Nikolaos Loudovikos ( el, Νικόλαος Λουδοβίκος; born 1959) is a

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...

(

protopresbyter A ''protoiereus'' (from grc, πρωτοϊερεύς, "first priest", Modern Greek: πρωθιερέας) or protopriest in the Eastern Orthodox Church is a priest usually coordinating the activity of other subordinate priests in a bigger church. T ...

psychologist A psychologist is a professional who practices psychology and studies mental states, perceptual, cognitive, emotional, and social processes and behavior. Their work often involves the experimentation, observation, and interpretation of how indi ...

author An author is the writer of a book, article, play, mostly written work. A broader definition of the word "author" states: "''An author is "the person who originated or gave existence to anything" and whose authorship determines responsibility f ...

and

professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an Academy, academic rank at university, universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who pr ...

Biography

Fr. Nikolaos Loudovikos was born in

Volos Volos ( el, Βόλος ) is a coastal port city in Thessaly situated midway on the Greek mainland, about north of Athens and south of Thessaloniki. It is the sixth most populous city of Greece, and the capital of the Magnesia regional unit ...

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...

in 1959. He studied Psychology and Education at the

University of Athens The National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA; el, Εθνικό και Καποδιστριακό Πανεπιστήμιο Αθηνών, ''Ethnikó ke Kapodistriakó Panepistímio Athinón''), usually referred to simply as the Univers ...

, Theology at the

University of Thessaloniki A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, the ...

Philosophy Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some ...

at Paris IV, Philosophy and

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

Theology at the

Catholic Institute of Paris The Institut Catholique de Paris (ICP), known in English as the Catholic University of Paris (and in Latin as ''Universitas catholica Parisiensis''), is a private university located in Paris, France. History: 1875–present The Institut Catholiq ...

, Philosophy and

Protestant Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...

Theology at the

University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

. He received a Ph.D. in 1989 from the Theological Faculty of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. The title of his dissertation was: ''The Eucharistic Ontology in the Theological Thought of St. Maximus the Confessor''. He has worked as a researcher at the

Tyndale House (Cambridge) Tyndale House is an independent biblical studies library in Cambridge, England, with a Christian foundation. Founded in 1944, it aims to provide specialist resources in support of research into the Old and New Testaments, along with relevant hist ...

. He has taught and lectured at the Centre for Advanced Religious and Theological Studies (CARTS) of the Department of Theology at the University of Cambridge, at

Durham University , mottoeng = Her foundations are upon the holy hills (Psalm 87:1) , established = (university status) , type = Public , academic_staff = 1,830 (2020) , administrative_staff = 2,640 (2018/19) , chancellor = Sir Thomas Allen , vice_chan ...

, as well as at other Universities and Research Centres. Today he is a professor of Dogmatics and Philosophy at the University Ecclesiastical Academy of Thessaloniki, visiting professor at the University Balamand (Lebanon), the

Institute for Orthodox Christian Studies The Institute for Orthodox Christian Studies (IOCS) is a theological college in Cambridge, England. It works in collaboration with the University of Cambridge and Anglia Ruskin University and awards its degree programs through these universities. ...

(Cambridge), and Research Fellow at the University of Winchester in the United Kingdom. He is Senior Editor of Analogia Journal - The Pemptousia Journal of Theological Studies, a peer-reviewed academic journal dedicated to the scholarly exposition and discussion of the theological principles of the Christian faith. Fr. Nikolaos Loudovikos is a member of the Saint Irenaeus Joint Orthodox-Catholic Working Group, where he has served as Co-Secretary (Orthodox) between the years 2004 and 2018.

Quotes

"Fortunately,

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...

is neither

Platonism Platonism is the philosophy of Plato and philosophical systems closely derived from it, though contemporary platonists do not necessarily accept all of the doctrines of Plato. Platonism had a profound effect on Western thought. Platonism at le ...

nor

Stoicism Stoicism is a school of Hellenistic philosophy founded by Zeno of Citium in Athens in the early 3rd century Common Era, BCE. It is a philosophy of personal virtue ethics informed by its system of logic and its views on the natural world, asser ...

. Everything in our body and soul is created by God, and as such, absolutely sacred. It is up to my own freedom to get angry, fall in love, play, create, eat, rejoice, be sorrowful, in such a manner that will bring me continuously closer to the Divine Source of my being: this is the meaning of the

Incarnation Incarnation literally means ''embodied in flesh'' or ''taking on flesh''. It refers to the conception and the embodiment of a deity or spirit in some earthly form or the appearance of a god as a human. If capitalized, it is the union of divinit ...

. God does not call me to escape from this world, but to transform it into a place of His manifestation" " Anselm says: why did the Incarnation happen? So that the Son of God could be punished in the place of man.

Gregory the Theologian Gregory of Nazianzus ( el, Γρηγόριος ὁ Ναζιανζηνός, ''Grēgorios ho Nazianzēnos''; ''Liturgy of the Hours'' Volume I, Proper of Saints, 2 January. – 25 January 390,), also known as Gregory the Theologian or Gregory N ...

says: the Incarnation happened, 'because humanity must be sanctified by the Humanity of God'. Quite the opposite, in other words. And the Theologian continues: the only thing God wants, is to stop decay. Now try and build legalism on a position such as that of the

Greek Fathers The Church Fathers, Early Church Fathers, Christian Fathers, or Fathers of the Church were ancient and influential Christian theologians and writers who established the intellectual and doctrinal foundations of Christianity. The historical per ...

! It is impossible. That's why many of my fellow students in France marvelled at us Greeks, saying: «vous êtes anarchistes» (you are anarchists)!"

Bibliography

Fr. Loudovikos has published the following books in Greek (titles translated): * ''

Eucharistic The Eucharist (; from Greek , , ), also known as Holy Communion and the Lord's Supper, is a Christian rite that is considered a sacrament in most churches, and as an ordinance in others. According to the New Testament, the rite was instituted ...

Ontology In metaphysics, ontology is the philosophical study of being, as well as related concepts such as existence, becoming, and reality. Ontology addresses questions like how entities are grouped into categories and which of these entities exis ...

'', Domos, Athens, 1992, * ''Closed Spirituality and the Meaning of Self'', Ellinika Grammata, Athens, 1999, * ''The Apophatic

Ecclesiology In Christian theology, ecclesiology is the study of the Church, the origins of Christianity, its relationship to Jesus, its role in salvation, its polity, its discipline, its eschatology, and its leadership. In its early history, one of the ...

Consubstantiality Consubstantiality, a term derived from la, consubstantialitas, denotes identity of substance or essence in spite of difference in aspect. It appears most commonly in its adjectival form, "consubstantial", from Latin ''consubstantialis'', and ...

: The Ancient Church Today'', Armos, Athens 2002, * ''Theopoiia - The

Postmodern Postmodernism is an intellectual stance or mode of discourseNuyen, A.T., 1992. The Role of Rhetorical Devices in Postmodernist Discourse. Philosophy & Rhetoric, pp.183–194. characterized by skepticism toward the " grand narratives" of moderni ...

Theological Quest'', Armos, Athens, 2007, * ''

Psychoanalysis PsychoanalysisFrom Greek: + . is a set of theories and therapeutic techniques"What is psychoanalysis? Of course, one is supposed to answer that it is many things — a theory, a research method, a therapy, a body of knowledge. In what might b ...

and Orthodox Theology - About Desire,

Catholicity Catholicity (from , via ) is a concept pertaining to beliefs and practices that are widely accepted by numerous Christian denominations, most notably by those Christian denominations that describe themselves as ''catholic'' in accordance with t ...

and

Eschatology Eschatology (; ) concerns expectations of the end of the present age, human history, or of the world itself. The end of the world or end times is predicted by several world religions (both Abrahamic and non-Abrahamic), which teach that negati ...

'', Armos, Athens, 2006, * ''Orthodoxy and

Modernization Modernization theory is used to explain the process of modernization within societies. The "classical" theories of modernization of the 1950s and 1960s drew on sociological analyses of Karl Marx, Emile Durkheim and a partial reading of Max Weber, ...

- Byzantine Individualization, State and History in the Perspective of the European Future'', Armos, Athens, 2006, 960-527-337-3 * '' Theological History of

Ancient Ancient history is a time period from the History of writing, beginning of writing and recorded human history to as far as late antiquity. The span of recorded history is roughly 5,000 years, beginning with the Sumerian language, Sumerian c ...

Hellenic Philosophy -

Presocratics Pre-Socratic philosophy, also known as early Greek philosophy, is ancient Greek philosophy before Socrates. Pre-Socratic philosophers were mostly interested in cosmology, the beginning and the substance of the universe, but the inquiries of the ...

Socrates Socrates (; ; –399 BC) was a Greek philosopher from Athens who is credited as the founder of Western philosophy and among the first moral philosophers of the ethical tradition of thought. An enigmatic figure, Socrates authored no te ...

Plato Plato ( ; grc-gre, Πλάτων ; 428/427 or 424/423 – 348/347 BC) was a Greek philosopher born in Athens during the Classical period in Ancient Greece. He founded the Platonist school of thought and the Academy, the first institution ...

'', Pournaras Publishing, Athens, 2003, * ''Interpretation in Psychiatry and Psychotherapy'', Stanghellini Giovanni, Vasilakos Georgios, Gemenetzis Kostas, Didaskalou Thanos, Loudovikos Nikolaos, Begzos Marios P., Papageorgiou Thanos, Pentzopoulou-Valala Teresa, Chartokollis Petris, Ypsilon Publishing, 2005, * ''The Terrors of the Person and the Ordeals of Love: Critical Thoughts for a

Theological

'', Armos, Athens, 2009 * ''Striving for Participation: Being and Methexis in Gregory Palamas and Thomas Aquinas,'' Armos, Athens, 2010 * ''A History of God's Love,'' The Holy Monastery of Vatopedi, Holy Mountain, 2015 Fr. Loudovikos has published the following books in English: *''A

Maximus the Confessor Maximus the Confessor ( el, Μάξιμος ὁ Ὁμολογητής), also spelt Maximos, otherwise known as Maximus the Theologian and Maximus of Constantinople ( – 13 August 662), was a Christian monk, theologian, and scholar. In his earl ...

's Eschatological

of Being as Dialogical Reciprocity'', Translated by Elizabeth Theokritoff, revised and extended. Holy Cross Orthodox Press, Brookline, Mass, 2010, *''Church in the Making: An Apophatic

of Consubstantiality'', Translated by Norman Russell, revised and extended. St. Vladimir's Seminary Press, Crestwood, NY, 2016, * ''Analogical Identities: The Creation of the Christian Self: Beyond Spirituality and

Mysticism Mysticism is popularly known as becoming one with God or the Absolute, but may refer to any kind of ecstasy or altered state of consciousness which is given a religious or spiritual meaning. It may also refer to the attainment of insight in u ...

in the

Patristic Patristics or patrology is the study of the early Christian writers who are designated Church Fathers. The names derive from the combined forms of Latin ''pater'' and Greek ''patḗr'' (father). The period is generally considered to run from ...

Era (Studia Traditionis Theologiae) (

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

Ancient Greek Ancient Greek includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archaic peri ...

and

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

Edition)'', Brepols Publishers; Multilingual Edition, Belgium, 2019,

Notes

References

Father Nicolaos Loudovicos
Cosmos in Science and Religion, Under the Auspices of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, A project contributing to the dialogue among Science, Philosophy and Theology, retrieved on February 22, 2009

website of Pavlos Vatavalis, retrieved on February 22, 2009

External links

website of the Orthodox Outlet for Dogmatic Enqureries.

website of the Orthodox Outlet for Dogmatic Enqureries.

website of the Orthodox Outlet for Dogmatic Enqureries.
Articles from homilies of Fr. Nikolaos Loudovikos
website of St. Dionysios Monastery of

Olympus Olympus or Olympos ( grc, Ὄλυμπος, link=no) may refer to: Mountains In antiquity Greece * Mount Olympus in Thessaly, northern Greece, the home of the twelve gods of Olympus in Greek mythology * Mount Olympus (Lesvos), located in Les ...

.
Homilies of Fr. Nikolaos Loudovikos (mp3)
website of the Lifegiving Spring Church of Varia,

Lesbos Lesbos or Lesvos ( el, Λέσβος, Lésvos ) is a Greek island located in the northeastern Aegean Sea. It has an area of with approximately of coastline, making it the third largest island in Greece. It is separated from Anatolia, Asia Minor ...

.
The Problem of Evil from Augustine to the Modern Genetics
from the periodical "Synaxis", Issue 95, April - June 2005

Holy Synod of the Church of Greece, Committee of Bioethics
Episcopomonism and Laicism in Orthodox Tradition
Academy of Theological Studies, January 22, 2005

Interview originally published in the Periodical "Anti" on January 13, 2007.
We put Phantasies about Power and Dominion in the Place of God
Interview originally pubslished in Eleftherotypia (Greek National Daily Newspaper) on April 23, 2008
Articles and speeches by Fr. Nikolaos Loudovikos
Antibaro.gr

Website of the Holy Monastery of the Life-Giving-Spring at Vareia, Mytilene, Greece {{DEFAULTSORT:Loudovikos, Nikolaos 1959 births Living people Greek Eastern Orthodox priests Greek theologians University of Paris alumni 20th-century Eastern Orthodox priests 21st-century Eastern Orthodox priests Eastern Orthodox theologians 21st-century Greek philosophers Critics of atheism People from Volos

Biography

Quotes

Bibliography

See also

Notes

References

External links