Abp. Elpidophoros "Excited" about Orthodox-Miaphysite Dialogue
At Brookline conference, Archbishop Elpidophoros claimed that Orthodox and Miaphysites simply express the same beliefs in different ways.
BROOKLINE — Archbishop Elpidophoros of the Greek Archdiocese spoke at the Huffington Ecumenical Institute’s conference, “Eastern and Oriental Orthodox Churches: Moving the Dialogue Forward,” held November 4–6 at Hellenic College–Holy Cross in Brookline, Massachusetts. According to Orthodox Observer, the gathering brought together representatives from the Eastern Orthodox Church and Miaphysites for continued discussion on theological differences and areas of historical disagreement.
“Between all our Churches,” he said, “despite subsequent divergences—usually based in differing expressions of the same ideas—we all retain Nicaea’s unified definition of faith of the Lord Jesus Christ.”
Referring to the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed as “the touchstone by which all theology stands or falls,” Archbishop Elpidophoros cited Pope John Paul II’s acknowledgment of the Father as “the one origin both of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,” and described this as a reason to “move our own dialogue forward.”
Quoting Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople, he spoke on the limits of human reason in theology and the humility required in speaking about God: “When we rely on our rational minds to master the incomprehensibility of God, we have entered the realm of hubris.”
He also reflected on the Christological expression “ὁμοούσιον τῷ Πατρί καὶ ὁμοούσιον τῇ Μητρί,” stating that the Incarnation unites divinity and humanity through the shared human nature of the Theotokos.
Concluding his remarks, Archbishop Elpidophoros encouraged renewed attention to the witness of Nicaea, urging that “we cannot change the past, but we can learn from it … I pray we may once again speak together as ‘we.’”
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