Journal

Christian Anthropology and the relation with Positive Psychology and Human Flourishing in the 21st Century through the Orthodox Christian Teaching

№ 8, 2020

Christian Anthropology and the relation with Positive Psychology and Human Flourishing in the 21st Century through the Orthodox Christian Teaching

Eirini Artemi

candidate of Theology / Doctoral student in Ancient Greek and Byzantine Philosophy / Professor of Theology at the Greek Open University (Patra, Greece) / Academic Teacher of the Institute of Biblical Languages of the Jewish University ( Jerusalem, Israel) / Professor of the Theological School of the Orthodox University (Kinshasa, Congo).

eartemi@theol.uoa.gr | ORCID: 0000-0002-8852-9907

Number DOI: http://doi.org/10.33209/2519-4348-2707-9627-2020-8-74

VB. – № 8, 2020. – P. 79-101.

Summary

Creation, including humankind, is a gift of God, expressing his love and revealing the divine intention. In creation, God brings into existence human beings with the freedom to love both God and their fellow creatures (Rom 1:20). Human beings are created according to the image and likeness of God (Gen 1:26–27). The fact of human being created in the image of God means that humanity, right from the moment of creation, was endowed with a royal character. God is love and source of love: the divine Creator has drawn this feature on human faces too. Man struggles for his eudaimonia. Christian tries to obtain eudaimonia through the orders of God and the unity with Him. Man has been dealing with the human flourishing since the creation of societies and the progress of culture. This human flourishing is connected with the twofold of human nature, body and soul. For Christian, the ability to reflect God can be traced in all aspects of human life. Thus the image is what is given at the outset, conferred on all of us as persons, whereas the likeness is attained through our free cooperation (synergeia) with grace. In the 21st century Christians have to face up the combination of Christian Anthropology, Positive Psychology and Human Flourishing and they should not be trapped in the jail of modernity which connects Positive Psychology and Human Flourishing with only materialistic goods.

Key words: Christian anthropology, positive psychology, human flourishing, eudaimonia, image and likeness of God, creation, humankind.

References:

Bibliography sources:

1. Holy Bible, publ. Apostoliki Diakonia of Greek Orthodox Church, Athens 2000.

2. Holy Bible, transl. New King James Version, online, https://www.biblegateway.com/

3. Aristotle, the Nicomachean Ethics. translated by David Ross and edited by Lesley Brown. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009.

4. Augustine of Hippo, On Christian Doctrine, https://faculty.georgetown.edu/jod/augustine/ddc.html 

5. Basilius of Caesarea, Homily XIII, PG 31, 429A-453.

6. Clement οf Alexandria, Stromata, http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0210.htm

7. Gregory Nazianzen, The Oration on Holy Baptism, Discourse XL, http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/310240.htm

8. Gregory Nazianzen, In Defence of His Flight to Pontus, and His Return, After His Ordination to the Priesthood, with an Exposition of the Character of the Priestly Office, Discours II, http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/310202.htm

9. Gregory Nazianzen, On the Theophany, or Birthday of Christ, Discourse XXXVIII,http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/310238.htm

10. Gregory Nazianzen, On the Love of the Poor, Discourse 14, https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007%2F978-1-137-50269-8_10.pdf

11. Gregory Nazianzen, selected poems, transl. by John McGuckin, SLG 1986

12. Gregory of Nyssa, On the making of man, transl. by H.A. Wilson, From Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, 2nd series, Vol. 5, ed. by Philip Schaff and Henry Wace, Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1893, rev. and ed. for New Advent by Kevin Knight, http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/2914.htm.

13. John Damascene, En Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith, http://www.orthodox.net/fathers/exactidx.html

14. John Chrysostom, On the obscurity of the Prophesies PG 56, 182-223

15. Nektarios of Aegina, Path to Happiness, https://intuitivepi.wordpress.com/2016/10/07/st-nektarios-of-aegina-path-to-happiness/

Secondary bibliograpy:

1. Alfeyev, Hilarion (2011), “St. Symeon the New Theologian and Orthodox Tradition”, Oxford Scholarship Online, DOI:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198270096.003.0009, p. 1-20.

2. Alpern KD (1992). “The Ethics of Reproductive Technology”. Oxford University Press, New York, p. 19–20.

3. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists 2008 Committee opinion number 397: Surrogate motherhood. Obstetrics and Gynecology 111, 465–70.

4. Antinori S, Versaci C, Cerusico F et al. 2003 Obstetric and prenatal outcome in menopausal women: a 12-year clinical study. Reproductive BioMedicine Online 6,  257–261.

5. “Christian Flourishing in a Technological World”, https://www.christianflourishing.  com/about [accessed 5 November 2018].

6. Entwhistle, D.N. & Moroney, S.K. (2011). Integrative perspectives on human flourishing: The imago dei and positive psychology. Journal of Psychology and Theology 39, 295-303.

7. Fleming, Andrew W., (2006) Positive Psychology «Three Good Things in Life» and Measuring Happiness, Positive and Negative Affectivity, Optimism/Hope, and Well-Being, master thesis, Counselor Education. Master’s Theses. 32., New York, p. 5-27.

8. Gable, S. L. & Haidt, J. (2005). What (and why) is positive psychology? Review of General Psychology, 9, 2, p. 103-10 DOI: 10.1037/1089-2680.9.2.103

9. Gorski, Philip (2017), “Human Flourishing and Human Morphogenesis: A Critical Realist Interpretation and Critique”, Chapter 2, from book Morphogenesis and Human Flourishing (pp.29-43) in March 2017, p. 30, DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-49469-2_2

10. “Human Flourishing and Human Morphogenesis: A Critical Realist Interpretation and Critique. Available from”: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/315860032_Human_Flourishing_and_Human_Morphogenesis_A_Critical_Realist_Interpretation_and_Critique [accessed 15 November 2018]

11. Kariatlis, Philip, “The Importance of the Eastern Doctrine of Deification of the  Theology of Grace”, https://www.sagotc.edu.au/ckfinder/userfiles/files/Binder12.pdf

12. Mantzaridis, Georgios (1984). The Deification of Man, trans. Liadain Sherrard Crestwood, New York: St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 1984.

13. Murphy, N. (2005). “Philosophical resources for integration”. In A. Dueck & C. Lee (Eds), Why psychology needs theology: A radical-reformation perspective (p 3-27). Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.

14. Nikolaos, Metropolitan of Mesogaia and Lavreotiki, “The Greek Orthodox position on the ethics of assisted reproduction”, RBMOnline – Vol. 17 Suppl. 3. 2008 25-33 Reproductive BioMedicine Online; www.rbmonline.com/Article/3548 on web 1 October 2008, p. 25-33.

15. Romanides, John Notes on the Palamite Controversy and Related Topics, Greek Orthodox Theological Review, cont. of an article begun in 6m 2 (1960-61), p. 249.

16. Rossiter, Wayne D. (2015). Shadow of Oz: Theistic Evolution and the Absent God, Wipf and Stock Publishers, Eugene.

17. Savvatos, Chrysostom, Bishop of Messinias, “Vertically negative the Church with the gender change legislation”, https://www.tharrosnews.gr/news/content/%CE%BC%CE%B7%-CF%84%CF%81%CE%BF%CF%80%CE%BF%CE%BB%CE%AF%CF%84%CE%B7%CF%82-%CE%BC%CE%B5%CF%83%CF%83%CE%B7%CE%BD%CE%AF%CE%B1%CF%82-%CE%BA%CE%AC%CE%B8%CE%B5%CF%84%CE%B1-%CE%B1%CF%81%CE%BD%CE%B7%CF%84%CE%B9%CE%BA%CE%AE-%CE%B7-%CE%B5%CE%BA%CE%BA%CE%BB%CE%B7%CF%83%CE%AF%CE%B1-%CE%BC%CE%B5-%CF%84%CE%BF-%CE%BD%CE%BF%CE%BC%CE%BF%CF%83%CF%87%CE%AD%CE%B4%CE%B9%CE%BF-%CE%B1%CE%BB%CE%BB%CE%B1%CE%B3%CE%AE%CF%82-%CF%86%CF%8D%CE%BB%CE%BF%CF%85-%CE%B2-%CE%AF%CE%BD%CF%84%CE%B5%CE%BF [accessed 6 November 2018]

18. Terezis, Ch. (2018). Orthodox Christian vision on human being and human education, Patras 2018.

19. Whelchel, Hugh, (2014) “Four Defining Characteristics of Biblical Flourishing”, https://tifwe.org/four-defining-characteristics-biblical-flourishing/ [accessed 15 October 2018]

20. https://www.pursuit-of-happiness.org/history-of-happiness/martin-seligman-psychology/