God and man in the Orthodox Church. Part 1
From the book “All the Fullness of the Godhead Bodily” (Col. 2:9)
We have seen the true light, we have received the heavenly Spirit, we have found true faith, we worship the indivisible Trinity, for it has saved us.
(We have seen the true light. We have received the heavenly Spirit. We have found true faith by worshiping the undivided Trinity who saved us.)
From the liturgy of St. John Chrysostom
Below I will try not to confuse, but rather to disappoint those who retain “sacred darkness” in their interest in Orthodoxy. My task is to present to the reader the teaching of the Orthodox Church about God and man so that the reader can see what lies behind the smoke, gold and darkness that fascinate so many and often only distract from the true essence of Orthodox Christianity (The introduction was addressed to the Western reader. – Note. translation).
About knowing God
The fundamental claim of Orthodox Christianity is that God exists and that He can and must be known. For Orthodox Christian knowing God is the only true goal of life. And in fact, according to Orthodox doctrine, this is what life consists of. “This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent” (John 17:3).
From the simplest local creeds to the most sublime theology of her saints, in all her liturgical petitions and doxologies, the Orthodox Church proclaims that one must not only believe in God, love Him, worship and serve Him, but one must also know Him. Centuries ago, St. Athanasius, the great defender of Orthodoxy, wrote: “For what is the point of a creature existing if it cannot know its Creator? How can men be intelligent if they have no knowledge of the Word and Mind of the Father through Whom they received their existence? They would be no better than animals, having no knowledge other than earthly things. And why should God have created them at all if He had not caused them to know Him? But the good God gave them a share in His own image, that is, in our Lord Jesus Christ, and even made them in His own image and likeness.
Why? Simply so that through this gift of God-likeness in themselves they could feel the Absolute Image, which is the Word Himself, and through Him know the Father. This knowledge of their Creator is the only truly happy and blessed life for people.”
A characteristic feature of our time is the denial that God can be known in any real meaning of the word knowledge. It is not only existing widespread and widespread philosophical systems that assert that knowledge can only relate to “earthly things,” to the realm of what can be seen, weighed and measured, and perhaps also to the world of mathematical and logical forms. But sociologists, psychologists and even politicians often claim that any claim that God can be known directly opens the way to religious fanaticism, since this is tantamount to the claim that in moral, theological and spiritual matters some people are - you're right and others - are wrong. Today there are even theologians who claim that knowing God is, strictly speaking, impossible. They say that there are many "theologies" in which there is not only a variety of human expressions, concepts, symbols and words about God, but in which there is also some disagreement about who and what God is, how He acts in the world and in relation to the world. This multitude of theologies, sometimes even contradictory to each other, justifies its existence by claiming that God is absolutely unknowable in His innermost being (the so-called apophatic character of God), saying that there is an infinite variety of expressions and manifestations of God in His creatures and in His actions towards them, and a huge variety of situations and circumstances in which people make their judgments about the character of God and His activities, using diverse categories of expression and explanations.
While it is asserted that God is unknowable in His essence, that, indeed, there are many manifestations of God and His revelations to His creatures, that, indeed, in human thought and speech there is a huge variety of forms and categories of expressions relating to God, the Orthodox tradition remains firm, like adamant, in its assertion that not all human thoughts and words about God “correspond to the Divinity.” Indeed, most of man’s ideas and words about God are clearly incorrect, being only fruitless fantasies of the human mind, and not the fruit of the experimental knowledge of God in His actual self-revelation.
Thus, the position of the Orthodox Church remains unchanged: there is truth and untruth in theological and spiritual matters, and theology - and exactly Christian theology is not a matter of taste or opinion, reasoning or erudition. Nor is it a matter of establishing the correct philosophical premises and presenting the correct logical conclusions in the correct philosophical categories. This is solely and exclusively a question of the correct formulation of the definition of the mystery of the being and action of God, how God reveals Himself to His creatures, “working out salvation,” as the psalmist says, “in the midst of the earth” (Ps. 73:12).
God can and must be known. This is a testimony of Orthodoxy. God reveals Himself to His creatures who are capable of knowing Him and who find their true life in this knowledge. God reveals Himself. He does not compose some of the information about Himself that He conveys, or some of the information that He communicates about Himself. He reveals Himself to those whom He created in His image and likeness for the specific purpose of knowing Him. All is in Him and for bliss in this infinitely increasing knowledge in eternity.
The divine image and likeness of God, in which people - men and women - are created, according to Orthodox doctrine, is the eternal and uncreated Image and Word of God, called in the Holy Scriptures the Only Begotten Son of God. The Son of God exists with God in complete unity of essence, action and life together with the Holy Spirit of God. We have already encountered this statement in the above words of St. Athanasius. The "Image of God" is the Divine Person. He is the Son and Word of the Father, who exists with Him “from the beginning,” the One in whom, through whom, and for whom all things were created, and by whom “all things stand” (Col. 1:17). This is the faith of the Church, confirmed in the Holy Scriptures and witnessed by the saints of the Old and New Testaments: “By the word of the Lord the heavens were established, and by the spirit of His mouth all their power” (Ps. 32:6).
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. It was in the beginning with God. Everything came into being through Him, and without Him nothing came into being that came into being. In Him was life, and life was the light of men” (John 1:1-3).
“...in the Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom also he made the worlds. This being the radiance of glory and the image of His person, holding all things by the word of His power...” (Heb. 1:2-3).
“Who is the image of the invisible God, the first begotten of all creation; for by Him all things were created, that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible... all things were created by Him and for Him; and He is before all things, and in Him all things consist” (Col. 1:15-17).
According to the Holy Scriptures and the teachings of the Holy Fathers of the Church, God is not known by reason. God cannot be comprehended through the efforts of the mind and logical deductions, although by such means people can be convinced that God must exist. Rather, God is known through faith, repentance, purity of heart and poverty of spirit, love and reverence. In other words, God is known by those who are open to His self-manifestation and self-revelation, who are ready to bear fruit - to recognize His power and action in the world with their lives, whose recognition is always expressed in praise and thanksgiving to God. “He who has acquired pure prayer is a theologian,” says a frequently used saying of the holy fathers. “And the theologian is the one who has pure prayer.” As St. John Climacus wrote, “the perfection of purity is the beginning of theology.”
“The perfection of purity is the beginning of theology. He who has completely united his feelings with God secretly learns His words from Him. But when this union with God has not yet been completed, then it is difficult to talk about God. The Word, co-present with the Father, creates perfect purity, putting death to death by His coming; and when she is killed, the student of theology receives enlightenment. The Word of the Lord, given from the Lord, is pure and endures forever; he who does not know God speaks about Him by guesswork. Purity made his disciple a theologian, who himself affirmed the dogmas of the Holy Trinity” (John Climacus).
Men know God when they preserve the original purity of their nature as spiritual beings, sealed with the uncreated Word and image of the Father, inspired by His Divine Spirit. Or rather, they know yu t of God, when they take off the veil of sin and rediscover their original purity through the good action of God in them and to them through His Divine Word and Spirit. When people live "according to nature" without distorting or perverting their being as a reflection of their Creator, the knowledge of God is their natural action and their most appropriate possession. St. Gregory of Nyssa writes about it this way: “The Divine nature, as it is in itself, according to Its essence, exceeds any rational knowledge, and we cannot approach It or reach It with our reasoning. Man has never shown the ability to comprehend the incomprehensible; and could never invent such a way of thinking as to cognize the incomprehensible... it is clear that the Lord does not deceive when He promises that the pure in heart They will see God(Matthew 5:8)… The Lord does not say that it is good to know something about God, but rather that it is good to have God in oneself: Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. I don’t think that He meant by this that a person who cleanses his soul’s eyes will immediately enjoy the vision of God... this teaches us that a person who cleanses his heart from all earthly attachments and every passionate movement will see the image of the Divine nature in himself. to myself...
All of you are mortal...do not despair that you will never be able to fully achieve the knowledge of God as you could. For even at creation, God gave perfection to your nature... therefore, you must, with your virtuous life, wash away the dirt that has stuck to your heart, so that divine beauty will shine in you again...
When your mind is cleansed from all malice, free from passions, cleansed from all stains, then you will blessed, for your eye will be pure. Then, being purified, you will be able to comprehend what is not visible to those who are not purified... And what is this vision? This is purity, holiness, simplicity and other shining reflections of God's nature; for only in them is God visible.”
What St. Gregory of Nyssa says here is the traditional teaching of the holy fathers of the Church and is in agreement with what the Apostle Paul wrote at the beginning of his Epistle to the Romans: “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth untruth. For what can be known about God is obvious to them, because God has revealed it to them. For His invisible things, His eternal power and Godhead from the creation of the world, are visible through the consideration of creation, so that they are irresponsible. But how, having come to know God, they did not glorify Him as God, and did not give thanks, but became futile in their speculations, and their foolish hearts were darkened... And because they did not care to have God in their minds, God gave them over to a corrupt mind - to do indecent things.” (Rom. 1, 18–21, 28).
Those who are pure in heart see God everywhere: in themselves, in others, in everyone and in everything. They know that “The heavens proclaim the glory of God, and the firmament proclaims the work of His hands” (Ps. 18:1). They know that the heavens and earth are filled with His glory (cf. Isa. 6:3). They are capable of observation and faith, of faith and maintaining(see John 6:68–69). Only a madman can say in his heart exactly what his heart- there is no God. And this is because “they became corrupt and committed heinous crimes.” He is not “seeking God.” He "evaded". He doesn't "call out to God." He does not “understand” (Ps. 53:1-4). The psalmist's description of this madman and the reasons for his madness was summed up in the patristic church tradition by the statement that the cause of any human ignorance (ignorance of God) is an arbitrary rejection of God, rooted in proud narcissism.
According to St. Maximus the Confessor, the “original sin” of people, which, willingly or unwillingly, infects us all is “self-love.” Egocentrism enslaves its owner to mental and physical passions and plunges him into madness, darkness and death. A person becomes blind due to his reluctance to see, believe and bliss in what is given to him - first of all, the words and actions of God, and God Himself in His Word and Spirit, who are in the world. This is precisely what Christ denounced, citing the words of Isaiah, who said regarding those who do not know God that they have eyes, but will not see; ears, but will not hear; and intelligence - but they do not want to understand (Is. 6:9-10).
We must see this clearly and understand it well. The knowledge of God is given to those who want it, to those who seek it with all their hearts, to those who desire it most and who want nothing more than that. This is God's promise. He who seeks will find. There are many reasons why people refuse to seek Him and are unwilling to gain Him; all of them, one way or another, are driven by proud selfishness, which can also be called impurity of heart. As the Holy Scriptures testify to the saints, the unclean in heart are blind because they prefer their wisdom to the wisdom of God and their own ways to the ways of the Lord. Some of them, as the Apostle Paul says, have a “zeal for God,” but remain blind because they prefer their own truth to that which comes from God (see Rom. 10:2). They are the ones who victimize others through the publicity of their madness, which manifests itself in entire corrupt cultures and civilizations, confusion and chaos.
The reduction of the human being to something else, and to something infinitely less than a creation created in the image and likeness of God, intended to be the repository of wisdom, knowledge and Divine dignity itself, is the greatest tragedy. The human person is created to be “God by grace.” This is Christian experience and testimony. But the thirst for self-satisfaction through self-affirmation contrary to reality ended in the separation of human individuals from the source of their existence, which is God, and thus hopelessly enslaved them to the “elements of this age” (Col. 2:8), whose image disappears. Today there are many theories about the human personality that make it everything but the image of God; ranging from the insignificant moments of some mythical historical-evolutionary process or material-economic dialectic to the passive victims of biological, social, economic, psychological or sexual forces, whose tyranny, compared with the gods they supposedly destroyed, is incomparably more ruthless and cruel. And even some Christian theologians give their scientific sanction to the enslaving power of the self-sufficient and self-explanatory nature of “nature,” only thereby increasing its destructive damage.
But you don't have to go this route. Orthodox Christianity, or more precisely, God and His Christ are here to give us a testimony. The opportunity for people to realize the freedom to be children of God is given to them, preserved, guaranteed and carried out by the living God, who brought people into this world, as St. Maximus the Confessor said, by His mercy, which He is by nature... if only they have eyes to see, ears to hear, and minds and hearts to understand.
Merton Thomas(1915–1968) - American Catholic (Cistercian) monk, famous Catholic writer.
Rector of St. Vladimir's Orthodox Seminary (USA)
Translated from English I. Yakovlev especially for Orthodoxy.Ru
16 / 04 / 2007
Alexey Ilyich Osipov,
professor MDA
God and man
The fact of the originality and universality of religion in the history of mankind testifies not only to the theoretical satisfaction of the idea of God as the unconditional Source of all life and all good, but also to the deep correspondence of religion to human nature, to its comprehensive justification in historical, social and individual experience.
The essence of religion is usually, and rightly, seen in the special unity of man with God, the human spirit with the Spirit of God. Moreover, each religion indicates its own path and its own means to achieve this goal. However, the postulate of general religious consciousness about the need for spiritual unity of man with God in order to achieve eternal life always remains unshakable. This idea runs like a red thread through all the religions of the world, embodied in various myths, legends, dogmas and emphasizing on different levels and from different sides the unconditional significance and primacy of the spiritual principle in a person’s life, in his acquisition of its meaning.
God, having only partially revealed Himself in the Old Testament, appeared in a completeness that was extremely accessible to man in God the Word incarnate, and the possibility of unity with Him became especially clear and tangible thanks to the Church He created. there is a unity in the Holy Spirit of all rational creatures that follow the will of God and thus enter into the Theanthropic Organism of Christ - His Body (; 23). Therefore, the Church is a society of saints. However, membership in it is conditioned not by the simple fact of the believer’s acceptance of Baptism, the Eucharist and other sacraments, but also by his special participation in the Holy Spirit. So a member of the Church who is indisputable by all external indicators may not be in it if he does not satisfy the second condition. This thought may seem strange: didn’t a Christian partake of the Holy Spirit in the sacraments? And if so, what other kind of communion can we talk about? This question is of fundamental importance for understanding holiness in Orthodoxy.
Stages of life
If the old () nature was inherited by the descendants of Adam in the natural order, then the birth from the Second Adam () and communion with the Holy Spirit occurs through a conscious-volitional process of personal activity, which has two fundamentally different stages.
The first is when a believer is spiritually born in the sacrament of Baptism, receiving the seed () of the New Adam and thereby becoming a member of His Body - the Church. Rev. says: “...he who believes in the Son of God... repents... of his previous sins and is cleansed of them in the sacrament of Baptism. Then God the Word enters the baptized person, as into the womb of the Ever-Virgin, and remains in him as a seed.” But by Baptism, a person does not “automatically” transform from the “old man” () into the “new” (). Cleansing himself from all his sins and thereby becoming like the primordial Adam, the believer in Baptism, nevertheless, retains, as the Rev. puts it. , passion, perishability and mortality, inherited by him from his sinful ancestors, he remains susceptible to sin.
Therefore, the holiness to which a person is called is not yet achieved through the sacrament of Baptism. This sacrament provides only its beginning, and not its completion; man is given only the seed, but not the tree itself, which bears the fruits of the Holy Spirit.
The second step is that correct (righteous) spiritual life, thanks to which the believer grows into a perfect man, to the measure of the full age of Christ () and becomes capable of receiving special sanctification by the Holy Spirit. For the seed of Baptism among wicked and lazy Christians () remains ungerminated and therefore barren (), but when it lands on good soil, it sprouts and bears the corresponding fruit. This fruit (and not the seed) means the sought-after communion with the Holy Spirit - holiness. The parable of the leaven, which the woman took and put into three measures of flour until everything was leavened (), clearly expresses the nature of this mysterious change in man and his communion with the Holy Spirit in the Church and the real meaning of the sacraments in this process. Just as the leaven put into the dough exerts its effect gradually and under very specific conditions, so the “leaven” of Baptism “leavens” a carnal person into a spiritual person (), into a “new dough” () not instantly, not magically, but over time, with the corresponding spiritual and moral change indicated in the Gospel. Thus, it is up to the Christian, who has received the talent of justification for free (), to destroy it in the land of his heart () or to multiply it.
The latter means the special communion with the Holy Spirit of the baptized person. And this is one of the most important principles Orthodox understanding spiritual life, Christian perfection, holiness. It was expressed simply and briefly by Rev. : “All his (a Christian’s – A.O.) efforts and all his feats must be directed toward acquiring the Holy Spirit, for this is what spiritual law and goodness consist of.” Rev. spoke about the same thing in one of his conversations. : “The goal of Christian life is to acquire the Spirit of God, and this is the goal of the life of every Christian who lives spiritually.”
So, it turns out that a believer who has received the fullness of the gifts of the Holy Spirit in the sacraments also requires His special “acquisition,” which is holiness.
There is, at first glance, some kind of disagreement between the concept of holiness in the Holy Scriptures, especially the New Testament, and the tradition of the Church. The Apostle Paul, for example, calls all Christians saints, although in terms of their moral level there were also people far from holiness among them (cf.:). On the contrary, from the very beginning of the existence of the Church and in all subsequent times, Christians who are distinguished by special spiritual purity and zeal for Christian life, feats of prayer and love, martyrdom for Christ, etc. are predominantly called saints.
However, both of these approaches do not mean a difference in the understanding of holiness, but only an assessment of the same phenomenon at different levels. The New Testament use of the term comes from what believers are called to be, having made a promise to God of a good conscience () and having received the gift of the grace of Baptism, although at the moment they are still carnal, that is, sinful and imperfect. The church tradition logically completes the New Testament understanding, crowning with a halo of glory those Christians who fulfilled this calling with their righteous lives. That is, both of these traditions talk about the same thing - about the special participation of a Christian in the Spirit of God, and determine the very possibility of such participation by the degree of zeal of the believer in spiritual life. “Not everyone who says to Me: Lord! God! will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but he who does the will of My Heavenly Father......depart from Me, you who practice iniquity” (). “The Kingdom of Heaven is taken by force, and those who use force take it away” ().
By being called to a different, new life in Christ, the Apostle calls all Christians saints, and with this name he emphasizes the opportunity that has opened up for all believers to become a new creation (). From the very beginning of its existence, the Church calls those who have become different in relation to the world, who have acquired the Holy Spirit and demonstrated His power in our world, saints.
Holiness
The priest gives a broad analysis of the concept of holiness in his “Pillar...”. Here are some of his thoughts.
“When we talk about the holy Font, about the holy Chrism, about the Holy Gifts, about holy Penance, about holy Marriage, about holy Oil... and so on, and so on, and finally about the Priesthood, which word already includes the root “ holy,” then we first of all understand the otherworldliness of all these Sacraments. They are in the world, but not of the world... And this is precisely the first, negative facet of the concept of holiness. And therefore, when, following the Sacraments, we call many other things holy, we mean precisely the specialness, the cut-off from the world, from the everyday, from the everyday, from the ordinary - that which we call holy... Therefore, when God in the Old Testament is called Holy, then this means that we're talking about about His transcendence, about His transcendence to the world...
And in the New Testament, when many times in his epistles the Apostle Paul calls the Christians of his day saints, this means in his mouth, first of all, that Christians are singled out from all humanity...
Undoubtedly, in the concept of holiness, following its negative side, a positive side is thought of, revealing in the saint the reality of another world...
The concept of holiness has a lower pole and an upper pole, and in our consciousness it constantly moves between these poles, ascending upward and descending back... And this flattery, passing from the bottom up, is thought of as a path of negation of the world... But it can also be considered as passing in the opposite direction. And then it will be thought of as a way of establishing world reality through the sanctification of this latter.”
Thus, according to Father Paul, holiness is, firstly, alienation from the world of sin, its denial. Secondly, it has a specific positive content, because the nature of holiness is Divine, it is ontologically established in God. At the same time, holiness, he emphasizes, is not moral perfection, although it is inextricably linked with it, but “co-essence with otherworldly energies.” Finally, holiness is not only the denial, the absence of all evil, and not only the appearance of another world, the Divine, but also the unshakable affirmation of “world reality through the sanctification of this latter.”
This third side of holiness says that it is a force that transforms not only a person, but the world as a whole so that God will be all in all (). Ultimately, all creation must become different (And I saw a new heaven and a new earth - Rev. 21, 1) and manifest God. But in this process, only man can play an active role on the part of creation, therefore he is entrusted with full responsibility for the creature (). And here the significance of the saints, who in the conditions of earthly existence became the firstfruits (; 16) of the future general and complete sanctification, is revealed with particular force.
Saints are, first of all, other people, different from those who live according to the elements of this world, and not according to Christ (). Others because they fight and, with the help of God, overcome “the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life” () - all that enslaves the people of this world. In this separation of the saints from the world of threefold lust, from the atmosphere of sin, one can see one of the fundamental characteristics of holiness and the unity of the original apostolic and church-traditional understanding of it.
Laws of life
With their lives, the saints showed to what height of godlikeness man is called and capable, and what this godlikeness is. It is that spiritual beauty (“good is great” (; 31), which is a reflection of the inexpressible God. This beauty, given and given to man in creation, is revealed, however, only through the correct life, called asceticism. For example, Fr. wrote about it like this : “Asceticism... the holy fathers called... “the art of arts”, “the art of arts”... The contemplative knowledge given by asceticism is filokal...a - “love of beauty”, “love-beauty” Collections of ascetic creations, which have long been called “”. Philocalia “does not at all mean Philokalia in our, modern, sense of the word. “Kindness” is taken here in the ancient, general meaning, meaning rather beauty than moral perfection, and filokal ... and means “love of beauty.” in fact, asceticism does not create a “good” person, but a “beautiful” one, and distinctive feature holy ascetics - not at all their “kindness,” which also happens among carnal people, even very sinful ones, but spiritual beauty, the dazzling beauty of a radiant, luminous personality, in no way accessible to a stout and carnal person.”
Asceticism, being the science of correct human life, has, like any other science, its own initial principles, its own criteria and its own goal. This latter can be expressed in various words: holiness, deification, salvation, godlikeness, the Kingdom of God, spiritual beauty, etc. But something else is important - achieving this goal presupposes a very definite path of spiritual development of a Christian, a certain sequence, gradualism, presupposes the presence of special laws, hidden from the gaze of others (). This consistency and gradualism is already indicated by the Gospel “Beats” (). The Holy Fathers, based on long-term experience of asceticism, offer in their creations a kind of ladder of spiritual life, while warning about the harmful consequences of deviating from it. The study of its laws is the most important religious task, and, ultimately, all other knowledge of a theological nature comes down to an understanding of spiritual life, without which they completely lose their meaning. This topic is very extensive, so here we will focus only on its two most important issues.
Humility is the first of these. According to the unanimous teaching of the Fathers, the entire edifice of Christian perfection is based on humility; without it, neither a correct spiritual life nor the acquisition of any gifts of the Holy Spirit is possible. What is Christian humility? According to the Gospel, this is, first of all, poverty of spirit () - a state of the soul arising from the vision of one’s sinfulness and the inability to free oneself from the pressure of passions on one’s own, without the help of God. “According to the immutable law of asceticism,” writes St. , - the abundant consciousness and feeling of one’s sinfulness, bestowed by Divine grace, precedes all other grace-filled gifts.” St. calls this vision “the beginning of the enlightenment of the soul.” He writes that with the right feat, “the mind begins to see its sins - like the sand of the sea, and this is the beginning of the enlightenment of the soul and a sign of its health. And it’s simple: the soul becomes contrite and the heart humble and considers itself in truth lower than everyone else and begins to recognize the blessings of God... and its own shortcomings.” This state is always associated with especially deep and sincere repentance, the importance of which cannot be overestimated in spiritual life. St. Ignatius exclaims: “The sight of one’s sin and the repentance born of it are actions that have no end on earth.” The statements of the holy fathers and teachers of the Church about the paramount importance of seeing one’s sinfulness, about the endlessness of repentance on earth and the new property they gave birth to - humility, are countless.
What's the main thing about them?
Humility is the only virtue that allows a person to remain in the so-called non-fallen state. This is especially convincing in the story of primordial man, who possessed all the gifts of God (), but did not have an experienced knowledge of his non-originality, his nothingness without God, that is, he did not have experienced humility and therefore so easily imagined himself. Experienced humility occurs in a person under the condition of forcing himself to fulfill the commandments of the Gospel and repentance. As Rev. says. Simeon New Theologian: “Careful fulfillment of the commandments of Christ teaches a person his weaknesses.” The knowledge of one’s powerlessness to become spiritually and morally sound and holy without God’s help creates a solid psychological basis for the unshakable acceptance of God as the source of life and all good. Experienced humility excludes the possibility of a new proud dream of becoming “like God” () and a new fall.
In essence, the true rebirth of a Christian begins only when, in the fight against sin, he sees the full depth of the damage of his nature, the fundamental inability without God to heal from passions and achieve the sought-after holiness. Such self-knowledge reveals to a person the One who wants and can save him from a state of destruction, reveals Christ to him. This is precisely what explains the exceptional importance attached to humility by all the saints.
Love and delusion
But if the ladder of spiritual life is built on humility, then it is crowned by the one that is greater than all () and which is called God Himself (), - Love. All other properties of the new person are only its properties, its manifestations. God calls man to it; it is promised to the believer in Christ. The saints became glorified by it most of all, by it they conquered the world, by it they primarily showed the greatness, beauty and goodness of the Divine promises to man. But how it is acquired and by what signs one can distinguish it from improper similarities is not an entirely simple question.
There are two outwardly similar, but fundamentally different in essence states of love, which are spoken of by the ascetic traditions of the West and the East. The first is spiritual love (;). It arises when the goal of the feat is to develop a feeling of love in oneself. It is being achieved. mainly by constantly concentrating on the suffering of Christ and the Mother of God, imagining various episodes from Their lives, mentally participating in them, dreaming and imagining Their love for themselves and their love for Them, etc. This practice is clearly visible in the biographies of, in fact, all the most famous and authoritative Catholic saints: Angela, Francis of Assisi, Catharine of Siena, Teresa of Avila, etc.
On this basis, they often experience nervous exaltations, sometimes reaching hysteria, prolonged hallucinations, love experiences often with overtly sexual sensations, and bleeding wounds (stigmas). These are their states Catholic Church evaluates them as grace-filled phenomena, as evidence of their achievement of true love.
In Orthodox asceticism, however, they are assessed “as one deceptive, forced play of feelings, an unconscious creation of daydreaming and conceit,” as delusion, that is, the deepest self-deception. The main reason for such a negative assessment of Catholic mysticism is that the main attention in it is paid to the stimulation of spiritual feelings, nerves and psyche, to the development of the imagination, to the asceticism of the body, and not to spiritual feat, which, as is known, consists, first of all, in the struggle with one’s old man, with his feelings, desires, dreams, in forcing him to fulfill the commandments of the Gospel and repentance. Without this, according to the teachings of the Fathers, it is impossible to acquire any spiritual gifts, no true love. They do not pour... new wine into old wineskins... but they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved (). Young wine - the Holy Spirit, which gives the believer a taste of how good the Lord is () - is poured into the one who, by fulfilling the commandments and repentance, acquires humility and is cleansed of passions.
St. Isaac of Syria, addressing one of his younger companions, writes: “There is no way to arouse Divine love in the soul... if it has not overcome the passions. You said that your soul did not overcome passions and loved the love of God; and there is no order in this. Whoever says that he has not overcome passions and has loved the love of God, I don’t know what he is saying. But you will say: I did not say “I love,” but “I loved love.” And this does not take place if the soul has not achieved purity. If you want to say this only for the word, then you are not the only one saying, but everyone says that they want to love God... And everyone pronounces this word as if it were his own, however, when pronouncing such words, only the tongue moves, the soul does not feel what he says."
St. Ignatius, who studied Catholic ascetic literature in the originals, wrote: “Most of the ascetics of the Western Church, proclaimed by it to be the greatest saints, after its fall from Eastern Church and after the departure of the Holy Spirit from her, they prayed and achieved visions, false, of course, in the way I mentioned... Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Jesuit order, was in this state. His imagination was so heated and sophisticated that, as he himself asserted, he had only to want and use some tension, as hell or heaven appeared before his eyes, according to his desire... It is known that the true saints of God are granted visions only by the grace of God and by the action of God, and not by the will of man and not by his own effort, are granted unexpectedly, very rarely.” “The premature desire to develop in oneself a feeling of love for God is already self-delusion... One must achieve perfection in all virtues in order to enter into the perfection of all perfections, into their merging, into love.”
The nature of true Christian love, as we see, is completely different compared to all its other types. According to the Holy Scriptures, it is a gift of the Holy Spirit, and not the result of one’s own neuropsychic stress. The Apostle Paul wrote: The love of God has been poured out into our hearts by the Holy Spirit given to us (). That is, this is love - spiritual, it is the totality of perfection (), and according to the expression of the Rev. , is “the abode of the spiritual and settles in the purity of the soul.” Achieving this love is impossible without first acquiring other virtues and, first of all, humility, which is the basis of the entire ladder of virtues. St. Isaac of Syria especially warns about this. He says: “It is written by one of the saints: whoever does not consider himself a sinner, his prayer is not accepted by the Lord. If you say that some fathers wrote about what spiritual purity is, what health is, what dispassion is, what contemplation is, then they did not write so that we would expect this ahead of time, for it is written that the Kingdom will not come God with observance () expectations. And in those who had such an intention, they acquired pride and downfall. And we will bring the area of the heart into order through works of repentance and a life pleasing to God. The Lord’s will come by itself if the place in the heart is clean and undefiled. What we seek with observance - I mean God’s high gifts - is not approved by the Church of God; Those who accepted this acquired pride and downfall. This is not a sign that a person loves God, but mental illness."
St. Tikhon of Voronezh writes: “If the highest of the virtues, love, according to the word of the Apostle, is long-suffering, does not envy, is not exalted, is not irritated, and never falls away, then this is because it is supported and promoted by humility.” Therefore, for an “old” Christian, who does not have proper self-knowledge and experienced humility, love is changeable, fickle, mixed with vanity, selfishness, lust, etc., it breathes “spirituality” and dreaminess.
Thus, the love of saints is not an ordinary earthly feeling, not the result of purposeful efforts to arouse love for God in oneself, but is a gift of the Holy Spirit, and as such is experienced and manifested in a completely different way than even the most sublime earthly feelings. This is especially eloquently evidenced by the fruits of the Spirit of God, sent down to all sincere Christians according to the degree of their zeal, spiritual purity and humility.
Fruits of the Spirit
The Holy Scriptures and the works of the patrists constantly speak about those states of joy, bliss, or, to put it in ordinary human language, happiness that are completely special in their strength and character, incomparable to any ordinary experiences that gradually open up in a Christian leading a correct spiritual life.
Most often, these states are conveyed by words: love and joy, since there are no higher concepts than these in the human language. One could endlessly cite the words of Scripture and the Fathers, liturgical texts confirming this and testifying to the most important fact, perhaps for man - that man, by his God-created nature, by the depth of experiences available to him, is a being similar to Him Who is the perfect Love, perfect Joy and Bliss. The Lord says to the apostles: I have spoken all this to you, so that My joy may be in you and your joy may be complete (; 11); Until now you have asked nothing in My name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete (; 24). And the disciples were truly filled with joy and the Holy Spirit (Acts 13; 52).
John the Theologian addresses his spiritual children: See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called and be children of God…. Beloved! we are now children of God; but it has not yet been revealed what we will be. We only know that when it is revealed, we will be like Him (1 Im. 3; 1-2).
The Apostle Paul names love, joy, peace (;22) as the first fruits of the Spirit. He exclaims: Who will separate us from the love of God: tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?... ...I am sure that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor Powers, neither the present nor the future, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord (). He even says that if a Christian does not acquire this greatest gift, then he is a ringing brass or a sounding cymbal, he is nothing, he lives without benefit (). Therefore he prays: I bow my knees before the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ... that he may give you... to understand the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God ().
A remarkable confirmation of the truth of Scripture is the experience of all the saints, an innumerable multitude of Christians, reflected in their ascetic, liturgical, hymnographic and other creations. At the same time, it is important to note that tears about sins, contrition of heart, repentance, which constantly sound from them and produce, at first glance, the impression of some kind of despondency, sadness, depressed state, in reality have a completely different nature, a different spirit. For a Christian who sincerely repents and forces himself to live according to the Gospel, they are always dissolved in a special peace of the soul, spiritual joy, and therefore turn out to be more valuable than all earthly values. This is one of the unique features of correct Christian life, that the more it reveals to a person the fallenness of his nature, his sinfulness and spiritual helplessness, the more strongly it reveals to him the closeness of God who heals, cleanses, gives peace to the soul, joy and various spiritual consolations. This closeness of God, according to spiritual law, is determined by the degree of humility acquired by a Christian, which makes the Christian soul capable of receiving the Holy Spirit, filling it and the greatest good - love. The most experienced mentor of ancient monasticism, Saint Isaac of Syria, gave one of the most striking characteristics of the state that a true ascetic of Christ achieves. Having been asked: “What is a merciful heart?”, he answered: this is “the kindling of a person’s heart for all creation, for people, for birds, for animals, for demons and for every creature... And therefore for the dumb and for the enemies of the truth , and for those who harm him, he every hour brings a prayer with tears, so that they will be preserved and have mercy... Those who have achieved perfection, the sign is this: if they are handed over to be burned ten times a day for love for people, they will not be satisfied with this, like Moses... and like... Paul... And the other apostles, for their love for people’s lives, accepted death in all its forms... And the saints strive for this sign - to become like God through the perfection of love for one’s neighbor”[
This article is devoted to the gracious Christian theme. How can a child understand what it means to be an Orthodox person? This, on the one hand, is a very difficult question, but on the other hand, everything can only be explained with examples from life.
Books and activities alone will not be enough. How can a schoolchild instill love for God and neighbor? This will be discussed below.
Adults are an example for children
A child is born without sins. After all, a newborn cannot offend, offend or hate anyone. From the age of three, when the baby begins to pay attention to the world around him and get acquainted with it, his worldview is formed according to what is here and now.
After 3-5 years, the child begins to learn both good and bad. Often children start fighting in the sandbox and calling them bad names. Where does this come from? Even if one child has a friendly family, but the other’s mother and father constantly argue, then the latter can now copy the behavior of his parents and pass on the negativity to his friends in the sandbox. This is how the chain develops.
Starting from the age of 7, a child should be able to distinguish good deeds from bad ones. What does it mean to be an Orthodox person? The answers to this question lie precisely in the actions of any person.
Good heart and good deeds
An Orthodox Christian often comes to the priest at church to repent of his sins. Which ones exactly? In everyone. Sins mean not only bad deeds (hit, killed, stole), but also a state of mind (hatred, anger, irritation, envy). Parents themselves should be kind, affectionate and caring people. Is it Christian when a mother screams at her child, hits her, and the child roars throughout the entire neighborhood for an hour? Of course not. If a child is naughty, then parents should act wisely, punish carefully and without scandals. Children often inherit the character and habits of their parents.
A child from the age of seven is allowed to confess. What does it mean to be an Orthodox person in in this case? To love the Lord God and all people, animals, birds. After all, love manifests itself not only in care, but also in compassion, help, and consolation.
The Apostle Paul once explained what Christian love is and how it is expressed. Namely: love cannot envy, demand, adjust to oneself, hate, exalt itself over someone, rejoice at the sorrows of a neighbor or be upset when he is happy. The holy apostle said many more words on this topic.
How to write an essay
Not every school teachers touch on the topic of Orthodoxy. It is especially difficult for a child who grew up in an atheistic family or who was raised by people of other faiths, including Old Believers, to perceive this. How, then, can you carefully explain to children what it means to be an Orthodox person? The answer for 4th grade, where children still understand little not only in spiritual life, but also in everyday life, can only be given by actions. How? Teach them to treat each other with respect. In almost any class, pranks, quarrels, and insults happen. It is important to teach children to respect each other. Who in class constantly offends someone? Let the offender understand that you cannot do this. He needs to explain what mental pain is. The offended person should be advised not to give in, to immediately forgive, forget and make peace. After all, evil has the ability to flare up and burn very painfully.
A short essay “What does it mean to be an Orthodox person?” will help children develop a sense of meaning. What does it mean? Not every adult understands why he lives. It's time to think about what life should be like in order to live it usefully. It happens that an elderly person, before his death, admits that he does not want to die and is afraid, because he has done little good, has not repented before God, and in general has never thought about Him. The soul of the dying person feels that it is to the Lord that it will go to judgment.
Let children learn from an early age to love God and their family, friends and even enemies. After all, Jesus Christ loved and loves absolutely everyone, even those who killed him.
The Importance of Visiting the Temple
Adults do not always think about why they visit a temple. Is it just because it is necessary? This is wrong thinking. There is a funny caricature on the Internet: a temple is drawn on the left and right, on the right is the inscription “to the temple” - and hundreds of people are standing, on the left it is written “to God” - and only about five people are standing. What does this mean? Hundreds of people go to church just to light candles, write notes, and chat. And that small part of people comes to the temple to pray to God.
Children need to be taught to communicate with the Lord and to pray. Preliminary preparation will help with this. For example, a children's Bible and the lives of saints. They talk beautifully about what it means to be an Orthodox person. Everything must become interesting for children, otherwise there will be no point.
Obedience
It is important for a Christian to be in obedience to someone. It is impossible to go with the flow without guidance from above. A small child must obey his parents and educators. If this does not happen, he will be in danger. The soul of an Orthodox person is also in danger if he undertakes to independently guide himself in life. To prevent this from happening, you need to have a spiritual mentor in the person of a parish priest or an elder, for example.
It is important for children to obey not only their relatives, but also the priest in church. What does it mean to be an Orthodox person during obedience? For example, a priest in confession will tell a child to stop hurting his classmate, because it is bad, God does not like his action. This is obedience from the confessor. Parents can say the same. And that will be obedience. But why it is impossible to offend a classmate from a spiritual point of view, the priest can explain.
Once again, we can remind you of the importance of expressing your thoughts and ideas. What does it mean to be an Orthodox person? Let the children write an essay-reasoning on a similar topic specifically about the kindness of the heart and love for God.
Lives of the Saints
Lives will be an excellent example of Christian life. What is this? To be brief, this is the biography of a holy man. But such a work is written not as simple information, but as a textbook of life for Orthodox Christians who want to learn how to truly live. A holy man pleased God in life and served Him. The author talks about this, gives examples of his exploits, good deeds and, of course, talks about miracles. It is important for a contemporary to know what it means to be an Orthodox person. Summary The Lives of the Saints will help you figure it out. There is no need to delve into ascetic teachings to understand what love for God and neighbor is.
Both children and adults, if they want, can become Christians. It is important to remember that love starts small. The world around us needs good people. The Holy Church will tell you what it means to be Orthodox and teach it through the Gospel and the lives of the saints.
To comply with ethical and moral standards in society, as well as to regulate relations between an individual and the state or the highest form of spirituality (Cosmic Mind, God), world religions were created. Over time, splits have occurred within every major religion. As a result of this schism, Orthodoxy was formed.
Orthodoxy and Christianity
Many people make the mistake of considering all Christians to be Orthodox. Christianity and Orthodoxy are not the same thing. How to distinguish between these two concepts? What is their essence? Now let's try to figure it out.
Christianity is something that originated in the 1st century. BC e. waiting for the coming of the Savior. Its formation was influenced philosophical teachings that time, Judaism (polytheism was replaced by one God) and endless military-political skirmishes.
Orthodoxy is just one of the branches of Christianity that originated in the 1st millennium AD. in the eastern Roman Empire and received its official status after the schism of the common Christian church in 1054.
History of Christianity and Orthodoxy
The history of Orthodoxy (orthodoxy) began already in the 1st century AD. This was the so-called apostolic creed. After the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, the apostles faithful to him began to preach teachings to the masses, attracting new believers to their ranks.
In the 2nd-3rd centuries, orthodoxy was engaged in active confrontation with Gnosticism and Arianism. The first rejected the writings of the Old Testament and interpreted the New Testament in their own way. The second, led by the presbyter Arius, did not recognize the consubstantiality of the Son of God (Jesus), considering him a mediator between God and people.
Seven Ecumenical Councils, convened with the support of the Byzantine emperors from 325 to 879, helped to resolve the contradictions between the rapidly developing heretical teachings and Christianity. The axioms established by the Councils regarding the nature of Christ and the Mother of God, as well as the approval of the Creed, helped the new movement to take shape into the most powerful Christian religion.
Not only heretical concepts contributed to the development of Orthodoxy. Western and Eastern influenced the formation of new directions in Christianity. The different political and social views of the two empires created a crack in the united all-Christian church. Gradually it began to split into Roman Catholic and Eastern Catholic (later Orthodox). The final split between Orthodoxy and Catholicism occurred in 1054, when the Pope and the Pope mutually excommunicated each other (anathema). The division of the common Christian church ended in 1204, along with the fall of Constantinople.
The Russian land adopted Christianity in 988. Officially, there was no division into Rome yet, but due to the political and economic interests of Prince Vladimir, the Byzantine direction - Orthodoxy - was widespread on the territory of Rus'.
The essence and foundations of Orthodoxy
The basis of any religion is faith. Without it, the existence and development of divine teachings is impossible.
The essence of Orthodoxy is contained in the Creed, adopted at the Second Ecumenical Council. On the fourth, the Nicene Creed (12 dogmas) was established as an axiom, not subject to any change.
Orthodox believe in God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit (Holy Trinity). is the creator of everything earthly and heavenly. The Son of God, incarnate from the Virgin Mary, is consubstantial and only begotten in relation to the Father. The Holy Spirit comes from God the Father through the Son and is revered no less than the Father and the Son. The Creed tells of the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ, pointing to eternal life after death.
All Orthodox Christians belong to one church. Baptism is a mandatory ritual. When it is committed, liberation from original sin occurs.
Observance of moral standards (commandments) that were transmitted by God through Moses and voiced by Jesus Christ is mandatory. All “rules of behavior” are based on help, compassion, love and patience. Orthodoxy teaches us to endure any hardships of life without complaint, to accept them as the love of God and trials for sins, in order to then go to heaven.
Orthodoxy and Catholicism (main differences)
Catholicism and Orthodoxy have a number of differences. Catholicism is a branch of Christian teaching that arose, like Orthodoxy, in the 1st century. AD in the western Roman Empire. And Orthodoxy is Christianity, which originated in the Eastern Roman Empire. Here is a comparison table:
Orthodoxy | Catholicism |
|
Relations with authorities | For two millennia, it was either in collaboration with secular power, or in its subordination, or in exile. | Empowering the Pope with both secular and religious power. |
Virgin Mary | The Mother of God is considered the bearer of original sin because her nature is human. | Dogma of the purity of the Virgin Mary (there is no original sin). |
Holy Spirit | The Holy Spirit comes from the Father through the Son | The Holy Spirit comes from both the Son and the Father |
Attitude towards the sinful soul after death | The soul undergoes “ordeals.” Earthly life determines eternal life. | The existence of the Last Judgment and purgatory, where the purification of the soul occurs. |
Holy Scripture and Holy Tradition | Holy Scripture - part of Holy Tradition | Equal. |
Baptism | Triple immersion (or dousing) in water with communion and confirmation. | Sprinkling and dousing. All sacraments after 7 years. |
6-8-pointed cross with the image of the victorious God, the legs are nailed with two nails. | 4-pointed cross with God the Martyr, legs nailed with one nail. |
|
Fellow believers | All brothers. | Every person is unique. |
Attitude to rituals and sacraments | The Lord does it through the clergy. | It is performed by a clergyman endowed with divine power. |
Nowadays, the question of reconciliation between churches very often arises. But due to significant and minor differences (for example, Catholics and Orthodox Christians cannot agree on the use of yeast or unleavened bread in the sacraments), reconciliation is constantly postponed. There can be no talk of a reunion in the near future.
The attitude of Orthodoxy to other religions
Orthodoxy is a direction that, having stood out from general Christianity as an independent religion, does not recognize other teachings, considering them false (heretical). There can only be one truly true religion.
Orthodoxy is a trend in religion that is not losing popularity, but on the contrary, gaining popularity. And yet, in the modern world it calmly coexists in the vicinity of other religions: Islam, Catholicism, Protestantism, Buddhism, Shintoism and others.
Orthodoxy and modernity
Our times have given the church freedom and support it. Over the past 20 years, the number of believers, as well as those who consider themselves to be Orthodox, has increased. At the same time, the moral spirituality that this religion implies, on the contrary, has fallen. A huge number of people perform rituals and attend church mechanically, that is, without faith.
The number of churches and parochial schools attended by believers has increased. An increase in external factors only partially affects the internal state of a person.
The Metropolitan and other clergy hope that, after all, those who consciously accepted Orthodox Christianity, will be able to fulfill themselves spiritually.
Orthodoxy(from the Greek “correct service”, “correct teaching”) - one of the main world religions, represents the direction in Christianity. Orthodoxy took shape in first millennium AD. under the leadership of the bishop's chair Constantinople- capital of the eastern Roman Empire. Currently, Orthodoxy is practiced by 225-300 million people all over the world. In addition to Russia, the Orthodox religion has become widespread in Balkans and Eastern Europe . It is interesting that, along with traditionally Orthodox countries, adherents of this direction of Christianity are found in Japan, Thailand, South Korea and other Asian countries (and not only people with Slavic roots, but also the local population).
Orthodox believe in God the Trinity, into the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. It is believed that all three divine hypostases reside in indissoluble unity. God is the creator of the world that was created by him from the beginning sinless. Evil and sin are understood as distortion world created by God. Original sin Adam and Eve's disobedience to God was redeemed through incarnation, earthly life and suffering on the cross God the Son Jesus Christ.
In the understanding of the Orthodox Church- this is one divine-human organism led by the Lord Jesus Christ uniting a community of people Holy Spirit, Orthodox Faith, God's Law, Hierarchy and Sacraments.
Highest level of hierarchy priests in Orthodoxy is the rank bishop. He heads church community on its territory (diocese), carries out the sacrament ordination of clergy(ordination), including other bishops. Series of ordinations continuously goes back to the apostles. More elder bishops are called archbishops and metropolitans, and the supreme one is patriarch. Lower rank of the church hierarchy, after bishops, - elders(priests) who can perform all Orthodox sacraments except for ordination. Next come deacons who themselves don't commit sacraments, but help in this respect to the presbyter or bishop.
Clergy divided into white and black. Priests and deacons belonging to white clergy, have families. Black clergy is monks those making a vow celibacy. The rank of deacon in monasticism is called hierodeacon, and that of a priest is called hieromonk. Bishop may become only representative black clergy.
Hierarchical structure Orthodox Church accepts certain democratic procedures management, in particular, is encouraged criticism any clergyman, if he retreats from the Orthodox faith.
Freedom of the individual refers to the most important principles Orthodoxy. It is believed that the meaning of spiritual life man in acquiring the original true freedom from the sins and passions by which he is enslaved. Salvation possible only under the influence God's grace, given that free consent believer their efforts on the spiritual path.
To gain there are two ways of salvation. First - monastic, which consists of solitude and detachment from the world. This is the way special service to God, the Church and neighbors, associated with a person’s intense struggle with his sins. Second way of salvation- This service to the world, first of all family. The family plays a huge role in Orthodoxy and is called small church or home church.
Source of internal law Orthodox Church - the main document - is Sacred Tradition, which contains the Holy Scripture, interpretation of the Holy Scripture compiled by the Holy Fathers, theological writings of the Holy Fathers (their dogmatic works), dogmatic definitions and acts of the Holy Ecumenical and Local Councils of the Orthodox Church, liturgical texts, iconography, spiritual continuity expressed in the works of ascetic writers , their instructions on spiritual life.
Attitude Orthodoxy to statehood is based on the statement that all power is from God. Even during the persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire, the Apostle Paul commands Christians to pray for power and to honor the king not only for the sake of fear, but also for the sake of conscience, knowing that power is an institution of God.
To the Orthodox sacraments include: Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist, Penance, Priesthood, honest Marriage and Blessing of Anointing. Sacrament Eucharist or Communion, is the most important, it contributes bringing a person closer to God. Sacrament baptism- This a person's entry into the Church, deliverance from sin and the opportunity to start a new life. Confirmation (usually immediately following baptism) consists of imparting to the believer blessings and gifts of the Holy Spirit, which strengthen a person in spiritual life. During Unction human body anoint those blessed with oil, which allows you to get rid of bodily ailments, gives remission of sins. Unction- associated with forgiveness of all sins, committed by a person, asking for freedom from illness. Repentance- forgiveness of sin on condition sincere repentance. Confession- gives grace-filled opportunity, strength and support to cleansing from sin.
Prayers in Orthodoxy they can be like domestic and general- church. In the first case, a person is before God opens his heart, and in the second, the power of prayer increases many times over, since people participate in it saints and angels who are also members of the Church.
The Orthodox Church believes that the history of Christianity before the great schism(the separation of Orthodoxy and Catholicism) is the history of Orthodoxy. In general, relations between the two main branches of Christianity have always developed quite difficult, sometimes reaching frank confrontation. Moreover, even in the 21st century early speak about complete reconciliation. Orthodoxy believes that salvation can only be found in Christianity: at the same time non-Orthodox Christian communities are considered partially(but not completely) deprived of God's grace. IN difference from Catholics Orthodox Christians do not recognize the dogma of Pope's infallibility and his supremacy over all Christians, the dogma of Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary, the doctrine of purgatory, dogma about bodily ascension of the Mother of God. An important difference between Orthodoxy and Catholicism, which had a serious impact on political history, is the thesis about symphonies of spiritual and secular authorities. Roman Church stands for full church immunity and in the person of his High Priest has sovereign temporal power.
The Orthodox Church is organizationally community of local churches, each of which uses complete autonomy and independence on its territory. Currently there are 14 autocephalous Churches, for example, Constantinople, Russian, Greek, Bulgarian, etc.
Churches of the Russian tradition adhering to old rituals, generally accepted before Nikonian reform, are called Old Believers. Old Believers were subjected to persecution and oppression, which was one of the reasons that forced them to conduct isolated lifestyle. Old Believer settlements existed in Siberia, on North of the European part Russia, by now the Old Believers have settled all over the world. Along with the performance features Orthodox rituals, different from the requirements Russian Orthodox Church (for example, the number of fingers with which they make the sign of the cross), Old Believers have special way of life, For example, do not drink alcohol, do not smoke.
In recent years, due to globalization of spiritual life(spread of religions across around the world, regardless of the territories of their original origin and development), there is an opinion that Orthodoxy like a religion loses the competition Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Catholicism, as insufficiently adapted For modern world. But maybe maintaining true deep religiosity, inextricably linked with Russian culture, and there is the main thing purpose of Orthodoxy, which will allow you to find in the future salvation for the Russian people.
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