“Orthodoxy” means “right belief.” The term comes from the combined Greek words orthos, meaning “right, true, straight,” and doxa, meaning “praise.” In early Christian history, it was used in contrast with heresy, which literally means “choice.” The classical view of orthodoxy refers to the right belief that Jesus taught his disciples and handed down by them to the leaders of the Christian church. Its most basic form is found in the creedal statements adopted by the four ecumenical councils of the early Church and held by the majority of the believers in early Christian period.
In the history of Christianity, belief in orthodoxy is tied with the idea of primacy or originality. Early Christian theologians emphasized the view that orthodoxy is primaryand heresies are deviations and corruptions of the original and pure orthodoxy. Eusebius, Bishop of Caesarea (263–339 CE), established this view of orthodoxy during the time of Emperor Constantine (c. 275–337). The former is considered the...
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Corley, E.B. (2020). Orthodoxy. In: Leeming, D.A. (eds) Encyclopedia of Psychology and Religion. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-24348-7_482
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