Orthodox understanding of salvation

1. Salvation
A study of the Orthodox view on
Salvation
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2. Section I – Introduction
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3. I – What is Salvation
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deliverance from something, rescue,
saved from a person or place.
Redemption, granting freedom
Most religions give emphasis to salvation
in one form or another
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4. To Understand Christian Salvation
we need to understand 2
fundamental truths of Orthodoxy:
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1) H. Trinity
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2) Incarnation
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5. Who is our savior
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JESUS CHRIST
"And there is salvation in no one else; for there is
no other name under heaven that has been given
among men by which we must be saved" (Acts
4:12).
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6. Section II –
What does humanity need salvation
from?
Why do we need a savior?
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7. The Fall
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Humanity made in the “image and likeness of God” (Gen
1:26)
“The image is that which man possesses from the
beginning, and which enables him to set out in the first
place upon the spiritual Way; the likeness is that which he
hopes to attain at his journey’s end.” (Bishop Kallistos
Ware, The Orthodox Way, pg. 51)
image = potentiality; likeness = realization
Man had free will Man disobeys God. He used
something in creation for his own selfish gain and not for
the glory of God. Man “falls”. This Fall is called ‘sin’.
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8. What was the consequence of the
Fall?
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“but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of
good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die."
(Gen 2:17)
Death was the effect – death entered the world
through the fall. Rom 5:12 – “For as through one man sin
entered into the world, and death through sin;”
Creation as a whole became tarnished by sin.
“Cursed is the ground because of you” (Gen 3:17)
“We know that the whole creation has been groaning as
in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.”
(Rom. 8:22)
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9. What was the consequence of the
Fall?
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No man is an island. We are members of
one another. So “fall of first humans” affected all
of humanity. There is a leaning towards sin.
(Rom 7)
Humanity lost its communion with God. They
hid themselves from God among the trees of the
garden.
There is a gulf or gap between humanity and
God. Humanity has lost the potentiality.
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10. 
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This is the situation from which
humanity needs a savior.
DEATH –
 sin,
 satan,
 separation from God.
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11. Section III –
How is humanity saved?
What does the incarnate son of God
do for salvation?
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12. 
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In order to fix this dilemma God the
Father sent his only begotten Son into the
world. (John 3:16)
“WHO FOR US MEN, AND FOR OUR
SALVATION CAME DOWN FROM
HEAVEN” – Nicene Creed
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13. 2 Points to keep in mind
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1) Unity of Christ’s work
Incarnation, Crucifixion, Resurrection, Ascension are
all part of the one work of Jesus Christ. To isolate one
historical event is not appropriate if it takes away from
another.
“He was delivered over to death for our sins and was
raised to life for our justification.” Rom 4:25
“O Lord, we commemorate Thy death, confess Thy
resurrection and await Thy second coming.” – H. Qurbana
Anamnesis
Moranaya Days (Days related to our Lord)
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14. 2 Points to keep in mind
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2) Mystery of Christ’s work.
All human explanations are insufficient to
capture the full meaning of what Jesus
Christ accomplished through the cross.
Several pictures have been given to us
from the H. Scripture and Fathers.
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15. 1. Incarnation – “taking flesh”
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Son of God shared in humanity’s pain and
became one among us.
Christ saves us by becoming what we are.
Through this he lifts humanity back to its potential
– uniting humanity with divinity. Jesus is perfect
God and perfect man. (2 Cor 8:9)
“God became man in order for man to become
God.” St. Athanasius
“Than samyam naam poontituvan nammude
samyam avan poontu” (“That we may become
like Him, He put garb of our likeness”)– Hymns of
Sleeba Morning Prayer.
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16. 2. Renewing the image of God
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“You created man out of earth and placed him in
paradise, and when he transgressed Your commandment,
You did not leave him straying, but did guide him by the
prophets, and in the fullness of time You sent Your Onlybegotten Son into the world, Who when he had taken
flesh of the Holy Spirit and of the Virgin Mary, renewed
Your image which was worn out.” – H. Qurbana
Anaphora of St. James
Recreation of humanity – Christ as second Adam
“As in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made
alive.” 1 Cor 15:22; Rom 5
Creation as a whole – “Nothing can equal the miracle of
my salvation: a few drops of blood recreate the whole
world.” St. Gregory of Nazianzen (Quoted in V. Lossky
Mystical Theology of the Eastern Church, pg. 153).
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17. 
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3. The Lamb of God who takes
away the sins of the world.
Jesus Christ offers us forgiveness of sins by
becoming the perfect offering on the cross.
In the Old Testament offerings were given to God
for the forgiveness of sins. But God offered
himself once and for all.
“For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been
sacrificed.” 1 Cor 5:7
“The next day John saw Jesus coming toward
him and said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes
away the sin of the world!” St. John 1:29
“but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb
without blemish or defect.” 1 Pet 1:19
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18. 
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3. The Lamb of God who takes
away the sins of the world.
“He was oppressed and afflicted,
yet he did not open his mouth;
he was led like a lamb to the slaughter,
and as a sheep before her shearers is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.” Isaiah 53:7
“Lord God, Lamb of God and word of the Father,
who takes away the sin of the world, be gracious
to all. You, who take away the sin of the world,
incline your ear to us and receive our prayers.” –
Angelic Hymn
Humanity’s sin is forgiven and pardoned by the
perfect sacrifice of Christ upon the cross.
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19. 4. Redemption – (Ransom, bought
with a price)
 Jesus through his death upon the cross redeems
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Jesus through his death upon the cross redeems
us from “death” (sin, satan, separation from God)
Jesus died in our place.
“Taking a body like our own, because all our
bodies were liable to corruption and death, He
surrendered His body to death in place of all, and
offered it to the Father. This He did out of sheer
love for us, so that in His death all might die, and
the law of death thereby be abolished.” St.
Athanasius On Incarnation
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20. 4. Redemption – (Ransom, bought
with a price)
 “just as the Son of Man did not come to be served,
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but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for
many.” Matthew 20:28
Christ has paid the price for all.
“For you have been bought with a price: therefore
glorify God in your body.” 1 Cor. 6:20
“You were bought with a price; do not become slaves
of men.” 1 Cor 7:23
redemption – “a term which implies the idea of a debt,
or the payment of a ransom for the release of
captives, and is borrowed from legal practice” –
Vladimir Lossky The Mystical Theology of the
Eastern Church (pg. 151)
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21. 
4. Redemption – (Ransom, bought
with a price)
Redemption implies freedom. The slave is freed
“Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has
made us free, and do not be entagled again with a yoke
of bondage.” (Gal 5:1)
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“Blessed is the delightful offering and glorious is the
Sweet Fruit Who was offered for us and cleansed us, and
by His sanctifying oblation hallowed us. The Lamb, the
Son of the Virgin Ewe, Who ascended the Cross and
redeemed us, and delivered us from the sacrifices of
dumb animals.” – Promeon of H. Qurbana
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22. 5. Mediator
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who reconciles humanity to God
“that God was in Christ reconciling the
world to Himself” (2 Cor. 5:19)
“For there is one God, and one mediator
between God and men, the man Christ
Jesus” 1 Tim 2:5
He bridges the gulf created by the fall.
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23. 6. Healing
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Sin is an illness that needs healing.
“And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in
their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the
kingdom and healing all kinds of sickness and all
kinds of disease among the people.” (Matt 4:23)
"I am the Lord who heals you." (Exodus 15:26).
When Jesus healed he also said “Your sins are
forgiven”
This is one reason why Christ had to be fully
human. “The unassumed is unhealed.” St.
Gregory Nazianzen
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24. 7. Trampling upon death
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“by Thy death trampling this our death” – Hymn of St.
Severus of Antioch (opening Hym of H. Qurbana)
"Death has been swallowed up in victory." "Where, O
death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?."
The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. (I
Cor 15: 54 -56) Death is the last great enemy 1 Cor 15:26
Freed from the power of sin. So that we can lead
victorious life.
importance of Resurrection – resurrection confirms the
victory of the cross. Every Sunday is a mini Easter.
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25. 8. Opening up gates to paradise
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Adam had to leave paradise but now
humanity can re-enter it.
“Today You Will Be With Me In Paradise”
Luke 23:43
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26. Section IV –
How can we experience this salvation?
Salvation is accomplished by grace in
response to faith .
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27. 1. Grace
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“being justified as a gift by His grace
through the redemption which is in Christ
Jesus” Rom 3:24
“grace – for it is by this name that we know
the deifying energies which the Holy
Spirit communicates to us.” (Lossky, The
Mystical Theology of the Eastern Church,
pg. 86)
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28. 2. Faith –
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Faith is the starting point for person’s salvation.
“whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have
everlasting life.” (John 3:16)
“But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he
who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is
a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” (Heb. 11:6)
Faith is not an intellectual assent to a set of propositions.
It isn’t simply saying yes to a set of questions. It is not a
matter of the head but a matter of the heart which moves
the hands and feet to action.
Repentance brings faith. Changing of the mind. This is a
continuous action. Not just once but daily.
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29. 3. Life in Christ
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How do we enter a life in Christ?
H. Baptism
“For as many of you as were baptized into
Christ have put on Christ.” Gal 3:27
Baptism is our death, burial and
resurrection in union with Jesus Christ
(Rom 6:5-11)
Union with Christ.
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30. 4. Anointed with Holy Spirit
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H. Chrismation.
We become Christs. Personal Pentecost
“Unless one is born of water and of Spirit
he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God.”
“All are filled with the Spirit” – Acts 2:4
Spirit bearers – “O Holy Spirit make us
worthy temples of thy holy habitation.”
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31. 5. As members of the Body of
Christ
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Salvation for those who experience this new birth
takes place in the Church.
“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ
also loved the church and gave Himself
for her ” – Eph 5:25
“the Church is both the preparation for and
the experience of the life of the Kingdom of God
here and now.” (Clark Carlton, The Life, The
Orthodox Doctrine of Salvation, pg. 86).
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32. 
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6. After the second coming.
General Resurrection
“and He will come again in His great glory to judge both
the living and the dead” – Nicene Creed
separation of those on the right hand and left (Matthew
25)
“For those who love God, resurrection from the dead and
the presence of God will be paradise. For those who hate
God, resurrection from the dead and the presence of God
will be hell.” – Fr. Thomas Hopko
(http://www.oca.org/OCchapter.asp?SID=2&ID=23)
We will become like Him –
“Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet
appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall
appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he
is.” I John 3:2
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33. 7. Theosis
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Deification or becoming like God will be fulfilled
only in the age to come. The growth begins in this
life but it is a continual process into eternity.
Deification is to become what God made us to
be.
“But we all, with open face beholding as in a
glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the
same image from glory to glory, even as by the
Spirit of the Lord.” 2 Cor 3:18
“Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father
which is in heaven is perfect.” – St. Matt 5:48
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34. Conclusion
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35. Section II –
What does humanity need salvation
from?
Why do we need a savior?
35

36. Section III – What does the
incarnate son of God do for
salvation?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Incarnation
Renewing the image of God
The Lamb of God
Redemption (ransom)
Mediator
Healing
Trampling upon death
Opening up the gates to Paradise
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37. Section IV - How can we experience
this salvation?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Grace
Faith
Life in Christ
Anointing with the Holy Spirit
As members of the Body of Christ
Second Coming
Theosis
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38. Section IV –
How can we experience this salvation?
Salvation is accomplished by grace in
response to faith .
38

39. For Further Reading :
1. Hopko, Fr. Thomas. The Orthodox Faith
Available online
http://www.oca.org/OCorthfaith.asp?SID=2
2. Carlton, Clark. The Life, The Orthodox Docrtine
of Salvation (Salisbury : Regina Orthodox Press,
2000)
3. Ware, Bp. Kallistos. The Orthodox Way
(Crestwood, NY : SVS Press, 2002)
4. Lossky, Vladimir. The Mystical Theology of the
Eastern Church (Crestwood, NY : SVS Press,
2002)
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40. Appendix
Common Questions regarding
Salvation
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41. 1. Is salvation a process?
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Salvation as already achieved : "When the kindness of God our
Saviour, and his love towards man, appeared, not by works done in
righteousness, which we did ourselves, but according to his mercy he
saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the
Holy Spirit, which he poured out upon us richly, through Jesus Christ
our Saviour; that, being justified by his grace, we might be made heirs
according to the hope of eternal life" (Titus 3:4-7).
Salvation as an on-going process : "To us who are being saved,
(the word of the cross) is the power of God" (1 Corinthians 1:18).
Salvation as yet to be obtained : "Since, therefore, we are now
justified by (Christ's) blood, much more shall we be saved by him
from the wrath of God" (Romans 5:9).
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42. 
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2. Can a person loose their
From Bishop Kallistossalvation? Saved? pgs. 44-45):
Ware (How Are We
"God wishes all to be saved (I Tim 2:4): but he knocks at the
door but does not break it down by force - he waits for us to
open (cf. Rev. 3:20)...and so our salvation comes to pass only
with our voluntary consent...And because grace is never
irresistible; it is also never indefectible...to the end of our
earthly life there remains always the possibility that we may fall
away."
“Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.” Rev
2:10
“Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not
prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons
and perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I
never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!' “ – Matthew
7:22-23
3 surprises in heaven – John Newton (Amazing Grace)
(continued)
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43. 
2. Can a person loose their
salvation?
Reason for this confusion :
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To some to be saved means to be declared
“not guilty”. Saved person stands before God
justified because he/she has accepted Christ.
Legal view of salvation
For the Orthodox this is over emphasis on one
metaphor.
Salvation is a living relationship with God
Humility about our own spiritual state
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44. 
2. Can a person loose their
salvation?
How can a person loose their salvation?
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Falling away from God
For if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world
through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter
end is worse for them than the beginning. For it would have
been better for them not to have known the way of
righteousness, than having known it, to turn from the holy
commandment delivered to them. 2 Peter 2:20-21
Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as
in my presence only, but now much more in my absence,
work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; Phil
2:12
Not that this sins changes God’s attitude towards us but our
sin forms a barrier between us and God.
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45. 
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3. Can non Christians be
saved?
Theophan the Recluse. He replied more or less thus: "You ask, will
the heterodox be saved... Why do you worry about them? They have
the heterodox be saved... Why do you worry about them? They have
a Saviour Who desires the salvation of every human being. He will
take care of them. You and I should not be burdened with such a
concern. Study yourself and your own sins. "
-http://www.orthodoxinfo.com/inquirers/metphil_heterodox.aspx
For he says to Moses, "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy,
and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.“ It does not,
therefore, depend on man's desire or effort, but on God's mercy.
Rom 9:15-16; compare Acts 10:34-35
Let us pray that God be merciful on all; Let us work to bring others to
the True Light (Jesus Christ).
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46. 
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3. Can non Christians be
saved?
An Orthodox scholar recently observed that there are basically three
views that Christians have taken with regard to non-Christian
views that Christians have taken with regard to non-Christian
religions.
Exclusivism - The first is that the non-Christian will be damned
Inclusivism - The second is that the non-Christian may be saved in
spite the religion he practices, but only through the mercy of God.
Pluralism - The third is that the non-Christian may be saved by
means of the very religion he practices, for nonChristian religions
may also contain saving truths.
The claim of exclusivism has been rejected by many Orthodox
scholars as untenable. This is not done in the interests of facilitating
missionary endeavors or to foster world peace. Exclusiveness is
rejected as a matter of Truth. The majority of Orthodox scholars
would accept inclusivism
-Rev. Protopresbyter George C. Papademetriou
http://www.goarch.org/en/ourfaith/articles/article8089.asp
This does not take away from the centrality of Jesus Christ
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47. Is this Biblical?
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Are you saved?
Have you accepted Jesus as personal Lord and savior?
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Personal lord and savior is not in Bible
Accept Jesus. Rather acceptable to God (Rom 15:16; 1 Pet 2:5)
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