www.byzcath.org Forums Faith & Christian Life Faith & Theology Can one hold to the essence-energies distinction as a Catholic?

I ask this especially in light of the de fide dogma of the Beatific Vision and the teaching that it's a beholding of the divine essence.

Christ is in our midst!!

AnthonyAgony,


Welcome to the forum. My understanding is that we creatures will never behold the "Divine Essence," because if we could, we would be able to know God so intimately that He would no longer be God. We will know His energies--those manifestations that we will be able to experience much like we experience another person. With another person, we experience the body and as much of the person's spirit as he shows. So we experience God's energies without really being able to fully comprehend He Who is infinitely beyond our complete comprehension.

Bob

Two questions or clarifications first (to anyone).

1. What is the specific "de fide dogma of the Beatific Vision"? What are the exact words, and who's words are they?

2. Is Energy, as in Essence vs Energy, as a distinction or difference, in the Byzantine liturgy, as lex orandi?

There are a number of posts and threads that have considered aspects of this question. Here is one that starts more broadly but soon gets to the essence-energy question: Eastern Catholic theology and doctrine