John Zizioulas

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Dr. John Zizioulas (born 10 January 1931), titular Orthodox metropolitan bishop of Pergamon, member of the Academy of Athens, is one of the world's leading theologians and a member of the holy synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. He was a student of Georges Florovsky. He has contributed to the theology of the person, based mostly on the work of St Irenaeus and St. Maximus the Confessor.

His seminal work, Being As Communion, was first published in 1985. The primary focus of his work was to develop a correct ontology of personhood derived from an extensive investigation of Greek philosphy, patristic era writings and modern rationalist philosophy. He argues that full humanity is achieved only as person so that they may participate (koinonia) in the Trinitarian life of God. However, an essential component of the ontology of personhood is the freedom to self-affirm the participation in relationship. He continues that man initially exists as a biological hypostasis, constrained as to the types of relationships one can have (biological) and to the eventual end of this type of being - death. He makes use of existentialist philosophers and novelists to show that the only type of ontological freedom in the biological hypostasis is the choice to commit suicide. Baptism constitutes an ontological change in the human, making them an ecclesial hypostasis, or a person. This rebirth 'from above' gives new ontological freedom as it is not constrained by the limits of biological existence. Such ecclesial being is eschatological, meaning it is a paradoxical 'now,' but 'not yet.' The completion of this rebirth from above is the day of resurrection when the body will no longer be subject to death.


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