Dumbstruck by God

Patriarch of the Eastern Orthodox Church is a role that was once as full of pomp and authority as Pope, but is now, especially under the current regime of Turkey where he officially resides, less authoritarian and more facilitator. This may partly explain the gentle and conciliatory tone in Patriarch Bartholomew's summary of what he sees as key points of Orthodox teaching.

It is also partly explained by Bartholomew's deep understanding of both scripture and the traditions of Orthodox faith (which can be traced directly back to the disciples themselves). In particular, this reader was struck by the importance he places on the tradition of silence as an appropriately cautious approach to the mystery of God. Silence is, of course, linked to meditation and the monastic tradition, which Bartholomew discusses, but silence is also important as a response to God by all Christians, as if we were struck dumb in the face of God. Silence becomes a necessary symbolic counter to the babble of much of contemporary Western Christianity which at times looks just like another version of self-serving self-help pop psychology.

Encountering the Mystery: Understanding Orthodox Christianity TodayEcumenical Patriarch Bartholomew(Doubleday)

Bartholomew, through Orthodox theology, challenges us by effectively saying, do we really know? Are we so sure? There is, as he writes, a "gap between created and Creator", and therefore, while God is knowable through relationship, he is also unknowable by his very nature. As in the parent/child relationship, although love exists between the two parties, God assumes greater knowledge and authority. We should therefore not assume that what we attribute to God is not simply our own narrow desires. Fundamentalists, Bartholomew writes, don't pay respect to God as the bigger being. Or as Annie Dillard puts it, we should all wear crash helmets when we approach God.

Theology therefore is an aiming for and falling short, more like an art form and less like science (to which it is often erroneously compared by both advocates and critics). It can only try to illuminate something that always remains partially beyond us. In this humble spirit, Orthodox art and liturgy (expressions of theology) become deeply considered and beautiful ways of probing mystery. A lack of spiritual hubris is evident also in the way theology — never merely the exercise of an individual mind, but something, Bartholomew writes, that is "interpreted within the experience of the total community" — is lived through selfless 'giving' (which Bartholomew contrasts within the Western understanding of 'giving up'). This, he writes, is "counter cultural", as sacrifice is unpopular in the West, but is essential for combating the many problems that face us as a global community. Bartholomew is known for his concern over our planet's ecological crisis and for his encouragement of interfaith dialogue, and in his giving rather than imposing approach, he emphasises that we must humbly follow our Creator's commands to be peacemakers and stewards of creation.

Nick Mattiske