Christianity and religion

1. Entity type Lemma
2. Original titleΧριστιανισμός και επιστήμη
3. Language term Greek, Modern (1453-)
4. lemma author Delli, Eudoxie
5. lemma category Scientific theories and disciplines > Modern physics :QM - Orthodox theological tradition and practice > Patristic studies
6. Publication date 14-12-2016
7. lemma work Δεληδήμος, Ειρηναίος [Interviewee]. Christianity and religion
8. lemma manifestations Χριστιανισμός και επιστήμη
9. Keywords relativity theory - Inflationary theory - ex nihilo creation - universe - Darwinism - Einstein, Albert - Friedmann, Alexander - Le Maître, George - St Gregory of Nyssa - Maximus the Confessor - St. John of Damascus - Monod, Jacques - Dobzhansky, Theodosius - Big Bang - Biology
10. Citations
    1. <p>Delidimos. Eir.  (2014, February 10). Christianity and religion [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRty20XRZu0</p>
11. Lemma body

    1. From the beginning of the interview, Fr E. Delidimos insists on the fact that in contrast to the Greek Fathers of the Church, Modern Orthodox is rarely interested in modern sciences and physics. As he points out, by referring to Maximus the Confessor and Saint John of Damaskos’s texts, the Creation (natural laws) and the Holy Scriptures (written laws) were considered by the Greek Fathers as the main paths leading to the knowledge of God and of truth. The interviewee sees the contemporary lack of interest in natural sciences as a distortion of the Orthodox thought and tradition, which manifests an arrogant and fruitless introversion of Orthodoxy, requiring for itself the exclusiveness of the truth. He also argues that Christianity is not a religion in the sense of a set of ritualistic and canonical norms to be followed but an ongoing Revelation in history aiming to bring Man and God closer in the perspective of the salvation of the whole. In this venture, science and Christianity can cooperate in the understanding of world and life, bringing to light the greatness of the Creator through the intelligibility of the Creation.

       Fr. Delidimos, having an exceptional mastery of the history of modern physics, based on the relevant bibliography and associated to an open-minded approach of modern sciences, gives a fascinating panorama of theories, topics, debates and scientists involved, from the beginning of the 20th century, concerning the origin and the nature of the Universe, as well as the phenomenon of life and evolution.

       He indicates the convergences of modern sciences and Christian thought in understanding Universe and highlights the value of mathematics in the approach of the phenomenon of life. Based on the patristic thought, according to which the created beings are also subject to change, he considers Darwin’s theory of evolution as compatible with Christian faith. At the same time, he insists on the difference between Darwin’s theory of evolution, conceived as a precious but limited attempt to decipher the process of evolution and the explanation of the entire phenomenon of evolution whose complexity still nourishes the contemporary research in biology and genetics.

       During his presentation, Fr. Delidimos also mentions that scientists were also Christian believers, as examples of the possible and creative union of modern science and Christian faith in human person, rejecting the prejudices of modern Orthodoxy against sciences.