Trichotomy & Pantocrater Rev. T. Spidlik, SJ Translated by Fr. Vit Fiala, OFM

I Trichotomy

"There are three things out of which a complete man is composed – flesh, soul and spirit. One of these does indeed preserve and fashion the man – this is the spirit."

                                                                        - St. Ireneus of Lyons: Against Heresies

    Although the human being is one complete entity, he comprises two distinct substances, soul and body, as recognized by the ancient philosophers. They observed, namely, that the human person engages in two modes of action; physical and spiritual. These two levels of activity complement one another. However, Christians received the revelation that they are capable of something more sublime, surpassing all human ability. Jesus promised His disciples that they will be able to perform miracles by the power of the Holy Spirit, which He will send to them. “Amen, Amen, I say to you, whoever believes in me will do the works that I do, and will do greater ones than these” (John 14:12). Although at times considered extraordinary, the power of performing miracles has been granted to Christians until the present day. In contrast, each Christian is truly called to the wonder of daily life, i.e. to believe in the Gospel and to love. Without the illumination and reinforcement of the Holy Spirit, it is impossible to live these virtues. How can the gift of the Holy Spirit be visualized? If this gift is perceived only as an external help, then it is not the person who is believing and loving. Actually, the Holy Spirit is the interior gift, such that His power ultimately becomes the Christian’s own quality. For this reason, the Greek Fathers considered the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit as the third element of the human person’s “I”. The Fathers defined this concept as trichotomy, or, human triad. The Latin Fathers thought this proposal was perhaps too daring. The Holy Spirit is God. Can it then be truly said that the Holy Spirit dwells in man? The answer is not too difficult. God is there, where He is active. He acts everywhere, therefore He is omnipresent. He does not act with the same intensity of power everywhere. In a temple, the Divine presence is more intensive; thus a temple is called the house of God. Then the human heart is a genuine temple. Therefore man becomes a temple of God, as Jesus promises, “We will come to him and make our dwelling with him,” (John 14:23). Being active, God transforms the human heart. St. Basil the Great calls the Holy Spirit a light, with this explanation; “Similarly, as a healthy eye has the capacity to see, so it is with the activity of the Holy Spirit in a purified soul.” HS 26, Pg 32, 180C. Through the possession of the Holy Spirit, creatures essentially not holy, are capable of becoming so. The Credo states that the Spirit is the Giver of Life. A modern theologian, P. Evdovkimov writes, “At Pentecost, the Holy Spirit personally descends and becomes active within our nature; He becomes the interior reality of a human being.”

II Pantocrator

“ Let us become like Christ, since Christ became like us. Let us become God’s for His sake, since He for ours became man.”

                                                                        - St.Gregory Nazianzen “Easter Homily” 1, 4; Pg. 35, 397B

    The Greek Fathers contrast this elemental mystery of Christian life with theories proposed by secular science. Ancient schools of philosophy attempted to determine a principle of unity at work throughout the cosmos. Initially, they thought in a spirit of primitive materialism, the principle of unity was thought to be merely matter. Pythagoras moved forward toward scientific materialism, the immutable laws of matter. Plato and the idealists discovered that the laws of matter must express higher Ideas. There are many Ideas which, in their plurality, are unified in one God. At the close of antiquity, most pagan thinkers arrived at this conclusion. Concurrently, these thinkers were aware that between God and the world is an unconquerable abyss. They sought an arbitrator. The One is Christ who brought about the salvation of humanity, which created unity between two worlds, the world of time and eternity. The Greek Fathers label Christ as “the center in Whom all lines of the cosmos meet”. He is the “firstborn of all creation”, (1Col 1:15). He is the “new and true Adam”, (Rom 5:12-17). He is the “head of the Church”, (Col.1:18.). In Him, everything resolves in unity. Because man is united with Christ, thus also man becomes the master and unifier of the entire cosmos. “If we would deny this event,(the Incarnation of the Son of God),” says Soloviev, “the entire meaning of the universe would collapse.” The God-Man was capable of bridging the abyss between the Divine omnipotence and human limitation without eclipsing their proper attributes. What kind of beings, then, are the Christians? They are as weak and powerless as any other mortals - “wind or a bit of water can kill me,” says Pascal. Despite this they are predestined to sit beside the throne of the King of the Universe. When the Roman emperor Constantine granted freedom to the Church, many new church buildings were erected. In their copulas are placed images of Christ the Pantocrator, the Omnipotent One, Who is seated on the throne of those who crucified Him. Under His feet is placed the globe. It is a symbol of the immutable laws of matter and all those mysteries and natural forces of which people of the ancient world were afraid. Because all these elements are in Christ’s power the freedom of the children of God is assured.