The Meaning of the Word AOrthodox@

Fr. James Rooney

 On several occasions, of late, my wife and I have had the common experience of being mistaken as Jewish because we call ourselves AOrthodox.@ I use the word Acommon@ because this misunderstanding happens regularly, and it is rare when someone understands that the word Aorthodox@ is most commonly associated within a Christian, rather than Jewish, context. Because so many people misunderstand, allow me to explain the meaning, use and history of the word.

 

The word Aorthodox@ derives from two sources in the Greek language. Those are the words orthos and doxa. Orthos means Astraight= or Acorrect.@ Doxa originally meant Abelief,@ though in the New Testament usage it assumed the meaning of Aglory,@ as in Aworship@ or Agive God glory.@ The word Adoxology@ derives from doxa. Combine the two words and Aorthodox@ means something along the lines of Acorrect belief,@ or Acorrect worship.@

 

Historically, the word has been used to refer to traditional belief patterns within a particular religious body, as opposed to antithetical belief patterns. For example, one who believes in the classic Christian definition of Christ, that is, that He is true God and true man, two natures in one Person, holds to Orthodox Christology. One who claims to be a Christian yet  who denies one or both of these premises holds what is called Aheterodox@ Christology [@hetero@ meaning Aother than@]. Clearly, the word Aorthodox@ has a contextual meaning of Acorrect faith.@

 

In the early Christian centuries Aorthodox@ and Acatholic@ were words used to describe the Church and its faith. AOrthodox@ meant Acorrect faith@ and ACatholic@ referred to that correct faith being available and pertinent to all of humanity [universal]. When Christianity divided in 1054 [the Great Schism] the Eastern portion of the Church maintained the word Aorthodox@ to define itself, and today AOrthodox@ refers primarily to that body of Christians. The Orthodox Church is the second largest Christian body in the world [with some 300 million members] and is noted for its adherence to the ancient faith of Christianity. 

 

It might be noted that the word Aorthodox@ was used by Christians long before the Jewish people began any official use of it. The first formal Christian use of the word is found in the writings of St. Hegessippus, a Christian historian who wrote around 170 A.D. Since Gnosticism had become popular as an aberrant form of Christianity, St. Hegessippus described the Christian Faith of the Church of Corinth as being Aorthodox.@ The Christians of Corinth held to the correct faith, he argued, rather than to the heterodoxy of the Gnostics. St. Hegessippus gives us the first example of traditional usage, and Christians have used the word in this manner ever since.

 

In contrast to Christian usage, the first known Jewish use of the word, referring to a particular group within Judaism, did not occur until 1806. It was used to identify those who practiced traditional Jewish religious traditions as opposed to those who favored expressions of Judaism affected by the Enlightenment. The result has been the identity of a Adenomination@ within Judaism known as Orthodox Judaism, and of whom most people think when they hear the word. One might note that Jewish people [of this branch of Judaism] usually speak of being AOrthodox Jews@ when they identify themselves to Gentiles.

 

The word Aorthodox@ is clearly NOT the sole possession of any religious group. However, because of its long standing use among Christians and because of the particular way in which Jewish people use it, one can usually tell what is meant by careful listening. You can be assured that if someone identifies himself simply as AOrthodox,@ or says he is a member of the Orthodox CHURCH,  he is more likely to be referring to the Christian Church than he is to being Jewish.