Teachings of the Orthodox Church
The Orthodox Church throughout the ages has
maintained a continuity of faith and love with the apostolic community which
was founded by Christ and sustained by the Holy Spirit. Orthodoxy believes that
she has preserved and taught the historic Christian Faith free from error and
distortion, from the time of the Apostles. She also believes that there is
nothing in the body of her teachings which is contrary to truth or which
inhibits real union with God. The air of antiquity and timelessness which often
characterizes Eastern Christianity is an expression of her desire to remain
loyal to the authentic Christian Faith.
Orthodoxy believes that the Christian Faith
and the Church are inseparable. It is impossible to know Christ, to share in
the life of the Holy Trinity, or to be considered a Christian apart from the
Church. It is in the Church that the Christian Faith is proclaimed and
maintained. It is through the Church that an individual is nurtured in the Faith.
REVELATION
God is the source of faith in the Orthodox
Church. Orthodoxy believes that God has revealed Himself to us, most especially
in the revelation of Jesus Christ, whom we know as the Son of God. This
Revelation of God, His love, and His purpose, are constantly made manifest and
contemporary in the life of the Church by the power of the Holy Spirit.
The Orthodox Faith does not begin with
mankind's religious speculations, nor with the so-called "proofs" for
the existence of God, nor with a human quest for the Divine. The origin of the
Orthodox Christian Faith is the Self-disclosure of God. Each day the Church's
Morning Prayer affirms and reminds us of this
by declaring: "God is the Lord and He has revealed Himself to us. "
While the inner Being of God always remains unknown and unapproachable, God has
manifested Himself to us; and the Church has experienced Him as Father, Son,
and Holy Spirit. The Doctrine of the Holy Trinity, which is central to the
Orthodox Faith, is not a result of pious speculation, but the over whelming
experience of God. The doctrine affirms that there is only One God in whom
there are three distinct Persons. In other words, when we encounter either the
Father, the Son, or the Holy Spirit, we are truly experiencing contact with
God. While the Holy Trinity is a mystery which can never be fully comprehended,
Orthodoxy believes that we can truly participate in the Trinity through the
life of the Church, especially through our celebration of the Eucharist and the
Sacraments, as well as the non-sacramental services.
INCARNATION OF JESUS
CHRIST
Together with the belief in the Holy Trinity,
the doctrine of the Incarnation occupies a central position in the teaching of
the Orthodox Church. According to Orthodox Faith, Jesus is much more than a
pious man or a profound teacher of morality. He is the "Son of God who
became the Son of Man. " The doctrine of the Incarnation is an expression
of the Church's experience of Christ. In Him, divinity is united with humanity
without the destruction of either reality. Jesus Christ is truly God who shares
in the same reality as the Father and the Spirit. Moreover, He is truly man who
shares with us all that is human. The Church believes that, as the unique
God-man, Jesus Christ has restored humanity to fellowship with God.
By manifesting the Holy Trinity, by teaching
the meaning of authentic human life, and by conquering the powers of sin and
death through His Resurrection. Christ is the supreme expression of the love of
God the Father, for His people, made present in every age and in every place by
the Holy Spirit through the life of the Church. The great Fathers of the Church
summarized the ministry of Christ in the bold affirmation: "God became
what we are so that we may become what he is.
SCRIPTURES
The Holy Scriptures are highly regarded by the
Orthodox Church. Their importance is expressed in the fact that a portion of
the Bible is read at every service of Worship. The Orthodox Church, which sees
itself as the guardian and interpreter of the Scriptures, believes that the
books of the Bible are a valuable witness to God's revelation. The Old
Testament is a collection of forty-nine books of various literary style which
expresses God's revelation to the ancient Israelites. The Orthodox Church
regards the Old Testament to be a preparation for the coming of Christ and
believes that it should be read in light of His revelation.
The New Testament is centered upon the person
and work of Jesus Christ and the out pouring of the Holy Spirit in the early
Church. The four Gospels are an account of Christ's life and teaching centering
upon His Death and Resurrection. the twenty-one epistles and the Acts of the
Apostles are devoted to the Christian life and the development of the early
Church. The Book of Revelation is a very symbolic text which looks to the
return of Christ. The New Testament, especially the Gospels, is very important
to Orthodoxy because here is found a written witness to the perfect revelation
of God in the Incarnation of the Son of God, in the person of Jesus Christ.
TRADITION
While the Bible is treasured as a valuable
written record of God's revelation, it does not contain wholly that revelation.
The Bible is viewed as only one expression of God's revelation in the on-going life
of His people. Scripture is part of the treasure of Faith which is known as
Tradition. Tradition means that which is "handed on" from one
generation to another. In addition to the witness of Faith in the Scripture,
the Orthodox Christian Faith is celebrated in the Eucharist, taught by the
Fathers, glorified by the Saints, expressed in prayers, hymns, and icons;
defended by the seven Ecumenical Councils; embodied in the Nicene Creed,
manifested in social concern; and, by the power of the Holy Spirit, it is lived
in every local Orthodox parish. The life of the Holy Trinity is manifested in
every aspect of the Church's life. Finally, the Church, as a whole, is the
guardian of the authentic Christian Faith which bears witness to that
Revelation.
COUNCILS AND CREED
As Orthodoxy has avoided any tendency to
restrict the vision of God's revelation to only one avenue of its life, the
Church has also avoided the systematic or extensive definition of its Faith.
Orthodoxy affirms that the Christian Faith expresses and points to the gracious
and mysterious relationship between God and humanity. God became man in the
person of Jesus Christ not to institute a new philosophy or code of conduct,
but primarily to bestow upon us "new life" in the Holy Trinity. This
reality, which is manifest in the Church, cannot be wholly captured in
language, formulas, or definitions. The content of the Faith is not opposed to
reason, but is often beyond the bounds of reason, as are many of the important
realities of life. Orthodoxy recognizes the supreme majesty of God, as well as
the limitations of the human mind. The Church is content to accept the element
of mystery in its approach to God.
Only when the fundamental truths of the Faith
are seriously threatened by false teachings, does the Church act to define
dogmatically an article of faith. For this reason, the decisions of the seven
Ecumenical Councils of the ancient undivided Church are highly respected. The
Councils were synods to which bishops from throughout the Christian world
gathered to determine the true faith. The Ecumenical Councils did not create
new doctrines but proclaimed, in a particular place and a particular time, what
the Church has always believed and taught.
The Nicene Creed, which was formulated at the
Councils of Nicaea in 325 and of Constantinople in 381, has been recognized
since then as the authoritative expression of the fundamental beliefs of the
Orthodox Church. The Creed is often referred to as the "Symbol of
Faith." This description indicates that the Creed is not an analytical
statement, but that it points to a reality greater than itself and to which it
bears witness. For generations the Creed has been the criterion of authentic
Faith and the basis of Christian education. The Creed is recited at the time of
Baptism and during every Divine Liturgy.
THE CREED
I believe in One
God, Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth and of all things visible and
invisible.
And in One Lord,
Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all
ages.
Light of Light, true God of true God,
begotten, not created, of one essence with the Father, through whom all things
were made.
For us and for our salvation He came down from
heaven and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary and became Man.
He was crucified for
us under Pontius Pilate, and He suffered and was buried.
On the third day He
rose according to the Scriptures.
He ascended into
heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again
with glory to judge the living and the dead. His kingdom will have no end.
And in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, Giver of
Life, who proceeds from the Father, who together with the Father and the Son is
worshipped and glorified, who spoke through the prophets.
In one, holy,
catholic, and apostolic Church.
I acknowledge one
baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
I expect the resurrection of the dead; and the
life of the age to come. Amen.
Author, Rev. Thomas
Fitzgerald/Holy Cross School of Theology