Faculty Seminar Series
Wednesday, September 28, 2016, 7:00-8:30 PM
Presenters: Dr. Stephen Hildebrand and Dr. Michael Sirilla of Franciscan University, Steubenville, Ohio
Topic: Spiritual Perfection in Dionysius and Basil
Synopsis: Dr. Hildebrand will begin the seminar with a discussion of St. Basil’s view of the spiritual life. 聽We will see that Basil’s spirituality is rooted in his theological anthropology, and how God, having made man, leads him through the economy of salvation toward spiritual perfection. 聽The place of the Lord, the sacraments, and the ascetic life are central. 聽Dr. Sirilla will continue with a discussion of Dionysius’ theology of the hierarchy as found in his two principal works on the subject: The Celestial Hierarchy and The Ecclesial Hierarchy. 聽Dionysius teaches that God seeks to bring about “theosis” (deification) in us by means of a hierarchical order in which the lower members are assimilated to the Most High God by way of intermediaries with authority (the choirs of angels and then bishops, priests,and deacons). 聽We are led through the threefold path to spiritual perfection – the purgative, illuminative, and unitive stages – by means of divinely-established angelic and ecclesiastical hierarchs.
Question and Answer session included.
Program concludes by 8:30 PM.
Location:聽 聽 Byzantine Catholic Seminary,聽3605 Perrysville Avenue,聽Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15214
R.S.V.P.:聽As soon as possible at office@bcs.edu or 412-321-8383