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The aim of this study is to offer a critical presentation of the Trinitarian ecclesiological thought of Fr Dumitru Staniloae, considered to be the most important Romanian Orthodox theologian and a prominent figure of Orthodoxy of the last century. After an overview of the significant aspects of Fr Staniloae’s life and work I investigate the way Fr Staniloae’s theology is regarded by certain representatives of contemporary Western theology in an attempt to place Fr Staniloae and his work in the wider context of the theology of the Russian emigration: Florensky, Bulgakov, Florovsky and Lossky. Furthermore I show that despite this obvious influence Staniloae isan independent thinker in his own right, elaborating a personal conception of personhood in which a balance between person and nature is sought at Trinitarian and anthropological level based on a ‘Neo-patristic synthesis’. I hold that in Staniloae’s theology of personhood the person-nature balance is quite fragile because of its personalist overtone. I also make evident the fact that person-nature synthesis is pivotal for Fr Staniloae’s theology in terms of the participation of creation to the divine life. I investigate the particularities of Fr Staniloae’s conception of personhood through the lens of his apophatic theology also looking at its anthropological and cosmological implications. I also argue that in Staniloae’s cosmology the relation between man and creation is at times seen in ideal terms, not giving any practical indication of what human being should actually do in meditating creation’s fulfilment. I show that in terms of methology Staniloae does not always have an objective and critical approach on the thought of the Fathers by simply considering their thought axiomatic and hardly questioning it. In the third chapter I point out that Staniloae’s Trinitarian theology is the expression of an ontological communitarian personalism in which the Holy Trinity as supreme personal reality is seen as the only perfect communion and the ultimate meaning of all existence. I evaluate the influence of Russian emigration’s theology in the Staniloae’s elaboration of his Trinitarian model identifying its strong aspects but also unveiling its limits and speculative character. In connection to that I investigate the consequences of Fr Staniloae’s engagement in open dialogue with personalist and existentialist philosophy of his time and confront his vision on the inner link between the divine and human love. In the fourth chapter I argue that the ecclesiological conception of Fr Staniloae evinces the distinctive roles and relations of the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit in the life of the Church with an emphasis on the reciprocity between the Son and the Holy Spirit in the life of the Church with an emphasis on the reciprocity between the Son and the Holy Spirit regarded simultaneously in the context of interpersonal communion and unity of divine being. Furthermore I study whether the ecclesiological vision of Fr Staniloae which seems to be centred on the image of the Church filled with the Trinitarian uncreated energies, as a permanent Trinitarian epiphany, could provide new elements which are indispensable to the contemporary theology in its quest of finding the balance between universal and local, the institutional and charismatic in the Church. I also try to critically assess the potential and ecumenical relevance of Fr Staniloae’s concept of ‘open sobornicity’ and possibility of its application in the Church. I finally conclude with a critical evaluation of those aspects of the theology of Fr Staniloae presented throughout my thesis and an assessment of the importance of his theological legacy in addressing the problems and concerns of our times.

In the aftermath of the Soviet Union's demise, religious organisations in Russia faced a time of both unprecedented opportunity and unprecedented challenge. Decades of restrictive laws punctuated by active persecution had left a complicated legacy, and even newfound freedoms brought difficulties of their own. In Perm ', an industrial city in the western foothills of the Urals, the two major traditional religions, Russian Orthodoxy and Islam, have set out to reconsider and reassert their positions in post-Soviet society; in this thesis, I investigate the ways in which sacred place and religious conceptions of secular space have been employed to this end, and show how both new church and mosque building and the restoration of reclaimed sites are implicated in the linked processes of coming to terms with the past and carving out a role in the present. While other commentators have rightly pointed out the potentially politicised nature of sacred place, and Perm' is no stranger to the phenomenon, I focus here primarily on its spiritual character and its religious purpose. I argue that the reclamation and restoration of desecrated places of worship is understood by believers in terms of cleansing and justice - they are places redeemed - and that engagement with sacred place (through participation in ritual, practical work, the building of religious community) is also conceived of as a means of repentance, for the individual and for wider society - sacred places are therefore also places of redemption. This thesis emphasises that the re-establishment of religious values and institutions in post-Soviet society is complex and ongoing, and demonstrates that place and people 's ideas about place are a fruitful medium through which to examine the process.

In the era prior to the Great Schism of 1054, Christianity was one Church composed of two culturally distinct elements: the Greek East and Latin West. The Greek and Latin halves of the Church each possessed their own independent liturgical and cultural customs which were part of the dispute that lead to the Great Schism, effectively separating the Church into independent Greek and Latin sides. While the West had retained liturgical expressions that differed from the majority Western Rite (in the form of the Italo-Albanian Catholic Church, which remained in communion with Rome after the official break with Constantinople), the Christian East was exclusively composed of Churches celebrating the Byzantine Rite for approximately nine hundred years. This changed in the latter half of the nineteenth century with the conversion of Julius Joseph Overbeck to the Russian Orthodox Church in London. Since that time, there have been attempts and successes in establishing a Western Rite in the Eastern Church. This thesis approaches Western Rite Orthodoxy as an established phenomenon in Eastern Christianity, especially as a facet of Orthodoxy in countries where Orthodoxy constitutes a minority. While previous short studies have attempted to substantiate or discredit the legitimacy of Western Rite Orthodoxy as a movement, this thesis accepts the reality of the Western rite and seeks to understand Western Rite Orthodoxy by documenting its history thoroughly, the investigating peculiarities of the Orthodox Western rite compared to other Western liturgies, exposing potential problems (spiritual and canonical) of the current rite and devotions when compared to accepted Orthodox theology and spirituality, and by evaluating some of the criticisms which are often employed against Western Rite Orthodoxy. To complete this critical evaluation, there are some important areas of consideration. Though there have been some studies of Western Rite Orthodoxy, there has been little historical documentation of the movement since the middle part of the twentieth century. Part of Western Rite Orthodoxy’s development has been the alteration of liturgical texts to bring them into conformity with the theology and spirituality of the Eastern Church. There is some question, both in academic and ecclesiastical circles, about how thoroughly these changes were implemented, whether there are still elements requiring further correction, and even if the Western liturgies can be brought into conformity with Eastern theology and practice in any instance. Furthermore, there is are ecumenical implications to the presence of Western Rite Orthodoxy that have yet to be addressed, particularly in the Western Rite Orthodox rejection of post-Vatican II liturgies used by the majority of Western Christianity, and the effect this might have on a future reunion between a Western Church and Orthodoxy. With this critical framework established, there is a greater opportunity to fully understand Western Rite Orthodoxy in the twentieth century, both as it affects the Orthodox Church itself and as it affects external relationships between the Orthodox and other Christian churches. Secondarily, the thesis provides a more complete history in terms of documentation and contextualization of Western Rite Orthodoxy than is presently available through any other medium.

The dissertation is a study of the religious lives of Orthodox Christians in a semirural, coffee‐producing community on the shores of Lake Tana in northwest Ethiopia. Its thesis is that mediation in Ethiopian Orthodoxy – how things, substances, and people act as go‐betweens and enable connections between people and other people, the lived environment, saints, angels, and God – is characterised by an animating tension between commensality or shared substance, on the one hand, and hierarchical principles on the other. This tension pertains to long‐standing debates in the study of Christianity about the divide between the created world and the Kingdom of Heaven. Its archetype is the Eucharist, which entails full transubstantiation but is circumscribed by a series of purity regulations so rigorous as to make the Communion inaccessible to most people for most of their lives. These purity regulations, I argue, speak to an incommensurability between relations of human substance‐sharing, especially commensality and sexuality, and hierarchical relations between humans and divinity.

The questions that underlined and motivated this research project have been: Why do members of the Orthodox Church participate in the ecumenical movement, and how can they negotiate an involvement in ecumenical contexts, together with their non-Orthodox counterparts – considering that the Orthodox see their Church as the one and only true Church? The background of this exploration has been the context of hostility and prejudice, which some groups within the Orthodox Church have manifested towards ecumenical encounters, which has marred and obstructed a genuine dialogue between the Orthodox and the non-Orthodox Christian communities. This project is based on the analysis of sources from contemporary Orthodox and Western theological milieux. It has interpreted these sources with a view to determining how they interact and coalesce into visions that inform the relationship between Orthodoxy and ecumenism. The interpretative stage of the discussion reveals the necessity of delineating paradigms for Orthodoxy and ecumenism that will enable future ecumenical interactions of greater efficiency and integrity. Such paradigms outline a vision wherein central aspects of Orthodox theology would move away from a paradigm of ‘passive conservatism’ to one of ‘active metanoia’ (transformation), while ecumenism would come to be seen as a perennial process and intrinsic aspect of theology. These vantage points define a new Orthodox vision of ecumenism as an ever-enlarging catholicity, by bringing back to the fore the common theological core of both Orthodoxy and ecumenism.

L’euchologe Barberini grec 336 de la bibliothèque Vaticane est le témoin le plus ancien et le plus important du rite byzantin. Les prières du baptême que cet euchologe contient constituent un rite complet du baptême, de façon à ce que l’officiant puisse célébrer le rite du baptême. L’ordre et le contenu des prières lues par l’officiant sont en général les mêmes à ceux qui sont actuellement en usage dans les églises de l’orient qui suivent le typique constantinopolitain : i. la prière pour faire un catéchumène, ii. les exorcismes, iii. les prières de renonciation et adhésion, iv. la litanie diaconale, v. la prière faite par le prêtre qui va baptiser, vi. les prières pour la bénédiction de l’eau, vii. les prières pour l’onction pré-baptismale, viii. les prières pour l’immersion baptismale, ix. les prières pour l’onction post-baptismale, x. la prière pour les ablutions, xi. la prière pour la tonsure d’enfant. Dans l’euchologe, il y a aussi une autre prière pour le renoncement – adhésion sous le titre «Renoncement et adhésion, qui se font sous la présidence de l’archevêque à la sainte Préparation de Pâques» qui est très important parce qu’il provient de l’époque de Chrysostome. En ce qui concerne le credo baptismal qui se trouve dans l’euchologe Barberini gr.336, il s’agit du Credo de Nice-Constantinople. En général, les prières pour le baptême de l’euchologe Barberini grec 336 concernent des candidats adultes. Néanmoins, on ne peut pas exclure le baptême des enfants. Dans la prière pour la tonsure des enfants, ceux-ci sont considérés comme déjà baptisés. En ce qui concerne les enfants, l’euchologe contient deux prières qui paraissent symboliser leur inscription dans les ordres des catéchumènes. Les enfants sont considérés en tant que personnes. L’analyse des prières du baptême concernant la personne divine évoquée par le célébrant aide à distinguer les prières qui précèdent les controverses christologiques. Les prières qui s’adressent simplement à Dieu sont considérées comme plus anciennes (avant le Vème siècle) puisque là, ce n’était pas nécessaire que la divinité de la personne du Fils soit discriminée. Dans l’euchologe, il y a aussi des prières qui concernent le retour des hérétiques. On les distingue en trois catégories : a) ceux qui sont acceptés dans l’église en libelles et en onction au saint myron, b) ceux qui sont acceptés en libelles et c) ceux qui sont acceptés en baptême. Le critère qui distinguait ceux qui seraient acceptés en libelle ou en chrismation à ceux qui seraient baptisés dès le début c’était leur baptême précédent en une ou en trois immersions. Par ailleurs, la distinction est liée à l’acceptation ou non du dogme pour la Sainte Trinité de la part des hérétiques. Il est remarquable que en VIIIème siècle l’église montrait une tolérance aux hérétiques qui étaient reçus en libelle et en chrismation, parce qu’elle estimait qu’ils acceptaient le dogme pour la Sainte Trinité mais qu’ils l’interprétaient incorrectement. Enfin, à l’époque du codex Barberini gr.336, le rite du baptême était indissolublement lié à la divine liturgie suivant la tradition antérieure. Les baptisés, juste après l’immersion baptismale et l’onction au myron, devenaient participants du corps et du sang du Christ. / The Euchologion Barberini gr. 336 of the Vatican Library is the oldest and most important witness of the Byzantine rite. The prayers for the baptism that this Euchologion contains, constitute a full rite of baptism, so that the celebrant can easily celebrate the rite of the baptism.The order and the content of the prayers read by the celebrant are generally similar to those currently in use in the churches of the East following the typical of Constantinople : i . prayer for a catechumen, ii. exorcisms, iii . prayers for the renunciation and the adhesion, v. prayer by the priest who will baptize, vi. prayers for the blessing of the water, vii . prayers for the pre-baptismal anointing, viii. prayers for the baptismal immersion, ix. prayers for the post-baptismal anointing, x. prayer for the ablution, xi. prayer for the child’s tonsure. Inside the Euchologion , there is also another prayer for the renunciation and the adhesion of the candidates by the Archbishop at the holy preparation of the Easter, which is very important because it comes from the time of Chrysostom. Concerning the baptismal creed that it is contained in the Barberini Euchologion gr.336 , it is about the Creed of Nice-Constantinople. In general, the prayers for the baptism of the Barberini Euchologion gr.336 relates candidates. However, we can not exclude the infant’s baptism. In the prayer for the children’s tonsure, them, are considered as baptized already. Concerning the children, the Euchologion contains two prayers that seem to symbolize their enrollment in the orders of the catechumens. The children are considered as indegrated personalities.The analysis of the prayers for the baptism for the divine person referred to by the celebrant helps to distinguish the foregoing Christological controversies prayers. Prayers simply turn to God are considered older (before the fifth century), since there was not necessary that the divinity of the person of the Son to be discriminated. Inside the Euchologion, there are also prayers concerning the return of the heretics. They are divided into three categories: a) those who are accepted into the church with a libel and an anointment with holy myron, b ) those that are accepted only with libels and c) those who are accepted with a baptism from the beginning. The criterion that distinguish those who were accepted with a libel or Chrismation from those who be baptized from the beginning was their previous baptism in one or three immersions . Moreover, the distinction is related to the acceptance or rejection of the dogma for the Holy Trinity from the side of the heretics. It is remarkable that in the eighth century the church showed tolerance to heretics who were received with libel or Chrismation, because she thought that they accepted the dogma for the Holy Trinity but they interpreted it incorrectly. Finally, at the time of the Codex Barberini gr.336, the rite of the baptism was inextricably linked to the divine liturgy following the earlier tradition.

My thesis advances the overarching hypothesis that the Eastern Orthodox Church has sufficient teachings to develop a theology which tackles the difficult subject of animal suffering. However, during the review of theological academic literature I identified a gap between what might be termed Orthodox theory and its practice. In essence the overarching hypothesis is broken down into three component parts: i) That Eastern Orthodox teachings allow for the formulation of an ‘Animal Theology’ of the Eastern Orthodox Church; ii) That there is a gap between Orthodox theory and practice on this theme both at academic and pastoral level; iii) That the abuse and exploitation of animals has negative soteriological consequences for those who indulge in such practices; those who know but are indifferent to animal suffering and those who know and are concerned but fail to act in order to reduce or prevent that suffering. Different methodologies were used for the different areas of research which range from biblical exegesis and neo-patristic synthesis, to the formulation of new empirical research collected via questionnaires to animal protectionists in Cyprus and interviews with Orthodox theologians in Cyprus and the UK. In the final two chapters contemporary Eastern Orthodox voices are brought into play in order to advance theological reflection on the sin and evil inherent in animal suffering and the soteriological implications for those who abuse and exploit the non-human creation. Academic theology can often be abstract in nature and viewed by many as irrelevant to contemporary life. I do not believe this is the case and throughout this thesis I have provided examples of how Orthodox teachings can be applied to contemporary animal suffering issues. In addition I have provided an outline for a seminary project which focuses on a) the spiritual and ontological interconnectedness of God’s Creation; b) the seminarian’s role as Icon of Christ and c) how these two elements should dictate the priest’s treatment and relationship with animals and the environment. I have also provided frameworks for a Master’s Dissertation on the theme and an Eastern Orthodox Animal Protection group. Finally, it is worth noting the impact of this research thus far, which has resulted in the first Master’s Dissertation on the theme by an Eastern Orthodox priest; a public statement by the Holy Synod of Cyprus; the establishment of an Eastern Orthodox Animal Protection group in Cyprus and an academic paper presented at an international conference on Religion and Animal Protection by one of Orthodoxy’s leading theologians, Metropolitan Kallistos Ware. Leading Orthodox theologians are aware of this thesis and are supportive of its vision; as a result I believe the previously identified gap between the theory and the practice will reduce in the foreseeable future.

Les deux œuvres spirituelles majeures de Cabasilas : L’Explication de la divine Liturgie et ses Sept Discours au sujet de la vie en Christ, dont les conceptions théologiques ecclésiastiques fondamentales et principales constituent le terreau fertile de la présente thèse sur les mystères du Baptême, de la Chrismation et de la divine Eucharistie, s’appuyant sur l’idée principale du théologien que le salut humain se trouve dans la maison de Dieu. Nicolas Cabasilas fonde précisément sur les saints mystères toute sa théologie ecclésiastique du Nouveau Testament, le monde entier, qui se transforme, s’organise et vit en tant que Corps du Christ. Le Saint Esprit « par la main et la bouche des prêtre accomplit » les mystères de l’Église qui apportent des fruits spirituels et la vie morale et spirituelle en Christ. Ainsi la vie des membres du corps de l’Église, dont le Christ est la tête, est la vie dans le Saint Esprit. Cabasilas place ainsi avec justesse et profondeur, les sacrements principaux (baptême, chrismation et eucharistie) au cœur de ce chemin de vie et d'union au Christ. Toutefois, un rappel important de Cabasilas, concernant le principe de coopération, ne doit pas nous échapper. En effet, la vie nouvelle en Christ est le fruit de la coopération de Dieu et du facteur humain. Le salut n’est pas donné de force lors des mystères, mais avec la coopération et la bonne volonté de l’individu, sa participation active. Enfin, comme notre thèse le démontre, la pensée théologique de Cabasilas, concernant le caractère eschatologique des mystères, en particulier du baptême et de la divine Eucharistie, préserve et dispense la doctrine de l’Apôtre Paul et de la théologie chrétienne primitive qualifiant avec Saint Paul les mystères comme « forces du siècle à venir». / The two major spiritual works of Nicholas Cabasilas : The Explanation of the Divine Liturgy and his seven speeches on the life of Christ, whose basic theological and ecclesiastical designs are the fertile soil of our thesis on the mysteries of Baptism, Chrismation and Holy Eucharist, are based on the main idea that human salvation should be found in the church, the house of God. Nicholas Cabasilas bases precisely on the holy mysteries his entire theology of the New Testament, in which the whole world is organized and lives as the Body of Christ. The Holy Spirit by the hand and the mouth of the priest performs the mysteries of the Church and provides the spiritual and moral fruits, the spiritual life in Christ. Thus the life of the members of the body of the Church, of which Christ is the head, is the life in the Holy Spirit. Cabasilas places with reason the major sacraments (Baptism, Chrismation and Eucharist) at the heart of this life and union with Christ. However, the important reminder of Cabasilas on the principle of cooperation should not escape us. Indeed, the new life in Christ is the fruit of cooperation between God and the human factor. The salvation is not given by force with the mysteries, but with the cooperation and good will of the individual, his active participation. Finally, as our case demonstrates, the theological thought of Cabasilas concerning the eschatological character of the mysteries, especially baptism and the Holy Eucharist, preserves and provides the doctrine of the Apostle Paul and the early Christian theology qualifying the holly mysteries as "forces of the age to come."

Le champ disciplinaire qui occupe cette recherche est l’anthropologie théologique de l’orthodoxie contemporaine. Il s’agit de mettre en dialogue les angles d’approches de trois auteurs majeurs de la théologie orthodoxe moderne : le théologien russe Vladimir Lossky, le père roumain Dumitru Staniloae et le métropolite grec Jean (Zizioulas) de Pergame. Nous essayons d’analyser l’angle sous lequel chacun de ces trois auteurs développent leur vision anthropologique et dans quelle mesure ils restent fidèles à l’Écriture Sainte et aux Pères de l’Église, étant données les influences philosophiques de leurs écrits. Nous nous proposons d’examiner les éléments particuliers de leur réflexion, leurs rapports avec la théologie orthodoxe des générations passées et leur compatibilité mutuelle. Le plan comporte trois parties : la première partie se propose une incursion biographique et bibliographique. La deuxième partie, analytique, veut confronter la réflexion des trois auteurs sur la question anthropologique, en se concentrant sur la palette thématique suivante : l’homme comme image de Dieu, image trinitaire, liberté, communion et amour. La troisième partie inscrit les approches des trois théologiens dans une vision plus large, en essayant de faire émerger des possibles conséquences dogmatiques que leur anthropologie générerait. / The present thesis aims at studying and confronting different angles of approach of three major authors of modern orthodox theology : the Russian theologian Vladimir Lossky, the Romanian father Dumitru Staniloae and the Greek metropolitan Jean (Zizioulas) of Pergame. The main concern is to analyze the perspectives under which the three authors develop each of their anthropological visions, as well as measuring the extent to which they remain faithful to the Holy Scripture and to the Fathers of the Church, considering the philosophical influences of their respective writings. It is our purpose to examine the particular elements that define their reflections, their rapports with the orthodox theology of past generations and their mutual compatibility. The research is divided into three parts : the first is an overview of the biographical and bibliographical universe of each author. The next part, extensively analytical, confronts points of view of the three authors on the question of anthropology, while placing the center of attention on the following range of topics : man as image of God, trinitarian image, freedom, communion and love. The third part tackles the approaches of the three theologians from a wider perspective, by trying to reveal the possible dogmatic consequences generated by their anthropology. The present research paper closes with biographical appendices followed by an extensive and updated bibliography.