.