The Orthodox Catechism

Twelve Topics

Each topic is written at four depths — Child, Teen, Young Adult, and Adult. Use the profile switcher in the navigation to set your depth, then follow the topics in sequence or enter wherever you wish.

Child (8–12)
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I
God and the Holy Trinity
Θεός καί Ἁγία Τριάς

The one God in three Persons — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The mystery that grounds all Orthodox theology.

II
The Incarnation of the Logos
Σάρκωσις τοῦ Λόγου

The eternal Son of God taking human flesh in the womb of the Virgin. The central event of all history.

III
Two Natures, One Person
Χριστολογία

The Chalcedonian definition: Christ is fully God and fully man, one Person in two natures.

IV
The Holy Theotokos
Θεοτόκος

The Virgin Mary as God-bearer. Why this title is a Christological statement, not merely a Marian one.

V
The Passion and Resurrection
Σταύρωσις καί Ἀνάστασις

Christ trampling down death by death. The Orthodox theology of the Cross and the empty tomb.

VI
Ascension and Pentecost
Ἀνάληψις

The glorification of human nature in heaven and the sending of the Holy Spirit.

VII
The Church — Body of Christ
Ἐκκλησία

The Church as the living Body of Christ, not an institution but an organism of salvation.

VIII
The Holy Mysteries
Ἱερά Μυστήρια

The seven sacraments as the means by which the life of Christ is communicated to His Body.

IX
Theosis — Union with God
Θέωσις

The goal of the Christian life: participation in the divine nature by grace.

X
Scripture and Holy Tradition
Παράδοσις

How the Orthodox Church receives and transmits the revelation of God in Christ.

XI
The Moral and Ascetic Life
Ἄσκησις

How the Christian life is ordered toward theosis — prayer, fasting, and the commandments.

XII
Death, Judgment, and the Kingdom
Ἐσχατολογία

The last things: death, the particular judgment, the resurrection, and the Kingdom of God.