Page 293 - Orthodoxy Zizioulas

O R T H O D O X Y I N B I L AT E R A L D I A L O G U E S
Orthodoxy in Bilateral Dialogues
Apart from its participation in the World Council of
Churches, Orthodoxy has also engaged in bilateral dia-
logues with non-Orthodox communities. The cases in which
the greatest progress has been made are the following.
The dialogue with the pre-Chalcedonian Churches, or Ori-
ental Orthodox Churches, concerns a schism going back to
the fifth century. The theological issue was the Council of
Chalcedon and its doctrine of the “two natures” in Christ,
which was rejected by the Syriac, Coptic, and Armenian
Churches. Yet the separation was due not only to theology, but
also to non-theological factors, especially the suspicion with
which Byzantine political authority was viewed by these
Churches.
Important issues nevertheless remain. The first is the effec-
tive acceptance of Chalcedon and of the subsequent Ecumen-
ical Councils. For the non-Chalcedonians, Chalcedon appears
not only as a “Byzantine” council, marked by the politics of the
time, but also as influenced by the West through Leo’s Tome.
Yet Chalcedon seems able to leave room for both Cyril and
Leo; the question is how the two are to be reconciled. Closely
related is the problem of the authority of the post-Chalcedo-
nian councils, especially where questions such as the two wills
of Christ are concerned. A further issue is ecclesiological. The
schism of the fifth century was accompanied by mutual anath-
emas; saints commemorated in one Church were rejected in
the other. Since restored unity would necessarily involve com-
mon Eucharistic life, such matters must be clarified before-
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