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58 58:1-4
2013
same anguished cryand still, few are those who have ears
to hear the response of Jesus of Nazareth, their brother and
friend: 1 have come from my Father ... and 1 am returning
to my Father (John 16:28).
Fosing this question is enough to make us realize that it
takes us beyond the limits of this world. By meditating on it
and going deeper, we are faced with the enigma of the origin
ofthe world and of mankind, the final end ofthe evolution of
the cosmos, the meaning ofhuman history, each ofour fates,
and the final orientation ofthe humanization of our planet,
taking place before our eyes through the concerted efforts of
all mankind.
The world cannot be explained with itself as the reference
point. Its meaning and its supreme goal are hidden in the
history of mankind, not in the evolution ofthe cosmos. The
positivist idea of historical progress^riented toward some
ambiguous brighter tomorrowis nothing but a deformed
transposition ofthe conscious and creative hristian aspira-
tion for the final end ofthe world: the kingdom of God. We
should also not forget that the whole natural world (natura
naturans') has received at its creation its task, its dynamic
teleological energy, its ontological seeds (the logoi sperma-
tikoi2ofthe Stoics), which is what St. John speaks about in
the prologue to his Gospel when he says, All things were
made through him, and without him nothing was made that
was made. Thus, this same intuition that has taught man
that the world is alive, that it is in a perpetual state of be-
coming, that it evolves-since my Father is working right
until the present (John 5:17)this intuition is right, but that
does not mean that evolutionary theories, which express this
intuition, are correct and sufficient. In universe, which
undoubtedly has a soul, man alone possesses freedom and
spirit. The spirit of man is the meeting point of two worlds,
the divine world and the human world. Mankind seeks in
vain to explainoutside Christ-the enigmas ofthe world.
Turincev: An Approach to Orthodox Eschatology 59
and who love to recite, There are many called, but tow are
chosen, let them reflect on whether it would not he appro-
priate to distinguish between chosen and saved: the cho-
sen being those who, through toe unifying call of the Holy
Spirit, and of their own free will, consciously undertake to
work for toe salvation of the world.
And y e t-a n d this is very im portant-ifour vocation and
our duty as toe people God is to witness to the world
faith and our hope, we must never forget that faith is a vision
of the invisible, something that does not exist in the eyes
toe world. Faith is what makes present the things we hope
for; it is toe evidence of realities we do not see (according to
toe inspired definition of St. Faul). Therefore, we cannot
we must not-preach and propose to toe world our ontolog-
ical ideal by placing it at toe same level as all other human
ideals, alongside other objectives to be attained. ideal,
which has its origin in history, brings the world out beyond
toe limits of history. ideal-that of toe New City-is
placed above all other ideals invented by fleshly reason;
it is on toe boundary of two worlds, two eons. We cannot,
without betraying faith, witness to the mirabilia del' by
adapting and reducing them to toe level toe concepts
toe average man. Also, it would be futile to continually offer
toe same milk as food to contemporary man, who is now
an adult. His soul, which has passed through the depths
doubt and temptation, has grown, has become more com-
plex, more refined. The apologetics scribes all sorts
appear too naive to toe new consciousness. It is impossible
to impress him or to attract him to toe Church by our timid
attempts at renovation and by supercially optimistic per-
spectives. Master never promised us toe golden age
happiness on this earth. He teaches that man and the world
must carry toe cross, and he himself will remain crucified
along wito all those who suffer until toe end of the world.
One of the causes not toe main oneof the crisis in
Turincev: AnApproach to Orthodox Eschatology 63
and his desire for foe kingdom eoming in glory, by his efforts
to become a house of God in foe spirit, the Christian can and
must hasten foe advent of the Day of God (2 Pet. 3:12).
Today more than ever, fois eschatological tension cannot
remain a passive and futurist waiting (for which we are
often criticized). We Christians must participate, each in
his own place, in his state, to use St. Pauls expression, in
foe combined efforts of humanity to build a better world,
let us say more hum bly-a world habitable for all. We
must understand participation in foe sense explained by
foe great nglish theologian C. H. Dodd, in foe sense of
The Divine Milieu of Teilhard de Chardin, before him,
foe active eschatology of s. Bulgakov and N. Berdyaev. We
do not preach an exit from foe world but of Christian ac-
tion in the world, ft is not a case of social Christianity,
norworse y e t- a theocracy, but the building up of the
Body of Christ transfiguring all life. And foe summit of
fois actionmust we be rem inded-an only be foe cross. A
creative religious culture is possible and necessary, but not
as an ^ apart, objectified in parallel wifo foe world.
Whatever a Christian does in foe world, he does in God, in
Christ. De no longer brings death to beings and things but
rather foe life-giving Spirit-and fois is authentic religious
culture. The multitude of Christians who have shone wifo
foe light of the resurrection in foe world and therefore have
illumined foe world from the inside have contributed-and
are contributn g -to its building up, edification.9 This
is foe edification often spoken of by St. Seraphim of Sarov
when he says, Acquire foe Holy Spiritand thus peace and
inner light-and thousands will begin to live and be saved
around you. This is foe edification also spoken of by
Elder Zosima in The Brothers Karamazov. If you were to
shine with light, your light would show others foe way ...
even if your light is shining and yet it seems that people are
not being saved, remain firm and do not doubt foe power of
68 GOTR 58:1-4 2013
The advent ofthe life of the world to eome implies the end
of the one in which we livethat is, the end of the world
But our world, which God its Creator has called into exist-
ence, is, for this very reason, indestruetible; for there is no
greater power than the one that created it. What is passing
away is the [present] form ofthe world' ( Cor. 7:3 ).
It is precisely in this sense that we must understand the
end ofthe world. The final catastrophe of the universe does
not entail a new creation from zero, from nothing, but it is
a renewal of the world that has been created once and for
all. The continuity between the old earth and the new earth
is not interrupted, but there is a passage, a transcensus.'" a
leap from one mode of existence to another. The parousia.
second coming of Christ, is not part of the sequence of
historical events but is an event that completely changes the
state ofthe world and is beyond history. It is a metaphysical
^en o ran o n -m etaco sm ic-th at modifies the nature of the
universe. The change that will happen will not be the result
of a combination explosion of exclusively natural cosmic
forces. It requires the intervention-the bursting fo rth -o f
supernatural, divine power. The Father sends the Son. who
comes in foe glory ofthe Holy Spirit. The fire, which is the
action ofthe Holy Spirit, renews, glorifies, and deifies all
creation. That is why it is wrong to speak of a real possi-
bility of provoking foe end ofthe world by the power of an
atomic explosion, by a material disintegration. The action of
foe Holy Spirit cannot be forced: we cannot cause theparou-
sia. A global atomic catastrophe that would cause the total
disintegration of our planet (but not foe cosmos ...) would
only be foe suicide ofthe world, or a planetary assassination.
Our universe is not only foe place in space of the advent of
Turincev: An Approach to Orthodox Eschatology 69
Must not each of us plead with the Lord in the same way:
May all my brothers be saved along with me! otherwise,
may 1also be damned along with them! Does not our Lord also
wait for us to pray sueh a prayer? And would not this prayer
also be the solution to the problem of hell and damnation?
H H
N otes
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