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Since the catholicity of the Church is expressed in many consciousnesses of the same truth, of the same memory of the Church, actualized by the Holy Spirit in those who seek to define, to exoress in dogmas, and to defend the truths of Revelation, a Council (local or general), in which the voice of the Church must normally make itself heard, will have nothing in common with a democratic institution. It is not preponderant opinion which determines catholicity, nor collective consciousness which forms it: The Church does not know impersonal collectives any more than she knows individuals in revolt. The champions of catholicity are those who possess the consciousness of the unity of the Body of Christ, of the apostolic tradition common to all, those who struggle unremittingly that catholic Truth triumph in all consciousnesses. There are times when one is obliged to oppose a crushing majority: let us remember that after the Council of Nicaea dogmatic struggles continued for sixty years until the definitive triumph of O^OOUGLOC;. "For there must be factions among you in order that those who are genuine among you may be recognized" (I Cor. 11:19). These champions who must be recognized so that all may be conscious of the Truth, so that catholic evidence may be actualized in all consciousnesses, are in the first place all those whom we venerate as Fathers of the Church. It is very significant that in the course of its liturgical year, the Orthodox Church, on the anniversaries of the great councils, celebrates the memory of the Fathers of the Councils rather than honoring this or that council as a collective group.

It is the consciousness of some, free from all subjectivity, which makes Truth triumph in the Church at large—the consciousness of those who speak not in their own name, but in the name of the Church, positing the Church as the unique subject of multiple personal consciousnesses. If we wish to apply the notion of consciousness to ecclesial reality, we must understand that in this reality there are many personal consciousnesses but only one subject of consciousness, only one "self-consciousness" (Selbstbewusstsein), which is the Church. In this sense the Fathers of the Church—and all those who, freed from their individual limitations, follow in their steps—are the fathers of the consciousness of the Church, those by whom Truth could be expressed in the councils in the form of dogmas, not as the "supra-conscious" constraint of a deus ex machina, but in full personal consciousness, engaging human responsibility. It is precisely this which permits us to make judgments in questions of faith and to say with catholic audacity: "It has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us" (Acts 15:28).

(from page 193 of V. Lossky's In the Image and Likeness of God, topic heading: “Anthropological Implications”)

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I've been ranting and raving against turning each other into Strawmen. This is my effort in curbing it, and providing an alternative.






Edited by - Al2Si2H4O9 on 08/27/2002 10:37:24 AM

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Nah. I like the Borg. How about you spell this OUT for me, Al?

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What do you mean, Meph. (BTW--I just put your name in there for fun. But if you want something you will have to explain to me what you want. Otherwise you can read it yourself too.) You like Ecclesiology? I'm for (in Zizioulas' vein) a Pneumatologically conditioned Christology in my Ecclesiology. Else, you get something hierarchical like the RCC.