PRUEBA DE LA INTERFAZ DEL USUARIO

follows the theological analysis provided by Yannaras, Christos, Elements o f

Faith, pp. 124-135; Ware, Timothy, The Orthodox Church, pp. 277-9; and

Fortescve, A drian, The Orthodox Eastern Church, (London: The Catholic Truth

in and emersion from water, in the name o f the Holy T rin ity . This sym bolic enactment o f re b irth reiterates the belief th at ecclesiastical mem bership is not lim ite d to the adherence o f theological axioms and precepts but also involves the p h ysica l/b o d ily hypostasis o f the fa ith fu l, in the revelation o f God's love. Through this re b irth , Man is “ reconstituted" in an organic fellow ship w ith the Triune God and the venerated saints

The use o f water in the mysterion o f Baptism represents a sign o f vo lu n ta ry b urial through im m ersion -em ulating Christ's sacrifice- and a restoration in to an essentially new existence that is n o t subject to decay, in an im plied belief in the ultim ate resurrection. Hence the “ in itia te d " member o f the ecclesiastical com m union ceases to exist as the form er being and is p u rifie d fro m sin, to the T riadic original. In this context, the water, as the endowed source o f p u rifica tio n , is a sym bolic referent to the constitutive origins o f life.

In O rthodoxy, Baptism is im m ediately follow ed by Chrism ation -c o n firm a tio n - perform ed by the anointing o f the newly baptised w ith arom atic o il (Holy Chrism) -in a sim ila r m anner to the Kings o f Israel, in the Old Testament. The baptised c h ild - O rthodox Baptism

In the Greek Orthodox trad itio n each believer is usually named after a saint, a religious practice that is not shared by the Slavonic Orthodox congregation. A genealogical Uneage is created, as the baptised in fan t receives a C hristian nam e, which could be traced w ith in the fam ily's trad itio n -p rim a rily from the father's side- placing the in d ivid u al, in the tem poral -th e rehgious calendar- content of the Church, through the celebration o f the name day. This religious expression of ancestral respect has not been universally adhered to in recent years, as the consideration o f other, secular, name options gained prom inence.

takes place in infancy<^ -is chrism ated by m arking the various parts o f the body w ith the sign o f the Cross^5. in this way, the mem bership o f the ecclesiastical com m union is sealed in the personal presence o f the Holy S p irit th a t now becomes an innate part o f the w orshipper's hypostasis. These in itia to ry sacraments are concluded w ith the Holy Communion, fu rth e r re ite ra tin g the positive im pact o f the mysteria, as the beginning o f an existence supported by the Eucharist.

T.he-£uc.harist

The mysterion o f the Eucharist constitutes the core o f the O rthodox

litu rg ic a l cycles. The Eucharistie liturg ie s o f St. John Chrysostom and o f St. Basil the Great are those most freq u en tly used by the O rthodox Church -th e fo rm e r d u ring weekends and the la tte r ten times a year. In addition, the Eucharistie liturgies o f St James -once a n n u a lly- and o f the Presanctified -on Wednesdays and Fridays d uring the Lent

^ In contrast to the Augustine perception o f original sin, the Orthodox Church does not hold the view that unbaptised infants are affected -im paired- and thus condemned to Hell.

The forehead, eyes, nostrils, m outh and ears, chest, hands and the feet, are m arked in this sacrament. Tim othy Ware attributes a reconciliatory character

to the m ysterion o f Chrism ation as the means of a dynam ic enrolm ent fo r non-

Orthodox confessional worshippers, or o f re-enrolm ent fo r retu rn in g

members to the Orthodox collectivity. See Ware, Tim othy, The Orthodox Church,

and on the firs t three days o f the Holy W e e l# - fo rm a p a rt o f the O rthodox ecclesiastical calendar.

The theological and scrip tu ra l origins o f this sacramental act emanate from C hrist's sacrifice and the dogma o f C hristology, w hich permeate Eastern C hristianity. The Eucharist is essentially a “ meal,” in other words, the receipt by the w orshipping congregation o f the Body and Blood o f C hrist, the culm inating p o in t o f w hich, lies in the invocation o f the Holy S p irit fo r the com pletion o f the sacramental change. The sacrament reiterates the O rthodox conviction th a t the ecclesiastical body is a unique mysterion, o f w hich, the Eucharistie prayer is an essential expression. Through the s p iritu a l enactm ent o f the three m ain aspects o f the Eucharist, -Thanksgiving, Anamnesis and E p i c l e s i s ^ 7 _ the congregation form s an in d ivisib le whole in the

act o f consecration. The essence o f the Eucharist is encapsulated by the Greek concept metabole re fe rrin g to the sacramental change th a t occurs in the bread and wine. However, the religious im portance o f the consecrated elements is distorted i f these are perceived outside the context o f the H olly Communion.

A fte r th e ir consecration, the O rthodox Church does no longer regard the bread and wine as mere sym bolic elements b u t as the re a lity and tru th o f the Body and Blood o f Christ. Correspondingly, the Eucharistie sacrament sim ultaneously incorporates a sense o f physical existence, in the ea rth ly content o f the wine and bread and a s p iritu a l hypostasis in th e ir divine form , o f Blood and Body. In this

66 Ib id, p.280.

religious context it should be emphasised th a t the O rthodox dogma rejects the d o ctrina l concept o f transubstantiation th a t distinguishes between the transform ed elements and the m aterial qualities, w hich are not an essential p a rt o f them and hence rem ain the same^. In O rthodoxy, the sacrament o f the Body and Blood, is understood as the in tro d u ctio n o f the hum ankind “ in to heavenly sanctuary (and) eternity^^” in w hich the hum an-divine com m union is consolidated.

The com m unity o f fa ith fu l confirm s its collective p a rticip a tio n in the sacramental act by its acceptance - “ Amen,” a fo rm o f “ yes” - o f God's love and Providence. Through C hrist's sacrifice -th e O rthodox perception o f the Eucharist also emphasises the sacrificial content o f the m ysterion- the congregation does n ot sim ply recollect the events o f His sacrifice but becomes a contem porary participant^o. Hence in the Eucharist the w orshipper not only receives a sense o f m oral and em otional fu lfilm e n t, but more

^ The Orthodox rejection o f transubstantiation (in Greek, metousiosis) is

b rie fly discussed by Meerson, Michael A., in “The D octrinal Foundation o f O rthodoxy,” p. 23. The dogmatic significance of the concept is elaborated in the

m ore com parative appraisal by Fortescve A drian The Orthodox Eastern Church,

pp. 384-6, in an assessment that relies heavily on the d efin itio n o f the term , as

provided by the Synod o f Jerusalem. This theological m ysterion is concisely

clarified by Tim othy Ware's treatise on the Orthodox Church (p. 284) in which the usage o f the concept is viewed as insufficient tow ard the com prehension of the unknowable nature o f the sacrament.

Quoted by Meerson, M ichael A., “The doctrinal foundation o f Orthodoxy,” p. 23.

im p o rta n tly the necessary sp iritu a l nourishm ent fo r the realisation o f his essence.

R e p e n ta n ce o r r o n fe s s io n Z l

The O rthodox sacrament o f repentance is essentially an invocation fo r forgiveness and fo r s p iritu a l assistance and guidance upon w hich the organic enrolm ent o f the in d iv id u a l believer is re-affirm ed. This process o f healing is “ perform ed” as a private prayer, (between the confessor -m o stly a p rie st- and the penitent) w hich is n o t legalistic in nature b u t rather reconciliatory, centred on the receipt o f advice and absolution. The essence o f this sacramental act is springing from the O rthodox theological in te rp re ta tio n o f sin, perceived as an enslavement through the free im ita tio n o f Adam ’s o rig in a l g u ilt.

H o ly O rd e rs

O rthodoxy’s H oly Orders are hierarchically id e n tifie d w ith those o f the Deacon, the Priest and the Bishop (episcopate) in a d d itio n to two m ino r and not com m only encountered ordinations -the Subdeacon and the lectorate. A bishop -in the Eucharistie litu rg y - perform s the ord in a tion o f the firs t two Holy Orders w ith the th ird one being also

cerem onially confirm ed in a litu rg y , in the collegiate -episcopate- presence o f two o r more bishops^^.

The Ho ly M a trim o n y o f M ar r iag e ^

The sacrament o f M arriage is a projection o f the d ive rsity and u n ity o f the T riune God upon the in d iv id u a l w orshipper. Each human being -made in the image and likeness o f the Creator- is ide a lly destined to share his hypostases, w ith another person, in a state o f grace. This union is o f an eternal sacramental nature in O rthodoxy, a belief th at is reflected, on the solem nity o f the m ysterion and the perform ance o f a cerem onial crowning. The eternal character - aspiration- o f the sacrament is reiterated by the participants' consensual awareness. In the absence o f the required responsibility involved, -in an accepted union- an O rthodox m arriage could be deemed, legally dissolvable.

Certain theological assumptions on M arriage -includ ing the use o f contraception, abortion and pre-m arital relations- form also p a rt o f the sacramental act. On a ll three counts. O rthodoxy adheres to a

^2 The present reference to the Orthodox Holy Orders is rath er synoptic on the grounds that not a ll sacramental acts are of equal significance -a n assumption previously alluded to in m y analysis. For a m ore comprehensive study, on this rehgious subject, including the im portant dichotom y between m arried and unm arried members of the clergy, Tim othy W are offers a very useful account (pp. 290-4) whereby A drian Fortescve places an emphasis on the liturg ical

aspect o f the m ysterion (p. 422-3.)

rath er conservative view, originating in the d o ctrin a l significance o f

the mysterion. However, these religious objectives, have never been

pursued to the polem ic extent, experienced, w ith in othe r C hristian denom inations. This is a p a rticu la rly im p o rta n t p o in t th a t relates to the fundam entalist appraisal, -to w hich O rthodoxy was subjected in the previous chapter- fu rth e r re a ffirm in g its conclusions.

A n o in tin g o f t he Sick^^

The anthropocentric and healing nature o f O rthodoxy also pervades the anointing o f the sick (Eu%EXaiov). This sacrament emphasises both the physical and m etaphysical hypostases o f the hum an being in the hope o f recovery from illness and s p iritu a l decay. Such a recovery is not necessarily reciprocal to the perform ative enactm ent o f miracles -beyond the confines o f scientific explanation- as the sacrament is often perform ed in preparation fo r death. However, the anointing o f the sick also benefits other members o f the Church and to th at end, is carried o u t on the evening o f H oly Wednesday.

O rth o d o x I c o n o g ra p h y

The cu rrent appraisal o f the “ d o ctrin a l” and “ fu n ctio n a l” content o f O rthodoxy w ould be incom plete w ith o u t a reference to the aesthetic- transcendental dim ension, o f O rthodox iconography. The perm anent

presence o f religious icons^^ in the O rthodox Church, constitutes an expression o f the ecclesiastical T ra d itio n , a congruent and revelatory aspect o f the litu rg ic a l acts and ceremonies. Through the p icto ria l and describable representation o f the hum an hypostasis o f God, the congregation relates to a vision, o f s p iritu a l essence. These images o f C hrist and saints, do not aim to reduce the w orshipping experience to a mere em otional a pp ro p ria tion . Instead, they m anifest in fu ll evidence the transfigured nature o f hum anity, centred on the d ivin e revelation. O rthodox iconography incorporates the physical -visual- and m etaphysical -sym bolic- referents o f God's Incarnation, w ith o u t dim inishing the religious fa ith to a sum m ation o f abstract concepts.

The O rthodox icon has rem ained a p a rt o f the litu rg ic a l cycles, on a collective and a private level, despite variable theological and h istorical interpretations o f its sym bolic im portance. In this context, 1 specifically re fe r to the iconoclastic controversy, w hich repudiated the representation o f God's physical-m aterial hypostases, -professing charges o f id o la try - pertaining to the veneration o f icons. As a result an O rthodox iconographie tra d itio n developed, w hich constituted a

This synoptic analysis o f Orthodox iconography, has drawn upon the works

-on the subject- by; Ouspensky, Leonid and Lossky, V lad im ir, The Meaning o f

Icons, (Crestwood, New York: St. V lad im ir’s Sem inary Press, 1982); Felmy, Karl

Christian, “ The Icon in Orthodox Theology and Devotion,” in The A rt o f Holy

Russia: Icons from Moscow, 1400-1660, (London: Royal Academy of Arts, 1998),

pp. 36-43; and fin ally , the exhibition catalogue, Treasures o f M oun t Athos,

(Thessaloniki: M inistry of C ulture and the Museum o f Byzantine culture, 1997), in p articu lar the sections on m onum ental painting and portable and paper icons.

departure from three-dim ensional aesthetic form s, since these were perceived as a sig n ifie r o f pagan ido latry.

For the O rthodox congregation, the presence o f icons rem ains very im p ortant, not sim ply as a specific litu rg ic a l referent w ith in the sacramental acts but also as a source o f strength in moments o f need and crisis. O rthodox believers, share a conviction, in the m iraculous properties o f p a rticu la r icons -fo r example, the icon o f Theotokos on the Greek island o f Tinos- venerated and honoured, fo r th e ir healing powers. O rthodox icons are not mere images o f the unknowable and indescribable Creator, but a h olistic expression o f the hum an-divine com m union and a visible representation o f heaven upon earth ^6.

S e rb ia n O rth o d o x y :

The u nio n o f .the religious, and the n a tio n a l co n te n t

The preceding O rthodox assumptions -d o ctrin a l and fu nctio nal- are considered to be the property, o f a catholic ecclesiastical body. As it has already been suggested, the ca th o licity o f the O rthodox Church is understood, in terms o f a united, religious e n tity, whose d iffe re n t parts are identical. This conviction is stemming from the b e lie f th at Christ's “ ultim ate" sacrifice is not subjected, to spatial and tem poral lim ita tio n s, but is rathe r o f an indissoluble and transcending nature.

The essentially symbolic descent of heaven on earth, is also m anifested by the arch itectu ral inception o f the ecclesiastical -C hurch- space, in p a rtic u la r by the construction of a large circular dome, which signifies the God-m ankind union.

O rthodoxy is hence permeated by a sense o f u n ity, as a refe ren t o f