This article analyzes Theodore the Studite's "iconic" Christology and ecclesi-ology. It pursues this study by indicating how, under the pressures of com-bating iconoclastic thought, his understanding of Christ and of the very nature of the church was influenced by his thought on images and their representative power. The unifying theme between these domains of Christology and ecclesiology is proper memory of Christ and the salvific role of that memory in the church's life. With respect to Christology, Theodore's iconology implies that something is lacking in the historical incarnation-namely, the presence Christ's visible flesh after the ascension-that can only be remedied by image-making of Christ's life. With regard to ecclesiology, this absence of the visible flesh of Christ makes possible and also impera-tive that believers themselves fill up this lack through artistic representa-tions of Christ's savings economy. This importance of memory in Theodore's conception of both incarnation and church means that we can retrieve his iconology today by making ever present the memory of God's saving deeds as that Spirit-inspired meaning which we, as producers and users of holy images, must bring to our every encounter with sacred art.
This article investigates the Byzantine rite for the consecration of a church, and specifically, the moment in which the altar is anointed with oil with prayer. It discusses the widespread view that this rite parallels the anointing of a person in the baptismal rites of initiation. Taking stock of evidence from liturgical texts and commentaries from Byzantine and non-Byzantine and pre-Byzantine sources, it argues that the connection between the anointing of the altar and the rites of Christian initiation should be located in the latter's blessing of the waters, rather than in the anointing of the person being initiated. Just as the baptismal waters are sanctified through prayer and anointing to serve for the subsequent baptismal rebirth of the new Christian, the altar is also consecrated by prayer and anointing for its sub-sequent use in the eucharistic liturgy, likewise "preparing" it for its transfor-mation into a suitable location for a place of sacramental action and divine presence.
This article takes as its point of departure the desire for "full, conscious, and active participation" of the laity in liturgical worship expressed in Sacrosanctum Concilium, the Second Vatican Council's constitution on the liturgy. It asks whether and how lay participation pertains to the Byzantine Rite, particularly in Slavic churches. Engaging with medieval and modern liturgical sources, it demonstrates that lay participation in the liturgy was robust only in certain times and places in the history of the Byzantine Rite, especially with regard to congregational singing or saying of liturgical responses. However, despite these examples and authoritative written injunctions for lay participation sprinkled throughout the tradition, the Byzantine Rite historically demonstrates a stronger tendency toward indifference to the issue, especially for women and girls. The article concludes by stressing the importance of lay participation in liturgical worship today, and lamenting the relative lack of interest in the issue among Byzantine Rite (Orthodox) believers.
This essay introduces the eucharistic approach in ecclesiology by discussing common misconceptions about its origin, main principles, and status as "Eastern." It shows that royal priesthood constitutes the central idea of eucharistic ecclesiology as it was formulated by Nicolas Afanasiev as an attempt to formulate the dominant ecclesiology of the early church. It points out that this idea has remarkable similarities with the central theme of the Second Vatican Council's Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy (Sacrosanctum Concilium-SC)-the notion of active participation of all bap-tized in the liturgy. The theoretical dominance of eucharistic approach in ecclesiology can be seen as a liturgical reorientation of both Orthodox and Catholic ecclesiologies which implies that how we see our liturgical partici-pation determines how we perceive the way-and the reason-to be the church. This reorientation was fruitful for ecumenical theology but has still untapped potential for further ecumenical convergence through pastoral changes in experience and awareness of the faithful of their role in liturgical celebration.
This article explores Anglican-Orthodox ecumenical dialogue through the lens of eucharistic theology, focusing specifically on the influential contributions of Alexander Schmemann and Kenneth Stevenson. It argues that Anglican and Orthodox traditions, despite historical and liturgical differences, converge profoundly around shared understandings of eucharistic offering, participation, and eschatological identity. By examining foundational documents from the International Commission for Anglican-Orthodox Theological Dialogue-particularly the Moscow (1976) and Dublin (1984) Agreed Statements-the article identifies a theological trajectory emphasizing the Eucharist as ecclesial communion, sacrificial participation, and revelation of the Kingdom. I analyze Schmemann's The Eucharist: Sacrament of the Kingdom to demonstrate his vision of the liturgy as transformative participation in the heavenly Kingdom, while highlighting in Stevenson's Eucharist and Offering the historical significance and theological richness of sacrificial language and anaphoral intercession. The article concludes by suggesting that this theological convergence provides fertile ground not only for ongoing Anglican-Orthodox dialogue but also for deepening mutual ecclesial recognition, anchored in the eucharistic liturgy as a sacred act of offering and Kingdom manifestation.
