Articles for tag: Come Receive the Light program, Fr. Chris Metropoulos, Fr. Emmanuel Hatzidakis, The Heavenly Banquet

GIVING WITNESS TO THE TRUE CHURCH

Orthodox Christians all over the world have received the unchanging Christian Faith, passed down from the Holy Apostles to their successors, and continue to practice it today in the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church – The Orthodox Church.
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You are invited to the Heavenly Banquet

This post is a transcript of a recorded interview of Fr. Emmanuel Hatzidakis by Fr. Chris Metropoulos for the radio show, “Come Receive the Light” on September 22, 2009.

Fr. Chris: A unique new commentary on the Divine Liturgy is now available from Orthodox Witness. The Heavenly Banquet: Understanding the Divine Liturgy, by Fr. Emmanuel Hatzidakis, was written for all inquiring worshippers. In his Foreword to The Heavenly Banquet, Archbishop Nathaniel says, “No longer will anyone say, ‘I get nothing out of the Liturgy.’” We have with us today Fr. Emmanuel Hatzidakis, to tell us about his new book and why you will want to read it!

Hello, Fr. Emmanuel. Thank you for this interview.

Fr. Emmanuel: Thank you, Fr. Chris, for having me.

Fr. C: There are already a number of books on the Divine Liturgy. What’s so unique about yours?

Cover of The Heavenly Banquet

Fr. E: To be sure, there are a number of liturgical commentaries written on the subject, both ancient and modern (I refer to all of them in the very first notes of the book). I drew from all of these sources, utilizing what I thought was of interest to our contemporary readership, acknowledging them in appropriate citations. Information was also drawn from many small articles, in print or in electronic form, as well as in other sources where pertinent information was found. A number of good commentaries are in Greek, a couple of which have been translated into English, like the two-volume commentary by Metropolitan Augoustinos (1984) and that by Metropolitan Dionysios (2000), which are very pastoral. A number of other contemporary commentaries are good in certain areas, like those by Fr. Harakas, Dr. Kalellis, Fr. Mastrantonis, Fr. Nasr, Archbishop Paul of Finland, etc.

Fr. C: Now, you used over 300 sources in putting together this book. That’s amazing! What motivated you to invest that amount of time and effort?

Fr. E: Despite the seeming plethora of sources, I perceived an absence of a comprehensive study that would address many questions I had, and that most people have. I purposely placed two quotations by two prominent hierarchs on a page by itself after the book title. It is worthwhile to bring them to our audience.

“If today we lament because of the unfruitfulness and meagerness in the life of our faithful, it is due to the lack of liturgical education and enlightenment.” † Metropolitan Emilianos of Silybria

“[T]he faithful are seldom if ever taught the actual meaning of the actions and words which they see and hear during the Liturgy. How, then, do we expect educated and cultured younger generations to continue to attend the divine services?” † Archbishop Lazar Puhalo

Most of what falls into the people’s hands is brief, contained as an introduction to the text of the Liturgy. Our commentary is the most comprehensive. It can be used as a reference source.

I therefore believe that the book meets a real need.

The entire text of the Divine Liturgy is included, with page numbers where prayers and petitions are commented on.

Another factor that motivated me was what I perceived a need to offer a contemporary commentary, which would provide direct and responsible answers to current questions. The ancient commentaries, like those by St. Germanos, St. Maximos, St. Symeon of Thessalonica, and especially St. Nicholas Cavasilas, are very valuable, but difficult to navigate through and are heavy in symbolism and mysticism. We mention such interpretations, but generally we stick to an approach we call “realistic,” because the words and actions are commented based on the textual and historical witness. We also tried to address current issues. Other commentaries are scholarly, contained in specialized books and articles, like those by Robert Taft, Fr. Schmemann, Fr. Calivas and others.

The language we use is simple, to make it accessible to everyone.

Fr. C: Could you share with our listeners a sample of what readers will find?

Fr. E: The bulk of the text consists in a line-by-line commentary of the entire Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom. Interspersed are 80 special studies dealing with important issues and expanding on the words and actions of the Divine Liturgy. Many of the notes are valuable, containing important information.

The full text of the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom is provided. A nice feature about it is that next to each petition and prayer there is a number that refers to the page number where the topic is addressed.

In the extensive Introduction we state concisely what the purpose of the Divine Liturgy is: to unite us with the Theanthropos Christ and to transform our lives. It answers the question, What is the Divine Eucharist, in eight different ways. It is

  • The real presence of God
  • A memorial of His love
  • Our thanksgiving to God the Father
  • A memorial of the Mystical Supper
  • A commemoration of the Lord’s sacrifice on the cross
  • Communion by the faithful of the Body and Blood of our Savior
  • A continuous Pentecost and
  • A foretaste of the Banquet of the Kingdom

It explains that the Divine Eucharist is a meal, even a Heavenly Banquet, it goes over its symbolism and mysticism, it points to its resurrectional and celebratory character, and accentuates its participatory character as well, which constitutes one of the main aims of the book.

Main text, footnotes and Mini Study

Fr. C: One of my favorite elements in the book is the Mini Studies. Can you tell our listeners about them and maybe give a few examples?

Fr. E: The Heavenly Banquet provides answers to a multiplicity of questions. Why do we pray “for our armed forces”? The question leads to a brief examination on the issue of war. The petition, “for favorable weather” leads to an exploration of the issue of God’s involvement in the world; the petition for those “departed from this life before us” leads to a study on the souls; and praying for health leads to a study on miracles. Many other issues are addressed in a similar fashion, including suffering, grace, intercession and veneration of saints, inspiration, judgment, open communion, significance of dogma, and so on.

I would like to single out our proposed version for The Lord’s Prayer (p. 307). The established version (based on the Episcopal Book of Common Prayers) is full of errors and therefore unacceptable. Yet it was recently advanced by the Archdiocese as its “official” version. We believe that our brief commentary (5 ½ pages) on the Lord’s Prayer is of value to anyone.

The Banquet in Heaven

Fr. C: Now, you also address a few sensitive topics. Would you talk a little about that?

Fr. E: Certain touchy topics need to be addressed. The commentary does not balk at addressing difficult and controversial issues: Here is a sampling: Is there grace outside the Church? What about ecumenism? Should we have “open communion” with non-Orthodox Christians? Why do we insist on dogma? What is the relationship of faith and science? Some of our proposed “solutions” may not be agreeable to all (pp. 266-268).

A few sensitive subjects are contained in various notes and studies, like that on the Church (p. 211) and the Unity of faith (p. 302), the reception of converts (p. 153), the “one baptism” given in the One Church (commented upon in the Creed, note 652, p. 211), the subject of liturgical translations (p. 213), the commemoration of the bishop (note 989, p. 293) and the comments on their attire (note 364, pp. 129-131—there is a note probably bishops would not like), etc.

Fr. C: What are the main objectives of your commentary?

Fr. E: The commentary returns to a few points with persistence. Active and joyous participation by the people stands out—participation through a fuller comprehension, by joining in the singing (called a right and a privilege of the people), by praying and, especially, through participation in the holy mysteries.

The commentary insists that the so-called secret prayers be read out loud (nothing is kept secret from the people of God).

Fr. C: Who did you write this book for? What’s your target audience and what do you hope they’ll take away with them from the book?

Fr. E: My target audience is anyone who reads books! Admittedly, this is a limited target these days… Originally the book was conceived for the “average” reader. I had to revise it to the “inquisitive” or “inquiring” reader.

Fr. C: I wonder if this might not be a wonderful introduction to the Liturgy for seekers or visitors to Orthodox churches so they could understand all the symbolism. I mean, you really use easy to understand, modern language to explain these very complex ideas. For example: “it takes guts to raise our eyes and address God.”)

Fr. E: I think converts and catechumens would devour it. It is ideal for study groups.

Fr. C: Do you have anything else to say about your book?

Fr. E: We think that by studying The Heavenly Banquet the Divine Liturgy won’t be boring ever again. This book helps one to pray with understanding, with meaning, with fervor, and with spiritual joy.

I would like to say two words about the publisher, Orthodox Witness. We are an outreach organization founded in 2002. We published this book ourselves, with the assistance of my son, Tony, a professional multimedia specialist and book editor. Perhaps another time, Fr. Chris, you will invite me to share with your audience our organization’s mission, goals and vision.

Fr. C: Are there any other projects or books in the works you’d like to tell us about?

Fr. E: Yes, thank you. Before I do that, allow me to first thank Archbishop Nathaniel for his eloquent and generous Foreword to the book. I’m heavily indebted to him.

I would also like to mention that our organization, Orthodox Witness, has three more books out: the lives of two contemporary holy men, Elder (now Saint) Iakovos of Evia (called The Garden of the Holy Spirit) and Papa Dimitri Gagastathis, The Man of God, and a small treatise by St. Theophan the Recluse, called Preaching Another Christ: An Orthodox View of Evangelicalism. All three have been translated by Prof. Dimitri Kagaris of our group.

As for future works, I’m presently working on a dogmatic treatise on the human nature of Christ. [Now available: Jesus: Fallen? The Human Nature of Christ Examined from an Eastern Orthodox Perspective –ed.] Years ago I became aware that Orthodox clergy and professors have deviated from the solid tradition of the Church, presenting Christ as having a fallen human nature. The study rebuts this idea as a dangerous heresy. Since this topic is debated by Roman Catholics, Protestants and Adventists, I’m addressing the book to all Christians.

I would also like to publish a comprehensive and practical Guide to Orthodoxy, geared to Protestants. I’m already over 300 pages into it.

Another study presents the Faith out of the early patristic documents, called Our Christian Roots. [a class developed and presented by Fr. E.H., forthcoming online –ed.]

I would also like to complete the music of a Divine Liturgy for youth. It is a liturgy in plain English, with rhythm and melody our young people need. I hope they would love it. Presently they have very little. I would like to find a youth choir to perform it and make a recording. I have also composed a number of Orthodox songs and hymns for children, enough for two CDs. If a choir director is listening he or she can contact me by email, fremmanuel@orthodoxwitness.org.

I’ve also written a few Christmas Plays, which I would like to publish [They have been published and are available as free downloads –ed.]. There are other projects I would like to complete, if the Lord wills and gives me time, strength and good health to do them in my retirement. Perhaps that’s asking a lot.

Fr. C: I wish every success for this worthy book, which I highly recommend, and for all your endeavors.

Fr. E: Thank you, Fr. Chris, very much for putting me on the air.

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The Orthodox Witness website is published by Anthony Hatzidakis.

GIVING WITNESS TO THE TRUE CHURCH

Orthodox Christians all over the world have received the unchanging Christian Faith, passed down from the Holy Apostles to their successors, and continue to practice it today in the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church – The Orthodox Church.
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Is there grace outside the Church?

This post is an excerpt from The Heavenly Banquet: Understanding the Divine Liturgy

Is God’s grace received only by members of the Church or can there be grace outside the Church? Are only Orthodox Christians saved? Before we address these questions, let us explain briefly what grace is. Grace is the uncreated divine energy or power of the Holy Trinity, given to us from God the Father, through God the Son, by God the Holy Spirit. The Holy Trinity always acts in creation through a common action. Without God’s grace there is no salvation, no spiritual life, no eternal life. Although grace is simple and one, it bestows different gifts to those who partake of it, depending upon the need of each one, and upon one’s degree of receptivity. We partake of God’s grace primarily, though not exclusively, through the Holy Mysteries (Sacraments), especially through Baptism and Holy Communion, and through the ascetical life, primarily prayer.1

Grace is God’s gift to man, which includes existence, life, intelligence and salvation. According to the teachings of St. Gregory Palamas, the entire creation partakes of God’s divine energies. Everything partakes of God’s creative energy (inanimate objects). Certain beings partake also of God’s animating energies (living creatures). Furthermore certain beings partake of God’s reason-bestowing energies (intelligent beings, men and angels). Finally, “only those among the angels who kept their rank, and those among men who returned to the supernatural dignity given from above to the intelligent beings partake also of God’s deifying energy and grace”2 (saints and angels). This last grace is the grace of which we speak here. Is this saving, sanctifying and deifying grace found outside the Church?

According to the teachings of the Orthodox Church we obtain God’s grace only in the Church, for outside the Church, the Body of Christ, there is no sanctifying grace. Sanctifying or saving grace, the grace through which we obtain salvation or union with God, is found only in the ark of salvation, the holy Church, the theanthropic Body of Christ, because Christ is our Savior and our salvation. The position of the Church has been stated once for all through St. Cyprian of Carthage:

“Extra ecclesiam nulla salus—There is no salvation outside the Church.”3

Is then everyone outside the boundaries of the Orthodox Church damned? Not at all. In explaining, however, how can this be possible, certain theologians have given an answer incompatible with the belief in the uniqueness and oneness of the Church, with devastating consequences.4

The Orthodox position has been expressed by St. Athanasios the Great who, in explaining why God did not save man through a command or an act of will, says He did not act this way, because, although He would have demonstrated His power, man would have become as Adam was before the Fall. The grace he would have received would have been external and not incorporated into his body.5 This distinction, external-internal, is the key to understanding how salvation is possible outside the Church. St. Diadochos, Bishop of Photiki (fifth century), who draws from St. Athanasios, provides a more direct explanation:

“Before holy Baptism, grace encourages the soul toward good from the outside, while Satan lurks in its depths, trying to block all the intellect’s ways of approach to the Divine. But from the moment that we are reborn through baptism, the demon is outside, grace is within. Thus, whereas before Baptism error ruled the soul, after baptism truth rules it.”6

This terminology offers us the correct solution to this thorny problem. Grace acts from the inside only within the Body of Christ, the Orthodox Church. One is born spiritually through baptism. Grace is implanted and grows through the sacraments, particularly Holy Communion. The unbaptized are unborn, therefore grace does not act in them from within. However, to the extent of one’s receptivity he or she can respond to the impulses of the Holy Spirit, Who acts from the outside on all creation.

“What Moses had, which shone on his face after his conversation with God, so that men could not see it from the brightness, the Apostles had it within their soul constantly and in even greater degree (Ex. 34:30, 2 Cor. 3:7).”7

St. Seraphim of Sarov, in explaining the Johanine statement, “for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified” (John 7:39), says that this does not mean that the Spirit of God was not in the world at all, but [that] His presence was not so apparent as in Adam or in us Orthodox Christians. It [was] manifested only externally; yet the signs of His presence in the world were known to mankind…The grace of the Holy Spirit acting externally was…reflected in all the Old Testament prophets and Saints of Israel…though not with the same power as in the people of God, nevertheless, the presence of the Spirit of God also acted in the pagans who did not know the true God, because even among them God found for Himself chosen people.8

Finally, professor Pheidas summarizes the Orthodox position on grace and salvation outside the Church:

“Patristic tradition teaches that Christ, through His overall redeeming work, is the Source (pēgē) of divine grace, and the Holy Spirit is the Bestower (horēgōs) and the Operator (ho energōn) of divine grace in the faithful.”

He further states that,

“the Orthodox tradition, by accepting the Holy Spirit as the Bestower of the divine grace, which flows from the saving work of Christ, does not recognize the efficacy of the divine grace outside the canonical boundaries of the Orthodox Church.”9

  1. Cf. Archimandrite [now Metropolitan] Hierotheos Vlahos, Orthodox Spirituality—a Brief Introduction, translated by Effie Mavromichali, Birth of the Theotokos Monastery, Levadia, Greece 1994, p. 66.
  2. St. Gregory Palamas, “Antihrretic to Akindynos,” 5, 27, in Prof. Mantzaridis, Palamitic Studies, p, 45. Cf. also “On the Divine and Deifying Participation,” o.c., p. 246.
  3. Ep. 73:21; PL 3:1169.
  4. Thus Bishop Kallistos of Diokleia in his celebrated book, The Orthodox Church, after stating, “Orthodoxy also teaches that outside the Church there is no salvation” (p. 247), goes on to explain that this does not mean that everyone outside the Church is damned. He is, of course, correct. His explanation, however, is not. The Church, he says, must embrace in some way even those who are outside the Church. Thus he promotes belief in an invisible Church, justifying it by saying, “The Spirit of God blows where it chooses,” a reference to the Lord’s words, “τὸ πνεῦμα ὅπου θέλει πνεῖ (to pneuma opou thelei pnei), the wind blows where it wills” (John 3:8) (most English translations render pneuma correctly with wind, although the same word is used for spirit). He then makes an unacceptable statement: “We know where the Church is but we cannot be sure where it is not” (o.c., p. 308. See also p. 211). The Lord planted His vineyard and placed a hedge around it (Mt. 21:33). There are those who are inside, and those who are outside (cf. 1 Cor. 5:12). Furthermore, Bishop Kallistos introduces the ecumenistic concept of proportional ecclesiology: “By God’s grace the Orthodox Church possesses the fullness of the truth (so its members are bound to believe), but there are other Christian communions which possess to a greater or lesser degree a genuine measure of Orthodoxy” (ibid. emphasis added).
  5. “ἔξωθεν λαβὼν τὴν χάριν, καὶ μὴ συνηρμοσμένην ἔχων αὐτὴν τῷ σώματι, exōthen labōn tēn harin, kai mē synērmosmenēn ehōn autēn tō sōmati” (St. Athanasios the Great, Or. Con. Ar. II, 68. Cf. NPNF-2, vol. 4, p. 385).
  6. St. Diacochos of Photiki, “On Spiritual Knowledge,” 76, in The Philokalia I, p. 279 (emphasis added).
  7. Archimandrite  Maximos of the Holy Mountain, The Table of Love (in Greek), Holy Mountain, Athos, Greece 1999, p. 78 (emphasis added).
  8. “A Conversation of St. Seraphim of Sarov with N. A.  Motovilov,” The New Sarov Press, n.d., Blanco, TX, pp. 12-13. Words in square brackets and emphasis were added.

  9. Professor Vlassios Pheidas, “The Limits of the Church in an Orthodox Perspective”. Not all agree with this position. Fr. Emmanuel Clapsis, after surveying various Orthodox views expressed on the subject, concludes (from an argument a silentio) that the theologians surveyed do not deny that God acts through other Christian churches for the salvation of the world” (The Boundaries of the Church, An Orthodox Debate,” GOTR, vol. 35. No. 2, 1990, pp. 113-127 and online.
    A clearer analysis of the Orthodox position regarding grace inside and outside the Church is expressed in an article by Fr. Gregory Telepneff, “Baptism and Grace”, and in another article by Archbishop  Chrysostomos of Etna, “The Reception of Converts and Related Maters”.
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GIVING WITNESS TO THE TRUE CHURCH

Orthodox Christians all over the world have received the unchanging Christian Faith, passed down from the Holy Apostles to their successors, and continue to practice it today in the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church – The Orthodox Church.
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Why is dogma important in my life?

This post is an excerpt from The Heavenly Banquet: Understanding the Divine Liturgy

Why do we Orthodox insist on teachings that divide us more than unite us? What difference do dogmas make in our everyday lives? Do the dogmas of faith make any difference in the way we live?

The short answer is, Yes! Dogmas “cannot be considered as abstract theological concepts, but as truths that critically concern man and his life.”1 That’s why we speak so much about dogma: because truth is our life and our way. Truth illumines our path, not only in an intellectual way, but also in an existential one.

What is a dogma?

Dogmas are the formulation of divinely revealed truths that we are not at liberty to either change or disregard. We Orthodox insist on dogmas because they are not opinions, “human precepts and doctrines” (Col. 2:22), which may change over time or change according to cultural and social changes. Dogmas concern themselves with the divine mysteries of God, which are revealed to the Saints, who already live the divine life and are in a position to give it expression. We simply follow their teachings faithfully, without swerving from them, neither to the right nor to the left (cf. Deut. 5:32). This means that we Orthodox walk on a tightrope, with the danger of falling off constantly present.

What is the relation of dogma to our lives?

In the second place, dogmas relate directly to our lives. To put it simply, one who does not have correct faith and correct dogma will not have correct ethos, because these two, the truth (dogma) and how we live it (ethos), are interconnected.

The dogma helps us to live the right life, and thus be saved. Here is an example:

The Apostle Paul teaches that our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. Thus Christians take the same care about their body as they would with the Church. As one beautifies the temple of God and decorates it with holy icons, censes it and conducts holy services in it, so with our body: we have a reverence for it, we honor it, we keep it holy, with our prayer, with the guarding of our senses, we purify it with our virtues, and we ready it, so that the Holy Spirit may come and dwell in it. The teaching of the Church and of the Fathers is that we are temples of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 6:19, 2 Cor. 6:16) and images of God (cf. Gen. 1:27). This is how we view ourselves and one another. Of course if all we see in us is an animal existence, without soul, without spirit, without any purpose and goal in life, then we will treat it accordingly, and we will behave as animals.

No compromises

In matters of faith there cannot be any compromises. To follow or not to follow the teachings of Christ is not an option:

“Anyone who goes ahead and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God; he who abides in the doctrine has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this doctrine, do not receive him into the house or give him any greeting; for he who greets him shares his wicked work” (2 John 1:9-11).

And again St. John writes,

“Whoever knows God listens to us, and whoever is not from God does not listen to us” (1 John 4:6).

Which is that “doctrine of Christ” which is so important that whoever does not abide by it “does not have God”? Any doctrine. “This is love,” he said a few verses earlier, “that we follow His commandments” (2 John 1:6). Following all of Christ’s teachings and evangelical truths is the rule for all Christians. This is why St. Jude urges us: “Contend for the faith which was once for all delivered to the Saints” (Jude 1:3).

The Apostle to the Nations tells us something hard to swallow in our synchretistic and ecumenistic age, i.e. that if we abide by any teachings which are not the teachings of Christ, we are following doctrines of demons:

“The Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by giving heed to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons” (1 Tim. 4:1).

Which doctrines are doctrines of demons? Every false teaching is. This is why St. Paul advises Timothy, “Have nothing to do” with false teachings (1 Tim. 4:7). Therefore, let us not persist in error, for

“Whoever teaches otherwise and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that is in accordance with godliness, he is conceited, understanding nothing” (1 Tim. 6:3-4).

Let us then humbly abide by the teachings of the Lord, which are safeguarded by the Church, “the pillar and the foundation of the truth” (1 Tim. 3:15), and thus be saved.

Dogmas are not optional; they “are necessary for salvation, because they express Christ in His saving work.”2 Dogmas are more than just important in our lives: they are our life! “Because, if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Rom. 10:9). That is why we place such a great emphasis on dogma. Having said that, we should distinguish between believing in dogmatic truths and being “dogmatic”; between expressing our faith in doctrinal teachings and being “doctrinal.”

For us, truth is Christ (John 14:6), that is, truth is incarnate in Him—something Pilate was not willing to accept (see John 18:38). Truth (Christ) is shared with those who are united with Him (the Saints, who are the true members of the Church). Truth is not expressed in abstract statements, cut off from the life of the Lord and His Church. Dogmatism, as an unbending ideology, moved by fanatical adherence to illogical and unacceptable positions, is irreconcilable with the Christian truth, which is adhered to voluntarily and is motivated by love.3

Dogmatism blinds, whereas the dogmas (truths) of our faith open the eyes of a spiritually blind person (cf. Ps. 19:8). Dogmatism fanaticizes one to become a “martyr” by killing others; love for the truth of our faith moves one to sacrifice himself or herself for others.

  1. Prof. Mantzaridis, Orthodox Spiritual Life, p. 43.
  2. Fr. Dumitru Staniloae, The Experience of God, Holy Cross Orthodox Press, Brookline, Mass, 1994. p. 65.
  3. Some of the thoughts expressed in this paragraph are drawn from Matsoukas’ Dogmatic and Symbolic Theology I, pp. 19-21.
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GIVING WITNESS TO THE TRUE CHURCH

Orthodox Christians all over the world have received the unchanging Christian Faith, passed down from the Holy Apostles to their successors, and continue to practice it today in the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church – The Orthodox Church.
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On Faith and Science

This post requires a small introduction. To our surprise, the St. Anthony’s Monastery in Arizona refused to carry our book The Heavenly Banquet: Understanding the Divine Liturgy in their bookstore, because of certain reservations. Eventually they requested another copy and returned it to us with three hand-written “post-it” notes, on which they wrote their objections to the book. Today’s post is the letter we sent back to them (2009), to which we have not received a reply.
Fr. Emmanuel Hatzidakis
Orthodox Witness
March 18, 2009
St. Cyril of Jerusalem

St. Anthony’s Monastery
Florence, Arizona

Ἤδη δὲ οὔτε ἡ γνῶσις ἄνευ πίστεως, οὔθ᾽ ἡ πίστις ἄνευ γνώσεως.
Clemens Alexandrinus (Strom. 5.1.3)1

Dear Brother in Christ,

Although you chose to remain anonymous you are known to God, to Whom we pray for illumination from above and strength to do His will.

Thank you kindly for sharing your thoughts on why, in your opinion, my book does not deserve to be on the shelves of the monastery’s bookstore, because of alleged errors contained in it.

I cannot hide the pain and the sadness that I experienced, that an Orthodox monk has found errors with my book, errors serious enough not to recommend its reading by Orthodox Christians.

Truthfully, I was in a daze, having nightmares, that I was living in the Dark Ages, and I was standing before the Grand Inquisitor, pressured to recant the evils advocated in my book. Padre, per caritá! This is Orthodoxy and 21st century!

I was preparing to respond to you at length, defending the positions you criticize, when I came across an article written by Protopresbyter Dr. Georgios Metallinos, which addresses the issues raised in your notes.

I enclose it, thinking that you will accept the authority of this theologian, who certainly ranks among the top living Greek Orthodox theologians of our times. But if you take exception to his writings, I would be glad to adduce further witnesses in my defense.

Below I include your three comments, followed by comments by Fr. Metallinos’ in italics and my own comments and other quotations.

“The Orthodox Church has always held the position that Holy Scripture, written by (or through) the Holy Spirit is incapable of self-contradiction (cf. St. John Chrysostom et. al.) and of course, error free. This one statement alone, on pg. 89, is enough to cause the book’s rejection from an Orthodox point of view and understanding according to the Church Fathers.”

In your first comment you seem to object to the following paragraph in my book 2:

According to our understanding the Bible is not a scientific textbook, therefore we are not to take every geographic, historical, and scientific detail as error free, and we should not read it that way.

You seem to believe that the Holy Scripture is free from any kind of error (which I call “the erroneous principle of biblical inerrancy”), yet you do not provide your explanation of a few examples cited immediately after the above paragraph. Here they are:

The Holy Scriptures seem to follow the view that God created a stationary, flat earth, with the heaven being a dome over it, and the sun and the moon circling around it (Ps. 104); that He created the universe in six 24-hour days, some 10,000 years ago; and that He took mud to form man out of it, and woman out of his rib.

Please support the objective truthfulness of these biblical statements or assumptions, and many other similar, apparently unscientific statements, like references to, ‘the fountains of the deep and the windows of the heavens being closed” (Gen. 8:2) or the “shutting in the sea with bars and doors” (Job 38:8.10). Are we to take literally the monsters Behemoth (Job 40:15), whose “bones are tubes of bronze, and his like bars of iron” (v. 18), and Leviathan (Job 41:1, see also Ps. 104:26)? Is he real? “His sneezings flash forth light, and his eyes are like the eyelids of the dawn. Out of his mouth go flaming torches; sparks of fire leap forth. Out of his nostrils comes forth smoke, as from a boiling pot and burning rushes. His breath kindles coals, and a flame comes forth from his mouth” (Job 42:18-21)? Read carefully the Prooimiakos Psalm 104 (103 LXX) and tell me how scientific are the lines, “who hast stretched out the heavens like a tent, who hast laid the beams of thy chambers on the waters” (vv. 2b-3a) and “Thou didst set the earth on its foundations, so that it should never be shaken” (v. 5). Read also Proverbs 8:27-29 and tell me how factual are these verses: “When he established the heavens, I was there, when he drew a circle on the face of the deep, when he made firm the skies above, when he established the fountains of the deep, when he assigned to the sea its limit, so that the waters might not transgress his command.” Also Isaiah 45:12: “I made the earth, and created man upon it; it was my hands that stretched out the heavens, and I commanded all their host.”

This is what Fr. Metallinos says on the subject of understanding and using the Holy Scripture as an authority on any human endeavor (from the three quotes I underlined in the article I sent you):

[1] Thus the Holy Scripture and the works of the Holy Fathers (the scientists of the faith) may contain scientific errors, as they relate to the findings of the natural sciences which are continuously reappraised.

[2] God teaches in the Scripture the truth about Himself and not (the scientific knowledge) about creation.

[3] Thus as concerns scientific subjects there is a possibility of a change of opinion based on the new findings.

[4] The problem with religion starts from the acceptance of the sacred books (e.g. Holy Scripture or Koran) as scientific text[s].

[5] In Orthodoxy, when it is Orthodoxy, there cannot be a case of Galileo.

“The Gospels,” says St. Augustine, “do not tell us that our Lord said, ‘I will send you the Holy Ghost to teach you the course of the sun and moon;’ we should endeavor to become Christians, and not astronomers.” So it is with the Mosaic account of creation. Its purport is not to teach geology, physics, zoology, or astronomy, but to affirm in the most simple and direct manner the creative act of God and His sovereignty over all creatures. Its object is not to anticipate any of the truths of science or philosophy, but to guard the chosen people of God against the pernicious errors and idolatrous practices which were then everywhere prevalent.3

This is your second note:

The idea that “Evolution and creation… (are) one and the same (theory) described from two different perspectives” is not at all correct, from an Orthodox perspective.
Man was created by God; he did not evolve slowly over time from a previous “common ancestor.” (pg. 90)
There is no way to get around the teaching than [sic] evolution puts forth that man “evolved.”
This is fundamentally incorrect. The quote of St. [Gregory of] Nyssa does not seem to apply here as a support to the compatibility of the 2 explanations.
Simply put, the Holy Bible and the teaching of the Fathers is the truth, inspired by the Truth. Evolution was a great error written by a man.

You did not explain, Father, why the statement, “Evolution and creation are not seen by us as two opposite theories of how the world came about, but one and the same described from two different perspectives” “is not at all correct.” I provide two examples, but you did not refute them. I don’t think you can!

Apparently, you believe that evolution is a godless theory devised by atheists to tear down belief in God. It has been used that way, but it does not have to, and it does not oppose religion and enlightened understanding of the Holy Scripture. It may be a surprise to you, but as much as creation of the world by God is Orthodox, creationism (the literal interpretation of Genesis and of the Scripture in general) is unorthodox! (God does not have “two hands,” but He has a Son and a Holy Spirit.)

Fr. Metallinos provides concrete answers on the subject of evolution, quoting from St. Basil the Great (PG 29, 36B and 29, 1164) and St. Gregory the Theologian (PG 44, 72B and 44, 148C), to the effect that both accept an evolutionary course in creation.

Specifically, Fr. Metallinos states:

[6] Basil the Great does not expect [to receive] from Scripture all the answers, deeming the scientific research indispensable.

[7] Theology waits patiently the progress of science for the comprehension of its theological tenets.

[8] Theology does not oppose the scientific position, about the age of man on earth, for example.

[9] The theologians accept the freedom of scientific research…

[10] “Science offers a more certain way toward God than religion”4.

God, according to St. Augustine as well as according to St. Gregory of Nyssa, first created matter in an elementary or nebulous state. From this primordial matter—created ex nihilo [from nothing]—was evolved, by the action of physical laws imposed on it by the Creator, all the various forms of terrestrial life that subsequently appeared. In this process of evolution there was succession, but no division of time. The Almighty completed the work He had begun, not intermittently and by a series of special creations, but through the agency of secondary causes—by the operation of natural laws and forces—causales rationes [causal reasons]—of which He was the Author.5

And this is your third and final note:

Science in many instances wonderfully supports the immutable truth of the Orthodox Church and her teachings based on Holy Scripture. It is clear that the theory of Evolution is not one of these instances.

Indeed science in many instances supports the biblical witness. But the faith of the Church does not stand or fall on whether God created the world in six solar days, or on whether “the earth was established above the waters,” as the psalm says, or on any area other than that of faith and morals. In those other areas the Holy Scripture may be wrong, as the Fathers who took it to the letter may also be wrong. Even the sacred and inspired writers used whatever human knowledge was available to them. We too use whatever knowledge we have today. Our faith remains the same, resting on a Creator and Sustainer of the universe.

Our faith cannot be challenged by science, because if any of its findings is true it will find acceptance by the Church.

The truths of faith and the truths of science belong to different categories indeed, but notwithstanding this fact they can never come into conflict. The truths of science are of the natural order, while the truths of faith belong to an order which is supernatural. Both have God for their author, and as He cannot contradict Himself, and as truth cannot be opposed to truth, so the truths of faith never can be at variance with the certain conclusions of science.6

Draw, my dear brother in Christ, your conclusions, based not on fundamentalism, dogmatism, fanaticism, and “biblicalism,” but on the truth, no matter where it comes from. The truth is never our enemy. But if it challenges our beliefs, instead of finding fault with science we should perhaps re-check the foundation of our religious beliefs and revise them!

Someone said, The purpose of the Holy Scripture and of the Church is to teach us how to go to heaven, not how the heavens go. Let’s leave that to science.

The last quote from St. Augustine reminds us of something profound that he has written, on which I very humbly invite you to prayerfully ponder upon and meditate, my dear brother in Christ:

If we come to read anything in Holy Scripture that is in keeping with the faith in which we are steeped, capable of several meanings, we must not by obstinately rushing in, so commit ourselves to any one of them that, when perhaps the truth is more thoroughly investigated, it rightly falls to the ground and we with it. 7

The following illuminating, pertinent quote comes also from the pen of the same saint:

Usually, even a non-Christian knows something about the earth, the heavens, and the other elements of this world, about the motion and orbit of the stars and even their size and relative positions, about the predictable eclipses of the sun and moon, the cycles of the years and the seasons, about the kinds of animals, shrubs, stones, and so forth, and this knowledge he holds to as being certain from reason and experience. Now, it is a disgraceful and dangerous thing for an infidel to hear a Christian, presumably giving the meaning of Holy Scripture, talking nonsense on these topics; and we should take all means to prevent such an embarrassing situation, in which people show up vast ignorance in a Christian and laugh it to scorn. The shame is not so much that an ignorant individual is derided, but that people outside the household of faith think our sacred writers held such opinions, and, to the great loss of those for whose salvation we toil, the writers of our Scripture are criticized and rejected as unlearned men. If they find a Christian mistaken in a field which they themselves know well and hear him maintaining his foolish opinions about our books, how are they going to believe those books in matters concerning the resurrection of the dead, the hope of eternal life, and the kingdom of heaven, when they think their pages are full of falsehoods and on facts which they themselves have learnt from experience and the light of reason? Reckless and incompetent expounders of Holy Scripture bring untold trouble and sorrow on their wiser brethren when they are caught in one of their mischievous false opinions and are taken to task by those who are not bound by the authority of our sacred books. For then, to defend their utterly foolish and obviously untrue statements, they will try to call upon Holy Scripture for proof and even recite from memory many passages which they think support their position, although they understand neither what they say nor the things about which they make assertions. [1 Timothy 1.7].8

My hunch is that you are a convert from a fundamentalist Protestant denomination, and your conversion is not complete, because you don’t have the Orthodox phronema, and you don’t reflect the freedom the children of God enjoy.

It takes a great man to admit his error. I do not ask for apologies: just for your order to place a much-needed book on the shelves of your monastery bookstore, with the blessings of the Very Reverend Archimandrite Elder Ephraim.

Forgive me, brother.

Emmanuel Hatzidakis,
Priest

  1. For neither is there knowledge without faith, nor faith without knowledge.
  2. Download the study “Faith and Science” from The Heavenly Banquet that is referred to here (PDF).
  3. J. A. Zahm [Roman Catholic Priest and Professor of Physics at Notre Dame University], Bible, Science, and Faith, John Murphy & Co., Baltimore 1894, pp. 33-34—the indented quotations, with page numbers refer to this book.
  4. quoting Paul Davies, professor of theoretical physics
  5. Zahm, p. 76
  6. Zahm, p. 7
  7. A.C. Crombie, The History of Science from Augustine to Galileo, Dover Publications, New York 1995
  8. De Genesi ad litteram [The Literal Meaning of Genesis], Ancient Christian Writers, Newman Press, 1982, vol. 41, pp. 42-43
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GIVING WITNESS TO THE TRUE CHURCH

Orthodox Christians all over the world have received the unchanging Christian Faith, passed down from the Holy Apostles to their successors, and continue to practice it today in the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church – The Orthodox Church.
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Are ALL Welcome?

The most common sign in front of non-Orthodox churches across America reads, “ALL ARE WELCOME.” It is so pervasive, so… welcoming, even a number of Orthodox churches have adopted it. Is this right? Should we admit everyone to our services, particularly to the Mystery of the Divine Eucharist (Liturgy)? What is the teaching of the Church? What has been the practice of the Church?

To answer these questions let us turn our attention to two brief exclamations in the Divine Liturgy, the first one by the deacon, “The doors, the doors,” and the second one by the priest, “The Holy [Things] for the holy” and analyze their meaning. We will utilize for the most part our comments as found in our study on the Divine Liturgy.1 Then we will offer some additional comments and suggestions.

Deacon: The doors, [guard] the doors.

In wisdom let us be attentive.2

Originally, this call was placed after the dismissal of the Catechumens3 and others who were prevented from participating in the Holy Mysteries. The deacon’s insisting call was meant to warn the doorkeepers (lower clergymen appointed to the task of guarding the doors of the church) to shut the doors as soon as those who could not receive Holy Communion were discharged.

St. Justin the Martyr, writing in the middle of the second century, speaking about the reception of the catechumens, explains the reason for this compelling shout:

This food [we partake] we call “Eucharist,” and no one may share it unless he believes that our teaching is true, and has been cleansed in the bath of forgiveness for sin and rebirth, and lives as Christ taught.4

One of the most ancient instructions for the conduct of the Divine Liturgy that have come down to us, contained in the Apostolic Constitutions, states tersely:

Let the doors be watched lest any unbeliever, or one not yet initiated, come in… Let the porters stand at the entries of the men, and observe them. Let the deaconesses also stand at those of the women, like shipmen. For the same description and pattern was both in the tabernacle of the testimony and in the temple of God.5

Only after confessing the same faith can we offer the Holy Oblation and partake of the Holy Mysteries. The Orthodox Church is open to all, but the Holy Eucharist is not an “open house.” Restricting the reception of the Sacraments to Orthodox Christians has been the mark of the true Church since the beginning. The deacon’s cry, “The doors, the doors,” is a constant reminder.

Now we come to the second exclamation we hear in the Divine Liturgy, which has the same scope as the first, to make sure only initiated, faithful members of the Church, may approach the cup of salvation:

Priest: “The Holy [Things] for the holy [people].”

As the priest “elevates” the Holy Gifts he “invites” the faithful: “The Holy Things for the holy [people].” What an awesome and fearful invitation! Although we are here for this reason, and this reason alone, i.e. to partake of the Holy Mysteries, nevertheless when the moment comes we feel totally inadequate, unworthy and unprepared (can we ever be adequately prepared?) to step forth. The priest’s cry checks us, cuts us through, dissects us and proves us wanting…

Obviously, the Holy Gifts are not for everyone. The Church has always applied to the Holy Eucharist the words of the Lord,

Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you” (Mt. 7:6).6

“Holy,” here, means those who have dedicated themselves to God, those who have set themselves apart, those who have been consecrated to God, in the sense St. Paul applied it to himself (“set apart,” Rom. 1:1). In baptism we were consecrated to God, to His service, to His army. We could then render the meaning of this invitation by saying, “God’s things to God’s people.” We are His, we belong to Christ; we are Christ-ians…

Non-Christians and non-Orthodox were not allowed to even enter the Church,7 unless they were listed in the ranks of the Catechumens. As we have already mentioned, the Catechumens themselves, who had not yet received the “laver of regeneration, the forgiveness of sins and the garment of incorruption,”8 had to depart prior to the commencement of the Liturgy of the Eucharist, or Liturgy for the Faithful.9 Also members of the Church who had an impediment to receive the Holy Sacraments had to depart. Only those who would commune remained10 or, to put it differently, they remained in order to commune. Others could not stay.

Only those Orthodox Christians who have the correct faith, the correct baptism, and the correct life, as we saw above St. Justin the Martyr attesting, may approach, “with fear of God, faith, and love,”11 and without presumption and arrogance, because God is a “consuming fire” (Heb. 12:29). Even as we humbly chant the “disclaimer,” “One is Holy, One is Lord, Jesus Christ, to the glory of God the Father. Amen,” we prepare to receive, not in boldness, but in utter humility, in realization of our sinfulness and unworthiness.

The shouts on which we are commenting seem to be so much out of place today, standing as anachronistic relics of times past and long gone. They serve as a constant reminder of the ancient practice of the Church, from the very beginning, to guard with her life what is her most precious treasure, precisely because the Divine Eucharist is the life of her members, the food of immortality.

Before the holy Eucharist is offered, all the members confess their common belief in the triune God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. As St. Nicholas Cavasilas, an authentic commentator of the Divine Liturgy, writes:

Since brotherly love goes hand in hand with love of God, and love of God is not found without faith in the living and perfect God, the priest, as soon as he has reminded us of love, and urged us to love one another, begins the profession of faith.12

Partaking of the common cup presupposes common faith, common doctrine. You need to confess the same faith, the faith of the Church, before you can approach the cup of salvation. Christians are those who have and declare the same faith. One does not “confess” his or her faith, but declares to share a common faith in the Ecclesia, in unity with her other members. Unity of faith among Christians is essential.

Therefore no member of the Church should be offended when, prior to administering the holy sacraments, the pastor addresses the people with the words, “only baptized and/or chrismated Orthodox Christians, who have recently been to confession, may receive the holy sacraments.” This announcement has become necessary since the modern custom of keeping the doors of our churches open for everyone to walk in has infiltrated in the Church. Our own bishops in America, following their leader the Ecumenical Patriarch, invite all sorts of heretics to their services, providing places of honor for them, if not allowing them to stand in the holy altar itself!

In our commentary we had also added the words, “Today, when everyone is admitted to church, let the call ‘The doors, [guard] the doors’ serve us as a reminder to be on guard so that no worldly or sinful thoughts enter our mind.”13 Indeed, “In the house of David, the fearsome mysteries are accomplished; therein the fire will consume every base thought.”14 Under the circumstances, for Orthodox Christians to have such thoughts is good, but it does not go far enough in offering a solution to the problem addressed. Today there is an urgent need to reinstitute the ancient practice of the Church, in order to safeguard the supreme gift of our Lord, His very precious Body and Blood, offered as spiritual sustenance to the members of His Body, the Holy Church.

As I state in The Heavenly Banquet,15 we should welcome the Inquirers, those who visit our church and attend our services, and the Catechumens, those who have made a commitment to gain admittance into the Holy Church and are receiving formal instruction in the faith, and encourage them along the path that leads to their full acceptance of the truth that saves. Of course the “Litany for the Catechumens” should be reintroduced, at the end of which instead of “dismissing” them, they would be invited to join in the religious instruction offered.

So Catechumens and other visitors should all be directed to the hall or to a classroom, where a priest or an experienced catechist would carry on their instruction, and answer their questions. This time could coincide when the ending of the Liturgy for the Youth, so that any adults (parents and visitors attending it) would meet with the Catechumens and visitors. Where there is only one Liturgy the children should be directed to their classrooms, save on one Sunday a month, when they would receive Holy Communion, after the priest would address them in a special children’s homily. Why only once a month? It’s bold to say, but at their young age the instruction in the faith is more important than receiving the Divine Eucharist every week.

Comments, please.

  1. The Heavenly Banquet, Understanding the Divine Liturgy by Fr. Emmanuel Hatzidakis (Orthodox Witness, 2013), pp. 203-204.
  2. The Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom.
  3. See The Heavenly Banquet, “The Catechumens,” pp. 153-54.
  4. St. Justin the Martyr († ca. A.D. 165), Apology I, ch. 65.1, 66.1. See The Heavenly Banquet, p. 203.
  5. Ante-Nicene Fathers, “Constitution of the Holy Apostles”.
  6. Thus the Didache states, “Let no one eat or drink of this eucharistic thanksgiving [εὐχαριστίας], but they that have been baptized into the name of the Lord; for concerning this also the Lord hath said: Give not that which is holy to the dogs.” (9, Lightfoot, The Apostolic Fathers, p. 232.)
  7. Laodicea 5: “Concerning the necessity of not permitting heretics to come into the house of God, as long as they persist in their heresy.” (Rudder, p. 553)
  8. Prayer for the Catechumens, The Heavenly Banquet, p. 21.

  9. St. Hippolytus of Rome attests, “A Catechumen shall not sit at the Lord’s Supper.” (Apostolic Tradition, 15) St. Augustine too writes, “After the sermon the catechumens are dismissed and the faithful remain.” (Serm. 49, 8, PL 38:324) If the repeated shouts of the Deacon are no longer heard during the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, we do hear them during the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts: “Catechumens, depart! Catechumens, depart! Those who are Catechumens, depart! None of the Catechumens [remain].”

  10. In our study The Heavenly Banquet we noted how “both the Patriarch and the Emperor would leave the temple following the reading of the Gospel” (p. 341, Note 1186), because they would not commune.
  11. The Heavenly Banquet, p. 28.
  12. St. Nicholas Cavasilas, Commentary, p. 67. Quoted in The Heavenly Banquet, p. 199, Note 599.
  13. The Heavenly Banquet, p. 204.
  14. Or mind (nous). Anavathmoi, Second verse of Third Antiphon, Pl. 1st.
  15. p. 154.
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