Ecclesiasticus I: Introducing Eastern Orthodoxy
Ecclesiasticus II: Orthodox Icons, Saints, Feasts and Prayer
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Some
preliminary clarifications
"Orthodoxy"
means "right belief" or "right opinion" as opposed
to heresy, i.e. to the "wrong" or "false belief".
The term "Orthodoxy" combines the adjective "orthos",
which signifies "right", "true" or "correct",
and the noun "doxa" which is derived from the verb "doxazo",
which means to "hold an opinion", or "to believe".
Thus, Orthodoxy indicates "correct doctrine". An early Greek
Father, Anastasius the Sinaite, describes Orthodoxy as the true conception
about God, beings and Creation.1 The term "Orthodoxy" also indicates right glorification, since
the verb "doxazo" also means "to glorify"; in this
sense the term "Orthodoxy", more accurately, means right glorification
encompassing both sound doctrine and the right way of expressing it.2
Within
the Christian context and understanding of the term, "Orthodoxy"
is related to Eastern Christendom. The term is used especially to indicate
those Churches which are in communion with the Ecumenical Patriarchate
of Constantinople and share a common faith and ecclesial life. These Churches
constitute one family or one body and are even from ancient times described
as "the one holy, orthodox, catholic and apostolic Church".
When
describing Orthodoxy as a family of Churches, we are not implying that
Orthodoxy forms a static or a monolithic bloc, an inflexible so to speak
body, but rather a global and living Christian fellowship, embracing people
from all the continents and from different historical and cultural environments.3
The Orthodox Faith
The
Orthodox Church is founded on the mystery of God's Word. As the Father
has sent me, I also send you (John 20: 21). It is a fundamental conviction
of the Orthodox believer that the Church has been sent into the world
to live and bear witness to the loving vocation, with which God enfolds
humankind from the beginning of its existence, through the presence within
herself of God's Word,. "For God so loved the word that he gave his
only begotten Son... God did not send his Son into the world to condemn
the world, but that the world through him might be saved" (John 3:
16-17).
According
to the Orthodox point of view, the vocation and responsibility of the
Church is to hold to the truths, which are revealed by the historical
appearance of Jesus Christ, and preserve them, under the guidance of the
Holy Spirit, as a living tradition within the ecclesial body. The Church
is described in the Bible as the pillar and ground of the truth
(I Tim. 3: 15). This means that every perfect gift and every truth revealed
in Christ is kept intact in the Church and transmitted as a dynamic tradition
and a life giving reality in every historic now» The very being of the
Church is understood as Orthodox communion.
The
issue of tradition is of capital importance for the understanding of the
faith, work and life of the Orthodox Church. Tradition is not simply the
transmission of an abstract teaching, but rather the maintenance of the
eternal truth of the Gospel. Tradition is lived in time and history. This
means that the Church has received the faith of the Apostles, maintains
it and lives this faith as a divine heritage and dynamic process. Thus,
the Orthodox Faith, once delivered to the Apostles and the Saints, is
preserved as a living inheritance in specific situations; it has, under
the guidance of the Holy Spirit, a historic continuity and actuality.
Orthodox
the Church of the Seven Ecumenical Councils. The life of the Orthodox
Church is marked by the teaching of the Seven Ecumenical Councils. These
Councils were formal gatherings of the bishops of the whole Church in
order to regulate doctrinal issues and define the Orthodox teaching upon
the basic themes of the Christian faith, mainly the Trinity and the Incarnatlon.4 For the Orthodox, the content of the Christian faith
is expressed in the definitions and the regulation of the Ecumenical Councils.
The work of the Ecumenical Councils was not abstract speculation. When
the bishops of the Councils drew up definitions their intention was to
protect the people of God and exclude false teachings and deviations leading
to error and heresy, and consequently making salvation impossible. It
is for precisely this reason that the definitions of the Ecumenical Councils
are held to possess the highest authority which the Orthodox Church can
exercise. Thus, with a deep consciousness of the perfect continuity with
the preaching of the Apostles, the Orthodox Church acknowledges the following
as Ecumenical Councils:
o
The Ist
Ecumenical Council, held in Nicaea in 325, which formulated the First
Part of the Creed defining the divinity of Christ, the Son of God
o
The 2nd
Ecumenical Council, held in Constantinople in 381, which formulated the
Second Part of the Creed defining the divinity of the Holy Spirit.
o
The 3rd
Ecumenical Council, held in Ephesus in 431, which defined Christ as the
Incarnate Word of God and His Mother as Theotokos.
o
The 4th
Ecumenical Council, held in Chalcedon in 451, which defined Christ as
perfect God and perfect Man in one Person. It stressed that the two natures
were united in the hypostasis of the Word "without confusion, change,
division or separation»
o
The 5th
Ecumenical Council, held in Constantinople in 553, which reconfirmed the
doctrines concerning the Holy Trinity and the Person of Christ.
o
The 6th
Ecumenical Council held in Constantinople in 681, which affirmed the true
humanity of Jesus Christ, by clarifying that Christ has two natures and
consequently two wills and actions, the divine and the human.
o
The 7th
Ecumenical Council, held in Nicaea in 787, which affirmed that Holy Icons
are authentic expression of the Orthodox faith.
The
Trinity
The
Orthodox Christian considers that God's glory is revealed to hurnan kind
as knowledge about the Holy Trinity. God is one in essence (nature) and
Triune in persons. In our ecclesial prayer and life we the Orthodox, confess
and glorify God in Trinity and Trinity in Unity, without confusing the
persons or dividing the nature of God All Orthodox theology, all ecclesiology
and Christian ethos is based on and oriented towards this triune mystery.
The blessed Trinity is the solid basis for every Theological investigation,
for all spiritual experience and life, for all piety and ecclesial action.
The
creation of the entire cosmos is the work in time of the Holy Trinity.
The world is never considered as self-created; its existence is the product
of the love, the wisdom and the creative power of the All-Holy Trinity.
In
the Eastern Orthodox tradition the contemplation of the mystery of the
Holy Trinity take place in an attitude, spirit and language of glorification
and thanksgiving. This spiritual atmosphere is clearly expressed in the
liturgical life of the Orthodox Church. A characteristic example is the
ancient hymn which is still used today, during the feast of Pentecost:
"Come, you people, worship the Godhead in three persons, the Father
in the Son with the Holy Spirit. For the Father from all eternity begets
a co-eternal Son, reigning with Him and the Holy Spirit is in the Father,
glorified with the Son - one only power, one only substance, one only
Godhead; Him do we worship, repeating together: Holy God, who created
all things through the Son with the cooperation of the Holy Spirit; holy
Strong One, through whom we have known the Father and through whom the
Holy Spirit came into the world; holy Deathless One, Spirit of Consolation,
who proceeds from the Father and rests in the Son: Holy Trinity, glory
to Thee»5.
Christ
In
the Orthodox Church we confess that Jesus Christ is truly God, the only-begotten
Son of the Father; not created of another essence but begotten of the
very essence of the Father before all ages. He is co-essential (consubstantial)
with the Father, according to His divinity. Through His incarnation, He
also became truly man, like us in every respect with the exception of
sin. Thus, He is of the same essence with us all, according to His humanity.
The two natures of Christ remain distinct, but nevertheless being united
in the one Person of Christ, without being transformed into one another,
they interpenetrate one another.
The
mystery of the two natures in the one Person of Christ, the incarnate
Word of God, constitutes the foundation and the pledge for the restoration
and the salvation of human beings. Through Christ the human person has
immense potentiality: he-she has the possibility to overcome his-her individuality
and isolation and be in communion with God The Fathers of the Church constantly
and repeatedly declare that, Christ became what we are so that we might
become what He is.
The
Holy Spirit the Church and deification
In
the theology of the Eastern Orthodox Church, the divinity which is common
to the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit is communicated by the Holy
Spirit to human beings within the Church, making them partakers of divine
life6 This does not mean that humans partake of God's essence,
which is absolutely unapproachable for created beings, but rather that
they partake of His energies. Thus, the deification of the human person
is based on the fact that the Holy Spirit interpenetrates and influences
his or her entire being. This means that participation in the divine life
of the Holy Trinity is realized and perfected through the presence and
the operation of the Holy Spirit.
The
Holy Spirit, the Third Person of the Holy Trinity, is distinct from the
Father and the Son, but nevertheless He is in every respect perfect God,
coessential, coequal and coeternal with the Father and the Son. Gift of
the Father, source of life and freedom, the Holy Spirit is called "the
Spirit of God" "the Spirit of Christ" "the Mind of
Christ" "the Spirit of the Lord" and Lord Himself; He is
also called Spirit of Truth, of Wisdom, of Adoption, of Liberty; The Holy
Spirit is the "Heavenly King" the "Comforter", "Treasury
of goodness and Giver of Life".
The
Holy Spirit grants the divine gifts to human persons: "the spirit
of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit
of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord" (Is. II: 2). The Holy Spirit,
as the source of the uncreated and infinite divine gifts, was sent into
the Church and the world in order to communicate divine grace to humans.
This is indeed what we call in the Orthodox tradition deification or "divinization"
("theosis"). Through the transforming light of the Holy Spirit
the human person becomes a vehicle and receptacle of divinity. The human
being transcends his corporeal limitations, or rather enriches his earthly
life with heavenly gifts7 for, as St. Gregory the Theologian says: He
is the source of light and life, and he makes a temple of me, he deifies
me, he perfects me, he is before baptism and is sought after baptism.
Whatever God does, it is the Spirit who does it. He multiplies himself
in tongues of fire and adds gift to gift"7.
For
Orthodox theology the Church, founded by Jesus Christ for the salvation
of human beings, is filled by the Holy Spirit. The Church is the fullness
of Him who fills all in all (Eph. I: 23). The Church is described by Paul
as fullness in the sense that the Spirit dwells within her body and guides
her to fulfill her mission. St. Irenaeus explicitly declares that "where
the Church is, there is the Spirit of God; where the Spirit of God is,
there is the Church and every kind of grace8. Thus, the Church, through the uninterrupted
presence of the Holy Spirit, becomes a holy institution. In the Creed
of Nicaea-Constantinople the Church is described as: "One in so far
as Jesus Christ is the only Lord who founded not many churches but one
Church. "Holy because her Head, Christ, is the incarnation of holiness
and because she is guided by the Holy Spirit. "Catholic» because
she transcends every local and cultural limitation. "Apostolic"
since she was built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus
Christ Himself being the chief corner-stone» (Eph. 2:20).
The
ecclesial life is a profoundly spiritual and mystical way. It is an attitude
which is based on and expresses the doctrinal tradition of Orthodoxy;
it is a way of being closely related with what is known as sacramental
life. The Orthodox recognize the Sacraments of Baptism, Chrism or Confirmation,
Holy Eucharist, Confession of sins, Ordination to Priesthood, Marriage
and Holy Unction as channels leading to a dynamic rather than a static
Christian life.
More
precisely, the mystical and at the same time communal character and attitude
of Orthodoxy is expressed in the eucharistic gathering. In this gathering,
around the table of the Lord, all division and individuality is abolished
and all are united with the bishop, the living image of Christ, who offers
the bread and wine in all and for all The communion by all believers of
the bread and wine, the body and the blood of Christi is the realization
of the unity both with Christ and with all the members of the Church.
Thus, through the Eucharistic communion our human nature is elevated to
the divine level, being united with the divine in the Person of the incarnate
Word of God.
It
is within the context of eucharistic theology that one can understand
the teaching of the Orthodox Church concerning death and the life to come.
The Eucharist is a foretaste of the perfect co-celestial communion, which
will be a communion penetrated by the uncreated divine light. The resurrected
bodies of the friends of God will be glorious, like the glorified body
of Christ which the disciples beheld on the day of His Transfiguration.
Orthodoxy, the Cosmos and Ecology
From
another perspective, Eucharistic theology reveals that, according to the
Orthodox approach, there is a deep and indissoluble bond between the Church
and the created world. In fact, in the Eucharist elements of the created
world, the bread and the wine, are taken and transformed. They are offered
to God by the worshipping community: "We offer to Thee Thine own
from Thine own". Thus, the created word is related to God through
this eucharistic action of offering and transformation. This means that
the human being is not an owner of creation, but a bond or link between
it and the Creator.
Orthodoxy
refuses to ascribe to the created universe a self determinate reality
or a natural sufficiency. The created universe does not have ontological
foundation in itself, but is a gift of God; through the creative word
of God a passage from non-being into being is realized The fact that the
created world has the free will and the creative wisdom of God as the
unique foundation of its existence is of paramount importance for an understanding
of Nature and of the cosmos in general. The point is that the created
world has a spiritual significance and orientation. Being created by God
"ex nihilo the natural world is the manifestation of divine wisdom
and harmony. This means that, when trying to understand and examine the
inner reason of created beings, we finally face divine knowledge and the
wisdom of God, the causal principle of the harmonious existence of created
beings.
Bearing
in mind this brief theological approach, we easily come to the conclusion
that ecological evil is the consequence of a mentality which considers
creation as desacralized material. The ecological crisis is connected
with the loss of the sense of the divine in Nature. Talking of "the
divine in Nature" we do not intend to support the pagan approach
that the natural world is permeated by divine presence, but rather to
stress that Nature, created by God out of love, is associated with God.
This means that it has been created by God and also that the human being
exists as the organic link between God and creation. In the final analysis
the ecological problem is the consequence of the loss of what is described
as spiritual equilibrium» between man and Nature9. Thus, the world is considered as something which can
be used unconditionally, dominated, manipulated and consumed for our economic
and scientific interests. In other words desanctified Nature is the result
of the dehumanized human being.
The
Orthodox Church is very sensitive towards such an egotistic attitude and
utilitarian understanding of Nature. It is for precisely this reason that
the spiritual center of the Orthodox Church, the Ecumenical Patriarchate
of Constantinople, decided to dedicate the 1st of September each year
as the Feast Day of Creation. On this occasion the Ecumenical Patriarchate
calls all Orthodox Churches to hold worship services and distributes Patriarchal
messages stressing the responsibility of all Christian world for the protection
of the creation. On the other hand the annual Symposium, concerning environmental
issues, is also recognized as a constructive project encouraging and enabling
people to take responsibilities and initiatives and to care for creation
and the environment.
The Orthodox Communion
Among
the Orthodox there is a strong conviction that the Orthodox communion
has an unbroken, direct descent from the apostolic Church. The unity of
Orthodoxy is expressed, first by the fidelity to the faith of the apostles
and to the heritage of the Early Church, and secondly, equally important,
by the visible unity and fellowship of all the venerable Orthodox Churches.
Structurally,
the Eastern Orthodox Church is composed; firstly, from the four out of
the five ancient Patriarchates which, together with Rome, formed the system
of "Pentarchy and secondly by a number of other autocephalous Churches,
which elect their own primate, without reference to another autocephalous
Church, and which are responsible for the government of their Church,
through their own Synod. Orthodoxy also includes autonomous or semi-autonomous
Churches. These particular Churches organize their own internal life,
but they have reference to and are under the aegis of one of the autocephalous
Churches. Thus, the Orthodox Church is a family of self-governing Churches,
which are held together by their unity in faith, their communion in the
sacramental life and their spiritual relationship with the Ecumenical
Patriarchate of Constantinople.
The Four Ancient Patriarchates
(The Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, The Patriarchate of Alexandria,
The Patriarchate of Antioch and the Patriarchate of Jerusalem).
Like
Rome, these Churches are called Apostolic Seats, because they have apostolic
origin, founded in the 1st century. The ancient system of Pentarchy, whereby
the five apostolic seats were held in particular honor and order of seniority
was established among them (Rome, Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch,
Jerusalem), came at a decisive moment in 1054, when the see of Rome was
separated from the other four Apostolic Churches. The year 1054 is commonly
considered as the official date of the schism between East and West. But
nevertheless, the process leading to this separation was long and complicated.
Christian East and West developed their own understanding about the Church
and ministry. To a great extent they experienced a different way of life
and theology. The estrangement between East and West was broadened by
Western scholastic theological development and the doctrine of the Papal
authority and infallibility. However, in recent times the atmosphere has
changed considerably, due to the ecumenical movement and the theological
dialogue between the Roman-Catholic Church and the Orthodox Churches.
Since
the separation from the Christian West, all the Orthodox Churches continued
their life, recognizing the seniority of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of
Constantinople, which holds a particular primacy of honor in the Orthodox
Church.
The
Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople
The
Ecumenical Patriarchate is the ecclesiastical center of the Orthodox world.
According to the order of the ancient system of "pentarchy which
was established by the Second Ecumenical Council (Constantinople, 381),
the see of Constantinople was second to Rome. Thus, following the great
separation, dividing Rome and the Eastern Patriarchates (1054), the Patriarch
of Constantinople became first in the ecclesiastical order of the Orthodox
Churches, holding a primacy of honor in the hierarchy of the Orthodox
Churches. The seniority and primacy of honor (First among equals) entails
the right of the Ecumenical Patriarchate to call and preside at the Pan-Orthodox
Conferences, and also to coordinate Orthodox activities and hear appeals
(under certain conditions) from all parts of the Orthodox world. Evidently,
this ecclesiastical primacy does not impair the equality of all Orthodox
bishops and their divine right to preside in their local Church, to perform
the sacraments and to teach the people of God, as those divinely appointed
for this mission.
The
apostolic origin of the Church of Constantinople is testified in the Orthodox
tradition. Byzantium is believed to have been founded by the Apostle Andrew,
the brother of Peter. When Constantinople was founded upon Byzantium and
became the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire, the status of the Bishop
of Constantinople was elevated through a series of ecclesiastical decisions.
Thus, by the 3rd canon of the Second Ecumenical Council (Constantinople,
381) the Bishop of Constantinople was placed second in the ecclesiastical
order. The Bishop of Constantinople shall have the prerogatives of honor
after the bishop of Rome, because Constantinople is New Rome The 28th
canon of Chalcedon (451) reconfirmed the 3rd canon of the Council of Constantinople,
attributing again to New Rome the place of honor next to Old Rome. Later,
in the year 587, a Synod held in Constantinople officially ascribed to
Patriarch John the VI the title "Ecumenical" due to the fact
that Constantinople was the center of the "ecumenical empire".
Over
the years the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople was occupied by
many outstanding Patriarchs. Among them one could mention St. Gregory
the Theologian (329-389), St. John Chrysostom (347-407), Photius the Great
(810895), and others.
During
its long history the Ecumenical Throne developed remarkable missionary
work. This missionary work covers a long period7 from the conversion of
the Slaves, Czechs, Moravians and Poles by St. Cyril and Methodius (9th
century), who devised the Cyrillic alphabet and script, to South Korea
and the Far East in our own century.
In
our time, the Ecumenical Patriarchate continues its mission serving the
unity of the Orthodox world Thus, the primacy of honor» is in practice
primacy of service (diakonia) and never a primacy of authority over the
other Orthodox Churches. The service and the spiritual and ecclesiastical
leadership of the Ecumenical Patriarchate is shown today in many diverse
activities. In Pan-Orthodox Conferences, in the various theological dialogues,
in theological education, in the Ecumenical movement, and above all in
its pastoral care for Orthodox Christians of different national origin
dispersed worldwide. Today the Ecumenical Patriarchate has jurisdiction
in Europe, North and South America, Asia, Australia and New Zealand.
The
Patriarchate of Alexandria
The
Alexandrian Church was founded by St. Mark the Evangelist, in the year
64, and played a very considerable role in the life of the early Church.
Its theological contribution was very important in the defense of Orthodoxy,
especially during the Ecumenical Councils of Nicaea (325) and Ephesus
(431). Alexandrian theology, very much influenced by Platonic tradition,
was developed by the Apologists, Clement Alexandrinus, Origen, and later
by St. Athanasius and St. Cyril of Alexandria. In their exegetical work
the theologians of Alexandria were inclining towards mystical and alegorical
exposition.
At
the time of Reformation the Patriarchate of Alexandria was served by the
outstanding Patriarchs Meletios I Pegas, Cyril Loukaris and Metrophanis
Kritopoulos, who wrote an important and well known Confession of Faith»
(1625).
In
our century the Patriarchate of Alexandria has developed important missionary
activity in several African countries, where it has organized schools,
hospitals and a Theological Seminary in Nairobi (Kenya). The Alexandrian
Patriarchate includes Greeks, Africans and Arab Christians amongst its
flock. One of the main concerns of the Church of Alexandria today is to
present the Christian Gospel in a way that is relevant to African cultural
pluralism, at the same time maintaining its integrity.
The
Patriarchate of Antioch
It
was in the ancient city of Antioch that "the disciples were first
call Christians (Acts 11: 26). The theological contribution of Antioch
to the life of the Church of the first Christian centuries is great without
doubt. This can be seen from the times of St. Ignatius (35-107), bishop
and martyr, who emphasized the episcopal shape of the post apostolic Church
in his epistles, up to St. John of Damascus who summarized patristic theology
in his treaties. The Antiochean theology of the early Church was to a
great extent opposed to Alexandrian theology. Its direction was historical
and Aristotelian, while Alexandria s was mystical and Platonic. In their
exegesis the theologians of Antioch followed the literal and historical
method.
The
Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch now resides in Damascus and his current
jurisdiction covers Syria, Lebanon, Iraq and Iran. In the 2Oth century
a considerable arabic speaking diaspora appeared in North and South America,
Europe and Australia The Patriarchate of Antioch has a long experience
of coexistence with the islamic world.
The
Patriarchate of Jerusalem
After
the dispersion of the twelve disciples of Christ, St. James the Lord's
brother (Gal. I: 19) presided over the local Church of Jerusalem. The
see of Jerusalem became important after the visit of St. Helena, the mother
of emperor Constantine, when the fashion for venerating the holy places
were the Lord lived and suffered became popular. Thus, the first Church
dedicated to the Resurrection of Christ was built around 335. During the
first centuries of Christianity the see of Jerusalem was under the metropolitan
see of Caesarea It was at the Ecumenical Council of Chalcedon (451) that
the diocese was elevated to patriarchal dignity. One of the greatest theologians
of the Church of Jerusalem was St. Cyril of Jerusalem, whose Mystagogical
Cathecheses are very famous.
The
Patriarchate of Jerusalem suffered through several occupations and from
proselytism. For centuries its main task was, and still is, the protection
of the churches of the Holy Land: the Holy Sepulchre, Calvary, the Nativity,
the Ascension, the Transfiguration, and others. The rights of the Greek
Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem in the holy places are recognized by
international treatise. Today, the jurisdiction of the Patriarchate covers
Israel, Palestine and Jordan.
Orthodox Autocephalous, Autonomous and Semi-autonomus Churches
In
addition to the four ancient Patriarchates, the Orthodox family includes
a number of autocephalous, autonomous and semi-autonomous Churches. These
Churches are, according to their order of rank:
The
Orthodox Church of Russia
The
Orthodox Church of Russia is the largest of all the Orthodox Churches.
Christianity was established in Russia in 988, when the Emperor Vladimir
was baptised and recognized it as the official religion in his dominion.
The Russian Church was proclaimed autocephalous in 1448. In the year 1589
the elevation of the Church of Russia to the rank of a Patriarchate was
decided by the Great Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople,
presided by the Ecumenical Patriarch Jeremias II.
The
Orthodox Church of Serbia
The
patron of the Serbian Orthodox Church is St. Sabas, who, after he founded
a strong Serbian dynasty, went to Mount Athos where he became monk and
founded, together with his father, the Serbian Monastery of Hilandar.
In 1219 he was consecrated Archbishop of the Serbian Church by the Patriarch
of Constantinople. In the year 1831 an inner autonomy was granted by the
Ecumenical Patriarchate under its supervision. In 1879 the Church of Serbia
was proclaimed autocephalous and in 1920 was recognized as a Patriarchate.
The
Orthodox Church of Rumania
Roman
Dacia, which covered the present land of Rumania, received Christianity
by the 4th century, probably through soldiers. For a long period the Church
of Rumania was under the spiritual care of the Church of Constantinople.
In 1885 the Rumanian Orthodox Church was proclaimed autocephalous, by
the Ecumenical Patriarch Joacheim IV, and a Holy Synod constituted. In
1925 the elevation of the Rumanian Church to the rank of Patriarchate
was decided by the Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate.
The
Orthodox Church of Bulgaria
The
Bulgarian Church is the first-born daughter of the Ecumenical Patriarchate.
Christianity was preached in Bulgaria even by the 7th century and this
evangelisation was completed in the 9th century, when St. Photius was
Patriarch of Constantinople. The Bulgarian Church received its autocephaly
in 1945. On the 27th of July 1961 the Church of Bulgaria was elevated
to the rank of Patriarchate.
The
Orthodox Church of Georgia
The
Church of Georgia was founded by the Apostle Andrew, but the full acceptance
of the Christian Gospel was completed in the 4th century by St. Nina the
illuminator of Georgia In the 5th century the Church of Georgia was recognized
as an autocephalous Church by the Patriarchate of Antioch, since the Church
of Georgia was included at that time in the Antiochean jurisdiction. In
the year IBII the Church of Georgia lost its autocephaly through a non-canonical
decision of the Russian Emperor. The Church of Georgia was again recognized
as an independent Church on the 3rd of March 1990, by a Patriarchal and
Synodical decision of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. The Church of Georgia
is presided by the Catholicos Patriarch of all Georgia.
The
Orthodox Church of Cyprus
Cyprus
was evangelised by St. Paul and St. Barnabas (Acts 13). The Church of
Cyprus has been autocephalous since the Third Ecumenical Council (431).
Many Cypriot saints are mentioned in the Byzantine Synaxaria (Lives of
the Saints); this fact proves that a living ecclesiastical presence was
in Cyprus even from early Christian times. At the 1st Ecumenical Council
of Nicaea (325) Cyprus was represented by three Cypriot bishops; one of
them was St. Spyridon of Trimithous. Today the Church of Cyprus is presided
by an Archbishop and governed by the Holy Synod of the five dioceses.
The
Orthodox Church of Greece
Christianity
was preached in Greece by St. Paul (Acts 17: 15-16.I Thes. 3: I), whose
main center was Corinth. Organized ecclesiastical life was already present
in Greece from the 1st century and many martyrs and saints are mentioned
in the Byzantine Synaxaria. From the beginning of the eighth century Greece
was under the jurisdiction and the spiritual protection of the Ecumenical
Patriarchate. When the establishment of the modern Greek State took place,
the Church of Greece was proclaimed autocephalous, in the year 1833. The
autocephaly was re-declared by the Ecumenical Patriarchate on the 29th
of June of 1850, by a Patriarchal and Synodical Tomos. The Church is governed
by the Holy Synod of the Bishops of the Church of Greece and presided,
for historical reasons, not by a Patriarch but by the Archbishop of Athens.
The Church's jurisdiction reaches over the greater part of Greece.
The
Orthodox Church of Poland
The
Polish Church is presided by the Metropolitan of Warsaw and all Poland
and is composed of six dioceses. It has 250 parishes and about 300 priests.
The Orthodox Church of Poland was recognized as autocephalous in 1924.
The
Orthodox Church of Albania
Presided
by the Archbishop of Tirana and of all Albania, the Church of Albania
was recognized as autocephalous in 1937, by a Patriarchal and Synodical
Tomos of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, when Benjamin I was Patriarch. The
Church was suppressed for many decades by the Communist regime and was
restored by the Ecumenical Patriarchate in 1991.
Autonomous and Semi-autonomous Churches
As
autonomous Churches we mention: the Church of Czechia and Slovakia, founded
by the brothers and Saints Cyril and Methodius and recognized as autonomous
in 1923; and the Church of Finland which was founded as an autonomous
Church in 1923, by a Patriarchal and Synodical Tomos. The Church of Crete
is semi-autonomous, and canonically is dependant upon the Ecumenical Patriarchate
of Constantinople and under its spiritual care. Finally, we mention the
exceptional case of the autonomous Orthodox Church of Sinai. Sinai has
been a monastic community since the VIth century, when it was founded
by Emperor Justinian. Its abbot is Archbishop, ordained by the Patriarch
of Jerusalem.
According
to Orthodox Ecclesiology all Orthodox Churches, although having internal
autonomy, are united in their fidelity to the apostolic faith as expressed
in the doctrinal and canonical decisions of the Seven Ecumenical Councils
and in the teaching of the Fathers of the Church. They are also united
in their common liturgical life. All Orthodox Churches celebrate the same
divine Liturgy. Every local Church in the language of her people. The
Liturgy, whose center is the Eucharistic communion, has a mystagogical
character. It is an introduction into the divine Mysteries. Indeed, the
Liturgy is the center of Orthodox theology and spirituality. All Orthodox
Churches are also united in the sense that all form one unbroken reality,
a body and a fellowship of local Churches in one conciliar communion of
faith and sacraments. The conciliar nature of the Orthodox Church is expressed
in every local eucharistic gathering, but equally in the conciliar relations
among the local Churches. Thus, the unity of the Orthodox world is lived
and expressed in the conciliar communion of all the local Churches faithful
to the same faith. The conciliar or synodical fellowship of the Orthodox
Church is a testimony to the unity of Orthodoxy which is not static, but
rather a living body embracing people from different cultural backgrounds
and situations and making them one in Christ.
1
Hodegus,
II, PG 89, 76D-77A.
2
C. Scouteris,
Doxology, the Language of Orthodoxy, The Greek Orthodox TheologicaI Review,
38 (l993), p. 155
3
Ion Bria
The Sense of the Ecumenical Tradition, Geneva 1991, p. 5
4
T. Ware,
The Orthodox Church, Harmondsworth, Middlessex, 1969 (repr.), p. 28ff.
5
The above
English version is by John Keble. Quoted by M. J. Le Guillou The Tradition
of Eastern Orthodoxy (transl. by D. Attwater), London 1962, p.32.
6
V. Lossky,
The Mystical Theology of the Eastern Church (Engl. Transl.), London 1957,
p. 162.
7
"Ubi
enim Ecclesia ibi et Spiritus Dei: et ubi Spiritus Dei, illic Ecclesia
et omnis gratia". On the Holy Spirit. PG 36, 168A.
8
Contra
Haereses, III, 24. PG 7, 966C.
9
P. Sherrard,
The Rape of Man and Nature. An Enquiry into the Origins and Consequences
of Modern Science, Ipswich, Suffolk 1987, pp. 90-91.
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