ORTHODOX
Christians
of the Eastern Churches call themselves Orthodox. This description comes to us
from the fifth century and has two meanings which are closely related. The
first definition is “true teaching.” The Orthodox Church believes that she has
maintained and handed down the Christian faith, free from error and distortion,
from the days of the Apostles. The second definition, which is actually the
more preferred, is “true praise.” To bless, praise, and glorify God the Father,
Son, and Holy Spirit is the fundamental purpose of the Church. All her
activities, even her doctrinal formulations, are directed toward this goal.
Occasionally,
the word Catholic is also used to describe the Orthodox Church. This
description, dating back to the second century, is embodied in the Nicene
Creed, which acknowledges One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church. From the
Orthodox perspective, Catholic means that the Church is universal and also that
she includes persons of all races and cultures. It also affirms that the Church
has preserved the fullness of the Christian faith. It is not unusual for titles
such as Greek, Russian, and Antiochian to be used in describing Orthodox
Churches. These appellations refer to the cultural or national roots of a
particular parish, diocese, or archdiocese.
DIVERSITY
IN UNITY
The Orthodox
Church is an international federation of patriarchal, autocephalous, and
autonomous churches. Each church is independent in her internal organization
and follows her own particular customs. However, all the churches are united in
the same faith and order. The Orthodox Church acknowledges that unity does not
mean uniformity. Some churches are rich in history, such as the Church of
Constantinople, while others are relatively young, such as the Church of
Finland. Some are large, such as the Church of Russia, while others are small,
such as the Church of Sinai. Each Church is led by a synod of bishops. The
president of the synod is known as the Patriarch, Archbishop, Metropolitan, or
Catholicos. Among the various bishops, the Ecumenical Patriarch of
Constantinople is accorded a "place of honor" and is regarded as
"first among equals." In America and Western Europe, where Orthodoxy
is relatively young, there are a number of dioceses and archdioceses which are
directly linked to one of these autocephalous Churches. For example, the Greek
Orthodox Archdiocese is under the care of the Patriarchate of Constantinople.
While the Archdiocese enjoys a good measure of internal autonomy and is headed
by an Archbishop, it owes its spiritual allegiance to the Church of
Constantinople.
TREASURES
OF ORTHODOXY is a
series of pamphlets written for the non-Orthodox, especially those who are
considering becoming members of the Orthodox Church and who wish to deepen
their appreciation of her faith, worship, and traditions.
Prepared by
Fr Cyril Amer
No comments:
Post a Comment