In recent decades, the Catholic Church has undergone “a profound recovery of the theology of deification, also known as divinization,” that is having ecumenical repercussions, reports the National Catholic Register (July 16). Jonathan Liedl writes that this “ancient approach to the Christian life emphasizes that salvation isn’t merely about being freed from sin, but is more fundamentally about being united to God and sharing in his divine life.” Although never lost, teachings on deification, which is also called theosis, have been sidelined by more juridical approaches to salvation emphasizing concepts like expiation of guilt and deliverance from punishment. Theosis began its Catholic comeback in the 20th century, largely through a renewed interest in Patristic theology that was deepened by post-Vatican II ecumenical dialogue with Orthodox Christians. “Books on the topic, both academic and devotional, have surged since the mid-1990s, after St. John Paul II’s Catechism featured deification prominently. And at Catholic universities and seminaries today, theosis is all the rage, with one professor telling the Register he has a veritable ‘feeding frenzy on my hands,’” Liedl writes.
Paul Gavrilyuk, an Orthodox theologian teaching at the Catholic University of St. Thomas, says that as juridical language becomes secondary, the therapeutic or healing language of theosis comes to the fore. A big milestone in the revival of deification theology occurred last year, with the publication of an Oxford University handbook on the topic. Deification theology’s greatest potential impact may be in serving as common ground in ecumenical and church unity efforts between Catholics and Orthodox, which are said to be a priority of Pope Leo XIV. During a papal audience, Gavrilyuk took the opportunity to present the pope with a copy of The Oxford Handbook of Deification and to share with him plans for a next step in Catholic-Orthodox collaboration: a joint declaration on deification. The pontiff indicated his approval.
But Liedl adds that the likely impact of the deification revival will touch on “every aspect of the Christian life—from how Catholics pray and participate in the liturgy to how the church contends with emerging threats posed to human dignity.” Proponents say that deification shows them that Catholicism is not ultimately about rules and “being good,” but about participating in the Trinitarian life. Such beliefs are thought to enhance prayer life and participation in the sacraments. The renewed concern with deification is also seen as challenging “a slate of contemporary practices, from attributing divine-like characteristics to AI to attempting to use cryogenics to preserve one’s genetic code indefinitely,” that run aground of Catholic teachings, Liedl adds.
(National Catholic Register, https://www.ncregister.com/news/theology-of-deification-east-west-pope-leo-xiv)
