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Dogmas of Orthodox theology. Tenets

The True Church of Christ is the Ecumenical Orthodox Church, of which the Russian Orthodox Church is a part.

Sources of Orthodox Doctrine (from the Orthodox Catechism):

1) Divine revelation (Old and New Testament(in the composition of the canon as it was adopted by the Ecumenical Councils).

2) Sacred Tradition- all the decisions of the Seven Ecumenical Councils, the canons of the holy apostles, ten Local Councils and 13 holy fathers.

3) Resolutions of the Councils of Constantinople: 543,843,875-881,1076,1156,1157,1341,1351, 1484.

4) Council of Jerusalem 1640

5) The Great Moscow Council of 1666-1667 (except for the anathema to the old rituals).

6) Message of the Eastern Patriarchs (1848).

7) In understanding Revelation, we are guided by the teaching of the Holy Fathers in that in which they do not contradict what everyone has always taught everywhere.

8) The apostolic succession of the Russian Orthodox Church comes from Patriarch Alexei I (Simand), who was consecrated in 1913 by Patriarch Gregory IV of Antioch, and the subsequent ones have apostolic succession from the bishops of the Synodal Decree.

Teachers of the Orthodox Church

Universal teachers: Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian and John Chrysostom (they revealed the understanding of the Holy Trinity, introduced the Greek term “hypostasis” into the theological lexicon, with the help of which they were able to express the mystery of the one nature of God and the differences in the hypostases of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit) – IV century.

Athanasius the Great (saint)- fighter against the Arian heresy - IV century.

Arius, by not recognizing the divine dignity of Jesus Christ and His equality with God the Father, thereby negated the saving significance of the God-Man's feat on the cross.

Maxim the Confessor- a simple monk, fought against the Monothelites who denied the presence of human will in the God-Man Jesus Christ. (VII – VIII centuries)

John of Damascus– (VII century), who lived in the Middle East – defender of icon veneration.

Church writers who lived in the first centuries of Christianity: Tertullian, Origen, Clement of Alexandria, St. Augustine. Their works were dedicated to polemics with pagans and sometimes contained opinions that were subsequently not accepted by the Church.

Brief information about the Ecumenical Councils

There were seven Ecumenical Councils in the true Orthodox Church of Christ:

Nicene
Constantinople
Ephesian
Chalcedonian
Constantinople 2nd
Constantinople 3rd, and
Nicene 2nd.

About the Ecumenical Councils

FIRST ECUMENICAL COUNCIL

The First Ecumenical Council was convened in 325, in the city. Nicaea, under Emperor Constantine the Great.

This Council was convened against the false teaching of the Alexandrian priest Arius, who rejected the Divinity and the eternal birth of the second Person of the Holy Trinity, the Son of God, from God the Father; and taught that the Son of God is only the highest creation.

318 bishops took part in the Council, among whom were: St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, James Bishop of Nisibis, Spyridon of Trimythous, St. Athanasius the Great, who was at that time still in the rank of deacon, etc.

The Council condemned and rejected the heresy of Arius and approved the immutable truth - dogma; The Son of God is true God, born of God the Father before all ages and as eternal as God the Father; He is begotten, not created, and is of one essence with God the Father.

So that all Orthodox Christians could accurately know the true doctrine of the faith, it was clearly and concisely stated in the first seven members of the Creed.

At the same Council, it was decided to celebrate Easter on the first Sunday after the first spring full moon, it was also determined that priests should be married, and many other rules were established.

SECOND ECUMENICAL COUNCIL

The Second Ecumenical Council was convened in 381, in the city. Constantinople, under Emperor Theodosius the Great.

This Council was convened against the false teaching of the former Arian bishop of Constantinople, Macedonius, who rejected the Divinity of the third Person of the Holy Trinity, the Holy Spirit; he taught that the Holy Spirit is not God, and called Him a creature or created power and, moreover, serving God the Father and God the Son like Angels.

150 bishops were present at the Council, among whom were: Gregory the Theologian (he was the chairman of the Council), Gregory of Nyssa, Meletius of Antioch, Amphilochius of Iconium, Cyril of Jerusalem and others.

At the Council, the heresy of Macedonia was condemned and rejected. The Council approved the dogma of the equality and consubstantiality of God the Holy Spirit with God the Father and God the Son.

The Council also supplemented the Nicene Creed with five members, which set out the teaching: about the Holy Spirit, about the Church, about the sacraments, about the resurrection of the dead and the life of the next century. Thus, the Niceno-Tsargrad Creed was compiled, which serves as a guide for the Church for all times.

THIRD ECUMENICAL COUNCIL

The Third Ecumenical Council was convened in 431, in the city. Ephesus, under Emperor Theodosius 2nd the Younger.

The council was convened against the false teaching of the Archbishop of Constantinople Nestorius, who wickedly taught that the Blessed Virgin Mary gave birth common man Christ, with whom God then united morally, dwelt in Him as in a temple, just as He previously dwelt in Moses and other prophets. That is why Nestorius called the Lord Jesus Christ Himself a God-bearer, and not a God-man, and called the Most Holy Virgin Christ-bearer, and not the Mother of God.

200 bishops were present at the Council.

The Council condemned and rejected the heresy of Nestorius and decided to recognize the union in Jesus Christ, from the time of the Incarnation, of two natures: Divine and human; and determined: to confess Jesus Christ as perfect God and perfect Man, and the Most Holy Virgin Mary as the Mother of God.

The Council also approved the Niceno-Tsaregrad Creed and strictly forbade making any changes or additions to it.

FOURTH ECUMENICAL COUNCIL

The Fourth Ecumenical Council was convened in 451, in the city. Chalcedon, under Emperor Marcian.

The council was convened against the false teaching of the archimandrite of one Constantinople monastery, Eutyches, who rejected human nature in the Lord Jesus Christ. Refuting heresy and defending the Divine dignity of Jesus Christ, he himself went to extremes and taught that in the Lord Jesus Christ human nature was completely absorbed by the Divine, why only one Divine nature should be recognized in Him. This false teaching is called Monophysitism, and its followers are called Monophysites (single-naturalists).

650 bishops were present at the Council.

The Council condemned and rejected the false teaching of Eutyches and determined the true teaching of the Church, namely, that our Lord Jesus Christ is the true God and true man: according to Divinity, He is eternally born of the Father, according to humanity, He was born from the Most Holy Virgin and is like us in everything, except for sin. At the Incarnation (birth from the Virgin Mary), Divinity and humanity were united in Him as one Person, unmerged and unchangeable (against Eutyches), inseparable and inseparable (against Nestorius).

FIFTH ECUMENICAL COUNCIL

The Fifth Ecumenical Council was convened in 553, in the city of Constantinople, under the famous Emperor Justinian I.

The council was convened over disputes between the followers of Nestorius and Eutyches. The main subject of controversy was the writings of three teachers of the Syrian church, who enjoyed fame in their time, namely Theodore of Mopsuet, Theodoret of Cyrus and Willow of Edessa, in which Nestorian errors were clearly expressed, and in the Fourth Ecumenical Council nothing was mentioned about these three writings.

The Nestorians, in a dispute with the Eutychians (Monophysites), referred to these writings, and the Eutychians found in this a pretext to reject the 4th Ecumenical Council itself and slander the Orthodox Ecumenical Church, saying that it had allegedly deviated into Nestorianism.

165 bishops were present at the Council.

The council condemned all three works and Theodore of Mopset himself as unrepentant, and regarding the other two, the condemnation was limited only to their Nestorian works, but they themselves were pardoned, because they renounced their false opinions and died in peace with the Church.

The Council again repeated its condemnation of the heresy of Nestorius and Eutyches.

SIXTH ECUMENICAL COUNCIL

The Sixth Ecumenical Council was convened in 680, in the city of Constantinople, under Emperor Constantine Pogonatus, and consisted of 170 bishops.

The Council was convened against the false teaching of the heretics - the Monothelites, who, although they recognized in Jesus Christ two natures, Divine and human, but one Divine will.

After the 5th Ecumenical Council, the unrest caused by the Monothelites continued and threatened the Greek Empire with great danger. Emperor Heraclius, wanting reconciliation, decided to persuade the Orthodox to make concessions to the Monothelites and, by the force of his power, commanded to recognize in Jesus Christ one will with two natures.

The defenders and exponents of the true teaching of the Church were Sophronius, the Patriarch of Jerusalem and the Constantinople monk Maximus the Confessor, whose tongue was cut out and his hand cut off for the firmness of his faith.

The Sixth Ecumenical Council condemned and rejected the heresy of the Monothelites, and determined to recognize in Jesus Christ two natures - Divine and human - and according to these two natures - two wills, but in such a way that the human will in Christ is not contrary, but submissive to His Divine will.

It is worthy of note that at this Council excommunication was pronounced among other heretics, and Pope Honorius, who recognized the doctrine of unity of will as Orthodox. The Council's resolution was also signed by the Roman legates: Presbyters Theodore and George, and Deacon John. This clearly indicates that the highest authority in the Church belongs to the Ecumenical Council, and not to the Pope.

After 11 years, the Council again opened meetings in the royal chambers called Trullo, to resolve issues primarily related to church deanery. In this respect, it seemed to complement the Fifth and Sixth Ecumenical Councils, which is why it is called the Fifth and Sixth.

The Council approved the rules by which the Church should be governed, namely: 85 rules of the Holy Apostles, rules of 6 Ecumenical and 7 local Councils, and rules of 13 Fathers of the Church. These rules were subsequently supplemented by the rules of the Seventh Ecumenical Council and two more Local Councils, and constituted the so-called “Nomocanon”, or in Russian “Kormchaya Book”, which is the basis of the church government of the Orthodox Church.

At this Council, some innovations of the Roman Church were condemned that did not agree with the spirit of the decrees of the Universal Church, namely: forcing priests and deacons to celibacy, strict posts on Saturdays of Great Lent, and the image of Christ in the form of a lamb (lamb).

SEVENTH ECUMENICAL COUNCIL

The Seventh Ecumenical Council was convened in 787, in the city. Nicaea, under Empress Irene (widow of Emperor Leo Khozar), and consisted of 367 fathers.

The Council was convened against the iconoclastic heresy, which arose 60 years before the Council, under the Greek emperor Leo the Isaurian, who, wanting to convert the Mohammedans to Christianity, considered it necessary to destroy the veneration of icons. This heresy continued under his son Constantine Copronymus and grandson Leo Chosar.

The Council condemned and rejected the iconoclastic heresy and determined - to deliver and place in St. temples, along with the image of the Honest and Life-giving Cross The Lord, and the holy icons, to honor and give them worship, raising the mind and heart to the Lord God, the Mother of God and the Saints depicted on them.

After the 7th Ecumenical Council, the persecution of holy icons was again raised by the subsequent three emperors: Leo the Armenian, Michael Balba and Theophilus and worried the Church for about 25 years.

Veneration of St. icons was finally restored and approved at the Local Council of Constantinople in 842, under Empress Theodora.

At this Council, in gratitude to the Lord God, who gave the Church victory over the iconoclasts and all heretics, the holiday of the Triumph of Orthodoxy was established, which is supposed to be celebrated on the first Sunday of Great Lent and which is still celebrated throughout the entire Ecumenical Orthodox Church.

NOTE: The Roman Catholic Church, instead of seven, recognizes more than 20 Universes. cathedrals, incorrectly including in this number the cathedrals that were in Western Church after the division of the Churches, and the Lutherans, despite the example of the Apostles and the recognition of all Christian Church, do not recognize a single Ecumenical Council.

The Law of God by Seraphim Slobodsky

An accurate exposition of the Orthodox faith - St. John of Damascus.

About the visible creature.

Our God Himself, glorified in Trinity and Unity, created heaven and earth and everything in them (Ps. 145, 6 ), bringing everything from non-existent into existence: other substances that did not exist before, such as: heaven, earth, air, fire, water; and another of these substances already created by Him, such as animals, plants, seeds. For this, by command of the Creator, came from earth, water, air and fire.

Orthodoxy

Orthodoxy developed on the territory of the Byzantine Empire and served as the ideological support of imperial power. It did not have a single church center, since from the very beginning of its formation, church power in Byzantium was concentrated in the hands of four Patriarchs: Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch and Jerusalem. Moreover, the Patriarch of Constantinople, although called ecumenical, was only the first among equals. As the Byzantine Empire collapsed, each of the mentioned Patriarchs began to head an independent (autocephalous) local Orthodox Church. Subsequently, autocephalous and autonomous Orthodox Churches arose in other countries - mainly in the Middle East and in Eastern Europe. The basis of the Orthodox faith is the Holy Scripture (Bible) and Holy Tradition (decisions of the first seven Ecumenical Councils and the works of the Church Fathers of the 2nd - 8th centuries). The basic principles of Orthodoxy as a religious system are set out in the 12 points (members) of the creed adopted at the first two Ecumenical Councils in Nicaea (325) and Constantinople (381).

The most important postulates of the Orthodox faith are the dogmas: the trinity of God, the Incarnation, Atonement, Resurrection and Ascension of Jesus Christ. Formally, it is believed that dogmas are not subject to change and clarification, not only in content, but also in form.

Orthodoxy is characterized by a complex, detailed cult. Services in Orthodoxy are much longer than in other Christian denominations and include many rituals. The main worship service is the Liturgy. Important role dedicated to holidays, the main of which (according to the general Christian tradition) is the Resurrection of Christ (Easter).

The clergy in Orthodoxy is divided into “white” (married parish priests) and “black” (monastics who take a vow of celibacy). Available for men's and nunneries. The church hierarchy (episcopal) is formed only from representatives of the “black” clergy. The highest episcopal rank is the patriarch.

Currently, most Orthodox Churches (with the exception of the Jerusalem, Russian, Serbian and Georgian Churches) use a new style in their liturgical practice ( Gregorian calendar), but the date of Easter is determined according to the old Julian calendar.

Despite the commonality of doctrine and ritual, each local Orthodox Church (both autocephalous and autonomous) has its own specificity, not only of a confessional, but also of an ethnic nature.

Currently, in Orthodoxy there are 15 autocephalous (Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, Jerusalem, Russian, Georgian, Serbian, Romanian, Bulgarian, Cypriot, Hellenic, Albanian, Polish, Czechoslovak, American) and 4 autonomous Churches (Sinaiticus, Finland, Crete and Japanese).

Tenets

For all Christians, the church is one and universal: it is the Body of Christ. However, the Orthodox believe that since the church is not limited either in time or in space and is offered to people new life with Christ and in Christ, then organizational structure the church is of only relative interest. The concept of the head of the church - the vicar of Christ, as Catholics say about the pope - is shocking, since Christ is really present and lives in His Church.

There is no need for a formal proclamation of new dogmas. Any recording in human language is subject to misinterpretation. Only the help of the Holy Spirit makes it possible to read the Holy Scriptures with absolute clarity. In addition, in initial period there were no dogmas for the existence of the church. Only the imperfection of human nature forces us to structure faith, at least to a minimal degree, intellectually. Everything essential for this was expressed in the creed of the Council of Nicaea in 325 and the theological definitions of seven Ecumenical Councils, the last of which also took place in Nicaea in 787.

In the Creed adopted at the Nicaea and Constantinople Ecumenical Councils, these fundamentals of doctrine are formulated in 12 parts or members:

“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: Light, from Light, true God from true God, begotten, uncreated, consubstantial with the Father. That's all it was. For our sake, man and our salvation came down from heaven and was incarnated by the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, and became human. Crucified for us under Pontic Pilate, and 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 again you will judge the future with glory, living and dead. There will be no end to his kingdom. And in the Holy Spirit of the Life-Giving Lord, who proceeds from the Father, who is with the Father and the Son, we worship and glorify, who spoke the prophets. Into One holy, catholic and Apostolic Church. I confess one baptism for the remission of sins. I hope for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the future century. Amen."

The first member speaks of God as the creator of the world - the first hypostasis of the Holy Trinity.

In the second - about faith in the only begotten Son of God - Jesus Christ.

The third is the dogma of the Incarnation, according to which Jesus Christ, while remaining God, at the same time became a man, born of the Virgin Mary.

The fourth article of the Creed is about the suffering and death of Jesus Christ. This is the dogma of the atonement.

The fifth is about the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

The sixth talks about the bodily ascension of Jesus Christ. to the sky.

In the seventh - about the second, future coming of Jesus Christ to earth.

The eighth article of the Creed is about faith in the Holy Spirit.

In the ninth - about the attitude towards the church.

In the tenth - about the sacrament of Baptism.

In the eleventh - about the future general resurrection of the dead.

In the twelfth term - about eternal life.

Orthodoxy tries not so much to convince as to charm and reassure. Its hierarchy is primarily concerned with the performance of religious rites and the administration of sacraments. Priests are much more willing to devote themselves to liturgy and prayer than to activities in the world. An Orthodox believer willingly accepts the mystical and strives, rather, to escape from the world than to live in it.

The life of the church takes place outside of time; religious services, especially during major holidays, are long and complex and appeal more to feeling and imagination than to reason: in the end the believer forgets where he is - on Earth or in heaven.

In their liturgical life, Orthodox Christians devote special attention veneration Mother of God, performing the seven sacraments and venerating icons and holy relics. Orthodox spirituality perceives "tradition" as loyalty to Jesus Christ and love for one's church, rather than as intellectual reflection on sacred texts. In this sensual search for the Divine, the icon occupies a primary place. She, of course, is not an idol - it is only a means of concentrating spiritual attention on the mystery of the Incarnation: the fact that God became Man in the person of Jesus Christ finds its parallel in the image (icon) created by the icon painter.

Orthodoxy is characterized by a complex, detailed cult. Services in Orthodoxy are much longer than in other Christian denominations and include many rituals. The main worship service is the Liturgy. An important role is played by holidays, the main of which (according to the general Christian tradition) is the Resurrection of Christ (Easter).

The clergy in Orthodoxy is divided into “white” (married parish priests) and “black” (monastics who take a vow of celibacy). There are male and female monasteries. The church hierarchy (episcopal) is formed only from representatives of the “black” clergy. The highest episcopal rank is the patriarch.

Currently, most Orthodox Churches (with the exception of the Jerusalem, Russian, Serbian and Georgian Churches) use a new style (Gregorian calendar) in their liturgical practice, but the date of Easter is determined according to the old Julian calendar.

Despite the commonality of doctrine and ritual, each local Orthodox Church (both autocephalous and autonomous) has its own specificity, not only of a confessional, but also of an ethnic nature.

For all Christians, the church is one and universal: it is the Body of Christ. However, the Orthodox believe that since the church is not limited either in time or in space and is offered to people a new life with Christ and in Christ, the organizational structure of the church is of only relative interest. The concept of the head of the church - the vicar of Christ, as Catholics say about the pope - is shocking, since Christ is really present and lives in His Church.

There is no need for a formal proclamation of new dogmas. Any recording in human language is subject to misinterpretation. Only the help of the Holy Spirit makes it possible to read the Holy Scriptures with absolute clarity. In addition, in the initial period of the church’s existence, there were no dogmas. Only the imperfection of human nature forces us to structure faith, at least to a minimal degree, intellectually. Everything essential for this was expressed in the creed of the Council of Nicaea in 325 and the theological definitions of seven Ecumenical Councils, the last of which also took place in Nicaea in 787.

In the Creed adopted at the Nicaea and Constantinople Ecumenical Councils, these fundamentals of doctrine are formulated in 12 parts or members:

“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: Light, from Light, true God from true God, begotten, uncreated, consubstantial with the Father. That's all it was. For our sake, man and our salvation came down from heaven and was incarnated by the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, and became human. Crucified for us under Pontic Pilate, and 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 again you will judge the future with glory, living and dead. There will be no end to his kingdom. And in the Holy Spirit of the Life-Giving Lord, who proceeds from the Father, who is with the Father and the Son, we worship and glorify, who spoke the prophets. Into One Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. I confess one baptism for the remission of sins. I hope for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the future century. Amen."

In their liturgical life, Orthodox Christians place special emphasis on the veneration of the Mother of God, the performance of the seven sacraments, and the veneration of icons and holy relics. Orthodox spirituality perceives "tradition" as loyalty to Jesus Christ and love for one's church, rather than as intellectual reflection on sacred texts. In this sensual search for the Divine, the icon occupies a primary place. She, of course, is not an idol - it is only a means of concentrating spiritual attention on the mystery of the Incarnation: the fact that God became Man in the person of Jesus Christ finds its parallel in the image (icon) created by the icon painter.

Which, being generally known, had the meaning of undeniable truth.

“Attic dogmas” were Christian writers, for example, Origen and St. Isidore, called some of the conclusions of Socrates.

The teachings of Plato and the Stoics were also called “dogmas.”

For Xenophon, “dogma” is a command from command, to which everyone, both commanders and ordinary soldiers, must obey unquestioningly.

For Herodian, “dogma” is the definition of the Senate, to which the entire Roman people must unquestioningly submit.

This meaning of the term was retained in the Greek translation of 70 interpreters, where in the books of the prophet Daniel, Esther, Maccabees, the word δόγμα refers to a royal decree, subject to immediate execution, as well as a royal or state law, unconditionally binding on every subject.

In the New Testament, in the Gospel of Luke, δόγμα denotes Caesar's command to take a census of the population of the Roman Empire.
In the Acts of St. The apostles' "dogmas" are royal laws.
In the Epistles to the Colossians and Ephesians, “dogmas” are the laws of Moses that had divine authority.

Dogma and theologum

Along with the concept of “dogma” in theology, there are the concepts of “theologumen” and “private theological opinion" Theologumen is also a doctrinal position that does not contradict dogmas, but is not obligatory for all believers. It must be based on the statements of the Holy Fathers of the Church. In this case, a private theological opinion is a reflection, the opinion of an individual theologian, which does not directly contradict dogmas, and is not necessarily found in the Fathers of the Church. Dogma thus stands unconditionally above theologumens and private theological opinions.

In Orthodoxy

Orthodox dogma accepts the dogmas defined in the oros of only the first seven Ecumenical Councils, adopted by the Eastern Church. This does not exclude the emergence of new dogmas in the future, provided that they are compiled by the Ecumenical Council, which in the Orthodox Church did not meet with the city.

Properties of dogmas

In Orthodox dogma, the following properties of dogmas are distinguished:

Theological(creed) - the property of dogmas in content, that is, that dogma contains only the doctrine of God and His economy. The dogmas do not define moral, liturgical, historical, natural scientific truths, etc.
Godly revelation- the property of dogmas according to the method of their receipt. This means that dogmas are not deduced logically, but come from Divine Revelation, that is, they are given to man by God Himself.
Churchness- the property of dogmas according to the method of their existence and preservation. This means that dogmas can exist only in the Universal Church, and outside of it dogmas, as based on Revelation given to the entire Church, cannot arise. It is the Church, at the Ecumenical Councils, that has the right to assign the name of dogma to certain doctrinal truths.
General obligation- the property of dogmas in relation to them by members of the Church. Dogmas act as rules and norms, without recognizing which one cannot be a member of the Church.

List of dogmas in Orthodoxy

Main article: Dogmas of Orthodoxy

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.
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.

Dogmas 1 to 9 are contained in the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed. Adopted at the First Nicene Council and supplemented at the Second Ecumenical Council in Constantinople. The dogma of the Fall (damage to the spiritual nature of all humanity, following Adam) implicitly follows from the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed, but is also an integral part of Orthodox dogma.

The Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed is a single dogmatic formula, divided into 12 members containing the dogmatic basis of Christianity.

In Catholicism

In the Catholic Church, the development of dogmatic science took the path of establishing new dogmas, as a result of which today the number of doctrinal definitions elevated to the dignity of dogma in Roman Catholic dogma is greater than in Orthodox Church. In the Roman Catholic Church, it is believed that the need to increase the number of dogmas is due to the ongoing understanding of the revealed truth contained in the Church. Until the appearance of a new dogma, this truth is hidden or unclearly experienced for the conciliar consciousness of the Church.

List of dogmas in Catholicism

In addition to the dogmas of the Orthodox Church (as amended by the filioque), the Catholic Church has additional ones, most of which were adopted at the Ecumenical Councils of the Roman Catholic Church.

Amendment to the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed, filioque. Introduced in 589, Toledo Cathedral, Spain. Approved in Rome at the coronation of the German Emperor Henry II in 1014, under Pope Benedict VIII.
Dogma of Purgatory. 1439, Ferraro-Florence Cathedral, Ferrara. Confirmed in 1563. at the Council of Trent.
Dogma of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary. 1854, decree of Pius IX.
Dogma of Papal Infallibility in Matters of Faith and Morals (ex cathedra: from the pulpit). 1870, First Vatican Council.
Dogma of the Ascension of the Virgin Mary. 1950 - origin, 1964 - confirmation, in Lumen Gentium, dogmatic constitution of the Second Vatican Council.

Tenets in other religions

Dogmas, in the sense of immutable doctrinal truth, also exist in many other major religions. Judaism, Christianity and Islam have a system of dogmas.

Notes

Literature

Davydenkov O.V., priest. Dogmatic theology. - M., 1997.
Canons or Book of Rules. - St. Petersburg, 2000.

Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Synonyms:

New Testament

Ten Commandments of Moses

Old Testament

COMPOSITION OF THE BIBLE

The Bible is the main sacred book of Christianity. Consists of two parts:

1. Old Testament

2. New Testament.

Created within the framework of Judaism before our era. For the first time in human history, a great religious idea appears in the Old Testament. monotheism.

The idea of the Fall of man - Adam and Eve violated the only commandment of God.

Covenant- a contract between man and God; in the Old Testament there is a contract between God and one chosen people - the Jews.

The prototype of the covenant is in Noah (after the flood a rainbow appeared - a sign that there would be no more flood).

Abraham– with him, as with the ancestor of the Jewish people, God for the first time enters into a Covenant.

"The Test of Abraham"- key episode Old Testament. Abraham must sacrifice his only son to God to prove that he loves God more than anything else.

Prophet Moses- leads the Jewish people out of Egyptian captivity. Receives commandments - "Ten Commandments of Moses"- obligatory for all three Abrahamic religions - Judaism, Christianity, Islam.

1. “I am the Lord thy God: thou shalt have no gods other than me” - the most important commandment (monotheism). Worship of the God of the Bible - in the Old Testament God is called differently: Adonai (Lord), Hosts (God of armies), Yahweh (distorted Jehovah) - “I am who am”, Elohim.

2. Do not make for yourself an idol or any likeness

3. Do not take the Lord’s name in vain (in vanity).

4. Honoring the seventh day (Saturday).

5. Honor your father and mother

6. Thou shalt not kill

7. Do not commit adultery.

8. Don't steal

9. Don't bear false witness

10. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife or his property.

The idea appears in the later books of the Old Testament messiah- the future savior of the world. Sometimes the term messiah was replaced by a Hellenized term that was similar in content Christ- “God’s anointed.” The Prophet Daniel also indicates the birthplace of the Messiah - the “star of Bethlehem” will shine.

Jesus declared that he was the Christ. Only a small part of the Jews believed in this - they became the first Christians. Most of the Jews considered Jesus Christ a deceiver, they insisted on executing him with a shameful execution - by crucifixion (this is how robbers and cheaters were crucified). The Jews are still waiting for the coming of the Messiah.

Created already in the Christian era (1st century AD)

Composition: Gospels, Acts of the Apostles, Epistles of the Apostles, Apocalypse of John.

"Gospel"- good news, the story of the birth and earthly life of Jesus Christ. Many Gospels are known, but only four are recognized as canonical and included in the Bible: Matthew, Luke, Mark, John.

1. Monotheism (belief in one God, not just some, but the God of the Bible!)

2. Dogma of the Holy Trinity (God the Father, God the Son and the Holy Spirit). It is impossible to understand with reason how three hypostases are united in one God - it surpasses our understanding.

3. Jesus Christ as the God-man is also a mystery - how the divine and human natures were united in Christ.

4. The dogma of the infallibility of the Ecumenical Councils - thus, in Christianity there is a dual foundation of doctrine: Holy Scripture (the Bible) and Holy Tradition (the works of the Church Fathers, decisions of the Ecumenical Councils).

5. The dogma of atonement - Christ, with his death and resurrection, atoned for original sin and opened the way to salvation for all who believe in him. Faith in Christ is the only option for salvation.

6. Dogma of icon veneration and veneration of saints (not worship!)

7. Dogma about the seven main sacraments - their beneficial power.

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 icon veneration (adopted at VII Ecumenical Council at 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. perfect knowledge of the best purposes 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 moral law, and also just, since he 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 universal

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

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 valley 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 Persons participated in the work of our salvation Holy Trinity.

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 at all through His incarnation, and after the incarnation God the Word remains the same God's Son as it 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 is according to the Word of God - great secret piety, and therefore inaccessible to our reason. 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 action, 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 the kingdom for us, 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 He abolished by His death 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, it is necessary to sanctify the person, 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 use their free will well, and others poorly: 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 a 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, having accepted the new faith, to maintain it not separately from each other, but for this purpose to form 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, the main commander 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 performer 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 associated with civil order and therefore to no 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 is visibly communicates 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, God's grace is brought down to this person, sanctifying and placing him on a certain level church hierarchy, and then assisting him in the passage of hierarchical responsibilities.

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 century 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.

The reward for both the righteous and sinners will be proportionate to their good deeds and their sins and will extend from different degrees eternal bliss to varying 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.

Presentation of the dogmas of Orthodox dogmatic theology according to 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. With the blessing His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Rus'.

The place of dogmas among other Christian truths: The Truth of Christian Revelation, contained in the Holy Scriptures. Scriptures and Holy Traditions are divided into truths of faith and truths of activity.
The truths of faith are divided into those relating to the essence itself Christian religion as a restored union between God and man, called dogmas, and others not related to the essence, which contain historical legends or private sayings of sacred persons.
The truths of activity are divided into definitions of moral behavior and ritual and canonical truths.

Structure of Dogmatic Theology:
I Dogmas about God and His general relationship to the world and man.
II Dogmas about God, Trinity in Persons.
III Dogmas about God as Creator and Provider for the spiritual world.
IV Dogmas about God as Creator and Provider to man.
V Dogmas about God the Savior and His special relationship to the human race.
VI Dogmas about Christ the Savior.
VII Dogmas of Sanctification.
VIII Dogmas of the Holy Church.
IX Dogmas on the Sacraments of the Church.
X Dogmas about the Sacrament of the Priesthood.
XI Dogmas about God as Judge and Rewarder.
XII Dogmas on the General Court.

Dogmas about God about God and his general relationship to the world and man

General properties of the being of God

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

Particular properties of the being of God

Originality - everything that has, has from itself.

Independence – in essence, in powers 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.

Dogmas about God, trinitarian 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 to each other and consubstantial.

The Three Persons are different in their personal properties: the Father is not born of anyone, the Son is born 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.)

Dogmas about God as creator and provider for the spiritual world