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DIALOGO - DIALOGO - The 2nd Virtual International Conference on the Dialogue between Science and Theology(Proceedings detailed information)
Volume: 2, Issue: 1, November 2015 Publisher: EDIS - Publishing Institution of the University of Zilina Powered by:RCDST (Research Center on the Dialogue between Science & Theology), Ovidius Univesity of Constanta. Romania
For among most contemporaries, the concept of Eros seems to have nothing to do with Christianity. Sifting through the psychoanalysis of sexual fantasy, theologically it says nothing. Our study gives reasons showing that for theologians since the dawn of the Christian era, Eros-love plays a fundamental role.. The connotations of this concept, however, are different from those of today, when its sensory meaning is more restricted to sexuality. Greek theologians of the first centuries after Christ, taught the concept of Plato enshrined as a unifying enthusiasm, the attraction of inferior to superior states, as “hungry and thirsty” for something continuously higher, developing, and enriching the connotation. The work of Dionysius ((Pseudo) Areopagite, the Idea of Good, leads us step by step up the ascent of the erotically chaste, and is identified with the One-God, who is the very source of love. Consequently, Eros-love originates from God, Eros- love being not only an ascending but firstly a descending love, which calls for a reciprocal communion
Author keywords
Eros
the Platonic Eros
the true Eros
part Eros
Christian love
References
[1] See Marica, M.A., Erosul. O istorie filosofică a iubirii (Eros. A philosophical
History of Love), Constanţa: Muntenia, 2007.
[2] Platon, The Banquet, 211d.
[3] Windelband, W. Istoria filosofiei greceşti (The History of Greek Phylosophy), vil
I, Iaşi: Moldova Publ. House, 1995, p. 154.
[4] In Greek language en-theon-siasmos, a state in which God lives within you,
deification, cf. Tigler, A., Viaţa şi nemurirea în viziuinea greacă (Life and
Immortality in Greek vision), Bucharest: Univers Enciclopedic Publ. House, 1995, p.
110.
[5] Platon, The Banquet, 206a.
[6] Russell, B., Istoria filosofiei occidentale (The History of Wester Philosophy), vol.
I., Bucharest: Humanitas, Publ. House 2005, p. 316.
[7] Hadot, P., Plotin sau simplitatea privirii (Plotin or The Simplicity of Glancing),
Iaşi: Polirom, 1998,p.103.
[8] Plotin, Enneade, VI, 7.
[9] The author of the writings known as the Corpus Areopagiticum presents himself as a
disciple of St. Paul, and he claims to have witnessed the solar eclipse that
accompanied the death of Jesus. His writings appear for the first time, in the year
532, in a theological colloquium, where Severus of Antioch’s sympathizers invoked
them in their academic argument, while the Catholics openly dismissed them as
apocryphal. Since the Renaissance, following Laurentiu Valla, most experts in the
field date his writings back to V-VI century; Lossky says that the mysterious author
of the Areopagitic Writings “certainly lived after Nicaea and after the great
Cappadocians”, “probably by the end of V or VI century “(V. Lossky, In God’s
Image and Likeness, Humanitas, Bucharest, 1998, p. 9); the same point of view we find
in Andrew Louth (Andrew Louth, Dionysius the Areopagite. An introduction, Deisis
Publishing House, Sibiu, 1997, p. 43 and the next.) and Étienne Gilson (Étienne
Gilson, Philosophy in the Middle Ages, Humanitas Publ. House, Bucharest, 1995,
pp.73-74), all of whom invoke a deep affinity between the vision of Dionysius and the
philosophy of Proclus (411-485); J. Meyendorff states that “discussions around the
true identity of Pseudo-Dionysius, even if they themselves didn’t reach a
satisfactory outcome, they have allowed at least the opportunity to clearly define
the dependence of our author on neo-platonic authors of V century, and especially, on
the Iamblic and Proclus”,(John Meyendorff Christ in Eastern Christian thought,
EIBMBOR, Bucharest, 1997, p. 110);Fr. George Drăgulin attributes them to monk
Dionysius Exiguus from Dobrogea, (the identity of Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite
with ieromonk Dionysius The Meek (Exiguous). Research on a controversial historical
issue of the Byzantine and the straroman/ ancient roman culture, Metropolitan
Publishing Craiova, 1991); Father Stăniloae Dumitru, who translated into Romanian
the collected works, attributes them to Saint Dionysius of Athens Areopagus, by
dating them around the year 100 AD (Saint Dionysius the Areopagite, Complete Works
and Scholium of St. Maximus the Confessor, translation D. Stăniloae, Paideia,
Bucharest, 1996, pp. 7-13); an analytical presentation of “dionisiene issue” is
performed by John I. Ica jr., Yet Tradition Is Right. Notes on the interpretation of
Corpus Areopagite, foreword to Andrew Louth, Dionysius. An Introduction, pp. 2-26.
[10] Vlăduţescu, G., Teologie şi metafizică în cultura evului mediu (Theology and
Metaphysics in Middle Ages Culture), Paideia Publ. House, Bucharest, 2003, p.85.
[11] Sfântul Dionisie Areopagitul, Despre Numirile Dumnezeieşti, în Dionisie
Areopagitul, Opere complete (Saint Donysius Areopagite, About the Godly Names, the
Complete Works), Rom. translation Dumitru Stăniloae, Paideia Publ. House, Bucharest,
1996, p. 148.
[12] Sf. Atanasie, Despre Întrupare, 2, Părinţi şi Scriitori Bisericeşti (About
Embodiment, 2, Fathers and Religious Writings ), vol. 15, Rom. translation D.
Stăniloae, E.I.B.M.B.O.R., Bucharest, 1987, p. 139.
[13] See chapter Cunoaştere apofatică – comuniune erotică (Apophatical Knowledge –
Erotic Communion) from Christos Yannaras, Heidegger and Areopagite, Rom. translation
Nicolae Şerban Tanaşoca, Anastasia Publ. House, Bucharest, 1996.
[14] Saint Dionysius the Areopagite, Despre Numirile Dumnezeiesti (About Godly Names),
IV, § 12 in Opere complete (Complete Works), p. 150. The idea of unifying force of
eros will be discussed by other fathers; Nicolae Cabasila (1320-1391) states that
„what unites, everywhere, is the power of love” (Nicolae Cabasila, Despre viaţa
în Hristos (About life in Christ), Romanian translation Teodor Bodogae, EIBMBOR,
Bucharest, 2001, p. 229).
[15] Christos Yannaras, Heidegger and Areopagite, ed. cit. pp. 119-120.
[16] Saint Dionysius the Areopagite, Despre Numirile Dumnezeieşti (About Godly Names),
IV, § 12 p. 150
[17] This aspect is also signaled by Jean-Claude Larchet who considers that the term eros
designates „an increment of intensity”, by comparison with agape, and it refers
to God’s love rather than love of others, while agape comprises both equally
(Jean-Claude Larchet, Terapeutica bolilor spirituale (The Therapeutics of Spiritual
Diseases), translation Marinela Bojin, Sofia Publ. House, Bucharest, 2001, p. 603,
infra.).
[18] Saint Dionysius the Areopagite, Despre Numirile Dumnezeieşti (About Godly Names),
IV, § 12 p. 150.
[19] Idem.
[20] Ibidem, IV, § 13, p. 150.
[21] D. Stăniloae, Teologia Dogmatică Ortodoxă (The Orthodox Dogmatic Theology), vol
1, EIBMBOR, Bucharest, 1996, pp.190-191.
[22] Ibidem, p. 191, nota 163.
[23] Erosurile imnelor dumnezeieşti (The Eros of Godly Hymns), in Saint Simeon New
Theologian, Imne, Epistole şi Capete, Scrieri III (Hymns, Letters and Paragraphs),
trans. Ioan I. Ică jr., Deisis Publ. House, Sibiu, 2001, p. 216.
[24] Ibidem. p. 396.
[25] Saint Donysius Areopagite, About the Godly Names, IV, § 15, p. 151.
[26] Saint Donysius Areopagite, About the Godly Names, IV, § 20, p. 153.
[27] Idem.
[28] Cf. Christos Yannaras, Heidegger şi Areopagitul, p.122.
[29] Étienne Gilson, Filosofia în Evul Mediu, Editura Humanitas, Bucharest, 1995, p.
78.
[30] Scoliile Sfântului Maxim Mărturisitorul, Despre Numirile Dumnezeieşti, în
Sfântul Dionisie Areopagitul, Opere complete şi Scoliile Sfântului Maxim
Mărturisitorul (Scholium of St. Maximus the Confessor, About the Godly Names in
Saint Donysius Areopagite, the Complete Works and Scholium of St. Maximus the
Confessor), transl. Dumitru Stăniloae, Paideia Publ. House, Bucharest, 1996, p. 195.
[31] Sfântul Dionisie Areopagitul, Despre Numirile Dumnezeieşti (Saint Donysius
Areopagite, About the Godly Names), IV, § 10, p. 149.
[32] Saint Donysius Areopagite, Despre Ierarhia Cerească, în Opere complete (About
Heavenly Hierarchy in the Complete Works), p. 23.
[33] Ibidem, XV, § 9, ed. cit., p. 39.
[34] Dumitru Stăniloae, Teologia Dogmatică Ortodoxă (The Orthodox Dogmatic Theology),
vol 1, p. 305.
[35] Dumitru Stăniloae, Note la Ierarhia Cerească (Notes to Heavenly Hierarchy), op.
cit. p.66.
[36] Cf. John Meyendorff, Hristos în gândirea creştină răsăriteană (Christ in the
Eastern Christian Philosophy), p. 111.
[37] Ibidem, p. 120.
[38] Saint Dionysius the Areopagite, Despre Ierarhia Cerească, în Opere complete (About
Heavenly Hierarchy in Complete Works), ed. cit., p. 19.
[39] J. Meyendorff, Le Christ dans la pensée byzantine, (Christ in Byzantine Philosophy)
Paris, 1969, p. 147.
[40] B. F. Westcott, Essay in the History of Religious Thought in the West, London, 1891,
p. 191, apud A. Louth, p. 170.
[41] John Rist, A note on Eros and Agape in Ps- Dionysius, “Vigiliae Chrisitianae”
20, 1966, p. 238, apud A. Louth, op. cit., p. 136.
[42] Soloviov, V., Drama vieţii lui Platon (The Drama of Plato’s Life), Timişoara:
Amarcord, 1997
[43] Berdiaev, N., Sensul creaţiei. Încercare de îndreptăţire a omului (The Meaning
of Creation. An Attempt at the Justification of Man), Bucharest: Humanitas Publ.
House, 1992.
[44] Rozanov, V, Apocalipsa timpului nostru (The Apocalypse of our time), Iaşi:
Institutul European, 1994.
[45] Bulgakov, S., Lumina neînserată. Contemplaţii şi reflecţii metafizice (The
Eternal Light. Metaphysical Contemplations and Reflections), Bucharest: Anastasia
Publishing House, 1999.
[46] Yannaras, Ch., Persoană şi Eros (Person and Eros), Bucharest: Anastasia Publishing
House,, 2000.
[47] Yannaras, Ch., Foamea şi stea (The Famine and Star), Bucharest: Anastasia
Publishing House, 2000.