Ireneusz i przebóstwienie człowieka

Abstract

Works by B. Altaner, P. Evdokimov, W. Beinert, Cz. Bartnik and many others refer to Irenaeus’ teaching on salvation as the deification of man. However, as Irenaeus himself never used the word “deification”, a question arises whether the statement is legitimate. On the one hand, Irenaeus is, indeed, the first theologian who took up a comprehensive reflection on the interrelation between incarnation and salvation, and he perceived salvation as a transformation of the whole human nature, not only as the gift of liberation from sin and resurrection granted to man. Yet, the very concept of deification (theopoiesis, theosis) was developed by the Alexandrian theological circles, while Irenaeus belonged to the Asian tradition, whose philosophical and theological assumptions were essentially different. Irenaeus peceived man as primarily the flesh: human nature is carnal, and only as such it is endowed with mind and spirit. The Alexandrians regarded human nature as spiritual. Thus, to Irenaeus, salvation is mainly salus carnis, while the Alexandrians saw salvation as salus animae. When Irenaeus wrote about man who was to become a son of God, he meant the community between man and God, and not a promise of unification of their natures. The idea of theosis, on the other hand, assumes that human nature (which is spiritual) is transformed to become like God’s, coming ever closer and finally uniting with it. That is why publications on the history of theology, and especially soteriology, should not ascribe the idea of deification to Irenaeus. Presenting Irenaeus’ teaching in that way creates confusion rather than explains his thoughts.