Are Angels higher than man, or is it the other way around? (Nov. '01)
In the Old Testament, Psalm 8:4-5, we read: "What is man, that Thou art mindful of him? Or the son of man, that Thou visitest him? Thou hast made him a little lower than the angels; with glory and honour hast Thou crowned him, and Thou hast set him over the works of Thy hands." From this it is clear that in the beginning God created man in a state "a little lower than the angels" -- after all, man was created after God had created the angels. However, at the Incarnation, when the pre-eternal Word and Son of God became man, the dignity of humanity was elevated and man is now in a state above that of the angels! How do we know that? In the New Testament, I Corinthians 6:2-3, we read: "Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? And if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters? Know ye not that we shall judge angels?"
Are there any people, besides Christ, who are now in heaven not just in soul, but physically as well? (Nov. '01)
Yes, three. 1. Righteous Enoch, son of Jared and father of Methuselah, who did not die but was bodily taken up into heaven by God (Genesis 5:18-24). 2. The Holy and Glorious Prophet Elias (a. k.a. Elijah) who also did not die but was bodily carried up into heaven by a whirlwind in a chariot of fire (II Kings 2:1- 11); and 3. the Lord's own all-pure Mother, the Most Holy Theotokos, who did die but was resurrected and bodily taken into heaven three days after her death and burial.
What came first, the Bible or the Church? (Nov. '01)
As you know, the Holy Bible consists of both the Old and New Testaments. The God-inspired author of the first five books of the Old Testament was the Holy and Glorious Prophet Moses the Godseer who lived around 1355-1235 BC. The book authored by the Holy and Glorious Prophet Malachi (the last book in the Hebrew canon of the Old Testament) was written around 400 BC. And the book of III Maccabees (the last book in the Septuagint Old Testament) was authored in the 1st century BC. Unlike the books of the Old Testament, which originated during a period extending over nearly 1,300 years, all the books of the New Testament were written within a period of somewhat less than 50 years (from AD 49-95). The Bible of the first Christians consisted of the Septuagint version of the Old Testament. Later, as the books which now comprise the New Testament began to appear, a local church might also possess a few of the apostolic Epistles and perhaps one or two of the Gospels. But it was not until the fourth century that the Church, through her bishops, began to issue authoritative pronouncements concerning which books were to be included in the canon of the New Testament and which were not. St. Athanasios the Great, in his Festal Letter of AD 367, was the first to name the twenty-seven books, which we now know as the New Testament, as being exclusively canonical.
Do Pets go to Heaven? (Jan. '01)
No, but let me explain why this is so. When we speak of “going to heaven” we generally mean sharing in God’s immortal life in His kingdom. Being immortal (possessing a life which has no end) is a characteristic of God Himself, one of several which He has chosen to share with us — Man (male and female, cf. Gen. 1:27) — His most special creation.
The simple reason why the answer to your question is “No” is that Man has an immortal soul but animals do not. We can read about this in the Book of Genesis (which means the Book of the Beginning). For the first five days of Creation all things came into being merely by the command of God: “Let there be… light (1:3) … a firmament (1:6) … waters and dry land (1:9) … grass and herbs and trees (1:11) … the sun and moon and planets and stars (1:14) … creatures in the sea and fowls of the air (1:20) … and animals upon the earth (1:25).” God spoke the word and these things instantaneously came to be. On the sixth day, however, God didn’t say , “Let there be,” but rather “Let us make” (1:26). God Himself bent down and with His own hands lovingly fashioned Man in His own image and likeness (1:27), and enlivened him with His very own breath (2:7).
Of all creatures, only Man has this intimate relationship with God. The Blessed Elder Joseph the Hesychast (1898-1959) often reminded his children of Man’s unique relationship with the creator, saying, “Don’t you know that you are the very breath of God?” When the holy God-seer Moses wrote that we were created by God in His “image and likeness,” it means that God shared with us some of His own characteristics (some actual, some potential), one of which is immortality. I’m sure that your pet is wonderful (mine was!), but you are more than wonderful — you are a child of God, created in His own image and likeness, created to share immortal life with Him in His kingdom.
Why aren’t girls allowed to cross their legs while in church? (Jan. '01)
Crossing one’s legs in church is not just something that is frowned upon when it is done by girls, but when it is done by anyone — boys, girls, men, women, young, old. It, like slouching rather than sitting upright and some other postures, is an indication of being too casual — perhaps careless (and, in many cultures, it is even a sign of disrespect). When we are in the holy temple of the Living God we should always maintain a reverent and respectful bearing.
What is the Western Rite? (Feb. '01)
For the first thousand years or so, the Church was centered around and governed by five great centers: Rome (the old capital city of the Empire, now the capital of the Western provinces), Constantinople (the new capital city of the Empire), Alexandria (the capital of the African provinces), Antioch (the capital of the Eastern provinces, and Jerusalem ( the Holy City). While the same one, holy, catholic and apostolic faith – Holy Orthodoxy – was professed by them all, the liturgical tradition (or rite) of each was quite distinct. Rome and the West possessed a number of rites; Constantinople and its dioceses worshipped according to the rite which we today generically call Greek or Byzantine (e.g., the Divine Liturgies of St. Basil the Great, St. John Chrysostom, and St. Gregory Dialogist or the Presanctified Gifts); Alexandria knew the Divine Liturgy of St. Mark, while Antioch and its daughter church of Jerusalem worshipped according to the liturgy of St. James the Brother-of-God. In time the Roman and Constantinopolitan liturgical traditions completely overshadowed and extinguished the several other rites. And when Rome and the West went in schism, the liturgical tradition of the West was also lost to Holy Orthodoxy. However, in 1870 a form of the ancient Roman liturgical tradition was restored and blessed by the Church for converts to Holy Orthodoxy who desired to retain their own Roman form of worship. Thus began the Western Rite in Orthodoxy. In 1904 the Church corrected and blessed for use a second Western liturgical tradition – the Anglican (which means “from England”). And in the 1930’s the Church revived and blessed for use another ancient Western liturgical tradition – the Gallican (which means that it is “from Gaul,” present-day France). So what is the Western Rite? It is an umbrella term which covers the several authentically Western and authentically Orthodox liturgical traditions which have been blessed by the Church for use by Orthodox Christians today. In our Antiochian Archdiocese we have, since the 1950’s, a Western Rite Vicariate (sort of like a non-geographic Deanery since it covers Western Rite parishes in all seven of our Regions) in which both the Roman and English liturgical traditions are employed. Other Western Rite congregations are under the jurisdiction of the Moscow Patriarchate, the Romanian Patriarchate, and the Russian Church Abroad (ROCOR).
How far is too far in terms of the physical aspects of a relationship? (Feb. '01)
You know, such a question would not have been imagined a generation or two ago, and there are still many places in the world where this question would not be understood even in the year of 2001. Why? Because dating simply didn’t then and doesn’t there take place. Those societies, cultures, parents, whatever, don’t condone putting unmarried people – let alone adolescents with raging hormones! – in situations which easily and quickly tempt one to indulge in behavior which is only proper in marriage. But since dating does take place here and now, the question is extremely important. Let it first be said that morality, modesty, chastity, and virginity are not merely goals for a young Christian (either male or female), but are distinguishing characteristics of a young Christian. So then, “How far is too far?” The answer is clear and simple: “Anywhere that leads one into temptation to immorality, immodesty, unchastity, and fornication.” If you are aroused anywhere but in your heart, you’ve gone too far. If you feel you are losing emotional and physiological control, you’ve gone too far. If you find yourself fantasizing about doing things inappropriate for a member of Christ, or about having inappropriate things done to a temple of the Holy Spirit, you’ve gone too far. While temptation itself is not a sin, it is the first wave of an attack by Satan, a warning sign, if you will, that sin is fast approaching. And what is it that we pray? “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the Evil One.” Why would any sane person pray one thing and deliberately do another? Father George Kalpouzos in his book How They Faced the Temptations in the Flesh reminds us, “Temptation is not a sin, it is an attack. Temptation is an exercise and trail which cultivates patience, perfection, and joy in the victory. Temptation must not cause fear, but it must give us courage when we face it with God’s help. In this way, we become worthy to receive the crown of glory.” If you are going to date, the best way is to: (1) date another Orthodox Christian who is also serious about his/her faith; (2) make it a double, triple, even quadruple date with others who are serious and committed to their faith; (3) go to wholesome and enjoyable places where you will be entertained rather have to provide your own entertainment; and (4) learn to recognize the many faces of temptation so that you can escape its snares.
(You can get How They Faced the Temptations in the Flesh from 8th Day Books in Wichita, Kansas. Toll-free phone 1-800-841-2541)
Why do little children die? (Mar. '01)
In answer to that question, St. Athanasios the Great speculated "The infants that leave here in purity will receive salvation there in eternity. Perhaps God called them early to be near Him by intention to avoid living a very sinful life." But, as the Holy Scripture says, "O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments, and His ways past finding out! For who hath known the mind of the Lord?" (Romans 11: 33- 34). Indeed, who can know with certainty those things which have not been revealed to us? But, although we may not be certain of the "Why?" we can be certain of the following:
1. GOD IS GOOD: "Good and upright is the Lord" (Psalm 25:8). That means that all God does is good. St. Gregory of Nyssa wrote, "He who gives us the children, He has the authority to take them away from us. And because He is good, His decisions are also good; and because He is wise, He does what is always to our advantage."
2. MANY IS NOT ALWAYS BETTER THAN FEW: "For honorable age is not that which standeth in length of time, nor that is measured by number of years. But wisdom is the gray hair unto men, and an unspotted life is old age. He pleased God, and was beloved of Him: so that living among sinners he was translated. Yea, speedily was he taken away, lest that wickedness should alter his understanding, or deceit beguile his soul" (The Wisdom of Solomon 4:8-11). If we are saddened by thoughts of the good things and happinesses which the child will not know in this world, it is only fair that we also be grateful that he, now being with Christ, will be spared evil things and sadnesses. St. John Chrysostom wrote, "If you loved your son, now you should rejoice, for he has been spared the sufferings of this life." And putting the following into the mouths of the children, he wrote, "O our fathers, do not weep for us! You wanted to have us near you in this corruptible world where all are filled with grief and pain; where all things are unstable and uncertain. But the Lord God, who loved us, took us away from this vain life, as if from the mouth of a lion." Speaking very frankly, St. Gregory of Nyssa says, "Let me tell you of the so-called 'good things' of this life. Listen
to them: sorrows and pleasures, angers and fears, hopes and desires. What is the evil then that has happened to your child who died early in life and was spared from these many and so powerful tyrants?"
3. ETERNAL LIFE IS BETTER THAN TEMPORAL LIFE: "For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain" (Philippians 1:21). Is our temporary life here on earth better than the eternal life which is to come for those who are in Christ? Certainly not. St. John the Theologian heard a great voice out of heaven saying, "God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away” (Revelations 21:4). Writing to a father mourning the death of his son, St. John Chrysostom wrote, "Do you mourn because with the death of your son you will have no heir to your wealth? But what do you desire more? To have your son inherit your property or heaven? What would you have desired for him? To acquire the temporal good things of earth or to inherit those which are permanent and eternal? Now, of course, you do not have him as your heir, for instead of you God Himself has made him His heir. He has not become a co-heir of your property with his brothers, but he has become a co-heir with Christ."
4.) WE LOOK FOR THE RESURRECTION OF THE DEAD AND THE LIFE OF THE WORLD TO COME: "For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him" (I Thessalonians 4:14). St. John Chrysostom wrote to a grieving parent, "You desire to see your child? Then live with piety, and quickly you will enjoy that sacred sight ... Again, could it be that you are mourning because your child will no longer return home? Reflect on the fact that the things of this life are unstable and fleeting. Think also that you, too, will die after a while and will go near him ... You also say that you did not have the chance to enjoy him and to be filled with him? You will certainly enjoy him there!"
Why, after all these years, are the Orthodox jurisdictions in this country still divided? (Mar. '01)
Answer: Pride.
If we go to hell, can we ever get to heaven? (Apr. '01)
Let me begin by stating that prayer for the departed, the origin of which is found in the Holy Bible, is a most noble and praiseworthy act. It is a mercy which benefits not only the departed for whom prayer is offered, but also those who do the praying. In Nehemiah 9: 1-3 we read that the people of Israel prayed for the forgiveness of their own sins and for those of their departed fathers. In II Maccabees 12: 40-45 we find Judas Maccabeus and the people of God making an offering on behalf of the dead and praying that the departed "might be delivered from sin." And in II Timothy 1: 16-18 the Holy Apostle Paul himself prays that Onesiphorus, his deceased friend and supporter, might be granted mercy by the Lord on the Day of Judgment. St. John Chrysostom encourages us to pray for the departed, saying, "If our beloved depart 'in sin,' let us attempt to help them as much as it is possible for us, with prayers and petitions to God, with charity and offerings to the poor. These things are done so that the departed may receive some consolation." And St. Cyril of Jerusalem assures us that "a very great benefit" is derived by the departed for whom prayers are offered. But of what does this "consolation" and "very great benefit" consist? A holy Romanian elder, Father Cleopa Ilie (1912-1998), wrote, "Between Hades and Paradise there does exist a great chasm indeed, as our Lord has told us. Yet, this chasm does not have the power to impede the mercy of our great God, who hears our prayers for the reposed. We say that only for those who sinned very severely and did not confess their sin is the passage from Hades to Paradise impossible. For those who sinned more lightly this pathway is not definitely closed, given that in the future judgment each one's place, either in heaven or in hell, will be decided definitively ... The prayers of the Church are able to help some souls to be saved after their death — but before the resurrection of the body — for the torments sinners suffer after death are provisionally and not definitively existent, unlike those that will exist after the Last Judgment. Thus, the opportunity is given to the faithful of the Church, in love to strengthen the reposed by their prayers. Alone the dead cannot be helped, however, with the love of others all things are possible."
Why doesn't the Church allow non-Orthodox Christians to receive Communion? (Apr. '01)
To really, really understand why this is so, it will be necessary for us to understand a bit of ecclesiology and sacramental theology. Now, don't be put off or frightened by those words. All that "ecclesiology" means is "what the Church understands herself to be" or, to put it in the simplest of terms, "how the Church defines herself." And all that "sacramental theology" means is "what the Church understands the sacraments to be."
First to that bit of ecclesiology: the Church is defined as the Body of Christ. We find this definition in the Holy Bible, notably in several of St. Paul's epistles where he wrote: "We, being many, are one body in Christ" (Romans 12: 5); "As the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ" (I Corinthians 12: 12); "Ye are the body of Christ" (I Corinthians 12: 27); "There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling: one Lord, one faith, one baptism" (Ephesians 4: 4-5); "Christ is the head of the Church, and he is the saviour of the body" (Ephesians 5:23b); "We are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones" (Ephesians 5:30); "Christ is the head of the body, which is the Church" (Colossians 1:18); and "Christ's body, which is the Church" (Colossians 1: 24b). And in describing that Body of Christ -- which is the Church -- we say that it is "one, holy, catholic and apostolic." In other words, since there is only one Christ, and since He can only have one Body, there can only be one Church -- which is the Holy Orthodox Church.
Secondly, we believe that the sacrament of holy Communion is truly the body and blood of Christ -- not mere symbols, but really, really His body and blood. This was first taught to us by Our Lord Himself who, giving it to His holy disciples and apostles, said, "Take, eat; this is my body ... Drink ye all of it; this is my blood" (Matthew 26: 26-28; see also Mark 14: 22-24, and John 22: 19-20). That the disciples believed and taught this is attested in several of the epistles of the Holy Apostle Paul (see especially I Corinthians 10: 16-17 and 11: 23-30).
Now knowing these two important doctrines of the Church -- that she is the one Body of Christ and that the Eucharist is the Body and Blood of Christ -- it only makes sense that those who are members of His Body (the Church) can be nourished by His Body and Blood (the Eucharist). The ability to participate in the sacrament of holy Communion is a sign of our unity -- our oneness of faith and life in the one Lord Jesus Christ. St. John of Damascus wrote, "The mystery of the Eucharist is called 'participation' for by it we participate in Christ's divinity. It is also called 'Communion' which it indeed is, for through it we are brought into fellowship with Christ ... we are also, through it, in fellowship and unity with one another ... We should, therefore, be on our guard not to accept participation from heretics or give it to them ... lest we become sharers in their false faith. But if there is true union with Christ and with one another, then we indeed willingly unite with those with whom we participate." A modern Saint of our Church, Archimandrite Justin Popovich of Serbia, said it very simply, "The Church is the Body of Christ; the Eucharist is the Body of Christ. This is a fundamental identity: the Church in the Eucharist and the Eucharist in the Church."
What is the meaning of cutting someone's hair when he gets baptized? (May '01)
As with any liturgical action, its meaning can best be discovered by studying the prayer which accompanies the action. In the Euchologion (the book containing the texts of all the Sacraments and special blessings), we find the following two prayers which accompany the tonsure (that's what this ritual cutting of the hair is called):
Prayer #1
"O Master, Lord our God, who didst honor man with Thine own image, fashioning him with a rational soul and a comely body (that the body might serve the rational soul); for Thou didst set the head in superiority, and didst endow it with the greater number of senses, which, nevertheless, impede not one another; and Thou didst cover the head with hair that it be not injured by the changes of the weather, and, according to need, didst join together all its members, that by all of them it might render thanks unto Thee, the Great Artisan: Do Thou Thyself, O Master, Who, by Thy chosen vessel, the Apostle Paul, hast commanded us to do all things to Thy glory, bless Thy servant (Name) who is come to make the first offering by the cutting of the hair of his (her) head, and with his (her) Sponsor; and grant unto them all that they may exercise themselves in Thy law, and do those things that are acceptable unto Thee. For Thou art a merciful God, and the Lover of mankind ... Amen."
Prayer #2
"O Lord our God, Who, through the fulness of the baptismal font, hast, by Thy goodness, sanctified them that believe in Thee: Do Thou bless the child here present, and may Thy blessing come down upon his (her) head. And as by Samuel the Prophet Thou didst bless David the King, so also bless the head of Thy servant (Name) by the hand of me, a sinner, visiting him (her) with Thy Holy Spirit, that he (she) may increase unto maturity, and in the grey hairs of old age may send up glory unto Thee, and may see the good things of Jerusalem all the days of his (her) life. For unto Thee are due all glory, honor and worship ... Amen."
After these two prayers, the priest cuts the hair of the newly baptized (actually little snippets of it are cut from the brow, the nape of the neck and above each ear -- forming, as it were, the Sign of the Cross on the head of the newly baptized), saying, "The servant of God (Name) is shorn in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen." The hair is then either burned in the baptismal candle or censer, or is placed in the baptismal font.
Looking at the prayers, we find that the tonsure is the very first offering made to God by the newly baptized. It is his (her) first gift/sacrifice made in thanksgiving to God and to His glory after becoming His child by adoption through the grace of Holy Baptism. And, when you think about it, what else does a person have to offer that is really his except his hair? Everything else which we may possess (money, talent, strength, etc.) comes to us from God as His gifts to us. And in those instances when we offer such to Him, we merely offer unto Him what is already His ("Thine own of Thine own we offer unto Thee...")! Remove from me all that has come to me from God -- strip me naked (as we all are when we are baptized!), take from me my wealth, my talents, take ALL my earthly possessions -- take even my health, my ability to see, to hear, to speak, and what am I left with that I can offer to God as a concrete symbol of my love for Him and my thanksgiving to Him? My hair.
Secondly, we find that the tonsure brings a blessing upon the one who is tonsured in the same way as a blessing came upon the holy Prophet, King and Psalmist David through the hands of the holy Prophet Samuel when he "took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren; and the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward" (I Samuel 16:13).
So now, after a looooooooong (but important) introduction I can answer your question thusly: The tonsure is the symbol of both AN OFFERING of the newly baptized TO GOD and A BLESSING of the newly baptized FROM God.
If you were brought up by non-Orthodox parents or not in the Orthodox Faith, does that mean you automatically go to hell? (May ’01)
As you know, a lot of people who were brought up by non-Orthodox parents or not in the Orthodox Faith, have later been catechized and received into the Orthodox Church. But I assume that your question refers specifically to those who end their earthly lives as non-Orthodox. In his book The Non-Orthodox (Regina Orthodox Press, Salisbury, MA, 1999. ISBN 0-9649141-6-6) Patrick Barnes gives a very succinct (and very correct) answer to this question: "The status of the heterodox (the non-Orthodox) is properly seen in two ways. When speaking of their ecclesial status -- i.e., their relation to the Orthodox Church -- we would say that the heterodox cannot be seen as Her members, because they have not been grafted into the one true Body of Christ through Holy Baptism." (It might be helpful to read again my answer to the second question in the April issue of C&Q.) "On the other hand, when speaking of their eternal status -- i.e., the implications of this ecclesial separation -- we leave them to the mercy of God and do not judge them. To affirm their separation is not to imply their damnation" (The Non-Orthodox, page 8).
Do we as Orthodox Christians take the Genesis account of Adam and Eve literally, or are they figurative characters? (June '01)
Let's look at two "rock solid" sources in order to answer this question. Our first "rock solid" source is the God-inspired Holy Scriptures themselves. And let's, for a moment, leave aside the Old Testament Genesis account to which you refer and look rather at the New Testament. In the Holy Gospel according to St Luke the Evangelist (3:23-38), we find the genealogy of our Lord Jesus Christ which begins with St Joseph the Betrothed (who, the Evangelist says, people "supposed" was the father of Jesus) and ascends to "Adam the son of God."
Our second "rock solid" source is the Synaxarion or Great Synaxaristes which is a muti-volume set of books in which are listed the commemorations for each day of the year with an account or description (some brief and some rather extensive) of each. When we look in the volume for December, we find a listing under December 18-24 which is titled "The Sunday before the Nativity which is also known as the Sunday of the Holy Fathers." The account of that commemoration enumerates all of the ancestors of our Lord Jesus Christ beginning with "Adam and Eve the First-created."
Now we all know that to be listed in a genealogy as a progenitor or ancestor, one must be a person and not a figurative character -- people, not ideas or concepts, beget and bear children. So to answer your question, yes, the Church takes literally that there was a first-created male human being who is called by the name ADAM ('adam in Hebrew, which is etymologically related to 'adamah meaning "earth") and that there was a first-created female human being who is called EVE ('hawwah in Hebrew, which is etymologically related to hay meaning "life").
Is there anything in the Bible that gives reference to dinosaurs, because they have been proven to have existed? Isn't this troubling as we don't believe in the theory of evolution? (June '01)
The second half of your question presumes that the answer to the first part is "No," while, in fact, the answer to the first half is "Yes!" Read Genesis 1:20-25 and you'll learn of God's creation of every sort of creature, whether of land or sea or air (and that, by definition, includes dinosaurs). That there may be physical indications that they existed before man came on the scene can be harmonized with the Genesis account which teaches us that Man (male and female) was the last of God's creation.
Concerning the concept of "time" in Genesis 1 and whether the Six Days of Creation must be understood as six periods of 24 hours each as we compute time: St Augustine of Hippo (+430) wrote in his famous work The City of God, "What kind of days these were (i.e., what the duration of a "day" was) is extremely difficult or perhaps impossible for us to conceive, and how much more for us to say!" (Book 11, chapter 76). In other words, since the rising and setting of the sun is used to compute time, and since the sun itself was not created until the third day of Creation, we cannot conceive what was the actual duration of each of those six days of Creation. After all, as we are reminded by the dogmatician Protopresbyter Michael Pomazansky (+1989), "Time itself received its beginning at the creation of the world: until then there was only eternity."
Reread the entire first chapter of Genesis while keeping in mind the above quote from St. Augustine of Hippo and you will easily understand that there is nothing there about which you need be troubled.
If God is all-knowing, doesn't this negate our free will? (Jun. ’01)
In his 12th homily on St. Paul's Epistle to the Hebrews, St. John Chrysostom says, "All is in God's power but not in such a way as to infringe on our free will ... He does not anticipate our desires, in order not to injure our will." God honors and respects our free will (which, after all, is a gift He Himself gave us) since for love to exist there must be freedom of will, freedom for the beloved (Man) to reciprocate or reject the love of the Lover (God).
So, yes, Man has free will, and, yes, God foreknows. But just how these two things (Man's free will and God's foreknowledge) coexist remains a mystery -- a wonderful mystery.
As Moses and Elias were only mortal men, wouldn't they have suffered the same fate as all those who came before Christ, including Adam and Eve, who were only freed from Hades when Christ descended there? If that is true, how then could they have been present at the Transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-13 and Mark 9: 2-13)? (Sep. ’01)
Let's deal with the easy one first. The glorious Prophet Elias (or Elijah) did not die, therefore his soul was never in Hades! Yep. You can read the story of his ascent into heaven via a "chariot of fire" in II Kings (2:1-12). He will descend from heaven to earth to prophesy again before the Second Coming of Christ and will be killed at that time. The Prophet Elias is one of the "two witnesses" St. John the Theologian writes of in the eleventh chapter of Revelation. (By the way, the other witness" who will return to earth and be killed is Enoch, the only other human that did not yet die. Read the entire fifth chapter of Genesis and you will discover that while all others are noted as having "died," Enoch is described as having "walked with God.")
Now to the holy God-seer Moses. We can read of Moses' death and burial (by none other than God Himself!) in the book of Deuteronomy (34:1-12). He Who buried him is He Who has the power to call his spirit to Tabor for a very special purpose. You see, Moses is symbolic of the Law which was given to him by God on Mount Sinai, while Elias is symbolic of all the Prophets. Together they represent the entire Old Testament, and thus together represent the fullness of the revelation of God to Israel. There on Mount Tabor in Galilee, Jesus, Who is the Fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets, meets with those who in their persons stand for the Law and the Prophets. The two who met God on Mount Sinai now meet Him again on Mount Tabor. Elias the Prophet is temporarily sent from heaven since it was prophesied that his return would precede the coming of the Messiah (Malachi 4:5 & 6), and Moses is temporarily called from Hades to confirm that those held captive there shall be freed by Christ and that the dead shall rise in Him. The appearance of the one tells the holy Apostles Peter, James and John that Jesus is the Messiah (the Christ), while the appearance of the other tells these three chosen disciples that He will defeat death and raise the dead.
What is the difference between the Orthodox and the Roman Catholic understandings of "original sin?" Do we Orthodox Christians even believe in "original sin?" (Nov. '01)
In the 6th Decree of the Synod of Jerusalem (AD 1692) the Patriarchs of the Orthodox Church affirm that "We believe the first man created by God (Adam) to have fallen in Paradise, when, disregarding the Divine Commandment, he yielded to the deceitful counsel of the serpent (Satan). And hence hereditary sin flowed to his posterity; so that none is born after the flesh who beareth not this burden, and experienceth not the fruits thereof in this present world. But by these fruits and this burden we do not understand (actual) sin, such as impiety, blasphemy, murder, sodomy, adultery, fornication, enmity, and whatsoever else is by our depraved choice committed contrarily to the Divine Will, not from nature; for many both of the Forefathers and of the Prophets, and vast numbers of others, as well as those under the shadow (of the Law), as under the truth (the Gospel), such as the divine Forerunner, and especially the Mother of God the Word, the ever-virgin Mary, experienced not these, or such like faults; but only what the Divine Justice inflicted upon man as punishment for the (original) transgression, such as sweats in labor, afflictions, bodily sicknesses, pains in childbearing, and while on our (earthly) pilgrimage to live a laborious life, and lastly, bodily death." What does all of this mean? Since Adam alone committed the "original sin" (or, more properly, the "ancestral sin"), he alone bears the guilt for that sin. However, the consequences of that first sin -- e.g., sickness, pain, death -- and most especially the allpowerful propensity to sin, is inherited by all of his descendants. Roman Catholics, on the other hand, believe that we are all born sinners, guilty of Adam's sin from our very conception in the womb.