The first day of November marked 25 years since the repose of Fr. John Romanides, a leading Orthodox theologian of the 20th century in dogmatic theology and patristics.
John Savvas Romanides was born in 1927 to Greek parents who emigrated to America shortly after his birth.
He studied theology at Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology in Brookline, Massachusetts, graduating in 1949. While studying at Yale University, he was ordained to the priesthood in 1951.
Fr John Romanides continued his studies in Paris and Athens, where he obtained his doctorate in theology in 1957.
In 1958, he was appointed a professor at Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology, and from 1968 he taught at the Faculty of Theology in Thessaloniki.
Fr John reposed in the Lord on 1 November 2001 in Athens.
A disciple’s testimony
In a recent commemorative article published by the Mystagogy Resource Center, Metropolitan Hierotheos Vlachos of Nafpaktos and Agios Vlasios, of the Church of Greece, recalled how he came to know Fr John Romanides.
“I first met him in Athens, after his retirement, when my spiritual father, Saint Kallinikos, had fallen asleep in the Lord and I had been transferred there as a preacher. At that time, I understood his great worth. We were in contact almost daily, and I attended his talks in Athens, being impressed by his fidelity to the Orthodox theology of the Prophets, the Apostles, and the Fathers of the Church,” Metropolitan Hierotheos recalled.
Over the years, the metropolitan has published several books presenting Fr John Romanides’ teachings.
Some of these works have also been translated into Romanian, including Empirical Dogmatics.
“Because I had read almost all the great Fathers of the Church of the fourth century, especially Saint Gregory Palamas and Saint Symeon the New Theologian, and had become acquainted with many Athonite Fathers, when I subsequently read the writings of Father John Romanides, I understood that he had assimilated all the Orthodox interpretive keys to their theology, and for this reason I came to love him,” Metropolitan Hierotheos added.
He also announced that a study examining the work and teachings of Fr John Romanides would be launched in the near future.
