Vol. 2, No. 1: The Dialogue Partners of Metropolitan John Zizioulas’ Theology

Throughout his extensive academic and ecclesiastical career, Metropolitan John Zizioulas of Pergamon engaged in meaningful theological dialogue with prominent figures from various Christian traditions. During his doctoral studies and research in the United States, he became acquainted with several notable thinkers, including Paul Tillich, as well as his doctoral advisors, such as the founder of the neopatristic synthesis and eminent émigré theologian, Fr. Georges Florovsky, George Williams, Krister Stendahl, and the prominent historian, Fr. John Meyendorff. Upon returning to Europe, where he spent the majority of his academic career in Geneva, Italy, and the United Kingdom, Zizioulas interacted with some of the most important theologians of his time. He engaged directly with figures such as Thomas F. Torrance, Colin Gunton, Yves Congar, and Walter Kasper, while also having indirect interactions with scholars like Wolfgang Pannenberg, Jürgen Moltmann, and the late Metropolitan Kallistos Ware. Zizioulas's continuous engagement with distinguished theologians, whether as a lay theologian in Greece during the early 1960s or following his return in the early 1990s, is noteworthy. His relationships with figures such as Nikos Nissiotis and Christos Yannaras, as well as other professors at Greek universities (not all of which were friendly), further highlight this aspect. One should also mention that he became the most influential contemporary Orthodox theologian in Serbia from 1985 to 2016, closely interacting with bishops Athanasios Jevtić and Ignatios Midić. More recently, while serving as the Metropolitan of Pergamon and as the primary spokesman for the Ecumenical Patriarchate, he interacted with church leaders, including the former Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, and the recently deceased Pope Francis. This ongoing dialogue profoundly influenced the development of his character and enriched his theological vision. It fostered a commitment to constant communication and openness toward others, along with a deep respect for the quest for Christian unity and the advancements in modern science and philosophy, as the context within which the Orthodox church should carry out its mission.

This dialogical ethos, inspired by his patristic heroes (the Cappadocian fathers and Maximus the Confessor, in particular), became a guiding principle in his intellectual formation and formulation of his theology. He remained committed to a serious theological dialogue on critical existential themes, even in his most recent book, titled Remembering the Future, written shortly before his passing, which reveals the fresh spirit of a promising junior scholar who seeks to delve deeply into the sources of his research. It is not an exaggeration to say that Zizioulas, not only with his life but also with his work, embodied an occasion for dialogue, where his fundamental theological themes of communion and otherness converged.

In this third issue of the journal, the articles explore a few representative paradigms of Zizioulas's theological encounters with important figures in the inter-Christian theological landscape, though the exploration is not exhaustive. Additionally, previously unpublished materials—such as personal correspondence and archival photos—are featured for the first time in the issue.