Being With God – Trinity, Apophaticism, and Divine–Human Communion

"Being With God is an exceedingly important and well-written book on Orthodox theology of the Trinity. It not only explains the work of two major contemporary Orthodox theologians; it also lends vital insight into the nature and character of contemporary Orthodox theology in general." —Vigen Guroian, Loyola College in Maryland

"This is a splendid work of hard-won insights into crucial figures in the development of contemporary theology. Aristotle Papanikolaou makes an original contribution that will be of great interest not only to students in the area of Eastern Orthodox theology but to anyone studying Christian anthropology, metaphysics, trinitarian thought, or comparative theological method." —Mark McIntosh, Department of Theology, Loyola University of Chicago

The central task of Being With God is an analysis of the relation between apophaticism, trinitarian theology, and divine-human communion through a critical comparison of the trinitarian theologies of the Eastern Orthodox theologians Vladimir Lossky (1903–58) and John Zizioulas (1931–  ), arguably two of the most influential Orthodox theologians of the past century. These two theologians identify as the heart and center of all theological discourse the realism of divine-human communion, which is often understood in terms of the familiar Orthodox concept of theosis, or divinization. The Incarnation, according to Lossky and Zizioulas, is the event of a real divine-human communion that is made accessible to all; God has become human so that all may participate fully in the divine life. Aristotle Papanikolaou shows how an ontology of divine-human communion is at the center of both Lossky's and Zizioulas's theological projects. He also shows how, for both theologians, this core belief is used as a self-identifying marker against "Western" theologies.