“Come to Me‚ all you who labor and are heavy laden‚ and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me‚ for I am gentle and lowly in heart‚ and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30)
Beloved in Christ‚
Before we start discussing anything‚ we have to recognize that there is a difference‚ an enormous difference‚ between the state of Creation before the Fall and after the Fall. We also have to acknowledge that we only know‚ through our senses and through our rational knowledge‚ the formal‚ the fallen world. All we know about the state of the cosmos‚ before the fall‚ is through the glimpses of revelations given to the prophets and the Fathers. What we know now as the world‚ however‚ is not all there is and‚ definitely‚ not all that will come to be‚ because in Christ we are waiting for the entrance in the eschaton‚ the Kingdom‚ when we will finally perceive‚ experientially‚ empirically‚ unmediated‚ the fulfillment of the original intent of the Creation of God.
Living in the current state‚ makes most of us lamentably blind to this original intent of God and we have to turn‚ humbly and trusting‚ to those who‚ through their own experience‚ being illumined by Grace‚ have tasted the mystery of God. Their teachings‚ sprung from this experience‚ are what we call dogmas or theology. Dogmas are not however an end in themselves‚ but are only intended to guide us toward this mystery of God. This is what the dogmas really are: an experience of God‚ which‚ if applied properly in the Church‚ has the important role to guide all of us to our own‚ personal experience of God. God “desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” (I Timothy 2:4)
Why is this important in our discussion today? Because we can fall into the trap of thinking that the important subjects at the forefront of our culture war today‚ could be tackled exclusively through fallen human rationality. The entire Western society has followed this way of thinking‚ promoting solely a theoretical pursuit of knowledge‚ delinked from the empirical‚ experiential understanding of God and His mysteries. However‚ I will not follow that path‚ but I’ll try to go back to those luminaries of the Church‚ who‚ through their own tasting the mystery of God‚ can also guide us to the same fountain that will quench our thirst for knowledge.
In order to understand sex or gender (to me‚ as a parenthesis‚ the two terms are perfectly synonymous – this is a discussion for another time)‚ we have to go back again to Adam and Eve‚ to the account of Creation‚ hoping to apprehend a glimpse of God’s original intent for the creation of Man‚ as male and female.
In the book of Genesis we find two accounts of the Creation of man. In the first chapter of Genesis‚ the creation of man follows immediately the creation of the Cosmos:
“And God said‚ Let us make man in our image‚ after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea‚ and over the fowl of the air‚ and over the cattle‚ and over all the earth‚ and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image‚ in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them‚ and God said unto them‚ Be fruitful‚ and multiply‚ and replenish the earth‚ and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea‚ and over the fowl of the air‚ and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.”(Gen 1:26-28)
The second account is in the second chapter of Genesis:
“And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground‚ and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” (Genesis 2:7)
“And the Lord God said: It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him. And out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field‚ and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature‚ that was the name thereof. And Adam gave names to all cattle‚ and to the fowl of the air‚ and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him. And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam‚ and he slept: and he took one of his ribs‚ and closed up the flesh instead thereof; And the rib‚ which the Lord God had taken from man‚ made he a woman‚ and brought her unto the man. And Adam said‚ this is now bone of my bones‚ and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman (ishshah in Hebrew)‚ because she was taken out of Man (ish in Hebrew). Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother‚ and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh. And they were both naked‚ the man and his wife‚ and were not ashamed. (Gen 2:18-25)
From these two accounts‚ enlightened by the Fathers‚ we learn a few things:
Man is a special Creation of God
First‚ unlike everything else in Creation‚ Man was created by a special act of God. All the other things‚ the light‚ the earth the water‚ the plants‚ the animals were brought to existence by a simple ”let there be…” and‚ by God’s command they were brought fourth. They all obeyed God as a master and came into being. With Man however‚ we see an extraordinary intimacy in the act of creation‚ a closeness between God and His greatest creature. We see God using His own hands‚ in order to shape man out of earth. Man is the only creature that can be called “theoplaston”‚ that means made‚ modeled‚ by God Himself.[i]
No other creature enjoys this status‚ of bearing the image of God Himself. St. Basil the Great underlines the dignity and the superiority of man‚ in relationship with all the other creatures: “You will know that you are formed of earth‚ but the work of God’s hands; much weaker than the brute‚ but ordained to command beings without reason and soul; inferior as regards natural advantages‚ but‚ thanks to the privilege of reason‚ capable of raising yourself to heaven.“[ii] Man enjoys this status specifically because it was created in God’s image and after God’s likeness.
In the same time the Fathers hold that there is a difference between image and likeness. The image of God cannot be lost‚ it is a gift embedded in the very fiber of man. The likeness‚ on the other hand‚ is obtained through a progress towards God’s mode of existence‚ which is given as a gift and in the same time earned‚ through the cooperation between man and God‚ synergia‚ until man becomes god in deification or theosis.
Man was created as male and female
Second‚ God created man as male and female. The mode of being of God is Trinitarian‚ perfectly expressed by the relationship between the three persons of the Trinity: Father‚ Son and Holy Spirit. In the same way‚ Their image‚ embedded in man‚ is expressed through the loving relationship between man and woman‚ a true reflection‚ oikona‚ of the Holy Trinity. This is why in the first account of Creation we hear: “So God created man in his own image‚ in the image of God created He him; male and female created He them”. So‚ according to God’s image‚ which is personal and relational‚ also mankind is personal and relational. This is why man was created together with a woman peer‚ a “helper fit for him”. There is a beautiful complementarity between the man and the women expressed very nicely by the Hebrew play of words ish-man and ishshah-woman‚ which‚ coincidentally‚ is also found in the man-woman of the English language.
If the image of God lies in the duality male female‚ the likeness‚ which we saw that is only potential and not given‚ has to do with the prospective success of this relationship. Both man and woman hold the possibility of achieving the likeness of God‚ both are called to act on this mutual love‚ with their common traits as humans but also with their specific characteristics‚ which make them distinct as male and female. Both have access to what the fathers call askesis‚ or podvig or struggle. Both man and woman are called to struggle‚ but they May do it in different ways. This is why‚ in the light of the current ripples in the understanding of human anthropology created by the sexual redefinition of man‚ we have to make sure that we maintain an understanding of the male-female twofold complementary existence‚ which is both grounded in the ancient Holy Tradition and capable to address the challenges of the postmodern and post-Christian world.
Both man and woman are icons of Christ and‚ because of this‚ in spite of the differences between them: genetical‚ anatomical‚ hormonal‚ psychological‚ behavioral etc.‚ both have the same access to the fulfillment of one’s life in Christ. This is why the holy apostle Paul says “There is neither Jew nor Greek‚ there is neither bond nor free‚ there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:28) The access to the likeness of God through the ascetic struggle is opened to both men and women. However‚ as we acknowledge this equal access to salvation for both male and female‚ we also acknowledge the differences that God has put between them from the very beginning‚ which May lead to different ways of accessing what is equally available to all.
After the Fall‚ on their way out of paradise‚ man and woman are presented with two different pathways for the restoration of their union with God:
“Unto the woman He said‚ I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband‚ and he shall rule over thee.
“And unto Adam he said‚ Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife‚ and hast eaten of the tree‚ of which I commanded thee‚ saying‚ Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread‚ till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art‚ and unto dust shalt thou return. And Adam called his wife’s name Eve; because she was the mother of all living.” (Gen 3:16-20)
Certainly both man and woman are called to carry a cross‚ the cross May be different‚ but none is lighter‚ but to each is demanded as much as it was given‚ according to their abilities. Husbands and wives share the burden of their marital union by fulfilling their vocational roles. It does not mean that one is better than the other‚ but only that they have different roles that have to be respected for the completion of the union. These roles complete one another and‚ through the synergy of their efforts‚ the two advance much faster towards God. However‚ if the vocation is refused and the roles confused‚ we end up with an impasse‚ that can only be surmounted by going back to the teachings of Christ.
Christ heals the divisions in man
Unfortunately‚ all of this is validated only as long as one maintains a transcendent purposefulness of our existence‚ and is engaged in such activities that support it. We call this the ascetic life. This type of life involves faith‚ commitment and follow-through until the end. But if one reduces man’s existence to a random‚ purposeless life‚ then all our discussion is in vain.
Looking through the lens of our Fathers at the discourse of our present culture‚ we see a confusion of the original intent of God in the male and female roles and a misinterpretation of sexuality‚ leading on a path away from being transformed in God’s likeness. From this perspective‚ embracing a transgender life‚ for example‚ is better than learning to accept God’s will in our creation as male or female. St. Maximus writes of five divisions in which man participates and is called to overcome in the process of theosis: created and uncreated‚ intelligible and sensible‚ heaven and earth‚ paradise and universe‚ male and female[iii]. By trying to separate the given physical sex from the mental perception of who we are‚ another division is introduced in man‚ this time between our physical and psychological reality. Rather that solving the divisions in man‚ it makes them even greater.
For the Orthodox Christian‚ this does not ring true. We believe that God creates us as male or female‚ with a unique physical appearance‚ personality and so forth‚ and this is the reality we are called to operate in‚ because it is optimal for our salvation. God wants us to transcend the division between male and female‚ but this is possible only in Christ. Christ‚ the new Adam‚ is the embodiment of the fulfillment of the potential of the original Adam. Christ is‚ in fact‚ the original Adam‚ the complete Adam‚ in Who’s image Adam was created in the first place.
In Christ we see the way of life in the Kingdom. He chooses a female‚ the new Eve‚ Mary‚ to become incarnate from her and takes the hypostasis of a male‚ the new Adam. The new Adam is as such born from the new Eve‚ affirming the participation of both sexes in the salvation of mankind‚ and‚ through His virginal birth‚ transcends sexuality as well. Christ takes a male body‚ having all that a man has‚ capable of doing all that a man can‚ except He chooses not to act on His sexuality. Christ announces a diminishing role for sexuality by proclaiming that “the kingdom of heaven is at hand” and in the Kingdom there will be no reproduction anymore‚ but angelic life with no marriage (see Matthew 2’:2’-33). This is bad news for the pervasive secular culture that affirms sexuality as being at the forefront of our existence‚ so much that we are all defined by it. As we are transformed towards the likeness of Christ and we get closer to the ideal of the Kingdom‚ we shall need less and less of it‚ not more and more‚ as it so happens nowadays.
At the expulsion from paradise the emphasis was on marriage and sexual procreation for the preservation of the human race. This was necessary to await the coming of the Messiah promised in the protoevangelion (Genesis 3:15). Christ’s mission switches the emphasis on a new type of relationship: a chaste union with Him‚ the new Bridegroom. His Gospel shows us that the only way to have a relationship with God‚ is through Christ: “If a man love me‚ he will keep my words: and my Father will love him‚ and We will come unto him‚ and make Our abode with him.” (John 14:2’) Christ is the cornerstone of man’s union with God‚ so‚ if we are to follow the path of theosis‚ we should define ourselves by this relationship‚ by how much we have become Christ like‚ by how much we have adorned the image in which we have been created with His likeness‚ and not by how we use or abuse the fallen sexuality. A sexual union is an act limited to space and time; it can only be experienced as long as we live in this world. Only our sacred union with God can take us beyond this fallen reality into the eternity of the Kingdom.
Christ shows that the life of the Kingdom can be pre-tasted already here on earth. “For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness‚ and peace‚ and joy in the Spirit” (Rom 14:17). Men and women together are called to participate in this anticipation by a second‚ nonsexual‚ birth through the water of baptism‚ by means of which they pass from a mere existence to a good existence‚ that is the life in Christ[iv]. This new existence leaves behind the animal instincts and replaces them with the divine eros‚ which draws both men and women towards God in a perpetual motion of transformation. This is true gender transcendence‚ union with God‚ accessible to all mankind.
The means of our union with God are the sacraments: Baptism‚ Chrismation‚ Holy Communion‚ Confession etc. At baptism‚ we all receive a name that matches our physical appearance and with that name we are known by God. By accepting our creation as male or female‚ we make a very important step in our relationship with Him. We show that we trust that‚ in His love‚ He does everything for our benefit: the things we like and the things we struggle with.
Biological determination and free will
The science-based approach to life‚ generously offered to everyone by the secular culture‚ does not consider the spiritual reality of our existence. Studying a body made of flesh in a fallen state cannot illustrate the beauty of human existence that outshines all this. Modern science wants to prove biological determination in everything and‚ without realizing it‚ by seeking man’s freedom‚ paradoxically thwarts any trace of free will in him. What I do is “pre-ordained” for me in biological code: DNA‚ enzymes‚ hormones‚ minerals etc. All of this puts me in a position from where I am not really responsible for my actions. My biology makes me do it; therefore it’s ok to do pretty much everything. Man’s life is reduced to a mere biological existence‚ where no other from of transcendence is needed‚ other than biological. Solve the problem by mechanically solving the biology.
As Orthodox I know that I am more because I believe in a loving God‚ Who made me in order to love Him back and be united with Him in theosis. I am a dynamic icon of God‚ an icon in transformation‚ not a puppet of my biology and I will not abandon God’s way because something in my biology makes it more difficult for me. The free will is to accept the fallen nature of our bodies and to do with it the impossible: transcend it‚ with all its shortcomings‚ and direct it towards God.
As inheritors of Adam’s fallen nature‚ we are all facing predispositions and weaknesses that can stir in us passions. All of us do. If we are engaged in our transformation through Christ‚ the question becomes: how do we respond to these passions? The saints have decided to take all the tough decisions and fight against their own weakness and sinful desires all the way to giving their life for Christ. Allowing ourselves to dwell or act on something that is harmful for our salvation is never the answer‚ it May be more comfortable for a while‚ but‚ in the end‚ only the hard fight‚ the Christian struggle pays off in the long run.
The struggle is everything
Science looks at people that struggle and conclude that they are better off not struggling‚ but this is a superficial conclusion‚ de-linked from the experience of the Church‚ a conclusion that looks only at certain aspects of material or psychological well-being with no insight as to the eternal consequences of suppressing the undesired struggle. There are countless examples in the lives of the saints who have struggled with various serious issues‚ and‚ by staying faithful to the course of the Church‚ were able to transcend them and reach the Kingdom. This is our cloud of witnesses that teach us that the struggle pays off‚ that we are not just our bodies but much more than that.
In Orthodoxy the one who struggle is not alone‚ but is someone deeply cared for within the family and within the Church‚ someone that is born again through Baptism‚ that is Anointed as a member of the Church‚ that receives Communion and actively participates in his/her spiritual transformation‚ someone that know that Christ loves him/her very much! “Come to Me‚ all you who labor and are heavy laden‚ and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28-30) Science cannot show the effects of the Sacraments in the life of man‚ because they cannot be measured with a stethoscope or an MRI; we blossom invisibly‚ perceived only through the eyes of a purified soul.
The Church has the duty‚ as a loving Mother‚ to teach her kids how to wrestle with all their sinful tendencies. By sinful I do not mean that break the “moral code”‚ God is neither a moralist nor a legalist‚ He rather defines sin as something that takes one of the mark. So‚ she teaches her children to never give up the struggle with anything that is trying to take them away from God. If we understand this‚ then‚ as true worshipers‚ we should strive to be examples for the world in our struggle. We cannot capitulate to our own weaknesses while pointing out to someone else’s incapacity to take up their cross. Let us all stay salt and season the Earth.
[i] Marius Telea‚ Antropologia Sfintilor Parinti Capadocieni‚ p. 159
[ii] St. Basil the Great‚ Homilies to Hexaemeron‚ VI‚ http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/32016.htm
[iii] St. Maximus writes of five divisions in which man participates‚ and is called to overcome in the process of theosis: created and uncreated‚ intelligible and sensible‚ heaven and earth‚ paradise and universe‚ male and female. Ambiguum 41‚ also in Quaest. ad. Thal. 48‚ 6’.
[iv] Lars Thunberg‚ Antropologia Sfantului Maxim Marturisitorul‚ pp 416-417
What is Man? Series (2)- Male and Female Engaged in the Holy Struggle‚