Iconostasis
| Category | Eastern schism and Orthodox theology |
|---|---|
| Record type | Practice |
| Editorial status | Documentary term explained from a Catholic standpoint |
| Authority | Definition only; inclusion confers no religious authority |
Definition and ordinary meaning
The screen of icons separating sanctuary and nave in Byzantine liturgical tradition.
Historical setting
The term belongs to the first-millennium Church, later Byzantine development or the post-schism system of autocephalous churches. The chronology matters especially when later arrangements are presented as the sole original constitution.
Meaning within the tradition
Within Eastern schism and Orthodox theology, Iconostasis must be read according to the school, source and period that uses it. The same word may name a text, rite, institution or doctrine in more than one sense. This article therefore resists treating a later standardized definition as though it were present unchanged from the beginning.
Natural-philosophical and historical assessment
A practice can discipline desire, preserve memory or organize communal worship, yet its moral quality depends on its object and end. Sincerity cannot make worship of a creature into worship of the Creator, nor can an effective technique establish the metaphysics attached to it.
Catholic judgement and necessary distinctions
Catholic judgement acknowledges valid apostolic orders, sacraments and much common doctrine where they objectively remain, but it rejects the schism and any denial of the universal Petrine office. Eastern liturgical and theological diversity need not be Latinized; it must, however, remain in visible communion with the successor of Peter.
Primary texts and source control
Read the term first in the earliest available source and then in later school or institutional definitions. The following local routes keep documentary evidence separate from commentary.