Church Unity as Political Unity: An Eastern Orthodox Perspective

Abstract

: The image of the Church as a holy city is present in the Scriptures, in the writings of the holy fathers, and in the thoughts of modern Orthodox theologians. If the church is a polis, the unity of the Church must, in some ways, although not exhaustively, be a political unity. In this article, I argue that the Church is a City of God both as a present and as an eschatological reality. First, by seeing the Church as a polis, one can reconfirm that Orthodox unity is a unity in the ecumenical councils, canons, and creeds. Second, by seeing the Church as a polis, one can use the concept of citizenship to understand which behaviours would be considered dishonourable. The concept of citizenship would also provide a new vocabulary to explain the relations between Orthodox Christians, Orthodox Christians who are not in communion with each other, and non-Orthodox Christians.