Doctorates at the faculty
Project:
The Theology of Oikonomia and Its Implications for Sacramental and Ecumenical Perspectives
John Sabu
Email: Sabu.John@theo.kuleuven.be
Research unit: Pastoral theology
Description:
Oikonomia, the Greek term, which literally means "husbandry," has three primary meanings. As the term itself indicates it means "stewardship" or wise and responsible management or administration of something. Oikonomia can also be treated as that element of doctrine concerning the divine plan of salvation or Incarnation history. The concept of the relationship between God who is righteous and sinful man which presupposes God's dispensation of Grace and mercy, is foundational to the theological notion of oikonomia. The pinnacle of this divine dispensation is in the "economic" sacrifice of the Son. Sacraments and revelations manifest God's oikonomia.Oikonomia is also referred to as a moral concession in contrast to the rule of order. In Byzantine canonical literature oikonomia is explained as the canonical power of the church by which, under certain circumstances, the strict letter of ecclesiastical law was relaxed. The intention of this was to avoid the rigorousness of the law and to remove the hindrances to salvation caused by the rigid legalistic execution. Therefore it is not a legal norm just as the dispensatio of the Western church, where it denotes the simple exception or dispensation from a law. According to Eastern Orthodox theologians oikonomia is all the more an "imitation of the divine mercy." The church employed economy either temporally or continually for a well-grounded reason. And this well-grounded reason is the salvation of souls which is the final object of the church. The church, considering the spiritual interest of the majority, makes use of economy to save them from spiritual injury, and to secure for them greater spiritual profit than they would have possessed had akribeia been enforced.
St. Basil, in his First Canon speaks about the possibility of oikonomia since he recognises that the rigor implicit in the necessity of rebaptism might discourage any possible converts and also hurt their chances of salvation. Therefore he advocates the general practice of leniency in the church. There are two motives by which Basil had justified the use of this leniency and these motives were kept by the Eastern tradition after him. One of the motives refers to the order of ecclesiastical communion: it is necessary to accept a general leniency as practised by the majority of the Churches. The other has to do with the individual pastoral care: one must avoid the akribeia (strict application of the law) that would cause obstacle to the salvation of converts wishing to enter the Church. Basil's leniency clearly demonstrates the "philanthropy" of the Church, didacskaloj (teacher) of truth and repository of grace for the heretics as well for those who return to her. But does she thus open a path, an "intercommunion" between Orthodox Church and the Christian communities closest to her, such as the non-chalcedonians, the Roman Catholic Church, the Anglican Church? Did the Fathers understand the question in this way? Is it after the birth of the ecumenical movement that the so-called idea of "intercommunion" was found in the concept of Oikonomia?
The hypotheses, which are to be examined in detail, are those elements common to many of the ancient and modern Orthodox presentations of economy:
1. Oikonomia is understood as the departure from or suspension of strict application (akribeia) of the Church's canons and disciplinary norms, making it in many respects analogous to the West's dispensatio.
2. But oikonomia is broader than dispensatio in that it is not limited to canon law and church discipline but applies to the sacraments as well. Therefore it is more theological than being mere legal. But oikonomia is comparable with epikeia found in the teachings of St. Thomas Aquinas and St. Alphonsus, which has been already in the writings of Aristotle. Epikeia is an act of justice that is done for the common good and for the good of the individual, and in which the intention of the law is recognised as a higher norm than the letter of the law. It opposes legalism. In a theological context, epikeia can be considered as a virtue of Christian freedom and maturity, an expression of that liberty which comes from the submission and openness to the Spirit. But the point of departure is the therapeutic vision of redemption and the whole economy of salvation, so well expressed in the theology of St. Irenaeus and the Greek Church Fathers.
3. From the point of view of the strict application of the law all sacraments administered outside the Orthodox Church are null and void.
4. But the Orthodox Church, as sole steward of grace and sovereign administrator of the sacraments, can decide to treat such sacraments as valid.
5. This concerns the sacraments of those entering the Orthodox Church; it does not imply the recognition of the validity of non-Orthodox sacraments per se.
6. Application of this principle varies according to circumstances. Economy can come into play only when something exists and presents a curable defect. Here it is not a matter of creating out of nothing, but of healing or of rendering strong that which was invalid. It has got ecclesiological implications. It suggests that outside the Orthodox Church there is a Christian reality that possesses a certain significance for the Universal Church.
Oikonomia is the healing "law" (nomos) of the household (oiko) of the redeemed. It is a matter of fidelity to the Redeemer who did not come for the just and strong, but to heal the sick and the weak. Here is the aspect of mercy, which is exposed by the notion of being saved by grace. Therefore a Christian community or a Christian who handles heartlessly by law and order instead of in a healing way is self-contradictory and absolutely unfaithful. It is obvious that rigorists and legalists betray the basic fidelity towards the Lord's household and its law by interpreting laws in a way contrary to the meaning of redemption, of healing love. The basic symbol of oikonomia is Jesus Christ who, to the great scandal of the Pharisees, celebrates the messianic meal with tax collectors and other bad characters. When taking this basic symbol into consideration, the following questions spring to mind: on what grounds can divorced-remarried people be excluded from the sacraments if they are sincerely seeking and trying to do what, in their situation, is best for their own healing and integrity and that of others involved? In the preliminary declaration before the Council of Florence (1439), the Roman Catholic Church assured Eastern Churches that, in the case of reunion, it would not oppose their practice of oikonomia and the corresponding interpretation of the indissolubility of marriage. During the Council of Trent, the bishops of the Republic of Venice, who came from territories where the union still existed, succeeded in preventing a revocation of this assurance. Hence it can be said that, from the point of view of dogma, the oikonomia practice is reconcilable with Roman catholic doctrine, provided of course, that it does not exceed the proper limits. At the same time the issue of oikonomia remains as a key problem regarding the reconciliation of Eastern Churches and the Roman catholic Church.
In the process of discussion we have to examine how different are the Eastern and Western approaches to ecclesiology and to related aspects of sacramental theology. About oikonomia the fundamental difference lies in the theological difference in Augustine and Cyprian. The study in a sense brings out the basic agreements and disagreements of East and West in matters of sacramentology and ecclesiology.
The method of study is historico-critical which is supported by a deep enquiry into the Patristic teachings and by studying available materials in all theological disciplines related to this subject.
