Born in 1935, Yannaras died on 24 August. He was the author of more than 50 books which have been translated into many languages. He was a professor emeritus of philosophy at the Panteion University of Social and Political Sciences, Athens.
He studied theology at the University of Athens and philosophy at the University of Bonn (Germany) and the University of Paris (France). He received a Ph.D. from the Faculty of Theology at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (Greece). He held also a Ph.D of the Faculté des Lettres et Sciences Humaines at the Sorbonne-University of Paris IV.
He had been a visiting professor at the universities of Paris (the Catholic Faculty), Geneva, Lausanne, and Crete. He was professor of Philosophy at the Panteion University of Social and Political Sciences in Athens, from 1982 to 2002. He was an elected member of the Hellenic Authors' Society and International Academy of Human Sciences (Brussels).
He held honorary doctorates (honoris causa) from the University of Belgrade, St. Vladimir's Seminary in New York, Hellenic College Holy Cross, New Georgian University in Poti, and National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. In 2019, he was awarded the Offikion of Archon Grand Rhetor of the Holy Great Church of Christ.
The main volume of Yannaras' work represents a long course on study and research of the differences between the Greek and Western European philosophy and tradition, differences that are not limited to the level of theory only but also define a praxis (mode of life).
Dr Andrej Jeftic, director, of the World Council of Churches Faith and Order Commission, reflected that the Christian world has suffered a profound loss with the passing of Yannaras.
“Yannaras was not only a theologian but also a political thinker, philosopher, and a prominent public figure who significantly shaped late 20th-century Christian thought,” said Jeftic. “Whether reflecting on personhood, the polis, or the church, Yannaras grounded his philosophy in the reality of relational love and communal existence.”
He also envisioned an ecumenism that would serve as a "new coming together," an encounter "between those who share a thirst for the life which can conquer death," where "we can manage to give ourselves to each other,” said Jeftic. “Now, as he has given himself into the hands of the Triune God, we trust that his thirst for a life that overcomes death has been fulfilled, and we pray that his memory will be eternal.”