On Miracles and Darwin
If everything comes down to blind, random evolutionism, then the problem of ancestral sin disappears. The need for salvation and for the Savior also disappears, which means that the Resurrection and the phenomenon of holiness are eliminated.
And God Created Man in His Own Image. Mosaic of the Cappella Palatina. Palermo, Italy
Spiritual knowledge is far superior to scientific knowledge as it leads us to the Truth. If it were true that man evolved from apes, Christ would have said to St. Paisios:
“I created you from an ape to humble you.”
God did not do this. If we assume that God accidentally chose only two chimpanzees, apes, or hominids out of hundreds of thousands and gave them an immortal soul in His image and likeness, then we would implicitly consider God extremely unjust. He would be a tyrant if he denied hundreds of thousands of hominids (except two) the sublime gift of theosis, which would not be consistent with His love. After all, animals have no freedom to choose.
God created man as a new being, not one produced from an animal, even if He used the same matter—earth—and the same principles of creation and design. A special act was required for this. Even if God used the same principles, man is fundamentally different. Through man, God manifests Himself in the world in a special way, by means of the intensity of His grace, which animals do not have, and particularly by His incarnation. This is the most important thing. God had to create man as a new being for this reason, as animals are unable to attain human reason. And when I say “reason”, it mysteriously applies to the body as well.
In addition, the “garments of skin”—that is, an animal body, which far from God, were given to our ancestors after they had fallen into sin through disobedience. Before the fall people had bodies similar those of the angels, to quote Sts. St. Gregory the Bishop of NyssaSaint Gregory, Bishop of Nyssa, was a younger brother of Saint Basil the Great. His birth and upbringing came at a time when the Arian disputes were at their height.
“>Gregory of Nyssa, 
St. Maximus the ConfessorSaint Maximus the Confessor was born in Constantinople around 580 and raised in a pious Christian family.”>Maximus the Confessor and Saint John of Damascus. In other words, the human body was once spiritual and immortal, but after the fall it became biological, “animal”, corruptible, and mortal. The Scriptures and the Holy Fathers, who were personally enlightened by God and had knowledge far superior to science, said this. Spiritual science has been shown to be superior to modern science in many cases, which focuses on the immanent.
God, Science and error
There are many cases of errors in science, both intentional and unintentional, because mortal man is not immune from mistakes. However, in divine revelation, there are no errors. You should know that the saints were enlightened by God, and even if they might not have comprehensive knowledge of problems unrelated to salvation, scientific or other problems, then Divine Providence enlightened them in problems related to human salvation, and the Church recognized them as reliable. This is because the Church is concerned with the salvation of man. And the problem of human origins is strictly related to human salvation.
I personally know of two cases in the Church today that I still cannot define. In the first instance, a person had problems with the devil because he had unknowingly agreed with so-called Christian evolutionism, which accepts the possibility of man’s evolution from animals. In the second instance, a monk who had previously had the gift of unceasing prayer could no longer pray, because he had the thought: “Well, what if it [evolutionism] is true?” The thought of species evolving from one to another caused him to freeze in a state of demonic stupor, and prayer stopped in his heart. He was unable to do anything with himself until he chased away the thought.
In fact, brethren, Holy Mount Athos and all the saints, both modern and ancient, have opposed evolutionism, including the theistic version that acknowledges Divine intervention in Creation. That is, they are against evolution from one species to another.
Some faithful believers suffered in Communist prisons for their convictions, standing firm in their faith despite torture. One theologian, when challenged by Communists attempting to prove human evolution from apes, calmly responded by affirming that those who believe in God have Him as their Father. The theologian’s stance was in line with the teachings of the Council of Carthage, which emphasized the immortality of man before the fall.
The discussion of theology delved into the mystery of the Truth as a Person, with Christ being the ultimate Truth that brings meaning and purpose to life. The concept of interpenetration and perichoresis, or mutual indwelling, was explored to explain the unique creation of man by the Holy Trinity. Unlike the rest of Creation, man was created with the active participation of all three Persons of the Trinity, reflecting the unity and diversity within God Himself.
The theological discussion highlighted the intricacies of God’s creation of man in His image and likeness, emphasizing the unity and diversity within humanity as a reflection of the Triune God. The profound mystery of interpenetration and perichoresis underscored the divine nature of man’s creation, challenging simplistic explanations of human existence based on secular theories. God created a single vast mind in His likeness, where all personalities are interconnected to understand each other’s thoughts, share experiences, and work together towards a common goal of theosis – eternal perfection. This unity is akin to how different parts of the body coordinate naturally. The Apostle Paul’s analogy of the Church as a body with Christ as the Head reflects a tangible reality, lost due to sin causing the fragmentation of Adam’s unity. The gift of reading minds, a lost natural ability after Adam’s fall, reappears in those close to God. The examples of St. Joseph the Hesychast and St. Ephraim of Katounakia demonstrate this gift. Christ’s purpose is to reunite the fragmented Adam, restoring unity through love and interpenetration of personalities. This unity is salvation, leading to Paradise and the revival of global Adam in the image of God. Humility lies in recognizing our small role in the cosmic body of global Adam, where unity with Christ transforms us into eternal beings. Embracing this truth and striving to live it out is the essence of humility.
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