YANNARAS, CHRISTOS

YANNARAS, CHRISTOS, Greek Orthodox lay theologian, educator (1935– ). One of the most celebrated contemporary Orthodox theologians, he is professor of philosophy at Pantion University of Social and Political Sciences, Athens. His thought is characterized by the effort to employ the Church Fathers and modern Russian Orthodox thinkers such as Vladimir Lossky (qq.v.) in the service of a contemporary theological expression that takes account of continental existentialism, particularly the thought of Martin Heidegger (1889–1976). One of his principal concerns is the freedom (q.v.) allowed humans by following Christ. He is the author of several books including Honest with Orthodoxy, Person and Eros, The Modern Greek Identity, The Crisis of Prophecy, Orthodoxy and the West (all in Greek), and The Freedom of Morality (trans. 1984) and Elements of Faith: An Introduction to Orthodox Theology (trans. 1991).