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22PHILOSOPHICAL SCIENCES
THE CONCEPT OF HUMAN PERFECTION IN GREEK PHILOSOPHY AND HOLY BIBLE:
TERMINOLOGICAL REWIUE
Benedisyuk D.
Master of theology, a postgraduate student at the Kiev Theological Academy
ABSTRACT
This article provides a brief analysis of the origin and the meaning of the term "perfection" in Greek philosophy and Holy Bible, including the explanation of the Holy Fathers of Ecumenical Councils era (the time of formulation and fixation of the Orthodox Church's creed, that largely coincides with the era of Late Antiquity (III-VI centuries).
The concept of Christian perfection is revealed by the example of ideas about the human perfection - First Adam before the fall, the idea of perfection given to New Adam - Christ and its link with the idea of perfection which an orthodox man is encouraged to achieve. In conclusion, the results of a brief analysis of the concept "human perfection" in Greek philosophy and Holy Bible are summarized.
Keywords: Greek philosophy, Holy Bible, perfection, holiness, righteousness, New Adam, deification, virtues.
1. Origin and meaning of the term «perfection»
In the modern theological anthropological dictionary, you can find the following definition of the term "perfection" [19, p. 518]: Perfection (Greek. xeXeiov, also xeXeiraci^, TeXeioxn^; lat. perfectio) is the highest, ultimate degree and completeness of a quality possessed by someone, usually a positive and valuable quality. However, in the origin history of the term "perfection" there are various definitions.
Even in the age of Antiquity, the concept "perfection" was often used in the humanitarian and religious spheres (ethics, philosophy, theology, and anthropology). Since ancient times, philosophers have attempted to describe the perfect life of perfect people. The origins of philosophical ideas are found in ancient times, including the period of Hellenism philosophy.
The concept of Te^n (perfection), which was originally used in terms of technical development and proficiency, was connected with the emergence of the term of perfection in the Greek worldview [19, p. 518].
Later this concept was supplemented by the ideas of Orphics and Pythagoreans. They told about the soul ascent to perfection, through purification, through asceticism, through knowledge and wisdom. On the basis of these two philosophical concepts, more coherent philosophical systems appeared.
The main ones among them were Plato's and Aristotle's which influenced the development and the formation of the Christian understanding of perfection.
2. Terminology in the Holy Bible
In the Old Testament, perfection tamim (PS. 18,8) is a quality that the Law of God owns and following this law makes a man perfect (2Sam.22, 31).
People who perfectly fulfill God's commands given directly and mentioned in the Law, are called righteous ones tsedek, like God himself. So, for the Old Testament thinking, righteousness and perfection are interchangeable concepts.
This state of righteousness is clearly different from the Holiness - kadosh, which is inherent to God himself,
and which he gives to someone willingly. But perfection and righteousness are achieved by working hard.
Thus, for the Old Testament thinking, Holiness is an ontological characteristic of God, and perfection is the maximum matching of God's idea of a man and a real man. This matching can be achieved by a man due to his righteousness.
We find a new understanding of the concept "perfection" in the books of the New Testament. The noun "perfection" isn't mentioned there, and the adjective "perfect", occurs only a few times (see MT. 5: 48, 19: 21). The term "perfect joy" is found in the Synodal translation of the gospel of John (Jn. 15: 11). In the Gospel of perfection, Christ Preaches, himself urging: "Be perfect, therefore as your Heavenly Father is perfect" (Matt. 5: 48), and also in conversation with a rich young man, the Savior answered: "if you want to be perfect, go and sell your possessions and give it to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me" (Matt. 19: 21) and at the Last supper, Christ says: "I in them, and you in me - so that they may be brought to complete unity" (Jn. 17: 23).
There are also references to" perfection" in the Epistles of the Apostle Paul, where he referred to it much more often.
In the New Testament "perfection" and "perfect man" mean first of all, a new life, a new man (a new creature (2 Cor. 5: 17)), new heaven and new earth (2 Pet. 3: 13). This is due to the renewal that the incarnate God made, the renewal in Christ.
The Apostolic Epistles speak about perfection in its literal sense: "And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness" (Col. 3: 14). But only if we understand "love" as a Divine principle, one of the names of God (1 Jn. 4:8) and relate it to the words of the Saviour: "I in them, and you in me - so that they may be brought to complete unity" (Jn. 17: 23), it is possible to consider perfection as the unity of a man who is reaching the perfection and a man who God is making perfect [18, p. 45].
In the New Testament texts, perfection is used in the sense of a process that has not been finished yet, as
an aspiration, an object of search, etc., and also as a form of spiritual orientation. At the same time, the perfection of a Christian isn't in regarding himself as someone who has reached perfection, because the real goal of a Christian is to live in heaven, when his human body is transformed like the Body of Christ. This is the Christian perfection, the perfection in Jesus Christ [18, p. 45].
There is some remarking of the Old Testament idea of perfection into the new Testament idea-the appearance of the Christ centricity or perfection in Christ.
If the Old Testament man was sure that perfection was achieved by following the Law, the New Testament says by the words of Apostle Paul: "a man is not justified by the works of the Law, but through faith in Jesus Christ" (Gal. 2, 16).
The unity with Christ (Phil. 3.13-21) assumes such a perfect image of a human life that it is absolutely unattainable using only human efforts. It's impossible without transformation, without the God' help. But here Apostle Paul introduces another concept of perfection. He says that there are people who possess it, but having the true poverty of their spirit they don't boast. They try to overcome their imperfection in every possible way. Here we can use the term "perfection of a goal".
It is this concept of perfection that tends to be realized in ascetic practice. Such great ascetics as St Mac-arius of Egypt meant "the perfection of Union" with Christ, whereas St Maxim the Confessor meant another aspect — "perfection of aspiration" of the soul to the Creator [19, p. 523]. In our time, the anthropology and Hesychasm often use this meaning of perfection, while in philosophy and theology it is not relevant.
3. The return of man's perfection in Christ — New Adam
Adam's nature was imbued with some divine grace from the very moment of creation. The grace of God by its action opened the prospect of deification for a primordial man. However, the perfection of Adam included only his opportunity to ascend towards the deification, and not to achieve the deification itself.
The primordial nature could assimilate evil by its free will, through empirical study of evil and Adam could lose God's grace. The will of primordial Adam kept the potential of striving for evil. It shows the imperfection of aspirations or the relative, limited perfection of primordial Adam.
The result of the ancestral sin was the loss of primordial perfection: the deprivation of Divine virtues, the distortion of God image in a man, the damage of his human nature, his will, his feelings, the darkening of his mind and his heart, destruction, mortality, the loss of the ability to deify, the ability of ascending to perfection.
The ascent to perfection would not be possible for people and the sin would multiply from generation to generation, if the incarnation of the Savior- New Adam didn't take place. The Savior accepted the damaged nature of man in its entirety, became the ancestor of the humanity renewed by his atoning sacrifice and opened the way to the new, better perfection for everyone.
The incarnation and crucifixion of the Savior was
required for restoring the God image in a man, for the deification of the human nature and for the full transformation of the whole world.
There is a comparison of Ancient Adam and Christ - New Adam in the Scriptures. Also in the patristic literature, after St. Paul, Jesus Christ was called New Adam, for emphasizing His redemptive feat as the full restoration and full renovation. The level of this new perfection is incomparably higher than the level of Ancient Adam's perfection.
The Holy Fathers often revealed the idea that Lord Jesus Christ, from the moment of God's incarnation hadnt simply restored the lost perfection, but had got some perfection of higher lever which had been unattainable for Ancient Adam. There was a deification in Christ completely perceived with the damaged human nature.
We can find rather extensive arguments about it in the works of St John of Damascus: came in and raised the insignificance of our nature to the infinite height of His incomprehensible deity [5, pp. 261-299].
The researcher S. M. Zarin sums up these patristic thoughts rather well: a renewed deification was carried out in Christ, in which the human nature didnt only receive some primordial purity, but also reached "a higher ontological status, because as a result of the Incarnation, a man got the possibility to be united with God not only by his soul, but also by his body" [14, pp. 35-36].
St Maxim the Confessor also testified that Christ had returned to a man his opportunity to fulfill his des-tiny-to unite with God, to achieve the deification, the perfection. Lord had become human for the man's deification [14, pp. 35-36].
At the same time, many Holy Fathers (for example St John Cassian the Roman) explained that the God-man Jesus Christ was also incarnated as an example of all the virtues, in order to manifest the ideal perfection in the virtues. All the virtues were fulfilled in Him in the highest perfect, unattainable degree [7, p. 372].
According to the evidence of St John the Ladderer, Lord Jesus Christ was baptized at the age of 30 and received the 30th, highest degree of spiritual ladder, perfection [8, p. 144]. And "all Saints are lower than perfect Christ" [12, p. 79] — added Saint Nile of Sinai. Fr Georg Florovsky also adds: The meaning of human existence is revealed and realized in the embodiment of the Word. Christ, God-man is the measure and the highest limit of human life [17, p.181].
The goal of spiritual and moral improvement of every Christian is to display the image of Lord Jesus in himself, to imitate Him in all the virtues [1, p. 249-250]. Here we are not talking about a simple external imitation, but about the fact that believers in Christ, performing their feat, acquire His righteousness, become in some way similar to Christ (St Barsanuphius of Palestine called himself "brother of Jesus" [2, p. 123]). This is the real Christ centricity that is in the assimilation of Christ, in the assimilation of his righteousness.
The human will in Christ is completely subordinated to the divine will of God Father, and the human soul and body are completely subordinated to the spirit [4, p. 7]. The spirit was under the incessant guidance of
Lord united with man. From the moment of the conception of the Blessed Virgin, the human nature of Christ became deified, became united with God [ 5, p. 261299].
All parts of the human nature of Christ, Perfect God and Man united in one Person were deified. Therefore, the perfection of Christ's human nature was incomparably, infinitely higher than the original perfection of Adam's nature before the original sin [ 5, p. 261299].
Conclusion
The perfection of the original Adam before original sin was limited, relative. It included only the possibility of ascending to deification, and not the attainment of deification itself. Adam did not fulfill his purpose because of the free deviation to evil, lost the grace of God, lost the primordial perfection and the ability to deify.
In order to save men, restore the God image in them and renew it, Lord Jesus Christ perceived the whole damaged human nature during the incarnation of God, and became a Perfect Man.
A new perspective of perfection has been found in Christ, New Adam, but it was not previously visible to Ancient Adam. The new perfection revealed in Christ was different from the perfection of the original man.
After reaching the deification, this best perfection renewed by Christ, a person can never fall away from God, cannot sin or turn to evil, and will never be subject to disease, suffering, destruction, death.
With Christ the human nature didn't get only some primordial purity, but also an incomparably higher on-tological status due to the possibility of a man to be united with God, not only by his soul, but also by his body.
Christ, as the New Adam, had an inconceivable and unattainable degree of perfection in all the virtues. From the very conception of the Blessed Virgin, the human nature in Christ became united with God, as a result he could deify. Therefore, the perfection of human nature of Jesus Christ is incomparable, infinitely superior to the original perfection of Adam's nature before the original sin.
With the arrival of the absolutely perfect Jesus Christ, the spiritual and moral ideal of perfection acquires a new aspect Jesus Christ centricity, which presents the ideal of perfection in an entirely new way.
The one who aspires to perfection does not simply imitate Jesus Christ in his external side, i.e., by deeds, but through a feat acquires his righteousness, becomes like him units with God in this way. This is what Jesus Christ centricity is all about: assimilation, union with
God, affinity with Jesus Christ, and assimilation of his righteousness (Col. 1. 28).
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