Praxis (lifestyle)
| This article forms part of the series Orthodox Spirituality | |
| Holy Mysteries | |
| Baptism - Chrismation Confession - Eucharist Marriage - Ordination Holy Unction | |
| Three Stages | |
| Catharsis/Purification Theoria/Illumination Theosis/Divinization | |
| Hesychasm | |
| Nepsis - Metanoia Hesychia - Phronema Mysticism - Nous | |
| Asceticism | |
| Chastity - Obedience Stability - Fasting Poverty - Monasticism | |
| Virtues | |
| Humility - Generosity Chastity - Meekness Temperance - Contentment Diligence | |
| Prayer | |
| Worship - Veneration Prayer Rule - Jesus Prayer Relics - Sign of the Cross | |
| Church Fathers | |
| Apostolic Fathers Desert Fathers Cappadocians The Philokalia The Ladder of Divine Ascent | |
| Edit this box | |
Praxis is the customary use of knowledge or skills, distinct from theoretical knowledge. The term is used in Orthodox theology to refer to the practice of the faith, especially to worship.
Orthodox praxis
Union with God, to which Christians hold that Jesus Christ invited man, requires not just faith, but correct practice of faith. This is found in Holy Scripture in the following passages:(1 Cor 11:2, 2 Thes 2:15) and the Church Fathers, and is linked with the term praxis in Orthodox theology. In the context of Orthodoxy, praxis is mentioned opposite theology, in the sense of theory and practice, and is a word that means, globally, all that Orthodox do. Praxis is living Orthodoxy.
Praxis is most strongly associated with worship. "Orthopraxis" is said to mean "right practice," as "orthodoxy" means "right glory" or "right worship" [1]; only correct (or proper) practice, particularly right worship, will give the correct glory to God, which is one of the primary purposes of liturgy, the work of the people. Some Orthodox sources maintain that, in the West, Christianity has for the most part been reduced "to intellectual, ethical or social categories," whereas right worship is fundamentally important in our relationship to God, forming the faithful into the Body of Christ and providing the path to "true religious education" [2]. A "symbiosis of worship and work" is considered to be inherent in Orthodox praxis [3].
Fasting, another key part of the practice of the Christian faith, is mentioned as part of Orthodox praxis in connection with the Sermon on the Mount (Mt 6)and in comparison with the history and commemorations of Lenten fasts.
Praxis also refers to proper religious etiquette.