This work seeks to reexamine the traditional understanding of the role of the Emperor in the Orthodox world as well as to provide insight into the Orthodox notion of conciliarity as reflected both in Church and state structures of the historic Orthodox world. Far from being a semidivine figure, the Emperor's position in the Church developed based on his position as the representative of the laity. The concept of popular election is not a modern or Western idea but very much rooted in the historic experience of local Orthodox congregations and communities. The Fathers of the Church saw human beings as being gifted with free will, reason, and responsibility, capable of self-determination and choice. Not only can Orthodoxy comfortably co-exist with the institutions of modern democracy, Orthodox concepts about the dignity of the individual and the importance of the community can make a valuable contribution to modern political thought.
