On a side note, there is a Catholic Theologian who thinks that the debate between Latins and Byzantines on this matter can be resolved simply by recognizing that we are using the term "essence" in a different manner. Google: Michael Liccione and if anyone is willing to tell me what they think, I would appreciate it.
I just came across Liccione's article in his blog, and judging from 118 responses, his conclusion is pretty controversial. To a non-Scholastic, the thing is a bit opaque; I don't accept the Aristotelian framework of Thomist thought, so it's very hard for me to make the argumentative machinery work.
I've been trying to deal with this elsewhere, and I really think I would like someone to try to explain the energies-essence thing to me.
BUT THERE'S A CATCH.
Whoever volunteers cannot make contrasts against what Westerners think. There is too much diversity among western viewpoints, and it seems all too often that the topic turns into a coatrack for attacks upon western Christianity rather than a theological point that can stand on its own merits. The controversialism makes it impossible for me to understand the notion, because by the time I've finished pruning away all the misstatements about what I believe, there's all too often nothing left to make a coherent picture with. I really do want to understand, but I need a better explanation than what I've been getting.
