Orthodoxy is Christ (Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos)

Orthodoxy is Christ

By Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos and Agiou Vlasiou

Orthodoxy is not something abstract, an unfounded faith or ideology, but Jesus Christ Himself, the Son and Word of God who became man for the salvation of humanity, as the Orthodox Church teaches.

The word "doxa" has many meanings, namely true opinion, faith, vision, sight, brilliance, brightness. In the Orthodox perspective it is true faith, which is the fruit of the revelation of God in glory, the Light.

Christ is the glory of God the Father, He was revealed to the Prophets of the Old Testament incorporeal in the Light and He assumed human nature and saved mankind. “First without flesh, then for us in the flesh.”

Christ revealed to us the mystery of the Holy Trinity. He is the Head of the Church. He defeated death, the devil and sin, through His Cross and Resurrection. Through Christ we know the Triune God. Christology is the basis of the Dogmatic teaching of the Church. For this reason, all the Ecumenical Synods dealt with the Person of Christ, and the Seventh Ecumenical Synod decided that we can depict Christ as God and man, because He was incarnated.

For this reason, the Apolytikion of the Sunday of Orthodoxy, which we also chant during the procession of the sacred icons, is:

“We venerate Your immaculate icon, Good One, and entreat You to forgive our offenses, Christ God. It pleased You to voluntarily ascend the Cross in the flesh, to deliver us, whom You created, from our slavery to the enemy. Therefore we cry to You with gratitude: You have filled all things with joy, O our Savior, by coming to save the world.”

This is Orthodoxy!

One liturgical hymn that is Christological is the one we chant in the Divine Liturgy: “O Only-Begotten Son and Word of God...” This expresses the “living Hagia Sophia,” it is the summary of all the decisions of the Ecumenical Synods. We chant this doxa/faith panygerically.

"O Only-begotten Son and Word of God, being immortal, You condescended for our salvation to take flesh from the holy Theotokos and ever-virgin Mary and, without change, became man. Christ, our God, You were crucified and conquered death by death. Being one of the Holy Trinity, glorified with the Father and the Holy Spirit: Save us."

Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.