Archpriest Vadim Leonov: “Christian anthropology should also be taught in secular universities”

Ontology. Primordial man

1. Man before the Fall is man “in its pure form,” primordial, corresponding to God’s plan.

Within the framework of this section, the ontological status of a person is clarified. Answers are given to questions about the origin, meaning of existence, purpose, natural state and perfection of primordial man. It is described in the natural and personal aspects of existence, and sets out the doctrine of the image and likeness of God.

Man is the crown of the universe, the ultimate goal of the creation of the universe. God created man out of an abundance of love.

Man was created differently than all other creatures, after the Trinity Council, in the image of God (Gen. 1:26) and with the opportunity (and task) to achieve the likeness of God.

Man's destiny is to live forever in blissful union with God; to deify oneself and lead the entire created world to deification. By virtue of his destiny, a person is much higher and more valuable than the whole world.

Spirit. Soul. Body.

Man is integral and at the same time threefold: he consists of spirit, soul and body.

The human body

- a complex, perfect and harmonious apparatus of the soul for communicating with the outside world. The body is not evil, but the temple of the soul and Spirit of God (1 Cor. 6:19). In the next century, our body will be with us, only transformed and spiritualized.

Soul of man

- lower spiritual essence. The soul, being in the body, uses it as an instrument. Mental life consists of satisfying the needs of the mind, feelings and will: the soul wants to acquire knowledge and experience certain feelings.

Spirit of man

The spirit is the highest part of the soul, containing the ability for communication with God, knowledge of God, likeness to God and glorification of God. Three manifestations of the spirit: conscience, thirst for God, fear of God. As power emanating from God, the spirit knows God, seeks God, and finds peace in Him Alone.

The image and likeness of God in man

Image of God

- this is a God-given principle that allows a person to live in unity with God and endows him with divine properties. The image of God is indefinable in created categories, since it was sent down to every person from the indescribable word or thought of God.

The most important features of the image of God in man

: personality, freedom, immortality, creativity, dominion, intelligence, spirituality, conscience, love, virtue, striving for perfection, etc.

The image of God is indestructible.

The image is given, and the likeness is given: man is called to perfection through God-likeness in virtue.

What should a person be like according to God's Plan?

Spirit

called to rule soul and body in unity with God.

Soul

, governed by conscience, did the will of God with the greatest possible perfection, receiving the highest pleasure in God.

Body

- an obedient instrument, served the spirit and soul, obeyed them.

Man is subordinate to God, and the whole world is subordinate to man.

Man was created immortal in spirit and soul, and the body, completely subordinate to them, also had to be imbued with immortality.

Man would have remained like this if the greatest tragedy had not occurred - the Fall of man, which changed the primordial (“good is good” - very good) state of things.

The beginning of the journey - meeting with God

There is such a science - anthropology. She studies the external characteristics of people, races, and national customs. But it turns out that there is also Christian anthropology.

“It is fundamentally different,” says Archpriest Vadim LEONOV

, who teaches this discipline at the Orthodox St. Tikhon's Humanitarian University and several other educational institutions. – It sets out the divinely revealed teaching of the Church about the nature and personality of man, his purpose and principles of existence, the spiritual foundations of our existence.

From the point of view of Christian anthropology, man is a creation of God, destined to live in unity with his Creator. From God we have received the highest gifts and special purposes that we must fulfill. And if a person does not understand this and does not realize it, then he feels inner emptiness, even with many natural abilities and excellent living conditions.

– What are these purposes?

– First of all, to meet God, to acquire unity with Him. Secondly, build relationships with your neighbors correctly.

- And thirdly?

– God gave man dominion over the world. We are responsible for the entire cosmos, no matter how pretentious it sounds. And we can find the meaning of life, realize it, if we clearly and correctly realize and implement this responsibility to God, our neighbors, the world around us, and finally, to ourselves.

- And if not?

“Then we will hit the wall, spend a lot of energy, but we will not get results - neither in this life, nor in Eternity, unfortunately.

– How can I be responsible for the entire cosmos? By the way, this is now a classic question for Russian people: what depends on me?

– God commanded people to have dominion over the world. This does not mean that we should embrace the whole world with our external influence and consciousness. Everything works a little differently.

Man is a microcosm, and in us - in harmonious unity - all created principles of existence are present. That is, we are connected to the universe with our internal foundations, nature, body, soul. This connection is so strong that any change in a person is reflected in the world around him. And when we develop spiritually, then the entire world connected with us, at least in our immediate environment, already rises to God, as if reaching behind us. And vice versa, when a person falls into sin, degrades, destroys himself, then the world around him immediately begins to perish.

- I think, yes.

“Many saints went to deserted, that is, unsuitable for life, places, began to pray there, repent, live in a manner pleasing to God, and these places were transformed. The swamps became fragrant, oases appeared in the deserts. And this happened not so much due to external cultivation, but rather due to a godly life. Then other people were drawn to these fertile places and settled there. But the source of this grace was not nature in itself or place, but the spiritual life of the ascetics.

Even animals lost their aggression: a lion at the cell of St. Gerasim of Jordan, bears at St. Sergius of Radonezh and Seraphim of Sarov.

– Can you give a negative example?

“When Adam fell into sin, God told him: “Cursed is the earth for your sake.” And she suffers because of the fall of man, because he is the ruler of the world. When the king is taken prisoner, the entire people, the entire kingdom, are enslaved.

The Lord also said: “in sorrow you will eat from it (the earth - approx.

.) all the days of your life. It will bring forth thorns and thistles for you” (Genesis 3:17–18).

- And what?

– “Thorns and thistles” are not just weeds, but, according to the teachings of the holy fathers, this is a figurative indication of the confrontation between nature and man. Adam did not listen to his Lord, therefore nature does not obey its ruler until he is reconciled with the Creator.

Since that moment, disasters and cataclysms of various scales have occurred on earth: droughts, floods, earthquakes, tsunamis, lightning... The aggression of the surrounding world is directed at humans. It became uncomfortable for him to live, he must win space for himself.

But that's not so bad. Man, having sinned before God in Paradise, did not stop, but began to sink more and more into the abyss of sin. This means that he continues to destroy the world around him. Let's remember the biblical story of Sodom and Gomorrah.

- Let's!

– Abraham invited his nephew Lot to separate from him along with the flocks, so that the sheep would not mix and the shepherds would not quarrel. And he ordered to choose a new place to settle. Lot looked south, saw the fields around Sodom and Gomorrah - and they seemed to him like Paradise: gracious, fertile, desirable. But the people who lived in these beautiful places became corrupted and indulged in terrible sins.

– Which are still called sodomy... However, there is also a euphonious name for them – “same-sex marriages.”

“And God struck these places so that they still remain the most lifeless on the planet, and are now covered by the Dead Sea. This is the direct answer to all our environmental research.

– And, probably, political?

– Yes, because people are looking for mechanical, external ways to solve problems - and nothing works out for them. They are afraid to look at the moral foundations of life, to take into account the spiritual causes of problems, because in this case they will have to change themselves, and this is the worst thing for a person.

- And the most difficult thing.

– You can, of course, agree and emit less carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, save electricity at the expense of some nations (they will suffer, but the “golden billion” will prosper for now). But the problems will remain and will grow, because the moral foundations of human existence are not taken into account.

And in Christian anthropology all this is clearly spelled out. And one of its tasks is to convey to people the spiritual foundations of life, which cannot be ignored.

Unfortunately, humanity is playing hide and seek with itself, pretending that these spiritual foundations do not exist. But they still hit humanity - more and more painfully. And, God forbid, that we begin to think about this.

– Metropolitan Veniamin (Fedchenkov) once wrote down a story. A boy came here from the world of the dead and said to his father: “It is very difficult to come to you on earth, such a stench comes from it!”

So, it was no coincidence that the saints said that we must start with ourselves?

- Certainly! Christianity contains knowledge about God, man, the world around us - in the spiritual aspect necessary for our salvation. And we need to observe the norms of spiritual life more strictly than the laws of the state, traffic rules or any other external regulations.

The commandments of God are spiritual laws crystallized in words. At different stages of life, a person perceives them differently.

– Depending on age?

– And spiritual experience. Gradually we realize the meaning of the commandments, enter the Orthodox tradition, and from within we feel the vitality of these laws: repentance, abstinence from sin.

The first stage is the most difficult. A person needs to believe, trust God, and make an effort on himself. If he is accustomed to sin, the transition to a virtuous way can be painful.

– Yes, awareness of oneself as is and repentance are always painful! It’s good when the family is Christian: a person naturally enters into the Orthodox tradition.

- Yes, this is ideal. In such a family, the necessary environment is created and the child feels the presence of the Lord from childhood. He does not need to be convinced that God and spiritual laws are real. The task is different - to teach to live in unity with God.

– But most often in families, one of the spouses is a believer, and the other is not. How can a person start with himself so that everything around him changes?

– The family is a single whole. Everything I do affects others. First internally, and then externally.

We should not impose our faith on adult family members, but we can offer it to children to the extent that they are able to accept it. It is very dangerous, having stumbled upon the misunderstanding of unbelieving relatives, to isolate yourself from family members in “outbursts of piety.”

Family relationships are of great value - and they must be preserved, as the Apostle Paul advised: “Why do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband? Or do you, husband, why do you know if you won’t save your wife?” (First Messenger to the Corinthians. 7. 16). The pursuit of piety should not cause internal rifts in the family. Here wisdom, advice from a confessor, and prayer are needed.

We need to promote every good in unbelieving relatives, all their good desires, even those that do not have a religious basis. Do not plant the good, do not impose it, but rather promote it.

- How?

– Let’s say the wife is a believer, but the husband is not. And so he wanted to help his neighbor dig up a garden or move furniture. This is a good deed. And he must be supported, even at the expense of personal spiritual pursuits. From good deeds the soul develops and over time can realize the need for God. This is a chance - and we must use it. Let your husband behave the same way if he is a believer.

In military institutions there are forced marches, and there the time is counted according to the last participant. If someone from the unit takes the lead and runs first to the finish line, then they look at him as if he is crazy. Since you are so strong, then take things from the weak and help him. So it is in the family: if a wife or husband “quickly runs” to the Kingdom of Heaven, the Lord will ask them: “Where are the rest? Where are the children I gave you? And what will we answer to God?

– To what extent are parents responsible for the path of their children? They were led to the temple by the hand. And then - that’s it: mom’s faith comes into conflict with dad’s money.

– I don’t think that whether parents are churched or unchurched is a strict predestination for children. Still, God preserves human freedom. We must promote the spiritual growth of our children, but we do not have the right to establish a totalitarian regime within the family. The son and daughter have freedom - and they themselves are responsible for their actions.

From the age of seven, children confess independently and learn to live with God without prompting from their parents. Therefore, our responsibility is not unlimited.

We typically miss out on time during infancy and early childhood. But parents don't need to despair. Seeds thrown in childhood and youth, as a rule, germinate. Not in youth (it can be stormy), but in middle and even older age. During this period, our only job is to pray for the children.

Notice that there were different people among Jacob's twelve sons. But God did not deprive the patriarch of his blessedness for this reason, and we honor him as a saint. Even among the chosen apostles of the Lord there was the traitor Judas.

– Righteous Alexy of Moscow also had one daughter who was an atheist.

– This means that the responsibility of parents is not absolute, but nevertheless significant. God will ask us to the extent that we could spiritually help our children.

– The research of ordinary anthropologists is used in practice. On their basis, tasks for the clothing and footwear industry and national programs are formed. What about Christian anthropology?

– The Christian teaching about man is necessary for those who develop humanitarian trends in science and the social sphere: teachers, psychologists, sociologists. In Russia, Orthodox pedagogy has been created since the mid-19th century. Saint Theophan the Recluse and other authors developed Orthodox psychology. Here Christian knowledge about man turns into practical concepts and instructions that have great perspective and real benefit.

The task of Orthodox anthropologists is to collect priceless beads of Christian teaching about man from the Holy Tradition of the Orthodox Church and provide them to people. We are still at the beginning of our journey.

Interviewed by Natalia GOLDOVSKAYA

Amartology. Fallen man.

Man after the Fall (amartology) - a section that describes the spiritual “mechanics” of human degradation, develops amartological terms: “sin”, “passion”, “corruption”, “death”, etc., builds their relationship, describes their influence for a person's life. If in the previous section the reasoning is for the most part static in nature, that is, they are statements stating certain divinely revealed truths about man, then here dynamic descriptions are given, explaining how and why a person falls from one stage to another.

The Origin of Evil and Sin in the World

God did not create evil, He created all “good”.

Evil and sin entered the world through the abuse of the gift of freedom. He was brought into the world by a proud and, as a result, fallen angel – Satan.

Sin in the human world has become a conductor of evil leading humanity to destruction: spiritual, moral and physical. The pride and disobedience of the first people darkened and perverted the pristine human nature, leading the created world to its disorder, illness, sorrow, suffering and death (about which God warned the first parents: “the day on which you eat the fruit of the forbidden tree, you will die”).

Original sin and its consequences

Original sin

- the sin of the first people, transmitted to their descendants, who inherit from them human nature damaged by sin.

The sin of the first parents is called original because it was the first sin in the first generation of people - our first parents Adam and Eve.

The essence of original sin

in proud resistance to the will of God, expressed in disobedience.

Consequences

: severance of communication with God, violation of the integrity and hierarchy of human nature, disorder of the universe, disasters, illnesses, suffering, death and hellish torment.

Damage to human nature after the Fall. Violation of integrity and hierarchy.

The body began to dominate the soul and became susceptible to disease and death.

The abilities of the soul have become perverted. The mind separated from the heart and became heartless, and the heart unreasonable.

Man has lost knowledge of God and the spiritual world. For most people to this day, spiritual life has been replaced by spiritual life.

Sinful passions

Original sin damaged human nature and gave rise to sinful passions. Sinful passion is the attraction of the soul into the area of ​​sin against human will; This is a disease of the soul, which through constant repetition has become, as it were, its natural property (second nature), so that the soul voluntarily tends to sin.

The root of all passions, their common content is self-love

. Three manifestations of pride: love of voluptuousness, love of money and love of fame.

8 main passions

: gluttony, fornication, love of money, anger, sadness, despondency, vanity, pride.

After the Fall, man found himself in a difficult situation: he had to live in labor and sorrow all his life, then die and go to hell, where he would forever remain in torment due to separation from God. The man himself could not get out of this situation.

But God is good, merciful and humane. He accomplished our salvation through the atoning death on the Cross (“... IT IS FINISHED!”), opened the path to salvation for us, in the hope that we will follow Him along this path (becoming like Him in virtue).

Archpriest Vadim Leonov: “Christian anthropology should also be taught in secular universities”

The Publishing House of the Moscow Patriarchate published a book by Archpriest Vadim Leonov, Candidate of Theology, Associate Professor at St. Tikhon's Orthodox Humanitarian University and Sretensky Theological Seminary, “Fundamentals of Orthodox Anthropology.”
To date, this is the only manual on this subject of theological schools. But work that examines the basic range of anthropological topics and provides a theological substantiation of the key anthropological ideas of Orthodoxy is also important for secular science, which has accumulated many incorrect and often deeply false theories and hypotheses regarding the human phenomenon. We asked Father Vadim, who teaches a course in Orthodox anthropology at the master's degree program at Sretensky Theological Seminary, to talk about this subject, which was introduced into the curriculum this year.

— Father Vadim, what, in your opinion, is the relevance of studying Christian anthropology by future pastors?

- A shepherd leads people to God, so it is extremely necessary for him to know who God is and what the path to Him is, but also to know the one whom he leads to God - man. At the same time, to know a person both as God created him, that is, pure, ideal, and in the real state in which he is - sinful, damaged by passions. A shepherd who does not know what a person should be, how a person changes for the better; a shepherd who does not know the spiritual mechanisms of human degradation is unable to really change or contribute to the spiritual transformation of his flock. Therefore, the study of Christian anthropology is essential for pastoral ministry. To confirm this position, I will point to the book of St. Theophan the Recluse “What is spiritual life and how to tune in to it.” These are letters from Bishop Theophan to his spiritual child, where the saint consistently sets out the path of spiritual life. The first 22 letters are essentially a crash course in Christian anthropology. And only then does the saint explain to his child how to fight passions, what prayer is, and how to acquire virtues. And it is right. I believe that modern pastors should prepare for their future activities in this way.

—What is the goal of Christian anthropology?

— This theological discipline was formed in the middle of the 20th century. It emerged, first of all, from dogmatic theology, and partly overlaps with asceticism, patrolology, hagiology, and moral theology. And its goal is simple, but very important - to systematically present the church’s revealed teaching about man, his nature, personality and way of existence. This goal has not yet been achieved, because intimate knowledge about man is presented in many works, but unsystematically. And people who have a theological education, with great difficulty, when reading even patristic literature, manage to form a holistic idea of ​​who a person is, what he is destined for, how he can become better.

— What sources do you use when teaching the course?

— First of all, of course, Holy Scripture. In general - Divine Revelation. Divine Revelation is revealed to us, in addition to the Holy Scriptures, also in the decrees of the Ecumenical Councils, which spoke truths by the Holy Spirit, in the works of the Holy Fathers, especially if there is a so-called consensus partum on any issue. To summarize, we can say that we draw anthropological knowledge from the Holy Tradition of the Orthodox Church. And Sacred Tradition is the experience of life in the Holy Spirit, preserved and passed on in the Church from generation to generation.

— Could you name the most successful, in your opinion, works of modern anthropological researchers?
— Unfortunately, things are not yet so good with the publication of works on Christian anthropology, but nevertheless, indeed, there are already a number of very remarkable and important works. First of all, this is the work of Archimandrite Cyprian (Kern) “The Anthropology of St. Gregory Palamas,” published in the middle of the 20th century and first defended as a master’s thesis, and then distributed as a separate book. Then I would highlight some works of contemporary authors outside Russia: St. Justin (Popovich), Jean-Claude Larcher, Panagiotis Mnevas, George Manzaridis, Archimandrite Ierotheos (Vlahos). It seems to me that they deserve attention; most of them have been translated into Russian and are accessible to the modern reader. I believe that the works of these authors are a must-read for anyone seriously interested in Christian anthropology.

— What anthropological problem is the most pressing for modern man?

— If we talk about modern humanity, then, it seems to me, the first one is the so-called humanitarian, moral problem. The fact is that modern humanity in its development does not take into account the moral basis of its existence, the moral laws of existence. Physical, physiological - yes, they are actively studied in various fields of science. And they are taken into account, but the result is still negative: people die, the number of diseases increases. Environmental, spiritual and moral problems are only increasing. This suggests that the current field of study of a person does not correspond to his real potential and internal needs. This is where Christian anthropology could have its say, explaining that man is a being worthy of high honor and respect only when he, man, has unity with God. Only then is he able to realize his inner greatest potential. If this unity does not exist, then he is doomed to a pale and flawed existence, which, in essence, is anthropoid, but not human. This is the problem: a person does not understand the essence of his purpose, the meaning of his existence. Remember how the prophet David says: “A man who is ignorant of honor is likened to foolish cattle and becomes like them.” Man, being in honor, does not understand this and is likened to animals - this is an anthropological problem that existed both in the time of the prophet David and in our days.

—What is the difference between secular anthropology and Christian anthropology?

— Secular anthropology arose in European science in the 18th century during the era of encyclopedist philosophers, and it immediately divided into two directions. One tries to embrace a person in all aspects of his existence, to be a kind of holistic science about a person, taking into account his psychology, physiology, and spiritual needs. This anthropology is developing to some extent in the West - in Western Europe, in the USA - to this day. Another direction of secular anthropology was formed at the beginning of the 20th century and actively developed in the USSR and Eastern Europe as ethnology, that is, the study of man only in terms of morphology (the structure of his physiology), a comparative analysis of different peoples. This direction, in my opinion, has almost become obsolete. Here a person is perceived only in the external aspect of existence.

—What do you think about the prospect of teaching Christian anthropology in secular universities?
Have you had a similar experience? — I have not yet had the opportunity to teach Christian anthropology in secular universities, but I often meet secular people in theological courses, where they study Christian anthropology, among other things, and with great interest. Moreover, I teach both dogmatic theology and Christian anthropology to secular students, and I see that it is precisely the sections of Christian anthropology that are most interesting for them. And it seems to me that it is precisely this theological direction that is most in demand in a secular environment, because a person, even coming to the Church, first of all tries to understand himself, to answer the question: who am I? And it is precisely in connection with internal problems that he tries to understand who God is for him. Yes, a person selfishly views God as some kind of “means” for knowing himself, for solving his problems. Christian anthropology can just level and correct this idea and lead from correct reasoning about man to knowledge of God and transformation.

— What are the prospects for teaching and developing Christian anthropology?

— Teaching Christian anthropology as a kind of, I would even say, educational discipline, in my opinion, would be necessary and useful in secular universities.
Another thing is that in the development of Christian anthropology as a theological discipline, of course, first of all, a theological school is required, because this requires both a high degree of churching and experience of theological knowledge, which secular people in secular universities do not have or are insufficient. Therefore, let’s separate these two areas—the teaching and development of Christian anthropology: it can be taught everywhere, but it needs to be developed specifically in theological schools. Yakov Matrosov spoke with Archpriest Vadim Leonov https://www.pravoslavie.ru/sm/60709.htm

Soteriology. Man in Christ.

Man in Christ (soteriology) is a section that describes the process of human rebirth through the restoration of unity with God. Here the presentation is also carried out in dynamic categories: formation, development, transformation (in historical terms, after the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, the second and third states in the life of mankind are presented simultaneously).

Jesus Christ is the New Adam. Christ the God-Man. Christ the Savior

A sacrifice capable of redeeming humanity had to be: firstly, the death of a person, and secondly, superhuman.

Jesus Christ became a perfect man - a new Adam, similar to people in everything except sin, while at the same time being God. The voluntary death of the God-man on the Cross redeemed and justified every person.

Result of the Incarnation

Salvation is not the abolition of the consequences of the Fall. We continue to be subject to attacks from sin and passions, we get sick and die.

In order to gain salvation, a person must work “by the sweat of his brow.” Here the great “pedagogical” justice of God and respect for freedom are manifested: if you don’t want to, don’t be saved.

According to the unanimous opinion of the Holy Fathers, the result of the Incarnation is incomparably higher than simply returning to the state of Adam before the Fall. A person receives not just forgiveness, deliverance from death, peace with God and healing, but also much more - deification.

The work of salvation is a two-pronged divine-human process and cannot be accomplished without the participation of man himself. For salvation on the part of a person, two things are necessary: ​​1) right faith 2) a pious, godly life.

The custodian of the Orthodox faith is the Church, which successively transmits it to humanity. We learn a pious life through the Gospel image of Christ, the Mother of God and the life examples of saints.

Salvation is impossible without the Church

In the person of Jesus Christ, all humanity is saved. But in order for each individual person to be saved, he needs the communication of the Holy Spirit.

The Church is the “container”, “dwelling” of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit manifests itself in the Church: in the Sacraments, in the Word of God, in dogmatic and moral teaching.

Stages of human spiritual growth

1. Conversion to Christ: acceptance of faith, change of life (repentance), acceptance of Baptism - enlightenment.

2. Following Christ: purification, transformation, deification.

Passions and virtues

Fundamentals of Orthodox Anthropology: Textbook

The book is an experience of a systematic presentation of the Orthodox teaching about man on the basis of the Holy Scriptures and patristic heritage. It examines a basic range of anthropological topics and provides theological justification for the key anthropological ideas of Orthodoxy. Having conceived the book as a textbook on Orthodox anthropology, the author at the same time sought to make it as understandable and useful as possible to a wide range of readers.

Thus, this work is addressed both to theologians, anthropologists, psychologists, teachers, students of theological educational institutions, and to everyone who would like to get closer to the secrets of human existence and use divine Revelation to transform their soul.

Recommended for publication by the Publishing Council of the Russian Orthodox Church.

Content:

From the publisher Preface Introduction Anthropology as a theological discipline Methodological foundations of Christian anthropology Christian anthropology among other theological and scientific disciplines Relevance of Christian anthropology Study of anthropology Course structure

Part I. PRIMARY MAN. ONTOLOGY Chapter 1. The origin and purpose of man 1.1. The creation of man The complexity of describing the primordial world The biblical narrative The dignity of man 1.2. The purpose of man The purpose of man in relation to God The purpose of man in relation to his neighbor The purpose of man in relation to the surrounding world Overcoming the “five divisions” 1.3. The primordial state of man Chapter 2. Human nature 2.1. The integrity and structure of human nature The composition of human nature Ways to consider human nature 2.2. Body 2.3. Soul The concept of the soul The nature of the soul States of the soul The relationship between the soul and the body The forces of the soul Reasonable force Desirable force Irritable force Interaction of the forces of the soul The origin of human souls The difference between the human soul and the animal soul 2.4. Spirit Spirit is the highest part of the soul Mind Distinction between mind, reason and understanding Spiritual or mental feeling Triplicity in the human spirit 2.5. Heart The purpose of the heart The heart is the center of human existence The heart is the center of feelings The heart is the organ of transformation Heart and God Heart and mind Inner man Heart and sin 2.6. Separation of the sexes and marriage in paradise The reason for the division of people into two sexes Creation of a wife Comparison of husband and wife Marriage in paradise Childbirth in paradise Chapter 3. The image and likeness of God 3.1. The image of God in man The concept of the image of God Features of the image of God in man Moral consequences 3.2. Personality Basic characteristics of human personality Attributes of personality Personal terminology 3.3. Freedom The concept of human freedom Freedom and responsibility Freedom and love Freedom and choice Freedom and will Freedom and grace Did Adam know good and evil before the Fall? 3.4. Immortality Absolute and relative immortality Ontological foundations of immortality and death in man Terminology About the possibility of death in paradise The unity of created and uncreated in man 3.5. Creativity The concept of the creativity of God and man True and false creativity Art and science as spheres of creativity 3.6. Dominion 3.7. Conscience The concept of conscience Typology Dialogical nature of conscience Conscience and shame 3.8. Likeness of God Deification Sonship of God

Part II. FALLEN MAN. AMARTOLOGY Chapter 1. Evil and sin 1.1. Evil and the possibility of its existence 1.2. Sin and its origin Chapter 2. Original sin 2.1. Ancestral sin 2.2. Consequences of the Fall. The spiritual basis of original sin and its manifestations 2.3. Death and leather clothes The concept of death Leather clothes 2.4. The spread of original sin Chapter 3. Sinful passions 3.1. Sinful passion in human nature The term “passion” Natural and unnatural passions Natural reasons for the appearance of sinful passions Reasons for the appearance of sinful passions The law of sin and death 3.2. Classification of sinful passions 3.3. Development of passion on a personal level Chapter 4. The death of people before the Resurrection of Christ 4.1. Death and the afterlife state of the human soul in the Old Testament period

Part III. MAN IN CHRIST. SOTERIOLOGY Chapter 1. New Adam - Lord Jesus Christ 1.1. Necessity of the Savior 1.2. Christ is the God-man Christ is true God and true Man Christ is perfect God and perfect Man Humility of Christ Hypostatic unity of two natures in Christ Two wills in Christ Risen Lord 1.3. Christ - Savior Christ - Lamb of God Christ - High Priest Christ - New Adam Divine Wisdom Christ - King Christ - Prophet Chapter 2. Salvation of humanity in Christ 2.1. Sanctification and grace Assimilating the gifts of the Redemption The concept of sanctification The concept of grace The action of grace Grace and the Holy Trinity 2.2. Principle of synergy 2.3. Stages of spiritual life Conversion to Christ Acceptance of faith Change of life (repentance) Acceptance of Baptism Following Christ Purification Sanctification Enlightenment 2.4. The fight against sin The power of sin General approach to asceticism The principles of struggle The main spiritual means of combating every passion The fight against sinful thoughts 2.5. Virtues Natural and supernatural virtues Interrelation of virtues 2.6. Prayer Concept of prayer Conditions of prayer Degrees of prayer Types of prayers Structure of prayers Prayer and meditation 2.7. Beyond the threshold of bodily death Death and immortality Corporal death Private judgment Retribution after a private trial The state of the souls of the righteous after a private trial The state of the souls of sinners after a private trial Prayers of the Church for the departed The afterlife of infants The meaning of human bodily death after the Resurrection of Christ Chapter 3. The Church is the “ship of salvation” 3.1. The concept of the Church and its purpose The concept of the Church The purpose and purpose of the Church Who belongs to the Church? Two aspects of the existence of the Church Foundation of the Church by the Lord Jesus Christ Essential properties of the Church Unity of the Church Holiness of the Church Catholicity of the Church Apostolate of the Church Salvation in the Church Fates of people outside the Church 3.2. Church sacraments and sacred rites as a means of spiritual rebirth of a person The concept of sacred rites and rite The concept of the sacraments The Sacrament of Baptism The Sacrament of Confirmation The Sacrament of Eucharist The Sacrament of Repentance The Sacrament of Priesthood The Sacrament of Marriage The Sacrament of Anointing Chapter 4. Recreating the unity of humanity 4.1. Human communication Obstacles in communication 4.2. Family Family - a prototype of the Holy Trinity Family - small Church Family and divorce 4.3. Monasticism Virginity Principles of Monasticism

Part IV. MAN IN ETERNITY. ESCHATOLOGY A look into the future: prophecies and dates The need for the second coming of Christ to earth Signs of the Second Coming of Christ The Second Coming of the Lord The Risen Christ is the basis of the general resurrection and eternal life General Resurrection The change in human nature during the resurrection of the dead The Last Judgment of Christ The state of condemnation. Degrees of torment, their eternity Bliss of the righteous. Degrees of bliss. An eternity of bliss. The end of the world. The Infinite Kingdom of Christ Conclusion Bibliography

Eschatology. Man in eternity.

Eschatology

- a section in which the ultimate goals and meanings of human existence as an immortal being are revealed. His future life in eternity is described to the extent that it was revealed to people in Divine Revelation.

Second coming. Last Judgment.

Private court

- This is the judgment of a person after his bodily death. Suffering and bliss after private judgment are preliminary.

Second coming

- this is the return of Jesus Christ to earth when the world in its current state ceases to exist.
At the Second Coming of Christ there will be a general and simultaneous Resurrection of the dead
.

The result of the Last Judgment will be eternal reward - the bliss of the righteous and the torment of the condemned wicked. After the Last Judgment, a new era of the created world will begin - the endless Kingdom of Christ, or the Kingdom of God.

The Publishing House of the Moscow Patriarchate published a book by Archpriest Vadim Leonov, Candidate of Theology, Associate Professor at St. Tikhon's Orthodox Humanitarian University and Sretensky Theological Seminary, “Fundamentals of Orthodox Anthropology.” To date, this is the only manual on this subject of theological schools. But work that examines the basic range of anthropological topics and provides a theological substantiation of the key anthropological ideas of Orthodoxy is also important for secular science, which has accumulated many incorrect and often deeply false theories and hypotheses regarding the human phenomenon.

We asked Father Vadim, who teaches a course in Orthodox anthropology at the master's degree program at Sretensky Theological Seminary, to talk about this subject, which was introduced into the curriculum this year.

– Father Vadim, what, in your opinion, is the relevance of studying Christian anthropology by future pastors?

– A shepherd leads people to God, so it is extremely necessary for him to know who God is and what the path to Him is, but also to know the one whom he leads to God – man. At the same time, to know a person both as God created him, that is, pure, ideal, and in the real state in which he is - sinful, damaged by passions. A shepherd who does not know what a person should be, how a person changes for the better; a shepherd who does not know the spiritual mechanisms of human degradation is unable to really change or contribute to the spiritual transformation of his flock. Therefore, the study of Christian anthropology is essential for pastoral ministry. To confirm this position, I will point to the book of St. Theophan the Recluse “What is spiritual life and how to tune in to it.” These are letters from Bishop Theophan to his spiritual child, where the saint consistently sets out the path of spiritual life. The first 22 letters are essentially a crash course in Christian anthropology. And only then does the saint explain to his child how to fight passions, what prayer is, and how to acquire virtues. And it is right. I believe that modern pastors should prepare for their future activities in this way.

– What is the goal of Christian anthropology?

– This theological discipline was formed in the middle of the 20th century. It emerged, first of all, from dogmatic theology, and partly overlaps with asceticism, patrolology, hagiology, and moral theology. And its goal is simple, but very important - to systematically present the church’s revealed teaching about man, his nature, personality and way of existence. This goal has not yet been achieved, because the secret knowledge about man is presented in many patristic works, but unsystematically. When reading theological literature, it is extremely difficult for people who do not have a theological education to form a holistic idea of ​​who a person is, what he is destined for, and how he can become better.

– What sources do you use when teaching the course?

– First of all, of course, Holy Scripture. In general, it is Divine Revelation. Divine Revelation is revealed to us, in addition to the Holy Scriptures, also in the decrees of the Ecumenical Councils, where revealed truths were spoken by the Holy Spirit, in the works of the Holy Fathers, especially if there is a so-called consensus partum on any issue. To summarize, we can say that the source of anthropological knowledge is the Holy Tradition of the Orthodox Church. And Sacred Tradition is the experience of life in the Holy Spirit, preserved and passed on in the Church from generation to generation.

– Could you name the most successful, in your opinion, works of modern anthropological researchers?

– Unfortunately, the situation with the publication of works on Christian anthropology is not yet so good, but, nevertheless, there are a number of very remarkable and important works. First of all, this is the work of Archimandrite Cyprian (Kern) “The Anthropology of St. Gregory Palamas,” published in the middle of the 20th century and first defended as a master’s thesis, and then distributed as a separate book. Then I would highlight some works of modern Orthodox foreign authors: St. Justin (Popovich), Jean-Claude Larcher, Panagiotis Nellas, George Mantzaridis, Archimandrite Ierotheos (Vlahos). It seems to me that they deserve attention; most of them have been translated into Russian and are accessible to the modern reader. I believe that the works of these authors are a must-read for anyone seriously interested in Christian anthropology.

– Which anthropological problem is the most pressing for modern man?

– If we talk about modern humanity, then, it seems to me, the first one is a moral problem. The fact is that modern humanity in its development does not take into account the moral basis of its existence, the moral laws of the existence of the world. Physical, physiological laws - yes, they are actively studied in various scientific fields. They are taken into account, but the result is still negative: people are dying, there are more diseases, environmental, spiritual and moral problems are only increasing. This suggests that the current field of study of a person does not correspond to his real potential and internal needs. This is where Christian anthropology could have its say, explaining that man is a being worthy of high honor and respect only when he has unity with God. Only then is he able to realize his inner greatest potential. If this unity does not exist, then he is doomed to a pale and flawed existence, which, in essence, is anthropoid, but not human. This is the problem: a person does not understand the essence of his purpose, the meaning of his existence. Remember how the prophet David says: “A man who is ignorant of honor is likened to foolish cattle and becomes like them.” Man, being in honor, does not understand this and is likened to animals - this is an anthropological problem that existed both in the time of the prophet David and in our days.

– What is the difference between secular anthropology and Christian anthropology?

– Secular anthropology arose in European science in the 18th century during the era of encyclopedist philosophers, and later divided into two directions. One direction is trying to embrace man in all aspects of his existence, to be a kind of holistic science about man, taking into account his psychology, physiology, and spiritual needs. This anthropology is developing to some extent in Western Europe and the USA to this day, but it is still difficult to talk about any major achievements. Another direction of secular anthropology was formed at the beginning of the 20th century and actively developed in the USSR and Eastern Europe. Within the framework of this direction of scientific anthropology, they study the physical organization of man: human morphology, anthropogenesis and ethnic anthropology (racial studies). Here a person is perceived only in the external aspect of existence. This direction, in my opinion, is not developing now and does not have great prospects.

– How do you feel about the prospect of teaching Christian anthropology in secular universities? Have you had a similar experience?

– I have not yet had the opportunity to teach Christian anthropology in secular universities, but I often meet secular people in theological courses, where they also study Christian anthropology with great interest. Moreover, I teach dogmatic theology to secular students, along with anthropology, and I see that it is the sections of Christian anthropology that are most interesting for them. It seems to me that it is precisely this theological direction that is most in demand in a secular environment, because a person, even coming to the Church, first of all tries to understand himself, to answer the question: who am I? And it is precisely in connection with internal problems that he tries to understand who God is for him. Yes, a person selfishly views God as some kind of “means” for knowing himself, for solving his problems. Christian anthropology can just level and correct this idea and lead from correct reasoning about man to knowledge of God and transformation.

– What are the prospects for teaching and developing Christian anthropology?

– Teaching Christian anthropology as an educational discipline, in my opinion, would be necessary and useful in secular universities. Another thing is that the development of Christian anthropology as a theological discipline requires, of course, a theological environment, a high degree of church involvement, spiritual experience and a high level of theological knowledge, which is absent in secular universities. Therefore, let's separate these two areas - teaching and development of Christian anthropology: it can be taught everywhere, but it needs to be developed specifically in theological schools.

Yakov Matrosov spoke with Archpriest Vadim Leonov

April 11, 2013

Reader comments

2014-06-06

23:41

Victoria KuKl-a:

The book by priest Andrei Lorgus, who for the first time (!) in the history of our Church began to teach a course in Orthodox anthropology at the Institute of the Holy Apostle John the Theologian from the mid-90s until his departure from there, is also not named.

“Lorgus Andrew the priest.

ORTHODOX ANTHROPOLOGY

LECTURE COURSE"

Father Vadim can read here: https://www.xpa-spb.ru/libr/Lorgus/pravoslavnaya-anthropologiya.html

Obviously the author did not study his predecessors very well.

2013-05-27

15:58

Boris:

Strange, oh. Vadim does not mention “Fundamentals of Christian Anthropology and Psychology” by Zenko and other well-known publications, the impression is that he is little familiar with the sources.

2013-04-14

17:00

R.B.Sergiy:

THANK GOD FOR EVERYTHING! “The fall of man damaged him so deeply that he, having rejected the life of weeping on earth, chose on it a life of pleasures and material prosperity, as if triumphing and celebrating his very fall.” (St. Ignatius Brianchaninov, “The Lay of Man”)

Low bow to Father Vadim for his work in drawing our attention to the patristic heritage, Holy Tradition and Holy Scripture.

BLESSED IS THE ONE WHO COME IN THE NAME OF THE LORD!

2013-04-11

16:20

Oxits:

super! It is high time!

I am very glad that it was Father Vadim who wrote this work and generally develops this topic in the Church.

2013-04-11

11:40

Sergei Tsvetkovsky:

A question to Archpriest Vadim Leonov from a secular person. Are Christian anthropology and Orthodox anthropology the same thing or are they different teachings? My opinion is that Christian anthropology includes two parts that are in no way connected with each other. One of them is Western European Christian anthropology, and the second is Eastern European Christian anthropology.

Best regards, Sergei.

The original file is from the site pravoslavie.ru.

The text in this design is from the Library of Christian Psychology and Anthropology.

File last updated: 06/01/2015.

Russian Orthodox Church

The Publishing House of the Moscow Patriarchate published a book by Archpriest Vadim Leonov, Candidate of Theology, Associate Professor at St. Tikhon's Orthodox Humanitarian University and Sretensky Theological Seminary, “Fundamentals of Orthodox Anthropology.” To date, this is the only manual on this subject. But work that examines the basic range of anthropological topics and provides a theological substantiation of the key anthropological ideas of Orthodoxy is also important for secular science, which has accumulated many incorrect and often deeply false theories and hypotheses regarding the human phenomenon. In an interview with the Pravoslavie.ru portal, Archpriest Vadim Leonov, who teaches a course in Orthodox anthropology at the Sretensky Theological Seminary master’s program, spoke about this subject, which was introduced into the curriculum this year.

- Father Vadim, what, in your opinion, is the relevance of studying Christian anthropology by future pastors?

- A shepherd leads people to God, so it is extremely necessary for him to know who God is and what the path to Him is, but also to know the one whom he leads to God - man. At the same time, to know a person both as God created him, that is, pure, ideal, and in the real state in which he is - sinful, damaged by passions. A shepherd who does not know what a person should be, how a person changes for the better; a shepherd who does not know the spiritual mechanisms of human degradation is unable to really change or contribute to the spiritual transformation of his flock. Therefore, the study of Christian anthropology is essential for pastoral ministry. To confirm this position, I will point to the book of St. Theophan the Recluse “What is spiritual life and how to tune in to it.” These are letters from Bishop Theophan to his spiritual child, where the saint consistently sets out the path of spiritual life. The first 22 letters are, in essence, a short course in Christian anthropology. And only then does the saint explain to his child how to fight passions, what prayer is, and how to acquire virtues. And it is right. I believe that modern pastors should prepare for their future activities in this way.

-What is the goal of Christian anthropology?

- This theological discipline was formed in the middle of the 20th century. It emerged, first of all, from dogmatic theology, and partly overlaps with asceticism, patrolology, hagiology, and moral theology. And its goal is simple, but very important - to systematically present the church’s revealed teaching about man, his nature, personality and way of existence. This goal has not yet been achieved, because intimate knowledge about man is presented in many works, but unsystematically. And people who have a theological education, with great difficulty, when reading even patristic literature, manage to form a holistic idea of ​​who a person is, what he is destined for, how he can become better.

- What sources do you use when teaching the course?

- First of all, of course, Holy Scripture. In general - Divine Revelation. Divine Revelation is revealed to us, in addition to the Holy Scriptures, also in the decrees of the Ecumenical Councils, which spoke truths by the Holy Spirit, in the works of the Holy Fathers, especially if there is a so-called consensus partum on any issue. To summarize, we can say that we draw anthropological knowledge from the Holy Tradition of the Orthodox Church. And Sacred Tradition is the experience of life in the Holy Spirit, preserved and passed on in the Church from generation to generation.

- Could you name the most successful, in your opinion, works of modern anthropological researchers?

“Unfortunately, things are not yet so good with the publication of works on Christian anthropology, but, nevertheless, indeed, there are already a number of very remarkable and important works. First of all, this is the work of Archimandrite Cyprian (Kern) “The Anthropology of St. Gregory Palamas,” published in the middle of the 20th century and first defended as a master’s thesis, and then distributed as a separate book. Then I would highlight some works of contemporary authors outside Russia: St. Justin (Popovich), Jean-Claude Larcher, Panagiotis Mnevas, George Manzaridis, Archimandrite Ierotheos (Vlahos). It seems to me that they deserve attention; most of them have been translated into Russian and are accessible to the modern reader. I believe that the works of these authors are a must-read for anyone seriously interested in Christian anthropology.

- Which anthropological problem is the most pressing for modern man?

- If we talk about modern humanity, then, it seems to me, the first one is the so-called humanitarian, moral problem. The fact is that modern humanity in its development does not take into account the moral basis of its existence, the moral laws of existence. Physical, physiological - yes, they are actively studied in various fields of science. And they are taken into account, but the result is still negative: people die, the number of diseases increases. Environmental, spiritual and moral problems are only increasing. This suggests that the current field of study of a person does not correspond to his real potential and internal needs. This is where Christian anthropology could have its say, explaining that man is a being worthy of high honor and respect only when he, man, has unity with God. Only then is he able to realize his inner greatest potential. If this unity does not exist, then he is doomed to a pale and flawed existence, which, in essence, is anthropoid, but not human. This is the problem: a person does not understand the essence of his purpose, the meaning of his existence. Remember how the prophet David says: “A man who is ignorant of honor is likened to foolish cattle and becomes like them.” Man, being in honor, does not understand this and is likened to animals - this is an anthropological problem that existed both in the time of the prophet David and in our days.

- What is the difference between secular anthropology and Christian anthropology?

- Secular anthropology arose in European science in the 18th century during the era of encyclopedist philosophers, and it immediately divided into two directions. One tries to embrace a person in all aspects of his existence, to be a kind of holistic science about a person, taking into account his psychology, physiology, and spiritual needs. This anthropology is developing to some extent in the West - in Western Europe, in the USA - to this day. Another direction of secular anthropology was formed at the beginning of the 20th century and actively developed in the USSR and Eastern Europe as ethnology, that is, the study of man only in terms of morphology (the structure of his physiology), a comparative analysis of different peoples. This direction, in my opinion, has almost become obsolete. Here a person is perceived only in the external aspect of existence.

- What do you think about the prospect of teaching Christian anthropology in secular universities? Have you had a similar experience?

- I have not yet had the opportunity to teach Christian anthropology in secular universities, but I often meet secular people in theological courses, where they study, among other things, Christian anthropology - and with great interest. Moreover, I teach both dogmatic theology and Christian anthropology to secular students, and I see that it is precisely the sections of Christian anthropology that are most interesting for them. And it seems to me that it is precisely this theological direction that is most in demand in a secular environment, because a person, even coming to the Church, first of all tries to understand himself, to answer the question: who am I? And it is precisely in connection with internal problems that he tries to understand who God is for him. Yes, a person selfishly views God as some kind of “means” for knowing himself, for solving his problems. Christian anthropology can just level and correct this idea and lead from correct reasoning about man to knowledge of God and transformation.

- What are the prospects for teaching and developing Christian anthropology?

- Teaching Christian anthropology as a kind of, I would even say, educational discipline, in my opinion, would be necessary and useful in secular universities. Another thing is that the development of Christian anthropology as a theological discipline requires, of course, first of all, a theological school, because this requires both a high degree of churching and experience of theological knowledge, which secular people in secular universities lack or are insufficient. Therefore, let's separate these two areas - the teaching and development of Christian anthropology: it can be taught everywhere, but it needs to be developed specifically in theological schools.

Interviewed by Yakov Sailors

Orthodoxy.ru/ Patriarchy.ru