Christianity Compared: First Vs. Second Millennium - Is Grace Created?
Jay Dyer examines the theological differences between the first and second millennia of Christianity, particularly from an Orthodox standpoint. He argues that the Orthodox Church maintains continuity with early teachings, while the Roman Catholic Church introduced significant innovations. Dyer delves into doctrines such as grace, deification, and the essence-energies distinction, contrasting Orthodox views with those of Roman Catholicism, especially regarding created versus uncreated grace. He critiques the implications of Aristotelian philosophy on these theological concepts, emphasizing the need for a proper understanding of grace and ecclesiastical authority rooted in the Orthodox tradition. Throughout the discussion, Dyer stresses the importance of historical context and the teachings of key theological figures to navigate current ecclesiological debates.
Chain 6 steps
- Jay Dyer: Discusses the deviation of the Latin Church from the seventh council's teachings.“they ceased to follow the norms of the council”
- Jay Dyer: The Orthodox Church is recognizable as the true apostolic church by practicing anathemas against heresy.“how could you be the true apostolic church and not anathematize heresies”
via Gregory Palamas- Jay Dyer: Critique of absolute divine simplicity as it relates to the nature of God and his Eucharistic presence.“If God is just essence... then as the Roman Catholics and the Thomists tend to argue, that supreme simple essence can't enter into time and space.”
- Jay Dyer: The Orthodox understanding of transubstantiation involves the energy of the Holy Spirit as pivotal for transformation.“...it is by these same energies that the unbloody sacrifice becomes the means by which we participate in theosis.”
via created grace- Jay Dyer: Maximus the Confessor clarifies the distinction between divine and human wills.“Maximus will call Pyrrhus out on dialectical presuppositions”
via essence and energies- Jay Dyer: Palamism and the teachings from the Palamite councils encapsulate Orthodox dogma.“the Palamite councils are not an opinion, but the expression of orthodox theology”
Subjects
34Jay Dyer argues that sanctifying grace is a created supernatural gift distinct from God, inherently created and not a substance.
Jay Dyer mentions Gregory Palamas as defending the traditional Orthodox view of grace and deification.
Jay Dyer discusses the essence-energy distinction and its implications for understanding divine action and grace.
Jay references St. John of Damascus to explain the Orthodox understanding of the Eucharist, emphasizing the transformative role of the Holy Spirit in this process and linking it to the concept of theosis.
Jay emphasizes that you cannot separate different aspects of theology such as Christology and ecclesiology in Eastern Orthodox thought.
Jay Dyer connects the essence-energy distinction to Christology, emphasizing its importance in theological discussions.
Jay Dyer indicates that the Council of Trent defined sanctifying grace as the only formal cause of justification, which supports his argument that it is created and distinct from God's essence.
Jay critiques Daniel Pikachu for claiming that Christianity suppresses the Didache, arguing that it is actually the Orthodox Church that preserves it.
Jay argues that Orthodox theology does not require the philosophical frameworks of neoplatonism or German idealism.
Jay Dyer critiques sophiology as a misguided attempt to incorporate German idealism into Orthodox theology.
Jay argues that grace should not be viewed as created but rather as uncreated divine life necessary for salvation and deification.
Jay critiques Thomas Aquinas for collapsing nature and person into a strict identity, leading to modalistic implications in Trinitarian theology.