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Koinonia

Communion — the shared life of the Body of Christ, expressed supremely in the Eucharist; the constitutive reality of the Church.

Koinonia is the New Testament word for the Church's corporate life of communion: sharing in the Holy Spirit, in Christ's body and blood, in the apostolic fellowship. In Orthodox theology koinonia is the constitutive reality of the Church: not an organization with members but a communion of persons in the life of the Trinity. Full koinonia requires agreement in faith, shared sacramental life, and mutual recognition of legitimate authority.