Author: Rev. Stelian Laurențiu Georgescu (Faculty of Orthodox Theology, Arad University)
Keywords: Christianity, modern theology, death of God, Existentialism, Petru Rezuș, radical theology
Abstract:
Contemporary existentialism insists on the meaning of man’s life, in fact forgetting that any search for meaning outside God is confronted only with the discovery of man and the secularization of God. The western “spirituality”, which reached with Nietzsche one of its dead ends, does not seem to have any limit even today, until the gates of Hell would swallow it up completely. Fr. Petru Rezuș analysed this phenomenon in a time where Existentialism, both Christian, and Atheist reached its highest point, i.e. the second half of the 20th century. The present author tries to draw our attention with his contribution, now partly forgotten. In this environment, man is removed from the reality of salvation, rejects transcendence to save historical reality, approaching a humanism in which the theology of God’s death is the only possibility of survival. And yet, God died to meet man in death and suffering, in wickedness and despondency, all of which, however, He assumed them for the resurrection of man. For this reason, God is only life and hope beyond death.
Pages: 68-81