• ABC of faith- Fundamentals of the Orthodox faith. Symbols, fundamental concepts, Sacraments, services, all this is shown in detail and clearly commented on in this educational film. "ABC" will be indispensable for those who take their first steps in the temple and are looking for answers to questions: how to light candles, make the sign of the cross, write notes; how the temple is structured and what happens during services and Sacraments. But the film will be no less interesting to those who already live church life. The chapter "Divine Services" examines in detail main service- Liturgy. Unique shooting Bishop's Liturgy at the altar.
• God's law- Archpriest Seraphim Slobodskoy

Orthodox interpretation of the Bible:

• Explanatory Bible or a commentary on all books of the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments - Alexander Lopukhin
• Interpretations of Blessed Theophylact of Bulgaria on the books of Holy Scripture

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The Church's concern for cleanliness Christian teaching- about the essence Orthodox dogmatics

From the first days of its existence, the Holy Church of Christ tirelessly took care that its children, its members, stood firmly in pure truth. “There is no greater joy for me than to hear that my children walk in the truth,” writes St. ap. John the Theologian (3 John, v. 4). “I wrote briefly to assure you, consoling and testifying that this is the true grace of God in which you stand,” writes St. ap. Peter (1 Pet. 5:12).

St. ap. Paul tells about himself that he, having been preaching for 14 years, went to Jerusalem, by revelation, with Barnabas and Titus and proposed there, and especially to the most famous, the gospel preached by him, whether he had not labored and labored in vain (Gal. 2: 2). “I command you to keep the commandment purely and blamelessly... Follow the pattern of sound doctrine,” he repeatedly instructs his disciple Timothy (1 Tim. 6:13-14; 2 Tim. 1:13).

The true path of faith, always carefully guarded in the history of the Church, has been called straight, right, Orthodoxy (orthodoxy) from time immemorial. The Apostle Paul instructs Timothy to present himself before God as “a workman worthy that does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (a straight cutter, 2 Tim. 2:15). Early Christian writing constantly speaks of observing the “rule of faith,” “rule of truth.” The very term “Orthodoxy” was widely used even in the era before the ecumenical councils, in the terminology of the ecumenical councils themselves and among the Fathers of the Church, both Eastern and Western.

Along with the direct, right path of faith, there have always been dissenters (in the words of St. Ignatius the God-Bearer), a world of greater or lesser errors among Christians, and even entire incorrect systems that sought to invade the Orthodox community. The search for truth has caused divisions among Christians.

Getting acquainted with the history of the Church, as well as observing modern times, we see that errors that are at war with Orthodox truth have appeared and are appearing under the influence of other religions, under the influence of philosophy, due to the weakness and attractions of fallen nature, which seeks rights and justification for these weaknesses and attractions.

Misconceptions take root and become persistent most often because of the pride of people, of those who defend, because of the pride of thought.

In order to protect the right path of faith, the Church had to forge strict forms for expressing the truth of faith, to build a fortress of truth to repel influences alien to the Church. The definitions of truth declared by the Church have been called dogmas since the days of the apostles. In the Acts of the Apostles we read about St. Paul and Timothy: “As they went through the cities, they told the faithful to observe the decrees made by the Apostles and elders in Jerusalem” (Acts 16:4; here we mean the decrees of the Apostolic Council, described in Chapter 15 of the Book of Acts). The ancient Greeks and Romans called “dogma” orders that were subject to strict execution. In the Christian understanding, “dogmas” are the opposite of “opinions”—unstable personal considerations.

Sources of dogma

What are the dogmas based on? – It is clear that dogmas are based not on the rational considerations of individuals, even if these were the fathers and teachers of the Church, but on the teaching of Holy Scripture and on the Apostolic Holy Tradition. The truths of faith contained in them provide the fullness of the teaching of faith, called by the ancient fathers of the Church “conciliar faith,” “catholic teaching” of the Church. The truths of Scripture and Tradition harmoniously merging into one whole define the “conciliar consciousness” of the Church, guided by the Holy Spirit.

Holy Bible

The name Holy Scripture refers to books written by Sts. Prophets and apostles under the influence of the Holy Spirit and therefore called inspired. They are divided into the books of the Old and New Testaments.

The Church recognizes 38 books of the Old Testament; combining some of them into one book, following the example of the Old Testament Church, she reduces their number to 22 books, according to the number of letters of the Hebrew alphabet. These books, which were included in the Jewish canon at one time, are called “canonical.” They are joined by a group of “non-canonical” books, that is, those not included in the Jewish canon, written after the conclusion of the canon of Old Testament holy books. The Church also accepts these latest books as useful and edifying. She appointed them in ancient times for edifying reading not only in homes, but also in churches, which is why they were called “church.” The Church contains them in the same codex of the Bible with the canonical books. Some of them are so close in dignity to the inspired ones that, for example, in Apostolic Canon 85, the three books of Maccabees and the book of Jesus son of Sirach are listed along with the canonical books and it is said about all of them together that they are “honored and holy,” but this only says about the respect of the ancient Church for them, but the difference between them has always been preserved.

The Holy Scripture recognizes 27 New Testament canonical books. Since the holy books of the New Testament were written in different years of the apostolic time and were sent by the apostles to different points in Europe and Asia, and some of them did not have a specific destination in one or another geographical point, then collect them in one code, could not be an easy matter, and it was necessary to strictly take care that in their circle there were no so-called apocryphal books, mostly compiled in heretical circles. Therefore, the fathers and teachers of the Church in the first centuries of Christianity were especially careful when recognizing books, even if they bore the names of the apostles.

Often the Fathers of the Church included some books in their lists with reservations, with doubts, and therefore did not provide a complete list of sacred books. This exemplifies their caution in a holy cause; they did not rely on themselves, but waited for the common voice of the Church. The Carthage Local Council of 318 lists all the books of the New Testament without exception. St. Athanasius the Great without a doubt names all the books of the New Testament and in one of his works ends the list with the following words: “here are the number and name of the canonical books of the New Testament! These are, as it were, the beginnings, anchors and pillars of our faith, because they were written and transmitted by the apostles themselves Christ the Savior, who were with Him and were taught by Him." Also St. Cyril of Jerusalem lists the New Testament books without the slightest remark about any difference between them in the Church. The same complete enumeration is found in Western Church writers, for example. at Augustine's. Thus, by the conciliar voice of the entire Church, the complete canon of New Testament books of Holy Scripture was established.

Sacred Tradition

Sacred Tradition in the original precise sense of the word is a tradition coming from the ancient Church of the apostolic times: it was called in the 2nd and 3rd centuries. "Apostolic tradition."

It must be borne in mind that the ancient Church carefully protected from the uninitiated inner life The Church and its sacred sacraments were secrets protected from non-Christians. When they were performed - at baptism, at the Eucharist - no outsiders were present, their order was not written down, but was transmitted orally; and this secretly preserved contained the essential side of faith. St. Cyril of Jerusalem (4th century) presents this to us especially clearly. Giving lessons to persons who have not yet finally decided to become Christians, the saint prefaces the teachings with the following words: “When the catechumen teaching is pronounced, if the catechumen asks you what the teachers said, then do not retell anything to those standing outside. For this is the mystery and hope of the future age. Observe the secret of the Giver. Yes, someone will tell you something: what harm is it if I also find out? And the sick ask for wine, but if it is given untimely, it produces bad consequences: the patient dies, and the doctor is slandered." Then he adds: “... we conclude the entire teaching of faith in a few verses, which must be remembered word for word, repeating among each other, not writing it down on paper, but inscribing it in memory in the heart, being careful that none of the catechumens hear what was conveyed to you. .." And in the preconciliatory words he wrote down, to those approaching Baptism and to those present at the same time, he gives the following warning: “This catechumen, offering for reading to those approaching Baptism and the faithful who have already accepted it, do not give it to either the catechumens or others to anyone who has not already become a Christian, otherwise you will give an answer to the Lord. And if you write down this announcement, then add a warning to it.”

St. Basil the Great (4th century) gives a clear concept of the Holy Apostolic Tradition in the following words: “Of the dogmas and preachings observed in the Church, we have some in writing, and some we have received from the Apostolic Tradition, by succession in secret. Those and others have the same power for piety, and no one, even those with little knowledge of church institutions, will contradict this. For if we dare to reject unwritten customs as unimportant, then we will certainly damage the Gospel in the most important way, and we will leave the apostolic preaching without an empty name. content. For example, let us mention first of all the first and most general: so that those who trust in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ overshadowed by the image of the cross, who taught with Scripture? Or what Scripture taught us to turn to the East in prayer? Which saint left us the words of invocation in the breaking of the bread of the Eucharist and the Cup of Blessing in writing? For we are not content with those words that the Apostle and the Gospel mention, but before and after them we pronounce others as having great power for the sacraments, having received them from unwritten teaching. According to what Scripture do we bless the water of baptism, the anointing oil, and the person being baptized? Is it not according to an unspoken secret legend? What else? The very anointing with oil, which written word taught us? Where does the threefold immersion of a person and other things related to baptism come from, denying Satan and his angels, from what Scripture is it taken? Is it not from this unpromulgated and ineffable teaching, which our Fathers preserved in a silence inaccessible to curiosity and prying out, that they were thoroughly taught to guard the sanctity of the sacraments by silence? For what decency would it be to proclaim in writing the teaching of something that it is not permissible for those who have not been baptized to look upon?”

From these words of Basil the Great we deduce: firstly, that the Holy Doctrinal Tradition is something that can be traced back to the beginning of the Church, and secondly, that it is carefully preserved and unanimously recognized by the fathers and teachers of the Church, in the era of the great Fathers of the Church and the beginning of the Ecumenical Councils.

Although St. Vasily gives here a number of examples of oral Tradition, but here he himself takes a step towards recording this oral word. By the era of freedom and triumph of the Church in the 4th century, the entire tradition received a written record and is now preserved in the monuments of the Church, constituting an addition to the Holy Scriptures.

We find the sacred ancient Tradition: in the most ancient monument of the Church - “The Rules of the Holy Apostles;” in the creeds of the ancients local churches; in ancient Liturgies; in the most ancient acts concerning Christian martyrs. These acts of martyrdom did not come into use by believers until after their preliminary consideration and approval by the local bishop, and were read at public meetings of Christians, also under the supervision of the heads of churches. In them we see the confession of the Most Holy Trinity, the Divinity of the Lord Jesus Christ, examples of the calling of saints and faith in the conscious life of those reposed in Christ, etc.; in the ancient records of the history of the Church, especially in the history of Eusebius Pamphilus, where many ancient ritual and dogmatic traditions are collected, for example, about the canon of sacred books of the Old and New Testaments; in the works of the ancient fathers and teachers of the Church.

The Apostolic Tradition preserved and protected by the Church, by the very fact that it is preserved by the Church, becomes the Tradition of the Church itself, it belongs to it, is testified by it and, in parallel to the Holy Scripture, is called by it " Sacred Tradition."

The testimony of Holy Tradition is necessary to be sure that all the books of Holy Scripture have been handed down to us from apostolic times and come from the apostles. It is needed:

1. for the correct understanding of certain passages of Holy Scripture and for opposition to heretical reinterpretations of it;

2. to establish dogmas Christian faith due to the fact that some truths of faith are expressed quite definitely in Scripture, while others are not entirely clear and precise and therefore require confirmation by the Holy Apostolic Tradition.

3. In addition to all this, Holy Tradition is valuable because from it we see how the entire structure of the church system, canons of worship and rituals is rooted and based in the structure of life of the ancient Church.

Conciliar consciousness of the Orthodox Church

The Orthodox Church of Christ is the body of Christ, a spiritual organism whose Head is Christ. It has one spirit, one common faith, one and general, conciliar, catholic consciousness, guided by the Holy Spirit, but affirmed in its judgments on specific, definite foundations of the Holy Scriptures and the Holy Apostolic Tradition. This catholic consciousness is always inherent in the Church, but it is expressed in a more definite way at the ecumenical councils of the Church. From deep Christian antiquity, local councils of individual Orthodox churches were convened twice a year, according to the 37th canon of St. Apostles. Also, many times in the history of the Church there have been councils of regional bishops, broader in scope than individual churches, and, finally, councils of bishops of the entire Orthodox Church, East and West. The Church recognizes seven such councils – Ecumenical Councils.

The Ecumenical Councils precisely formulated and approved a number of fundamental truths of the Christian Orthodox faith, protecting the ancient teachings of the Church from the distortions of heretics. The Ecumenical Councils also formulated and obligated for universal uniform execution numerous laws and rules of general church and private Christian life, called church canons. Ecumenical councils finally approved the dogmatic definitions of a number of local councils, as well as dogmatic expositions compiled by some Church Fathers (for example, the confession of faith of St. Gregory the Wonderworker, Bishop of Neocaesarea, the rule of St. Basil the Great, etc.).

It must be remembered that the councils of the Church made their dogmatic definitions after a careful, exhaustive and complete consideration of all places of Holy Scripture relating to the question posed, testifying at the same time that the universal Church understood the given instructions of Holy Scripture in this way. Thus, the creeds of the councils express the harmony of Holy Scripture and the conciliar Tradition of the Church. For this reason, these definitions themselves became, in turn, a genuine, inviolable, authoritative basis on the data of Holy Scripture and the Apostolic Tradition, the universal and Sacred Tradition of the Church.

Of course, many truths of faith are so clear directly from Holy Scripture that they have not been subject to heretical reinterpretations and there are no special definitions of councils about them. Other truths were established by councils.

Among the dogmatic conciliar definitions, the ecumenical councils themselves recognize the Nicene-Ceregrad Council as paramount and fundamental. symbol of faith, forbidding anything to be changed in him, not only in his thoughts, but also in his words, to either add or subtract (decree of the 3rd Ecumenical Council, repeated by the 4th, 6th, and 7th Councils).

Definitions of faith of a number of local councils, as well as some statements of the faith of St. The Fathers of the Church, recognized as guiding for the entire Church, are listed in the second canon of the sixth ecumenical (Trula) council. They are given in the "Book of Rules of the Holy Apostle, Holy Ecumenical and Local Councils and the Holy Father."

Dogma and canon

In church terminology, it is customary to call the truths of Christian teaching, the truths of faith, dogmas, and canons - prescriptions related to the church system, to church administration, to the duties of the church hierarchy, clergy and the duties of every Christian, arising from the moral foundations of the Gospel and Apostolic teachings. Canon is a Greek word with a literal meaning: a straight pole, a measure of precise direction.

Mikhail Pomazansky, protopresbyter

Dogmatic theology. – Wedge:

Christian Life Foundation, 2001

Do you need to know dogma in order to believe in God? Sergei Khudiev reflects.

From time to time, new waves of disputes about the purity of the faith arise on the Orthodox Internet, and this is normal - people will always argue about what is important to them. But in these debates two errors constantly arise that I would like to draw attention to.

The Christian faith has two sides. There is dogmatic faith - adherence to certain religious statements and certain religious practices, and there is personal faith - adherence to a specific person, our Lord Jesus Christ. The relationship between these two sides of faith is worth considering in more detail.

“And I trust in You, Lord; I say: You are my God” (Ps. 30:15), says the psalmist, and all Scripture (especially the psalms) is full of this personal appeal. “Thou, O Lord my God,” is not just the God who created heaven and earth, not just the God of God’s people, but the God of this particular believer who calls on Him as his God, a God with whom he has a unique personal relationship.

The psalmist takes it for granted that God knows him personally, is aware of his personal troubles and sins, and, moreover, God takes a deep personal interest in his life and his actions. God accepts his praise, is angry at his sins, shows him the right path in life, and prepares for him - for him personally - eternal joy. “But I am always with You: You hold my right hand; You guide me with Your counsel and then You will receive me into glory” (Ps. 73:23, 24).

It is not so much faith in God as faith in God - trust in a person, similar to that which we might have in to a loved one; someone I know to a loved one, a close friend, someone about whom I am sure: I am dear to him, he will not abandon me, he will take care of my needs and will come to my aid in trouble. As they say in Orthodox Liturgy, “let us commit ourselves and each other, and our whole lives to Christ our God.”

This is not just trust in true words - it is trust in the Person who is the Truth. As he says, a Christian “believes that the One whom He serves with all his soul and with all his heart will not allow him to perish, but will save and justify him.” Christ does not just speak the truth - he is true, faithful, just as a friend can be faithful to a friend, a husband to his wife, a father to his child. And faith is such a personal trust in Christ, Who gave Himself for me, knows me and will not abandon me.

As the Apostle Paul says, “I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Gal. 2:20). Christ is not such as to abandon those who come to Him with faith and hope. The believer can rely on His promise “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears My word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life” (John 5:24). Christ knows each of His sheep by name (John 10:3), and has His shepherding care for each.

All this is perceived by many people, rather, positively, faith in Christ is, rather, good, but what does all this have to do with the Church, with its long services, with its strict dogmas? The attempt to contrast personal and dogmatic faith is quite common among non-church people, and we should explain why it is wrong.

Even the simplest manifestation of faith - prayer, presupposes a certain dogmatic content. Even the simplest and short prayer to Christ: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner” - contains a number of dogmatic provisions. Jesus is the Christ, that is, the Savior predicted by the Prophets; He is Lord - a title used in the biblical context only in relation to God; He is the Judge from whom we seek pardon, the One in whose hands our temporary and eternal fate is. If we try to pray in some other words, our prayer will be no less dogmatic - only the dogmas will be different.

It's good to say that all cards are equally good - as long as you don't plan to go anywhere. When you get ready to go, you will have to decide where to go and which map to consult. If for you Jesus Christ is just a historical character, it may not be very important to you who He is. But if you cry out to Him for salvation, place your hope in Him in the face of death, expect mercy from Him at the final Judgment - it is extremely important for you who He is and whether He can give you the eternal salvation that you are looking for.

In this case, dogma becomes extremely important; Let us consider, for example, the central one - Chalcedonian.

“Following the Holy Fathers, we are taught in agreement to confess one and the same Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, perfect in Divinity and perfect in humanity, truly God and truly man, the same from the rational soul and body, consubstantial with the Father in Divinity and the same consubstantial to us according to humanity, in everything like us, except for sin, born before the ages from the Father according to Divinity, and in last days for our sake and for the sake of our salvation, from Mary the Virgin Mary - according to humanity; One and the same Christ, Son, Lord, Only Begotten, in two natures, unmerged, unchangeable, inseparably, inseparably cognizable - so that the union does not in the least violate the difference between the two natures, but all the more the property of each nature is preserved and they are united into One Person and One Hypostasis; - not into two persons cut or divided, but one and the same Son and Only Begotten, God the Word, the Lord Jesus Christ, as in ancient times the prophets (taught) about Him and (as) the Lord Jesus Christ Himself taught us, and (as) that gave us the symbol of our fathers"

Its formulations may seem incomprehensible to an external person, and most importantly, it is not clear why they are necessary. But if Christ is your only consolation and only hope, then each of these formulations is absolutely necessary. For example, if Christ is not a perfect God, then He cannot be our Savior - Scripture does not suggest any other Savior than God, and it would be pointless for us to cry out to Him for mercy at the Judgment - the Judge is God and God alone.

Moreover, the very proclamation that “God is love,” the proclamation that the Apostles proclaim in the face of the Savior’s Sacrifice on the cross, is meaningful only in the light of their own proclamation that God was incarnate in Jesus Christ - in fact, if it were not so, then the Sacrifice of Christ would not be a sacrifice on the part of God. Just another good, righteous man died a painful death - where would God's love be in that?

If, on the other hand, Christ is not a perfect man, like us in everything except sin, He cannot be our Redeemer. Indeed, in order to redeem the fallen human race and become a Mediator between us and God, Christ must be one of us. Heresies that denied either the fullness of the Godhead or the fullness of the humanity of Christ denied our very salvation. That is why it was (and remains) so important for the Church to designate clear dogmatic boundaries, beyond which means a break with the Apostolic Faith. If such boundaries were not outlined as clearly as possible, our hope would be blurred and destroyed.

Deeply personal, heartfelt trust in Christ is fenced off by dogmas, just as wine is fenced off by the walls of a Chalice. (This example is given somewhere) A cup is not wine yet, but if you decide that the walls of the cup are something extra, you will immediately be left without wine.

Personal faith also presupposes participation in the liturgical life of the Church - because at the center of this life is the Sacrament established by Christ himself: “And taking bread and giving thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying: this is my body, which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me. Likewise the cup after supper, saying: This cup [is] New Testament in My blood, which is shed for you” (Luke 22:19,20).

The Lord Jesus directly connects the gift eternal life with participation in this Sacrament: “Jesus said to them: Verily, verily, I say unto you, unless ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day” (John 6:53, 54). Therefore, personal trust in Christ - when it exists - necessarily manifests itself in dogmatic faith, firm adherence to certain statements (primarily about the Person and deeds of the Savior) and participation in the life of the Church.

But the opposite error is also possible - a person can have a dogmatic faith, a strong commitment to correct formulations, without having a personal relationship with the Savior. Salvation in this case is perceived not as the result of a right relationship with a certain Person, but as a result of maintaining the right views and performing the right rituals. This shift may be quite subtle - views may be dogmatically impeccable, as well as rituals, but this carefully and lovingly preserved Cup may turn out to be empty.

Reading (both in our country and on the English-language Internet) stories of people who have fallen away from the faith, I noticed that, as a rule, what people lose is precisely dogmatic faith, a set of memorized theses that, in the absence of personal relationships, finally began to be presented and incomprehensible and unnecessary.

It also happens differently - a person is distinguished by his zealous, ardent adherence to the correct set of formulas, and at the same time, it is not Christ who is depicted in his appearance, but someone else. In the Gospel, Christ - and then the Apostles - are opposed, first of all, by deeply religious people, for whom life revolves around the Law (and indeed, the God-given law!) of the commandment on the Sabbath (and indeed, God’s commandment!), and who are terribly annoyed The One who encroaches on the most precious thing they have in life, that for which they live and for which they are ready to die. Keepers of Tradition - and indeed, of the divinely revealed Tradition! - they meet the God who gave them this Tradition, the God to Whom it should lead, and they reject Him.

The tragedy was that they took something God-given - the Law - and turned it into a means of resistance to God, took what should have led them to grace and used it to shield themselves from grace. They built a “fence around the law,” then a fence around the fence, then a front garden around the fence - to protect what was most precious, the Law. And when Christ comes and begins to break all this, returning the Law to its original meaning and purpose, they become furious.

And this situation is described in such detail in the Gospel not so that we would be horrified by the behavior of some strangers to us, who all died a long time ago. This is a situation that is repeated time after time in the history of the Church - and of individuals. Revealed dogmas are absolutely necessary (and it's true!), so let's build a fence around them.

But let us be zealous and diligent, let us build another fence around the fence. And then - who can forbid pious zeal! - also a front garden around the fence. And then we will proceed with pious hatred of each other because of different views on the proper arrangement of the front garden. And Christ here will rather be the one who interferes with our pious pursuits.

As always happens with delusions, this supports the opposite - looking at the extremely difficult to convert zealots of orthodoxy, external people begin to rhetorically ask what all this crowd has to do with Christ. Therefore, well, these dogmas are completely different.

But personal trust in Christ, repentance and faith cannot exist without dogmas. Here are dogmas without hope, repentance and faith - as much as you like.

Basic tenets:

1. Dogma of the Holy Trinity.

2. Dogma about the creation of the world.

3. Dogma of Angels.

4. Dogma of the Fall.

5. Dogma about the ever-virginity of the Most Holy Theotokos.

6. Dogma of the Incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ.

7. Dogma of the Redemption of mankind from sin.

8. Dogma of the Passion on the Cross and the death of our Lord Jesus Christ.

9. Dogma of the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.

10. Dogma of the Ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ.

11. Dogma about the Second Coming of the Savior and the Last Judgment.

12. Dogma of the procession of the Holy Spirit.

13. The dogma of one (one), holy, catholic Church and the continuity in it of the teachings and priesthood from the apostles.

14. Dogma about the sacraments of the Church.

15. Dogma about the general resurrection of people and the future life.

16. Dogma of the two natures of the Lord Jesus Christ (adopted at the IV Ecumenical Council in Chalcedon).

17. Dogma of two wills and actions in the Lord Jesus Christ (adopted at the VI Ecumenical Council in Constantinople).

18. Dogma on the veneration of icons (adopted at the VII Ecumenical Council in Nicaea).

19. The dogma of divine energy or Grace.

Structure of Dogmatic Theology:

1. Dogmas about God and His general relationship to the world and man

General properties of the being of God

God is incomprehensible and invisible. God revealed himself to people in creation and in the supernatural Revelation, which was preached by the only begotten Son of God through the Apostles. God is one in being and threefold in persons.

God is the Spirit, eternal, all-good, all-knowing, all-powerful, all-present, unchangeable, all-satisfied, all-blessed.

The nature of God is completely immaterial, not involved in the slightest complexity, simple.

God, as a Spirit, in addition to spiritual nature (substance), has mind and will.

God, as Spirit, is infinite in all respects, otherwise, all-perfect, He is original and independent, immeasurable and omnipresent, eternal and unchangeable, omnipotent and omnipotent, perfect and alien to any deficiency.

Particular properties of the being of God

Originality - everything that has, has from itself.

Independence - in being, in strength and in actions is determined by Himself.

Immeasurability and omnipresence - not subject to any limitation by space and place.

Eternity - He has neither beginning nor end of his existence.

Immutability - He always remains the same.

Omnipotence - He has unlimited power to produce everything and rule over everything.

Properties of God's Mind

The property of the mind of God in itself is omniscience, i.e. He knows everything and knows it most perfectly.

The property of God's mind in relation to his actions is the highest wisdom, i.e. the most perfect knowledge of the best ends and the best means, the most perfect art of applying the latter to the former.

Properties of God's Will

The properties of God's will in itself are extremely free and all-holy, i.e. pure from all sin.

The property of God's will in relation to all creatures is all-good, and in relation to rational creatures it is true and faithful, since it reveals itself to them as a moral law, as well as a just one, since it rewards them according to their deserts.

Unity of God in essence

God is one.

2. Dogmas about God, trinity in persons

There are essentially three Persons or Hypostases in the One God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

The three persons in God are equal and consubstantial.

The three persons are different in their personal properties: the Father is not begotten of anyone, the Son is begotten of the Father, the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father.

The hypostases are inseparable and unmerged; the birth of the Son never began, never ended, the Son was born from the Father, but was not separated from him, He abides in the Father; God the Holy Spirit eternally emanates from the Father.

3. Dogmas about God as Creator and Provider for the spiritual world

The spiritual world is made up of two kinds of spirits: good, called Angels, and evil, called demons.

Angels and demons were created by God.

Demons became evil from good spirits of their own free will with the connivance of God.

God, as a Provider, gave both Angels and demons nature, powers and abilities.

God assists the Angels in their good activities and controls them in accordance with the purpose of their existence.

God allowed the fall of demons and allows their evil activity, and limits it, directing it, if possible, to good goals.

Angels

By their nature, Angels are disembodied spirits, the most perfect of the human soul, but limited.

The angelic world is unusually great.

Angels glorify God, serve Him, serve people in this world, guiding them to the kingdom of God.

The Lord gives a special Guardian Angel to each of the believers.

Demons

The devil and his angels (demons) are personal and real beings.

Demons by their nature are ethereal spirits, the highest of the human soul, but limited.

Demons cannot use violence against any person unless God allows them.

The devil acts both as an enemy of God and as an enemy of man.

God is destroying the kingdom of demons on earth through the ceaseless expansion of His blessed kingdom.

God gave people Divine powers against demons (prayer, etc.).

God allows the activities of demons aimed at the destruction of humanity for the moral benefit of people and their salvation.

4. Dogmas about God as Creator and Provider to man

Man is created in the image and likeness of God.

God created man so that he would know God, love and glorify Him, and through this he would be eternally blissful.

God created the first people, Adam and Eve, in a special way, different from the creation of His other creatures.

The human race originated from Adam and Eve.

Man consists of an immaterial soul and a material body.

The soul, the highest and most excellent part of man, is an independent being, immaterial and simple, free, immortal.

The purpose of man is that he invariably remain faithful to the high covenant or union with God, to which the All-Good One called him at the very creation, so that he strives for his Prototype with all the forces of his rationally free soul, i.e. knew his Creator and glorified him, lived for Him and in moral unity with Him.

The fall of man was allowed by God.

Heaven was a place to live a happy and blissful life, both sensual and spiritual. Man in heaven was immortal. It is not true that Adam could not die, he could not die. Adam was to make and maintain heaven. To instruct the truth of faith, God honored some people with His revelations, appeared to them Himself, talked with them, and revealed His will to them.

God created man fully capable of achieving the goal He established, i.e. perfect, both in soul, mentally and morally, and perfect in body.
In order to exercise and strengthen moral powers in goodness, God commanded man not to eat fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

A person did not keep the commandments, then he lost his dignity.

All people came from Adam and his sin is the sin of all people.

God has given His grace to man from the very beginning.

The devil was hidden in the snake that seduced Adam and Eve. Eve was carried away by the dream of becoming equal to God, Adam fell due to addiction to his wife.

Death came to man from the envy of the devil towards God.

Consequences of a fall in the soul: dissolution of union with God, loss of grace, spiritual death, darkening of the mind, degradation of the will and its inclination towards evil rather than good, distortion of the image of God.

Consequences of a fall for the body: illness, sorrow, exhaustion, death.

Consequence for the external state of a person: loss or decrease in power over animals, loss of fertility of the earth.

The consequences of the fall extended to all of humanity. Original sin is universal.

After the fall of Adam and Eve, God did not stop thinking about man. He is the king of the whole earth, he rules over the peoples and watches over them. He places kings over the peoples, grants them Power and strength, and rules earthly kingdoms through kings. Supplies lower authorities through kings, supplies for the creation of happiness human societies His servants (Angels).

God provides for individual people and, in particular, for guides, protects us throughout our lives, assists us in our activities, and sets a limit for our earthly life and activities.
God provides in natural ways (preserves people and helps them) and supernaturally (miracles and actions of Divine economy).

5. Dogmas about God the Savior and His special relationship to the human race

God sent His Only Begotten Son into the vale of the earth, so that He, having received flesh from the Most Pure Virgin through the action of the Holy Spirit, would redeem man and bring him into His kingdom in much greater glory than what he had in paradise.

God is our Savior in general, since all the Persons of the Most Holy Trinity participated in the work of our salvation.

Our Lord Jesus Christ is the Author and Finisher of our faith and salvation.

In the Person of Jesus Christ, each of His natures transfers its properties to another, and precisely, what is characteristic of Him in humanity is assimilated to Him as God, and what is characteristic of Him in Divinity is assimilated to Him as a man.

The Most Holy Virgin Mary, Mother of the Lord Jesus, not according to His Divinity, but according to humanity, which, however, from the very moment of His incarnation, became inseparably and hypostatically united in Him with His Divinity, and became His own Divine Person.

In Jesus Christ not the entire Holy Trinity was incarnated, but only one Son of God, the second Person of the Holy Trinity.

The attitude of the second Person of the Most Holy Trinity did not change in the least through His incarnation, and after the incarnation, God the Word remains the same Son of God as He was before. The Son of God the Father is natural, not adopted.

Jesus Christ was anointed as high priest, king and prophet for the threefold ministry of the human race, through which he accomplished his salvation.

6. Dogmas about Christ the Savior

The One Lord Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God, for the sake of man and the human race of salvation, came down from heaven and was incarnated by the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary and became man.
Jesus Christ, perfect in Godhead and perfect in humanity; truly God and truly man; also from soul and body; consubstantial with the Father in Divinity and consubstantial with people in humanity; in every way similar to people, except for sin; born before the age from the Father according to Divinity, in the last days born for our sake and for the sake of our salvation from Mary the Virgin Mother of God, according to humanity; The Only Begotten, in two natures unfused, unchangeable, inseparably, inseparably cognizable; not into two persons, cut or divided, but one Son and the Only Begotten God the Word.

How the two natures in Jesus Christ, Divine and human, despite all their differences, were united into one Hypostasis; how He, being perfect God and perfect man, is but one Person; this, according to the Word of God, is the great mystery of piety, and, therefore, inaccessible to our mind. The Lord performed prophetic ministry directly, having assumed the office of a public Teacher, and through His disciples. The teaching consists of the law of faith and the law of activity and is entirely aimed at the salvation of humanity.

The law of faith is about God, the highest and most perfect Spirit, one in essence, but threefold in Persons, original, omnipresent, all-good, omnipotent, Creator and Provider of the universe, Who fatherly cares for all His creatures, especially for the human race.

About Himself as the Only Begotten Son of God, who came into the world to reconcile and reunite man with God.

About His saving suffering, death and resurrection; about fallen, damaged man and about the means by which he can rise and assimilate salvation for himself, become sanctified, reunite with God through his redeemer and achieve an eternally blissful life beyond the grave.

Christ expressed the law of activity in two main commandments: the eradication in us of the very beginning of all sin - pride or self-love, cleansing from all filth of the flesh and spirit; love for God and neighbors with the goal of rooting in us, instead of the previous sinful one, the seed of a new life, holy and pleasing to God, to bring into us a union of moral perfection.

In order to excite people to accept and fulfill the laws of faith and activity, the Lord Jesus pointed to the greatest disasters and eternal torment, which all sinners will inevitably undergo if they do not follow His teachings, but also to the greatest and eternal blessings that the Heavenly Father has prepared, also for the sake of His merits beloved Son, for all the righteous who follow His teaching.

Jesus Christ gave the law for all people and for all times.

Jesus Christ taught the law that is saving and therefore necessary for achieving eternal life.

As a prophet, Christ the Savior only announced to us about salvation, but had not yet accomplished salvation itself: he enlightened our minds with the light of true knowledge of God, testified about himself that he is the true Messiah, explained how he would save us, and showed us the direct the path to eternal life.

The high priestly ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ was the work through which eternal life was earned for us.

He did this, following the custom of the Old Testament high priests, offering Himself as a propitiatory sacrifice for the sins of the world, and thus reconciled us with God, delivered us from sin and its consequences, and acquired eternal blessings for us.

Christ the Savior, in order to satisfy the eternal Truth for all these human sins, deigned, in return for them, to fulfill God’s will for people in its entirety and breadth, to show in himself the most perfect example of obedience to it and to humble and abase Himself for our sake to the last degree.

Christ, the God-man, in order to save people from all these disasters and suffering, deigned to take upon Himself all the wrath of God, to endure for us everything that we deserved for our iniquities.

The high priestly ministry of Jesus Christ embraces His entire earthly life. He constantly bore His cross of self-sacrifice, obedience, suffering and sorrow.

The death of Jesus Christ is the atoning sacrifice for us. He paid with His blood the debt to the Truth of God for our sins, which we ourselves were not able to pay, and He himself was not in debt to God. This replacement was the will and consent of God, because The Son of God came to earth to do not His own will, but the will of the Father who sent Him.

The sacrifice made for us by Christ the Savior on the cross is a comprehensive sacrifice. It extends to all people, to all sins and to all times. By His death He earned for us the kingdom, not the Royal ministry of the Lord Jesus is that He, having the power of a King, as proof of the divinity of His gospel, performed a number of signs and wonders - without which people could not believe in Him; and, in addition, to destroy the realm of the devil - hell, to truly defeat death and open for us the entrance to the kingdom of heaven.

In His miracles He demonstrated power over all nature: He transformed water into wine, walked on waters, tamed the storm of the sea with one word, healed all kinds of diseases with one word or touch, gave sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, tongue to the dumb.

He demonstrated his power over the forces of hell. With one command He cast out unclean spirits from people; the demons themselves, learning about His power, trembled at His power.

Jesus Christ defeated and destroyed hell when by His death He abolished the ruler of the power of death - the devil; He descended into hell with His soul, like God, to preach salvation to the captives of hell, and brought from there all the Old Testament righteous people to the bright abodes of the Heavenly Father.

Jesus Christ conquered death by His resurrection. As a result of the resurrection of Christ, we will all one day be resurrected, since through faith in Christ and through communion with His holy sacraments we become partakers of Him.

After the liberation of the Old Testament righteous from hell, Jesus Christ solemnly ascended to heaven with the human nature He assumed and, thus, opened for all people free entry into the kingdom of heaven.

7. Dogmas of Sanctification

In order for every person to become a partaker of salvation, a person’s sanctification is necessary, i.e. the actual assimilation by each of us of the merits of Christ, or such a thing in which the all-holy God, under certain conditions on our part, really cleanses us from sins, justifies us and makes us sanctified and holy.

All Persons of the Holy Trinity participate in the work of our sanctification: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The Father appears to be the source of our sanctification. The Holy Spirit appears to be the accomplisher of our sanctification. The Son appears to be the author of our sanctification.

The grace of God, i.e. the saving power of God is communicated to us for the sake of the merits of our Redeemer and accomplishes our sanctification.

Particular types of grace: external, acting through the Word of God, the Gospel, miracles, etc.; internal, acting directly in a person, destroying sins in him, enlightening the mind, directing his will to good; transitory, producing private impressions and contributing to private good deeds; a constant that constantly dwells in a person’s soul and makes him righteous; preceding, preceding good deed; accompanying, which accompanies good deeds; sufficient gives a person sufficient strength and convenience to act; effective, accompanied by human action that bears fruit.

God foresaw that some people would make good use of their free will, and others evil: therefore, he predestined some to glory, and condemned others.

The prevenient grace of God, like a light illuminating those who walk in darkness, guides everyone. Therefore, those who wish to freely submit to her and fulfill her commands, which are necessary for salvation, therefore receive special grace. Those who do not want to obey and follow grace, and therefore do not keep the commandments of God, but, following the suggestions of Satan, abuse their freedom given to them by God so that they arbitrarily do good, are subject to eternal condemnation.

The grace of God extends to all people, and not only to those predestined to righteous life; God's predestination of some to eternal bliss, others to eternal damnation, is not unconditional, but conditional, and is based on the foreknowledge of whether they will or will not use grace; God's grace does not restrict human freedom and does not act irresistibly on us; man actively participates in what the grace of God accomplishes in him and through him.

8. Dogmas about the Holy Church

The Church of Christ is called either the society of all rationally free beings, i.e. angels and people who believe in Christ the Savior and are united in Him as their single head; or a society of people who believed and believe in Christ, whenever they lived and wherever they are now; either only the New Testament and militant Church or the grateful Kingdom of Christ.

The Lord Jesus wanted people to accept new faith, they did not support it separately from each other, but for this purpose they formed a certain community of believers.

Christ laid the beginning and foundation for His Church by choosing His first twelve disciples, who formed His first Church. He also established an order of teachers who would spread His faith among the nations; established the Sacraments of baptism, Eucharist and repentance.

Christ founded or established His Church only on the cross, where He acquired it with His blood. For only on the cross did the Lord redeem us and reunite us with God, only after suffering on the cross did He enter into the glory of God and could send down the Holy Spirit to His disciples.

Endowed with power from above, the holy Apostles from among those who believe in different places they tried to form societies that were called churches; commanded these believers to have meetings to hear the word of God and offer prayers; exhorted them that they all formed one body of the Lord Jesus; they were commanded not to leave their meeting under fear of excommunication from the Church.

All people are called to be members of the Church, but not all are actually members. Only those who are baptized belong to the Church. Those who have sinned but profess the pure faith of Christ also belong to the church, so long as they do not become apostates. Apostates, heretics, renegades (or schismatics) are cut off as dead members by the invisible action of God's judgment.

The purpose of the Church, for which the Lord founded it, is the sanctification of sinners, and then reunification with God. To achieve this goal, the Lord Jesus gave His Church Divine teaching and established the order of teachers; He established holy sacraments and sacred rites in general in His Church, and established spiritual administration and rulers in His Church. the church is obliged to preserve the precious deposit of the saving doctrine of faith and to spread this teaching among the nations; preserve and use the Divine sacraments and sacred rites in general for the benefit of people; preserve the governance established by God in it and use it in accordance with the intention of the Lord.

The church is divided into flock and hierarchy. The flock consists of all believers in the Lord Jesus, while the hierarchy, or hierarchy, is a special God-established class of people whom the Lord has authorized alone to manage the means that He has given to the Church for its purpose.

The three degrees of the Divinely established hierarchy are bishops, priests and deacons. The bishop in his diocese is the locum tenens of Christ and, therefore, main boss over the entire hierarchy subordinate to him and over the entire flock. He is the main teacher for both ordinary believers and pastors. The bishop is the first celebrant of the holy sacraments in his private church. He alone has the right to ordain a priest on the basis of the word of God, the rules of the holy Apostles and holy Councils. The priest has the power to perform the sacraments and generally sacred rites, except those belonging to the bishop. He is subject to the constant supervision, authority and judgment of his archpastor. Deacons are the eye and ear of the bishop and priest.

Twice a year, a council of bishops, private or local, should meet to discuss the dogmas of piety and resolve church disagreements that occur.

The concentration of spiritual power for the universal Church is in the Ecumenical Councils.

The true Head of the Church is Jesus Christ, who holds the helm of the rule of the Church and revives it with the one and saving grace of the Holy Spirit.

The Church is one, holy, catholic and saving. It is united in its beginning and foundation, in its structure, external (division into shepherds and flocks), internal (the union of all believers in Jesus Christ as the true Head of the Church); according to your goal. It is holy in its origin and foundation; according to its purpose, according to its structure (its Head is the All-Holy Lord Jesus; the Holy Spirit dwells in it with all the grace-filled gifts that sanctify us; and a number of others). It is conciliar, otherwise catholic or universal in space (intended to embrace all people, no matter where they live on earth); in time (intended to lead to faith in Christ and exist until the end of time); according to its structure (the teaching of the Church can be accepted by all people, educated and uneducated, without being connected with the civil structure and, therefore, with any specific place and time). It is apostolic in origin (since the Apostles were the first to accept the power to spread the Christian faith and founded many private churches); according to its structure (the Church originates from the Apostles themselves through the continuous succession of bishops, borrows its teaching from the writings and traditions of the apostles, rules the believers according to the rules of the holy apostles).

Outside the Church there is no salvation for a person, since faith in Jesus Christ is necessary. who reconciled us with God, and faith remains intact only in His Church; participation in the holy sacraments, which are performed only in the Church; a good, pious life, cleansing from sins, which is possible only under the leadership of the Church.

9. Dogmas about the Sacraments of the Church

A sacrament is a sacred action that, under a visible image, imparts to the soul of the believer the invisible grace of God.

The essential accessories of each sacrament are considered to be the Divine institution of the sacrament, some visible or sensory image, and the communication of invisible grace to the soul of the believer by the sacrament.

There are seven sacraments in total: baptism, confirmation, communion, repentance, priesthood. marriage, unction. In baptism a person is mysteriously born into spiritual life; in anointing he receives restoring and strengthening grace; in communion he is nourished spiritually; in repentance one is cured of spiritual illnesses, i.e. from sins; in the priesthood he receives the grace to spiritually regenerate and educate others through teaching and sacraments; in marriage he receives grace that sanctifies marriage and the natural birth and upbringing of children; in the consecration of oil, one is healed from bodily diseases through healing from spiritual diseases.

10. Dogmas about the Sacrament of Priesthood

So that people could become shepherds of Christ's Church and receive the power to perform the sacraments, the Lord instituted another special sacrament - the sacrament of the priesthood.

Priesthood is such a sacred act in which, through the prayerful laying on of the hands of the bishops on the head of the chosen person, he is brought down to that person God's grace, sanctifying and placing him at a certain level of the church hierarchy, and then assisting him in carrying out hierarchical duties.

11. Dogmas about God as Judge and Rewarder

God accomplishes the great work of sanctifying people or assimilating the merits of Christ in no other way than with the free participation of the people themselves, under the conditions of their faith and good deeds. For the accomplishment of this work, God has appointed a limit: for private individuals it continues until the end of their earthly life, and for the entire human race it will continue until the very end of the world. At the end of both periods, God is and has to appear as the Judge and Rewarder for every person and all of humanity. He demands and will demand from people an account of how they used the means given for their sanctification and salvation, and will reward everyone according to their deserts.

The entire Holy Trinity participates in the matter of judging us and rewarding us.

The death of a person is an essential circumstance preceding this trial.

Death is the separation of the soul from the body, the cause of death lies in its fall into sin, death is the common destiny of the entire human race, death is the limit by which the time of exploits ends and the time of retribution begins.

The souls of the dead are blissful or tormented, depending on their deeds. However, neither this bliss nor this torment is perfect. They receive them perfect after the general resurrection.

Retribution to the righteous by the will of the heavenly Judge has two types: their glorification in heaven and their glorification on earth - in the militant Church.

The glorification of the righteous, after their death, on earth is expressed by the fact that the earthly Church honors them as saints and friends of God and calls them in prayers as intercessors before God; honors their very relics and other remains, as well as their sacred images or icons.

Sinners go with their souls to hell - a place of sadness and sorrow. Full and final reward for sinners will be at the end of this age.

Sinners who repented before death, but did not have time to bear fruits worthy of repentance (prayer, contrition, consolation of the poor and expression of love for God in their actions), still have the opportunity to receive relief from suffering and even complete liberation from the bonds of hell. But they can only be received by the goodness of God, through the prayers of the Church and charity.

12. Dogmas about the General Court

The day will come, the last day for the entire human race, the day of the end of the age and the world, the day established by God, who wants to carry out a general and decisive judgment - the day of judgment.

On this day Jesus Christ will appear in His glory to judge the living and the dead. The Lord did not reveal to us when this great day would come, for our own moral benefit.

Signs of the coming of the Great Judgment: extraordinary successes of good on earth, the spread of the Gospel of Christ throughout the world; extraordinary successes of evil and the appearance on earth of the Antichrist, an instrument of the devil.

On the day of general judgment, the Lord will come from heaven - the Judge of the living and the dead, Who will abolish the Antichrist by the appearance of His coming; at the voice of the Lord the dead will rise for judgment and the living will be changed; the very judgment of both will take place; the end of the world and the gracious kingdom of Christ will follow.

At the conclusion of the general judgment, the righteous Judge will pronounce His final verdict on both the righteous and sinners. This retribution will be complete, perfect, decisive.

Retribution for both the righteous and sinners will be proportionate to their good deeds and their sins and extends from different degrees of eternal bliss to different degrees of eternal torment.

Presentation of dogmas based on the book: “Guide to the study of Christian, Orthodox dogmatic theology”, M.A.L., M., Synodal Printing House, 1913. - 368 + VIII p. According to the definition of the Holy Governing Synod. Reprint edition of the Center for the Study, Protection and Restoration of the Heritage of Priest Pavel Florensky, St. Petersburg, 1997.

Father! Sanctify them with Your truth; Your word is truth.
(John 17:17)

Origin of dogmas

In apostolic times, the word “dogma” generally meant all Christian teaching - dogmatic and moral, but with the development of theological thought this term began to be understood more specifically.

In the 4th century, Saint Cyril of Jerusalem writes “Catechetical Teachings,” where he reveals the truths of the Creed, as well as the teaching about the main church sacraments. At the same time, Saint Gregory of Nyssa created the “Great Catechetical Word” - an important experience in systemic dogmatic presentation.

In the 5th century, Blessed Theodoret of Cyrus writes “Abridgement (abbreviated presentation) of Divine Dogmas.”

In the West, around the same time, St. Augustine compiles a "Manual for Lawrence", reminiscent of a catechism.

But, undoubtedly, the best work of the 1st millennium, where the Christian doctrine is deeply and accurately revealed, is deservedly considered the treatise of St. John of Damascus, “The Source of Knowledge,” and specifically, the third part of this book, “An Accurate Exposition of the Orthodox Faith.”

Since the 4th century, the Eastern Fathers of the Church began to call “dogmas” not all the truths contained in Revelation, but only those related to the field of faith. Thus, Saint Gregory of Nyssa divides the content of his teaching into “the moral part and the exact dogmas.”

The Greek word “dogma” with an emphasis on the first syllable, feminine gender, entered the Russian language and in common parlance has a negative connotation of something frozen and lifeless (just like the word “dogmatic”).

The masculine word “dogma” with an emphasis on the second syllable goes back to Slavic liturgical texts:

“Like the royal adornment of the Church, let us all praise Vasily, the treasure of dogmas is infinite”; “Today the Church celebrates the honorable triumph of the three teachers, for they established the Church with their divine dogmas.”

Dogma is a Greek word; it means an immutable truth, accepted on faith and universally binding for Christians (from the Greek dogma - “law”, “rule”, “decree”).

Over time, in the dogmatic systems of the East and West, this word began to designate, as a rule, only those doctrinal truths that were discussed at the Ecumenical Councils and received conciliar definitions or formulations.

Dogmas are decisions of Ecumenical Councils on various issues of faith. Dogmas, for the most part, are called definitions because they draw the line between truth and error, between sickness and health. They are the property of the entire Church as developed by its collective mind.

Dogmatic definitions express revealed truth and determine the life of the Church. Consequently, on the one hand, they are an expression of Revelation, and on the other hand, they serve as a healing means leading a person to communication with God, to the goal of our existence.

Dogmas are divinely revealed truths containing the teaching about God and His Economy, which the Church defines and professes as unchangeable and indisputable provisions of the Orthodox faith. Characteristics dogmas are their doctrine, revelation of God, churchliness and universal obligatory nature.

Church Experience

The experience of the Church is broader and fuller than dogmatic definitions. Only the most necessary and essential for salvation is dogmatized. There is still a lot of mystery and undiscovered in Holy Scripture. This determines the existence of theological opinions. We meet them in the works of the Church Fathers and in theological writings. Theological opinion must contain a truth that is at least consistent with Revelation.

Theological opinion is not a general church teaching, like dogma, but is the personal judgment of a particular theologian.

Christianity is not limited to moral teaching. The Gospel is not one of a collection of moralistic injunctions. Morality, even the highest, in itself does not provide the strength to fulfill its requirements. Only with the assistance of grace Christ's man can become a truly moral person who does good “purely” “...Without Me you can do nothing,” says the Savior (John 15:5).

The dogmatic definitions of the Orthodox Church were adopted at the Seven Ecumenical Councils, are reflected in the Nicene-Constantinople Creed and have immutable authority.

Dogmas are now understood as doctrinal truths that were discussed and approved at the Ecumenical Councils.

The dogmatic conciliar definitions of Orthodoxy are designated by the Greek word “oros” (oros). IN literally it means "limit", "border".

Using dogmas, the Church determines the human mind in the true knowledge of God and limits it from possible errors.

The presence of a strict and distinct religious consciousness is a characteristic feature and advantage of Orthodoxy. This feature of church teaching dates back to the times of the apostolic preaching. It was the apostles who first used the word “dogma” in the meaning of a doctrinal definition. “As they passed through the cities, they conveyed to the faithful to observe the definitions (Greek - ta dogmata) established by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem,” testifies St. Evangelist Luke (Acts 16:4). The Apostle Paul in his letters to the Colossians (Col. 2:14) and Ephesians (Eph. 2:15) uses the word “dogma” in the meaning of Christian teaching in its entirety.

Acceptance of dogmas does not mean the introduction of new truths. Dogmas always reveal the original, unified and integral teaching of the Church in relation to new issues and circumstances.

Orthodox dogmas

According to St. Maximus the Confessor The Divine dogmas of Orthodoxy can be reduced to two main ones. “The limit of Orthodoxy is the pure knowledge of two dogmas of faith, the Trinity and the Two,” points out St. Gregory Sinait. The veneration of the unmerged and indivisible Holy Trinity, the one God in three Persons, in Whom the Mind is the Father, the Word is the Son, the Holy Spirit is the Spirit, as the Holy Fathers generally teach, is the anchor of Christian hope. The veneration of the Trinity is necessarily associated with the veneration of the Two, that is, the confession of the Son God's Jesus Christ in one Person, two natures and wills, divine and human, unmerged and inseparably united.

“The word spoken about this in the Gospel can be understood this way,” teaches St. Gregory Sinait. “This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God in three hypostases, and Jesus Christ, whom You sent, in two natures and desires (John 17:3).”

Since the subject of dogmatics is the eternal dogmatic truths of Holy Revelation, testifying about God in Himself and about God in His relation to the world and man, it is accordingly divided into two parts, each of which has its own subsections.

The first part examines God in Himself, the second - in His relation to the world and man. According to this, the first part includes dogmas about the existence of God, about the quality and degree of knowledge of God, about God’s being and His properties, about the unity of God’s being and about the Holy Trinity.

The second part consists of dogmas about God as the Creator of the world, about God as a Provider, about God as a Savior, about God as a Sanctifier and about God as a Judge.

The main tenets of Orthodoxy are as follows:

• Dogma of the Holy Trinity
• Dogma of the Fall
• Dogma of the Redemption of Mankind from Sin
• Dogma of the Incarnation of Our Lord Jesus Christ
• Dogma of the Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ
• Dogma of the Ascension of Our Lord Jesus Christ
• Dogma of the Second Coming of the Savior and the Last Judgment
• Dogma on the unity, conciliarity of the Church and the continuity of teaching and priesthood in it
• Dogma about the general resurrection of people and the future life
• Dogma of the two natures of the Lord Jesus Christ. Adopted at the IV Ecumenical Council in Chalcedon
• The dogma of two wills and actions in the Lord Jesus Christ. Adopted at the VI Ecumenical Council in Constantinople
• Dogma on icon veneration. Adopted at the VII Ecumenical Council in Nicaea

The attitude of the human mind to dogmas as the eternal truths of Christ is determined by the attitude of the Lord Jesus Himself to the human mind in its sinful essence.

Based on the experience of the Church and patristic teaching, we can say that the dogmas underlying Christian morality represent the only correct criterion for assessing the actions and behavior of a reasonable and free person

What does the Lord Jesus Christ generally require from every person as a condition for following Him?

Only one thing: denying yourself and taking up your cross. “If anyone wants to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me” (Matthew 16:24; cf. Mark 8:34; Luke 14:26–27; John 12:24 –26).

To deny oneself means to renounce one’s sinful personality, one’s self. A person achieves this if, through the personal feat of faith in Christ, he crucifies sin and everything sinful within himself and around him; if he dies to sin and death in order to come to life for our sinless and immortal Lord Jesus Christ (see: Col. 3, 3-8; Rom. 6, 6. 10-13; Gal. 2, 19; 6, 14).
Bibliography

• Conversation with the priest. Vadim Leonov “The importance of the dogmas of faith does not decrease from century to century” Pravoslavie.Ru
• Dogmas of Orthodox Theology Almanac East Issue: N 10(22), October 2004
• Dogmatics of the Orthodox Church http://trsobor.ru/listok.php?id=339
• Pravoslavie.ru
• Guide to the study of Christian, Orthodox-dogmatic theology St. Petersburg, 1997
• Service to the Three Saints: Festive Menaion. M., 1970, p. 295-296
• St. John of Damascus. An accurate exposition of the Orthodox faith. M., 1992
• Priest Alexander Shargunov. Dogma in Christian life. Trinity-Sergius Lavra. Zagorsk. 1981–1982

Alexander A. Sokolovsky

Dogmata are what are called “axioms” in science. In Christianity, dogmas are doctrinal truths discussed and adopted at Ecumenical Councils. They are given in response to heresies to reveal and clarify the faith of the Church.

Dogmas are divinely revealed truths containing the teaching about God and His Economy, which the Church defines and professes as unchangeable and indisputable provisions of the Orthodox faith. The characteristic features of dogmas are their doctrinal nature, divine revelation, churchliness and universal obligatory nature.

Doctrine means that the content of dogmatic truths is the doctrine of God and His economy. Divine revelation characterizes dogmas as truths revealed by God Himself. The ecclesiastical nature of dogmas indicates that only the Ecumenical Church at its Councils gives dogmatic authority and significance to the Christian truths of the faith. General obligation. The dogmas reveal the essence of Christian faith and hope.

It is believed that dogmas are not subject to change and clarification, not only in content, but also in form.

Yanaras H., says: “What we call dogma today arises only at the moment when the truth of the Church is endangered by heresy. The word “heresy” means a choice, a preference for any one part of the truth to the detriment of the whole, to the detriment of the truth... The heretic elevates one of the facets of the integral experience of the Church to the absolute, thus inevitably turning it into something one-sided and limited.”

The Church responds to the heretical threat by establishing the limits of truth, that is, defining the boundaries of living religious experience. To combat heresies and establish religious principles that all Christians must recognize (dogmas), from the 4th century. n. e. Ecumenical councils are convened in the Christian Church. In Christianity, a council is a council of bishops representing individual churches, convened to decide the most important issues religious life. The Council, where the bishops of all existing churches are present, is called Ecumenical.

It is significant that the first name of the dogma was the Greek word horos - limit, boundary (Latin terminus). Today's dogmas are the “limits” established by the Ecumenical Councils; these are abstract positions in which the Church expresses its experience of faith, indicating the boundaries separating the truth from its heretical distortions.”

Basic tenets of Christianity

The main provisions of the Christian church - dogmas - are defined in the 12 members of the Creed. Among them, the most important dogmas are: dogma about the essence of God, about the trinity of God, about the incarnation, redemption, ascension, resurrection, etc.

First Ecumenical Council(Nicaea, 325) was convened to discuss the views of the Alexandrian presbyter (elder) Arius, who taught that God the Son is not consubstantial with God the Father, and to create dogmas (fundamental tenets of doctrine) obligatory for confession by all who consider themselves a Christian. The teachings of Arius were condemned, he himself was declared a heretic and excommunicated from the church. The Council dogmatically established that God is the unity of three hypostases (persons), in which the Son, eternally born from the Father, is consubstantial with him.

At the Second Ecumenical Council - Constantinople (Constantinople, 381) - was compiled single “Creed”- a confession that contains all the main tenets of Christianity and consisting of twelve members(its first five members were approved at the Council of Nicaea, and in the final version the “Creed” was called Nicene-Constantinopolitan).

The “Creed” reads: “We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, the creator of heaven and earth, of everything visible and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all ages, light from light. from the true God, the true God, begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father, through whom all things came into being, for the sake of us men, and for the sake of our salvation, who came down from heaven and became incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary and became man, crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, who suffered, and was buried, and rose again on the third day according to the scriptures, and ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of the Father, and will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, whose kingdom will have no end. And in the Holy Spirit, the life-giving Lord, who proceeds from the Father, worshiped and glorified with the Father and the Son, who spoke through the prophets. Into the one, holy, catholic and apostolic church. We confess single baptism for the remission of sins. Tea of ​​the Resurrection of the Dead and the life of the next century. Amen".

The council also condemned numerous heretical teachings that interpreted the Divine essence differently, for example, the Eunomians, who denied the divinity of Christ and considered him only the highest of the beings created by God.

There were seven Ecumenical Councils in total. The Seventh Ecumenical Council (Second Nicaea) took place in 787. At it, decisions were made that were supposed to put an end to iconoclasm, which provoked discord in the church.

The enumeration of 12 paragraphs of the “Creed” is the main prayer in Orthodoxy: “I believe in one God the Father, Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, visible to all and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the only Begotten, who was born of the Father before all ages...”

Let's look at the basic creeds mentioned in this prayer. Orthodox Christians believe in God as creator of the world(the first hypostasis of the Holy Trinity), in Son of God - Jesus Christ(the second hypostasis of the Holy Trinity), who is incarnate, i.e., while remaining God, at the same time he became a man, born of the Virgin Mary. Christians believe that through his suffering and death, Jesus Christ atoned for human sins (primarily Original Sin) and rose again. After the resurrection, Christ ascended to heaven in the unity of body and spirit, and in the future Christians await His second coming, at which He will judge the living and the dead and His Kingdom will be established. Christians also believe in Holy Spirit(third hypostasis Divine Trinity), which comes from God the Father. The Church in Orthodoxy is considered a mediator between God and man, and therefore has saving power. At the end of time, after the second coming of Christ, believers wait resurrection all the dead to eternal life.

The Trinity is one of the main tenets of Christianity. The essence of the concept of the Trinity is that God is one in essence, But exists in three forms: God the Father, God the Son and the Holy Spirit. The term appeared at the end of the 2nd century AD, the doctrine of the Trinity was developed in the 3rd century AD. and immediately caused a heated, lengthy debate in the Christian church. Disputes about the essence of the Trinity led to many interpretations and served as one of the reasons for the division of churches.