Orthodox Religion study guide
Orthodox Religion · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The Orthodox Religion examination assesses a candidate's knowledge of Orthodox Christian faith, practice, and history. It is intended for catechists, church school teachers, clergy candidates, and informed laypeople who wish to demonstrate a structured understanding of the tradition. The Orthodox Religion study guide has 10 sections and about 4,193 words.
01Scripture (Old and New Testament): Canon, Text, and Patristic Reading
The Scripture domain tests how Orthodoxy receives the Bible: which books make up the canon, which text underlies the liturgy, and what hermeneutic governs interpretation. Questions here turn on the Septuagint, the lectionary, and patristic exegesis rather than on source criticism.
470 words, about 2 min02Dogmatic Theology and the Ecumenical Councils: Trinity, Christology, Essence and Energies
This domain tests the doctrinal core: the triune God, the person of Christ, and the authority and content of the seven ecumenical councils, together with the Palamite distinction between essence and energies. One ousia , three hypostaseis ; the monarchy belongs to the Father, and the order ( taxis ) implies no subordination.
446 words, about 2 min03Liturgy and Sacraments (Mysteries): Structure, Epiclesis, and the Seven Mysteries
This domain tests the shape of the Byzantine Divine Liturgy, the theology of the Eucharist, and the seven mysteries. Expect questions on order, attribution, and consecratory language.
464 words, about 2 min04Church History: Apostolic Era through the Great Schism
This domain tests chronology and causation from Pentecost to 1054: persecution, the conciliar era, the Oriental schisms, the Photian crisis, and the events that made the East–West rupture durable. Pentecost, the Jerusalem Council (c.
395 words, about 2 min05Church History: Post-Schism, Autocephaly, and the Modern Era
This domain tests how the Orthodox Church has organised itself since the schism: union attempts, life under Ottoman and Communist rule, the emergence of autocephalous churches, the diaspora, and the modern conciliar movement. The Latin occupation of Constantinople (1204–1261); the Union of Lyons (1274) and Florence (1439), both rejected by the Orthodox faithful.
404 words, about 2 min06Patristics and Ascetic Theology: Theosis, the Passions, and Hesychasm
This domain tests knowledge of the Fathers and of the ascetic tradition: the passions and virtues, the doctrine of deification, the Jesus Prayer, and the hesychast synthesis. Apostolic Fathers: Clement of Rome, Ignatius, Polycarp, the Didache , the Shepherd of Hermas .
392 words, about 2 min07Canon Law and Church Order: Sources, Akribeia and Oikonomia
This domain tests the sources of Orthodox canon law, the principles governing its application, and the structures of church order: pentarchy, territoriality, and the pastoral use of oikonomia . The Apostolic Canons (85), the canons of the ecumenical councils, the canons of the Fathers (notably Basil's ninety-two canonical letters and Gregory of Nyssa's), and the Quinisext Council (Trullo, 691–692), which supplies disciplinary canons without a doctrinal definition of its own.
412 words, about 2 min08Iconography, Symbolism, and Church Art: Theology of the Image and Its Forms
This domain tests the theology of the icon, the vocabulary of veneration, and the historical development of styles and church decoration. Nicaea II (787) grounds the icon in the Incarnation: the Word became depictable in the flesh.
402 words, about 2 min09Comparative Theology and Ecumenical Relations: Distinguishing the Churches and the Dialogues
This domain tests accurate differentiation between Orthodoxy and other Christian bodies, and knowledge of the modern ecumenical dialogues and their agreed statements. The Oriental Orthodox (Coptic, Syriac, Armenian, Ethiopian, Eritrean, Malankara) accept Ephesus 431 and reject Chalcedon 451.
363 words, about 2 min10Christian Ethics and Pastoral Practice: Virtue, Oikonomia, and the Care of Souls
This domain tests applied ethics grounded in patristic anthropology and the pastoral application of canon law: how the Church treats marriage, divorce, abortion, bioethical questions, and the sacrament of confession. The moral life is therapeutic, not legalistic: the commandments heal the passions and restore the image.
445 words, about 2 min