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John A . Jillions

Cambridge Theological Federation, The Institute for Orthodox Christian Studies, Cambridge, Faculty Member

Fordham University, Theology, Adjunct Instructor

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I am a Visiting Professor (and founding principal) of The Institute for Orthodox Christian Studies (Cambridge, UK) and live in Hartford, Connecticut. Previously I was Associate Professor of Religion and Culture at St Vladimir’s Seminary and an adjunct in theology at Fordham University. I served for seven years as Chancellor of the Orthodox Church in America (2011-2018). Prior to that I was Associate Professor of Theology at Saint Paul University in Ottawa (Sheptytsky Institute of Eastern Christian Studies) and taught courses in New Testament, Orthodox Theology, Ecumenical Thought, and Pastoral Theology. I have degrees from McGill University (BA), St Vladimir's Seminary (MDiv, DMin), Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (PhD, New Testament), and was a researcher at Tyndale House Library, Cambridge. I am an ordained priest in the Orthodox Church (retired) and since 1984 have served communities in Australia, Canada, Greece, England and the United States. I serve as vice-president of the Orthodox Theological Society of America. In 2020 Oxford University Press published "Divine Guidance: Lessons for Today from the World of Early Christianity."
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Books by John A . Jillions

Divine Guidance: Lessons for Today from the World of Early Christianity

Oxford University Press, 2020

Draws on thought from first-century Corinth, where Gentiles, Jews, and early Christians debated h... more

Reviews of Divine Guidance (OUP, 2020) by John A . Jillions

Divine Guidance: Lessons for Today from the World of Early Christianity by John A. Jillions (review

Journal of Orthodox Christian Studies (3:2), 2020

Review by Paul Ladouceur (University of Toronto)

Lessons from Corinth: Review of John A. Jillions, Divine Guidance

The Wheel (Issue 21/22), 2020

Michael Plekon's review of Divine Guidance: Lessons for Today from the World of Early Christianity

Eastern Christian Books: John Jillions on God's Guidance in the World

Eastern Christian Books, 2020

Adam DeVille's interview on Divine Guidance for the blog "Eastern Christian Books"

Conference Presentations by John A . Jillions

ORTHODOX-PENTECOSTAL ACADEMIC DIALOGUE

ORTHODOX-PENTECOSTAL ACADEMIC DIALOGUE

Report of the 2021 Orthodox-Pentecostal Academic Dialogue, co-chaired by Dr Paul Ladouceur and Dr... more

Chapters in Books by John A . Jillions

"Kenotic Ecumenism"

The Oxford Handbook of Ecumenical Studies, 2018

This is a chapter in The Oxford Handbook of Ecumenical Studies, edited by Geoffrey Wainwright and... more This is a chapter in The Oxford Handbook of Ecumenical Studies, edited by Geoffrey Wainwright and Paul McPartlan. The chapter considers the methodology of ecumenism from an Eastern Orthodox perspective. It begins by briefly reviewing the Holy and Great Council that took place in Crete in 2016, and its document on the relations of the Orthodox Church with the rest of the Christian world. The second part looks at the lukewarm or hostile reception of ecumenical dialogue, and the third examines more closely the debates for and against. The chapter then suggests ways to move Christian unity forward through a broader engagement of bishops; reconsidering the bold twentieth-century proposals of Sergius Bulgakov, Nicolas Afanasiev, and Nicholas Zernov; a 'kenotic ecumenism' based on Philippians 2:4-7 and the thought of John Zizioulas; and making communion with God the focus of a renewed ecumenical movement in which the Jesus Prayer could play an important unifying role.

Bishops, Pentecost and Orthodox Identity

Looks at the role of bishops in the Orthodox Church, preserving the balance between faithfulness ... more Looks at the role of bishops in the Orthodox Church, preserving the balance between faithfulness to Christian tradition and discerning the the Holy Spirit's direction in the present. This appeared as a chapter in "Church and World: Essays in Honor of Michael Plekon" edited by William C. Mills (Orthodox Research Institute, 2013).

"How Do You See? Towards an Eastern Orthodox Approach to Practical Theology "

This is a slightly revised English version of a chapter (in French) that appeared in Théologie Pr... more

"Spiritual Guidance in Eastern Orthodox Christianity"

Spiritual Guidance Across Religions, 2014

This is a chapter in Spiritual Guidance Across Religions: A Sourcebook for Spiritual Directors an... more

"Orthodox Christianity in the West: the Ecumenical Challenge"

The Cambridge Companion to Orthodox Christian Theology, 2008

This is a chapter in The Cambridge Companion to Orthodox Christian Theology, edited by Mary B. Cu... more

"Can These Bones Live? Ezekiel, Jesus and the Challenge of the Other"

This paper compares and contrasts the approaches of Ezekiel and Jesus to the challenge of "the ot... more This paper compares and contrasts the approaches of Ezekiel and Jesus to the challenge of "the other." It is a chapter in the Festschrift in Honor of Professor Paul Nadim Tarazi, Volume 3- Studies in Intertestamental, Extra-Canonical, and Early Christian Literature, edited by Tom Dykstra and Vahan Hovhanessian. New York: Peter Lang, 2015.

Published Papers by John A . Jillions

"Preserve the Fullness of Thy Church": Fighting Fundamentalism, Defending Dialogue, and Reclaiming Catholicity

The Wheel , 2022

Academic Freedom

The Wheel (Issue 21/22), 2020

The article considers academic freedom in relation to the Orthodox Church.

The Servant Church: Nicholas Zernov's Rethinking of Christian Unity

Logos: A Journal of Eastern Christian Studies, 2010

Zernov's (1898-1980) ideas on Christian unity were often dismissed as unworkably romanticized or ... more Zernov's (1898-1980) ideas on Christian unity were often dismissed as unworkably romanticized or doctrinally suspect, but he was convinced that the Orthodox Church could become a servant of unity if it lived out the radical self-emptying (kenosis) of Christ and the Gospel. This article offers a reassessment of Zernov and his critics.

An Orthodox Response to N.T. Wright, "Learning From Paul Together"

St Vladimir's Theological Quarterly, 2018

This paper is a response to N.T. Wright's paper "Learning From Paul Together: How New Insight Int... more This paper is a response to N.T. Wright's paper "Learning From Paul Together: How New Insight Into Paul's Teaching Can Help Us Move Forward in Mission," delivered at the Lausanne Orthodox Initiative Theological Educators' Consultation, Selwyn College, Cambridge, 5 September 2017. Wright's paper is published in St Vladimir's Theological Quarterly 62:4 (2018) 317-332.

Ecumenism and the Paris School of Orthodox Theology

Theoforum, 2008

Briefly considers the ecumenical thought of Metropolitan Evlogy, Sergius Bulgakov, Georges Florov... more

"The Language Of Enemies"

Logos: A Journal of Eastern Christian Studies, 2009

Love of enemies is at the heart of Jesus' teaching. Yet, the Scriptures and liturgy of the Orthod... more Love of enemies is at the heart of Jesus' teaching. Yet, the Scriptures and liturgy of the Orthodox Church, and the patristic literature on which they draw, are striking in their use of hostile and uncompromising language when speaking of enemies both spiritual and actual or personal. This article reviews such language in the Bible; the writings of Justin Martyr, Cyril of Jerusalem, Gregory of Nyssa, John Chrysostom, and Theodore of Mopsuestia; and in liturgical services, Baptism especially. All of this has spawned a legacy of anathemas that the author seeks to analyze and understand through the work of Jaroslav Pelikan and Elaine Pagels. Having done that, the author, in part 2, informally surveys numerous Eastern Christians today to gauge their attitudes toward this language of enemies, and then gives special attention to those who see ecumenists as the most dangerous enemies of the Orthodox Church today. The author then intro- duces the work of conflict theorist Vern Redekop as a useful framework to understand this process and how "structures of blessing" can be created to overcome entrenched conflicts and "structures of violence." The author argues that Redekop's approach not only seems more congruent with the boundary- crossing and peacemaking characteristic of Jesus, but also challenges today's Orthodox to re-think their language and positions vis-à-vis their contemporary "enemies," especially those ecumenists devoted to Christian unity.

"Love and Curses: searching St Paul for a vision of ecumenism"

Sobornost (Incorporating Eastern Churches Review), 1998

This paper is an analysis of 1-2 Corinthians from the perspective of the contemporary pursuit of ... more This paper is an analysis of 1-2 Corinthians from the perspective of the contemporary pursuit of Christian unity. Paul's dominant outlook is not exclusion but inclusion. While the exclusive aspects of his teaching cannot be dismissed, Christians today should imitate Paul's example of seeking creative ways to recognize, include, and reconcile rather than exclude.

"Healing the Body Politic: A Politics of Communion"

Public Orthodoxy, 2016

In the aftermath of the election of Donald Trump as US President in 2016 this brief essay propose... more

Divine Guidance: Lessons for Today from the World of Early Christianity

Oxford University Press, 2020

Draws on thought from first-century Corinth, where Gentiles, Jews, and early Christians debated h... more

Divine Guidance: Lessons for Today from the World of Early Christianity by John A. Jillions (review

Journal of Orthodox Christian Studies (3:2), 2020

Review by Paul Ladouceur (University of Toronto)

Lessons from Corinth: Review of John A. Jillions, Divine Guidance

The Wheel (Issue 21/22), 2020

Michael Plekon's review of Divine Guidance: Lessons for Today from the World of Early Christianity

Eastern Christian Books: John Jillions on God's Guidance in the World

Eastern Christian Books, 2020

Adam DeVille's interview on Divine Guidance for the blog "Eastern Christian Books"

ORTHODOX-PENTECOSTAL ACADEMIC DIALOGUE

ORTHODOX-PENTECOSTAL ACADEMIC DIALOGUE

Report of the 2021 Orthodox-Pentecostal Academic Dialogue, co-chaired by Dr Paul Ladouceur and Dr... more

"Kenotic Ecumenism"

The Oxford Handbook of Ecumenical Studies, 2018

This is a chapter in The Oxford Handbook of Ecumenical Studies, edited by Geoffrey Wainwright and... more This is a chapter in The Oxford Handbook of Ecumenical Studies, edited by Geoffrey Wainwright and Paul McPartlan. The chapter considers the methodology of ecumenism from an Eastern Orthodox perspective. It begins by briefly reviewing the Holy and Great Council that took place in Crete in 2016, and its document on the relations of the Orthodox Church with the rest of the Christian world. The second part looks at the lukewarm or hostile reception of ecumenical dialogue, and the third examines more closely the debates for and against. The chapter then suggests ways to move Christian unity forward through a broader engagement of bishops; reconsidering the bold twentieth-century proposals of Sergius Bulgakov, Nicolas Afanasiev, and Nicholas Zernov; a 'kenotic ecumenism' based on Philippians 2:4-7 and the thought of John Zizioulas; and making communion with God the focus of a renewed ecumenical movement in which the Jesus Prayer could play an important unifying role.

Bishops, Pentecost and Orthodox Identity

Looks at the role of bishops in the Orthodox Church, preserving the balance between faithfulness ... more Looks at the role of bishops in the Orthodox Church, preserving the balance between faithfulness to Christian tradition and discerning the the Holy Spirit's direction in the present. This appeared as a chapter in "Church and World: Essays in Honor of Michael Plekon" edited by William C. Mills (Orthodox Research Institute, 2013).

"How Do You See? Towards an Eastern Orthodox Approach to Practical Theology "

This is a slightly revised English version of a chapter (in French) that appeared in Théologie Pr... more

"Spiritual Guidance in Eastern Orthodox Christianity"

Spiritual Guidance Across Religions, 2014

This is a chapter in Spiritual Guidance Across Religions: A Sourcebook for Spiritual Directors an... more

"Orthodox Christianity in the West: the Ecumenical Challenge"

The Cambridge Companion to Orthodox Christian Theology, 2008

This is a chapter in The Cambridge Companion to Orthodox Christian Theology, edited by Mary B. Cu... more

"Can These Bones Live? Ezekiel, Jesus and the Challenge of the Other"

This paper compares and contrasts the approaches of Ezekiel and Jesus to the challenge of "the ot... more This paper compares and contrasts the approaches of Ezekiel and Jesus to the challenge of "the other." It is a chapter in the Festschrift in Honor of Professor Paul Nadim Tarazi, Volume 3- Studies in Intertestamental, Extra-Canonical, and Early Christian Literature, edited by Tom Dykstra and Vahan Hovhanessian. New York: Peter Lang, 2015.

"Preserve the Fullness of Thy Church": Fighting Fundamentalism, Defending Dialogue, and Reclaiming Catholicity

The Wheel , 2022

Academic Freedom

The Wheel (Issue 21/22), 2020

The article considers academic freedom in relation to the Orthodox Church.

The Servant Church: Nicholas Zernov's Rethinking of Christian Unity

Logos: A Journal of Eastern Christian Studies, 2010

Zernov's (1898-1980) ideas on Christian unity were often dismissed as unworkably romanticized or ... more Zernov's (1898-1980) ideas on Christian unity were often dismissed as unworkably romanticized or doctrinally suspect, but he was convinced that the Orthodox Church could become a servant of unity if it lived out the radical self-emptying (kenosis) of Christ and the Gospel. This article offers a reassessment of Zernov and his critics.

An Orthodox Response to N.T. Wright, "Learning From Paul Together"

St Vladimir's Theological Quarterly, 2018

This paper is a response to N.T. Wright's paper "Learning From Paul Together: How New Insight Int... more This paper is a response to N.T. Wright's paper "Learning From Paul Together: How New Insight Into Paul's Teaching Can Help Us Move Forward in Mission," delivered at the Lausanne Orthodox Initiative Theological Educators' Consultation, Selwyn College, Cambridge, 5 September 2017. Wright's paper is published in St Vladimir's Theological Quarterly 62:4 (2018) 317-332.

Ecumenism and the Paris School of Orthodox Theology

Theoforum, 2008

Briefly considers the ecumenical thought of Metropolitan Evlogy, Sergius Bulgakov, Georges Florov... more

"The Language Of Enemies"

Logos: A Journal of Eastern Christian Studies, 2009

Love of enemies is at the heart of Jesus' teaching. Yet, the Scriptures and liturgy of the Orthod... more Love of enemies is at the heart of Jesus' teaching. Yet, the Scriptures and liturgy of the Orthodox Church, and the patristic literature on which they draw, are striking in their use of hostile and uncompromising language when speaking of enemies both spiritual and actual or personal. This article reviews such language in the Bible; the writings of Justin Martyr, Cyril of Jerusalem, Gregory of Nyssa, John Chrysostom, and Theodore of Mopsuestia; and in liturgical services, Baptism especially. All of this has spawned a legacy of anathemas that the author seeks to analyze and understand through the work of Jaroslav Pelikan and Elaine Pagels. Having done that, the author, in part 2, informally surveys numerous Eastern Christians today to gauge their attitudes toward this language of enemies, and then gives special attention to those who see ecumenists as the most dangerous enemies of the Orthodox Church today. The author then intro- duces the work of conflict theorist Vern Redekop as a useful framework to understand this process and how "structures of blessing" can be created to overcome entrenched conflicts and "structures of violence." The author argues that Redekop's approach not only seems more congruent with the boundary- crossing and peacemaking characteristic of Jesus, but also challenges today's Orthodox to re-think their language and positions vis-à-vis their contemporary "enemies," especially those ecumenists devoted to Christian unity.

"Love and Curses: searching St Paul for a vision of ecumenism"

Sobornost (Incorporating Eastern Churches Review), 1998

This paper is an analysis of 1-2 Corinthians from the perspective of the contemporary pursuit of ... more This paper is an analysis of 1-2 Corinthians from the perspective of the contemporary pursuit of Christian unity. Paul's dominant outlook is not exclusion but inclusion. While the exclusive aspects of his teaching cannot be dismissed, Christians today should imitate Paul's example of seeking creative ways to recognize, include, and reconcile rather than exclude.

"Healing the Body Politic: A Politics of Communion"

Public Orthodoxy, 2016

In the aftermath of the election of Donald Trump as US President in 2016 this brief essay propose... more

"Obergefell v. Hodges: Questions for Orthodox Christians"

The Wheel, 2018

"'Thicket of Idols': Alexander Schmemann's Critique of Orthodoxy"

The Wheel, 2019

"The 'Amerikanskii Pravoslavnyi Vestnik' (the Russian Orthodox American Messenger) 1917-18: In the Aftermath of Revolution in Russia"

St Vladimir's Theological Quarterly, 2017

"Review Essay: 'Communion in the Messiah': Lev Gillet and Jewish-Christian Relations"

Logos: A Journal of Eastern Christian Studies, 2006

"Three Orthodox Models of Christian Unity: Traditionalist, Mainstream, Prophetic"

International Journal for the Study of the Christian Church, 2009

The assumption is often made that the Orthodox Church has a unified approach to ecumenical engag... more The assumption is often made that the Orthodox Church has a unified approach to ecumenical engagement with other churches. This paper argues that while there is a 'mainstream' model (reflected especially in the thought of Georges Florovsky), there is also a minority 'traditionalist' model. While having radically different attitudes towards the modern ecumenical movement (traditionalists are vehemently opposed), both of these accept the premise that the historical Orthodox Church alone is the fullness of the Christian Church and that doctrinal agreement and incorporation into the Orthodox Church must precede sacramental communion. A more open alternative model ('prophetic') reflects proposals made in the twentieth century by theologians such as Sergius Bulgakov, Nicholas Afanasiev, Anton Kartashev and Nicholas Zernov. These were not taken up at the time but it is argued that they deserve to be studied again by Orthodox bishops and ecumenical leaders as possibilities for bold prophetic action toward Christian unity.

Pastoral Theology: Reflections from an Orthodox Perspective

British Journal of Theological Education, 2003

"Generations call her blessed"

The Tablet, 2006

This is a response to "Mary: Grace and Hope in Christ (The Anglican-Roman Catholic International ... more

"Inward Being and Outward Identity: the Orthodox Churches in the 21st Century"

Religions, 2017

This is the editorial introduction to an edited volume of articles by 15 scholars of Orthodox Chr... more This is the editorial introduction to an edited volume of articles by 15 scholars of Orthodox Christianity. Taken together the papers give a broad view of the inner and outer life of the Orthodox Church in various parts of the world, with each focusing on a particular area of research and reflection. The contributors include Razvan Porumb, Rico Monge, Natalia Naydenova, Yulia Ebzeeva, Paul Ladouceur, Cyril Hovorun, Crina Gschwandtner, Ionut Untea, Elizabeth Theokritoff, Joseph William Black, Mary Ford, Kyriacos Markides, Nicholas Denysenko, Boris Knorre and Michael Plekon.

Antoine Arjakovsky, The Way: Religious Thinkers of the Russian Immigration in Paris and Their Journal, 1925-1940, translated by Jerry Ryan and edited by John A. Jillions and Michael Plekon. Foreword by Rowan Williams. Notre Dame University Press, 2013.

Edited English translation of Antoine Arjakovsky's monumental study of Russian emigre thought in ... more

How Roman skeptics shaped debates about God

OUPblog, 2020

Many of today's skeptics and religiously unaffiliated are still surprisingly drawn to spiritualit... more

Bishops and Pentecost

Journal of Pentecostal Theology

The heart of Orthodox identity has to do with a sense of continuity with the past through the apo... more The heart of Orthodox identity has to do with a sense of continuity with the past through the apostolic church, the Scriptures, ecumenical councils, the Fathers (and Mothers), the saints, the sacraments, and the tradition of liturgical life, all manifested in the role assigned to the bishops. Its identity is equally about the experience of Pentecost in the present: through the love, joy, peace, and freedom in the Holy Spirit, revealed in the unrepeatable uniqueness of each saint. Despite the Orthodox Church’s complicated history, painful internal debates, cultural differences, geographic separation, state oppression and persecution, there remains a powerful unity around these two dimensions of Orthodox identity. This article examines these dimensions, with particular focus on the order of service for consecrating a new bishop.

The Jewish Community

Divine Guidance, 2020

This chapter introduces Jewish approaches to divine guidance. Corinth was a leading community of ... more This chapter introduces Jewish approaches to divine guidance. Corinth was a leading community of the Jewish diaspora and maintained close connections with Jews elsewhere, especially in Jerusalem and Rome. There was a variety of “Judaisms” in this period, but their common focus was on the written Torah and the oral tradition of interpretation. God’s guidance is therefore closely linked to the community’s understanding of how God speaks over time through the Hebrew Bible and the oral law. Most Jews did not see the scriptures as having a life independent of the community’s inspired guidance in the present. This allowed for a degree of fluidity and changing interpretation, as witnessed in the Greek Septuagint and the books of mixed canonical status that came to be known as the Apocrypha. Of these, Tobit, Judith, and Susanna give particular insight into Jewish understanding of divine guidance.

Divine Guidance, 2020

Plutarch straddled the first and second century, Greece and Rome, philosophy and religion, the ra... more Plutarch straddled the first and second century, Greece and Rome, philosophy and religion, the rational and the mystical. He was a Greek who spent many years in Rome, and he admired the combination of contemplation and action that he saw in the best examples of heroic Greek and Roman lives. He returned to serve as a priest of Delphi, overseeing the famous shrine. He understood the perils of superstition and was highly sympathetic to atheists’ rejection of the mystical world based on what they had seen of religion. Even the gods, he says, would rather not exist than be burdened with the ugly characters ascribed to them by false religion. And yet Plutarch felt that his own experience testified to the reality and beauty of the divine. He was thus equally sympathetic to those who came to Delphi with their humble requests for guidance and those willing to take initiative and action.

The Literature of Divine Guidance

Divine Guidance, 2020

The popular literature of the era helps shed light on attitudes toward divine guidance. Unfortuna... more The popular literature of the era helps shed light on attitudes toward divine guidance. Unfortunately, aside from Paul’s letters there are no documents from first-century Corinth. However, as residents of a cosmopolitan Roman city, attentive to learning and rhetoric, the great writers would have been well known, especially Homer, Virgil, and Horace. Homer (Iliad and Odyssey) was the most influential writer; he reflected deeply on the questions posed by divine interaction with human beings. Virgil’s Aeneid, with a Roman perspective, likewise pondered the snares of divine guidance, concluding that the gods enlist heroes like Aeneas to fulfill divine purposes for Rome, not to vindicate the heroes or make them happy. In Horace religion is a much less pervasive theme and life is more independent of the gods, but he lifts up the Pax Romana and Augustus as the fulfillment of the divine plan.

Kenotic Ecumenism

The Oxford Handbook of Ecumenical Studies, 2018

This chapter considers the methodology of ecumenism from an Eastern Orthodox perspective. It begi... more This chapter considers the methodology of ecumenism from an Eastern Orthodox perspective. It begins by briefly reviewing the Holy and Great Council that took place in Crete in 2016, and its document on the relations of the Orthodox Church with the rest of the Christian world. The second part looks at the lukewarm or hostile reception of ecumenical dialogue, and the third examines more closely the debates for and against. The chapter then suggests ways to move Christian unity forward through a broader engagement of bishops; reconsidering the bold twentieth-century proposals of Sergius Bulgakov, Nicolas Afanasiev, and Nicholas Zernov; a ‘kenotic ecumenism’ based on Philippians 2:4–7 and the thought of John Zizioulas; and making communion with God the focus of a renewed ecumenical movement in which the Jesus Prayer could play an important unifying role.

This chapter gives the historical background of Corinth, its destruction by Roman forces in 146 B... more This chapter gives the historical background of Corinth, its destruction by Roman forces in 146 BCE, and its establishment as a model Roman colony in 44 BCE. When Paul was there in the mid-first century it was a bustling crossroads of commerce and ideas. Archeology shows that Corinthian culture was still feeling the effects of the Roman Revolution under Augustus, which brought a distinctly Roman emphasis to all aspects of religion and society. Augustus himself had been very conscious of divine signs surrounding his elevation and rule. This had a marked effect on attitudes toward divine guidance in public worship and in household piety. In settings both public and private close observance of the religious traditions of Rome (whether or not one believed in them) was viewed as essential to Roman unity and prosperity. This piety was self-consciously Roman, emphasizing simplicity, virtue, and service to the community and state.

Rabbinic Sources

The first and second centuries CE saw the flowering of classical Jewish teaching as expounded by ... more The first and second centuries CE saw the flowering of classical Jewish teaching as expounded by the great rabbinic sages and their precursors (Hillel, Shammai). They were closely associated with the Pharisees as upholders of Jewish tradition against compromises with Greco-Roman ways. This early teaching forms the basis of the Mishnah, the collection of the earliest rabbinic oral law at the core of the Talmud. A “heavenly voice” (the Bat Kol) and other forms of individual divine guidance are not excluded, but the major role is given to scripture, the elders responsible for discernment, and the evolving body of decisions responding to new questions and conditions, “for the Law is not in heaven.” The age of the prophets was over, but God ’s presence (the Shekinah) remained in the life of the community with its teachers.

The Dead Sea Scrolls, Pseudepigrapha, and Expansions of Scripture

Divine Guidance, 2020

The sources presented here reflect voices from various creative strands of Jewish community life ... more The sources presented here reflect voices from various creative strands of Jewish community life between 700 BCE and 135 CE. All of them in varying ways approach divine guidance through communal rereading, reinterpretation, and expansion of scripture. The Qumran community (which produced the Dead Sea Scrolls) took a hierarchical view of guidance, placing discernment largely in the hands of the elders. Pseudepigrapha and expansions of scripture, like the Prayer of Manasseh, used the name of a biblical figure to expand on what the biblical text itself may have mentioned only in passing. Jubilees elaborates on Abram’s crucial but brief encounter with God in Genesis 12 and depicts it as a response to Abram’s request for divine guidance. The Sibylline Oracles (as distinct from the Roman Sibylline Books) attribute Jewish oracles to the pagan Sibyl. 3 Maccabees weaves together human initiative with divine guidance to the Jewish community in Alexandria.

The Archeology of Divine Guidance in Corinth

Divine Guidance, 2020

This chapter looks at some of the archeological discoveries in Corinth that reflect popular attit... more This chapter looks at some of the archeological discoveries in Corinth that reflect popular attitudes toward the gods, religious experience, and divine guidance. The most prominent was the healing cult centered in the Temple of Asklepios, where interpretation of dreams was a key feature. Other sites and household shrines would have brought to mind Fortuna, family ancestors, the oracle of Delphi, and mythical stories of divine intervention with a Corinthian slant (Venus, Medea, Glauce, Bellerophon, Sisyphus, Dionysus). But for an alternative point of view, there was the tomb of Diogenes the Cynic (fourth century BCE), who settled in Corinth “to be where fools were thickest.” He was highly critical of superstitious piety and advised instead to follow the inscription at Delphi, “Know Thyself.” He concluded that oracles are deceptive not because the gods are deceitful but because human beings are incapable of properly understanding the gods.

The Stoic Philosopher Posidonius

Divine Guidance, 2020

Posidonius of Apamea (c. 135–c. 50/51 BCE) was the thinker most influential in shaping the religi... more Posidonius of Apamea (c. 135–c. 50/51 BCE) was the thinker most influential in shaping the religious Stoicism that dominated the Greco-Roman world in the first century CE. He was a Greek philosopher teaching in Rome, and a mark of his influence was that his student Cicero later felt obliged to write a number of extended works debunking the thought of his teacher. Posidonius’s views were largely shaped by his reading of Plato (and to some extent Aristotle). His central affirmation is that communion and “sympathy” between the divine and created worlds is constant and permanent. This “cosmic sympathy” meant that any movement in one part of the universe affected others, like touching a cosmic mobile, thus making it possible to read divine signs in nature. Likewise, a spiritual force in every human soul—one’s daimon, like the famous daimon of Socrates—makes possible communion with the divine in numerous ways, especially through dreams.

Divine Guidance, 2020

Josephus (37–100 CE) was a Jewish Roman scholar, historian, general, and advisor to Vespasian and... more Josephus (37–100 CE) was a Jewish Roman scholar, historian, general, and advisor to Vespasian and Titus. For a brief period he led Jewish troops in a rebellion against the Roman occupation but was eventually reconciled to Roman rule and his own role as an intermediary. According to his autobiography, divine guidance figured prominently in his life, especially when he fully expected to be executed after being captured by Vespasian in the Jewish War. Although dreams and special revelation clearly play a role, Josephus, like Philo (for whom he had a high regard), places Moses and the scriptures at the center of divine guidance. But Judaism was not monolithic, and Josephus describes some of the features distinguishing Pharisees, Sadducees, and Essenes. In common with most Jews of his day, Josephus displays a remarkable degree of freedom in approaching biblical interpretation.

Roman Philosophers

In contrast to the warm sympathy of Posidonius and the vast majority of the population, the promi... more In contrast to the warm sympathy of Posidonius and the vast majority of the population, the prominent Roman philosophers ranged from cool to icy in their attitudes toward divine guidance. The Epicurean Lucretius was a conscientious atheist. Cicero rejected belief in divine guidance but accepted it in practice. Seneca rejected the practice while holding on to Stoic virtues. Pliny avoided the issue and focused on nature, admitting only to a vague divinity of “mortal helping mortal.” Of these, Cicero expended the most thought and ink on the subject, writing major works on the nature of the gods, divination, and fate. He defended his role as a priest in the College of Augurs on the grounds that he was thereby upholding Roman tradition, which was essential to the state’s social and political cohesion and stability. This was simply his patriotic public duty, and he didn’t need to actually believe any of it.

Love and curses : Searching St Paul for a vision of ecumenism

Sur la question du dialogue œcumenique, l'A., dans une perspective orthodoxe, se tourne vers ... more Sur la question du dialogue œcumenique, l'A., dans une perspective orthodoxe, se tourne vers l'enseignement de saint Paul sur l'unite de l'Eglise. L'Apotre a en la matiere des paroles extremement severes qu'on ne peut censurer sous peine de deformer sa theologie. Dans un premier temps, l'A. examine la notion d'unite vue par saint Paul comme une communion. Puis il pose le probleme de la division dans l'Eglise. Il evoque la nature de la communaute chretienne que l'Apotre a trouvee a Corinthe : factieuse et immorale. Il termine sur la necessite de l'inclusion qui a l'avantage sur celle de l'exclusion

Divine Guidance

This chapter compares and contrasts the approaches to divine guidance in the Greco-Roman, Jewish,... more This chapter compares and contrasts the approaches to divine guidance in the Greco-Roman, Jewish, and early Christian worlds of Paul’s Corinth and their relevance for the present. Their debates about healthy and unhealthy religious life and rational thought remain remarkably contemporary. The chapter considers modern religious experience, both positive and negative, including a seminal event in the life of Martin Luther King. The Religious Experience Research Centre, based at the University of Wales, has collected over 6,000 accounts. The Centre interviewed at length two Eastern Orthodox scholars (Kallistos Ware and Lev Gillet) for their views on discerning the value of such experiences. They are wary of delusion and independently conclude that claims to divine guidance ought to be evaluated by what results they produce. But they and others hope that rational and mystical experience can be held together for the full flourishing of human life.

Introduction: Divine Guidance in the First and 21st Centuries

El presente estudio tuvo por objetivo comparar las lesiones histológicas de truchas arcoíris (Onc... more El presente estudio tuvo por objetivo comparar las lesiones histológicas de truchas arcoíris (Oncorhynchus mikyss) afectadas por la Enfermedad Bacteriana del Agua Fría (BCDW) con muestras de piel de truchas asintomáticas procedentes de centros piscícolas en el Lago Titicaca (Puno, Perú) e identificar la presencia de Flavobacterium psychrophilum mediante PCR convencional. Se trabajó con 13 truchas con lesiones de piel y siete sin lesiones, con tallas superiores a los 25 cm y peso promedio de 350 g. En el PCR para la identificación de F. psychrophilum se utilizaron iniciadores dirigidos a la región 16S ARNr. Molecularmente, ambos grupos de animales resultaron positivos para la presencia de F. psycrophilum. Se puede concluir que este patógeno está presente en la zona sur del país.

Divine Guidance: Lessons for Today from the World of Early Christianity by John A. Jillions

Journal of Orthodox Christian Studies, 2020

In this paper, we are concerned with the existence of local isometric embeddings into Euclidean s... more In this paper, we are concerned with the existence of local isometric embeddings into Euclidean space for analytic Riemannian metrics g, defined on a domain U ⊂ R n , which are singular in the sense that the determinant of the metric tensor is allowed to vanish at an isolated point (say the origin). Specifically, we show that, under suitable technical assumptions, there exists a local analytic isometric embedding u from (U ′ , Π * g) into Euclidean space E (n 2 +3n−4)/2 , where Π : U ′ → U \{0} is a finite Riemannian branched cover of a deleted neighborhood of the origin. Our result can thus be thought of as a generalization of the classical Cartan-Janet Theorem to the singular setting in which the metric tensor is degenerate at an isolated point. Our proof uses Leray's ramified Cauchy-Kovalevskaya Theorem for analytic differential systems, in the form obtained by Choquet-Bruhat for non-linear systems.

Introduction: “Inward Being and Outward Identity: The Orthodox Churches in the 21st Century”

Religions, Oct 24, 2017

As the title indicates, taken together the thirteen papers in this Special Issue of Religions giv... more As the title indicates, taken together the thirteen papers in this Special Issue of Religions give a broad view of what might be called the inner and outer life of the Orthodox Church, with each of the papers focusing on a particular area of research and reflection. In recent decades, there has been an explosion of books and articles on the Orthodox Churches, both Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox (the articles in this issue focus on the former). There is widespread interest in the spiritual life of the Orthodox Church: prayer, worship, theology, saints, art, music, ascetic practices and ways of living, monasticism, and how its self-understanding as a repository of ancient Christian tradition is interwoven and evolving in what Charles Taylor calls the cross-pressures of the secular age. At the same time, the quarter-century following the collapse of the Soviet Union has seen the Orthodox Church emerge from persecution and martyrdom to rebuild the infrastructure of churches, monasteries and Christian social services decimated by the Communist years. In that process the Orthodox Churches have also become powerful public, political, nationalist and cultural forces in Russia and Eastern Europe. They are now frequently perceived as closely aligned with restrictive government policies, suspicious of democracy, freedom, human rights and minorities. In contrast, Orthodox Christians in the Middle East live a tenuous existence-often shared with Muslims-in the face of war, sectarian violence and official and unofficial duress and persecution. Meanwhile, in areas of emigration and mission in Western Europe, the Americas, Australia, parts of sub-Saharan Africa and other regions outside its traditional homelands Orthodox Christianity is also taking hold as a self-consciously distinct minority religion that is attracting a steady stream of converts while struggling for its identity in a secular environment increasingly hostile to traditional Christianity. In the midst of these competing global forces, and an Orthodox world dominated by Old World Churches, the leaders of the disparate and often quarrelsome branches of Eastern Orthodoxy, led by Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople as "first among equals," have been attempting to bring a measure of unity as they seek to remain true to the "faith which was once for all delivered to the saints" (Jude 1:3) while also confronting the challenges of the 21st century. An important step in that direction was taken at "The Holy and Great Council" of the Eastern Orthodox Churches which took place on Crete in June 2016 during the week of Pentecost (https://www.holycouncil.org). Patriarch Bartholomew presided, and although the Council's status and authority are disputed by several of the Orthodox Churches which did not send delegations (Antioch, Russia, Georgia, Bulgaria) the fact remains that this council was decades in preparation and was the largest and most diverse council of Eastern Orthodox bishops in many centuries. The agenda was modest and did not attempt to address some of the most pressing issues facing the Orthodox Churches, but it provoked some valuable discussion (see for example Nathanael Symeonides 2016). At the very least it demonstrated awareness of questions that the Orthodox must consider and act upon. The Holy and Great Council has opened our horizon towards the contemporary diverse and multifarious world. It has emphasised our responsibility in place and in time, ever with

Inward Being and Outward Identity: The Orthodox Churches in the 21st Century

Biblical criticism in Russia's ninetheenth [sic] century theological renewal the case of Professor Mitrofan Muretov (1850-1917)