Page 51 - Orthodoxy Zizioulas

T H E B I B L E A N D AU T H O R I T Y
In Christ, authority is no longer auctoritas. It does not arise
from an abstract principle or an objectified being, but from
relationship—indeed, from love understood as ek-stasis, a
going out of oneself toward the other. In this sense, authority
is no longer imposed from without, but arises from within
communion itself. It is the authority of authentic existence:
the recognition that the “I” exists only in relation to the “Thou.”
God, therefore, is not authoritative in Himself as an exter-
nal power. He becomes authoritative for us only in Christ,
through His personal involvement in our existence. His au-
thority is not that of domination, but of communion—the
affirmation of our being through His presence.
This communion is made possible and real for us by the
Holy Spirit. As the Apostle says, “No one can say ‘Jesus is Lord’
except by the Holy Spirit” (1 Corinthians 12:3). The Spirit does
not create isolated individuals, but persons in communion. All
gifts—charisma, ministry, inspiration—exist only within this
communal life. The Spirit is the bond of love, and where He is,
there is the Church.
Thus, authority in the Church is never an objective reality
existing above or outside the community. It is always rela-
tional, always ecclesial. Structures, ministries, and forms of
expression have no authority in themselves. They are authori-
tative only insofar as they serve and manifest communion.
The same is true of truth itself. For the Christian, truth is
not an abstract principle, but a Person: “I am the truth” (John
14:6). Truth exists only as lived and shared within the com-
munity, led by the Spirit “into all truth” (John 16:13). Doc-
trines, therefore, do not possess authority in themselves; they
are authoritative only within the life of the Church, as expres-
sions of communion—“it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and
to us” (Acts 15:28).
51