The Orthodox Understanding of Marriage in the Ecumenical Context

Abstract

This article deals with interchurch and interreligious marriage as a challenge to Orthodox theology and its self-conscience. The canons of the church came into being at a time when the church identified itself with history, and the Empire with the kingdom of God. Their purpose was to strengthen the historical construction of the church and the Empire. In such a context, the "other" was a threat to the historical existence of the church. Eschatology offers a different perspective, seeing the whole world as a church "in becoming." Mixed marriages pose the following questions: How do we understand ourselves? How do we understand others? Our tradition has been challenged with new events and new realities, demanding bravery to solve them.