Editorial
As I wrote recently, aiming at describing Christian selfhood:
This self is always new and eschatologically becoming, a created synergetic in infinity, growing in dialogue and increasing through participation, given but, nonetheless, perpetually changing into new modes of imaging divinity, through analogical syn-energy, which represents the human response to the divine love, through a kenotic will-to-consubstantiality.
Thus, theologically speaking, we have an analogical identity each time we change through syn-energetic relations involving participation, each time we re-orientate our will toward the restoration of the unity of the fragmented created nature, in us and outside us, and, in a sense, we become new aspects of this unity. That is, we have an analogical identity, when we analogically imitate divine will/energy in its exceptional activity to unite created beings in new and even deeper ways of unification, in new and even richer forms of inter-meaningfulness. Changing through analogy is the very human essence, which is thus a dialogical essence, an essential hypostasis always in becoming through dialogue, embracing all creation, and being realised through its an- alogical will to consubstantiality. This kind of analogical identity is an open identity, always new, always coming, always moving toward the accomplishment of new and deeper modes of consubstantiality [Nikolaos Loudovikos, Analogical Identities, The Creation of the Christian Self (Turnhout: Brepols, 2019), 265].
I think that fr Sophrony’s theology has greatly contributed, in our times, to edify a Christian anthropology, which while respecting the Patristic tradition, at the same time expresses itself in a uniquely personal contemporary way. And even more than that: St Sophrony became himself a living flame of God’s Grace, by realising in himself this analogical consubstantiality described above.
Analogia is more than happy to present in this volume a series of excellent articles, written mainly by people who were in deep existential communion with St Sophrony, and had thus assimilated the living grace of his theology, both existentially and intellectually. So, I would say that this volume is not merely a collection of academic papers, but simultaneously and, perhaps, mainly, a deep spiritual witness concerning the living-together with a Christ’s presence on earth, as Fr Sophrony was. I suggest that these articles are read in precisely that way.
– Nikolaos Loudovikos, Senior Editor