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On the Reception of the Heterodox into the Orthodox Church: The Patristic Consensus and Criteria

On the Reception of the Heterodox into the Orthodox Church: The Patristic Consensus and Criteria - 2 Books - Multiple Book Discount

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What is more important to the Church than the Mysteries of Initiation into the organic union and life in Christ?

Thus, most certainly of universal interest is that the manner of reception of the heterodox be based solely upon the patristic consensus and criteria. Indeed, the very foundation and future of the Church depends on faithfulness to this life and faith once received. For these and other reasons this work is essential reading for every Orthodox Christian.

In over 20 chapters, with over 700 references and 165 bibliographical sources, On the Reception of Heterodox into the Orthodox Church masterfully takes the reader from the evangelical words of the Apostles through the centuries of patristic witness and historical events into the mind of Christ. Included in the examination are the canons of the Ecumenical Councils and Fathers, the Apostolic canons, the principle of economy, the 1620 and 1666 Moscow Councils, the 1484 Council of Constantinople and 1672 Council of Jerusalem, the 1755 Council of the Three Patriarchs, the post-17th century state of ecclesiology, the witness of contemporary saints and much more.

What is presented, and at stake, is nothing less than the identity of the Theanthropic Body of Christ and thus the salvation of Her members and the world.

FEATURES

For the first time in any language, this text provides a comprehensive evaluation and examination of the teaching of the Orthodox Church on the reception of heterodox converts with regard to:

  • The teachings of the Ecumenical Councils, Saints, and Church Fathers.
  • Critical examination of specific Holy Canons pertaining to the reception of the heterodox, with some new translations in response to errors initially brought into their English rendering.
  • The history of the reception of the heterodox in Greece and Russia, before and  after the Great Schism of 1054.
  • The teachings of pre-Schism Western Saints and Fathers in the light of the Ecumenical Councils.
  • Seemingly contradictory teachings of the saints regarding receiving of the heterodox.
  • The 1620 and 1666-1667 Moscow councils and their authority.
  • The Latin Council of Trent, Western Scholasticism, and how they entered and influenced some Orthodox teaching after the 16th century.
  • The consensus which accepts the Council of the Three Patriarchs and their Encyclical in 1755.
  • The teachings of contemporary prophetic voices of the Orthodox Church, i.e. the saints and elders.
  • The precarious arguments criticizing the patristic teaching and consensus on the reception of the heterodox.
  • First published: July 2023
  • Length (softcover): 450 pages