The Living Tradition An Orthodox Archive of the Church Fathers and Early Church

Orthodox Christianity: start here — lesson 9

The Eucharist and the other Mysteries

What the Church calls the Mysteries, why the number seven is a late convention, and what the earliest witnesses say.

  • Liturgical witnessAttested in the Church's worship — in a hymn, a prayer, a rite or a commemoration. Liturgical language is theological rather than casual, but a hymn is not a canon.
  • Received Orthodox teachingTaught consistently and received throughout the Orthodox Church, though not necessarily formulated in a conciliar definition. This is not a claim that no Father ever wrote differently.

Primary evidence verified Content last reviewed 2026-08-29

What still needs checking (1)
  • Confirm the Orthodox account of the Mysteries and their number against the OCA's The Orthodox Faith.

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What this lesson covers

  • Name the Mysteries and explain why Orthodoxy has not fixed the list at seven.
  • Cite the earliest witnesses to the Eucharist.
  • Say what the canons regulate about the Eucharist and why.

About 7 minutes to read.

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The Orthodox Church calls the sacraments mysteries. The familiar list — baptism, chrismation, Eucharist, confession, ordination, marriage, anointing of the sick — is genuine, and the number seven entered Orthodox usage relatively late and under Western influence. The tradition has never treated the enumeration as exhaustive: monastic tonsure, the great blessing of water and the burial of the dead are all sacramental acts of the Church.

The Eucharist stands at the centre. Ignatius, writing early in the second century, says that those who deny the reality of Christ's flesh abstain from the Eucharist because they will not confess what it is. Justin, around 150, says it is not common bread and drink. Neither is arguing a doctrine; both are describing what everyone assumed.

Orthodox theology has generally declined to explain the change in the elements in the way Western scholasticism attempted. It confesses that the bread and wine are the Body and Blood of Christ, invokes the Holy Spirit upon them in the epiclesis, and does not go on to specify a mechanism.

Key Scripture

  • 1 Corinthians 11:23-29 — The earliest written account of the institution.
  • John 6:51-58 — The discourse on the bread of life.
  • James 5:14-15 — The anointing of the sick with prayer.

On Scripture references. References are given so you can read the passage in the translation your parish uses. This site does not reproduce a modern copyrighted Bible text.

Council and canon connections

  • Canon XVIII of Nicaea on the order of administration.
  • Canon XIII of Nicaea on communion for the dying.

Why this matters in lived Orthodoxy

Orthodox Christians prepare to receive: prayer, a period of fasting, and confession at intervals a priest advises. The specifics vary by jurisdiction and by parish, and they are arranged pastorally rather than looked up.

Communion is given from a spoon, in both kinds, to all the baptised including infants.

Review

Why has Orthodoxy not fixed the Mysteries at seven?
Because the enumeration entered Orthodox usage late and under Western influence, and the Church's sacramental life is not exhausted by it.
What does canon XVIII of Nicaea regulate, and why?
The order of who administers the Eucharist to whom. It insists that the Church's central act is ordered by the Church rather than left to individual initiative.

Your notes

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Going deeper

Sources for this page

  1. Tier C The Apostolic Fathers with Justin Martyr and Irenaeus Alexander Roberts and James Donaldson (eds.); A. Cleveland Coxe (American ed.) Justin Martyr, The First Apology, Chapter LXVI translated edition of primary texts Source record
  2. Tier C The Apostolic Fathers with Justin Martyr and Irenaeus Alexander Roberts and James Donaldson (eds.); A. Cleveland Coxe (American ed.) Ignatius, Epistle to the Smyrnaeans, Chapters VI-VIII translated edition of primary texts Source record
  3. Tier C The Seven Ecumenical Councils of the Undivided Church Henry R. Percival (ed.); Philip Schaff and Henry Wace (series eds.) The Canons of the 318 Holy Fathers, Canons XIII and XVIII annotated edition of conciliar texts Source record

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