Providing a metaphysical grounding for liturgical participation, this book argues that “active participation” in the liturgy must be understood principally as our participation in God’s act, particularly in the act of Christ, and only secondarily as our ritual involvement. Utilizing Neoplatonist philosophy, Kjetil Kringlebotten proposes that this should be understood in terms of theurgy, which is the human participation in divine action, which finds its consummation in the incarnation of Christ. Without the incarnation all acts will remain extrinsic and imposed but acts can become real and intrinsic precisely because the incarnation makes possible true union with the divine, a metaphysical union-in-distinction, without confusion, because this union is not extrinsic. Through union with Christ, as the one common focus of the divine-human relation, we can have true union with God and may offer true worship. In order to make sense of active participation, then, we need to understand theology in theurgic terms, where theurgy is understood not as a mechanical “coercion” of God but as a participation in His act, in creation and through Christ as the true theurgist, the “master theurgist,” Whose work transforms our act and the liturgy.

Providing a metaphysical grounding for liturgical participation, this book argues that "active participation" in the liturgy must be understood principally as our participation in God's act, particularly in the act of Christ, and only secondarily as our ritual involvement. Utilizing Neoplatonist philosophy, Kjetil Kringlebotten proposes that this should be understood in terms of theurgy, which is the human participation in divine action, which finds its consummation in the incarnation of Christ. Without the incarnation all acts will remain extrinsic and imposed but acts can become real and intrinsic precisely because the incarnation makes possible true union with the divine, a metaphysical union-in-distinction, without confusion, because this union is not extrinsic. Through union with Christ, as the one common focus of the divine-human relation, we can have true union with God and may offer true worship. In order to make sense of active participation, then, we need to understand theology in theurgic terms, where theurgy is understood not as a mechanical "coercion" of God but as a participation in His act, in creation and through Christ as the true theurgist, the "master theurgist," Whose work transforms our act and the liturgy.

One of the foremost experts on magic, religion, and the occult in the ancient world provides an unparalleled exploration of magic in the Greco-Roman world, giving insight into the shifting ideas of religion and the divine in the ancient past and in the later Western tradition.

Fr. Alexander Schmemann continues to influence liturgical and sacramental theologies some thirty-five years after his death. Despite the wide acceptance within Protestant circles of his timeless classic, For the Life of the World, there has been relatively little written about him from an ecumenical context. This volume of collected essays seeks to explore his theological legacy and further his work. With essays from leading scholars such as David Fagerberg, Bruce Morrill, Joyce Zimmerman, and more, this volume is meant for both teachers and students of liturgical and sacramental theology. In an effort to introduce Schmemann to a wider audience and to celebrate his work through meaningful engagement and dialogue, contributors come from a wide variety of ecclesiastical backgrounds: Anglican, Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Lutheran, Presbyterian, Methodist, Free Church, and more. ""The Eucharist is therefore the manifestation of the Church as the new aeon; it is participation in the Kingdom as the parousia, as the presence of the Resurrected and Resurrecting Lord. It is not the ''repetition'' of His advent or coming into the world, but the lifting up of the Church into His parousia, the Church''s participation in His heavenly glory."" Fr. Alexander Schmemann, Introduction to Liturgical Theology, p. 72. ""We have waited too long for exactly this book! Alexander Schmemann was, without question, the most profound liturgical theologian of the twentieth century. Yet, though his writings are eminently relevant to the church in general, up to this point they have been seriously engaged almost exclusively by fellow members of his Orthodox tradition and by members of one of the other ''higher'' liturgical traditions. Here, at last, we have a truly ecumenical engagement with Schmemann''s thought. Top scholars from a variety of ecclesiastical traditions offer illuminating interpretations of Schmemann''s texts, subject his thought to critique when that seems relevant, and then use his ideas in their own theological reflections on liturgy. Altogether, a superb contribution to the cause of liturgical theology."" --Nicholas Wolterstorff, Yale University ""In this collection, Orthodox, Catholic, Anglican, Methodist, Reformed, and Evangelical essayists consider the life, work, and thought of Alexander Schmemann, whose contributions to sacramental theology, liturgical and pastoral reflection, and ecumenical engagement remain pertinent today. Readers familiar with Fr. Alexander will find here new interpretations by authors of different generations, while those not yet acquainted will come to understand the Orthodox theologian''s connections between theology, liturgy, life, Church, and world."" --Karen B. Westerfield Tucker, Boston University ""Porter Taylor assembles an expansive ecumenical group of authors, often from unexpected corners of Christianity, to connect, challenge, and extend Schmemann''s work into encounters with new research and questions. What better way to honor such a foundational figure in the field of liturgical theology?"" --Lizette Larson-Miller, Huron University ""For over fifty years, serious students of Christian worship have been stirred by the writings of the late Orthodox theologian Alexander Schmemann. This volume of equally outstanding essays not only pays tribute to his intellectual legacy, but also advances exciting new lines of inquiry for the next generation of ecumenical liturgical theologians who seek to follow in his footsteps."" --Melanie C. Ross, Yale Divinity School ""We Give Our Thanks Unto Thee, edited by Porter C. Taylor, brings together essays that honor Fr. Alexander Schmemann, both with its title, most apt for a eucharistic man, but also by means of its rich content. Roman Catholic, Reformed, Anglican, various evangelicals, and, of course, Orthodox join in offering perspectives by which we can better appreciate the light that continues to radiate to diverse places from this remarkable thinker and pastor, since

Can the church celebrate the eucharist in "contagious times," like the coronavirus pandemic, and if so, how? In this book, Richard Burridge investigates a wide range of proposed options, both in the everyday physical world (fasting the eucharist, spiritual communion, solo and concelebrated communions, lay presidency, drive-in and drive-thru eucharists, and extended communion) and in cyberspace (computer services for avatars, broadcast eucharists online, and narrowcast communions using webinar software like Zoom). Along the way, he tackles the whole range of concepts of the church, ordination, and the eucharist. This book is essential reading for anyone desiring an informed and provocative guide to the theology and practice of holy communion in our challenging times.

An investigation into two basic concepts of ancient pagan and early Christian thought, activity and participation, through detailed discussion of the writings of Gregory of Nyssa, Dionysius the Areopagite, Maximus the Confessor, and Gregory Palamas.

This is the first translation with commentary of selections from The Zohar, the major text of the Kabbalah, the Jewish mystical tradition. This work was written in 13th-century Spain by Moses de Leon, a Spanish scholar.

Neoplatonic Demons and Angels is a collection of eleven studies which examine, in chronological order, the place reserved for angels and demons not only by the main Neoplatonic philosophers (Plotinus, Porphyry, Iamblichus, and Proclus), but also in Gnosticism, the Chaldaean Oracles, Christian Neoplatonism, especially by Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite. This volume originates from a panel held at the 2014 ISNS meeting in Lisbon, but is supplemented by a number of invited papers.