Theology and the Church

by Dumitru Stăniloae

Professional theologians have long recognized Fr Dumitru Staniloae as the most influential and creative Romanian theologian of our century. A pioneer in his country's religious renaissance, he has fought for almost half a century to free theology from a routine scholasticism, and spirituality from mere sentimentality. Yet in the West Staniloae has been known more by reputation that by his writings themselves, which for the most part have appeared only in Romanian. This English translation makes his work available to a wider audience for the first time. In a fresh and masterly synthesis, rooted in the tradition of the Greek Fathers yet open to the legitimate concerns of contemporary Christian thought, Staniloae gives a dynamic presentation of the Orthodox doctrine of the Trinity as the basis of ecclesiology and anthropology. He assumes a balanced theological framework the totality of creation, the world and human culture by referring it to its ultimate restoration and transfiguration.

Genres: Theology, Nonfiction

240 pages, Paperback

Published March 1, 1997

About the author

Dumitru Stăniloae (Romanian pronunciation: [duˈmitru stəniˈlo̯aje] was a Romanian Eastern Orthodox priest, theologian, academic, and professor. Father Stăniloae worked for over 45 years on a comprehensive Romanian translation of the Philokalia, a collection of writings by the Church Fathers, together with the hieromonk, Arsenie Boca, who brought manuscripts from Mount Athos. His masterpiece, The Dogmatic Orthodox Theology (1978), makes him one of the most reputed Christian Theologians of the second half of the 20th century. He produced valuable comments on the works of the Fathers of the Church, such as Gregory of Nyssa, Maximus the Confessor, or Athanasius the Great.

Reviews

[Marcas · Rating 4 out of 5]

A slow starter, it was difficult to get through the first few chapters, maybe his complex portrayal of the Trinity was necessary though in understanding the Spirituality later elaborated upon, and some parts early were very enlightening.
I welcome some of the criticism of the West in how people have traditionally seen the Holy Spirit moving but there are contrary views of Papal primacy in the west. As a supplement I might suggest Fr Paul McPartlan's work.

The defence against individualist views (esp. amongst Protestants) is most helpful in properly understanding the Church. But like many others, he is best in the affirmative and when he starts more swiftly breezing through a rich panople of Orthodox understandings of the Spiritual Life it becomes a wonderful read.
Easy to follow and at times profound; both subtle and occasionally sublime.