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The Sacraments in the Orthodox Church by Fr. Gregory Hallam
It is possible to be innocently misled into thinking that Orthodox sacramental theology is an eastern variant of a basically catholic tradition. This error is often made in respect of Church dogmatics more generally. In the realm of eucharistic theology analysis of the Orthodox tradition often proceeds from a western perspective and western assumptions. So, I am often asked:- "You believe in transubstantiation, don’t you?" whereas in fact, Aristotelian metaphysics upon which this particular Thomist formulation is based, has never appeared on our radar. Other examples come to mind. Anguished historical debates in the west about the fate of the unbaptised have no relevance for us. Confession before a priest, (not to a priest), has never simply been about "lists" and judgements as to particular infringements of the moral law. Of course, in the last century particularly, much has changed in this regard in the non-Orthodox world and it is both gratifying to the Orthodox and ecumenically encouraging that so much progress has been made in transcending historically determined dogmatic impasses and in bringing previously sundered traditions back into apostolic alignment. With the mention of apostolicity we must recognise here something important to the Orthodox. Worship no less than belief and proclamation need to retain a fundamental continuity within Tradition. It is just not possible for the Orthodox to change their worship simply because fleeting contemporary social trends favour this, that or the other. The form and content of worship is, for us, no less than the spirit a matter for faithfulness … even if we recognise with all Christians that the heart and the community is the primary engagement medium with God as Spirit. In this we claim to inherit the liturgical tradition of the synagogue and the Temple and not without warrant. It would equally misleading though to conclude that NOTHING ever changes in Orthodox worship. This would be far from the truth. New ritual and a certain adaptation of content and liturgical celebration to cultural context is an ongoing project in the Orthodox Church. I think that it is important for us to be mindful of this worship context of the sacraments in Orthodoxy as the communal and doxological context is ever present. For example, the determinative form of our sacrament of healing or Holy Unction is a service of Seven Gospels and Prayers in the public worship of the Church. Again, although individual auricular confession before a priest is "in secret," the penitential theology of repentance has retained in our tradition the ancient sense of being reconciled not only to God but also to the covenant community, the Church. With these foundations of understanding in place, we may now proceed to a more detailed examination of the sacraments in the Orthodox Church. First the word – "sacraments." We don’t use it. The etymology of "sacramentum" of course is an oath or a legally binding pledge. Perhaps it would be misleading to characterise the west’s sacramental theology thereby as "contractual, covenantal," but there is some truth in the notion that the sacraments stand in a formal relationship to God and the Church rather than a mystical one. Orthodoxy uses the word:- "mysteries" rather than "sacraments." This is in the Pauline sense of something once hidden in God and now revealed, not knowledge for the gnostic or esoteric experience for the initiate but a Living Person, even Christ himself for believer and unbeliever alike. Immediately this places sterile debates about the so called "Real Presence" (how could a presence be anything but "real") in a completely different light. It is Christ who is received in the Mysteries with the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. We also need radically to widen our understanding of what constitutes a "mystery" if we are truly to appreciate the Orthodox position. Under influence from the west in the 18th century, uncharacteristically, certain Orthodox sources started to speak of seven Orthodox Mysteries. (Baptism, Chrismation, Confession, Marriage, Unction, Holy Orders). It would be more accurate to say that these mysteries are definitive and primary instances of a much wider set of sacramentals in which the material world is seen as grace bearing and a vehicle of the Holy Spirit. This is certainly the case, for example, with the hugely important "Great Blessing of the Waters" which takes place at Theophany (Epiphany) in the context of the celebration of the baptism of Christ or the sharing of cracked wheat and dried fruits (kolyva) in our memorial services, signifying the seed that falls to the ground in Christ’s death and is raised in his resurrection. This wider sense of sacramentals ties in with the Orthodox emphasis on the cosmological significance of the Incarnation and the fecund operation of the Holy Spirit. Redemption for the Orthodox is re-creation. Sacramentalism is as much a dogmatic concern as it is an aspect of worship. Of course, all the elements of personal faith, the Apostolic Tradition and the eschatological transformation of creation are embedded in our sacramental practice. Simply put the holy mysteries are God’s provision for our need. He doesn’t need them. We need them. |
