Volume 22, Issue 5, 2005
Cosmology and Theology
Fr. Vladimir Shmaliy
Pages 528-542
COSMOLOGY OF THE CAPPADOCIAN FATHERS
A CONTRIBUTION TO DIALOGUE BETWEEN SCIENCE AND THEOLOGY TODAY
As variants of the Christian tradition have emerged through the centuries they have given rise to distinct versions of Christian metaphysics with divergent cosmological commitments. In the early Church, the Cappodocian fathers constructed a theological framework which focuses on the “personal” nature of reality. The personal nature of reality is central not only to understanding key theological doctrines, such as the Trinity, but also the cosmos itself. This essay explores the Cappodocian conception of the cosmos as personal both in its origin and as a medium for an interpersonal relationship between God and creatures.