The Mystical Theology of the Eastern Church

Author: Vladimir Lossky

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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.

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Summary

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.

Description

Vladimir Lossky established himself as one of the most brilliant 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, makes 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, inasmuch 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 the realm of human experience, that which is accessible yet inaccessible; those things understood yet surpassing all knowledge.

About the Author

Vladimir Lossky (1903-58) was an influential Eastern Orthodox theologian. Born in Germany, he grew up in St Petersburg, but spent most of his adult life in exile in Paris, where he taught dogmatic theology at the St Dionysus Institute in Paris and the Orthodox Institute of St Irene. 'Essai sur la theologie mystique de l'Eglise d'orient' (1944) (here translated as 'The Mystical Theology of the Eastern Church') is his best known work.