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6 - Worship as Real Union

from Part II - What Is Worship?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 January 2025

By
Omar Fakhri
Edited by
Aaron Segal  and
Samuel Lebens
Aaron Segal
Affiliation:
Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Samuel Lebens
Affiliation:
University of Haifa, Israel
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Summary

In this chapter, I argue for an account of worship as real union. To worship the Divine is to participate in the goodness of God, in an ontological way. But how can we really participate in God? The answer depends on the coherence of an important distinction between the essence and divine energies of God. We cannot participate in the essence of God, otherwise the distinction between creature and creator breaks down. Rather, we participate in the divine energies of God. Although there is a difference between the divine essence and the divine energies, the divine energies are not something distinct from God. God interacts with us and reveals himself to us through the divine energies. The divine energies are the activities of God that can penetrate our inner being and change us from potentially being good to actually being good. Thus, worship, in the proper and strict sense, divinizes us.

Keywords

Worshiptheosisreal unionessenceenergiesparticipation
Type
Chapter
Information
The Philosophy of Worship
Divine and Human Aspects
 , pp. 93 - 116
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2025

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