Can it be considered in any way appropriate today to refer to a kingdom – even if it be the Kingdom of God – at a time when criticism of, and hostility to, the institution of the
monarchy has reached a state of paroxysm in many parts of the world? What kind of response is likely to be aroused today by such preaching or by the raising of such expectation?
But exactly the coming of the kingdom of God means the surpassing of every other type of reign and power. “Thy Kingdom Come”, writes Origen, “that every authority and power and force and every kingdom of the world and sin which reigns in our mortal bodies be abolished, and
that God reign over all of these”. “Thy Kingdom Come”,
that the hypostatic LOVE (1 Jn 4:16) reigns absolutely in us, and in the universe.
To those concerned with the interpretation of Holy Scripture it is clear that the “kingdom of God” or the “kingdom of heaven”, which lies at the core of Christ’s teaching, refers, firstly, to an eternal fact, secondly, to a new reality inaugurated by the life and the work of Christ in the history of mankind and, thirdly, to something that is to be fully realized in the future. We are concerned here with a central motive that dominates the so-called “synoptic tradition”.
Luke and Mark predominantly use the expression the “kingdom of God” whereas Matthew usually refers to the “kingdom of heaven” and the “kingdom of the Father”. This difference has given rise to not a few discussions, but eventually nearly all have agreed that the same fact of the “divine kingdom” is referred to in all instances. The same reality is also described as “life” (Mk 9:43, 46; Mt.7:13), “life everlasting” (Mk 10:17) – which in John is the
central motive of Christ’s teaching – and these terms are associated with such ideas as
“redemption” (Lk 21:28), and “glory” (Mk 10:37).
Jesus begins his teaching by assuring us that the “Kingdom” has been inaugurated by His presence and His work. All His wondrous acts, especially the liberation of man from
conditions of disease and privation, and the driving away of the demons that harass men, are “signs” of the presence of the Kingdom (Mt 12:28; cf. Lk 11:20). When the Pharisees ask “when is God’s kingdom coming”, Jesus assures them that “the kingdom of God is in the midst of you” (Lk 17:20 ff.). The confines of this spiritual Kingdom are unimaginably broad and embrace the whole world. Invited into it and expected to come “from east and west” (Mt 8:11)
are former sinners and tax-gatherers, the despised and insignificant of this world (Mt 5:10), and this is something never conceived of in Hebrew thinking. The requirements for admission to the Kingdom refer to neither race nor class but are spiritual and moral in nature. The
characteristics of those that shall enter the Kingdom are described in the “beatitudes”.
The manner in which the “kingdom of God” is referred to in the Gospels demonstrates that this reality exceeds accepted and logical limits; therefore the “mysteries of the Kingdom”
are announced by parables, by images, by poetic diction.
A schematic review of the meanings attached to the “kingdom of God” in Christian thinking, leads to a discerning of three basic view points:
a) that it implies the visible Church founded by Christ and carrying on his redeeming work until the Second Coming;
b) that it is the kingdom of Christ on earth between the Second Coming and the final judgment; and
c) that it refers to the absolute kingdom of God after the last judgment. Some interpretations with more dominant social elements were added subsequently to these classical views: that the Kingdom of God is a Christian transformation of the social situation, that it is humanity organized in accordance with God’s will.
In our day, interpreters of the Bible have turned to a more radical approach: How did Jesus Himself understand the Kingdom? Some have spoken of an immediate expectation of
the end, leading Him to an unreserved acceptance of death, others b) have transposed the “eschaton” to the historical “present” by maintaining that the Kingdom has already been realized by means of Christ’s work; others still c) have attempted a synthesis of these two
points of view by highlighting each to a different degree and have seen the experience of the “kingdom of God” in the present but to be universally completed by a surprising act of God to take place in the future. Most investigators now tend to accept the view that the kingdom of God started with Christ’s presence in the life of mankind and is now in the process of realization.
Another important theological contribution of our generation has been the underlining of the “tension” existing between the “already fulfilled” and the “not yet fulfilled”, i.e. that the Kingdom is already in the process of coming in time and will also only be fully accomplished
at the end of time. Meanwhile, within time there is a constant tension between the present partially fulfilled reality and the delayed reality of the Second Coming.
It is of decisive importance that Jesus Himself inseparably associated His own person with the Kingdom. The certainty of the Apostolic Church that after the Resurrection God “has
highly exalted” Christ, that “at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, …and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Ph 2:9-11), has led it to speak of the “kingdom of Christ”. Thus the christological interpretation given by Christ
Himself to the kingdom of God, namely that only in Him is the Kingdom present, is preserved. According to Origen: “The kingdom of heaven is Christ Himself, urging all men to repent and drawing them to Himself by grace”.
In the Orthodox theological tradition, the starting point and basis of the “kingdom of God” is a Trinitarian one. It is the Kingdom of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy
Spirit. It is the Kingdom of God and “the kingdom of his beloved Son” (Col 1:13), coming into history by means of the Holy Spirit. It is an eternal reality entering “into us” by divine grace and by means of the sacraments and the full accomplishment of which is the aim and
end of history.
In this framework of the already begun and expected “kingdom of God”, mission, the announcing of the Kingdom “unto the ends of the earth”, and to the whole of mankind, and inthe light of its eschatological fulfilment, holds a fundamental position.
A continuing duty of all disciples of all ages is the preaching of the kingdom of God, and incorporation into the mystical body of His Church – which is the prelude and the “image” of His Kingdom. The preaching to the entire universe remains the prerequisite for the consummation of the historical process of the maturation of mankind: “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, as a testimony to all nations; and then
the end will come” (Mt 24:14). It is not a matter of mere transmission of teaching and views, but an incarnation of the Word in new geographical areas and new circumstances with a view to the establishment of new “churches”, of new cores of truth and grace, where the sacraments
of the Kingdom will be celebrated and where its coming will be experienced in Eucharist and glorification. (As pointed out by the Orthodox Conference in Bucharest on “Confessing Christ
3 “Every thing will be fully revealed and realized in the Eschaton; meanwhile the Church already participates in it through the first-fruits of the Holy Spirit. She, therefore,
confesses this eschaton to be open through the Logos in the first-fruit of the Spirit which are the source and power for advancing the whole of humanity towards the coming Kingdom and for giving to the world a joyful hope of authentic and eternal life which follows the sacrifice
of the Cross”.
Through the sacraments of the Church, the faithful see and experience the Transfiguration which presages the coming in glory of Christ the King, and through mission invite all men to communion in the new life by participation in the joyful paeans of praise of the Resurrected Christ, by participation in the Liturgy where the present and the future coming of the Kingdom are experienced.
In every generation of men, the preaching of the Kingdom continues. But each period has its peculiarities and its particular circumstances. Repeated analyses of the peculiarities of our era have been made in recent years, and points which call for special attention today have
been emphasized. In the following brief review I propose to pinpoint only a few particular features which are observed over wide areas of the earth, and which are of special reference to the responsibilities and role of the Orthodox.
1) In the area inhabited by most of the traditionally Orthodox peoples, the Church succeeds in sustaining its sacramental presence under the new circumstances of a socialist society and an often anti-Christian ideology. In an environment which exults in and boasts of
the achievement of social equality and justice in history, Christians must draw attention to the more complex riddle of the human person, to man’s metaphysical gropings, to the steps that still have to be taken to justify human existence. Discreetly but unequivocally, the presence of
the Church points to the human problems of the deep meaning of life, of death, of the meaning of history. Especially by their life in worship, by their humble confession of Christ, by the
“martyrion” and the living experience of the fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:22), the giving of glory
and the looking forward to the eschatological end, the Orthodox communities in these parts of
the world are like ever-burning lamps contributing to the awakening of the conscience and
consciousness of humanity to the final coming of the “kingdom of God”.
In the Western world, the galloping technological development, free economy and free
movement of ideas tend to create a type of life that is mainly characterized by its whirling
around “worldly aspirations” and its being sucked into engrossment in the delights if this
transient world (secularisation). Rationalistic currents have penetrated even traditionally
Orthodox countries, like Greece, inciting young people, thinkers and artists to call in question
the meaningfulness of Christian faith, and especially that of the organized Church.
The times call for inspired church leadership, living and related to theology of our
times serious monastic centres, elders and spiritual leaders to assist the people in the practising
of vigilance, and to accustom men and women never to lose sight of the “end” of history.
The Orthodox communities that are scattered as minute minorities throughout the
western countries are centres of spiritual life for their members, “signs” of the sacramental
body of the Church, old – and therefore particularly precious – humble images of the Kingdom.
They are called to continue to present Orthodox experience to their environment in a direct
manner adapted to contemporary social conditions. They will best be able to do this by
achieving a creative fusion of the depths of Orthodox tradition with the practical efficiency of
western society.
4 The western Christian communities are making sustained efforts to head off these
various tendencies of technocratic development, social adjustments, philosophical
orientations, interdependence on a world-wide scale. They are striving to understand their
meaning and to practice self-criticism so that they can rethink their positions and present a
more meaningful witness to Christ.
We Orthodox too, in both socialist and free-economy
countries have a duty to concern ourselves theologically, with love, wisdom, and spiritual
courage with the problems of modern man, to become aware of the radical changes brought
about by the flowering of the sciences, to lend an ear to both their positive and their negative
messages and soberly to evaluate and utilize the new theories of life and social organization
that they put forward in the light of Orthodoxy.
We cannot leave to others the monopolistic exploitation of the world-wide campaign
for justice and brotherhood; for these ideals are at the very heart of the proclamation of the
Kingdom and indeed the basic ingredient thereof: “F or the kingdom of God is not food and
drink but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Rm 14:17).
The “sons of the kingdom”, often referred to by the synonymous expression “the righteous” (Mt 13:38,43),
should be factors of “righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” in their immediate or
broader environment. The new and ever revolutionary notion they have to offer is the
transcendental value of the human person, which has been virtually overlooked by both
capitalism and communism.
A characteristic note in our era is the explosive protest of the young against every kind
of “establishment”, their longing for fullness of life, for deep experiences, their striving after
forms of spirituality that go beyond the traditional individualistic morality, their searching in
the field of Asiatic religions and their attempts at a more direct escape – by the use of drugs.
To my mind, the latter phenomenon seems like a return to a sort of primitive religion; among
primitive peoples there are witch-doctors who administer herbs with narcotic properties to
men afflicted by obsessive ideas and desires so as to induce a kind of “release”, an ecstatic
state, a leap into another world. The Orthodox have to speak about the process of inner
transformation and renewal through the acceptance of the Word and the quickening power of
the Holy Spirit and introduce people into the “deifying” area of the mysteries of the Kingdom.
They can transmit the “fullness of life” (“that they may have life, and have it abundantly” – Jn.
10:10), that the Christian faith can give by emphasizing the transcendental nature of man, the
“divine image”, the existentialist communion with the Holy Trinity which is activated in and
by the Holy Spirit and leads to a substantial transformation of life.
2) In the immense expanses of the so-called third world, the presence of Christians is
very limited and that of Orthodoxy very slight, indeed no more than a token presence.
However, there are minuscule Orthodox communities (in Eastern and Central Africa, in Japan
and in Korea), as a reminder of the existence of Orthodoxy. They are humble candles bearing
witness to the fact that Orthodoxy is not identified with any particular place or culture and that
there is a long forgotten commandment (Mt 28:19) that awaits our attention. These
communities are also ambassadors representing the Eastern Christian tradition in countries
where people have become accustomed to looking upon Christianity as a sort of spiritual
foreign trade commodity of Western Europe, forgetting that Christianity was born in Palestine
and that it first spread to Asia and Northern Africa.
Despite this all but non-existent presence of Orthodoxy in this enormous geographical
area, it is imperative that, being members of the wider Christian family, we should be aware of
the spiritual fermentations taking place in these parts and of the missionary efforts being made
by other Christian Churches.
A significant development of the last years in this area has been that our more
responsible participation in the Ecumenical Movement has resulted in our being confronted by
a continuous invitation and challenge to share in the problems of the Christian communities of
the so-called third world but also by our being offered an opportunity to transmit theological
experiences from the historical consciousness and subconsciousness of Orthodoxy and thus
indirectly to contribute to a correct orientation of world-wide missionary activities. The
dynamic Orthodox minority in the Islamic world has an important role to play in promoting
mutual understanding between Christians and Moslems in the context of the theological
dialogue that is just beginning.
Moreover, the sensitivity of these new Christian communities to the historical
development and progress of their own people and to significant social and concrete issues,
can teach us a great deal about the historical aspects of the Kingdom, and the dimension of
“now”, so that we may avoid any one-sidedness in our looking at the eschatological mystery
of the kingdom of God. This is a mutual give-and-take process, and therefore it is useful to
have some knowledge of the problems of these new Christian communities.
In Africa, new movements, partly of a nationalist or totalitarian political nature, partly
of a religious nature, are bursting forth and spreading with a rapidity akin to the luxuriant
growth of the African virgin forest. In parallel with Christian mission, two other world-wide
movements electrify the Africans: Islam and the communist ideology in its various forms.
The Orthodox certainly have an opportunity, but also an obligation, to develop a more active and
systematic struggle in this area, where a few Orthodox outposts are already in existence. But
also in the general theoretical area of the development of an African Christianity, they can
help to avoid: (i) an uncritical underestimation of, leads towards indifference to, or contempt
of, African religious experiences; (ii) an opposite uncritical overestimation and idealization of
everything African; (iii) an uncritical differentiation tending to see everything African as
radically different from the universally human. The slogan of “indigenisation” (initially a
slogan signifying the liberation from western structures and ideas that had been introduced
along with Christianity by western missionaries) must not lead to new forms of servitude, viz.
to an exclusively “African” totalitarianism or to a naive African “messianism”. The “kingdom
of God”, to which all men are called regardless of colour or race, has universal human
dimensions in the present and will always have them in the future. The Trinitarian theology of
the East remains the best theological foundation for the development of the significance of the
human person and its harmonious coexistence with other persons in a communion of love in
the mystery of the Trinitarian God. It is the best way to overcome both the egotistical
“individualism” cultivated by the capitalist mentality of the West, and the risk of
“massification” under the kind of arid and relentless black dictatorship which afflicts and is
the scourge of many African countries.
In Latin America, the striving for national identity and a more just society are hot
issues of immediate interest to people and pose immediate theological problems to the
Christians living in this politically explosive area. The desire for a healthier social structure
and the notion of a historical reality of the “kingdom of God”, lead to an urgent socioeconomic
militant attitude, to a “theology of liberation” all characterized by various types of
invariably earth-centred messianism. The Christians of Latin America are reluctant to leave
the exclusive initiative for a dynamic transformation of society to political forces, and indeed
political forces with a negative attitude to the Faith, as happened once in Eastern Europe. This
shows a sensitivity to the historical process which is undoubtedly highl