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Essential Orthodox Christian Beliefs
The Orthodox FaithThe Orthodox Faith
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    • Copyright
    • A Letter from His Beatitude, The Most Blessed Tikhon
    • Acknowledgements
    • Foreword
  • Proskomedia: Blessed is the Kingdom
    • • Proskomedia
    • • Blessed is the Kingdom
    • • The Scriptures of Israel
    • • The Fall of Humanity
    • • Choosing the Creature Rather than the Creator
    • • Genesis: The Continued Reverberations of the Fall
    • • A Kingdom of Priests
    • • Prophets and Kings: Restoring Correct Worship
    • • Jesus Christ the Messiah
    • • The Orthodox Temple: Returning to Paradise
  • The Kingdom of God and the World
    • • The Nature of the Kingdom
    • • Blessed is the Kingdom of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit...
    • • The Peace of God
    • • The Great Litany
    • • The World
    • • An Object of God’s Love
    • • A Rival to God
    • • In the world, but not of the World
    • • An Introduction to Prayer
  • God, Jesus, and the Christian Life
    • • The Three Antiphons
    • • The Living God
    • • Jesus
    • • The Christian Life: Living the Beatitudes
    • • The Christian Life: Living in the Resurrection with the Saints
    • • The Christian Life: The Psalter as Hymnbook
    • • Conclusion
  • Worship
    • • Introduction
    • • God and Worship
    • • Man and Worship
    • • Individual and Corporate Worship
    • • Worship: Spiritual and Physical
    • • The Liturgical Year
    • • The Liturgical Week
    • • The Liturgical Day
    • • Conclusion
  • The Communion of Saints in the Orthodox Church
    • • Introduction
    • • The Resurrection of Christ
    • • Who are the Saints?
    • • Saints with a capital “S”
    • • Local Saints
    • • How Do the Saints Help Us?
    • • The Place of the Theotokos in the Communion of Saints
    • • The Lives of the Saints
    • • Icons of the Saints
    • • The Relics of the Saints
    • • Conclusion
  • The Holy Trinity
    • • Introduction
    • • The Father
    • • The Son
    • • The Holy Spirit
    • • The Holy God as Trinity
    • • Baptism and the Holiness of God
    • • Baptism in the Church
    • • Conclusion
  • The Scriptures in the Orthodox Church
    • • Introduction
    • • The Centrality of the Scriptures
    • • The Creation of the Old Testament
    • • The Place of the Old Testament in Jewish Life
    • • The Creation of the New Testament
    • • The Authority of the Scriptures
    • • What Authority is not
    • • The Old Testament Canon
    • • Christology
    • • The Place of the Septuagint
    • • The Scriptures in the Liturgy of the Church
    • • Interpreting the Scriptures
    • • The Place of the Fathers
    • • Reading the Scriptures
  • Meeting Christ, Understanding, and Being Transformed
    • • What is a Gospel?
    • • The Unique Character of the Gospels
    • • The Unique Message of the Gospels
    • • The Particularity of Each of the Gospels
    • • What is the Good News?
    • • Good News for the Churches
    • • Components of the Written Gospels Genealogies and Beyond
    • • Birth narratives
    • • Miracles, Healings and Exorcisms
    • • Parables
    • • Controversies
    • • Theological Discourses
    • • Narrative of Jesus’ Death and Resurrection
    • • Ascension and Promised Return
    • • What Does Hearing the Gospel Entail?
    • • Conclusion
  • The Church
    • • Litanies
    • • The Church as the Body of Christ
    • • Spiritual Gifts are Given to All
    • • Ordained Clergy: Bishops, Presbyters, and Deacons
    • • Specific Functions of Ordained Clergy
    • • The Church and Eschatology
    • • Monasticism
    • • The Ascetical Life
    • • The Remembrance of Death
    • • Conclusion
  • The Cherubic Hymn
    • • Introduction
    • • Man’s Original Vocation
    • • The Advent of Christ
    • • Christ the King
    • • Christ the High Priest
    • • Christ the Prophet
    • • The Restoration of Our Calling
    • • The Old Man
    • • Becoming a King
    • • Becoming a Priest
    • • Becoming a Prophet
    • • Conclusion
  • The History of the Church
    • • The Church as Israel
    • • The Martyric Church
    • • The Peace of Constantine
    • • Schism with the West
    • • The Rise of Islam and the Fall of the East
    • • Byzantium after Byzantium: The Modern Age
    • • Ecumenism
    • • How Orthodoxy Understands Other Christian Communities
    • • How Orthodoxy Understands Non-Christian Religions
    • • Conclusion
  • The Anaphora
    • • Introduction
    • • Thanksgiving, Creation, and the Fall
    • • Thanksgiving
    • • Creation
    • • The Fall
    • • The Son’s Offering to the Father and Sacrifice
    • • Atonement
    • • Christ’s Sacrifice
    • • The Work of the Holy Spirit
    • • Remembering the Saints with Thanksgiving
    • • Naming
    • • The Riches of the Anaphora
  • The Mother of God
    • • Hymn to the Theotokos
    • • The Mother of God and Our Salvation
    • • Veneration of Mary as the Mother of God
    • • The Life of the Theotokos
    • • Mary’s Virginity
    • • Communion Between the Living and the Departed
    • • Prayers for the Departed
    • • The Last Judgment
    • • Conclusion
  • The Lord’s Prayer
    • • Introduction
    • • The Lord's Prayer
    • • Our Father who art in heaven
    • • Hallowed be Thy Name
    • • Thy Kingdom Come, Thy Will be Done
    • • Give Us This Day our Daily Bread
    • • Forgive Us our Trespasses
    • • Lead Us Not into Temptation, but Deliver Us from Evil
    • • For Thine is the Kingdom
  • The Sacraments
    • • Rituals and Sacraments
    • • Baptism and Chrismation
    • • Eucharist
    • • Holy Matrimony
    • • Holy Orders
    • • Holy Unction
    • • The Sacrament of Confession
    • • The Burial of the Dead
    • • Conclusion
  • The Fellowship of the Faithful and Our Witness to the World
    • • Introduction
    • • The Fellowship of the Faithful
    • • Koinonia
    • • One Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church
    • • Bearing One Another’s Burdens
    • • Death and the Cross
    • • The Necessity of Fellowship
    • • Our Witness to Christ in the World
    • • The Knowledge of a Witness
    • • Watchfulness
    • • The Role of a Witness
    • • The Witness of Christ

On This Page

  • Introduction
  • The Resurrection of Christ
  • Who are the Saints?
  • Saints with a capital “S”
  • Local Saints
  • How Do the Saints Help Us?
  • The Place of the Theotokos in the Communion of Saints
  • The Lives of the Saints
  • Icons of the Saints
  • The Relics of the Saints
  • Conclusion

The Communion of Saints in the Orthodox Church

  • Introduction

  • The Resurrection of Christ

  • Who are the Saints?

  • Saints with a capital “S”

  • Local Saints

  • How Do the Saints Help Us?

  • The Place of the Theotokos in the Communion of Saints

  • The Lives of the Saints

  • Icons of the Saints

  • The Relics of the Saints

  • Conclusion

• Conclusion• Introduction
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