Trepte și conținuturi în viața spirituală la Sfântul Părinte Dumitru Stăniloae. Surse, argumentare și interpretare
Stages and Contents of Spiritual Life According to Saint Dumitru Stăniloae. Sources, Argumentation and Interpretation

Author(s): Preasfințitul BENEDICT
Subject(s): Christian Theology and Religion, Theology and Religion
Published by: Editura Doxologia
Keywords: spiritual stages; growth; purification; illumination; unification; ascetic life; Mystics;
Summary/Abstract: The Holy Father Dumitru Stăniloae is well-known as a dogmatist, but also as a specialist in ascetic and mystical theology. His book “Ascetical and Mystical Theology” has remained a paradigmatic textbook in academic theological education. His perspective on spiritual life gives authenticity to his entire theology, especially along two coordinates - the holiness of life, as the peak and finality of spiritual life, expressing in the highest terms the anthropological profile of humans in their Christian version and indicating maximum standards with reference to growth and development; and, secondly, the character of authenticity is also given by the awareness of continuity at the level of faith, as well as at the level of experience within the framework of the unchanged Church. Holiness remains a constant element, as well as a present, dynamic, active, and equally attractive proof of the orthodoxy of our faith. The present research aims at a succinct analysis of Fr. Stăniloae’s vision on spiritual life in terms of sources, especially patristic ones, of the argumentation of these sources and research tools, all in a proper development of a practical theology in terms of interpretation. We are interested in the concept of growth, the stages of this process and its content. The entire approach goes along with a practical perspective, in the sense of the connection between academic theology and spiritual life in the Church.

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