Christos Yannaras (; also Giannaras; ; 10 April 1935 – 24 August 2024) was a Greek philosopher, Eastern Orthodox theologian and author of more than 50 books which have been translated into many languages. He was a professor emeritus of philosophy at the Panteion University of Social and Political Sciences, Athens.
Biography Yannaras was born in Athens. He studied theology at the University of Athens and philosophy at the University of Bonn (Germany) and the University of Paris (France). He received a Ph.D. from the Faculty of Theology at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (Greece). He held also a Ph.D of the Faculté des Lettres et Sciences Humaines at the Sorbonne-University of Paris IV. He had been a visiting professor at the universities of Paris (the Catholic Faculty), Geneva, Lausanne and Crete. He was Professor of Philosophy at the Panteion University of Social and Political Sciences in Athens, from 1982 to 2002. He was an elected member of the Hellenic Authors' Society and International Academy of Human Sciences (Brussels).
He held honorary doctorates (honoris causa) from the University of Belgrade, St. Vladimir's Seminary in New York, Hellenic College Holy Cross, New Georgian University in PotiChristos Yannaras was honored at New Georgian University, an Orthodox school in west Georgia and National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. In 2019 Ecumenical Patriarch awarded him the Offikion of Archon Grand Rhetor of the Holy Great Church of Christ.Ecumenical Patriarch awards Professor Christos Yannaras
The main volume of Yannaras' work represents a long course on study and research of the differences between the Greek and Western European philosophy and tradition, differences that are not limited to the level of theory only but also define a praxis (mode of life).
Christos Yannaras appears in the video "Rhetoric-Hill of the Pnix" directed in 2017 by French artist Youssef Tabti. Over the course of 40 minutes, C. Yannaras shares his views on freedom of expression and democracy, as they were experienced in ancient Athens and as we know them today.
Yannaras died in the island of Kythira on 24 August 2024, at the age of 89.
Selected bibliography In English The Freedom of Morality, New York (SVS Press), 1984 () Elements of Faith, Edinburgh (T&T Clark), 1991 () On the Absence and Unknowability of God: Heidegger and the Areopagite, London (Continuum, 2005) () Postmodern Metaphysics, Holy Cross Orthodox Press (Brookline, MA), 2004 () table of contents Variations on the Song of Songs, Holy Cross Orthodox Press (Brookline, MA), 2005 () Orthodoxy and the West, Holy Cross Orthodox Press (Brookline, MA), 2006 () Person and Eros, Holy Cross Orthodox Press (Brookline, MA), 2008 () The Meaning of Reality: Essays on Existence and Communion, Eros and History. Sebastian Press (Los Angeles), 2011 () Relational Ontology, Holy Cross Orthodox Press (Brookline, MA), 2011 () The Enigma of Evil, Holy Cross Orthodox Press (Brookline, MA), 2012 () Against Religion: The Alienation of the Ecclesial Event, Holy Cross Orthodox Press (Brookline, MA), 2013 ()
Online texts "Pietism as an Ecclesiological Heresy" (Chapter 8 of The Freedom of Morality) "The Ethos of Liturgical Art" (Chapter 12 of The Freedom of Morality) "The inhuman character of human rights" (synopsis in English of the homonymous Greek book, published by Domos, Athens 1998) Yannaras' lecture on "Human rights and the Orthodox Church" "Towards a New Ecumenism" "A Note on Political Theory" (St. Vladimir's Theological Quarterly, 27:1 (1983), pp. 53–56) "The Distinction Between Essence and Energies and its Importance for Theology" Athens, February 1975. Translated from the Greek by the Rev. Peter Chamberas Read the chapter "Cantus Firmus" from the "Variations of the song of songs" in Greek" or in English First chapter of the author's book Orthodoxy and West in Modern Greece (in Greek) Collection of numerous articles in Greek
References
Further reading Grigoropoulou, Evaggelia (2008): The early development of the thought of Christos Yannaras. Doctoral thesis, Durham University. Payne, Daniel P. (2006): The revival of political hesychasm in Greek Orthodox thought: a study of the hesychast basis of the thought of John S. Romanides and Christos Yannaras . Doctoral thesis, Baylor University. Williams, Rowan: The Theology of Personhood: A Study of the Thought of Christos Yannaras, from ”Sobornost” 6 (Winter 1972), pp. 415–430. Mitralexis, Sotiris: Person, Eros, Critical Ontology: An Attempt to Recapitulate Christos Yannaras’ Philosophy, from ”Sobornost” 34:1 (2012), pp. 33–40. Louth, Andrew: Some Recent Works by Christos Yannaras in English Translation, from “Modern Theology”, 25:2 (2009), pp. 329–340. Russell, Norman: Modern Greek Theologians and the Greek Fathers, from “Philosophy & Theology” 18,1 (2006): pp. 77–92. Papagiannopoulos, Ilias: Re-appraising the subject and the social in western philosophy and in contemporary orthodox thought, from “Studies in East European Thought” 58:4 (2006), pp. 299–330.
Book reviews "The Theology of personhood, a study of the thought of Christos Yannaras", a review of the book published afterwards under the title Person and Eros by Rowan Williams (a former Archbishop of Canterbury) in the journal Sobornost, No. 6, Winter 1972, pp. 415–430 A review of Elements of Faith by Nicholas Franck
External links Christos Yannaras - OrthodoxWiki Christos Yannaras - Biography