THE

FAITH
DEDICATION
To
B.E.C.
my Mother
my Best Friend
 THE FAITH SERIES

THE FAITH
Understanding Orthodox Christianity

THE WAY
What Every Protestant Should Know about the Orthodox Church

THE TRUTH
What Every Roman Catholic Should Know about the Orthodox Church

THE LIFE
The Orthodox Doctrine of Salvation

Available from Regina Orthodox Press,

www.reginaorthodoxpress.com, Toll Free 800-636-2470
 THE
FAITH
Understanding Orthodox Christianity

An Orthodox Catechism

Clark Carlton

Editorial Committee
Archbishop DMITRI of Dallas
Bishop ISAIAH of Denver
Bishop BASIL of Wichita
Archimandrite Peter
 © Clark Carlton, 1997

ISBN 978-0-9649141-1-7

eConversion by goingebook.com

Cover Photo: Colombe Che Bevono. Tomb of Galla Placidia; Ravenna, Italy. Used by permission.

All Scripture quotations are from the King James Version unless otherwise noted. Some quotations have
been amended by the author to better reflect the original Greek text.

Regina Orthodox Press

P.O. Box 5288
Salisbury, MA 01952
1-800-636-2470
FAX: 978-462-5079
 CONTENTS
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
FOREWORDS
Archbishop DMITRI
Bishop ISAIAH
Bishop BASIL
Archimandrite Peter
PREFACE
INTRODUCTION
What is the Orthodox Church?
THE SYMBOL OF FAITH

Part One
The Doctrines of Christ

CHAPTER ONE
The Foundation of the Orthodox Faith
Special Study: The Sign of the Cross
CHAPTER TWO
The Holy Trinity
Special Study: The Trinity in the Old Testament
CHAPTER THREE
Creation
Special Study: Creation and Evolution
CHAPTER FOUR
The Fall of Mankind
Special Study: The Passions
CHAPTER FIVE
The Promised Messiah of Israel
 Special Study: Typology
CHAPTER SIX
The Incarnation
Special Study: Icon of the Invisible God
CHAPTER SEVEN
Man’s “Yes” to God
Special Study: Fervent Intercessors
CHAPTER EIGHT
The Teachings of Christ
Special Study: Saving Humility
CHAPTER NINE
Love Stronger than Death
Special Study: Great and Holy Saturday

Part Two
The Life In Christ

CHAPTER TEN
The Birth and Mission of the Church
Special Study: Missions and Evangelism
CHAPTER ELEVEN
The Structure of the Church
Special Study: Ecumenical Councils
CHAPTER TWELVE
Holy Baptism
Special Study: The Baptism of Tears
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
The Seal of the Gift of the Holy Spirit
Special Study: The Fruits of the Spirit
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
The Mystical Supper
Special Study: The Communion of Saints
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
 The Church at Prayer
Special Study: Fasting
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
The Mystery of Love
Special Study: God and Gender
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Monasticism
Special Study: The Holy Mountain
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
The Lord’s Return
Special Study: Heaven and Hell
CONCLUSION
Living an Orthodox Life in a Secular World
RECOMMENDED READING
 ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Clark Carlton was born in Cookeville, Tennessee in 1964 and reared as a
Southern Baptist. He earned a B.A. in philosophy from Carson-Newman College
in Jefferson City, Tennessee. While studying as a Raymond Bryan Brown
Memorial Scholar at the Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake
Forest, North Carolina, he converted to the Orthodox Faith and was chrismated
at the St. Gregory the Great Orthodox Mission in Raleigh. The story of his
conversion, “From First Baptist to the First Century” was published in The
Christian Activist (Volume 10, 1997).
Mr. Carlton earned a Master of Divinity degree from St. Vladimir’s Orthodox
Theological Seminary in Crestwood, New York in 1990. His senior thesis, under
the direction of Fr. John Meyendorff, was entitled “The Humanity of Christ
According to St. Maximus the Confessor.”
In 1993, he earned an M.A. in Early Christian Studies from the Catholic
University of America in Washington, D.C. At present he is working as an
adjunct instructor of philosophy at Tennessee Technological University in his
home town while completing his Ph.D. dissertation on the dogmatic and
ascetical theology of St. Mark the Monk (5th c.).
 FOREWORDS
Archbishop DMITRI
In his essay, “The Lost Scriptural Mind,” Father Georges Florovsky, perhaps
the twentieth century’s most notable theologian, decries the “neglect of theology
in the instruction given to the laity in modern times.” He is not fantasizing when
he says that “both clergy and laity are hungry for theology.”
Clark Carlton’s The Faith: Understanding Orthodox Christianity is a
theological work. It is of the kind that can contribute greatly to satisfying the
hunger of which Father Florovsky speaks. On the other hand, it is no dry catalog
of doctrines and dogmas. Every part of the book is expressed in a lively and
absorbing manner. In my mind, one of its most important features is the way in
which the author makes the presentation of each doctrine or dogma a call to the
life in Christ. The purpose or aim that shines through on every page is the
salvation of our souls.
Mr. Carlton’s deep understanding of the meaning of key scriptural passages,
as well as the support for his explanations that he draws from the Fathers, both
ancient and modern, make this work an indispensable guide for Orthodox
Christians who want to know their faith and for those who are in search of
authentic Christianity. His facing crucial issues of our times, in the text itself, in
the questions posed in the “Reflections,” and especially in the “Conclusion,”
make the whole presentation very contemporary. At the same time, his theology
is very traditional.
I pray that the Lord, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, may bless the
author and his work for His glory and the building up of His holy Church.
DMITRI
Archbishop of Dallas

* * *

Bishop ISAIAH
Many catechisms have been written by clergy and laity during the past fifty
years, which for their time proved helpful to the reader, as well as edifying.
 However, The Faith is by far the most orthodox in that it begins with the
essential and basic premise of who God is. Without first identifying God as He
has revealed Himself to us and building on this foundation, one can have a
catechism that is simply a collection of questions and answers without
necessarily allowing the reader to integrate the information and logically apply it
to his personal life. Such a catechism of questions and answers creates the
danger, moreover, of the reader interpreting those answers as man’s responses,
rather than God instructing us as to how we should believe and how we should
worship Him.
It is not so with this catechism. This book is truly a catechesis in that it greatly
assists the reader to know what and how an Orthodox Christian should believe,
so that he may live in the world but not conform to the world. This catechism,
then, is indeed superior to other previous attempts in teaching the true Faith,
which is the only way to eternal life.
The format is akin to the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed in that God, the
Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, is first presented according to the life of the
Church which we call Holy Tradition, as well as Holy Scripture. In addition, a
good number of the holy Fathers of the Church are quoted throughout the book,
which enriches the book’s contents in all of its subject matter.
The creation and the fall of mankind are then set before the reader in historic
and chronological perspective, followed by the coming of Jesus Christ into the
world as the prophesied Messiah. His teachings are then presented based on
God’s love for the world.
The mission and the structure of the Church are carefully explained on the
basis of the Supreme Sacrifice of the Lord on the Cross. The sacraments of
Baptism, Chrismation, and Confession are treated, not legalistically, but
pastorally, thereby allowing the reader to identify himself as an active participant
in these holy mysteries.
The chapter on the Mystical Supper is a powerful development–and correctly
so–of the awesomeness of Holy Communion, awakening the reader to the fact
that no one can receive the holy Body and Blood of Christ flippantly or even
lightly. The chapters on marriage and celibacy are presented in a guileless
manner, elevating both conditions in harmony with God’s gifts to His people for
their salvation.
Finally, the chapters on heaven and hell and God’s unfading love throughout
His creation allow the reader to return to the reality of the secular and, for the
most part, atheistic world, not only enlightened and edified, but with a clear
purpose as to his responsibilities regarding this world. He can better see how
secularism and our consumeristic society minimizes and even negates the
magnificence of God’s creation from His crowning creature, man, to every blade
of grass that sprouts forth out of the earth.
Although this catechism should be in the hands of every Orthodox Christian,
regardless of nationality or racial and cultural heritage, it is the best-written
catechism thus far for any person who wishes to understand the Faith and its
theology in a very clear and comprehensive way from the truths in the Book of
Genesis to the divinization of creation in the Book of Revelation.
Thus, it is obvious to one reading this work that God is and always has been
consistent and true to His promises of a new heaven and a new earth in an
unbroken sequence of historical events from the days of Adam and Eve, to the
present, latter days, and on into eternity.
ISAIAH
Bishop of Denver

* * *

Bishop Basil
In our Church, neither patriarchs nor councils could ever introduce any novelty, because
the protector of the faith among us is the very body of the Church, that is, our people
themselves, who always desire to preserve their faith unchanged and in agreement with
the faith of the Fathers.

This passage from the famous ENCYCLICAL LETTER TO ALL ORTHODOX

CHRISTIANS, penned nearly a century and a half ago by Oecumenical Patriarch
Anthimos VI and signed by the other Patriarchs of the East, clearly and
succinctly sets forth a fundamental teaching of the Church: that the body of
believers–clergy and laity together–is the guardian of divine truth. While it is
true that the bishop is graced with the charisma of being teacher of the faith, it is
also true that the protector, preserver and guardian of that faith which was once
for all delivered to the saints (Jude 3) is not the episcopate alone, but the entire
Body of Christ. Having understood this basic teaching, it should be perfectly
clear why the publication of this present offering by Regina Orthodox Press is
such a joyous–and vital–event in the life of the Church.
How does one protect, preserve and guard that which one does not know?
How may falsehood be discerned if truth be not known? The Faith:
Understanding Orthodox Christianity, a straightforward exposition of the faith
written in a comfortable and easy-to-understand style, is precisely that which can
help instruct believers in the doctrines and tenets of the faith, thus equipping
them as with armor, which is the knowledge of truth. And truth, being neither
merely theory nor philosophy but the very theanthropos Jesus Christ, is nothing
less than Life itself. Serge S. Verhovskoy, the late and highly revered professor
of dogmatic theology at St. Vladimir’s Seminary, taught that the knowledge of
truth coincides with the spiritual life; while ignorance, and even more than that,
false knowledge, is spiritual death (The Light of the World, SVS Press: 1982, p.
11). For we are not contending against flesh and blood, as the holy Apostle Paul
warns us, but against principalities, against the powers, against the world rulers
of this present darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly
places. Therefore take the whole armor of God, that you may be able to
withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand (Ephesians 6:12-13,
Revised Standard Version).
The Faith is written, and useful, to two distinct audiences: those, as yet
outside the one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church, but who are inquiring into
or being catechized in the faith, and those who, already possessing the faith–or
rather, being possessed by it–are responsible for its protection and preservation
and to whom the ENCYCLICAL was and is addressed:

the whole Orthodox society of the faithful, to the clergy and to the God-loving people, to
the superiors and to the subordinates, to the rich and to the poor, to the parents and to the
children, to the teachers and to the students, to the educated and to the ignorant.

May this book bring glory to the holy, consubstantial, life-giving and
undivided Trinity, and contribute to the upbuilding of the holy Church and the
salvation of souls.
BASIL
Titular Bishop of Enfeh
al-Koura
Wichita, Kansas

* * *

Archimandrite Peter
The One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church of Christ–The Orthodox
Church–is the pillar and ground of the truth (1 Timothy 3:15). This Truth is–
immutable. It is found in both the Holy Scripture and the Holy Tradition, which
the Church painstakingly, often times with great sacrifices to Herself, preserved
without distortions, perversions or corruptions from the day She was founded on
Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit descended on the Apostles.
Consequently, there can be nothing new in the Church. The truths that She
teaches today in the modern world are exactly what She taught nineteen hundred
years ago, at the dawn of Christianity. What She taught a thousand years ago
among the Slavs, is precisely what She teaches today in Africa, or anywhere
else.
What often changes is the approach.
The merit of this book is that the author is able to present eternal truths in a
way that is comprehensible to modern man, in a way that he understands and can
relate to.
When studying this book, one must also bear in mind that Orthodox dogma
has moral significance. Saint Nikolai (Velimirovic) of the Serbian Orthodox
Church writes: “If the dogma of faith seems at times to you to be tough food,
you must first try to fulfill Christian moral dogma, and then the understanding of
the dogma of faith will be revealed to you” (The Prologue from Ochrid, Part
One, p. 59).
Archimandrite Peter
Holy Trinity Monastery
Jordanville, New York
 PREFACE

The idea for this catechism was born in the early 1990’s out of the need for a
good, single-volume introduction to the Orthodox Faith. Being a convert myself,
I was acutely aware of the needs of English-speaking seekers. In addition,
having taught both youth and adult Sunday School classes, I was also aware of
the general lack of theological knowledge among parishioners.
One of the major problems in regard to currently available literature is what
has been referred to as the “Western Captivity” of Orthodox theology. While the
extent of Roman Catholic influence has no doubt been exaggerated, it cannot be
denied that both Russian and Greek theological works of the last centuries bear
the marks of Latin influence. For example, one needs only to recall the often
repeated statement that the Orthodox Church recognizes “seven sacraments.”
The enumeration of seven sacraments is the product of medieval Roman
Catholic theology, not Orthodox theology.
The Latin influence on Orthodox theology is most clearly seen, however, in
the way theological books are organized. The most complete theological manual
available in English is Fr. Michael Pomazansky’s Orthodox Dogmatic Theology.
This is a marvellous book, which I highly recommend as a reference tool.
However, it is not without problems.
Orthodox Dogmatic Theology begins with a discussion of the sources of
revelation and proceeds to a discussion of the nature and attributes of God, all
before introducing the doctrine of the Trinity. Although the content of the book
is thoroughly Orthodox, the material is presented in a manner no different from
that of Roman Catholic or Protestant manuals of theology.
The present catechism presupposes that the way the teachings of the Church
are explained is important. Orthodox theology is an organic whole. Every aspect
of the life of the Church is an expression of the life of the Holy Trinity, made
accessible to man through the Incarnation of the Son of God. The Faith is
designed to express that fundamental unity. No topic is considered in isolation.
Everything revolves around the fundamental doctrines of the Trinity and the
Incarnation.
I owe a great debt of gratitude to Frank Schaeffer for making the publication
of this volume possible and to William Anderson for editing it. I also wish to
thank the members of the Editorial Committee for their input and corrections. It
is a rather daunting task to produce a book entitled The Faith–one which should
be undertaken only with fear and trembling. It is, therefore, a great blessing to
have the oversight of these venerable hierarchs, especially that of my own
beloved archpastor, Archbishop Dmitri of Dallas.
Clark (Innocent) Carlton
Feast of the Lord’s Baptism 1997
 INTRODUCTION
What is the Orthodox Church?
The Orthodox Church is the original Christian Church, established by our Lord Jesus
Christ upon the foundation of the Apostles, Himself being the chief Cornerstone, and
enlivened by the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost.

In 1987, almost 2,000 evangelical Christians in various cities throughout the

United States converted en masse to the Orthodox Church. Since that time
several Protestant congregations have converted, as well as thousands of
individuals. A Church known for its antiquity and adherence to tradition is now
one of the fastest growing Christian groups in America. What is the attraction of
Orthodoxy? Why are so many people leaving the religion of their upbringing to
embrace this ancient faith?
In 1794, monks from the Valaam Monastery in northwestern Russia were sent
as missionaries to Russian Alaska. There, for the first time, the peoples of North
America heard the Christian Gospel in all of its apostolic fullness. There, for the
first time, converts were baptized and the Eucharist was celebrated in what is
now the state of Alaska.
Although Orthodoxy has been on this continent for two centuries, it remains
little known. For many, it is simply an exotic, eastern version of Roman
Catholicism. For others, it is mainly associated with Greek or Russian or Middle
Eastern food festivals. A great many more Americans do not even realize that
the Orthodox Church exists.
Perhaps the greatest tragedy in all of this is that many Orthodox Christians
themselves do not know much about their faith. It is not unheard of for an
Orthodox Christian to describe his faith as “Catholicism without the Pope.”
There is, of course, a reason for this unfortunate situation. Although the first
priests in North America came here specifically as missionaries, the vast
majority of Orthodox Churches in the continental United States were founded by
immigrants from Greece, Eastern Europe, and the Middle East. For the most
part, these Christians worshipped in the language of their mother country. This
helped to insulate the community from the wider American society, and, as a
result, insulated society from the treasures of the Church.
With the mass conversion of the “Evangelical Orthodox” in 1987, however,
the cat was out of the bag. The Orthodox Church is experiencing a great renewal
in this country. Not only are thousands of Americans turning to the Orthodox
Church as their true spiritual home, many of those reared in the Church have
rediscovered the rich treasure of Orthodoxy.
The reason for this renewal is clear: People are finding in Orthodoxy the
fullness of the apostolic faith. Tired of following this new religious leader or that
new fad, they are looking for a Church with deep, historical roots. They are also
tired of having the doctrinal rug pulled out from under them by their own pastors
and bishops. They are looking for a faith that does not change with the weather.
People are also hungry for genuine worship, a real encounter with God and not
merely a lecture or emotional pep-rally. Finally, people are looking for evidence
of genuine sanctity. They want a religion that makes a difference in their lives,
not just an interesting theological system.
The Orthodox Church is all of this and more, for She is nothing less than the
Church, founded by our Lord Jesus Christ. Although the Orthodox Church
judges the soul of no man, leaving judgment solely to God, She does claim that
She, and She alone, is the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church confessed in
the Nicene Creed.
The claim of the Orthodox Church to be the one and only true Church is based
upon four factors:

1. The Orthodox Church has maintained an unbroken historical continuity with the
original Church founded by Jesus in Jerusalem.

2. The Orthodox Church has faithfully maintained the apostolic faith once delivered to the
Saints (Jude 3), neither adding to nor subtracting from it.

3. The Orthodox Church faithfully worships God the Father in Spirit and in Truth,
providing mankind with personal access to the life and grace of the All-holy Trinity.

4. The Orthodox Church has produced untold numbers of Saints throughout the centuries–
persons who bear within themselves the uncreated grace of God.

Historical Continuity
Compared with European countries, the United States is a relatively young
nation. For most of us, however, this fact goes unnoticed. Indeed, anyone who
visits Philadelphia or Williamsburg gets a definite sense of American history. It
is not until one travels to Europe and climbs around castles built centuries before
Columbus’ voyage or perhaps stays in a inn built decades before the American
Revolution that one begins to realize just how young our own country really is.
It is much the same with religion. The typical American Christian has very
little, if any, historical consciousness. He may know a few things about the
history of his denomination, but it is not until he is confronted with a church of
great antiquity that he begins to consider the origins of his own faith. When
encountering the Orthodox Church, the Protestant Christian comes face to face
with a form of Christianity three times as old as his own.
The origin of most Protestant denominations can be traced back to one or two
founders. Thus, the Lutheran Church is traced back to Martin Luther, the
Reformed Church to John Calvin, the Presbyterian Church to John Knox, the
Methodist Church to the Wesleys (although they never actually left the Anglican
Church), and the Churches of Christ to Barton Stone and Alexander Campbell.
Although Baptist Churches cannot claim one founder, their history is traceable
through the English Separatist Movement back to the Church of England. In
every case, the trail stops dead in the sixteenth century with the Protestant
Reformation.
The Orthodox Church, in contrast, traces its history back to the first century
Church of Jerusalem, founded by Christ Himself. The Church is fully conscious
of this history. Indeed, She celebrates it, marking important events in Her history
throughout the year with special celebrations.
This concern with history is an important element of the Orthodox Faith, for it
underscores the fact that the Church is an historical community. When Christ
ascended to heaven, He did not leave behind a system of philosophy or a school.
He left His Church, which was a concrete, historical community there in
Jerusalem. From Jerusalem, the Christian Gospel spread throughout the known
world, and local Churches were created. All of these local Churches, however,
sprang from and were dependent upon the original Church in Jerusalem for their
faith and practice.
Christianity is not a philosophy; it is not a set of rules that one may follow on
one’s own. It is a life which can only be lived in community, in the Church that
Christ Himself founded. Our Lord made it perfectly clear that this Church would
overcome the gates of hell itself. So the question that faces the modern Christian
is, “Which community is the authentic Church?”
The Orthodox Church of today does not imitate that original Christian
community; She is that community. When the “Evangelical Orthodox” first
began their pilgrimage from Evangelical Protestantism to Orthodoxy, they called
themselves the “New Covenant Apostolic Order.” They tried as best they could
to make their communities like the Church they read about in the New
Testament. As the years went on, however, they realized that imitation was not
enough. They found that the Church they were trying to imitate still existed, and
that authentic Christianity could be lived only within Her embrace.
The historical continuity of the Orthodox Church, therefore, is the first pillar
of Her claim to be the one, authentic Church of Christ. Others may try to imitate
the Church of the New Testament, some more closely than others, but no
Protestant denomination can claim an organic unity with Her.

Apostolic Doctrine
Historical continuity by itself, however, is not enough to ensure that a
community is the true Church. The Orthodox Church is the true Church of Christ
not only because She can trace Her history uninterruptedly back to the New
Testament, but also because She has faithfully maintained the authentic teaching
of the Apostles, neither adding to nor subtracting from it.
The Roman Catholic Church can also claim an unbroken, historical succession
from the time of the Apostles down to today, yet Rome has changed the teaching
of the early Church on important issues and added strange doctrines of its own
invention. For these reasons the Orthodox Church is not in communion with
Rome, there being no unity of life without unity of faith.
In the eleventh century, the Church of Rome officially altered the Nicene
Creed. This alteration had been refused by Popes until that time. When,
however, the alteration was made official, the Church of Rome no longer
confessed the same faith as the early Church.
Another difference between the Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches
concerns the authority of the Pope. From the eleventh century on, the Papacy
made increasingly bold claims to sovereignty over the entire Church, including
the other patriarchs–claims never accepted by Eastern bishops and never
affirmed by an Ecumenical Council. This trend reached its apex with the First
Vatican Council (19th c.). This Roman council decreed as a dogma of the
Roman Church that the Pope is infallible when he speaks ex cathedra, that is, in
his official capacity as Pope.
The idea that any one individual in the Church is infallible is blatantly absurd.
In the early Church, when problems arose over doctrine or discipline, the
Apostles, and later the bishops whom they appointed, met together in councils to
decide these issues.
In Acts 15 we read of the first Church council, which was held in Jerusalem.
The question was raised whether gentile converts to Christianity should be
circumcised. Peter, Paul, and Barnabas addressed the assembly, then James, the
Bishop of Jerusalem, summed up the proceedings and issued a judgment with
which all agreed. They announced their decision with the words, It seemed good
to the Holy Spirit and to us…
No individual member of the Church can lay special claim to the Holy Spirit.
Issues have always been decided by the whole body of the Church meeting in
council. This spirit of collegiality (in Russian, sobornost) is the Church’s
safeguard against heresy, for many bishops have gone astray and taught heresy.
Patriarch Nestorius of Constantinople (5th c.) was deposed and condemned as a
heretic by the Third Ecumenical Council. Pope Honorius of Rome (7th c.) was
condemned as a heretic by the Sixth Ecumenical Council. Interestingly, until the
eleventh century, when Papal claims began to snowball, all Popes had to affirm
their allegiance to the Sixth Council and its condemnation of Pope Honorius as
part of their oath of office.
Church history is a messy business. It is full of heresies and schisms.
Sometimes these issues took centuries to resolve. The Orthodox Church makes
no attempt sweep this under the rug. There is no attempt to pretend that
Nestorius was not Patriarch of Constantinople; he was, and he was a heretic. The
point is, however, that he was deposed from office and his teachings condemned.
The Orthodox Church teaches the same things today that it did in the year
1000, the same things it taught in the year 100; there is a perfect continuity of
faith and life. This is easily contrasted not only with the novel teachings of the
Roman Catholic Church, but with the doctrines of the various Protestant
denominations. All Protestant sects have changed considerably since their
founding. Many denominations do not even teach the same things they taught
fifty years ago, much less four hundred years ago. It is safe to say, for example,
that John Wesley would not recognize much of what goes on today by the name
of Methodism.
E. Y. Mullins, one of the most prominent Baptist theologians of this century,
once said that theology had to be reinvented every generation. This is absolute
nonsense. The Apostle Paul warns of those who would change the message of
the Gospel and clearly commands us: Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold
the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle (2
Thessalonians 2:15).
The Orthodox Christian is not free to believe whatever he wants to believe or
interpret the Holy Scripture in whatever way strikes his fancy. Nor are bishops
free to teach whatever they want. All are called to accept and live by the
apostolic tradition, which has been handed down uncorrupt from the first century
until today.

Right Worship
The word Orthodox means both right belief and right glory or worship. For
the Orthodox, worship and doctrine are inseparable. The proper worship of God
must be rooted in a proper understanding of Who He is. Conversely, a flawed
understanding of God will inevitably lead to improper worship, which insults
rather than glorifies the All-holy Trinity.
When God gave the Law to Moses for the People of Israel, He not only gave
the Ten Commandments as an ethical guide, He also gave very specific
instructions as to how He was to be worshipped. Failure to follow those rules
could have terrible consequences, as Korah and his followers discovered when
they “illegally” offered incense. The ground opened up and swallowed some,
while others were consumed by fire from heaven:

And Eleazar the priest took the brazen censers, wherewith they that were burnt had
offered; and they were made broad plates for a covering of the altar: to be a memorial
unto the Children of Israel, that no stranger, which is not of the seed of Aaron, come near
to offer incense before the Lord; that he be not as Korah and as his company: as the Lord
said to him by the hand of Moses (Numbers 16:39-40).

The “ministers” of the Old Testament were not set apart to minister to the
people, but to God, Who was objectively present in the tabernacle and, later, the
temple. This concept of ministry was adopted by the New Testament Church,
which was, after all, composed at first entirely of Jews. The early Church
adopted, with appropriate changes, the Jewish liturgical day, beginning at
sundown, set times of prayer (Acts 2:42), the yearly calendar of fasts and feasts
(Acts 20:16), and, most importantly, the belief that worship is a sacrifice
directed toward God (Hebrews 13:15).
Since the time of the Protestant Reformation, however, the idea of worship as
a sacrifice and ministration unto God has been gradually replaced with the
notion of congregation-centered worship, where the clergy minister to the people
rather than to God. The result is a plethora of “worship services,” which range
from dry lectures to variety show productions to religious peprallies.
The basic pattern of Orthodox services, on the other hand, has not changed
substantially since their inception. To be sure, as the Church went from a
persecuted sect to a legalized religion and finally to the official religion of the
Roman Empire, the services became more elaborate and complicated. It is only
natural that the services conducted in a great cathedral like that of Hagia Sophia
in Constantinople would be more elaborate than those conducted in secret in a
believer’s living room in Judea. However, the basic structure remained the same.
The Divine Liturgy celebrated in an Orthodox Church today is structurally the
same service as that described by St. Justin the Philosopher in the year 150:

And on the day which is called the Sun’s Day there is an assembly of all who live in the
towns or country; and the memoirs of the Apostles or the writings of the prophets are
read, as much as time permits. When the reader has finished, the president gives a
discourse, admonishing us and exhorting us to imitate these excellent examples. Then we
all rise together and offer prayers; and, as I said above, on the conclusion of our prayer,
bread is brought and wine and water; and the president similarly offers up prayers and
thanksgivings (literally “eucharists”) to the best of his power, and the people assent with
Amen. Then follows the distribution of the Eucharistic Gifts and the partaking of them by
all; and they are sent to the absent by the hands of the deacons (Apology I).

The Church is first and foremost a worshipping community, gathered around

the Table of Her Lord, offering to Him in sacrifice the substance of Her life on
earth (bread and wine) and receiving these Gifts back from Him as the Body and
Blood of Christ. St. Nicholas Cabasilas sums up the importance of the Church’s
worship:

It appears therefore, that to worship God in Spirit and in Truth (John 4:24) and to offer
Him pure homage is an effect of the Holy Table. From this mystery, therefore, we obtain
the gift of being Christ’s members and thus of being like Him. While we were dead it was
impossible to offer homage to the living God. But unless we constantly feast at the
Banquet it is impossible to be alive and to be released from dead works. Just as God is
spirit, and those who worship Him must worship Him in Spirit and in Truth (John 4:24),
so it is fitting that those who choose to worship the Living One should themselves be
living, for, as He says, He is not God of the dead, but of the living (Matthew 22:32) (The
Life in Christ).

True Sanctity
Historical continuity, apostolic doctrine, and right worship are central to the
claim of the Orthodox
Church to be the authentic Church of Christ. These elements mean little,
however, if lives are not changed, if men and women are not conformed to the
image of Christ. In other words, the proof is in the final product. Archimandrite
Vasileios of the Iveron Monastery on Mt. Athos writes:

In the same way, faithfulness to the tradition and the dogmatic teaching of the Church
means not only that the right formulations of terms are not altered, but also that our lives
 are altered and renewed by the truth and regenerative power latent in those terms. Then
man acquires senses and is able to see; he becomes conscious of the deeper meaning and
value of the Orthodox faith as a force in life (Hymn of Entry, p. 19).

Since the first century, the Orthodox Church has produced countless
thousands of true Saints. It is important to note, however, that a Saint is not
simply a nice, moral person. It is not necessary to be a Christian in order to be a
morally upstanding citizen. Mormons are some of the nicest, most moral people
you could ever meet, but they are not Christians. A Saint, on the other hand, is
one whose life has been totally transformed by the uncreated grace of the Holy
Trinity into the likeness of the Son of God.
St. Nectarios of Pentapolis was born to a poor, Greek family but quickly rose
to the rank of metropolitan in the Church of Alexandria, Egypt. Known for his
strict asceticism and his love for the poor and downtrodden, he was well loved
by the common people. This, however, aroused great jealousy on the part of the
other clerics in the Patriarchate. They embarked on a smear campaign against
him, and he was fired from his position. Even after he returned to Greece, his
enemies did not leave him alone, stirring up trouble and false allegations against
him wherever he went.
After many years at the helm of the Rizarios School in Athens, he moved to
the island of Aegina and founded a women’s monastery. Even in old age,
however, his enemies did not leave him alone. He continued to have problems
with Church officials, and at one point he was visited by a civil prosecutor who
made the absurd claim that he was keeping a harem and dumping the bodies of
his bastard children down a well.
Through all of these trials and persecutions, however, God was refining the
soul of His servant as gold is purified in a fire (cf. 1 Peter 1:7). St. Nectarios
became so humble, so utterly dependent upon His Creator, that the uncreated
grace of God literally overflowed his frail body. He was known to be
clairvoyant, and many sought his prayers, knowing that the effectual fervent
prayer of a righteous man availeth much (James 5:16).
St. Nectarios died in an Athens hospital in 1920. The nun and nurse who were
attending him removed his woolen undershirt and carelessly tossed it onto the
bed of a paralytic. The paralyzed man immediately stood up and began praising
God. The next day, at the first public viewing of his body, the crowd was
amazed to see that his face was exuding a sweet-smelling myrrh.
Six months later his coffin was opened while work was being done to the
grave. St. Nectarios’ unembalmed body had remained uncorrupt and continued
to exude myrrh. Like the bones of the prophet Elisha that brought a dead man to
life (2 Kings 13:21), the body of St. Nectarios became a source of healing and
spiritual power. God’s power and majesty are manifest in His Saints even in
death.
A Saint, therefore, is not simply a good person. A Saint is one whose life has
been so transformed by the grace of God that he or she radiates that grace to
those around. A Saint is one who has attained, insofar as it is possible in this life,
the likeness of God within himself. In the final analysis, a Saint is the living
embodiment of the history, doctrine, worship, and ethical life of the Church.
The life of a true Saint of God such as St. Nectarios is easily contrasted with
what so often passes for “spirituality” in our society. Ours is a generation which
seeks after signs and wonders (cf. Matthew 12:39) and places tremendous
emphasis on religious “experiences.” Yet, outside the Church there are very few
genuine yardsticks against which one can measure these experiences. The devil
often appears as an angel of light (cf. 2 Corinthians 11:14); so how is one to
know if an experience or spiritual “technique” is helpful or harmful?
Let us consider one of the most controversial forms of contemporary religious
experience: holy laughter. Holy laughter is a nationwide religious phenomenon
that grew out of a Charismatic, Protestant revival in Canada known as the
“Toronto Blessing.” During services people in the congregation begin laughing
uncontrollably, even to the point of incapacitation. Occasionally some will drop
to the floor on their hands and knees and begin to make animal noises such as
barking like a dog. All of this is said to be done “in the Spirit.”
Holy laughter is highly controversial, even within Charismatic and Pentecostal
circles. Nevertheless, practitioners come armed to the teeth with a slew of
supporting Bible verses and the insistence that such experiences draw them
closer to God. For many, the positive emotional impact of the practice is enough
to confirm its “Christian” character.
For the Orthodox Christian, however, holy laughter is simply not an issue. He
has at his disposal almost two thousand years of Church history and the detailed
doctrinal teachings of the Church against which to measure such phenomena. In
the services of Vespers, Matins, and the Divine Liturgy, he experiences true
worship and communion with God and is able to intuit immediately when
something is amiss or unseemly. Finally, he has literally thousands of Saints as
examples of genuine sanctity.
The lives of the Saints are full of stories of people laughing uncontrollably or
making animal noises. In all cases, the cause was demonic activity. Much of the
holy laughter movement may be nothing more than mass hysteria, an explainable
psychological phenomenon. Where spirits are involved in this movement,
however, it is perfectly clear in the light of Church history, doctrine, liturgy, and
the lives of the Saints that the spirits are demonic.
The Orthodox Christian makes this judgment on the basis of neither abstract
theories nor his own limited, individual experience, but upon the corporate
experience of the Church. When Treasury officers are trained to spot counterfeit
money, they are shown only real currency. They learn to distinguish the genuine
from the false because they learn the earmarks of the genuine currency so well.
Such is the case with the Orthodox Christian.

* * *

History, doctrine, worship, and spirituality are all different aspects of the
apostolic tradition. None is sufficient of itself without the others. Right belief
without an organic, historical connection with the New Testament Church is
merely to imitate the past without sharing in its ongoing life, to have the form of
godliness, but denying the power thereof (2 Timothy 3:5). On the other hand, to
have an unbroken historical connection without preserving the Apostles’
doctrine can only result in improper worship and false spirituality.
Archimandrite Vasileios writes,

Only when we are conformed to Christ, recognizing Him by partaking in His life, do we
“regain our proper stature,” our natural function and our freedom, as the Church and as
persons. Ecclesiology and spirituality have the same basis: dogma. The Church is Christ,
His Body living in history. It is summarized in each of the faithful, who is the Church in
miniature. The personal consciousness of each of the faithful has an ecclesial dimension,
and every problem for the Church is the problem of the personal salvation of each of the
faithful (Hymn of Entry, pp. 20-21).

The Apostle Paul referred to the Church as the pillar and ground of the truth
(1 Timothy 3:15) and as the Body of Christ, the fullness of Him that filleth all in
all (Ephesians 1:23). The Orthodox Christian experiences this fullness. There is
nothing in the Church that is lacking for his salvation.
Every day in Her liturgical gatherings–and especially on Sundays–the Church
commemorates the lives of various Saints. The whole Church of Christ, both on
earth and in heaven, gathers around the Throne of Glory to offer the Father true
worship in Spirit and in Truth. The Divine Scriptures are read and explained; the
unchangeable doctrines are expressed in hymns, and the lives of the Saints are
given as examples to emulate. The faithful are then invited to the one Cup,
which is communion with Christ Himself (cf. 1 Corinthians 10:16).
What is the Orthodox Church? Above all, She is life in Christ, our
participation in and through Him in the unending life of the All-holy Trinity. In
the Church we are prepared for the life of the age to come not only by being
taught the commandments of Christ but by actively experiencing His grace. St.
Nicholas Cabasilas summed up the life of the Church in this way:

As nature prepares the fetus, while it is in its dark and fluid life, for that life which is in
the light, and shapes it, as though according to a model, for the life which it is about to
receive, so likewise it happens to the Saints. This is what the Apostle Paul said when he
wrote to the Galatians, my little children, with whom I am again in travail until Christ be
formed in you (Galatians 4:19).

. . . For us, too, that Sun has graciously risen, the heavenly fragrance has been poured
forth into the malodorous places, and the Bread of angels has been given even unto men.

This is the way in which we draw this life into our souls–by being initiated into the
mysteries, being washed and anointed and partaking of the Holy Table… .O how great is
His goodness! He crowns those who have been washed, and those who partake of His
Banquet He proclaims victors (The Life in Christ).
 THE SYMBOL OF FAITH
I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth and of all
things visible and invisible.

And in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Only-begotten, begotten of
the Father before all ages; Light of Light, very God of very God; begotten, not
made; of one essence with the Father; by Whom all things were made; Who, for
us men and for our salvation, came down from heaven and was incarnate of the
Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, and was made man. And He was crucified also
for us under Pontius Pilate, suffered and was buried. And the third day He rose
again according to the Scriptures, and ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the
right hand of the Father. And He shall come again with glory to judge the living
and the dead; Whose kingdom shall have no end.

And in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the Giver of Life, Who proceedeth from the
Father, Who with the Father and Son together is worshipped and glorified, Who
spoke by the prophets.

I believe in one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church. I confess one Baptism for
the remission of sins. I look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the
age to come. Amen.
PART ONE

THE
DOCTRINES
OF
CHRIST
 CHAPTER ONE
The Foundation of the Orthodox Faith
As the Body of Christ, the Church is mankind’s participation in the unending life of
the Holy Trinity.

“God became man so that man might become God”–this famous saying by St.
Athanasius of Alexandria (4th c.) sums up the message of Orthodoxy. God
created mankind in His own image so that mankind might become like God,
sharing in His eternal, divine life. God’s good will toward His creatures was not
limited to the act of creation, however. Seeing that man was unable to realize the
likeness of God in himself because of his sinfulness, God sent His own Son, the
very Image of His person (Hebrews 1:3), into the world to take human nature
upon Himself and restore it to its original glory in the image of God. In other
words, God–the Creator of all things–became man so that we might become like
Him. In the words of the Liturgy of St. Basil, “He emptied Himself, taking the
form of a servant, being likened to the body of our lowliness, that He might liken
us to the image of His glory.” This is known as theosis– or deification. This is
why the world was created. This is why you were born. This is the truth of
Orthodoxy.
But what does it mean to become like God or to be a partaker of the divine
nature (2 Peter 1:4)? When the Church answers this question She is engaging in
“theology,” which literally means “a word about God.” The Church is able to
make statements about God because God has revealed Himself to mankind.
Through His act of creation, through His many acts of mercy and displays of
power throughout history, as recorded in the Bible, and especially in the sending
of His Son, Jesus Christ, God has made Himself known to those whom He had
created in His own image.
Thus, the Church’s theology–what She says about God–is based upon what
God has revealed about Himself. For this reason, when the Church answers the
question, “What does it mean to become like God?” She does not look to the
theories of modern psychology or sociology for the answer. Rather, She turns to
the teachings and life of Her Lord: All things are delivered unto Me of My
Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man
the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal Him
(Matthew 11:27).
The foundation of everything the Church believes and teaches is the fact that
God is not some impersonal essence or philosophical principle, but the Father
Who exists in an eternal communion of love with His Son and His Spirit and
Who speaks to those whom He has created face to face, as a man speaketh unto
his friend (Exodus 33:11). A person, as opposed to an individual, exists only in
relationship to other persons. For God this relationship is eternal, for the Father
is never without His Son and His Spirit. Love is not an attribute or characteristic
of God; it defines His very being. God is love (1 John 4:8). This is the meaning
of the doctrine of the Trinity.
According to the Book of Genesis, mankind was created in the image of God–
this God of personal love. Thus, we too are inherently personal beings. We were
created to love as God Himself loves: Beloved, let us love one another: for love
is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God (1 John
4:7). Our creation in the image of God is the foundation of our very being and
determines the purpose of our existence. This means that for man to be truly
human–to be what he was created to be–he must attain unto the likeness of the
Holy Trinity. “Man,” says St. Basil the Great (4th c.), “is a creature with orders
to become God.”
It is clear, however, that mankind has failed miserably in its divinely
appointed task. Instead of growing in the likeness of God, we have cast
ourselves into the likeness of the devil. We have used our Godlike freedom to
turn away from Him, rather than toward Him in love. Man, of himself, cannot
bridge the gap between his creatureliness and the uncreated glory of God. Nor
can he remove the effects of his own sinfulness. In short, mankind is incapable
of becoming what it was created to be: a participant in the life of the Holy
Trinity.
If mankind could not ascend to heaven and unite itself with God, then it
remained for God to come down to earth and unite Himself with mankind. Jesus
Christ–the eternal Son and Word of God–became man and lived a human life so
that mankind might fulfill the end for which it was created: union with God. And
the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the
glory as of the Only-begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth (John 1:14).
This is the meaning of the doctrine of the Incarnation: that the Word of God
became fully human without ceasing to be fully God.
By taking our humanity upon Himself, God also assumed all of the
consequences of our sinfulness. It was not enough that He merely appear as man
or that He take upon Himself only the higher aspects of our nature, for as St.
Gregory the Theologian (4th c.) said, “What is not assumed is not healed.” To
heal and redeem fallen humanity, Christ had to enter into the lowest depths of
human existence and break the stranglehold of sin and death upon the human
race. This is the significance of the Cross: the Son of God descended into the pit
of hades in order to lead mankind up to the heights of heaven. St. Mark the
Ascetic (5th c.) wrote, “All the penalties imposed by divine judgment upon man
for the sin of the first transgression–death, toil, hunger, thirst, and the like–He
took upon Himself, becoming what we are, so that we might become what He
is.”
The Incarnation, therefore, is mankind’s passage from death to life. In uniting
our humanity to Himself, the Son of God presents us to His Father, and we share
in the life of the Holy Trinity:

But when the fullness of time was come, God sent forth His Son, made of a woman, made
under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the
adoption of sons. And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of His Son into
your hearts, crying, “Abba, Father” (Galatians 4:4-6).

United with the eternal Son of God through the power of the Holy Spirit, we are
able to stand before God our Creator and say, “Our Father, Who art in heaven
…”
The work that Christ accomplished once and for all in Palestine almost 2000
years ago is not limited to people who lived back then, for Christ assumed our
human nature in its entirety and placed it on the Throne of God at the Father’s
right hand. Christ was not simply an individual, unrelated to the rest of us, nor
did He cease being human after His Resurrection and Ascension to the Father. In
other words, although the Incarnation had a beginning in time–the Annunciation
to the Virgin Mary and her conception of Christ–it has no ending. It is possible
for every human being to share in the life of the Holy Trinity by being united to
Christ, because He has already united Himself to us and has promised to abide
with us forever.
For us to experience the life of the Trinity, however, we must live the life that
Christ came to give us. That is, we must allow His humanity to become our
humanity, transforming us by the power of the Holy Spirit into His very Body.
St. Paul calls the Church “the Body of Christ” and explains how we, as different
human beings, can become one body with Christ:

For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body,
being many, are one body: so also is Christ. For by one Spirit are we all baptized into
one Body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free, and have been all
 made to drink into one Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:12-13).

Thus, the Body of Christ is Christ’s continuing presence here on earth and
mankind’s participation in His work of salvation. In other words, the Church is
the continuation of the Incarnation. By sharing in the life of the Church, we
participate in the life of Christ. His life then becomes our life: I am crucified
with Christ nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life I
now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, Who loved me, and gave
Himself for me (Galatians 2:20). Unless we willingly partake of Christ’s life, we
have no hope of eternal life; for it is only through Him that we are united with
God the Father:

I am the living Bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this Bread, he
shall live forever; and the Bread that I will give is My Flesh, which I will give for the life
of the world. . . . Verily, verily, I say unto you, except ye eat the Flesh of the Son of Man,
and drink His Blood, ye have no life in you. . . . He that eateth My Flesh, and drinketh My
Blood dwelleth in Me and I in him. As the living Father hath sent Me, and I live by the
Father: so he that eateth Me, even he shall live by Me (John 6:51, 53, 56-57).

As the sacrament of Christ’s presence, the Church is not primarily an

institution, but a life: the life of the Holy Trinity made accessible to man.
Therefore, everything that the Church does is a sacrament. That is, it is both the
revelation of the life of the Holy Trinity to man and man’s participation in that
divine life. Nothing which directly pertains to the life of the Church is in any
way accidental or unimportant. Everything within the Church works together to
sing the same hymn of praise: “Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord of Hosts, heaven and
earth are full of Thy glory!” All that the Church is and all that She does
proclaims the dogma of the Holy Trinity and invites mankind to fulfill its destiny
in the likeness of the God of Love.
The foundation of the Orthodox Faith–the absolute bedrock of our salvation–
is the Trinity and the Incarnation. If God is not the God of Love, then there is
truly no purpose for our existence, for “between the Trinity and hell there lies no
other choice” (Vladimir Lossky). If Christ is not God made man, then there is no
hope for our salvation, for mankind could never share in the life of God had God
not first taken upon Himself the life of man. The Trinity and the Incarnation:
everything in the Church revolves around these two doctrines. In short, the
Church is the incarnation of the life of the Holy Trinity; the Church is the
experience of salvation itself.

THE FATHERS SPEAK

 Here, then, is the plan of our faith, the foundation of the building and the glue of our way
of life. The first article is: God the Father, uncreated, indescribable, invisible, one God,
the Creator of all things.

The second article is: the Word of God, the Son of God, Christ Jesus our Lord, Who was
set forth by the prophets, each contributing his share of the prophecy, according to the
plan of the Father, and through Him all things were made. Now, in the fullness of time, in
order to sum up all things in Himself, He has become a man among humans, visible and
tangible, in order to abolish death, show forth life, and establish communion between
God and man.

The third article is: The Holy Spirit, through Whom the prophets prophesied, the fathers
were taught the things of God, and the righteous were led in the way of righteousness. In
the fullness of time He has been poured out in a new way upon humanity everywhere,
renewing us to God.

St. Irenaios of Lyons

from The Preaching of the Apostles
Tr. by Jack N. Sparks
Holy Cross Orthodox Press, 1987

Trinity beyond all being, worshipped in Unity, take from me the heavy yoke of sin, and in
Thy compassion grant me tears of compunction.

O Virgin inviolate and Mother who hast not known man, from thee has God, the Creator
of the ages, taken human flesh, uniting to Himself the nature of men.

St. Andrew of Crete

from The Great Canon
The Lenten Triodion
Tr. by Mother Mary and K.T. Ware
Faber and Faber, 1977
 Special Study
The Sign of the Cross
The most common act of devotion for an Orthodox Christian is to make the
sign of the Cross. This is done by bringing the thumb and first two fingers of the
right hand together and tucking the remaining two fingers into the palm. Then
we bless ourselves in a crosswise fashion, touching the forehead, breast, right
shoulder, and then the left.
Unfortunately, many people do not fully appreciate the significance of this
action. The non-Orthodox do not understand such physical acts of devotion and
often look upon the sign of the Cross as some sort of empty ritual or even as a
“good-luck charm.” Sadly, even many Orthodox Christians use the sign in a
haphazard manner, paying little attention to the proper outward form or to the
inner meaning. The sign of the Cross, however, should not simply be brushed
aside as a piece of optional piety, for by this little gesture the Christian sums up
the entire teaching of the Church.
By bringing the thumb and the first two fingers of the right hand together, we
signify the doctrine of the Trinity. In doing so, we confess that we believe not in
an impersonal being, but in a personal God–the God who is Love. We confess
that we believe in and worship the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit: three co-
eternal and co-equal persons in one undivided Godhead.
By tucking the remaining two fingers into the palm, we signify the doctrine of
the Incarnation. In this way we confess that God has become man–that the
Second Person of the Holy Trinity took upon Himself our humanity while
remaining God from all eternity. Thus, we confess that Christ is both fully God
and fully man–not 50% God and 50% man, but 100% God and 100% man.
Furthermore, by making the sign of the Cross in this way, we confess the
depth of the love of God toward us. For by dying on the Cross, Jesus Christ–One
of the Holy Trinity–took upon Himself the ultimate consequence of man’s Fall–
death itself–in order to raise us up and give us the eternal life of the Holy
Trinity. By touching the forehead, breast, and shoulders, we commend our mind,
our heart, and our strength to the power of the precious and life-giving Cross,
and we remind ourselves that we must take up our own Cross and follow our
Lord:

Rejoice! Cross of the Lord: through thee mankind has been delivered from the curse.
 Shattering the enemy by thine Exaltation, O Cross all-venerable, thou art a sign of true
joy. Thou art our help, thou art the strength of kings, the power of righteous men, the
majesty of priests. All who sign themselves with thee are freed from peril. Thou rod of
strength under which we like sheep are tended, thou art a weapon of peace round which
the angels stand in fear. Thou art the divine glory of Christ, Who grants the world great
mercy (The Festal Menaion).

Orthodox Christians begin each day with the sign of the Cross and the
invocation of the All-holy Trinity. Furthermore, we should sign ourselves with
the Cross not only at the beginning of our prayers but also before beginning any
task. In this way, we commend each and every moment of the day to the All-
holy Trinity and the protection of the Holy Cross of our Lord.
When the bishop serves at the Liturgy, he blesses the faithful with the sign of
the Cross in a special way. He holds a three-branched candlestick, called a
trikirion, in his right hand and a two-branched candlestick, called a dikirion, in
his left. With these he blesses the People of God in a crosswise fashion. In the
person of her sacramental head, the bishop, the Church confesses her
unwavering faith in all that the Holy Trinity has done for the salvation of
mankind. By this all of the faithful are blessed, for they are guarded by the
power of the Cross in the worship of the undivided Trinity and in the confession
that Jesus Christ–God made man–is the Lord of all.
 Reflection
1. Why did God create mankind?

2. How does the Christian understanding of God differ from that of other religions?

3. What does the nature of God tell us about human nature?

4. What has God done to reverse the effects of man’s sin and restore him to fellowship with
Himself?

5. What did Christ come to give to mankind?

6. What did St. Paul call the Church?

7. In what way is the Church related to the Incarnation of the Son of God?

8. What does the Church have to do with the life of the Holy Trinity?

9. Can man share in the life of Christ or the Father apart from the Church?

10. What two doctrines are the foundation of the Orthodox Faith?
 CHAPTER TWO
The Holy Trinity
God is not an impersonal concept or an isolated individual, but the Father Who exists
in an eternal communion of love with His Son and His Spirit.

Vladimir Lossky wrote, “The Trinity is, for the Orthodox Church, the
unshakable foundation of all religious thought, of all piety, of all spiritual life, of
all experience. It is the Trinity that we seek in seeking after God, when we
search for the fullness of being, for the end and meaning of existence” (The
Mystical Theology of the Eastern Church, p. 65). The dogma of the Trinity is the
most difficult teaching of the Church to grasp because it transcends the
capabilities of our limited, human reason. No matter how hard we try, we cannot
make 1+1+1=1. And yet, the Church confesses precisely this: that there are three
co-equal and co-eternal persons in one undivided Godhead, and that these three
persons are one God and not three. This is why Lossky described the doctrine of
the Trinity as “a cross for human ways of thought.”
But why do we need to believe in the Trinity? The Church proclaims the
dogma of the Trinity because it is true, and truth is the Church’s only concern.
As Archimandrite Vasileios says in the Hymn of Entry, “The Lord came, not to
do something easy, but to do something true. He came to bring truth and life” (p.
42). The truth that Christ came to reveal is the truth about Who God is, and the
life that He came to give to mankind is nothing less than the life of the Holy
Trinity. No man hath seen God at any time; the Only-begotten God, Who is in
the bosom of the Father, He hath declared Him (John 1:18).
The reason Christ was persecuted by the Jewish religious leaders was because
He identified Himself with God: I and my Father are one (John 10:30). God
Himself bore witness of this at Christ’s baptism in the Jordan river when a voice
from heaven proclaimed: This is My beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased
(Matthew 3:17). Thus, Christ’s life and teachings reveal that the one true God–
the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob–is not merely the divine Lawgiver, but
first and foremost the Father, Who eternally begets His Son and breathes forth
His Spirit. God is, above all else, love, as St. John the Theologian tells us.
This perfection and superabundance of love that God is cannot be contained
within a single, isolated individual. True love demands the presence of another.
This fact is expressed by the divine names that reveal the persons of the
Godhead: Father, Son, and Spirit. These names reveal the fact that in God there
is both perfect unity and oneness and genuine personal diversity. As Bishop
Kallistos (Ware) puts it:

The Christian God is not just a unit but a union, not just unity but community. There is in
God something analogous to “society.” He is not a single person loving Himself alone,
not a self-contained monad or “The One.” He is triunity: three equal persons, each one
dwelling in the other by virtue of an unceasing movement of mutual love (The Orthodox
Way, p. 27).

The basic tenets of the doctrine of the Trinity may be stated rather simply, but
it will take all of eternity for us to even begin to fathom the depths of the
mystery of this God of Triune Love. Here, then, is a basic outline of the doctrine:

1) There is one God because there is one Father, Who is the source and principle of the
Godhead. The Father begets the Son and breathes forth His Spirit. The Son is the Son of
God, and the Spirit is the Spirit of God.

2) There is one and only one God. The multiplicity of persons in the Godhead in no way
divides the divine unity or creates three Gods.

3) There are three co-eternal and co-equal persons in the Godhead. The absolute oneness
of God in no way diminishes their personal distinctiveness and reality. In other words, the
Father, Son, and Spirit are real persons, and not merely roles that the one God plays at
different times.

4) In begetting the Son and breathing forth the Spirit, the Father bestows upon them the
fullness of His divine being. Thus, the Father, Son, and Spirit each possess the same
divine nature or essence. To describe this, the Church uses the word
consubstantial–meaning of the same substance or nature.

5) Each person of the Godhead possesses the entirety of the divine nature. God is not
divided into three parts, because the divine nature is one and indivisible. Because the Son
and the Spirit possess the fullness of the divine nature, they are no less God than God the
Father, even though They derive their being from Him. Each person of the Godhead is,
therefore, catholic–meaning whole and complete.

 6) Each person of the Godhead exists by the total gift of Himself to the other persons in
an unbroken and perfect communion of love. The Father is the originator of this “cycle,”
bestowing the fullness of His being on His Son and His Spirit. They return this love to the
Father and exchange it with one another, forming an unbreakable unity of love. In this
way, each of the persons is said to exist in the others. It is impossible to conceive of one
person without thinking of the other two persons. The Church uses the word coinherence
(in Greek, perichoresis) to describe this fact.

7) This perfect communion of love is eternal. There was never a time when the Father did
not beget His Son and breathe forth His Spirit. In fact, the concept of time is inapplicable
to God, because it is a created phenomenon. The Holy Trinity is eternal, beyond all of our
created notions of time and space. To say, then, that God begets His Son and breathes
forth His Spirit does not imply temporal succession or change in God, Who is the same
yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8).

Although the doctrine of the Holy Trinity may seem rather abstract, it has
some very practical implications for how we view reality and live our lives. First
of all, the doctrine of the Trinity means that nothing that exists, whether on earth
or in heaven, can be conceived of as an individual, in and of itself. God Himself
is not absolute individuality, but perfect love and communion. Where there is
self-contained individuality, there can be no love, for love means the total gift of
oneself to another. True being is love, and where there is no love, there is only
the absurdity of death and non-being. That is why Lossky said, “between the
Trinity and hell there lies no other choice.” Those who, in their spiritual
blindness, deny the doctrine of the Trinity, deny love itself, and thus deny the
truth of their own being created in the image of this God of Triune Love.
Second, the doctrine of the Trinity means that the principle and source of all
that exists is not a mathematical equation, but a person. When we pray, we do
not seek a state of disinterested non-being, but the personal God, Who has
revealed Himself to mankind. Our salvation consists not in our learning about
God, but in entering into a personal communion of love with Him: And this is
life eternal, that they might know Thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ,
Whom Thou hast sent (John 17:3).
Third, the doctrine of the Trinity means that there can be genuine diversity
and even order among persons without diminishing their equality. Although the
Son and the Spirit derive their being from the Father, They each possess the
divine nature in its entirety and are therefore equal to the Father in being. In
other words, equal does not necessarily mean the same. The Father and the Son
are different persons; the Father begets the Son and is the source of His being;
the Son does the will of the Father; and yet They are equal in being, power, and
glory. Likewise, the Spirit proceeds from the Father and rests in the Son, yet He
is equal to the Father and the Son.
This, then, is the heart of the Orthodox Faith: Three unique, co-eternal, co-
equal divine persons glorified in one simple and undivided Godhead.

Come, all peoples, and let us worship the one Godhead in three persons, the Son in the
Father with the Holy Spirit. For the Father gave birth outside time to the Son, co-eternal
and enthroned with Him; and the Holy Spirit is glorified in the Father together with the
Son: one power, one essence, one Godhead, Whom we all worship, and to Whom we say:
Holy God, Who hast created all things through the Son, by the cooperation of the Holy
Spirit. Holy Mighty, through Whom we know the Father, and through Whom the Holy
Spirit came to dwell within the world. Holy Immortal, Paraclete Spirit, proceeding from
the Father and resting on the Son. Holy Trinity, Glory to Thee (The Pentecostarion).

What is the meaning of life? The Holy Trinity! For without love, love which
is eternal and perfect, life truly has no meaning. Into a world held captive by
self-centeredness and death, Christ came to reveal the truth that God is love and
to bring mankind into His eternal Trinitarian Communion:

That they all may be one; as Thou Father, art in Me, and I in Thee, that they also may be
one in Us: that the world may believe that Thou has sent Me. And the glory which Thou
gavest Me I have given them; that they be one, even as We are one: I in them, and Thou in
Me, that they may be perfect in one; and that the world may know that Thou hast sent Me,
and has loved them, as Thou hast loved Me (John 17:21-23).

THE FATHERS SPEAK

There is one and the same person of the Father, from Whom the Son is begotten, and the
Holy Spirit proceeds. He is the cause of those persons who are caused by Him; and
therefore we rightly assert one God, since He co-exists with them. For the persons of the
Godhead are not divided from each other in time, place, will, occupation, activity, or any
qualifications of this sort, the distinguishing marks observed in human beings. The only
distinction here is that the Father is father, not son: the Son is son, not father; similarly the
Holy Spirit is neither father nor son.

St. Gregory of Nyssa

The Later Christian Fathers
Tr. by Henry Bettenson
Oxford University Press, 1972

When the Lord taught us the doctrine of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, He did not make
arithmetic a part of this gift… .If we count, we do not add, increasing from one to many.
 We do not say, “one, two, three,” or “first, second, and third.” God says, I am the first
and I am the last (Revelation 1:17). We have never to this present day heard of a second
God. We worship God from God, confessing the uniqueness of the persons, while
maintaining the unity of the monarchy. . . . The Son is in the Father, and the Father in the
Son; what the Father is, the Son is likewise, and vice-versa–such is the unity. As unique
persons, They are one and one; as sharing a common nature, both are one. . . . The Holy
Spirit is one, and we speak of Him as unique, since through the one Son He is joined to
the Father. He completes the all-praised and blessed Trinity.

St. Basil the Great

from On the Holy Spirit
SVS Press, 1980

Everywhere the Apostle teaches the indivisibility and co-essentiality of the Holy Trinity,
and that where the Son is, there is the Father also; and where the Father is, there is the
Holy Spirit; and where the Holy Spirit is, there is the entire Godhead of three persons, the
one God and Father, together with His co-essential Son and Spirit, Who is blessed
forevermore. Amen (Romans 1:25).

St. Symeon the New Theologian

from On the Mystical Life
Tr. by Alexander Golitzin
SVS Press, 1996
 Special Study
The Trinity in the Old Testament
Although the doctrine of the Trinity was not fully revealed until the coming of
Christ, we find hints of the Trinity throughout the Old Testament of the Bible, in
which is recounted the creation of the world and God’s dealings with the People
of Israel.
The Book of Genesis records that when God was creating mankind He said,
Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness (Genesis 1:26). Our holy
Fathers understood the use of the plural here as an indication of the three persons
of the Trinity. The Psalmist tells us that God created the world through His
Word and His Spirit: By the Word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all
the host of them by the Breath of His mouth (Psalm 32 [33]:6†).
Furthermore, one of the Hebrew words for God, Elohim, carries with it the
idea of plurality. Thus, the name of God itself denotes the plurality of persons
within the unity of nature.
One of the most important Old Testament hints of the Trinity is the visitation
of Abraham by three Angels:

And the LORD appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the
heat of the day; and he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three Men stood by him: and
when he saw them, he ran to meet Them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the
ground, and said, “My Lord, if now I have found favor in Thy sight, pass not away, I pray
Thee, from Thy servant: Let a little water, I pray You, be fetched, and wash Your feet, and
rest Yourselves under the tree: and I will fetch a morsel of bread, and comfort Ye Your
hearts; after that Ye shall pass on: for therefore are Ye come to Your servant.” And They
said, “So do, as thou hast said” (Genesis 18:1-5).

Notice that in this account, there is a constant interplay between the singular
and plural. The Lord appears to Abraham, and yet he sees three Men. He
addresses Them at one point in the singular, and later in the plural. Compare this
account with what St. Gregory Nazianzus (4th c.) has to say about the Trinity:

No sooner do I conceive of the One than I am illumined by the splendor of the Three; no
sooner do I distinguish them than I am carried back to the One. When I think of any One
of the Three, I think of Him as the whole, and my eyes are filled, and the greater part of
what I am thinking of escapes me. I cannot grasp the greatness of that One so as to
attribute a greater greatness to the rest. When I contemplate the Three together, I see but
 one torch, and cannot divide or measure out the undivided light (Oration 41).

The only icon of the Trinity which the Church allows is, strictly speaking, not
an icon of the Trinity per se, but of the visitation of the three Angels to
Abraham. One cannot make a pictorial representation of the Father because He
is spirit and has no depictable form. Similarly, one can depict the Holy Spirit
only symbolically, as a dove or as tongues of fire. The Angels, which were
clearly seen by Abraham, provide the Church with an indirect way of depicting
the All-holy Trinity.
The most famous icon of this kind is by the Russian iconographer St. Andrei
Rublev (15th c). Indeed, this is perhaps the most famous icon in the world. What
makes this icon so special is the way in which Rublev captured the interplay
between the one and the three. In the icon, we clearly see the three Angels,
representing the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And yet, these three form a perfect
circle, a complete communion of love. There is no disharmony, no rebellion or
self-will among them. Rather, there is perfect concord.
One and many, motion and rest–icons of the Hospitality of Abraham capture
the dynamic paradox of the Trinity and present to the faithful an image of that
divine life we seek in union with the God of Triune Love. That life was revealed
to the People of Israel only indirectly, in types and shadows. When Christ
became man, however, the shadows passed away, and man beheld One of the
Holy Trinity in the flesh. This is the essence of the Orthodox Faith.
 Reflection
1. What word best describes the being of God?

2. Is it possible to conceive of any one person of the Holy Trinity without immediately
thinking of the other two? Why?

3. Why is there one God and not three?

4. What word does the Church use to describe the unity of the nature in the Godhead?

5. What word describes the fact that each person of the Trinity possesses the entire divine
nature? (Hint, we use the same word to describe the wholeness of the Church.)

6. What word does the Church use to describe the fact that each person of the Trinity lives
in the others?

7. What Old Testament event foreshadows the revelation of the doctrine of the Trinity?

8. Are the Son and the Spirit in any way inferior to the Father?

9. Which person of the Trinity is involved in the salvation of mankind?

10. Can we consider the doctrine of the Trinity to be “optional equipment”?

† The numbering of the Psalms differs between the Greek and Hebrew versions of the Old Testament.
The Orthodox Church follows the Greek (Septuagint) text. Almost all English translations follow the
Hebrew. Here, the reference is to Psalm 32 according to the Orthodox usage. The number in brackets is the
number of the Psalm in most English Bibles.
 CHAPTER THREE
Creation
Man was created in the image of God in order to live in a perfect communion of love
with God, with his fellow men, and with the physical world.

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth (Genesis 1:1). So
begins the Bible. It is significant that the record of God’s revelation to mankind
should begin in this way, for the Divine Scriptures do not simply take the
existence of the world for granted. On the contrary, the Scriptures affirm that the
world and all that is in it derives its being from God. The world did not create
itself; it was created by God and owes its continued existence to His power and
will.
The Book of Genesis, however, does not provide a scientifically detailed
account of how the world was created. Rather, Genesis answers the questions
Who? and Why? Genesis, therefore, is concerned with the meaning of the
world’s existence. Specifically, the Scriptures affirm two very important points
about the world and about our place in it: (1) God created the world out of
nothing; and (2) of all the creatures of the earth, man is unique because he is
created in the image of God.
First of all, the world was created out of nothing (in Latin, ex nihilo). In the
ancient world, this was a rather revolutionary idea. For the Greeks, the cosmos
was eternal; it had no beginning and no end. They taught that God made the
world out of preexistent matter. Furthermore, pagan religion affirmed that the
world itself is divine (pantheism).
Against the prevailing opinions of the day, however, the divinely inspired
prophets of the Old Testament and the Apostles of Christ affirmed that the world
is not eternal but was created from nothing. God alone is eternal and immortal
(cf. 1 Timothy 6:16). If God, as the Greek philosophers taught, had made the
world out of some préexistent matter, then He would be more properly called the
“ arranger” of the world rather than its Creator, for the craftsman is limited by
the materials with which he works. God would, then, be in some sense
dependent upon matter. But such is not the case, for God created the world not
because of any necessity or out of any preexistent matter, but by His free and
infinite will.
 Because of this, the world can in no way be considered divine. The ancient
pagan religions are being revived in our own day under the guise of the New
Age movement, feminist theology and witchcraft, and some extreme forms of
environmentalism. Against such movements the Church firmly maintains that
between the being of God and the being of the world there is an irreducible (but
not irreconcilable) gulf. The world is not God. Consider the difference between
the generation of the Son and the creation of the world: God eternally (“before
all ages”) begets His Son from His own being, while He creates the world by His
will out of nothing at the beginning of time.
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 9:10). The first
step in spiritual growth is to recognize where one stands in the grand scheme of
things. Man must realize that he is not his own Creator. He is not the source of
his own being, and he is not self-sufficient. In other words, man is not God. This
does not mean, however, that man’s life has no meaning or that he is a mere
“plaything” of God. On the contrary, God created man to be the crown of the
entire creation and bestowed upon him an honor of infinite significance. The
second major point which the Book of Genesis affirms is that man is created in
the image of God to live in communion with Him throughout eternity.
The ancient philosophers took great pride in calling man a microcosm, that is,
a world in miniature. But St. Gregory of Nyssa pointed out that the same could
be said of a mouse. What makes man special, unique in all the created universe,
is his creation in the image of God. According to Fr. George (Capsanis), Abbot
of the Monastery of St. Gregory on Mt. Athos, “Made according to the image of
God signifies both the origin and goal of our existence… .So far as we “image
forth” the wise creative God, so far do we discover in ourselves the charisms of
knowledge and creativity (The Eros of Repentance, pp. 1-2).”
But what does this mean? If man is not God, or a part of God, in what way is
he created in God’s image? This question admits of no simple answer, for
throughout history the Fathers of the Church have given many different answers.
Many have said that the image of God resides in man’s soul. Others have
identified the image of God with man’s free will, or with his ability to govern the
earth. In a sense, all of these answers are correct. Perhaps it is best to say that it
is the totality of man’s being which constitutes the image of God. In other words,
the image of God in us is everything which makes us unique personal beings.
We have already seen that God is first and foremost personal existence. He is
the One for Whom “to be is to love.” Thus, it is man’s ability to enter into
personal relationships–his ability to love–that makes him a being like unto God.
Man is, in other words, created in the image of the Holy Trinity. For man to be
what he was created to be, to fulfill his cosmic destiny, he must attain unto the
likeness of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Man is, therefore, an inherently relational being; he cannot be conceived of as
an “individual.” In the words of the English clergyman and poet, John Donne,
“No man is an island entire of himself.” For man, to be is to be in relation to
others. Specifically, this means that man is created to relate to God, to his fellow
men, and to the physical world.
More than anything else, man is created to be in a relationship of love with the
God Who made him. St. Athanasius the Great wrote, “For of what use is
existence to the creature if it cannot know its Maker?” Truly man’s sojourn on
earth would be pointless if he had no way of knowing and loving the One Who
gave him being. God did not create man as a robot or a pet. Out of His infinite
love and wisdom He bestowed upon man the capacity to know and love his
Maker as Friend and Father. This is the center of man’s being, the purpose for
which he was created. Without this loving relationship with God, man is not
fully human–he is but an empty shell, destined to return to the earth from which
he was made. As Blessed Augustine said, “Our hearts can have no rest until they
rest in Thee.”
Secondly, man is created to be in a relationship of love with his fellow men.
God said, It is not good that man should be alone (Genesis 2:18). With these
words, God ruled out the possibility that man was created to be an isolated
individual, a prisoner of his own ego. Just as the Father, Son, and Spirit dwell
together in an unbreakable communion of love, so man, created in the image of
the Holy Trinity, is meant to dwell in unity and harmony with his fellow men.
Behold, how good and pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity
(Psalm 132[133]:1).
For man to be what he is created to be, he must love all people, for love is of
God; and everyone that loveth is born of God and knoweth God (1 John 4:7).
Thus also our Lord enjoins us: This is My commandment, that ye love one
another, as I have loved you (John 15:12). Every rationalistic philosophy, every
form of “humanism,” that exalts the individual and considers him to be the
absolute value in life is an unholy caricature of true human life and leads man
only to hell. St. Maximus the Confessor (6th-7th c.) sums up the matter quite
succinctly: “Do not disdain the commandment of love, because by it you will be
a son of God. If you transgress it you will become a son of hell.”
Finally, man is created to be in a relationship of love with the physical world.
This is not to say that man is to love the world as an end in itself, but that the
world is to become a part of his loving relationship with God. And God said,
“Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness: and let them have dominion
over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over
all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth”
(Genesis 1:26).
Man was created last, as the crown and glory of the whole creation. The world
was created for man, so that through his wise and loving use of it, it might be a
means of communion with God. This does not mean that man has a right to
abuse the world and treat it as a disposable commodity, but it does mean that the
world was created to be man’s servant. The proper relationship of man to the
world is a sacramental one: man is to receive the world as God’s gift and offer it
back to God, along with his whole life, in a sacrifice of love and obedience.
Man’s creation in the image of the Holy Trinity means that man’s very being
and the way he is to live out his life is designed to image forth the life of God
Himself. In this way, man attains unto the likeness of God. Just as the eternal
Son of God–the perfect Image of the Father–receives His being from the Father
and offers all that He is back to the Father in love, so man, created in the image
of God, is meant to offer all that he is back to God in love.
In this way, man’s being is established in the eternal and perfect love of God.
This is what truly defines man’s being and gives purpose to his life. As we read
in the Book of Genesis, however, and as we know from personal experience,
man has rejected his God-created vocation of communion with the All-Holy
Trinity and has thus failed to achieve the purpose for which he was created. This
is known as the “Fall” or the “Original Sin.” We shall address this failure in the
next chapter, but, for now, let us consider the great glory for which we were
created and the true value of our lives as persons created in the image of God:

[Man] was deemed worthy by God of such honor and providential care that before him
this entire sensible world came into being for his sake, and before him right from the
foundation of the world the kingdom of heaven was prepared for his sake, and counsel
concerning him was taken beforehand, and he was formed by the hand of God and
according to the image of God (St. Gregory Palamas, One Hundred and Fifty Chapters).

THE FATHERS SPEAK

Grudging existence to none, therefore, He [God] made all things out of nothing through
His own Word, our Lord Jesus Christ; and of all these His earthly creatures He reserved
especial mercy for the race of men. Upon them, therefore, upon men who, as animals,
were essentially impermanent, He bestowed a grace which other creatures lacked–
namely, the impress of His own image, a share in the reasonable being of the very Word
Himself, so that, reflecting Him and themselves becoming reasonable and expressing the
 Mind of God even as He does, though in limited degree, they might continue forever in
the blessed and only true life of the Saints in Paradise.

St. Athanasius the Great

from On the Incarnation
SVS Press, 1982

In this manner, then, it is demonstrated that there is one God, the Father uncreated,
invisible, Creator of all things, above Whom there is no other God and after Whom there
is no other God (cf. Isaiah 43:10). God is rational, and therefore made His creation by His
Word. He is also spirit, so He fashioned all things by His Spirit. As the prophet puts it, By
the Word of the Lord the heavens were established, and all the power of them by His
Spirit (Psalm 32[33]:6). The Word establishes and gives body and substance, while the
Spirit gives order and form to the various powers.

St. Irenaios of Lyons

from The Preaching of the Apostles
 Special Study
Creation and Evolution
American society as a whole, and certainly the authors of science textbooks,
simply assume evolution to be a scientifically established fact. Those who do not
accept this assumption are labeled as “fundamentalists,” “obscurantists,” and
“intellectual cave men.” It is not surprising, therefore, that many religious
thinkers, including a few Orthodox Christians, have accepted the evolutionary
worldview and have tried to reconcile it with the biblical doctrine of creation.
Before we proceed any further, let us define exactly what is meant by
evolution. I am not referring to the natural process whereby the characteristics of
species are changed and adapted to their environments (micro evolution). I am,
rather, referring to the theory according to which all life on earth evolved in a
completely random process from the chance self-creation of living cells from a
“pre-biotic soup” of elements at the dawn of the earth’s history (macro
evolution).
Evolution is a materialistic philosophy which seeks to explain the world solely
in terms of itself, without any reference to a Creator. It should be obvious,
therefore, that evolution is incompatible with the Orthodox worldview. Indeed,
in the words of Fr. Seraphim Rose, “It’s a rival thought-pattern to Orthodoxy,
not just another idea” (Not of this World, p. 512).
But how can the Church disagree with scientific fact? Is this not the same as
believing that the earth is flat or that it is the center of the solar system?
Furthermore, could not God have used evolution to bring about the creation of
man?
Theistic evolution, or the belief that God created and directs the evolutionary
process, would be a plausible philosophy if there were any real, scientific proof
of evolution. However, there is none. To be sure, there is ample proof of species
changing and adapting to their environments, but no proof whatsoever that one
classification of animal evolved into another classification.
Although literally hundreds of thousands of fossils have been discovered in
the last 135 years, the same gaps in the fossil record remain today that so
troubled Charles Darwin when he wrote The Origin of Species. The novel
evolutionary theory known as Punctuated Equilibrium, put forth by Harvard
paleontologist Stephen Jay Gould, is nothing more than an admission that the
gaps in the fossil record are real and will not be filled in. In other words, there
are no missing links.
Furthermore, the development of molecular biology has shown that living
cells are far more complex than Darwin or anyone in the nineteenth century had
imagined. The simplest living cell is a far more complicated machine than any
human invention. In order to successfully duplicate itself, it must contain exactly
the right acids and enzymes, each in is proper place, performing its assigned
function, processing literally millions of pieces of information. Statistically, the
chances of such a cell coming into being as a result of the random
conglomeration of acids are astronomically remote. No molecular biologist has
been able to come up with a plausible explanation for the emergence of
necessary cell components such as DNA, much less for the emergence of living
cells themselves.
If evolution has never actually been proven, why is it universally accepted as
an established fact? The answer is quite simple. Modern science assumes that the
world is explainable solely in terms of itself. Scientists may not be able to
explain how random amino acids accidentally formed cells or how amphibians
evolved into mammals, but they have no other choice but to accept the “truth” of
evolution as long as they assume that world explains itself. In other words,
evolution must be true, because modern, scientific method needs it to be true.
It should be noted that this line of reasoning is not only circular, it is
inherently religious. The a priori assumption that the world is explainable solely
in terms of itself is itself not based upon empirical investigation. In 1993, noted
evolutionist and philosopher of science Michael Ruse admitted as much before a
scientific convocation called to debunk creationism. This admission came ten
years after he had testified in an Arkansas court that evolution was not based on
any preconceived philosophical notions.
The acceptance of evolution as fact has grave ramifications for human society.
If man is nothing more than an evolved animal, then there is no rational basis for
asserting the inherent dignity of man.
“Social Darwinism” was an attempt initiated by Darwin’s own cousin to apply
the principles of natural selection and survival of the fittest to human society.
Although it is common for evolutionists to disavow any relation with Social
Darwinism, Darwin’s own writings make it clear that he was sympathetic to the
idea. Indeed, Social Darwinism is a perfectly logical extension of the theory of
evolution.
The “science” of eugenics was born out of this movement. Eugenics was (and
is) an attempt to create better humans through scientific methods of population
control and selective breeding. Widely practiced in Great Britain and the United
States in the early part of this century, eugenics became the “scientific” basis for
Hitler’s attempt to create a Master Race. Hitler’s initial attempts at population
control (the forced sterilization of the mentally retarded) and selective breeding
(laws regulating mixed marriages) were based on existing laws in force in
Britain and the U.S. These programs ultimately led to extermination camps for
“undesirables” and to breeding camps for pure-blooded Germans.
Fifty years after the end of World War II, little has changed except for the
sophistication of the methods. Abortion as population control, genetic
engineering, and designer sperm banks are all the result of a materialistic
worldview, which assumes that man is nothing more than an evolved animal.
Why then, should man not try to “improve” himself by altering his genetic
makeup? Why, indeed, should one assume that all men are equal?
The Orthodox doctrine of creation is wholly incompatible with such an
approach. It is an unalterable dogma of the Orthodox Church that each and every
human being, from the moment of conception, is a unique and unrepeatable
person created in the image of God. Furthermore, because man is created in the
image of the Holy Trinity, human nature itself is one and indivisible. Each
human being possesses and sums up in himself the entirety of human nature.
Therefore, all men are equal, regardless of their race, mental capacities, or
situation in life.
The theory of evolution is not simply a matter for scientists. It has a direct
effect on how we view the world and man’s place in it. Therefore, it is
incumbent upon all Orthodox Christians to clearly understand the issues
involved. For a popular discussion of evolution see Philip Johnson’s Darwin on
Trial (InterVarsity Press, 1991). For more detailed treatments, written by
professional scientists, see Michael Denton’s Evolution: A Theory in Crisis
(Adler and Adler, 1986) and Darwin’s Black Box: The Biochemical Challenge to
Evolution (Free Press, 1996) by Michael Behe.
 Reflection
1. From what did God create the world?

2. Did God have to create the world?

3. What separates man from the rest of creation?

4. In what way is man created in the image of God?

5. What does it mean that man is a “relational” being?

6. In what way does man’s relationship with God reflect the Son’s eternal relationship with
the Father?

7. Can man be defined as a “rugged individual”?

8. How is man’s relationship with his fellow men related to his creation in the image of
God?

9. What is the biblical basis for the equality of the human race?

10. How is man’s use of the physical world related to his creation in the image of God?
 CHAPTER FOUR
The Fall of Mankind
Through his disobedience man has rejected his divine vocation and has failed to realize
his life as love and communion with the All-holy Trinity.

God created man in His own image so that through the use of his free will, in
returning all that God had given him in an offering of love, man might grow ever
more like God in an eternal communion of love with the Father, the Son, and the
Holy Spirit. Only in this way could man fulfill the destiny for which he was
created; only in this way could man become truly human. As Fr. Dimitru
Staniloae said, “The glory to which man is called is that he should grow more
godlike by growing ever more human.”
Because this relationship of love presupposes man’s free gift of himself, his
creation in the image of God entailed the possibility that man would not return
God’s love and therefore fail to fulfill his divine calling. Indeed, this is what
happened. In the Book of Genesis we read that the first-formed man–Adam,
which means “man”–disobeyed God and was expelled from Paradise. This event
is known as the “Fall” and the “Original Sin.” Every human being, without
exception, is scarred by the effects of the Fall, for the unity of human nature is
such that the sin of one effects the lives of all.
The story itself is cast in very simple terms. God gave all the plants and trees
in the world for man’s nourishment and use except for one: the tree of the
knowledge of good and evil. The serpent appeared to the first woman–Eve,
which means “mother of all the living”–and enticed her to eat the forbidden fruit
so that she might become like God. Eve then gave the fruit to Adam, who
followed suit. For this transgression, man was barred from Paradise and doomed
to return to the dust from which he was taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust
shalt thou return (Genesis 3:19).
The Fall of mankind, however, is much more complicated than a simple act of
disobedience. Man’s act was ultimately a refusal to love, a refusal to enter into
communion with the God Who had created him. God gave the world to mankind
not merely as a source of biological sustenance, but as communion with Himself.
In his book, For the Life of the World, Father Alexander Schmemann described
God’s gift in this way:

All that exists is God’s gift to man, and it all exists to make God known to man, to make
man’s life communion with God. It is divine love made food, made life for man. God
blesses everything He creates, and, in biblical language, this means that He makes all
creation the sign and means of His presence and wisdom, love and revelation (p. 14).

Mankind’s proper response to this gift of love–the only possible human

response–is to receive this gift of “divine love made food” with thanksgiving and
offer it back to God in love.
There was one tree in the Garden, however, which God did not bless and did
not give to man as communion with Himself. The serpent tempted Eve with the
suggestion: Ye shall not surely die: for God doth know that in the day ye eat
thereof then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good
and evil (Genesis 3:45). This was Satan’s great lie to mankind: that by eating of
this tree man would become like God.
God, our all-loving Creator, did not begrudge anything to mankind, even
likeness unto Himself. Indeed, this was the purpose for which man was created:
to become like God. But this is only possible through communion with Him, for
He is love and communion. Man, however, chose to deify himself by eating of
the one tree that was not given to him for communion with God. In other words,
man tried to become like God without God! Fr. Schmemann wrote, the tree “is
the image of the world loved for itself, and eating it is the image of life
understood as an end in itself” (For the Life of the World, p. 16).
This “simple” act of disobedience on the part of Adam and Eve, therefore, is
one of cosmic significance, for it is mankind’s “no, thank you” to God. It is
man’s refusal to realize his life as love and communion with the God Who made
him. As a result, man has made his life and the world in which he lives into a
closed circuit. Instead of offering his life to God in a sacrifice of love, man has
chosen to treat the world as an end in and of itself. In doing so, he has cut
himself off from the only source of life and everlasting happiness. No longer is
the world a source of communion with God; it has become solely a means of
biological sustenance.
For in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die (Genesis 2:17).
The inevitable result of man’s free choice not to respond to God in love is death.
But this death is not merely the cessation of biological life. Adam and Eve
continued to live “biologically” after their transgression and expulsion from
Paradise. They lived out the normal course of their physical lives, but the life
they lived was a living death. They had died to God, and this death made their
biological deaths the permanent end to a pointless life. Created to live eternally
in communion with the God Who is love, man has enslaved himself to the
limitations of his biological existence. Who, said St. Paul, shall deliver me from
this body of death (Romans 7:25)?
Because man’s life is no longer oriented toward fulfilling his destiny in the
image of God, all of his personal attributes and capacities have become
misdirected. Normal energies and desires are transformed into passions that rule
man’s life. No longer eating in order to live, man lives in order to eat and satisfy
the desires over which he has lost control. As St. Paul said, For that which I do I
allow not: for what I would, that do I not, but what I hate, that do I (Romans
7:15). Enslaved to his bodily needs and desires, and above all enslaved to the
inevitability of death, man has made of his life an ugly caricature of the life for
which he was created.
By alienating himself from God, the source of love and life, man has also
alienated himself from his fellow men and from the world in which he lives. As
an isolated, self-centered ego, enslaved by his passions and the need to survive,
man sees other people as objects to be used to attain his own desires or as threats
to his individuality and “freedom” Every ligament of our society is torn by
man’s self-centeredness and greed. Nations war against each other over a few
square miles of earth, and ethnic groups war against other ethnic groups for
reasons too ancient for anyone living to recall. Even the most primary social
unit–the family–is engulfed in infidelity, bitterness, possessiveness, and hatred.
“Hell,” said the French existentialist philosopher Sartre, “is other people.” But
Dostoyevsky, the great, Russian Orthodox novelist of the nineteenth century,
came much closer to the truth when he observed that hell is “the suffering of
being no longer able to love.” Indeed, the problem of man lies within the depths
of his own being: having cut himself off from communion with the God of love,
man has rendered himself unable to truly love his fellow men. This is the nature
of man’s Fall; this is the beginning of his hell.
The effects of man’s Fall, however, are not limited to his relationship with
other people. Indeed the whole created order–including the physical world–bears
the marks of man’s refusal to love. For we know that the whole creation
groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now (Romans 8:22). The world
has become a disposable commodity. Meant to be a means of communion with
God, the world is now no more than an object for the fulfillment of man’s self-
centered desires.
Thus, the Fall has blinded man’s spiritual eyes. He is no longer able to see
God in the world, but sees the world and his life in it as an end in itself. The life
of this world is the only life which man now knows; it has become the sum total
of his existence. But this world was created from nothing and exists by the good
will of its Creator; it has no life of its own. Apart from God, this world and
man’s life in it is a “tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying
nothing” (Macbeth). As Fr. Schmemann said,

The world of nature, cut off from the source of life, is a dying world. For one who thinks
food in itself is the source of life, eating is communion with the dying world, it is
communion with death. Food itself is dead, it is life that has died and it must be kept in
refrigerators like a corpse (For the Life of the World, p. 17).

Many so-called Christians today have relegated the story of Adam and Eve to
the realm of religious “mythology.” It is a quaint story, so they say, that may
help us to understand how the ancient Israelites regarded the state of man. But it
can have no real bearing on how we as modern, scientifically minded people
view the world and our place within it. Ironically, the arrogance of such a
statement testifies to its utter falsehood, for it is the curse of fallen man that he
deludes himself into taking the fallen state of things as normal. While it is
certainly true that the Genesis account is not “history,” in the modern sense of
the word, neither is it simply a “story” or a religious “myth.” The Fall of man is
the most real fact of man’s life, whether he realizes it or not. A quick glance at
this morning’s newspaper will easily confirm this.
The Good News, however, is that this sorry estate of man is not the end of the
story. Even as God was expelling Adam and Eve from Paradise, He promised to
rectify the mess man had made of his life and redeem the wayward creatures
made in His image. Through the seed of Eve, God would enter into human
history and once again enable man to know Him and participate in His unending
life. Thus, even in the midst of the tragedy of man’s Fall, the God Who is
infinite love has not given up on us but desires that all be saved and come unto
the knowledge of the truth (1 Timothy 2:4).

THE FATHERS SPEAK

For God had made man thus (that is, an embodied spirit), and had willed that he should
remain in incorruption. But men, having turned from the contemplation of God to evil of
their own devising, had come inevitably under the law of death. Instead of remaining in
the state in which God had created them, they were in process of becoming corrupted
entirely, and death had them completely under its dominion . . . and as they had at the
beginning come into being out of non-existence, so were they now on the way to
returning, through corruption, to non-existence again. The presence and love of the Word
had called them into being; inevitably, therefore, when they lost the knowledge of God,
they lost existence with it; for it is God alone Who exists, evil is non-being, the negation
 and antithesis of good.

St. Athanasius the Great

from On the Incarnation

The soul of Adam fell sick when he was exiled from Paradise, and many were the tears he
shed in his distress. Likewise every soul that has known the Lord yearns for Him and
cries: “Where art Thou, O Lord? Where art Thou, my Light? What hinders Him from
dwelling in me? This hinders Him: Christ-like humility and love for my enemies are not
in me.”

St. Silouan of Mt. Athos

from Wisdom from Mt. Athos
Tr. by Rosemary Edmonds
St. Vladimir’s Press, 1974

Light does not fail because men have blinded themselves; it remains, with its own
properties, while the blinded are plunged in darkness through their own fault. . . .
Therefore, all who revolt from the Father’s light, and who transgress the law of liberty,
have removed themselves through their own fault, since they were created free and self-
determining.

St. Irenaios of Lyons

from Against Heresies
The Early Christian Fathers
Tr. by Henry Bettenson
Oxford University Press, 1969
 Special Study
The Passions
Human nature possesses various faculties and energies which are essential to
its makeup. The Fathers, following an observation first made by Plato,
frequently classify these faculties as three powers: the intelligent, the appetitive,
and the irascible. The intelligent power refers to man’s ability to reason. The
appetitive power refers to man’s desire, whether for food, or happiness, or sexual
fulfillment. Man’s irascible power refers to his ability to get angry or feel
vehemently.
Bishop Hierotheos (Vlachos) underscores the fact that these are all quite
natural energies which become sinful passions only when they are misdirected:

These three powers of the soul must be turned towards God. However, when they turn
against God and against our brothers instead, we have the development of passions. So a
passion is a movement of the soul contrary to nature (The Illness and Cure of the Soul in
the Orthodox Tradition, p. 137).

Let us begin by considering man’s rational faculty. St. Maximus the

Confessor described the proper function of this energy of the soul: “It is
according to nature that the rational element in us be subjected to the divine
Word and that it govern our irrational element.” The Greek word for the
intelligent or rational aspect of the soul is an adjectival form of the word logos.
Man’s logos, therefore, has a natural affinity with the Logos (Word) of God,
Who created it.
Notice that man’s rational faculty is designed to govern all of man’s other
faculties. When man’s intelligence is subjected to the Word of God, it functions
properly and is able to govern all aspects of human life. When, on the other
hand, the intellect turns away from the knowledge of God, it becomes
susceptible to ignorance and folly, giving itself over to fantasies and wild
imaginations. In such a state, it is unable to govern the rest of man’s faculties.
Just as man’s rational faculty has the Word of God as its natural focus, so also
man’s appetitive faculty has God as its natural aim. Fr. Alexander Schmemann
wrote, “Man is a hungry being. But he is hungry for God. Behind all the hunger
of our life is God. All desire is finally a desire for him” (For the Life of the
World, p. 14).
The various eating disorders discussed in popular magazines and afternoon
talk shows are all examples of man’s natural desire for food turned perverse.
Gluttony and all of the other appetitive passions are physical manifestations of a
spiritual disorder. All are rooted in man’s Fall away from God and his failure to
seek God alone as his ultimate joy.
The irascible power is also a natural faculty of the human makeup, which was
given to man that he might turn away from evil. St. Isaiah the Solitary said,
“Without anger a man cannot attain purity: he has to feel angry with all that is
sown in him by the enemy” (The Philokalia, vol. 1).
Because of self-centeredness, however, man has turned his anger away from
its proper aim–the devil–towards his fellow men. When we do not get our way,
when we are unable to fulfill the inordinate desires which have come to rule our
life, we become angry, and life becomes bitter.
To understand more clearly how the passions govern our life, let us consider
cigarette smoking. Millions of Americans continue to smoke, and millions more
take up the habit even though it has been scientifically demonstrated that
smoking is highly injurious to one’s health. Why? First of all because they find
smoking pleasurable, and secondly because nicotine is addictive.
Notice that in the case of the smoker, the desire for the pleasure of smoking
overrules the intelligence. He smokes even though he knows it is bad for him.
Once addicted, the smoker must have a cigarette or he becomes irritable. The
rational faculty of the soul is unable to govern the appetitive, and when the
appetitive cannot be satisfied, the irascible faculty begins to dominate man’s life.
All of us, to one degree or another, are caught up in the same snare as the
smoker. We have all inherited a nature in which our natural energies are easily
misdirected and subjugated to evil. To rectify this situation and restore our
faculties to their proper function is well beyond our power. Only God, Who
created us and loves us, can restore human nature to its original glory and
purpose.
 Reflection
1. Why was the world given to mankind?

2. Was it a sin for Adam and Eve to want to be like God?

3. What is the true nature of the “Original Sin”?

4. What is the inevitable result of man’s loss of communion with God?

5. What happens to man’s natural faculties and energies when his life is not directed toward
its proper aim?

6. What does the Church usually call these misdirected energies?

7. How has the Fall affected man’s relationship with his fellow men?

8. Should we view hell more as a special “place of punishment” or as the natural

consequence of man’s sin?

9. How is the Fall of man reflected in his (mis)use of the natural world?

10. Has God allowed the Fall of man to be the final chapter in human history?
 CHAPTER FIVE
The Promised Messiah of Israel
God chose the descendants of Abraham–the People of Israel–to prepare the world for
the coming of Christ, Who is the Messiah of Israel and the Savior of the world.

When God expelled Adam and Eve from Paradise, He made clear to them the
consequences of their sin. And yet, in the midst of what was an otherwise bleak
day for mankind, God made a promise which held out the hope for the future
redemption and salvation of the human race. Speaking to the serpent who had
deceived Eve, God said, And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and
between thy seed and her seed; It shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise
His heel (Genesis 3:15). Here we have the first indication that God was not
about to let sin and death have the last word. He promised that one day the seed
of Eve, though Himself bruised by the attacks of the devil, would crush the head
of the serpent and forever destroy the dominion of sin and death, which holds
mankind in its sway.
This, however, did not happen overnight. Mankind at this point was not yet
ready to receive its Savior. The way had to be prepared. Man’s mind and heart–
darkened by sin and self-centeredness–had to be “trained” to hear once again the
Word of God and recognize His presence in the world. It was not until this was
accomplished, at the fullness of time (Galatians 4:4), that God send forth His
Only-begotten Son into the world to become man for us.
This task of preparation began with a man named Abram:

Now the LORD had said unto Abram, “Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred,
and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will show thee: and I will make of thee a
great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a
blessing: and I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in
thee shall all families of the earth be blessed” (Genesis 12:1-3).

According to the promise of God, Abram–whose name was changed to

Abraham–became the father of a great nation, that is, the People of Israel.
Through this nation God would prepare the world for the coming of His Son,
and, in this way, all the peoples of the world–not just the Jews–would be blessed
by God.
 When Abraham’s descendants were being held in slavery in Egypt, God raised
up Moses to deliver the People of God and lead them into the land that God had
promised to their forefathers. The night before the Israelites were freed, the
Angel of Death passed over the land of Egypt and slew the first born males of
both man and beast. Only the Israelites, who had slain a lamb and spread its
blood on their doorposts, escaped this judgment of God. This event became
known as the Exodus, and it is commemorated every year by the Jews at the
Feast of Passover (cf. Exodus 11:4–12:20). There is much more, however, to this
event than the deliverance of Israel from bondage to the Egyptians. This event is
also a type or a foreshadowing of the deliverance which Christ would one day
bring to all mankind. Christ Himself is our Paschal (Passover) Lamb, slain for
the salvation of the world (1 Corinthians 5:7). By His Blood, we all are delivered
from the bondage of sin, corruption, and death.
Having brought the People of Israel out of Egypt and across the Red Sea,
Moses led them to Mt. Sinai, where he received from God the Ten
Commandments and instructions for proper worship. Through the Law (Torah),
Israel came to know the true God and learned how men ought to live with one
another.
The basic “creed” of Israel is known as the Shema: Hear, O Israel: The LORD
our God is one LORD (Deuteronomy 6:4). Most ancient peoples–and not a few
modern ones–were polytheistic. That is, they believed in a multitude of gods.
Israel, however, was taught that there was one and only one God. Furthermore,
she was taught that this one God was the Creator of heaven and earth.
You will recall that the source of all of man’s trouble was his attempt to make
himself into God apart from the only true and living God. In the Law of Moses,
however, God made it perfectly clear that He alone is God and that He will
admit no rivals. The first of the Ten Commandments states, I am the Lord thy
God, Who have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of
bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before Me (Exodus 20:2).
Thus, in electing Israel as His own people, God brought her to the knowledge
of Himself. It was His desire that she learn to do His will in all things, so that
one day Israel might bring forth her most perfect fruit: the one who in perfect
love and purity of heart would surrender her whole being to God and become a
vessel worthy to bear the Son of God in the flesh. The Most Blessed Virgin
Mary is, therefore, the final and consummate act in God’s program of
preparation. From her inviolate womb comes forth the Messiah of Israel–the One
Who, in His flesh, is the fulfillment of all the promises of God to Israel and to
the world.
 Everything which happened to the People of Israel was a preparation for
Christ. Everything points to His coming and to His work of salvation.
Specifically, however, there are three offices which are singled out in particular
as being “Messianic,” that is, offices which specifically point to the person and
work of Christ: prophet, priest, and king.
The first of these offices is that of prophet. Unfortunately, many people equate
prophecy with fortune-telling. The word, however, actually means to “speak
forth.” It means to declare the truth of the Lord. Thus, when the prophets spoke
to Israel, they were not engaging in a carnival sideshow but were proclaiming
the message of God’s love and salvation. This was true even when they were
rebuking the People of Israel for their sins and faithlessness. When the prophets
attacked the hypocrisy of Israel, they were trying to reveal the inner essence of
the Law. That inner essence and meaning is none other than Christ Himself, the
Son of God. It is Christ, the eternal Word and Wisdom of the Father, Who is the
purpose and content of the Law of Moses.
However, the prophets point to Christ not only by announcing prophecies
concerning Him (cf. Isaiah 7:14), but by simply being prophets–people who
proclaim the Word of God. By proclaiming the Word of God in their time, they
pointed to the Word of God Himself, Who would become man and reveal God to
mankind in the most perfect way. God, Who at sundry times and in divers
manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last
days spoken unto us by His Son, Whom He hath appointed heir of all things, by
Whom also He made the worlds (Hebrews 1:1-2).
The second “Messianic Office” is that of priest. When God gave the Law to
Moses, He also gave him specific instructions for proper worship, including
instructions for the priesthood. The most important function of the priest was to
make sacrifices on behalf of the people. Once a year the high priest entered into
the Holy of Holies to make the sacrifice for the sins of Israel (cf. Leviticus
16:15-16).
These sacrifices, however, had to be repeated, for they were unable to heal the
great wound caused by sin and raise mankind up again unto the likeness of its
heavenly archetype. Their purpose was to point to the One Who is both perfect
Priest and Sacrifice:

For the Law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the
things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make
the comers thereunto perfect. For then would they not have ceased to be offered? Because
that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins. But in
those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year. For it is not
 possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. Wherefore when He
cometh into the world, He saith, sacrifice and offering Thou wouldest not, but a body hast
Thou prepared Me: In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin Thou hast had no pleasure.
Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of Me,) to do Thy will, O
God. Above when He said, sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin
Thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the Law; Then
said He, Lo, I come to do Thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that He may establish
the second. By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the Body of Jesus
Christ once for all (Hebrews 10:1-10).

The third “Messianic Office” is that of king. Originally Israel did not have a
king, or rather, she had God for her sovereign. But, in an effort to “keep up with
the Joneses” (cf. 1 Samuel 8:5), Israel insisted on having a king. Her first king,
Saul, turned out to be a tyrant, but his successor, David, was a man after God’s
own heart. Although David was certainly not perfect, his kingship became a type
of the kingship of Christ. Indeed, Jesus’ human lineage is traced from David.
The New Testament begins with the words, The book of the generation of Jesus
Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham (Matthew 1:1).
David is the author of many of the hymns contained in the Book of Psalms.
Many of these psalms refer not only to David, but to the Messiah Who would sit
on David’s throne:

Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth set
themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against His
Anointed†, saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.
He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision. Then
shall He speak unto them in His wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure. Yet have I
set My king upon My holy hill of Zion. I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto
Me, Thou art My Son; this day have I begotten Thee. (Psalm 2:1-7)

Every aspect of the life of the People of Israel points beyond itself to Christ.
Apart from Him, Israel is just an ancient culture alongside other ancient cultures.
What makes Israel special is the fact that she existed not for her own sake, but
for the sake of God and His Christ. In doing so, Israel existed for the sake of the
whole world, for every people and land. Through the descendent of Abraham, a
son of the tribe of Judah (David’s tribe), every nation of the world has been
blessed.

THE FATHERS SPEAK

The lyre of the prophets who proclaimed Him, singing before Him, and the hyssop of the
priests who loved Him, eagerly desiring His presence, and the diadem of kings who
 handed it down in succession belong to this Lord of virgins, for even His mother is a
virgin. He Who is King gives the kingdom to all. He Who is Priest gives pardon to all. He
Who is the Lamb gives nourishment to all.

Let His mother worship Him; let her offer Him a crown. For Solomon’s mother made him
king and crowned him. He apostatized and lost his crown in battle. Behold the Son of
David Who glorified and crowned the House of David! For You have greatly magnified
his throne, and You have greatly exalted his tribe, and his lyre You have extended
everywhere.

St. Ephrem the Syrian

from Hymns on the Nativity
Tr. by Kathleen McVey
Paulist Press, 1989

Even though in Scripture there were many righteous men and friends of God before the
coming of the Justifier and Reconciler, we ought to consider this both in the particular
context of their own generation and also with reference to that which was to come. It was
for this that they were enabled and prepared . . . that when the light would shine they
would see it, and when the reality had been disclosed they would rise above the types and
shadows.

St. Nicholas Cabasilas

from The Life in Christ
Tr. by C. J. deCatanzaro
SVS Press, 1974
 Special Study
Typology
We have spoken of certain Old Testament persons or events as being types of
something revealed in the New Testament. We saw that the three Angels who
visited Abraham were a type of the Holy Trinity. We also noted that the Exodus
of the Jews from Egypt was a type of the deliverance of mankind from sin by the
Blood of Christ. But what exactly is a type, and why does the Church interpret
the Scriptures in this way?
Typology is a method of biblical interpretation whereby certain persons or
events (usually in the Old Testament) are seen as signs or foreshadowings of
either heavenly realities or future events. This method of interpretation was
employed by Christ Himself when He cited Jonah’s three-day sojourn in the
belly of the great fish as a sign of His own three-day burial (Matthew 12:39-40).
In the book of Hebrews, the priest Melchizedek, to whom Abraham offered a
tenth of his goods (Genesis 14:18-20), is cited as a type of Christ, the great High
Priest of our salvation (Hebrews 6:20ff.).
Typology is very similar to the literary technique of foreshadowing. Let us
suppose that the author of a novel has his main character die in the final chapter
by being hit by a car on a deserted, country road. Let us also suppose that in an
earlier chapter, the main character comes upon a dead animal, obviously hit by a
car, on a deserted, country road, and that in order to avoid the animal he swerves
off the road and damages his car. Because of this minor accident he misses an
important meeting, and the course of his life is altered.
The dead animal in the road has a specific function in the development of the
plot up to that point. We might have no reason to suspect that the animal carcass
has any other meaning. When, however, we read the last chapter and learn that
the main character is killed by being hit by a car on a deserted, country road, we
think back to the dead animal in the earlier chapter.
The author could have used any excuse to keep the main character from
getting to his meeting. His car could have simply broken down. He could have
had a minor accident with another car at a busy intersection, or he could have
swerved to miss a large tree limb in the middle of the road. Instead, the author
chose to foreshadow the death of the main character by using an animal that also
had been hit by a car.
While the actual text of the Bible was written by men, the true author of the
story is God Himself. Indeed, He is both the author and the main character.
Throughout the history of Israel, God was preparing Israel and the world for the
coming of His Son. When the Son was finally revealed in human flesh, the
eternal significance of the history of Israel came to light.
The Jews whom Moses led out of Egypt had no indication that their Exodus
meant anything more than their escape from physical bondage. However, its real
significance was not understood until the coming of Christ, Who delivered all
mankind from the bondage of sin and death through the shedding of His own
Blood.
The Church interprets all of the Holy Scripture, both Old and New
Testaments, in the light of Christ, and typology is the primary method used. Two
points need to be clarified, however.
First, because God is both author and main character, the types do more than
simply foreshadow; in some way they actually participate in the event being
typified. Thus, when Abraham encountered the three Angels, he was actually
encountering, in a limited way, the Holy Trinity. When Israel escaped from
Egypt, she was participating, again in a very limited way, in the deliverance of
Christ.
Finally, we must understand that typology is different from allegory. Allegory
is a method of interpretation, also used by the Apostles and Church Fathers,
whereby a moral or philosophical point is extracted from a story, without regard
to its literal meaning. These two types of interpretation are not mutually
exclusive. The Fathers teach us that a passage may have a literal, typological,
and allegorical meaning at the same time. For example, the story of the Exodus
refers to the literal deliverance of Israel from bondage in Egypt. It is also a type
of the deliverance wrought by Christ on the Cross (another historical event).
Finally, it may also be interpreted allegorically, as the deliverance of the soul
from sin. This latter method is used frequently during Great Lent, when the
hymnographers invite us to put ourselves in the place of Old Testament
characters and see their struggles as an allegory of our own, personal spiritual
journey.
 Reflection
1. Who is the father of the People of Israel?

2. What did God promise to him concerning his offspring?

3. In what way was the Passover Lamb slain at the time of the Exodus a foreshadowing of
Christ?

4. To whom did God reveal the Ten Commandments and the instructions for proper
worship?

5. What did Israel believe about God that set her apart from other nations?

6. What does the word prophecy literally mean?

7. How do the prophets foreshadow the work of Christ?

8. What was the job of the high priest in the Old Testament? How is this related to the work
of Christ?

9. Which Old Testament figure is a type or figure of the kingship of Christ?

10. What is the method of biblical interpretation whereby the history of Israel is interpreted
in the light of the coming of Israel’s Messiah?

† Christ is Greek for “Anointed One” or “Messiah.”

 CHAPTER SIX
The Incarnation
Jesus Christ is the eternal Son and Word of God Who, without suffering any change to
His divinity, became man and restored humanity to its original glory.

Once, while walking with His Disciples, Jesus asked them, “Whom do men
say that I the Son of Man am?” (Matthew 16:13 ff.). They answered, “Some say
that Thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the
prophets” The world has never been at a loss for opinions concerning Christ. He
has been called everything from a great moral philosopher and religious genius
to a fraud and deceiver to “the greatest salesman in the world,”s All of these
views, to one degree or another, reflect the hopes and fears of those who hold
them, for we human beings have the unfortunate tendency to see in Christ
whatever it is we want to see. But what about the real Jesus? What is the truth
about this itinerant preacher from Galilee?
After hearing all of these different theories about His identity, Jesus then
asked his Disciples, “But Whom say ye that I am?” In one way or another, this
question is asked of every human being. It is the most important question that we
will ever be asked, for the answer will determine our eternal destiny. What we
believe about Jesus Christ determines how we will relate–or fail to relate–to
Him. If Jesus was just a man like any of us, no more or no less, then what we
think of Him matters very little. If, however, Jesus is Who He claimed to be, our
relationship to Him is of decisive importance.
To this all-important question, Simon answered, “Thou art the Christ, the Son
of the living God.” By confessing Jesus to be the “Christ” Simon acknowledged
Him to be the long-expected Messiah of Israel, the hope of all the world. By
confessing Him to be the “Son of the Living God,” he acknowledged Jesus to be
God. Since we have already examined Christ’s role as Messiah, let us focus on
the second aspect of Simon’s Confession: the divinity of Jesus Christ.
The fact that Jesus Christ is the Son of God means that He is One of the Holy
Trinity–the eternal Son of the Father. Christ is not merely a messenger from
God, but God Himself, Who became man for our salvation. At His conception
by the Most Blessed Virgin Mary, the eternal Son and Word of God took upon
Himself our human nature in its entirety and became man: And the Word was
made flesh, and dwelt among us (John 1:14). Thus, Jesus Christ is both God and
man. The Church’s teaching about this is called the doctrine of the Incarnation
(meaning “enfleshment”) and may be summarized in this way:

1) Jesus Christ is One of the Holy Trinity, the eternal Son and Word of God the Father.
When He became man, He did not cease being God. We have already seen that each
person of the Trinity is “catholic”; that is, each sums up within Himself the whole of the
Godhead. Thus, when we encounter Christ, we encounter God Himself: For in Him
dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily (Colossians 2:9).

2) Christ became a real man, having a human body and rational soul. There is no essential
aspect of human nature in which Christ did not share: Wherefore in all things it behoved
Him to be made like unto His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High
Priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people
(Hebrews 2:17).

3) In becoming man, Christ assumed human nature in its entirety. Because man is created
in the image of the Holy Trinity, each human being sums up within himself the totality of
human nature. Thus, Christ as man is united essentially to every man. He is one with the
Father and the Holy Spirit according to His divinity, and one with each of us according to
His humanity.

4) The divine and human natures in Christ remain distinct. When God became man, His
divinity did not swallow up His humanity, but rather perfected it and made it what it was
originally intended to be. According to the decree of the Council of Chalcedon (A.D.
451), the divine and human natures in Christ exist “without mixture or confusion.” That
which is divine remains divine, and that which is human remains human; but the human
now exists in a divine way, because it is united with the divine.

5) Jesus Christ is one person, not two. Although the two natures of Christ remain distinct,
they are united “without separation or division” (Chalcedon). This is so because the
principle of their union is the one person of the Son. In His person, the Son and Word of
God took upon Himself our human nature and made it His own. The Word did not
“adopt” or attach Himself to an already existing man named Jesus. On the contrary, the
Word is the man Jesus! What is Jesus? He is both God and man. Who is Jesus? He is the
eternal Son of God, One of the Holy Trinity.

When Simon correctly answered the question, “Who am I?,” Jesus looked at
him and said,

 “Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but
My Father Who is in heaven. And I say also unto thee, that thou art Peter, and upon this
rock I will build My Church, and the gates of hades shall not prevail against it. “

There are two aspects of Jesus’ response to Simon Peter’s confession that
merit attention. First of all, Jesus states that Peter did not come to this knowledge
by himself or by means of human investigation. Indeed, it is impossible to
penetrate into the mystery of Christ solely by the light of unaided human reason.
The true nature of Christ’s person is inaccessible to the inquiries of historical
research. That is why all attempts to find the “historical Jesus” apart from the
Christ presented in the Gospels have ended in utter failure.
True knowledge of Christ comes only by revelation of God. Thus, the
Church’s teaching about the nature of Christ is not based upon the opinion of
men, but upon God’s self-revelation to mankind in the person of His Son. Christ
reveals the Father to man (cf. Matthew 11:27), and the Father confirms that
Christ is indeed His Son. At both the Baptism and the Transfiguration of Christ,
a voice from heaven proclaimed, “This is My beloved Son” (Mat 3:17; 17:5).
Thus, God the Father Himself witnesses to the divinity of Christ.
In addition to the witness of the Father, the Holy Spirit also bears witness to
Christ (cf. John 15:26). St. Paul states that no man can genuinely call Jesus
“Lord” except by the power of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:3). Thus, our
knowledge of Christ is not dependent upon our limited faculties or the paucity of
historical data, but upon the witness of God:

If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for this is the witness of
God which He hath testified of His Son. He that believeth on the Son of God hath the
witness in himself: He that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth
not the record that God gave of His Son. And this is the record, that God hath given to us
eternal life, and this life is in His Son (1 John 5:9-11).

The second important aspect of Jesus’ reply is the connection He drew

between Peter’s confession and the establishment of the Church. Jesus renamed
Simon “Peter” (Petros, a rock) and stated, “upon this rock (Petra, a large rock) I
will build My Church.”
Even before the Protestant Reformation, there was a disagreement between
those who said the Church is built upon Peter himself and those who said She is
built upon the fact that Jesus is the Christ (that is, Peter’s confession). This battle
of interpretations, however, is a false problem, for genuine faith cannot be
separated from the one who holds it. The fact is that Peter is the one who
confessed Jesus to be the Son of God, and it was to Peter (and later to the other
Apostles) that Christ gave the keys to the kingdom (Matthew 16:19). Faith in
Christ is not an abstract philosophical proposition but a relationship with Him,
and this relationship is the life of the Church.
It is not enough for us to believe that Jesus is the Son of God, One of the Holy
Trinity made flesh. In the Creed, we do not say that we believe that there is one
God. Rather, we say, “I believe in one God . . . “ Between belief that and belief
in there is a world of difference–the difference between heaven and hell. The
Apostle James wrote, Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the
devils also believe, and tremble (James 2:19). A truly Orthodox confession of
the doctrine of Christ must come from the innermost heart; it must come out of a
living relationship with Him.
For this reason it is pointless to try to separate Peter from his confession. In
spite of his falls, Peter’s confession became his life–even to the point of dying a
martyr’s death for the One Whom he confessed to be the Son of God.
If we are to be true Orthodox Christians, our confession must be like that of
Peter. We must pass beyond knowledge about Christ to an intimate, personal
knowledge of Christ. To be sure, Peter was not perfect, and in this we may take
some consolation in the midst of our imperfections. There were times when he
doubted and even denied Christ, and yet he always came back to the One Whom
he had confessed, the One Whom he knew to be the Son of God.

THE FATHERS SPEAK

You know what happens when a portrait that has been painted on a panel becomes
obliterated through external stains. The artist does not throw away the panel, but the
subject of the portrait has to come and sit for it again, and then the likeness is re-drawn on
the same material. Even so was it with the All-holy Son of God. He, the Image of the
Father, came and dwelt in our midst, in order that He might renew mankind after Himself,
and seek out His lost sheep, even as He says in the Gospel: I came to seek and to save that
which was lost. This also explains His saying to the Jews: “Except a man be born anew.”
… He was not referring to a man’s natural birth from his mother, as they thought, but to
the re-birth and re-creation of the soul in the image of God.

St. Athanasius the Great

from On the Incarnation

Therefore we acknowledge our Lord Jesus Christ, the Only-begotten Son of God, perfect
God and perfect man, consisting of rational soul and body: in respect to His divinity,
begotten of the Father before the ages; in respect to His humanity, begotten also of the
Virgin Mary, for us and for our salvation. He is also of one substance (nature) with the
 Father in respect to His divinity, and of one substance with us in respect to His humanity,
for a unity of two natures has come about. Therefore, we acknowledge one Christ, one
Son, one Lord. In accordance with this principle of the union without confusion, we
acknowledge the Holy Virgin as Mother of God (Theotokos), because the Word was
incarnate and made man, and from the very conception united to Himself the temple
taken from her.

St. Cyril of Alexandria

from Epistle 39
The Later Christian Fathers

He Who is comes to be; the uncreated is created, the unconfinable is confined, through
the mediation of the intellectual soul, the bridge between the divinity and the grossness of
the flesh. He Who enriches becomes poor: He takes upon Himself the poverty of my flesh
so that I may receive the riches of His divinity. He who is full is emptied: He is emptied
of His own glory for a little while, that I may share in His fullness. . . . What a mystery is
this, concerned with me! I had my share in the divine image, and I did not preserve it. He
shares in my flesh in order that He may rescue the image and confer immortality on the
flesh.

St. Gregory the Theologian

from Oration 38
The Later Christian Fathers
 Special Study
Icon of the Invisible God
When God gave the Ten Commandments to Moses, He specifically outlawed
the making of idols. He did so to prevent the People of Israel from creating an
image of God from their imaginations. As the Apostle Paul said, We ought not to
think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and
man’s device (Acts 17:29). God is pure spirit; He has no material form. When
the writers of the Scriptures speak of the “hand” of God or state that God “sees”
or “hears,” they are using metaphorical language. While God allowed this kind
of language about Him to be used–how else could we speak about God?–He
drew the line at material representations. God understood that man had the
tendency to formulate gods in his own fallen image. The prohibition against
idols was a safeguard against thinking that man could somehow “capture” the
infinite God by using created forms.
The Law of Moses, however, was a custodian or school master (cf. Galatians
3:24). Its purpose was to prepare the world for the coming of Christ. With the
advent of the Son of God in the flesh, man’s relationship with God changed
radically, for no man hath seen God at any time; the Only-begotten Son, Who is
in the bosom of the Father, He hath declared Him (John 1:18). Jesus Christ, the
Icon of the invisible God (Colossians 1:15), came to reveal God to man and to
renew in man the image of God which had been distorted by sin. At the
Incarnation, the bodiless God took on a body; the invisible One became visible
to human eyes.
Iconography is the one of the ways the Church expresses Her faith in the
Incarnation. Icons are not merely helpful “illustrations,” they witness to the fact
that the invisible God has become man. St. John of Damascus wrote:

I do not adore the creation rather than the Creator, but I adore the One Who became a
creature, Who was formed as I was, Who clothed Himself in creation without weakening
or departing from His divinity, that He might raise our nature in glory and make us
partakers of His divine nature. . . . Therefore I boldly draw an image of the invisible God,
not as invisible, but as having become visible for our sakes by partaking of flesh and
blood. I do not draw an image of the immortal Godhead, but I paint the image of God
Who became visible in the flesh (On the Divine Images).

Icons are the visual equivalents of the Divine Scriptures. Just as the Bible is
not simply a book, so icons are not simply pictures. They are vehicles of
revelation, sacraments of God’s presence. St. Theodore the Studite wrote:

[Jesus] nowhere told anyone to write down the “concise word” yet His image was drawn
in writing by the Apostles and has been preserved up to the present. Whatever is marked
there with paper and ink, the same is marked on the icon with varied pigments or some
other material medium.

Just as we encounter Christ in the Scriptures, so we also encounter Christ and

His Saints in the holy icons.
The Seventh Ecumenical Council (A.D. 787) decreed that the Church must
proclaim Her faith in the Incarnate Lord “in words and in images.” In doing so,
She safeguards Herself from those who would deny that Jesus Christ is God in
the flesh. On the first Sunday of Great Lent–the “Sunday of Orthodoxy”–the
Church commemorates the final restoration of icons after the period of
iconoclasm (A.D. 843). On this day the Church reaffirms Her commitment to
proclaim the whole counsel of God (cf. Acts 20:27) and to hold fast to the
apostolic tradition delivered once for all to the Saints (Jude 3). Icons, therefore,
are not a matter of “decoration” but are an essential element of the Orthodox
Faith.
Because of the doctrinal importance of icons, the Church has developed strict
rules, or canons, concerning their creation. Not every “religious” picture can be
considered an icon. Above all, an icon must convey the inner spiritual meaning
of the person or event depicted. The beauty of an icon stems not from the
physical beauty of the subject but from the inner beauty of a life transformed by
divine grace. The Son of God came to restore the divine image in man.
Iconography is the graphic witness to this restoration.
 Reflection
1. Who is Jesus Christ?

2. Was there ever a time when He did not exist?

3. Did the Word of God cease to be God when He became man?

4. Did the Word of God adopt an already existing man in which to dwell?

5. Did the Word of God inhabit a human body (without a soul) in the same way that a
person dwells in a house?

6. If the Word of God became a particular man, how is He related to the rest of us?

7. Using the words person and nature, complete the following sentences:

In the Holy Trinity, three co-equal [ ] exist in one, undivided [ ].

In Christ, two complete and perfect [ ] exist in one and the same [ ].

8. Who was the first to confess that Jesus is “the Christ, the Son of the living God”?

9. What is the difference between belief that Christ is God and belief in Christ?

10. How does the Incarnation affect the Old Testament prohibition of images?
 CHAPTER SEVEN
Mankind’s “Yes” to God
The Virgin Mary, in her purity of heart and perfect receptivity to the will of God, is the
historical foundation of our salvation and the fulfillment of the purpose of humanity.

Fr. Georges Florovsky wrote, “To ignore the Mother of God means to
misinterpret the Son.” Mariology–what the Church believes about the Most
Blessed Virgin Mary–and Christology–what She believes about Christ–are
inseparable. One without the other will inevitably lead to a distortion of the
Christian Faith. Unfortunately, this is precisely what has happened in western
Christendom, thanks to the Protestant Reformation.
At the Third Ecumenical Council (Ephesus, A.D. 431), the holy Fathers
sanctioned the widespread practice of hymning the Blessed Virgin as Theotokos,
which means “God-bearer” or “Mother of God.” They did so to preserve the
correct understanding of Christ as God made man. They realized that what was
at stake was not some optional aspect of personal piety, but the very substance of
the Christian Faith. What we believe about the Virgin Mary invariably affects
what we believe about Christ. Thus, a proper understanding of Mary is essential
for mankind’s salvation.
First of all, a correct Mariology underscores the fact that Christ is One of the
Holy Trinity and not merely a man somehow joined to God. Although Christ
was both fully God and fully man, He is one and only one person: the eternal
Son and Word of God. A man, even one intimately united with God, could not
save humanity and raise us up to the perfect participation in the life of God. Only
God could renew His image in man and impart unto him the fullness of His
divine life. If Christ is not God, then our salvation is an illusion. Therefore, to
confess that the Blessed Virgin is the Mother of God is to confess that the Son
born of her is God Himself, One of the Holy Trinity. On the other hand, to deny
that Mary is the Theotokos is to deny that Christ is truly God and, therefore, to
deny the possibility of our salvation.
Secondly, the proper understanding of the person and work of the Virgin
Mary is necessary to safeguard the reality of Christ’s human nature. Some
suppose that the Blessed Virgin was merely a passive “channel” or
“passageway” through which God entered the world. Such a notion, however,
makes the humanity of Christ an illusion. The Church confesses that Mary was
the mother of the incarnate God in every sense of the term. Christ took the
substance of His humanity from her, becoming in her womb what He was not so
that mankind might become what He is:

In Him and through Him are we saved, and together with Gabriel let us cry aloud unto the
Virgin: Rejoice, thou who art full of grace! The Lord is with thee! From thee has Christ
our God and our Salvation taken human nature, raising it up unto Himself (The Festal
Menaion).

In addition, the confession of Mary as the Theotokos affirms the “human

dimension” of our salvation. Man was created in the image of God. This means
that he was given the freedom either to realize his life as love and communion
with God or to deny his divine vocation and condemn himself to an egoistic hell
of his own making. Even though the image of God in man has been severely
marred by the Fall, it has not been totally obliterated. Although man finds
himself enslaved to sin and death, he nonetheless retains the capacity–however
limited–to respond to God. Without this capacity it would be impossible for man
to be saved, for salvation is a free, personal participation in the life of God. God
will not, indeed cannot, save man against his will. Only God can save man, but
man must want to be saved. He must respond to God and enter into the life
which God offers him.
When the Church confesses the most holy Virgin to be the Mother of God,
She is affirming the freedom which mankind possesses to respond to God and to
accept the life that He offers. To hear some Protestant commentators talk about
the Incarnation, one would get the idea that Mary had absolutely nothing to do
with it. The logical implication of such an approach is that God simply “used”
the Maiden as an inanimate tool.
The fact of the matter is that the Virgin had the freedom, in modern parlance,
to “just say, ‘No!’” She could have refused the joyous tidings of the Archangel;
she could have rejected God’s plan for the salvation of mankind. Yet she–alone
among the sons and daughters of Eve–said, “Yes,” to God with such purity of
heart that she became a vessel fit to hold the uncontainable God. Behold the
Handmaid of the Lord, be it unto me according to thy word (Luke 1:38). Mary’s
“Yes”–her fiat–is the foundation of our salvation. To better understand this, let
us consider the historical, cosmic, and ethical dimensions of the Virgin’s “Yes.”
We have seen that the coming of Christ was the fruit of a long, historical
process. God prepared the world for the coming of His Son by electing the
children of Abraham as His own People. To Israel God gave the Law, the
priesthood, and the prophets. Therefore, Christ–the fulfillment of the Law, the
priesthood, and the prophets–cannot be separated from this historical process.
The most blessed Virgin Mary is the culmination of all that God has done
through Israel to prepare the world for the coming of His Son. She is the perfect
flower of God’s plan of salvation, for from her immaculate womb “flowered
forth the Fruit of Life”–Christ, our true God!

He Who promised to thy forefather David that of the fruit of his body He would set upon
the throne of his kingdom, He it is Who has chosen thee, the only excellency of Jacob, to
be His spiritual dwelling place.

God promised to our forefather Abraham that in his seed the Gentiles would be blessed, O
pure Lady, and through thee today the promise receives its fulfillment.

The Holy Scriptures speak of thee mystically, O Mother of the Most High. For Jacob saw
in days of old the ladder that prefigured thee, and said: “This is the stair on which God
shall tread” (cf. Genesis 28:12-17). Therefore, as is right, dost thou hear the salutation:
Rejoice, thou who art full of grace! The Lord is with thee (The Festal Menaion).

The Virgin Mary, however, not only stands at the end of a long historical
process, she is also the culmination of the entire human race and of all creation.
“All of creation rejoices in thee, O full of grace!” One hymn states, “He [Christ]
was born of the Father before eternity without a mother, but now for our sake He
came from thee [the Virgin] without a father!” Commenting on this hymn, Paul
Evdokimov has written, “The analogy is clearly described: the maternity of the
Virgin presents itself as the human figure of the paternity of God. If fatherhood
is the category of divine life, motherhood is the religious category of human life”
(The Sacrament of Love, pp. 34-35).
The Virgin Mary, therefore, is the perfect icon of how humanity–if it is to be
truly human–ought to respond to God. To quote Evdokimov again: “The Bible
exalts woman as the instrument of spiritual receptivity in human nature … its
capacity to receive the divine” (p. 35).
It is not accidental that the Book of Genesis records that Eve, and not Adam,
was the first to eat of the forbidden fruit. If man as the priest of creation has
failed to offer the world to God in love, it is because of his failure to receive all
that God has given him in love. This is the failure of the “feminine principle” of
humanity, the failure of Eve. In the person of the Theotokos, however, humanity
is renewed, for she is the New Eve–the perfect human response to God.
In the services for the Annunciation, many of the hymns are in the form of a
dialogue between Mary and Gabriel. Mary is hesitant at first, fearful of being led
astray: “I am afraid. I fear lest thou deceive me, as Eve was deceived, and lead
me far from God.” In the end, however, she is convinced by the truth of the
Archangel’s words and commits herself to God: “Behold the Handmaid of the
Lord, be it unto me according to thy word.” Mary’s “Yes” is the answer to Eve’s
“No”. Through her receptivity to God, Christ–our true High Priest–came into the
world to offer all of creation back to God in one all-encompassing sacrifice of
love.
In this way, Mary’s “Yes” is the “Yes” of all humanity to God. One of the
hymns for the Nativity expresses it this way:

What shall we offer Thee, O Christ, Who for our sakes hast appeared on earth as man?
Every creature made by Thee offers Thee thanks. The angels offer Thee a hymn; the
heavens a star; the Magi, gifts; the shepherds, their wonder; the earth, its cave; the
wilderness, the manger; and we offer Thee a Virgin Mother (The Festal Menaion)!

If, therefore, the Virgin is the historical foundation of our salvation and indeed
fulfills the most basic purpose of humanity as a whole, then she rightly serves as
a model for our own lives. Our task as Orthodox Christians is to strive to
respond to God in every way as did the Virgin Theotokos. Archimandrite
George of Mt. Athos writes,

Contemporary man is deluded by the devil and believes–as did Adam and Eve earlier–
that his freedom is to be found in his autonomy and in his revolt against God. With this
egoistic attitude man loses the possibility of true communion, not only with his God and
Father, but also with his fellow men, and he lives as an orphan in an intolerable
loneliness, which he experiences as an existential emptiness (The Eros of Repentance, pp.
70-71).

If we are to find our true freedom as persons created in the image of God, we
must follow the example of our most blessed Lady and say “Yes” to God in
every facet of our lives. “Calling to mind our most holy, most pure, most blessed
and glorious Lady, the Theotokos and Ever-virgin Mary, with all the Saints, let
us commend ourselves, one another, and all our life unto Christ our God!” In this
way, we will begin to bear Christ within ourselves, as the Apostle Paul says, My
little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you
(Galatians 4:19).

THE FATHERS SPEAK

Eve, by her disobedience, brought death upon herself and on all the human race. Mary, by
 her obedience, brought salvation.

Eve had to be recapitulated in Mary so that a virgin might be the intercessor for a virgin,
and by the obedience of a virgin, undo and overcome the disobedience of a virgin.

St. Irenaios of Lyons

from The Preaching of the Apostles

In her virginity Eve put on leaves of shame. Your Mother put on, in her virginity, the
garment of glory that suffices for all. I gave the small mantle of the body to the One Who
covers all.

Blessed are you also, Mary, whose name is great and exalted because of your Child.
Indeed, you were able to say how much and how and where the Great One, Who became
small, dwelt in you.

St. Ephrem the Syrian

from Hymns on the Nativity

Thou hast contained in thy womb, O Virgin Mother, One of the Trinity, Christ the King,
Whose praises all creation sings and before Whom the thrones on high tremble. O All-
venerated Lady, entreat Him for the salvation of our souls.

St. Andrew of Crete

from the Canon on the Nativity of
the Theotokos
The Festal Menaion
Faber and Faber, 1969
 Special Study
Fervent Intercessors
While our Lord was hanging from the Cross, pouring out His life for the
salvation of the world, He looked down upon His most pure Mother and the
Apostle John and said to the holy Virgin, “Woman, behold thy son.” To John He
said, “Behold thy mother” (John 19:26-27). From this time forth, the Virgin
maiden who had given birth to God in the flesh was to be the mother of His
Disciples. Just as Eve was the “Mother of all the living,” so the Virgin is the
“Mother of all Christians,” the personification of Holy Mother Church. To those
who are united to her Son through Holy Baptism, she extends her motherly
embrace.
As our Mother, the All-holy Theotokos intercedes for us before the Throne of
Her Son. As our fervent Intercessor and constant Advocate before the Creator,
the Virgin never tires and never fails to remember her spiritual children in her
prayers. When we are at our lowest ebb and feel as though we have been
forsaken by all the world, we may take courage in the fact that our Lady is ever
ready to come to us and intercede for us, winning greater strength for all who
call upon her Son in faith.
Since the time of the Protestant Reformation, however, much of Western
Christendom has either ignored or rejected outright the intercession of the
Mother of God and the Saints for those on earth. In doing so, Protestants have
forfeited one of the greatest privileges of being Christians. The Apostle James
enjoins us to pray for one another, and in the same verse, explains why: the
effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much (James 5:16). It is
ironic that those who oppose the idea of seeking the intercession of the Saints in
heaven have no objections to asking ordinary, sinful Christians to pray for them.
But let us consider whose prayers, according to St. James, are more effectual:
those Christians still alive on earth struggling with their own sins and problems,
or those who have gone on to be with God and are recognized by the Church for
their holiness of life?
The Saints are those who have passed through this life in victorious faith and
now behold the face of Christ. United with Him in love, they exist in a state of
perfect accord with His holy will. Thus, we may be assured that when they pray
for us who are on earth, their supplications are in complete harmony with the
purposes of God. No longer capable of being deceived by the wiles of the devil,
they form a mighty army, joining their will to the will of God and standing firm
with us as we fight the good fight of faith. If God hears the prayers of ordinary
Christians embroiled in the trials of life (and He certainly does), then how much
more does He heed the intercessions of those who have pleased Him most,
whom He has called to be with Himself in heaven.
I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. God is
not the God of the dead, but of the living (Matthew 22:32). In Christ, death is no
longer the impenetrable barrier which separates us from those who have gone on
before us. Indeed, the writer of Hebrews affirms that the Saints in heaven are
aware of what is going on in our lives:

Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us
lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with
patience the race that is set before us (Hebrews 12:1).

The Saints not only cheer us on as we run the race of life, they actively
participate in our race as they intercede for us, winning greater strength for all
who battle evil. Our All-holy Lady, the Theotokos, stands at the head of this
chorus of Saints and remains for us on earth our steadfast Protectress and
constant Advocate before the Creator:

Steadfast Protectress of Christians, constant Advocate before the Creator, despise not
the cry of us sinners, but in thy goodness come speedily to help us who call on thee in
faith. Hasten to hear our petition and to intercede for us, O Theotokos, for thou dost
always protect those who honor thee.
 Reflection
1. What does the name Theotokos mean?

2. How did the Archangel greet the Virgin at the Annunciation?

3. In what way is the Virgin the culmination of the history of Israel?

4. In what way is the Virgin as a woman representative of the whole human race?

5. In what way is the Virgin mankind’s offering to God?

6. What is the relationship of the Virgin to Eve?

7. What did the Virgin say to the Archangel Gabriel in response to his message?

8. How does the Virgin’s response serve as a model for our own lives?

9. What is the relationship between the Virgin and the Church on earth?

10. Does the Virgin take an active part in our lives?

 CHAPTER EIGHT
The Teachings of Christ
To live the life that Christ came to give us, we must be willing to follow His
commandments, which is the way of suffering love.

Throughout His ministry, Jesus was called Rabbi, which means teacher.
Although Jesus gained fame as a miracle worker, He was especially known for
His teachings. Indeed, today virtually all of the world’s religions recognize Jesus
Christ as a great religious teacher. Even atheists admire His ethical teachings.
Yet most of the people who find Jesus to be such an “enlightened” teacher have
never actually bothered to study His teachings. They merely summarize them in
terms of the “golden rule” or “love thy neighbor”–sayings which they then
reinterpret in light of their own beliefs.
This attitude creates the nonthreatening, low-calorie, “gentle Jesus, meek and
mild” that has become so popular in our day. In His own day, however, Jesus’
teachings were not always well received. The religious establishment perceived
them precisely as a threat to its beliefs and way of life.
Jesus’ teachings were controversial not only because He, Himself, claimed to
be God, but also because He told men that there was only one thing in life worth
having–the kingdom of God–and that it would cost a man all that had in order to
acquire it. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking
goodly pearls: Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold
all that he had, and bought it (Matthew 13:45-46). The people of Jesus’ time,
not unlike people of our own day, did not want to hear this. They were not
interested in giving up their lives in order to acquire that life which has no end.
They simply wanted a set of rules to follow that would guarantee them a happy,
peaceful life.
The ethical teachings of the Orthodox Church, faithfully based upon the
teachings of Her Lord, are concerned with one thing only: to lead man to the
kingdom of heaven. She knows that there is only one path to heaven: to keep the
commandments of Christ. And yet, the commandments of Christ are not just
another set of rules to follow–a Christian replacement for the Old Testament
Law. On the contrary, they are a new way of life, a new way of experiencing
one’s relationship with God, with others, and with the whole creation. They have
as their aim neither the ethical improvement of man’s behavior nor the moral
justification of his actions, but the transformation of man’s life into the likeness
of God.
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus gave His Disciples the commandment
which most clearly expresses the purpose for man’s existence and the purpose
for Christ’s work on earth: Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father Who is
in heaven is perfect (Matthew 5:48). Thus, we are commanded to attain unto the
state of perfect Godlikeness; anything less than this is sin and failure, that is,
missing the mark.
As the Fall enslaved mankind to a way of life contrary to its true nature, so the
coming of Christ once again opened the gates of paradise and made it possible
for man to live as he was originally intended to live. To follow Christ, therefore,
is to live (or at least try to live) the new life which He came to give to mankind.
It is not a matter of earning “merits” or trying to “make up” for past sins, but of
entering into a new way of living in the image of God. If thou wilt enter into life,
keep the commandments (Matthew 19:17).
There are two aspects of Jesus’ teachings that we must understand if we are to
faithfully keep His commandments. First, following the commandments of
Christ means that one must go beyond the letter of the Law. Jesus insisted that
He had not come to destroy the Law of Moses, but to fulfill it (Matthew 5:17). In
fulfilling the Law, Jesus penetrated into the inner spirit of the Law, and He
expects us to do the same. For I say unto you, That except your righteousness
shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case
enter into the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5:20). It is not enough for us to
merely follow some external rules.
Jesus gave several examples of going beyond the letter of the Law:

Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever
shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry
with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall
say to his brother, “Raca,” shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say,
“Thou fool,” shall be in danger of hell fire. Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar,
and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; Leave there thy gift
before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and
offer thy gift (Matthew 5:21-24).

Here, Jesus internalizes the commandment against murder and shows us that
hatred, bitterness, and unjust anger are also grave sins. We cannot justify
ourselves before God by saying, “Well, I never killed anyone.”
Jesus goes on to do the same with the commandment against adultery. He
teaches us that it is not only the physical act of adultery which is a sin, but the
desire itself:

Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, “Thou shalt not commit adultery.” But
I say unto you, that whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed
adultery with her already in his heart (Matthew 5:27-28).

God sees into the depth of our being and knows the sinful attitudes and
dispositions that dwell there. If we are to follow Christ, we must deal first and
foremost with these attitudes and dispositions.
In addition, to follow the commandments of Christ is to walk the narrow path
of self-denial. There is no way that we can live the life that Christ came to give
us if we are living in a self-centered way. Our Lord made it very clear that those
who wish to follow Him must sacrifice everything in order to enter into His
blessings:

If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his Cross daily, and
follow Me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life
for My sake, the same shall save it. For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole
world, and lose himself, or be cast away? For whosoever shall be ashamed of Me and of
My words, of him shall the Son of Man be ashamed, when He shall come in His own
glory, and in His Father’s, and of the holy angels (Luke 9:23-26).

Jesus commanded that any obstacle which stands between us and the kingdom
of heaven must be removed:

And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for
thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast
into hell. And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is
profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body
should be cast into hell (Matthew 5:29-30).

This does not mean that we should physically maim ourselves, but rather that
we must be willing to give up anything which leads to sin, even those things
which may be perfectly good in and of themselves. In other words, we have to
make some sacrifices for the sake of our spiritual well-being. There are no
shortcuts to holiness.
All of this is done ultimately for the sake of love. We must deny ourselves for
the sake of the love of God and of our fellow man. Needless to say, this kind of
love is not an emotion or a feeling, but the dynamic gift of our life to another.
Jesus said, Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for
his friends (John 15:13). This is the very love that God has shown toward us:

Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son to be the
propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.
No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and His
love is perfected in us (1 John 4:10-12).

It is very popular in our day to talk about “love.” However, the world’s idea of
love is that of self-satisfaction, not self-sacrifice. Often, “I love you” means “I
love me and want you.” This is not love, but the devil’s parody of love. Those
who preach an ethical system based on a love that knows no self-denial or
sacrifice are preaching the doctrine of Antichrist. Do not be misled by these
wolves in sheep’s clothing. Love that does not demand the total gift of oneself is
not love at all. St. James makes this point especially clear:

If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, and one of you say unto them,
“Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled;” notwithstanding ye give them not those
things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit (James 2:15-16)?

Thus, the way of Christ is the way of the Cross. There is no other way to the
resurrection and to eternal life but through the sacrifice of suffering love. Of
course, our own suffering and self-sacrifice would be pointless were it not for
suffering of Christ. It is His life that gives meaning to our life. It is His sacrifice
on the Cross which makes our life of self-denial worthwhile. No amount of
human suffering could possibly heal the great wounds caused by sin; only the
suffering and death of God Himself could do that. Ultimately, we are able to
follow the commandments of Christ only because He has first lived human life
the way it was meant to be lived.

THE FATHERS SPEAK

It is in our power to persevere in that love, for it is not enough to love and experience its
passion, but it is necessary as well to persevere in it and to add fuel to the fire so that it
may persist, for this is to abide in love. All blessedness consists in this. To abide in love is
to abide in God, and for him who abides in Him to possess Him, for it says, he who
abideth in love abideth in God, and God abideth in him (1 John 4:16). This happens when
we have love firmly fixed in the will, and arrive at that through the commandments and
keep the laws of Him Whom we love. It is by actions that the soul is disposed towards
one habit or the other, so that men may partake of goodness or wickedness, just as in the
case of crafts we acquire skills and learn them by becoming accustomed to their exercise.
God’s laws which apply to human activities and determine and order them towards Him
alone impart the appropriate habit to those who act rightly, which is to will that which
 pleases the Lawgiver and to subject all our will to Him alone and to will nothing apart
from Him. This alone is to know how to love properly, and for this reason the Savior
says, if you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love (John 15:10).

If, then, to imitate Christ and to live according to Him is to live in Christ, this life is the
effect of the will when it obeys God’s purposes. Just as Christ subjected His human will
to His divine will in order that He might leave us an example of the right life, so He did
not refuse death on behalf of the world when it was necessary to die. But before the time
came He prayed that it might not happen, showing that He did not please Himself by the
things which He suffered, but as Paul says, He became obedient (Phil. 2:8) and went to
the Cross, not as though He had one will, or one compounded out of two, but rather the
agreement of two wills.

St. Nicholas Cabasilas

from The Life in Christ

The fear of hell trains beginners to flee from evil; the desire for the reward of good things
gives to the advanced the eagerness for the practice of virtues. But the mystery of love
removes the mind from all created things, causing it to be blind to all that is less than
God. Only those who have become blind to all that is less than God does the Lord instruct
by showing them more divine things.

St. Maximus the Confessor

from The Four Centuries on Love
Tr. by George Berthold
Paulist Press, 1985
 Special Study
Saving Humility
The goal of the Christian life is to become like God, Who is the very essence
of love. To do so we must learn to love as He loves. Our whole outlook on life
must change, and our will must be trained. Before we can attain the heights of
divine love, we must first attain the spirit of genuine humility, which St. John
Climacus calls the “door to the kingdom”:

Anyone who has acquired knowledge of self has come to understand the fear of the Lord,
and walking with the help of this fear, he has arrived at the doorway of love. For humility
is the door to the kingdom, opening up to those who come near (The Ladder of Divine
Ascent).

One of the Desert Fathers defined humility as seeing oneself as being lower
than all of creation. This is a radical concept for our modern society, which has
raised the idea of “self-esteem” to almost cultic status. Nevertheless, the
attainment such humility of spirit is essential for our salvation. Learn of Me, says
our Lord Jesus Christ, for I am meek and lowly in heart (Matthew 11:29).
Humility is attained first of all through obedience. Obedience to God through
obedience to the canons of the Church and to our spiritual father or mother cuts
off our self-will. As in all things, our Lord is our exemplar, for He submitted
himself completely to the will of His Father: For I came down from heaven, not
to do Mine own will, but the will of Him that sent Me (John 6:38); and again, not
as I will, but as Thou wilt (Matthew 26:39).
The second method for attaining humility is the remembrance of one’s own
sinfulness. This is not the same as obsessing over one’s sins and harboring a
guilt complex. Sins that have been confessed and repented of are forgiven by
God. Nevertheless, we must always be mindful of our sinfulness so that we do
not become proud and begin to judge others. Our Lord warns us:

Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged. . ..
And why beholdest thou the speck in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that
is in thine own eye (Matthew 7:1-3)?

One of the most beautiful examples of such humility is that of St. Moses the
Ethiopian. Moses was the leader of a band of robbers and was possibly even a
murderer. He repented of his sins, however, and became a monk in the Egyptian
desert of Scetis. Because he was well respected for his holiness, the fathers of
the monastery sent for him one day to help judge a brother who had fallen into a
sin. Abba Moses refused to go. Compelled by the fathers to attend the meeting,
he took up a jug with a hole in it, filled it with water, and went to the meeting.
When the fathers saw him carrying a leaking jug, they asked what he was doing.
He replied, “My sins run out behind me, and I do not see them, and today I am
coming to judge the errors of another.” At this the fathers forgave the brother
who had sinned and learned a lesson in Christlike humility (cf. The Sayings of
the Desert Fathers, pp. 138ff.).
Yet another way to attain humility is to read the lives of the Saints. When we
read how the Martyrs suffered torture and death for the sake of Christ and how
all of the Saints endured great hardships solely in order to attain the kingdom of
heaven, we realize how very little we have actually done for the Lord. St.
Hesychios wrote:

True humility is also brought about by meditating daily on the achievements of our
brethren, by extolling their natural superiorities and by comparing our gifts with theirs.
When the intellect sees in this way how worthless we are and how far we fall short of the
perfection of our brethren, we will regard ourselves as dust and ashes, and not as men but
as some kind of cur, more defective in every respect and lower than all men on earth (The
Philokalia, vol. 1).

When man attains true humility, he no longer experiences the commandments

of Christ as an external law that constrains his will, but rather as a fount of
genuine spiritual freedom welling up within him:

Holy humility has this to say: “The one who loves me will not condemn someone, or pass
judgment on anyone, or lord it over someone else, or show off his wisdom until he has
been united with me. A man truly joined to me is no longer in bondage to the Law” (The
Ladder of Divine Ascent).
 Reflection
1. What is the one thing for which the wise man strives?

2. What is the goal of following the commandments of Christ?

3. Does man earn his salvation by following the commandments of Christ?

4. What is the relationship between the Law of Moses and the commandments of Christ?

5. Is it enough for us to strictly observe the letter of the Law?

6. Whom does Jesus say will save his own life?

7. Is there any sacrifice for the sake of the kingdom of heaven which is too great?

8. What is the relationship of love to self-denial?

9. What virtue is necessary in order to attain Godlike love?

10. What three methods help us to attain humility?

 CHAPTER NINE
Love Stronger than Death
Through His Death, Resurrection, and Ascension, Christ, Who is the love of God
incarnate, has destroyed the power of sin and death and has raised humanity to the
right hand of God.

The essence of sin is the failure to love. In their rebellion, Adam and Eve
refused the “divine love made food” offered to them by God, preferring instead
life on their own. Cut off from loving communion with God, mankind has
become enslaved to its own self-centeredness, the inevitable consequence of
which is death. God, however, was not willing that the creature which bore His
image should simply return back to the nothingness from which he was created:

For Thou dost not wish, O Master, that the work of Thy hands should perish, neither dost
Thou take pleasure in the destruction of men; but Thou desirest that all men should be
saved and come to the knowledge of the truth (Prayer of St. Basil).

Yet only one thing could accomplish this: a love stronger than man’s failure to
love, ultimately, a love stronger than death (cf. Song of Songs 8:6).
If the fruit of Paradise was “divine love made food” for man, then Jesus
Christ, the incarnate Son and Word of God, is “divine love made flesh.” For
God so loved the world, that He gave His Only-begotten Son, that whosoever
believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life (John 3:16). We
have said that true love means the total gift of oneself to another, the emptying
of oneself. Thus did God love us when the Son, being in the form of God,
thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made Himself of no reputation,
and took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:
And being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, and became obedient
unto death, even the death of the Cross (Philippians 2:6-8).
In our fallen existence, this profound self-emptying must inevitably take the
form of sacrifice and suffering, for such love is no longer natural to us. This is
why the Apostle Paul insists that the self-emptying of Christ was unto death,
even the death of the Cross. It was not enough that God simply appear on earth
as man and teach us a better way to live. For man to be healed of his sin and
achieve the purpose for which he was created, this “divine Love made flesh” had
to enter into the lowest depths of human existence. He had to partake, in His
own person, of the ultimate consequences of man’s sinfulness.
Man’s rebellion could be healed only by divine obedience. Man’s self-
centeredness could be destroyed only by the divine self-sacrifice on the Cross.
Man’s enslavement to death and corruption could be loosed only by the
Resurrection of Him Who has life in Himself (John 5:26). Finally, the limitations
of man’s created nature could be transcended only by ascending to heaven with
Him Who first descended to earth (cf. Ephesians 4:9-10).
In the Garden of Gethsemane, shortly before His arrest, Jesus prayed that the
cup of suffering might pass from Him. Nevertheless, He said, not as I will, but as
Thou wilt (Matthew 26:39). When Christ took upon Himself our humanity from
the Virgin, He assumed all natural aspects of human nature, including the human
will. In His earthly life, the human will was inextricably joined with the divine
will in perfect harmony.
This harmony reached its crescendo in the Garden of Gethsemane. St.
Maximus the Confessor wrote:

According to that which has come to pass for us, He became man as we are. He said
humanly to His God and Father, “Not My will, but Thine which triumphs,” for He Who
was God by nature, had also, in as much as He was man, to will the accomplishment of
the will of the Father (Opsculum 6).

Thus, in the Garden of Gethsemane, Christ overcame the disobedience of Adam

through His human obedience to the will of God the Father.
After Jesus’ arrest and trial at the hands of the Jewish leaders and the Roman
governor, Pontius Pilate, He was beaten and mocked by the Roman soldiers.
They robed Him in purple, the color of royalty, and placed upon His most pure
head a crown of thorns. In this, Christ manifested the supreme humility of God
and thereby conquered the pride of fallen man:

He Who is King of the angels is arrayed in a crown of thorns. He Who wraps the heavens
in clouds is wrapped in the purple of mockery. He Who in Jordan set Adam free receives
blows upon His face (The Lenten Triodion).

Upon the Cross, the love of God for mankind reached its apex as Christ
descended to the lowest point of human existence: suffering and death. Here we
see most clearly the great paradox of spiritual reality: God’s glory is most
abundantly manifest in His acceptance of human suffering. This self-emptying
of God, for the sake of man, is the exact inverse of man’s attempt to assume for
himself the glory of God. By pouring out His most pure Blood upon the Cross,
Christ not only blotted out the record of man’s sin, but overcame the power by
which sin holds mankind captive. Thus does the Cross of Christ destroy the
power of man’s rebellion.
It is important to note that the suffering and death of Christ was effective for
man’s salvation not merely because Christ was an “innocent” man unjustly slain,
but because He was God. St. Gregory the Theologian wrote, “We needed an
incarnate God, a God put to death, that we might live.” Only God could take
upon Himself the consequences of man’s sin and thereby destroy them. Only
God could enter the realm of death and fill it with His immortal life:

He gave Himself as a ransom to death, in which we were held captive, sold under sin.
Descending through the Cross into hades–that He might fill all things with Himself–He
loosed the pangs of death. He arose on the third day, having made for all flesh a path to
the resurrection from the dead, since it was not possible for the Author of Life to be a
victim of corruption (Liturgy of St. Basil).

The Resurrection of Christ frees all mankind from the bonds of corruption and
death, because death had no power over Him Who is life and love Himself.
Forty days after His Resurrection, Christ gathered His Disciples at the Mt. of
Olives (cf. Acts 1:1-11). Before their eyes He ascended into the heavens. With
this, the economy of salvation came full circle: He “Who for us men and for our
salvation came down from heaven,” having lived a human life and died a human
death, and having risen again victorious over death, now ascended back to His
Father as both God and man: no man hath ascended up to heaven, but He Who
came down from heaven, even the Son of Man Who is in heaven (John 3:13).
By assuming the entirety of our nature, Christ lived a perfect human life. In
becoming man, Christ recreated the original image of God in man, which had
become distorted through sin. For we have not a High Priest Who cannot be
touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as
we are, yet without sin (Hebrews 4:15).
In dying a human death upon the Cross, He assumed the totality of man’s
rebellion. There was no consequence of man’s Fall that Christ did not take upon
Himself: for He hath made Him to be sin for us, Who knew no sin; that we might
be made the righteousness of God in Him (2 Corinthians 5:21).
In rising from the dead, Christ brought with Himself the human nature that He
had assumed and made it forever incorruptible. Because of the consubstantiality
of human nature, all men have a part in the resurrection of the dead:

 But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept For
since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam
all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive (1 Corinthians 15:20-22).

By ascending into heaven, Christ has taken our humanity and placed it forever
at the right hand of God the Father. Man was originally created to become like
God and reign eternally with Him. In Christ, human nature attains the purpose
for which it was created:

Even when we were dead in sins, [God] hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace
ye are saved;) and hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly
places in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2:5-6).

Just before His Ascension, Christ told His Disciples to wait in Jerusalem for
the coming of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is the promised Comforter (cf. John
14:6), Who guarantees Christ’s abiding presence with His Disciples. The coming
of the Spirit on Pentecost marked the birth of the Church, the Body of Christ.
Thus, Jesus’ last words on earth were about the founding of His Church.
As Jesus ascended, two angels appeared to the Disciples and told them that
one day Christ would return in the same manner. The promise of the coming of
the Spirit and the birth of the Church is therefore followed by the promise of
Christ’s return and the consummation of all things. Indeed, the Church lives
precisely in this time between the Ascension of Christ and His Second Coming.
Thus, the Church is both the remembrance of that which Christ has
accomplished for us and the anticipation of His return in glory. But more than
that, the Church is the living experience in the Holy Spirit of the saving work of
Christ and of the glory which He has prepared for us. The remaining chapters of
this book deal with this theme.

THE FATHERS SPEAK

Yesterday I was crucified with Him; today I am glorified with Him. Yesterday I died with
Him; today I am made alive with Him. Yesterday I was buried with Him; today I am
raised up with Him. Let us offer to Him Who suffered and rose again for us . . . ourselves,
the possession most precious to God and most proper. Let us become like Christ, since He
became like us. Let us become divine for His sake, since for us He became man. He
assumed the worse that He might give us the better. He became poor that by His poverty
we might become rich. He accepted the form of a servant that we might win back our
freedom. He came down that we might be lifted up. He was tempted that through Him we
might conquer. He was dishonored that He might glorify us. He died that He might save
us. He ascended that He might draw us, who were thrown down through the fall of sin, to
Himself. Let us give all, offer all, to Him Who gave Himself as a ransom and
 reconciliation for us. We needed an incarnate God, a God put to death, that we might live.
We were put to death together with Him that we might be cleansed. We rose again with
Him because we were put to death with Him. We were glorified with Him because we
rose again with Him. A few drops of Blood recreate the whole universe!

What reason can be given why the Blood of the Only-begotten should be pleasing to the
Father? For He did not accept even Isaac when he was offered by his father, but He gave
a substitute for the sacrifice, a lamb to take the place of the rational victim. Is it not clear
that the Father accepts the sacrifice, not because he demanded or needed it, but because
this was part of the divine economy, since man had to be sanctified by the humanity of
God; so that He might rescue us by overcoming the tyrant by force, and bring us back to
Himself through the mediation of the Son, Who carried out this divine plan to the honor
of the Father, to Whom He clearly delivers up all things.

St. Gregory the Theologian

from the Second Theological Oration

The body of the Word, then, being a real human body, in spite of its having been uniquely
formed from a virgin, was of itself mortal and, like other bodies, liable to death. But the
indwelling of the Word loosed it from this natural liability, so that corruption could not
touch it. Thus it happened that two opposite marvels took place at once: the death of all
was consummated in the Lord’s body; yet, because the Word was in it, death and
corruption were in the same act utterly abolished.

St. Athanasius the Great

from On the Incarnation
 Special Study
Great and Holy Saturday
Originally, the Feast of Pascha (Easter) was celebrated on one day, Sunday.
Over time, however, as the services became more elaborate, the celebration
stretched out over three days to comprise the present complex of services of
Holy Friday, Saturday, and Pascha itself. At the heart of this liturgical complex
is Great and Holy Saturday.
The tone of Great and Holy Saturday is set during Vespers, which is sung on
Friday afternoon. This service commemorates the taking down of Christ from
the Cross and His entombment. For the first time during the Paschal cycle, we
sing “The Noble Joseph”: “The Noble Joseph, taking down Thy most pure Body
from the Tree, wrapped it in clean linen with sweet spices, and he laid it in a new
tomb” (The Lenten Triodion).
At Matins, usually sung on Friday evening, the Church gathers around the
tomb of Christ, in which is placed the winding sheet or epitaphios. The heart of
the Matins service is the singing of the Praises at the tomb. The Praises consist
of short hymns sung alternately with the verses of Psalm 118[119]. These hymns
develop two themes that recur throughout the next two days.
First of all, the hymns are a meditation upon the great condescension of God
toward us. We are called to reflect upon the fact that the Creator and Life of all
has tasted death to bring us salvation:

O Life, how canst Thou die? How canst Thou dwell in a tomb? Yet Thou dost destroy
death’s kingdom and raise the dead from hell.

O Jesus, King of all, Who hast set measures to the earth, Thou dost go this day to dwell in
a narrow grave, raising up the dead from the tombs.

The second theme developed is the descent of Christ into hades itself to
release all those held captive. When the Lord gave up His spirit on the Cross,
His most pure soul descended into the kingdom of death itself to destroy its
power:

All devouring hell received within himself the Rock of Life, and cast forth all the dead
that he had swallowed since the beginning of the world.

How great the joy, how full the gladness, that Thou hast brought to those in hell, shining
as lightning in its gloomy depths.

This theme is further developed during the vesperal Liturgy sung on Saturday
afternoon. Here, hell itself testifies to the power of Christ:

Today hell groans and cries aloud: “My dominion has been swallowed up; the Shepherd
has been crucified, and He has raised Adam. I am deprived of those whom once I ruled;
in my strength I devoured them, but now I have cast them forth. He Who was crucified
has emptied the tombs; the power of death has no more strength.” Glory to Thy Cross, O
Lord, and to Thy Resurrection.

To this, the vesperal Liturgy adds the theme of the “Sabbath Rest.” We know
from the Gospels that our Lord was taken down from the Cross so that He could
be buried before the Sabbath began at sunset on Friday. Thus, Christ remained in
the tomb during the Sabbath. The hymnographer develops this in a beautiful
way:

Moses the great mystically prefigured this present day, saying: “And God blessed the
seventh day.” For this is that blessed Sabbath, this is the day of rest, on which the Only-
begotten Son of God rested from all His works. Suffering death in accordance with the
plan of salvation, He kept the Sabbath in the flesh; and returning once again to what He
was, through His Resurrection He has granted us eternal life, for He alone is good and
loves mankind.

The Book of Genesis tells us that upon completing the creation of the world
on the sixth day, God rested on the seventh. The seventh day represents the
fulfillment of the present creation. When Christ descended to death to keep the
Sabbath, the created order reached its fulfillment. When He arose from the dead
He inaugurated a new order, for He arose not on the first day of a new cycle, but
on the Eighth Day, the Day of the New Creation that knows no end.
 Reflection
1. What is the essence of sin?

2. Why does love in our world necessitate sacrifice and suffering?

3. What was necessary to destroy the consequences of man’s disobedience?

4. Did Jesus have a human will?

5. What is the significance of Jesus’ prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane?

6. Why did St. Gregory the Theologian say we needed “a God put to death”?

7. What happened to the kingdom of death when Christ died?

8. What is the significance of the fact that Christ was in the tomb and in hades during the
Sabbath?

9. Did Christ arise in His body, or was it merely a “spiritual” resurrection?

10. What happened to Christ’s human nature when He ascended to the right hand of the
Father?
PART TWO

THE LIFE
IN
CHRIST
 CHAPTER TEN
The Birth and Mission of the Church
The Church is the historical Body of Christ, Whose mission is to manifest Christ’s
loving presence to the whole world.

Before his passion, Christ promised His Disciples that He would not leave
them comfortless (John 14:18). He promised to send the Holy Spirit, Who would
teach the Disciples all things and bring to remembrance all the things which
Jesus had taught (John 14:26). It is the Holy Spirit Who unites us with the risen
and ascended Christ. Christianity is, therefore, not simply a philosophy of life or
a set of rules to follow; it is a living relationship with Christ Himself in the Holy
Spirit. This relationship is the life of the Church.
Our holy Fathers teach us that the persons of the Trinity always work together
in concert. In particular, the Son and the Spirit complement one another as they
accomplish the will of the Father. That is why St. Irenaios referred to Them as
“the two hands of God.” God spoke the world into existence (Psalm 32[33]:6),
and the Spirit hovered over the face of the waters (Genesis 1:3). God created
man in His own Image (Genesis 1:27), and by His Spirit breathed into man the
breath of life (Genesis 2:7).
When, for the salvation of mankind, the Word of God assumed our human
nature, it was the Holy Spirit Who came upon the Most Pure Virgin and effected
the Incarnation (Luke 1:35). When our Lord was ready to begin His ministry, it
was the Holy Spirit, in the form of a dove, Who descended upon Him after His
Baptism and anointed Him to be the Messiah of Israel (Mark 1:10). Thus it was
that when the Holy Spirit descended upon the Disciples in the Upper Room on
the Day of Pentecost, they ceased to be mere followers of Christ and became the
Church, the very Body of Christ (Acts 2).
In the Nicene Creed we do not say that we believe that there is one, holy,
catholic, and apostolic Church. We say that we believe in the Church. The
Church is an object of faith. This is so because She is Christ’s Body, animated
by the Holy Spirit. The Apostle Paul wrote that the Church is the fullness of Him
that filleth all in all (Ephesians 1:23).
We may not think of the Church as simply a religious organization. Jesus did
not promise us an organization; He promised to build His Church, which would
withstand the gates of hell (Matthew 16:18). Nevertheless, we should not make
the opposite mistake of thinking of the Church as something so “spiritual” that
She has no real existence in the world. The Church is not now and never has
been “invisible.”
We confess that the Church is “apostolic.” In doing so, we are making definite
claims about Her origin, Her life, and Her mission in the world. There are two
dimensions to the apostolic nature of the Church. On the one hand, the Church is
an historical entity, a visible human community which dates from the time of the
Apostles. We shall refer to this as the “horizontal dimension.” On the other hand,
the Church is an image of the kingdom of heaven; indeed, She is our
participation in the heavenly realities. We shall refer to this as the “vertical
dimension.” Both of these dimensions are essential to the being of the Church.
Without both aspects, no group of Christians can be called “the Church.” In this
chapter, we shall focus on the horizontal dimension. In Chapter Eleven, we shall
focus on the vertical dimension.
There are four aspects to the horizontal dimension of the Church’s life. First
of all, the Church is an entity which exists in history. When our Lord became
incarnate, He assumed human nature in its entirety. Yet, because humanity does
not exist in the abstract, He became a single, concrete human being. He existed
in space and time. So, when we say that the Church embraces the totality of the
kingdom of heaven, we do not imply that She is “invisible.”
Of course, the Church is not limited to Her visible, historical face any more
than Christ is limited to His visible, human nature. Yet, Christ did have a visible,
human nature that one could see and touch (1 John 1:1). So, too, the Church has
a concrete, visible nature. She is the historical apostolic community, made up of
real people, and not merely someone’s idea of a “perfect” society.
Second, the Church is founded precisely upon the historical Apostles of
Christ. Our Lord said to Peter, and I say also unto thee, that thou art Peter, and
upon this rock I will build My Church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail
against it (Matthew 16:18). Furthermore, it was to Peter, and later to the other
Apostles, that Christ gave the keys to the kingdom of heaven and the authority to
remit sins: and I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and
whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever
thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven (Matthew 6:19). Whosoever
sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whosoever sins ye retain, they
are retained (John 20:23).
These words were not spoken to all of Jesus’ followers, but to those whom He
had called to Himself to be His Apostles. Thus, the Apostle Paul, who was called
by the risen Christ on the road to Damascus, says that the Church is built upon
the foundation of the Apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief
corner stone (Ephesians 2:20).
Because of this, the visible unity of the Church throughout history is
expressed in terms of continuity with the Apostles. St. Clement, third Bishop of
Rome, wrote in the year A.D. 96:

Our Apostles also knew through our Lord Jesus Christ that there would be strife over the
title of bishop. For this cause, therefore, since they had received perfect foreknowledge,
they appointed those who have been already mentioned and afterwards added the codicil
that if they should fall asleep, other approved men should succeed to their ministry (First
Epistle of Clement).

Legitimate authority within the Church is always derived from direct

historical succession from the original Apostles. This is called apostolic
succession.
Apostolic succession refers to the historical continuity of a given Church with
the original Church in Jerusalem. Succession is traced through the line of
bishops because the bishop is the sacramental head of the local Church. In the
second century, St. Irenaios of Lyons wrote to combat heretics who claimed to
have received “secret knowledge” passed on from the Apostles. He argued that
in each place where the Church has been established, the historical links with the
Apostles are clearly seen:

Those who wish to see the truth can observe in every Church the tradition of the Apostles
made manifest in the whole world. We can enumerate those who were appointed bishops
in the Churches by the Apostles, and their successors down to our own day. They never
taught and never knew of such absurdities as those heretics produce (Against Heresies).

What has the Church taught about Christ throughout the centuries? Simply
look at what the Church’s bishops have taught. In the succession of bishops we
see the continuity of the Church’s faith and life.
This brings us to the third aspect of the Church’s apostolic nature: as the
inheritor of apostolic authority, the Church must be faithful to apostolic doctrine.
The Church is not free to reinvent Her teaching in order to get in line with the
times. The teaching of the Church must always be the teaching of the Apostles,
nothing more and certainly nothing less. In a letter to the English Non-Jurors in
1718, the Orthodox Patriarchs wrote,

We preserve the Doctrine of the Lord uncorrupted, and firmly adhere to the Faith He
 delivered to us, and keep it free from blemish and diminution, as a royal treasure, and a
monument of great price, neither adding anything nor taking anything from it (quoted in
Ware, The Orthodox Church, p. 204).

Formal historical links with the Apostles are not enough if apostolic faith is
not also preserved. The Church of Rome has an unbroken historical link with the
apostolic Church; but, unfortunately, Rome has departed from the apostolic faith
on several key issues. This is why the See of Rome has not been in communion
with the apostolic Church since the eleventh century.
Fourth, the apostolic nature of the Church means that the Church has a
mission to perform in the world. The word Apostle means “one who is sent forth
with a message.” Before His Ascension, Christ told His Disciples:

Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of
the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have
commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world (Matthew
28:19-20).

This command was given to the Church as a whole, and it applies to us today
every bit as much as it applied to the Apostles in the first century. As members
of the apostolic Church of Christ, we have a mission to proclaim the Good News
(Gospel) of God’s love to the world and to bring the world into the saving
embrace of the Church. Thus, the Church is, by definition, a missionary and
evangelistic society.
Inasmuch as the Church is the historical Body of Christ, She lives in history.
She has an identifiable historical link with the past and an ongoing mission to the
world around her. Christianity is not a “private religion.” It is a life which can be
lived only in communion, for it is nothing less than an earthly participation of
the communal life of the Holy Trinity. The Church is not something extra added
onto our personal faith; She is the foundation of our faith, our only true spiritual
home.
Every day we celebrate the memory of various Saints. These Saints are our
ancestors in the faith, our link with the Apostles. To remember the Saints is to
affirm the reality of the Church and our place in Her life. It is to confess in a
very practical way that we truly believe in one, apostolic Church.

THE FATHERS SPEAK

The Apostles received the Gospel for us from the Lord Jesus Christ; Jesus the Christ was
sent from God. Thus Christ is from God, the Apostles from the Christ: in both cases the
process was orderly, and derived from the will of God. The Apostles received their
 instructions; they were filled with conviction through the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus
Christ, and with faith by the Word of God; and they went out full of confidence in the
Holy Spirit, preaching the Gospel that the kingdom of God was about to come. They
preached in country and town, and appointed their first-fruits, after testing them by the
Spirit, to be bishops and deacons of those who were going to believe. And this was no
novelty, for indeed a long time ago the Scripture had mentioned bishops and deacons; for
there is somewhere this passage: “I will set up their bishops in righteousness and their
deacons in faith.”

St. Clement of Rome

from The First Epistle of Clement
The Early Christian Fathers

By “knowledge of the truth” we mean: the teaching of the Apostles; the order of the
Church as established from the earliest times throughout the world, the distinctive stamp
of the Body of Christ, preserved through the episcopal succession. For to the bishops the
Apostles committed the care of the Church which is in each place, which has come down
to our own time, safeguarded without any written documents: by the most complete
exposition which admits neither increase or diminution; the reading of the Scriptures
without falsification, and consistent and careful exposition of them, avoiding temerity and
blasphemy; and the special gift of love, which is more precious than knowledge, more
glorious than prophecy, surpassing all other spiritual gifts.

St. Irenaios of Lyons

from Against Heresies
 Special Study
Missions and Evangelism
From Her birth on the Day of Pentecost to the present, the Church has had one
mission in the world: to bring mankind back into communion with the All-holy
Trinity. The Church is, by definition, a missionary and evangelistic society. Her
task is to proclaim to the world the Good News that Christ has come to reconcile
man to God and, in so doing, to unite mankind to Christ through Her sacramental
life.
After receiving the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost, the Apostles spread
the Gospel throughout the known world. St. Peter focused his attention on
proclaiming the Good News to the Jews, founding the Church in Antioch and
helping to found the Church in Rome. St. Paul was called by God to preach
primarily to the Gentiles. His extensive missionary journeys are recorded in the
Book of Acts. According to ancient tradition, St. Joseph of Arimathea preached
as far west as Britain, St. Thomas spread the Gospel to India, and St. Mark
founded the Church in Egypt.
We must remember that this tremendous growth in the early years of the
Church took place when Christianity was illegal. Even amidst persecution, the
early Christians found the courage not only to share their faith with their
neighbors but even to travel to distant lands to preach the Good News. They
understood well the words of the Savior:

Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. Neither do men
light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all
that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good
works, and glorify your Father Who is in heaven (Matthew 5:14-16).

Since the era of the Apostles, the Church has been blessed by many
missionary Saints. Perhaps the most famous are Ss. Cyril and Methodius, the
Enlighteners of the Slavs. In the latter half of the ninth century, these two
brothers from Thessalonica invented an alphabet for use by the Moravian Slavs.
They translated selections of the Gospels and the Church Office into Slavonic,
thus enabling the Slavs to hear the Good News of Christ and to worship Him in
their own language.
Not all missionaries, however, went off to foreign countries to sow the
Gospel. Many were “home missionaries,” preaching and teaching to their own
people. Such was St. Cosmas the Aitolian (18th c), who went about Greece
during the Turkish occupation, calling his people back to God. St. Cosmas was
responsible, in part, for a great national awakening.
Orthodox Christians in North America are especially blessed by the
intercessions of several missionary Saints. St. Herman of Alaska was part of the
original Russian Mission to Alaska in 1794. St. Innocent originally came to
Alaska as a married priest. After the death of his wife, he returned as a bishop,
becoming the first Orthodox hierarch to set foot on North American soil. Later,
as Metropolitan of Moscow, he was instrumental in advancing the missionary
efforts of the Russian Orthodox Church.
The Church is commanded by our Lord to be a witness of Christ in Jerusalem,
and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth (Acts
1:8). That is, we are to proclaim the Good News to our local city, state, nation,
and, ultimately, to the whole world.
This command is for each and every Orthodox Christian, not just the clergy.
All of us are called to bear witness to the light that is within us. All are called to
be missionaries to our local communities by living pious lives, by inviting others
to Church with us, and by assisting our parishes in local outreach ministries.
Each of us also has a responsibility to proclaim the Gospel on a wider scale.
We do this by providing money and materials for missionaries and by
volunteering for special missions projects. Currently, Orthodox Christians in
America are supporting mission efforts in Haiti, Indonesia, Korea, the
Philippines, and Africa. Literally thousands of people around the world are
hearing the Gospel and are being united to Christ’s Holy Church through these
efforts.
Ask your parish priest how you can become a missionary to your local area
and how you can support the Church’s wider mission efforts. You can also
contact the Orthodox Christian Mission Center, P.O. Box 4139, St. Augustine,
Florida, 32085-4319 for information.
 Reflection
1. What is meant by the phrase, the two hands of God?

2. When was the Church “born”?

3. Why is the Church an object of faith?

4. Why is the historical aspect of the Church important?

5. To which Apostle did Christ give the keys of the kingdom of heaven?

6. What did Christ promise about the endurance of the Church?

7. What is apostolic succession?

8. How is apostolic succession traced?

9. Are the bishops free to make up their own doctrines and teachings?

10. In what ways can you serve as a missionary to your local community?
 CHAPTER ELEVEN
The Structure of the Church
The Church is composed of the local bishop, presbyters, deacons, and laity, gathered
around the Holy Table, reflecting here on earth the unity and harmony of the All-holy
Trinity.

The Apostle Peter, to whom the Lord entrusted the keys to the kingdom of
heaven, compared the Church to a spiritual house: Ye also, as living stones, are
built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices,
acceptable to God by Jesus Christ (1 Peter 2:5). Just as a physical house is built
according to a specific plan and has a definite structure, so does the spiritual
house that is the Church.
Every building must have a blueprint and building materials that are
appropriate to it. One could not build a skyscraper with the blueprints for a Cape
Cod house. Nor could one build a skyscraper with pine two-by-fours; they could
never support the weight of the building. In the same way, the Church must be
designed and built with that which is appropriate to Her inner nature.
Regarding the Church’s blueprint, Archimandrite Vasileios notes,

If the Lord had wanted a merely administrative unity, with no further implications in
terms of life and mystery, He would have provided as an image of the Church’s unity the
Roman Empire, saying, “Father, I desire that the faithful may be united as the Roman
Empire is united” (Hymn of Entry, p. 47).

Our Lord, however, did not do this. Before His Ascension to heaven, He
prayed not that His Disciples would attain to the unity of any worldly
organization but to that of the Holy Trinity:

That they all may be one; as Thou, Father, art in Me, and I in Thee, that they also may be
one in Us; that the world may believe that Thou hast sent Me. And the glory which Thou
gavest Me I have given them; that they may be one, even as We are one: I in them and
Thou in Me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that
Thou hast sent Me, and hast loved them, as Thou hast loved Me (John 17:21-23).

The Church is, therefore, an act of communion with God. She is mankind’s
participation in and through Christ in the eternal relationship of love among the
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit: that they may be one, even as We are one.
Commenting on the communal nature of the Church, Metropolitan John
(Zizioulas) writes:

For the Church to present this way of existence, she must herself be an image of the way
in which God exists. Her entire structure, her ministries etc. must express this way of
existence {Being as Communion, p. 15).

The structure of the Church, therefore, is a reflection of Her heavenly

archetype, the Holy Trinity. In the Book of Acts we read that the first Christians
continued steadfastly in the Apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in the
breaking of the Bread and the prayers (Acts 2:42). At the very outset of the
Christian era, then, we find the Church gathered around the Table of Her Lord
for “the breaking of the Bread.” Because the Church is first and foremost a
eucharistie community, it is in the Eucharist that the Trinitarian structure of the
Church is most clearly manifest.
At these gatherings, someone had to preside; someone had to repeat the words
of Christ, offer prayers for the community, and distribute the Gifts. Obviously,
the Apostles themselves would have led these initial services, but what about the
leadership in the various local Churches? We know from the New Testament
that the Apostles appointed bishops, presbyters, and deacons to lead the local
communities. The roles that these persons played in the life of the Church were
defined in the eucharistie gathering.
In the New Testament the terms bishop and presbyter are used
interchangeably. This does not mean, however, that the specific offices
themselves were interchangeable. It simply means that the terminology had not
been precisely defined. This makes perfect sense when we consider that the
bishop is himself a presbyter, the presiding presbyter.
St. Clement, the third Bishop of Rome, wrote a very important letter to the
Church in Corinth around the year A.D. 96. In it, he also used bishop and
presbyter interchangeably, yet it is perfectly clear from the letter that he had a
specific Church structure in mind:

He commanded us to celebrate sacrifices and services, and that it should not be
thoughtlessly or disorderly, but at fixed times and hours. He has Himself fixed by His
supreme will the places and persons whom He desires for these celebrations, in order that
all things may be done piously according to His good pleasure, and be acceptable to His
will…. For to the high priest his proper ministrations are allotted, and to the priests the
proper place has been appointed, and on lévites their proper services have been imposed.
The layman is bound by the ordinances for the laity (First Epistle of Clement).
Here St. Clement used the Old Testament imagery of the high priest, priests, and
levites to represent the bishop, presbyters, and deacons.
Notice also that St. Clement considered the laity to be a specific order of the
Church. The importance of the laity in the life of the Church is stressed in canon
law by the fact that priests are forbidden from celebrating the Liturgy alone.
There must be at least one other person present to represent the People of God.
St. Irenaios of Lyons, writing around the year A.D. 180, also used bishop and
presbyter interchangeably. As with St. Clement, however, it is perfectly clear
that he was thinking of a specific structure. Although he spoke of the presbyters
as having their succession from the Apostles, when providing a list for the
apostolic succession of the Church of Rome he gave a list of single names, one
bishop succeeding another: Linus, Anacletus, Clement (mentioned above),
Euarestus, Alexander, Sixtus, Telesphorus, Hyginus, Pius, Anicetus, Sotor, and
Eleutherus. Irenaios may have used the terms interchangeably, but there is no
doubt that he knew of only one bishop in a local Church at one time.
In the second century, there was one writer, however, who did use bishop and
presbyter consistently, and his usage eventually became the standard throughout
the Church. St. Ignatius became Bishop of Antioch, the city where the Disciples
were first called “Christians,” sometime in the late 70’s of the first century.
Around the year A.D. 107 he was arrested and taken to Rome to be martyred. On
his way he wrote seven important letters to various Churches.
St. Ignatius’ primary concern was the unity of the Church. Just as the Father is
the principle of unity within the Holy Trinity, so the bishop is the center of the
visible unity of the Church on earth:

I advise you, be eager to act always in godly concord; with the bishop presiding as the
counterpart of God, the presbyters as the counterpart of the council of the Apostles, and
the deacons (most dear to me) who have been entrusted with a service under Jesus Christ,
Who was with the Father before all ages and appeared at the end of time. . . . Let there be
nothing among you which will have power to divide you, but be united with the bishop
and with those who preside, for an example and instruction in incorruptibility (Epistle to
the Magnesians).

St. Ignatius’ terminology eventually became the standard terminology for the
whole Church. Thus, the local Church is comprised of one bishop, who is the
first and presiding presbyter, the college of presbyters, the deacons, and the
laity–the People of God.
In modern parish life, however, there is usually only one presbyter. The
bishop is head of a large diocese and may only visit a given parish once every
couple of years. How did this come about, and how does the modern structure of
the Church reflect the ancient practice?
In the early years, Christianity was primarily an urban phenomenon. There
was only one Church in a given city. As more and more people in outlying areas
responded to the Gospel, however, it became impossible for all of the people in a
given area to meet at one place at one time for the Eucharist.
In North Africa the problem was solved by simply duplicating the existing
Church structure in every little village. Thus, communities with less than 25
people could end up with a bishop, a council of presbyters, and deacons. This,
however, proved very impractical, and the practice did not last long.
Elsewhere, the bishop of the local Church delegated presbyters and deacons to
go to the various outlying areas and villages and minister there, creating what we
call today “parishes.” The grouping of parishes around a local Church is now
called a “diocese.”
In modern practice, then, the local Church is the diocese, comprised of its
bishop, all of the presbyters (who are usually appointed as pastors of individual
parishes), all of the deacons (also attached to individual parishes), and all of the
faithful. This situation is the product of the Church’s tremendous growth. It
allows for expansion of the Church yet at the same time preserves Her basic
Trinitarian structure.
Because of this Trinitarian structure, each local Church is “catholic.” That is,
She is whole and complete, lacking nothing for the salvation of Her members.
The many Churches throughout the world are united by an identical faith and
sacramental life and by the communion of their bishops.
Churches in a given area, usually but not always coinciding with national
borders, are grouped together. Their bishops meet together regularly in meetings
called “synods.” The largest synod by far is the Synod of the Church of Russia,
chaired by the Patriarch of Moscow. The Synod of the Church of Cyprus, on the
other hand, is quite small by comparison.
Size, however, has nothing to do with holiness. The dioceses (local Churches)
that make up the Church of Cyprus are no less Orthodox, no less possessed of
the promises of Christ, than the dioceses which make up the Church of Russia.
Ultimately, it is the presence of Christ Himself in the Church that makes each
and every local Church His Body, the fullness of Him that filleth all in all.

THE FATHERS SPEAK

Let no one do anything that pertains to the Church apart from the bishop. Let that be
considered a valid Eucharist which is under the bishop or one whom he has delegated.
Wherever the bishop shall appear, there let the people be; just as wherever Christ Jesus
 may be, there is the catholic Church.

Take great care to keep one Eucharist. For there is one Flesh of our Lord Jesus Christ and
one Cup to unite us by His Blood; one sanctuary, as there is one bishop, together with the
presbytery and the deacons, my fellow-servants. Thus all your acts may be done
according to God’s will.

St. Ignatius of Antioch

from the Epistles
The Early Christian Fathers

For where the Church is, there is the Spirit of God; and where the Spirit of God is, there is
the Church and every kind of grace. The Spirit is truth. Therefore those who have no
share in the Spirit are not nourished and given life at their mother’s breast, nor do they
enjoy the sparkling fountain that issues from the Body of Christ.

St. Irenaios of Lyons

from Against Heresies
The Early Christian Fathers
 Special Study
Ecumenical Councils
During the early years of the Church, when a dispute arose concerning
whether or not gentile converts should be circumcised, the Apostles met together
in Jerusalem to resolve the issue (cf. Acts 15). This council set the precedent for
all future gatherings of the Church’s leaders.
As the Church grew and spread throughout the Roman Empire, it became
necessary for the bishops of Churches in a given area to meet together on a
regular basis to address issues of common concern. Apostolic Canon 34 provides
for the creation of a regional synod. The bishops of a given area were to gather
together twice a year. The meetings were to be chaired by the bishop of the
major city in the area, the metropolis. The bishop of this city became known as
the metropolitan.
Each bishop was responsible for the governance of his Church. Issues of
common concern, however, were brought before the regional synod and decided
by all of the bishops. The metropolitan did not “rule” the synod, but he did have
veto power over the synod’s decisions. Just as nothing within a given Church
could be done without the bishop’s approval, so nothing could be done in a
region that affected more than one Church without the approval of the
metropolitan. The metropolitan, then, served as the principle of unity within the
synod.
Some issues, however, such as doctrinal questions, involved more than the
Churches of a particular region. For this reason, larger gatherings of bishops
were called to deal with issues pertaining to the universal Church. The largest
and most important of these gatherings are called the Ecumenical Councils.
The Ecumenical Councils were originally convened by the Roman Emperor
and presided over by a senior bishop. The Orthodox Church recognizes seven
councils as being Ecumenical:

Nicea I (A.D. 325) This Council was called to deal with the heresy of Arianism–the
teaching that the Word and Son of God is a created being. The first part of the Nicene
Creed was drafted here. The hero of Nicea I was St. Athanasius of Alexandria, whose
theology was decisive even though, as a deacon at the time, he could not vote.

Constantinople I (A.D. 381) This Council expanded and completed the Nicene Creed
 and affirmed the divinity of the Holy Spirit. The theology of the Cappadocian Fathers–St.
Basil the Great, St. Gregory the Theologian, and St. Gregory of Nyssa–was particularly
influential here.

Ephesus (A.D. 431) This Council condemned the teachings of Patriarch Nestorius of
Constantinople, who refused to accept the unity of humanity and divinity in the person of
Christ and who refused to call the Virgin Mary Theotokos. St. Cyril, Archbishop of
Alexandria, was the hero of this Council.

Chalcedon (A.D. 451) This Council was called to combat the opposite heresy of
Nestorianism: Monophysitism. According to the Monophysites, Christ’s divine nature
swallowed up His human nature, leaving Him with only one nature. The bishops accepted
the Tome of Pope St. Leo the Great along with the theology of St. Cyril of Alexandria as
the standard of Orthodox thought concerning the person of Christ. The Council decreed
that in Christ the divine and human natures exist without “mixture, confusion, division, or
separation.”

Constantinople II (A.D. 553) This Council further elaborated on the decisions of the
Council of Chalcedon. In addition, some of the teachings of Origen of Alexandria, such
as the pre-existence of souls, were condemned.

Constantinople III (A.D. 681) This Council condemned the heresy of Monothelitism,
which held that Christ had only one will. The bishops affirmed that Christ has a perfect
human will as well as a perfect divine will, thus affirming His full humanity. Pope
Honorius of Rome was condemned as a heretic for his support of the Monothelites.

Quinisext (A.D. 692) This Council, also called the Council in Trullo, is considered a
continuation of the Fifth and Sixth Councils and not a separate Council unto itself.
Among other things, it reaffirmed the condemnation of the teachings of Origen.

Nicea II (A.D. 787) This Council was called to decide the appropriateness of using icons
in the Church. The bishops decreed that the veneration (not worship) of icons was
necessary to preserve a proper understanding of the Incarnation.

It is important to note that not all large councils are considered Ecumenical
Councils. We often speak of Ecumenical Councils as being “infallible,” but there
was no guarantee at the beginning of any of these Councils that they would be
considered infallible. Only after the decisions of a Council have been received
by the consciousness of the whole Church can it be called Ecumenical and
infallible.
When the bishops meet together in council, they do not invent new doctrines.
Rather, their job is to express the mind and life of the Church. A specific
situation, such as the challenge of a new heresy, may necessitate the
development of the Church’s vocabulary or a change in the way the Church
expresses a particular idea. Nevertheless, it is the duty of the bishops to elaborate
upon what the Church has always believed and experienced, not to invent new
teachings.
When, however, bishops in council did deviate from the faith once delivered
and made decrees contrary to the faith and life of the Church, the Body of the
Church throughout the world rejected the decisions. A council held in Ephesus
in 449 had a greater number of bishops in attendance than many Ecumenical
Councils, yet its decisions were rejected by the Church at large. It has gone
down in history as the “Robber Council.”
The purpose of a council, whether a regular meeting of a regional synod or a
gathering of all of the world’s bishops, is to express the mind and heart of the
Church as a whole. No single bishop, not even a patriarch, can claim exclusive
rights to the Holy Spirit. The bishops are answerable to the whole Church for
their decisions.
It is this conciliar process, reflecting the conciliar nature of the All-holy
Trinity, which is the supreme expression of authority within the Church. It is for
this reason that the Church cannot and will not accept the claims of the Bishop
of Rome to be infallible and to rule over the entire Church.
 Reflection
1. In what way is the Church like a building?

2. What is the archetype for the structure of the Church?

3. The Church is first and foremost what kind of community?

4. What Church offices are mentioned in the New Testament?

5. What Old Testament offices did St. Clement use to represent the New Testament offices?

6. Who was the first Church Father to use the terms bishop, presbyter, and deacon in
exactly the same way we do today?

7. Who serves as the principle of unity within the local Church?

8. Are the laity any less important that the bishop or presbyters?

9. What do we call the gathering of bishops in a particular region?

10. What is the purpose of a Church council?

 CHAPTER TWELVE
Holy Baptism
In Holy Baptism our fallen nature is put to death, and we are raised from the water,
purified from sin, to live a new life united with Christ our God.

The last commandment that Christ gave to His Disciples before His Ascension
to heaven was:

Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of
the Son, and of the Holy Spirit: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have
commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world (Matthew
28:19-20).

Our Lord made Baptism a central element of the Christian Faith: He that
believeth and is baptized shall be saved (Mark 16:16). This underscores the fact
that Christianity is not merely a philosophy or a set of beliefs, but a life to be
lived. Baptism is our entrance into this life.
Before we discuss Baptism in detail, however, a few words about the
sacraments in general are in order. First of all, we should note that the Greek
word for “sacrament” is mysterion, from which we get the word mystery. In the
Orthodox Church, the sacraments are usually referred to as the mysteries.
It is often said that a sacrament is “an outward sign of an invisible grace.” But
what exactly do we mean by grace, and how is this communicated to us through
the mysteries?
The Church teaches that grace is more than God’s “good favor” toward man;
it is the uncreated energy of God. When God bestows His grace upon man, He is
bestowing the gift of Himself. God’s inner nature is incommunicable. Created
man can never come to know the inner nature of the uncreated God.
Nevertheless, God truly communicates His life to man. When man encounters
the grace of God, he encounters God Himself.
Because man is a physical being, God communicates His grace to man
through physical means. Created matter becomes the vehicle through which
God’s presence reaches into our lives. The mysteries, therefore, are our way of
participating in the life of the Holy Trinity, which Christ came to give to
mankind.
 Baptism is the first of the mysteries, our introduction into the divine life. In
Holy Baptism, past sins are remitted, our fallen nature is put to death, and we are
raised to walk in newness of life (Romans 6:4) in the likeness of the Son of God.
For this reason the baptismal pool is known as the tomb and the womb.
Baptism begins with the exorcism of the candidate and his renunciation of
Satan. While speaking with His Disciples our Lord made a very disturbing
comment: He that is not with Me is against Me; and he that gathereth not with
Me scattereth abroad (Matthew 12:30). There are only two choices in life: God
or Satan. To accept one is to reject the other.
The Scriptures describe Satan as the god of this world (2 Corinthians 4:4) and
as a roaring lion, which walketh about, seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter
5:8). From the Fall of Adam to the coming of Christ, all mankind lay under the
sway of Satan. The first step in becoming a Christian is to be freed of the devil’s
power and to renounce his claim upon our lives. “Dost thou renounce Satan, and
all his angels, and all his works, and all his service, and all his pride?”
After the renunciation of Satan, the candidate recites the Symbol of Faith–the
Nicene Creed. The Creed was written specifically for use at Baptism and only
later was inserted into the Divine Liturgy. This is why, when we sing or recite
the Creed at the Liturgy, we say “I believe” rather than “We believe.” Each time
we do so, we are renewing our personal confession of faith originally made at
our Baptism.
Baptism is performed by triple immersion in the name of the Father, and of
the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Baptism cannot take place without the
invocation of the All-holy Trinity. St. Nicholas Cabasilas wrote:

Even though it is by one single act of loving-kindness that the Trinity has saved our race,
yet each of the blessed persons is said to have contributed something of His own. It is the
Father Who is reconciled, the Son Who reconciles, while the Holy Spirit is bestowed as a
gift on those who have become friends (The Life in Christ).

The candidate is immersed three times in commemoration of Christ’s three-

day burial. This underscores the fact that our Baptism is our participation in the
death of Christ. In the waters of Baptism our fallen human nature is put to death
together with Christ, that we might also rise with Him: Buried with Him in
Baptism, wherein also ye are risen with Him through the faith of the operation of
God, Who hath raised Him from the dead (Colossians 2:12).
We must remember that the operative element here is the power of the death
of Christ and not our own effort. St. Cyril of Jerusalem stressed this point:

 O strange and inconceivable thing! We did not really die, we were not really buried, we
were not really crucified and raised again, but our imitation was but in a figure, while our
salvation is in reality. Christ was actually crucified, and actually buried, and truly rose
again; and all these things have been vouchsafed to us, that we, by imitation
communicating in His sufferings, might gain salvation in reality (On the Sacraments).

This point is also emphasized by the fact that the baptismal formula is in the
third person. The priest does not say, “I baptize thee” but, “The Servant of God
is baptized.” Baptism is not an act that we or even the priest performs, but is an
act of God. It is God Who died in the flesh and rose again for our salvation and
God Who unites us to Himself through our sacramental participation in His
sufferings.
Inasmuch as our fallen nature dies with Christ in Baptism, so are we freed
from the Ancestral Sin inherited from our forefather Adam. In the Orthodox
Church, the Original Sin is frequently referred to as the Ancestral Sin. Our Holy
Fathers did not understand this to mean that we inherit the guilt for Adam’s
transgression. Rather, we inherit an inclination to sin to the point that it is much
easier for us to sin than not. Our life is dominated by the passions.
Most of all, however, the Ancestral Sin refers to man’s enslavement to
corruption and death: Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and
death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned
(Romans 5:12). Our enslavement to the passions are but proof of our ultimate
bondage to the power of death. St. Paul lamented, O wretched man that I ami
Who shall deliver me from the body of this death (Romans 7:24)?
We have seen that when Christ died, His most pure soul descended into the
depths of hades to destroy the power of death forever. In Baptism, we too
descend with Christ so that we might share in His victory:

For if we have been planted together in the likeness of His death, we shall be also in the
likeness of His Resurrection: Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with Him, that
the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that is
dead is freed from sin (Romans 6:5-7).

In Baptism, then, our fallen nature is put to death and our sins, both Ancestral
and actual, are forgiven, as we recite in the Creed: “I confess one Baptism for
the remission of sins.” We die with Christ, and our sins are forgiven so that we
might share in His life. From the water, therefore, we emerge reborn as true
children of our heavenly Father: “At the self-same moment, ye died and were
born; and that water of salvation was at once your grave and your mother” (St.
Cyril of Jerusalem).
 Once a leader of the Jews named Nicodemus came to Christ for spiritual
nourishment (John 3:2-21). Our Lord told him, “Except a man be born again, he
cannot see the kingdom of God” Nicodemus was understandably confused by
this strange saying. Then Christ explained, “Except a man be born of water and
of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the
flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.”
Baptism is our birth of water and of the Spirit. All those who have been
rightly baptized in the name of the Holy Trinity have been “born again.” Once
again, we must stress that this new birth is not of our doing, but is the work of
God. It is God alone Who bestows the gift of life upon His children who emerge
purified from the baptismal waters.
Of course, having been granted new life in Christ, it is up to us to live in
accordance with it. Nevertheless, it is God Who first bestows the gift. The “new
birth” is the result neither of our efforts nor of any “personal decision for Christ”
but is the result of the grace of God imparted to us in the Mystery of Holy
Baptism: But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the
sons of God, even to them that believe on His name: which were born, not of
blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God (John 1:12-
13).
After Baptism the newly illumined Servant of God is clothed in a white robe–
the robe of righteousness. Our nakedness is covered by the righteousness of God
as we prepare to lead our new life in communion with the All-holy Trinity:
“Grant unto me the robe of light, O most merciful Christ our God, Who clothest
Thyself with light as with a garment.”
Great, therefore, is the mystery of our salvation, and great are the benefits
bestowed upon us in Holy Baptism. We die to a world of sin and death and rise
to walk in the immortal life of God Himself. Having emerged from the waters
reborn and having been clothed with the garment of salvation, we are ready to
receive within us the Holy Spirit–to become the living temples of God.

THE FATHERS SPEAK

It is for us, dearly beloved brothers, for us that these mysteries were celebrated. For by
the most sacred bathing of His body the Lord dedicated for us the bath of Baptism, and
He also pointed out to us that, after the reception of Baptism, the right of entry into
heaven is accessible to us, and the Holy Spirit is given to us.

St. Bede the Venerable

from Homilies on the Gospels
Tr. by Martin and Hurst
 Cistercian Pub., 1991

As soon as he has thrice emerged from the water after being submerged therein during the
invocation of the Trinity, he who has been initiated receives all that he seeks. He is born
and receives form by that birth which is of the day which David mentions (Psalm [138]
139:16). He receives the noble seal and possesses all the happiness which he has sought.
He who once was darkness becomes light; he who once was nothing now has existence.
He enters God’s household and is like a son who has been adopted; from the dungeon and
utmost slavery he is led to the royal Throne.

So this water destroys the one life and brings the other into the open; it drowns the old
man and raises up the new. . . . For this cause we here invoke the Creator, since what
takes place here is a beginning of life and a second creation which is far better than the
first. The image is delineated more accurately than before, and the statue is molded more
clearly according to the divine pattern; wherefore the archetype must needs be the more
perfectly set forth.

St. Nicholas Cabasilas

from The Life in Christ

We all know that if one baptized in infancy does not believe when he comes to years of
discretion, and does not keep himself from lawless desires, then he will have no profit
from the gift he received as a baby.

Blessed Augustine
from On the Due Reward
The Later Christian Fathers
 Special Study
The Baptism of Tears
Baptism bestows new life in Christ, but it is up to us to live in accordance
with that life. Baptism bestows the forgiveness of sins, but it is up to us to walk
in the commandments of Christ. Baptism bestows the robe of righteousness, but
it is up to us to preserve that garment unspotted.
All of this is easier said than done, however. As long as we live in this world,
the devil, whom we have renounced and spat upon, will oppose our efforts. We
all fall and soil our baptismal garments, but God in His infinite wisdom and
mercy has provided for the renewal of the grace of Baptism in the “Baptism of
Tears,” which is the Mystery of Repentance:

The tears that come after Baptism are greater than Baptism itself, though it may seem rash
to say so. Baptism washes off those evils that were previously within us, whereas the sins
committed after Baptism are washed away by tears. The Baptism received by us as
children we have all defiled, but we cleanse it anew with our tears. If God in His love for
mankind had not given us tears, those being saved would be few indeed and hard to find
(St. John Climacus, The Ladder of Divine Ascent).

In the Mystery of Confession, our Baptism is renewed as we are cleansed of

the sins we commit each day. The power to forgive sins was conferred upon the
Church by our Lord after His Resurrection:

As my Father hath sent Me, even so send I you. And when He had said this, He breathed
on them, and saith unto them, “Receive ye the Holy Spirit: Whosesoever sins ye remit,
they are remitted unto them; and whosesoever sins ye retain, they are retained “ (John
20:21-23).

When, therefore, we come to Confession, we come not before a mere man, but
before our Lord Himself, Who grants forgiveness of sins through His Apostles
and their successors: “Behold, my Child, Christ standeth here invisibly receiving
thy Confession. . . . Behold His icon before us! I am but a witness bearing
testimony before Him of all things that thou sayest unto me.”
Frequent Confession is a prerequisite for frequent Communion. We cannot
approach the Holy Chalice and partake of the Body and Blood of Christ while
our soul is infected with sin and our conscience accuses us. St. Paul warns us, he
that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself,
not discerning the hordes Body (1 Corinthians 11:29). St. John Chrysostom
adds:

I would give up my own life rather than grant the reception of the Blood of the Lord
unworthily: I would shed my own blood rather than wrongfully grant reception of Blood
so awesome (Homily 82 on Matthew).

It is important to note here, however, that in the Orthodox Church sin is

thought of primarily as a sickness. The emphasis is on healing, rather than on
meeting a legalistic requirement or eliminating our guilt feelings. We should,
therefore, approach our father confessor as we would our family physician.
When we go to Confession we must tell the priest of our specific sins, but we
need not go into detail. We must never implicate or blame another person for our
sins, nor may we try to find excuses for our actions. We must lay our sins before
our spiritual physician clearly and without elaboration. If he needs more
information in order to diagnose and treat our illness, he will ask for it.
It goes without saying that we must always answer the priest fully and
truthfully, hiding nothing, for it is not the priest whom we address, but the Lord
Himself: “If thou shalt conceal anything from me, thou shalt have the greater sin.
Take heed, therefore, lest having come to the Physician, thou depart unhealed.”
When we have told our spiritual doctor of our symptoms, he will make his
diagnosis. He may prescribe a penance (epitimia). This is not a punishment. It is
a medical treatment designed to cure us of our spiritual ills. We must obey the
priest as we would our family doctor and, taking the medicine that he prescribes,
receive healing for our souls.
Great is the Mystery of Baptism, and great is the Mystery of Repentance,
whereby our Baptism is renewed and the sins that beset us day by day are
overcome: If Thou, LORD, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand?
But there is forgiveness with Thee (Psalm 129[130]:3-4).
 Reflection
1. Why is Baptism necessary for living the Christian life?

2. The sacraments are usually referred to in the Orthodox Church as what?

3. Is grace created or uncreated?

4. What is the first act of the baptismal service?

5. When reciting the Creed in the Liturgy, why do we say “I believe” rather than “We
believe”?

6. Why are we immersed three times?

7. How is the baptismal font like a tomb?

8. How is the baptismal font like a womb?

9. How is our Baptism renewed?

10. How ought we think of our father confessor?

 CHAPTER THIRTEEN
The Seal of the Gift of the Holy Spirit
The Mystery of Chrismation is our personal Pentecost, in which we receive the Holy
Spirit and become living temples of the All-holy Trinity.

At the beginning of His ministry, our Lord Jesus Christ accepted Baptism in
the Jordan River at the hands of St. John the Forerunner. When He emerged
from the water, the Holy Spirit alighted upon Him and anointed Him to be the
Christ or Messiah:

And Jesus, when He was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the
heavens were opened unto Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and
lighting upon Him: And lo a voice from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in
Whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:16-17).

So also, when we emerge from the baptismal waters, cleansed of our sins, we
are anointed with Holy Chrism and receive in ourselves the Spirit of the Living
God. Chrismation is our personal Pentecost. By virtue of this mystery, we
become living temples of God.
In the New Testament, the Holy Spirit was conferred upon the newly baptized
by the Apostles:

Now when the Apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the
Word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John: who, when they were come down,
prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Spirit: (For as yet He was fallen upon
none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.) Then laid they their
hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit (Acts 8:15-17).

At some point between the time of the Acts of the Apostles and the second
century the method of the mystery was changed from the laying on of hands to
anointing with Holy Oil. This change no doubt reflected the way the Apostles
perceived the mystery: But ye have an unetion from the Holy One, and ye know
all things (1 John 2:20).
In the New Testament, the conferral of the Holy Spirit was the prerogative of
the Apostles. This authority is retained in the Church by their successors, the
bishops. In the West, the mystery (called Confirmation) could be performed only
by bishops. In the East, presbyters perform the anointing, but the Chrism itself
must be consecrated by the bishop. In modern practice, the Chrism is
consecrated by the Chief Hierarch of the national Church.
Although the effects of Chrismation are manifold, we shall focus on three of
the most important effects. First of all, Chrismation bestows upon us the Spirit of
Adoption, making us children of God. Second, it is our anointing into the royal
priesthood. Third, Chrism is the pledge of our future inheritance of the kingdom
of God.
Jesus Christ, the Only-begotten Son and Word of God the Father, descended
from heaven and took upon Himself our humanity for one reason: to reconcile
man to God and introduce him into the eternal communion of love that is the life
of the Holy Trinity. Through Holy Chrism we personally receive the Holy Spirit,
Who is the Spirit of Adoption:

Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world:
But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth His Son, made of a woman,
made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the
adoption of sons. And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of His Son into
your hearts, crying, “Abba, Father” (Galatians 4:3-6).

From all eternity the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and rests in the
Son. When we receive the Holy Spirit He rests upon us, making us like unto the
Son of God. Abba, incidentally, is an Aramaic term of endearment, often
translated into English as “Daddy.” In this way, we enter into the intimate
relationship of love between the Father and the Son and become co-heirs with
Christ in His heavenly inheritance:

For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For ye have not
received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of Adoption,
whereby we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit Himself beareth witness with our spirit, that
we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with
Christ; if so be that we suffer with Him, that we may he also glorified together (Romans
8:14-17).

Holy Chrism is, therefore, our introduction into the life of the Holy Trinity.
“When Thou wast baptized in the Jordan, the worship of the Trinity was made
manifest,” we sing at the Feast of the Lord’s Baptism. So it is at our Baptism and
Chrismation that the Holy Trinity is made manifest in our lives.
In addition to bestowing upon us the adoption as children of God, the Holy
Spirit also bestows spiritual power and priestly dignity. Before His Ascension,
our Lord commanded the Apostles: “I send the promise of My Father upon you:
but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on
high” (Luke 24:49). This power is the Holy Spirit, Who came upon the Apostles
at Pentecost and comes upon us at our Chrismation.
In the Old Testament, the priests of God were anointed with oil after being
washed in water and robed with their priestly vestments:

And Aaron and his sons thou shalt bring unto the door of the tabernacle of the
congregation, and shalt wash them with water. And thou shalt take the garments, and put
upon Aaron the coat, and the robe of the ephod, and the ephod, and the breastplate, and
gird him with the curious girdle of the ephod: And thou shalt put the mitre upon his head,
and put the holy crown upon the mitre. Then shalt thou take the Anointing Oil, and pour it
upon his head, and anoint him (Exodus 29:4-7).

After we are washed and robed, we too receive the priestly anointing for
service in God’s Church. This is why the Apostle Peter calls the members of the
Church a royal priesthood: But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood,
an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of Him
Who hath called you out of darkness into His marvellous light (1 Peter 2:9).
There is only one Priest in the Church–Jesus Christ, the great High Priest of
our salvation. However, inasmuch as we are united with Him in Baptism and
anointed with the Spirit of His anointing, we all share in His priesthood, that is,
His ministry of reconciliation between God and man. The fact that some within
the Church are set apart specifically to serve at the altar in no way abrogates the
responsibility of every member of the Church to share in Christ’s work of
reconciliation and bring the glorious gift of God’s grace to the world.
By virtue of our Chrismation, each of us is endowed by God with spiritual
gifts for service within the Church. These gifts are not a principle of
individualism and self-sufficiency, but of unity:

Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are differences of
administrations, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of operations, but it is the
same God which worketh all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every
man to profit withal (1 Corinthians 12:7).

It is important to note that the phrase royal priesthood is used in the Scripture
only to refer to the Church as a whole, not to individuals. The reason for this is
clear: the gifts of the Spirit are the means whereby each member of the Body of
Christ contributes to the life of the whole. That which leads to strife and
dissension is not of God.
 When He, the Spirit of Truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth (John
16:13). Likewise, St. John writes that the Anointing that we receive teaches us
all things (1 John 2:27). This does not mean, however, that we as individuals
have the capacity to interpret the Scriptures on our own. On the contrary, no
prophecy of the Scripture is of any private interpretation (1 Peter 1:20). The
truth is given to the Church as a body, and it is within that communal fellowship
of divine love that we, as unique persons, come to experience and know the
truth.
It is, therefore, the Holy Spirit Who equips each of us for our unique role in
the Body of the Lord. As the Apostle Paul teaches, we cannot all be hand or all
eye. Each of us has our part; each is necessary and unique (cf. 1 Corinthians 12).
The Holy Spirit, therefore, unifies us through the multiplicity of gifts, even as
the many tongues of fire that descended upon the Apostles on the day of
Pentecost unified them and anointed them to be the Church (cf. Acts 2).
Every baptized and chrismated Orthodox Christian, therefore, is a child of
God and a priestly minister of His love to the world. We know, however, that
this present world is not our true home. In the world ye shall have tribulation:
but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world (John 16:33). As Christians, we
await the return of the One Who has overcome the world and the establishment
of His eternal kingdom. Chrismation is our guarantee toward that end.
In his Second Epistle to the Corinthians, St. Paul described the Holy Spirit as
a “down payment” on our future inheritance of immortality:

For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from
heaven. . . . For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we
would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up by life. Now
He Who hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, Who also hath given unto us the
earnest of the Spirit (2 Corinthians 5:2-5).

We await the coming of the kingdom of God, and yet, our Lord said, The
kingdom of God is within you (Luke 17:21). The Holy Spirit makes present the
kingdom of God as He dwells within those who have been anointed. Through the
Spirit we partake, here and now, of the kingdom that is to come.
With such great grace, however, comes great responsibility: unto whomsoever
much is given, of him shall be much required (Luke 12:48). Having been
anointed with the Spirit of God, we have become temples of His holiness. It
behooves us, therefore, to live in accordance with this great honor: Know ye not
that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any
man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is
holy, Whose temple ye are (1 Corinthians 3:16-17).

THE FATHERS SPEAK

And ye were first anointed on your forehead, that ye might be delivered from the shame,
which the first man, when he had transgressed, bore about with him everywhere; and that
with open face ye might behold as in a glass the glory of the Lord (2 Corinthians 3:18).
Then on your ears; that ye might receive ears quick to hear the divine mysteries, of which
Esaias has said, The Lord wakened mine ear to hear (Isaiah 50:4); and the Lord Jesus in
the Gospel, He that hath ears to hear let him hear (Matthew 11:15). Then on your
nostrils; that receiving the sacred Ointment ye may say, We are to God a sweet savor of
Christ, in them that are saved (2 Corinthians 2:15). Then on your breast; that having put
on the breastplate of righteousness, ye may stand against the wiles of the devil (cf.
Ephesians 6: 14, 11). For as Christ after His Baptism, and the descent of the Holy Spirit,
went forth and vanquished the adversary, so likewise, having, after Holy Baptism and the
Mystical Chrism, put on the whole armor of the Holy Spirit, do ye stand against the
power of the enemy and vanquish it, saying, I can do all things through Christ Who
strengthened me (Philippians 4:13).

Keep this unspotted. . . . For this holy thing is a spiritual preservative of the body, and a
safeguard of the soul. . . . Having been anointed, therefore, with this Holy Ointment, keep
it unspotted and unblemished in you, pressing forward by good works, and becoming
well-pleasing to the Captain of your salvation, Christ Jesus, to Whom be glory for ever
and ever. Amen.

St. Cyril of Jerusalem

from the Lectures on the Christian
Sacraments
SVS Press, 1986
 Special Study
The Fruit of the Spirit
The Apostle Paul contrasts life lived according to the flesh with that lived
according to the Spirit of God. By “flesh” he does not mean the body, but,
rather, man’s sinful inclinations, that is to say, our old nature. While Baptism is
our death and resurrection in Christ, we must nevertheless struggle against our
sinful passions, constantly warring against the attacks of our enemy: For we
wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers,
against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in
high places (Ephesians 6:12).
The Apostle tells us that among the works of the flesh are adultery,
fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, strife,
jealousy, wrath, selfishness, dissensions, heresies, envyings, murders,
drunkenness, carousings, and such like (Galatians 5:19-21). It is shameful for
those who are co-heirs with Christ and anointed with the Holy Spirit to do such
things.
We are called to live a life consonant with the Spirit, Whom we have received.
Those who live according to the Spirit of God need no external set of laws and
regulations to guide them, for the Spirit Himself teaches them. When we walk
according to the Spirit, then we begin to bear the fruit proper to godly living: But
the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness,
faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law (Galatians 5:22-23).
St. Makarios of Egypt taught that all of our spiritual efforts were useless
unless we acquire the fruit of the Spirit, for these are the testimony that we are
truly living life in accordance with the will of God:

When we cultivate a vineyard, the whole of our attention and labor is given in the
expectation of the vintages. . . . Similarly, if through the activity of the Spirit we do not
perceive within ourselves the fruits of love, peace, joy and the other qualities mentioned
by St. Paul, and cannot affirm this with all assurance and spiritual awareness, then our
labor for the sake of virginity, prayer, psalmody, fasting and vigil is useless (The
Philokalia, vol. 3).

Let us examine the first three of these fruits. The first fruit of the Spirit is love.
Concerning this St. Maximus the Confessor wrote:

 The one who loves God cannot help but love also every man as himself, even though he
is displeased by the passions of those who are not yet purified. . . . The one who sees a
trace of hatred in his own heart through any fault at all toward any man, whoever he may
be, makes himself completely foreign to the love for God, because love for God in no
way admits of hatred for man (The Four Hundred Chapters on Love).

The second fruit of the Spirit is joy. St. Peter of Damaskos explained the
source of this fruit:

Nature teaches us rather to grieve, since life is full of pain and effort, like a state of exile
dominated by sin. But if a person is constantly mindful of God, he will rejoice: as the
Psalmist says, I remembered God, and I rejoiced (The Philokalia, vol. 3).

St. Peter of Damaskos also explained the nature of true peace–the third fruit of
the Spirit–and how it is related to our battle with the passions:

In a similar way, each of us faithful is attacked and led astray by the passions; but if he is
at peace with God and with his neighbor, he overcomes them all. These passions are the
‘world’ that St. John the Theologian told us to hate, meaning that we are to hate, not
God’s creatures, but worldly desires. The soul is at peace with God when it is at peace
with itself and has become wholly deiform. It is also at peace with God when it is at
peace with all men, even if it suffers terrible things at their hands (The Philokalia, vol. 3).

On the Day of Judgment, each of us shall be judged according to the fruit that
our life bears. What harvest shall we present before the Lord our Judge?

A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. Not every one that saith unto me, “Lord,
Lord,” shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of My Father
Who is in heaven (Matthew 7:18-21).
 Reflection
1. What happened to Christ immediately following His Baptism in the Jordan River?

2. To whom does the authority to confer the Spirit belong?

3. From where does the parish priest get the Holy Chrism?

4. What is the role of the Holy Spirit in our relationship with Christ and the Father?

5. What is the meaning of the Aramaic word, Abba?

6. How is the Mystery of Baptism and Chrismation similar to the consecration of Old
Testament priests?

7. Is it true that the ordained clergy are the only ministers in the Church?

8. How do the gifts of the Spirit relate to the unity of the Church?

9. In what way is Holy Chrism a “down payment” on our future inheritance?

10. Name five of the fruits of the Spirit listed by St. Paul.
 CHAPTER FOURTEEN
The Mystical Supper
In the Holy Eucharist we offer to God the substance of our life and receive it back as
the Body and Blood of Christ for the sanctification of our souls and bodies and as the
mystery of the Church’s unity in Christ.

St. Paul once addressed the philosophers of Athens, introducing them to the
one true God. During his sermon on Mars’ Hill, quoting one of the Greek poets,
he said of God, “in Him we live, and move, and have our being” (Acts 17:28).
St. Nicholas Cabasilas interpreted this in terms of the Mysteries of Baptism,
Chrismation, and the Eucharist:

Baptism confers being and in short, existence according to Christ. . . . The anointing with
Chrism perfects him who has received birth by infusing into him the energy that befits
such a life. The Holy Eucharist preserves and continues this life and health, since the
Bread of Life enables us to preserve that which has been acquired and to continue in
life… .In this way we live in God. We remove our life from this visible world to that
world which is not seen by exchanging, not the place, but the very life itself and its mode
(The Life in Christ).

This is, perhaps, the most succinct exposition of the mysteries ever written.
The mysteries are not merely “sacred rites”; they are nothing less than our
participation in the life of the Holy Trinity. Having been united with Christ in
Baptism and empowered by the Holy Spirit, we are led to the Holy Table and
partake of the Bread of heaven.
The Holy Eucharist begins with the offering of bread and wine, which the
People of God bring to the Church. Bread and wine are the substance of our life–
that by which we live in this world. It is important to note that we do not bring
grain and grapes, but the fruits of the earth that have been harvested and made by
human intellect and effort into bread and wine.
God gave the world to Adam and Eve as a means of communion with
Himself. However, they refused this gift and instead made the world into an end
in and of itself. By offering the substance of our life to God in love and
thanksgiving, we recover the original eucharistie vocation of the human race.
This offering is possible, however, only because Christ–God made flesh–
offered Himself upon the Cross for the life of the world. There is one and only
one sacrifice. The Eucharist is nothing else than that one sacrifice on the Cross.
The night He was betrayed, Christ ate His Last Supper with His Disciples. He
broke the bread and blessed the wine, instructing the Apostles, “This do in
remembrance of Me” (1 Corinthians 11:24-25). The Eucharist is, therefore, an
act of remembrance; it orients our life toward the Cross.
The New Testament word for remembrance, however, means more than mere
psychological recollection. Anamnesis literally means to re-present or make
present. In the Holy Eucharist we do not remember the sacrifice of Christ on the
Cross in the same way we recollect a past event in our own lives; rather, that
sacrifice is made present to us. We participate in that sacrifice.
There is no doubt that the early Christians understood the Eucharist as a
sacrifice. In the first-century Syrian church manual called the Didache we read,

On the Lord’s Day assemble together and break bread and give thanks, first making
public confession of your faults, that your sacrifice may be pure.. . . For this is the
sacrifice spoken of by the Lord: In every place and time offer me a pure sacrifice. . .
(Malachil:ll,14)

We do not offer a new sacrifice, however, but the sacrifice that Christ offered
once and for all: “For it is Thou, O Christ our God, Who offereth and art
offered” (Litur-gy of St. John Chrysostom).
God the Father receives this offering at our hands precisely because it is the
offering of His Son. From all eternity the Son receives His being from the Father
and, in return, offers Himself to His Father in love. On the Cross, Christ offered
Himself to His Father as man, thereby introducing humanity into this dynamic
movement of Trinitarian love. In the Eucharist our life is offered to the Father in
and through Christ, and we receive eternal life in return by partaking of the life-
giving Body and Blood of the Lord.
Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the Flesh of the Son of Man, and
drink His Blood, ye have no life in you (John 6:53). When Christ spoke these
words, many ceased to follow Him (John 6:66). Those who remained, however,
became partakers of His Body and Blood: Take, eat: this is My Body. . . . This is
My Blood of the New Testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins
(Mark 26:26, 28).
In the early years of the Christian era, a problem arose in the Corinthian
Church concerning the Eucharist. Many treated it shamefully, using it as an
excuse for selfishness and division, rather than as a sacrifice of love and unity.
St. Paul warned them of the consequences of their actions:

Wherefore whosoever shall eat this Bread, and drink this Cup of the Lord, unworthily,
shall be guilty of the Body and Blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so
let him eat of that Bread, and drink of that Cup. For he that eateth and drinketh
unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s Body.
For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep (1 Corinthians
11:27-30).

Thus, according to St. Paul, many have physically died from partaking of the
Lord’s Table unworthily.
The reason for this is clear, as St. Paul explained: The Cup of Blessing which
we bless, is it not the communion of the Blood of Christ? The Bread which we
break, is it not the communion of the Body of Christ (1 Corinthians 10:16)? In
partaking of the Eucharist, we are literally partaking of the Body and Blood of
our Lord Jesus Christ.
Early in the second century, St. Ignatius wrote of a sect in the Church that did
not believe that Christ had come in the flesh. He noted that they did not attend
the eucharistie gathering of the Church. Why? “They abstain from Eucharist and
prayer, because they do not confess that the Eucharist is the Flesh of our Savior
Jesus Christ” (Epistle to the Smyrnaeans). To deny the reality of Christ’s
humanity is to deny the reality of His presence in the Eucharist and vice versa.
Around the year A.D. 150, St. Justin the Philosopher wrote to the Roman
Emperor, explaining to him the Gospel of Christ and petitioning for an end to
persecution. Concerning the Eucharist he wrote:

We do not receive these Gifts as ordinary food or ordinary drink. But as Jesus Christ our
Savior was made flesh through the Word of God, and took flesh and blood for our
salvation; in the same way the food over which thanksgiving has been offered through the
prayer of the Word which we have from Him–the food by which our blood and flesh are
nourished through its transformation–is, we are taught, the Flesh and Blood of Jesus Who
was made flesh (Apology I).

The Mystery of the Eucharist is, therefore, truly awesome. By it we receive

into our soul and body the Body and Blood of Christ Himself, Who infuses His
divine life into our life. All of this is accomplished through our sacramental
participation in His Cross.
Something else happens during the mystery, however. We remember not only
the sacrifice of the Cross, which took place once and for all almost two thousand
years ago; we also remember the future. In the Liturgy, between the words of
institution (“This is My Body…”) and the epiclesis (the invocation of the Holy
Spirit), the priest prays:

Remembering this saving commandment and all that has come to pass for us, the Cross,
the tomb, the Resurrection on the third day, the Ascension into heaven, the sitting at the
right hand, and the Second and Glorious Coming…”

Thus, in the Liturgy, we remember the Second Coming of Christ, which,

obviously, has yet to happen. We have said that the Holy Spirit is the pledge of
the kingdom to come. It is the action of the Spirit that makes the sacrifice of
Christ present to us, that transforms the bread and wine into the Body and Blood
of Christ, and that makes present the future kingdom.
At the Last Supper our Lord told the Apostles, “But I say unto you, I will not
drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with
you in My Father’s kingdom” (Matthew 26:29). St. Paul adds, For as often as ye
eat this Bread, and drink this Cup, ye do show the Lord’s death till He come (1
Corinthians 11:26). It is clear that from the very beginning, the Eucharist was
oriented toward both the Cross and the coming kingdom.
The fact that the Eucharist is our sacramental participation in the great
Wedding Feast of the kingdom (Matthew 22:2 ff.), underscores one other aspect
of the mystery. The Eucharist is given not only for our personal sanctification
but also as the sacrament of the Church’s unity.
St. Paul writes, For we being many are one Bread, and one Body: for we are
all partakers of that one Bread (1 Corinthians 10:17). In the early Church, all
Christians in a given area met together to celebrate the Eucharist at the same
place and the same time. In this gathering, social, racial, and political barriers
were overcome as all participated in one Liturgy, offering one prayer and
partaking of one Bread.
This principle is expressed in canon law today by the fact that a priest may
celebrate only one Liturgy during a day. If circumstances necessitate that a
second Liturgy be celebrated in a Church, it must be celebrated by a different
priest and on a different altar. This may seem to be a somewhat “round-about”
approach, but it serves to underscore the principle that the community partakes
of one Eucharist.
Every Sunday and great feastday the Church in a given location gathers
together to celebrate the Eucharist–to offer and be offered to God in love and to
receive from Him the “Medicine of Immortality.” In so doing, we are united as
one Body; we are given the Body and Blood of Christ as our spiritual
nourishment, and our whole life is oriented toward both the Cross and the
kingdom that is to come.
 THE FATHERS SPEAK
Give thanks in this manner. First, over the Cup: “We give thanks to Thee, our Father, for
the Holy Vine of Thy son David, which Thou hast made known to us through Jesus Thy
Son: Thine be the glory forever.” Then over the broken Bread: “We give thanks to Thee,
our Father, for the life and knowledge which Thou didst make known to us through Jesus
Thy Son: Thine be the glory for ever. As this broken Bread was scattered upon the
mountains and was gathered together and became one, so let Thy Church be gathered
together from the ends of the earth into Thy kingdom: for Thine is the glory and the
power through Jesus Christ for ever and ever.” Let none eat or drink of this Eucharist of
yours except those who have been baptized into the name of the Lord. For on this point
the Lord said, “Do not give what is holy to the dogs” (Matthew 7:6).

from the Didache

The Early Christian Fathers

It was necessary that the remedy for my weakness be God and become man, for were He
God only He would not be united to us, for how could He become our feast? On the other
hand, if Christ were no more than what we are, His feast would have been ineffectual…
.By His divinity He is able to exalt and transcend our human nature and to transform it
into Himself… .It is clear, then, that Christ infuses Himself into us and mingles Himself
with us.

St. Nicholas Cabasilas

from The Life in Christ
 Special Study
The Communion of Saints
During the Divine Liturgy, as the Holy Gifts are brought to the altar for
consecration, we sing, “Let us who mystically represent the Cherubim and who
sing the thrice-holy hymn to the Life-creating Trinity now lay aside all earthly
cares.” The worship of the Church takes place both on earth and in heaven.
Regardless of the physical circumstances in which the Liturgy is celebrated–be it
in a great cathedral or in someone’s living room–the true locus of the Church’s
worship is heaven itself.
St. Paul tells us in the Epistle to the Hebrews that the earthly tabernacle of the
Old Testament was patterned after the tabernacle in heaven (Hebrews 9:23). It is
before the heavenly altar where the worship of the Church takes place, officiated
by Christ Himself, our High Priest: For Christ is not entered into the holy places
made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself now to
appear in the presence of God for us (Hebrews 9:24).
Because the Liturgy of the Church takes place in heaven, it is celebrated in the
presence of all the angels and Saints. Traditional Orthodox temples are filled
with icons of the Saints, often being covered from floor to ceiling. These icons
sacramentally manifest to us the literal presence of the Saints. That is why, upon
entering a temple, we venerate the icons. We are greeting the members of our
heavenly family as we would greet the members of our earthly family upon
entering a room.
The Liturgy is, therefore, a family affair, encompassing both those in heaven
and those on earth. Not only is it attended by the whole Church, but it is offered
on behalf of the whole Church–indeed, on behalf of the whole world. “Thine
own of Thine own, we offer unto Thee, on behalf of all and for all.”
Immediately following the consecration of the Holy Gifts, the celebrant
begins the great prayer of intercession. Here, the whole Church and all of
mankind is gathered together in Christ’s intercession before the Father, seeing
He ever liveth to make intercession for them (Hebrews 7:25):

Again we offer unto Thee this reasonable worship for those who have fallen asleep in the
faith … for the whole world; for the holy, catholic, and apostolic Church.

The prayer of Christ the High Priest–therefore the prayer of the Church–is for
all mankind, both the living and the dead, for He is not the God of the dead, but
the God of the living (Mark 12:27). No one falls outside the embrace of the
Church’s love and intercession.
The offering of prayer and sacrifice for the dead is first recorded in the
Scripture in the Second Book of Maccabees. After a battle Judas Maccabeus
discovered that his slain men had been wearing tokens of idols. Seeing this, he
began to pray for the souls of his men and took up a collection that a sin offering
might be made for them in Jerusalem. The reason for this action was their belief
in the resurrection of the dead:

In doing this he acted very well and honorably, taking account of the resurrection. For if
he were not expecting that those who had fallen would rise again, it would have heen
superfluous and foolish to pray for the dead. But if he was looking to the splendid reward
that is laid up for those who fall asleep in godliness, it was a holy and pious thought.
Therefore he made atonement for the dead, that they might be delivered from their sin (2
Maccabees 12:43-45, Revised Standard Version).

As with the doctrine of the Trinity, the doctrine of the resurrection was
revealed only gradually. For most of the period of the Old Testament,
immortality was thought of in terms of one’s progeny. This is why the Law of
Moses made no specific provisions for prayer for the dead. By the time of the
Maccabees, however, belief in the resurrection had taken root. It remained
somewhat controversial, however, well into the period of the New Testament,
for there we read of the Sadducees, who denied the resurrection.
With the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, the once-impenetrable barrier
of death is removed; death no longer separates us from those we love. The
Eucharist is the mystery of our unity in Christ–the unity of those in heaven and
those on earth. In the Eucharist, therefore, we experience communion with God
and through Him communion with the Saints.
 Reflection
1. In what ways are the mysteries related to the fact that we live, and move, and have our
being in God?

2. What do we offer to God in the Eucharist?

3. Whose sacrifice is being offered in the Eucharist?

4. What does the word anamnesis mean?

5. How is Christ’s sacrifice of Himself as man related to His eternal relationship with the
Father?

6. St. Paul says that the Cup of Blessing and the Bread that we bless is communion with
what?

7. According to St. Ignatius, why did those who denied that the Lord came in the flesh
refuse to attend the Eucharist?

8. How is it that in the Eucharist we remember the future?

9. How does the Eucharist manifest the unity of the Church?

10. Why does the Church pray and offer the Eucharist for the dead?
 CHAPTER FIFTEEN
The Church at Prayer
Prayer is the language of the Church, with which we communicate with God both
privately and corporately.

In the Acts of the Apostles we read that the first Christians continued
steadfastly in the Apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in the breaking of the
Bread, and in the prayers (Acts 2:42). From the beginning, prayer–both
corporate and private–was essential to the life of the Church. Every Orthodox
Christian, therefore, is expected to participate fully in the Church’s liturgical
prayer and to have a personal rule of prayer of his or her own.
And the LORD spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his
friend (Exodus 33:11). It is through prayer that we communicate with God. We
praise Him for His great lovingkindness and entreat His mercy for our sins. We
bring before Him our troubles and concerns. We also pray for one another, as St.
James enjoins us (James 5:16).
Prayer is, therefore, an expression of the very nature of the Church, which is
love. In prayer we not only spend time with our Beloved, we share our love for
God with others as we make intercession for their needs. Prayer is the very
language of the Church, the “abc’s” of our life in Christ.
It is significant that St. Luke mentions the prayers. The Jews of Jesus’ time
prayed specific prayers at specific times of the day. Furthermore, they observed
a cycle of fasts and feasts, through which they sanctified their life in this world.
The Apostles also observed these practices (cf. Acts 20:16), as do Orthodox
Christians today.
The daily cycle of prayer begins in the evening with the service of Vespers.
The Church follows the Jewish practice of reckoning the beginning of the day
from the setting of the sun: and the evening and the morning were the first day
(Genesis 1:5). The cycle continues with Compline, which is served after supper;
the Midnight Office, Matins (Orthros); and the Canonical Hours: First (6 a.m.),
Third (9 a.m.), Sixth (noon), and Ninth (3 p.m.).
Through this cycle of prayer, each day is sanctified, set apart, for God:

For from the rising of the sun even unto the going down of the same My name shall be
 great among the Gentiles; and in every place incense shall be offered unto My name, and
a pure sacrifice: for My name shall be great among the heathen, saith the LORD of hosts
(Malachi 1:11).

This prophecy is important because it clearly points to the Church. Only in the
New Testament era is God’s name praised among the Gentiles, and only in the
Christian Church is incense and a pure sacrifice offered to God throughout the
world.
The sanctification of the day is clearly stressed at the “Prayer of the Hours,”
which is read at every service except Matins and Vespers. In this prayer we are
reminded of God’s mercy and ask for His guidance throughout the day:

Thou Who at all times and at every hour, both in heaven and on earth, art worshipped and
glorified, O Christ God, longsuffering, plenteous in mercy and compassion; Who lovest
the just and showest mercy to those who are hardened in sin; Who callest all to salvation
through the promise of good things to come: Do Thou, the same Lord, receive also our
supplications at this present time, and direct our lives according to Thy commandments.
Set aright our minds; cleanse our thoughts; and deliver us from all calamity, wrath, and
distress. Compass us round about with Thy holy angels, that, guided and guarded by their
host, we may attain unto the unity of the faith, and unto the comprehension of Thine
ineffable glory. For blessed art Thou unto ages of ages. Amen.

The Daily Office consists primarily of the chanting of the Psalms. The Psalter
was the hymnal of Israel, and it remains the primary hymnal of the Church.
Every service has specific Psalms assigned to it. For example, the liturgical day
begins with Psalm 103[104], which glorifies God for the wonders of creation. In
addition, the Psalter is divided into twenty sections, called kathismata. These
sections are assigned so that the entire Psalter is read during the week. During
Lent, the readings from the Psalter double.
One should note here that the Divine Liturgy is not counted among the daily
services. The Daily Office is tied to specific times of the day; through it we
sanctify time. The Liturgy, however, reaches beyond time into eternity.
Although it is usually served after the Sixth Hour, it cannot be tied to a specific
hour of the day.
The Daily Office is served in its entirety only in monasteries and large
cathedrals. The fact that most laymen do not have ready access to these services
does not mean, however, that we are exempt from the need to sanctify our day
through prayer. The ancient Jews had a daily rule of prayer, and so did the first
Christians. The Didache (first century) instructed Christians to pray the Lord’s
Prayer three times a day.
For most Orthodox Christians, the daily rule of prayer consists of prayers in
the morning, evening, and at meals. To this may be added prayers in special
times of need and prayers in preparation for Confession and Communion.
Christians are never forbidden from praying extemporaneously in private, but
we are strongly encouraged to use the prayers of the Church that have been
sanctified by their use through the centuries. By using the prayers of the Church,
we are assured that our prayers are in accordance with the will of God, thus
avoiding the problem mentioned by St. James: Ye ask, and receive not, because
ye ask amiss (James 4:3).
Every Orthodox Christian should discuss his rule of prayer with his spiritual
father. This is both an act of submission of our personal will to the will of the
Church and a practical safeguard against doing more or less than we should. All
spiritual guides agree that it is better to pray a short rule of prayer with attention
and devotion than to try to rush through a long rule. The point is to have a
practical rule of prayer and stick to it.
In addition to the daily cycle of prayer, there are also the weekly, yearly, and
Paschal cycles that determine the theme of a particular day. The weekly cycle
begins with Sunday, on which we commemorate the Resurrection. Each and
every Sunday is a miniature Pascha. On Monday we commemorate the holy
angels, on Tuesday St. John the Forerunner, on Wednesday and Friday the
Cross, on Thursday the Apostles and St. Nicholas, and on Saturday the martyrs
and the departed faithful. Because of the commemoration of the Cross,
Wednesday and Friday are set apart as fast days.
The yearly cycle refers to those feasts and fasts that occur on fixed dates of
the year. Various Saints are commemorated each day of the year, but certain
commemorations are given more emphasis than others. There are twelve “Great
Feasts” of the Church, nine of which are assigned specific dates.
The Church year begins on September 1. It is significant that the first Great
Feast of the year commemorates the Nativity of the Theotokos (September 8),
and the last commemorates her Falling Asleep (August 15). We have seen that
the Mother of God is both the personification of the Church and the role model
for each Christian. There is a real sense, therefore, in which our life, from the
cradle to the grave, is taken up and celebrated in the yearly liturgical cycle.
The hymns proper to the daily commemorations of the yearly cycle are found
in a twelve-volume set called the Menaion. Every Orthodox Christian should
have a copy of The Festal Menaion, which contains the hymns for the Great
Feasts. These hymns are the prayers of the Church, through which we praise
God and are ourselves taught and conformed to His image:

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one
 another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the
Lord (Colossians 3:16).

The Great and Holy Pascha (Easter) is the “Feast of Feasts.” The Paschal
cycle, the date of which varies from year to year, begins with Great Lent,
includes the Entrance of the Lord into Jerusalem, Holy Week, Pascha itself, the
Ascension, and the Feast of Pentecost.
The hymns for Great Lent are included in The Lenten Triodion, and those for
Pascha make up The Pentecostarion. The Lenten Triodion is perhaps the single
richest literary source of spiritual nourishment the Church has to offer. It
includes the Great Canon of St. Andrew of Crete, which is a long meditation on
the biblical images of repentance.
There is one other form of prayer that is not related to any of the liturgical
cycles. It is the most personal and most misunderstood prayer of the Church: the
“Prayer of the Heart” or the “Jesus Prayer.” This prayer consists of the constant
repetition of a short prayer centered on the name of Jesus. The most common
form is: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner.”
The Fathers understand this prayer as the fulfillment of St. Paul’s admonition,
Pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17). The Jesus Prayer, however, is not a
mantra. Its importance derives not from its repetition, but from its doctrinal and
ethical content and from the fact that we are addressing a person. In the prayer
we affirm our belief in the divinity of Christ and confess our own sinfulness.
Through this constant invocation of the name of Jesus, the heart is purified and
receives divine grace.
Although all Orthodox Christians should say the Jesus Prayer whenever
possible, there are certain meditative techniques associated with this prayer that
are practiced only by experienced monks and nuns. A layman should simply
recite the Jesus Prayer slowly with great attention. Under no circumstances,
however, should he attempt to regulate his breathing or try any other “technique”
without the personal approval and guidance of a spiritual father experienced in
the Jesus Prayer.
When we are in Church, we pray the prayers of the Church. At home we keep
a personal rule of prayer, sanctifying each day. In times of great joy or trouble,
we cry out to God from the depths of our heart with thanksgiving and entreaty.
At other times, such as when performing mundane tasks, we have the Prayer of
Jesus to occupy our mind and spirit and direct our attention toward our Lord. In
this way, prayer becomes the very substance of our life, the very air that we
breathe.
 THE FATHERS SPEAK
Prayer is by nature a dialog and a union of man with God. Its effect is to hold the world
together. It achieves a reconciliation with God.

Pray in all simplicity. The publican and the prodigal son were reconciled to God by a
single utterance.

The attitude of prayer is the same for all, but there are many kinds of prayer and many
different prayers.

But heartfelt thanksgiving should have first place in our book of prayer. Next should be
confession and genuine contrition of soul. After that should come our request to the
universal King. This method of prayer is best, as one of the brothers was told by an angel
of the Lord.

If you ever find yourself having to appear before a human judge, you may use that as an
example of how to conduct yourself in prayer. Perhaps you have never stood before a
judge or witnessed a cross-examination. In that case, take your cue from the way patients
appeal to surgeons prior to an operation or a cautery.

In your prayers there is no need for high-flown words, for it is the simple and
unsophisticated babblings of children that have more often won the heart of the Father in
heaven.

St. John Climacus

from The Ladder of Divine Ascent
Tr. by Colm Luibheid
Paulist Press, 1982
 Special Study
Fasting
In the New Testament, prayer is closely associated with fasting. When the
Apostles were unable to cast a demon out of a child, the Lord told them, “This
kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting” (Mark 9:29). Even
though He is God by nature, our Lord Himself fasted in the flesh so that that we
might learn the importance of fasting (cf. Matthew 4:2).
In giving instructions to His Apostles, Christ did not say to them, “If ye fast,”
but “When ye fast” (Matthew 6:16). The Apostles fasted (cf. Acts 13:2). In the
Didache we read that the early Christians observed Wednesdays and Fridays as
regular fast days, even as we do today.
Fasting is, therefore, not an option for Orthodox Christians. It is an essential
element of the life in Christ. Great Lent begins with this command from the
Prophecy of Joel: Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn
assembly (Joel 2:15). In short, fasting is a matter of obedience to God.
There are two kinds of fasting: (1) a complete abstinence from food and (2) an
abstinence from certain kinds of food. Complete abstinence from food is
prescribed before the reception of Communion. This begins the evening before
Communion. The minimum requirement is no food or drink after midnight.
Many also observe a complete fast at the beginning of Lent and on Great and
Holy Friday, at least until after Vespers.
During Great Lent and the other seasons of fasting, we abstain from all meat,
dairy products, and fish with backbones. We also regulate the amount of food
eaten. The Fathers tell us that we should get up from the table still slightly
hungry, in order to be attentive at prayer.
Abstinence from certain types of food has nothing to do with “uncleanness.”
There is nothing morally wrong with eating meat, although most Fathers did
teach that Adam and Eve did not eat meat before the Fall. There is, however, a
correlation between the types of food we eat and our spiritual state. Animal
products, especially fats and oils, tend to inflame the passions and create inner
turmoil. This ancient wisdom of the Fathers will come as no surprise to modern
nutritionists.
Although fasting has many health benefits to recommend it, that is not the
reason we fast. Bishop Kallistos writes, “The primary aim of fasting is to make
us conscious of our dependence upon God” (The Lenten Triodion, p. 16). We
voluntarily experience physical hunger in order to make us aware of our true
spiritual hunger, our poverty of spirit.
Another reason we fast is to subdue our passions and self-will. The Fathers
tell us that there is no way we can control our urges for sexual gratification,
money, power, etc., if we are unable to control our stomachs. Fasting is the first
step toward self-control.
When we fast, it is extremely important that we do so according to the rules of
the Church and the directions of our spiritual father. Self-will is cut off by
obedience. Making up our own fasting rules is an act of self-will, not obedience,
and can only lead to spiritual pride.
Fasting, therefore, is a means of subduing the passions; it is not a virtue in and
of itself. We do not fast in order to earn “merits.” We are servants of our
heavenly Master and do only as we are commanded:

So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say,
“We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do” (Luke
17:10).

As with any practice, fasting can become an excuse for legalism. It is possible
to keep the letter of the fast and yet violate its inner spirit. We must always keep
in mind that the purpose of fasting is to control our passions and to bring us
closer to God. Strict fasting according the rules that is not accompanied by an
inner attitude of submission to God yields only a hypocritical and judgmental
attitude toward others. This is why we are enjoined by the hymns of the Church
to observe a spiritual as well as a physical fast:

Let us set out with joy upon the season of the Fast, and prepare ourselves for spiritual
combat. Let us purify our soul and cleanse our flesh; and as we fast from food, let us
abstain also from every passion. Rejoicing in the virtues of the Spirit may we persevere
with love (The Lenten Triodion).
 Reflection
1. How were the spiritual practices of the Apostles related to the practices of the Jews of
that time?

2. When does the liturgical day begin?

3. What is the first service of the day?

4. What is the primary hymnal of the Church?

5. What is a kathisma?

6. Why do we need a personal rule of prayer?

7. When does the Church year begin?

8. What is the “Feast of Feasts”?

9. Can laypeople use the Jesus Prayer?

10. What is the purpose of fasting?

 CHAPTER SIXTEEN
The Mystery of Love
Holy Matrimony is a mystery of the Church in which the man and wife work out their
salvation in love and submission, serving as a living icon of Christ’s relationship with
the Church.

Our Lord’s first public miracle was at a wedding in Cana of Galilee (cf. John
2:1 ff.). According to the Fathers, Christ is present at every Christian wedding,
blessing the couple’s new life together. Christian marriage is not simply a legal
contract; it is a relationship in which the partners work out their salvation
together. It is also a living icon of Christ’s relationship with the Church.
Immediately after the account of the creation of man, the Book of Genesis
records: And the LORD God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I
will make him an help meet for him” (Genesis 2:18). He took Eve from the side
of Adam, and Adam said: “This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh:
she shall be called woman, because she was taken out of man” (Genesis 2:23).
God gave the couple the commandment to go forth and multiply and people
the earth (Genesis 1:28). In the beginning, procreation was the primary purpose
of marriage. We have seen that initially Israel had no clear concept of life after
death. Immortality consisted in leaving behind progeny. This is why the inability
to bear children was considered such a curse, and why a man was allowed to
have children by a concubine (cf. Genesis 16:1-4).
With the coming of Christ, however, mankind’s understanding of life and
eternal life changed radically. Our Lord entered into the realm of death–sheol or
hades– in order to abolish its power. No longer held captive, mankind arose with
Christ to participate in the unending life of the Holy Trinity.
With the Resurrection of Christ came a renewed understanding of the nature
of marriage. Personal immortality through the resurrection eliminated the
necessity of procreation as a means of survival. This is why our Lord told the
Sadducees, For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in
marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven (Matthew 22:30).
In Christ the true nature of marriage is revealed; marriage is an end in and of
itself. To understand this, however, we must first understand the nature and
purpose of man’s sexual drive.
 We have said that man’s nature possesses certain faculties or energies. One of
these is the erotic power, the power of sexual desire. In the animal kingdom this
desire guarantees the survival of the species. In human beings, however, this
desire is related directly to the realization of the image of God within us.
Archimandrite George writes:

But what–more than anything else–manifests the imprint of God on the human soul is the
power of desire (eros) within the soul . . . and the impetus which a sanctified eros lends
the soul in its movement towards its divine archetype. The Saints, especially Maximus the
Confessor and Dionysius the Areopagite, understand this power of eroticism as not
referring simply to human sexual desire. To put it better, the sexual urge is an expression
of that natural yearning which is implanted within us by our Creator, and leads us toward
Him (The Eros of Repentance, pp. 2-3).

Thus, according to the Holy Fathers, our sexual desire is but a manifestation
of the deeper desire of the soul for union with God. The Song of Songs is an
erotic poem that was accepted into the canon of the Hebrew and Christian
Scriptures precisely because human eros is fundamentally a thirst for the divine.
The human soul longs to say of her God: My Beloved is mine, and I am His.
(Song of Songs 2:16).
When man fell, his natural energies became corrupted. We do not experience
sexuality as God created it, but as a passion that rules our life. We are so used to
this situation that we have come to consider our devi-ancies as normal.
Sexual passion is one of the primary expressions of fallen man’s egoism. Sex
becomes a tool by which we gain dominance over others. Through the eyes of
lust, others cease to be personal subjects–bearers of the divine image–and
become objects of our inordinate desires. We perceive ourselves, individually, to
be the center of the universe. All others exist in order to fulfill our desires.
It is significant that before the Fall Adam and Eve had no knowledge of their
nakedness: And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not
ashamed (Genesis 2:25). It was not until their transgression that they realized
they had no clothes. What happened? They ceased to look upon one another with
that purity of vision with which they were originally created. The other became
an object of lust.
Our sexual drive was given to us by God and is good by nature; it is the
misuse of that desire that is sinful. There are two ways whereby our erotic
energies are sanctified and returned to their proper state: celibacy and marriage.
We shall discuss celibacy in regard to monasticism in the next chapter. For now
let us focus our attention on the sanctifying power of marriage.
The first purpose of Christian marriage is to focus our sexual energies on one
person as long as we live. We should not think of marriage as the “legalization”
of a desire that is otherwise sinful. Rather, we must understand the positive,
transformative power of marriage.
It is often said that man is not naturally monogamous. This, of course, is a
misuse of the term natural. What we often consider “natural” is the state of
fallen or sub-nature. Indeed, it is difficult for fallen man to be monogamous.
Through the Mystery of Holy Matrimony, however, divine grace is given to the
couple that their marriage bed be undefiled.
It is significant that unfaithfulness is the one condition that Jesus allowed for
divorce:

They say unto Him, “Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorce, and to
put her away?” He saith unto them, “Moses because of the hardness of your hearts
suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so. And I say unto
you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry
another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit
adultery” (Matthew 19:7-9).

Defilement of the marriage bed destroys the bond of love, and, hence, the
marriage.
The second purpose of marriage is the subjugation of the partners’ egos. There
is a definite order within the marriage relationship that serves as an icon of
God’s relationship to the world and of Christ’s relationship to the Church:

For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife,
and they two shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ
and the Church. (Ephesians 5:31-32).

The mutual submission of the marriage partners is directly tied to this iconic
relationship.
God could have created human beings as a single sex with an asexual
reproductive system. However, He chose to make human nature disexual: So
God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him; male
and female created He them (Genesis 1:27). The difference between the male
and female reflects the difference between the uncreated God and the created
world.
The male images forth God and the female the world. This iconic relationship
is expressed in marriage in the proper relationship between husband and wife.
The husband is the head of the household. The family should relate to the
husband and father as to the Lord:

Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is
the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the Church: and He is the Savior of the
body. Therefore as the Church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own
husbands in every thing (Ephesians 5:22-23).

Headship, however, is a position of responsibility, not privilege. The husband

is to give his life for his wife and family as Christ gave His life for the Church:

Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the Church, and gave Himself for
Her; that He might sanctify and cleanse Her with the washing of water by the Word, that
He might present Her to Himself a glorious Church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any
such thing; but that She should be holy and without blemish. So ought men to love their
wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. For no man ever yet
hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the Church
(Ephesians 5:25-28):

The wife subjugates her will to the husband, and the husband subjugates his
will to the good of the family. In this way the egoism of both partners is
overcome. Both learn to live in and with and for the other, experiencing in this
life a foretaste of the eternal Trinitarian communion.
It should be noted that where sexual relations are concerned, both partners are
to submit to one another. The wife has exactly the same claims upon her
husband as he has upon her:

The wife hath not power of her own body, but the husband: and likewise also the husband
hath not power of his own body, but the wife. Defraud ye not one the other, except it be
with consent for a time, that ye may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come
together again, that Satan tempt you not for your incontinence (1 Corinthians 7:4-5).

Through the Mystery of Marriage, therefore, man’s sexual energies are

properly channeled, and his ego is overcome through mutual submission. In
doing so, the couple serves as an icon of Christ’s union with His Bride, the
Church, participating in that union.
The natural fruit of this sanctified, erotic communion is the begetting of
children, for love is productive by nature. The Church does not define
reproduction as the purpose of marriage, but its natural consequence.
It is only natural that a couple would wish to share their love with the fruit of
that love. In this way the love of the two reaches beyond itself and becomes
shared love. The family then images forth not only the union of God with man,
but also the union of love shared between the persons of the All-holy Trinity.
 THE FATHERS SPEAK
You have seen the amount of obedience necessary; now hear about the amount of love
necessary. Do you want your wife to be obedient to you, as the Church is to Christ? Then
be responsible for the same providential care of her, as Christ is for the Church. And even
if it becomes necessary for you to give your life for her, yes, and even to endure and
undergo suffering of any kind, do not refuse… .In the same way, then, as He honored Her
by putting at His feet one who turned Her back on Him … as He accomplished this not
with threats, or violence, or terror, or anything else like that, but through His untiring
love; so also you should behave toward your wife. Even if you see her belittling you, or
despising and mocking you, still you will be able to subject her to yourself, through
affection, kindness, and your great regard for her. There is no influence more powerful
than the bond of love, especially for husband and wife. A servant can be taught
submission through fear; but even he, if provoked too much, will soon seek his escape.
But one’s partner for life, the mother of one’s children, the source of one’s every joy,
should never be fettered with fear and threats, but with love and patience. What kind of
marriage can there be when the wife is afraid of her husband? What sort of satisfaction
could a husband himself have, if he lives with his wife as if she were a slave, and not with
a woman by her own free will? Suffer anything for her sake, but never disgrace her, for
Christ never did this with the Church.

St. John Chrysostom

from On Marriage and Family Life
Tr. by C. Roth and D. Anderson
SVS Press, 1986
 Special Study
God and Gender
Few issues are as explosive in our society as those involving gender and
religion. The Orthodox Christian addresses these issues within the framework of
the Church’s self-understanding as the Bride of Christ. Whether the issue at hand
is “inclusive language,” the role of women in the Church, or homosexual desire,
the answer lies in the great mystery: Christ and the Church.
The peoples of the ancient world frequently worshipped female deities,
accepted priestesses, and thought nothing of homosexual behavior. Israel,
however, stood alone in rejecting all of these practices. The reason for this lies in
God’s revelation of Himself as being radically distinct from His creation.
We have said that the world was created ex nihilo. Between the being of God
and the being of the world there is an irreducible gulf. The world is not God, has
never been God, and will never be God. The fact that God has united creation to
Himself in the Incarnation in no way destroys the distinction between the
Uncreated and the created. In Christ we participate in the uncreated grace of
God, becoming by that grace what He is by nature, yet we never cease being
creatures; our created nature is never transformed into the divine nature.
This difference between God and the world is expressed iconically by the
disexuality of human nature. In the Divine Scriptures, God is always represented
by the male and creation by the female. God is the Bridegroom, and the world–
or more precisely, the Church, which is the world recreated in Christ–is the
Bride.
God, of course, is neither male nor female; He is beyond all such created
concepts. Nevertheless, He has given us certain images and concepts whereby
we have come to know Him. Though these concepts can never fully describe or
define the indescribable God, we are nonetheless bound by them.
It is true that the Scriptures occasionally use female imagery in regard to God.
For example, Christ said of Jerusalem: O Jerusalem, Jerusalem . . . how often
would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her
chickens under her wings, and ye would not (Matthew 23:37). This is, however,
a simile. Christ called God “Father,” not “Mother.” Christ is the “Son” of God,
not the “Daughter” of God.
The use of “inclusive” or even gender-neutral language about God is an
egregious violation of the integrity of the Scriptures and of the Liturgy. To call
God “Mother” is nothing less than to introduce a different god. Inclusive
language blurs the distinction between the Creator and creation, elevating the
creation (that is, the female) to the place of God, and thereby returning us once
again to the Original Sin.
From this it should be evident why it is impossible for the Church to have
priestesses. The male, because he is a creature, can represent God only
iconically. The female, however, is creation. The Church is essentially female.
If, therefore, the priest–who is the image of Christ the Bridegroom–is a female,
then what happens to the male principle? Once again, the distinction between
Creator and creation is destroyed, and a new religion is born. Actually, it is an
old religion that is reborn–the religion of pantheism, which Israel and the Church
rejected.
The inherent disexuality of human nature and its iconic relationship to Christ
and the Church also explains the Church’s attitude toward homosexual desire.
Notice the context in which St. Paul addresses this issue:

Who changed the truth of God into the lie, and worshipped and served the creature more
than the Creator, Who is blessed for ever. For this cause God gave them up unto vile
affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against
nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their
lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in
themselves that recompense of their error which was meet (Romans 1:25-27).

For St. Paul, homosexual desire is not only a result of the Fall, it is actually
paradigmatic of the Fall, much in the same way that marriage is paradigmatic of
Christ’s saving relationship to the Church. It is clear, therefore, that the Church
cannot bless homosexual activity. Human sexuality can be rightly expressed
only in Holy Matrimony or in celibacy.
 Reflection
1. Where did our Lord perform His first public miracle?

2. How does the Resurrection of Christ affect our understanding of the purpose of
marriage?

3. How did the Fathers understand the power of human eroticism?

4. Why did Adam and Even not realize they were naked before the Fall?

5. What is the first reason for marriage?

6. W hat is the only reason Jesus allowed for divorce?

7. Whom does the husband image forth in marriage? Whom does the wife image forth?

8. What is the responsibility of the wife in marriage?

9. What is the responsibility of the husband?

10. What role do children play in marriage?

 CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Monasticism
Monks and nuns are the scientists of the spiritual world, using prayer, renunciation,
fasting, and obedience as their tools in exploring the depths of the human soul.

The family is a Church in miniature. Within its circle of love the husband,
wife, and children work out their salvation together. While the vast majority of
Christians are called to live out their lives in Holy Matrimony, some are called to
walk a different path.
St. Paul explains that the responsibilities of marriage and the cares of life in
the world can distract our attention away from our relationship with Christ:

But I would have you without carefulness. He that is unmarried careth for the things that
belong to the Lord, how he may please the Lord. But he that is married careth for the
things that are of the world, how he may please his wife. There is difference also between
a wife and a virgin. The unmarried woman careth for the things of the Lord, that she may
be holy both in body and in spirit: but she that is married careth for the things of the
world, how she may please her husband (1 Corinthians 7:32-34).

St. Paul is not saying that marriage is bad. Indeed, the Church
excommunicates those who say that it is evil (Council of Gangra). It is obvious,
however, that married life entails responsibilities that the celibate life does not.
This is why St. Paul writes: For I would that all men were even as I myself (that
is, unmarried). But every man hath his proper gift of God, one after this manner,
and another after that (1 Corinthians 7:7).
Notice that St. Paul speaks of the celibate life as a gift of God. It is not a life
that we are able to live on our own power. Our Lord taught the same thing. After
He explained to His Disciples that a man is to have only one wife for his
lifetime, the Disciples replied:

“If the case of the man be so with his wife, it is not good to marry.” But He said unto
them, “All men cannot receive this saying, save they to whom it is given. For there are
some eunuchs, which were so born from their mothers womb: and there are some
eunuchs, which were made eunuchs of men: and there be eunuchs, which have made
themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven’s sake. He that is able to receive it, let him
receive it” (Mat 19:10-12).
The celibate life, therefore, is for those who are able to receive it.
Celibates living in the world, however, must deal with many of the same
temptations and distractions as married couples. For this reason the Church
offers the possibility of consecrating oneself solely to the task of one’s salvation.
Monasticism is the consecration of the celibate life. It is a life devoted
exclusively to repentance, prayer, and service to God.
Monasticism as we know it today developed in the fourth century, but the idea
of consecrating one’s life solely to the work of God is much older. The prophets
of the Old Testament, particularly St. John the Baptist†, are the prototypical
monks. In the early Church, widows and virgins constituted a distinct order
within the community. To be accepted to the order of widows, a woman had to
be of a certain age and spiritual maturity. Loss of a husband alone did not qualify
one for this order.
Although St. Anthony of Egypt is often called the Father of Monasticism,
there were people living the monastic life already when he heeded the Lord’s
words, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor,
and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow Me (Matthew
19:21). He left his younger sister in the care of “respected and trusted Virgins,”
and he himself learned from men living the solitary life near his village.
Although not the first monk, St. Anthony’s life inspired many to follow in his
steps. By the end of the fourth century, the Egyptian desert had become
populated with those who had renounced the world in order to seek God.
Those who, like St. Anthony, accept this call of the Lord become the spiritual
vanguard of the Church. They remain awake during the watches of the night,
praying and keeping vigil while we sleep. They chart the unexplored territory of
the human spirit, plumbing the depths of their own sinfulness through their
profound, lifelong repentance. They become living examples of life in Christ–
vessels of humility from which the pride of this world has been banished through
obedience, fasting, and toil.
The Church’s daily cycle of prayer is the primary work of the monastic.
Monks and nuns spend several hours a day in the temple chanting the Daily
Office. Because of our responsibilities in the world, we cannot spend our days in
prayer, so monks and nuns spend their days praying for us.
In addition to praying the Daily Office, monks also spend hours in personal
prayer, focusing in particular on the Prayer of Jesus. It is in the solitude of his
cell that the monk explores the inner regions of his soul, using the Jesus Prayer
as his light.
The Jesus Prayer is, above all, a prayer of repentance: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son
of God, have mercy on me, the sinner” Repentance is the life of the monk, as
Archimandrite George says:

Repentance is the daily struggle of the monk. His asceticism looks toward this one
purpose: that he repent the more deeply and so is more pleasing to God. Repentance is the
monk’s “science,” He does not repent just because he sinned at some time in the past.
Rather, he feels intensely and every day that he cannot reply perfectly to God’s love. He
wants to offer himself completely to God, to be in perfect harmony with His
commandments, and not to embitter Him with the slightest opposition to His will (The
Eros of Repentance, pp. 16-17).

Notice that Fr. George calls repentance the “science” of the monk. Indeed,
monks are the scientists and explorers of the spiritual life. They traverse the
inner world of the human spirit, confronting the depths of their own sinfulness as
well as the wellsprings of God’s infinite grace.
In addition to prayer, the monk has other scientific instruments at his disposal:
renunciation, fasting, and obedience. The monk renounces life in the world,
giving up all claims to property, inheritance, and even family ties. He does this
in order to lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us
(Hebrews 12:1). The monk takes the admonition of our Lord quite literally:

And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for
thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast
into hell (Matthew 5:30).

In the same way, the monk gives himself over to strenuous fasting, not in
order to destroy the body, but to save it. Man shall not live by bread alone, but
by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God (Matthew 4:4). The
monk strives to subdue his dependence on the bread of this world in order to lay
hold of the Bread of heaven.
Obedience is absolutely central to the monastic life. If prayer is the work of
the monk, and repentance his science, then obedience is his tutor and infallible
guide. Only through obedience to his spiritual father is the monk’s self-will cut
off. Only in this way does he grow into the image of His Lord, Who, being God
of all, nevertheless prayed, not My will, but Thine, be done (Luke 22:42).
It must be stressed that the difference between the life of a monk or nun and
that of a layman is one of degree, not kind. All Christians must have as their goal
in life the salvation of their souls. All Christians are obliged to pray, fast, and
obey the canons of the Church and their spiritual father. Monks, however,
renounce life in the world to devote themselves exclusively to the pursuit of
salvation, praying for hours each day. They fast more strictly and more often
than laymen, never eating meat. Furthermore, they are bound to a much deeper
level of obedience to their spiritual master.
It is because of their total commitment to life in Christ that monastics live life
“on the edge.” They experience the life of the Church, both fasts and feasts, in
all of its fullness, and they also draw to themselves the attentions of the Evil One
and his demons. They are truly the scientists and explorers of the spirit.
As with all sciences, however, some practitioners become more adept than
others. The most advanced are called hesychasts. Hesychia means “stillness.” A
hesychast is one who has achieved inner stillness–one who has found the inner
place of the heart and dwells there with his God.
Those who excel in virtue become our teachers in the spiritual life. Their
experiences–their experiments in the realm of the soul–are recorded in their
biographies and spiritual counsels, as recorded by their disciples. There are
thousands upon thousands of pages of such spiritual nourishment available to us
today, among them The Philokalia and The Sayings of the Desert Fathers.
While these books are a great spiritual treasure, the greatest treasure is a living
relationship with such a spiritual scientist. It is within such a relationship that the
true significance of monasticism becomes apparent. It is when one meets a true
monk that one realizes what human life is supposed to be like. Archimandrite
Va-sileios describes such a man:

An old monk, a true ascetic comes to our monastery from time to time to ask for a little
help. With what he receives, he feeds himself and also helps others, older than himself. . .
. This old man, although he is more than seventy-five, does not expect anyone to respect
him. He thinks of himself as a dog. He bows to everyone and asks their blessing, not only
to the monks but also to the novices and to the pilgrims who come to us. But he is full of
such inexpressible grace that a joyful sense of celebration runs through the monastery
every time he comes. All of us, monks and pilgrims, gather round him to hear words of
grace which come from his lips, to be encouraged by the joy that his face reflects, without
his ever suspecting it. It is like the Father of the desert who asked God that he might not
receive any glory on this earth, and whose face was so radiant that no one could look
directly at him (Hymn of Entry, pp. 123-124).

THE FATHERS SPEAK

He who has renounced such things as marriage, possessions and other worldly pursuits is
outwardly a monk, but may not yet be a monk inwardly. Only he who has renounced the
impassioned thoughts of his inner self, which is the intellect, is a true monk. It is easy to
be a monk in one’s outer self if one wants to be; but no small struggle is required to be a
monk in one’s inner self.

Who in this generation is completely free from impassioned thoughts and has been
granted uninterrupted, pure, and spiritual prayer? Yet this is the mark of the inner monk.

St. Hesychios the Priest

from On Watchfulness and
Holiness
The Philokalia, vol. 1

The Apostles received this way of life from Christ and made it their own, renouncing the
world in response to His call, disregarding fatherland, relatives and possessions. At once
they adopted a harsh and strenuous way of life, facing every kind of adversity, afflicted,
tormented harassed, naked, lacking even necessities; and finally they met death boldly,
imitating their Teacher faithfully in all things. Thus through their actions they left behind
a true image of the highest way of life.

St. Neilos the Ascetic

from Ascetic Discourse
The Philokalia, vol. 1
 Special Study
The Holy Mountain
The spiritual center of Orthodox Christianity is not one of the great cities of
the ancient world, but the northern tip of the Chalkidiki Peninsula, jutting into
the Aegean Sea: the monastic republic known as Mt. Athos–the Holy Mountain.
The first monastery was established on Mt. Athos by St. Athanasius of Athos
in the tenth century. From that time, men flocked to the Holy Mountain to pursue
the “angelic life.” It is estimated that at one point as many as 40,000 monks lived
on the mountain.
At present, more than 1,500 monks live in Athos’ twenty ruling monasteries
as well as in numerous small sketes and isolated hermitages. If we were to think
of the Orthodox Church throughout the world as a single body and of prayer as
Her heartbeat, Mt. Athos would be the sinus node that regulates that heartbeat. It
is the prayer of these monks on this hallowed rock that sets the rhythm for the
spiritual life of the Church.
Mt. Athos is best known to the secular world because women are not
permitted anywhere on the mountain. What many people do not realize,
however, is that the superior of the Holy Mountain is a woman. According to
ancient legend, Mt. Athos was given to the All-holy Theotokos by her Son to be
her “garden.” This is why Athos is commonly referred to as the “Garden of
Panagia” (the All-holy One). Thus, the Virgin Mary is the spiritual “abbess” of
this all-male monastic republic.
This is quite appropriate, since monasticism itself, whether practiced by
monks or nuns, has a certain feminine quality to it. Monasticism has nothing to
do with the attainment of worldly power. It is not about control and dominance,
but about obedience and contrition of heart: He hath put down the mighty from
their seats, and exalted them of low degree (Luke 1:52).
Although Mt. Athos has produced scores of bishops and patriarchs, her
greatest contribution is the large number of Saints who have lived and died on
the Holy Mountain. They have sanctified not only Athos but the entire Church
with their lives of prayer and God-centeredness.
St. Gregory Palamas, the defender of Orthodoxy against rationalism and
humanism, learned the art of prayer on the Holy Mountain. St. Cosmas the
Aitolean was a monk of the Monastery of Philotheou before becoming a
missionary preacher.
 St. Paisius Velichkovsky spent his time on Mt. Athos collecting the spiritual
writings of the Fathers. His work was the foundation for the publication of The
Philokalia by St. Nicodemos of the Holy Mountain and St. Macarios of Corinth
in 1782. St. Paisius translated these works into Slavonic, precipitating a revival
of monasiticism in Russia. St. Herman of Alaska, the first Saint of North
America, traced his spiritual lineage back to St. Paisius.
Mt. Athos has also produced many God-pleasers in our own century. Perhaps
the best known is St. Silouan (†1938) of St. Panteleimon’s Monastery. Silouan
was an unlettered Russian peasant who moved to Mt. Athos in 1892 to live out
his life in repentance. His repentance was so genuine, his humility so profound,
that many came to him for spiritual advice. His chief disciple, Fr. Sophrony
(Sakharov), founder of the Monastery of St. John the Baptist in Essex, England,
recorded the Saint’s spiritual counsels and biography (The Monk of Mount Athos
and Wisdom from Mount Athos).
Another great Saint of twentieth-century Athos, although not nearly as well-
known as St. Silouan and not officially canonized, is Elder Joseph the Cave-
Dweller (†1954). Elder Joseph was a true hesychast, a man whose entire life was
transformed by prayer (Cavrnos, Anchored in God, pp. 203-209). His spiritual
children have been instrumental in the revival of the spiritual life of Mount
Athos over the last thirty years. Through their efforts, Elder Joseph’s life and
teachings have produced numerous spiritual “grandchildren” throughout the
world, including North America.
Although most of us will never have the chance to travel to Mount Athos, the
spirit of Athos is present here in North America in the numerous monasteries
across the continent. Every Orthodox Christian should take advantage of this
great treasure on our shores by making pilgrimages to these monasteries, getting
to know the monks and nuns, and by supporting them through our prayers and
material gifts. In this way, we too can have a share in the holy work of these
spiritual scientists.
 Reflection
1. Why does St. Paul say that it is preferable not to marry?

2. Is everyone called to live a celibate life?

3. In what way is the celibate life a gift of God?

4. Is marriage evil?

5. What Old Testament figures are the prototypical monks?

6. In what ways are the widows and virgins of the New Testament era the precursors of the
monastic life?

7. What is the “science” of the monk?

8. What is a hesychast?

9. What is the difference between the spiritual responsibilities of the monk and those of a
layman?

10. What is the significance of Mt. Athos in the Orthodox world?

† Although St. John the Forerunner appears in the pages of the New Testament, he is considered an Old
Testament prophet because he died before Christ’s death and Resurrection.
 CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
The Lord’s Return
Our Lord Jesus Christ will return to earth in glory, judging all men according to their
deeds and establishing His kingdom, which shall have no end.

The Church of Christ lives between the two comings of Christ. At His first
advent, the eternal Son and Word of God became man, taking upon Himself the
sins of the world and destroying the power of death. At His second advent, He
shall come in His heavenly glory, ushering in the end of this age and
inaugurating the life of the age to come.
When our Lord ascended to His Father following His Resurrection, two angels
appeared to His Disciples as they stood watching:

Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, Who is taken up
from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into heaven
(Acts 1:11).

Since that time the Church has faithfully awaited the return of Her Lord.
The spirit of expectation pervades all that the Church does. We have already
noted that Chrismation is the pledge of our future inheritance. We have also
pointed out that the Eucharist is a participation in both Christ’s first advent and
in the great Wedding Banquet of the kingdom to come: For as often as ye eat
this Bread, and drink this Cup, ye do show the Lord’s death till He come (1
Corinthians 11:26).
Even during the New Testament era, however, this expectation gave rise to
strange speculations about the time and details of the Lord’s return. Throughout
the centuries, many have been led astray by these speculations, departing from
the teaching of the Apostles. This is especially true of our own time, in which
prophecy “experts” peddle their ideas on television and in popular books and
magazines.
It is necessary, therefore, that every Orthodox Christian understand the
Church’s teaching concerning the Second Coming of Christ. The first thing to
remember is that there are very few things that the Church states unambiguously
concerning our Lord’s return. Persons who claim to know intimate details of the
Lord’s return are deluded.
It is significant that the Book of Revelation (Apocalypse) is the only book of
the New Testament that is not read during the Church’s services. The Fathers
realized that Revelation is a very difficult book, one that is easily misinterpreted.
Anyone wishing to know more about the Book of Revelation should begin with
the excellent commentary by the late Archbishop Averky (Taushev): The
Apocalypse: In the Teaching of Ancient Christianity.
Let us, therefore, consider what the Church affirms concerning the Second
Coming of Christ and leave aside those things that our Lord and His Apostles
passed over in silence. First of all, the Church affirms that Christ will physically
return in glory, although we cannot know the day or the hour. Secondly, when
our Lord returns, He will judge every man according to his works. Finally, the
Church confesses that Christ’s kingdom shall have no end.
Concerning His return in glory, our Lord warned: But of that day and that
hour knozveth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son,
but the Father (Mark 13:32). How vain it is for us to speculate on the time of
Christ’s Second Coming! Unfortunately, many have made careers out of doing
just that.
The Christians in Thessalonica were making predictions about Christ’s return
when St. Paul rebuked them:

Let no man deceive you by any means: for that Day shall not come, except there come a
falling away first, and that Man of Sin be revealed, the Son of Perdition; who opposeth
and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God
sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God (2 Thes-salonians 2:3-4).

According to St. Paul, two events will precede the Second Coming. First of
all, there will be a general falling away, or apostasy, from the truth. Our Lord
asked, When the Son of Man cometh, shall He find faith on the earth (Luke
18:8)? Mankind will become more sinful as the end of the age approaches, and
many will leave the Church to follow their own desires.
The second event is the revelation of the Antichrist. The word Antichrist
literally means “instead of Christ.” The Antichrist will not present himself as an
ugly, malevolent being, but as a caring savior. He and his minions will perform
miracles and solve great social problems, winning the allegiance of many
Christians:

Then if any man shall say unto you, “Lo, here is Christ, or there;” believe it not. For
there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and
wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very Elect (Matthew
 24:23-24).

Only after he has won the allegiance of the world will the Antichrist reveal his
true self, and the period of great tribulation shall begin:

For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to
this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should
no flesh be saved: but for the Elect’s sake those days shall be shortened (Matthew 24:21-
22).

There is a teaching popular among Evangelical Protestants that asserts that

Christians will be miraculously delivered from the tribulation and that only the
“unsaved” will suffer under the rule of the Antichrist. The idea that Christians
will be “raptured”–that is, taken up into heaven–before the tribulation is an
invention of the nineteenth century. No one in the previous 1800 years of Church
history ever came up with such a notion.
Our Lord made it perfectly clear that the period of tribulation will be
shortened precisely for the sake of the Elect (cf. Matthew 24:22). That is why we
are told to watch and stand fast in the faith, so that we will not be deceived.
It is no accident that the “Rapture” is often paired with the idea of a
worldwide revival before the Second Coming. Thus, many Christians are
expecting a new outpouring of the Holy Spirit with great miracles and mass
conversions before the Church is taken up to heaven.
We know from the Divine Scriptures, however, that this is the exact opposite
of what will happen. There will, of course, be a great revival, complete with
signs and wonders. This will be the deception of the Antichrist. Those who are
expecting to be delivered before the advent of the Antichrist will be ill-prepared
to recognize him. It is obvious that Satan himself is the author of the “Rapture”
myth; it is part of the Antichrist’s campaign of deception.
Our task as Orthodox Christians is not to try to predict the future but to watch
and pray. We are to be as the wise virgins in the parable, who had their lamps
filled with oil in expectation of the Bridegroom’s call (cf. Matthew 25:1-13). We
must be prepared, for when our Lord appears, we shall stand before His Throne
of Judgment and give an account of our lives.
The second major point that the Church affirms about the Second Coming of
Christ is that He is coming to render final judgment. Everyone who has ever
lived will come before Him:

[God] will render to every man according to his deeds: To them who by patient
continuance in well doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life. But unto
 them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness,
indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of
the Jew first, and also of the Gentile; but glory, honor, and peace, to every man that
worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile (Romans 2:6-10).

There is another false teaching popular among Evangelical Protestants that

says that Christians will be exempt from this judgment. Do not be led astray by
such nonsense. All of us will be called before Christ to give an account of our
lives. That is why at every Liturgy we pray for “a Christian ending to our life,
painless, unashamed, and peaceful, and for a good defense before the dread
Judgment Seat of Christ.”
When Christ returns, the dead shall rise, the books shall be opened, and men
shall be sent to their eternal destinies. The righteous shall reign together with
Christ in His kingdom–a kingdom that shall have no end. This is the third point
that the Church affirms concerning Christ’s Second Coming.
In the early Church a heresy arose concerning the nature of Christ’s kingdom.
Misinterpreting the statement in Revelation, and they lived and reigned with
Christ a thousand years (20:4), many began to teach that Christ would rule an
earthly kingdom for one thousand years before the final consummation of the
age. This teaching was condemned as heresy by the Second Ecumenical Council,
and the phrase “Whose kingdom shall have no end” was added to the Creed.
God created the world in six days, and on the seventh day He rested. The
millennial reign of Christ is the seventh day. This is the age of the Church. We,
who have been united with Christ in Baptism and anointed with the Holy Spirit,
live and reign with Him here and now.
The Book of Revelation speaks of two deaths and two resurrections. The first
death is our physical death, the second death is the eternal death of hell. The first
resurrection is our spiritual resurrection accomplished at Baptism. The second
resurrection is the general resurrection of all the dead. St. John writes:

Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death
hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a
thousand years (Revelation 20:6).

Those who experience the first resurrection will die physically, but they will
be raised again to live in eternal life with God. Those, however, who have no
part in the first resurrection will be raised again only to undergo the second
death, which is hell.
We live in the seventh day, but when Christ returns a new Day will dawn–not
the first day of a new cycle, but the Eighth and final Day, the Day that knows no
end. Creation as we know it will be transformed; all will be transfigured by the
power of Christ’s Resurrection and the divine life of the All-holy Trinity. There
shall be a new heaven and a new earth, and God shall wipe away all tears from
their eyes . . . for the former things are passed away (Revelation 21:4).

THE FATHERS SPEAK

Blessed is the man who, in the day of God’s just Judgment, when the Lord comes to
“throw light on the hidden things, of the darkness, and to reveal the intentions of men’s
hearts,” submits boldly to that testing light, and comes out unashamed because his
conscience is unpolluted by evil actions. While those who have acted wickedly will “rise
to reproach and shame,” for they will see in themselves their disgrace, and the marks of
their sins. . . . For they will have always before their eyes the evidence of their sins
committed in the flesh, like some indelible stain, which will endure in the memory of
their souls for all eternity.

St. Basil the Great

from Homilies on the Psalms
The Later Christian Fathers

How shall it be in that Hour and fearful Day, when the Judge shall sit on His dread
Throne! The books shall be opened and men’s actions shall be examined, and the secrets
of darkness shall be made public. . . . Come ye and hearken, kings and princes, slaves and
free, sinners and righteous, rich and poor: for the Judge comes to pass sentence on the
whole inhabited earth. And who shall bear to stand before His face in the presence of the
angels, as they call us to account of our actions and our thoughts, whether by night or by
day? How shall it be then in that Hour? But before the end is here, make haste my soul,
and cry: “O God Who only art compassionate, turn me back and save me.”

from The Lenten Triodion

 Special Study
Heaven and Hell
The Divine Scriptures state explicitly that we will be judged by Christ and not
by God the Father: For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all
judgment unto the Son (John 5:22). We will be judged by the One Who took
upon Himself our humanity and lived a perfect human life. Christ’s life is the
standard against which our lives will be measured.
Our Lord said that when He returns He will separate mankind into two groups,
as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. The sheep will inherit the
kingdom of God, while the goats will inherit the everlasting fire prepared for the
devil. What is most interesting about his parable is the criteria for the judgment:

“Come, ye blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the
foundation of the world: For I was hungry, and ye gave Me food. I was thirsty, and ye
gave Me drink. I was a stranger, and ye took Me in; naked, and ye clothed Me. I was sick,
and ye visited Me. I was in prison, and ye came unto Me.” Then shall the righteous
answer Him, saying, “Lord, when saw we Thee hungry, and fed Thee? or thirsty, and
gave Thee drink? . . . “ And the King shall answer and say unto them, “Verily I say unto
you, inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these My brethren, ye have done
it unto Me” (Matthew 25:34-40).

Not only is each and every human being created in the image of God, but,
because of the Incarnation, every human being is a blood brother of Christ
Himself. How we relate to others determines to how we relate to God.
This insight into the nature of the Last Judgment also provides us with an
insight into the nature of heaven and hell. We must not be misled into thinking
of heaven and hell in purely materialistic terms–simply as “places” of reward or
punishment. We must also consider the spiritual reality of heaven and hell.
When Christ returns, heaven and earth will pass away, and there will be a new
heaven and a new earth. We cannot say exactly what this new creation will be
like, for eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of
man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him (1 Corinthians
2:9).
The new creation will be material in some sense, but not in the sense that we
understand matter in this life. The most we can say is that it will be like our
Lord’s resurrected body. It could be touched and handled, yet it was not bound
by space or the laws of nature as we know them.
It is, therefore, a heresy to say that the kingdom to come is purely immaterial.
If that were the case, there would be no point in the universal resurrection. It is
equally dangerous, however, to overemphasize the material nature of the
kingdom. What point would there be in living in a glorious palace if one’s soul
were unfit to enjoy its treasures? On the other hand, what flames could possibly
torture one whose heart is full of love?
When Christ returns in glory and when all things shall be subdued unto Him,
then shall the Son also Himself be subject unto Him that put all things under
Him, that God may be all in all (1 Corinthians 15:28). God’s immediate
presence will be to those who love Him the very bliss of heaven, and to those
who hate Him the very fire of hell. “The fire of hell,” said one of the Desert
Fathers, “is the love of God.”
We have said that man is created in the image of the Holy Trinity to live his
life in an eternal communion of love with God, his fellow men, and the whole
created order. Those who, through union with Christ and the power of the Holy
Spirit, attain to the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ (Ephesians
4:13), will enter into the joy of their Lord. They will experience His presence as
love and peace and eternal joy, for they shall be like Him (1 John 3:2).
On the other hand, those who prefer their self-contained individuality,
exulting in their slavery to the passions, will rise from the grave only to be
confronted by the One Who is the eternal antithesis of their spiritual disposition.
Those for whom “hell is other people” (Sartre) will stand before the Eternal
Other. His love will condemn their hatred. His selflessness will condemn their
self-centeredness. His gift of eternal life will be their curse of eternal death, and
they will take their place with their spiritual kindred, Satan and his angels. Let
us, therefore, pray and work that we will be numbered with the sheep and not the
goats!
 Reflection
1. What did the two angels promise the Apostles as Christ ascended to heaven?

2. What is the only book of the New Testament that is not read liturgically in Church?

3. When did Christ say He would return?

4. What two things will happen before Christ returns?

5. Will the spiritual climate of the world get better or worse before Christ returns?

6. What does the word Antichrist mean?

7. Will Christians be exempted from the tribulation?

8. How long will Christ’s kingdom last?

9. Will Christians be exempted from the Last Judgment?

10. What is the nature of heaven and hell?

 CONCLUSION
Living an Orthodox Life in a Secular World
To be faithful Orthodox Christians, we must live according to the light that God has
given us and share that light with the world.

Being an Orthodox Christian is the greatest privilege in the world. We have

been entrusted with the most beautiful treasure: the truth about God, about the
world, and about ourselves. We have the writings of the holy Fathers and the
counsels of grace-filled monks and nuns to guide us. We have the opportunity to
stand before God, our Creator, and worship Him in Spirit and in Truth, receiving
from Him the very life of the Holy Trinity.

Let them praise the name of the LORD: for His name alone is excellent; His glory is above
the earth and heaven. He also exalteth the horn of His people, the praise of all His Saints;
even of the Children of Israel, a people near unto Him. Praise ye the LORD (Psalm
148:13-14).

With great privilege, however, comes great responsibility, for unto

whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required (Luke 12:48). Each of
us will stand before the Throne of God and give an account of our life. We will
be judged according to the light we have been given. We cannot say what will
happen to those who have never heard the name of Christ or who have heard the
Gospel preached only in a partial or heretical form. We do know, however, that
we who have received the Gospel in all of its fullness will be held accountable
for it.
The holy Apostles command us to hold fast to the faith that we have received
and to live according to it: Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the
traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle (2
Thessalonians 2:15).
What great perdition awaits those who change the faith: But though we, or an
angel from heaven, preach any other Gospel unto you than that which we have
preached unto you, let him be accursed (Galatians 1:8). Hear also the words of
our Savior: And whosoever shall offend one of these little ones that believe in
Me, it is better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were
cast into the sea (Mark 9:42). We are to guard the faith which has been entrusted
to us, changing nothing.
It is not enough, however, merely to preserve the faith. Those who confess the
Orthodox Faith yet fail to live Orthodox lives will face the greatest
condemnation of all. What excuse will we offer to the Lord, our Judge, when we
stand before Him? We cannot claim that we did not know the truth. We cannot
claim that we were not taught the ways of righteousness. The very gift of
Orthodoxy will serve to condemn us on that Day if we fail to live according to
the Gospel:

Not every one that saith unto Me, “Lord, Lord,” shall enter into the kingdom of heaven;
but he that doeth the will of My Father Who is in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day,
“Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Thy name? and in Thy name have cast out
devils? and in Thy name done many wonderful works?” And then will I profess unto
them, “I never knew you: depart from Me, ye that work iniquity.” Therefore whosoever
heareth these sayings of Mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which
built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds
blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And every
one that heareth these sayings of Mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a
foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods
came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of
it (Matthew 7:21-27).

The Secular World

Living an Orthodox life is easier said than done, however. We do not live in
the Christian Roman Empire or in pre-Revolutionary Russia, where social life
was built around the Church. Our situation is much more akin to that of
Christians before the conversion of Constantine, when Christianity was an illicit,
often persecuted, religion.
Although our society still exhibits vestiges of a “Christian culture,” this is
deceiving. The idea of a “Christian America” is a myth, similar to the romantic
portrayals of the Old South in the movies. The presence of beautiful, antebellum
mansions does nothing to erase the fact that it was a society built on slavery.
The founding fathers of the United States were, for the most part, Deists and
Masons. In addition to writing the Declaration of Independence, Thomas
Jefferson also compiled his own “Bible”–an expurgated version of the Gospels
in which all of the miracle stories were omitted. Such stories had no place in
Jefferson’s rationalistic worldview. This was the architect of American
Democracy.
The intellectual foundation of American society was the Enlightenment and its
exaltation of human reason above faith. To be sure, Americans have generally
been very conservative socially, and public morality has, until recently, borne
the distinctive marks of Protestant Christianity. It was inevitable, however, that
this edifice of Christian morals would be washed away by the tide of rationalism,
like a sandcastle doomed by its proximity to the sea.
Modern society is, at best, indifferent, and often hostile, to Christianity. It is a
dogma of our society that man is nothing more than an evolved animal. The
Bible is an ancient book, no different from other ancient books, full of
superstitions. Traditional Christianity is nothing more than a male-dominated
power structure that denies equal rights to women and minorities.
Christian morals fare no better. Greed and gluttony are a way of life,
perversions are considered normal, and, worst of all, millions of unborn children
are murdered each year in the name of convenience and “women’s rights.”
Surely a truly Orthodox life in the modern world is very difficult, but we must
not despair: Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. (Matthew
28:20). And again: With men this is impossible; but with God all things are
possible (Matthew 19:26).

Strategies for Godly Living

Although living a Christian life in this world is difficult, it is not impossible.
Here are some strategies for Godly living:
The most important element in remaining faithful to the Gospel of Christ is
the commitment to do so. We must firmly resolve to take up our Cross and
follow our Lord. Be assured: the devil will test our resolve. But let us not be
weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not (Galatians
6:9).
The strength of our commitment, however, will only be as strong as the
strength of our faith. Modern Christianity is spiritually anemic because the faith
of modern man has been eroded by rationalism. If we are to remain steadfast in
our commitment to Christ, we must be strong in our faith.
Orthodoxy is truly a great banquet, but it is not a buffet. We cannot pick and
choose those elements of the faith we will believe and those we will ignore. We
are not free to underline our favorite Bible verses, while we disregard those
verses that make us uncomfortable. On the contrary, we are to become as little
children and accept the faith which has been transmitted to us joyfully and
without reserve:

And Jesus called a little child unto Him, and set him in the midst of them, and said,
 “Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not
enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little
child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:2-4).

Once we have resolved with all our heart and all our strength to live life
according to the Gospel, the next important step is to establish and keep a daily
rule of prayer. Prayer is our primary source of spiritual strength and our first line
of defense against the attacks of the devil. Without prayer, living a Christian life
is hopeless; with prayer, we are assured of the help of God:

Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving
let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all
understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:6-
7).

The next most important strategy in living a Christian life is to have a

relationship with a spiritual father. Accountability is essential to spiritual growth.
Not only do we receive the forgiveness of our sins through sacramental
Confession, our relationship with our spiritual father provides encouragement
and direction for our lives.
In addition to this, we must make every effort to attend the Divine Services of
the Church. Attendance at Saturday Vespers (or Vigil) and Sunday Matins and
Liturgy is the bare minimum. We must be willing to sacrifice our leisure time
activities in order to participate in the fasts and feasts of the Church. Many
Orthodox Christians use their vacation time in order to attend the services of
Holy Week, especially Great and Holy Friday. This is truly a pious act. How
shall we stand before Christ, Who gave His life for us, if we cannot make room
in our busy schedules to worship Him and receive the gifts of grace that He
offers to us?
Another useful strategy is to make frequent pilgrimages to monasteries. At
monasteries we can experience a fuller liturgical cycle than that available in our
local parishes. Furthermore, we can take advantage of the peace and solitude that
they afford the pilgrim, participating, if only for a time, in the monastic’s rhythm
of life.
While pilgrimages and retreats are beneficial to the soul, there are also ways
in which we can make our daily lives more peaceful. One of the best strategies is
to limit the amount of television we watch. Many families have even eliminated
television altogether. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear (Matthew 11:15).
Our eyes and ears are the doorways to our soul. There is no way we can keep
our minds and bodies pure while we constantly gaze upon and listen to
suggestive programming and music. The problem is not so much the
pornography sold in adult bookstores as the seemingly innocuous popular
entertainments which fill our leisure time.
From soap operas, situation comedies, and afternoon talk shows, our children
are taught that premarital and extramarital sex is acceptable. They learn to
imitate the irreverent and beastly behavior of their heroes. From “educational
television” they learn that Christianity is a man-made religion like all the others
and that human intelligence will one day solve all of man’s problems.
Guarding the windows to our soul is not only necessary for our salvation, it is
especially necessary for the salvation of our families. Train up a child in the way
he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it (Proverbs 22:6).
Unfortunately, in our society parents must be as wary of what goes on in the
schools as they are of what their children see on television. Many parents are
opting to teach their children at home so that they can be sure that their children
receive a quality education and training in righteousness. Whether home
schooling is an option or not, all parents must take an active role in their
children’s education, reading their textbooks and discussing with them what they
are learning in school. In this way, parents can regain at least some control over
their children’s intellectual formation.
This is not to suggest that we must withdraw completely from the popular
culture. Indeed, exposure to the arts is essential to a well-rounded education. The
key is discernment. There is plenty of good, edifying literature and popular
entertainment available, but we must learn to separate the wheat from the chaff.
In all of this we must have one, and only one, goal in mind: the salvation of
our soul and of our family. We do not pray for the sake of prayer, attend services
in order to get a good attendance certificate, or turn off the television just for the
sake of a little peace and quiet. We do these things so that we may obtain a
crown that is incorruptible–so that we may be conformed to the image of Christ,
participating in the communion of love which is the life of the Holy Trinity:

Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure
their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast Verily I say unto you, They liave their
reward. But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; that thou
appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father Who is in secret: and thy Father, Who
seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly. Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth,
where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up
for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where
thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart
be also (Matthew 6:16-21).
 Social Engagement
The idea of catacomb Christianity has a certain romantic appeal to it. It is easy
to picture ourselves as a persecuted minority, meeting in secret and living a life
of inner rebellion against a world which has sold itself to the devil. Indeed, this
is what will happen during the reign of the Antichrist. Nevertheless, the end of
the age, however close at hand it may be, is not here yet.
Until the time comes when Christians can no longer live their faith openly, we
have a duty to engage the society in which we live and bear witness to the light
that is within us:

Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men
light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all
that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good
works, and glorify your Father Who is in heaven (Matthew 5:14-16).

Although our society is in many ways like that of the Roman Empire before
the conversion of Constantine, there is one major difference: We have a voice in
how our government is run and in how our society is structured. Orthodox
Christians must make their voices heard.
The first and most fundamental rule of Orthodox social engagement is that we
are to judge no one. This is a difficult challenge. When we are faced with
manifest evil and all manner of sexual perversions, it is difficult not to feel in
some sense superior to those living their lives in sin. Nevertheless, we must
remember that our own souls are as full of evil desires as anyone, and that we
will be judged with the same measure with which we judge others:

And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a
reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; being filled with all
unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy,
murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, despiteful,
proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, without understanding,
covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: Who knowing the
judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the
same, but have pleasure in them that do them. Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man,
whosoever thou art that judgest: For wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest
thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things. But we are sure that the judgment of
God is according to truth against them which commit such things. And thinkest thou this,
O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt
escape the judgment of God (Romans 1:28-2:3)?

Keeping this in mind, let us consider several social concerns and some ways
in which we, as Orthodox Christians, can address them: (1) environmental
issues; (2) social justice; (3) abortion; and (4) public morality.
Let us begin with the very ground on which we stand. We have said that the
proper relationship with the world is a sacramental one. We receive the things of
this world as a gift of communion from God, and we must use them with respect
and care. Proper stewardship of the world begins with conservation in our homes
and can extend to active support of conservation organizations.
Recycling aluminum cans and newspapers is a simple and painless way to
begin caring for our environment. From there we can move to participation in
community clean-up programs. We can also work to ensure that our places of
employment are sensitive to environmental concerns. Finally, we should be
aware of legislation that affects the environment, and we should let our
representatives know our opinions.
As beautiful as a mountain stream or a forest is, however, the whole of
creation is not as valuable as one human being, for every person sums up within
himself the entirety of the human race and is the very image of his Creator.
When we encounter a street person, a derelict, or a hungry child, we must
remember that we are encountering our very selves.
Poverty, hunger, and injustice are our problems, because they affect our
brethren. We must participate fully in the charitable efforts of our local parish
and diocese. We can also participate in local community efforts such as food
banks and clothing closets. One of the simplest things we can do is to take the
time to visit nursing homes, sharing our love with those who have been forgotten
by the world.
It is important to note, however, that there is no single Christian position in
regard to the exact role which government should play in dealing with many
social problems. It is possible for Orthodox Christians to take different sides of a
given public debate on some issues. Neither the Democratic nor the Republican
Party can claim to represent the “Christian” position on all social issues.
There is one social issue, however, about which there can be no discussion
and no compromise: the abortion holocaust. The Church has condemned
abortion as murder from the very beginning. This is not up for debate.
No Orthodox Christian may have an abortion or in any way help or encourage
someone else to have an abortion. No Orthodox Christian medical professional
may perform or assist in performing abortions. In addition, it is unconscionable
for an Orthodox Christian to belong to such demonic organizations as the
National Organization for Woman or Planned Parenthood.
Why is the position of the Church on abortion so intransigent? Because we
believe in the Holy Trinity! We believe that God is a personal being Whose very
life and essence is love. We believe that we are created in the image of this God
of Triune Love–that each person is unique and unrepeatable, summing up within
himself all of humanity. We also believe that God has become man, uniting
humanity with Himself, becoming our Brother as well as our Lord. The murder
of one child by abortion is, therefore, an act of genocide and, by extension, an
act of deicide: Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these My
brethren, ye have done it unto Me (Matthew 25:40).
While supporting local pro-life organizations and using our vote to influence
public policy is important, it is even more important that we work to create
alternatives to abortion. Crisis pregnancy centers and Christian adoption
programs desperately need our support.
Most important of all, if we are to stop the abortion holocaust, we must show
the world a better way to live. Abortion is a grave sin because it is a refusal to
love. The eyes of abortion see a child as a problem to be solved rather than as a
gift of God, given for our salvation. We must share our vision of reality with the
world around us.
As with all sin, the greatest victim is the one who commits it. In the case of
abortion, the greatest victim is the mother. In murdering her child, she has
murdered her own soul. We must reach out to these victims of abortion, and to
those who may yet be victimized, and share with them the unconditional love of
the Holy Trinity. Only when we begin to experience the Trinitarian life of the
Church and share that life with the world around us will we put a stop to
abortion.
Allowing the light and life of the All-holy Trinity to shine through our life
into the world around us is also the way we must address issues of public
morality. We can no longer expect the government to be the guardian of public
mores. We must be the light of the world.
There are some concrete things, of course, that we can do to influence society.
We can refuse to patronize stores which sell pornographic literature. We can
refuse to spend our money on music and movies which encourage
unrighteousness.
In the final analysis, however, it is how we live our lives that is influential.
There is no point in decrying the divorce rate or sexual promiscuity when we are
not working to make our own homes into genuine Christian homes. The world is
in darkness, searching for truth and light; if we are not bearers of truth and light,
the world will remain in darkness.
To live an Orthodox life in our society is not something that we can
accomplish on our own. The glorious truth of Orthodoxy, however, is that we are
not alone. The life to which we are called is lived within the Church, which is
Christ’s Body, the fullness of Him that filleth all in all. The life we live in Christ
is life in the Holy Trinity.
May the All-Holy Trinity, through the intercessions of our Sovereign Lady
Theotokos and of all the Saints who have been well-pleasing unto Him
throughout the ages, grant us His grace to faithfully live the life to which we
have been called, and the boldness to share that life with the world.

Such is the life in Christ, concealed, and thus made manifest by the light of good works,
which is love. In love the brightness of all virtue consists and, as far as human effort is
concerned, it constitutes the life in Christ. Accordingly one would not err by calling it
life, for it is union with God. This union is life, just as we know that death is separation
from God. For this reason Christ says, His commandment is eternal life (John 12:50).
Speaking of love the Savior also says, the words that I speak to you are spirit and life
(John 6:63), of which love is the sum, and he who abides in love abides in God and God
in him (1 John 4:16), which is the same as abiding in life and life in him, for He says, I
am the life (John 11:25, 14:6). . . . What then may life be more fittingly called than love?
For that which alone survives and does not allow the living to die when all things have
been taken away is life–and such is love. When all things have passed away in the age to
come as Paul says (1 Corinthians 13:8,10), love remains, and it alone suffices for life in
Christ Jesus our Lord, to Whom is due all glory forever. Amen (St. Nicholas Cabasilas,
The Life in Christ).
 RECOMMENDED READING

The following books are recommended for further study. Books in the “Beginning”
category are especially suited for those with little previous knowledge of Orthodoxy.
Most readers of this volume will be able to profit from the books listed in the
“Intermediate” category. Books in the “Advanced” category deal with advanced levels of
theology and spirituality and should be read by those who have first gained a sound
understanding of the Church’s theology and prayer life. Books listed in bold type are
especially recommended.

Beginning
Gillquist, Peter E. Becoming Orthodox: A Journey to the Ancient Christian Faith. Ben Lomond,
CA: Conciliar Press, 1992.
Gillquist, Peter E., Ed. Coming Home: Why Protestant Clergy are Becoming Orthodox. Ben
Lomond, CA: Conciliar Press, 1992.
Hopko, Thomas. The Orthodox Faith: An Elementary Handbook on the Orthodox Church. 4 Vols.
New York: Department of Religious Education (OCA), 1981.
Irenaios of Lyons, St. The Preaching of the Apostles. Tr. by Jack N. Sparks. Brookline, MA: Holy
Cross Orthodox Press, 1987.
Nieuwsma, Virginia, Ed. Our Hearts True Home: Fourteen Warm, Inspiring Stories of Women
Discovering the Ancient Christian Faith. Ben Lomond, CA: Conciliar Press, 1996.
Rose, Seraphim. God’s Revelation to the Human Heart. Platina, CA: St. Herman of Alaska
Brotherhood, 1987.
Ware, Kallistos (Timothy). The Orthodox Church. New York: Penguin Books, 1984.
_________. The Orthodox Way. Crestwood, NY: St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 1995.

Intermediate
Aleksiev, Seraphim. The Forgotten Medicine: The Mystery of Repentance. Tr. by Ralitsa
Doynova. Wildwood, CA: St. Xenia Scete Press, 1994.
_________. The Meaning of Suffering and Strife and Reconciliation. Tr. by Ralitsa Doynova.
Wildwood, CA: St. Xenia Scete Press, 1994.
Athanasius of Alexandria, St. On the Incarnation. Crest-wood, NY: St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press,
1982.
Basil of Caesarea, St. On the Holy Spirit. Tr. by David Anderson. Crestwood, NY: St. Vladimir’s
 Seminary Press, 1980.
Bettenson, Henry, Ed. The Early Christian Fathers. New York: Oxford University Press, 1969.
_________. The Later Christian Fathers. New York: Oxford University Press, 1972.
Cabasilas, St. Nicholas. The Life in Christ. Tr. by Carmino J. deCatanzaro. Crestwood, NY:
St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 1974.
Capsanis, George. The Eros of Repentance. Tr. by Alexander Golitzen. Newbury, MA: Praxis
Institute Press.
Cavarnos, Constantine. Anchored in God. Belmont, MA: Institute for Byzantine and Modern Greek
Studies, 1975.
_________. The Holy Mountain. Belmont, MA: Institute for Byzantine and Modern Greek Studies,
1973.
Chondropoulos, Sotos. Saint Nektarios: A Saint for our Times. Tr. by Peter and Aliki Los.
Brookline: Holy Cross Orthodox Press, 1989.
Cyril of Jerusalem, St. Lectures on the Christian Sacraments. Ed. by F. L. Cross. Crestwood, NY:
St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 1986.
Dmitri, Archbishop. The Kingdom of God: The Sermon on the Mount. Crestwood, NY: St.
Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 1992.
_________. The Parables. Crestwood, NY: St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 1996.
Engleman, Dennis E. Ultimate Things: An Orthodox Christian Perspective on the End Times. Ben
Lomond, CA: Conciliar Press, 1995.
Holy Transfiguration Monastery, Tr. The Pentecostarion. Boston, MA: Holy Transfiguration
Monastery, 1990.
John Chrysostom, St. On Marriage and Family Life. Tr. by Catharine P. Roth and David Anderson.
Crestwood, NY: St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 1986.
_________. On Wealth and Poverty. Tr. by Catharine P. Roth. Crestwood, NY: St. Vladimir’s
Seminary Press, 1984.
John of Damascus, St. On the Divine Images. Tr. by David Anderson. Crestwood, NY: St.
Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 1980.
Karambelas, Cherubim. Contemporary Ascetics of Mt. Athos. 2 Vols. Platina, CA: St. Herman of
Alaska Brotherhood, 1991.
Mary, Mother and Kallistos Timothy Ware, Trs. The Festal Menaion. London: Faber and
Faber, 1969.
_________. The Lenten Triodion. London: Faber and Faber, 1978.
Maretta, Thomas, Tr. The Great Collection of the Lives of the Saints. 12 Volumes in progress.
House Springs, MO: Chrysostom Press, 1994.
Maximovitch, St. John. The Orthodox Veneration of Mary the Birthgiver of God. Tr. by Seraphim
 Rose. Platina, CA: St. Herman of Alaska Brotherhood, 1994.
Meyendorff, John. Byzantine Theology: Historical Trends and Doctrinal Themes. New York:
Fordham University Press, 1983.
Oleksa, Michael. Orthodox Alaska: A Theology of Mission. Crestwood, NY: St. Vladimir’s
Seminary Press, 1992.
Ouspensky, Leonid and Vladimir Lossky. The Meaning of Icons. Tr. by G.E.H. Palmer and E.
Kadloubovsky. Crestwood, NY: St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 1983.
Perekrestov, Peter, Ed. Man of God: Saint John of Shanghai and San Francisco. Redding, CA:
Nikodemus Orthodox Publication Society, 1994.
Pomazansky, Michael. Orthodox Dogmatic Theology: A Concise Exposition. Tr. by Seraphim Rose.
Platina, CA: St. Herman of Alaska Brotherhood, 1994.
Quenot, Michel. The Icon: Window on the Kingdom. Crestwood, NY: St. Vladimir’s Seminary
Press, 1991.
Sakharov, Sophrony. The Monk of Mount Athos: Staretz Silouan 1866-1938. Tr. by Rosemary
Edmonds. Crestwood, NY: St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 1975.
_________. Wisdom from Mount Athos: The Writings of Staretz Silouan 1866-1938. Tr. by
Rosemary Edmonds. Crestwood, NY: St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 1975.
Schaeffer, Frank. Dancing Alone: The Quest for Orthodox Faith in the Age of False Religion.
Brookline: Holy Cross Orthodox Press, 1994.
_________. Letters to Father Aristotle: A Journey Through Contemporary American Orthodoxy.
Salisbury, MA: Regina Orthodox Press, 1995.
Schmemann, Alexander. Great Lent: Journey to Pascha. Crestwood, NY: St. Vladimir’s Seminary
Press, 1974.
Symeon the New Theologian, St. The First-Created Man. Tr. by Seraphim Rose. Platina, CA: St.
Herman of Alaska Brotherhood, 1994.
_________. On the Mystical Life. 3 Vols. Tr. by Alexander Golitzen. Crestwood, NY: St.
Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 1995.
Taushev, Averky. The Apocalypse: In the Teaching of Ancient Christianity. Tr. by Seraphim Rose.
Piatina, CA: St. Herman of Alaska Brotherhood, 1995.
Theodore the Studite, St. On the Holy Icons. Tr. by Catharine P. Roth. Crestwood, NY: St.
Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 1981.
Theophan the Recluse, St. The Spiritual Life: And How to he Attuned to It. Tr. by Alexandra
Dockham. Platina, CA: St. Herman of Alaska Brotherhood, 1995.
Theophylact of Ochrid. Blessed Theophylact’s Explanation of the New Testament. 4 Vols.
House Springs, MO: Chrysostom Press, 1993.
Vlachos, Hierotheos. The Illness and Cure of the Soul in the Orthodox Tradition. Tr. by Effie
Mavromichali. Levadia, Greece: Birth of the Theotokos Monastery, 1993.
Ward, Benedicta, Tr. The Sayings of the Desert Fathers: The Alphabetical Collection. Kalamazoo,
MI: Cistercian Publications, 1975.

Advanced
Cassian, St. John. Conferences. Tr. by Colm Luibheid. In The Classics of Western Spirituality. New
York: Paulist Press, 1985.
Christensen, Damascene. Not of This World: The Life and Teaching of Fr. Seraphim Rose.
Forestville, CA: Fr. Seraphim Rose Foundation, 1993.†
Climacus, St. John. The Ladder of Divine Ascent. Tr. by Colm Luibheid and Norman Russell. In
The Classics of Western Spirituality. New York: Paulist Press, 1982.
Dostoevsky, Fyodor. The Brothers Karamazov. Tr. by Richard Pevear and Larissa
Volokhonsky. New York: Vintage Classics, 1991.
Ephrem the Syrian, St. Hymns. Tr. by Kathleen E. McVey. In The Classics of Western Spirituality.
New York: Paulist Press, 1989.
Evdokimov, Paul. The Sacrament of Love: The Nuptial Mystery in the Light of the Orthodox
Tradition. Tr. by Anthony Gythiel and Victoria Steadman. Crestwood, NY: St. Vladimir’s
Seminary Press, 1985.
Lossky, Vladimir. The Mystical Theology of the Orthodox Church. Crestwood, NY: St. Vladimir’s
Seminary Press, 1976.
Maximus the Confessor, St. Selected Writings. Tr. by George C. Berthold. In The Classics of
Western Spirituality. New York: Paulist Press, 1985.
Meyendorff, John. Christ in Eastern Christian Thought. Crestwood, NY: St. Vladimir’s Seminary
Press, 1975.
Nikodimos of the Holy Mountain, St. and St. Makarios of Corinth. The Philokalia: The Complete
Text. 4 Vols. Tr. by Palmer, Sherrard, and Ware. London: Faber and Faber, 1979-.
Palamas, St. Gregory. The One Hundred and Fifty Chapters. Tr. by Robert E. Sinkewicz. Toronto:
PIMS, 1988.
Rose, Eugene (Seraphim). Nihilism: The Root of the Revolution of the Modern Age. Forestville, CA:
Fr. Seraphim Rose Foundation, 1994.
Schmemann, Alexander. For the Life of the World: Sacraments and Orthodoxy. Crestwood, NY: St.
Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 1988.
Vasileios, Archimandrite. Hymn of Entry: Liturgy and Life in the Orthodox Church. Tr. by
Elizabeth Briere. Crestwood, NY: St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 1984.
Vlachos, Hierotheos. A Night in the Desert of the Holy Mountain: Discussion with a Hermit on
the Jesus Prayer. Tr. by Effie Mavromichali. Levadia, Greece: Birth of the Theotokos
Monastery, 1991.
Yannaras, Christos. The Freedom of Morality. Tr. by Elizabeth Briere. Crestwood, NY: St.
 Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 1984.
Zizioulas, John. Being as Communion: Studies in Personhood and the Church. Crestwood, NY: St.
Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 1985.

† I have placed Not of this World in the Advanced section, not because the book is particularly difficult,
but because of the political nature of many of the chapters. This is a massive biography of a truly
remarkable man, one who may eventually be canonized as a Saint. However, much of the book has less to
do with the life of Fr. Seraphim than it does with political “ adventures’’ of the St. Herman of Alaska
Brotherhood after his death. I highly recommend this book, but the reader should be aware of the politics
behind it.