Dumitru Staniloae (1903-1993) Priest, professor and Christian Orthodox theologian, Dumitru Staniloae was the rector of the Theological Academy in Sibiu and then professor at the Bucharest Theological Institute. His masterpiece, The Dogmatic Orthodox Theology (1978) makes him one of the most reputed Christian Theologians of the second half of the 20th century. He was a member of the Romanian Academy , Doctor Honoris Causa of the University of Athens , member of the Belgrade University and of the Saint Serge Theological Institute in Paris . He produced immensely valuable comments on the works of the Fathers of the Church, such as Gregory of Nyssa, Maxim the Confessor, or Athanasiu the Great.

Romanian theologian Dumitru Staniloae was a hero more of ideas than of actions. However, like most heroes in Romania, he was not without his trials. Like many others, Staniloae was imprisoned by the Communist regime. But even after spending years in a concentration camp, it was said of him, "He is a man who restores one’s confidence in life."

Far from being “mystical” and irrelevant to critical social issues, Staniloae’s theology is profoundly humanistic, as is much of the Eastern tradition1. Staniloae argued that “the glory to which man is called is that he should grow more godlike by growing ever more human,” echoing saint Irenaeus who centuries earlier wrote, "Gloria Dei vivens homo", the glory of God is man fully alive (Adv. Haer. IV, 20, 7). To find your true self, to experience “humanization,” is the task of theosis, or spiritual growth and fullness of life. Staniloae’s theology thus lays a spiritual foundation for human development and a powerful motivational framework for growth.

But what are the aims of this growth? For Staniloae this “glory” is inextricably linked to what social scientists today call social capital development, to a fullness of communion (Greek koinonia/Russiansobornost) and the development of authentic human relations. Community is the zone of mutual concern and interpersonal trust. When the radius of this trust and concern is extended even to outsiders and strangers, then a community is moving towards “getting the social relations right” (social capital scholar Michael Woolcock’s phrase)—treating everyone with respect and dignity regardless of race, color, or gender. In theological jargon, social capital might well be called “Samaritan capital”, as illustrated by the parable of the Good Samaritan and the outworking of this ethic in human relations.

In many theologies, religion tends to function as an impersonal ideology, filtering away valuable experience and thus impoverishing both personal and interpersonal development. Staniloae demonstrates that this need not be the case. He councils us to not blindly follow doctrine but to test out beliefs in terms of their effect in promoting better human relations. “Love for God,” he explains, “or more strictly, thought taken for God, represents a continuous contribution toward more and more authentic relations among humans.” In fact, he believes that the “communion among [people] is a constitutive part of their own perfection and of their progress towards that perfection.” Staniloea’s theology is primarily one of social experience – it is enlightened and shaped by experience and, at the same time, a tool for enlightening and enriching that experience. A positive feedback loop for social intelligence is initiated.

But despite his emphasis on relationship and community, Staniloae utterly rejects the Communist ideal in which the person loses his individuality in the mass. Personal identity, creativity, and capacity development are key elements in developing the glory that is the calling of man. Staniloae argues for a type of solidarity that does not demand the eradication or subordination of individuality, rather calling it forth to develop its full potential in order to serve the common good. It is what we call (inter)personal development—becoming the best version of yourself you can be, then using it to creatively serve others.

Staniloae also sees a healthy role for creative work in spiritual growth. “Humans,” he writes, “must work and think in solidarity with regard to the transformation of the gifts of nature. Thus it is through the mediation of nature that solidarity is created among humans, and work, guided by thought, is a principle virtue creative of communion among humans.” His view of work promotes personal development and acknowledges the importance of productivity, as long as that productivity is conditioned by social and environmental concerns. Indeed, Staniloae sees work as an instrument of community, not intrinsically alienating to relationships.

However, work, like all gifts of nature, “appears in a wholly clear fashion as the medium through which the human being can do good or evil to his fellows.” He argues for a “new asceticism” that will be world affirming, not denying, an asceticism that is never an end in itself but rather maintains its aim of freeing a life for creative compassion.

Staniloae’s vision of spiritual development is devalued in the world today. Scholars and theologians have little considered the possibility that the Kingdom of God may in fact not be only without, or within (the two accepted contenders for the Greek preposition “entos humwn” usually translated within or among) but between2…in the nature and quality of social relations that exist between two or more individuals.

Scholars are increasingly realizing the deep linkages between issues of social equality, environmental integrity, and economic poverty. As economist Amartya Sen points out time and time again, development strategies cannot neglect the formation of social values. And these values are not primarily the result of economic development strategies, but one of the principle means.

Staniloae’s theology provides a powerful motivating framework for development, particularly in predominately Orthodox cultures. Staniloae reminds us that community development is ultimately about developing communion among all members of the human race. His theological vision is a stirring call to what in Hebrew is called “tikkum olam”—the spiritual duty to mend a broken world. a world whose break is at the seam of relationships.

--------------------------------

1 Much of Western Christianity dismisses social concerns as “humanistic.” For Staniloae and much of Eastern Orthodoxy, there is no tension between humanism and theology—the social realm is precisely the realm where salvation is worked out.

2 This interpretation is not Staniloae’s, but the author’s. DMB

Quotes taken from Dumitru Staniloae, The Experience of God, vol’s I & II. Holy Cross Orthodox Press