Empirical Dogmatics of the Orthodox Catholic Church According to the Spoken Teaching of Father John Romanides. Volume 1: Dogma, Ethics, Revelation)

by Hierotheos Vlachos, John Romanides

Empirical Dogmatics of the Orthodox Catholic Church by Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos is a valuable contribution to contemporary theological literature. It is a work in two volumes, based mainly on the spoken teaching of Fr. John Romanides. This book is an encounter between two important theologians of our time. Father John Romanides’ vivid and unconventional words, presented by Metropolitan Hierotheos, come as a liberating intervention in theological thought. Fr. John’s precise and specific teaching is not essentially innovative, but takes patristic theology and re-formulates it for our own era.

The first volume of Empirical Dogmatics is divided into four chapters:
Dogma and Ethics
The Experience of Revelation
The Bearers of Revelation
The Living Monuments of Revelation

This is a different kind of dogmatics because it is based on experience. Dogma is not to be believed. Dogma is to be experienced. Dogma is not human speculation. It has nothing to do with philosophy or metaphysics. It does not lead to any form of moralism. Fr. John often draws parallels between theology and the positive sciences, particularly medicine and astronomy. The method proposed for approaching dogma, and theology in general, is experiment, experience, observation and recording, as well as verification of the degree of success in achieving the aim by means of results. The aim is man’s glorification, which is reached by way of purification and illumination. Holy relics are tangible evidence for the authenticity of this experience, which transforms the whole human being, body and soul. It is empirical realities of this kind that attract non-Orthodox Christians today.

Dogma is the record of the revelatory experience of the saints who see God. It is the rational formulation of the mystery that they experienced. Dogma also acts as a means of therapeutic treatment for those who are spiritually sick and as a guide and signpost showing the way to glorification. There is a close connection between dogma and ethics, which Orthodox theology identifies with ascetic practice. The ascetic method consists of striving for purification, and leads to illumination. In this way the separation of the rational faculty from the noetic faculty is achieved, the darkened nous is illuminated and unceasing noetic prayer begins. Man is then in a position to experience dogma and to reach glorification. The empirical basis of dogma is the foundation of the spiritual life, understood in the context of the life of the Church.
The experience of revelation, of glorification, is the experience of Pentecost. Theology is an expression of the vision of God, but is not identical with it, because in the state of divine vision theology is transcended. The Christian is led to this experience through obedience to an experienced spiritual father. Spiritual fatherhood and its therapeutic dimension is the factor that links the bearers of the revelation: the glorified down through the ages and the God-seers of the Old and New Testaments. The difference between them is that the glorified Prophets of the Old Testament experience the revelation of the unincarnate Word, whereas the glorified Apostles, Fathers and saints of the New Testament experience the incarnate Word. Divine inspiration is another characteristic that they share, so they are unerring theologians. The infallibility of the Ecumenical Councils, which set out dogmas when the appearance of heretics makes this necessary, is due to the divine inspiration and freedom from error of the glorified Fathers who participated in them.

The theological teaching of Fr. John clarifies misunderstandings and resolves points of uncertainty. For instance, he clarifies the distinction between the revelation itself and the ‘living monuments of the revelation’: Holy Scripture and Tradition. The source of the faith is revelation, the experience of uncreated, ineffable words. The purpose of created words and concepts in Holy Scripture and Tradition is to cure man through purification, illumination and glorification.
This therapeutic method is the heart of the Orthodox Tradition and Empirical Dogmatics is a therapeutic intervention for those who are tired of the barren wanderings of Western theology.

Genres: Theology

327 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2011

About the author

His Eminence Hierotheos, Metropolitan of Nafpaktos and Agios Vlassios in Greece, is regarded as one of the foremost authorities on the Orthodox spiritual life. A prolific writer, he has authored more than fifteen books, many of which have been translated into English. His Eminence’s theological vision may be summed up in the following quotation, taken from his The Science of Spiritual Medicine: “The whole therapeutic method of the Orthodox Church is not aimed simply at making human beings morally and socially balanced, but at re-establishing their relationship with God and one another. This comes about through the healing of the soul's wounds and the cure of the passions through the Sacraments and the Church's ascetic practice.”

Reviews

[Nicholas Shelton · Rating 4 out of 5]

As far as title goes, most straightforward title ever.
The argument is rather simple, all dogmatics are empirical. Awesome name.
I'm going to refrain from commenting on the subject manner and my personal beliefs. However this book taught me to understand Eastern Orthodoxy on a fundamental level. I've gone to liturgy many times and read other books, but this book brought me into the mind of an orthodox.
I do have an emotional Knee Jerk reaction to this book though. My patron saint is Augustine so it bothered me on a person level to read the onslaught of attacks against his thought and how it lead the west astray.
Furthermore he refers to Catholics as Papists ( a derogatory term) or Frankish (literally barbarians.) Stylistically it was easy to read. I was annoyed by the structure though. At least a 1/5 of the book is the author's biography.
It sort of just goes on and on and rambles at the end as well.
Overall, interesting argument.

[Nikos Pothitos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Η ορθοδοξία έχει μια άναρχη δομή. Αυτό έχει το καλό, αλλά και το κακό ότι ο καθένας λέει το κοντό και το μακρύ του. Για αυτό το λόγο, πιστεύω ότι είναι σημαντικό να εντοπίσει κανείς μια λίστα από σύγχρονα βιβλία που εγκρίνει κάποια επίσημη ορθόδοξη αρχή. Έπεσα πάνω στην προτεινόμενη βιβλιογραφία για μαθητές Λυκείου του 2015 από την Αρχιεπισκοπή Αθηνών. Ένα από τα βιβλία που υπάρχουν στη λίστα είναι η Εμπειρική Δογματική με απομαγνητοφωνημένες ομιλίες του π. Ιωάννη Ρωμανίδη.

Ο π. Ιωάννης, όπως και ο Κάλλιστος Ware, δεν στρογγυλεύει τα πράγματα και δεν αρέσκεται στη διπλωματική γλώσσα. Για αυτό το λόγο ήρθε σε ρήξη με τον επιβλέποντα του διδακτορικού του, πήγε σε εκκλησιαστικά δικαστήρια, εκδιώχθηκε ως «κομμουνιστής» από τη χούντα χωρίς καν να έχει πολιτική δράση. Ήταν παθιασμένος στο να αποδείξει ότι η ορθοδοξία είναι μια θετική επιστήμη, σε σημείο που έμοιαζε σαν ένας ακαδημαϊκός επαναστάτης. Μετά τη χούντα και όλες αυτές τις φουρτούνες, η διδασκαλία του πλέον θεωρείται κλασική και θεμελιώδης και δεν αμφισβητείται από κανέναν είτε φανατικό είτε μοντέρνο, από όσο τουλάχιστον μπορώ να γνωρίζω, ίσως η μοναδική περίπτωση σύγχρονου θεολόγου στην Ελλάδα.

Στο προαναφερθέν βιβλίο φωτίζεται η ορθοδοξία σε ένα πρακτικό επίπεδο. Τι σημαίνει ηθική; Τι νόημα έχουν τα δόγματα; Όλα παίρνουν νόημα μόνο αν βλέπεις το άκτιστο φως του Θεού. Σε διαφορετική περίπτωση, τα δόγματα είναι πατερίτσες για ανάπηρους πνευματικά ανθρώπους που βασίζονται στις εμπειρίες τρίτων (των αγίων) για να βρουν την οδό της ανάπαυσης και της σωτηρίας τους.