The Meaning of the Earth

1. Entity type Lemma
2. Original titleСмысл Земли
3. Language term Russian
4. lemma author Saprykin, Dmitry
5. lemma category Orthodox theological tradition and practice > Status of theology
6. Publication date 2005
7. lemma work Клеман Оливье [Author]. The Meaning of the Earth
8. lemma manifestations Смысл Земли : The meaning of the Earth
9. Keywords Orthodox cosmology - Orthodox theology of matter
10. Citations
    1. https://azbyka.ru/otechnik/Olive_Kleman/smysl-zemli/
11. Lemma body

    1. Olivier Clement is one of the largest contemporary Orthodox theologians, historian, philosopher, professor of the St. Sergius Orthodox Institute in Paris, a trustee of the BBI.

       Clement, inspired by biblical images, patristic theology, Russian religious philosophy and modern philosophical computations, endeavors to build the Orthodox theology of matter in the book "The Meaning of the Earth". The author consistently analyzes the mystery of the created being (emphasizing his "density", reality, weightiness, but also "transparency" for God), the cosmic dimension of the Incarnation (taking upon Himself the flesh of the world) and the problems of technology. "Orthodox cosmology is geocentric - for the simple reason that it is Christocentric. The union of the uncreated and created, meta-cosmic "heaven" and pancosmic "earth" occurs in Christ on our earth, and therefore the earth is in the center - not physically, but spiritually. In the holy flesh of Christ, which embraces the entire sensible creature, the two infinities (or rather the uncertainties) of Pascal are filled with the glory of God the only infinite", the author states.

       From the 8th chapter of the Epistle to the Romans to patristic, and from patristic to the most important aspects of contemporary Russian religious philosophy, through Palamism and Philokalia, the great Orthodox tradition insists that there is a Christian cosmology and that it is one of the knowledge that we have received in faith, says Clement . "Cosmology is the "gnosis" which is given to us in Christ by the Holy Spirit in the Church mysteries and which requires us to get purified through austerity and to appeal to mystical realism. The mystery of the Word incarnation contains ... the whole meaning of the creatures, perceived by the senses and intelligible. One who knows the mystery of the Cross and the Sepulcher knows the meaning (λόγος) of things; one being dedicated to the hidden meaning of the Resurrection knows the purpose for which, from the very beginning, God created everything."