The third event of the series “Time for Action” of the Volos Academy for Theological Studies took place successfully on Monday, April 27, 2026. Its topic was “Holiness Today”. Speakers included Prof. Dr. Peter Bouteneff, Professor of Systematic Theology and Kulik Professor of Sacred Arts at the St Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary (New York, USA); Prof. Dr. Ekaterini Tsalampouni, Professor of New Testament in the Faculty of Theology of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki; and Prof. Dr. Panagiotis Yfantis, Professor of Patrology and Hagiology in the same University. The was moderated by Dr. Andreas Alexopoulos, Research Associate of the Volos Academy and Post-Doctoral Researcher in the National University of Athens.

Speaking first, Peter Bouteneff emphasized the incapability of man to escape from sin through his individual efforts, and his need to invoke the infinite mercy of God. He focused on the need to search for man’s true self, the acceptance of sinfulness, and the importance of repentance, giving examples from both the New and Old Testaments. He reminded that despite the interference of evil, man always remains the image of God, which must come to the surface again.

Taking the ground, Ekaterini Tsalampouni spoke on the concept of holiness in the New Testament, outlined by St Paul not as a goal, but as a fundamental quality of the believers who participate in the holiness of Christ, regardless of the problems and failings of the Christian community. This reflects the Old Testament concept of the holiness of God’s people, which arises exactly from this relationship and shapes the life and ethics of the faithful, who are called to follow God’s holiness and to implement it within their community. He concluded by observing that the contemporary perception of holiness in the Orthodox Church has shifted significantly from the biblical understanding as the collective ethos of the ecclesial community, and by calling for a reassessment of the biblical testimony.

Finally, Panagiotis Yfantis presented the hagiological models that currently dominate the Orthodox Church, emphasizing the significant presence of the new martyrs (mainly of the Ottoman era) as well as the monks; and, also, the numerical superiority, of men in relation to women, and of clergy in relation to the laity. By relating these elements to medieval stereotypes, he mentioned that they correspond to and reflect the social and scientific worldview of that era, while today the Church is called upon to “get rid of outdated representations and unbiblical perceptions, to engage with the demands of the modern era and to stand on the side of the human person of our time”

The discussion that followed highlighted the need to re-align the individual model of holiness with the collective / communal one, as well as the need to free holiness from the idea of personal achievement. The question of the changes that have occurred in the centuries-old course of the Church and are not confessed was also put forward. Clarifications were given on the different perceptions of holiness in the pre-Christian and post-Christian centuries, and the discussion also focused on terms such as that of “righteous” found in the Old Testament, the concept of sacred place and space in the texts of the Bible, but also in the tradition of the Church, etc.

The video recording of the event in English has been posted on the Volos Academy YouTube channel https://youtu.be/DHYTVxmjehE

The date of the next online event of the “Time for Action” series, with the topic “Is there a Future for Orthodox Theology today?”, will be announced in the near future.