Orthodoxy (Greek ὀρθοδοξία (orthodoxy) - correct judgment, correct teaching, correct glorification (from Greek ὀρθός - straight, standing straight, correct, + δοκέω - I think)
- true religious teaching about God, about His creation and His relationship to this creation, about the vocation and purpose of man, about the ways for man to achieve salvation, given through the Lord Jesus Christ, revealed to man through the grace of the Holy Spirit, constantly abiding in the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church of Christ;
- the only true direction of Christianity.
“Orthodoxy is true knowledge of God and reverence for God; Orthodoxy is the worship of God in Spirit and Truth; Orthodoxy is the glorification of God by true knowledge of Him and worship of Him; Orthodoxy is God’s glorification of man, a true servant of God, by bestowing upon him the grace of the All-Holy Spirit. The Spirit is the glory of Christians (John 7:39). Where there is no Spirit, there is no Orthodoxy” (St. Ignatius Brianchaninov).
The concept of Orthodoxy includes three interconnected parts.
Firstly, the word Orthodoxy has a doctrinal meaning. By Orthodoxy we must understand pure, holistic and undistorted Christian teaching, revealed in church dogmas. In a dogmatic sense, Orthodox teaching opposes all heresies as distortions of Christianity and reflects the fullness of knowledge of God accessible to the human race. In this meaning, the term Orthodoxy is already found in the writings of apologists of the 2nd century (in particular, Clement of Alexandria).
Secondly, the word Orthodoxy has an ecclesiastical or ecclesiological meaning. By Orthodoxy we must understand the community of autocephalous Christian local Churches having Eucharistic communion with each other.
Thirdly, the word Orthodoxy has a mystical meaning. By Orthodoxy we must understand the Christian spiritual practice (experience) of knowledge of God through the acquisition of the Divine grace of the Holy Spirit, saving and transforming (deifying) a person.
All three meanings of Orthodoxy are interconnected and one cannot be imagined without the other. Orthodox doctrine has its source in mystical experience and is taught in the Church of Christ. The Orthodox Church presents one dogmatic creed based on one mystical experience. Orthodox mystical experience is expressed in the doctrine preserved by the Church.
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The word Orthodoxy is a translation of the Greek word Orthodoxy. This word consists of two parts. The first part of Ortho (Ortho) translated from Greek means “straight”, “correct”. The second part of doxa (doxa) translated from Greek means “knowledge”, “judgment”, “opinion”, as well as “radiance”, “glory”, “honor”. These meanings complement each other, for correct opinion in religion presupposes correct glorification of God, and, as a consequence, participation in His glory. In the latter sense ("glory"), the word doxa occurs most often in the New Testament. For example, the Savior “received from God the Father glory (Greek doxa) and honor” (2 Pet. 1:17), was “crowned with glory (Greek doxa) and honor through suffering death” (Heb. 2:9), is coming “ on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory (Greek doxa)" (Luke 21:27), a Christian must be transformed "into the same image from glory (Greek doxa) to glory" (2 Cor. 3:18), "for Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory (Greek: doxa) forever” (Matthew 6:13). Therefore, the word Orthodoxy is translated as Orthodoxy.
When did Orthodoxy appear?
Orthodoxy, as the correct, true faith and correct worship of God, was founded by Jesus Christ, i.e. Orthodoxy is the original, authentic Christianity. In 1054, Catholicism broke away from the united Orthodox Church, and then Protestants broke away from it.
Source: https://azbyka.ru/pravoslavie
