The future metropolitan was born [[January 10]], 1931<center><div style="width:55%;text-align:justify;border:1px solid #0000ff;background-color: #f0f0ff;padding: 7px;">This article lacks historical information. He began his studies at the University Specifically: Life of Thessaloniki but took his first theology degree from the University of Athens in 1955. He studied patristics under Father Georges Florovsky at Harvard Divinity School, receiving his M.T.S. in 1956, and Metropolitan before his doctorate in theology from consecration to the University of Athens in 1965Episcopate. He was professor of theology for 14 years at the University of Glasgow and the University of Edinburgh, When and has been where did he became a visiting professor at the University of Geneva, Gregorian University, monk? In what monastery and King's College, London. He for how long was consecrated as a bishop on [[June 22]], 1986 and named Metropolitan of Pergamon. Metropolitan John has become a key figure in major ecumenical dialogues between the Orthodox Church and other Christian traditionshe living before being ordained to deaconate, and in 2006 succeeded Archbishop [[Stylianos (Harkianakis) of Australia|Stylianos of Australia]] as president of the Commission of Orthodox in the Dialogue with the Roman Catholic Church. He is also an important figure in ecological theologypriesthood, playing a central role in making the Orthodox Church one of the most active religious communities involved with development and environmental issuesetc.</div></center>

==His Theology The future metropolitan was born [[January 10]], 1931. He began his studies at the University of Thessaloniki but took his first theology degree from the University of Athens in 1955. He studied patristics under Father Georges Florovsky at Harvard Divinity School, receiving his M.T.S. in 1956, and his doctorate in theology from the University of Athens in 1965. He was professor of theology for 14 years at the University of Glasgow and the University of Edinburgh, and has been a visiting professor at the University of Geneva, Gregorian University, and King's College, London. He was consecrated as a bishop on [[June 22]], 1986 and Significance==named Metropolitan of Pergamon. Metropolitan John is one of has become a key figure in major ecumenical dialogues (seen also by many Orthodox as blasphemous and heretical) between the most important Orthodox Church and other heterodox traditions claiming to be Christian theologians alive today, influencing theologians and in 2006 succeeded Archbishop [[Stylianos (Harkianakis) of Australia|Stylianos of Australia]] as president of the Commission of Orthodox in the Dialogue with the Roman Catholic and Protestant communions as well Church. He is also an important figure in ecological theology, playing a central role in making the Orthodox Churchone of the most active religious communities involved with development and environmental issues. Some have suggested that his 1985 book, ''Being as Communion'{{Fact|date=April 2008}}''', is perhaps the most significant theological book of the late 20th century.

==His Theology==Some people believe that Metropolitan John is one of the most important Christian theologians alive today, influencing theologians in the Roman Catholic and Protestant communions as well, while others see him, and his work, to be problematic in a sense that it does not comply with the Tradition of The Church. Some have suggested that his 1985 book, ''Being as Communion'', is perhaps the most significant theological book of the late 20th century, while others see his book as collection of innovations (e.g. numerous "hypostases" of man), not known in the 2000 years of the Church's Tradition.   The principle themes in Metropolitan John’s theology are freedom and otherness, both human and divine. Grounding Some people believe that he grounded his work in the Cappadocian Fathers and (St Maximus Confessor in particular), while others believe that he articulates a relational ontology in which neither unity nor plurality have priorityused Fathers to parade his own innovations as patristic. His ''Being as Communion'' (1985) addressed the theme from the importance of communion for unity, while his later ''Communion and Otherness'' (2007) is a complementary analysis of the importance of otherness for communion. He thus takes up the ancient philosophical problem of reconciling the One and the Many, which he examines with respect to divinity (the three Persons of the Trinity and the ''monarchia'' of the Father), humanity (theological anthropology), and the Church (ecclesiology). The philosophical implications of the book extend to the human and social sciences. A further theme of the two studies is the his own eschatological ontology he derives claims is being derived from St Maximus the Confessor, in which the truly real is that which is real at the ''eschaton''. This is the subject of a new book by the Metropolitan to be released in summer 2008, ''Remembering the Future: An Eschatological Ontology''. Relity is that he derived his ontology from various sources, including heterodox thinkers, like: Martin Buber, John Macmurray, Wolfhart Pannenberg and Emmanuel Levinas. ⁷  His first book was his doctoral dissertation in 1965, only recently published in English as ''Eucharist, Bishop, Church: The Unity of the Church in the Divine Eucharist and the Bishop During the First Three Centuries'' (2001). It was an early contribution to the development of ‘eucharistic ecclesiology’ that focused on the essential role of the bishop as the presider of the Church’s Divine Liturgy. Many deny orthodoxy of such an ecclesiology, as it is based on theology of French Catholic theologians Henri de Lubac and Yves Congar.

Metropolitan John's theological contributions, like those of other theologians, have been criticized by some. These criticisms have focused on two in areasof theology and ecumenical relations Metropolitan John is championing in:

*'''Interpretation of the Church FathersTheology''': * Lucian Turcescu argues in "'Person' versus 'Individual' and Other Modern Misreadings of Gregory of Nyssa" ¹ that "Zizioulas is ... in error when he contends that the Cappadocians did not understand a person as an individual or when he credits them with having had the same concerns we moderns have when combating individualism today."² These criticisms have been answered by Aristotle Papanikolaou * In the September 1971 issue of the Newsletter Supplement to [http://nektarios.home.comcast.net/~nektarios The Orthodox Christian Witness], in the article titled [http://www.orthodoxinfo.com/ecumenism/mono_2.aspx ''Concerning the Approaching Orthodox – Monophysite Union''] , John Zizioulas serves as an example of ''"muddled theologian"''. (Paragraph 21)* Hieromonk Patapios in the same journal <sup>3<article titled [http://www.orthodoxinfo.com/phronema/review_toc.aspx ''A Traditionalist Critique of The Orthodox Church''], criticizing ecumenistic [http://www.orthodoxinfo.com/ecumenism/sup> and by methierotheos_baptism.aspx Baptismal theology] , refers to John Zizioulas as to: ''"...lamentable Metropolitan John himself(Zizioulas) of Pergamon"''. ⁴(Part II, paragraph 27)

*'''Ecumenism''': * Rodoljub Lazić's bookletbook, "Innovatory Theology of Metropolitan Zizioulas" ([http://www.pravoslavlje.net/index.php?title=%D0%9D%D0%BE%D0%B2%28%D0%B0%D1%82%D0%BE%D1%80%D1%81%D0%BA%29%D0%BE_%D0%B1%D0%BE%D0%B3%D0%BE%D1%81%D0%BB%D0%BE%D0%B2%D1%99%D0%B5_%D0%9C%D0%B8%D1%82%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%BF%D0%BE%D0%BB%D0%B8%D1%82%D0%B0_%D0%97%D0%B8%D0%B7%D0%B8%D1%98%D1%83%D0%BB%D0%B0%D1%81%D0%B0 in Serbian]), argues that the Metropolitan's work differs from "traditional" Orthodoxy and that there is a connection between the Metropolitan's [[Ecumenism|ecumenical]] orientation and his theology. However, a former student and supporter of Metropolitan John is Bishop Ignjatije Midić, Bishop of Branicevo and professor in dogmatics and ethics at the Serbian-Orthodox Theological Faculty in Belgrade. * Another such critic is Archbishop [[Stylianos (Harkianakis) of Australia|Stylianos of Australia]], who has criticized the Metropolitan for his stance on the [[Eastern Catholic Churches]].⁶* In his letter, [http://www.synodinresistance.org/Administration_en/ChrysostomosEtna.html Archbishop Chrysostomos] states: ''"...once we pass beyond the non-Orthodox, dated book by the eccentric British scholar D.M. Lang, who is quoted in the text that you sent me, as well as the mind-set of such Westernized theologians as Father John Meyendorff and Metropolitan John (Zizioulas), to the eminently Orthodox thought of Father [[Georges Florovsky]] (though Zizioulas was a student of Father Georges, his theological and philosophical thinking has deviated substantially from the Patristic principles set forth by his mentor), we see this matter in a clearer way."'' [http://www.orthodoxinfo.com/ecumenism/her_saints.aspx The Article]* Denial of the representation of the Orthodoxy by John Zizioulas can be found in the article published by the editorial staff of the magazine [http://www.italiaortodossa.it Italia Ortodossa], a magazine of Orthodox faithful in Italy: [http://digilander.libero.it/ortodossia/Zizioulas.htm Is the Theologian Ioannis Zizioulas proclaiming Orthodoxy?]