The Orthodox Understanding of Salvation brings together some of Dr. Veniamin’s talks and articles, hitherto available in relatively little-known theological journals and periodicals, which pertain to the fundamental question of the purpose of human existence, to Salvation, as understood in the age-old and unbroken tradition of the Orthodox Christian Faith – the faith of the Patriarchs, Prophets, Apostles, Martyrs and Saints of our Lord, God and Savior, Jesus Christ.
This is a scholarly work, which aims to initiate the reader into the fundamental theological presuppositions of Patristic theology. The juxtaposition of works delivered to diverse audiences is deliberate, inasmuch as it is designed to demonstrate that the same principles are applicable to the sermon and theological treatise alike, that in the Orthodox Christian tradition there is no separation between ethics and doctrine, but rather that Christian living and theology are one indivisible reality, because Christ – the measure of all things human and divine, created and uncreated – is One. Divided into two parts, Praxis and Theoria, this book covers a wide range of topics, based on key Scriptural passages and the writings of some of the greatest masters of the Christian spiritual life, all of which are held together by criteria which are born not of speculation but of the face to face encounter with the living God.
