Page 56 - Orthodoxy Zizioulas

O r t h o d o x y
urrection, the final judgment of God upon history was re-
vealed. Death was overcome, and the destiny of creation—life
(Jn 10:10), light (Matt. 4:16), justice (2 Peter 3:13), and joy (Lk
2:10)—was manifested in the risen Christ.
Christian existence thus became a life of celebration: the
celebration of victory over death. This celebration lies at the
heart of the Church’s life and will later find its fullest expres-
sion in the Eucharistic gathering.
Yet this faith contained a tension.
On the one hand, the risen Christ was already present—en-
countered by the disciples, even in the sharing of meals. On
the other hand, the Church lived in expectation of His return,
His Parousia, when all things would be brought to completion.
This gave rise to a fundamental dialectic that has marked
Christian life ever since: the tension between the “already” and
the “not yet.” The Kingdom has come, and yet it is still awaited.
Christian spirituality, therefore, was lived as patience
(hypomonē) and vigilance—as a constant readiness for the
coming of the Lord. It required faithfulness, confession (mar-
tyria), and often martyrdom (martyrion), the willingness to
bear witness even unto death, sustained by the certainty that
God would raise and glorify those who remained faithful.
The delay of the Parousia intensified this tension. Ques-
tions arose: Where is the Lord now? When will He return?
What does it mean to live in this interval?
The answers given by the early Church to these questions
shaped Christian spirituality in a lasting way. Life was under-
stood as participation in a reality already given, yet not fully
revealed—a life lived in hope, in communion, and in expecta-
tion of the Kingdom.
If the first Christians lived their faith between the memory
of Christ’s Resurrection and the expectation of His return,
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