Between Liberated Freedom and Free Obedience: Teaching of the Orthodox Church on Freedom

Abstract

The article deals with the notion of freedom in the framework of two Orthodox social doctrines, which are formulated in documents of the Russian Orthodox Church as well as in concepts developed in the texts adopted by the Holy and Great Council of the Orthodox Church and during pan-Orthodox preparatory process of this Council. In the first case, concept of freedom is represented in soteriological perspective through distinction, if not contradiction and conflict between two types of freedom: freedom of choice (self-determination, and freedom from evil (ἐλευθερία). On the one hand, freedom of choice is supported as integral substantial feature of human personality. On the other hand, it is treated as the origin of sin and a force, which by influence of sin threats human dignity expressed in freedom of evil. In such a concept human being turns out to be incapable to use his free will sovereignly; and external mechanism of coercion and its regulation are to play significant role to “liberate freedom” from sin. There are attempts to avoid absolutisation of freedom of choice in pan-Orthodox documents too. Such a freedom os considered to be a necessary precondition for person’s spiritual perfection and for choice of good, however it presents risk of evil and spiritual degradation. Institutional dimension is focused not on external mechanisms of coercion to ensure that free will moves in the right direction, but rather on guarantees of protection for the space of freedom, where free choice of the right direction of the will as free submission can be performed. In the final document of the Council notion of freedom was balanced with notion of responsibility.