Light from the East: Theology, Science, and the Eastern Orthodox Tradition

Light from the East: Theology, Science, and the Eastern Orthodox Tradition. By Alexei V. Nesteruk. Minneapolis: Fortress, 2003. viii and 287 pages. Paper. $22.00.

Despite the abundance of recent publications in religion and science, the Eastern Church has not been prominently involved in the discussion. Alexei Nesteruk begins to remedy this with a book that covers science and theology in a setting of Greek Patristic thought. His basic thesis is that the universe is best understood when "humanity establishes itself as a priest of creation" (p. 230), with the human hypostasis being seen more clearly through the lens of Christ. Just as Christ is fully human and fully divine, humanity operates in two planes: the physical world and the hypostatic dimension (p. 210), allowing it to be a mediator for the universe.

Chapter 1 begins with an introduction, and chapters 2 and 3 lay the groundwork for Nesteruk's thesis. In chapter 2 he covers a large span of Patristic thought on science and nature, contrasting the East with the West. The third chapter compares this thought with the modern understanding of theology and science. These sections are quite helpful in reviewing the Greek Church Fathers' views of science, and seeing the differences in their thought compared to more recent concepts regarding science.

In chapters 4 through 6 Nesteruk builds his argument by dealing with methodology in Greek thought as well as building scientific and philosophical arguments. The fifth and sixth chapters will be difficult for novices to the topics of creatio ex nihilo and issues related to time. The discussion in these chapters is more technical than not, but even without a full grasp of these chapters, the conclusions found in chapter 7 (the final chapter) are understandable.

Nesteruk has done a good job of integrating many topics of the religion-and-science dialogue and rooting them in Greek Patristic thought. Although not an introductory text, Light from the East is worthwhile for those interested in religion and science who would like a broader perspective. In a world that has become more pluralistic, those in ministry will benefit from seeing how other branches of Christianity add to the religion-and-science dialogue. For those already interested in this discussion, Nesteruk has presented a thesis worth considering.

George Tsakiridis

Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago

COPYRIGHT 2007 Lutheran School of Theology and Mission
COPYRIGHT 2008 Gale, Cengage Learning