The patristic foundations of Orthodox sacramentality

This article by Metropolitan Kallistos Ware focuses on the patristic foundations of the notion of sacraments in the Eastern Orthodox tradition. It is a theological and historical study that traces the genealogy of the concept of mysteries in the Church of the East. The central idea is that ecclesial sacramentality has its origin in the Incarnation of Christ: the mysteries aim to make the incarnate Christ present within the People of God in celebration, thus manifesting the divine-humanity offered by the grace of the Holy Spirit. On the theological level, the article establishes that Christ is the one and only minister of the sacraments, invisibly present and manifested through the bishop or priest, which is confirmed by Orthodox liturgical praxis. This demonstration illuminates the internal coherence of Orthodox sacramental theology and its rootedness in the patristic tradition.