{"id":2501,"date":"2013-01-01T11:29:21","date_gmt":"2013-01-01T16:29:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/roadsfromemmaus.org\/?p=2501"},"modified":"2013-01-01T11:29:21","modified_gmt":"2013-01-01T16:29:21","slug":"what-does-orthodoxy-mean","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.ancientfaith.com\/asd\/2013\/01\/01\/what-does-orthodoxy-mean\/","title":{"rendered":"What Does “Orthodoxy” Mean?"},"content":{"rendered":"

The following is an excerpt from the beginning of one of my lectures that I’ve also posted on my parish website<\/a>.<\/i><\/p>\n

It is well-known among Orthodox Christians that the word orthodoxy<\/em>\u2014often used as a shorthand for our faith\u2014has two parallel meanings. It is composed of two Greek words\u2014orthos<\/em> and doxa<\/em>. Together, they form orthodoxia<\/em>, rendered into English as orthodoxy<\/em>.<\/p>\n

The word orthos<\/em> literally means \u201cstraight,\u201d and those familiar with geometry will recognize it in the word orthogonal<\/em>, which refers to something lying at a right angle. Those who know something about dentistry will think of orthodontics<\/em>, which concerns itself with straight teeth, while the orthopedist wants to make sure your skeleton is straight (literally, orthopedics<\/em> means \u201cstraight children\u201d). It should come as no surprise that Greek uses orthos<\/em> metaphorically also to refer to something that is true, since we English speakers use straight<\/em> to refer to reliability and truth, especially in such terms as straight-talker<\/em> or to be set straight<\/em>. And of course someone who is on the right path is on the straight and narrow<\/em>. And no doubt our minds are also called to the use of the word straight<\/em> to refer to a properly ordered sexuality or even from a decade or two ago when straight<\/em> referred to someone doesn\u2019t take recreational drugs.<\/p>\n

The other side of the word orthodoxy<\/em> is what may intrigue us more, however, and it is the doxa<\/em> which gives orthodoxia<\/em> its double meaning, for doxa<\/em> can mean both \u201copinion\u201d and \u201cglory.\u201d Often, in thinking of orthodoxy<\/em>, it is this first meaning that occurs to the world\u2014an \u201corthodoxy\u201d is a hard and fast, unmovable set of teachings or opinions. And this meaning should occur to us, as well, that Orthodoxy is very much about the straight, true teachings of the Church, teachings that cannot be changed. The orthodoxy of the Orthodox Church is therefore precisely a deposit of faith, a theology that will never be altered, because it is the truth. It is the straight teaching, the true opinion.<\/p>\n

There is more to this side of doxa<\/em> than \u201copinion\u201d or \u201cteaching,\u201d however. Doxa<\/em> was used in the ancient world for many things. Indeed, its primary and most basic sense can be translated as \u201cnotion,\u201d especially with the question of whether that notion is true or false. From that, doxa<\/em> can also be an \u201cexpectation,\u201d which makes particular sense if the truth value of a notion remains undefined. Thus, we may also know orthodoxy<\/em> as a \u201ctrue notion\u201d and as a \u201ctrue expectation.\u201d Doxa<\/em> can also mean \u201ca judgment\u201d or \u201cconjecture,\u201d which takes us into a more psychological realm. If you have a doxa<\/em> about something, then of course that may be your idea or your opinion, your judgment about the character of the subject at hand.<\/p>\n

But the inner sense of doxa<\/em> is even more expansive than these almost purely philosophical definitions. There are also ancient uses of doxa<\/em> that we may translate as \u201cimagining,\u201d \u201ca dream,\u201d \u201ca fancy,\u201d or \u201ca vision.\u201d It may be almost whimsical to think in these terms, but if you\u2019ll permit me a little mystical whimsy, consider for a moment that the Orthodox faith is also the \u201ctrue imagining,\u201d the \u201ctrue dream,\u201d or the \u201ctrue fancy.\u201d I do not think that it will surprise you at all to learn that Orthodoxy is also the \u201ctrue vision.\u201d We are accustomed to think of imagination, dreams, fancies and visions as unreliable, flimsy things, and that is perhaps why we need that orthos<\/em> for our doxa<\/em>, to make it clear that this one doxa<\/em> is the true one, the reliable one, the straight one.<\/p>\n

So with that in mind, let us dream together a little more about this word orthodoxy<\/em>. The other side of doxa<\/em> with which we are perhaps familiar is that it means \u201cglory.\u201d This sense of doxa<\/em> is derived from its meaning as \u201copinion,\u201d and so doxa<\/em> can be used to refer to the opinion that people have about something, its reputation, how it is esteemed. And so it is not a large leap from \u201creputation\u201d to \u201cglory,\u201d for something with a good reputation is sure to be glorified. But glory<\/i> does not only mean giving praise to something, and it is not limited in this way for doxa<\/em>, either. The meaning extends on toward \u201ceffulgence\u201d and even \u201csplendor.\u201d Thus, the Orthodox faith is also the \u201ctrue reputation,\u201d the \u201ctrue splendor.\u201d And we may say that it therefore implies \u201ctrue worship,\u201d because that glorification is directed toward the God of the universe, and it is His true splendor that shines through in Orthodox worship.<\/p>\n

What a wonderful word orthodoxy<\/em> is! On reflection, we must certainly agree that all of these varied senses of what the word might mean are all applicable to the Orthodox faith. Orthodoxy is certainly about what is straight and true, and the \u201cwhat\u201d there is not just a notion or opinion or teaching, but it is imagination, dream, vision, and (of course) glory and worship. No wonder that we say it is a whole life! It\u2019s not just about believing the correct things.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The following is an excerpt from the beginning of one of my lectures that I’ve also posted on my parish website. It is well-known among Orthodox Christians that the word orthodoxy\u2014often used as a shorthand for our faith\u2014has two parallel meanings. It is composed of two Greek words\u2014orthos and doxa. Together, they form orthodoxia, rendered into English as orthodoxy. The word orthos literally means\u2026 <\/i> <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[571],"tags":[617,689,744],"class_list":["post-2501","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-language","tag-doctrine","tag-orthodoxy","tag-worship"],"yoast_head":"What Does "Orthodoxy" Mean? — Fr. 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