***6. Orthodox Christians do not define “authority” in quite the same way the Catholic Church would define it in terms of powers, jurisdictions, prerogatives and their interrelationships.
I shall defer to my Orthodox brethren on this one.
It is not a legalistic authority for sure, although in practical terms, Church officials and the “dignity” they hold in the Church amounts to the same. The lower clergy are held to the vow of obedience. Let me just say that I have heard of and witnessed some rather uncharitable excesses of particular bishops.***
Fair enough. We still maintain equivalent hierarchical rules.
***11. There are Seven Sacraments in the Orthodox Church, but that’s more a matter of informal consensus based on the perfection of the number “seven” than on a formal dogmatic declaration. Various Orthodox authorities would also argue that the tonsure of a monk or the consecration of an Emperor or other Orthodox secular monarch is also a sacramental act.
It is true that the Seven are fixed in an artifical manner.***
However, many of the doctrines and traditions of the Church are arbitrary, based upon the best judgements of the hierarchs.
Oh, we still kiss the right hand (that holds the Eucharist) f or priests anbd bishops (and rightfully so), and deacons and alter boys do so every time a priests hands them something during the liturgy (as in TLM). There is a lot of hierarchical "authority" least of which is pure agape.
However, many of the doctrines and traditions of the Church are arbitrary, based upon the best judgements of the hierarchs
Tell me about it! Fasting rules come to mind, which is not a prominent issue in the West, but a huge issue in the East (the Orthodox fast probably 180 days out of a year and from midnight until the Communion, like the Catholics used to). I could not, for the life of me, find anything on how the Church decided what is fasting and what is not. It's not Biblical for sure, since the OT rules don't apply. And not one bishop of archpriest (monsignor) would tell me "we made them up" for some good reason. That munch honesty is way too much to ask for.