Page 409 - Orthodoxy Zizioulas

G L O S S A RY O F E S S E N T I A L T E R M S
Glossar y of Essential Terms
Anaphora
The central Eucharistic prayer of the Divine Liturgy, in which
the Church offers the world back to God in thanksgiving and
invokes the Holy Spirit for its transformation.
Asceticism (Askesis)
The spiritual discipline of the body and soul, not as rejection
of the world, but as its transfiguration—training the human per-
son for freedom and communion.
Autocephaly
The canonical independence of a local Orthodox Church,
governed by its own synod, yet remaining in full communion
with all other Orthodox Churches.
Baptism
The sacrament of entry into the Church, where one dies and
rises with Christ, becoming a new being in communion with
God and His people.
Catholicity (Sobornost)
Not universality in a geographical sense, but the fullness of
the Church present in each Eucharistic community—where all
are united in Christ.
Communion (Koinonia)
The very essence of the Church: a mode of existence ground-
ed in relationship, where personhood is realized through love
and participation in the life of God.
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