Special Features of Syrian Orthodox Ecclesiology
By Rev.Fr. Dr. Adai Jacob
Introduction
Ecclesiology as a part of Dogmatic Theology is a vast subject. Many definitions about the church are common to all Christian communities. This presentation aims to clarify the differences and agreements in Syrian Orthodox and Catholic points of view on Ecclesiology and to highlight the special features of Syrian Orthodox Ecclesiology. The purpose is to search for ways and means of ecclesial communion between our traditions.
Orthodoxy – The Meaning of the Word
Orthodox means to have the right faith. The Orthodox Church thus means the church that possesses the right faith. After the great split in the Christian Church, the Church in the East was called Orthodox and in the West was called Catholic. These are technical terms for the churches in the East and West, though both are attributes claimed by all episcopal churches.
The relation of the word Orthodox to the verb Doxazo is often neglected. Doxazo means to glorify. Orthodoxy is not only right faith and right teaching, but also right praising and glorification of God. This right praising of God is realized in the life of the Church, in the worship of God, and in the celebration of the sacraments. The right faith finds its expression in the living reality of praising the Lord.
According to the Orthodox point of view, the Church is to be understood primarily not as an authoritative teacher of faith, but as a fellowship of faithful who pray and praise God. This type of Orthodoxy can also be called Orthopraxy—the practice of right faith in the life of the church.
From Local Church Towards the Universal Church
There is an important difference between the Ecclesiology of the Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church in understanding the structure of the church. The ecclesiology of the Catholic Church has a deductive way of approach—it begins with the view of the Universal Church and then tries to explain the meaning and existence of the local church. The local church is understood only as part of the one Universal Church. Catholic Ecclesiology begins from the top and goes down to the bottom, like a pyramid with the Pope of Rome as the Supreme head placed on the top. He is the Symbol of unity of the Church.
The Orthodox churches have adopted a different way of approach, called inductive. For them, the starting point of ecclesiological thinking is not the universal Church but the local church, and from there it reaches the Universal Church. According to Orthodox Ecclesiology, every local Church is an expression of the one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church. All the qualities and attributes of the Universal Church are immanent in the local church also.
Church as a historical reality finds its realization here and now through the local church. The local church has an immediate relation to the people of God and to this world. The local church under the bishop must be able to fulfill the entire mission for which the church exists in this world. If it is so, the fullness of the church must be realized through the local church.
The Bishop as the Symbol of Unity of the Church
According to Ignatius of Antioch, the leadership of the bishop gives the Church its actual ecclesial character. This relation is as inseparable as the relation between the Church and Jesus Christ. As the head of the Eucharistic community, the bishop is the symbol and image of the one and single High-priest Jesus Christ. The oneness of the church is reflected through the bishop.
Because of this function of the bishop, the episcopacy of the church in the whole world represents the oneness and unity of the church. It is not a composition of different parts of the Church to form the whole, but realization of the whole in one part. The local church with its bishop represents the one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church. Therefore every bishop is a successor of the apostles of Jesus Christ.
Cyprian sees in the oneness of the episcopacy the unity and fullness of the local church. Every bishop and the church under him is church in its fullness and visible expression of the universal Church.
The Synod as the Supreme Spiritual Authority
The supreme spiritual authority of the Syrian Orthodox Church is vested not in a person but in the council of all the bishops called the Universal Synod. The thoughts about the local church and synodality of the universal Church are complementary to each other. In the Syrian Orthodox church, the Universal Synod is the supreme spiritual authority and the Patriarch of Antioch is the president of the Universal Synod.
The Throne of St. Peter and The Patriarch of Antioch
The Supreme visible spiritual head of the Syrian Orthodox Church is the Patriarch of Antioch. He is considered as the successor of St. Peter and as such he is seated on the throne of St. Peter in Antioch. In the first century, Antioch became the main centre of the Christians when they were persecuted in Jerusalem. St. Peter as the leader of the apostles became the head of the church in Antioch.
According to Eusebius, St. Peter is not only the founder but also the first bishop of the church in Antioch. Therefore the bishop of Antioch became naturally the successor of St. Peter and the Syrian Orthodox Church firmly believes in this Petrine succession.
Eucharistic Ecclesiology
The Ecclesiological teaching of the Orthodox Church can be explained only in relation with Eucharistic theology. According to St. Paul, the Church is the Body of Christ and Jesus Christ is the Head of the Body. Where will we be able to find the concrete expression and realization of the Body of Christ? The celebration of the Eucharist in the local church under the leadership of the bishop is the particular moment in which the concrete and visible expression of the Church as the Body of Christ is realized here in this world.
At the time of the celebration of the Eucharist, the Church as the Body of Christ meets together to participate in the Eucharistic Body of Christ. Here we find the full expression of the Church. The bishop as the celebrant represents the heavenly High priest Jesus Christ and the people of God behind him is his body. The Church as the Body of Christ is fully realized at this particular moment. Here we find also the realization of two types of communion and relation—horizontal and vertical. On this basis we can call the Orthodox Ecclesiology as Eucharistic Ecclesiology.
Pneumatic Ecclesiology
Not only the creed of the universal Church, but also the New Testament represents a pneumatic ecclesiology. Unfortunately during the last few centuries, pneumatic ecclesiology was not fully interpreted and explained. In the West, the Church was defined mainly from the point of view of incarnation. The Church was considered primarily as an institution with its own hierarchy and authority. The charismatic and pneumatological aspects of the Church were forgotten. But in modern times sincere efforts are being made in the East and West to uphold the pneumatic ecclesiology. The Church is defined now as the fellowship of the Holy Spirit and the Sacrament of the Holy Spirit.
The Syrian Orthodox Church and the Orthodox churches in general emphasize the pneumatological dimension of the Church. This emphasis is based on the Bible and Creed of the Church. According to St. Luke, Pentecost just after the resurrection and Ascension of Jesus Christ marked the birthday of the Church. The primitive Church functioned fully according to the direction of the Holy Spirit. According to St. Paul, the Church is one body and the Holy Spirit is the soul of the body.
The basic confession in the third article of our Creed is "I believe in the Holy Spirit." If we examine the Greek original, the definite article is not found. This means that the term Holy Spirit is used primarily not in the Trinitarian context but in soteriological context. Here the Holy Spirit is mainly the gift of God for the Church. Confession of faith in the Holy Spirit and in the Church is inseparably connected.
Through the Holy Spirit, the resurrected Lord himself is present in history through his presence in the church and its works as the power and principle of the new history to form the new heaven and earth. Therefore the confession of faith in the spirit and in the Church go together. According to the creed, the starting point of ecclesiology is pneumatology. The idea of the fellowship of the Holy Spirit indicates the Eucharistic fellowship in which Christians all around the world are bound together to be one Church. As the soul of the Church, the Holy Spirit joins all believers together and the Spirit is the bond of unity of the universal Church.
Autocephaly and National Churches
In the 19th and 20th centuries, the Byzantine Church was forced to think of autocephalous national churches. This idea emerged mainly out of socio-political reasons. In 1833 the church in Greece was declared as an autocephalous national church, and in 1850 the Patriarch of Constantinople approved this claim. After that, the Church in Yugoslavia, Bulgaria and Romania also became independent churches.
Here we find a formidable difference in the ecclesiology of the Byzantine churches and the Syrian Orthodox Church. The Syrian Orthodox Church does not accept the concept of autocephaly and national churches. The one Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church must be able to overcome the political boundaries of nations. The Byzantine concept of national churches has nowadays crept into the ecclesiology of the Oriental Orthodox Churches also. Because the Syrian Orthodox Church does not accept this concept, there arose a severe schism in the Syrian Orthodox Church in India.
The Uniqueness of the Syrian Orthodox Ecclesiology
The Ecclesiology of the Syrian Orthodox Church can be compared with that of the Catholic Church mainly in two aspects—regarding universality of the Church and the oneness of the Church. The Syrian Orthodox Church, like the Catholic Church, rejects the idea of independent national churches. Church is universal and therefore it must overcome geographical and political boundaries.
The visible oneness and unity of the Church is expressed mainly through the visible head of the Universal Church—The Patriarch of Antioch. The Patriarch is the successor of St. Peter and he is the symbol of continuity and unity of the Universal Church. The search for autocephaly destroys the unity, continuity and catholicity of the Church. This position of the Syrian Orthodox Church shows the uniqueness of the Syrian Orthodox ecclesiology, and at the same time it may be a stumbling block to other Orthodox Churches.
Steps Towards Unity
In 1971, His Holiness Pope Paul VI and His Holiness Patriarch Ignatius Yakob III met together to strengthen the relation between the Catholic Church and the Syrian Orthodox Church. This meeting led to the joint declaration of the heads of the two churches. They were in agreement that there is no difference in faith they profess concerning the mystery of the Word of God made flesh and became really man, even though there were difficulties due to different theological expressions. They also encouraged the clergy and faithful of their churches to remove the obstacles which still prevent complete communion among them.
A decisive step towards unity and co-operation with the Catholic Church was taken in June 1984, when His Holiness the Pope and His Holiness the Patriarch met in Rome. The purpose of the meeting was to seek co-operation between the Catholic Church and Syrian Orthodox Church in the pastoral field. This meeting brought forth concrete results. The heads of the two churches agreed that both churches can mutually hear confession and receive communion. This decision was a decisive step towards unity. Among the Orthodox Churches, only the Syrian Orthodox Church has communion with the Roman Catholic Church. This agreement between the Pope and the Patriarch stands out as a landmark in the history of ecumenism.
Suggestions to Promote Ecumenical Relations
Co-operation in Theological Field
The main theological difference between the Catholic Church and the Syrian Orthodox church was in the definition of Christology. The Christological difference which started with the council of Chalcedon originated due to political reasons and other misunderstandings. Though the two churches are very close in matter of faith, there is little co-operation in the theological field. It is high time for us to think about ways and means of co-operation in the theological field. Both churches have appointed commissions for theological dialogue. Mutual exchange of students and professors in theological institutions will help us understand each other deeply.
Co-operation in Pastoral Field
At present, the co-operation between the Catholic Church and the Syrian Orthodox Church in the pastoral field is not satisfactory. If both churches mutually accept the sacraments and have inter-communion, why do they not co-operate more effectively in the pastoral field? Mutual acceptance and respect are necessary for such co-operation. If a believer is unable to get the service of a priest from his own church, then he must be free to get the service of a priest from the other church if available.
Co-operation in Social and Political Fields
As Christians are a minority in India, co-operation in social and political fields is necessary to render an effective service to the society and to the nation. In India, religious fundamentalism is growing day by day, and only if Christians stand together can we face problems arising from the society in which we live. We also have to find out and open up new areas of social work. The Church must be able to impart mainly the Christian spirit in the society and in politics.
Time for Positive Ecumenism
In India, the churches come together only when they are threatened. We can call this type of ecumenism as negative ecumenism. Now it is time to think of introducing positive ecumenism. By positive ecumenism, I mean that our ecumenism must emerge out of the positive desire to work together and to co-operate with each other.
Conclusion
The Syrian Orthodox Ecclesiology presents a unique perspective that emphasizes the local church, synodal authority, Eucharistic theology, and pneumatological dimensions. While maintaining its distinctive character, it shares significant common ground with the Catholic Church, particularly in rejecting national churches and upholding the universality of the Church. The steps taken towards unity demonstrate the potential for deeper communion while respecting the authentic traditions of both churches.
(Paper presented in: The international Theological Conference on “Communion of Churches October 08 to 13, 1991 in Paurastya Vidyapitham, Oriental Institute of Religious studies, Vadavathoor, Kerala)