Editorial

Abstract

Metropolitan John Zizioulas of Pergamon ranks among the most significant Orthodox theologians of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, whose theological contribution is inseparable from a sustained and fruitful dialogue with leading thinkers of the Christian world. This editorial traces the decades-long network of his theological encounters — from his doctoral studies in the United States, where he worked alongside Georges Florovsky, George Williams, and Krister Stendahl, to his long years of academic activity in Geneva, Italy, and the United Kingdom, which brought him into direct contact with theologians such as Thomas F. Torrance, Colin Gunton, Yves Congar, and Walter Kasper. Particular attention is given to his ties with the Greek academic and ecclesiastical world, as well as to the remarkable influence he exercised on Serbian Orthodox theology between 1985 and 2016, above all through his collaboration with bishops Athanasios Jevtić and Ignatios Midić. His later ecumenical engagements are likewise addressed, including his encounters with Rowan Williams and Pope Francis.