31. Wash the Inside of the Cup
Selection from St. Elizabeth the New Martyr, Letter written in January 1891 :
“You call me, dear, unserious. [You say] that the outer brilliances of the Church charmed me. Nothing in the outer signs attracted me, not the service–the foundation of belief. The outer signs are only to remind us of the inner things.
(The above quote is from a letter written by St. Eliazbeth the New Martyr, a granddaughter of Queen Victoria, explaining her sincere decision to become an Orthodox Christian. She captures, here, the centrality of the inner life and its relationship with the outer, visible life of the Church.)
Lubov Millar, Grand Duchess Elizabeth of Russia, New Martyr of the Communist Yoke (Richfield, Springs, NY: Nikodemos Orthodox Publication Society, 1991), 88.
The next lesson explains how to wash the inside of the cup.
32. The Eight Parables
(with attention to the foundational inner disposition of the heart and action that flows from the heart)
Note: You must the right attitude and disposition of heart to make any progress in your healing on the Way whatsoever. First, do not judge others (by which you self-righteously place yourself over someone else) but humbly focus on your own faults, your own sickness, your own healing, and, therefore, your own sincere repentance. In other words, be concerned first with your own salvation. Remain humble before God and all others, be obedient to God and to the spiritual physicians who care for you, love God (first) and your fellow human beings. Do everything prayerfully with faith, trusting in Jesus Christ. Remember, that these things — humility, love, obedience, prayer, and repentance — are essential aspects of the inner life of the Way of Christ. Keep working to acquire them more fully, more perfectly. They are inner dispositions, but also therapuetic actions that flow from the heart, which (joined with the work of God in you) will cultivate the virtues in the heart so that you produce more fruit within and in your outer lifestyle.
Selections from St. Maximus the Confessor, “The Four Hundred Chapters on Love”:
“The one who meddles in the sins of others or even judges his brother on a suspicion has not yet laid the foundation of repentance nor sought to know his own sins (which are truly heavier than an enormous weight of lead). Neither does he know how it comes about that the man who loves vanities and seeks after lies becomes heavy-hearted. Thus as a foolish person going about in the dark he takes no mind of his own sins and imagines those of others whether they actually exist or he only suspects them.”
Maximus the Confessor, Maximus the Confessor: Selected Writings, “The Four Hundred Chapters on Love,” Century 3.55 (New York: Paulist Press, 1985), 68-69.
Selections from the Evergentinos:
“Abbot Isaac the Theban visited a communal monastery. There he saw a monk committing a sin. The Abbot judged the monk in his mind.
After the monk finished the work for which he had come to the monastery, he went back to the desert. At the moment of entering his cell, an angel of the Lord greeted him in front of the door. The angel did not allow him to enter.
The Abbot then asked the angels in a sweet manner and with humility, ‘What did I do? Why don’t you allow me to enter?’
The angel replied, ‘God sent me to ask you where you will place the monk you judged, the one who sinned while you were visiting the monastery?’
As soon as the Abbot heard these words, he realized the reason. He repented for judging his brother and said, ‘I have sinned. Forgive me.’
The angel answered him, ‘Stand up. God has forgiven you. Be careful from now on. Don’t judge anyone. Judgment is God’s work. Only God has authority to judge.”
“A young man who lived in Alexandria seduced a pure girl who had wanted to become a nun. After this, he manipulated her. A few days later, they left together and went to Byzantium.
Patriarch John the Merciful was informed of this incident. He was very sad. He tried to find them in order to help them.
A few years later, Patriarch John told a spiritual story to a clergyman. During the conversation, he also mentioned the story of that young man who had become a devil’s instrument. As soon as the audience heard this, some of them accused and reproved the young man and the young girl.
The Patriarch then reprimanded them for their judgment saying, ‘My blessed children, don’t criticize your fellow man. You error in two ways. First, you disobey God’s command, when He says, “Don’t jusdge anyone, before his appointed time.” Second, you condemn very quickly your fellow man who has committed a sin some time ago. You do not know if he remains in the sinful way or if he has changed his life and he has repented and confessed his sins. He will be saved through his repentance, but you will be damned for your criticism.’”
How They Faced the Temptations of the Flesh, collection of quotations complied by George Kalpouzos taken from the Evergentinos, trans. by Fr. Spyridon Angelopoulos, pp. 105, 112.
Selections from Ss. Barsanuphius and John, Letters from the Desert:
“699. Question. If someone asks me to anathematize Nestorius and the heretics with him, should I do this or not?
Response by John
That Nestorius and those heretics who follow him are under anathema, this is clear. But you should not hurry to anathematize anyone at all. For one who regards himself as sinful should mourn over one’s sins, and do nothing else. Neither, however, should you judge those who anathematize someone; for each person tests oneself.”
“700. Question. But if one thinks, as a result of this, that I believe the same as Nestorius, what should I tell them?
Response by John
Tell him: ‘Although it is clear that those people were worthy of their anathema, nevertheless I am more sinful than every other person, and fear that, in judging another, I may condemn myself. Indeed, even if I anathematize Satan himself, if I am doing his works, then I am anathematizing myself. For, the Lord said: “If you love me, you will keep my commandments” (Jn 14.15). And the Apostle says: “Whosoever does not love the Lord, let that person be under anathema” (1 Cor 16.22). Therefore, one who does not keep his commandments does not love him; and one who does not love him, is under anathema. So, then, how can such a person anathematize others?’ Say these things to him; and if he persists in this, then for the sake of his conscience, just anathematize the heretic!”
Ss. Barsanuphius and John, Letters from the Desert (Crestwood, NY: SVS Press, 2003), 182-183.
St. Anthony the Great
“Abby Anthony said, ‘I saw the snares that the enemy spread out over the world and I said groaning, “What can get through from such snares?” Then I heard a voice saying to me, “Humility.”’”
“He also said, ‘Obedience with abstinence gives men power over wild beasts.’”
The Sayings of the Desert Fathers, trans. by Benedicta Ward (Trappist, KY: Cistercian Publications, 1984), 2, 8.
St. Syncletica of Alexandria
She also said, “Just as one cannot build a ship unless one has nails, so it is impossible to be saved without humility.”
The Sayings of the Desert Fathers, trans. by Benedicta Ward (Trappist, KY: Cistercian Publications, 1984), 235.
St. Tithoes
“A brother asked Abba Tithoes, ‘Which way leads to humility?’ The old man said, ‘The way of humility is this: self-control, prayer, and thinking yourself inferior to all creatures.’”
The Sayings of the Desert Fathers, trans. by Benedicta Ward (Trappist, KY: Cistercian Publications, 1984), 237.
St. Isaac the Syrian
“The person who has attained to the knowledge of his own weakness has reached the summit of humility.” (Hom. 45, B 321)
“The heart of the Lord is directed towards the humble, to benefit them. The face of the Lord is set against the proud, so as to humble them. Humility receives compassion continuously, whereas a hard heart and absence of faith continually meet with endless difficulties.” (Hom. 5, B76)
St. Isaac the Syrian, The Wisdom of Saint Isaac the Syrian, trans. by Sebastian Brock (Fairacres, Oxford, 1997), 3, 6.
St. Silouan the Athonite
“The Lord does not manifest Himself to the proud soul. All the books in the world will not help the proud soul to know the Lord. Her pride will not make way for the grace of the Holy Spirit, and God is known only through the Holy Spirit.”
“O, now needful it is that we entreat the Lord to give the soul His humble Holy Spirit! The lowly soul enjoys great peace, while the proud soul is a torment to herself. The proud man does not know the love of God, and is far from Him. He is proud of being rich or learned or famous, but alas, he is unaware of his own poverty and ruin, for he does not know God. But the man who struggles against pride, the Lord will help to overcome this passion.”
“Obedience preserves a man from pride. For obedience he receives the gift of prayer and the grace of the Holy Spirit. This is why obedience ranks above fasting and praying.”
“The spirit of obedience is necessary not only in monks but in everyone else, too. Even the Lord was obedient. The proud and those who are a law unto themselves prevent the indwelling of grace and therefore never know peace of soul; whereas the grace of the Holy Spirit enters with ease into the soul of the obedience, bringing joy and quiet.”
“If we wish to love God, we must observe all that the Lord commanded of us in the Gospels. Our hearts must brim with compassion, and not only feel love for our fellow-men but sympathy for every thing created of God. That green leaf on the tree which you needlessly plucked – it was not wrong, only rather a pity for the little leaf. The heart that has learned to love feels sorry for every created thing. But man is a supreme creation, and therefore if you see that he has gone astray, and is bringing destruction on himself, pray for him, and weep for him if you are able, or at least sigh for him in the sight of God. And the soul that acts after this fashion is beloved of the Lord, for she is like unto Him.”
“For a long time I did not understand why we much continue with contrite hearts once the Lord has forgiven us our sins. But afterwards I understood that where contrition is mission, one cannot hold out in humility; for evil spirits are proud and would instill pride in us, whereas the Lord teaches meekness, humility and love, and through these the soul finds rest.”
Archimandrite Sophrony, St. Silouan the Athonite, trans. by Rosemary Edmons (Crestwood, NY: St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 1991), 302-303, 306, 376, 420-421, 442, 446.
Elder Sophrony (Disciple of St. Silouan the Athonite)
“The Logos – the Word that was in the beginning with the Father and the Spirit – started His jission by calling the fallen to ‘Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand’ [Matt. 4:17]. He taught knowledge both of the Father and of the Holy Spirit. And They bore witness to Him. It was the Logos Who showed us the surest way to the Father – repentance”
“Repentance is a priceless gift to mankind. Repentance is the God-given miracle that restores us after the Fall – the outpouring of divine inspiration that stimulates us to rise to God, to our Father, for eternal life in the Light of His love. Through repentance is our divinization accomplished – an indescribably momentous event.”
“Pride is the dark abyss into which man plunged when he fell. Heeding his own will, he became spiritually blind and unable to discern the presence of pride in the impulses of his heart and mind. It is only when the uncreated Light descends on us through our belief in the Divinity of Jesus Christ that we can perceive the metaphysical essence of pride. The grace of the Holy Spirit enlightens man’s heart and discloses the malignant, fatal tumour within him. He who has experienced divine love finds himself revolted by the poisonous fumes emanating from the passion of pride. Pride separates man from God and shuts him up in himself. However fifted he may be intellectually, the proud man will ever be outside the all-embracing love of Christ. Intoxicated in paradise by the sweet poison of Luciferian self-divinization, man went mad and became the prisoner of hell. Turned in, centered on himself, sooner or later he will end up in a tedious void – the void from which the Creator had called him into this life. Resorting for compensation to the world outside, he submits to perversions of all kinds and finds himself capable of every sort of crime.”
Archimandrite Sophrony (Sakharov), We Shall See Him as He Is, trans by Rosemary Edmonds (Platina, CA: St. Herman of Alaska Brotherhood, 2006), 24, 30-31.
Elder Porphyrios
“Our religion is the religion of religions. It is from revelation, the authentic and true religion…. In fact, the Christian religion transforms people and heals them. The most important precondition, however, for someone to recognize and discern the truth is humility. Egotism darkens a person’s mind, it confuses him, it leads him astray, to heresy. It is important for a person to understand the truth.”
Elder Porphyrios, Wounded by Love, trans. by John Raffin (Limni, Evia, GRE: Denise Harvey, 2005), 94.
33. What Do You Believe?
(with attention to (1) the difference between philosophical knowledge and true theological knowledge and (2) the importance of holding to Orthodox doctrines while rejecting false teachings)
The Difference Between Rational Knowledge and Noetic Knowledge
(that is, knowing academic, philosophical, and scientific concepts v. truly knowing God directly through theological, experiential knowledge)
Selection from St. Gregory Palamas, The One Hundred and Fifty Chapters:
“Not only are man’s knowledge of God and his understanding of himself and his proper rank (which knowledge now belongs to those who are Christians, even those considered uneducated laymen) a more lofty knowledge than natural science and astronomy and any philosophy in these subjects, but also our mind’s knowledge of its own weakness and the search for its healing would be incomparably superior by far to the investigation and knowledge of the magnitudes of the stars and the reasons for natural phenomena, the origins of things below and the circuits of things above, their changes and risings, their fixed positions and retrograde motions, their disjunctions and conjunctions, and, in general, the entire multiform relation that results from their considerable motion in that region. For the mind that realizes its own weakness has discovered whence it might enter upon salvation and draw near to the light of knowledge and receive true wisdom which does not pass away with this age” (ch. 29, 113).
St. Gregory Palamas, The One Hundred and Fifty Chapters, Ch. 29, trans. by Robert E. Sinkewicz (Toronto, CAN: Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies, 1988), 113.
Selection from St. Symeon the New Theologian, “Ninth Ethical Discourse”:
“We think we will receive the full knowledge of God’s truth by means of worldly wisdom, and fancy that this mere reading of the God-inspired writings of the saints is to comprehend Orthodoxy, and that this is an exact and certain knowledge of the Holy Trinity. Nor is this all, but the more august among us foolishly suppose that the contemplation which comes to pass only through the Spirit in those who are worthy is the same as the thoughts produced by their own reasoning. How ridiculous! How callous! Indeed, these people, who have plunged sacrilegiously into the depths of God and hurry on to do theology, when they hear of God that in the Trinity there is the light of a single godhead just as there is a single mingling of light among three suns, right away picture three suns in their imagination, united in the light which is the essence and distinguished in the hypostases, and then stupidly imagine that they see the divinity itself, and that the holy, consubstantial, and undivided Trinity is just like their imagined paradigm. But it is just not so, not at all! For no one is able to think or speak properly about what concerns the holy Trinity from just reading the Scriptures. One instead accepts it by faith alone, abides with what has been written, and does not dabble with anything more. As for those who are curious and dare to meddle cheerfully with divine things, [they should understand that] it is not possible to say anything at all outside of what has been written and taught by the fathers.”
St. Symeon the New Theologian, “Ninth Ethical Discourse,” On the Mystical Life: The Ethical Discourses, Volume 2: On Virtue & Christian Life (Crestwood, NY: SVS Press, 1996), 113.
Selection from St. Symeon the New Theologian, “Hymn 21,” Hymns of Divine Love:
“The Spirit who has been sent by the Son to men,
not to the unbelieving, nor to the friends of glory,
nor to orators, nor to philosophers,
nor to those who have studied the works of the Greeks,
nor to those who are ignorant of our scriptures, the interior meaning,
nor to those what have held a role on the world’s stage, nor to those who speak with affectation and with a great flow of words,
nor to those who have achieved great names,
nor to those who have succeeded in being loved by renowned personages,
nor to the accomplices of those who act illegally,
nor to those who give titles nor to those who receive them,
nor to those who amuse themselves,
not to those with whom we amuse ourselves,
but to those who are poor in spirit and in their way of living,
to those who are pure of heart and of body,
to those who speak simply, live more simply
and who thinking is simpler still,
to those who shun glory like the fire of hell
and who hate flatterers from the bottom of their heart,
(for the Spirit does not accept flatteries
and it does not agree to listen to what is not)
to those who consider only the sole glory of the soul
and the salvation of all their brothers
and who, not even with a slight movement of the heart,
have a feeling for anything of the world,
for example for the praises or human glory
or all other pleasure or passion.
Those are dead and yet they are really alive
for they are true and yet considered like seducers.
They are humble of mind and of heart, they are gentle and zealous for the Lord.
They are ungodly to the ungodly
and sweet smell of life for the elect of the Lord.
They are unclean to the unclean of heart
and like the angles to those whose soul is pure.
The latter humble themselves even amid glory
and in poverty they are covered with glory.
They consider humiliation as a kingdom,
and a kingdom as poverty.
When they eat, they remain in temperance
and when they fast, they are satisfied with every good.
The former do not resort in injustice, and cannot neglect the one who is crushed
and oppressed by the rich.
The former are not afraid of the face of men
for they see the Face of the Lord.
The former do not let their hearts be moved by gifts
and they do not neglect the law of justice,
for they possess the riches that cannot be stolen
and they consider all the riches of the world as dung.
The former, because they have the Spirit for their teacher,
have no need of the knowledge which comes from men
but, enlightened by the light of this Spirit,
they look at the Son, they see the Father
and adore the Trinity of Persons, the unique God, who by nature is one
in an inexpressible manner.”
St. Symeon the New Theologian, “Hymn 21,” Hymns of Divine Love, trans. by George Maloney (Denville, NJ: Dimension Books, n.d.), 96-97.
Selection from St. Gregory Palamas, Sermon “On the Entry into the Holy of Holies II,” in which he extols the Virgin Mary as an example of the acquisition of noetic knowledge:
“Saying something about God is not the same as encountering Him. Speaking of God requires that you pronounce words, and perhaps that you have some skill with them, if you are not just to have knowledge, but to make use of it and pass it on. It also requires all sorts of logical reasoning, compelling arguments and worldly examples, all or most of which are gathered by seeing and hearing, and are the prerogative of people who spend their lives in the world. They may be acquired by the wise men of this present age, even thou their lives and souls may not be completely pure. It is absolutely impossible, however, to truly encounter God unless, in addition to being cleansed, we go outside, or rather, beyond ourselves, leaving behind everything perceptible to our senses, together with our ability to perceive, and being lifted up above thoughts, reason, knowledge and even the mind itself, and wholly given over to the energy of spiritual perception, which Solomon calls divine awareness (cf. Prov. 1:7 LXX), we attain to that unknowing which lies beyond knowledge, that is to say, above every kind of much-vaunted philosophy, even though the purpose of the most excellent part of philosophy is knowledge.
Seeking after this (for it is absolutely necessary for ambassadors to meet those to whom they have been sent) the Virgin found that holy quietness was her guide: quietness, in which the mind and the world stand still, forgetfulness of the things below, initiation into heavenly secrets, the laying aside of ideas for something better. This is truly something we actively do, a means of approaching contemplation or, to state it more aptly, the vision of God, which is the only proof of a soul in good health. Every other virtue is like healing medicine for the soul’s illnesses and the evil passions which have put down roots in it through sloth. Contemplation, by contrast, is the fruit of a healthy soul, an outcome and a state which divinize a man. It is through contemplation that a person is made divine, not by speculative analogies on the basis of skillful reasoning and observations–perish the thought (this is something base and human) –but under the guidance of stillness. Continuing in our life’s upper room (cf. Acts 1:13-14), as it were, in prayers and supplications night and day, in some way we touch that blessed nature that cannot be touched.
Thus the light beyond our perception and understanding is diffused ineffably within those who hearts have been purified by holy stillness, and they see God within themselves as in a mirror (cf. 2 Cor. 3:18). The immediate proof of this is the Virgin, who having kept company with quietness from the earliest age, brings the greatest benefits to us, and commends to God those in need as no one else can. She alone lived in holy quiet from such early childhood in a manner surpassing nature, and she alone of the human race bore the divine and human Word without knowing man.”
St. Gregory Palamas, “On the Entry into the Holy of Holies II,” Mary the Mother of God, ed. by Christopher Veniamin (South Canaan, PA: Mt. Thabor Publishing, 2005), 42-44.
* Note: The word contemplation here and in other Orthodox texts does not meaning thinking about a concept with the rational mind, but, contrarily, the acquisition of noetic knowledge by the direct experience of God, that is the experience of Grace/Uncreated Energy. The inner stillness and quietness refers to hesychia.
Selection from St. Symeon the New Theologian, “Practical and Theological Precepts”:
“Inasmuch as God wishes to be known by us, so He reveals Himself; and inasmuch as He reveals Himself, so is He seen and known by those who are worthy. But no one can be worthy of this experience until he unites with the Holy Spirit, having previously acquired by labour and sweat a heart that is pure, simple and contrite.”
St. Symeon the New Theologian, “Practical and Theological Precepts, paragraph 159, Writings from the Philokalia on Prayer of the Heart, trans. by E. Kadloubovsky and G. E. H. Palmer (London: Faber and Faber, 1951), p. 135
Selections from Constantine Scouteris, Ecclesial Being:
“Consequently, knowledge about the Church is not a concept that one can acquire with a particular form of academic knowledge, which is achieved through the experience of communion with God. The more the human persons are immersed in the life of the Church community, the more their nous is illumined and they can acquire the ecclesial consciousness.”
“Consequently, the Church is not known through the usual methods used to grasp an object of knowledge, but from within, with personal experience and an increase in the life of grace. The more a person immerses himself in the life of the Church, the more he becomes aware existentially, not just conceptually, of ‘the riches of the glory’ of Christ. The more he is ‘strengthened with might in his spirit through the inner man,’ so that he ‘may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height’ and ‘the love of Christ which passes knowledge,’ the more he is filled with ‘all the fullness of God’ (Eph. 3:14-19).”
Constantine B. Scouteris, Ecclesial Being: Contributions to Theological Dialogue, ed. by Christopher Veniamin (South Canaan: Mount Thabor Publishing, 2006), 29-30.
Selection from Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos, Orthodox Spirituality:
“In the interpretation of [the Parable of the Good Samaritan] by St. Chrysostom it is clearly shown that the Church is a Hospital which cures people wounded by sin; and the bishops-priests are the therapists of the people of God.
And this precisely is the work of Orthodox theology. When referring to Orthodox theology, we do not simply mean a history of theology. The latter is, of course, a part of this but not absolutely or exclusively. In patristic tradition, theologians are the God-seers. St. Gregory Palamas calls Barlaam a theologian, but he clearly emphasizes that intellectual theology differs greatly from the experience of the vision of God. According to St. Gregory Palamas theologians are the God-seers; those who have followed the ‘method’ of the Church and have attained to perfect faith, to the illumination of the nous and to divinization (theosis). Theology is the fruit of man’s therapy and the path which leads to therapy and the acquisition of the knowledge of God.
Western theology however has differentiated itself from Eastern Orthodox theology. Instead of being therapeutic, it is more intellectual and emotional in character. In the West, Scholastic theology evolved, which is antithetical to the Orthodox tradition. Western theology is based on rational thought whereas Orthodoxy is hesychastic. Scholastic theology tried to understand logically the Revelation of God and conform to philosophical methodology. Characteristic of such an approach is the saying of Anselm of Canterbury: ‘I believe so as to understand’. The Scholastics acknowledged God at the outset and then endeavoured to prove His existence by logical arguments and rational categories. In the Orthodox Church, as expressed by the Holy Fathers, faith is God revealing Himself to man. We accept faith by hearing it not so that we can understand it rationally, but so that we can cleanse our hearts, attain to faith by ‘theoria’ and experience the Revelation of God.”
* Note: hesychasm refers to the “inner stillness” of the heart.
Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos, Orthodox Spirituality: A Brief Introduction, trans. by Effie Mavromichali (Levadia, Greece: Birth of the Theotokos Monastery, 1998), 24-26.
Selections from St. Luke the Blessed Surgeon, Archbishop of Simferpol and Crimea, “On Science and Religion”:
“We are certain that apart from the material world there is an infinite and incomparably superior spiritual world. We believe in the existence of spiritual beings that have higher intellect than us humans. We believe wholeheartedly that above this spiritual and material world there is the Great and Almighty God.
What we doubt is the right of science to research with its methods the spiritual world. Because the spiritual world cannot be researched with the methods used to research the material world. Such methods are totally inappropriate to research the spiritual world.
How do we know that there is a spiritual world? Who told us that it exists? If we are asked by people who do not believe in the Divine revelation, we shall answer them thus: ‘Our heart told us’. For there are two ways for one to know something, the first is that which is spoken by Haeckel, which is used by science to learn of the material world. There is however another way that is unknown to science, and does not wish to know it. It is the knowledge through the heart. Our heart is not only the central organ of the circulation system, it is an organ with which we know the other world and receive the highest knowledge. It is the organ that gives us the capability to communicate with God and the above world. Only in this we disagree with science.
Praising the great successes and achievements of science, we do not doubt at all its great importance and we do not confine the scientific knowledge. We only tell the scientists ‘You do not have the capability with your methods to research the spiritual world, we however can with our heart.’
There are many unexplainable phenomena which concern the spiritual world that are real (as are some type of material phenomena). There are therefore phenomena that science will never be able to explain because it does not use the appropriate methods.
Let science explain how the prophecies appeared on the coming of the Messiah, which were all fulfilled. Could science tell us how the great prophet Isaiah, some 700 years before the birth of Christ, foretold the most important events in His life and for which he was named the evangelist of the Old Testament? To explain the far sighted grace possessed by the saints and to tell us with which physical methods the saints inherited this grace and how they could understand the heart and read the thoughts of a person they had just met for the first time? They would see a person for the first time and they will call him by his name. Without waiting for the visitor to ask, they would answer on what troubled him.
If they can, let them explain it to us. Let them explain with what method the saints foretold the great historical events which were accurately fulfilled as they were prophesied. Let them explain the visitation from the other world and the appearance of the dead to the living.
They shall never explain it to us because they are too far from the basis of religion- from faith. If you read the books of the scientists who try to reconstruct religion, you will see how superficially they look at things. They do not understand the essence of religion yet they criticize it. Their criticism does not touch the essence of faith, since they are unable to understand the types, the expressions of religious feeling. The essence of religion they do not understand. Why not? Because the Lord Jesus Christ says ‘No one can come to me unless My Father who sent Me draws him to Me.’ (John 6:44)
So it is necessary that we be drawn by the Heavenly Father, it is necessary that the grace of the Holy Spirit enlighten our heart and our mind. To dwell in our heart and mind through this enlightenment, the Holy Spirit and the ones who were found worthy to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, those in whose heart lives Christ and His Father, know the essence of faith. The others, outside the faith cannot understand anything.”
“You people, who may not have much of a relationship with science and do not know much about philosophy, remember always the most basic beginning, which was well known by the early Christians. They considered poor, the person who knew all the sciences yet he knew not God. On the other hand, they considered blessed the person who knew God, even if he knew absolutely nothing about the worldly things.
Guard this truth like the best treasure of the heart, walk straight without looking right or left. Let us not bother with what we hear against religion, losing our bearings. Let us hold on to our faith which is the eternal indisputable truth. Amen.”
St. Luke the Blessed Surgeon of Simferpol and Crimea, “On Science and Religion,” from the website of the Holy Monastery of Pantocrator in Greek ( www.impantokratoros.gr). The Greek text may be found in a book published by Orthodox Kypseli Publications, Thessaloniki, Greece. Notice of permission on the monastery website: “The material on this website may be used, distributed and/or reproduced for non-commercial reasons, provided that the original meaning is preserved – not using excerpts that may alter meaning – with the basic condition that the source www.impantokratoros.gr is referenced.”
Selection from H. Tristram Engelhardt, Jr., “Christian Bioethics after Christiandom”:
The point is that the God of the Christians is a radically transcendent personal God Who reveals himself in history, not through philosophy. When Christ asks His disciples, “Who do you say that I am?” (Matt 16:11) and receives the answer from St. Peter, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of God the living One” (Matt 16:16), this is not the conclusion to a philosophical argument; it is a revelation from the “Father Who is in heaven.” The God of the Christians is not the God of the philosophers. Christ is not a conclusion to a philosophical argument, but a living personal Truth. Because the Truth is not propositional but the Persons of the Trinity, Christian morality and bioethics do not have at their foundations a set of propositions. They are instead equivalent to what is involved in turning in right worship and right belief to God through Jesus. Christian morality and bioethics are not a third thing mediating between God and man. Christian morality and bioethics express the proper relation of men to their God, so that Christian morality and bioethics cannot be understood apart from Christ. Christian morality and bioethics are exhausted in their meaning in being the proper turning of man to God. Morality and bioethics are therefore only to be rightly appreciated within the Church, with the result that the further one is from the Church, the more one-sided and distorted one’s understanding of morality and bioethics will be.
Tristram Engelhardt, Jr., “Christian Bioethics after Christendom: Living in a Secular Fundamentalist Polity and Culture,” 80-81, Christian Bioethics (Oxford University Press, 2011), 17(1), 64–95.
The Uniqueness of the Orthodox Christian Way Compared to
Human-Invented Religion and Spirituality
Selection from Holy Scripture, Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians on the difference between Divine Wisdom and fallible human reasoning:
1 Corinthians 1.18-31; 3.18-20
Selection from the Sayings of St. Anthony the Great
“Abba Anthony said, ‘A time is coming when men will go mad, and when they see someone who is not mad, they will attack him saying, “You are mad, you are not like us.”’”
The Sayings of the Desert Fathers, trans. by Benedicta Ward (Trappist, KY: Cistercian Publications, 1984), 6.
Selections from Holy Scripture on the difference between the Orthodox Way and human religions:
Wisdom of Solomon 13
1 Kingdoms 18
Daniel 12 (Bel and the Dragon 1-27)
Acts of the Apostles 17.16-34
St. Paul’s Letter to the Romans 1.18-32
St. Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians 8.1-13; 10.14-21
The Gospel of Jesus Christ According to St. John 14
The First Letter of St. John 2.18-26
Selection from St. Justin the Philosopher, “The First Apology”:
“But those who hand down the myths which the poets have made, adduce no proof to the youths who learn them; and we proceed to demonstrate that they have been uttered by the influence of the wicked demons, to deceive and lead astray the human race. For having heard it proclaimed through the prophets that the Christ was to come, and that the ungodly among men were to be punished by fire, they put forward many to be called sons of Jupiter, under the impression that they would be able to produce in men the idea that the things which were said with regard to Christ were mere marvelous tales, like the things which were said by the poets.”
“And because in the prophecy of Moses it had not been expressly intimated whether He who was to come was the Son of God, and whether He would, riding on the foal, remain on earth or ascend into heaven, and because the name of ‘foal’ could mean either the foal of an ass or the foal of a horse, [the demons], not knowing whether He who was foretold would bring the foal of an ass or of a horse as the sign of His coming, nor whether He was the Son of God, as we said above, or of man, gave out that Bellerophon, a man born of man, himself ascended to heaven on his horse Pegasus. And when they heard it said by the other prophet Isaiah, that He should be born of a virgin, and by His own means ascend into heaven, they pretended that Perseus was spoken of. And when they knew what was said, as has been cited above, in the prophecies written aforetime, ‘Strong as a giant to run his course,’ they said that Hercules was strong, and had journeyed over the whole earth. And when, again, they learned that it had been foretold that He should heal every sickness, and raise the dead, they produced Aesculapius.”
St. Justin the Philosopher, “The First Apology of Justin,” chapter LIV, Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 1, ed. by Alexander Roberts & James Donaldson (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 2004), 181. The full text is also available for free at this address: http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/anf01.txt
Selections from St. Justin the Philosopher, “The Second Apology”:
“For whatever either lawgivers or philosophers uttered well, they elaborated by finding and contemplating some part of the Word. But since they did not know the whole of the Word, which is Christ, they often contradicted themselves. And those who by human birth were more ancient than Christ, when they attempted to consider and prove things by reason, were brought before the tribunals as impious persons and busybodies.”
St. Justin the Philosoper, “The Second Apology of Justin,” chapter X, Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 1, ed. by Alexander Roberts & James Donaldson (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 2004), 191-192. The full text is also available for free at this address: http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/anf01.txt
“For each man spoke well in proportion to the share he had of the spermatic word, seeing what we related to it. But they who contradict themselves on the more important points appear not to have possessed the heavenly wisdom, and the knowledge which cannot be spoken against. Whatever things were rightly said among all men, are the property of the Christians. For next to God, we worship and love the Word who is from the unbegotten and ineffable God, since also He became man for our sakes, that, becoming a partaker of our sufferings, He might also bring us healing.”
St. Justin the Philosopher, “The Second Apology of Justin,” chapter 13, Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 1, ed. by Alexander Roberts & James Donaldson (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 2004), 192-193. The full text is also available for free at this address: http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/anf01.txt
Note: The spermatic word means the “seed of the Logos,” the Divine Son, Word and Tao. St. Justin acknowledges that in ancient times before the Word of God became Incarnate, born of a Virgin, even some pagans experienced the Word and perceived the Truth to some degree, though imperfectly. As Orthodox Christians, we do not see the partial Truth, mixed with some incorrect speculation, but we know the whole Christ. We are part of the Church of the Living God, the “pillar and ground of Truth.” Therefore, all Truth belongs to us, because we know and belong to the One Who Is Truth and reveals all Truth.
Selection from H. Tristram Engelhardt, Jr., “The Culture Wars: Orthodox Christians in the Trenches”:
“ To underscore one dimension of all of this: our contemporary dominant secular culture requires that we never speak in public about our religion as really being true, as being truly Orthodox, as being the right belief and the right worship of the true and living God. After all, our belief is not just a tradition. Nevertheless, this secular culture demands that we characterize ourselves as one tradition among others. Yet, our Orthodoxy is not just a tradition. It is the Truth. When a physician diagnoses a patient as having a disease, the physician does not say, ‘Well, according to my medical tradition, you have cancer.’ The physician simply says, ‘You have cancer.’ Physicians do not apologize for medical truth by qualifying the truth as my tradition. Like the Christian martyrs of the first centuries, and unlike the paleo-pagans of old Rome and unlike the post-traditional, post-modern, so-called tolerant neo-pagans of our contemporary age, we are committed to the politically incorrect truth that only our God lives, that only our Christianity is the truly Orthodox Christianity. Think how different this makes us.
Tristram Engelhardt, Jr., “The Culture Wars: Orthodox Christians in the Trenches,” available on the website of St. George Orthodox Church, Kearney, NE: http://www.saintgeorgekearney.com/load.php?pageid=35
Selection from H. Tristram Engelhardt, Jr., “The Challenge of Living in a Post-Christian World”:
“The last battlefront of the culture wars concerns the cultural reduction of theology: the dominant culture forbids any claims of right worship and right belief. Instead, the public culture offers you and all Orthodox congregations a language that hides our Church’s highly politically-incorrect proclamation, namely, that we are the Orthodox Church, the Church of right belief and right worship. We are not simply a tradition. We are not simply Eastern Orthodox. We are not just Greek, Russian, or American Orthodox. We have the pearl of great price (Matt 13:45-46). We are that unique assembly in right worship and right belief. We are the Orthodox! However, the last thing you will ever be allowed to suggest in public is this truth: our religion is in fact Orthodox in this cardinal sense. To speak in this way would be to take religion as seriously as the things the dominant culture takes seriously, such as medicine. For example, in the dominant culture one may lovingly, patiently, and respectfully, but nevertheless firmly, explain to someone that his medical treatment is poor and his physician is ill-trained, though the patient and the physician may be well-meaning. However, in our contemporary culture one is never to suggest, no matter how lovingly, patiently, and respectfully, that another person’s religion is inadequate, though the person and his religious teachers may be very well-meaning. It is for such statements that the ancient pagan world tortured and executed Christians and Jews. It is for this commitment that Orthodox Christians will be despised in the 21st century.”
Tristram Engelhardt, Jr., “The Challenge of Living in a Post-Christian World,” Commencement Address delivered to the faculty and student body of Saint Herman Seminary, Kodiak, Alaska, May 23, 2004.
St. Ignatius, second bishop of Antioch, “Letter to the Trallians”:
“I exhort you therefore—not I but the love of Jesus Christ [cf. 1 Cor. 15:10]—use only Christian food and abstain from every strange plant, which is heresy. For they mingle Jesus Christ with themselves, feigning faith, providing something like a deadly drug with honeyed wine, which the ignorant man gladly takes with pleasure; and therein is death.
Be on guard against such men. This will be the case for you if you are not puffed up [cf. 1 Cor. 4:6] but are inseparable from the God Jesus Christ and the bishop and the ordinances of the apostles. He who is in the sanctuary is pure; he who is outside the sanctuary is not pure—that is, whoever does anything apart from the bishop and the presbytery and the deacons is not pure in conscience.”
“Flee from the wicked offshoots which bear deadly fruit; if a man tastes them he soon dies [cf. John 6:49]. These are not the planting of the Father [cf. Matt. 15:13]. For if they were, they would appear as branches of the cross and their fruit would be imperishable [cf. Rom. 11:16-21; John 15:1-6]. By the cross through his passion he calls upon you who are his members. The head cannot be begotten apart from the members, since God promises union—himself [Col. 2:19; Eph. 4:15,16].”
St. Ignatius of Antioch, “Letter to the Trallains,” par. 6-11, The Apostolic Fathers, ed. by Jack N. Sparks, (Minneapolis, MN: Light and Life, 1978), 94-95. Another translation of the above text is available for free at this address: http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/anf01.txt
Selection from St. Ignatius of Antioch, “Letter to the Ephesians”:
“For there are some who maliciously and deceitfully are accustomed to carrying about the Name while doing other things unworthy of God. You must avoid them as wild beasts. For they are mad dogs that bite by stealth; you must be on your guard against them, for their bite is hard to heal.
There is only one Physician,
who is both flesh and spirit,
born and unborn,
God in man,
true life in death,
both from Mary and from God,
first subject to suffering and then beyond it,
Jesus Christ our Lord.”
St. Ignatius of Antioch, “Letter to the Ephesians,” par. 7, The Apostolic Fathers, ed. by Jack N. Sparks (Minneapolis, MN: Light and Life, 1978), 79-80. Another translation of the above text is available for free at this address: http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/anf01.txt
Selection from St. Maximos the Confessor, “The Four Hundred Chapters on Love”:
“Just as parents have affection for the offspring of their bodies, so also is the mind naturally attached to its own reasonings. And just as to their parents who are emotionally attached the children appear as the fairest and handsomest of all even though in every way they might be the most hideous of all, so it is with the foolish mind. Its reasonings, even though they might be the most depraved of all, still appear in its view as the most sensible of all. However, this is not the case with the wise man and his reasonings. Rather, when it seems convincing that they are true and correct, then especially does he distrust his own judgment but makes use of other wise men as judges of his own reasonings (so as not to run or have run in vain), and from them he receives assurance.’”
St. Maximus the Confessor, “The Four Hundred Chapters on Love,”cent. 3 ch. 58, Selected Writings, trans. by George Berthold, The Classics of Western Spirituality (Mahwah, NY: Paulist Press, 1985), 69.
Dr. Harry Boosalis, Assoc. Professor of Dogmatic Theology, St. Tikhon’s Orthodox Theological Seminary:
“Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos refers to dogmas as the expression of the life of the Church and considers them as boundaries. He also mentions their therapeutic nature: ‘It is for this reason, if fact, that dogmas are called boundaries, which draw the lines between truth and error…dogmas are the way and the medicines which we receive to be cured and reach divinization…dogmas are the expression of the life of the Church.’
This aspect of dogmas as medicines by which we are cured and reach divinization (or theosis) is of central significance to Orthodox Tradition. As a result of the Fall, all mankind suffers from spiritual illness. From the ecclesial perspective, every man is sick and is suffering. There is not one who is spiritually ’normal’ or healthy, except of course for the Saints, who have attained theosis—that is to say, they have been granted the gift of participation in divine life, for which man was originally created: ‘So in the Church we are divided into the sick, those undergoing therapeutic treatment, and those—saints—who have already been healed.’ Orthodox theology thus provides a therapeutic method or process whereby one is healed through the purification of passions, experiences divine illumination, and ultimately attains theosis: ‘Theology is a therapeutic treatment. It cures man.’
Herein lies the importance of Orthodox dogma. The aim of Orthodox dogma is not to subject man and to confine him within the borders of a particular religion. Rather it is to help him to be healed. Dogma leads man to therapy. It leads to the cure of the fallen human person.
However, it must be emphasized that dogmas in themselves do not heal man; they simply show the way. An intellectual acceptance of the letter of dogma is not an automatic guarantee of being healed. It is not a matter of simply agreeing with the wording; one must experience the spirit of Orthodox dogma by means of a living faith within the therapeutic life of the Church. Dogmas are truly meaningful ‘only for those who have encountered the Living Christ…and are dwelling by faith in Him, in His body, the Church.’ Cut off from the ecclesial experience, dogmas remain dry, empty, and abstract formulae. Dogmas are thus not ends in themselves; they are guides that point the way toward the therapy of authentic spiritual life in Christ. The purpose of Orthodox dogma is to heal.
Heretical teachings, on the other hand, always arise from those who do not know or follow, or who have deviated from, the Church’s therapeutic process. Whenever a heretical innovation is manifested within the Church, it results directly from the fact that the one introducing this innovation neither has a correct understanding of dogma, nor has he truly experienced the proper therapeutic process of the Church. This is what led the Church to define her dogmas—in order to protect and preserve the truth of her therapeutic method of purification, illumination, and theosis.”
Harry M. Boosalis, “Life-Giving Dogma: An Orthodox Approach to the Study of Dogmatic Theology,” St. Tikhon’s Theological Journal, vol. 3 (South Canaan, PA: St. Tikhon’s Seminary Press, 2005), 29-67.
Fr. Symeon Kees, “Medicinal Dogma (in a ‘spiritual, but not religious’ culture)”:
Whenever an Orthodox Christian has a conversation about dogma with those who have bought into the ideology of secularism, he may discover that the secularist prefers language that deemphasizes the difference between the Orthodox Christian Way and other religions and philosophies in our culture. The secularist may either consider all religions meaningless or think that all the different “religious traditions” are nearly the same and point to common truths. To those who don’t understand the Orthodox Way of Life, our dogmatic statements and detailed explanations may seem like legalistic doctrinal definitions that unnecessarily divide people instead of bringing them together. Some people prefer to talk about “spirituality” instead of “religion,” but when the word “spirituality” is disconnected from the Church and her dogma, the word may be defined so vaguely that it is rendered hollow and meaningless. There is a reason that Orthodox Christians emphasize Orthodox Christian healing instead of just speaking about “spirituality” in a general sense or “Christianity” in a broad, “inclusive” sense.
Orthodox Christians share a common Way of Life, the life of the Church. We possess one Faith, the Tradition rooted in the primal spirituality of the human race that has been passed down in its fullness from generation to generation since the time of the Apostles. We outright reject attempts by others to treat the Orthodox Church as one of many denominations, to treat the Orthodox Way as a humanly-derived religion that is one of many legitimate spiritual paths, or to treat the dogmas of the Orthodox Church as rational speculations invented to answer interesting philosophical questions. Simply stated, the Orthodox Church is the Church, the original Church planted on earth by Jesus Christ, the Son of God, for our healing and good health. The Orthodox Way, the Way of health and healing, involves the personal experience of God. The dogmas of the Orthodox Church are expressions of the unchanging Faith that lead man to transformation and keep him on the path of Life.
“Orthodoxy” means both right faith and right glory. The Orthodox Church emphasizes the importance of believing correctly because we know that what a person believes is not just a matter of opinion, but affects his spiritual health. The reason that the Orthodox Church treats heresy so seriously is that heresy leads people to spiritual sickness, which also results in psychological, emotional, and relational problems.
Heresies have arisen throughout the history of the Church. When the false teachings of heretics have flared up, the Church has responded. The dogma of the Orthodox Church is unchangeable. We preserve the Faith handed down to us by the Apostles, the Faith confirmed by the experience of the Church, which is the temple of the Holy Spirit and the “pillar and ground of truth,” in every generation. In response to heresy, the Church sometimes expresses the dogma of the Church in new ways to explain with enhanced clarity what the Church has always believed. Ultimately, the Church’s motivation for expressing dogma is the healing (salvation) of people. As heresy leads toward spiritual sickness, the dogmas of the Orthodox Church guide people along the path of healing. They are medicines for the soul.
The Church is Mystery and theology is the experience of the Mystery. The dogmas of the Church are not attempts to define the Mysteries of the Faith which is far beyond explanation, but they draw a line across which one leaves the experience of the Mystery and enters the realm of heresy, delusion, and spiritual sickness. Here is an example of the place of dogma within the Mystery of the Church: The Church distinguishes between the three Persons of the One Uncreated Essence in this way: The Father is Unbegotten, the Son is Begotten (eternally of the Father), and the Holy Spirit Proceeds (from the Father). This definition provides a boundary across which one will fall into heresy. These distinctions between the undivided Persons are not intended to do what they cannot – to contain or express the fullness of the Mystery of God. As St. Gregory the Theologian wrote:
What then is Procession? Do you tell me what is the Unbegottenness of the Father, and I will explain to you the physiology of the Generation of the Son and the Procession of the Spirit, and we shall both of us be frenzy-stricken for prying into the mystery of God. And who are we to do these things, we who cannot even see what lies at our feet, or number the sand of the sea, or the drops of rain, or the days of Eternity, much less enter into the Depths of God, and supply an account of that Nature which is so unspeakable and transcending all words? (1)
The Orthodox Church calls all into her open arms, including all those who have wandered onto the treacherous, poisonous path of heresy back to the life of true personal spirituality, healing, transformation within the life of the Church. For us, the ecumenical movement is not an occasion for us to minimize what separates us from the non-Orthodox, but an opportunity to teach others what the Orthodox Church is, the only Church founded by Christ, and to invite everyone into the Church, where right belief and right worship have been preserved as our Way of Life for 2,000 years.
An important note: The Orthodox Christian defense of Orthodox dogma must never be reduced to arguments fueled by arrogance over doctrinal positions. In the West, “theologians” are considered to be scholars who hold advanced academic degrees and teach theological concepts. A true theologian in the Orthodox Christian sense, however, is not a scholar educated by books, but one who personally experiences the Existing One, the true and Living God, through a life of prayer and repentance. To know God in the Orthodox Christian sense means to know God by experience and, therefore, to manifest His radiant divine love, humility, and peace. Proclaiming Orthodox dogma and pointing out heresy is good when motivated by love and accomplished with humility and prayer. Arguing about theological ideas intellectually without personally striving to be a theologian, acquiring humility and love in the heart through prayer, is anti-theological. The Orthodox Way is not about being right, but being good and loving.
Prayer, repentance, love, and humility were essential for the Fathers who carefully expressed the Mystery of the Church through dogmas during the past centuries. Let’s follow their example and remember this: “In fact, the [Orthodox] Christian religion transforms people and heals them. The most important precondition, however, for someone to recognize and discern the truth is humility. Egotism darkens a person’s mind, it confuses him, it leads him astray, to heresy. It is important for a person to understand the truth.” (2)
When the dogmas of the Orthodox Church are kept in our minds and the theology expressed by them is known within our hearts, they serve to keep us all, including health care providers, on the Way of healing. It is not enough for health care providers to rationally know about Orthodox dogmas, intellectually agree with them, and try to follow them as objective guidelines. That is not sufficient. Health care providers who truly desire to care for others within the context of the Orthodox Christian Way must immerse themselves in the healing life of the Orthodox Church, remaining obedient to their bishop, learning as much as they can, worshiping attentively, prayerfully repenting, and regularly seeking the guidance of their spiritual fathers. We must all strive to fully participate in the inner life of the Orthodox Church so that we may become true theologians who, with pure hearts full of love, know God and serve Him humbly. A health care provider who is a theologian through prayer can best offer complete healing care, guide patients toward treatment options, and help the infirm derive spiritual benefit from the experience of sickness and suffering while pursuing good physical health. All this is accomplished, of course, alongside the ministry of our bishop, priests, and deacons within the life of the Church.
(1) The Fifth Theological Oration, NPNF, Second Series, Volume 7.
(2) Elder Porphyrios, Wounded by Love: The Life and the Wisdom of Elder Porphyrios, trans. by John Raffin (Limni, Evia, GRE: Denise Harvey, 2005/Originally published in Greek by the Holy Convent of the Life-giving Spring: Chrysopigi, GRE, 2003), 94.
Priest Symeon Kees. 2010.
Fr. Symeon Kees, “The Grapevine Wreath”:
“In the Appalachian hills of West Virginia, where I grew up, people sometimes hang up wreaths made of dried, twisted grapevines during the Christmas season. One year my mother found the ambition to construct one herself. In fulfillment of my responsibility to the project, I took in hand an old machete from the garage and climbed the frozen hill behind our house toward the forest. Standing in the crisp December air at dusk I chopped long, wild vines and tugged at them until they let loose. They looked dead like everything else around me this time of year, but they clung to the trees and each other like little children determined not to let go. When I had pulled them all free, I dragged them down the hill toward the warm house with glowing windows, my home.
In the kitchen, Mom rolled the rugged vines into a perfect circle and made the dead wood beautiful with Christmas-red ribbon and little bells linked together on a golden chain. She hung the finished wreath, like a royal crown, on the wall for all to see.
We were all watching TV that night when my Dad let out a good laugh. What was so funny? Looking at the wreath he said, “That’s not a grapevine. That’s poison oak.” Dad not only correctly identified the substance of the wreath, but he managed to diagnose the cause of the strange skin rash that afflicted my hands. The doctors at the emergency center I visited a few hours earlier seemed baffled. I didn’t realize one could be poisoned by dormant vines in the winter. Now I know.
To the untrained eye, a wreath made of poison oak can look much like one made of grapevines, but they certainly are not the same. (One might think that a boy whose family had lived along “Grapevine Creek” for four generations would know the difference). One vine is genuine and produces sweet fruit to nourish the body, but the other vine produces poison that hurts. It is wise to know the difference between what is good and that which only appears good; between what is medicinal and what seems healthful, but actually delivers sickness or even death. In a secular pagan society that teaches that all spiritual teachings and all religious traditions, when distilled to their basic elements, are really teachings veiling the same truth and paths leading to the same destination, one should be careful and discerning in order to stay healthy and not to be deceived.
Priest Symeon Kees, “The Grapevine Wreath.” This is an edited version of an original story published in 2005. The quote from St. Ignatius comes from his letter to the Trallians.
34. The Symbol of Faith
(With special attention also to the Ecumenical Councils)
Note: Since your attention has been turned to the Nicene-Constantinople Creed, formed through the first two Ecumenical Councils, learn the nature and role of the Ecumenical Councils in the Orthodox Church.
The Nature of the Ecumenical Councils
To understand the nature of the Ecumenical Councils, first read about the Apostolic Council in Jerusalem in the Acts of the Apostles, Chapter 15.
Constantine B. Scouteris, Ecclesial Being:
“The Bible was born for the Church and within the Church; and the Councils were also born for the Church and within the Church. Just as the Church herself, when determining the New Testament canon, selects those texts that have been accepted by the community and have been acknowledged by the people of God, so too is this same principle operative as regards the Councils, where the totality of the body of the Church expresses its conscience and faith, that which it has lived and experienced from the very beginning; that is to say, the reality of the revelation which constitutes its own sustenance. The people of God itself preserves the faith, and for this very reason the decisions of the Councils are not imposed by mean s of monarchial powers, nor again are they ensured by a simple democratic vote, but they are always the product of the total faith of the Church….
The ecumenicity of a Council is not given a priori; it does not depend on the number of the Council’s participants or on the will of the convener, but upon its acceptance by the corpus christianorurn, in which the Paraclete acts and which it directs. In other words, it is the Holy Spirit who renders a Council Ecumenical and Catholic, and the people of God acknowledge this reality, that is, the primacy of the Holy Spirit. At the Councils the agreement among the Fathers was founded upon the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and upon the truth that the Holy Spirit revealed. The certainly that the Holy Spirit was directing the work of the Councils, so that the Father of the Synod expressed the common conscience and faith of the Church, as well as the liturgical and spiritual experience of the whole plemora of the Church, can be seen in the texts of the Counils themselves. The Council of Jerusalem declares categorically: ‘For it iseemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us’ (Acts 15:28).”
Constantine B. Scouteris, Ecclesial Being: Contributions to Theological Dialogue, ed. by Christopher Veniamin (South Canaan: Mount Thabor Publishing, 2006), 126-127.
The First Ecumenical Council (AD 325)
Selection from Eusebius of Caesarea, The Life of Constantine:
On St. Constantine’s role in the First Ecumenical Council:
“Then as if to bring a divine array against this enemy, he convoked a general council, and invited the speedy attendance of bishops from all quarters, in letters expressive of the honorable estimation in which he held them. Nor was this merely the issuing of a bare command but the emperor’s good will contributed much to its being carried into effect: for he allowed some the use of the public means of conveyance, while he afforded to others an ample supply of horses for their transport. The place, too, selected for the synod, the city Nicea in Bithynia (named from “Victory”), was appropriate to the occasion. As soon then as the imperial injunction was generally made known, all with the utmost willingness hastened thither, as though they would outstrip one another in a race; for they were impelled by the anticipation of a happy result to the conference, by the hope of enjoying present peace, and the desire of beholding something new and strange in the person of so admirable an emperor. Now when they were all assembled, it appeared evident that the proceeding was the work of God, inasmuch as men who had been most widely separated, not merely in sentiment but also personally, and by difference of country, place, and nation, were here brought together, and comprised within the walls of a single city, forming as it were a vast garland of priests, composed of a variety of the choicest flowers.”
“Now when the appointed day arrived on which the council met for the final solution of the questions in dispute, each member was present for this in the central building of the palace, which appeared to exceed the rest in magnitude. On each side of the interior of this were many seats disposed in order, which were occupied by those who had been invited to attend, according to their rank. As soon, then, as the whole assembly had seated themselves with becoming orderliness, a general silence prevailed, in expectation of the emperor’s arrival. And first of all, three of his immediate family entered in succession, then others also preceded his approach, not of the soldiers or guards who usually accompanied him, but only friends in the faith. And now, all rising at the signal which indicated the emperor’s entrance, at last he himself proceeded through the midst of the assembly, like some heavenly messenger of God, clothed in raiment which glittered as it were with rays of light, reflecting the glowing radiance of a purple robe, and adorned with the brilliant splendor of gold and precious stones. Such was the external appearance of his person; and with regard to his mind, it was evident that he was distinguished by piety and godly fear. This was indicated by his downcast eyes, the blush on his countenance, and his gait. For the rest of his personal excellencies, he surpassed all present in height of stature and beauty of form, as well as in majestic dignity of mien, and invincible strength and vigor. All these graces, united to a suavity of manner, and a serenity becoming his imperial station, declared the excellence of his mental qualities to be above all praise. As soon as he had advanced to the upper end of the seats, at first he remained standing, and when a low chair of wrought gold had been set for him, he waited until the bishops had beckoned to him, and then sat down, and after him the whole assembly did the same.”
From Eusebius, The Life of Constantine, Chps. 6 & 10, NPNF. The text is available here: http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/npnf201.txt
On the Bishops who participated in the First Ecumenical Council:
“In effect, the most distinguished of God’s ministers from all the churches which abounded in Europe, Lybia, and Asia were here assembled. And a single house of prayer, as though divinely enlarged, sufficed to contain at once Syrians and Cilicians, Phoenicians and Arabians, delegates from Palestine, and others from Egypt; Thebans and Libyans, with those who came from the region of Mesopotamia. A Persian bishop too was present at this conference, nor was even a Scythian found wanting to the number. Pontus, Galatia, and Pamphylia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Phrygia, furnished their most distinguished prelates; while those who dwelt in the remotest districts of Thrace and Macedonia, of Achaia and Epirus, were notwithstanding in attendance. Even from Spain itself, one whose fame was widely spread took his seat as an individual in the great assembly. The prelate of the imperial city was prevented from attending by extreme old age; but his presbyters were present, and supplied his place.”
“Of these ministers of God, some were distinguished by wisdom and eloquence, others by the gravity of their lives, and by patient fortitude of character, while others again united in themselves all these graces. There were among them men whose years demanded veneration: others were younger, and in the prime of mental vigor; and some had but recently entered on the course of their ministry.”
Eusebius, Life of Constantine, NPNF, second series, vol.1. The text is available for free at this address: http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/npnf201.txt
Theodoret of Cyrus, Bishop of Cyrus, Ecclesiastical History:
“At this period many individuals were richly endowed with apostolical gifts; and many, like the holy apostle[s], bore in their bodies the marks of the Lord Jesus Christ. James, bishop of Antioch, a city of Mygdonia, which is called Nisibis by the Syrians and Assyrians, raised the dead and restored them to life, and performed many other wonders which it would be superfluous to mention again in detail in this history, as I have already given an account of them in my work, entitled “Philotheus.” Paul, bishop of Neo-Caesarea, a fortress situated on the banks of the Euphrates, had suffered from the frantic rage of Licinius. He had been deprived of the use of both hands by the application of a red-hot iron, by which the nerves which give motion to the muscles had been contracted and rendered dead. Some had had the right eye dug out, others had lost the right arm. Among these was Paphnutius of Egypt. In short, the Council looked like an assembled army of martyrs. Yet this holy and celebrated gathering was not entirely free from the element of opposition; for there were some, though so few as easily to be reckoned, of fair surface, like dangerous shallows, who really, though not openly, supported the blasphemy of Arius.”
Theodoret of Cyrus, Ecclesiastical History, Bk. 1, NPNF, second series, vol. 3. The text is available for free at this address: http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/npnf203.txt
The Seven Ecumenical Councils
Note: Although the Orthodox Church counts seven Ecumenical Councils, two later Councils are essentially accepted as Ecumenical Councils as well. Seven is a symbolic number of perfection. So, the Church refers to Seven Ecumenical Councils, but does not necessarily limit the number.
Including (but not necessarily limited to) the Seven Ecumenical Councils:
The Council of Jerusalem or “Apostolic Conference” (c. AD 50) – See Acts 15
1st Ecumenical Council – The 1st Council of Nicaea (AD 325)
2nd Ecumenical Council – The 1st Council of Constantinople (AD 381)
3rd Ecumenical Council – The Council of Ephesus (AD 431)
4th Ecumenical Council – The Council of Chalcedon (AD 451)
5th Ecumenical Council – The 2nd Council of Constantinople (AD 553)
6th Ecumenical Council – The 3rd Council of Constantinople (AD 680-681)
- Quinisext Council (AD 692) – Extension of 6th Ecumenical Council
7th Ecumenical Council – The 2nd Council of Nicaea (AD 787)
4th Council of Constantinople (AD 879), sometimes called the “8th Ecumenical Council”
5th Council of Constaninople (AD 1341), sometimes called the “9th Ecumenical Council”
The Work of the Seven Ecumenical Councils:
1st: Formulated the First Part of the Creed, defining the divinity of the Son of God
2nd: Formulated the Second Part of the Creed, defining the divinity of the Holy Spirit
3rd: Defined Christ as the Incarnate Word of God and Mary as Theotokos
4th: Defined Christ as Perfect God and Perfect Man in One Person
5th: Reconfirmed the Doctrines of the Trinity and of Christ
6th: Affirmed the True Humanity of Jesus by insisting upon the reality of His human will and action
7th: Affirmed the propriety of icons as genuine expressions of the Christian Faith
Fr. Thomas Hopko, The Orthodox Church, Vol. 1 on “Doctrine,” 2nd Edition (Department of Religious Education, Orthodox Church in America, 1997); Orthodoxwiki.org entries: “Council of Jerusalem” and “Ecumenical Councils.”
“8th”: Reconfirmed the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed as confirmed by previous Ecumenical Councils / Condemned the addition of the filioque (“and the Son”) clause by the Patriarchate of Rome
“9th”: Affirmed hesychasm / Condemned the rationalistic philosophical approach to theology
35. Be Like a Healthy Fruit Tree
“If we sincerely love God we cast out the passions by this very love. Love for him yearns to prefer him to the world and the soul to the body. It means to despise worldly things and to devote oneself continually to him through self-mastery, love, prayer, psalmody, and so forth.”
St. Maximus the Confessor, “The Four Hundred Chapters on Love,”cent. 3 ch. 50, Selected Writings, trans. by George Berthold, The Classics of Western Spirituality
36. The Practical Lifestyle of the Way
37. The Thrice Holy Prayer
38. Maintain Harmony and Balance
39. Be Watchful
Selection from St. Gregory of Sinai, “Instructions to Hesychasts,” warning against prelest (spiritual delusion) :
“Watch with care and intelligence, you lover of God. When, while you work, you see within or without you a light or a flame, or an image—of Christ, for example, or of an angel, or of someone else—do not accept it lest you suffer harm. And do not yourself create fantasies; nor pay attention to those that create themselves, nor allow your mind to take their impressions. For all those things, being impressed and imagined from without, aim at seducing your soul.—The true beginning of prayer is warmth of the heart, which scorches passions, fills the heart with the joy and delight of unshakable love and strengthen it with sure conviction.”
St. Gregory of Sinai, “Instructions to Hesychasts”, section 10, Writings from the Philokalia on Prayer of the Heart, trans. by E. Kadloubovsky and G. E. H. Palmer (London: Faber and Faber, 1951), p 90.
40. Defeating Bad Thoughts
Selections from St. Silouan the Athonite, “Concerning Intrusive Thoughts and Delusions”:
“Evil thoughts afflict the proud soul, and until she humbles herself she knows no rest from them. When wrong thoughts besiege you, call like Adam upon God, saying, ‘O Lord, my Maker and Creator, Thou seest how my soul is vexed with bad thoughts…Have mercy on me.’ And when you stand before the face of the Master, steadfastly remember that He will give ear to all your supplications if they be for your good.
A cloud blows over and hides the sun, making everything dark. In the same way, one prideful thought causes the soul to lose grace, and she is left in darkness. But, equally, a single impulse of humility – and grace returns. This I have experienced and proved in myself.”
“It is very difficult to recognize pride in oneself. But here are some signs to tell you: if the enemy (devils) assail you, or wrong thoughts torment you, it means that humility is lacking in you, and so even if you do not realize the presence of pride in you – humble yourself.”
Archimandrite Sophrony, St. Silouan the Athonite, trans. by Rosemary Edmonds, Chapter 17, “Concerning Intrusive Thoughts and Delusions,” (Crestwood, NY: St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 1991), 441,447.
Kyriacos Markides, The Mountain of Silence: A Search for Orthodox Spirituality:
“Logismoi are much more intense than simple thoughts. They penetrate into the very depths of a human being. They have enormous power. Let us say,’ Fr. Maximos went on to clarify, ‘that a simple thought is a weaklogismos. We need to realize, however, that certain thoughts, or logismoi, once inside a human being, can undermine every trace of a spiritual life in its very foundation. People who live in the world don’t know about the nature and power of logismoi. That is, they don’t have the experience of that reality. But as they proceed on their spiritual struggle, particularly through systematic prayer, then are they able to understand the true meaning and power of this reality'” (118).
“‘I have noticed that some people, particularly young, oversensitive souls,’ Fr. Maximos said, breaking the silence, ‘suffer so much from these logismoi that it often leads them into psychopathological conditions. They reach such states partly because of their ignorance of the nature of logismoi. Such persons who may be attacked by a perverted, or let us say a sinful logismos, are unable to realize that such a logismos does not necessarily emanate from within themselves, but is directed toward them from the outside. They feel guilty and begin what the late Paisios used to call the ‘the repetition of those whys.’ They become obsessive. Oversensitive persons become even more sensitive and blame themselves with all kinds of questions: “Why do I have such a thought, why?” Such people are in dire need of proper instruction on how to handle the logismoi,’ Fr. Maximos pointed out. He went on to say that the most dangerous logismoi are those sent by demonic spirits that get support and get activated by our own passions. Logismoi coming from demons are extremely devious and duplicitous” (120).
Kyriacos Markides, The Mountain of Silence: A Search for Orthodox Spirituality (New York, NY: Doubleday, 2001), 118, 120.
Selection from St. Gregory of Sinai, “Instructions to Hesychasts”:
“No beginner can ever drive away a thought if God does not drive it away. Only the strong are capable of struggling with them and banishing them. But even they do not achieve this by themselves, but with God’s help rise up to wrestle with them, armed with His weapons. So, when thoughts come, call to our Lord Jesus, often and patiently, and they will retreat; for they cannot bear the warmth of the heart produced by prayer, and flee as if scorched by fire. John of the Ladder tells us to flog our foes with the name of Jesus; for our God is fire, devouring evil. The Lord is quick to help, and will speedily revenge those who whole-heartedly call to Him day and night. –But he who does not possess the action of prayer can conquer thoughts in another manner, by imitating Moses. For if he rises up and lifts his eyes and hands to heaven (Exod. xvii.11) God drives thoughts away. After this he should against sit down and patiently resume his prayer.—This method is for a man who has not yet attained the action of prayer. But even a man who already possesses the action of prayer, when bodily passions, such as laziness and lust, grievous and violent passions, stir in him, often gets up and raises his hands to seek help against them. Still, to avoid prelest he does not do this for long, but after a while sits down again, to prevent the enemy from seducing his mind by showing him some phantom. For only the pure an perfect can have a mind safe from harm, even though the mind be safe from downfall not matter where it is, whether high or low, in the heart of elsewhere.”
* The word prelest means “spiritual delusion.”
St. Gregory of Sinai, “Instructions to Hesychasts”, section 4, Writings from the Philokalia on Prayer of the Heart, trans. by E. Kadloubovsky and G. E. H. Palmer (London: Faber and Faber, 1951), p. 75-76.
Copyright © 2018 by Fr. Symeon D. S. Kees