The One and The Many: Studies on God, Man, the Church, and the World Today

By: John D. Zizioulas, Metropolitan of Pergamon
Editor: Gregory Edwards

The One and the Many is a profound exploration of the relationship between unity and diversity in Christian theology, focusing on the interplay between Trinitarian theology, ecclesiology, and the challenges of modern ecumenical dialogue. The book features a Foreword by Right Rev. Athanasius Yevtich and an Introduction by Rev. Msgr. Paul McPartlan, highlighting its significance in contemporary theological discourse.

1. Trinitarian Theology. The first part examines the doctrine of the Trinity, addressing how God's being relates to the world and the human person. Zizioulas discusses the ontological and personal dimensions of the Trinity, critiquing modern "personalism" while emphasizing the eschatological and Christological basis of salvation.

2. Ecclesiology: The second section explores the Church as koinonia (communion), its liturgical and sacramental life, and its conciliar structures. It delves into the role of bishops, ordination, and synodality, emphasizing the interplay between local and universal expressions of the Church’s life.

3. Ecumenical Movement: The final section reflects on the Orthodox Church’s role in ecumenism, addressing key issues like primacy, proselytism, and the unity of the Church amidst diversity. Zizioulas discusses the importance of theological education and the challenges facing Orthodoxy in the third millennium.

This seminal work offers a rich theological foundation for understanding the Church’s identity, unity, and mission in the modern world, making it an essential read for anyone engaging with Orthodox thought or ecumenical dialogue.

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Language : English
Number of pages: 444
ISBN: 978-0-9719505-4-2
Published: 2010
Softcover

John D. Zizioulas (1931–2023), a renowned modern theologian and former Metropolitan of Pergamon in the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, is known for his significant contributions to Christian theology. He earned his doctorate in theology from the University of Athens and held academic positions at various universities. He was a professor of Systematic Theology at the Universities of Edinburgh, Glasgow, and Thessaloniki and a visiting Professor at King’s College in London. Metropolitan John became a regular member of the Academy of Athens in 1993 and its president in 2002–2003. His extensive ecumenical involvement and scholarly work resulted in several influential publications, solidifying his reputation as a leading Orthodox theologian of our time. He is generally recognized as the most brilliant and creative theologian in the Church, dealing with the most contemporary issues facing humanity today. Аt the culmination of his theological journey, John Zizioulas, has bestowed upon the academic world his magnum opus, a work that surpasses all his previous endeavors in depth, insight, and scholarly rigor. The insights presented in his celebrated Being as Communion and Communion and Otherness provided the groundwork for the extensive exploration undertaken in this seminal piece that will likely be dissected and referenced even more extensively than the author’s prior contributions. This Zizioulas’ work presents a holistic Christian “theory of everything,” as he underscores how eschatological ontology deeply influences the entirety of Christian doctrine. Metropolitan Zizioulas acknowledged the profound challenge of articulating the influence of the future on the present. In 1999, he remarked, “I realize that this concept is most difficult to grasp and to experience,” attributing this difficulty to the fact that “we still live in a fallen world in which protological ontology is the dominant form of rationality.” The future of things in this perspective is defined by its origins and the “given” or the “factum.”