The significance of the Reformation in the history of Christianity

This article offers a theological assessment of the Protestant Reformation from the perspective of the Eastern Orthodox tradition. In the form of an analytical exposition, John Meyendorff examines the Augustinian and scholastic origins of Western Christianity in order to situate the Reformation within a problematic continuity rather than as a radical rupture. The main argument is that Luther and Calvin recovered certain fundamental patristic insights — notably the rejection of created grace and the sense of divine mystery — without being able to develop them fully, owing to their lack of access to the Christology and ecclesiology of the Eastern tradition. The theological contribution of the article lies in its juxtaposition of the Orthodox doctrine of deification and the Reformed theology of justification, revealing genuine convergences but also deep structural divergences, from which the author draws conclusions for contemporary ecumenical dialogue.