Dumitru Staniloae's Trinitarian Ecclesiology: Orthodoxy and the Filioque

by Viorel Coman

Overview

Dumitru Stăniloae is one of the most important but routinely neglected twentieth-century Orthodox theologians. Viorel Coman explores the ecumenical relevance of Stăniloae’s reflections on the interplay between the doctrine of the Trinity and the doctrine of the church in the context of the debates on the ecclesiological ramifications of the filioque. Coman combines a historical and theological analysis of Stăniloae’s approach to the filioque, Trinity, and church. The historical analysis shows the changes that have taken place over time in Stăniloae’s approach to the issue of the filioque and the doctrine of the church. The theological analysis emphasizes the ecumenical contribution of the Romanian thinker to the fields of Trinitarian theology and ecclesiology. Even though this book centers primarily around Stăniloae’s vision on the link between the doctrine of the Trinity and the Church, it places his theological reflections in a solid dialogue with other Eastern (Georges Florovsky, Vladimir Lossky, and John Zizioulas) and Western theologians (Karl Barth, Yves Congar, Karl Rahner, and Walter Kasper).

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781978703780
Publisher:	Lexington Books
Publication date:	10/09/2019
Pages:	310
Product dimensions:	6.33(w) x 8.85(h) x 1.11(d)

About the Author

Viorel Coman is postdoctoral researcher of the Research Foundation-Flanders (FWO) in the faculty of theology and religious studies at Katholieke Universiteit Leuven.

Table of Contents

1. Dumitru Stăniloae: A Neo-Patristic Theologian

2. Stăniloae’s Early Approach (1964–1978) to the Filioque

3. Stăniloae’s Approach to the Filioque in an Ecumenical Context: Methodology of Conversation (1971) and Engagement in Dialogues (1979–1993)

4. The “Holy Grail” of 20th-Century Christian Theology: The Ecclesiological Synthesis between Christology and Pneumatology

5. Stăniloae’s Early Ecclesiology (1938–1964): A Christological Approach to the Church

6. The Church in Light of the Mystery of the Trinity: Stăniloae’s Late Ecclesiology (1964–1993)

Editorial Reviews

Coman is already the specialist on the Romanian Orthodox theologian Dumitru Stăniloae’s position on the filioque. Since Stăniloae’s thought evolved over a decades-long career and a monumental oeuvre, Coman’s study is bound to become the main resource on this subject. Bringing a significant ecumenical contribution, the present volume also corrects the mischaracterization of Stăniloae as an anti-Western theologian, proving that he wrote tirelessly in the hope of Christian unity

Radu Bordeianu

"In this rigorous academic work, Coman offers original research on Stănliloae’s views on filioque and Trinitarian ecclesiology in dialogue with the Roman Catholic and Orthodox theologians of his era."

Ecclesiology

This excellent book introduces the reader to one of the twentieth century’s most important Orthodox thinkers, whose writings on ecclesiology, Christology, and Trinitarian theology are set forth here with great skill. Especially enlightening is the author’s analysis of Dumitru Stăniloae’s views on the filioque, how they developed, and how they impacted his evolving understanding of the church. Still largely unknown in the English-speaking world, Stăniloae’s theology finally gets the attention it deserves in Viorel Coman’s first-rate treatment.

A. Edward Siecienski