The Mystical Theology of the Eastern Church Paperback – February 15, 2023

Vladimir Lossky’s penetrating look at the mystical theology of the Orthodox Church is one of the great religious studies. Written during the WWII and circulated among a small circle of readers, it was not published until a year before the author died in 1955. It has been in print ever since.It is easy to see why the book has been in demand. Ostensibly, this is a book written about, as the title indicates, the mystical theology of the Orthodox Church. The Orthodox Church is unique among Christian denominations in that it emphasizes a mystical, divine union between the worshiper and the Christ, not simply the observance and obtaining of sacraments. Lossky explains this mystical underpinning with the help of references to the Patristic Fathers, the Gospels, and to his own considerable analytical insights.Reading of this book will be a transformative experience. Lossky discusses the many paradoxes of Christian doctrine. He does not resolve many of these paradoxes — there is no reconciliation to many of these paradoxes which in the end are simply matters of faith. His manner of discussion and presentation of the issues involved make this book required reading.The Introduction has been described by another reviewer as the most important part, and I tend to agree. In this Introduction, Lossky discusses the nature of the dichotomy between mysticism and theology and the treatment of these two approaches in the Eastern and Western Churches.Chapter Two, the Divine Darkness, is where Lossky discusses the mystical philosophy and theology of St Dionysus the Areopagite, who further differentiated the mystical/theological dichotomy between the Kataphatic, Positive theological approach of affirmation, and the apophatic, approach of negation. For those familiar with Advaita Vedanta, its correlate to Dionysus’ approach to knowing God is paraphrased with the maxim, “Neti - Neti,” — “not this, not this.”Chapter Three is where Lossky explain the Holy Trinity having its background in the mystical significance of the number three. Lossky also discusses the mystical properties of the numbers One and Two.Chapter Four discusses the processes of creation. This discussion is centered on the paradox — one of several discussed — of the world having been created from God’s energies emanating from his Essence, and the ability of the worshiper being able to know God through His energies, but unable to comprehend His essence, and yet the Bible teaching that at the same time the worshiper is able to participate in God’s essence.Chapter Five discusses the Patristic theory of world’s creation as the result of God’s Will, and the Christian paradox of the world being create out of nothing.Chapter Six discusses the nature of Man as a spiritual being, and discusses the differences of this issue between the Eastern and Western Church.Chapter Seven the Patristic prerequisites to Salivation.Chapter Eight discusses Patristic notions on the Holy Spirit.Chapter Nine discusses how the Son and the Holy Spirit is reflected in the abstract and physical institution of the Church.Chapter Ten arrives at the heart of divine union and discusses how divine union, theosis, is achieved not in life but at the Second Coming of the Christ.This book is amazing and highly recommended.

This book is deep enough, yet easy enough to understand the Mysticism in the Eastern Orthodox Church!

There's no other theological text like this that justifies the exclusion of the "filioque" out of the Nicene-Constantinopolitan creed. Lossky is deep, moving, and correct.

This is an interesting slender volume on Orthodox theology and doctrine.I'm kind of on the fence with how much I like this book. I tend to dislike cerebral intellectual approaches to how I view God and too many theological books place more emphasis on a worldly view of God instead of focusing on the many spiritual, unknowable aspects of His nature. I guess this isn't anything bad - I know the average person needs or desires a concrete sort of relationship with our Father, and I see many people enjoy discussing God's nature.This is the first theological book I've owned and, coming from a Seventh Day Adventist childhood, I've never before encountered a denomination that spends such a breadth of time devoted to the Lord and understanding who He is. This is what has drawn me as a young woman to the Orthodox faith.There is a lot of sensitivity on the part of Lossky. He quotes the Bible (an unusual aspect, as most theologians I've encountered don't really pay much attention to Scripture), and seems to have an intuitive approach to the Father. In many ways he seems to act as a mediator or representative of God, an image of Him. Again, something I've never encountered before. I think this is a book you read over a period of years vs months. It's not a replacement for a real relationship with God; if you're curious about the Holy Spirit, the incarnation of Christ, the nature of God's love and omnipresence in a world which is confused with itself, I think this will give you better answers than most, or at least, guide you on a path of greater understanding.

A rational crtic of mystic qualties in orthdox christianity that covers old and new aspects of the subject dealt with in a gentle way

Excellent resource material. The concepts presented are fairly advanced and may not suit someone looking for a simple introduction to Orthodox Theology but will be very good for people with an existing Orthodox theological foundation.