The Church celebrates Triumph of Orthodoxy

'The Triumph of Orthodoxy' Icon. Photo: sofija.ru

On March 9, 2025, the first Sunday of Great Lent, Orthodox believers celebrate the Triumph of Orthodoxy.

This feast was established in 843 to commemorate the final victory over the heresy of iconoclasm. Iconoclasts considered sacred images to be idols and veneration of icons to be idolatry. However, iconoclasm had already been condemned at the Seventh Ecumenical Council in 787.

Empress-Regent Theodora convened a council in Constantinople, which proclaimed the necessity of restoring the veneration of icons, reaffirmed the legitimacy of the decisions of the Seven Ecumenical Councils, and anathematized iconoclasm.

By the 11th century, a special rite of the Triumph of Orthodoxy had taken shape. By the 14th century, it had been supplemented with texts outlining Orthodox dogmas, proclaiming the Church’s victory over all existing heresies and schisms, and commemorating the saints and defenders of the faith. A special place in the service was given to the rite of anathema against those who had gravely sinned against Orthodoxy.

The word *anathema* comes from Greek, deriving from the verb *anatithēmi*, which means "to lay upon, to hand over to someone". In a church context, anathema refers to something that has been consigned to God's final judgment, something (or someone) for which the Church no longer offers care or prayer.

By pronouncing anathema upon someone, the Church openly declares that, even if this person calls themselves a Christian, their worldview and actions confirm that they have no connection to the Church.

Essentially, the Church merely testifies to what the guilty party has long known: their outlook, positions, and views do not align with those of the Church.

The Apostle Paul wrote: "As we have said before, so now I say again: if anyone preaches to you a gospel contrary to what you received, let him be accursed" (Galatians 1:9).

However, anathema is not necessarily irreversible; it can be lifted upon repentance, sometimes even posthumously. For example, the anathema against the Old Believers was lifted in 1929, and this decision was confirmed in 1971.

Orthodox theologians understand the meaning of this feast as something far greater than merely commemorating a historical event, however decisive it may have been for the Church.

Metropolitan Anthony (Bloom) of Sourozh wrote about it as follows: “Today, we celebrate the Triumph of Orthodoxy; but we must remember that we are celebrating God’s victory, the victory of truth, Christ’s victory over all the weaknesses of human understanding. This is not a triumph of us, the Orthodox, over other confessions or other people; it is God’s victory over us and, through us, insofar as there is light in us, over others.”

Earlier, the UOJ reported that Orthodox Christians have begun Great Lent.

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