The Symbolic Books of the Holy Orthodox Church
The Symbolical Books of the Holy Orthodox Church would probably appear opn the most Orthodox lists auf authoritative sources, toward the end of that list. They were predominantly put together in the late sixteenth and seventeeth centuries, when the effects of the Protestant Reformation were first being dimly felt to impinge on the life of Eastern churches.
The Symbolic Books are represented by the following:
The Confession of Faith Gennadios Patriarch of Constantinople (1455-6).
The Reponses of Patriarch Jeremias II (Tranos) of Constantinople to Lutherans Theologians from Tuebingen (1537-1581).
The Confession of Faith of Mitrophanes Kritopoulos (1625).
The Orthodox Confession of Petrus Moghila (as revised and endorsed by the Synod of Jassy in 1642).
The Confession of Dositheos, Patriarch of Jerusalem, as ratified by the Synod of Jerusalem 1672.
In addition to this core, the Orthodox have generally also recognized the following statements as also carrying great authority to speak for all Orthodox:The Encyclical Letter of St-Photios, Patr. of Constantinople (867)
The First Letter of Michael Caerularios, Patr. of Constantinople, to Patriarch Peter of Antioch. (1054).
The Acts of the Councils of Constantinople (1341 and 1351) relating to the Hesychast Controversy.
The Encyclical Letter of St-Mark of Ephesos (1440-1441)
The Decisions of the 3 Panorthodox Councils under the leadership of Jeremias II. (Tranos), Patr. of Constantinopel, against the new papal heretic calendar from the years 1583, 1587 and 1593.
The Reponses of the Orthodox Patriarchs to the Non-Jurors (1718 and 1723).
The Reponse of the Orthodox Patriarchs to the letter of Pope Pius IX. (1848)
The Reponse of the Synod of Constantinople to the letter of Pope Leo XIII. (1895)
The Russian Church has also given, since the early nineteenth century great weight to the Great Catechism of Metrop. Philaret (Drozdov).