God, Hierarchy, and Power
Orthodox Theologies of Authority from Byzantium
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In the current age where democratic and egalitarian ideals have preeminence, Eastern Orthodox Christianity, among other hierarchically organized religious traditions, faces the challenging questions: “Why is hierarchy maintained as the model of organizing the church, and what are the theological justifications for its persistence?” These questions are especially significant for historically and contemporarily understanding how Orthodox Christians negotiate their spiritual ideals with the challenges of their social and ecclesiastical realities.
To critically address these questions, this book offers four case studies of historically disparate Byzantine theologians from the sixth to the fourteenth-centuries—Dionysius the Areopagite, Maximus the Confessor, Niketas Stethatos, and Nicholas Cabasilas—who significantly reflect on the relationship between spiritual authority, power, and hierarchy in theoretical, liturgical, and practical contexts. Although Dionysius the Areopagite has been the subject of much scholarly interest in recent years, the applied theological legacy of his development of “hierarchy” in the Christian East has not before been explored.
Relying on a common Dionysian heritage, these Byzantine authors are brought into a common dialogue to reveal a tradition of constructing authentic ecclesiastical hierarchy as foremost that which communicates divinity.
How can we understand and work with the concept of hierarchy in an era of democratic values, concerns about abuse of power by those with authority, and empowerment for those who lack it? Purpura asks serious questions with skill, economy, clarity, and penetrating insight. A powerful new voice that will matter to theologians and historians alike, this is a rich, masterful entry into major Orthodox currents of thought, past and present.—Susan Harvey, Brown University
Ashley M. Purpura’s God, Hierarchy and Power: Orthodox Theologies of Authority from Byzantium is a fascinating and deeply complex study on the relationship between spiritual authority and its sometimes troubled (and troubling) relationship with human maintenance of power and religious hierarchy.—Reading Religion
...[A] refreshing, invigorating, and illuminating read. Purpura has done a great service in producing such a careful and probing account of Byzantine theologies of hierarchy and power.—Journal of Orthodox Christian Studies