Lutheran Church Missouri Synod

The Orthodox Church

By Dr. Richard P. Bucher

Demographics

There are over 200 million Christians who profess to be “Orthodox” worldwide, making it the 2nd largest church body. There are at least 3.5 million in the U.S. The Orthodox Church worldwide is made up of about 15-20 autocephalous (self-governing) Churches that have developed along national lines. Four of these churches are known as the ancient Patriarchates, and they are given special honor: (1) Constantinople; (2) Alexandria; (3) Antioch; (4) Jerusalem. The bishops of these churches are known as Patriarchs. The bishop of Constantinople is known as the “Ecumenical Patriarch” and is viewed as the chief Patriarch. Other autocephalous churches in approximate order of size are Russia; Romania; Greece; Serbia; Bulgaria; Georgia; Cyprus; Poland; Albania; Czech Republic; Sinai. Each of these Churches is in fellowship with Patriarch of Constantinople. The Orthodox congregations in the U.S. are not viewed as an autocephalous Church. Orthodoxy in the U.S. is under the supervision of one of the autocephalous Churches. The largest U.S. Orthodox body is the Greek Orthodox Church numbering almost 2 million (in 555 parishes). The second largest is the Orthodox Church in America (Russian Orthodox) numbering about 1 million. The Armenian Church (775,000) considers itself Orthodox, but is not in fellowship with Patriarch of Constantinople. It traces itself back to Monophysite (they believe that Jesus Christ had one will) churches that go back the Fifth Century. The Orthodox Church considers these churches to be heretical.

History

The Orthodox Church traces its history back to the very beginning of Christianity, to Christ and the Apostles. As the New Testament records, most the first Christian communities were in the eastern portion of the Roman Empire, in Antioch, Jerusalem, and Ephesus, for example. In the first five centuries of the Church’s history, most of the major sees were in the East, such as Alexandria and Constantinople, in addition to thee ones mentioned above. Rome and Carthage were the only sees of consequence in the West. Also, the first four Ecumenical Councils were all held in the East: Nicea (325), Constantinople (381), Ephesus (431) and Chalcedon (451). When emperor Constantine transferred the capital of the Roman Empire from Rome to Byzantium (renamed Constantinople) in 330 A.D., it became the major center of the eastern, and Greek-speaking Christians. With the spread of Islam, beginning in the Seventh Century, many of the Christian churches in the East ceased to exist, or barely held on. However, through the work of missionaries such as Cyril and Methodius (9th Century), the Slavic peoples of Serbia, Bulgaria, and Russia, were eventually converted to Christianity. Long before Constantinople fell to the Muslims in 1454, these Slavic Churches had grown greatly size and importance. Moscow became known as the “Third Rome.” Though they had been drifting apart for many centuries because of cultural and theological reasons, the Churches of the East and West formally split from one another in 1054 when the Pope of Rome and the Patriarch of Constantinople excommunicated one another over the filioque (“and the Son”) clause in the Creed of Nicea and other matters. Eventually the church in the West became known as the Roman Catholic Church and the Church in the East as the Eastern Orthodox Church.

Source & Authorities of Doctrine

The source and authority of all Christian doctrine for the Orthodox Church is “The Holy Tradition.” In the words of Orthodox scholar Timothy Ware,

Holy Tradition means the books of the Bible [including the Apocryphal books]; it means the Creed; it means the decrees of the [seven] Ecumenical Councils and the writings of the Fathers; it means the Canons, the Service Books, the Holy Icons -- in fact, the whole system of doctrine, Church government, worship, and art which Orthodoxy has articulated over the ages . . . Among the various elements of the Tradition, a unique pre-eminence belongs to the Bible, to the Creed, to the doctrinal definitions of the Ecumenical Councils: these things the Orthodox accept as something absolute and unchanging, something which cannot be cancelled or revised. The other parts of the Tradition do not have quite the same authority . . . There is a difference between ‘Tradition’ and ‘traditions’: many traditions which the past has handed down are human and accidental -- pious opinions (or worse), but not a part of the one Tradition, the essential Christian message . . . Tradition, while inwardly changeless (for God does not change), is constantly assuming new forms, which supplement the old without superceding them. Orthodox often speak as if the period of doctrinal formulation were wholly at an end, yet this is not the case.” (Timothy Ware, The Orthodox Church (Middlesex, England: Penguin Books, 1991), 204, 205, 206).

The Orthodox teach that the Bible is not to be set up over the Church; rather the Bible derives its authority from the Church, and the Church alone can interpret the Bible authoritatively. The decisions of the Seven Ecumenical Councils are viewed to be infallible and on the same level as Scripture. Other local councils, if accepted by the rest of the Church, also can have the same authority as Scripture. The writings of the Fathers are held to be a source of doctrine, but are used selectively. The Liturgy of the church is also viewed as an authoritative source of doctrine. The prayers and hymns of the liturgy contain an “inner Tradition” which confesses official doctrine on numerous topics, such as the Eucharist, Mary, and the saints, for example. In fact, even various gestures and actions of the Liturgy, such as making the sign of the cross, anointing with oil, and so forth, are viewed as authoritative parts of the Tradition. Finally, the Holy Icons are part of the Tradition, since the Orthodox believe that they are one of the ways that God is revealed to man. The Orthodox Church believes that the Holy Spirit works through all of these sources and authorities that make up the Tradition, and that therefore, the various parts should not be contrasted, because they form a single whole.

God

God is one essence in three persons, the Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The Orthodox differ from western Christendom (Roman Catholicism, Lutheranism, Protestantism) in their doctrine of God in one respect. Western Christendom teaches that what holds the three distinct Persons of the Trinity together is that they all share in the one divine essence. The Orthodox teach that the three persons are one because the Father is one. He the basis of unity because he is the origin of the Godhead. The Son and the Spirit both trace their origin to the Father. For this reason the Orthodox reject the filioque phrase in the Creed that the Holy Spirit “proceeds from the Father and the Son (filioque).” They believe that this destroys the unity of the Godhead. The Orthodox also tend to stress the Persons more than they do the Essence or oneness of God.

Jesus Christ - Person

The Orthodox Church holds to the Biblical and Chalcedonian teaching that our Lord Jesus Christ has two natures in one person. He is both God and man, the Son of God and the Son of Man. The two natures communicate their attributes to one another, but remain distinct. Jesus is the image and likeness of God. The Orthodox Church emphasize the divine glory in Christ

Jesus Christ - Work

The Orthodox emphasizes the Incarnation as an act of salvation. “Jesus Christ, by uniting man and God in His own person, reopened for man the path to union with God. In His own person Christ showed what the true ‘likeness of God’ is, and through his redeeming and victorious sacrifice He set that likeness once again within man’s reach” (Ware, 230). Whereas western Christendom emphasizes Christ’s crucifixion as a substitutionary death that satisfied God’s wrath and justice, the Orthodox (while not denying this) emphasize the cross as Christ’s triumphant victory over all the powers of evil. They emphasize “Christ the Victor” more than “Christ the Victim” as the West does. The Orthodox Church believes that Western Christendom too sharply emphasizes Christ’s crucifixion from his resurrection. The Orthodox tend to view both events as a single whole because they see the glory of Christ’s deity in both events.

Man

God created man in his image but not in his likeness (what about Gen. 1:27?). The image of God to the Orthodox refers to man’s rationality and freedom; the likeness of God indicates man’s deification, his becoming a second god. Thus, man’s perfection at creation was only potential perfection. His purpose was to acquire the likeness of God by his own efforts. “Man is a ‘living theology’, and because he is God’s icon, he can find God by looking within his own heart, by ‘returning within himself’.

Sin

After the fall into sin, which consisted in man’s disobedience, man’s nature becomes “weakened” or “darkened” or “impaired,” but man continues to have free will, can do good works pleasing to God, and can seek and find God with the assistance of God’s grace. They do not teach that human nature after the Fall is totally corrupt or spiritually dead and blind (Yet Scripture clearly teaches that man is conceived and born into this world dead in sin and totally unable to seek God). The Orthodox Church teaches Original Sin but not Original Guilt. Man inherits Adam’s mortality and corruption but not his guilt (but this is what Rom 5:18 clearly teaches!). Only those who by their free will imitate Adam’s sin will share in Adam’s guilt.

Salvation

The Orthodox typically describe salvation in terms not of justification (as do Lutherans) but as deification (theosis). The ultimate aim of every Christian is to become a god. They base this on John 17:21 and 2 Pt 1:4. This does not mean they become God by nature; rather they become gods by grace, or “created gods.” This does not mean, however, that they cease to be humans. The Orthodox also can refer to deification as the acquiring of the Holy Sprit. “For the true aim of the Christian life is the acquisition of the Holy Spirit of God. As for fasts, vigils, prayer, and almsgiving, and other good works done in the name of Christ, they are only the means of acquiring the Holy Spirit of God (Ware, 235, quoting Saint Seraphim). Man must cooperate with God’s grace (synergism) to achieve deification. “If a man is to achieve full fellowship with God, he cannot do so without God’s help, yet he must also play his own part: man as well as God must make his contribution to the common work, although what God does is of immeasurably greater importance than what man does.” Deification requires “the cooperation of two unequal, but unequally necessary forces, divine grace and human will . . . But man, while he cannot ‘merit’ salvation, must certainly work for it, since ‘faith without works is dead’ (James 2:17)” (Ware, 226-227). The Orthodox describe justification as an ongoing change in man, that remains “potential” until by their efforts a person is deified. The Orthodox answer the question, “What must an Orthodox Christian man believe to obtain eternal life? Answer: The right faith and good works.” From the Lutheran perspective this teaching is a different gospel that contradicts the Biblical teaching of justification by grace through faith, apart from good works (Rom 3:21-28; 4:5; Gal 2:16; 5:3-4, etc.).

Grace and Faith

Grace is divine saving energy that aids a person in his salvation. It is distributed through Sacraments. By using the Sacraments a person makes use of this grace to cultivate the life in Christ. For the Orthodox, a person is not saved by grace alone or by faith alone, but by grace and man’s free will as he believes in Christ and does good works. Yet how does this harmonize with Ephesians 2:8-9: "For by grace you are saved through faith, and that not of your own doing; it is the gift of God, not by works, that no one may boast"? It doesn't.

Church

The Church is the icon of the Trinity, the Body of Christ, the fullness of the Spirit. The Church is the extension of the Incarnation, where the Incarnation is to be found. The Church is Christ with us. The Unity between Christ and His Church is affected through the Sacraments. The Church is both visible and invisible, both divine and human. It is invisible because it is made up of visible congregations worshiping on earth; it is invisible, for it also includes the saints and the angels in heaven (the Orthodox do not distinguish between the church militant and the church triumphant for all are present together and form one church). The Church is human because its earthly members are sinners; it is divine because it is the Body of Christ. The Christian church is one. It is common use of the Sacraments, especially the Eucharist, that guarantees the unity of the Church (not, as with Roman Catholicism, the papacy).For the Orthodox the Christian Church is not only one but visibly one. Moreover, they believe that the Orthodox Church is the one, true, visible Church. All other church bodies are guilty of schism from the one, true, visible Church. They further teach that there is no salvation outside of the Church (thought they do not press this to its conclusion to say that all those outside of the Orthodox Church will be damned). The Church is infallible, and cannot error, though individual members of the Church (including bishops and local councils) can err.

Church Government

The Orthodox Church is a hierarchical and episcopal church. The three orders of Ministry are bishops, priests, and deacons (who assist in parish work and administering the sacraments). Archbishops or Patriarchs are over a synod of bishops in a particular area. Bishops always come from a monastic order and are under lifelong vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. Priests and deacons may marry before ordination but are forbidden to marry after. The hold that the Apostolic succession of bishops is essential. Without the bishop, there can be no church, according to the Orthodox. The bishop is given a special charisma to teach and power to celebrate the Sacraments. When a priest or deacon preaches or celebrates the Sacraments he can do so only because he is the bishop’s delegate or deputy.

Sacraments

The Orthodox believe that the Sacraments are the heart of Christian worship. They hold to seven in number: (1) Baptism by immersion which they believe is essential (this includes infant baptism as babies are also immersed); (2) Chrismation (a special anointing of the newly baptized with oil, at which time he receives the Holy Spirit); (3) The Eucharist; (4) Repentance (offered for the first time at age six or seven, known as a second Baptism, since all sins committed since Baptism are said to be forgiven); (5) Holy Orders/Ordination; (6) Marriage; (7) The Anointing of the Sick. Among these seven Baptism and the Eucharist have a special place of prominence. The first three Sacraments are known as Sacraments of initiation and are given all at once. A baby, for example, is baptized, confirmed (anointed with oil), and given communion in succession.

The Eucharist -- The Orthodox Church teaches that the bread and wine truly become the body and blood of Christ, and cease to be bread and wine (Lutherans believe the bread and wine remain). They believe this is effected by the Holy Spirit (rather than the words of Christ in the Words of Institution, as Lutherans believe). They also teach that every celebration of the Eucharist is a propitiatory sacrifice offered on behalf of the living and the dead. They do not believe that this repeats Christ’s sacrifice on the cross, since this happened once for all. But this sacrifice is “made present” in the Eucharist. The Orthodox receive both kinds on a spoon (a small piece of leavened bread that has been dipped in wine - intinction).

Worship

To the Orthodox, worship is everything. Their worship is highly liturgical and engages all of the senses. Beauty in worship is highly important. When they worship they believe that heaven and earth become one: that the saints and angelic beings in heaven are present, worshiping with the Christians on earth. Worship is a divine drama in that presents the doctrines of the church. Every gesture, every word, every piece of architecture, every vestment worn by the priest, must be perfect, since every one of these is part of the liturgical whole and has theological significance. In most cases in the world (except in the U.S.) instrumental music is not used. Until recently the singing was done exclusively by the choir. A special screen called the iconostasis (that has three doors covered with icons) stands between the people and the altar in the sanctuary.

Holy Icons

Icons, and the veneration shown them, are an essential doctrine among the Orthodox Church. Icons, special paintings or images depicting Christ, the saints, or heavenly beings, are found throughout Orthodox churches and homes. It is believed that the person that the icon depicts is actually present in and with the icon. The Orthodox prostrate themselves before icons, kiss them, and pray to them; they are carried in procession in church and censed by the priest. Icons are also objects of teaching. To reject icons is to reject the Incarnation of Christ, according to the Orthodox.

The Living and Departed

The Orthodox believes that there is no division between the living and the dead. Christians have a duty to pray for the dead and believe that the dead are helped by such prayers. Most do not believe in Purgatory, but some do believe that Christians who have died are experiencing some kind of suffering. The Orthodox pray to Mary, the saints, and also angels.