Mystical Theology: Introducing the Theology and Spiritual Life of the Orthodox Church
“Mystical Theology: Introducing the Theology and Spiritual Life of the Orthodox Church”, with Prof. Christopher Veniamin Mystical Theology: Introducing the Theology and Spiritual Life of the Orthodox Church, with particular reference to the Holy Bible and the witness of the Church Fathers, past and present. Available Units thus far: Unit 1: Introduction: Holy Scripture, Greek Philosophy, Philo of Alexandria (Season 3) Unit 2: Irenaeus of Lyons (Season 3) Unit 3: Clement the Alexandrian (Season 3) Unit 4: Origen (Season 3) Unit 5: Athanasius the Great (Season 3) Unit 6: The Cappadocian Fathers (Season 3) Unit 7: Augustine of Hippo (Season 3) Unit 8: John Chrysostom (Season 3) Unit 9: Cyril of Alexandria (Season 3) Unit 14: Gregory Palamas (Season 1) Unit 15: John of the Ladder (Season 4) Unit 16: Silouan and Sophrony the Athonites (Season 2) MISCELLANEOUS Members-only: Special Editions (Season 5) Empirical Dogmatics: The Theology of Fr. John Romanides (Season 6) Recommended background reading: Christopher Veniamin, ed., Saint Gregory Palamas: The Homilies ; and The Enlargement of the Heart, by Archimandrite Zacharias ; Christopher Veniamin, ed., Saint Gregory Palamas: The Homilies (Dalton PA: 2022) ; The Orthodox Understanding of Salvation: "Theosis" in Scripture and Tradition (2016) ; The Transfiguration of Christ in Greek Patristic Literature (2022) ; and Metropolitan Hierotheos Vlachos, Empirical Dogmatics of the Orthodox Catholic Church: According to the Spoken Teaching of Father John Romanides, Vol. 1 (2012), Vol. 2 (repr. ed. 2020). It is hoped that these presentations will help the enquirer discern the profound interrelationship between Orthodox theology and the Orthodox Christian life, and to identify the ascetic and pastoral significance of the Orthodox ethos contained therein. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: I wish to express my indebtedness to the spoken and written traditions of Sts Silouan and Sophrony the Athonites, Fr. Zacharias Zacharou, Fr. Kyrill Akon, Fr. Raphael Noica, Fr. Symeon Brüschweiler; Fr. John Romanides, Fr. Pavlos Englezakis, Fr. Georges Florovsky, Prof. Constantine Scouteris, Prof. George Mantzarides, Prof. John Fountoulis, Mtp Hierotheos Vlachos, Mtp Kallistos Ware, and Prof. Panayiotes Chrestou. My presentations have been enriched by all of the above sources. Responsibility however for the content of my presentations is of course mine alone. ©Christopher Veniamin 2024
Episodes
Series: Mystical Theology
Episode 45: Dionysius the Areopagite, Authorship & Dating, C. Veniamin
In Episode 45 of our Mystical Theology, we continue our overview of the theology of Dionysius the Areopagite, one of the most challenging figures in the history of Christian doctrine. This episode also contains personal reflections on aspects of the spiritual life learned from St. Sophrony the Athonite. For a list...
In Episode 44 of our Mystical Theology, we begin our overview of the theology of Dionysius the Areopagite, one of the most challenging figures in the history of Christian doctrine.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: I wish to express my indebtedness to the spoken and written traditions of Mtp Kallistos Ware, Vladimir Lossky, Fr. John Romanides and Mtp Hierotheos Vlachos. Responsibility for the content of my presentations is of course...
[Episode 42: Caveat on Trinity and Grace of God, Part 6 of Cyril of Alexandria, C. Veniamin]
Series: Mystical Theology
Episode 42: Caveat on Trinity and Grace of God, Part 6 of Cyril of Alexandria, C. Veniamin
In Episode 42: Caveat on Trinity and Grace of God, Part 6 of Cyril of Alexandria, Dr. Veniamin pauses his presentations on the Christology of Cyril of Alexandria, in order to bring back in to focus the Cappadocia...
Series: Mystical Theology
Episode 41: Cyril of Alexandria, With Scholion on Appolinarius of Laodicea, Intro to Christology, Pt 5, C. Veniamin
In Episode 41 of our Mystical Theology, Dr. Veniamin continues his presentation of the Christology of St. Cyril of Alexandria, emphasizing the divinity of the Logos made flesh, and an important note on the heresy of Apollinarius of Laodicea (c.310 - c.390). For a list of the var...
Series: Mystical Theology
Episode 40: Cyril of Alexandria, Introduction to Christology, Part 4, Dr. C. Veniamin
In Episode 40 of our Mystical Theology, Dr. Veniamin presents the foundations of Christology as formulated by St. Cyril, Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria (d. 444), in the context of the Nestorian controversy (429 – 431). For a list of the various themes contained herein, see the Timestamps below.
Series: Mystical Theology
Episode 39: Alexandria and Antioch: Christological Tendencies, Intro Pt 3, Dr. C. Veniamin
In Episode 39 of our Mystical Theology, the tendencies to be found in Alexandrian and Antiochian Christology are discussed as a prelude to our overview of the Christology of Cyril of Alexandria (d. 444). See also the themes in the Timestamps below.
Q&As available in The Professor’s Blog
Episode 10: “Repentance and The Prison”, in John of the Ladder, Dr. C. Veniamin
Unit 15: “John of the Ladder: Principles of the Christian Life”, by Prof. Christopher Veniamin
Series: “Mystical Theology"
“Repentance and The Prison”, Episode 10 in our series, "John of the Ladder”, is based on the reading of the first half of Step 5: “On Repentance… and about the Prison”, is one of the most challenging chapters ...
Series: Mystical Theology
Episode 38: The Nestorian Perspective: Intro to Christology, Part 2, Dr. C. Veniamin
In Episode 38 of our Mystical Theology, the difference between symmetrical and asymmetrical dyophysite Christologies is described, and in the process the Christological views of Theodore of Mopsouestia (c. 350-428) and Nestorius of Constantinople (d. c. 451) are presented as a prelude to the great contributio...
Series: Mystical Theology
Episode 36: Could Christ have sinned? Intro to Christology, Dr. C. Veniamin
In Episode 36 of our Mystical Theology, Dr. Christopher Veniamin introduces the central doctrine of the Christian Faith - the Church’s teaching on the mystery of the Person of Jesus Christ - by asking the question, “Could Christ have sinned?”. For themes included in this presentation, see the Timestamps below.
Series: Mystical Theology
Episode 35: John Chrysostom: The Language of Holy Scripture, Eunomius & The Light of Tabor, Dr. C. Veniamin
With Episode 34, we come to the end of Volume 1 of our series, Mystical Theology. Through Chrysostom’s appreciation of the Transfiguration of Christ on Tabor, we catch a glimpse of the theological presuppositions, the gnosiology, of one of the greatest commentators of Holy Scripture...
Series: Mystical Theology
Episode 33: Conclusions to Augustine, Part 2: Gregory of Nyssa, Life of Moses, Part 6 of The Cappadocian Fathers, Dr. C. Veniamin
In Episode 33, we have the second part of our Conclusions to the Unit on the Cappadocian Fathers and Augustine of Hippo. This consists of Gregory of Nyssa’s Life of Moses (paragraphs 152-169), in which St. Gregory presents the God-seer Moses in his ascent towards G...
Series: Mystical Theology
Episode 32: Conclusions to Augustine, Part 1: Basil the Great & Gregory the Theologian, C. Veniamin
In Episode 32, we return to the Cappadocian Fathers by way of conclusion, following our overview of Augustine of Hippo, in order to bring us back to an Orthodox approach to the mystery of the Holy Trinity. We attempt a clarification of the essence-energies distinction as taug...
Series: Mystical Theology
Episode 31: Three Basic Mistakes, Augustine of Hippo on the Holy Trinity, Episode 31, Mystical Theology, Dr. C. Veniamin
Based on St. Augustine’s De Fide et Symbolo, this presentation discusses three erroneous presuppositions made by the Bishop of Hippo, and perpetuated by his followers, which have influenced subsequent generations in the Franco-Latin Christianity of the West. ...
Series: Mystical Theology
Episode 28: Augustine’s Essentialism and the Essence–Energies Distinction of Basil the Great, Part 9 of Augustine of Hippo: An Orthodox Perspective, Dr. C. Veniamin
In Part 9 of our presentations on Augustine of Hippo a comparison is made between the theological approach of Augustine and Basil the Great vis-a-vis the doctrine of the Holy Trinity, based on our reading of Augusti...
Series: Mystical Theology
Episode 27: Further Reading & Commentary, Reading De Trinitate Book IX, Part 8 of Augustine of Hippo: An Orthodox Perspective, Dr. C. Veniamin
In Part 8 of “Augustine of Hippo: An Orthodox Perspective”, Episode 27 of our series in “Mystical Theology”, we continue our reading and commentary on Book IX of St. Augustine’s De Trinitate; and in so doing we delve into Augustine&a...
Series: Mystical Theology
Episode 26: Reading & Commentary, Reading De Trinitate Book IX, Part 7 of Augustine of Hippo: An Orthodox Perspective, Dr. C. Veniamin
In Part 7 of “Augustine of Hippo: An Orthodox Perspective”, Episode 26 of our series in “Mystical Theology”, we continue our reading and commentary on Book IX of St. Augustine’s De Trinitate; and in so doing we touch on such key questions as...
Series: Mystical Theology
Episode 25: “What Is Meant By The Spiritual Life?”, Part 6 of Augustine of Hippo: An Orthodox Perspective, Dr. C. Veniamin
In Part 6 of “Augustine of Hippo: An Orthodox Perspective”, Episode 25 of our series in “Mystical Theology”, we attempt to outline some of the distinguishing characteristics of the Orthodox spiritual life. Other themes broached in this episode are listed in...
Episode 11: “By Way of Conclusion”
Unit 15: “John of the Ladder: Principles of the Christian Life”, by Prof. Christopher Veniamin
Series: “Mystical Theology"
“By Way of Conclusion”, Episode 11 in our series, "John of the Ladder”, consists of concluding remarks regarding our brief overview of Steps 4 and 5 of the famous Ladder of Divine Ascent by the great John Climacus. Presented by Dr. Ch...
Series: Mystical Theology
Episode 24: “De Trinitate”, Book IX, Augustine of Hippo: An Orthodox Perspective, Part 5, Dr. C. Veniamin
In Part 5 of “Augustine of Hippo: An Orthodox Perspective”, Episode 24 of our series in “Mystical Theology”, we conclude our remarks on St. Augustine’s “Commentary on Ps. 134:3 (135:3)”, and then begin reading from Book IX of his “de Trinitate”. Particular attention is give...
Series: Mystical Theology
Episode 23: “Praise the LORD; for the LORD is good” (Ps. 135:3), Augustine of Hippo: An Orthodox Perspective, Part 4, Dr. C. Veniamin
In Part 4 of “Augustine of Hippo: An Orthodox Perspective”, Episode 23 of our series in “Mystical Theology”, we discuss the significance of St. Augustine's commentary of Psalm 135:3: “Praise the LORD; for the LORD is good”. Other themes broa...
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