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Faith and Doctrine
The faith of the Syriac Orthodox Church
is in accordance with the
Nicene Creed. It believes in the
Trinity that is one God, subsisting in three separate persons called
the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. The three being of one
Essence, of one Godhead, have one Will, one Work and one Lordship. The
special aspect of the First Person is His Fatherhood, that of the
Second Person His Sonship, and that of the Third Person His
Procession.
The Syriac Orthodox
Church believes in the mystery of Incarnation. That is, the Only Son
of God, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, took to Himself a body
and became man. It further believes that at the time of Annunciation,
when the Angel Gabriel was sent to the Virgin Mary, the Holy Spirit
came upon her and cleansed her of all natural impurity, filling her
with His grace. Then the Only Son of God came down and entered her
immaculate womb, and took to Himself a body through her, thus becoming
a perfect Man with a perfect Soul. After nine months, He was born of
her and her virginity was maintained contrary to the laws of nature.
It further believes that His true Godhead and His true Manhood were in
Him essentially united, He being one Lord and one Son, and that after
the union took place in Him, He had but one Nature Incarnate, was one
Person, had one Will and one Work. This union is marked by being a
natural union of persons, free of all separateness, intermixture,
confusion, mingling, change and transformation.
The Syriac Orthodox
Church calls Mary yoldath aloho, ‘Bearer of God’, because she
gave birth to Christ, God truly incarnate.
The Syriac Orthodox
Church believes that the death of Christ was the separation of His
soul from His body, but His deity did not at any time leave either His
body or His soul. It further believes that by His death for us, He
conferred upon us salvation from eternal death and reconciliation with
His Heavenly Father.
The Syriac Orthodox
Church believes that the Holy Spirit is the Third Person of the Holy
Trinity, the Spirit of Truth, proceeding from the Father. The Holy
Spirit is equal with the Father and the Son. (Note. The word for
‘spirit’ in Syriac, ruho (which is also the word for
‘wind’), is grammatically feminine. Holy Spirit is referred to with
the feminine pronoun in almost all early Syriac writings, though later
writings refer to it in the masculine.)
Concerning the
Church, the Syriac Orthodox Church believes the Church is the body of
true believers in Christ, and that the Head of the Church is Our Lord
God Jesus Christ. The Chief Bishop of the Syriac Orthodox Church is
the Patriarch of Antioch.
With regards to
Sacraments, the Syriac Orthodox Church believes that the Holy
Sacraments are tangible signs designated by the Lord Christ to
proclaim divine grace, which He gave for our sanctification. The
Sacraments of the Church are: Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist,
Repentance, the Priesthood, Anointing of the Sick, and Marriage. Holy
Sacraments are offered by the Bishops and the Priests. Only believers
can receive the Sacraments. All but four of the Sacraments are
essential for salvation: Baptism, Confirmation, Repentance and
Eucharist. Of the sacraments, Baptism, Confirmation and the Priesthood
may be received only once.
The Syriac Orthodox
Church conforms to the teachings of the Three Ecumenical Councils of
Nicea (A.D. 325), Constantinople (A.D. 381) and Ephesus (A.D. 431). It
rejects the Council of Chalcedon (A.D. 451).
Source://sor.cua.edu
About the doctrine of Syriac Orthodox Church on the Salvation
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