John (Zizioulas) of Pergamon

Metropolitan John (Zizioulas) of Pergamon

His Eminence John (Zizioulas) of Pergamon (b. 1930) is a modern theologian, Metropolitan of Pergamon, Greece, under the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. He was consecrated as a bishop on June 22, 1986, and is currently the co-chair of the Catholic-Orthodox dialogue.

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Biographical timeline

• 1930: The future metropolitan is born.
• 1986 Jun 22: Archim. John is consecrated a bishop.
• Became a key figure in major ecumenical dialogues between the Orthodox Church and other Christian traditions.
• Leading theologian in a theology of ecology, played a central role in making the Orthodox Church one of the most active religious religious communities involved with development and environmental issues.
• Held professorships at Glasgow University and King's College, London.
• 2006: Succeeded Archbishop Stylianos of Australia as president of the Commission of Orthodox in the Dialogue with the Roman Catholic Church.

Books

• Being and Communion: Studies in Personhood and the Church (Crestwood, NY: St Vladimirs Seminary Press, 1997)
• Eucharist, Bishop, Church: The Unity of the Church in the Divine Eucharist and the Bishop During the First Three Centuries (Brookline, MA: Holy Cross, 2001)
• Communion & Otherness: Further Studies in Personhood and the Church (London: T & T Clark, 2007)

Studies

• Fox, Patricia A. God as Communion: John Zizioulas, Elizabeth Johnson, and the Retrieval of the Symbol of the Triune God (Michael Glazer, 2001)
• Knight, Douglas, ed. The Theology of John Zizioulas: Personhood and the Church (Ashgate, 2007)
• Papanikolaou, Aristotle. Being with God: Trinity, Apophaticism, and Divine-Human Communion (Notre Dame, IN: University of Notre Dame Press, 2006)

Peter J. Leithart's article, Divine Energies and Orthodox Soteriology, cites this work, noting Papanikolaou points out where Vladimir Lossky and Metropolitan John (Zizioulas) differ on the issue of divine energies.

Criticisms

Academic and Theological

Like many theologians, particularly those involved in theological dialogues, Metropolitan John has undergone criticism for his theological works.

• Lucian Turcescu argues in Person versus Individual and Other Modern Misreadings of Gregory of Nyssa that there are differences between patristic theology and the theology of John Zizioulas.

• Rodoljub Lazic, in his book, Innovatory Theology of Metropolitan Zizioulas (In Serbian, ATOS - Missionary Center, Belgrade 2002), explains why he believes the work of Zizioulas differs from traditional Orthodoxy and argues that there is a connection between Zizioulas' ecumenical orientation and his theology.

• In a letter, Archbishop Chrysostomos of Etna states that Fr John Meyendorff and Metr. John (Zizioulas) were Westernized theologians, in contrast with Fr Georges Florovsky (a teacher of Metr. John's).

• Denial of the representation of the Orthodoxy by John Zizioulas can be found in the article published by the editorial staff of the magazine Italia Ortodossa, a magazine of Orthodox faithful in Italy: Is the Theologian Ioannis Zizioulas proclaiming Orthodoxy?

• Peter J. Leithart's article, Divine Energies and Orthodox Soteriology, cites the work of Papanikolaou, and points out where Vladimir Lossky and Metropolitan John (Zizioulas) differ on the issue of divine energies. His article implies criticism, based on understanding of the certain Orthodox, who see work of Prof. Lossky as contemporary synthesis of the patristic theology. Thus, to differ from Prof. Lossky, is to differ from patristic theology.

Regarding Ecumenical Relations

• In an interview with Maria Antoniadou, Archbishop Stylianos of Australia criticizes John Zizioulas for his stance on Uniatism, questioning his status as a systematic theologian.

• Hieromonk Patapios, in his article, A Traditionalist Critique of The Orthodox Church, criticized ecumenistic Baptismal theology as espoused by Metr. John.

• The 1971 article, Concerning the Approaching Orthodox – Monophysite Union, gives Metr. John as an example of a "muddled theologian" in his views on Severus of Antioch.

External links

• List of Works by John of Pergamon
• His Eminence John, Metropolitan of Pergamon from the Orthodox Research Institute
• Dogmatics notes - "These are the notes that were taken from the lessons of Professor I. Zizioulas (current Metropolitan of Pergamus and Chairman of the Athens Academy) at the Poemantic Division of the Thessaloniki University's School of Theology, during the academic year 1984-1985. They are published with the blessing and the permission of the reverend Metropolitan."
• The Holy and Sacred Synod
• John Zizioulas (Wikipedia)
• Resources for Christian Theology: John Zizioulas
• Page with many dogmatic treatises written by H.G. John Zizioulas, Metropolitan of Pergamon

Succession box: John (Zizioulas) of Pergamon
Preceded by: ?	Metropolitan of Pergamon 1986 - present	Succeeded by: —

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