What is dogma: Christians could not do without this ancient word

Table of contents

• Dogmas about God and his general relationship to the world and man
• Dogmas about God, trinitarian in persons
• Dogmas about God as creator and provider for the spiritual world
• Dogmas about the relationship of God, as a creator and provider, to man
• Dogmas about God the Savior and his special relationship to the human race
• Dogmas about Christ the Savior
• Dogmas of Sanctification
• Dogmas about the Holy Church
• Dogmas about the Sacraments of the Church
• Dogmas about the Sacrament of the Priesthood
• Dogmas about God as a judge and rewarder
• Dogmas about universal judgment

The place of dogmas among other Christian truths: The Truth of Christian Revelation, contained in the Holy Scriptures. Scripture and Holy Traditions are divided into truths of faith and truths of activity.

The truths of faith are divided into those related to the very essence of the Christian religion as a restored union between God and man, called dogmas, and others not related to the essence, which contain historical legends or private sayings of sacred persons.

The truths of activity are divided into definitions of moral behavior and ritual and canonical truths.

Structure of Dogmatic Theology:

1. Dogmas about God and His general relationship to the world and man.
2. Dogmas about God, the Trinity in Persons.
3. Dogmas about God as Creator and Provider for the spiritual world.
4. Dogmas about God as Creator and Provider to man.
5. Dogmas about God the Savior and His special relationship to the human race.
6. Dogmas about Christ the Savior.
7. Dogmas of Sanctification.
8. Dogmas about the Holy Church.
9. Dogmas about the Sacraments of the Church.
10. Dogmas about the Sacrament of the Priesthood.
11. Dogmas about God as a Judge and a Rewarder.
12. Dogmas about the General Court.

Dogmas about God and his general relationship to the world and man

General properties of the being of God

God is incomprehensible and invisible. God revealed himself to people in creation and in the supernatural Revelation, which was preached by the only begotten Son of God through the Apostles. God is one in essence and threefold in Persons.

God is the Spirit, eternal, all-good, all-knowing, all-powerful, all-present, unchangeable, all-content, all-blessed.

The nature of God is completely immaterial, not involved in the slightest complexity, simple.

God, as a Spirit, in addition to spiritual nature (substance), has mind and will.

God, as Spirit, is infinite in all respects, otherwise, all-perfect, He is original and independent, immeasurable and omnipresent, eternal and unchangeable, omnipotent and omnipotent, perfect and alien to any deficiency.

Particular properties of the being of God

Originality - everything that has, has from itself.

Independence – in essence, in powers and in actions is determined by Himself.

Immeasurability and omnipresence - not subject to any limitation by space and place.

Eternity - He has neither beginning nor end of his existence.

Immutability - He always remains the same.

Omnipotence - He has unlimited power to produce everything and rule over everything.

Properties of God's Mind

The property of the mind of God in itself is omniscience, i.e. He knows everything and knows it most perfectly.

The property of God's mind in relation to his actions is the highest wisdom, i.e. the most perfect knowledge of the best ends and the best means, the most perfect art of applying the latter to the former.

Properties of God's Will

The properties of God's will in itself are extremely free and all-holy, i.e. pure from all sin.

The property of God's will in relation to all creatures is all-good, and in relation to rational creatures it is true and faithful, since it reveals itself to them as a moral law, as well as a just one, since it rewards them according to their deserts.

Unity of God in essence

God is one.

Dogmas about God, trinitarian in persons

There are essentially three Persons or Hypostases in the One God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

The Three Persons in God are equal to each other and consubstantial.

The Three Persons are different in their personal properties: the Father is not born of anyone, the Son is born of the Father, the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father.

(The hypostases are inseparable and unmerged; the birth of the Son never began, never ended, the Son was born from the Father, but was not separated from him, He abides in the Father; God the Holy Spirit eternally emanates from the Father.)

Dogmas about God as creator and provider for the spiritual world

The spiritual world is made up of two kinds of spirits: good, called Angels, and evil, called demons.

Angels and demons were created by God.

Demons became evil from good spirits of their own free will with the connivance of God.

God, as a Provider, gave both Angels and demons nature, powers and abilities.

God assists the Angels in their good activities and controls them in accordance with the purpose of their existence.

God allowed the fall of demons and allows their evil activity, and limits it, directing it, if possible, to good goals.

* * *

By their nature, Angels are disembodied spirits, the most perfect of the human soul, but limited.

The angelic world is unusually great.

Angels glorify God, serve Him, serve people in this world, guiding them to the kingdom of God.

The Lord gives a special Guardian Angel to each of the believers.

* * *

The devil and his angels (demons) are personal and real beings.

Demons by their nature are ethereal spirits, the highest of the human soul, but limited.

Demons cannot use violence against any person unless God allows them.

The devil acts both as an enemy of God and as an enemy of man.

God destroys the kingdom of demons on earth through the ceaseless expansion of His blessed kingdom.

God gave people Divine powers against demons (prayer, etc.).

God allows the activities of demons aimed at the destruction of humanity for the moral benefit of people and their salvation.

History of philosophy. Test 5

1. One of the pillars of the Alexandrian school, this philosopher came from a Jewish family, and edited his philosophical works in the form of a commentary on the Pentateuch of Moses. His writings merged Jewish traditions and Greek Stoic philosophy Philo the Apostle Paul Valentinus Marcion

2. According to Basilides, “first from the unborn father was born Nus, and from him the Logos-Judgment, and from Judgment - …” Wisdom and Strength Strength and emanations; angels and the first heaven the first and all other heavens

3. Official Christian Church by the end of the 2nd century. in relation to the Gnostics, she took the following position; she changed her anger to mercy and allowed them to develop their philosophy; she waged a fierce struggle; she gradually adopted their symbolism; she included Gnostic rituals in the church cult

4. Plotinus believed that the One is the source of being, of all things in the world. This is pure and simple unity, excluding plurality, as well as thought, spirit, will, absolute

5. The theoretical basis of Julian the Apostate’s attempt to reject Christianity and restore the pagan religion is recognized as Manichaeism, Gnosticism, Neoplatonism, apologetics

6. The main logician in the direction of Neoplatonism was Plotinus Proclus Porphyry Plato

7. Quintus Tertullian proclaimed “Christian revelation abolishes the wisdom of this world” “I believe because it is absurd” “The Divine and the devil are constantly fighting among themselves” “Seek and you will find.”

8. In an effort to combine Christianity with Neoplatonism, he first undertook a philosophical and allegorical interpretation of the Bible Clement of Alexandria Ammonius Sacca Plotinus Origen

9. Arius declared Jesus Christ to be consubstantial with God the Father, similar to God the Father, not consubstantial with God the Father, dissimilar with God the Father

10. The main dogma of the Christian doctrine regarding God says that there is no God higher than Allah God is One God, being one and only, exists in three forms God is Everything and everything is God

11. He was born into the family of a Roman official, studied rhetoric from skeptics, then was an adherent of Manichaeism, but, having converted to Christianity, became the most prominent of the fathers of the Western Church Jerome Blessed Ambrose of Milan Aurelius Augustine Basil of Caesarea

12. In the “Church Hierarchy” of Pseudo-Dionysius, monks are at the level of bishops catechumens - at the level of priests and deacons members of the Christian community - at the level of rational beings bishops - at the level of priests and deacons

13. From the point of view of Aurelius Augustine, time is only the past future present eternity

14. He was called “the first father of scholasticism” and “Charlemagne of scholastic philosophy” Anselm of Canterbury John Roscelin John Scotus Eriugena Pierre Abelard

15. Scholasticism proclaimed the difference between faith and reason, science and theology, theology and philosophy, philosophy and science

Dogmas about the relationship of God, as a creator and provider, to man

Man is created in the image and likeness of God.

God created man so that he would know God, love and glorify Him, and through this he would be eternally blissful.

God created the first people, Adam and Eve, in a special way, different from the creation of His other creatures.

The human race originated from Adam and Eve.

Man consists of an immaterial soul and a material body.

The soul, the highest and most excellent part of man, is an independent being, immaterial and simple, free, immortal. The purpose of man is that he invariably remain faithful to the high covenant or union with God, to which the All-Good One called him at creation itself, so that he strives for his Prototype with all the strength of his rationally free soul, i.e. knew his Creator and glorified him, lived for Him and in moral unity with Him.

The fall of man was allowed by God.

Heaven was a place to live a happy and blissful life, both sensual and spiritual. Man in Paradise was immortal. It is not true that Adam could not die, he could not die. Adam had to make and maintain Paradise. To instruct the truth of faith, God honored some people with His revelations, appeared to them Himself, talked with them, and revealed His will to them.

God created man fully capable of achieving the goal He established, i.e. perfect, both in soul, mentally and morally, and perfect in body.

***

In order to exercise and strengthen moral powers in goodness, God commanded man not to eat fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

The man did not keep the commandments, and through this he lost his dignity.

All people came from Adam and his sin is the sin of all people.

God has given His grace to man from the very beginning.

The devil was hidden in the snake that seduced Adam and Eve. Eve was carried away by the dream of becoming equal to God, Adam fell due to addiction to his wife.

Death came to man from the envy of the devil towards God.

Consequences of a fall in the soul: dissolution of union with God, loss of grace, spiritual death, darkening of the mind, degradation of the will and its inclination towards evil rather than good, distortion of the image of God.

Consequences of a fall for the body: illness, sorrow, exhaustion, death.

Consequence for the external state of a person: loss or decrease in power over animals, loss of fertility of the earth.

***

The consequences of the fall extended to all of humanity. Original sin is universal.

***

After the fall of Adam and Eve, God did not stop providing for man. He is the king of all the earth, he rules over the nations and watches over them. He places kings over the peoples, grants them Power and strength, and rules earthly kingdoms through kings. He supplies lower powers through kings, and supplies His servants (Angels) to create the happiness of human societies.

God provides for individual people and, in particular, for guides, protects us throughout our lives, assists us in our activities, and sets a limit for our earthly life and activities.

God provides in natural ways (preserves people and helps them) and supernaturally (miracles and actions of Divine economy).

Experience shows that knowledge of dogmas and canons allows you to protect yourself from the influence of dangerous thoughts and people. By the way a person speaks about them (not to mention whether he observes them or not) it becomes clear whether he is in fact an Orthodox person. Even if outwardly everything is fine with him, but his attitude is the most negligent, “creative,” then sooner or later it turns out that he is a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

Dogmas speak about God in relation to man and about man in relation to God. The canons regulate the life of the Church and Christians in the disciplinary legal and moral sense. The canon (in the sense of church law) is the fundamental church law that applies throughout the entire Orthodox Church.

There is always an immutable dogmatic point in the idea of ​​a canon. However, in the literal sense, the canon reflects the transitory circumstances of the life of the Church.

The canons are not subject to repeal, but their legal norms are not absolute. Moreover, in the rules themselves one can find an indication of flexibility. A canon may no longer apply because the relationship it regulates has disappeared. At the same time, the rule of the canon can serve as a guide: thus, an indication of the age of deaconesses that do not currently exist (40 years) forms the basis for reasoning about the age of a woman appointed to existing church positions.

The canons, even if they are no longer applied, in any case remain the criteria of church legislation and the basis of church legal consciousness. The Canon is a pointer to the correct orientation in current problems of church life.

Church knowledge can be divided into four areas:

• dogmas - clear church definitions;
• canons - regulations for the life of the Church and Christians;
• liturgical tradition regulating the liturgical life of the Church;
• Orthodox asceticism is the experience of communion with God, the basic laws of spiritual life and a deep ascetic apparatus designed to help build an Orthodox personal form of spiritual life.

Dogmas about God and His general relationship to the world and man, for example:

1. God exists.
2. God:

1. original (does not come from anyone or anything, has existence in itself), immutable (“I am the Lord, I do not change” (Mal. 3:6)), eternal (does not depend on time), immeasurable and omnipresent (see, for example, Psalm 138) – so-called. apophatic properties based on the denial of certain qualities inherent in the finite creature;
2. possesses divine intelligence and wisdom, omniscience. God is holy (i.e., guided by the idea of ​​one supreme good). God is omnipotent (Genesis 17, Luke 1:37) and all-blessed, good, and merciful. God is love. And, at the same time, God is fair.

1. God is the Creator of the world. God created the world out of nothing. God created the world with reason and wisdom, will and word. There was no time before God. God created a perfect world.
2. God is the Provider of the world, i.e. cares for the world, preserves it and rules it.

Dogmas about God, the Trinity in Persons, for example:

1. God is one in essence, but trinity in persons - Father, Son, Holy Spirit, Trinity consubstantial and indivisible (Three independent Persons possessing all perfections, but not three Gods, but God).
2. The three Persons of the Trinity differ in their personal properties: the Father is not begotten of anyone, the Son is begotten of the Father, the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father.

Dogmas about God as Creator and Provider to the spiritual world, for example:

1. good angels - ministering spirits who serve God, nations, individuals, churches;
2. evil spirits - fallen angels, live in the air, constantly looking for how to destroy a person. The Lord allows and limits their activities.

Dogmas about the relationship of God, as Creator and Provider, to man, for example:

1. Man is created in the image and likeness of God.
2. Only three persons in the entire history of mankind originated in a special way - Adam, Eve and our Lord Jesus Christ. Everyone else came from Adam and Eve.
3. A person consists of soul and body.
4. The soul is a higher, spiritual, independent, rational, conscious, free, immortal essence.

Dogmas about God the Savior and His special relationship to the human race, for example:

1. The sin of the forefathers (Adam and Eve) is on all their descendants, i.e. all people. This is universal, original sin.
2. Consequences of the Fall: rupture of communion with God, loss of grace, spiritual death, darkening of the mind, perversion of the will, inclination towards evil rather than good, distortion of the image of God.
3. All creation, through the fall of man, interrupted communication with God, and is tormented to this day (Rom. 8:22).
4. The Lord through His Son was pleased to save people. The Son accomplished this salvation. The Holy Spirit, by His assistance, accomplishes the work of salvation in the hearts of people.

Dogmas about Christ the Savior, for example:

1. The Lord Jesus Christ is the true God.
2. The Lord Jesus Christ is a true but sinless Man, born supernaturally from the Virgin Mary through the action of the Holy Spirit.
3. We are all redeemed by His death and resurrection.
4. Jesus Christ conquered and destroyed hell.
5. Having defeated death by His resurrection, Jesus Christ ascended into heaven and sat down at the right hand of the Father, thereby ascending human nature into heaven and thereby opening the doors to the Kingdom of Heaven for all people.

Dogmas about sanctification, for example:

1. Without Divine help, people cannot be saved.
2. Grace is a special uncreated Divine power.
3. Grace reaches us in the Hypostasis of the Holy Spirit, which is why it is often called the power of the Holy Spirit (although it belongs to all the Persons of the Trinity).
4. Grace is given to people as a result of the feat of Jesus Christ.
5. Grace does not change human nature, but transforms it.

Dogmas about the Holy Church, for example:

1. The Church is a mediator in the matter of sanctification and salvation, founded by our Lord Jesus Christ.
2. There is no salvation outside the Church.
3. Head of the Church – Jesus Christ
4. The Holy Spirit works in the Church.
5. The Church is holy, united, catholic, apostolic.

Dogmas about the Sacraments of the Church, for example:

1. The sacraments are sacred actions through which grace acts on a person in a secret way, i.e. the saving power of God (Long Catechism).
2. The celebrant of the Sacraments is Jesus Christ himself.
3. The Sacrament is valid subject to faith in Christ and the saving power of the Sacraments, and a sincere desire to accept grace.
4. Baptism is performed only once.
5. In the Sacrament of the Eucharist, wine and bread are transformed into the Blood and Body of Christ.
6. The Eucharist is a sacrifice of thanksgiving, propitiation and unification of the entire Church into the Body of Christ.
7. Repentance cures sins.

Dogmas about the Sacrament of the Priesthood:

priesthood is a divine institution, presupposes election from above, and is accomplished through ordination (laying on of hands).

Dogmas about God as Judge and Rewarder:

1. The body is mortal, the soul is immortal.
2. After bodily death, everyone faces a private trial and retribution until the Last Judgment.
3. Retribution after a private trial is just an expectation of bliss or torment. The Divine Liturgy, prayers, alms, and fasting can change the fate of the deceased.

Dogmas of the General Court:

1. Only God knows the time of the Second Coming.
2. Before the General Judgment, only the soul (not the body) receives reward, both the righteous and sinners are in anticipation (anticipation) of well-deserved bliss or torment; sinners have a chance that, through the prayers of the Church, their fate will change.
3. The Second Coming will be in glory and majesty.
4. The resurrection of the dead will be real, universal and simultaneous, in identical bodies.
5. The living will change instantly and simultaneously.
6. Sinners will be given over to eternal torment along with the devil, the righteous will forever inherit the Kingdom prepared from the foundation of the world (Matthew 25:34). Once again: both are forever.>

552
Learn to understand prayers - evening closing prayers

Previous post

Ladder - the first word, about renunciation of worldly life

Next entry

Dogmas about God the Savior and his special relationship to the human race

God sent His Only Begotten Son into the vale of the earth, so that He, having received flesh from the Most Pure Virgin through the action of the Holy Spirit, would redeem man and bring him into His Kingdom in much greater glory than what he had in Paradise.

God is our Savior in general, since all the Persons of the Most Holy Trinity participated in the work of our salvation.

Our Lord Jesus Christ is the Author and Finisher of our faith and salvation.

In the Person of Jesus Christ, each of His natures transfers its properties to the other, and namely, what is characteristic of Him in humanity is assimilated to Him as God, and what is characteristic of Him in Divinity is assimilated to Him as a man.

The Most Holy Virgin Mary, Mother of the Lord Jesus, not according to His Divinity, but according to humanity, which, however, from the very moment of His incarnation, became inseparably and hypostatically united in Him with His Divinity, and became His own Divine Person.

Not the entire Holy Trinity was incarnated in Jesus Christ, but only one Son

God, the second Person of the Holy Trinity. The attitude of the second Person of the Most Holy Trinity did not change in the least through His incarnation, and after the incarnation, God the Word remains the same Son of God as He was before. The Son of God the Father is natural, not adopted. Jesus Christ was anointed as high priest, king and prophet for the threefold ministry of the human race, through which he accomplished his salvation.

Dogmas of the Orthodox Church

In total, there are 12 fundamental truths in Orthodoxy:

1. Unshakable faith in the Holy Trinity;
2. The truth about the commission of sin by each of us;
3. Redemption;
4. Incarnation of the Son of the Most High;
5. Resurrection of Jesus Christ;
6. Ascension to heaven;
7. The Second Coming and the expected Last Judgment;
8. Revival of the meaning and role of the Church;
9. Resurrection of mere mortals;
10. The two sides of God's Son are divine and human;
11. Two wills and the ability to perform miraculous actions;
12. Veneration of icons.

Each person decides for himself whether he is ready to adhere to these basic dogmas or not. Forcibly imposing someone else's opinion and forcing a person to sincerely believe in the existence of the miraculous power of the Creator is not included in the main church canons. Orthodox dogmas will help you find yourself and discover new criteria for evaluating different actions and actions.

The Lord is always with you!

The best article for you, go to: When does Lent begin in 2021 for the Orthodox

Also watch a video about the main Orthodox dogmas:

Dogmas about Christ the Savior

The One Lord Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God, for the sake of man and the human race of salvation, came down from Heaven and was incarnated by the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary and became man.

Jesus Christ, perfect in Godhead and perfect in humanity; truly God and truly man; also from soul and body; consubstantial with the Father in Divinity and consubstantial with people in humanity; in every way similar to people, except for sin; born before the age from the Father according to Divinity, in the last days born for our sake and for the sake of our salvation from Mary the Virgin Mother of God, according to humanity; The Only Begotten, in two natures unfused, unchangeable, inseparably, inseparably cognizable; not into two persons, cut or divided, but one Son and the Only Begotten God the Word.

How the two natures in Jesus Christ, Divine and human, despite all their differences, were united into one Hypostasis; how He, being perfect God and perfect man, is but one Person; this, according to the Word of God, is the great mystery of piety, and, therefore, inaccessible to our mind. The Lord performed prophetic service directly, having assumed the office of a public Teacher, and through His disciples. The teaching consists of the law of faith and the law of activity and is entirely aimed at the salvation of mankind.

The law of faith is about God, the highest and most perfect Spirit, one in essence, but threefold in Persons, original, omnipresent, all-good, omnipotent, Creator and Provider of the universe, Who fatherly cares for all His creatures, especially for the human race.

About Himself as the Only Begotten Son of God, who came into the world to reconcile and reunite man with God.

About His saving suffering, death and resurrection; about fallen, damaged man and about the means by which he can rise and assimilate salvation for himself, become sanctified, reunite with God through his redeemer and achieve an ever-blessed life beyond the grave.

Christ expressed the law of activity in two main commandments: eradication in us of the very beginning of all sin - pride or self-love, cleansing from all filth of the flesh and spirit; love for God and neighbors with the goal of rooting in us, instead of the previous sinful one, the seed of a new life, holy and pleasing to God, to bring into us a union of moral perfection.

In order to excite people to accept and fulfill the laws of faith and activity, the Lord Jesus pointed to the greatest disasters and eternal torment, which all sinners will inevitably undergo if they do not follow His teachings, but also to the greatest and eternal blessings that the Heavenly Father has prepared, also for the sake of His merits beloved Son, for all the righteous who follow His teaching.

Jesus Christ gave the law for all people and for all times.

Jesus Christ taught the law that is saving and therefore necessary for achieving eternal life.

As a prophet, Christ the Savior only announced to us about salvation, but had not yet accomplished salvation itself: he enlightened our minds with the light of true knowledge of God, testified about himself that he is the true Messiah, explained how he would save us, and showed us the direct the path to eternal life.

The high priestly ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ was the work through which eternal life was earned for us.

He did this, following the custom of the Old Testament high priests, offering Himself as a propitiatory sacrifice for the sins of the world, and thus reconciled us with God, delivered us from sin and its consequences, and acquired eternal blessings for us.

Christ the Savior, in order to satisfy the eternal Truth for all these human sins, deigned, in their place, to fulfill God’s will for people in its entirety and breadth, to show in himself the most perfect example of obedience to it and to humble and abase Himself for our sake to the last degree.

Christ, the God-man, in order to save people from all these disasters and suffering, deigned to take upon Himself all the wrath of God, to endure for us everything that we deserved for our iniquities.

The high priestly ministry of Jesus Christ embraces His entire earthly life. He constantly bore His cross of self-sacrifice, obedience, suffering and sorrow.

The death of Jesus Christ is the atoning sacrifice for us. He paid with His blood the debt to the Truth of God for our sins, which we ourselves were not able to pay, and He himself was not in debt to God. This replacement was the will and consent of God, because The Son of God came to earth to do not His own will, but the will of the Father who sent Him.

The sacrifice made for us by Christ the Savior on the cross is a comprehensive sacrifice. It extends to all people, to all sins and to all times. By His death He earned for us the kingdom of heaven.

The royal ministry of the Lord Jesus lies in the fact that He, having the power of a King, as a proof of the divinity of His gospel, performed a number of signs and wonders without which people could not believe in Him; and, in addition, to destroy the realm of the devil - hell, to truly defeat death and open for us the entrance to the kingdom of heaven.

In His miracles He demonstrated power over all nature: He transformed water into wine, walked on waters, tamed the storm of the sea with one word, healed all kinds of diseases with one word or touch, gave sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, and tongue to the dumb.

He demonstrated his power over the forces of hell. With one command He cast out unclean spirits from people; the demons themselves, learning about His power, trembled at His power.

Jesus Christ defeated and destroyed hell when by His death He abolished the ruler of the power of death - the devil; He descended into hell with His soul, like God, to preach salvation to the captives of hell, and brought from there all the Old Testament righteous people to the bright abodes of the Heavenly Father.

Jesus Christ conquered death by His resurrection. As a result of the resurrection of Christ, we will all one day be resurrected, since through faith in Christ and through communion with His holy sacraments we become partakers of Him.

After the liberation of the Old Testament righteous from hell, Jesus Christ solemnly ascended to heaven with the human nature He assumed and, thus, opened for all people free entry into the kingdom of heaven.

In Orthodoxy, dogmas became a response to the distortion of Christian teaching

Orthodox dogma identifies the following properties of dogmas:

1. Theological.
2. Godliness.
3. Churchness.
4. General obligation.

The content of these properties is revealed above in relation to the writings of the Church Fathers dedicated to dogmas. It should be noted that each religious movement may have its own dogmas.

So, for example, the Orthodox recognize the dogmas adopted by the resolutions of the Ecumenical Councils as a response to certain fundamental distortions of church teaching. Catholics recognize the need for new dogmas to emerge without this condition.

The dogma of the Church is not subject to condemnation or change.

The dogma of the Church is a doctrinal truth that is not subject to discussion. That is why, if a conscious departure from a dogma is recorded in the form of its complete rejection or a different interpretation, we can talk about the presence of heresy in the judgments of this or that person.

Thus, answering the question: who is a dogmatist, we can say that this is the person who does not deviate from the teachings of the Church, shares and observes all its dogmas.

Icon Symbol of Faith. Orthodox dogmas are contained in the Creed and the Catechism

The dogmatic provisions of Orthodox teaching are set out in the Creed. In addition, they can also be found in the Catechism and educational literature on the Law of God. Dogmas are designed to help every person have an accurate, unambiguous understanding of God and his relationship with the world, and clearly understand where Christianity ends and heresy begins.

That is why the doctrinal truths of Catholicism and Protestantism recognize different provisions than in Orthodoxy, which led to a split between the largest Christian denominations.

Dogmas of Sanctification

In order for every person to become a partaker of salvation, it is necessary to sanctify the person, i.e. the actual assimilation by each of us of the merits of Christ, or such a matter in which the all-holy God, under certain conditions on our part, really cleanses us from sins, justifies us and makes us sanctified and holy.

All Persons of the Holy Trinity participate in the work of our sanctification: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The Father appears to be the source of our sanctification. The Holy Spirit appears to be the accomplisher of our sanctification. The Son appears to be the author of our sanctification.

The grace of God, i.e. the saving power of God is communicated to us for the sake of the merits of our Redeemer and accomplishes our sanctification.

Particular types of grace: external, acting through the Word of God, the Gospel, miracles, etc.; internal, acting directly in a person, destroying sins in him, enlightening the mind, directing his will to good; transitory, producing private impressions and contributing to private good deeds; a constant that constantly dwells in a person’s soul and makes him righteous; preceding, preceding a good deed; accompanying, which accompanies good deeds; sufficient gives a person sufficient strength and convenience to act; effective, accompanied by human action that bears fruit.

God foresaw that some people would use their free will well, and others poorly: therefore, He predestined some to glory, and condemned others.

The prevenient grace of God, like a light that enlightens those who walk in darkness, guides everyone. Therefore, those who wish to freely submit to her and fulfill her commands, which are necessary for salvation, therefore receive special grace. Those who do not want to obey and follow grace, and therefore do not keep the commandments of God, but, following the suggestions of Satan, abuse their freedom given to them by God so that they arbitrarily do good, are subject to eternal condemnation.

The grace of God extends to all people, and not only to those predestined to a righteous life; God's predestination of some to eternal bliss, others to eternal damnation, is not unconditional, but conditional, and is based on the foreknowledge of whether they will or will not use grace; God's grace does not restrict human freedom and does not act irresistibly on us; man actively participates in what the grace of God accomplishes in him and through him.

The main dogmas of Christianity (there are 12 of them), adopted at the Ecumenical Councils, are recognized by Orthodoxy

Orthodoxy is characterized by the presence of a strict and distinct religious consciousness. This is its undoubted advantage over Catholicism and Protestantism.

At the same time, Orthodox Christians must always remember that dogma does not mean the introduction of new truths regarding God, since Jesus Christ gave us Christian teaching in its entirety. Dogmas only outline the boundaries of our interpretation of such teaching, and also reveal the holistic attitude of the Church to newly emerging issues and circumstances.

Icon of Christ and 12 Apostles. Jesus Christ is the head of the Christian Church, therefore its teaching is complete and cannot be changed

Orthodoxy recognizes 12 dogmas adopted by the Ecumenical Councils of the 4th century. Their list is as follows:

1. Dogma of the Holy Trinity. They contain a definition of the One God of Christians, who represents three Persons in One - Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
2. Dogma of the Fall. Contains the concept of the original sin of Adam and Eve and its consequences for humanity, which after the Fall was expelled from Paradise and can now only be saved through repentance and prayer to the Lord.
3. Dogma of the Redemption of mankind from sin. Contains the concept of atonement for original human sin through the appearance of Jesus Christ on earth and his suffering on the Cross.
4. Dogma of the Incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ. He speaks of the mysterious union of two natures - divine and human in the person of the incarnate Son of God, Jesus Christ.
5. Dogma of the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. It says that Our Lord Jesus Christ died after the crucifixion and suffering on the cross, but was resurrected. This is the most important Christian dogma and belief in the resurrection of Christ - distinguishes a Christian from followers of all other religions.
6. Dogma of the Ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ. It says that after his Resurrection, Christ ascended to Heaven. Thus, Christ, through his death, Resurrection and Ascension, gave people the opportunity to receive the Grace of God and be saved through communion, repentance and prayer.
7. Dogma of the Second Coming of the Savior and the Last Judgment. It speaks of the Second Coming of Christ to earth. The Savior will resurrect all the dead and will carry out the Last Judgment, after which the righteous will go to heaven and sinners to hell.
8. Dogma of the unity, conciliarity of the Church and the continuity of teaching and priesthood in it. The Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed conveys this: “I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church.” Allows you to distinguish Itsin Church from other human communities and other non-Orthodox Churches.
9. Dogma about the general resurrection of people and the future life. It says that after the Second Coming of Christ all people will be resurrected, enter the Kingdom of Heaven and will abide there with the Lord.
10. Dogma of the two natures of the Lord Jesus Christ. Adopted at the IV Ecumenical Council in Chalcedon. He says that Christ represents one Person and one Hypostasis - not into two faces cut or divided, but one and the same Son and Only Begotten, God the Word, the Lord Jesus Christ.
11. The dogma of two wills and actions in the Lord Jesus Christ. Adopted at the VI Ecumenical Council in Constantinople. The dogma says that in Christ there is one will and one action, while the Divine and real human nature in him differ.
12. Dogma on icon veneration. Adopted at the VII Ecumenical Council in Nicaea. Allows the veneration of holy icons, while indicating that it is necessary to prevent their deification, since a Christian is not devoted to the icon itself, but to God and His saints depicted on the icon.

Dogmas about the Holy Church

The Church of Christ is called either the society of all rationally free beings, i.e. angels and people who believe in Christ the Savior and are united in Him as their single head; or a society of people who believed and believe in Christ, whenever they lived and wherever they are now; either only the New Testament and militant Church or the grateful Kingdom of Christ.

The Lord Jesus wanted people, having accepted the new faith, to maintain it not separately from each other, but for this purpose to form a certain community of believers.

Christ laid the beginning and foundation for His Church by choosing His first twelve disciples, who formed His first Church. He also established an order of teachers who would spread His faith among the nations; established the Sacraments of baptism, Eucharist and repentance.

Christ founded or established His Church only on the cross, where He acquired it with His blood. For only on the cross did the Lord redeem us and reunite us with God, only after suffering on the cross did He enter into the glory of God and could send down the Holy Spirit to His disciples.

Endowed with power from above, the holy Apostles from believers in different places tried to form societies that were called churches; commanded these believers to have meetings to hear the word of God and offer prayers; exhorted them that they all formed one body of the Lord Jesus; they were commanded not to leave their meeting under fear of excommunication from the Church.

All people are called to be members of the Church, but not all are actually members. Only those who are baptized belong to the Church. Those who have sinned but profess the pure faith of Christ also belong to the church, so long as they do not become apostates. Apostates, heretics, renegades (or schismatics) are cut off as dead members by the invisible action of God's judgment.

The purpose of the Church, for which the Lord founded it, is the sanctification of sinners, and then reunification with God. To achieve this goal, the Lord Jesus gave His Church Divine teaching and established the order of teachers; He established holy sacraments and sacred rites in general in His Church, and established spiritual administration and rulers in His Church. the church is obliged to preserve the precious deposit of the saving doctrine of faith and to spread this teaching among the nations; preserve and use the Divine sacraments and sacred rites in general for the benefit of people; preserve the governance established by God in it and use it in accordance with the intention of the Lord.

The church is divided into flock and hierarchy. The flock consists of all believers in the Lord Jesus, while the hierarchy, or hierarchy, is a special God-established class of people whom the Lord has authorized alone to manage the means that He has given to the Church for its purpose.

The three degrees of the Divinely established hierarchy are bishops, priests and deacons. The bishop in his private church or diocese is the locum tenens of Christ and, therefore, the chief superior over the entire hierarchy subordinate to him and over the entire flock. He is the main teacher for both ordinary believers and pastors. The bishop is the first celebrant of the holy sacraments in his private church. He alone has the right to ordain a priest on the basis of the word of God, the rules of the holy Apostles and holy Councils. The priest has the power to perform the sacraments and generally sacred rites, except those belonging to the bishop. He is subject to the constant supervision, authority and judgment of his archpastor. Deacons are the eye and ear of the bishop and priest.

Twice a year, a council of bishops, private or local, should meet to discuss the dogmas of piety and resolve church disagreements that occur.

The concentration of spiritual power for the universal Church is in the Ecumenical Councils.

The true Head of the Church is Jesus Christ, who holds the helm of the rule of the Church and revives it with the one and saving grace of the Holy Spirit.

The Church is one, holy, catholic and saving. It is united in its beginning and foundation, in its structure, external (division into shepherds and flocks), internal (the union of all believers in Jesus Christ as the true Head of the Church); according to your goal. It is holy in its origin and foundation; according to its purpose, according to its structure (its Head is the All-Holy Lord Jesus; the Holy Spirit dwells in it with all the grace-filled gifts that sanctify us; and a number of others). It is conciliar, otherwise catholic or universal in space (intended to embrace all people, no matter where they live on earth); in time (intended to lead to faith in Christ and exist until the end of time); according to its structure (the teaching of the Church can be accepted by all people, educated and uneducated, without being connected with the civil structure and, therefore, with any specific place and time). It is apostolic in origin (since the Apostles were the first to accept the power to spread the Christian faith and founded many private churches); according to its structure (the Church originates from the Apostles themselves through the continuous succession of bishops, borrows its teaching from the writings and traditions of the apostles, rules the believers according to the rules of the holy apostles).

Outside the Church there is no salvation for a person, since faith in Jesus Christ is necessary. who reconciled us with God, and faith remains intact only in His Church; participation in the holy sacraments, which are performed only in the Church; a good, pious life, cleansing from sins, which is possible only under the leadership of the Church.

The doctrine of dogmas was developed by ancient scientists and the Fathers of the Church

The history of the word “dogma” comes from ancient literature, but at that time it was not used in the theological sense. Thus, Cicero used the word dogma to designate those well-known doctrines that had the meaning of undeniable truth.

In the same sense, such Christian writers as Origen and Saint Isidore called Socrates the legislator of Attic dogmas, and the teachings of Plato and the Stoics - dogmas. According to Xenophon, dogma is an order of command to which everyone, both commanders and ordinary soldiers, must unquestioningly obey

Xenophon. Bust. The word “dogma” is already found in ancient authors, who define it as an administrative order that should be obeyed without discussion.

The interpretation of the concept of “dogma” from ancient literature migrated to Christian literature. Thus, in the Greek translation of 70 interpreters in the books of the prophet Daniel, Esther, and the books of Maccabees, the word δόγμα is called a royal decree, subject to immediate execution.

In addition, this word also refers to the royal or state law, which is unconditionally binding on every subject.

The word “dogma” is found in the translation of 70 interpreters in the books of the prophet Daniel.

In the New Testament, namely in the Gospel of Luke, the word δόγμα is used to describe Caesar’s order to take a census of the population of the Roman Empire. In the Book of Acts of the Apostles - the royal laws in the epistle to the Collossians and Ephesians - the laws of Moses, which had divine authority.

If we talk about religious dogmas, then first in the book of the Acts of the Apostles, and then in the book of Acts (XV, 20-28) this word denotes those definitions of the church that should have indisputable authority for each of its members.

Hieromartyr Ignatius the God-Bearer of Antioch. Saint Ignatius, together with other Church Fathers, developed in detail the concept of Christian dogma

Such Fathers of the Church as Ignatius the God-Bearer, Cyril of Jerusalem, John Chrysostom, etc. developed the concept of dogma in more detail. According to their writings:

1. Dogma is an indisputable divine truth that is given through Divine Revelation. That is why the dogmas of God’s faith are not recognized as a product of speculative human thinking and personal opinion.
2. Dogma is the truth that relates to the theory and essence of religion. This differs from the rules of everyday life for a Christian.
3. Dogma, as a truth of divine origin, defined and formulated by the Church, is called dogmas of the Church (τά τής έκκλησίας δόγματα), or church dogmas (τά έκκλεσιαστικά δόγματα).
4. A dogma is a truth that a Christian must unconditionally acknowledge in order to consider himself a member of the Church.

Dogmas about the Sacraments of the Church

A sacrament is a sacred action that, under a visible image, imparts to the soul of the believer the invisible grace of God.

The essential accessories of each sacrament are considered to be the Divine institution of the sacrament, some visible or sensory image, and the communication of invisible grace to the soul of the believer by the sacrament.

There are seven sacraments in total: baptism, confirmation, communion, repentance, priesthood, marriage, consecration of oil.

In baptism a person is mysteriously born into spiritual life; in anointing he receives restoring and strengthening grace; in communion he is nourished spiritually; in repentance one is cured of spiritual illnesses, i.e. from sins; in the priesthood he receives the grace to spiritually regenerate and educate others through teaching and sacraments; in marriage he receives grace that sanctifies marriage and the natural birth and upbringing of children; in the consecration of oil, one is healed from bodily diseases through healing from spiritual diseases.

(The following are dogmas about the sacraments as God’s institutions, their purpose and their reality; about the visible side of the sacrament and its invisible actions; definitions of the requirements for the one performing the sacrament and those approaching it; about the properties imparted by the sacrament.)

The main purpose of Christian dogmas is to introduce the human mind to the knowledge of God

Dogmas are the doctrinal definition of the Orthodox Church. Their task is to introduce the human mind to the knowledge of God. The basic tenets of Christianity embody three fundamental rules:

• The existence of the Almighty in three persons;
• The incarnation of God's Son into a representative of the human race;
• Delivering humanity from sins.

Video: “Truth, dogma and faith.” At 4 minutes 22 seconds, the author says that the truth was given in the Church initially and cannot change or increase.

The term “dogma” in its proper meaning is used primarily in Christianity and denotes theological, revealed truth, containing the teaching about God and His economy, which the Church defines and professes as an unchangeable and indisputable position of faith.

It should be noted that Orthodoxy is characterized by two approaches to where dogmas are accepted.

Dogma

this is the doctrinal Definition of the Orthodox Church on the issue of its teaching

According to the first approach, only those indisputable provisions of the Orthodox faith that are approved at Ecumenical Councils are called dogmas. On them they receive a dogmatic formulation. The second approach suggests that every indisputable and obligatory provision of Orthodox dogma should be called dogma.

Based on these two approaches, Christian dogmas are divided into:

1. General (dogmatic formulations of the Ecumenical Councils) and specific (derived from the general).
2. Revealed , that is (discussed and approved at the Ecumenical Councils), and not revealed. The latter are not discussed in detail at ecumenical councils and are not defined in detail, but are recognized by the entire Orthodox Church.
3. Pure , based on Divine Revelation and mixed, based not only on such Revelation, but also on natural reason.

Dogmas about the Sacrament of the Priesthood

So that people could become shepherds of Christ's Church and receive the power to perform the Sacraments, the Lord established another special Sacrament, the Sacrament of the Priesthood.

Priesthood is such a sacred act in which, through the prayerful laying on of the hands of the bishops on the head of the chosen person, God's grace is brought down to this person, sanctifying and placing him on a certain level of the church hierarchy, and then assisting him in the passage of hierarchical duties.

Dogmas about God as a judge and rewarder

God accomplishes the great work of sanctifying people or assimilating the merits of Christ in no other way than with the free participation of the people themselves, under the conditions of their faith and good deeds. For the accomplishment of this work, God has appointed a limit: for private individuals it continues until the end of their earthly life, and for the entire human race it will continue until the very end of the world. At the end of both periods, God is and has to appear as the Judge and Rewarder for every person and all of humanity. He demands and will demand from people an account of how they used the means given for their sanctification and salvation, and will reward everyone according to their deserts.

The entire Holy Trinity participates in the matter of judging us and rewarding us.

The death of a person is an essential circumstance preceding this trial.

Death is the separation of the soul from the body, the cause of death lies in its fall into sin, death is the common destiny of the entire human race, death is the limit by which the time of exploits ends and the time of retribution begins.

The souls of the dead are blissful or tormented, depending on their deeds. However, neither this bliss nor this torment is perfect. They receive them perfect after the general resurrection.

Retribution to the righteous by the will of the heavenly Judge has two types: their glorification in heaven and their glorification on earth - in the militant Church.

The glorification of the righteous, after their death, on earth is expressed by the fact that the earthly Church honors them as saints and friends of God and calls them in prayers as intercessors before God; honors their very relics and other remains, as well as their sacred images or icons.

Sinners go with their souls to hell - a place of sadness and sorrow. Full and final reward for sinners will be at the end of this age.

Sinners who repented before death, but did not have time to bear fruits worthy of repentance (prayer, contrition, consolation of the poor and expression of love for God in their actions), still have the opportunity to receive relief from suffering and even complete liberation from the bonds of hell. But they can only be received by the goodness of God, through the prayers of the Church and charity.