Dogma is the boundary of truthtranslated

Yuri Pushchaev

All the dogmas of the Orthodox Church (the fundamentals of Christian doctrine) were adopted at seven Ecumenical Councils from the 4th to the 8th century AD. The most concise and accurate statement of the dogmas of the Church is contained in the “Creed,” which believers in church sing at every liturgy.

Dogma as a phenomenon is surprising and paradoxical in that, on the one hand, it is considered a firmly established truth. This is a kind of axiom of doctrine, given through Divine Revelation and formulated by the Church at the Ecumenical Councils, which cannot be questioned. On the other hand, dogmas are a matter of faith, not knowledge. It is impossible to “know” God and comprehend His essence by studying dogmatics. God will still remain incomprehensible to man, and it will be possible to define Him primarily only through the denial of any properties that are not inherent to Him, with the help of non- and insubstantial particles: He is unknowable, immortal, infinite, incorporeal, etc.

Thus, Christian dogma is not a theoretical scientific position that should reveal to believers “how God works.” This or that dogma may be extremely unobvious to “outside” people, but it is obligatory for believers. What…