Introducing the Orthodox Church: Its Faith and Life

276 Pages·2007·1.42 MB·English

by  Anthony M. Coniaris

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
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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
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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