(Created page with '<center><div style="color:#FFF; background-color:#333; border: 1px solid #666; padding:5px;">''' Main Portal - Religion Portals - Projects - [[Religion Wiki s...') |
Im>Orthodoxanswers |
||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
| + | [[Image:Hagia_Sophia_BW.jpg|right|thumb|400px|[[Hagia Sophia (Constantinople)|Hagia Sophia]] in Constantinople]]{{Orthodoxchristianity}} |
||
| − | <center><div style="color:#FFF; background-color:#333; border: 1px solid #666; padding:5px;">'''[[Portal | Main Portal]] - [[Religion Portals]] - [[Projects]] - [[Religion Wiki staff]] - [http://religion.6forum.info// WikiForum] - [http://frisoandrozalin.mygb.nl// guestbook] - [[credits|credits ]]'''</div></center> |
||
| + | '''Ecclesiology''' is the [[theology]] of the Orthodox Christian faith concerning the Church. |
||
| − | <div style="color:#FFF; background-color:#333; border: 1px solid #666; padding:5px;"> |
||
| + | ==Church== |
||
| − | '''Ecclesiology''' (from [[Ancient Greek|Greek]] {{lang|grc|ἐκκλησίᾱ}}, ''ekklēsiā'', "[[congregation]], [[church (disambiguation)|church]]"; |
||
| + | The Church is the '''Body of Christ''', a theanthropic (divine-human) communion of Jesus Christ with his people. The sole head of the Church is Christ. The Church is an object of [[faith]], that is, Orthodox Christians ''believe in'' the Church. The traditional belief in the Church is attested to in the [[Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed]] as the '''[[One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church|one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church]]'''. By this phrase is meant that the Church is undivided and not many (one), sanctified and set apart for the work of God (holy), whole and characterized by fullness and universality (catholic), and has at its essence the going out into all the world to preach the [[Gospel]] and [[baptism|baptize]] the nations (apostolic). |
||
| − | and {{lang|grc|-λογία}}, ''[[-logy|-logia]]'') is the study of the [[Christian theology|theological]] understanding of the Christian church. Specific areas of concern include the church's role in [[salvation]], its origin, its relationship to the historical [[Jesus|Christ]], its discipline, its [[eschatology|destiny]], and its [[clergy|leadership]]. Ecclesiology is, therefore, the study of the church as a thing in itself. |
||
| + | Because the Church, it is the Body of Christ, it is also the temple and dwelling place of the [[Holy Spirit]]. It is '''a continued Pentecost'''. |
||
| − | Different ecclesiologies give shape to very different institutions. Thus, in addition to describing a broad discipline of theology, ecclesiology may be used in the specific sense of a particular church or denomination’s character, self-described or otherwise. This is the sense of the word in such phrases as ''Roman Catholic ecclesiology'', ''Lutheran ecclesiology'', and ''ecumenical ecclesiology''. |
||
| + | The Church is the '''Bride of Christ''', the [[eschatology|eschatological]] spouse of the Son of God, united to him in faith and love, for which he gave himself up on the cross. The intimacy of a husband and wife is an earthly image of the intimacy that Christ has with his Church, and the union of an earthly marriage is a shadow of the union of that marriage of the Lamb of God with the Church. |
||
| − | ==Etymology== |
||
| − | ''Ecclesiology'' comes from the Greek ''{{polytonic|ἐκκλησία}}'' (ekklesia), which entered Latin as [[ecclesia]]. In the Greco-Roman world, the word was used to refer to a lawful assembly, or a called legislative body. As early as [[Pythagoras]], the word took on the additional meaning of a community with shared beliefs.<ref>Diogenes Laertius, 8.41 (available [http://www.mikrosapoplous.gr/dl/dl08.html online], retrieved 22 May, 2008).</ref> This is the meaning taken in the Greek translation of the [[Hebrew Scriptures]] (the [[Septuagint]]), and later adopted by the Christian community to refer to the assembly of believers.<ref>F. Bauer, W. Danker, ''A Greek English Lexicon of the New Testament and other Early Christian Literature,'' third ed., (Chicago:University of Chicago Press, 2000), {{polytonic|ἐκκλησία}}.</ref> |
||
| + | The Orthodox see the Church as a '''mystical organism''', not an organization of like thinking people. In the Church is the community where man is what he is created to be and can grow for eternity in divine life in communion with God through Christ in the Holy Spirit. The unity of the Church is not broken by time or space and is not limited merely to those alive upon the earth. The unity of the Church is the unity of the Blessed Trinity and of all of those who live with God: the holy angels, the righteous dead, and those who live upon the earth according to the commandments of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit. |
||
| − | == Issues addressed by ecclesiology == |
||
| − | Ecclesiology asks the questions: |
||
| − | * '''Who is the Church?''' Is it a visible or earthly [[corporation]] -- a "church" in the sense of a specific denomination or institution, for instance? Or is it the body of all believing [[Christianity|Christians]] (see [[invisible church]]) regardless of their [[religious denomination|denominational]] differences and disunity? What is the relationship between living Christians and [[saint|departed]] Christians (the "[[cloud of witnesses]]") -- do they (those on Earth and those in Heaven) constitute together the Church? |
||
| + | The community of the Church is the locus of [[soteriology|salvation]] for mankind; it is truly the Ark in which mankind may be saved from the flood of corruption and sin. In it, Christians [[Holy Mysteries|sacramentally]] work out their salvation with fear and trembling ([[Philippians|Phil.]] 2:12), worshipping the Holy Trinity in spirit and in truth. The Church is the '''pillar and ground of truth''' ([[I Timothy|I Tim.]] 3:15) and thus may be relied upon in the Christian's struggle to apprehend the one truth for himself. The Church is eternal, and the gates of [[Hell]] will never prevail against it ([[Gospel of Matthew|Matt.]] 16:18). |
||
| − | * '''Must one join a church?''' That is, what is the role of corporate [[worship]] in the spiritual lives of believers? Is it in fact necessary? Can salvation be found outside of formal membership in a given faith community, and what constitutes "membership?" ([[Baptism]]? Formal acceptance of a [[creed]]? Regular participation?) |
||
| + | ===Unity in diversity=== |
||
| − | * '''What is the [[authority]] of the Christian church?''' Who gets to interpret the doctrines of the Church? Is the organizational structure itself, either in a single corporate body, or generally within the range of formal church structures, an ''independent vehicle'' of [[revelation]] or of [[God]]'s [[divine grace|grace]]? Or is the Church's authority instead dependent on and derivative of a ''separate and prior divine revelation external to the organization'', with individual institutions being "the Church" only to the extent that they teach this message? For example, is the [[Bible]] a written part of a wider revelation entrusted to the Church as faith community, and therefore to be interpreted within that context? Or is the Bible the revelation itself, and the Church is to be defined as a group of people who claim adherence to it? |
||
| + | The Church as a whole is an '''icon of God the Trinity''', the mystery of unity in diversity. In the Trinity the three are one God, yet each is fully personal; in the Church a multitude of human persons are united in one, yet each preserves his personal diversity unimpaired. The mutual indwelling of the persons of the Trinity is paralleled by the coinherence of the members of the Church. In the Church there is no conflict between freedom and authority; in the Church there is unity, but no totalitarianism. |
||
| + | ==Membership== |
||
| + | The Church consists of the [[prophet]]s and [[saint]]s of both the Old and New Covenants, the [[angels]] and the concrete, historical community of believers in this earthly life, past and future generations, in one and the same grace of God . It is both visible and invisible, both divine and human. It is visible, for it is composed of concrete congregations, worshipping here on earth; it is invisible, for it also includes the saints and the angels. It is human, for its earthly members are sinners; it is divine, for it is the Body of Christ. Not unlike the [[incarnation]]. |
||
| + | There is no separation between the visible and the invisible, between (to use western terminology) the ''Church militant'' and the ''Church triumphant'', for the two make up a single and continuous reality. The Church visible, or upon earth, lives in, complete communion and unity with the whole body of the Church, of which Christ is the Head. |
||
| − | * '''What does the Church do?''' What are the [[sacrament]]s, divine ordinances, and [[liturgy|liturgies]], in the context of the Church, and are they part of the Church's mission to preach the [[Gospel]]? What is the comparative emphasis and relationship between [[worship]] service, [[spiritual formation]], and [[Mission (Christian)|mission]], and is the Church's role to create [[Disciple (Christianity)|disciple]]s of [[Christ]] or some other function? Is the Eucharist the defining element of the rest of the sacramental system and the Church itself, or is it secondary to the act of preaching? Is the Church to be understood as the vehicle for salvation, or the salvific presence in the world, or as a community of those already "saved?" |
||
| + | Orthodoxy, therefore, while using the phrase 'the Church visible and invisible,' strongly insists that there are not two Churches, but one. (The term is only in relation to man.) |
||
| + | The boundaries of the Church are ultimately known only to God himself, but outside the historical context of the Church—that is, the Orthodox Church—the nature of the connection of any human being to the Church (whether a believer in Christ or not) is unknown to us. Throughout [[Church History]], various groups have broken from the Church, a tragic reality which does not divide the Church but rather divides believers from the Church. The final status of Christians in such communities is dependent on God's mercy and [[grace]], as is the case with those with membership in the Church in this life. |
||
| − | * '''How should the Church be governed?''' What was the mission and authority of the Apostles, and is this handed down through the sacraments today? What are the proper methods of choosing [[clergy]] such as [[bishop]]s and [[priest]]s, and what is their role within the context of the Church? Is an [[holy orders|ordained]] clergy necessary? * Who are the leaders of a church? Must there be a policy-making board of "leaders" within a church and what are the qualifications for this position, and by what process do these members become [[holy orders|official, ordained]] "leaders"? Must leaders and clergy be "ordained," and is this possible [[Apostolic succession|only by those who have been ordained by others]]? |
||
| + | ==Before Pentecost== |
||
| − | * '''What are the roles of '[[spiritual gift]]s'''' in the life of the church? |
||
| + | It is sometimes inaccurate to think that the Church started on [[Pentecost]]. The teaching of the holy [[Fathers]] is that the Church existed before all other things. |
||
| + | * Saint [[Epiphanius of Cyprus]] writes, "The Catholic Church, which exists from the ages, is revealed most clearly in the incarnate advent of Christ". |
||
| + | * Saint [[John of Damascus|John Damascene]] observes, "The Holy Catholic Church of God, therefore, is the assembly of the holy Fathers, [[Patriarch]]s, [[Prophet]]s, [[Apostles]], [[Evangelist]]s, and [[Martyrs]] who have been from the very beginning, to whom were added all the nations who believed with one accord". |
||
| + | * According to Saint [[Gregory the Theologian]], "The Prophets established the Church, the Apostles conjoined it, and the Evangelists set it in order". |
||
| + | * The Church existed from the creation of the Angels, for the Angels came into existence before the creation of the world, and they have always been members of the Church. Saint [[Clement of Rome|Clement ]], Bishop of Rome, says in his second [[epistle]] to the Corinthians, the Church "was created before the sun and moon"; and a little further on, "The Church exists not now for the first time, but has been from the beginning". |
||
| + | Pentecost was the [[ordination]] of the Apostles, the commencement of the apostolic preaching to the nations, and the inauguration of the priesthood of the new Israel. The feast of holy Pentecost, therefore, determined the beginning of the priesthood of grace, not the beginning of the Church. |
||
| − | * '''How does the Church's [[New Covenant]] relate to the [[covenant]]s''' expressed in [[Bible|scripture]] with God's [[chosen people]], the Jewish people? |
||
| − | |||
| − | * '''What is the ultimate destiny of the Church''' in [[Christian eschatology]]? |
||
==See also== |
==See also== |
||
| ⚫ | |||
| − | ===Beliefs that define the church=== |
||
| − | * |
+ | *[[Local church]] |
| + | *[[Primacy and Unity in Orthodox Ecclesiology]] |
||
| − | * [[Biblical canon]] |
||
| ⚫ | |||
| − | * [[Creed]] |
||
| + | * [http://orthodoxytoday.org/articles5/HilarionPrimacy.shtml The Orthodox Understanding of Primacy and Catholicity], by Bishop [[Hilarion (Alfeyev) of Vienna|Hilarion of Vienna and Austria]] (paper read at the meeting of the theological commission of the Swiss Bishops' Conference in Basel, 24 January 2005) |
||
| − | * [[Orthodoxy]] |
||
| + | * [http://www.wcc-coe.org/wcc/who/crete-01-e.html The Limits of the Church], by Fr. [[Georges Florovsky]] (1933) |
||
| − | * [[Spiritual house]] |
||
| + | * [http://oca.org/OCchapter.asp?SID=2&ID=26 Church ], ''The Orthodox Faith'', by Fr. [[Thomas Hopko]] |
||
| − | * [[Theology]]: beliefs about the nature of [[God]]. This can include [[Pneumatology]] (beliefs about the [[Holy Spirit]]), [[Christology]] (beliefs about [[Jesus]] being the [[Messiah]]), and [[Soteriology]] (beliefs about how people are [[saved]]). |
||
| + | * [http://www.fatheralexander.org/booklets/english/history_timothy_ware_2.htm#n3 The Church of God] (Excerpts from the Orthodox Church by Bishop [[Kallistos Ware]], Part II: Faith and Worship) |
||
| − | * [[sobor]] |
||
| + | * [http://www.orthodoxanswers.org/ecclesiology.pdf The Eucharistic and Holographic Ecclesiology of Orthodox Theology] (81 pages of authorized excerpts from His Broken Body; Cleenewerck, Laurent, 2008) |
||
| − | * [[sobornost]] |
||
| − | |||
| − | ===Rituals that define the church=== |
||
| − | * [[Liturgy]] |
||
| − | ** [[Ritualism]] |
||
| − | * [[Sermon]] |
||
| − | * [[Sacrament]] |
||
| − | ** [[Eucharist]] |
||
| − | ** [[Baptism]] |
||
| − | *** [[Pedobaptism]] |
||
| − | *** [[Believers Baptism]] |
||
| − | *** [[Confirmation]] |
||
| − | ** [[Chrismation]] |
||
| − | ** [[Holy Orders]] |
||
| − | |||
| − | ===Topics in church government=== |
||
| − | <div style="-moz-column-count:2; column-count:2;"> |
||
| − | * [[Apostolic succession]] |
||
| − | * [[Autocephaly]] |
||
| − | * [[Canon Law]] |
||
| − | * [[One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church]] |
||
| − | * [[Separation of church and state]] |
||
| − | ** [[Thomas Erastus|Erastinanism]] |
||
| − | ** [[Established Church]] |
||
| ⚫ | |||
| − | ** [[Church covenant]] |
||
| − | * [[Full communion]] |
||
| − | * [[Laity]] |
||
| − | * [[Ecclesia (sociology of religion)]] |
||
| − | * [[Sect]] |
||
| − | * [[Cult]] |
||
| − | * [[Ecclesiastical polity]] |
||
| − | ** [[Connectionalism]] |
||
| − | ** [[Congregational polity]] |
||
| − | ** [[Episcopal polity]] |
||
| − | ** [[Presbyterian church governance]] |
||
| − | * [[Clergy]] |
||
| − | ** [[Priesthood of all believers]] |
||
| − | ** [[Bishop of Rome|Pope]] |
||
| − | ** [[Patriarch]] |
||
| − | ** [[Metropolitan bishop|Metropolitan]] |
||
| − | ** [[Archbishop]] |
||
| − | ** [[Bishop]] |
||
| − | ** [[Priest]] |
||
| − | ** [[Deacon]] |
||
| − | ** [[Pastor]] |
||
| − | ** [[Elder (religious)|Elder]] |
||
| − | </div> |
||
| − | |||
| − | ==References== |
||
| − | {{reflist}} |
||
| − | |||
| ⚫ | |||
| − | * [http://www.hope.ac.uk/research/ecclesiology/ Centre for the Study of Contemporary Ecclesiology] at [[Liverpool Hope University]] |
||
| − | * [http://www.orthodox-church.info/ecclesiology.pdf A primer (PDF) on Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic ecclesiology from an Orthodox perspective |
||
| ⚫ | |||
| + | [[el:Εκκλησιολογία]] |
||
| − | [[Category:Christian philosophy]] |
||
| + | [[fr:Ecclésiologie]] |
||
| − | [[Category:Christian group structuring]] |
||
| + | [[ro:Eclesiologie]] |
||
| ⚫ | |||
Revision as of 20:08, 16 May 2009
Hagia Sophia in Constantinople
| This article forms part of the series Introduction to Orthodox Christianity | |
| Holy Tradition | |
| Holy Scripture The Symbol of Faith Ecumenical Councils Church Fathers Liturgy Canons Icons | |
| The Holy Trinity | |
| God the Father Jesus Christ The Holy Spirit | |
| The Church | |
| Ecclesiology History Holy Mysteries Church Life | |
Ecclesiology is the theology of the Orthodox Christian faith concerning the Church.
Church
The Church is the Body of Christ, a theanthropic (divine-human) communion of Jesus Christ with his people. The sole head of the Church is Christ. The Church is an object of faith, that is, Orthodox Christians believe in the Church. The traditional belief in the Church is attested to in the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed as the one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church. By this phrase is meant that the Church is undivided and not many (one), sanctified and set apart for the work of God (holy), whole and characterized by fullness and universality (catholic), and has at its essence the going out into all the world to preach the Gospel and baptize the nations (apostolic).
Because the Church, it is the Body of Christ, it is also the temple and dwelling place of the Holy Spirit. It is a continued Pentecost.
The Church is the Bride of Christ, the eschatological spouse of the Son of God, united to him in faith and love, for which he gave himself up on the cross. The intimacy of a husband and wife is an earthly image of the intimacy that Christ has with his Church, and the union of an earthly marriage is a shadow of the union of that marriage of the Lamb of God with the Church.
The Orthodox see the Church as a mystical organism, not an organization of like thinking people. In the Church is the community where man is what he is created to be and can grow for eternity in divine life in communion with God through Christ in the Holy Spirit. The unity of the Church is not broken by time or space and is not limited merely to those alive upon the earth. The unity of the Church is the unity of the Blessed Trinity and of all of those who live with God: the holy angels, the righteous dead, and those who live upon the earth according to the commandments of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit.
The community of the Church is the locus of salvation for mankind; it is truly the Ark in which mankind may be saved from the flood of corruption and sin. In it, Christians sacramentally work out their salvation with fear and trembling (Phil. 2:12), worshipping the Holy Trinity in spirit and in truth. The Church is the pillar and ground of truth (I Tim. 3:15) and thus may be relied upon in the Christian's struggle to apprehend the one truth for himself. The Church is eternal, and the gates of Hell will never prevail against it (Matt. 16:18).
Unity in diversity
The Church as a whole is an icon of God the Trinity, the mystery of unity in diversity. In the Trinity the three are one God, yet each is fully personal; in the Church a multitude of human persons are united in one, yet each preserves his personal diversity unimpaired. The mutual indwelling of the persons of the Trinity is paralleled by the coinherence of the members of the Church. In the Church there is no conflict between freedom and authority; in the Church there is unity, but no totalitarianism.
Membership
The Church consists of the prophets and saints of both the Old and New Covenants, the angels and the concrete, historical community of believers in this earthly life, past and future generations, in one and the same grace of God . It is both visible and invisible, both divine and human. It is visible, for it is composed of concrete congregations, worshipping here on earth; it is invisible, for it also includes the saints and the angels. It is human, for its earthly members are sinners; it is divine, for it is the Body of Christ. Not unlike the incarnation.
There is no separation between the visible and the invisible, between (to use western terminology) the Church militant and the Church triumphant, for the two make up a single and continuous reality. The Church visible, or upon earth, lives in, complete communion and unity with the whole body of the Church, of which Christ is the Head. Orthodoxy, therefore, while using the phrase 'the Church visible and invisible,' strongly insists that there are not two Churches, but one. (The term is only in relation to man.)
The boundaries of the Church are ultimately known only to God himself, but outside the historical context of the Church—that is, the Orthodox Church—the nature of the connection of any human being to the Church (whether a believer in Christ or not) is unknown to us. Throughout Church History, various groups have broken from the Church, a tragic reality which does not divide the Church but rather divides believers from the Church. The final status of Christians in such communities is dependent on God's mercy and grace, as is the case with those with membership in the Church in this life.
Before Pentecost
It is sometimes inaccurate to think that the Church started on Pentecost. The teaching of the holy Fathers is that the Church existed before all other things.
- Saint Epiphanius of Cyprus writes, "The Catholic Church, which exists from the ages, is revealed most clearly in the incarnate advent of Christ".
- Saint John Damascene observes, "The Holy Catholic Church of God, therefore, is the assembly of the holy Fathers, Patriarchs, Prophets, Apostles, Evangelists, and Martyrs who have been from the very beginning, to whom were added all the nations who believed with one accord".
- According to Saint Gregory the Theologian, "The Prophets established the Church, the Apostles conjoined it, and the Evangelists set it in order".
- The Church existed from the creation of the Angels, for the Angels came into existence before the creation of the world, and they have always been members of the Church. Saint Clement , Bishop of Rome, says in his second epistle to the Corinthians, the Church "was created before the sun and moon"; and a little further on, "The Church exists not now for the first time, but has been from the beginning".
Pentecost was the ordination of the Apostles, the commencement of the apostolic preaching to the nations, and the inauguration of the priesthood of the new Israel. The feast of holy Pentecost, therefore, determined the beginning of the priesthood of grace, not the beginning of the Church.
See also
External links
- The Orthodox Understanding of Primacy and Catholicity, by Bishop Hilarion of Vienna and Austria (paper read at the meeting of the theological commission of the Swiss Bishops' Conference in Basel, 24 January 2005)
- The Limits of the Church, by Fr. Georges Florovsky (1933)
- Church , The Orthodox Faith, by Fr. Thomas Hopko
- The Church of God (Excerpts from the Orthodox Church by Bishop Kallistos Ware, Part II: Faith and Worship)
- The Eucharistic and Holographic Ecclesiology of Orthodox Theology (81 pages of authorized excerpts from His Broken Body; Cleenewerck, Laurent, 2008)
ro:Eclesiologie