Saturday 11 April 2015

Methody Zinkovskiy: Hypostatic Characteristics of Notions of Thought and Cognition in the Greek Patristic Thought

The author investigates the employment of the correlated terms γνῶσις, νόημα, ἔννοια, ἐπιγινώσκω, κατάληψις etc. in writings of St Athanasius of Alexandria, the Cappadocian fathers, St Maximus the Confessor, St John of Damascus, St Gregory Palama with respect to the concept of hypostasis. The ensuing hypostatic characteristics of notions of thought and cognition are considered and irreducibility of the concept of  hypostasis to the notion of nature is attested.
The fullness of mutual knowledge, inherent to the Hypostases of the Holy Trinity, presents an icon of mutual cognition among homogenous finite hypostases. Logos as an immanent and eternal Though of the Father is considered as the foundation of any other thought and knowledge. Hypostasis is viewed by the Fathers to be cognized via other hypostasis. Hypostatic self-identity allows to secure non-fusion in the process of cognition by one hypostasis of other ones including the uncreated ones.

The diversity of the created species can be perceived via idiomatic sequences which are considered as potentially infinite for each hypostasis of every species. Structured nature of cognitive ability is directly linked in patristic thought with hypostatic conformity of human existence with the Divine one. The principles of granting and appropriation of the uncreated energies are both hypostatic whereas the grace itself is inalienable from the cognition. Thus, within the framework of the Greek patristic thought human mentality and cognition bear intrinsic hypostatic features whereas the concept of hypostasis differs from that of an individuality.

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