ORTHODOXY IN THE CONTEMPORARY WORLD By Spyros Tsitsigkos, Th.D.

"This faith sustained the globe" (Synodic of the 7th ecumenical Synod). By saying ortho do!y " #e do not mean a precious museum piece (Traditionalism) or a folk manner but a special (thanking $ucharist, glorifying do!ology) lifestyle #ay % (a tradition li&ing and non static). 't concerns the right (in the (reek language the right is deri&ed from standing up raising etymologically) way in contrast to heresy. (reat )athers of the *hurch had e!perienced (empirical $cclesiology +) and taught it ,. The -ne -rthodo! and .postolic / *hurch, #ith institution of fi&e 0atriarchates (corresponded #ith the fi&e senses), started to find itself (identity) mainly after the Schism bet#een $astern and *atholic *hurch during the By1antine period2, and then in the future it took more or less (recian tinge 7. The characteristics3 of -rthodo!y may be classified according to &arious categories. .s for the creed (dogma), -rthodo!y keeps up the (ancient 4ellenic) moderation ("being on a tight rope") bet#een the e!cesses of 5oman *atholic *hurch (6egalism Verrechtlichung ) and 0rotestantism (secularism veweltlichung). So, -rthodo! *hurch is neither someone administrati&e organisation (institution), nor someone cultural association (intellectualism) but a medicinal commune. -rthodo!y, for the duration of the its t#o thousandth course (witness), firmly is concerned #ith eternal principles of freedom, e7uality and 8ustice. Because of this, -rthodo!y is "open" to research as #ell as to dialogue 9 #ith e&ery philosophy, ideology, religion or denomination. -ne conse7uence of this is e!istence of lay Theologians. .bo&e all, the most significant element of -rthodo!y, that e&en non -rthodo! *hristians ha&e recognised, must be the collecti&e synodic": (communal), in combination #ith personal distincti&e (Unitas Multiplex), its character (e.g. monasteries, con&ents, charitable institutions etc.), that #as forged in period of Turkish domination. This social structure, for ob&ious reasons, affects, also, political function that is characterised by polyphony of democracy. )inally, #here anybody can e&idently to get an insight into the differences in another *hristian denominations is, to be sure, the ;orship (sacrament <ysteriology, prayer and repentance) #ith symbolic (By1antine) 4agiography iconography (that leads to reduction and devoutness) and phonetics (By1antine) music "". -rthodo!y boasts about preser&ing maintaining (but not conser&ing *onser&atism), e!cept the necessary adaptations to modern ci&ilisation, the most ancient ritual *eremonial of $astern *hurch.

-rthodo!y, by its nature as society of persons, is relationship. -rthodo!y because historical reasons (#ars and &arious other tribulations) turned in on itself, furthermore assuming, more than necessary, a nationalistic localistic character"%. =o#adays, by inspired leading of $cumenical throne, -rthodo!y comes out of obscurity, and con&erses #ith all the people"+. This change did not occur suddenly> its seeds there #ere al#ays. 6andmark there #as the patriarchy of .thenagoras ",. $cumenical 0atriarchate, taking, by its nature, cath-olic"/ and increasing interest in -ne, 4oly and .postolic *hurch of *hrist on earth, #as al#ays &ehicle of "ecumenicality" "2 but not #hiche&er (raeco *hristian )undamentalism "7. =e&ertheless, "ecumenicality" does not mean (humanistic) $cumenism "3. These days, as it seems that =$; -5D$5 of things dominates, momentous changes occur to all o&er the #orld, in particular in Balkan peninsula, (primiti&e, mythological and pagan) para religions, pantheism of (oriental) religions re&i&e, ;estern *hristianism has been secularised as #ell as thousands of ideologies and heresies inundate the #orld, -rthodo!y #as impossible to remain uncommunicati&e and inoperati&e in &ie# of the entrapping of 'slamic and 0apal 'mperialism"9. 't constitutes encouraging sign that (reece, as t#o authentic (allup polls #hich took place here sho#ed, continues to be the most ha&e been religious country of $urope %:. -n the other hand, the times do not "stick" aphorisms and human authorities. So, e&ery inter religious and inter *hristian dialogue has to be conducted in a spirit of candour, charity and humbleness. -rthodo!y, pre eminently, is the *hurch of 5esurrection and %" 8oy . .s -rthodo! #e hope> and #e hope to be continued the "opening" of -rthodo!y in the #orld "until #e all attain to the unity inherent in our faith and in our kno#ledge of the Son of (od" ($ph. ,, "+)%%. The conse7uences, #hich be e!pected that #ill take place in $urope and all o&er the #orld by one "-rthodo!" christianisation ("reorthodo!isation"), #ill be for the benefit of man and culture. -ut of -rthodo!y 0rometheus (0risoner) continues to be a symbol of man #ho is unable to be free under his o#n steam from the bondage to his passions, and to restore unity and harmony in his split (dissociati&e) and contradictory (conflictual) personality.

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.bout negati&e definition of the "indefinite" of -rthodo!y see ?. T h e o d o r o u, I ousia tis Ortodoxias , en .thinais "92", 0atr. @ a r t h o l o m a i o u, " I kataxiosi tou paradoxou ", in 8ournal A(rigorios o 0alamasB, 2% ("979), pp. 39 9:, (. D. < e t a l l i n o u, " einai Orthodoxia ", in ne#spaper A-rth. TyposB, %:C2C"93:, <etropol. @ a r n a & a, " I Orthodoxia kai imeis ", in 8ournal A$DD64S'.B, ar. 7, " .pril. "93", pp. "%9 "++. % See D. ; a r e, ortodoxos romos , .thina "93+. + See .rchb. of .ustralia S t y l i a n o u, "a sin kai ta plin tis Ortodoxias eis ton neoteron kosmon ", inE ''' tomo $pistimonikis 0arousias $stias Theologon *halkis, en .thinais "99,, p. /7,. , See 0. $ & d o k i m o &, !" Orthodoxie , "92/, trans. ?. F. <ourt1opoulou, ed. @. 5igopoulou, Thessaloniki "97%. / See 0. G. F r e m p e l a, I adolos #postollikotis tis $llinikis Ortodoxias% .thinai "923. 2 See -. * l e m H n t, Vi&antio kai 'hristianismos% ?thina "93/. 7 See (. ) l o r o & s k y, (he 'hristian )ellenism in 8ournal A-rthodo!os 0aratiritisB, etos %+, ar. ,,%, pp. 9 ":, I. I a & a r n o u, *llas kai Orthodoxia , ?T4'G?J "937, (. K e t a l l i n o u, rthodoxia kai ellinikotita , ?thina "937, D. G. 0 a p a t h a n a s o p o u l o u, "rtodoxia kai +eoelliniki tautotis ", in 8ournal ALII6'SJ?B, ar. "%, "C"/ September "939, pp. /:+ /:/. 3 See 0. J. K p r a t s i o t o u, ,eri ton themeliodon arhon kai gnorismaton tis ortodoxou $kklisias , ?thinai "9+7, J. G. I a r m i r i, "'haraktiristika tina gnorismata tis Ortodoxou (heologias " (offprint 8ournal LII6'SJ?), ?thinai "93%. 9 )or more about relation bet#een *hristianism and *ulture see .. D u e c k, " On living in #thensModels o. relating psychology% church and culture ", in AMournal of 0sychology and *hristianityB, 3, " ("939), pp. / "3, S. I. F s i t s i g k N u, ",aideia kai politismos sto .os tis (heologias " (offprint 8ournal LII6'SJ?), ?T4'G? "99,. ": See 0. J. < p N u m i, "o alathito kritirio tis Orthodoxias ", in 8ournal AIOJG-GJ?B, " ("939), pp. +2 /:. "" See ). 4 e i l e r, Urkirche und Ostkirche , <Pnchen "9+7, p. ++,. "% See .. 4 a r n a c k, I #natoliki orthodoxi $kklisia , transl. application S. .gouridi, ?T4'G? "973, @. S t a & r i d N u, "-rthodo!ia", inE Thrisk. Q 'thiki $ncycl., t. 9, p. 9/:, *h. ( i a n n a r a, ' krisi tis profitias, ?thina "973, pp. ,9 HR., 7% ff. "+ See (. 6 y m N u r i, "I ekklisiologiki enopoios diastasis tou Oikoumenikou ,atriarchiou en ti Orthodoxia simeron ", in 8ournal ALII6'SJ?B, ar. "7, "/ GN&ember "99/, p. 7"/ HR., "(enithito to thelima Sou ' apostoli tis -rthodo!ias simera" (Sinedrio 'erapostolis kai e&aggelismou orthodo!on kai .natolikon orthodo!on mi *halkidonion $kklision), GeapNlis (Thessaloniki), "/ %, .pril "933. ", See .rchb. of .ustralia S t y l i a n o u, " ,atriarchis #thinagoras kai ai iorthodoxoi /cheseis ", inE epi mnimosyno tomo A.thinagoras -ikoumenikos 0atriarchis, N 'peirotisB, 'oannina "97/. "/ See *h. ( i a n n a r a, I krisi tis pro.itias , p. ""9 ff. "2 See S. S. K p i l a l i, I oikoumeniki apostoli tis Orthodoxias , ?TS'G?J "97:. "7 .part from that (authentic) 4ellenism does not be identified #ith neither (idolatrous) (reek anti7uity nor geographical nationalism> it, according to 'socrates, is construed spiritually educationallyE "Iai mallon $llinas kaleisthai tous tis paideuseos tis imeteras i tous tis koinis fyseos metehontas" (0anigirikos, "+, /:). So, #ords of 5ussian professor 6. Tander are &erified, that "-rthodo!y in (reece is located in its house". "3 See J. 5 o m a n i d o u, "(he unitate movement and the popular $cumenism ", in 8ournal AThe -rthodo! ;itnessB, )ebruary "922, ?. T h e o d o r o u, I Orthodoxia chthes kai simeron , ?thinai "97+, p. "7, '. 0 o p o & i t s, I orthodoxos $kklisia kai o Oikoumenismos , Thessaloniki "97,. )or more about the problem of relation bet#een *hurch and churches see (. ?. ( a l i t i, " I *kklisia kai oi $kklisies ", in 8ournal A(rigorios o 0alamasB, 7// ("99,), pp. /%9 //:. "9 See "(he Orthodox world .acing a world in trans.ormation ", in AM$SUS *45'ST '= . *4.=('=( ;-56DB, 5.TT@'D 23, 7th (eneral assembly, pp. %/ ++. %: See ne#spaper AI?T4'KL5JG'B, %7C3C"99/, p. 3. %" See $. B e n 1, 0eist und !e1en der Ostkirche , 4amburg "9/7, p. "7+. %% See J. 0 e s m a 1 o g l o u, "I orthodoxia sto sychrono kosmo ", in ne#spaper FO @'K?, %, September "99/.