GEORGE DRAGAS

ORTHODOX ECCLESIOLOGY IN OUTLINE

The Church and the Churches
Western Christians often speak of the Orthodox Churches, rather than
the Orthodox Church. From the Orthodox perspective, the Church is
one, even though she is manifested in many places. Orthodox ecclesiology operates with a plurality in unity and a unity in plurality. For
Orthodoxy there is no 'either/or* between the one and the many. No at
tempt is made, or should be made, to subordinate the many to the one
(the Roman Catholic model), nor the one to the many (the Protestant
model). It is both canonically and theologically correct to speak of the
Church and the churches, and vice versa. This is impossible for Roman
Catholic ecclesiology because of the double papal claim for universal
jurisdiction and infallibility. The same must be said of the Protestant ecclesiologies, which connect the notion of the Church with denominationalism, and which make a distinction between the one and the many in
terms of the invisible and the visible Church. From an Orthodox perspec
tive, the Church is both catholic and local, invisible and visible, one and
many. To explain what lies behind this Orthodox ecclesiological unity in
multiplicity, one has to deal with the Orthodox understanding of the
nature of the Church.
The Church of the Triune God
The nature of the Church is to be understood as the Church of the
Triune God. The Holy Trinity is the ultimate basis and source of the
Church's existence and, as such, the Church is in the image and likeness
of God. This being in the image and likeness of the blessed Trinity consitutes the mode of the Church's existence, which, in fact, reveals her
nature. Being in God, the Church reflects on earth God's unity in Trinity.
What is natural to God is given to the Church by grace.
The grace of the Trinity is the starting point for understanding the
nature of the Church, and especially her unity in multiplicity, as the Holy
Trinity shares one life and one being. The three distinct and unique per
sons are one in life and in nature. Similarly, the Church exhibits a
parallel multiplicity of persons in unity of life and being. The difference
between God and the Church is that, in the former, multiplicity in unity
is the truth, whereas in the latter, this is only a participation in the truth.
In patristic language the former is , while the latter is .
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The unity of the three divine persons in life and being is, therefore, the
prototype of the unity of the Church's persons in life and in being. As
Christ himself says in His prayer for the Church: "even as Thou O Father
are in me and me in Thee, so they may be one, that the world may believe
that Thou has sent me." The mark of unity is collegiality and love, and
not subordination. Orthodox Triadology, based on the grace of the
Trinity, supplies the basic ontological categories for Orthodox ecclesiology. The Church is an eikon of the Holy Trinity, a participation in
the grace of God.
The Church of Christ
How does the Church participate in God's mystery and grace? How is
achieved? How does the Church become an eikon of the
Holy Trinity? The answer, in its fullest form, is contained in the phrase
"in and through Christ." Christ has established the bond between the im
age of the triune God, and that which is made after the image, namely,
the Church, mankind. In Christ we have both the and the
9 . Hence, we must say that the Church is the Church of the
triune God as the Church of Christ. The link between the Holy Trinity
and Christology, that is, between theology and economy, demands a
similar link in ecclesiology. The Church is in the image of the triune God,
and participates in the grace of the Trinity inasmuch as she is in Christ
and partakes of His grace. The unity of persons in life and being cannot
be achieved apart from this economy of Christ, and we here encounter
what the New Testament calls the "body of Christ."
Christ is the head of the Church and she is His body. It is from this
christological angle that we better understand the multiplicity in unity
which exists in the Church. This angle of the body of Christ is normally
connected with the divine Eucharist, because it is in the Eucharist that
the body is revealed and realized. In the divine Eucharist we have the
whole Christ, the head, and the body, the Church. But the Eucharist is
celebrated in many places and among different groups of people. Does
this then mean that there are many bodies of Christ? This is not the case
because there is one head, and one eucharistie body (His very body which
He took up in the Incarnation) into which all the groups of people in the
different places are incorporated. It is the Lord himself who is
manifested in many places, as He gives His one body to all, so that in
partaking of it they may all become one with Him and with one another.
"In that there is one bread, the many are one body, for we all partake of
the one bread." The many places and the many groups of people where
the eucharistie body of Christ is revealed do not constitute an obstacle to
its unity. Indeed, to partake of this body in one place is to be united with
Him who is not bound by place and, therefore, to be mystically (or
"mysterially," or "sacramentally") united with all. This is how Saint

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Athanasios explains the prayer of our Lord that the apostles may be one.
"... because I am Thy Word, and I am also in them because of the body,
and because of Thee the salvation of men is perfected in me, therefore, I
ask that they also may become one, according to the body that is me and
according to its perfection, that they, too, may become perfect having
oneness with it, and having become one in it; that, as if all were carried
by me, all may be one body and one spirit and may grow up unto a
perfect man." And Saint Athanasios concludes: "For we all, partaking of
the same, become one body, having the one Lord in ourselves." What is
given in one specific place is something which also transcends it, because
of its particular perfection, that is, its being Christ'srisenbody. The dif
ferent eucharistie localities, with the eucharistie president (the bishop),
the clergy, and the participants (the people) constitute or reveal the whole
Church. It is a local church, and yet she reveals the catholic mystery of
the one Church. The one Church of Christ is equally and fully in all these
localities because of the one, perfect Eucharist, the one Lord and the one
body. This equality of the presence of the one Christ in the local churches
is the ground for what is often called "Orthodox eucharistie ecclesiology"
and its logical implication, the autocephaly of the local diocese.
Autocephaly goes hand-in-hand with the equality of the local bishops
and churches, which is rooted in, and springs from, the equal share in the
fullness of the great eucharistie sacrament. Autocephaly is not
autonomy. It must be understood in terms of the equality of bishops,
and the participation of all in the one body of Christ. It is their equality
in grace which binds them to one another.
In Orthodox ecclesiology there is no difference in status between the
bishop of a small place in Cappadocia and the ecumenical patriarch of
Constantinople. As eucharistie churches established upon the foundation
of Jesus Christ, they are equal. This order of equality and its corollary,
communion in the one body of Christ, pertains to the very nature of the
Church, that is, it constitutes the ecclesiastical ontology. It is this order
which gives rise to the hierarchical, or ecumenical, order (or order of
seniority, ) which pertains to the historical structure of the
Church. But there is no antimony between the order of equality and the
order of seniority in Orthodox ecclesiology. Catholicity (the equality of
the local churches as participants in the grace of Christ and the Holy
Trinity) and ecumenicity (the order of seniority among the bishops as
participants in the mission of the Church to the world in history) are not
antipodes. From the Orthodox perspective, it is the development of such
antipodes which have resulted in the historical divisions within Christen
dom. The Roman Catholic claim of universality and primacy on the one
hand, and the Protestant claims of individual or local autonomy on the
other, are, in fact, contradictions between catholicity and ecumenicity,
since they claim that the integrity of the local churches of God is not
guaranteed by their participation in the one grace of Christ and the Trini-

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THE GREEK ORTHODOX THEOLOGICAL REVIEW

ty, but by their acceptance of one local church (the Church of Rome)
and by one local bishop (the pope of Rome) as their absolute head. The
Protestants, on the other hand, in their attempt to reclaim catholicity on
the basis of the free grace of God in Christ, have ignored the historical
order established by the catholic churches, and, as a result, have often
confused the autocephaly of the local church with autonomy. The
strength of the Orthodox vis-a-vis the other Christians is their fidelity to
the mystery of the catholic Church, the body of Christ, as it has been
established and manifested in history. The Orthodox alone have kept in
their full integrity both the catholic mystery of the Eucharist, and in the
ecumenical order of seniority among the catholic Churches (
) which springs out of the mystery of the Eucharist. This is why
they claim to be the one Church of God, founded upon Christ, and keep
ing the historic canonical order of seniority which constitutes the
Church's response to the challenges of history. The Orthodox believe
that there is always room for development in the Church's historic
response to the world, provided that it is consistent with the established
canonical tradition, but they remain absolutely adamant on the essential
belief of catholicity and unity.
The Church of the Trinity and the Church of Christ
Some theologians speak of Orthodox ecclesiology in terms of two
models: the triadological and the christological. In fact, there are not two
models, but one. The Church is both the Church of the Holy Trinity and
the Church of Christ. It is true that only in Christ is the second person of
the Holy Trinity incarnate. Yet, the entire fullness of the Godhead dwells
in the body of the incarnate Son, as in a temple. This is clear from the
teaching of the New Testament and from the teaching of the Fathers of
the Church. Christology is inseparable from Triadology. No adequate
doctrine of the Son can be developed without the Father. At the same
time, the gift of the incarnate Son to humanity, both His incarnate
presence and our incorporation into His body, are unthinkable without
the Holy Spirit. It is true that Orthodox theologians have made different
attempts to interpret this interpntration of the trinitarian and the
christological dimensions of Orthodox ecclesiology. Some, for instance,
would see the work of Christ as referring to the unity of nature, and the
work of the Spirit to the diversity of persons, whilst both Christ and th
Spirit bring the whole of humanity, nature and persons under the monarchy of the Father. Others, however, would point to the biblical pattern of
the revelation of the Trinity in salvation history and would see the beginning of the Church in the Father. They would also see in creation the
establishment or revelation of the Church in history, in the Incarnation
of the Son, and,finally,in the growth and perfection of the Church in

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189

the economy of the Holy Spirit, which reaches its end in thefinalresurrection. This strictly biblical pattern seems to be closer to the ethos of the
liturgical traditions of Orthodoxy, but the other model (which is more
dogmatic and ontological) also seems to have its basis in the Church's
mind concerning Christ the Lord. The triadological and christological
dimensions cannot be divorced in Orthodox ecclesiology, because the
Church is the Church of the Holy Trinity insofar as she is the Church of
Christ, and vice versa.
The Church of the Fathers
The Orthodox Church is also the church of the Fathers. By Fathers, we
mean the bishops, and those who preside over the Eucharist. That is,
those who serve the mystery of the body of Christ to the local churches.
Not everybody serves the mystery of Christ to the local churchnot
everybody celebrates the divine Eucharist, or performs the Christian
sacraments of initiation and growth. In the first instance, it is the bishop
who does this. The presbyters are his assistants, who participate in his
episcopal function through the celebration of the Eucharist and through
their ministry to the congregation of the local church. The bishop is the
specific focus of the life and existence of the local church. He is the eikon
of Christ for the whole diocese, not in a merely symbolic way, but in a
real and living way. As Saint Ignatios said: "where the bishop is, there is
Christ." This patristic order of the local church was instituted by the
Lord himself in the establishment of the holy apostolate, and was continued in the successors of the apostles, the bishops, and the presbyters.
Whatever the questions about the historical origins and the precise way
in which this order evolved, it is clear that its root is to be found in Christ
and in the apostles. In the New Testament, as in the'Old Testament, the
patristic dimension of the Church is a sine qua non. Hence, we must
speak of the Church as the church of the Fathers, as the Church was, indeed, founded upon the foundation of the apostles, Christ himself being
the chief cornerstone. But it is in the Fathers that we have the
maintenance of the apostolic heritage, as the Fathers maintain the integrity of the Church by keeping the apostolic faith and tradition. The
dogmas of the Fathers, whether in their accredited writings, or in their
local and ecumenical synodal decisions, have no other intention but to
keep the truth which the Lord gave and the apostles preached. Orthodox
dogmatics and doctrine are thoroughly apostolic and patristic. They are
not abstract ideas divorced from the persons of the Fathers, the apostles
and Christ. Doctrine is the expression of this unbroken line of existence
which belongs to the very being of the Church. The guarantee of this unbroken line of holy tradition and existence is none other than the Holy
Paraclete given by Christ himself to His Church, the Spirit of Life who
grafts us all on to the one body of Christ and makes us reside in the

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one truth.
In the Orthodox tradition all bishops and presbyters, and even
deacons, are called Fathers, because they serve the mystery of Christ
and, thus, give birth and food to all Christian existence. In other words,
there is a three-fold patristic order in the local churches. As all local
churches are equal, because they receive the same grace, so the three-fold
local patristic dimensions is equal from one locality to another. The
other titles, which relate to the order of seniority, and which normally
imply certain prerogatives for the persons who bear them, are, in fact,
secondary elements which relate to the Church's response to the world.
Such prerogatives exist not only among bishops but also among
presbyters and deacons. The supreme prerogative in the Orthodox tradi
tion is that of the ecumenical patriarch, which was synodically and
canonically given to the bishop of Constantinople, New Rome. Then the
Orthodox observed a whole order of seniority which corresponded to the
historic expansion of the Church in history. After the ecumenical
patriarch the ancient patriarchates of Alexandria, Antioch, and
Jerusalem, and then the modern patriarchates, such as the Russian and
the Serbian, as well as all the autocephalous churches, such as the
Church of Cyprus and the Church of Greece, followed. Within these
boundaries there has been a further extension to the order of seniority.
Generally speaking, the order of in the Orthodox Church,
which finds its ultimate expression in the ecumenical patriarch of Con
stantinople, reveals a harmony which has a natural evolution inasmuch
as it follows the chronological pattern of the Church's history. A closer
look, however, indicates that the basis for this pattern is not merely
historical but also spiritual. It is, in fact, the sacred history, not divorced
from the secular, that has imposed its own natural pattern of order. Had
it been merely an external historic principle which determined the
'historic' evolution of the Orthodox order of seniority, this order would
not have outlasted external changes. The order of seniority in the Or
thodox Church has been kept, in spite of external changes in history,
because the Church in history is like a family which grows and gives birth
to new children. This is a holy family where the children do not reject the
parents, the daughters do not forget the mothers, and the mothers do not
neglect the distinctive charisms of their daughters. We may say then that
the patristic dimension of the church, especially in its ecumenical struc
ture, rests on the fact that the Church is like a family which grows in
history from generation to generation, and from one people to another.
The Fathers who have fallen asleep are, in fact, sleepless guardians of the
Church. The Church in heaven is united with the Church on earth, and
that which our Fathers have established on earth is binding for us
because they are still alive. To keep company with them is to keep their
work in our heart and practice. It is also to keep the historic perspective
which is governed by the sacred history, and is rooted in the service or

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diakonia of the great mystery of the body of Christ, the mystery of the
divine eikon of the Holy Trinity reflected and realized in the life of
mankind. The acceptance of the historic order of seniority, established by
the Fathers of the Catholic Church, is the way in which Orthodox Christians make sure that merely external historic considerations do not determine the Church's response to history. The Church follows her Fathers
who are not dead, but living, and who are praying for us and celebrating
with us until the final consummation and renewal of all history.
The Church of the Saints or Those Who Are Called To Be Saints
In the Orthodox perspective of the Church there is no separation between the clergy and the laity. The clergy serves the laity, and both participate and grow in the fullness of Christ's body. The apostolic patristic
order of ministry was established for the people so that all the people of
God may receive the new gift, the forgiveness of sins and eternal life.
There are many ways in which this relationship between clergy and people
in the one body of Christ is realized and revealed in the Orthodox Church.
Both the liturgy and the offices have distinctive parts for the clergy and
the laity, but this also is the case in the dimension of the Church's witness,
teaching, and general mission to the world. The monastic order, with its
single devotion to prayer and to Christian perfection, is one of the most
eloquent links between the manifestations of this inner unity of clergy and
the people in the body of Christ. There are also other orders, such as the
confessors and martyrs, or those who spend their lives serving the needs
of the poor and the sick. The Orthodox Church, as the Church of the
saints, is, in fact, the Church of the people of God. Here there is no tension between the shepherds and the flock. Those who minister, and those
who are ministered to, pursue the same aim: participation in the grace of
Christ and the Holy Trinity. The call to holiness binds them all into one
Church. Whatever one's position in the Church on earthclerical,
ascetical, or layit is the one body of Christ and the one grace of the Holy
Trinity that remain the central focus. Each person is appreciated fully as a
person in his relation to this one body and to the one common life and
witness. Everyone is called to be a saint and, as such, to serve the mystery
of Christ. Therefore, everyone, whatever his place or capacity, will be
equally asked to give an account of his response to this calling on the day
of judgment. Hence, all Orthodox Christians pray together for "Christian
ends to their lives, and a good apology before the judgment seat of
Christ." The Church is holy, or called to be holy, and this is an essential
characteristic of Orthodox ecclesiology.
Conclusion
What then is the Church in the Orthodox perspective. She is the Church

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of the Triune God, the Church of Christ, the Church of the Fathers, the
Church of the saints, and the Church of the people of God. She is the one
holy, catholic and apostolic Church. Perhaps the best and clearest eikon
of this manifold perspective of the Church is to be seen in the seal of the
holy prosphora. Here we have the whole Church in focus in the personal,
the historical, the theological, and the anthropological dimensions. Here
we have unity, holiness, catholicity, and apostolicity. Here we have the
celebration of the whole mystery of the Church.
In summary, Orthodox ecclesiology is holistic and does not tolerate
any arbitrary division between the one and the many. She is not tied to
external uniformity or to pluriformity, but she is unity in multiplicity. As
such, she asks all divided Christians who have tasted the power of God's
goodness and grace to unite with her, because she does not seek her own
glory, but the glory of the Lord and His saints as it has been and is still
being communicated to us in history, that the world may be saved and
renewed.

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