The chronological interval during which the Western Christian world has felt the impact of institutionalizing the Protestant dissents is also the time for substantial transformations at the level of ecclesiastical institutions and the collective piety of the communities within the Orthodox church. The historical writing has favored approaches dominated by the political paradigm and by the attempts to restore the unity of the Christian church initiated by the Holy See or underlined the innovations generated by the contacts with the Protestant theses. The deep knowledge of the past requires a documented analysis of the readiness of the Orthodox clergy and faithful towards theological speculation and institutional innovations, inspired mainly by their own ethical and spiritual demands and less by defensive reasons.