In this review article of The Oxford Handbook of Deification, I argue that our understanding of deification is determined, ultimately, not by empirical markers but by divine revelation: The question is whether or not a particular theology offers a faithful and true rendering of our final end. By offering some of my own thoughts on deification in dialogue with the authors of the Handbook, I make clear why a proper understanding of what deification is requires the essence-energies distinction. Only by accepting this traditional, patristic distinction can deification be properly participatory in character.
