Fascinanta lume interioară a omului
The fascinating inner world of man

Summary/Abstract: Man constitutes a visible Paradox, a fascinating world not only when he ascends, but even when he falls. When he ascends because he has no limits, when he falls because the disintegration does not annihilate him. Who is Man, O Lord, that he is never undone, regardless of how deeply he falls or how greatly he ascends – and who are You, O Lord, who have created him in such a manner? In other words, in Orthodox theology the paradox of the human being is explained by his very ontological structure: he is created out of nothing, yet in the image of the Uncreated One. This inner tension allows his ascent to know no boundary, for he is open to the divine infinity; and it ensures that his fall is never complete, for the Image of God within him cannot be erased. Thus, the disintegration brought about by sin does not touch the very being of the human person, but only the integrity of the person in his relationship with God. His resistance to annihilation reveals that man is made for communion and eternity, not for nothingness. And the question „who is the man?” inevitably leads to the question „who is God?”, for only in Him is the mystery of the human person revealed. This is also how Father Dumitru Stăniloae expresses it when he says: „The mystery of the human person can be understood only in relation to the mystery of God. For man is the image of God, and only in relation to Him does he find the meaning of his existence”.

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