For the Life of the World: Sacraments and Orthodoxy

153 Pages·1973·1.984 MB·English

by  Alexander Schmemann

Alexander
Schmemann
Fort heL ife
oft heW orld
FOR THE LIFEO F THE WORLD
SacramenatnsdO rthodoxy
byA LEXANDERS CHMEMANN
Thisb ookw aso riginawlrliyt tteons ervea sa no utlifnoers tudenitnas
discussoifot nh eC hrist"iwaonr ldvieIwts. u"g gesatnsa pproatcoht he
worladn dt om an'lsi fieni tt hastt emfrso m the liturgical ofet xhpee rience
OrthodoCxh urchS.u chi ssuaesss eculariasnmd C hristian caurlet ure
viewed ftrhoepm e rspecotfit vheeu nbrokeexnp erieonfct eh eC hurcahs,
revealaenddc ommunicaitneh de rw orshiipnh, e rl iturgy-stahcer ament
oft hew orldth,e s acrameonft th eK ingdomA.c corditnoTg h omaMse rton,
writiinngM onastiSct udiFeosr,t heL ifeo ft heW orldi s" ap owerful,
articulaantdei,,n deecdr,e atievses aiyn s acramentthaelo l.o.gS.yc h me­
mannc ana llohwi msetlofg o t ot hev erryo ootf t hes ubjewcitt hohuatv ing
toa pologfiozrhei sf orthrighotrfn oerhs isls a cokf i nterienst tr ivialities."
Thea uthoFra,t heArl exandSecrh meman(nt i98f3orm)e,rD eana nd
ProfesosfoL ri turgiTchaelo loagtyS tV ladimiOrr'tsh odTohxe ological
Seminarwya,s e ducatiendF rancaet t heU niversoiftP ya riasn dt he
OrthodTohx eologiIcnaslt itoufSt teS ergiuKsn.o wna sa dynamiacn d
articulastpeo kesmafno rO rthodoCxh ristianity,S chFmaetmhaen'rns
powerfaunld p erceptwirviet inhgasv eb eeni nstrumeinntc aoln veying
Orthodotxoay n e ver-growaiundgi ence.
Othebro okbsy F atheSrc hmemanpnu blisbhyeS dt V ladimiSre'msi ­
narPyr esisn cluCdheu rcWho,r ldM,i ssioTnh;e H istoriRcoaaldo fE ast­
ern OrthodoGxyr;e aLte ntI;n troducttoLi iotunr gicThaelo logyO;fW ater
andt heS piriUtl;t imaQtuee stioAnns A:n tholoogfyR ussiaRne ligious
ThoughTth;eE uchariasntdC; e lebratoifFo ani tvho,l umeIst hrou3gh.
Covedre sigbnyJ uneM agaziner
STV LADIMIR'SSE MINARYP RESS
FOR THE LIFEO F THE WORLD

FOR THE LIFE
OF THE WORLD
SacramaenndOt rst hodoxy
AlexandSecrh memann
STV LADIMIRS'ESM INARY PRESS
CRESTWOODN,E W YORK1 0707
1998
libraryo Cofn gressCa talog-giinn-PuDabta lication
SchmemanAlnexa,n der1,9 21-1983
Fort hlei offet hwoerl d.
Rev.a ndex pandeeddo .f: S acrameanntdos rt hodoxy1, 965.
Inclubdiesb liograrpfeheirecanlc es.
1.O rthodoExas ternC hurch-Liturgy. 2.S acraments-OrthodoxEas tern
Church.I T.i de.
BX350.S3169 82 264'.019 82-17033
ISB0N- 913836-08-7
Copyri©g h1t9 631,9 701,9 711,9 73
byA lexanSdcehrm emann
All RighRtess erved
ISBN0 -913836-08-7
FrisPutb liisn1h9 e6d3
Secroevnidtzs needd:xp llneddeid1ti 9o7n3
Secpornidn1 ti97n7g
Thiprrdi n1ti98n2g
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Fiftphr in1ti99n5g
Sixptrhi n1t99i8n g
PRINTEDI NT HE UNITEDS TATESO FA MERICA
Contents
Preface
7
1T.h Lei offte h Weo rld 11
2.T hEeu acrhist 23
ThTeim eo fM ission
3. 47
4. Ofa nWtdah Stepe irr it 67
5T.h Mey stoefLry o ve 81
6.Tr ampDloiwDnneg a btyDh e ath 95
7.A nYde A rWei tnoesfTsh eeTssh ei ng1s0 7
Appendices
1W.o rsihnaiS pe cAuglea r 171
Sacraamnedn tS ymbol 135
2.

Preface
Thilsi tbtolowekas wrtienty teeanar gsao sa "tusdy
guide"t ot hQeu adreCnonnifaelor fet nhcNeea tional
StudeCnhtr isFteidaenrh aetliidnoA nt nhseO,h iion,
Decembe1r69 3I.wt a nso mte atnobt e a nidit cs e rtainly
noats ystetmhaetoiltcor geiaoctftai hlOse re t holdiotuxr ­
gilct araodniM.ty oi nlpyu rpionws rei tiitwn agst o
outlisntueed-ntptors e patrhienmgsf eolarvd eiss cussion
ofC hrismtiisasthnie oC nh-ris"twioarvnliw de, "i .e.,
thaep prtoota hcweho raldndt oma nl'isif niet t ah ts tems
frotmhl ei turegxipcearloi fte hnOecr et hoCdhou.xr ch
Isto h appheonweedtv hetarhtb,e o orke acarh eead der­
shfiapbr e ytohnsdet udceirnfctol wreh sii cwtha wsr i.t ten
Repriinn.19t 6e5bd yH erdaednrH erd(enuerdr t htei tle
SacraamnedOn rttsh o)d,to hxeiynnE ngl(aWnodrA lsd
Sacramternatn)si,ln atFtore ednI actlhi,aa nnGd r eeikt,
waesv erne ce"nuptbllyi sihnae nand o"n ymRouusss ian
tranastliboynt huen dergsraomuinziddnt a htSe o viet
Uni.Ao lntlh pirso Iva emss u,nr eoan,ty p artqiucaulliatri es
ofth eb ooikt seltfh-amanon ryeoI an mea waorfei ts
manyd efeacntidsn f sfuicientchiieem sp-obroutfta nce
the issIut er itweodhd ei awchil t ahn wdh ousreg ency,
evidteeynnet a argsio se,v emno reev idteondta yt haen d
onjlsyuit ficfaottr.i nhoeinews d ition.
Theisses aureneso noet htehras ne cuml-atrhpiers o­
gresansdir vaepa ildi enoafot uicurol nt uorfie t,vs e ry
founda,tf irootnmhs Ceh risetxipaernani de "nwcoer ld
viewwh"i icnhi tially shaptehdde e tehpa t culture-and
polarwihziasctehicu olna hraipsrs omv aomkeodn g Chris­
tianst hmeselIvnedse.e d, whitloew elscoommee seem
secularaists hbmee fsrtuo ifCt h risitnhi iasntisotorymy e,
7
8 Fotrh Lei offet hWeo rld
ohtresf iinndi tth jesu tiicfaftoiarona n l mMoasnti chean
rejeocftt ihwoeon lr df,o arn e scianptaed o i sincarnate
anddu al"ipssitriictT uhautlshi eatrrytee.h "ow shero e duce
thCeh urtcoth hw eo ralndid t psr oblaentmdhs o,ws heo
simepqluyta htweeo rwlidt h emvoirlb riaednjlidoyn i ce
theaipro cagllyopotmi.c
Botaht tidtuidsetIsao mrc to,n v,it nhcweeh edonl,e ss
thcea thoolfti hcgeie tneyu iOnrtthroaddowixhth ii caohsn
alwaafyfsi bromttehhdgoe do neosfts h weo rflodwr h ose
liGfoehd a sg ivheionsn ly-bSeognaon,ttd th weein c ked­
nsesi nw hitchhwe o rllide s,h aawslh wipacryhos c laimed
adnk eepprso claimSiunngdt ah"yeab vttye h rCeyr ojsyos
haesn tetrhweeold rd y,e"tt e llsw hbote hloiisnCee hv rei st
thtahte" ya rdee aandd t heliiirfs he i wdi tChh riins t
God("oC l3.3:. )
And thurse aqoluu ers it:sih oonwc awne " hold
toge-tihfnea r,ii" tnl h i,if nea ctions-etehmeicsnoegn l­y
tradaifcftiorromyfta htCeih ounrhsco hcw,a w neo vercome
thet empttaoot piftoo anrn tdo" b asoilzuoetn"oe ft hem,
faltlhiiunnsgtt howe r ocnhgo oirc"e ehsr estiahethvs ae"
soo ftpelna gCuherdi sitni aptnah?ise tt y
Iitms y c erttihttauhtade ne s cwoemrte ous s not from
naeti nteltlheecotbruuiaatebl so a,vl efl r otmah tl iving
anudn breoxkpeenr oifte hnCech eu rwchhis chhre e veals
andc ommuntiouc sai tnhe ewsro rsihnti hple,ie tgoiuar
alwmaayksih netgrh wahti schhie: st hsea craomftee hn t
worltdh,se a craomfte hKneit n gdomg-ittfhotue sii nr
ChrAisntid.t t hiiss etxhpIaet trr ,iin eeonsdtcom e uh c to
explatioann a loybrsu reta, t hert ocsn oifmiiprnmtl hy is
essay.
HaId wtroi ittteo dIa oywu lhdav per obwarbiltyt en
idti ff.eB rueItdn otn lobyte liinen,voa erm I c apaobfl,e
rewritthiwanhtgi w cahws r iotntceheno, w eivmepre r,f ectly
witthhw eh ohleea Trhte.r eofnolary fe e mwi ncoorr ­
rections awnedrm ea adilentt heriresap ttrI.iih onanvse
alasdod ,ie ndt hfeo romfa ppentwdoie csyessswa ,r itten
inas omewdhiaftf" ekreebynuw"tth c ihm ahye lIhp o,p e,
betttoue nrd erssotmoaefn dit mhpel iocfathi tbosio okn.s
FinaIwl olduyl l itkoeu steh oep portunmiet y given