The tasks of orthodox theological education in the 21st century

This article is the transcript of a lecture delivered by Elisabeth Behr-Sigel on the occasion of the founding of the Institute for Orthodox Christian Studies in Cambridge. Belonging to the realm of programmatic reflection, it examines the directions that Orthodox theological education should take at the threshold of the twenty-first century. The author argues that the faithful transmission of Tradition cannot be reduced to a rigid repetition, but requires a living return to the sources, capable of responding to the new questions raised by Western modernity. Drawing on the works of Lossky, Florovsky and Meyendorff, she identifies several priority areas: ecumenical dialogue, the theological response to the problem of evil, the deepening of Trinitarian theology as an anthropological foundation, and the question of the place of women in ecclesial ministries. The article thus constitutes a plea for a universal Orthodoxy, critical and embodied within its historical context.