Man, the Target of God
‘What is man, that thou shouldest magnify him? and that
thou shouldest set thine heart upon him? And that thou shouldest visit him
every morning and try him every moment? (Job 7:7-18)
In the theology of Saint Silouan and Saint Sophrony, man
is the target of divine visitations that serve to make him aware of the image
of Christ within him. God created man in His ‘image and likeness’. Although
this image has become distorted, the purpose of man’s life in the Church is
that it should be perfectly restored. Saint Sophrony referred to the image of
God in man as man’s ‘hypostasis’ or ‘personhood’. He taught that this image
cannot be realised without the witness of a saint or elder, who demonstrates
likeness unto Christ and bears His word. For this reason, he often explained
the principle of personhood through reference to the life and writings of Saint
Silouan.
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