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. 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. The place of the Lord, the sacraments, and the ascetic life are central. 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. 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). 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: Byzantine Catholic Seminary, 3605 Perrysville Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15214
R.S.V.P.: As soon as possible at office@bcs.edu or 412-321-8383