The Church, a place to be reborn
Article summary proposed by the Contacts review with LLM assistance
This article by the Greek lay theologian Panayotis Nellas, a specialist in Nicholas Cabasilas and Orthodox anthropology, offers a systematic study of the theological, sacramental, and liturgical foundations of Orthodox Christian spirituality. Drawing primarily on Saint Maximus the Confessor and Nicholas Cabasilas, the author develops an iconic anthropology: man, created in the image of God, is constitutionally oriented toward his Archetype, which renders his being fundamentally theological. The fall is analyzed as a reversal of this natural functionality, and salvation accomplished in Christ as its ontological fulfillment. The sacraments — baptism, chrismation, Eucharist — are not external religious obligations, but the concrete modalities through which man is incorporated into the Body of Christ and spiritually reborn. The contribution of the article lies in the coherent articulation between patristic anthropology, sacramentology, and ecclesiology, presenting the Church as the real locus of man's rebirth.
This article has not been translated yet — it is available in its French version here.
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