How “Doxological Contrition” Unpacks the Scriptures, Unites the Church, and Inspires Your Worship

January 2023 Book Review

Khaled Anatolios, Deification Through the Cross: An Eastern Theology of Salvation. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2020. (Hardcover | Paperback | Kindle)

Khaled Anatolios is the John A. O’Brien Professor of Theology at the University of Notre Dame. A married priest in the Melkite Greek Catholic Church, Anatolia’s was born in India, grew up in Egypt and Canada, and received his PhD in theology from Boston College.

In Deification Through the Cross: An Eastern Theology of Salvation, he proposes a soteriology rooted deeply in the Scriptures and in the liturgical tradition of the church that has the potential to unify the theological divide between East and West.

Three big ideas

Anatolios summarizes his book in three arguments (p. xiv):

1. “The dynamic of the manifestation of the divine glory that enables and animates human repentance is at the heart of the biblical understanding of salvation.”

Thus any theology of salvation that fails to center the glory of God is unworthy of the name.

2. “This dynamic was brought to perfect fulfillment in Jesus Christ, who worked our salvation through his perfect manifestation of divine glory and his perfect human glorification of God, as well as through his perfect contrition for all human sin.”

In other words the incarnate Lord accomplished what every other human has failed to do: to live solely for the glory of God. At the same time he so identified with the human race that, though he had done nothing wrong, he fulfilled the requirement of repentance for humanity.

3. “Thus I speak of Christ’s ‘doxological contrition’ as effecting our salvation and of our salvation as a conscious participation in Christ’s doxological contrition.”

For the author this phrase—doxological contrition—is shorthand for the Christian teaching of salvation, accomplished by Jesus and appropriated by his people.

Summary of the contents

Deification Through the Cross divides into two parts—evidence and synthesis. Part 1 expounds the proof Anatolios finds for his arguments in Byzantine liturgy (ch. 1), Scripture (ch. 2), and the ecumencial councils of the church (ch. 3). His use of those three sources disabuses the notion that theologizing about the doctrine of salvation is merely for academics but has always been central to Christian worship and church history.

Part 2 systematizes his findings under four headings: the mutual glorification of the Divine Trinity (ch. 4), human existence as participation in intra-trinitarian glorification (ch. 5), the doxological weight of human sin (ch. 6), and salvation as reintegration into trinitarian glorification (ch. 7).

This reintegration into trinitarian glorification bridges Eastern and Western theology, even though the Eastern emphasis on deification is a touchpoint in the divide. Anatolios argues that a proper understanding of Scripture and the ecumenical councils—and of one another—actually closes the gap, whether or not one uses the word deification, and the notion of “doxological contrition” can be that bridge.

“As demonstrated by its capacity for generating dialogue with a variety of voices in the tradition, both ancient and modern and both Eastern and Western, the conception of Christ’s salvific work as doxological contrition seems to encapsulate vital elements that lie at the heart of the Christian tradition of reflection on the mystery of salvation in Christ.” (p. 426).

He concludes Part 2 with a chapter engaging other prominent contemporary models of salvation (Liberation Theology, Girardian Mimetic Theory, and Penal Substitution) that shows how doxological contrition interacts, overlaps with, and diverges from the others. He concludes on the hopeful note that his readers will find the applicability of this theology in the worship of the church.

“Human fulfillment consists in the worshipful adoration of the divine glory, a glory that is not reserved for some post-mundane eschatological moment but has traveled and dwelt with humanity throughout God’s salvific activity in human history. The most fundamental practical recommendation of this book is that Christians learn to recognize the ‘joy of salvation’ as precisely the joy of worship” (p. 427).

Impressions

I found Anatolios’ arguments to be compelling on a number of levels. His persistence to define soteriology in Trinitarian and Christological terms is refreshing, and his emphasis on divine glory as the end for which Christ became flesh surely resonates.

I appreciate how the author shows Eastern and Western descriptions of salvation as looking on two sides of the same coin. How effectively his soteriology actually unites the church is unknown, but the attempt here is laudatory, respectful of all sides, and grounded in the one place unity can be found—the person and work of Jesus.

More work needs to be done to translate his work into the liturgy of the church … or perhaps the work has already been done and we now need to recognize how our worship tells the story of doxological contrition. I suppose that depends on one’s ecclesiastical tradition. Is our worship in fact doxological? And is there place given for worshipers to respond to the divine glory with repentant contrition so that we find restoration in Jesus’ works and not our own spiritual intensity.

As the author himself suggests in his concluding chapter, opportunity abounds to apply his theological method to the incarnate life of our Lord, that is, how Jesus lived the life of doxological contrition for human beings. In this book Anatolios gives biblical scholars and theologians a lot of seed for fruitful study.

Deification Through the Cross is not for the faint of heart. It is serious theology, rigorously researched and thoughtfully presented. But the reward is well worth the reader’s effort, who will see the Scriptures more clearly, understand the Trinitarian centrality of soteriology, adore Jesus for his work of salvation, and discover fuel for a life of worship and love.

Theologians, pastors, and well-read laypersons will want to read this book slowly so they can learn to see the contours of doxological contrition throughout the Scriptures they teach, preach, and study. Anatolios has given the church a tremendous gift, for which I am thankful.