Blackwell Reference Online

Extract

The purpose of the church is to restore fallen humanity and thereby reconcile the whole creation to God. Its sacramental life is the means to fulfill this purpose. The divine economy of salvation is the foundational principle of the church. The mystery of human salvation leads to the mystery of the salvation of the whole creation which is God's ultimate goal. In this life the church bears witness to a new existence revealed through the incarnation and the resurrection of Jesus Christ – “The Church has been planted in the world as a Paradise,” says St. Irenaeus (Adv. Haer . 5.20.2) – and this new reality already proclaimed is destined finally to attain the status of the new creation. Plate 11  The Monastery of the Holy Trinity, now known as Troitse-Sergieva Lavra, Sergiev Posad, founded by St. Sergius of Radonezh. The most important monastery in Russia. Photo by John McGuckin. The nature of the church, as Orthodoxy understands it, is deeply experiential and accordingly it is difficult to describe it by any single formula that carries an overwhelming authority. The early church knew no such single doctrinal definition and the reason for this is that, according to Fr. Georges Florovsky (1972 : 57), the reality of the church was only made manifest to the “spiritual vision” of the church fathers. The nature of the church can thus be experienced and described, but never fully defined. ... log in or subscribe to read full text