ABSTRACT
The purpose of this chapter is to give a glimpse on some important Orthodox theological and ecclesiological aspects that are relevant for the present research problem, i.e. the reconstruction of the Orthodox identity in the context of migration to contemporary Western Europe, where Orthodox communities encounter Western versions of the secular. The chapter thus provides some basic notions of Orthodox doctrine (on salvation, grace, anthropology, the Church), spirituality (sacraments, liturgy, fasting, veneration of icons and of relics) and Church organization (in terms of the system of governing, hierarchy, authority), in order to grasp the religious ethos that Orthodox migrants bring along and attempt to reproduce and reconstruct in the receiving Western European countries.
