Page 49 - Orthodoxy Zizioulas

T H E R E L E VA N C E O F D O G M A
torical curiosity—like knowledge of what ancient peoples
once believed or practiced. But theology, if it is truly theo-
logical, must concern life and death. It must speak to exis-
tence.
This is why hermeneutics—the interpretation of tradi-
tion—is not optional. It is essential. It is the means by which
the living voice of the Fathers continues to be heard, not as an
echo of the past, but as a word addressed to the present.
At the same time, this task demands discernment. We must
not say what the Fathers did not say, nor introduce meanings
contrary to their spirit. The Fathers themselves offer the mod-
el: Saint Maximus interpreting Gregory the Theologian, Saint
Gregory Palamas interpreting Dionysius the Areopagite. Tra-
dition lives precisely through such faithful and creative recep-
tion.
Thus, dogma is not an obstacle to life, but its safeguard. It
ensures that the experience of the Church remains true—true
to the Gospel, true to the life revealed in Christ, and true to
the communion into which we have been called.
If dogma is the interpretation of the Gospel within the life
of the Church, then we must ask: what is the relationship be-
tween this living tradition and the Scriptures themselves?
How does authority function within the Church, and how are
truth and life held together in the transmission of faith?
49