ЧЛЕН I. О СВ. ЦЕРКВИ, КАК ОРУДИИ, чрез которое совершает ГОСПОДЬ НАШЕ ОСВЯЩЕНИЕ

§ 166. Different meanings of the word: church; the meaning in which the teaching about it will be presented here, and the point of view on the subject The name of the Church of Christ 437 is used in different, more or less extensive, senses. The most extensive of them is the one by which the Church of Christ is called the society of all rationally free beings, that is, both angels and people who believe in Christ the Savior and are united in Him as their single head. In this sense, the word “St. Church” is understood. The Apostle, when he says that God, in view of the fulfillment of times, has appointed to preside over all things concerning Christ, who are in heaven and who are on earth in him: seating him at his right hand in those who are in heaven, above all principality and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not just in this world, but also in the world to come. And subject all things under his nose: and he also gave the head above all the church, which is his body, fulfilling all things in all (Eph. 1:10.20-23; see also Heb. 12:22.23; Col. 1:18-20). The same use of this word is sometimes found among the ancient teachers of the Church 438, and in the very church songs, for example, in the following: “You, who inexpressibly united with the heavenly, Christ, earthly, and made one Church angels and men, we unceasingly magnify” 439. And if we take into account that all the heavenly Powers, without a doubt, believe in Jesus Christ as the true God-man, who reconciled the world to God, and, in addition, serve as His instruments for the establishment of the earthly Church, and are sent into service for those who want to inherit salvation (Heb. 1:14): then the stated meaning of the concept of the Church of Christ will become even more clear to us. However, it should be noted that this word is used very rarely in this meaning. According to the second, less extensive and more commonly used meaning, the Church of Christ embraces the actual people who professed and profess the faith of Christ, every single one, whenever they lived, and wherever they are now, whether still on the land of the living, or already in the land of the dead. In the first respect, that is, in relation to time, all those who believed and believe in Jesus Christ are recognized as members of the Church of Christ, both those who lived before the coming of the Savior, and those who lived and are living after His coming. Beginning of Chronicles The Church is still in paradise, when the just and most merciful Judge uttered the sweet promise to our unfortunate forefathers that the Seed of the woman would erase the head of the serpent, and when, after that, faith in this future Redeemer began (Prosp. Christ. Catic. on Part IX, p. 76, M. 1840). The continuation of the Church extends through the entire series of centuries until the end of the world. And it is usually divided into the Old Testament Church (Acts 7:38), consisting of the patriarchal and sub-legal church, and the New Testament Church. The validity of this concept of the Christian Church is undeniable when it is known that faith in Christ, in fact, began not only from the time of His coming, but from the time of the first promise about Him, that for this reason, even more anciently, the Lord gave promises, prophecies and prototypes to people, for this purpose he also gave the law, which was a nurturer in Christ (Gal. 3:24), and that those who believe in Him have never become poor on earth. The Holy Apostle Paul, having numbered all the ancients from the beginning of the world, who bore witness in faith (Heb. 11:2) and by faith received promises, did righteousness, etc. (-33), finally concludes that the Author and Finisher of this faith was the same Lord Jesus (Heb. 12:2). That's why St. The Fathers very often noted in their writings that the name of the Christian Church should mean not only those who believed after the birth of the Savior, but also those who were before. So St. Chrysostom, explaining the words of the Apostle: one body, one spirit... (Eph. 4:4), asks: “what is one body?.. All believers that exist in the universe have existed and will exist. Likewise, those who before the coming of Christ pleased God are one body. Why? Because they also knew Christ” 440. Blazh. Augustine says: “by the Church do not understand only those who began to be saints after the coming and birth of the Lord; All the saints who have ever existed belong to the Church” 441. Other ancient teachers say the same thing. “Lay the beginning of it (the Church) in heaven,” we also read in one of the church rites 443. Paying attention to the state of people who believe in Jesus Christ, whether they are still on earth or have already moved to another world, both the first and the last are equally recognized as members of the Church of Christ: for this change of state is palpable in our eyes, and the Lord God is not the God of the dead, but of the living: for all of them live (Luke 20, 37 and 38). However, of those who have died, only those who have died belong to the Church of Christ, firstly, who, having kept faith on earth, have already received in heaven the crown of righteousness, which God has prepared for all who love him (2 Tim. 4:8) - and it is obvious that these people are the most living members of the body of Christ 444. And secondly, those who died in faith and repentance, who, although they themselves did not have time to bear fruits worthy of repentance, and did not receive heavenly rewards, but have the hope of achieving eternal bliss, through the prayers of the Church: for these people also have faith in Christ, and have been reconciled with Him through repentance; This means they are by no means cut off from the body of the Church, which therefore prays for them 445. But those who died do not belong to the Church who rejected themselves from it during their lifetime, having completely lost or distorted their faith in Christ, and having died unrepentantly, deprived themselves of even the prayers of the Church (1 John 5:16) 446. In the respect we are considering, the division of the Church of Christ into militant or wandering and triumphant 447 is well known. The first name is called the earthly Church, which, not having an abiding city here (Heb. 13, 14), and guiding in this country the coming of their spiritual children to the mountainous fatherland, wages continuous warfare with the enemies of their salvation (1 Peter 5, 8. 9; John 5, 4; Eph. 6, 11. 12). The last name is usually given to the heavenly Church, which includes those Christians who have already completed their earthly course, finished their battle with the enemies of salvation, and are now triumphant over them together with Christ the conqueror of death and hell, together with St. angels (2 Tim. 4, 7; Heb. 12, 22. 23; Apoc. 3, 21; 12, 11. 12). It is obvious that the triumphant Church is already, so to speak, the fruit of the militant Church: this latter gave birth, raised and finally led to the goal all those who now serve the members of the first. Therefore, these two Churches should not be confused at all (Epistle of the Eastern Patriarch on the Right Faith, Part 10). The militant Church is also called the kingdom of grace or the gracious kingdom of Christ, and the triumphant Church is called the kingdom of glory. Finally, in an even closer sense, but the most commonly used and ordinary, the Church of Christ actually means only the New Testament and militant Church or the grace-filled kingdom of Christ. “We believe, as we were taught to believe,” say the high priests of the East in their epistle on the Orthodox faith, “in the so-called, and in the thing itself, that is, the one, holy, universal, apostolic Church, which embraces everyone everywhere, no matter who they are, who believe in Christ, who, now on an earthly journey, have not yet settled in the heavenly fatherland” (ch. 10). In this sense, we too will accept the Church, with the present presentation of the teaching about it 448. To make this presentation as separate as possible, let us consider the Church: 1) from a more external perspective, and precisely from the perspective of its origin, space and purpose; 2) from the more internal side (more: since the external and internal sides of the Church cannot be completely separated), and let’s talk about the composition and internal structure of the Church; 3) finally, as a consequence of everything previous, let us present a precise concept of the very essence of the Church and its essential properties. On the etymological meaning of the word: Church, εκκλησία, see “Introduction.” in Orthodox Theology · § 16, note. 58. Other names given to the Church in St. Scripture and in the writings of ancient teachers, the essence is: the kingdom of heaven (Matt. For example, at Blessed. Augustine: Templum ergo Dei hoc est totius summae Trinitatis sancta est ecclesia, scilicet universa et in coelo et in terra (Enchirid. cap. 56; Cfr. de civit. Dei X, p. 7). Angel in service. November 8, song. 9, art. 2. In Epist. ad Ephes. homil. X, n. 1, in Opp. T. XI, p. 75. ed. Montfauc. De Jacob et Esau serm. IV, al. XLIV. And in another place: quae (ecclesia) ab ipso Abel usqne ad eos, qui nascituri sunt usqne ad finem et credituri in Christum, totus populus sanctorum (in Ps. XCII; Cfr. in Ps. XXXVI et CXXVIII). Epiphan. haeres. l,n. 5; απ ’ άρχής ουκατ ’ ΰστερον άποκαλυφθείσα ...; Euseb. Η. Ε. lib. 1, p. 4; ad Stephan. qu. VII, n. 4 (in Mai T. 1); Gregor. M. in Evangel. homil. XIX. Rite of Orthodoxy, sheet. 16, Moscow. 1820. The Church, being visible, since it exists on earth and all Orthodox Christians living on earth belong to it, is at the same time invisible, since it exists in heaven, and everyone who has died in true faith and holiness belongs to it” (Exp. Chr. Catich. on Part IX, p. 67, M. 1840; demolished, p. 70). Neque enim piorum animae mortuorum separantur ab Ecclesia, quae nunc etiam est regnum Christi. Alioquin ad altare Dei fieret eorum memoria in communicatione corporis Christi... Cur enim fiunt ista, nisi quia fideles, etiam defuncti, membra ejus sunt (Augustin. de civit. Dei XX, 9, n. 2). Last eastern Patriarch. o rights to faith member. 18.Cfr. Chrysostom. In Acta Apostol. homil. XXI, n. 4; Augustin. Confess. IX, 13, n. 34. 37; Serm. CLXXH, n. 2: hoc enim a patribus traditum universa observat ecclesia, ut pro eis, qui in corporis et sanguinis Christi communione defuncti sunt, cum ad ipsum sacrificium loco suo commemorantur, oretur ac pro illis quoque id offeri commemoretur. Sent. eastern Patriarch. o rights. faith member 11 and 18. Cfr. Augustin. Serm. CLXXII, n. 2. Sent. east Patriarch. o right. faith member 10.Cfr. Augustin. Enchirid. n. 15: (Ecclesia coelestis) suae parti peregrinonti, sicut oportet, opitulatur, quia utraque una est consertio aeternitatis, et nunc una est vinculo caritatis, quae tota instituta est ad colendum Deum. All the other, even more specific senses in which this word is used, as in St. Scripture and in the works of St. We will have the opportunity to touch upon the Fathers during the very presentation of the teachings about the Church. You might be interested in: