Seminar: Making Deification Real - the Goal of Christian Life in Eastern Christianity

Seminar: Making Deification Real - the Goal of Christian Life in Eastern Christianity

Date Time Location Price

Join us for the next of this term’s online Koinonia seminars. Our November event will feature Paul Gavrilyuk, Aquinas Chair in Theology and Philosophy in the Theology Department of the University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, Minnesota.

About this seminar

For many Christians, deification (theosis) remains a puzzling concept. This talk will first explain what deification does and does not mean, and then connect deification with the goal of Christian life, namely, holiness. Far from being an exotic concept describing only rare mystical states, at its heart, deification is a promise and reality of the transformation of an ordinary and sinful human life by the grace of the Holy Spirit.

NOTE: This seminar was originally scheduled for Tuesday 12th November.  

About Paul Gavrilyuk

As well as being the Aquinas Chair in Theology and Philosophy in the Theology Department of the University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, Minnesota, he is also an internationally respected Orthodox theologian, historian, philosopher, and author. Translated into 12 languages, his books include The Suffering of the Impassible God (2004) and Georges Florovsky and the Russian Religious Renaissance (2012).

He also co-edited The Oxford Handbook of Deification (2024). He is the founding president of two nonprofit organizations: the International Orthodox Theological Association and Rebuild Ukraine.

Booking information

Email [email protected] to reserve a space.

About the Koinonia Seminars

Held in conjunction with the Diocese of London, the Koinonia Seminars are a series of online seminar talks aimed at theology professionals, clergy and ordinands whilst also being accessible to those interested in theology.