“Both ancient and modern Fathers of the Church are profoundly aware that the ascetic and moral life of Christians is of an ontological and moral nature. It’s not merely conforming to rules and commands, nor is it a state of moral heteronomy or subjugation through ‘blind’ obedience to the divine commandments. The Christian ethos has its roots in profound knowledge, which is preserved by the experience of the ecclesiastical body: that the creation of a person is arranged and brought about by the three Persons of the Trinity Themselves.” (Dr. Nikolaos Koios)
“The word phronema, usually translated into English as mind, means the mind-spirit-ethos rather than the intellectual or cognitive mind. This is important because we may instinctively believe here that we have to keep thinking about the Spirit. However, St. Paul is saying that we need to orient our whole being toward the Spirit—to develop a habit of uniting our body, mind, and spirit to instinctively see, experience, and understand the physical world in the fuller context of the spiritual.” (Andrew Williams)
“This inner life and power of formation, experienced as ethos, is the manifestation of Christ’s promise of the Spirit. This is the guidance into all truth, in the only way that is truly human. We are not thinkers or choosers. Human beings live – we rightly live in a manner that is itself a fullness. Only a fullness of life, a living ethos given as tradition can truly form human beings. We have never been formed in any other way, nor can we be.” (Father Stephen Freeman)
“Holiness means setting apart someone or something for God. The ethos of holiness requires an attitude towards all that exists (our bodies, our minds, the material world, etc.) as is fit by nature belonged to God. We cannot own ourselves, our bodies, our lives, our natural resources - they belong to God. We are there in the world as the priests of creation endowed with the privilege of referring creation back to its Creator.” (Metropolitan John Zizioulas of Pergamon)
“Faith isn’t some vague and abstract theory, a nice ideology or a self-serving religious view. [It] is an experience, an ethos, a way of life and being. Faith means the life of Christ becomes my own…Association with Christ brings us to the whole truth. Our great God becomes small, well-loved and familiar so that he can fit into our mind and heart. From being individuals, people become persons who love unselfishly and sacrificially. The moral life consists of the free observance of the Gospel virtues. Of doing good works and mortifying the passions. Every human person, irrespective of whether they’ve strayed and are in thrall, retains the uniqueness and sacredness of being made in the image of God. Through our conscience, we all have the breath of God within us and are therefore worthy of honor, respect and attention. We should be fond of everyone. Honor and love are not the due only of the great, the rich, the young, the beautiful, the clever and the moral, but also of the mentally and bodily impaired, the very old, the incapacitated and the overlooked poor.” (Elder Moisis the Athonite)