The clear result of this investigation is that from the fourth century the doctrine of divinization is fundamental for the majority of the Greek fathers. It forms a kind of center for their soteriology. The whole redemptive work of Christ, from the incarnation to the resurrection, as well as the action of the Holy Spirit converge on deification as the completion of our salvation. But what exactly do they mean by deification? Is it an exaggeration, as bold as it is devoid of meaning, or does the expression include a reality?

We can conclude without exaggeration that the Greek fathers' doctrine concerning the divinization of the Christian—so varied and so rich—contains, at least virtually and under the covering of a not very technical terminology, the basic points of our treatises on sanctifying grace. But clearly their concrete and colorful manner of conceiving of and describing this mysterious reality has a great advantage since it enables us to grasp its richness more easily and live in it more directly.

From the conclusion