Moscow Agreed Statement (1976)
The Moscow Agreed Statement (1976)
Issued: 1976 By: The Anglican–Orthodox Joint Doctrinal Commission Location: Moscow, USSR Subject: Knowledge of God, Holy Scripture, Tradition, Councils, Filioque, Eucharist, and the Holy Spirit Source: Anglican Communion Office
Introduction
Between 1973 and 1976 the Anglican–Orthodox Joint Doctrinal Commission met in several sessions that culminated in the publication of the Moscow Agreed Statement in 1976. This document represents the first major theological convergence between the Anglican Communion and the Orthodox Churches since the 16th century, addressing central doctrinal themes including revelation, Scripture, Tradition, the Councils, the Filioque clause, and the nature of the Church and Eucharist :contentReference[oaicite:0]{index=0}.
The purpose of the statement was not to produce a formal doctrinal agreement but to identify and affirm the extensive areas of shared faith and understanding between the Anglican and Orthodox traditions.
I. The Knowledge of God
God is both immanent and transcendent. Through divine self-revelation, humanity is invited into communion with the Holy Trinity. Faith and obedience allow true participation in the divine life, yet the distinction between Creator and creature always remains.
The Orthodox distinction between divine essence and energies safeguards both God’s transcendence and accessibility, while Anglicans express the same truth differently, affirming that God is incomprehensible yet truly knowable.
The Orthodox concept of theosis (divinization by grace) is recognized by Anglicans as consonant with biblical teaching, though expressed in different theological language :contentReference[oaicite:1]{index=1}.
II. The Inspiration and Authority of Holy Scripture
The Scriptures are both divine and human, expressing God’s revelation in human language. They are interpreted within and through the Church, whose faith provides the context for hearing God’s Word.
Both communions affirm:
- The canonical books of the Old and New Testaments as authoritative for salvation.
- Distinction between canonical and deuterocanonical books, though both are read and valued liturgically.
- The Bible’s authority derives from its witness to divine revelation, not from theories of authorship or composition :contentReference[oaicite:2]{index=2}.
III. Scripture and Tradition
Scripture and Tradition are not two separate sources of revelation but two dimensions of the one divine truth.
- Scripture is the primary criterion for testing traditions.
- Holy Tradition safeguards and completes the message of Scripture.
Holy Tradition encompasses the whole life of the Church — its doctrine, liturgy, discipline, and spirituality — lived under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Doctrinal tradition remains unchangeable in substance but must be communicated in every generation using contemporary language, always tested against Scripture and the ecumenical Councils :contentReference[oaicite:3]{index=3}.
IV. The Authority of the Councils
The Scriptures and the Councils together preserve the witness of divine revelation. The Holy Spirit works in both, and in the reception of their teaching by the whole Church.
Both communions affirm that:
- The fullness of saving truth has been given to the Church.
- Councils express the Church’s inerrancy when received ecumenically.
- Infallibility belongs to the Church as a whole, not to any single person or institution.
The statement discusses the place of the first seven Ecumenical Councils, noting Anglican emphasis on the first four, and Orthodox insistence on all seven, especially the Seventh Council’s teaching on the veneration of icons as a confession of the Incarnation :contentReference[oaicite:4]{index=4}.
V. The Filioque Clause
The Commission affirmed that the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed (381) confesses the Holy Spirit as “proceeding from the Father,” a statement about the Spirit’s eternal origin. The Filioque (“and the Son”) was added later in the West without the authority of an Ecumenical Council and without the consent of the universal Church.
Anglicans agreed that: 1. The Creed should not contain the Filioque clause. 2. The clause was introduced improperly. 3. The original form of the Creed best preserves the faith of the undivided Church :contentReference[oaicite:5]{index=5}.
VI. The Church as the Eucharistic Community
The Church is the Body of Christ and becomes most fully itself in the celebration of the Eucharist. Through the action of the Holy Spirit, the faithful partake of Christ’s Body and Blood and are made one in him.
Key affirmations include:
- The Eucharist both builds up and reveals the Church.
- The consecration of the bread and wine is the work of the Holy Spirit through the Church’s prayer.
- The Eucharist manifests the unity and catholicity of the Church in each local assembly.
- Participation in the Eucharist impels the Church toward mission, service, and witness to the world :contentReference[oaicite:6]{index=6}.
VII. The Invocation of the Holy Spirit in the Eucharist
The Eucharist is a Trinitarian action: the Father gives the Body and Blood of Christ through the descent of the Holy Spirit in response to the Church’s prayer. This invocation (Epiclesis) expresses the Spirit’s role in consecration and in the sanctification of the faithful.
The Statement emphasizes:
- The Epiclesis is essential to the Eucharist.
- The consecration arises from the entire liturgical action — thanksgiving, anamnesis, and Epiclesis — rather than from any single formula.
- The Spirit is invoked both upon the gifts and upon the people.
- The Church lives continually by invoking the Holy Spirit in all its sacraments and prayers :contentReference[oaicite:7]{index=7}.
Conclusion
The Moscow Agreed Statement represents a milestone in Anglican–Orthodox relations. It affirms deep theological agreement on core doctrines while acknowledging differences in language and emphasis. The report called for continued dialogue, leading to the later Dublin Agreed Statement (1984) and subsequent phases of discussion.
See Also
- Dublin Agreed Statement (1984)
- Anglican–Orthodox Joint Doctrinal Commission
- Filioque Clause
- Book of Common Prayer (1662)
- Ecumenism in the Anglican Communion
External Links
This article is part of the AnglicanWiki project, which documents official Anglican ecumenical dialogues and theological statements in accordance with the historic formularies.