Page 342 - Orthodoxy Zizioulas

O r t h o d o x y
Evagrianism regarded the ultimate Christian goal as liberation
from matter, the main stream of Eastern theology—including
Gregory Palamas and the hesychast tradition—affirmed the
enduring importance of the body and material creation in
communion with God. Matter is not a prison from which
humanity must escape; it is the very field in which salvation is
worked out.
Modern Western thought, however, increasingly separated
the human being from nature, leading to what has rightly been
called the “alienation of nature.” In reaction, some theologians
have argued for the “naturalization” of the human being,
insisting that humanity must rediscover itself as product of
nature. There is truth in this: human beings do not merely
have bodies—they are bodies. Yet such a view remains
incomplete if it underestimates the decisive role humanity
plays in the fulfillment of creation’s eschatological destiny.
For this reason we must distinguish between
anthropocentrism and anthropomonism. Anthropomonism,
which places humanity alone at the center and excludes all
else, is indeed destructive and unacceptable. But the biblical
and patristic doctrine of creation is not anthropomonistic. It
grants humanity a crucial role precisely because the destiny of
creation is inseparably tied to the destiny of the human person.
As Saint Paul says in Romans, creation was made subject to
vanity and groans together with us, awaiting the revelation of
the children of God. Creation’s liberation from corruption is
bound to the glorification of humanity.
The Greek Fathers express this boldly. Creation does not
praise the Creator directly and by itself; it does so through the
human being. “Through me the heavens declare the glory of
God; through me the moon worships Him; through me the
stars glorify Him.” Humanity is the mediator of creation, the
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