The Theological Anthropology of Dumitru Staniloae: A Contribution to the Contemporary Conversation

This article explicates and discusses the theological anthropology of Romanian Orthodox theologian Dumitru Staniloae. It shows how his anthropology is connected to his theological system, and discusses specifically his contribution to three topics urgent today, namely: humanity’s responsibility for the world, the dignity of the human being, and the distinction between person and individual. First, however, his anthropology is explicated from his understanding of four central themes: Creation as image of the Trinity, the mystery of love, apophaticism of the person, and deification through Christ. I argue that Staniloae has extracted a coherent logic of person and love from his understanding of the Trinity, that may contribute to a creative rethinking of contemporary anthropology. Moreover, I show that there are explicit resources in his thought that may contribute to our theological conversation on creation, the environmental crisis, and the human dignity. Lastly, I promote his understanding of person in contradistinction to the notions of Vladimir Lossky and John Zizioulas.