Aquinas on Nature, Grace, and the Moral Life

2021 ◽  
pp. 657-672
Author(s):  
Daria Spezzano
Keyword(s):  
Holy Spirit ◽  
Human Person ◽  
Image Of God ◽  
Moral Life ◽  
Eternal Life ◽  
Summa Theologiae ◽  
The Holy Spirit ◽  
Child Of God ◽  
The Image Of God ◽  
Divine Goodness

Aquinas’ teaching on nature, grace and the moral life in the Summa theologiae outlines the graced movement of the rational creature from God to God, by perfection in the likeness of God. Reflection on causality, trinitarian exemplarity, and the communication of divine goodness shapes his thought. The human person, made to the image of God for knowledge and love of God, is elevated by grace to the supernatural end by a participation in the divine nature that assimilates the intellect and will to the trinitarian persons. This deification by grace, taking the form in the creature of the created habitus of infused charity and wisdom, makes the adopted child of God a new principle of activities directed towards supernatural beatitude and constantly moved by divine auxilium. The predestined human person, led in freedom by the Holy Spirit, manifests the divine goodness in the graced journey to union with God in eternal life.

Social Aspects of the Image of God in Man According to the Orthodox Theological Anthropology of the XX-XXI Centuries

2020 ◽  
pp. 77-97
Author(s):  
Сергей Анатольевич Чурсанов
Keyword(s):  
Human Nature ◽  
Holy Spirit ◽  
Theological Anthropology ◽  
Human Person ◽  
Image Of God ◽  
Vertical Dimension ◽  
Social Aspects ◽  
The Third ◽  
The Holy Spirit ◽  
The Image Of God

В статье выделены и рассмотрены пять ключевых принципов совершенного общения человеческих личностей по образу божественных лиц. Согласно принципу единства в различии, каждая человеческая личность, пребывая в полноте общения с другими личностями, в то же время пребывает и в личностной уникальности. возможность приближения к такому совершенному общению открывается для человека при реализации принципа личностной конституированности, состоящего в том, что по образу монархии отца человеческое сообщество возглавляется личностью, способной преодолеть трагические установки и на индивидуалистическое обособление, и на нивелирующее подавление. в качестве третьего богословского принципа совершенного общения представлен принцип тройственной личностной соотнесенности, предполагающий преодоление диадической замкнутости и в вертикальном измерении, то есть в отношениях с богом, и в горизонтальном измерении, то есть в отношениях между людьми. Далее, совершенное общение отвечает принципу всеохватности, означающему, что в состоянии богоподобного совершенства каждая человеческая личность в общении с отцом, Сыном и Святым Духом воспринимает божественные энергии, а в общении с людьми - охватывает всю общечеловеческую природу. наконец, в соответствии с принципом свободного дарения, по образу распространения нетварных божественных энергий отцом через Сына в Святом Духе вне божественной неприступной сущности, различные составляющие полноты бытия, обретаемой в межчеловеческом общении, передаются его участниками всем окружающим, в конечном счете - всему сотворенному миру. The article highlights and considers five key principles of perfect communion of human persons in the image of Divine Persons. According to the principle of unity in difference, while existing in the fullness of communion with other persons, each human person at the same time gains his or her personal uniqueness. The possibility of approaching such perfect communion opens up for a person while realizing the principle of personal constitution, which involves that, in the image of the monarchy of the Father, the human community is headed by a person who is able to overcome the tragic attitudes of both individualistic isolation and leveling suppression. As the third theological principle of perfect communion, the principle of triple personal relatedness is presented, which implies the overcoming of dyadic restraint both in the vertical dimension, that is, in relations with God, and in the horizontal dimension, that is, in relations between people. Further, perfect communion meets the principle of personal all-embracing, meaning that in the state of God-like perfection, each human person perceives the Divine energies in communion with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, as well as embraces all human nature in communion with people. Finally, in accordance with the principle of free giving, in the image of spreading of uncreated Divine energies by the Father through the Son in the Holy Spirit outside the Divine inaccessible essence, the various components of the fullness of being obtained in interpersonal communion are transmitted by its participants to everyone around, and ultimately to the whole created world.

scholarly journals Kristologien i Grundtvigs salmer

1989 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 121-140
Author(s):  
Jakob Fløe Nielsen
Keyword(s):  
Holy Spirit ◽  
Image Of God ◽  
Human Being ◽  
Son Of God ◽  
Past Event ◽  
Strong Emphasis ◽  
The World ◽  
The Holy Spirit ◽  
The Many ◽  
Child Of God

The Christology in the Hymns of GrundtvigBy Jakob Fløe NielsenThe intention of the paper is to show the coherent and complete Christological conception that lies behind the many specific christological expressions in Grundtvig’s hymns, a christology that was never thoroughly elaborated by Grundtvig himself. The superior christological scheme is the descent and abasement of the Son of God from heaven to the land of death and the following exaltation to divine glory. Grundtvig’s strong emphasis upon man’s preserved image of God in spite of the Fall has, however, the consequence that the exaltation mentioned becomes a threefold presentation: 1. the resurrection and ascension of Christ in person repeating itself in history, 2. Christ passing through the seven leading churches of Christianity in his Word (especially in the words of the sacraments) towards the final transfiguration of the world, and 3. at the same time Christ fulfilling his own exaltation in the form of "the hope of glory" (Colossians 1.27) within each baptized. The background to this third aspect is Grundtvig’s concept of the fact that Christ offers himself to the faith in the words at baptism and Eucharist. In spite of the fall he here melts together with the preserved image of God within the believer. So at the same time as the fallen human being is reborn through baptism as the child of God, Christ is born as the tender hope of glory in the believer in the meeting of the word of the Holy Spirit and the human faith. The growth of Christ within the believing baptized is identical with that person’s transfiguration, as man’s destination from creation is realized: to be in the image of his God.In this process the Eucharist plays a decisive part. Where the words of institution are heard and believed, it signifies Christ’s victory over Satan within the baptized, and is also an expression of Christ inspiring his heavenly love into man to strengthen and glorify his earthly and powerless love. Thus, the christology in Grundtvig’s hymns in addition to being a description of a past event also becomes the rendering of the ongoing struggle between God and Satan in history and within the life of each Christian.

scholarly journals MAN AND HIS QUALITY AS AN IMAGE OF GOD IN PATRISTIC THINKING

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (14) ◽  
pp. 92-97
Author(s):  
Edvica POPA ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Human Nature ◽  
Holy Spirit ◽  
Image Of God ◽  
Human Being ◽  
Church Fathers ◽  
Patristic Literature ◽  
The Holy Spirit ◽  
The One ◽  
The Image Of God ◽  
The Church

The notion of divine image is generously described by the patristic literature, each of the authors trying to identify the content of this special characteristic of human being, considered (in different positions) the defining element of the created rational being, indicating the possibility of opening to God not through something external, but from the inside of the human being. Since when they speak of God, the Church Fathers do not consider the reality of the one being, but that of the three persons, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, as well as when the question of the image of God is raised, they emphasize that this the image by which human nature is conformed is the image of the Son, or the image of the Word. In this article I set out to draw some points on this patristic feature of the Eastern Fathers.

scholarly journals “The Way of the Heart” in the Experience and Reflection of St. Augustine

2021 ◽  
Vol 90 (5) ◽  
pp. 477-504
Author(s):  
Mirosław Mejzner
Keyword(s):  
Holy Spirit ◽  
Human Heart ◽  
Religious Life ◽  
Image Of God ◽  
Spiritual Life ◽  
Latin Word ◽  
The Holy Spirit ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Image Of God ◽  
The Trinity

In the writings of St. Augustine, the Latin word cor occurs more than 8,000 times, being one of the most important, though ambiguous, terms of his anthropology and spirituality. As a synonym for the inner man (homo interior) it encompasses the whole affective, intellectual, moral and religious life. In this sense, it is the privileged place for a personal encounter with God. The analysis of Augustine’s writings reveals a link between the concept of the Trinity and indications concerning the spiritual life of man. Reflections on the “heart” can be put into a kind of triptych: creation “in the image of God,” illumination by Christ, and dilatation by the Holy Spirit. The impact of God on the human heart should find its completion in a voluntarily adopted attitude of adoration, humility and love.

scholarly journals Allah Trinitaris Dalam Refleksi John Zizioulas

2014 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 222-241
Author(s):  
Yap Fu Lan
Keyword(s):  
Holy Spirit ◽  
Image Of God ◽  
Eternal Life ◽  
Human Being ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Way Of Life ◽  
Authentic Identity ◽  
The Holy Spirit ◽  
Doctrine Of The Trinity ◽  
The Trinity

Abstrak: John Zizioulas merefleksikan kembali doktrin Allah Trinitaris dan mencoba mencari cara-cara baru menolong umat beriman zaman ini menemukan makna ajaran iman ini. Merujuk teologi para Bapa Gereja Kapadokia, Zizioulas mengajukan gambar Allah Trinitaris sebagai Pribadi yang berkomunitas. Pribadi memiliki tiga karakteristik: primer dan absolut, ekstasis dan hipostasis, unik dan tak tergantikan. Pribadi selalu bergerak ke luar dirinya, ke arah pribadi yang lain, maka ia menerima keberbedaan. Kehidupan dan identitas otentik pribadi ditemukan hanya di dalam komunitas yang dibangunnya bersama pribadi-pribadi yang lain. Gerak Pribadi Allah adalah eros, cinta yang merangkul pribadi-pribadi yang lain beserta keberbedaan mereka, yakni manusia dan segenap ciptaan. Berkomunitas dengan Allah dan segenap ciptaan, manusia melampaui substansi manusiawi dan kondisi naturalnya. Manusia tidak lagi menjadi milik kematian melainkan kehidupan kekal. Gereja adalah image Allah Trinitaris karena ia adalah komunitas pribadi-pribadi yang mengalami kelahiran baru oleh Roh Kudus di dalam peristiwa Kristus. Sebagai image Allah Trinitaris, cara Gereja hadir di dunia ialah dengan menjadi komunitas katolik dan ekaristis. Untuk menjadi komunitas katolik-ekaristis, pembaruan cara hidup, struktur hirarkis, dan pelayanan Gereja adalah sebuah kebutuhan. Kata-kata Kunci: pribadi, substansi, ekstasis-hipostasis, keberbedaan, identitas otentik, komunitas ekaristis, imago Dei/Trinitatis, eros. Abstract: John Zizioulas did his reflection on the doctrine of the Trinity in term to seek new ways that help the faithful to grasp the meaning of this teaching. Referring to the theology of Cappadocian Fathers, Zizioulas provides a picture of the Trinity as Persons within communion. A person has three primary characteristics: primary and absolute, ecstatic and hypostatic, unique and irreplaceable. A person always moves towards others, thus she/he embraces otherness. The very life and authentic identity of a person can be found only in communion with others. The Person of God moves as eros, God’s love which embraces the others and otherness, i.e. human beings and the rest of creation. Being in communion with God and all creations, human being overcomes the human substance and its nature. Human being no longer belongs to death but to eternal life. The church is an image of the Trinity for it is a communion of the new persons that were delivered by the Holy Spirit within the Christ event. As the image of the Trinity, the Church’s way of being in this world is by becoming a catholic and eucharistic community. To be such a community, the renewal of the Church’s way of life, hierarchical structure, and ministries is a necessity. Kata-kata Kunci: Person, substance, ecstatic-hypostatic, otherness, authentic identity, eucharistic community, image of God/image of the Trinity, eros.

scholarly journals Skabt i Guds billede. En lidet kendt udredning af Grundtvig fra 1814

1986 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
pp. 7-10
Author(s):  
N. F. S. Grundtvig
Keyword(s):  
Holy Spirit ◽  
Image Of God ◽  
The Bible ◽  
Tree Of Knowledge ◽  
God's Word ◽  
The Holy Spirit ◽  
The One ◽  
Good And Evil ◽  
The Image Of God ◽  
Second World

Created in the Image of Goda little-known account of Grundtvig from 1814The creation of man in the image of God means according to Grundtvig that man is created with the purpose of resembling the Trinity - Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Man is therefore tripartite, comprising body, soul and spirit, equipped to feel, imagine, and apprehend. As Father, God cannot be truly imagined, since our images are limited by time and space. When man nevertheless sets out to imagine God, it is as Creator, according to the Bible as “the living word” – as the Son. The Holy Spirit then becomes the power that unites the Father and the Son. Grundtvig believes that man must be created with free will, “for otherwise there was something that did not obey Him”, that is, God - namely the human will.However, Grundtvig does not envisage the newly-created man as a perfect image of God, but rather as a healthy new-born baby is “fully-developed” - with the potential to become the perfect image of God. The Fall breaks off this development, occurring as it did because man abused his reason by doubting the truth of God’s word: “of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it,” for “thou shalt surely die.” Instead man believed the devil’s words, which were lies, and let his reason serve his desire. If we doubt that we participate in this sin, we will be convinced “when we realise how little abhorrence we have of such a fall.” This was pride, and this was how we lost our immediate communion with God.This account is found in the first volume of Grundtvig’s second World Chronicle, published in 1814. Only the one volume was published; it has never been reprinted, and is therefore little-known.

Heaven Down Here

2015 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 375-395
Author(s):  
Marinus de Jong
Keyword(s):  
Holy Spirit ◽  
Close Relation ◽  
Image Of God ◽  
Reformed Tradition ◽  
Fixed Set ◽  
The Holy Spirit ◽  
Theological Differences ◽  
The Image Of God ◽  
Reformed Worship

In comparing how the presence of the Holy Spirit is understood in Reformed and Pentecostal-Charismatic worship many differences come to the fore. In accounts of Reformed worship his presence is less prominent than in Pentecostal-Charismatic accounts and is understood in close relation with a fixed set of means of mediation. In Pentecostal-Charismatic worship this connection is unconsciously connected to different means of mediation: bodily engagement and music. This comparison reveals deeper theological differences between the two traditions concerning the image of God and his Trinitarian nature. From this theological analysis the Reformed tradition can learn from Pentecostal-Charismatic worship by emphasizing more clearly that the Spirit is present in worship, by an improved reflection of the freedom of the Spirit in its order of worship and through a more embodied liturgy.

scholarly journals Die buitengewone geboorte van Jesus Christus en die regering van sy kerk, in die besonder rakende die vrou

2008 ◽  
Vol 42 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
J. L. Helberg
Keyword(s):  
Old Testament ◽  
Jesus Christ ◽  
Holy Spirit ◽  
Image Of God ◽  
The New Testament ◽  
The Holy Spirit ◽  
Essential Unity ◽  
Intimate Relations ◽  
The Image Of God ◽  
The Church

The extraordinary birth of Jesus Christ and the reign of his church, especially regarding women The issue whether there is room for women in the special ser- vices of the church, especially as elder, is currently corespons- ible for tension within the Reformed Churches in South Africa (RCSA). The ruling task of the church is closely linked with the way God rules his people and with what the relation between Him and his people is. The book of Matthew shows that there is an essential unity but also a drastic difference between the Old Testament and the New Testament dispensations in this regard. This article investigates at what dominates both dispen- sations and how they differ concerning this. Sin disrupted humanness and harmony fundamentally and in the most intimate relations. In the old dispensation power was inter alia exercised by force, for example in slavery and disregard of women’s full humanness. The birth of Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit from a woman without a man is the fulfilment of the Old Testament promises. All believers without difference in class or gender are recreated by Jesus Christ as the image of God and are reinstated in a personal relation with Him. Exercise of power over others, like in male domination of women and in earthly kingship and slavery makes room for being serviceable. Jesus Christ exercises his authority in a serving way. Especially his church must rule in a serving way by acknowledging Him as Head and testifying about his life, death and resurrection as contained in his Word. A believing woman is just as well equiped for this as a man.

scholarly journals Indwelling without the indwelling Holy Spirit: a critique of Ray Yeo’s modified account

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. 124-141
Author(s):  
Kimberley Kroll
Keyword(s):  
Holy Spirit ◽  
Human Person ◽  
Viable Alternative ◽  
Jonathan Edwards ◽  
Modified Model ◽  
William Alston ◽  
The Core ◽  
The Holy Spirit ◽  
Direct Union ◽  
Spirit Christology

In 2014, Ray Yeo published a modified account of the Spirit’s indwelling in “Towards a Model of the Indwelling: A Conversation with Jonathan Edwards and William Alston.” Yeo utilizes a conglomerate of Two-Minds Christology and Spirit Christology to provide a metaphysical framework for his model which he believes offers a viable alternative to more traditional merger accounts like those of Edwards and Alston. After providing an overview of Yeo’s objections to the merger accounts of Alston and Edwards, I will summarize Yeo’s modified model. I will argue Yeo’s emphasis on the humanity of Christ in lieu of a literal, internal, and direct union of the Holy Spirit and the human person cannot alleviate the core metaphysical concerns which surface in all accounts of union between the divine and human.  Yeo’s misunderstanding of Two-Minds Christology leads him to deny the full humanity of Christ; a humanity upon which his entire account of the indwelling relies. Yeo’s modified model will be shown unsuccessful as an account of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit even if one accepts both his conception of Two-Minds Christology and his conditions for indwelling.

The Holy Spirit and Eschatology

Pneuma ◽  
1981 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 54-58
Author(s):  
J. Rodman Williams
Keyword(s):  
Graduate Students ◽  
Jesus Christ ◽  
Holy Spirit ◽  
Eternal Life ◽  
The Holy Spirit

AbstractThis article on "The Holy Spirit and Eschatology" was written by Melodyland School of Theology just following the last session of a seminar on eschatology. For almost three months some dozen graduate students had been meeting twice a week to study and reflect upon the whole range of matters having to do with eschatology, or the "last things." As their leader I told them at our final meeting of my intention to write an article on "The Holy Spirit and Eschatology," and asked them for their suggestions. The seminar had not really focused on the Holy Spirit as such: it was much more on such matters as Jesus Christ our "blessed hope," the Kingdom, eternal life and so on. However, the seminar was quick to express a number of ideas concerning the Holy Spirit and eschatology. So I shall summarize some of these, along with a few additional reflections. For brevity these will be listed under several headings.

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