What is religion and Orthodoxy. The main tenets of Orthodoxy

1. Orthodoxy

Prot. Mikhail Pomazansky:

Orthodoxy is faith and worship of God... the true teaching of Christ, preserved in the Church of Christ.

The word Orthodoxy (from the Greek “orthodoxy”) literally means “right judgment,” “right teaching,” or “right glorification” of God.

Metropolitan Hierotheos (Vlahos) writes:

The term “Orthodoxy” (Greek orthodoxy) consists of two words: right, true (orthos) and glory (doxa). The word "doxa" means, on the one hand, belief, teaching, faith, and on the other hand, doxology. These meanings are closely related. The correct teaching about God includes the correct praise of God, for if God is abstract, then prayer to this God will also be abstract. If God is personal, then prayer takes on a personal character. God revealed the true faith, the true teaching. And we say that the teaching about God and everything related to the salvation of the individual is the Revelation of God, and not the discovery of man.

Orthodoxy is not only a creed, but also a special way of life for a person in the Orthodox Church, which transforms his whole life and his soul as a result of communion with God.

St. Ignatius (Brianchaninov) this answers the question:

“What is Orthodoxy?

Orthodoxy is true knowledge of God and worship of God; Orthodoxy is the worship of God in spirit and truth; Orthodoxy is the glorification of God by true knowledge of Him and worship of Him; Orthodoxy is God’s glorification of man, a true servant of God, by bestowing upon Him the grace of the All-Holy Spirit. The Spirit is the glory of Christians (John 7:39). Where there is no Spirit, there is no Orthodoxy. …Orthodoxy is the teaching of the Holy Spirit, given by God to people for salvation.”

SPDA Professor Glubokovsky N.N.:

Orthodoxy... is a “right confession” - orthodoxy - because it reproduces in itself the entire intelligible object, sees itself and shows it to others in the “correct opinion” in all its objective richness and with all its features. ... It considers itself to be right, or the genuine teaching of Christ in all its originality and integrity... Orthodoxy preserves and continues the original apostolic Christianity through direct and continuous succession. In the historical flow of Christianity throughout the universe, this is the central flow, coming from the very “fountain of living water” (Rev. 21:6) and not deviating throughout its entire length until the end of the world.

Prot. Mikhail Pomazansky writes about the “powers and spiritual wealth of Orthodoxy”:

“Lofty in prayer, deep in the thought of God, joyful in feat, pure in joy, perfect in moral teaching, complete in the ways of praising God - Orthodoxy...”

Priest Sergius Mansurov. Essays on Church History

Orthodoxy - one of the three main directions of Christianity - has historically developed as its eastern branch. It is distributed mainly in the countries of Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and the Balkans. The name “Orthodoxy” (from the Greek word “orthodoxy”) was first found among Christian writers of the 2nd century. The theological foundations of Orthodoxy were formed in Byzantium, where it was the dominant religion in the 4th - 11th centuries. The basis of the doctrine is the Holy Scripture (Bible) and sacred tradition (the decisions of the seven Ecumenical Councils of the 4th-8th centuries, as well as the works of major church authorities, such as Athanasius of Alexandria, Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian, John of Damascus, John Chrysostom). It fell to these church fathers to formulate the basic tenets of the doctrine.

In the Creed, adopted at the Ecumenical Councils of Nicaea and Constantinople, these fundamentals of doctrine are formulated in 12 parts or members:

“I believe in one God the Father, Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, visible to all and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the only begotten, who was born of the Father before all ages: Light, from Light, true God from true God , begotten, uncreated, consubstantial with the Father, to whom all things were. For our sake, man and for our salvation, who came down from heaven and was incarnated by the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, and became human. He was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered and was buried. And rose again for the third day, according to Scripture. And He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of the Father. And again He who comes with glory will judge the living and the dead, His Kingdom will have no end. And in the Spirit of the Holy Lord, the Life-Giving One, Who proceeds from the Father, Who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorify the prophets who spoke. In one holy, catholic and apostolic Church. I confess one baptism for the remission of sins. I look forward to the resurrection of the dead and the life of the future age. Amen."

The first member speaks of God as the creator of the world - the first hypostasis of the Holy Trinity.

In the second - about faith in the only begotten Son of God - Jesus Christ.

The third is the dogma of the Incarnation, according to which Jesus Christ, while remaining God, at the same time became a man, born of the Virgin Mary.

The fourth member of the Creed is about the suffering and death of Jesus Christ. This is the dogma of the atonement.

The fifth is about the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

The sixth talks about the bodily ascension of Jesus Christ into heaven.

In the seventh - about the second, future coming of Jesus Christ to earth.

The eighth article of the Creed is about faith in the Holy Spirit.

In the ninth - about the attitude towards the church.

In the tenth - about the sacrament of Baptism.

In the eleventh - about the future general resurrection of the dead.

In the twelfth term - about eternal life.

In the further philosophical and theoretical development of Christianity, the teaching of St. Augustine played a significant role. At the turn of the 5th century he preached the superiority of faith over knowledge.
Reality, according to his teaching, is incomprehensible to the human mind, since behind its events and phenomena the will of the almighty Creator is hidden. Augustine’s teaching on predestination said that anyone who believed in God could enter the sphere of the “elect” predestined for salvation. For faith is the criterion of predestination.

An important place in Orthodoxy is occupied by sacramental rituals, during which, according to the teachings of the church, special grace descends on believers. The Church recognizes seven sacraments:

Baptism is a sacrament in which a believer, by immersing his body three times in water with the invocation of God the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, gains spiritual birth.

In the sacrament of confirmation, the believer is given the gifts of the Holy Spirit, restoring and strengthening him in spiritual life.

In the sacrament of communion, the believer, under the guise of bread and wine, partakes of the very Body and Blood of Christ for Eternal Life.

The sacrament of repentance or confession is the recognition of one’s sins before the priest, who absolves them in the name of Jesus Christ.

The sacrament of the priesthood is performed through episcopal ordination when a person is elevated to the rank of clergy. The right to perform this sacrament belongs only to the bishop.

In the sacrament of marriage, which is performed in the temple at the wedding, the marital union of the bride and groom is blessed.

In the sacrament of consecration of oil (unction), when anointing the body with oil, the grace of God is invoked on the sick person, healing mental and physical infirmities.

One of the three main directions of Christianity (along with Catholicism and Protestantism). It has become widespread mainly in Eastern Europe and the Middle East. It was originally the state religion of the Byzantine Empire. Since 988, i.e. For more than a thousand years, Orthodoxy has been a traditional religion in Russia. Orthodoxy shaped the character of the Russian people, cultural traditions and way of life, ethical norms (rules of behavior), aesthetic ideals (models of beauty). Orthodox, adj – something that is related to Orthodoxy: an Orthodox person, an Orthodox book, an Orthodox icon, etc.

Excellent definition

Incomplete definition ↓

ORTHODOXY

one of the directions of Christianity, along with Catholicism and Protestantism. It began to take shape in the 4th century. as the official religion of the Byzantine Empire, completely independent from the moment of the division of the Christian Church in 1054. It did not have a single church center, subsequently several independent Orthodox churches took shape (currently there are 15 of them), each of which has its own specifics, but adheres to a common system of dogmas and rituals . The religious basis of P. is the Holy Scripture (Bible) and Holy Tradition (decisions of the first 7 Ecumenical Councils and the works of the Church Fathers of the 2nd-8th centuries). The basic principles of P. are set out in the 12 points of the creed adopted at the first two ecumenical councils in Nicaea (325) and Constantinople (381). The most important postulates of the Orthodox faith are the dogmas: the trinity of God, the incarnation of God, the atonement, the resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ. Dogmas are not subject to change and clarification, not only in content, but also in form. The clergy is recognized as a grace-endowed mediator between God and people. P. is characterized by a complex, detailed cult. Divine services in P. are longer than in other Christian denominations. An important role is given to holidays, among which Easter takes first place. See also Russian Orthodox Church, Georgian Orthodox Church, Polish Orthodox Church, American Orthodox Church.

Unlike Catholicism, which deadened Christianity and turned it into a decorative screen for sin and vice, Orthodoxy, right up to our time, remains a living faith, open to every soul. Orthodoxy provides its members with a wide scope for scientific theology, but in its symbolic teaching it gives the theologian a fulcrum and a scale with which any religious reasoning must be conformed, in order to avoid contradiction with the “dogmas” or with the “faith of the Church.” Thus, Orthodoxy, unlike Catholicism, allows you to read the Bible in order to extract from it more detailed information about faith and the church; however, in contrast to Protestantism, it considers it necessary to be guided by the interpretative works of St. Fathers of the Church, by no means leaving the understanding of the word of God to the personal understanding of the Christian himself. Orthodoxy does not elevate human teachings that are not in the Holy Scriptures. Scripture and Holy Tradition, to the degree of revelation, as is done in Catholicism; Orthodoxy does not derive new dogmas from the previous teachings of the church through inference, does not share the Catholic teaching about the superior human dignity of the person of the Mother of God (Catholic teaching about Her “immaculate conception”), does not attribute superfluous merits to the saints, much less does not assimilate divine infallibility to man, even if he was the Roman high priest himself; The Church in its entirety is recognized as infallible, since it expresses its teaching through Ecumenical Councils. Orthodoxy does not recognize purgatory, teaching that satisfaction for the sins of people has already been brought to the truth of God once and for all through the suffering and death of the Son of God; By accepting the 7 Sacraments, Orthodoxy sees in them not only signs of grace, but grace itself; in the Sacrament of the Eucharist he sees the true Body and true Blood of Christ, into which bread and wine are transubstantiated. Orthodox Christians pray to deceased saints, believing in the power of their prayers before God; they venerate the incorruptible remains of saints and relics. Contrary to the reformers, according to the teachings of Orthodoxy, the grace of God does not act in a person irresistibly, but in accordance with his free will; our own deeds are credited to us as merit, although not in themselves, but by virtue of the assimilation of the Savior’s merits by the faithful. While not approving the Catholic teaching on church authority, Orthodoxy recognizes, however, the church hierarchy with its grace-filled gifts and allows the laity to participate in the affairs of the church. The moral teaching of Orthodoxy does not give relief to sin and passions, like Catholicism (in indulgences); it rejects the Protestant doctrine of justification by faith alone, requiring every Christian to express faith in good works. In relation to the state, Orthodoxy does not want to either rule over it, like Catholicism, or submit to it in its internal affairs, like Protestantism: it strives to maintain complete freedom of activity, without interfering with the independence of the state in the sphere of its power.

Excellent definition

Incomplete definition ↓

What is Orthodoxy? We all hear: the Russian Church, the Church of Constantinople - but what is Orthodoxy as such? I, as a theologian, will try to give a picture not of the historical development of Orthodoxy, but will try to answer the directly posed question: what it is.

The term “Orthodoxy” itself is quite ancient: it appeared at the end of the third - beginning of the fourth century, due to the emergence of new, heretical movements that gave rise to those disputes that continue to this day. It was at that time, in order to express the direction of Christianity that comes from the beginning, that the term Orthodoxy appeared - “orthodoxy”.

I’ll give you one Buddhist parable that everyone knows, but its meaning is not what I want to say. The elephant is felt by several blind men from different sides, and each gives his own definition of an elephant: one feels his leg: “Oh, it’s a palm tree!” Another got caught on the tail: “Oh, it’s a snake.” The third ran into a fang: “This is a plow.” The fourth one reached his ears: “An elephant is a mug.” The fifth one touches the body: “This is a barrel.” Each of them conveys his own experience of cognition, real, not fantastic, experience of experiencing through the feelings of the reality that he is trying to understand. Completely different ideas about the same thing.

Theosophists draw completely different conclusions from this, and in Hinduism this idea is widespread: the Divine is unknowable, and everyone creates his own idea on the basis of narrow, blind experience. But I would like to talk about a different vision: the blind feel, and they have a false experience, because they do not see. What if someone saw it? The one with eyes?

It’s good when a person regains his sight and sees, but what if he doesn’t have this vision? What if blind people get together and start discussing who the elephant is? After all, they all have real experience of experiencing this. Which one is right? Put it all together? Still, nothing will work out - putting a palm tree with a snake - one can only smile at such a reality.

Once upon a time Christianity was a single religion, now we don’t even know how many denominations there are. In America I once said: “You have dozens of them” - they answered me: “You’re wrong, professor: there are hundreds of them.” Each of us is convinced of our understanding of the truth of Christianity, of our understanding of the Bible. The same question arises that confronted the blind: by what criterion can one judge? Which of us is right, and how to find that holistic vision of this object, about which we all talk, often argue, and sometimes hostility flares up towards each other? One Bible? - Yes. One Bible? – No: as many as there are confessions. This is what makes our directions different: each has their own vision of the Holy Scriptures, their own understanding of specific passages of Scripture. Often disputes about this are devoid of healthy soil. Where are the criteria for correct understanding?

Only by resolving this question could we try to create a holistic picture of what we call Holy Scripture, what we understand by Christianity. How is Orthodoxy characterized in this case? Orthodoxy answers this question in the following way: who could best understand the apostolic writings? - Probably apostolic disciples. They were successors both in humanity - they communicated with them, and in spirit, for in baptism, as we read in Acts, they immediately received the special gifts of the Holy Spirit, which gave them the opportunity to understand what was written by the Spirit of God. The author of Scripture is the Spirit of God, and true understanding can only come from the same Spirit.

Therefore, the first who could give an objective understanding of the writings of the apostles were the disciples of the apostles. They are called apostolic men. We already find literature from them - a whole series of writings.

They had their own disciples, to whom they passed on the understanding given to them by the Spirit of God. This is how the thread of the original understanding of the Revelation that was given to us in Jesus Christ gradually develops, which was then written down by the apostles and preached throughout the world. There is a certain line of succession. How to trace this line? It’s very simple: we need to read them - we read the writings of the apostles, the writings of the apostolic men, and then their disciples.

An interesting thing: if at first we see complete correspondence between the writings of the apostles and the apostolic men, then later, apparently, the Spirit becomes somehow less effective in people. In some people it manifests itself in full force, which is characterized by their actions, in others it manifests itself less. In still others we don’t see a spirit at all. It is no coincidence that Christ said in the Gospel: “By this they will know that you are My disciples, that you have love for one another.” What is the sign of those who believe? “In My name they will cast out demons, cleanse lepers, speak in foreign tongues, even if they drink something mortal (poisonous), it will not harm them.”

When I read these lines, I think: what a non-believer I am! I don't have any of these signs. Has everyone become unbelievers? Christ said - I must believe Him.

So, the first thing that characterizes Orthodoxy is the appeal to this thread, which comes directly from the apostles, transmitted through the disciples and going further, studying it. In theology, this thread running through the centuries has a name: consensus patrum- consent of the fathers. A very important, deep thing is hidden here for us: at first the Spirit acted in the apostles and their disciples in full measure, but then began to fade away, and if we turn to later times, then according to the words of one of our theologians of the 19th century, an aristocrat, a deep thinker, recently canonized, Bishop Ignatius (Brianchaninov), who wrote that when I quote to the guys, I stumble on one word and say: “there is a fuzzy pen here”: “There are academies, there are theological schools, there are candidates, masters, - but then I stumble – Doctor of Theology: laughter and that’s all. But ask one of them, try it: it turns out that he not only does not have a spirit, he does not have faith, he doubts: did Christ exist, and is this not an invention? Doctor of Theology - but he doesn’t believe in Christ!”

Faith with one's head alone, recognition of the Holy Scriptures without a corresponding life, emasculates a person, faith is lost. “And the demons believe and tremble.”

What does the term mean? consensus patrum? – When we try to find out what the teaching of Christianity is on this or that issue, we turn to just anyone, even if he was a doctor three times, we turn to the most authoritative ones, about whom the Church says that he was distinguished by the height of his moral life.

Secondly, we do not take all the opinions that were in the history of Christianity, but those that were held by the most authoritative ones, and most of the fathers had them. Why does Orthodoxy turn to them? Because when the majority of the fathers, the most prominent people in the Church, speak unanimously on this issue, we can conclude that this is not the personal opinion of Ivan, Stepan, but this is the transmission of that tradition, which, thanks to the Spirit of God, operates constantly and directly in the Church of Christ . This makes it possible to unambiguously understand the most fundamental issues, the basic truths of Orthodoxy. Lots of different opinions, but here it is consensus patrum. This line can be traced: go back a century, another century - and we see: it comes straight from the apostles and apostolic men.

This is the basic point, the foundation on which the Orthodox understanding of the Holy Scriptures, basic moral values, and principles of spiritual life is built. What is the essence of Christianity, how does it differ from all religions? If we simply say that Christ is the God-man, they will laugh at us and say: we have had many gods in history. Revelation? – Buddha also opened as much as you want.

Who were the founders of all religions? - Teachers. They reminded people, revealed to them those truths that were forgotten by people, spoiled, distorted. A prophet comes and reminds people of these truths. Is this the function of Christ? Then John the Baptist could have said everything instead of Him. The moral sermon of Christ, even the Sermon on the Mount, which Mahatma Gandhi so admired and saw in it the whole of Christianity, any of the prophets could have said it.

The essence of Christianity is in the Sacrifice that Christ made; no one could make it except the God-Man. Redemptive Sacrifice. A person can suffer for a person - so what? And the atoning sacrifice concerns all of humanity, from the beginning of the past. No one could accomplish it and no one will accomplish it until the end of human history. This makes Christianity different from all other religions.

Here we find another specific feature of Orthodoxy. There are two main directions in understanding this Sacrifice of Christ. One of them, developed with great force, is called legal understanding of the Sacrifice of Christ. The second understanding can be called moral– this is a very imperfect term, I take it conditionally, for lack of a suitable one. These two strong directions also characterize the two large branches of Christianity: the legal is characteristic of Catholicism, and the moral is specific to Orthodoxy.

In the legal understanding, the essence of Christ’s feat is seen in the following: the first man, Adam, endlessly offended God with his sin, thereby he fell away from God and was cursed. The sacrifice of Christ is redemptive, like a ransom: Christ suffers for everyone, bringing satisfaction to God the Father. Thus the believer is freed from punishment for all sins.

The main concepts of Roman Catholic theology are the concepts satisfaction And merit. The sacrifice of Christ is considered in terms of our human relations: you can pay for someone, ransom a person who has committed a crime. As in the Old Testament: if you knock out an eye, pay this much, if you kill a slave, pay this much. That is, the relationship between man and God is considered on the basis of legal relations.

The Orthodox understanding of the Sacrifice of Christ is characterized differently: the sin of the first man is not an offense to God, for what creature can offend the all-good, all-perfect Divinity? If a person could insult God, and God would be angry at every insult, then God would be the most unfortunate creature in the world - every moment we would insult Him. The moral concept says (I’ll draw a picture): imagine the Red Sea, there are corals there, it’s beautiful. A diver is lowered from the ship, connected by a hose through which oxygen is supplied. Beauty in the Red Sea - suddenly a command from the ship: get up, that's enough. Him: how is that enough? It's such bliss here! He takes a knife, crosses the hose, and bliss begins - water rushes over him. He completely forgot that through this hose he is given life, air, without which he cannot live. Up there is the source of his life. Irreversible processes occur to him.

This is approximately what happened to man during the Fall. What is disobedience to God? - Leave me alone, I understand it myself, I am God myself! The connection between man and God was severed. Irreversible processes began in the whole person. It is this fall from grace, both in legal and moral interpretation, that is called original sin. Only Orthodoxy says that there has been a distortion of human nature, and not just an insult to God, this distortion now has the most detrimental effect on the entire consciousness and activity of man. The mind, the heart, the body have become antagonists when it comes to goodness.

This is a fact - you don’t even need any dogmatic teaching. Let us remember the Apostle Paul: “I do not do the good that I want, but the good that I hate.” Where did such slavery to passions come from? It is because of the damage to human nature. The damage is at the genetic level, which is why descendants are born from Adam with a damaged, upset soul, heart and body - death has entered the human being.

It becomes clear why no one could heal the person. Even if we assume that it is possible to heal oneself by living a holy life, it is impossible to heal others. This is the essence of Christ’s Sacrifice, that He, perceiving our fallenness, in the words of the Apostle Paul, “became sin for us,” heals our nature through suffering. “God made the captain of our salvation through suffering” (Hebrews). Makes it perfect. Whom? Christ? - What blasphemy! Christ took a mortal body, suffering, He wept for Lazarus, cried out on the Cross: “O God, my God, where have you forsaken Me?” Through suffering He restored this human nature in Himself.

From here we understand what the sacrament of baptism is: if by nature we are born from each other in a purely biological way and independently of our will and consciousness, then a great process takes place here: “Whoever has faith will be saved.” It depends on the person himself whether he will ultimately be born or unborn. In baptism, this seed of a new person is infused, thanks to which a person receives the beginning of eternal life in himself.

The moral understanding of the Sacrifice of Christ does not come down to legal relations: who should pay how much to whom - no, in Christ the healing of human nature takes place, and each of us, accepting the sacrament of baptism with faith, as the Lord said, receives grain, a seed - not the whole apple tree! - this new person. From here it becomes clear why one baptized person becomes a saint, another becomes a scoundrel, and the third becomes neither this nor that. What we will do with the seed, our faith - whether we will water it, fertilize it, take care of it - depends on the person.

Wheat seeds found in the pyramids of Egypt were about three thousand years old. We tried to sow them - they sprouted! For three thousand years no fruit was produced - the grain lay fruitless. Appropriate conditions are needed.

From the legal and moral understanding of the Sacrifice of Christ flow two completely different paths and understandings of Christian life, an understanding of what is necessary for a person so that he, to the full extent of the “age of Christ,” receives the salvation that Christ brought. In the legal approach, it’s like in a bank, a bank account: I helped the old lady bring it - thank you, Lord, a good deed has been done, it’s deposited in the bank, the interest is growing.

Why did this concept of satisfaction and merit cause such an outcry, why did the Reformation begin? Why was Luther outraged? Because bargaining with God, a Catholic will tell you how much salvation costs: for each sin so much and so much. I tell the students: crawl around the Trinity Cathedral so many times - and everyone beams with delight: that’s it, merit! But one’s own merits are not enough: there is a thesaurum bonusum - treasury of good things, and the Pope can convey this to others, especially during the holy year, which now occurs every 25 years. I once came across this, I was in all the basilicas, I was with the Pope - I come to the academy: kiss my shoe! I am a saint from now on! Rascals, no one kissed.

The legal concept is connected with these matters of calculation; it looks not at the human soul, not at passions, not at the struggle with oneself, not at the commandments of Christ, but at how to avoid punishment and bring appropriate satisfaction to God. This is where purgatory came from: they came up with huge heads of doctors of theology, although only heads planted in brine, without a heart. The man repented, his sins were forgiven, but he did not have time to bring satisfaction. Where should I put it? You can’t go to heaven - he didn’t bring satisfaction, you can’t go to hell - he repented. The concept of purgatory is created, where a person brings satisfaction in order to then go to heaven.

The Reformation began with this: with indulgences, with this sale, the bargaining of paradise. “As soon as the coin rings in my copper basin, my soul will immediately jump out into heaven.” Remember these words of Tetzel?

Orthodoxy looks at the Sacrifice of Christ differently - it is the healing of human nature damaged over the years in Christ, healing through suffering. This healing can be acquired not formally, not magically, not automatically, but “whoever has faith and is baptized.” “The kingdom of God is forced, and he who forces himself delights it.” From this understanding of the Sacrifice of Christ follows an understanding of the spiritual life of a Christian.

Why did Adam fall? What's happened? In our Orthodox textbooks this process is sometimes depicted in such a way that one is amazed. It seems that the Lord God didn’t even know that this would happen,” he gasped. The serpent proposed, Eve picked it, Adam ate it, but the Lord God did not even suggest, and history went at random. This is, of course, a children's picture. The Lord knew whom he was creating and foresaw everything from the beginning to the end of history.

Everything was created “good and green,” and Adam was the pinnacle of creation, the pinnacle of beauty, crowned with glory and all knowledge, and gave names to everything that exists. He had everything, he did not have only one thing, and could not have it: he did not have an experienced knowledge of who he, Adam, is without God. He who lives in wealth cannot imagine what he is like if all his wealth is taken away from him. “The well-fed are no friend to the hungry.”

The famous rocket scientist Korolev said: at one time he served time where necessary. They are holding a meeting in a luxurious office, his friends are wealthy people, and suddenly a mouse jumped out of the corner! The reaction was immediate - several people jumped out of their soft chairs and rushed to catch and strangle this mouse... The mouse escaped safely, everyone sat down, and Korolev said: “You know, friends, when I was sitting where I needed to be, we lived in terrible conditions, bread - it was a great joy for us; we lived in terrible hunger. And sometimes a mouse appeared in this chamber, and we, knowing this, left crumbs from our unfortunate piece of bread and put them there, and then we all enjoyed watching the mouse eat these crumbs. Now look what happened before our eyes: satisfied, well-fed, living in abundance, they rushed to strangle this mouse. What happened to us? It was a good lesson for young people.

This is exactly what happened to Adam: he was in abundance of all goods, this was something unimaginable to us that humanity strives for. But he could not understand that only in God he is so rich, in God he is a deity, and without God he is nothing. Saint Philaret (Drozdov) said it well: “Man hangs over the abyss of his non-existence.” Adam did not know this from experience, hence the crafty thought: I am like God. This is where the wall between man and God came from.

If we imagine salvation as a return to the state of primordial Adam, then isn’t this dangerous? What guarantee is there that, having received glory and power and all knowledge, we will not again say that we are like gods? The first people, despite the perfection of their nature, were not yet unfallen. They could have fallen; there was nothing else that would block the path to sin in man himself, the path of opposing himself to God.

Here the most important problem arises in Christian soteriology - the science of salvation. What is the path, what are the means, the acquisition of what state - the non-fallen state - is this possible, and what does it mean? Orthodox soteriology is built on the following foundation: what does the Sacrifice of Christ say?

There is a term in theology kenosis- humiliation. Humility. God the Word, having become incarnate, humbled Himself to a limit that is impossible to imagine. No wonder the Apostle Paul wrote: “We preach Christ crucified: to the Jews a stumbling block, to the Greeks foolishness.” God humbles himself to the extreme; through this measure the atoning sacrifice is made, and through it the rebirth of human nature occurs. This shows the great path for every person. In the same way a person can come to salvation, to a non-fallen state.

What does humility mean as applied to a person? This is not at all what secular, superficial, empty literature writes about. What does she mean by humility? - Some kind of rubbish: downtroddenness, humility, passivity - either a person, or chaff. How do I know who I am spiritually? In the physical, it’s very easy: put some weights on it and we’ll find out.

And in spiritual terms, the Gospel has the greatest significance: here is a mirror, the human norm, the image of Christ, His commandments. Look in the mirror, compare yourself. It's a shame - a caricature. He says: love even your enemies, but I don’t love friends. I can’t do anything good: I sat down at the table - I ate too much, went outside - my eyes were like frying pans in all directions, they touched me - so I’ll show you where the crayfish spend the winter. They awarded my friend - so I turned green with envy. Therefore, a great criterion has been given to me so that I can know who I am - these are the commandments of the Gospel. Only forcing myself to carefully fulfill the commandments will show me who I really am. And it turns out that I am poor, naked and wretched - I can’t do anything. This shows me my soul: once I abstain, and then again I fall into condemnation. At every step, every minute: feelings, desires, deceit, hypocrisy...

It is not for nothing that Dostoevsky, through the lips of the prince, declared that if what lives in my soul was revealed - not only what I will never reveal to people, even to friends and neighbors, not only what I hide from myself - then such a thing would happen a stench that it would be impossible to live in the world. This is the path where I can see myself for who I really am.

This vision gives me the greatest benefit: I no longer raise my nose up, but “Lord, have mercy on me.” I really am terrible. This state is humility, a true vision of oneself, sober, without rose-colored glasses. Just as a drowning man calls for help, so here a person begins to turn to Christ. I see God's help when I turn to Him. Prayer becomes not just a formal reading, it is the cry of a drowning man. This is where Christianity begins for man. Christ is the Savior, He is needed by those who really perish.

Envy, vanity, gluttony torment me, not anyone else. I begin to understand the words of Christ: “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.” Until I saw myself, I do not force the commandments - I am healthy. Theoretically, I know that I am a fallen being, I can’t do anything, God saves me, haha, hihi.

No, there’s a different picture here: I see that passions are diseases. Here is my Savior, who helps me whenever I turn to Him. The perishing person needs a Savior, and not the one who lies on the shore, and he needs the Giver of blessings: both this, and the other, and the third. Christ says: “Behold, I stand at the door and knock.” Whoever opens it will enter. This is when saving and healing faith begins.

So: the foundation on which a correct understanding of the Holy Scriptures is built.

Then: the essence of any religion is the doctrine of salvation.

The Christian understanding of salvation lies in the Sacrifice of Christ.

Two understandings of the Sacrifice of Christ: legal and moral.

And how this Orthodox, moral understanding of Christianity can be realized in the real spiritual life of each of us.

Questions:

– You spoke about spiritual continuity, which is clearly evident in Orthodoxy. How does an appeal to spiritual authorities compare with a personal, living appeal to God?

– I must say frankly my impression: Christianity is deteriorating. Everywhere and everywhere. Orthodoxy is not at all what we would like it to be. And this is not just my opinion. Ignatius (Brianchaninov) writes about the state of monasteries, about spiritual life, about the understanding of faith - he sheds bitter tears. This is a universal process.

Therefore, when we talk about this thread, of course, we do not have that spirit, nor that burning, jealousy, purity that we would like to have. We talk about this as a kind of golden age, from which, alas, we have moved quite far. We still maintain a connection: we believe them, turn to them, adhere to them, but this connection is weakening.

– You said that the essence of Christianity is in the Sacrifice of Christ, in the feat: after all, the feat, the deed determines the personality, or the personality determines the deed? Personally, I believe that what is more important to us is the person of Christ, which determines what He did.

– That’s why Christianity is called that way, because we believe in Christ, in what He did. I agree with you, but when we start to look: what is the most important thing, why did He come? After all, every business is determined by a goal; through the goal we understand the essence of the matter. God the Word became incarnate for what purpose? - Human salvation. That’s why I say that the essence of Christ’s work is not in teaching moral truths, but in His Sacrifice, thanks to which we receive salvation.

– When we talk about theories of morality and ransom, we find justification for one or another theory in various places in the Bible. Maybe the writer of the Gospel was simply trying to find those images that would be understandable to a person living at that time, what happened?

– You are right: the whole atmosphere of the Roman Empire was the atmosphere of a slave system. And the Old Testament religion is a religion of law, this is the same jurisprudence. It is not surprising that the apostles addressed their contemporaries in a language accessible to them. Therefore, the repeated use of this term is redemption. But when we touch on the central concept that expresses the very essence of the work of Christ, we find a whole series of terms: redemption, justification, adoption, salvation. Term redemption caused by time, epoch, it does not convey the essence of that feat about which it is said: “God so loved the world that he gave His only begotten Son.”

This is not about buying and selling - from whom to buy? One of the Church Fathers, Gregory the Theologian, has a wonderful thought: “To whom was the sacrifice made? The devil? - How blasphemous to think about it! So that the Creator brings a ransom to His creation, and even the fallen one. Father? – But does the Father love less than the Son? He did not even accept Isaac when he was sacrificed, but gave a ram in his place.”

If we proceed from the context of the Gospel that God is love, then it is clear that we are not talking about a ransom, and at the same time the apostle uses this term to give a hint of what Christ did.

– Where is modern theology going now? It’s clear that you need to go back and re-read, but what should you do now so as not to mark time?

– One of our twentieth-century theologians uttered a very interesting phrase: “Forward to the fathers.”

Why did Christ come? - For the sake of salvation. Why did he create the Church? - For the sake of salvation. Why did you give the Gospel? - For the sake of salvation. What is theology for? – It was only doctors of theology who turned theology into an entertaining game: how many angels can fit on a needle. The essence of theology comes down to one thing, and it is not theology if it does not do this: it must show how one must believe, how one must live, what means must be used in order to receive the salvation for which Christ came. When theology begins to deal with all sorts of speculative things, it returns to paganism, and not to theology.

Term theology It also has pre-Christian origins: it is used by Aristotle; theologians called everyone who wrote about the gods: Hesiod, Homer, Orpheus. It’s the same now: whoever went through theological school, got A’s or B’s, and wrote a paper about God is a candidate of theology. It’s not for nothing that I cited the thought of Ignatius (Brianchaninov): “Doctor of Theology - but he doesn’t believe in Christ!” What good is this theology?

Theology should strengthen faith - this path stands before us, but what is its effectiveness? I'll keep quiet about this.

–You said that Catholic understanding led to the term purgatory, and Orthodox prayers for the dead are not some kind of similarity?

– Probably not prayers, but the teaching about ordeals. Yes, quite often these completely different things are mixed. Where did purgatory come from? You won’t be sent to hell because you repented, and you won’t be thrown into heaven because you didn’t bring satisfaction. And ordeals are a state of the soul when it is confronted with specific passions. A great struggle of the soul takes place - if here it has mastered some kind of passion, that it has become a slave to this passion, then there, in the face of God and passion, the struggle and fall begin. Here we walk in the dark: we don’t feel God, and we don’t see the underworld, but there everything is revealed. Suffering in which the soul is either here or there. And purgatory - you served your sentence and that’s it: if you didn’t crawl around the church three times, you sat on the frying pan.

– When the fathers explained the teaching, they were in their own conditions, but we are now in completely different historical conditions. How can we now connect the teaching that related to one question, when now we are asking completely different questions?

“Everything is returning to normal.” If we now look at what is happening in the ecumenical world, it turns out that the problems that once existed, many centuries ago, are now emerging in all their force. You will not find a single phenomenon in the life of the ancient Church that was condemned as heresy that did not exist at the present time. Look how many different syncretic sects there are. In France, according to statistics, 84% are Christians, but a third of them do not believe that Jesus Christ is God. The third part does not believe that He has risen. How many fathers write about this. Problems recur, many directly stemming from our old man.

Therefore, if we see that there is a wealth of experience in understanding a particular issue, then we take it from there so as not to reinvent the wheel. But a whole series of new problems arise: these problems are much more difficult to comprehend, because we have no precedent, no experience, no developments. But we are forced to do these things.

– And this kind of existential theology, when God reveals Himself in people’s lives – and at the same time in Orthodoxy some go to a monastery, leave life, from society...

– This reproach has been heard throughout history. It is partly justified: there are people who are naturally inclined to solitude, to special attention to themselves, and there are people who are very active and lively. And changing their places in life would be absurd. To each his own, but not everyone can correctly assess their capabilities. Monasticism is an attempt to renounce everything, to give everything in order to engage in spiritual life, but not everyone has all the talents for this. Very often, a person who does not have the appropriate data, who takes the path of monastic life, can easily turn into a caricature of a monk, and then this is a disaster.

–A person who has returned to a state of sinlessness - will there be a new attempt?

“The fact of the matter is that Adam did not possess this non-fallen state. The non-fallen state is a state when a person sees himself and understands that without God he is not capable of anything good. We have the morning prayer of Macarius the Great, who was called the “earthly god”: “God, cleanse me, a sinner, for I have done no good before You.” This vision of oneself gives a person the opportunity for eternal, non-fallen communion with God. Having been burned by the milk, they blow on the water.

–How did these two theories develop in Protestantism: legal and moral?

– Three basic terms exist to describe what Christ did, corresponding to the three branches of Christianity. Catholicism has redemption, Orthodoxy has salvation, and Protestants - I know this well, because I participate in all dialogues with Lutherans - justification. This is the specificity of the Protestant understanding. Luther tried to correct the Catholic understanding: why are the merits of Christ only sufficient to correct original sin? Why so few? Christ suffered for all sins - the logic is completely fair.

Luther, and then Melanchthon, the “Augsburg Confession”, the “Apology” of this confession, in other symbolic books, in the “Small Catechism” it is said that sin is not imputed to the believer. This idea deserves the most serious analysis. Luther writes strange words: “If before this a person was in fear and trembling, then from now on he, having received the news of salvation, is a rejoicing child of God.” That's it, nothing is needed anymore.

Here there is a danger of perceiving that everything is done by God, nothing is needed anymore. I returned from Finland, where we had a big discussion with the Lutherans about freedom. One aspect of the discussion was: “Man’s freedom in the matter of man’s salvation.” Lutherans said with great insistence that man has no freedom in the matter of salvation, no existential freedom. I was forced to ask them a question directly: “If a person does not have any freedom in the matter of salvation, and God does everything, then a terrible thing is prescribed: then God is guilty of the death of everyone who does not inherit eternal life, for He did not give people faith, He is to blame that they were not saved."

Have you read the article Lecture by Professor Osipov: What is the essence of Orthodoxy? Read also.

In 395, the Roman Empire fell to the onslaught of barbarians. As a result of this, the once powerful state fell apart into several independent entities, one of which was Byzantium. Despite the fact that the Christian Church continued to remain united for more than six centuries, the development of its eastern and western parts followed different paths, which predetermined their further rupture.

Separation of two related churches

In 1054, the Christian Church, which had existed for a thousand years by that time, split into two branches, one of which was the Western Roman Catholic Church, and the other was the Eastern Orthodox Church, with its center in Constantinople. Accordingly, the teaching itself, based on Holy Scripture and Holy Tradition, received two independent directions - Catholicism and Orthodoxy.

The formal schism was the result of a long process that included both theological disputes and attempts by the popes to subjugate the Eastern churches. Nevertheless, Orthodoxy is the full result of the development of the general Christian doctrine, which began in apostolic times. She considers the entire sacred history from the giving of the New Testament by Jesus Christ to the moment of the Great Schism as her own.

Literary sources containing the basics of religious doctrine

The essence of Orthodoxy comes down to the confession of the apostolic faith, the foundations of which are set out in the Holy Scriptures - the books of the Old and New Testaments, as well as in the Holy Tradition, which includes the decrees of the Ecumenical Councils, the works of the church fathers and the lives of saints. This should also include liturgical traditions that determine the order of church services, the performance of all kinds of rituals and sacraments that Orthodoxy includes.

Prayers and chants for the most part are texts taken from the patristic heritage. These include those included in church services and those intended for cell (home) reading.

The truth of Orthodox teaching

According to the apologists (followers and preachers) of this doctrine, Orthodoxy is the only true form of confession of the Divine teaching given to people by Jesus Christ and further developed thanks to his closest disciples - the holy apostles.

In contrast, according to Orthodox theologians, other Christian denominations - Catholicism and Protestantism with all their branches - are nothing more than heresies. It is appropriate to note that the word “Orthodoxy” itself is a translation from Greek, where it literally sounds like “correct glorification.” We are talking, of course, about glorifying the Lord God.

Like all Christianity, Orthodoxy formulates its teachings in accordance with the decrees of the Ecumenical Councils, of which there have been seven in the entire history of the church. The only problem is that some of them are recognized by all confessions (varieties of Christian churches), while others are recognized by only one or two. For this reason, the Creeds - statements of the main provisions of the doctrine - sound different for everyone. This, in particular, was one of the reasons why Orthodoxy and Catholicism took different historical paths.

Document expressing the fundamentals of faith

Orthodoxy is a doctrine, the main provisions of which were formulated by two Ecumenical Councils - the Nicene Council, held in 325, and the Constantinople Council, in 381. The document they adopted was called the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed and contains a formula that has been preserved in its original form to this day. It should be noted that it is this formula that mainly separates Orthodoxy and Catholicism, since the followers of the Western Church accepted this formula in a slightly modified form.

The Orthodox Creed consists of twelve members - sections, each of which succinctly, but at the same time, succinctly and exhaustively sets out the dogma accepted by the church on a particular issue of doctrine.

The essence of the doctrine of God and the Holy Trinity

The first member of the Creed is dedicated to salvation through faith in the One God the Father, who created heaven and earth, as well as the entire visible and invisible world. The second and together with the eighth confess the equality of all members of the Holy Trinity - God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, point to their consubstantiality and, as a consequence, to the same worship of each of them. The equality of all three hypostases is one of the main dogmas professed by Orthodoxy. Prayers to the Most Holy Trinity are always addressed equally to all of Her hypostases.

Doctrine of the Son of God

The subsequent members of the Creed, from the second to the seventh, are dedicated to Jesus Christ - the Son of God. In accordance with Orthodox dogma, He is characterized by a dual nature - Divine and human, and both of its parts are combined in Him not together, but at the same time not separately.

According to Orthodox teaching, Jesus Christ was not created, but born of God the Father before the beginning of time. It should be noted that in this statement, Orthodoxy and Catholicism disagree and take irreconcilable positions. He acquired his earthly essence by becoming incarnate as a result of the immaculate conception of the Virgin Mary through the mediation of the Holy Spirit.

Orthodox understanding of Christ's sacrifice

The fundamental element of Orthodox teaching is faith in the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ, made on the cross for the salvation of all people. Despite the fact that all of Christianity speaks about it, Orthodoxy understands this act in a slightly different way.

As the recognized fathers of the Eastern Church teach, Jesus Christ, having accepted human nature, damaged by the original sin of Adam and Eve, and embodying in it everything inherent in people, except their sinfulness, with his torment he cleansed it and delivered it from the curse. By his subsequent resurrection from the dead, He set an example of how human nature, cleansed from sin and regenerated, is able to withstand death.

Having thus become the first person to gain immortality, Jesus Christ opened a path for people by following which they could avoid eternal death. Its stages are faith, repentance and participation in the performance of the Divine sacraments, the main of which is the communion of the flesh and blood of the Lord, which has since taken place during the liturgy. Having tasted the bread and wine converted into the body and blood of the Lord, a believer perceives part of His nature (hence the name of the rite - communion), and after his earthly death inherits eternal life in Heaven.

Also in this part, the ascension of Jesus Christ and His second coming are declared, after which the Kingdom of God, prepared for all professing Orthodoxy, will triumph on earth. This must happen unexpectedly, since only the One God knows about specific dates.

One of the contradictions between the Eastern and Western Churches

The eighth article of the Creed is entirely dedicated to the life-giving Holy Spirit, who comes only from God the Father. This dogma also caused theological disputes with representatives of Catholicism. In their opinion, the Holy Spirit is exuded equally by God the Father and God the Son.

Discussions have been going on for many centuries, but the Eastern Church and Russian Orthodoxy in particular take an unchanged position on this issue, dictated by the dogma adopted at the two Ecumenical Councils discussed above.

About the Heavenly Church

The ninth clause talks about the fact that the Church, established by God, is in its essence one, holy, catholic and apostolic. Some clarification is required here. In this case, we are not talking about an earthly administrative-religious organization created by people and in charge of conducting divine services and performing the sacraments, but about a Heavenly one, expressed in the spiritual unity of all true followers of Christ’s teaching. It was created by God, and since for Him the world is not divided into the living and the dead, its members are equally those who are alive today and those who have long completed their earthly journey.

The Heavenly Church is one, since God Himself is one. It is holy because it was sanctified by its Creator, and it is called apostolic because its first servants were the disciples of Jesus Christ - the holy apostles, whose succession in the priesthood is passed on from generation to generation until the present day.

Baptism is the path to the Church of Christ

According to the eighth member, one can join the Church of Christ, and therefore inherit eternal life, only by undergoing the rite of Holy Baptism, the prototype of which was revealed by Jesus Christ himself, once immersed in the waters of the Jordan. It is generally accepted that the grace of the other five established sacraments is also implied here. The eleventh and twelfth members, completing the Creed, declare the resurrection of all deceased Orthodox Christians, and their eternal life in the Kingdom of God.

All of the above commandments of Orthodoxy, adopted as religious dogmas, were finally approved at the Second Ecumenical Council in 381 and, in order to avoid distortion of the doctrine, remain unchanged to this day.

Today, more than 226 million people around the globe profess Orthodoxy. With such a wide coverage of believers, the teaching of the Eastern Church is inferior to Catholicism in the number of its followers, but superior to Protestantism.

The Ecumenical (universal, embracing the whole world) Orthodox Church, traditionally headed by the Patriarch of Constantinople, is divided into local, or, as they are otherwise called, autocephalous churches. Their influence is limited to the boundaries of any one state or province.

Orthodoxy came to Rus' in 988 thanks to the holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir, who with his rays banished the darkness of paganism. Nowadays, despite the formal separation of religion from the state, proclaimed almost a century ago, its followers are the overwhelming number of believers in our country, and it is on it that the basis of the spiritual life of the people is built.

The Day of Orthodoxy, which supplanted the Night of Unbelief

The religious life of the country, revived after decades of national atheism, is gaining strength every year. Today the church has at its disposal all the achievements of modern technological progress. To promote Orthodoxy, not only printed publications are used, but also various media resources, among which the Internet occupies an important place. One example of its use to improve the religious education of citizens is the creation of such portals as “Orthodoxy and Peace”, “Predaniye.ru”, etc.

Work with children is also taking on a wide scale these days, especially relevant in view of the fact that few of them have the opportunity to become familiar with the fundamentals of faith in the family. This situation is explained by the fact that parents who grew up in the Soviet and post-Soviet periods were themselves raised, as a rule, as atheists, and do not even have basic concepts about faith.

To educate the younger generation in the spirit of Orthodoxy, in addition to traditional Sunday school classes, we also organize all kinds of events. These include children's holidays that are gaining popularity, such as “Orthodoxy Day”, “Light of the Christmas Star”, etc. All this allows us to hope that soon the faith of our fathers will regain its former power in Russia and become the basis of spirituality. the unity of its people.