Fr. Dumitru Stăniloae: Portrait of a Public Theologian

Abstract

It is the aim of this article to sketch the portrait of Fr. Dumitru Stăniloae as a public theologian. Starting with his biography and continuing with his intellectual and spiritual development will become clear that Fr. Dumitru Stăniloae was a theologian profoundly involved in the cultural, intelectual and spiritual life of the Romanian society of the twentieth century. We will observe the fact that the uniqueness of Dumitru Stăniloae in the tapestry of Romanian theological thought is given, among many other things, by his robust interaction with different traditions than his own, an interaction that roots his interdisciplinary, dialogical approach to theology. We will also focus on the way Stăniloae is a theologian who rediscovers the vital connection between theology and spirituality. Moreover, we will understand that there are also many elements in Stăniloae’s theological thought that could be taken in account in a formulation of new ways of thinking about the Church and her mission in third millennium Romania.

Keywords

• theology
• spirituality
• culture
• society
• legacy