The Origin and Revelation of the Church
I. Origin and Revelation of the Church Through the centuries there have appeared many heretical teachings which distorted the revealed truth, and which the holy Fathers confronted “with the sling stone of the Spirit”, that is to say, by the power of the Holy Spirit. And this is so because the holy Fathers were the […]
Synods of the Orthodox Church
When is a Synod of the Church considered Ecumenical? An Ecumenical Synod is one : 1. that is convened with the permission of an Emperor of the Roman Empire, extending over an Ecumenical (pan-Roman) range, and of course a pan-Christian range. The participating Bishops were the representatives of worldwide Orthodoxy. 2. whose rulings have been […]
Faith and Science as a Theological Problem
Introduction We shall now attempt to approach this topic, from within the perspective of the Orthodox Patristic Tradition. In this way, a historical-spiritual perspective is opened up, which simultaneously reveals the variation and the difference between the world that we have voluntarily incorporated ourselves in, with the world of our Romanian (Hellenic-Orthodox) tradition. 1. Problem, […]
Orthodoxy and Sociopolitical “Deaconship”
Introduction The argument is often stated that Orthodoxy does not provide the solutions one might expect for the structuring and organization of life in society; that it is merely “a religion of the hereafter”, with exclusively meta-historical aims, outside of the solid, historical reality – of “here and now”; that it is limited exclusively to […]
Paradise and Hell according to Orthodox Tradition
On the Last Sunday of Lent “we commemorate the Second and Incorruptible Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ”. The expression “we commemorate” of the Book of Saints confirms that our Church, as the Body of Christ, re-enacts in its worship the Second Coming of Christ as an “event” and not just something that is historically […]
Philokalian Distinction Between Orthodoxy and Heresy
1. Introduction It is a known fact that a precise definition of Orthodoxy as a Church is impossible, because “Orthodoxy-Church” is a Divine-human magnitude and, as far as its divine element is concerned, it supersedes every intellectual-logical conception. So, if we wished to somehow define Orthodoxy, we could say the following: Orthodoxy is the presence […]
In Prayer and Fasting
In Prayer and Fasting (Worship and Ascesis as the coordinates of Orthodox spiritual living) 1. Spiritual life and ecclesiastic theology The composition of the Church’s life – in its local and its universal manifestation – has a unique and steadfast objective: to be the members’ path towards theosis (deification); the “thorough” (1 Thess. 5:23) incorporation […]
An Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith, Book I
BOOK I CHAPTER I That the Deity is incomprehensible, and that we ought not to pry into and meddle with tire things which have not been delivered to us by the holy Prophets, and Apostles, and Evangelists. No one hath seen God at any time; the Only-begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the […]
The importance of Hesychasm in the History of Orthodoxy
1. Hesychasm* constitutes the quintessence of Orthodox tradition, having related itself to everything that the term “Orthodoxy” embodies and expresses. Orthodoxy outside the Hesychastic tradition is unthinkable and nonexistent. Besides, Hesychasm itself is the “philosopher’s stone” by which one can recognize the genuine Christian image. In the Orthodox tradition, the “divine charismas” are acquired through […]
Orthodoxy’s Worship
1. Christian Worship Ever since its founding on the Day of the Pentecost, Christianity (as the Church of Christ), was expressed not only as a teaching but also as worship, which held a centremost place in its life. Worship proved to be not only the means by which the Church expressed Her most profound self, […]