О монаштву стваралаца
On Monasticism of Creators

Summary/Abstract: Theistic concept of God with its literary understanding of God’s omnipotence is incompatible with the doctrine of imago Dei. The Church Fathers describe imago Dei as the power for radical self-determination and the capacity to create one’s own world. However, due to God’s omnipotence human person cannot create radical newness in being. Theistic notion of God thus leads inevitably to the theistic doctrine of creation according to which God created the human person without having any need for her. From the theistic notion of God only theistic concept of the human person is conceivable and, consequently, a theistic conception of monasticism. The unneeded human person’s sole meaningful activity could be prayer for redemption and salvation. If God does not need the human being it is only logical that our creativity is essentially meaningless. On the other hand, if we postulate that God created humans because He wanted to be enriched by their creativity, every expression of our artistic capacity in the broader sense of the word – including traditional virtues of prayer, humility, repentance etc. – but also creativity in art in itself, becomes a potential path towards saintliness. Monk is not described anymore simply as the one who prays for the world’s redemption but also as the one who creates new being and thus enriches the life of God.

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