Eastern Orthodox religion: an introduction

The Eastern Orthodox Church teaches that its existence is based upon that which was once and for all delivered to the Apostles, and that this deposit of faith is an expression of the Holy Spirit which has been passed down throughout history within the context of the life of the Church. Holy Tradition is juxtaposed and distinct from other kinds of traditions, including various cultural traditions, or the false traditions of innovation or invention that sometimes spring up. The dogma of Orthodox Tradition, or in other words, that which is considered to be absolutely true and unchangeable, not open to question, is often expressed in the Church's life in reaction to various false traditions or teachings, affirming against heterodox practices and heretical teachings that which has always been believed.

The Eastern Orthodox consider its Holy Tradition to be the continuous expression of the Spirit's guidance of the Church throughout history, the Church against which the gates of hell shall not prevail. In accordance with Christ's promise that the Spirit would guide his followers into all truth, the Orthodox believe that the expressions of faith which constitute its Holy Traditions are evidence of said guidance, self-consistent, verifiable from an historical base as continuous from the earliest recorded history, without contradiction or innovation. Sacred Tradition is thus considered to be the very life of the Holy Spirit as He is dynamically active in the Church, and not a static body of beliefs passed down unthinkingly or subject to change.

*Scriptures*. There is no separation, according to the Orthodox, between the Scriptures and its Holy Tradition; the Scriptures rather are an aspect of the Church's Tradition by definition. The Old Testament is passed down (or traditioned) through Israel, and the New Testament is traditioned by the Church. The gospels and epistles comprising the New Testament are written by members of the Church in cooperation with the Holy Spirit to the Church, finally canonized by the Church as an affirmation of its sacred source. The Scriptures hold a central, unifying place in the Holy Tradition; they are read and prayed in the liturgy; they are quoted and examined by the fathers; they are lived and illustrated by the lives of the saints; and they are displayed didactically in iconography.

*Ecumenical councils*. There are seven Ecumenical Councils, whereby the entire existing leadership of the Church gathered in order to affirm the dogma of the Church against heretical teaching. The Jerusalem council in Acts is the prototype; the seven following that always came into being as a necessary affirmation of what the Church has always believed universally, collegially and everywhere, as against certain innovative or new teachings. The first Council as Nicea, for instance, affirmed the doctrine of the Trinity and the diety of Christ, opposing the teachings of both Sabellius and Arius, who denied these things. The bishops and priests who attended the Councils do not merely vote their own opinion, but rather seek to confirm and affirm what has always been believed and passed down by the Church everywhere since the very beginning.

*Hagiography*. This aspect of Holy Tradition concerns the study of the holy, or as it is more comonly known, the lives of the saints. In the Orthodox understanding, and contrary to a popular misconception, saints are not those who have reaches a state of sinlessness nor perfection; rather, they are those who have spent a lifetime repenting from their sins. As a result, they beomce pure, vessels which are used by God, sometimes in miraculous ways, but also in a more common and humble manner. The Church recognizes such people after death, honoring them and following the examples they have set for us.

*Icons*. The use of icons in the Orthodox Church, which are always two dimensional, has an important place. Paintings of saints remind us that they are present with us in the kingdom of God; they are like pictures of loved ones which the Orthodox keep in order to remember those who have lived holy lives and reposed in Christ. Icons are not worshipped by the Orthodox, but honored, a distinction made by Christ himself, who commands that we honor our parents but not worship them. The Orthodox honor the saints through icons by kissing them, crossing themselves before them, and displaying them prominently. Icons also have a didactic value; they teach through pictures.

*Patristic writings*. The writings of the fathers as they elaborate on the Scriptures, teach, instruct and refute heresy, are an important aspect of the Spirit's activity in the life of the Church. The fathers are not infallible, but they do elucidate the Scriptures, and affirm along with the other aspects of sacred tradition that which was once for all delivered to the saints, and which the Church has always believed.

*Liturgy and prayers*. The common worship of the Church as it gathers to be the Church envelopes the other aspects of holy tradition. The Church gathers as a community to worship God as one body; this is the meaning of "liturgy"--a common work. In accomplishing this, the Church reads the Scriptures, honors the saints through iconography, prays and sings as one, and participates in the sacraments. The sacraments are an essential part of liturgical life, whereby the Holy Spirit makes Himself present in the lives of believers, both corporately and personally.

All the aspects of Holy Tradition, according to the Eastern Orthodox, are held in an holistic unity--none have absolute nor ultimate authority over another. Therefore, the sacramental priesthood does not have more authority than the life of a simple saint; the Scriptures interpreted privately do not have more authority than the Ecumenical councils. All is held together in unity by the Holy Spirit, with a diversity of expression without contradiction.