Freedom now and then

In this paper, we examine the conceptual definitions and the value of human freedom in the conceptions of three Orthodox theologians from different eras. First, we examine the ideas of St. Gregory of Nyssa, then the specific conceptions of St. John the Damas cene and, finally, the conceptions of Metropolitan John Zizioulas. Results show that, although they belong to the same Orthodox tradition (which they have articulated intellectually) and share common absolute presuppositions, the three theologians do not have identical conceptions of freedom. Common absolute presuppositions not only fail to imply the identity of the derived metaphysical, epistemological or ethical theories, but may also imply their radical differences. Thanks to the dynamics of concepts and their properties and relations, cardinally different epistemological, metaphysical and ontological implications can be derived from single metaphysical core. The meaning and value of human freedom in the work of Jovan Zizioulas are radically different from the conception of freedom in the theories of two ancient theologians. Differences and divergences can be a result of the spirit of the times, influence of philosophical ideas, cultural patterns and dominant models of thought, as well as a result of the properties of the examined concepts, which resist repetition of identical conceptual networks and relations, or also a result of strange, unpredictable and unusual trajectories and synthesis of ideas in the history of culture and civilization.