# The Christian Tradition, volume 2 (Pelikan)



## RamistThomist (Feb 19, 2018)

In this volume Pelikan gives a thorough introduction and analysis of The Eastern Orthodox Church. Given Pelikan's overall project, doctrine can't be said to "develop" for the East in the same way it did for Rome and Protestantism. Pelikan covers the main areas of disagreement or distinction: tradition, Christology, icons, the challenge of Rome, the challenge of other Eastern monotheisms, and the fading and resurrection of Byzantine thought.

Pelikan's first chapter on traditions is in many ways a string of quotations from St Maximus the Confessor, arguing that the church does not change the content of the faith, but simply receives it from the fathers who have passed it down. And for the east the content of the faith, the definition of salvation, is deification. 

Pelikan's next chapter is a survey of Christological disputes, or more particularly it showed the disagreements and implications for the post-Chalcedonian world. 

His chapter on "The Challenge of Rome" is fair and balanced. He points out that Rome was on the "orthodox" side in every council (though he rebuts a common Catholic claim that the Pope called every council; then, of course, there is the problem that Pope Honorius officially endorsed the monothelite Christology and was later condemned as a heretic). Therefore, Rome's authority and honor cannot be dismissed so easily. This leads into discussions of the Filioque. While Rome may have had more impressive theologians, the Orthodox rightly pointed out that the Pope had no authority to insert that phrase into the clause.

The chapter on "the Vindication of Trinitarian Monotheism" was the best. We see how the Orthodox responded to a number of different attacks, varying in intelligence, yet holding the same ground on every line: the good God, the creator of the world, is Triune and also the redeemer of th world. Thus, the Orthodox would use that to respond to Judaism, Islam, and Manicheanism (Bogomils et al). The response to the Bogomils was the best. 

Pelikan follows with a suprisingly brief discussion of St Gregory Palamas. In any case Palamas theology is seen as the theology of light. Also noted is a helpful few paragraphs on the "essence/energies" distinction. However, at this time Byzantium was fading politically. As she was overrun by the Muslim hordes, she passed on her faith to daughter Russia. The conversion of the Slavs and the earlier invention of the Cyrillic alphabet was a unique moment in Missions history. Sts Cyril and Methodius were able to facilitate a conversion to a faith without drowning national identity. This is unlike Rome, who would often convert by force and pressure and impose a foreign-language liturgy on the populace.

All in all, a good book. My favorite of the series. Pelikan said at the end of the book that he plans to address Russian Orthodoxy in volume 5. That never happened (not in-depth, anyway).


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## Beezer (Feb 19, 2018)

Jacob,

I appreciate these concise summaries you've been posting! 

I made it through most of volume 1 and have enjoyed what I've read. I have the other volumes in my shopping cart.


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## RamistThomist (Feb 19, 2018)

Glad I could help. The 5th one is the weakest. It's not entirely clear where he wanted to end up when he wroteit.


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