Analytical Review of Theories of Divine Forgiveness from the Point of View of Orthodox Theology

Abstract

The The article provides an overview of modern theories about divine forgiveness. To date, in Orthodox theology the phenomenon of Divine forgiveness is not considered separately. Within the framework of the theory, from the point of view of Orthodox thought, God's forgiveness is considered in the context of the theme of salvation and redemption, which determines the essence of the Orthodox view of forgiveness in the form of soteriological images and makes it possible to compare and contrast the Orthodox view of forgiveness with the theories of forgiveness of representatives of heterodoxy. The analytical review shows a tendency to avoid direct analogy with human forgiveness and identification with other concepts. Researchers seek to find a way to combine the temporality of the analogy of interpersonal forgiveness with the attributes of Divine forgiveness — eternity, God’s omniscience and goodness. In this regard, theories of a normative, legal nature seem more consistent, which, in turn, have their own shortcomings: they introduce distance in divine-human relations. Comparative and comparative analysis shows that any of the theories focuses on one or another aspect of forgiveness, which does not reflect the depth of the soteriological meaning of Divine forgiveness. In this regard, the Orthodox view of God’s forgiveness in the form of images that originate from the Holy Scripture does not lose its relevance.