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Orthodox Perspectives on Ecology
Few realize how ecological the vision of Orthodox Christianity really is. Yet it portrays creation as an epiphany of God, and the human person as a workshop of unity, a connecting link uniting creation and Creator. This lofty ideal is to be achieved at a very practical level: we are to manifest our love for God, for other people, and for the world, through "the right use of material things." To communicate this vision, Elizabeth Theokritoff draws on ancient sources—the Fathers, the liturgy, and saints' lives—on modern commentators, and on practical examples from our lived experience. She presents fresh wisdom and insight into Orthodox tradition in a way that is both accessible and relevant to theologians and non-theologians. The thematic arrangement makes it a convenient resource for teachers. It is compelling reading, and demonstrates that environmental concerns have deep roots in Christian tradition.
Elizabeth Theokritoff was educated at Millfield School and Somerville and Wolfson colleges, Oxford, where she completed her doctorate in liturgical theology under the supervision of Bishop Kallistos (Ware). She is an independent scholar and freelance theological translator from Greek, and has served as a visiting lecturer at the Institute of Orthodox Christian Studies in Cambridge. She has had a particular interest in theology of creation since 1988, when she served as visiting Orthodox Tutor at the Ecumenical Institute, Bossey, Switzerland, for the Graduate School on "Justice, peace and the integrity of creation." Contents
Foreword
Preface and Acknowledgments
Introduction
Themes in the Church Fathers
The Ascetic Tradition and the Use of the World
The Saints and Their Environment
God’s Creation in Orthodox Worship
Sacramental Life and Sacramental Living
Themes in Contemporary Orthodox Theology
In Conclusion - Living in God’s Creation
Excerpt from Themes in the Church Fathers:
If we want to explore Christian teaching about the created
world, where do we start? There is a bewildering variety of
assertions about the Christian attitude to the material creation,
both from those claiming to speak for Christianity and
from its critics. Nearly everyone will quote Scripture: the Genesis
creation stories, the Psalms and prophets with their invocations
of the natural world, the “groaning of creation” in the Epistle to
the Romans, to name but a few. But as we all know, what really
counts is the way such texts have been understood and used. An
idea may be found in Scripture, but actually have played little part
in shaping the Christian world view. This is why we begin with the church fathers—the theologians, teachers and saints whose writings encapsulate the Church’s interpretation
of Scripture and understanding of doctrine—and look
to see what picture of Christian cosmology emerges from their
writings.
Excerpt from The Saints and Their Environment:
In a world that still awaits full transfiguration, ferocious animals
may serve to protect the saint, and his basic needs, from
other creatures that are less cooperative. The latter all too often
include humans: because animals are “unfallen,” part of the creation
“subjected to futility not of its own will” (Rom 8.20) their
response to the restored image is more intuitive and immediate
than that of creatures endowed with free will. A story concerning
Abba Amoun, one of the Egyptian Desert Fathers, illustrates the
difference dramatically. He was being plagued by robbers stealing
his meager provisions, and finally in exasperation detailed two
large snakes to guard the door of his cell. When he next went
out, it was to find the would-be burglars paralyzed by terror. He
proceeded to contrast their behavior unfavorably with that of the
snakes, rebuking them as “more ferocious than the wild beasts”
who “thanks to God, obey our wishes.”
ISBN 978-0-88141-338-0
5.5 x 8.5
266
Price: US $19.00
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