INTRODUCING THE ORTHODOX CHURCH: ITS FAITH AND LIFE Anthony M. Coniaris A handbook for use by those who wish to become acquainted with the ancient and apostolic Orthodox Church. Excellent for use with inquirers in adult membership classes. Z F O S E Light and Life Publishing Minneapolis, Minnesota Light and Life Publishing Company P.O. Box 26421 Minneapolis, Minnesota 55426-0421 Copyright © 1982 Anthony M. Coniaris Library of Congress Card No. 81-81309 Revised edition © 2007 by Anthony M. Coniaris All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the written permission of Light and Life Publishing Company. The use of electronic books is subject to all terms and conditions of their license agreements and to copyright provisions. ISBN 0-933654-08-2 DEDICATED TO Mr. and Mrs. Michael Coniaris and Mr. and Mrs. Theodore H. Pappas TABLE OF CONTENTS FOREWORD THE ONE, HOLY, CATHOLIC AND APOSTOLIC CHURCH WHAT WE BELIEVE ABOUT THE NICENE CREED WHAT WE BELIEVE ABOUT JESUS WHAT WE BELIEVE ABOUT THE HOLY TRINITY WHAT WE BELIEVE ABOUT THE DIVINE LITURGY WHAT WE BELIEVE ABOUT SALVATION WE ARE THE CHURCH OF THE EARLY FATHERS WHAT WE BELIEVE ABOUT THE CHURCH YEAR WHAT THE WALLS OF THE ORTHODOX CHURCH TEACH US WHAT WE BELIEVE ABOUT THE SAINTS AND THE THEOTOKOS WHAT WE BELIEVE ABOUT ESCHATOLOGY OR LIFE AFTER DEATH WHAT WE BELIEVE ABOUT THE SACRAMENTS WHAT WE BELIEVE ABOUT THE BIBLE WHAT WE BELIEVE ABOUT ICONS WHAT WE BELIEVE ABOUT PRAYERS FOR THE DEAD WHAT WE BELIEVE ABOUT PRAYER IN VIEW OF ALL THIS, WHAT THEREFORE IS EXPECTED OF US? END NOTES FOREWORD Here is a genuinely different and practical book for the inquirer and potential convert to Orthodox Christianity. It is different in a number of ways, all of which commend this volume to wide use by pastors whose task it is to introduce the members of their inquirers classes to an Orthodox way of life which will touch their lives in a full and complete way. Anyone familiar with Fr. Coniaris’ previous writings knows that whatever the subject he writes about, he does it in a lively and interesting way. He has the knack of taking even the most difficult topic and presenting it in varying ways so that even the reader who is familiar with the topic is fascinated by the many different approaches to it. This book is interesting. It would fail in its purpose, however, if the information that it contained was not a reliable introduction to the Orthodox Church. Yet, in spite of the fact that it avoids the pitfall of being ponderous and heavy–so characteristic of other introductions to the Orthodox faith–it is not shallow. This book is a full and authentic introductory guide to the Orthodox Church. One of the unique features of this introduction is the way in which the witness of Scripture and the holy Fathers of the Church, especially the Greek Fathers, is presented in conjunction with the contributions of modern and contemporary figures, thus serving to relate the inquirer to ancient truths which are witnessed to as well by more familiar contemporary voices. This book speaks the ancient truths in a modern voice. So often, Orthodoxy has been presented as an exotic faith, strange and unrelated to the daily lives of contemporary people. Yet, if Orthodoxy is what it claims to be, this cannot represent the correct approach. If Orthodoxy is held to be “the true faith”, of necessity it has its application to the lives of all people of every status, class, education and culture. This book presents Orthodox Christianity as a contemporary and livable faith. Unlike other introductions for the potential convert, this volume is written so that it appeals to the whole person, not just the intellect. It is written to inspire as well as to inform, a special charisma of the author, Fr. Anthony Coniaris. It speaks concretely about what people are to do, how they are to share in the concrete and practical aspects of the Christian way of life. This book is a practical guide for learning to share practically in the life of the Orthodox Church. In all, the reader will find this volume a refreshing, interesting, authentic, contemporary, down to earth and practical introduction to the Orthodox Christian faith. It has been written primarily to introduce Orthodoxy to the potential convert. It has fulfilled its purpose. –Rev. Stanley S. Harakas, Professor, Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology, Brookline, Mass. THE ONE, HOLY, CATHOLIC AND APOSTOLIC CHURCH What do we mean when we use the word “church”? Look at the tremendous variety of groups that call themselves “churches”. In fact, anyone can establish a “church” for himself. There are many cults and other groups today that use the name “Jesus” and “church” very freely. You’ll hear them calling themselves “Jesus People” or “Jesus Church”, etc. But are they truly churches? Were they founded by Jesus and the Apostles? What kind of historical connection do they have with the apostles and the early church? If the Devil appears as an angel and quotes Scripture, then he can use even “churches” to lead people away from the one true God and His plan of salvation. We need to define our terms carefully. Exactly what do we mean when we say “church”? We Orthodox Christians mean by Church the Body through which Jesus is present and active in the world today. It was founded by Christ through the apostles and has maintained a living, historical connection with the apostles through the ordination of its clergy. The fact that the bishop who ordains an Orthodox priest today can trace his ordination historically all the way back to the apostles and through them to Christ is a guarantee that the Orthodox Church was not founded by someone called Joe Smith a few centuries ago but by Christ Himself and traces its existence historically back to Jesus. We call this “apostolic succession”. It means that our Church is the authentic and genuine Church or Body of Christ in the world today. It continues to teach not one man’s interpretation of the faith but the complete deposit of faith as it was handed down to the Apostles by Jesus. So there are some very important questions to ask when one hears the word “church”. Was this “church” founded by God or by man? Does it have an unbroken historical connection with the early apostolic church? How else can we be certain that what it teaches is truly apostolic, truly Christian, truly the word of God and not one man’s interpretation, or misinterpretation of that faith? A group of evangelicals banded together recently to seek to find what they feel is lacking in their tradition: a living connection with the early church. They call themselves “The Orthodox Evangelicals” and they are in conversation with leaders of the Orthodox Church. Let me share with you what they are saying, “We are, for the most part, a people without roots. Some of us can only trace the beginnings of our denomination or church to some time in this century– arising over a split in this or that doctrine, or maybe even a personality clash between two strong leaders. Most of us have no sense of the past, no [1] understanding of where we came from….” They are seeking their roots in the early apostolic Church of which the Orthodox Church is an historical continuation. AN UNBROKEN HISTORICAL CONNECTION In order to be used as evidence in court, the bullet used in the attempted assassination of President Reagan some time ago had to have an unbroken connection with the bullet that was removed from the president’s body. Accordingly, a secret service agent was present during surgery. He witnessed the removal of the bullet. The surgeon signed a statement upon giving the bullet to the agent. The agent signed another statement when he delivered the bullet to the laboratory, etc. Such evidence of an unbroken connection between a bullet and a body is required in a court of law. Equal evidence is required to show that a church is indeed the genuine church founded by Jesus: the evidence of an unbroken historical connection with the apostolic church. A church is the true Church of Christ if it can show historically that it was founded by Christ and has maintained a living connection over the centuries with that early Church. We need this historical connection in order to be assured that the deposit of the faith has not been tampered with but has been handed down to us in its entirety. Fr. Theodore Stylianopoulos, Professor of New Testament at Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Theological Seminary, writes: …the Orthodox Church is the true Church of God on earth and maintains the fullness of Christ’s truth in continuity with the Church of the apostles. This awesome claim does not necessarily mean that Orthodox Christians have achieved perfection: for we have many personal shortcomings. Nor does it necessarily mean that the other Christian Churches do not serve God’s purposes positively: for it is not up to us to judge others but to live and proclaim the fullness of the truth. But it does mean that if a person carefully examines the history of Christianity he or she will soon discover that the Orthodox Church alone is in complete sacramental, doctrinal and canonical continuity with the ancient undivided Church as it authoritatively [2] expressed itself through the great Ecumenical Councils. CHANGELESSNESS One of the distinguishing features of the Orthodox Church is her changelessness. The Orthodox Church baptizes by a three-fold immersion as was done in the early Church. It still confirms infants at baptism bestowing upon them the “seal of the gift of the Holy Spirit”. It still brings baptized babies and small children to receive Holy Communion. In the liturgy the deacon still cries out, “The doors, the doors,” recalling early days when none but baptized members of the Christian family could participate in the liturgy of the faithful. The Nicene Creed is still recited without the later addition of filioque. The Orthodox Church has two distinctive features: (1) her changelessness; (2) her sense of living continuity with the church of the early apostles. THE NICENE CREED In the Nicene Creed we confess: “I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic church”. What do these words mean? ONE. Means that the Church is one because God is one. “There is one body, and one Spirit…one hope…one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all” (Eph. 4:4-6). In His great Priestly Prayer, Jesus prayed that the Church may be “one” even as He and the Father are one (John 17:22). HOLY. The Church is holy because our Lord made her so. “Christ also loved the Church, and gave Himself for it; that He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, that He might present it to Himself a glorious Church, not having spot or wrinkle, or any such thing but that it should be holy and without blemish” (Eph. 5:25-27). Not only is the Church holy but it is also her purpose to make us holy, i.e., different from the world, conformed to God’s will. CATHOLIC. The Orthodox Church is Catholic, meaning whole, because she has preserved the wholeness of the faith of Christ through the centuries without adding or subtracting to that divinely revealed faith. For this reason she has come to be known as the “Orthodox” Church, i.e., the Church that has preserved the full and true faith of Christ. Orthodox Christians believe that the Church, which has Christ Himself as Head and which is the temple of the Holy Spirit, cannot err. Her voice is the voice of Christ in the world today. The word