ΝΟΥΣ în antropologia patristică

Man as a subject of research for man is probably an inexhaustible subject in his nature, because man is just as in the beginning (as a psychosomatic structure), but at the same time different in every historical period. Man is indefinable and nevertheless carries a power that other beings do not possess. This power is the power of the human mind. With his mind, man masters the whole creation, explores the outer Universe and the universe of his heart. The same mind brings peace or war, love or hatred into the world. What is the key to understanding the human person? Patristic anthropology reveals to contemporary man great truths about human nature. It is true that the Fathers used the means of expression specific to their contemporaneity. The fact that they used terms borrowed from the philosophy of their time to describe what man is, doesn’t bring a degradation of the patristic teachings, but rather demonstrates that the efforts of the Holy Fathers were made for the whole Church. Parents had done everything to bring to the true faith and the enlightened minds of time, not just ordinary people. Even if some philosophical terms do not have their direct correspondence in the Old or New Scripture, this does not affect their teachings, which may, however, remain theologically correct as long as they do not contradict Scripture or Tradition. The Christian faith itself is liberating, and this freedom leaves the mind to rise on heights that are hard to penetrate for the untrained. The understanding of the human nature is different from the understanding of a purely theoretical anthropology that issues theories about man, which in the future will be confirmed or rejected. Parents presented our nature according to a theological understanding, and not only according with certain theories about him, which highlight an aspect of human reality and leave other aspects in vain. The Divine Fathers brought to the attention of the world the central elements of our nature, they analyzed each of them, yet managed to preserve the unity of the human person.