Series
Being Human
Contemporary western society questions what it means to be human. Competing and contradictory ideologies argue over the purpose of life, gender, sexual orientation and personal identity. Anthropological confusion could characterize our generation.
The Orthodox understanding of human nature is unique. It differs from every philosophy, religion and Christian denomination. This Series presents a clear and concise introduction to the Orthodox understanding of what it means to be human.
Four core Orthodox distinctions; relationship between our soul and body, the profound significance of human freedom, the meaning of our creation in the image and likeness of God, and the person of Panagia, are all examined in light of Orthodox Tradition.
Amid the ever-changing and divergent views of what it means to be human, the teaching of the Orthodox Church remains especially relevant, and liberating, for today.
Written by
Prof. Harry Boosalis
Prof. Harry Boosalis is a retired professor of Dogmatic Theology who taught at St. Tikhon’s Seminary for 28 years, from 1992 to 2021. He now resides in Thessaloniki Greece, where he got his Doctorate in Orthodox Spirituality from Aristotle University back in the 1980s.
Essays in this series
Oldest first
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Panagia: Personification of Human Potential
Professor Harry Boosalis on the Mother of God: her motherhood, her ministry to mankind, the title Theotokos, and why the Orthodox Church venerates her precisely because she is…
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Human Freedom
Why is freedom so important to our lives? Professor Harry Boosalis on spiritual freedom, the passions and the virtues, the three conditions of human nature, and the synergy…
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In the Image and Likeness of God
Chapter Four. Professor Harry Boosalis on Christ as the image of God, the distinction between image and likeness, the nous and the logos, and the paradox of a…
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Introduction to Being Human: The Body
Chapter One of Professor Harry Boosalis on the human body: sin and death, the garments of skin, resurrection, the sanctification of the body, and holy relics. Complete text…