Page 299 - 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
method and for the first phase of the dialogue. Unlike most
other dialogues, this one sought to avoid dispersing its atten-
tion over a large number of scholastic topics. Instead, it placed
at the center the theme of the sacraments, thus bringing to-
gether doctrine and concrete ecclesial life.
This was a significant step. It meant, first, that the dialogue
would begin from positive realities already shared by the two
Churches, while allowing differences to emerge in relation to
them. Second, it allowed theological agreement to be linked
from the beginning with practical matters such as liturgical
life, spirituality, and Church structure. Such an approach was
possible only because both Orthodox and Roman Catholic
theology had begun to move beyond what may be called the
Babylonian captivity of scholasticism. The sacraments would
therefore not be discussed chiefly through older polemical
questions such as the manner of Eucharistic change or the use
of unleavened bread, but in relation to ecclesiology: how each
Church understands and lives the sacraments, especially how
the Eucharist shapes the Church’s very being and structure.
On the basis of this preparation, the principal issues to be
faced appear to be these. First, both East and West developed
for centuries under different cultural conditions and therefore
acquired doctrines and practices without parallels on the oth-
er side. To what extent are these to be regarded as historical
idiosyncrasies that can remain without obstructing commu-
nion, and to what extent must they be removed? Recovering
the ancient ethos of catholicity requires a difficult discern-
ment between what belongs to the unity of the Church and
what does not. Second, all the divisive questions, especially the
papacy, must be considered within a broader framework of
principles increasingly held in common: Eucharist, local
Church, episcopate, and the relation of the local and universal
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