Jesus Christ and the Orthodox Church

Jesus Christ and the Orthodox Church
By George Kutulas

 

 

WHO WAS JESUS CHRIST?

HE SAID:

• that He had the authority to forgive people’s sins (which all Jews knew that only God had the  authority to do);
  

• that, even though He was a pious Jew, He was exempt from keeping the Jewish Sabbath just as God was exempt from keeping the Sabbath;
  

• that whoever saw Him thereby also saw God;
  

• that He was one with God;
  

• that He eternally existed as the divine I Am, and that He was alive many hundreds of years  before His ancestors were even born;
  

• that He would come at the end of the world and would judge every person who had ever lived on  the basis of whether or not they obeyed and confessed Him as Lord;
  

• that He was not from the earth, from below, but from Above.
  

WHAT CAN ONE SAY about  a  person who would say about himself things like these?
Well…To quote a contemporary writer (C.S. Lewis):

 “Anyone who were merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not merely be a great human teacher.  He would either be a lunatic — on a level with a man who says he is a poached egg — or else he would be the Devil of Hell.  You must make your choice.  Either this man was and is the Son of God:  or else He is a madman or something worse.”

ORTHODOX CHRISTIANS are those people who cannot believe that the Man who gave us the Sermon on the Mount is a lunatic.  They cannot believe that the one who showed so much mercy and love could be the Evil One.  They therefore believe that He was who He said He was:  The Son of God, risen from the dead.

WHAT IS THE
ORTHODOX 
CHURCH?

It is the original Church That Jesus Christ founded. It flourished in the ancient Roman world and survives to this day. Since those early days, the
Western 
Church has taken a different course and many, many churches and denominations have come and gone. But Christ did not establish denominations...He gave us the Church!  This is the Orthodox Church of Jesus Christ! 

Especially since the 20th century, many of its members have found themselves in the West.  When they came from
Greece or
Russia or the middle East, they brought their Faith in Christ with them.

Thus, the Orthodox church (whether called the “Greek Orthodox Church” or the “Russian Orthodox church” or merely the “Eastern Church”) is the one, original, ancient
church of
Jesus Christ as it has survived and developed throughout the centuries.

WHY THE CHURCH?

“After all,” some would say, “can’t you believe that Jesus is the Son of God without going to Church?”

Yes:  you can believe that Jesus is the divine Son of God without going to worship;

But No:  you cannot fully obey Christ and ignore the Church He founded.

For Christ came not only to die on the Cross for our sins and to rise again to give us new life;  He also came to build His Church — and He promised that the gates of hell would not prevail against it (Matthew 16).

He promised that when his believers gathered together as His church, He would be there in the midst of them to give them His forgiveness and new life.

SO...Christ commands His believers to meet together as His Church and throughout the centuries His believers have done so.  We have the opportunity today to join this Church and know Christ’s presence in our midst.

WELCOME HOME!

How Old Is Your Church?

How Old is Your Church?
By George Kutulas

 

For 1000 years, the
Western 
Apostolic 
Church, centered in
Rome, was united with the Eastern Apostolic Churches. Unfortunately in 1054,
Rome became dogmatically separated with the Eastern Churches. In the 16th century, after 500 years of domination, Western Europeans began to rebel against
Rome’s excessive authority and the additions it had made to the original Christian Faith. This reaction was called the Protestant Reformation. Since the Reformation, many denominations have been founded in
Western Europe and the
New World. The following Western communions have rejected
Rome’s authority and most of its innovations. Yet, even though they have meant well, none have returned to the fullness of the original Christian foundations.

If you are a Lutheran, Martin Luther, an ex-monk of the Church of Rome, founded your church in the 1520’s. Your church is less than 500 years old.

If you belong to the Church of England, King Henry VIII founded your denomination in the year 1534 because the Pope of Rome would not grant him a divorce with the right to remarry.  Your church is less than 500 years old.

If you are Presbyterian, John Knox founded your denomination in
Scotland in 1557.  Your church is less than 500 years old.

If you are a Congregationalist, Robert Brown founded your denomination in
Holland in 1582.  Your church is less than 500 years old.

If you are a Baptist, you owe the doctrine (teachings) of your denomination to John Smyth who launched it in
Amsterdam in 1608.  Your church is less than 400 years old. 

If you are of the Dutch reformed Church, Jonas Michaelius organized your denomination, in
New York, in the year 1628.  Your church is less than 400 years old. 

If you are a Unitarian, your religious beliefs began to appear in
London in the 1640’s.  Your expression is less than 400 years old.

If you are a Methodist, John and Charles Wesley founded your denomination in
England in 1738.  Your church is less than 300 years old.

If you are an Episcopalian, Samuel Seabury founded your denomination in the American colonies in 1789.  Your church, which is an offshoot of the Church of England, is less than 300 years old.

If you are a Latter-day Saint (Mormon), your religion was started by Joseph Smith in
New York in the year 1830. Your sect is less than 200 years old.

If you are a Seventh-Day Adventist, you belong to the Adventist group that was organized in 1863 by Joseph Bates and James and Ellen White.  Your church is less than 150 years old.
If you worship with the Salvation Army, William Booth started your sect in
London in the year 1865.  Your religious group is less than 150 years old.

If you are a Christian Scientist, you look to 1879 as the year in which your religious beliefs were born to its founder, Mrs. Mary Baker Eddy.  Your sect is less than 150 years old.

If you are a Jehovah’s Witness, Charles Taze Russell organized your religion at the end of the 19th century.  Your movement is less than 150 years old.

If you belong to another Christ centered religious body founded in
Western Europe or the
New World after the Reformation, which is not mentioned here, your religious group could be up to 450 years old, but it is more likely to be less than 100 years old.
                                                _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 

If you are Roman Catholic, your church shared the rich apostolic and doctrinal heritage, during the first 1000 years of Christianity, with the churches in the East. During the first millennium they were one and the same Church.  In 1054, the western center of the Church,
Rome, became separated from the eastern centers, which were in the cities of
Alexandria,
Antioch,
Constantinople and
Jerusalem.  The separation occurred because Eastern Christians would not give
Rome’s bishop an unprecedented supremacy over the whole Church and because they objected to the change made by
Rome to the ancient Nicene Creed.  (In 431, at the Council of Ephesus, the undivided Church agreed that the Nicene Creed, which concurred with Christ’s wording in the Gospel of John concerning the procession of the Holy Spirit, would never be altered).  After the separation, the Church of Rome began to introduce other innovations. There was a new concept concerning “Why Christ Came,” as well as the Doctrines of Purgatory, Indulgences and Merits and there were Eucharistic changes. Also, there were the later changes of the 19th century; new doctrines concerning the Virgin Mary (the Immaculate Conception and her Assumption) and the Bishop of Rome (Papal Infallibility). These innovations are some of the reasons why many Western Christians have rejected the faith and authority of the Church of Rome. If the Church of Rome had not become separated from the Eastern Churches, had not made changes to the Faith and had not misused its authority, it is possible that there would not have been a Protestant reaction in the West.  If you are Roman Catholic, your church is almost 2000 years old. However, the changing of the Faith in your church, which began almost 1000 years ago, makes your altered faith less than 1000 years old.

If you are an Orthodox Christian, Jesus Christ established your Church in 33AD.  This original, unchanged Church has not distorted the teachings of Christ and His Apostles. It has not altered the governing structure and experiential worship of the New Testament Church or the meaning of the original Greek text of the New Testament Scriptures. Your
Apostolic 
Church with its Orthodox Faith  (centered in God becoming Man so man could become more and more like God) is almost 2000 years old.
What did the words “orthodox” and “catholic” mean to the early Christians?

The word “orthodox” actually derives from two ancient Greek words; orthos, which translates to “right” and doxa, which translates to “glory”. To the early Christians, right glory signified the truth that the Apostles received from Jesus Christ. This term became important to the early Church, even during the time of the Apostles, when various concepts, which were contrary to their teachings and worship, began to appear.  People who lived and defended the Faith of the Apostles were “orthodox” in their Christianity. Within 300 years, the original, unchanged Faith actually became known as the Orthodox Faith.

During the early years of Christianity, the
Apostolic 
Church became known as the Catholic Church.  However, the term “catholic” did not signify Roman Catholic.  This is a term given to the Church of Rome by the English in the 19th century.  In the language of the early Church, which was Greek, “catholic” meant the true Faith believed everywhere, always and by all. By the late 4th century, Latin had become the language of the Church in
Rome and
Western Europe. After the Roman Church had became dogmatically separated with the Eastern Churches in the 11th century, the term “catholic” came to mean, in the Latin West, the universal church under Rome’s supremacy. 

Eventually, the Western Apostolic Church of Rome became known as the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Apostolic Churches became known as the Orthodox Church.

For the first 1000 years of Christianity, the united Western and
Eastern 
Apostolic 
Churches worshipped within the Orthodox Faith.  While Orthodox Eastern Christianity has preserved and continued the ancient Orthodox Apostolic Faith, “Orthodoxy” has disappeared in non-Orthodox Christianity because of man-made changes to Christianity’s original foundations.

If you would like to know more about the original Christian Faith, we would be happy to help. Come visit us at Christ the Savior Orthodox Church,

12407 E. 16^th Avenue

(16^th &

Pines Ave.

)

Church History

History of Christianity 

 

North Americans are familiar with Roman Catholicism, Protestantism and other modern Christian sects, but most are unfamiliar with Orthodoxy. A comprehensive study of the undivided Church of the first 1000 years of Christianity and what caused the changes and separations in the second 1000 years is necessary to understand this ancient faith. The following is only a brief overview.

 

 

An abbreviated history of Christianity

Jesus Christ established the beginnings of the Church and gave the apostles authority to represent Him and to build up His Church. The Apostles extended the authority of Jesus to others that succeeded them in teaching, worship and leadership. Their successors were called bishops. They have continued in direct apostolic inheritance to this day

 

 

The Church was persecuted initially, yet it still flourished.  From
Jerusalem it spread throughout the
Roman Empire and into
Asia and
Africa. 

In the
Roman Empire, all religious persecution had ended by 309.  Soon after, Christianity became its favored religion. To keep the growing Church organized, so it could protect the truth, five primary churches were eventually set apart. Four were in the Empire’s eastern cities of
Alexandria,
Antioch,
Constantinople and
Jerusalem and one was in its western city of
Rome. Each had exclusive territories, which together covered all of Christendom. Each was called a “Patriarchate.” Each Patriarchate had a paternal bishop. All other churches were led by other bishops or their priests and were a part of one of the five Patriarchates. No bishop was permitted to interfere in matters outside of his own jurisdiction, unless his advice was requested. The Patriarchates, which were independently governed, were completely united as Christ’s
One 
Church, but no “one” person was its absolute leader. When a major dogmatic controversy arose, bishops and others from all the Patriarchates assembled to clarify and defend the truth. The correct belief and worship was known as Orthodoxy. 

For the first thousand years, truth-believing Christians carefully guarded the Faith.  Unfortunately, a complex series of events disrupted their unity and culminated with the take over of the Church of Rome by the domineering Western European Franks in 1009. 

In 1054, the bishop of
Rome, who was called “pope”, insisted that an altered Western European concept of the Trinity, which did not conform to Christ’s Word, be a part of the Faith. He expected all Christians to accept this change without consulting the other Patriarchates. This pope, who was a Frank, no longer recognized the united bishops’ decision-making process when defining the Faith. He wanted everyone in Christendom to submit to his supreme authority as the Western Europeans had done.  These unprecedented innovations, which had actually been repudiated by previous popes of Roman heritage, were rejected in the East. According to Scripture and Apostolic Tradition, Christ’s doctrines were not to be altered. Furthermore, all bishops were equal in spiritual matters.  There was no universal head apart from Jesus Christ Himself. 

Because the Eastern Christians would not yield to the pope’s unprecedented demands, the undivided Church of the first 1000 years became separated.  Sadly, Christianity has not been united since that time. 

After the Schism of 1054, Western Europeans followed an ever-changing Franco-Latin form of Christianity.  The Christians in the East, as well as those in the
British Isles and
Ireland, continued to worship within the unblemished Apostolic Faith.  The English were eventually compelled to give their allegiance to
Rome after the papal-supported conquest of
England by the
Normans in 1066. Bishops loyal to
Rome replaced bishops in
England who had always worshipped and taught in the original, pure way.  In 1171, the converted English crossed the
Irish Sea and took control of
Ireland. These two actions detached British and Celtic Christians from the original, unadulterated Faith. 

Another Latin Christian aggression with staggering consequences would happen in the East during the 4th Crusade. In 1204, a Western Christian army would violate Eastern Christians and plunder their magnificent holy city of
Constantinople. Muslim Turks would eventually overthrow the weakened city. It would never again regain its former Christian glory. The Pope of Rome recently asked Orthodox Eastern Christians forgiveness of this and other violations. 

In the 16th century, a movement rapidly spread throughout
Western Europe.  Many Latin Catholics began to question the corruptive, excessive authority of the Papacy and its clergy.  These protesters were either excommunicated or willingly broke away from papal control.  This movement was called The Reformation.  It ultimately led its followers to freedom from the Church of Rome. The intention of the early Reformers was to bring the medieval Church of Rome “back to its original apostolic beliefs.” Instead, the movement eventually developed and splintered into a number of groups with a variety of beliefs and became known as Protestantism. 

From the 16th century to the present, the Church of Rome has continued with a changing faith. Other “Western Christians,” Protestants and additional modern Christian sects, directly or indirectly, inherited their faith from
Rome. In their zeal to reject
Rome’s authority and many of its innovations, they unknowingly pass over some of Christianity’s original foundations. Since the 16th century, Roman Catholic, Protestant and other newer Christian expressions have dominated
Western Europe and the
New World. During much of this period, Eastern Christians were overcome by oppressive non-Christian or atheistic regimes, yet they continued to worship within the unaltered Faith. The   Orthodox Faith has always been the principal Christian faith of Eastern European and
Eastern Mediterranean.

Orthodox History

 

Historically, the Orthodox Church is the first Christian Church. It was founded by the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and is the Church described in the pages of the New Testament…the Church by which and for which these holy scriptures were written and eventually compiled. The Apostles of Christ carried His Gospel message throughout the known world during the first century A.D. and established the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church of Christ wherever they went. 

The Christian Church was essentially one for the first one thousand years or so. The five great patriarchal centers, established in the cultural centers of the
Roman Empire, (
Rome,
Constantinople,
Alexandria,
Antioch and
Jerusalem), formed a cohesive whole -- one Church united in belief, but allowing for minor regional differences in form and practice. In response to the occasional heretical or schismatic group, the Church fully developed its conciliar approach to defining doctrine and solidifying its unification. It was during this time that the seven Great (Ecumenical) Councils of the Church were held. These councils, guided by the All-Holy Spirit, based their decisions on the Holy Scriptures and the writings of the Fathers of the Church. Thus, the basic tenets of the Church....Her doctrine, worship and common practices....were defined for all time. 

Unfortunately, the unity and cohesiveness established by the councils began to be jeopardized beginning in the eighth and ninth centuries through a dispute between
Rome and the other great Patriarchates regarding the supremacy of the Pope of Rome. This concept of papal supremacy, which threatened the conciliar nature of the Church, became more of an issue in the ensuing centuries and resulted in the unilateral addition of new and strange doctrines by
Rome to those approved by the great councils. It also involved the addition of practices and customs which exceeded the normal bounds of discretion given to any one bishop and his diocese. These issues culminated in the so called Great Schism, which occurred during the 11th and 12th Centuries. Meaningful relations between
Rome and the other four patriarchates gradually ceased to exist during this time. Hence, the Pope of Rome, standing alone, pursued his developing claim of universal headship of the Church in the West. 

In the East, the other four patriarchates remained intact. Today, nearly a thousand years later, the
Great 
Church of the East remains whole and united. To be sure, other patriarchates have been added as the Church has expanded into the world, most notably those of
Russia and
Eastern Europe. Regardless of devastating wars (including the Crusades), the Muslim conquest of many Orthodox lands, and even ruthless suppression by atheistic communist regimes, the
Great 
Church -- the Holy Orthodox Church -- has continued in Her undiminished and unaltered faith and practice received from Christ and His Apostles.
 

The Church in
North America

The influence of the Christian colonists in the
Eastern United States is well-known among students of American history. With this colonial Christianity, however, came a certain set of assumptions based on the religious environment and convictions of
Western Europe, with its dependence on Roman Catholic and Protestant thinking. 

The Orthodox were latecomers to the American shores. In fact, the first Orthodox Christians came not to the eastern seaboard of the
U.S., but to what is now its largest state,
Alaska. In 1794, ten missionary monks from the Valaam Monastery located west of St. Petersburg, Russia, (close to present day Finland), arrived on Kodiak Island, Alaska. Two of the missionaries, the Monk Herman and the Priest-Monk Juvenaly, were later to become Saints of the Orthodox Church. 

After many initial difficulties, the mission prospered for the next century. This prosperity occurred within the twin goals of Orthodox mission: the Incarnation of the Word of God within the language and customs of a particular country and the growth of an indigenous Church to sanctify and endorse the identity of the people of that country. By the time of the sale of
Alaska to the
United States in 1867, the whole territory was considered to be firmly Orthodox Christian. 

When the Orthodox Christian latecomers finally arrived on the Eastern shores of
North America, mostly during the first two decades of the 20th Century, they were often ignored as a foreign minority. The Western European based religious and cultural climate of the
New World was already deeply entrenched. Thus, rather than mingle with the culture on a religious basis, Orthodox Christians tended to maintain their
Old World ethnic identity. They imported priests and bishops from the old country and retained their native languages for the various worship services. Thus, they effectively closed their churches to outsiders who were unable to understand what was being said or done. 

But times have changed. Today, the Orthodox Church is being taken seriously in
North America. Many people, distressed and frustrated by the direction being taken in various churches and religious circles (and desiring a fuller worship and spiritual life), are turning to the changeless Orthodox Church of the East. New Orthodox churches are being planted in cities and towns from coast to coast. Entire congregations of mainstream and evangelical Protestants are turning to Eastern Orthodoxy. Within the Antiochian Archdiocese of North America alone, the number of churches has increased from 40 to over 400 within a very short period of time. 

Although we still hear the terms “Greek Orthodox”, “Russian Orthodox”, “Serbian Orthodox”, “Antiochian Orthodox”, etc., the Orthodox Church remains one Church…unified in belief and practice, yet recognizing individual cultural differences. This life of diversity within complete unity has been the hallmark of the Orthodox Christian Church for two thousand years. In fact,
North America is one of the few regions in the world where there are Orthodox communities affiliated with different ethnic Patriarchates throughout the world. This would suggest to the outsider a disunity of some sort. The seeming disunity, however, exists only on the administrative level because THE ORTHODOX CHURCH IS ONE! By the Grace of God, even this administrative disunity will soon disappear and there can be a single North American Orthodox Church....completely unified in Jesus Christ and transfiguring all culture and earthly division.

The Incarnation and Salvation

The Incarnation and Salvation
By George Kutulas

 

To the first Christian’s, who first appeared in the eastern providence’s of the Roman Empire, The Incarnation, the mystery which was in God’s Plan from before the ages (Eph.1: 9-10 & Col.1: 26), was the central act in this Divine Plan for mankind to become holy and made immortal through communion with the Incarnate Word of God, Jesus Christ. 

Although God knew that man would fall, He did not become flesh because some actions of the devil or of man made it necessary. He became flesh because it was the Divine Plan and mystery from before the ages to unite man with God in Christ. Yet, corruptibility did come and stand in the way  (Gregory the Theologian 4th century).
 
Through Satan, the fallen angel, Adam and Eve the first humans were deceived and they and their descendants lost the potentiality to attain perfection and immortality. They brought themselves and their descendants, who are guilt–free of the “ancestral sin,” into a fallen world where they would receive death, would be susceptible to sin and would become alienated from God. His creation, wounded by Satan’s deception, was left spiritually and physically ill. God’s image within man, although blurred was not, however, completely obliterated. A spark remained. Though the fallen world was not of God, because by nature He is altogether free of any responsibility for evil, He allowed the Fall to happen in order to protect His creation from eternal sin.

In the late 11th century AD, after the doctrinal separation of East and West, Anselm, a bishop in the Western Church of Rome, initiated a legalistic innovation for the payment of man’s sin in order to satisfy divine justice and make man right with a dishonored God. The majority of Western Christians (Roman Catholics, Protestants and others) accept this concept or revised versions of it. Many believe the reason the Son became flesh was to remove man’s sin against God by suffering humanity’s punishment on the Cross. This allows man to be acquitted and released from his sin debt. This was not the understanding during the first 1000 years of Christianity and it is still not the understanding in 2000 year old Orthodox Eastern Christianity. In Orthodoxy, the Incarnation did not take place for the Crucifixion; the Crucifixion took place so that the Incarnation and the eternal communion of God and man could be fulfilled despite Satan, death or sin. Therefore, Christ willingly goes to the Cross and sacrifices Himself to death in order to win a victory over the evil that captured man. Through His Crucifixion, His descent into Hades and His Resurrection, He protects humanity for the “ultimate purpose” of the Incarnation, an intimate and eternal union with God. He mercifully forgives our sins and sets us free from the bondage of Satan and the dark powers of death and sin, not through punishment, but through liberation. 

In His Ascension, Christ returns to the main purpose of the Incarnation and completes man’s union with God by taking His human nature into Heaven --- for a Man who is God now reigns in Heaven. 

Even though Christ was victorious, humanity’s sins will keep contaminating this fallen world until He comes again and terminates evil. Until that time, anyone who wants to eternally reside in God’s Kingdom in Heaven, which Christ promised to mankind, can receive Christ’s therapy to remove the parasite of sin that was implanted in our flesh at the Fall. This infection is what causes us to sin. Therefore, a continuous struggle to remove this parasite is necessary for an eternal union with God. 

With God’s uncreated grace, the gift of His presence and action in His creation, we are offered anew the potential to reach perfection and immortality. Through the mysteries, Christ deposited in His Church, which are achieved by the Holy Spirit, we can purify our self-centered hearts and illumine our souls, where spiritual health is acquired, enabling us to see everything in a Christ-like manner. In a life-long process, our goal is to become more and more like Him by emulating His humility and selfless love. The early Greek-speaking Fathers of the Church called this process theosis. 

In Christ’s spiritual hospital, His Church, we are given the methods of prayer, fasting, charity, etc. as a means of helping us to restore our damaged soul. These are not rewards, but rather therapeutic exercises to prepare us to receive Christ’s medicine for the disease of sin and heal our spiritual illness. The foremost work of the early Church was the curing of souls. This is still true in Orthodoxy today. If our souls are cured, then most of our other problems are solved. 

To the Orthodox, the church is a local community of people living in a intimate relationship with Christ and one another. This is accomplished by participating together with Him and each other in His mysteries. Each local community is within His whole Church (heaven and earth) and is not merely a part of it. The Orthodox understanding of salvation is love in unity with Christ and others. It is not individualistic. 

The early Christian understanding of the way to God’s Kingdom was not the result of a sin debt acquittal that allowed man to gain salvation through rewards like “good works” (900 year old Roman Catholic concept) or “faith alone” (500 year old Protestant concept). It was about transforming oneself, through Christ, into His likeness and “partaking of the divine nature.”  Actually, works and faith are both in vain without living in a loving relationship with Jesus Christ and others. 

While religious fads come and go and people seek their salvation in this or that new leader or idea, Orthodoxy has proclaimed the same message for almost 2000 years. Each and every human person was created to live in an intimate union with God and one another, sharing in His eternal, divine life, becoming through participation what He is by nature. 

The Early Christians (Part I)

The Early Church

Church History: The Pre-Nicene Fathers (Part I)

by Fr. Michael Shanbour

The Holy Fathers of the Church who lived from the time of the Apostles up to the First Ecumenical Council of Nicea (325AD) are often called the pre-Nicene Fathers (those who pre-date this council).

Those who are sometimes called the “Apostolic Fathers” are those who were ordained (Gk= chierotonia, the laying on of hands, or set apart) by the Apostles and their successors (in general, the generation following the Apostles).  We find several references in the New Testament to the appointing of elders* (Gk= presbyter) through the laying on of hands.

 

Acts 14:23 -- “So when they [The Apostles Paul and Barnabus] had appointed (i.e. “ordained” = chierotonia) elders in every church [local community], and prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord in whom they had believed.”

 

Acts 15:6 -- “Now the apostles and elders came together to consider this matter.”  (whether Gentile Christians needed to be circumcised).

 

Acts 20:17 -- “From Miletus he [Paul] sent to
Ephesus and called for the elders of the church.”

 

Philipians 1:1 -- “To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in
Philippi, with the bishops and deacons.”

 

1 Timothy 5:18 -- “Let the elders who rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in the word and doctrine.”

 

Titus 1:5 -- “For this reason I left you in Crete, that you should set in order the things that are lacking, and appoint elders in every city as I commanded you.”

 

Timothy 3:1-13 – “This is a faithful saying: If a man desires the position of a bishop, he desires a good work.  A bishop must be blameless….Likewise deacons must be reverent…holding the mystery of the faith with a pure conscience.”

 

Titus 1:7 – “For a bishop must be blameless, as a steward of God…holding fast the faithful word as he has been taught, that he may be able, by sound doctrine, both to exhort and convict those who contradict.”

 

* NOTE: It is probable that in Apostolic times the distinction between bishop and presbyter had not been completed.  The bishop or overseer (Gk =episcopos) was often the leading elder among the council of presbyters in each community.  Therefore it appears that sometimes the Holy Scriptures refer to “bishop” and “presbyter” synonymously.  While this distinction appears to be clear by the time of St. Ignatius of Antioch (appointed bishop in 69AD), the Orthodox Church still understands both bishops and presbyters as “priests”, both having a share in the Priesthood of Christ Himself, by virtue of their ordination.  For this reason a bishop is also a “priest” or presbyter, but is often referred to as “high-priest” or “arch-priest.”  Jesus Christ Himself is called both “Bishop” (1 Pet. 2:5; Gk = episcopas, “overseer”) and “High Priest” (Heb. 7:26; 9:11).

 

The bishops and presbyters were to carry on the Apostle’s ministry within the Church.  The Bishop was specifically called to lead the Eucharistic assembly and to guard the doctrines and traditions (Gk = paradosis, to pass down; See 2 Thess. 2:15 and 3:6) passed on by the Apostles.  The presbyters did the same, as the Church grew, as “delegates” of the bishop.

 

Some of the early bishops ordained by the Apostles were: Ss. James (the “brother of the Lord,” see Acts 15:13), Timothy, Titus for
Crete (Titus 1:5-6), Dionysius (Acts 17:34), Clement of
Rome (Phil. 4:3), Onesimus (Col. 4:9), and Lazarus (the friend of Christ and “four-days” dead).

 

The Apostolic Fathers

The first generations of bishop succeeding the Apostles are sometimes called “The Apostolic Fathers.”  Many of these were direct students (disciples) of certain Apostles who governed the Church after the repose of the Apostles.  Several of these Fathers whose writing and biographies have been preserved are noted below:

St. Clement of
Rome

 

Bishop of
Rome from 92-101AD.

Wrote a letter addressed from “the
church of
God who sojourns in
Rome to the
church of
God which sojourns in
Corinth...” exhorting them to resolve certain problems/rivalries within the community.

This letter is quoted extensively during the next three centuries.  In
Syria and
Egypt some lists of what was to be considered as canonical New Testament books included it.  It was referred to about 80 years after its writing by Soter, bishop of
Rome in a letter to Dionysius, bishop of
Corinth.

 

St. Clement on the divine origin of Church order:

 

“He [God] has commanded sacrifices and service to be performed, not in a careless and haphazard way but at the designated seasons and hours.  He himself has determined where and through whom his wishes them performed, to the intent that everything should be done religiously and to his good pleasure and acceptably to his will.  Those then who offer their sacrifices at the appointed seasons are acceptable and blessed; for since they comply with the Master’s orders, they do not sin.  Thus to the high priest have been appointed his proper services, to the priests their own place assigned, upon the Levites their proper duties imposed; and the layman is bound by the rules for laymen.  Each of us, brethren, in his own rank must please God in good conscience, not overstepping the fixed rules of his ministry, and with reverence.”

“And our apostles knew through our Lord Jesus Christ that there would be strife over the title of bishop. So for this reason...they appointed those mentioned above and afterward added the stipulation that if these men should die, other approved men should succeed to their ministry.  Those therefore who were appointed by them or afterward by other reputable men with the consent of the whole Church, who in humility have ministered to the flock of Christ blamelessly, quietly, and unselfishly, and who have long been approved by all -- these men we consider are being unjustly removed from their ministry.  Surely we will be guilty of no small sin if we thrust out of the office of bishop those who have offered the gifts in a blameless and holy fashion.  Blessed are the presbyters who have already passed on, who had a fruitful and perfect departure, for they need not be concerned lest someone remove them from the place established for them.  But you, we observe, have removed some who were conducting themselves well from the ministry they have irreproachably honored.”

 

St. Ignatius of
Antioch

According to the 4th century church historian Eusebius, he was ordained as the second Bishop of Antioch in 69AD (note:
St. Paul was martyred some time between 64-67AD)

Arrested in
Antioch and taken to
Rome to be thrown to the lions.

Wrote letters to five church communities in cities between
Antioch and
Rome, who also sent delegations to come out to meet with him. 

The letters concern themselves with 1) warnings against heresies; 2) exhortation to unity centering around the Eucharist and the Bishop; 3) protection of the Divinity and Humanity of Jesus Christ; 4) moral teachings; and, 5) appeals not to inhibit his martyrdom.

St. Ignatius of
Antioch on:

the Church’s Unity in the Eucharist:

 

“...obey the bishop and the presbytery with undistrubed mind [cf. 1 Cor. 7:35], breaking one loaf [cf. 1 Cor. 10:16-17], which is the medicine of immortality, the antedote which results not in dying but in living forever in Jesus Christ [cf. John 6:51-58]. (Epistle to the Ephesians).

“Let no one deceive himself [cf. 1 Cor. 6:9]: unless a man is within the sanctuary [the
Apostolic 
Church], he lacks the bread of God [cf. John 6:33; 1 Cor. 9:13; 10:18]....Therefore he who does not come to the assembly (Gk = ecclesia, “church”) is already proud and has separated himself [cf. 1 Cor. 11:20, 31].

 

on the mysteries of salvation:

 

“Both the virginity of Mary and her giving birth escaped the notice of the prince of this age, as did the Lord’s death -- three mysteries of a cry, wrought in the stillness of God.”

on the divine ministry of the Church heirarchy:

 

“...be eagar to do everything in God’s harmony, with the bishop presiding in the place of God and the presbytery in the place of the council of the apostles and the deacons, most sweet to me, entrusted with the service of Jesus Christ....

 

 

A Summary of the Orthodox Faith

A Summary of Orthodox Faith and Life

by Fr. Michael Shanbour

 

 

Orthodox Christians believe first and foremost that the purpose of all creation is to give glory to God and to worship Him “in Spirit and in Truth” (As Jesus Christ Himself states it). The crown of God’s creation is
Man.  He is created in God’s Image, with potential to attain to God’s Likeness.  He alone of all creation is both physical and spiritual (with a “rational” soul), capable of offering the material creation back to God as a spiritual sacrifice of thanksgiving.  The purpose and true destiny of every man and woman is union with God.  Human persons are only truly themselves, and truly human, when they commune with the Living God, and share in His Life -- something that begins in this life, and finds its fulfillment and perfection in the Kingdom of Heaven.

 

At the outset, it is important to note that the word, “Orthodox” is an adjective, made up of two Greek words: “Ortho” – meaning right or appropriate -- and “Doxa” – meaning glory or worship.  This adjective was used in the early Church to distinguish between those who continued in the Faith of the Apostles, and those “heterodox” who held to another doctrine or separated themselves from the Body of Believers in succession from the Apostles.  Doctrine, or true knowledge of God, is directly related to, and expressed in, true worship of God.  Belief is always lived out by giving glory to God, not merely in adhering to philosophical or academic concepts about God.

 

Two early Christian sayings confirm this understand: 1) “The rule of Faith is  the rule of Worship”; and 2) “The theologian is the one who prays truly, and the one who prays truly is a theologian.”  Perfect theology, in the Orthodox Christian understanding, is equated with experiential and personal knowledge and worship of God, and ultimately with love for God and neighbor.  The perfect theologian, in the Orthodox Church, is he or she who has shed every false, dark, and sinful element from the heart, and who’s spiritual eyes see God with clarity, and share in His Uncreated Energy, Light and Life.  The Eastern Church has always maintained that sin is unnatural and foreign to human nature.  Evil is a parasite.  Sin is an act against one’s own humanity.  To be holy is not to be “super-natural” but “natural.”  The natural state of humanity is union with God.

 

This is why Jesus Christ is said to be the only One who was perfectly Human, since He alone was without sin, and He alone lived out the perfect life of sacrificial love, obedience, and union with God the Father.  The Orthodox Church believes that, while the sin of Adam, brought sin and corruption into the fabric of human existence and darkened man’s soul, it in no way obliterated or destroyed the image of God in man.  Through sin man did not become “depraved”, but sin resulted in corruption and death, from which man could not save himself.  Unlike in the West, the Orthodox understand original sin is primarily the darkening of the soul, not personal guilt and culpability for Adam’s sin -- not a stain of guilt to be washed away by baptism, nor an obliteration of man’s inherent goodness, nor a sentence of death by a punishing, angry, and vengeful God who requires justice, but rather a fallen condition, a “dis-ease” to be healed and made whole.  Salvation, then, is the healing of the human condition, the restoration of communion with God, not a legalistic atonement by a God who requires “satisfaction.”

 

Jesus Christ is both the perfect revelation of God to man, and the perfect reconciliation of God and man.  He reveals that God is Trinity or Community -- that God is Father, who by nature eternally begets His Son, and from whom proceeds His Spirit.  Three Divine Persons, One Godhead.  Through Jesus it is revealed that God is Love, not simply because He loves His creation, but because He is by nature community, love -- a unity of Persons, sharing one Will.  Orthodox Christians therefore worship God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

 

The Incarnation is at the core of Orthodox Christianity.  “And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us full of grace and truth.”  The Only-Begotten Son and Word of God, the Second Person of the Trinity, became Man, incomprehensibly, taking on the fallen Human condition, and overcoming sin and death, by His own life and His own Death and Resurrection.  As the Orthodox Easter or “Paschal” hymn proclaims: “Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down Death by death, and upon those in the tombs, bestowing life!”

 

From eternity, He is born from God the Father, without mother, yet He is born in time from a mother, without a father.  His birth from the Virgin Mary of the Holy Spirit is essential to Orthodox Christianity.  The Virgin birth is necessary because it is God Himself who is the Father of Jesus.   The Virgin Mary is called “Birthgiver of God” in order to protect the Divinity of Christ -- to show that He is God from conception in her womb, and that He did not “become” God or “evolved in Divinity” some time after being born as a mere man.