Los sacramentales en las Iglesias ortodoxas de tradición bizantina.

The liturgical life of the Orthodox Churches of the Byzantine tradition is very broad and rich, due to the variety of sacred actions that they commonly practice. Among the various sacred acts we deal with the sacramentals; some are part of the development of the sacraments and the Divine Liturgy, and others are elements of the daily life of the faithful. In this study we will broadly address the notions, the historical evolution and fluctuations surrounding the conception and number of the sacred rites practiced from ancient times to the present day, the orthodox perspective of the sacredness of the Christian life and the sanctifying power of the Church. Moreover, the general characteristics (in which the existing differences with the sacraments come into play), the constitutive elements (the similarities they have with the sacraments) and the division of the orthodox "sacramentals" according to various criteria, depending on the type of consecrations and blessings destined either to glorify the Name of God or to sanctify the life of Christians, will be approached. Such "sacramental" are conceived, by orthodox theologians as instruments capable of communicating heavenly grace, in an analogous way to the sacraments, given that they are provided with elements of a sacramental nature. Besides, the influence exerted by Latin Catholic theology in the Orthodox East has had much to do with the development and configuration of the "sacramentals" in the Byzantine churches. Notwithstanding all the matured orthodox theological reflection and the influence received from the Latin West, it seems difficult to find a clear and univocal delimitation between sacraments and "sacramentals" in official Orthodox theology and among Byzantine authors. All this will help us to acquire a clearer and more complete vision of the sacramentality of the liturgical life of the Orthodox Church and of life in general. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]