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Originally Posted by zeek
Do you claim that theosis comes from the Eucharist and the true Eucharist can only be partaken by the EO church members and therefore they are the only ones experiencing theosis?
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No, I don't. Theosis doesn't come from the Eucharist. And it doesn't come from the Church. We Christians get it by God's grace. But the Eucharist is a part of the process. You have to eat the Lord's flesh and drink His blood. And that's what the Eastern Orthodox Christians have been doing for almost 2 000 years. Will they experience theosis? It's not a correct question. We are not talking about some magic pills. We are talking about Sacraments. Theosis is the goal and process; and the Eucharist is a component of the process. Besides, theosis is "
becoming by grace what God is by nature". I believe the Orthodox Church is the original ancient Christian Church founded by Christ and apostles, not a medieval modification like Roman Catholics nor a modern sects like the LRC. So, we don't claim that God's grace belong to the Church and her members. It belongs to God and it's only Him who decides who will experience theosis. The life and future of an Orthodox Christian is in God's hands. It's the same about any other Christian. It's not his or her church or sect but God Who makes the decision. Therefore, it's only God knows who will be transformed and who will not.
Quote:
Originally Posted by zeek
But, he also claimed that he went further in terms of recovering the vision of the GEP. Did any of the EO recognized theologians claim anything like that?
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I am not aware of that. The Bible is the book of the Church. It was compiled by the Church Fathers long before Lee, Nee and even Luther. So the Bible was compiled by the Church Fathers and it were the Church Fathers who commented it. Our theologians keep the Holy Tradition received from the Fathers.
Just a few links about the Church history:
http://www.goarch.org/ourfaith/ourfaith7053
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History...rthodox_Church Wiki
http://www.antiochian.org/orthodox-church-history (Time line)
http://orthodoxinfo.com/general/history.aspx