Number DOI: http://doi.org/10.33209/2519-4348-2707-9627-2022-10-117

VB. – № 10, 2022. – P. 127-135

Summary

Ecclesiology comes from the Greek words ecclesia (church/assembly) and ology (study of) and refers to the study of the church. In Christian systematic theology, ecclesiology is one of the major areas of study and investigates what the Bible teaches about the church both universal (all believers in Christ) and local (local gatherings of believers in Christ). Common areas of study within ecclesiology include: The Definitions of the Church: The New Testament used the Greek word ekklesia approximately 114 times. While some uses of the word refer to an assembly of people apart from a religious emphasis, most occurrences identify either the universal church (often spelled with an uppercase C) or local churches (local groups of Christian believers). Of special importance is the fact that a church in the Bible always refers to people, not to buildings, as many people understand the term today. In the New Testament, Christians did not go to church; Christians were the church.Christ as head unites the members of His Body (that is, the Church), with the uncreated life and communion of the Holy Trinity. According to Orthodox theology, God’s will for the realization of the Church is a common and united energy of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. The prosperity of the Father is the union of the created and the uncreated in the Face of His Son. The Holy Spirit co-exists with the Father in the incarnation of the Son. In addition, he contributes to the Son’s economy and constantly supports, making possible through His action, the incorporation of creation into Christ. Orthodox Ecclesiology goes beyond the dilemma of Christianity or spiritualism. It supports the special contribution of the Persons of the Holy Trinity in the realization of the Church. Christ and the Holy Spirit are reciprocal contributors to the freedom and authority of unity and diversity in the life of the Church. Through the Holy Spirit, Christology is an empirical and shared reality. The Church exists in this world as a sign of the Kingdom. It is the great mystery, which reveals the final destination of the world. The Church derives its identity from what it will be, which is why it is the great mystery of the faith. The main condition for the existence of the Christian Church is that inner and new unity between God and man, which was established by the Incarnation. The true meaning of the Church is seen through the Sacrament of Christ and in the perspective of the Kingdom of God.

Key words: Christ, Pneumatology, Ecclesiology, Holy Spirit, Hloy Triune God.

References:

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