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How does the
Orthodox Church view the Holy Scriptures? Is it above or equal
to Tradition?
The Orthodox
Church sees the Holy Scriptures as the inspired and
authoritative Word of God. Scripture is the ruler against which
all teaching is measured. Sometimes the Bible is called the
"canon" of faith, where the word "canon" is translated from the
original Greek and means a rule in the sense of a ruler that
measures distance. Therefore, Scripture is the measuring stick
that all correct Christian teaching is referenced to. If any
teaching contradicts what the Holy Scriptures say, it is
discarded as false and therefore, un-Christian.
It is
impossible, however, to separate the Holy Scriptures from its
interpretation. All written work –including God-inspired
writings—must be interpreted or else they cease to be alive and
relevant. Words in any book mean nothing if they are not
explained! Interpretation of the Holy Scriptures cannot be done
apart or separate from Holy Tradition. Tradition has five basic
sources that have been passed on from one faithful generation to
the next, from Christ and the Apostles even to the present time:
Holy Scripture, the Divine Liturgy, the Creeds and Canons of the
Holy Councils, the lives of the saints together with the
writings of the Fathers, and finally Orthodox Christian art.
The Bible is
read and interpreted from within the context of Church life
according to the Holy Tradition. No one individual can be the
sole and authoritative interpreter of Scripture. Rather,
correct interpretation is done such that it is "collective."
The Word of God is proclaimed correctly through the texts
of the Divine Liturgy, explication of the Christian Faith
through her creeds and canons, exemplified through the lives of
the saints, represented through the Holy Icons, and lastly,
exegeted through the writings of the Fathers of the Church, all
guided by the Holy Spirit. To interpret the Bible from the
perspective of Sola Scriptura removes one from the active
and living presence of the Holy Spirit who dwells within the
Church, guiding mankind to true understanding. Without an
authoritative interpretation of the Bible, any –and therefore
every—reading can be deemed correct. This poses no problem
until we find two conflicting interpretations. Which one is
correct? Can both be accepted as truth? If we say that we can
accept both, then we can accept any, and thus we would be forced
into a relativism that produces many gods, but Christ is one and
one only. St. Paul recognized this error when he said, "For
although there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth –as
indeed there are many gods and many lords – yet for us there
is one God, the Father from whom are all things
and for whom we, exist, and one Lord, Jesus
Christ…" (1 Cor.8:5-6) The Apostle goes further when he says,
"But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his
cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and
pure devotion to Christ. For is someone comes and preaches
another Jesus than the one we preached, or if you receive
a different spirit from the one you received, or if you
accept a different gospel from the one you accepted, you
submit to it readily enough." (2 Cor.11:3-4)
Thus, it is
the Church's understanding that all of these sources of
Tradition hold together in unity. One is never used in
isolation from the others. It will not work for example, for a
person to say, "Well, I can find all that I need to know by
staying at home and reading the Bible by myself, and I don't
have to go to Church." Nor would it work for a person to say,
"Well, all I have to do is go to Church and look at the icons
and I don't have to know anything about the Holy Scriptures."
In both cases, something is being taken outside its context,
outside the boundaries, in which it works. When you take
something outside the boundaries in which it functions, it
doesn't work the way it's supposed to.
The Orthodox Church is not Bible only. The
Orthodox Church is not Liturgy only. The Orthodox Church is not
creed, council and canon only. Rather, everything works
together in unity, and when all of these sources of Tradition
are accepted as the common fountain of the self-revelation of
God, it is our faith that they will bring us to the life to
which God has invited His Creation!
What do Orthodox
Christians believe about Faith and Works?
The common
statement regarding salvation in many mainstream Protestant
denominations directly quotes Ephesians 2:8, "For by grace you
have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing,
it is the gift of God, not because of works, lest anyone should
boast." The conclusion seems to follow that salvation cannot be
earned and that one only need believe (or have faith) in God.
(Note: many early authentic manuscripts of Ephesians contain the
article "th"
(the) before "faith" in 2:8. The verse would then read, "For by
grace you have been saved through the faith.")
It is rightly
stated that no one can save himself through his works. One
cannot say enough prayers nor do enough "good deeds" to earn
salvation. Salvation is a free gift of God! In His great love
for mankind, He just gives it to us. That's what grace is. But
the question, "What is salvation?" must first be answered in
order for this to make sense.
A common
question among Christians is, "Are you saved?/Have you been
saved?" An appropriate response to this question is, "From
what?" Salvation is not just a state that one can dwell in, nor
is it a product that one can possess. Salvation means being set
free from something. In other words, if there is no imminent
danger, then one need not be saved. If nothing is "coming to
get you" then you are safe. So what is it that mankind needs to
be saved from? Sin! The Apostle Paul tells us in his Epistle
to the Romans that, "Do you not know that if you yield
yourselves to any one as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the
one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of
obedience which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God,
that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from
the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were
committed, and having been set free from sin, have
become slaves of righteousness." (Rom.6:16-18) Note that at no
point does the Apostle say that we have been "set free" except
from within the context of sin and death. That is why he can go
further to say, "When you were slaves of sin, you were free in
regard to righteousness. But then what return did you get…?
The end of those things is death. But now that you have
been set free from sin and have become slaves of God,
the return you get is sanctification and its end, eternal life.
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is
eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Rom.6:20-23) What the
Apostle is trying to say to us is that through our faith in God
and not through adherence to the Mosaic Law, fulfilled in the
sacrament of Baptism (for Romans 6 is the baptismal chapter) we
who once were enslaved to sin –and were bound to receive its
wages: death—have been set free. But we are not just simply
free; we are free from sin and its ghastly outcome. He
then says that we have become slaves of God. In Christ
we no longer suffer the pain of sin and the agony of death, but
we experience the joy of being in the household of God. The
beauty of being a slave of God is that the ultimate outcome is
eternal life in Christ Jesus!
However, and
this is where it can get tricky, eternal life is the goal that
lies ahead of us, we have not yet attained it. By becoming a
slave of God, "the return you get is sanctification and its end,
eternal life." (Rom.6:22) You see, eternal life is the end
of sanctification, it has yet to come. For the time being
we must remain in sanctification. And earlier in 6:19, Paul
told us to "yield your members to righteousness for
sanctification." We must submit to righteousness for
sanctification!
(It is
interesting to note that v.19 is a translation of the Greek: "parasthsate
ta melh umwn doula (douleuein) th dikaiosunh eiV agiasmon"
which literally reads "present your members to be enslaved to
righteousness for sanctification" An appropriate translation
might read "to enslave your members to righteousness for
sanctification". Also note that the word "sanctification" is
the same word that is translated as "holiness".) What it all
means is that once we have been saved from sin, we are able to
inherit eternal life. And to do so, one must remain in
sanctification until the Lord comes again. And to remain in
sanctification, one must be enslaved to righteousness. And
every slave knows that the master has laws by which he must
abide. In the Christian's case it is no longer the Law of
Moses, but the Law of Christ! This is precisely why Paul begins
chapter 8 of Romans with, "There is therefore now no
condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the
law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set me
free from the law of sin and death." (8:1-2)
It would then
follow that faith and works are harmonious rather than
juxtaposed to one another. For the works of the Lord give flesh
to the faith of the believer who has submitted his life to
Christ. Works incarnate faith, making it whole and complete.
It is not sufficient simply to believe that Jesus is Lord
without manifesting our faith in action. For even the demons
believe that Jesus is the Son of God. In the Gospel of Luke we
hear, "And in the synagogue there was a man who had the spirit
of an unclean demon; and he cried out with a loud voice, ‘Ah!
What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come
to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God.'"
(Lk.4:33-34; cf Mt.8:28-34) As the Epistle of James rightly
puts it, "Faith without works is dead." (cf. Jam. 2:17, 26)
It is the Lord
Jesus Christ who alone is the judge who shall return in glory to
separate the sheep from the goats (cf Mt. 25:31-46). He alone
shall decide who truly had faith and whose "faith was in vain"
(Gal.3:4). For although we, "walk by faith and not by sight,"
(2 Cor.5:7) we know that, "we must all appear
before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one
may receive good or evil, according to what he has done in the
body." (2 Cor.5:10), and that Christ is, "…coming soon, bringing
[His] recompense, to repay every one for what he
has done." (Rev.22:12) That means that even faithful
Christians are not free from the dread Judgment Seat of Christ.
Thus it
becomes abundantly clear that those who are faithful to Jesus
Christ and are baptized into His Name, have been set free from
sin and death. And it also becomes clear, then, that faith is
not a possession, but rather the corresponding action to a
commitment in someone. They have voluntarily been enslaved to
the new Law of the Spirit of life for righteousness unto
sanctification unto eternal life. And in the Grace of God, the
Lord Himself gives us this "Law of the Spirit of life" when He
says to the faithful believers, "A new commandment
I give to you, that you love one another; even as I have loved
you, that you also love one another." (Jn.13:34) And with God
we see that above all, His desire is for Love! He gives us the
New Law of the Spirit of Life: LOVE! Glory be to God in all
things for the Apostle already proclaimed this maxim when he
said, "For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor
uncircumcision is of any avail, but faith working
through love!" (Gal. 5:6)
How does the
Orthodox Church view Holy Communion?
Some teach
that Communion –more properly called the Lord's Supper—is only a
sign or symbol of the reality celebrated by Jesus Christ before
His Crucifixion and Resurrection. (The Orthodox Church uses the
word "Eucharist" for Communion. The word "Eucharist" comes from
the Greek meaning "thanksgiving.") Most of Christendom,
however, believes that it is far more than just a symbolic act.
The Orthodox Church has always believed that we receive the Body
and Blood of Christ in the Eucharist. The bread and wine is
changed by a descent of the Holy Spirit into the crucified Body
and Blood of the Lord. (cf St. Nicholas Cabasilas)
St. Paul
institutes the Lord's Supper when in 1 Corinthians he says, "For
I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the
Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and
when he had given thanks (Gr. eucharistisas), he broke it, and
said, ‘This is my body which is broken for you. Do this in
remembrance of me.' In the same way also the cup, after supper,
saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as
often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.' For as often as
you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's
death until he comes." (1Cor.11:23-26 and parallels)
Notice how
Jesus himself begins with thanksgiving! And he says "this
is my Body," not "this is a symbol of my Body." Jesus
institutes the first Eucharistic meal and states that future
celebrations of it are in truth the celebration of his
live-giving flesh and blood. (Note: the word "remembrance" in 1
Corinthians 11 is the Greek "anamnesis" which is the same title
that the Orthodox Church uses for the Eucharistic Prayer in
which the words of Scripture are repeated verbatim during the
Divine Liturgy.)
Further, in
John 6:53 we read, "Then Jesus said to them, ‘Most assuredly I
say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink
His blood, you have no life in you.'" The Church receives this
passage at face value—nothing added, nothing taken away. In the
Eucharist we become partakes of the Body and Blood of Christ.
Just as the new birth (John 3) gives us life through water and
the Holy Spirit, so the Body and Blood of Christ sustain His
life in us.
The
consecration of the gifts into the Body and Blood of the Lord
are done by the descent of the Holy Spirit, and not by any human
being. Irrespective of the sinfulness of the one celebrating
the Divine Liturgy, the elements are changed into the true
presence of the Lord. Receiving the holy Eucharist is an actual
partaking of the "heavenly manna." We are actually seated at
the Lord' table and eat today, what is the bread of tomorrow.
By partaking of the Eucharist we enter into the Kingdom of God
and are seated at His heavenly banquet. And the bread He feeds
us with is not a bread that will pass away, but the very Bread
of Life: the Son and Word of God who has become flesh. (Jn.
1:14) This is a great mystery that speaks to the great love
for mankind by our God and Father in Heaven!
Can Roman
Catholics or Protestants receive the Eucharist in an Orthodox
Church?
Receiving the
sacraments in the Orthodox Church is reserved for Orthodox
Christians only. While this is by no means an attempt to
safeguard an esoteric group of Christians, it is the unity of
faith and the correct understanding thereof that allows one to
receive the sacraments.
While Roman
Catholics and some Protestant denominations are similar in some
aspects of the faith to the Orthodox Church, there are certain
fundamental differences that prohibit us from intercommunion.
For example, a major theological disparity exists between the
Orthodox and the Roman Catholic Churches in regards to the Holy
Spirit. Orthodoxy maintains that "the Spirit proceeds from the
Father, and together with the Father and the Son is worshipped
and glorified." (Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed) Roman
Catholicism says that "the Spirit proceeds from the Father
and the Son, and together with the Father and the Son is
worshipped and glorified." This additional phrase in the Roman
version of the Nicene Creed (commonly known as the "filioque")
not only disregards the universal Church's admonition that the
Creed cannot be altered, but it also reflects a serious
theological error. Scripture is abundantly clear that the
Spirit proceeds from the Father alone (cf Jn.15:26; 14:16, 26),
and furthermore, in the hopes of safeguarding the divinity of
Christ, the unity of the Trinity is destroyed by subordinating
the Spirit to the Father and the Son. (A more comprehensive
examination of the "filioque" will be presented in a subsequent
FAQ.)
Regardless of
whose position is correct, there is most certainly a difference
of opinion. How can we commune at the Lord's Table together
when we do not even understand the Holy Spirit –who transforms
the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ—in the same
fashion? In other words, how can we claim that the Spirit of
God transforms the elements into the Eucharist, when we cannot
agree on the proper understanding of that same Spirit of God!
And in all of this discussion, we haven't even discussed the
fact that for many Protestant Christians, the Eucharist is only
a symbolic act!
While
intercommunion is prohibited for Orthodoxy, it remains our
fervent prayer that the entire Christian faith will unite.
Receiving Communion together is not the means to unity, but
rather the crown of unity. We pray for this unity in every
Divine Liturgy and ask God that He might make us into One, Holy,
Catholic and Apostolic Church!
What is the
filioque?
The Latin word
"filioque" literally translates as "and the Son." This term has
been the ultimate source for great debate and schism between the
Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches.
In the year
325 A.D., 318 bishops of the one, holy, catholic and apostolic
Church met in the city of Nicaea on the eastern coast of present
day Turkey. (Note: the term "catholic" means "universal" and
should not be confused with Roman Catholic. The Orthodox Church
is the true catholic Church.) The entire Church convened in
order to refute the heresy of Arios who denied the divinity of
Christ. A creedal formula was drafted at this Council to
delineate the correct teaching of the Christian Church in
accordance with the Scriptures and holy Tradition. The creed
those 318 fathers produced has come to be know as the Nicene
Creed and is the official statement of belief for Orthodox
Christianity. In the year 381, the Church met in council once
again, this time in Constantinople (which is present day
Istanbul in Turkey) to defend the truth of the Gospel against
heretical teachings. While gathered together, the universal
Church (which included bishops and representatives from Rome)
made some final additions to the Nicene creedal statement, along
with the caveat that anyone who adds or detracts from this Creed
shall be anathema.
What was
produced speaks of one God in three persons: the Father, the Son
and the Holy Spirit. It speaks of one, holy, catholic and
apostolic Church and one baptism for the remission of sins. And
it was accepted by the entire Christian Church as the official
creedal formula.
The phrase in
question read as follows: "I believe in the Holy Spirit, the
Lord and Giver of Life, who proceeds from the Father, who with
the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified."
Many years
after these councils, the heresy of Arios was still rampaging
through the Western part of the Roman Empire. It even ended up
in churches as far west as Spain. In attempts to defend the
divinity of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Roman church spoke
unilaterally and added the phrase "filioque" to the
Creed. The addition made the phrase in question read as
follows: "I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of
Life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son (filioque),
who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and
glorified." The hopes were that if the Spirit of God proceeds
from the Son as well as the Father, then the Son must also be
divine as is the Father.
The error of
this addition was inappropriate for numerous reasons. First, no
one part of the one Christian Church could speak unilaterally
for the entire Church. This was the reason for gathering in
council, so that the entire Church could be present to
decide on matters of faith. Secondly, per the warning of the
council in 381, the Creed cannot be altered in any fashion.
Lastly, while attempting to preserve the proclamation of
Christ's divinity by refuting the heresy of Arios, the unity of
the Trinity was torn asunder by the subordination of the Holy
Spirit to the Father and the Son.
Trinitarian
theology posits one God in three persons. The essence of
God –whatever the divine essence may be—is shared fully by each
of the three persons of the Trinity. God the Father is fully
divine, God the Son is fully divine and God the Spirit is fully
divine. The essence of the divine unites the three persons of
the Trinity into one God, not three.
Next, each of
the three persons of the Trinity are distinct from one another.
God does not wear different masks at different times in history,
but rather each person is active differently and at different
times throughout history. God the Father is the voice, God the
Son is the baptized and God the Spirit is the descending one as
we read in the Baptism accounts in the four Gospels. The three
persons of the Trinity are unified in essence and distinct in
person.
Furthermore,
Trinitarian theology maintains that God the Father, and God the
Father alone, is the source of the other two persons of the
Trinity. The Father does not create the Son or the Spirit, but
rather, in perfect freedom and love, begets the Son before time
and creation (Jn.17:24) and from Him proceeds the Spirit
(Jn.15:26). There is no Scriptural revelation that claims that
the Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son.
Thus, the
addition of the term "filioque," while well intended, created
theological discrepancies between two parts of the one Church
and became the backbone of the monster of schism. It is
interesting to note that the most recent and updated version of
the Roman Catholic Catechism teaches the Nicene Creed without
the filioque. May God hear our prayer and reunite us with our
beloved Christian brethren!
Why does
Orthodox Christianity honor and bless the Virgin Mary?
When turning
to the Holy Scriptures to hear what God says about Mary, the key
passage is from the first chapter of the Gospel of Luke.
(1:26-49) The archangel Gabriel calls the Virgin Mary "highly
favored" with God and the most "blessed" of all women (1:28).
The Church can never do less. In Luke 1:42-43, Elizabeth, the
mother of John the Baptist, also calls Mary "blessed," and "the
mother of my Lord." Should we not make the same confession?
For centuries the Church with one voice has called Mary the
mother of God. If God was not in her womb, then we are dead in
our sins. By calling her the "mother of God" we do not mean, of
course, that she is mother of the Holy Trinity. She is mother
of the eternal Son of God in his humanity. Thus we call her
"Theotokos" or God-bearer.
Furthermore,
not only does Elizabeth call her blessed, by Mary herself,
inspired by the Holy Spirit, says, "All generations shall call
me blessed" (Luke 1:48). This biblical prophecy explains the
Orthodox hymn, "It is truly right to bless you, O Theotokos, the
Mother of our God." (called the megalynarion) One cannot
believe one part of Scripture and reject other parts. One
cannot believe the Bible and ignore Mary.
Orthodox
Christians bless her in obedience to God, fulfilling these holy
words. We do not worship Mary. Worship is reserved for the
Trinity alone. We honor and venerate her, as the Scriptures
teach.
It is
important to secure Mary's identity as Theotokos in order to
protect the identity of her Son, "the Son of the Highest" (Luke
1:32), God in the flesh. Jesus assumed his human flesh from
her! Mary's role is essential in understanding that Jesus is
both fully God and fully man.
Do Orthodox
icons border on idolatry?
In Orthodox
Christianity, icons are never worshipped, but they are
honored and venerated. Worship is reserved for God alone. The
second Commandment says, "you shall not make for yourself any
carved image, or any likeness or anything that is in heaven
above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water
under the earth" (Ex. 20:4-5). The warnings here are, first,
that we are not to depict images of things which are limited to
heaven and therefore unseen, and second, we never bow down to or
worship created, earthly things. Does this condemn all imagery
in worship? The Scriptures tell us emphatically no!
Just five
chapters after the giving of the Ten Commandments, God, as
recorded in Exodus 25, gives his divine blueprint, if you will,
for the tabernacle. Specifically in verses 19 and 20 he
commands images of cherubim to be placed above the mercy seat.
Also, God promises to meet and speak with us through this
imagery! (Ex.25:22)
In Exodus
26:1, Israel was commanded in no uncertain terms to weave
"artistic designs of cherubim" into the tabernacle curtains.
Are these images? Absolutely! In fact they could well be
called Old Testament icons. And they are images which God
commanded to be made.
Additionally,
and perhaps most importantly, Orthodox iconography never creates
images of God the Father. If no one has seen God, then how can
he be portrayed? To do so would border on idolatry. For, "no
one has ever see God…" (Jn.1:18; cf Ex.33:20). Similarly, the
Holy Spirit is never represented except as a dove, which we
receive in the Baptismal accounts from Scripture.
The question,
however, remains of what to do with the second person of the
Trinity, the Son of God. Can he be depicted in holy icons?
Realizing that because no one has seen God the Father and does
not know what he "looks like," he cannot be portrayed. However,
the Son of God became a human being and can therefore be
depicted in holy images since we know what humanity looks like.
To deny the embodiment of Christ in image is tantamount to the
refutation of the Incarnation (the Son of God becoming human).
Simply put, because God became man, we are able to portray
images of him for veneration. One will notice that no icon of
Christ is a portrait trying to capture the subtleties of what
the Lord looked like, but rather a symbolic representation of
the Lord to teach us that in truth, God did "empty himself and
take on the form of a servant for our salvation" (Phil.2:7).
Analogous to
this is the representation in sacred icons of the saints. These
men and women were faithful to the Gospel of Jesus Christ until
their last breath and remain for us as examples of the Christian
ideal. Their images offer us encouragement and renewed hope
that to walk in the newness of life is possible! Again, no
icons –or the saints themselves, for that matter—are ever
worshipped. God alone is worthy to be praised. But we venerate
their images and ask for their intercessory prayers that God
might have mercy on our souls!
How does the
Orthodox Church explain the continued virginity of Mary after
giving birth to Christ?
The Orthodox
Christian Church maintains the ever-virginity of the Theotokos,
for by so doing, the Incarnation of the Son and Word of God is
preserved. It is biologically impossible that a child can be
born of a woman without the seed of an earthly father. If
Christ was born of the Virgin without an earthly father, then by
all means, his birth must be divine by sheer fact of its
impossibility.
The infancy
narrative in Matthew and Luke were written precisely to preserve
the early Church's teaching of the Incarnation of Christ in the
Virgin Mary. This belief was not an impossibility in the mind
of early Christian saints, for with God, all things are
possible. Saint Ambrose, in his Synodal Letter 44
writes, "Why is it so hard to believe that Mary gave birth in a
way that is contrary to the law of natural birth and remained a
virgin, when contrary to the law of nature the sea looked at Him
and fled, and the waters of the Jordan returned to their source
(Ps 113:3)? Is it past belief that a virgin gave birth when we
read that a rock issued water (Ex 17:6), and the waves of the
sea were made solid as a wall (Ex. 14:22)? Is it past belief
that a Man came from a virgin when a rock bubbled forth a
flowing stream (Ex. 20:11), iron floated on water (2Kg. 6:6), a
Man walked upon the waters (Mt.14:26)?
Since her
inception, the Christian Church has always maintained that the
Theotokos was virgin before birth, during birth, and after
birth. In traditional Orthodox iconography we find evidence of
this belief when we look at any icon of the Theotokos. One will
notice three stars written on the Virgin. One star on each
shoulder and one on her forehead, each one symbolizing her
ever-virginity (i.e. one for before birth, one for during birth
and one for after birth). This belief is as old as the very
faith itself.
Modern
exegesis, however, tries to undermine this belief, most often by
comparing Matthew 1:24-25 which reads: "When Joseph woke from
sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took
his wife but knew her not until she had borne a son; and he
called his name Jesus." with Matthew 12:46 which reads: "While
he was still speaking to the people, behold, his mother and his
brothers stood outside, asking to speak to him."
The
conclusion, one assumes, is that Joseph did not "know" Mary
until she had given birth to a son, and that obviously after
Jesus' birth he "knew" her as is evidenced by the mention of
brothers in 12:46. While at first glance this reading appears
to contain validity, the evidence actually supports otherwise.
First, the
tradition of the Holy Orthodox Church posits that Joseph had had
a previous wife to whom was born numerous children. In this
case, Jesus would have had half-brothers/sisters. Secondly, a
common appellation in first century Palestine was to call a
close relative (perhaps a cousin) brother. This is even a
common practice in modern day America where we often refer to
non-blood related men and women as "uncle" or "auntie." In
either case, Mary would have had no other children.
In truth, the
explanation is much simpler. When one examines the original
Greek text of Matthew 1:25 he will find that the verb in
question, "to know/knew" implying sexual intercourse, is in the
imperfect tense. This is significant because the focus of the
verse is now no longer upon the word "until." The imperfect
tense functions in the following manner: An imperfect action is
an action that has begun at some point in the past and which is
not yet complete. Compare: The future tense says, "I will open
the door" (an action that has not yet begun). The past tense
says, "I have opened the door" (an action that was begun and
completed in the past, otherwise know as a perfect tense). The
imperfect tense says, "I am opening the door." (an action that
has begun at some point in the past but has not yet reached
completion) In other words, in the imperfect tense the action
of opening the door is an action that has already begun at some
point in the past but is not completed yet. The door will
remain in the act of "opening" until it is finally "opened."
It will continue to be an imperfect (unfinished) action until
such time as it becomes a perfect/past action (completed). What
this explanation means is, Matthew deliberately chose a tense
for the verb "to know" that implies the fact that Joseph's not
knowing Mary has already begun and is still not yet complete.
Thus, Joseph's not knowing Mary started with the angel's visit
and hasn't yet been completed! It would make more sense –even
in the Greek—to say that Joseph did not know Mary in a past
tense. But the evangelist's choice of tense reflects the
Church's stance that Mary was indeed virgin before, during and
after birth. Simply by choosing the imperfect tense over the
past tense, Matthew proffers the early Christian belief that
Mary is ever-virgin. A masterful stroke with one word! To God
belongs glory!
When is it
Appropriate to make the Sign of the Cross in an Orthodox
Service?
The Cross of
Jesus Christ is called "Precious and Life-Giving" by Orthodox
Christians. It is on the tree of the Cross that Jesus tramples
down Death by death and grants mankind salvation from Sin and
Death. God takes a symbol of defeat and horror and turns it
into THE symbol of life!
As a
remembrance of Christ's saving victory, Orthodox make the sign
of the Cross at specific times during every Divine service. The
sign of the Cross is made is the following manner: the thumb,
index finger and middle finger are placed together symbolizing
the Triune God in His Oneness. The ring finger and pinky are
placed in the palm of the hand to remind us of Christ's dual
nature, both fully divine and fully human. The motion of making
the sign of the Cross is: first to touch the forehead, next the
chest (heart), followed by the right shoulder and lastly the
left shoulder.
The first
instance of making the sign of the Cross is every time the name
of the Trinity is invoked. Whenever we hear "In the name of the
Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" we make the sign
of the Cross. Other such instances include the exclamations
sung by the priest at the end of each set of litanies (the
petitional prayers that the deacons say). One such instance is,
"For unto Thee do we ascribe all glory, honor and worship; to
the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever
and unto ages of ages."
Another
appropriate time to make the sign of the Cross is on every
occasion that the priest gives us a blessing. This blessing can
be done with the priest's hand or with the blessing cross. The
priestly blessing is given during every Divine service and upon
greeting him outside of the Church. The same blessing is given
by bishops.
You will also
notice Orthodox making the sign of the Cross after receiving the
Holy Eucharist, during the phrase, "And I believe in the Holy
Spirit who proceeds from the Father, who together with the
Father and Son is worshipped and glorified…" during the
recitation of the Nicene Creed, and also at the conclusion of
the Lord's Prayer.
One does not
have to be an Orthodox Christian in order to make the sign of
the Cross. Anyone who believes in God's salvation may make the
sign of the Cross with reverence and devotion!
What is the
meaning behind the censing done by the priest or deacon?
The Psalmist
is quoted as saying, "Let my prayer arise in Thy sight as
incense and the lifting up of my hands be an evening sacrifice."
(Ps 140) Censing is done in the Orthodox Church as a reminder
to lift our hearts in prayer up to God.
While there
are many historical factors contributing to the institution of
censing in the Church, it is the censer itself that carries the
greatest meaning behind this act. The censer is a liturgical
article made up of a carriage (to hold the charcoal and
incense), four strings and twelve bells. Three strings
represent each person of the Holy Trinity, while the fourth
string symbolizes their one essence/nature. The twelve bells
represent the twelve Apostles who proclaimed the Gospel of
Christ. When the priest censes the people, it is a question
being posed: Do you hear and accept the preaching of the
Apostles: The preaching of the consubstantial Trinity? The
appropriate response is to bow indicating that you do hear and
believe. It is also appropriate to make the sign of the Cross
at this time.
The smoke from
the censer is released by burning sweet smelling incense on a
piece of hot charcoal. As the smoke rises, we are reminded to
let our prayers arise to God in similar fashion. May the Lord
God hearken unto all of our prayers!
What is the
meaning of the Divine Liturgy?
For Orthodoxy,
the Divine Liturgy is an ushering into the present, the reality
of God's Kingdom which is to come. It is the most sacred time
in our lives when humanity reaches its ultimate created
intention: to worship and praise God in His holy house. To
enter the church for the Divine Liturgy is not something that is
of this world, but truly belongs to the age which is to come.
At each Divine
Liturgy we commemorate the life of Jesus Christ. As Fr.
Alexander Schmemann, a noted Orthodox theologian or our era
says, "The Divine Liturgy is a re-presentation of the Life of
Christ." (Introduction to Liturgical Theology, SVS Press) The
Divine Liturgy unfolds in two distinct parts.
The first part
of the Liturgy is called "The Liturgy of the Word." In this
part we hear the prayers for all mankind: the sick, the
suffering, our civil leaders, those who travel and those who
have departed this life. Christological hymns dating to the
second and third century are sung. A small entrance with the
Book of Gospels is made. Hymns commemorating the Resurrection
of Christ are sung along with hymns for the patron saint of the
church and for the feast being celebrated that day. The Liturgy
of the Word concludes with a reading by a layman of a specific
text from the Epistles of St. Paul, followed by a selection from
one of the four Gospels read by the clergy, capped by the
Homily/Sermon. It is then that the Word of God is made present
among us through the hearing and the preaching of the Gospel of
Jesus Christ.
When the
homily is finished, the second part of the Divine Liturgy
immediately begins which is called "The Liturgy of the
Eucharist/Thanksgiving." It is during this part that the very
same Word of God that was proclaimed will become the Word of God
made flesh. There is a great censing done by the priest,
followed by a great entrance in which the gifts to be offered
and sanctified are prepared and carried from a small table on
the side of the altar to the Holy Table itself. These gifts
will be offered to God who will transform them from bread and
wine into the very Body and Blood of Christ through the descent
of His Holy Spirit. The Eucharist will then be distributed to
faithful Orthodox Christians who have prepared themselves
through prayer, fasting and a recent confession.
In partaking
of the Eucharist, Orthodox Christians eat today, the bread of
tomorrow. (Cf the Lord's Prayer: "Give us this day our daily
bread." More properly rendered from the original Greek as "Give
us this day the bread of tomorrow" implying the Kingdom which is
to come) It is a true partaking of the Heavenly Banquet in
God's Kingdom. The mystery is that God gives us today the very
life-giving food of His Son's flesh and blood unto the remission
of our sins. In very truth we are seated at God's Heavenly
Table! And in truth, God Himself is seated at the head of that
Table, present among us!
Because God is
the reference for all that we do in the Divine Liturgy, it is
proper to say that we are in the Lord's House, gathered around
the Lord's Table, reciting the Lord's Prayer and partaking of
the Lord's Body and Blood. We therefore approach the Divine
Liturgy with reverence and awe, thanking God for all of His
wonderful and saving acts! |
