The Creative Visionof D. StaniloaeAn introduction to histheological thought

Ion Bria

One of the most vigorous voices of Orthodox theology in the last halfcentury has undoubtedly been that of Dumitru Staniloae (born 1903), pro-fessor of dogmatic theology at the Theological Institute of Bucharestbetween 1948-1978.' His impressive stature could be compared with that ofGeorges Florovsky and John Karmiris, or Eduard Schillebeeckx and KarlRahner, or Karl Barth and Paul Tillich. The scope of his theological workand the depth of his thought are not yet sufficiently known both in the Eastand West.̂ Only recently has an effort been made to circulate his worksabroad^ and to obtain his contribution and cooperation in the work of the

• Prof. BRIA is programme secretary for Orthodox studies and relationships at the WorldCouncil of Churches.' I attempted a short biographical profile and a general presentation of his works in "Hom-mage au Pere Dumitru Staniloae pour son sbixante-quinzieme anniversaire". Contacts,No. 105, 1979, pp. 64-74. Several essays on his theological thought and bibliography havealready been published: "Pere Dumitru Staniloae a 70 ans", L'Eglise orthodoxe roumaine en1973, Bucharest, Romanian Patriarchate Printing House, 1974, pp. 115-122; Antonie Plama-deala, "Some Lines on Professor Staniloae's Theology", The Altar (bulletin of the Romanianparish), London, 1970, pp. 24-29; Ion Bria, "A Look at Contemporary Romanian DogmaticTheology", Sobomost, No. 5, 1972, pp. 330-336; Ion Bria, "La theologie dogmatique actuelleet la theologie orthodoxe roumaine actuelle". La theologie orthodoxe roumaine des origines anos jours, Bucharest, Editions de l'lnstitut biblique et de Mission orthodoxe, 1974, pp. 254-272and 500-526; Ion Bria, "Pour situer la theologie du Pere Staniloae", Revue de theologie et dephilosophie. No. 112, 1980, pp. 133-137.^ Some of his studies are published in western reviews or collections. See A. M. Allchin, ed..The Tradition of Life: Romanian Essays on Spirituality and Theology (Fellowship of St Albanand St Sergius), London, 1971; "Orthodoxy, Life in the Resurrection", Eastern ChurchesReview, No. 2, 1968-9, pp. 271-275; "Some Characteristics of Orthodoxy", Sobomost, Series 5,No. 9, 1969, pp. 627-629; "The Orthodox Conception of Tradition and the Development ofDoctrine", Sobomost, Series 5, No. 9, 1969, pp. 652-662; "Unity and Diversity in OrthodoxTradition", The Greek Orthodox Theoiogical Review, No. 17, 1972, pp. 19-40; "L'homme,image de Dieu dans le monde". Contacts, No. 84, 1973, pp. 287-309; "L'accueil de la Tradi-tion dans le monde d'aujourd'hui: le point de vue de POrthodoxie", Irenikon, Vol. XLVII,No. 4, 1974, pp. 451-466; "Jesus Christ, Incarnate Logos of God, Source of Freedom andUnity", The Ecumenical Review, Vol. 26, 1974, pp. 403-412; "L'Orthodoxie: quelques traitscaracteristiques". Presence orthodoxe. No. 26, 1974, pp. 10-25; "The Role of the Holy Spirit inthe Theology and Life of the Orthodox Church", Diakonia, Vol. IX, No. 4, 1974, pp. 343-366.3 For example, Dieu est amour, translated from Romanian, preface by Daniel Neeser, Geneva,Labor et Fides, 1980. 53

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World Council of Churches. Those who participated in the Bucharest-Cer-nica consultation (June 1974), organized by the Commissioti oti WorldMission and Evangelism,'* will recall his inspired paper on the cetitrality ofthe logos.

Dumitru Staniloae not only getiuinely renewed the traditional way ofthitiking based on the authority of the Church Fathers, but raised severalpoints fundamentally significant for theological discourse of today. Hisapproach differs from those who present Orthodoxy in the form of a the-ological introduction or synthesis for the purpose of communication withthe western churches (Sergius Boulgakov, Vladimir Lossky, NicholasZernov, John Meyendorff, Olivier Clement, Timothy Ware), in that heexplores inductively all the basic issues of Orthodox doctrine in a personaland invigorating spirit. The controversial areas which constitute a realstumbling block for modern Orthodox theologians, the so-called "worldproblems" (society, state, nation, ethics, ecumenism) are to him the familiarareas for creative theological thinking. For the last fifty years, his writingshave appeared regularly in Romanian theological reviews, inaugurating anew period in the history of Romanian theology.^ His most notable worksare: Orthodox Dogmatic Theology (three volumes, 1978), Philokalia (tenvolumes, together with notes and commentary, of a collection of asceticalwritings of Greek spiritual Fathers of the fourth to fifteenth centuries),^ andCommentaries on St Maximos the Confessor (whose doctrine on cosmicliturgy and salvation has pervaded his whole theology).^

It is impossible to give a brief summary of this vast and diversified fieldof research and refiection. A few points of ecumenical interest are indi-cated. Since the beginning of his research, Staniloae's thought has beeninfiuenced by Byzantine theology, on the one hand,^ and by modern dog-matics on the other.^ The fruit of this first period is Jesus Christ or the Res-tauration of Man (Sibiu, 1945) which still remains a landmark in contem-porary Orthodox christology. In it he developed a profound theology ofhypostasis and of man as eternal person. Although he is a teacher of dog-matic theology, Staniloae sees the role of theology not on the level of sys-tematizing the faith into dogma (council creeds), theologoumena (ecclesias-tical traditions), or theological theses (private opinions). For him the pur-pose of theology is to help students to penetrate the mystery of the faithand to disclose its meaning for the spiritual life. Systematic theology shouldbe liberated from all limits and obstacles which prevent Orthodoxy from

'* See the French version entitled "La centralite du Christ dans la theoiogie, dans la spiritualiteet dans la mission orthodoxe". Contacts, Vol. XXVII, No. 92,1975, pp. 447-457.5 Besides the six diocesan periodicals, the Romanian Church publishes three main theologicaljournals: Ortodoxia (Orthodoxie), Studii Teologice (Theological Studies), and Biserica Ortho-dbxa Romana (Romanian Orthodox Church).^ Both these works are published by the Biblical and Orthodox Missionary Institute of theRomanian Patriarchate in Bucharest. The first four volumes of Philokalia were printed1944-48, the last six appeared since 1976.^ Two volumes, published by the Apostoliki Diakonia Publishing House, Athens,' in a collec-tion edited by P. Nellas, in 1978 and 1979.8 Cf. his study The Life and Teaching ofSt Gregory Palamas, Sibiu, 1938.

54 ^ He translated from the Greek the Handbook of Dogmatics, Ch. Andrutsos, Sibiu, 1930.

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becoming the true Catholic faith for everyone everywhere. Due to this styleof presentation, dogmatics became the top priority for students of theologyin Romania for several decades.'^

One of the main thrusts of Staniloae's theology consists of establishingan organic link between the articulation of the faith, spirituality and theknowledge of God. This approach enables him constantly to challenge thelanguage and images applied to God. Theology for him means freedomfrom both enslaving passions and intellectual idols. It is doxological; itssymbolic language evokes the language of prayer. It is an intellectualliturgy centred on the revelation of the Holy Trinity. It takes place in an actof personal invocation and communion with God; therefore prayer is thegate of theology." Theology is a gift of God which is offered within thecontext of a personal experience with God and his acts in history.

The notion of GodIn a series of articles,'^ Staniloae refers repeatedly to the notion of God,

trying to find a new possibility to speak and to accept God beyond theintellectual separation commonly accepted in western rationalism, betweenthe transcendence of divine essence and its presence. He underlines theorganic synthesis between God's transcendence and his reality in creation,history and humanity, referring to the uncreated divine energies as formu-lated by St Gregory Palamas, which flow from God's essence and presence.God's nature comprises both an incomprehensible essence and an acces-sible energy. Theosis — deification, a notion which defines the heart ofOrthodox soteriology — is based exactly on this discovery and continuousfiowing of the nature of God, enabling constant and real human participa-tion in the divine mystery. The Holy Trinity, for Staniloae at the centre ofOrthodox theology, is not only the mystery of a living and personal God,but also the mystery of God in communion. The central place of koinoniain his theology serves to avoid a naturalistic and personalistic view ofdivine nature. Moreover, the Holy Trinity is the origin and the model of theunity of Church, of humankind and of the person. The living, personal andperichoretical Trinity is not a nominal image, but the revelation of thedivine reality.

Living in a context where intercultural dialogue is becoming an existen-tial and intellectual necessity, Staniloae rediscovers the richness of the the-ology of logos. God's presence is transparent in the created world; theunity, order and holiness of creation are rooted in the living and "rational"logos. Staniloae has formulated a Christian view of human responsibilityin the world based on the idea that the cosmos is full of potentialities, fornew forces and vitality are at work in it.'̂ The individual is not simply a

"^Theological education and ministerial formation in the Romanian Orthodox Church arecarried out in six theological seminaries (secondary level) and two theological institutes (uni-versity level), in Bucharest and Sibiu.'' See "La theologie dogmatique dans l'Eglise orthodoxe roumaine des origines a nos jours",De la Theologie orthodoxe roumaine..., pp. 500-528.'2 One of them has been translated into French; see note 4.'3 See Daniel Neeser, "Le monde, don de Dieu, reponse de l'homme: aspects de la pensee duPere Dumitru Staniloae", Revue de theologie et de philosophie. No. 112, 1980, pp. 138-150. 55

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part of the cosmic reality, but its paradigm, a new creation in creation.Through the baptismal mystery, he or she becomes a priest offering theholy creation to God. Here the inner link between creation, incarnationand redemption is seen since the logos through whom all have beencreated is the incarnate Son, the Saviour, the suffering King.

SpiritualityAnother key idea in Staniloae's theology concerns the relationship

between holiness, theology and knowledge of God. Life in Christ, or spir-ituality, is a never-ending process, symbolized for example in the Ladder ofSpiritual Ascent of St John Climacus (579-649). It implies a spiritual growthovercoming egoism and selfishness, surrendering the created idols, the rootof all sin. Spiritual growth is not moral perfectionism, for a new level ofspiritual life means a new level of transcendence and of knowledge of God.Holiness and theoria — contemplation — are inseparable. Staniloae likesto describe the person as the temple of God. Open to God's presence, thehuman person becomes the holy dwelling place for the mystical devotion,the image of God in more than a nominal sense. The person is always sub-ject to tnetanoia, which is not the destruction of human nature but the res-toration of the "ikon" of God, a way to prepare for the reception of God'sgrace, the divine gift through the Holy Spirit who brings the divine energiesinto the life of each person.

Spirituality has an important ethical dimension. Staniloae opposes theexcessive privatization of piety which he sees reflected in Christian existen-tialism in the West. He insists on the ethical implication of Christian pietyand on the quality of personal relationships as a mode of existence. Theosismeans for him the transfiguration of our style of life, and implies concernfor one another, mutual sharing, dialogue and openness. Responsibility, thesense of belonging, is at the heart of Orthodox ethics. The continuing invo-cation of the name of Jesus, the so-called "prayer of Jesus", is incompatiblewith closing the door on neighbours. Theology and spirituality cannot beseparated from a clear and sharp witness to Christ in society and in theworld.

The ChurchIn contrast to those who take for granted the Church as the pillar and

ground of truth and as being free from all historical involvements and cul-tural values, Staniloae highlights the sacramental nature of the Church.This view enables him to speak both of ecclesial transparency and eccle-siastical historicity. His ecclesiology entails a particular understanding ofthe theology of the Holy Spirit: since Pentecost, the Holy Spirit isrebuilding the trinitarian fellowship in history in the form of the people ofGod, the body of Christ. The unity and catholicity of the Church are notabstract notions, for they refer to a real, historical people of God, thereality of the local church, a historical community rooted in the soil of aculture and nation.

It is in his ecclesiological studies that Staniloae reacts, sometimes56 sharply, against western theological methods and western infiuences on

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eastern theology. He has made one of the most critical observations onRoman-Catholic ecclesiology. Son of a Romanian community, which suf-fered under the proselytism of the Greek-Catholics (Uniates) in OrthodoxTransylvania, he scrutinized severely the political implications of the tradi-tional Roman-Catholic ecclesiology {The Catholicism After the War, Sibiu,1933). But he has a profound sense of the unity of all Christians and henever adopts an attitude of anti-ecumenism.''* On the contrary, one of hismost important contributions to ecumenical research is what he calls "openconciliarity",'^ which for him is crucial to the understanding of the identityand the place of Christian confessions in the framework of the UniversalChurch. "Open conciliarity" is a sacramental space for growing together,each with its specific identity, within an embracing catholicity. Those whoknow well the spirit of Staniloae's ecumenism find his view on the conver-gence of theology and spirituality as having great potential in the search forChristian unity:

It seems that here we can see not only something of the unifying power of theOrthodox tradition at its deepest and best, but also something of the way inwhich the ecumenical dialogue between the churches must be carried on. Thequestions of dogmatic theology cannot and must not be avoided. But they needto be met at the place where theology and spirituality come together into one.When they are seen in relation to the living and praying experience of theChristian people, then we find unexpected possibilities of reconciliationbetween positions which appear at first sight to be absolutely opposed.'^

The worldOrthodoxy is often regarded as having little concern for those who live

around it, for the human family, giving the impression that salvation isbeyond and above human nature and history. For Staniloae the Church hasto face the difficulties and the anguish of the world and to help the worldeven in an inhospitable situation. "The world is not only a gift, but a taskfor many." It is indeed a place of suffering, cross and death, but Christ ispresent in all those sufferings, struggles and anxieties.'^ One could see thevalue of the world only through the sign of the Cross, which Jesus Christimprints on it.

In this sense we cannot think of the cross without the world as God's gift. Buton the other side we cannot think of the world without the cross. The crossmakes this world transparent for God. The cross shows that the world is God'sgift, and as such is a lower, and lesser reality than God himself. The cross is thesign of God as a person, who is above all gifts. But it is also the sign of a perfectrelationship between God and man. In this sense the cross is specially the sign

'"* Istvan Juhasz, "Dumitru Staniloae's Ecumenical Studies as an Aspect of the Orthodox-Pro-testant Dialogue", Journal of Ecumenical Studies, Vol. 16, No. 4, 1979, pp. 747-764. See also D.Staniloae, "Romanian Orthodox-Anglican Talks: a Dogmatic Assessment", in RomanianOrthodox Church and the Church of England, Bucharest, Biblical and Orthodox MissionaryInstitute, 1976, pp. 129-148.'5 In Romanian, "Sobornicitate deschisa", Ortodoxia, Vol. XXIII, No. 2, 1971, pp. 165-180.'̂ A. A. Allchin, "Introduction", in D. Staniloae, The Victory of the Cross, Fairacres PamphletNo. 16, Oxford, 1971, pp. 2-3.'̂ D. Staniloae, "La dynamique du monde dans l'Eglise", in Proces-verbaux du Deuxieme con-gres de theologie orthodoxe {Mnzns, 19-29 August 1976), ed. Savas Agourides, Athens, 1978,pp. 346-360. 57

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of the Son of Man in whom this relationship has been perfectly realized. Thecross is the sign of the Son of God become man, the sign which he prints on theworld by his solidarity with the world.Without the cross man would be in danger of considering this world as the ulti-mate reality. Without the cross he would no longer see the world as God's gift.Without the cross the Son of God incarnate would have simply confirmed theimage of the world as it is now as the final reality, and strictly speaking he couldhave been neither God nor God incarnate. The cross completes the fragmentarymeaning of this world which has meaning when it is seen as a gift which has itsvalue, but only a relative and not an absolute value. The cross reveals the des-tiriy of the world as it is drawn towards its transfiguration in God by Christ. Forthis reason at the end of this stage of the world this sign, "the sign of the Son ofMan", will be revealed in the heavens above all the world, as a light, as ameaning, as a destiny which illumines the whole history of man (Matt.24:30).In this way the cross prophetically points to the eschatological, the final destinyof the world. For this reason we associate the sign of the cross with the HolyTrinity, with the Kingdom of God.'*

Although it is a painful experience, the Church is challenged to growtogether with the world, as part of its mission as a healing and servant com-munity. There is an analogy between the iticarnation of God, in assumingthe human nature, and the solidarity of the Church with the world, inwhich it assumes and transfigures the world's difficulties and complexities."Orthodoxy must go beyond its theoretical anthropology to become like aSaint, involved in the specific human relationships found in the compli-cated circumstances of our daily lives." '̂

One of the most specific marks of Staniloae's theology is that it relatesclosely to the local church and to the culture. His theology is an attempt tofind an adequate expression of the Orthodox faith that does not alienatethe authentic values of a people, but nourishes its spiritual and social life,and inspires its artistic imagination and poetry. And yet, while the personaland cultural mark of his theology is evident, it never prevents a great var-iety of readers, students and scholars from finding access to it.

Staniloae's research covers many more issues, e.g. the relation betweenthe logos of creation (cosmic pantocrator) and the Lord-Myrios, King andJudge; God's involvement in history as suffering and crucified servant andas risen Lord and Christ. Some of his ideas may need further examinationand clarification, especially because they are not presented in a traditionalsystematic way. But whatever the topic, his refiection always proceeds in apersonal, confessing style. Moreover, he always suggests an unexpectedinsight, an incipient reflection which might constitute a basis for takingsteps in a new direction.

Dumitru Staniloae has an increasing infiuence upon the style and meth-odology of Christian theology today. There are several directions in which

"* D. Staniloae, The Victory of the Cross, pp. 20-21.'̂ D. Staniloae, "Witness Through 'Holiness' of Life", in I. Bria, ed., Martyria-Mission: the

58 Witness of the Orthodox Churches Today, Geneva, WCC, 1980, pp. 45-51.

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his impact can be perceived. First, he has succeeded in constituting a schoolof thinking in his church which is prepared to take full responsibility in thefield of theological education and ministerial formation. Due to him, ayounger generation of Orthodox theologians are able now to continue in thetradition of such great personalities and scholars as Theodor Popescu (his-tory of the Church), Livin Stan (canon law), Petre Vintilescu (liturgical andpastoral theology), Dumitru Belu (ethics and philosophy), and loan Coman(patristics), and to develop that tradition in new and creative ways. Second,Staniloae has presented Orthodoxy in a new way in view of the intercul-tural and ecumenical dialogue. This fact will be perhaps realized later whenhis works have been translated and circulated in the West. Staniloae'sgreatest merit lies exactly in the fact that he discloses the heart of Ortho-doxy while bypassing religious systems or philosophical views of severalcenturies which are still considered by some to be required reading for thereception of Orthodoxy, both in the East and the West. His works make usrealize that there is a major difference between the modern theological (orreligious) introduction to Orthodoxy, which sometimes limits the under-standing of the life of Orthodoxy in its fullness, and Orthodox theology assuch. Everyone is invited here to reach for the roots of the Orthodox faithand not to be fascinated by one-sided commentaries full of symbolic andmysterious language. Staniloae remains a great enabler of the communica-tion and reception of Orthodoxy in the contemporary Church and world. Itis not surprising that his works are becoming a rich resource for the cate-chetical instruction and teaching of the faith. Third, the whole field ofsystematic theology is challenged by his vision and method. Sooner or laterwe must come to know that his kind of theologizing contains a potential forintegrating disparate strands of systematic theology into a comprehensivesystem. Above all, he invites students, scholars and all people of God topractise theology as an existential response to God, to speak about Godwith profound sensitivity and to accept him with an immense sense ofresponsibility. For him theology is nothing else than an existential expres-sion of the Spirit's life offered to God.

Finally, it must be said that Staniloae's theology is the best expressionof his personality. One cannot detach, in his case, the vision from the styleof life. He is a man of extreme tenderness, courtesy and sensitivity infamily, society and faculty. His soft and fatherly face emanates a funda-mental simplicity and sympathy, a healing calm and serenity which over-come any hardness of heart and aggressive distance. It is this charismaticmystery of his person, his "ikon", which led many students, scholars andfriends to become his disciples.

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