Man the Target of God, by Archimandrite Zacharias

In the theology of St. Silouan the Athonite (1866–1938) and St. Sophrony of Essex (1896–1993), man is the target of divine visitations that serve to make him aware of the image of Christ within him. God created man in His “image and likeness”. Although this image has become distorted, the purpose of man’s life in the Church is that it should be perfectly restored. St. Sophrony referred to the image of God in man as man’s “hypostasis” or “personhood”. He taught that this image cannot be realized without the witness of a saint or elder, who demonstrates likeness unto Christ and bears His word. For this reason, he often explained the principle of personhood by referring to the life and writings of St. Silouan. In Man the Target of God, Archimandrite Zacharias, disciple of St. Sophrony, likewise presents the principle of personhood through the lives of his elders, St. Silouan and St. Sophrony. He also examines attributes of personhood in terms of dogma and spiritual practice. Throughout M