DIVINE ATTRIBUTES IN THE BOOK MEMOIRS OF THE ORIGIN BY GHELASIE GHEORGHE (VOL. 12) - DIFFERENCES AND CONFLUENCES WITH THE JEWISH KABBALAH
DIVINE ATTRIBUTES IN THE BOOK MEMOIRS OF THE ORIGIN BY GHELASIE GHEORGHE (VOL. 12) - DIFFERENCES AND CONFLUENCES WITH THE JEWISH KABBALAH

Summary/Abstract: "This article undertakes a comprehensive analysis of the concept of divine attributes as presented by the Romanian hesychast Hieromonk Ghelasie Gheorghe in his complex work, Memoriile Originii (Volume 12). Moving beyond traditional patristic categories, Ghelasie develops a unique theological lexicon centered on what can be termed an ""iconic ontology."" The central argument of this paper is that Ghelasie posits the primary divine attributes not as static properties but as dynamic, relational actions rooted in the person of the Logos. These attributes are primarily the Iconic (the capacity for relationship and self-revelation in a created Image), the Memorial (the divine act of establishing and remembering the Origin), and the Christic (the pre-eternal reality of the Incarnation as the archetype for all creation).The study first systematically unpacks Ghelasie's dense and poetic terminology, demonstrating how concepts like Chip (Icon/Image), Memorie (Memory), and Întrupare (Incarnation) function as the foundational divine attributes through which God relates to creation. It argues that for Ghelasie, creation is not a secondary act but is intrinsically linked to the Christological event, which pre-exists time.The second part of the article establishes a comparative framework, exploring the significant structural confluences and fundamental theological differences between Ghelasie's vision and the doctrines of Jewish Kabbalah, particularly as articulated in the Zohar. While parallels are drawn between Ghelasie's ""Loghii creatori"" and the Kabbalistic Sefirot as mediating principles between the Infinite (Ein Sof) and the finite world, the analysis reveals profound divergences. The core distinction lies in Ghelasie's Trinitarian and Christocentric foundation, which posits a personal, loving dialogue between Creator and creation, contrasting with the more impersonal, emanatory process of the Sefirot. The article concludes that Ghelasie Gheorghe’s work, while sharing a mystical grammar with Kabbalah in its approach to the divine-human interface, ultimately provides a distinctly Orthodox Christian response to the mystery of God's interaction with the world, one grounded in the Incarnation as the ultimate divine attribute and the key to all reality."

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