Terms of the Faith, A to Z
A plain-language glossary of words you'll hear in an Orthodox Christian church — the sacraments, the vestments clergy wear, the parts of the Divine Liturgy, and more. Jump to a letter below, or simply read through.
A
Aer
The largest of the three veils used to cover the chalice and paten (diskos); it is laid over both together once the gifts have been prepared, and is lifted during the Great Entrance and again just before the consecration.
Ambo (Amvon)
The raised or projecting space directly in front of the Royal Doors, from which the Gospel is read and the sermon preached. In many church buildings it's reached by one or more curved steps up from the nave floor.
Antidoron
Blessed bread, cut from the same loaf (prosphora) that the portion for consecration was taken from, distributed to the congregation at the end of the Liturgy — including to those who did not commune. The name means "instead of the gifts," since it was historically given in place of receiving Communion itself.
Antimension
A cloth, usually depicting Christ's burial, signed by the bishop and often containing a small relic sewn into it, that lies on the altar table and authorizes the priest to serve the Divine Liturgy there. Without an antimension consecrated for that specific altar, the Liturgy cannot be celebrated.
B
Bishop
The highest of the three major orders of clergy, holding the fullness of apostolic ministry and authority within his diocese. Priests and deacons serve as his delegates; only a bishop can ordain.
Blessing
An act by which a bishop or priest, in Christ's name and always through the sign of the Cross, calls down God's grace on a person, object, or action.
C
Candles
Lit before icons and throughout the services, continuing a practice that goes back to the early Christians praying in the catacombs. A lit candle is a small, physical expression of prayer and of Christ as "a light to lighten the Gentiles" (Luke 2:32).
Catechumen
A person formally preparing for entry into the Church through baptism and chrismation. In the early Church this period of instruction often lasted a year or more; the term is still used today for adult converts under preparation.
Chant
The sung, rather than merely spoken, delivery of nearly all the Church's hymns, psalms, and litanies, following a tradition as old as the Church itself — reflecting the conviction, often summarized as "he who sings prays twice," that music and word together are the fullest form of prayer.
Cherubic Hymn (Cherubicon)
The hymn sung during the Great Entrance, when the bread and wine are carried from the table of preparation to the altar. Its text reminds worshippers that they stand, mystically, alongside the angels who unceasingly surround God's throne, and calls them to set aside worldly cares.
Chrismation
The sacrament, administered immediately after baptism, in which a newly baptized Christian is anointed with Holy Chrism (consecrated oil) and receives the gift of the Holy Spirit — the Orthodox counterpart to what is called "confirmation" in some Western traditions, but given right away rather than years later.
Communion (Holy Communion / the Eucharist)
The reception of the consecrated Bread and Wine, believed by the Church to truly be the Body and Blood of Christ. Because the Orthodox Church understands shared Communion as a sign of already-existing unity in the Orthodox faith, rather than a tool for creating that unity, it's reserved for Orthodox Christians who have prepared themselves through prayer, fasting, and (typically) recent confession.
Cuffs (Epimanikia)
Ornamented cuffs worn over the sleeves of the vestments by deacons, priests, and bishops, both practical (keeping sleeves clear) and symbolic — a reminder that the one serving at the altar acts by God's strength, not his own.
D
Deacon
The third and most junior of the three major clerical orders. A deacon assists the bishop or priest at the services, leads the people in litanies of prayer, and may preach and teach, but does not himself consecrate the Eucharist or perform the sacraments independently.
Dikirion and Trikirion
Paired candlesticks used only by a bishop when blessing the people during the Liturgy: the trikirion holds three candles, representing the Holy Trinity, and the dikirion holds two, representing the two natures — divine and human — of Christ.
Diskos
The footed plate on which the Lamb (the bread to be consecrated) and other particles rest throughout the Liturgy of Preparation and the Liturgy itself, until Communion.
E
Epiclesis
The invocation of the Holy Spirit upon the bread and wine, asking God to make them the Body and Blood of Christ. It follows the Words of Institution ("Do this in remembrance of Me") and is regarded as the most solemn moment of the Divine Liturgy.
Epitrachelion
The priest's stole, worn around the neck and hanging down in front. It marks his sacramental authority to hear confessions and celebrate the sacraments, and — echoing the wool of a shepherd's garment — recalls the image of Christ the Good Shepherd carrying the lost sheep on his shoulders.
Eucharist
From the Greek for "thanksgiving." Since apostolic times, the word has been used for the Body and Blood of Christ as received in Holy Communion — the Church's central act of worship and thanksgiving to God.
F
Fasting
A period of abstaining from certain foods (typically meat, dairy, and, on stricter days, fish, wine, and oil) paired with increased prayer and almsgiving, as a way of disciplining the body and turning attention toward God. The Church keeps several extended fasting seasons each year (including Great Lent) as well as fasting on most Wednesdays and Fridays.
G
Gospel
Both the proclamation of Christ's saving work and, more specifically, one of the four New Testament books (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) recounting His life, death, and resurrection. A Gospel reading is a fixed part of every Divine Liturgy, read from the ambo.
H
Hierodeacon
A monk who has also been ordained a deacon.
Hieromonk
A monk who has also been ordained a priest.
I
Iconostasis
The screen of icons separating the altar area (sanctuary) from the main body of the church (the nave). Rather than hiding the altar, it's understood as the place where heaven and earth visibly meet, in the persons of Christ and the saints depicted on it.
Icons
Sacred images of Christ, the Theotokos, and the saints, understood as windows into the reality they depict rather than mere decorative art. Because icons of Christ affirm that God truly took on a visible, physical human nature, Orthodox Christians treat their style and content as bound by tradition, in something like the way a translation of Scripture is bound by faithfulness to the original text, rather than left to an individual artist's imagination.
Incense
Burned throughout the services as a visible sign of prayer rising to God, continuing a practice found throughout the Old Testament tabernacle and Temple worship and described in the worship of heaven itself (Revelation 5:8, 8:3–4).
J
Jesus Prayer
The short prayer "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner," repeated quietly as a personal devotional practice, often with a prayer rope (komboskini/chotki) to help keep count. Especially associated with the Philokalia and the hesychast tradition, but prayed by Orthodox Christians of every kind.
K
Kontakion
A short hymn that summarizes the meaning of a feast or the life of a saint being commemorated that day, sung or read at Orthros (Matins) and at certain points in the Liturgy.
L
Lamb
The cube-shaped portion cut from the prosphora (offering bread) during the Liturgy of Preparation, set aside for consecration; once consecrated, it becomes the Body of Christ distributed at Communion.
Litany (Ektenia)
A structured series of short prayer petitions, led by a deacon or priest, to which the people and choir respond "Lord, have mercy." Litanies punctuate every Orthodox service.
Liturgy (Divine Liturgy)
Literally, "the work of the people" — the Orthodox Church's principal service of worship, centered on the celebration of Holy Communion. It unfolds in three main movements: the Liturgy of Preparation (Proskomedia), in which the bread and wine are readied before the service most people see begins; the Liturgy of the Word (Catechumens), including the Scripture readings and sermon; and the Liturgy of the Faithful, the Eucharistic heart of the service, from the Great Entrance through Communion and the final blessing.
M
Monastic
A monk or nun who has taken formal vows to a life of prayer, labor, and simplicity, ordinarily set apart from ordinary life in a monastery — traditionally described as living "the angelic life."
N
Narthex
The entry hall or vestibule of a church building, between the outer doors and the nave, traditionally where catechumens and those doing certain penances would stand.
O
Omophorion
The bishop's stole, worn over both shoulders and hanging down front and back. Like the priest's epitrachelion, it recalls a shepherd carrying a lost sheep — a reminder that the bishop bears responsibility for the souls in his care.
Orarion
The deacon's stole, worn over one shoulder during most of the service; during Communion it is crossed over both shoulders and the back, reflecting the deacon's traditional association with the angelic powers who serve continually before God's throne.
P
Panagia
An icon of Christ and the Theotokos together, worn by a bishop in place of a pectoral cross, as a visible declaration of his role in defending and proclaiming the doctrine of the Incarnation. The word means "all-holy."
Pectoral cross
A cross worn on the chest by clergy (customarily priests, with variations by jurisdiction) as a sign of their calling to preach Christ crucified and risen.
Phelonion
The priest's outer vestment for celebrating the Liturgy, a full, sleeveless garment recalling the seamless robe worn by Christ at His trial and crucifixion.
Priest (Presbyter)
The second of the three major clerical orders, serving as the bishop's representative in a parish. Through ordination, a priest is given authority to celebrate the sacraments — the Eucharist, baptism, chrismation, marriage, confession and absolution, and anointing of the sick — and to preach and teach.
Prokeimenon
A short verse, usually from the Psalms, sung before the Epistle reading and setting the theme for what follows. The word means "that which lies before" or "that which precedes."
Prosphora
The leavened "offering bread," baked by parishioners and brought to church for use in the Liturgy. Stamped with a cross and the letters IC XC NIKA ("Jesus Christ conquers"), a portion (the Lamb) is set aside for consecration, and the rest is used for the antidoron.
R
Reader
The first of the minor clerical orders; a reader is responsible for reading the Epistle and other texts during services and, where needed, may lead certain services in the absence of clergy.
Relics
The physical remains, or sometimes garments, of a saint, kept with reverence and often placed within an altar or antimension, following the Church's ancient practice of honoring (not worshipping) the bodies once inhabited by the Holy Spirit.
Royal Doors
The central doors of the iconostasis, through which only bishops, priests, and deacons pass during the services, as those ordained to represent Christ liturgically. The icon of the Theotokos with the Christ Child traditionally stands to the doors' left, and the icon of Christ the Teacher to their right.
S
Sign of the Cross
Made by tracing a cross over oneself — forehead, chest, right shoulder, then left, in Orthodox practice — as a physical confession of faith in the Trinity and in Christ's saving death. Early Christian writers, including Tertullian in the second century, already describe the practice.
Star cover (Asterisk)
A small metal star-shaped stand placed over the Lamb on the diskos, holding the covering veils above the bread rather than resting on it. It recalls the Star of Bethlehem that led the Magi to the newborn Christ.
Sticharion
The long, straight tunic worn under other vestments by bishops and priests, and often more ornately by deacons, subdeacons, and altar servers — recalling the white robe given at baptism.
Subdeacon
A minor clerical order assisting the bishop directly at services and caring for the sanctuary and sacred vessels. Like the deacon, a subdeacon wears the orarion, but crossed over the back at all times, and the office is attested at least as far back as the second century.
T
Theotokos
Greek for "God-bearer" or "birth-giver of God" — the Church's title for the Virgin Mary, affirming that the child she bore was and is fully God, not merely a human being who later became divine. The title safeguards the truth about who Christ is at least as much as it honors Mary.
Trisagion
The "Thrice-Holy" hymn — "Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us" — drawn from the song of the angels in Isaiah 6:3 and Revelation 4:8, sung near the start of the Liturgy of the Word.
V
Vestments
The distinct garments worn by clergy and servers at the altar, rooted in the Psalmist's call to "worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness" (Psalm 96:9).
Z
Zeon
The vessel of hot water brought to the altar and poured into the chalice just before Communion, symbolizing the living warmth of the Holy Spirit and recalling the blood and water that flowed from Christ's side on the Cross.
Zone
The belt worn by priests and bishops over the sticharion and epitrachelion, symbolizing readiness for service, in the manner of a servant girding himself to work.
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