Jaroslav Pelikan and the Road to Orthodoxy, by Robert Louis Wilken

7/29/2019 Jaroslav Pelikan and the Road to Orthodoxy, by Robert Louis Wilken

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CTQ 74 (2010): 93-103

Jaroslav Pelikan and the RoRobert Louis Wil

For most of his life, Jaroslav Pelikan was a faith quietly and devotedly. Although he hministry as a young man and preached and prthe Eucharist, as his scholarly work deepenedthe university grew, the churchly side of his v


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94 Concordia Theological Quarteunderstanding his theology. When I was aChicago, Pelikan proposed that we name the"St. Gregory of Nyssa Lutheran Church." Tduring my years as a graduate student we wothe Eucharist at St. Gregory of Nyssa Church.

After he went to Yale in 1962 and I fintouch. Over the years, our friendship was nuchurch's classic theological tradition, particumedieval thinkers. When I arrived in Ne


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Wilken: Jaroslav Pelikan and the Roaexegesis for the understanding of the histodemonstrate that exegesis did make a differencetheological tradition, Pelikan published a monoentitled Luther the Expositor.1

In this book, Pelikan had this wry commentapproached the history of Christian thought:

Entire histories have been written - histories ochurch, of an era in church history or of a majwhich do not seriously consider the possibility


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96 Concordia Theological QuartDuring the next several decades, Pelikan dealing with the church fathers. For example,

life, death, and immortality in the early fathiconoclastic controversy entitled Imago Dei: ThHis Gifford lectures dealt with the understanfathers. He edited a little volume of the preacthe Gospel of Matthew." Another book of his,with the Greek Christian liturgical poet RomaBut his magnum opus was The ChristiaDevelopment of Doctrine.8 For an understandin


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ilken: Jaroslav Pelikan and the RChristianity was obscured and corrupted. Eastern Christian writers, not only ClemAthanasius, the Cappadocians, and Cyril oresearch, Pelikan had come to the conclusion thought was a faithful interpretation of the tradition. Pelikan's Christian Tradition showedthinkers had deepened and clarified what hapostles. When I published The Spirit of Earlywrote me to say that the sentence he liked bes


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98 Concordia Theological QuartI was told by a friend, however, that at a gatNew Haven in the mid-sixties in a talk onPelikan spoke of that strand of Lutheranismthey weren't Lutheran they would be Baptistthat was a misreading of Lutheranism and thCatholicism and Orthodoxy. And he added: Ithe direction of the Baptists or the Methodistof the Orthodox Church.To understand Pelikan's pilgrimage to Osay something about the theological and lit


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ilken: Jaroslav Pelikan and the Roby Hans Lietzman, the texts are written out inchurch fathers with the most citations are theand Cyril of Alexandria.

Pelikan too had a high regard for the symhe translated the Apology of the Augsburg edition. He respected the early Lutheran scholthoroughly at home in the writings of the churcJohn Gerhard, the author of the first PatrologChristian literature and thought. Gerhard also


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100 Concordia Theological Quarand grateful to God for the blessing which Hby calling you to the ministry of Word and Sof a theological doctor." Pelikan spoke of Pielex orandi and lex credendi, and in an aside hereview of Paul TiIlich, use the phrase, "sicusemper, but I hope not per omnia."17

Pelikan's reasons for moving towardtheologicat but also personal. His father Lutheran Church in this country and his mohis family was Lutheran, Pelikan was raised i


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ilken: Jaroslav Pelikan and the RoSo I was not surprised when he wrote me aday after his chrismation in the Orthodox Cconversation you will, I know, not be surpriafternoon at St. Vladimir's I was received int

Orthodox Church. En kurio. Jary."So that is the story of Jaroslav Pelikan's pi

to Eastern Orthodoxy as I know and remOrthodoxy was no conversion, no turning abodirection; it was a slow and gradual transfo


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102 Concordia Theological Quartapostolic age was secured not only throughpersons.

You will recall that in the second centurtheological defense of apostolic Christianity ahis arguments on the interpretation of the ScGod of the Old Testament was the Father of Testament and the writings of the apostles weTo support his interpretation of the Scripturesthat simple summary of biblical teaching, would eventually grow into the Apostles' Cre


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Wilken: Jaroslav Pelikan and the Road For a churchman, scholar, and theologian li

behind his decision to become Orthodox were thpersonal, made in the depth of his soul. Though Orthodox Church, his love and respect for undiminished. Jaroslav Pelikan died, I am confidethe prayer that one day the vision of the Luthercelebrated in union with the Orthodox Church.

Jaroslav Pelikan and the Road to Orthodoxy, by Robert Louis Wilken

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