Theosis as the Unity of Life and Death

Abstract

This paper explores the unity of life and death through the theology of theosis. Drawing on the theologies of Irenaeus and Gregory of Nyssa this paper argues that the doctrine of theosis offers us a holistic theology that is relevant for how we live our lives, restoring a "catholicity" to Latin theology by grounding it within the mystery of the incarnation as a whole. It explores Irenaeus' understanding of the historical development of humanity as part of the necessary process of growth and maturation in our progress towards God. Gregory of Nyssa then takes Irenaeus' understanding of theosis further by arguing for a continuity between this life and the next through his endless 'stretching out' - epektasis - of a limited being to participation in the infinity of the divine, thereby establishing the unity of ontology and morality.