Fr. PhD CĂTĂLIN-CONSTANTIN DAN, The Orthodox Confessions of Faith in the Seventeenth Century and Their Importance for Modern Ecumenical Dialogue

Publishing House Mitropolia Olteniei, Craiova, 2020, ISBN 978-606-731-072-6

Fr. PhD CĂTĂLIN-CONSTANTIN DAN, The Orthodox Confessions of Faith in the Seventeenth Century and Their Importance for Modern Ecumenical Dialogue, Publishing House Mitropolia Olteniei, Craiova, 2020, ISBN 978-606-731-072-6

As for the theme of the Confessions of Faith in Orthodoxy, it is known that it was not as much debated and developed as in the Western world, because the Confessions of Faith are not specific to Orthodoxy but were composed by Protestants as symbolic writings exposing the teaching of faith in Orthodoxy, short and concise definitions, as a reaction, directed first against the behavior and way of life of Western clergy, then against the Catholic doctrine which they no longer accepted.

Following the Western model and due to the vicissitudes of the time, when Catholic and Protestant propaganda appeared and spread rapidly in the Eastern Orthodox space, the Orthodox Church was forced to expose in writing its teaching of faith to defend it, while making it known to the people. a simple Easterner who was confused by the appearance of false confessions attributed to the Orthodox, but also to the heterodox who had an activity supported by proselytism.

The seventeenth century is considered to be, par excellence, that of the Confessions of Faith which were adopted by the Eastern Church following the Pan-Orthodox Synods of the time. With the passage of this troubled period in the life of the Orthodox Church, the time has spread over the documents of faith, but it seems that in the last century (twentieth century), the Orthodox have increasingly focused on discussions on this subject, because, in the light of the meetings and debates with the heterodox, they felt the need to reactivate the role of the Confessions of Faith, through which they once defended and made known their Eastern faith.

The work deals, in particular, with the Confessions of Faith of the 17th century (that of Mitrofan Kritopulos, Patriarch of Alexandria, from 1625; that of Saint Peter Movila, Metropolitan of Kiev from 1642 and that of Dositei II Notary, Patriarch of Jerusalem from 1672), but also making a brief presentation of the Confessions of Faith known to the Eastern Church in previous centuries (that of Ecumenical Patriarch Ghenadie Scholarios in 1456; the famous and beautiful correspondence between 1573-1581 between Protestant theologians from Tübingen and Patriarch Jeremiah II, the main author of the Answers to them, considered, rightly, to be among the Eastern Confessions of Faith).