Complex sentence: Theology in Eastern Orthodoxy is not treated as an academic pursuit, instead it is based on revelation (see gnosiology), meaning that Orthodox theology and its theologians are validated by ascetic pursuits, rather than academic degrees (i.e. scholasticism).
Split into simpler sentences: Theology in Eastern Orthodoxy is not treated as an academic pursuit. Instead it is based on revelation (see gnosiology), meaning that Orthodox theology and its theologians are validated by ascetic pursuits rather than academic degrees (i.e. scholasticism).