SaintElias.com -> A Glossary of Terms

A Glossary of Terms

Easy Translations for the non-Byzantines

You might be finding all these terms used in our Website terribly confusing. Not only do we have a lot of weird terms that you may never have heard of before. But worse (and just to be.... ), we use many of the SAME terms but refer to totally DIFFERENT things!! I guess our Church isn't called "byzantine" for nothing...

Anyhoo, here is a quick glossary for some of the most confusing terms....

Why don't we just use the same terms as Roman Catholics?

Well, I guess No. 1, we are not Roman Catholics.

Though we are in Communion with Roman Catholics.

We are an Autonomous Church ("Ecclesia sui iuris" according to Canon Law) in our own right, with our own proper theology, spirituality, liturgy, and church discipline.

And of course we honour and respect our Sister Church and its Patriarch (the Pope of older Rome). We hold the Papacy in high honour and esteem as having Primacy amongst all the Patriarchs.

We also highly esteem the Pope's ministry of serving the Unity of Love between all the Patriarchs and Metropolitan Archbishops of the 20 or so Catholic Churches.

We are blessed by his untiring efforts at promoting unity with our Orthodox sisters and brothers.

Moreover, the Pope has entrusted to our Church the central mission of implementing and effecting that ecumenical unity with our Orthodox mother Churches.

No. 2: the different terms arise often from a different theology and spirituality and liturgical tradition than that in the Latin Catholic Church.

E.g.: it is quite significant for us to name the space where the People are as the "Sanctuary" (literaly the "Holy Place") because the People of God are the "Saints" and their place is the Holy Place. Cf. from the Communion rite: "the Holy Things for the Holy Ones".

Plus, our Orthodox Tradition (rite, spirituality, theology, liturgy, canon law) is our contribution to make up the Catholicity of the Church. If the Church is to be truly Catholic, then our Church must bring to the Catholic Communion our entire Spiritual and Theology patrimony given us by God - an Orthodoxy nurtured and developped in our Churches history by the Holy Spirit working through our Godbearers, Hierarchs, and Theologians.

No. 3: And if we are to be true to the Byzantine Tradition God has graciously bestowed upon us, unworthy though we be, we are obliged by Decree of an Ecumenical Council, Canon Law, the command of the Pope, the order of our Patriarch, and Magisterial prescription to conserved intact, entire, undiluted and uncorrupted this our Orthodox Spiritual and Theology patrimony.

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