The '''holy mysteries''' or '''sacraments''' in the Orthodox Church are vessels of the mystical participation in divine [[grace]] of mankind. In a general sense, the Orthodox Church considers everything which is in and of the Church as sacramental or mystical. Generally, the Church recognizes and counts seven (though not only seven) mysteries:

==Etymology==There has never been a universal declaration within the Orthodox Church that there are only seven sacraments. Early Orthodox writers varied as to the number of sacraments: [[John of Damascus]] lists only two; [[Dionysius the Areopagite]] lists six; Joasaph, Metropolitan of Ephesus (fifteenth century), ten; and some Byzantine theologians who list seven sacraments differ on the items in their list. The term sacrament is derived 15th decree of The Confession of Dositheus from the Latin ''sacramentum'', meaning "a consecrated thing or actSynod of Jerusalem (A.D. 1672) says," We believe that there are in the Church Evangelical Mysteries [i.e. "something holy", Sacraments of the Gospel Dispensation], and that they are seven. For a less or a greater number of the Mysteries we have not in the Church; 'since any number of the Mysteries other than seven is the product of heretical madness. And the seven of them were instituted in the Sacred Gospel, and are gathered from the same, like the other dogmas of the Catholic Faith." ==Traditional== The more ancient and traditional practice is not to consecrate", isolate these seven from the many other actions in the Church which itself was also possess a sacramental character. Some of these sacramental activities are:* the service for the burial of the dead * the rites for a [[Monasticism|monastic profession]]* the blessing of waters at [[Theophany|Epiphany]] * the anointing of a monarch.  These also contain a Church Latin translation combination of outward, visible signs and inward, spiritual grace. Even the Greek mysterionblessings of homes, fields, fruits, cars, and pets have a sacramental nature. ==Cycles==In a broader sense, meaning "the whole life of a Christian must be seen as a single mystery"or one great sacrament. The different aspects are expressed in a great variety of acts, some performed only once in a lifetime (Baptism, Marriage), others perhaps almost daily (Confession, Eucharist). ==Sources==*[http://oca.org/OCchapter.asp?SID=2&ID=50 The Sacraments] - The Orthodox Faith by Fr. [[Thomas Hopko]] *[http://www.fatheralexander.org/booklets/english/history_timothy_ware_2.htm#n5 Orthodox Church] by Bishop [[Kallistos Ware]] {{Orthodoxchristianity/wide}}