Joseph Martinka — Spiritual Hub

The Fathers on Sacrament & Theosis

A curated patristic anthology on the mystical participation in the Divine Nature

Curated and introduced by Joseph Michael Martinka — Seminarian, Ascension Alliance

Introduction: The Sacramental Vision of Theosis

In Christian tradition, theosis (deification) names the grace-filled transformation by which humanity participates in the life of God. From the Incarnation to the Church’s sacramental life, the Fathers describe salvation as participation—our nature healed and elevated by divine energies. This anthology gathers concise, representative passages from East and West to show how Baptism, Eucharist, Chrismation, and the whole liturgical life effect our communion with God.

1) Athanasius of Alexandria (c. 296–373)

He articulates the classic exchange: God becomes human so that humans might become god by grace.

“He was made man that we might be made god.”
(On the Incarnation, 54.3)

“Through participation in the Word, we become partakers of the divine nature.”
(Against the Arians, II.70)

2) Gregory of Nyssa (c. 335–395)

For Gregory, theosis unfolds through an ever-deepening participation; baptism initiates, Eucharist perfects.

“The soul that looks toward God reflects the divine likeness as a mirror.”
(On the Soul and Resurrection)

“As in Baptism the soul is cleansed, so in the Eucharist it is divinized.”
(The Great Catechism, 37)

3) Basil the Great (c. 329–379)

Basil centers the Spirit’s work in sacramental transformation, adoption, and communion.

“Through the Spirit we are restored to paradise, we ascend to the kingdom of heaven, we are made adopted children of God.”
(On the Holy Spirit, 15.36)

“The Eucharist is given that we may be united to Christ’s body and blood, and thus become Christ-bearers.”
(Letter 8)

4) John Chrysostom (c. 347–407)

Chrysostom portrays the Eucharist as fire and medicine, transforming the faithful into living temples.

“The Eucharist kindles in us the fire of divine love; it makes us as lions breathing fire, terrible to the demons.”
(Homily 24 on 1 Corinthians)

“He has given us His body to eat, that we may be one not only in love but in very being.”
(Homily 46 on John)

5) Maximus the Confessor (c. 580–662)

For Maximus, the whole cosmos is sacramental; the Eucharist recapitulates Christ’s mystery.

“The Word of God wills always and in all things to effect the mystery of His embodiment.”
(Ambigua, 7)

“The Eucharist is the recapitulation of the whole mystery of Christ.”
(Mystagogia, 21)

6) Symeon the New Theologian (949–1022)

Symeon emphasizes inner illumination: the mysteries confer not symbols only but divine light.

“When a man is illumined, he sees the divine light within himself—not as something created, but as God Himself.”
(Hymns of Divine Love, 25)

“We are called not merely to believe but to experience God. The mysteries are not symbols alone, but fire and spirit.”
(Catechesis, 5)

7) Augustine of Hippo (354–430)

Augustine unites sacrament and ecclesial identity: we become what we receive.

“You receive what you are, and you become what you receive: the Body of Christ.”
(Sermon 272)

8) Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite (5th–6th c.)

The sacraments symbolize and effect deification, drawing us into divine likeness.

“The divine mysteries deify those who approach them with faith.”
(Ecclesiastical Hierarchy, 3.1)

9) Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274)

Aquinas emphasizes that grace elevates rather than destroys nature; Eucharist as bond of charity and cause of grace.

“Grace perfects nature; it does not destroy it but elevates it.”
(Summa Theologiae, I.1.8)

“The Eucharist is the cause of grace and the bond of charity.”
(ST III, q.79, a.1)

Conclusion: Sacrament as Theosis

Across the Fathers, the sacraments are not mere signs but effective participations in the divine life. Baptism restores, Chrismation illumines, and the Eucharist transfigures, drawing us into communion with the Triune God. By grace, we become by participation what God is by nature—an ever-deepening communion that is the destiny of humanity in Christ.