Is it Possible to Elaborate an Anthropology Common for All Christians?

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to give the evidence that the anthropology of imago Dei could be considered as the groundwork for the common anthropology valid for the whole Christianity and it also depicts the vision of man as the answer to the demands of every human being of the postmodernism epoch.

The starting point of our reflection is the fact of the return of the interest in anthropology in the 20^th century among the theologians of the three great Christian denominations: Orthodox, Protestant and Catholic. When in the 20^th century the ecumenical movement appeared, theological anthropology, which both joins and divides Churches, became very crucial and still it is getting more and more important. After many years of ecumenical dialogues we can affirm that, despite the differences, all Christians understand man as a imago Dei – the image of God. He was not only created as such, but has always been, despite the original sin. Man is the image of God One in the Holy Trinity who lives in mutual relations, that is why human being is also highly relational. He lives in the relation with God, with another human being, and with the created world over which he was appointed as the master and manager. All Christian Churches which took part in the ecumenical dialogue agree that the source of this anthropology is the Bible; they will also agree about the original sin and his consequences for the human nature considered in the light of Jesus Christ; finally, they will agree on imago Dei as the foundation of the personal dignity of man. There are still differences, the questions that require more theological work, for example distinction between image and likeness; the concept of theosis – deification present in the orthodox theology and considered as problematic by the protestant theology; the Churches teaching about the ordination of women and homosexuality.

At the end of the article we have some examples of the perspectives that give the anthropology of the image of God. This concept of human can help to overcome the contemporary crisis of anthropology, the result of the postmodernism. This anthropology also claims that all Christian Churches are able to give the common answer to the ethics questions such as abortion, euthanasia or genetic manipulations. The author also suggests that all Christian Churches, as the starting point and foundation, should take not only the Bible, but the anthropology of the Fathers of Church as well.