Page 221 - Orthodoxy Zizioulas

The Fathers of the Church
and the Neopatristic Synthesis
Beyond canonical structure, the life of the Church now re-
veals itself more deeply in the mystery of fatherhood and
the living presence of the Fathers.
Who are the Fathers of the Church, and why does the
Church rely so deeply on them? The Fathers do not belong
only to the past. They continue to emerge in every age. The
Church is “patristic” not simply because she preserves their
teachings, but because she lives through fatherhood. Without
fatherhood, there is no Church—and therefore no salvation.
There are two kinds of fatherhood: biological and spiritual.
Biological fatherhood gives us existence, but it is not sufficient
for life in its fullness. It is bound to mortality; it gives a life
destined to die. It is also not free—we come into existence not
by choice but by necessity—and it remains limited, concerned
with one’s own, unable to embrace all.
For this reason, another kind of fatherhood is needed: spir-
itual fatherhood. This is not opposed to the biological, but
fulfilled in the Holy Spirit. “Where the Spirit of the Lord is,
there is liberty.” Spiritual fatherhood is therefore based on
freedom. It does not impose or coerce; it calls, and leaves the
other free to respond.
At the same time, the Holy Spirit is communion. Spiritual
fatherhood does not create isolated individuals, but incorpo-
rates us into the body of the Church. Holiness is not an indi-
vidual possession; it belongs to the communion of saints. The
spiritual father leads us into this communion, into the life of