The Sight of God in the Theology of Saint Symeon the New Theologian [12]

Here, parts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11.

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Triadology

2. 2. The Most Holy Trinity in the Personal Spiritual Experience

The symeonian triadology has two major characteristics: is apologetic, then when responding of public and personal contestations and doxology, personalistic, when not made for the large public, but is integrated into the personal prayers.

But the combative dimension of symeonian triadology has nothing to do with the malicious and the impersonalism of a modern dogmatic treatise, but combines the living piety, total and, especially, attentive, with the fidelity towards the faith of the Church’s Saints, towards Tradition.

In this section, we begin the presentation of teaching about the Most Holy Trinity at Saint Symeon, beginning with its public dimension, combative, for to conclude with the personalistic, interior, as a manifestation of his love towards God.

2. 2. 1. The Apologetic Dimension

The three Theological Discourses are the apologetic emblem of the symeonian theology. The theological concision unites here with the simple majesty, delicate of the mode to do the spiritual theology.

Therefore, Symeon does not begin the first of his theological discourse with a revolutionary impulse to a theology made ​​by any tyro, but with the indication of the fact that the understanding of God has nothing to do with a soul auvqadou/j (stubborn) and full of tolmhra/n (audacity)[1].

He is sharp, trenchant, and justly, to those who innovate without a traditional base or that repertoires of traditional writings for showing off in front of ignorants[2].

Therefore, we believe that a knowledge of the issues of the symeonian triadology means a precise understanding of the theology of glory.

Only if we believe in the trinitarian God about that speaks to us Scripture and the Fathers of the Church we can experience the sight of God. The triadological stake is capital for understanding the spiritual life, the sight of God and the personal salvation.

The trinitarian problem of the first discourse is to demonstrate the fact that the Father is not greater than the Son[3].

Because only mustagwgou,menoi (initiates into those hidden, sacred) know the ones that are said by the Ghost[4], Symeon affirms the fact that the trinitarian persons being eternal united (avei. h`nwme,na) and eternal alike (avei. w`sau,twj) it can not exist between them the anteriority and posteriority relations[5], and, in definitive, nor any degree of excellence of any person before another.

If they renounce at the idea of the degree of excellence of the Father towards the Son, says Symeon, he can talk about the Father as the cause (ai;tion) of the Trinity[6].

The preexistence (prou?pa,rxan) of the Father towards the Son is radically contested by Symeon[7].

The Son is co-eternal (sunai?di,on) and togetherwithoutbeginning  (sunana,rcon) with the Father[8]. The Father is into the Son and the Son is into the Father in entirely, because Both are the onehonor (o`moti,mon) and the one-being (o`moousi,on)[9].

But, stresses our Father, Symeon, the Father is the cause of Son in regarding His incarnation, and the idea of the gradual, consecutive apparition of the trinitarian persons has no relation with the Most Holy Trinity[10].

The idea of cause (ai;tion) in Trinity is not rejected definitively by Symeon, but only purged of the idea of the primacy and of the consecution.

The ineffable and divine birth of the Logos from the Father may be orthodox formulated in sentence: the cause of the Son is the Father[11].

But the fact that the Father is cause of the Son does not mean that the Father is prw/ton (first)[12].

If we introduce the primacy of the Father in the Trinity and the consecution of the persons of the Trinity, we are only falling into polytheism, because we divide the Deity into three gods[13].

If the Father is prw/ton, continues Saint Symeon, then we have as deu,teron the Son and as tri,ton the Holy Ghost[14]. The affirmation which he examines (that „the Father is greater than the Son”) it discloses in I, 101 that a dogmatization covered of the tritheism (triqei/van)[15].

Commenting on John. 1, 1, Symeon draws our attention that the Logos was not known as the Son than in the frame of the incarnation and that God was not known as Father until He has revealed to us as His incarnate Son[16].

Triadology is a post-incarnational revelation made ​​in the space of the dispensation of salvation[17]. That’s all what we know about Trinity we have learned from the Son, Who becames man.


[1] SC 122, The Theogical Discourses, I, 3-4, p. 96 / Ică jr. 1, p. 75. The admonestations of Saint Symeon are not gratuitous, but are part of the arsenal of discreditation of those who are improper for theology. They specificate the deficiencies of the false theologians and they are never personal attacks.

To see in this sense Idem, The Theological Discourses, I, 172-173, p. 108; I, 273-282, p. 116; I, 332-337, p. 120; I, 403-404, p. 126.

[2] Idem, The Theological Discourses, I, 4-10, p. 96 / Ibidem.

[3] Idem, The Theological Discourses, I, 10, p. 98 / Idem, p. 76.

[4] Idem, The Theological Discourses, I, 24-25, p. 98 / Ibidem.

[5] Idem, The Theological Discourses, I, 31-32, p. 98 / Ibidem.

[6] Idem, The Theological Discourses, I, 43-45, p.100 / Idem, p. 76-77.

[7] Idem, The Theological Discourses, I, 49-50, p. 100 / Idem, p. 77.

[8] Idem, The Theological Discourses, I, 52-53, p. 100 / Ibidem.

[9] Idem, The Theological Discourses, I, 54-56, p. 100 / Ibidem.

[10] Idem, The Theological Discourses, I, 64-70, p. 100-102 / Ibidem.

[11] Idem, The Theological Discourses, I, 72-74, p. 102 / Ibidem.

[12] Idem, The Theological Discourses, I, 75, p. 102 / Ibidem.

[13] Idem, The Theological Discourses, I, 75-77, p. 102 / Ibidem.

[14] Idem, The Theological Discourses, I, 96-97, p. 104 / Idem, p. 78.

[15] Idem, The Theological Discourses, I, 100-101, p. 104 / Idem, p. 79.

[16] Idem, The Theological Discourses, I, 104-106, p. 104 / Ibidem.

[17] Idem, The Theological Discourses, I, 106-119, p. 104-106 / Ibidem.

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