Becoming God: The Doctrine of Theosis in Nicholas of Cusa

1. Theosis in the Greek Fathers and Pseudo-Dionysius

11 1. DFD I h 52, Bond. 1 T h e o s i s i n t h e G r e e k F at h e r s a n d P s e u do - D i o n y s i u s The notion of theosis refers to an original and essential relationship between the divine and created orders: the finite returns to the Infinite from which it is derived. It describes a soteriology in which the individual not only is saved from death and eternal punishment, but is deified. Instead of merely living in eternal relationship with God, the individual reclaims the union with God that was lost or weakened by his earthly, finite, and sinful life. Some theologians conceive theosis as the destiny not just of the human being, but of the entire created order. God, who poured himself out into his creation, returns it to himself, where it exists in eternal union with him. Nicholas of Cusa’s own understanding of deification is multifaceted .When expounding on the term “theosis” itself, he argues for its Christological character and links it to divine filiation (being a son of God).1 Divine sonship means that human intellectual nature is united   t h e o s i s i n t h e g r e e k t r a d i t i o n with Infinite Reason and through Infinite Reason with all things.2 The larger picture of his thought reveals that he saw theophany and divine immanence as aspects of theosis as well. For Cusanus, theosis pervades the entirety of the dynamic relationship between Creator and creation. It infuses at once creation’s origin, its existence as itself, and its ultimate return to God. When discussing theosis,Nicholas himself remarks that it is a Greek term.3 Moreover, his doctrine of theosis seems to bear great similarity to the tradition developed in the Greek Christian church.Although the extent of this tradition’s direct influence on Cusanus has yet to be determined , a look at the doctrine of theosis that had developed by the time of his writing is relevant as background for his own thought. Due to Nicholas of Cusa’s incontrovertible familiarity with the Dionysian corpus,much of modern scholarship restricts itself to the influence of Pseudo-Dionysius’s Neoplatonism on Nicholas’s thought. Although it is customary to refer to the “Neoplatonic elements” of his mystical metaphysics and to see a Dionysian influence in his doctrine of theosis, a study that neglected the Patristic tradition of theosis would be incomplete. Likewise, an inquiry that returned to the Greek fathers only after examining the Neoplatonism of Nicholas of Cusa would render the former merely an interesting postscript. It is essential to review the Patristic tradition of theosis because it contributed to the theological background against which Nicholas of Cusa worked. This is not to say with certainty, however, that Cusanus read the important treatises of Eastern Christianity. Nicholas’s direct exposure to Byzantine theology has been a matter of historical contention.Though his library contains Byzantine manuscripts,both his knowledge of Greek and his opportunity for extended contact with Eastern patriarchs have been called into question. At a minimum, evidence for Cusanus’s fa2 . Infinite Reason orWisdom is another word for God the Son. See Idiota de sapientia , as well as chapter 4 of this book. 3. DFD I h 52, Bond. t h e o s i s i n t h e g r e e k t r a d i t i o n  miliarity with Maximus the Confessor is found in Apologia doctae ignorantiae where he mentions “Maximus the Monk” in company with Hugh of St.Victor, Robert of Lincoln, John the Scot, and the Abbot of Vercelli.4 Moreover, Peter Casarella in his article “Wer Schrieb Die Ex Greco-Notizen im Codex Cusanus 44?” finds marginal notations in a Dionysian manuscript that are quotes from Maximus the Confessor to be indicative of Nicholas of Cusa’s familiarity with Greek Christian thought.5 However, a complete study needs to be done in this area. It must be noted, however, that the importance of critical editions to modern philosophical analysis was unknown to medieval thinkers. Because it was the idea and not the footnote that mattered, unreferenced sources may have influenced Cusanus. And even if the primary Patristic texts eluded him...