“Canonicity” means “the state or quality of being canonical,” which in turn, in the Orthodox universe of discourse, means “that which is in conformity with the Holy Canons of the Church.” This definition is so obvious as to be tautologous; yet, a disturbing number of Orthodox Christians, whose thinking is so frequently poorly formed in the Fathers and spiritual experience, never make the connection between canonicity and the Holy Canons. Instead, what has come to prevail in the popular consciousness is an equation of “canonical” with “official,” the latter meaning “derived from an office or an officer, or by virtue of the authority invested therein.” -- #archbishopchrysostomos #patristictheology #truebishops #ecclesiology #ecumenismisheresy #CTOS #canonicity #canonicitycriteria http://goo.gl/UpE6wc
