Orthodox Christianity and Modern Science: Tensions, Ambiguities, Potential

Vasilios N. Makrides, Gayle E. Woloschak (eds)

Pages: 277 p.
Size:156 x 234 mm

Language(s):English
Publication Year:2019

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Review(s)

“This rich and varied volume (…) should definitely have a place in any library that deals with the dialogue of Christian theology and science.” (Mark Bailey, in English Historical Review, 2021, p. 159-161)

BIO

Vasilios M. Makrides is Professor of Religious Studies at the University of Erfurt, Germany, and a leading scholar on the cultural history of Orthodox Christianity; Gayle E. Woloschak is Professor of Radiation Oncology and Radiology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, USA, and a leading figure in the field of dialogue between Orthodox Christianity and modern science.

Summary

The first volume of the new series “Science and the Orthodox Christianity” focuses on the nature of the relationship between modern science and Orthodox Christianity with its centuries-old tradition. Orthodoxy today shares a variety of — sometimes ambiguous — attitudes towards modern science shaped by the texts of the Church Fathers, medieval and modern theologians and scholars, as well as contemporary social realities. On the other hand, modern science, which sprung from the quest by West European scholars for a better knowledge of the world, is faced with crucial and uneasy questions about the meaning of life and the position of humankind within the natural world.

The main goal of this volume is to define the patterns of the science-religion relationship in the Orthodox world, especially in the light of the most recent trends in both science and theology. Is this a relationship of dialogue or conflict? Of integration or independence? What is the impact of the revival of patristic studies and new theological currents on the relationship? But also, what is the relevant impact of new scientific discoveries on the image of the human and the universe? Has the modern science-religion dialogue in the West influenced Orthodox Christianity in its effort to create new perspectives and concepts in response to new challenges? These questions are crucial for understanding and mapping the current science-religion dialogue in the Orthodox world, and apart from recording given views and opinions.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Preface

Notes on Contributors

Vasilios N. Makrides, Gayle E. Woloschak, Relating Orthodox Christianity with Modern Science: An Introduction

Part I - The Orthodox Christian Tradition and Modern Science: An Uneasy Relationship?

Metropolitan Nikolaos of Mesogaia and Lavreotiki, Modern Science and Orthodox Theology: An Uneasy yet Profound Relationship

Pantelis Kalaitzidis, The Ambiguous Relationship between Orthodoxy and Science as Part of the Pending Discussion between Orthodoxy and Modernity: From the Polemic against the Enlightenment to the Debate over Homosexuality

Vasileios Thermos, Orthodox Tradition and Science: Modernity as a Mediator

Part II - The Greek Patristic Heritage: Its Potential for the Orthodoxy Science Dialogue

Sergey S. Horujy, The Patristic Idea of Cosmic Liturgy as the Basis of the Relationship between Orthodox Theology and Science

Alexei Nesteruk, Philosophical Foundations of Mediation/Dialogue between (Orthodox) Theology and Science

William R. Shea, Maximus the Confessor and the Contribution of Orthodoxy to the Dialogue on Science and Religion

Stoyan Tanev, Using the Concept of Energy to Encounter Orthodox Theology with Physics: An Analogical Comparative Theological Approach (ACTA)

Christopher C. Knight, Science, Theology, and the Mind

Athanasios N. Papathanasiou, God, the Great Writer and Great Computer Whizz: Comment on Christopher C. Knight’s Paper

Part III - Orthodox Christianity and Science: Local Settings and Specific Concerns in the Past and at Present

Gayle E. Woloschak, Science-Religion Interface: Agreements and Tensions of Orthodox Christian Pastoral Concern in the Biomedical Sciences

Archbishop Makarios of Australia, The Science-Theology Dialogue through the Inter-Orthodox Bioethics Committee

Nina Dimitrova, Orthodoxy and Science in Bulgaria (20^th-21^st Century)

Doru Costache, A Theology of the World: Dumitru Stăniloae, the Traditional Worldview, and Contemporary Cosmology

Dimitry Kiryanov, Evolution and Orthodox Theology in Russia: An Uneasy Way to the Dialogue

Kirill Kopeikin, The Orthodox Tradition and a Personal View on the Universe ‘from Within’: A Russian Orthodox Perspective

Aleksandar Petrović and Aleksandra P. Stevanović, Theology in the Mirror: The Dictionary of Technology in Yugoslavia/Serbia as Revival of Orthodox Culture and Re-ideation of Technology

Ekmeleddin İhsanoğlu, Orthodox Christian Physicians and Scholars in the Ottoman Court

John Hedley Brooke, Orthodox Christian Physicians and Scholars in the Ottoman Court: A Commentary