| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| CHILIASM | CHILIASM – The name of a heresy saying that Christ will reign for a literal 1,000 years after the Second Coming. |
| CHIROTONIA | CHIROTONIA – (Gr. Laying on of hands) Ordination; the Sacrament of Holy Orders. More specifically – the consecration of a bishop. |
| CHOIR | CHOIR – The persons who sing the responses at Divine Liturgy and other services. |
| CHOSEN OF GOD | CHOSEN OF GOD – (an appellation or Title of Jesus) “To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious,” 1 Pet 2:4 |
| CHRISM, HOLY | CHRISM, HOLY – (Sl. Myrrho) Holy Oil composed of many ingredients, used in the Sacrament of Chrismation. It is mixed and blessed by a group of bishops on Thursday of the Holy Week. |
| CHRISMATION | CHRISMATION – The sacrament completing baptism, whereby one receives the gift of the Holy Spirit through anointing with the Chrism, a specially prepared oil which must be consecrated by a bishop. On several occasions in Acts, a baptized Christian received the gift of the Holy Spirit through the laying on of the hands of an… Read More |
| CHRISOM | CHRISOM – (Sl. Krizhma) A white cloth put over the child in baptism as a sign of innocence and birth into the life of purity and holiness. |
| CHRIST | CHRIST – (Gr. the ‘Annointed One’) Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the second Person of the Holy Trinity, who was incarnate and became Man, and was crucified and on the third day He rose from the dead. By His death on the Cross he reconciled man with God and opened the way to eternal… Read More |
| CHRISTEN | CHRISTEN – To name an infant at Baptism; to receive into the Church by Baptism. |
| CHRISTIAN | CHRISTIAN – One who is baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, and becomes a part of the Mystical Body of Christ which is His Church. Followers of Christ were first called Christians at Antioch (Acts 11:26). In modern times the name Christian has usually been… Read More |
| CHRISTIAN CALENDAR | CHRISTIAN CALENDAR – The ecclesiastical calendar (or Church Year) of the seasons and holy days and saints’ days. |
| CHRISTIAN NAME | CHRISTIAN NAME – The name given and received in Holy Baptism. |
| CHRISTMAS DAY | CHRISTMAS DAY – The feast of the Nativity or Birthday of our Lord Jesus Christ. It falls on December 25. The Russian Church celebrates it January 7 because the New Calendar (Gregorian) is thirteen days ahead of the Julian Calendar. |
| CHRISTOLOGY | CHRISTOLOGY – A subject or field of dogmatic theology examining the belief of the church and the history of beliefs about Christ. |
| CHURCH | CHURCH – The faithful are called out of the world to be the Church: the body of Christ, the Bride of Christ, the New Israel, the ark of salvation, the assembly of the faithful. Through the Church, Christians are united to Christ and to each other. In this community, the believer receives the grace of… Read More |
| CHURCH MILITANT | CHURCH MILITANT – A term for members of the Church on earth in warfare against sin and evil, as distinguished from the members of the Church Triumphant in Heaven. (HEB. 12:23) Not that there are two churches, we believe in only One Holy Cathlic and Apostalic Church, all members of the One Church remain united… Read More |
| CHURCH TRIUMPHANT | CHURCH TRIUMPHANT – A term for members of the Church, the saints who have departed this life, as distinguished from the members of the Church Militant on earth, still in warfare against sin and evil. (HEB. 12:23) Not that there are two churches, we believe in only One Holy Cathlic and Apostalic Church, all members… Read More |
| CHURCH WARDEN | CHURCH WARDEN – (Sl. Starosta) A layman elected by the members of a parish to be the chairman of the Parish Council which administers the parochial church property. |
| CHURCHING OF WOMEN | CHURCHING OF WOMEN – A service of thanksgiving of women after childbirth; related to the ancient Biblical law (LEV. 12:6). The new-born infant is brought to church by its mother usually on the fortieth day, in memory of how Jesus was presented at the Temple of Jerusalem by His Most-Holy Mother. The priest meets the… Read More |
| CIVIL MARRIAGE | CIVIL MARRIAGE – Marriage contracted by civil authorities, like a Justic of the Peace. In the case of Orthodox faithful such marriage is not recognized as valid in the eyes of the Church. Marriage is a Holy Sacrament and must be solemnized by the Church. |
| CLASSES OF FEASTS | CLASSES OF FEASTS (RANKS) Feast of Feasts – The resurrection of Christ, being the center of the Christian faith, is the basis of the Church’s liturgical life and the true model for all celebration. A class of its own. I. Great Feasts – besides the Twelve Great Feasts and all the Sundays of the year, this… Read More |
| CLEAN MONDAY | CLEAN MONDAY – Also known as Pure Monday, or (in Cyprus only) Green Monday, is the first day of the Orthodox Christian Great Lent. It is a movable feast that occurs at the beginning of the 7th week before Pascha. The common term for this day, “Clean Monday”, refers to the leaving behind of sinful… Read More |
| CLERGY | CLERGY (Sl. Duchovenstvo) – A collective name for those who are ordained in the three-fold ministry of the Church – bishops, priests and deacons, as distinguished from laymen. Clergy are those in the Orthodox Church who have been called by God to fulfill specific functions of service and leadership in the Church (Acts 6:1-6, 13:3;… Read More |
| CLOUD | CLOUD – (an appellation of the Theotokos) In the Exodus, the Israelites were led out of Egypt by a Cloud of Light, symbolizing the presence of God in their midst. So too, the Theotokos is a Cloud, bearing God within. |