“Diversity” in the Body of Christ and the Patristic Understanding of the Unity of the Church

Protopresbyter Dimitrios Athanasiou | February 7, 2026

 

 

On January 29, 2026, an ecumenical prayer service took place at the Greek Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Trinity in New York, within the framework of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, with the participation of representatives of various Christian denominations. Among them were Archbishop Elpidophoros of America, Roman Catholic, Armenian, Anglican, and Lutheran hierarchs. In his address, the Archbishop referred to the “diversity” that exists, as he said, in the Body of Christ, urging the overcoming of ecclesiastical isolation.

This formulation raises theological questions, especially in relation to the traditional patristic teaching on the nature and unity of the Church. For the Holy Fathers, the Body of Christ does not constitute an abstract concept nor a broad spiritual category that includes different and contradictory confessions. On the contrary, it is identified with the concrete, visible, and sacramental reality of the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church.

Holy Scripture lays the foundation of this understanding. The Apostle Paul emphasizes that “one body and one Spirit” (Eph. 4:4), underscoring the unity of ecclesiastical life. The Fathers interpreted this passage not as a symbolic or invisible unity, but as a real communion of faith, mysteries, and hierarchical continuity. Saint John Chrysostom points out that the Body is one and indivisible, and that separation from it entails distancing oneself from Christ Himself.

In patristic thought, doctrinal differences and schisms are not treated as expressions of “diversity,” but as a rupture of unity. Saint Ignatius of Antioch warns that distancing oneself from the truth of the Church means the loss of full communion with the Passion and the life of Christ. Similarly, Saint Irenaeus of Lyons directly links the presence of the Holy Spirit with the Church, presenting it as the place where man partakes of divine grace.

Unity, according to the patristic tradition, is not merely emotional or social. It is deeply ecclesiological and is based on common faith and the continuity of apostolic tradition. Saint Cyprian of Carthage emphasizes that one cannot have God as Father if one does not have the Church as Mother, while Saint Augustine of Hippo underscores that the external elements of Christian life are not sufficient without full incorporation into the body of the Church.

Within this theological framework, the contemporary use of the term “diversity” to describe the differences among Christian denominations takes on particular significance. For the patristic consciousness, the unity of the Church does not arise from the coexistence of different doctrines, but from the common truth of the faith. Love toward all people does not negate the need to preserve unity in the faith and in the life of the Church.

Thus, the question of Christian unity remains a profound theological issue. Patristic teaching emphasizes that the Body of Christ is one and indivisible, and that true unity is not achieved through the smoothing over of differences, but through the journey toward common faith and full ecclesiastical communion.

 

Greek source:

https://fdathanasiou-parakatathiki.blogspot.com/2026/02/blog-post_7.html