John Savvas Romanides (Greek: Ιωάννης Σάββας Ρωμανίδης, Ioannis Savvas Romanidis) (Piraeus, March 2, 1928 - Athens, 2001) was a Greek orthodox arch priest, author and professor who represented the Greek church for a long time World Council of Churches. He was born in Greece, but his parents emigrated to the United States when he was only two months old. He grew up in Manhattan. He studied at the Hellenic College and the Yale Divinity School. He obtained his doctorate (Ph.D.) at the University of Athens.
From 1956 to 1965 he was professor of dogmatic theology at the Holy Cross Theological School in Brookline, Massachusetts. In 1968 he was appointed Professor of Dogmatic Theology at the University of Thessaloniki in Greece. He held this position until his retirement in 1982. His last position was Professor of Theology at Balamand Theological School in Lebanon. Romanides died in Athens in 2001. theology
Romanide's theological work consists of speculative research, sometimes controversial, to the cultural and religious differences between Eastern and Western Christianity, and how these differences influence the way in which Christianity has evolved.
His theological works emphasize the empirical basis of theology, the so-called theoria or view of God (as opposed to intellectually-considered), as the essence of Orthodox theology. He called Hesychasm (heremitic prayer or meditation tradition) as the core of Christian practice, and studied extensively the work of the 14th century hesychastist and theologian Gregorius Palamas.
His dogma research led to the conclusion that there was a close connection between doctrinal differences and historical developments. Therefore, in his later years, he focused on historical research into the Middle Ages, but also to the 18th and 19th centuries.
An overview of his work is available: Andrew J. Sopko, Prophet or Roman Orthodoxy: The Theology of John Romanides (Dewdney, British Columbia: Synaxis Press, 1998). Literature
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