THE SACRED MONASTERY
OF THE EXALTATION OF THE
HOLY CROSS

Orthodox Theology

The word "Theology" is, in a sense, problematic for  the Orthodox in as much as its commonly; accepted meaning -- "Science of God" -- is, in at least one, sense an oxymoron. It is the Orthodox understanding that when we approach God, we do so in at least two different ways -- apophatically, and cataphatically. In the apophatic (or negative) way (which is ultimately by far the more important), one approaches God by stripping away all concepts, definitions, and adjectives which would seem to "confine" the infinity of divinity in order to stand in utterly open prayer before the Holy Trinity. Thus, in Orthodox Tradition the theologian is, par excellence, the one who prays, and real theology is done while standing in that prayer which reaches the stillness of the deep heart. By this understanding, there are few real theologians and little or no written Theology.This ;way of stillness is the result of; the repentance, prayer, and participation in the life of God through the sacraments or mysteries which is commanded of us by our Lord. The cataphatic (or positive) way is the attempt to describe, or at least properly delineate, what we can know about God in human language. It is this latter path -- the study about theology which is the subject of the writings contained in this section. The sources of Theology (as it is here understood) are the scriptures, the liturgy, the writings of the fathers, the lives of the saints, the moral and ascetic striving, and the iconography of the Church.

So, according to Orthodox Tradition, almost all of the pages in these links sections, including this one, are in some sense "about" Theology, while none of them can be called "Theology" in an Orthodox sense. The links on this page have to do with theology in the sense that in the relationship between God and the world there is a great mystery in which certain ways of speaking are and other ways of speaking are not adequate to the task of pointing out this mystery and describing; how we may and may not speak about it.

• Catechism of of The Eastern Orthodox Church, by Rev. Constas H. Demetry, for the: a catechism in the western question and answer style. In many ways a useful outline of Church teaching.
• Dogmatic Tradition of the Orthodox Church: A brief explanation of Orthodox Theology and its sources by Bishop Maximos (Aghiorgoussis), of Pittsburgh.
• Deification:A brief statement about what Orthodox Theology teaches about Deificatioon
• Early Church Documents: Hypertext links to most of the Early Church documents on the web. Also includes texts from other religions with which the Church has had to deal (Judaism, Islam) and various heresies. Includes a project to place the texts of the 38 vol. Victorian Patristics series most recently reprinted by Eerdmanns) online.
• Eastern Orthodox and Process Theology: proceedings from a conference sponsored by the Center for Process Studies.
• First Ecumenical Council: Dogmatic statesments and canonical prescriptions: Reproductions from Volume 14 of the Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers
• Second Ecumenical Council (First Council of Constantinople): Further text from Volume 14
• Third Ecumenical Council (Council of Ephesus): St. Kyril of Alexandria vs Nestorios from Volume 14
• Fourth Ecumenical Council (Chalcedon): St. Kyril triumphant (with help from Leo I) from Volume 14
• Fifth Ecumenical Council (Constantinople II): Anathemas against the 3 Chapters of Theodore of Mopsuestia and the Anathemas against Origin
• Sixth Ecumenical Council: St. Maximus the Confessor contra mundum
• Seventh Ecumenical Council (Nicaea II): Against the Ikonoclasts
• Fathers of the Church: The 38 Volume Edinburgh edition of the Church Fathers as most recently reprinted by Eerdman's Publishing
• Gregory of Nyssa Homepage: Contains translations, some with introductions, from the works of St. Gregory by Bro. Casimir McCambley, OCSO, of St. Joseph's Abbey, Spencer, MA
• ICLnet Guide to Early Church Documents: A comprehensive series of links to primary documents of the early Church
• Matrimony: The Orthodox Theology of Matrimony by Fr. Michael Najim
• Alexander Men Home Page: A biography and other resources which relate to this recent Russian martyr.
• Fr. Alexander Schmemann Home Page: Maintained by Claude Hammond, director of publications in the Public Relations Dept. of Berea College. Includes a number of extracts from Fr. Alexander's books and sermons.
• Western Rite: One View
• September Menaion: The hymnography of the daily services for the month of September.
• Interpretive and Critical Analysis comparing Gregory of Tours and Dionysius the Areopagite

EXALTATION OF THE HOLY CROSS MONASTERY
322 00 THEBES BOEOTIA, GREECE.
email: ypsosis@fhc.org
Telephone: 30.226.2062265
Fax: 30.226.2062004
To send e-mail to the monastery, click the mailbox below:

These pages are created and maintained by The Friends of the Holy Cross
215 Kalorama Street, Staunton, VA, 24401, USA.
Telephone: +1-541-886-4031
FAX: +1-541-886-9707
To e-mail the Friends click here.
© Copyright by: The Friends of the Holy Cross, all rights reserved.
No part of these pages may be reproduced without permission of The Friends of the Holy Cross.