The essence-energies distinction is arguably the most important, and most controversial, theological debates. Eastern Orthodox Christianity claims that without it God is totally unknowable.

The Christological controversies of the fourth century revealed a theological need to expound upon how created beings are able to know the uncreated God. The heresy of Arianism taught that the absolute God is totally unknowable while the Eunomians claimed that he is knowable by essence. Saints Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian, Gregory of Nyssa, and John Chrysostom did not agree, noting that God is knowable in his uncreated energies, his actions in the world, but not in essence. This distinction does not do damage to the divine simplicity as it belongs to the divine nature.

0:25 Heresies: Arianism and Eunomianism (Neo-Arianism)
1:16 The Eastern Orthodox View
1:50 Mainstream Christian confessions today
2:01 Differences between these views
2:21 How to know God according to Eastern Orthodoxy: Vision of God
3:50 Essence-Energies Distinction
4:20 Remarking on Critical Modern Theologians
4:44 An example of essence-energy
5:43 What if the essence-energy distinction is not made?

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Theoria is a YouTube Channel started by an Eastern Orthodox Christian and professional, freelance videographer and animator in 2015. Since that time, we have produced a number of video series' explaining Eastern Orthodox doctrine and practice with the likes of Frederica Matthewes-Green, Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick, Rod Dreher, and more.

Our goal is to produce quality videos and digestible YouTube shorts utilizing the rich theological tradition of the Church Fathers. We also seek to comment on cultural events from a paradigm within the framework of Eastern Orthodox theology.

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