Orthodoxy
ORTHODOXY
The word orthodoxy, derived from the Greek, means ỏρθός (right) and δόξα (belief). This word is primarily used in connection with those churches of the Christian East. The title itself is ancient and was not used by the Orthodox Churches to express their position in reference to Rome so much as to indicate their fidelity to the first seven ecumenical councils. Unlike the Oriental Orthodox Churches and the Assyrian Church of the East, the Orthodox Churches insist upon their orthodoxy by their reception of the christology of the Council of Chalcedon (451). In using the term "orthodoxy" to describe themselves, the Orthodox Churches speak of not only preserving true belief about God and Christ but also preserve right worship; they glorify God in the true way in the liturgy. This extension of the term orthodoxy to embrace not only right belief (ortho-dogma) but also right glory (ortho-doxa) indicates the importance of the Church as a worshiping community, revealing the deep liturgical foundations of the Christian East.
Bibliography: s. bulgakov, The Orthodox Church (Crestwood, NY 1988) v. lossky, The Mystical Theology of the Eastern Church (Cambridge 1957) j. meyendorff, The Orthodox Church (Crestwood, NY 1981) a. schmemann, For the Life of the World: Sacraments and Orthodoxy (Crestwood, NY 1973). a. schmemann, The Historical Road of Eastern Orthodoxy (Crestwood, NY 1977). k. ware, The Orthodox Church, rev. ed. (New York 1997)
[m. e. williams/eds.]