Specific Deification Terminology

[InquisitorKind]

I following a discussion over at the CARM Orthodox board at:

http://new.carmforums.org/dc/dcboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=139&topic_id=1381&mode=full#1396

The following was said:

Fundament for deification is the fact that Lord Jesus Christ was at the same time Son of God and Son of Man, ontologically both God and Man, having both natures, unmixed and distinct, within same person. As we know, He is "the way" (John 14,6), and if we are called to be perfect (Mat 5,48; 1 Cor. 14,20), and besides those verses I already mentioned in earlier texts, we argue that it means the same - that we can (by grace) acquire second nature within our personae.

First and foremost, is this an accurate description (albeit part, you can view the whole in the link provided above) of Orthodox doctrine?

If so, what is meant by nature? Later on the discussion broke down and the answer to this question become less clear, although the idea was somewhat addressed through two analogies (fire and uranium). I suppose one of those analogies would be helpful in regards to my question:

OK, the Church differentiates between God's essence and His energy (i.e. His acts or manifestations). Only the Father, the Son and the Spirit share the essence (i.e. being or substance) but created beings can partake of His energies. It's sort of like you can stand by a fire (essence) and be warmed by the heat (energies) but you can't partake of the fire itself otherwise you'll get burned. Hope that makes sense.

If we are warmed by the fire, is the Orthodox position that we at some point become our own fires, do we simply maintain the heat from the original fire, or do we maintain the heat and then give off our own?

Thanks for your time,
~Matt

PS
This wasn't proof-read as I've gotta run...

 

[ChoirDir]

A good prospective on this Orthodox view
http://www.divinewill.org/st_maximos_deification.htm

 

[Photini]

Here's an interesting article: http://www.myriobiblos.gr/texts/english/christou_partakers_glory.html

It helps immensely to actually read some of the lives of Orthodox Saints, so that you are not so much reading about it and analyzing it, but actually seeing it's action in real people.

A good one to start with is St. Seraphim of Sarov....I'll find the passage I posted a couple of months ago and bump it up for you about this Saint (It's called A Wonderful Revelation to the World).
St. Symeon the New Theologian and St. Gregory Palamas spoke about the created/uncreated Energies a great deal. St. Gregory is called by the Orthodox Church the teacher of Light.

A good book I recommend for a better understanding of Orthodoxy is The Mind of the Orthodox Church by Metropolitan of Nafpaktos, Hierotheos Vlachos. You can read excerpts from many of his books on www.pelagia.org
He also has a book about St Gregory Palamas, but I haven't read it yet.

 

[Andrew M]

InquisitorKind, the statements seem fairly accurate. The Chalcedonian Christological understanding is of two natures, human and divine, existing in one hypostatic union in the person of Christ.

The essence and energies of God is a way of explaining his transcendent (essence) and immanent (energies) natures. We experience the immanence of God, but his essence remains apart from us.

Commonly in Orthodoxy deification is understood as the process of theosis, that in our human lives we can participate to the fullest extent in the energies of God. St. Seraphim of Sarov is a classic example of this process and is a deeply revered Orthodox saint.

Hope that helps a little.