The doctrine of deification in orthodox theology

The doctrine of salvation is the most important part of the Christian theology. Soteriology can answer the questions about the sense of life of the Christian, its final aim and the means of achieving this aim. Deification is one of the synonyms of the salvation, which means the ability of the man to reflect the perfections of God. Deification in oriental theology is understood as the movement from the image to the Pre-image. A man is created in God’s image and likeness. The image is in the spiritual part of the man. Image is primarily given to the man while the resemblance must be achieved during the whole life of the man. Deification is synergy. Not only God makes our salvation, but we also take part in this process. God and the man are active participants of this process. Deification is eschatological. Deification is not something momentary but a gradual process continuing for the whole life of the man. The deification concept is the main contribution of the Christian theology.