Partakers of the Divine Nature: The History and Development of Deification in the ChristianEdited by Michael J. Christensen and Jeffery A. Wittung
Book Reviews
This book looks at the concept of 'theosis' or 'deification' in historical perspective. It is an important volume that fills a definite gap in the literature and does so in an admirable ecumenical spirit. As is shown here, the doctrine of theosis is one that goes back a long way, even into pre-Christian thought, and yet is still very much a part of contemporary theological discussion. There are five sections. The first summarizes the broad issues relating to the nature and function of the doctrine of theosis in theology and this is followed by sections on the doctrine in various periods ranging from classical and late antiquity to the modern period. There is much research in this well-produced book (the press has coped very well for example with the challenges of the Greek font) and it will surely take its place as the volume that brings together in one place authoritative treatments of a previously somewhat neglected area. tbr, Vol. 2, No. 2, 2007 The remarkable revival of interest in theosis, or Christian deification, has been driven to some extent by an evangelical (and especially Lutheran) concern to find new ways of speaking about the transformatory power of the Christian life. Partakers of the Divine Nature is a selection of papers given at a conference on theosis held at Drew University (a Methodist foundation) in May 2004. The contributors, mainly teachers and graduate students at Drew, have been supplemented by several distinguished scholars from outside, including Gösta Hallonsten, Andrew Louth and John McGuckin. Drew University has been engaged for some time in the study of theosis. Some of the work of its members was published last year in a volume entitled Theosis: Deification in Christian Theology, edited by Stephen Finlan and Vladimir Kharlamov. The present volume is more wide ranging with a distinct emphasis on theosis in medieval, Reformation and modern thought. The contributors ‘find the idea and history of theosis to be a compelling vision of human wholeness and spiritual transformation worthy of serious study and relevant for our contemporary culture’ (p.9). Yet it is only at the end of the book that an attempt is made to define what theosis actually means. In an important paper on ‘Theosis in Recent Research’ (first given in Atlanta in 2003), Gösta Hallonsten complains that ‘the concept of theosis is becoming increasingly unclear’ (p.281). Too many people, he says, make use of it without having made a sufficient investigation of its history or having understood its role in the Eastern tradition. They therefore make unwarranted assumptions about its meaning. Norman Russell, The Heythrop Journal Read more about this title
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