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What does the word catechism mean?
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The word catechism is a Greek word that means a summary of religious teaching, presented either orally or through a book, of the principles and foundations of Christian teachings and values, generally in the form of questions and answers. This Greek word has been used since the apostolic age (Luke 1:4). Early Church Fathers such as St. Cyril of Jerusalem and St. Gregory of Nyssa addressed catechumens through articles or lectures referred to as Catechetical Lectures.
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Catechism of the Coptic Orthodox Church – Vol. 1 (Fr. Tadros Y. Malaty)
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What is the purpose of a catechism (teaching through questions and answers)?
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First: to present an understanding of the faith, with the goal of knowing God and His work of salvation. St. Clement of Alexandria (second century) differentiated between the knowledge of the Gnostics, who believed that man can only be saved through his own rational knowledge; and the knowledge that is based on the sanctification of the mind through the divine grace of God, submitting to faithfully learn about God and build a relationship with Him, and asking for His grace in our lives. As St. Jude the apostle mentions “contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude) and St. Peter, “receiving the end of your faith — the salvation of your souls” (1 Pet. 1:9). St. Paul also invites us to faith, saying “but without faith, it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (Heb. 11:6). And “For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God” (Col. 3:3). We therefore escape from the corruption that is in the world on account of lust (2 Pet. 1:4). St. Paul the apostle said, “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure” (Phil. 2:12–13), so that we may enjoy the holy life by faith working through love (Gal. 5:6). Second: the principles of catechism are not based on a set of rules that are memorized dryly or in discussions bereft of the spirit of love. St. John Chrysostom says that the fruit of an ounce of love is better than that a ton of discussion. I hope that the effect of this book will be to spread the spirit of love and to invite the spirit of joy and humility to work in the lives of all the faithful all over the world, from the little children to the elderly. As the son of Sirach says, a believer does not cease from his labor till the last breath of his life. “Stand fast in your covenant and become familiar with it and grow old in the work of your commandments” (Sir. 11:18). Fourth: I hope that this work may facilitate the creation of Church Education programs that would benefit every individual in the Church. Fifth: to present the richness of Church life and its potential in Jesus Christ, and the spirit of hope looking forward to the future under the guidance of the divine Holy Spirit; and to connect the process of learning to the spirit of fatherhood or brotherhood that everyone who encounters God the Lover of Mankind experiences. Sixth: to enjoy the fiery Spirit that knows neither sluggishness or lethargy but lifts us from glory unto glory (2 Cor. 3:18), with constant renewal and growth in true knowledge. Seventh: to spread the spirit of evangelism and to witness the work of the Holy Trinity in every believer, regardless of age or background, with a spirit of wisdom and discernment. Eighth: to confirm that education, worship, evangelism, and service in all their forms represent different instruments harmonizing to create a symphony of love, which gladdens our God and makes the heavens rejoice, along with the heavenlies and the saints who departed from this world and are yet still members of the One Christian Church. Ninth: to demonstrate that adherence to tradition (that which is delivered) does not imply stagnation and falling under the slavery of the letter; but the spirit. Tenth: to bring the work of the Holy Trinity into contact with every aspect of our lives, so that we recognize the divine presence, even in our dreams, which are not subject to our will.
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Catechism of the Coptic Orthodox Church – Vol. 1 (Fr. Tadros Y. Malaty)
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How did the Church preserve the correct faith through the ages?
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I greatly desired to present a Coptic Orthodox Catechism to reveal our Christian understanding concisely and briefly; particularly because, due to ecclesiastical and political circumstances, our Church was isolated from Western churches in the fifth century A. D. and remained so to a large extent up until the twentieth century, when she was accused by many in the West of adhering to Eutychianism. The Coptic Church, therefore, did not have the opportunity to reveal her true teachings through the writings of her Fathers and her liturgies. Despite the Church’s participation in many international theological conferences in recent years, insisting upon her rejection of Eutychianism, some sources continue to attribute this heresy to our Church, of which the Church is completely innocent and strongly opposes through her liturgies and praises. In a certain dialogue with the Chalcedonian Orthodox Churches, theologians were surprised to observe that the liturgies and praises that we enjoy to the present day lack even the slightest hint of Eutychianism, but rather, positively oppose it in a beautifully Christian manner; especially the daily Theotokias and those of the festal celebrations. Some of the theologians observed that they harmonize with the thought St. Cyril, or that perhaps he was their author. A Greek theologian once asked me whether we use the word “Theotokos” to describe St. Mary and was astonished to learn that it is a term beloved in Coptic texts in every age.
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Catechism of the Coptic Orthodox Church – Vol. 1 (Fr. Tadros Y. Malaty)
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What are the stages of development of Coptic Catechism through the ages?
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It is worth laying out the circumstances through which the Coptic Church has endured, from her foundation till the present day, that we may grasp the truth of her teachings, and benefit from her long experience over twenty centuries. Our Coptic Church has continuously faced persecution since the middle of the first century and until the present time. Thus, Mrs. Butcher, a Professor of History at Oxford University, expressed her amazement when she stated that the endurance of the Copts to this day is one of the wonders of the world. In the eighth century B. C., Isaiah the prophet anticipated the Coptic Church and wrote with the spirit of prophecy of her marvelous beginnings. The Church suffered many persecutions, even from fellow Christians. Such were the persecutions by the Emperors of Constantinople who persecuted her and appointed patriarchs with the power and authority to continually oppress even the monks in their monasteries and deserts, pressuring them to accept the Tome of Leo. We are indeed thankful to God who allowed our Egypt, blessed by Isaiah the prophet, to endure these long-lasting periods of extremely bitter persecution. And yet, they have afforded us opportunities to praise the Crucified One, together with the Apostle Paul, saying, “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me” (Gal. 2:20). A friend once showed me a letter that someone had sent to several influential companies and personalities in America. In it, he asked for their aid to further his missionary work in Egypt, thinking that he would present Christ to the Copts, who, although they produce martyrs, are a dead Church, ignorant of Christ (in his opinion)! We need not defend our Church. For the Day of the Lord is at hand and many simple martyrs, shepherds, and pure theologians will be revealed as a heavenly bride, sitting at the right hand of the King of Kings! The trials that have befallen the Church through the ages have contributed to revealing her living faith, her Orthodox teachings, and the work of the Holy Trinity within her. The Church did not deviate to pursue worldly glories or transient politics, but rather fixed her eyes on the second coming of the Lord on the clouds. Stage 1: Catechism in The Apostolic Age. a. The chief event of the first century was St. Mark the Apostle’s evangelism of Egypt, the land which the Lord Jesus Himself blessed when He took refuge from Herod (Matt. 2:13). St. Mark the Apostle ordained Annianus as bishop of Alexandria. The heart of the Church was preoccupied with preaching the gospel of salvation, and revealing God’s love to all humankind, and not solely to any particular group of people. Christianity began in Egypt with a simple, yet very deep encounter. Annianus the cobbler cried out, saying: “O the One God!” when he pierced his hand with an awl as he repaired St. Mark’s shoes. St. Mark the Apostle healed Annianus’ hand in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Thus, he gave witness regarding the One God whom Annianus invoked, though he did not know Him. St. Mark spoke to him about the God who not only heals our bodies but our entire human nature through Jesus Christ, His incarnate Word. Annianus embraced Christianity, and was St. Mark ordained him as the first bishop of Alexandria. There are two points, here, that I should like to highlight: i. St. Mark did not, at that time, attack Egyptian pagan worship, but on the contrary, he used Annianus’ words, “O the One God,” as the starting point for preaching the Gospel of Truth. His approach resembles that of St. Paul the Apostle in Athens, who said, “the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you” (Acts 17:23). And again, he said, “for in Him we live, and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also His offspring’” (Acts 17:28). The Alexandrian Fathers followed in the footsteps of St. Mark as they preached the unchanging Gospel of Truth to the Egyptians and to the bearers of Hellenic wisdom (the Greeks) in Alexandria. They spoke simply to the simple, and in philosophical language to the philosophers. ii. St. Mark healed Annianus’ wound in the name of the Lord Jesus and seized the opportunity as the starting point for his preaching of the gospel. Therefore, he did not reveal God merely as an idea which a person might believe, but as the Savior who heals all of humanity and saves it. This is the foundational principle of Alexandrian theology until this present day. It is a theology of salvation (soteriology): we do not know God through dry theoretical discussion, but through His saving works, whereby He grants us new knowledge, new life, and immortality. Truly the seed St. Mark planted in our theological soil has produced fruits through the ages. One of those fruits is the close relationship between theological understanding and practical salvation. God bestows knowledge upon us, yet not in isolation from salvation. This is clearly manifest in the theology of St. Clement of Alexandria who presents Jesus Christ as the divine instructor (Paedagogus) and as a physician. He calls Him, “the all-sufficient Physician of humanity.”4 In other words, for St. Clement, our knowledge of God is inseparable from our salvation, as he clearly writes: “It is the will of God that we should attain the knowledge of God, which is our pathway to immortality.”5 Again he writes, “the Word of God became a man, so that you may learn from a man how man may become god.”6 By this we understand why the incarnate Word of God did not speak to us in theological terms, nor lay out for us a formula of Trinitarian faith; but in simplicity, declared the Holy Trinity to us through His saving works. b. At this time, the philosophical School of Alexandria founded by Ptolemy was flourishing, along with the largest library in the East, as well as Jewish schools. It was thus necessary for a Christian School of Alexandria to be established. It was the opinion of St. Jerome that such a school was founded by St. Mark. Many scholars consider it to be the first Christian school in the world. Stage 2: The flourishing of the School of Alexandria in the second century. The writings of the Scholar Athenagoras, Saints Pantaenus and Clement, and the Scholar Origen — the deans of the Catechetical School of Alexandria in the second century — reveal the curricula of the school at that time and its teaching, which included: a. Concern with interpreting the Word of God. Pantaenus wrote a commentary on the whole Bible, although only a few small quotations from it have come down to us. Origen the scholar is considered prince of Biblical interpretation. He divides Biblical interpretation into three methods: i. Allegorical or Symbolic interpretation: He often exaggerated his usage of this method to the extent that he thought that every single word in the Bible has an allegorical meaning. ii. Moral interpretation: the Bible leads us to live in Christ Jesus. iii. Literal or Historical interpretation. We will discuss these three methods of interpretation later and the dangers of overusing any one of them. b. Athenagoras’ Plea for Christians: where he mounts a defense against the accusations levelled against the Christians. In this defense he describes the loftiness of the Christian faith. He used his apologetic writings as an opportunity to preach the faith to the Emperor Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (161–180 A. D.) and his co- emperor and son, Commodus. c. In his discourse regarding the Resurrection of the Dead, Athenagoras used philosophical proofs, since it was addressed to philosophers who rejected the resurrection of the body. d. The principal writings of St. Clement of Alexandria also indicate the School’s curriculum: i. Protrepticus (Exhortation to the Heathen), where the Logos, the “Word of God,” calls humankind to be saved from the clutches of paganism, through faith. Here he highlights the person of Christ as Savior and Guide. ii. Paedagogus (The Instructor or Tutor), where Christ urges believers to live a better life, He being the heavenly Guide leading them to heavenly things. iii. Stromata (Miscellanies), which is incomplete, but in which he stresses that the Christian philosopher can find everything he needs in the Gospel. St. Clement of Alexandria is considered to be among the first to link philosophy to faith. In his view, if God provided the Law to the Jews to lead them to the Savior, so He also provided whatever is true in philosophy to lead the Gentiles to the Savior. In this way, the saint reveals to us the Christian program of evangelism. We ought not to attack others, but in love and wisdom, we should ask God to teach us how to present His Word, which is capable of satisfying souls and elevating them so that they may taste heaven. Stage 3: The Alexandrian Fathers and the age of the ecumenical councils. Whoever studies the first Ecumenical Councils encounters the Alexandrians as Christian thinkers who are heroes of faith and leading thinkers on an ecumenical level. The School of Alexandria played an important role in supporting the leaders of the Church of Alexandria as well as those among the congregation who were passionate about the orthodoxy of the faith and about witnessing to the Gospel of Christ at every opportunity. The Church of Alexandria was not concerned with engaging in temporal politics. Alexandria lived within the Roman Empire, under the rule of Rome, and after that, under the rule of Byzantium, until the conquest of Egypt by the Arabs. What supported them was their spiritual, pious, theological, and biblical focus. The School of Alexandria, with its strength of spirit, deep theological thought, and biblical studies, was the secret behind the strength of the Alexandrian Fathers. The Alexandrian Fathers did not covet positions of power for personal benefit. Rather, it was the opening up of their hearts full of divine love and the depth of their studies that attracted many people to the School of Alexandria, and to the Egyptian deserts, where they learned their theology and were trained in the ascetic life under the guidance of the monks of Egypt. Since the dawn of Christianity, the Copts were known for their zeal for the orthodox faith, and they played a positive role in resolving many theological issues, both in the East and the West. They did not interfere in the problems of other Churches, nor did they intrude upon them; but with a spirit of love and unity, and through genuinely fraternal relations, they were invited to resolve such problems, or responded through the exchange of messages. When the emperors accepted the Christian faith and the waves of persecution calmed down, heretics found abundant opportunities to spread their dangerous thought; particularly Arius, Nestorius, Eutyches, and Apollinaris, etc. It became necessary for the Alexandrian Fathers to play their positive role in the patient efforts to restore the heretics to the true faith; though, not at the expense of the Church’s biblical faith. Therefore, the Alexandrian Church participated in the three ecumenical councils. a) The First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea in 325 AD. Here, the four sees of Jerusalem, Antioch, Rome, and Alexandria opposed the heresy of Arius, which denied the divinity of the Lord Christ. The council introduced the creed referred to by most scholars as the “Athanasian Creed,“ referring to Pope Athanasius the Apostolic of Alexandria. Most recent modern catechisms highlight this creed and summarize it for the general public and for the new generations, as well as for the scholars. “From a very early stage, the Church of Alexandria appreciated the value of the theological contributions of St. Athanasius to the definition and formulation of the content of the faith, and the preservation of the apostolic tradition received by the Church from the disciples of the Lord Himself; and, in fact, his ‘unconquerable and apostolic knowledge,’ as St. Cyril of Alexandria described him. The high esteem of the twentieth Pope of Alexandria is evident from the fact that the Church describes him in her liturgical texts as ‘the apostolic’.”10 I have written elsewhere about Pope Athanasius and Arianism, and the testimony of Western scholars regarding him. b) The Second Ecumenical Council of Constantinople in 381 A. D. The second council focused on the heresy of Macedonius, Patriarch of Constantinople, who claimed that the Holy Spirit is created. The council also looked into the heresy of Apollinaris who, in defending the divinity of Christ, thought that the Word took flesh without a human soul. He thought that the human soul has a distinct human will, and thus Christ had two wills: the divine will and the human will, meaning that He was two persons. Pope Timothy of Alexandria, along with Nectarius, Patriarch of Constantinople; Gregory the Theologian, and Gregory of Nyssa took part in this council. The historian Sozomen mentioned that the number of bishops who participated was around 150 bishops, led by Timothy, the bishop of the See of Alexandria. c) The Third Ecumenical Council of Ephesus The third council was held in the year 431 A. D. under the leadership of St. Cyril of Alexandria. Two hundred bishops participated in it to try Nestorius, who employed the term Christotokos (mother or giver of birth to Christ) to the Virgin Mary, thus differentiating the human Jesus born from Mary from the Son of God who dwelt in him. He thought that there were two distinct persons in Christ: the son of Mary and the Son of God. These two persons were not united essentially or hypostatically, but merely morally or in character. Thus, Christ is not to be called God but “Theophorus” or “God-bearer,” just as we would call the saints because of the work of divine grace in them. As a result, Mary is not the mother of God, but the mother of the human Jesus in whom the divinity dwelt. Nestorius and his followers criticized the Magi for their worship of the Child Jesus and held that His divinity was parted from Him at the moment of crucifixion. What impact did the three Councils have on the Catechism of the Christian Sees or the Universal Church? All the apostolic Churches — whether Orthodox Chalcedonians, non-Chalcedonians or the Roman Catholic Church — consider these three ecumenical councils as being responsible for clarifying the faith, especially with regard to the Holy Trinity; and for the defense against many of the heresies that appeared in this period. Although there were some small disputes over the language of some expressions, these councils carried on their discussions in a spirit of love and holy zeal for the faith. As for the Council of Chalcedon in the year 451 A. D., some apostolic Churches hold that it did not introduce anything new, but only explained and clarified the first three ecumenical councils. Our unofficial and official dialogues with the apostolic Chalcedonian Orthodox Churches and the Catholic Church in the late twentieth century brought more openness. All of them came to realize that we are not Eutychians as they had thought; that is, we do not proclaim that His humanity was annihilated within His divinity. Thus, we achieved positive results together with our Orthodox Chalcedonian brethren. I recall, for example, that in the first official meeting between the two families, the Chalcedonians refused to call us “Orthodox,” insisting instead on referring to us as the “Ancient Eastern Churches.” After discussions filled with love, the following occurred: First: After many years of dialogue with a Greek theologian, I asked him: “Do you remember the day when you refused to call us Orthodox?” He smiled and said: “We feel a sense of unity with you, perhaps even more than that which we feel among ourselves, between Orthodox Chalcedonians.” Second: A well-known priest and dear friend took the initiative of supervising the doctoral thesis for some of Copts in England. He would answer every person who accused St. Dioscorus with heresy by saying: “I have the proceedings of the Council of Chalcedon in the Greek language. They witness to the fact that this St. Dioscorus was not accused of heresy, but of insulting the Pope of Rome.” Third: When the two Orthodox families opened up in the spirit of mutual love, whenever this father would walk by, some Chalcedonians would whisper to one another that the defender of the Coptic Church had come. Fourth: I remember that in the spirit of love, after the convening of one of the sessions with the two families, a Greek Professor, Dr. Phidas, returned to his university in Greece and asked his Coptic students to stand. And he said before all the students, “I am proud of the Copts, and I rejoice that they study with us. They have a special place in my heart.” In our recent conferences and gatherings we have lived and experienced a spirit of love and unity, whether in our practical work or our spiritual aspect. Stage 4: The Council of Chalcedon and Coptic catechism. In the second half of the twentieth century, God granted to many a passion for unity between the Churches, on the basis of sincere love and the orthodox teaching. A group of scholars from the Chalcedonian and non-Chalcedonian parties undertook to study the proceedings of the sessions of the Council of Chalcedon. In our yearning for sincere love in Christ Jesus, while holding fast to the orthodoxy of our faith, we will not talk of the stance the Pope of Rome took against the Pope of Alexandria. The Popes of Alexandria played a leading role in the first three ecumenical councils and were well-respected by the emperors, while the Popes of Rome were content with only sending delegates and sometimes sending no one. Nonetheless, the See of Rome cherishes the first three ecumenical councils. The dialogue between the Churches prompted me to present our theology by publishing relevant articles and books both in English and Arabic, including: a. The Terms Physis and Hypostasis in the Early Church. b. Christology (The Nature of Christ).15 c. I devoted a chapter to St. Dioscorus in the book The Coptic Orthodox Church as a Church of Erudition & Theology. An Indian theologian published his doctoral thesis in English in which he re-evaluates the Council of Chalcedon. It has also been translated into Arabic. He quotes excerpts from certain Orthodox Chalcedonian and Western scholars and churchmen who argue that certain expressions found in the Tome of Leo could be understood as leaning towards Nestorianism, if read in isolation. I am not really concerned, here, with broadly defending the Coptic and Syrian Churches from the persecution they suffered in being placed under the authority of Melkite (i.e., appointed by the emperor) patriarchs, who were also given secular powers to persecute the George’s Coptic Orthodox Church, Sporting, Alexandria, 1986): ch. 14. faithful, leading to many being killed. Rather, it will suffice to present an extremely concise rectification of the accusations levelled against St. Dioscorus. St. Dioscorus and Eutyches: Eutyches was an archimandrite and the abbot of a monastery in Constantinople with about three hundred monks under his guidance. He was an old ascetic, gifted with eloquence of speech; but he was not a true theologian. He played a significant role in the split that occurred in the Church in the fifth century. Eutyches enjoyed great fame throughout the see of Constantinople: within monastic circles, the imperial court, and among the people. This was due to his intelligence, eloquence, his ascetic life, and his close relationship with the emperor, especially through his relative Chrysaphius, the chief minister. In reality, Eutyches represented neither Alexandrian theology nor Antiochian theology. His extreme zeal against the Nestorianism that was rife in this region, and his defense of the Alexandrian formula led him to another heresy: he fell into the error of saying that there were two natures before the union; but only one nature after it, for the divine nature absorbed the human nature, and the latter ceased to be. It is not difficult for any scholar to discover the character of Eutyches and his theology by simply reading his responses during his trials at the councils of Ephesus in 448 and A. D. He was not by nature a theologian and he was largely ignorant of the system of Alexandrian theology. He would sometimes use orthodox expressions that contradict his main ideas. Perhaps this was because his theological understanding was shaky, or perhaps he intended to deceive, or perhaps he feared losing his fame, position, or priesthood. Eutyches’ appeal to the emperor and bishops: Leo, the bishop of Rome wrote to Eutyches, lauding his zeal in defending against Nestorian dualism. At the same time, he wrote to Flavian, urging him to be kind to Eutyches. But Leo later changed his mind, perhaps when he heard that the emperor had written to St. Dioscorus, the pope of Alexandria, inviting him to convene a council to discuss this matter. Leo, who had no real knowledge of the nature of the conflict between Alexandrian and Antiochian Christology, sent his tome (letter) to Constantinople on June, 449 A. D.; not to reconcile the parties, but to undermine the position of the Alexandrian theologians. The Second Council of Ephesus in 449 A. D.: Emperor Theodosius II, who convened the council, appointed Dioscorus to preside over the council, and appointed Juvenal of Jerusalem and Thalassius of Caesarea in Cappadocia to co-preside with him. St. Dioscorus did not say one word against Rome from the beginning of the council to its end. Leo, in his letters, refers to our pope as the “Egyptian Murderer” and the “Teacher of Satan’s Falsehoods” who always tries his best to spread blasphemy against his brethren. We George’s Coptic Orthodox Church, Sporting, Alexandria, 1986): ch. 14, pp. 115–146. will see how Anatolius of Constantinople and others refused to call the Pope of Alexandria a heretic. Some scholars have been in the habit of attributing violence to the Alexandrian fathers and theologians, even to Athanasius and Cyril. St. Dioscorus and the Council of Chalcedon: although the Council of Chalcedon was thought to have been convened to try Eutyches, in the event, its attention turned to attacking Pope Dioscorus of Alexandria, rather than the old monk. Eutyches was not even present at the council, having been exiled to north Syria before the council met. In fact, Dioscorus was condemned not because of any theological heresy, but due to political circumstances which dominated this council. The Greek Professor Fr. Romanides says, “Dioscorus was considered quite orthodox in his faith by such leading Fathers of the Council of Chalcedon as those represented by Anatolius of Constantinople.”19 Metropolitan Methodios of Aksum also says, “Information, which we possess, does not depict Dioscorus as a heretic. From available information it is obvious that he was a good man and even Bishop Leo himself tried to take him to his side … Likewise Emperor Theodosius in a letter to Dioscorus calls him a man who radiates the Grace of God, a humble man and of orthodox faith. “Several times in the course of the Council Patriarch Dioscorus declared his faith. He was not condemned because he was heretical but because he refused to communicate with Leo, the Archbishop, and because he refused to come to the Council although he was invited to do so three times. “This evidence is sufficient for us to look for other reasons for Dioscorus’ condemnation. Rome was annoyed by the extraordinary vitality of the Church of Alexandria and its active Patriarch.”20 The emperor accepted the council’s decision and exiled Pope Dioscorus to the island of Gangra in Asia Minor. He remained in exile for five years, occupying his time in guiding the lost and healing the sick. He departed to the glorious realm in the year 457 A. D. What impact did the Council of Chalcedon have on the catechism of the Church? a. The rise of strong theologians, such as Philoxenus of Mabbug, Pope Timothy, and the great teacher St. Severus of Antioch, who preserved the orthodoxy of the faith. Fr. Methodios Fouyas (Athens, 1985): p. 15. Meyendorff says of them that there was no theologian on the Chalcedonian side who could match them. b. Because of this council, Antioch was deprived of its patriarch St. Severus who fled and hid in Egypt for twenty years. Similarly, Pope Benjamin was forced to flee from Alexandria until the Arabs conquered Egypt, and they sent him a letter that assured him he was safe to return to his throne. c. The Church of Alexandria suffered bitter persecution at the hands of their fellow Christians, which forbade its congregation, servants, and churchmen to a great extent from carrying out their pastoral and teaching services, despite their best efforts to serve even as they fled the persecution of their brethren. The Melkites hunted down even the monks in their monasteries and the hermits, to employ all the tools of violence against them. Stage 5: From the seventh to the ninth centuries. Different Muslim governments employed different approaches. The more extreme used violence to expel Copts from government positions, confiscate the property of Copts, and force them to use the Arabic language, banning the use of any other language, whether spoken or written. They also carried out massacres against them as well as isolating them from the outside world, to the extent that the continued survival of the Copts until today was considered by Mrs. Butcher of Oxford University as one of the wonders of the world. Such conditions impelled the Church to carefully preserve her doctrines, traditions, and rites from any deviations. Stage 6: From the tenth to the fifteenth centuries. It is in the tenth century A. D. that the first Coptic writings in the Arabic language emerge, authored by Severus Ibn al-Muqaffa, Bishop of Ashmunein. Some manuscripts attribute a book entitled, “The Precious Pearl in the Clarification of Religious Dogma,” to Ibn al- Muqaffa, while others attribute it to the bishop Boulos Al-Boushy (thirteenth century), whose writings were influenced by St. Athanasius. This book contains fifteens chapters on the doctrine of the Church. The author quotes the Holy Bible and excerpts from the Fathers to elucidate themes such as the Holy Trinity, the incarnation, and the Holy Spirit. In it, we find the name of Athanasius the Apostolic mentioned sixteen times with quotations from him. The theological importance of this valuable book is evident in the fact that it was copied several times in various languages, of which thirty-one manuscripts have survived and are preserved in the libraries of the world, both East and the West. The thirteenth-century A. D. is considered the golden age of Arabic Coptic Christian literature. In this century, more authors emerged than any century before it, or the two centuries after it. This was due to the state of calmness, stability, and peace in which the Church lived at the end of the era of the Ayyubid dynasty (1171–1250), in which freedom of speech was permitted and in which opportunities for dialogue increased, whether in the political or religious arenas. Among the most important Coptic authors whose various works contributed to the formation and enrichment of the Arabic Christian heritage is the bishop, Boulos Al-Boushy. He was nominated for the patriarchal throne after the departure of Pope Youannis VI, the seventy-fourth patriarch (1189–1216). He authored many fine works on biblical commentary, doctrine, apologetics, and on ecclesiastical and pastoral matters. Perhaps one of the most famous events of this period was the Crusades (between the eleventh and thirteenth centuries). Unfortunately, many Muslims assumed that the Copts supported the European Crusaders, since they bore the same sign of the cross; yet the Crusaders themselves treated the Copts as enemies because they were Egyptians. Stage 7: From the sixteenth to the twentieth centuries. Perhaps the most famous historical events of this period were: a. The French campaign and British colonialism: Despite the brevity of the French campaign (it lasted three years and eighteen days), it presented an offensive image of Christianity to both Muslims and Christians. Muslims did not trust Napoleon Bonaparte and felt that he deceived them by sending them a letter committing him to defend Islam. He also arrayed himself in Arabic clothes and his whole body trembled as he recited Islamic supplications. Also, Kléber renounced his Christian faith to marry a Muslim girl! The prime goal of the campaign, as Bonaparte stated, was “to break the British hold over in the East.” Some believe that this campaign helped develop modern Egypt. Napoleon Bonaparte created councils and agencies composed of the leading scientists, businessmen, and religious representatives to advise on public affairs. Also, Bonaparte was the first to introduce system of political representation in Egypt. The French worked to improve Egypt’s capital. They built many wide well-designed roads in the city, planted trees by the sides of the roads, and required inhabitants to provide street illumination by night. They filled in Lake ‘Ezbekeya Lake and stopped any further burials in its cemetery, instead issuing an order that all burials must be at some distance from the city, for health reasons. Napoleon came to Egypt with a group of scientists and thinkers to excavate its hidden monuments and study their unknown mysteries. This revived the interest of the Egyptians themselves in this field. A violent upheaval occurred in the country which produced an independence movement whose features took form during the era of Mohammad Ali and came to maturity in the era of Ismael Pasha. With regards to British colonization, there were many Coptic personalities who expended great efforts to express Coptic the patriotism of the Copts. As for the impact of both campaigns on the Coptic Catechism: Many French and British schools were founded; and as a result, many rich Coptic and Muslim families were able to speak French more proficiently than Arabic. In addition, government-run schools introduced the English language to the High school curriculum and many private companies started using English in addition to Arabic in their advertisements. The door was also opened for Catholic and Evangelical Protestant missionaries to enter Egypt. Some Coptic scholars rose to the challenge by writing expositions of Orthodox theology. In response to these attacks on the Church’s doctrines and rites, an apologetic theology was born. b. Habib Girgis (1876–1951): A number of personalities, both lay and clergy, drove a powerful reform movement. Among these, Archdeacon Habib Girgis stands out most prominently. Habib Girgis was a thinker, scholar, theologian, author, and pioneer in the field of religious education. Born in ‘Ezbekeya, Cairo, he attended the Coptic school in Haret Elsakayeen. He was one of the first students to enroll at the Coptic Seminary in after it was reopened by Pope Cyril V in 1892 and he graduated in 1898. He was appointed as a lecturer in Theology there on May, 1899, at the young age of 23 years old; then Dean of the Seminary on September, 1918. He introduced evening classes at the seminary in 1945 to enable university graduates with work commitments to attend. He was a renowned preacher, started the Sunday School movement and wrote its first curriculum, trained its teachers, and organized conferences for them. He was chosen to be the general secretary of the Sunday School Committee in 1927. He published Al Karma (The Vine), a weekly magazine (1904–1930). He was very well respected and trusted by four patriarchs: Pope Cyril V (the 112th Patriarch); Pope Youannis XIX (the 113th Patriarch); Pope Macarius III (the 114th Patriarch); and Pope Yousab II (the 115th Patriarch). He acted as an adviser to the patriarchs, especially Pope Cyril V. He was nominated to become a bishop on three different occasions, and once, to become the pope. He was a member of the Holy Synod due to his experience as an Archdeacon and his long service in the areas of education and religious instruction. He succeeded in introducing the teaching of Christian religion to Christians in government schools. He published twenty-six books and many hymns. He also prepared books for children and prayers for different occasions. One of his books was: “Practical Reforms in the Orthodox Church.” Pope Cyril V urged his metropolitans and bishops to select the priests they ordain for their dioceses from among the graduates of the seminary. Stage 8: From the revolution of July, 1952. God allowed for this period to be full of hardships that we may see God's work. These were among its events: a. At the beginning of Gamal Abd-El Nasser's reign as president, he persecuted the Christians. So, His Holiness Pope Cyril VI went to the presidential palace, but the president refused to meet him. But God intervened, and the two developed an amazing friendship. The president would publicly address him as “my father” with all love and humility until the day he died. b. Pope Cyril VI was by character simple, possessed of the spirit of worship and piety. The God of glory used him for the salvation of many, both inside and outside of Egypt. Fr. Daniel Fanous, the Dean of St Cyril‘s Theological College in Sydney, Australia, wrote his PhD thesis on this saint and his theology, and it has been published as a book. c. One month after Pope Shenouda III was placed under house arrest at a monastery, and the imprisonment of seven bishops, a khouri episkopos, twenty four priests, and just under one hundred laymen, a Muslim extremists assassinated President Anwar Sadat. Those imprisoned had charges laid against them in preparation for their trials. The congregation voiced their love for their Church and their esteem for those who had been imprisoned. d. During the last years of the reign of President Hosni Mubarak, there was not a week that went by without a terrorist attack on the Church. An agency that monitors the persecution of Christians all over the world ranked Egypt at the top of its list of countries that persecute Christians. However, the powerful hand of God was manifest as Mubarak’s throne was taken away from him. e. Morsi then came to power and imagined could destroy the Church; but he was ousted and imprisoned after only one year since becoming president. The leaders of the Church were often accused of treason against their country simply because they participated in international Christian conferences. In brief, the Church never enjoyed freedom to move; but God has always preserved her orthodox faith, that she might work with all her strength to witness to divine truth. Stage 9: The beginning of the immigration movement and spread of the Copts around the world since 1968. As a result of the suffering experienced by the Copts during the previous period, many were impelled to immigrate to America, Canada, Australia, and Europe. I must confess personally that my colleagues in the Church and I considered immigration to be a way of escaping from carrying the cross. However, Pope Cyril VI often stated that these families and immigrants were sent by God to the diaspora to spread the gospel of Christ. There are many needs for the Church to fulfill, which I have spoken about on more than one occasion, especially in especially in my book, “The Memoirs of a Priest in the Land of the Diaspora” in two volumes. Now, after over half a century of the immigration movement, I feel the need to record “The Catechism of the Orthodox Church.”
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What are the basic principles of catechism in the Coptic Orthodox Church?
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It is fitting for us as believers to benefit from the experience of our fathers through the stages of catechism over the centuries, that we may live with a spiritual, living, Biblical mindset in every aspect of our lives; whether in our study of the Holy Bible, our practice of the truly evangelical life, or in our daily conduct; even our eating and drinking, our worship in the spirit of truth, and our service for every person we meet, even if we do not know them personally, and in our conversations with believers and nonbelievers. St. Clement of Alexandria describes the life of the Christian believer in his book The Instructor (Paedagogus). He explains that our faith in Christ must be translated into action. We live in Christ Jesus when we walk alongside the elderly whose movement is slow and when we walk alongside the young who are quick in their movements; in our smile and our refraining from inappropriate laughter; in our observance of table manners as those in the conscious presence of God; in our sleep …so the believer lives as an ambassador of Christ in all matters, whether they seem important or trivial. And he does all this without either the literalism that kills or tedious routine. In all of this, there are two important considerations: our hearts should be inflamed with love for the Lord Christ while we await His swift coming on the clouds to take us into His heavenly bridal chamber; and we should also be constantly occupied with the salvation of the whole world, even of those who have fallen into what we may deem serious crimes or impure sins!
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What are the most important practical principles of catechism?
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First: it is appropriate for us to present whatever we are able—together with our evangelist, St. Mark the Apostle—of the Lord of Glory, who is the heavenly Physician; Savior of souls; healer of the soul, intellect, emotions, senses, and every activity of the body. I am reminded of someone who made every effort for a long time to attract a friend to the Gospel of Christ. The friend finally agreed to go to church to listen to a famous preacher. That evening, the church’s priest called him to ask about the sermon he had attended. His response was: “I could barely tolerate listening to him for ten minutes and I left because I was internally resenting the world and its hardships. This preacher incessantly attacked me, and I could not bear to hear his voice any longer!” We should instead present our Christ to wounded souls in a way that allows them to be touched by His love. Second: The Gospel should be manifested through our behavior, worship, and dialogue with others as an “exhilarating message of good news for the soul.” We present it in the manner of the School of Alexandria, through spiritual interpretation of the Holy Bible, as an invitation to encounter God, the One who fills the heart with joy; without setting aside the historical or moral interpretation of scripture; nor excessively employing this approach to scriptural interpretation. I remember a man who worked with a British atheist for two weeks in Egypt. As the Briton prepared to return to his country, he said to the man, “this is the first time I have met a religious person who speaks to me with love and does not scorn me because I am an atheist. I felt comfortable with many of your words, even though I cannot not agree with everything you said. I have decided in my heart to reconsider my life and my principles. I will never forget your words.” Through this relationship, this British atheist tasted the gospel of Love in his heart. This approach is also found in the words of St. Isaac the Syrian, who affirms that defending the truth without love transforms truth into violence and hatred. So also, if love does not yearn for everyone to walk in truth, it is rendered impotent. Third: The Ecumenical Councils gave us practical pattern for dialogue, whether between believers, or with heretics. Two of the greatest leaders who conducted such dialogues were SS. Athanasius the Apostolic and Cyril the Great. St. Athanasius held that where there is unity of thought, we must not allow disagreements over terminology to divide us from each other. And St. Cyril, in defending the one nature of God the Logos incarnate, which Nestorius sought to divide, wrote to him affirming his love for him even though he could not accept his errors. Both saints strove with all their strength to preserve the unity of the universal Church, in a spirit of sincere love and sound faith. Fourth: We preach the Gospel of Christ and not any particular culture. When the Church preached the gospel in Ethiopia in the fourth century, it respected and preserved the local Ethiopian culture. Coptic writings were translated into Amharic. The Ethiopians had musical instruments, tunes, and icons that express the richness of their culture. They developed their own liturgies. Those who ministered to the Word in Ethiopia were committed to preserving Ethiopian culture. It was not the role of the Coptic Church to replace Ethiopian culture with Coptic culture. Rather, every believer ought to value the work of the Holy trinity and to express in his own culture. Fifth: in order to effectively witness to his gospel, the Christian needs to exhibit the value of the Gospel in his own daily life, through divine grace. We may cite, for example, the words of the historian Yacoub Nakhla Rufayla: “among those who rose to fame from among the Copts during the Ayyubid dynasty were personalities possessed of education and learning (knowledge). They assumed high positions, earned titles of honor and distinction, and had their names recorded in both the Coptic and Muslim histories. [Here he lists the names of more than twenty personalities, together with their many talents, writings, and positions, whether in society or in the Church]. And there are many more such clergymen and laypeople whose names this limited space will not allow us to mention. All these various works, authored by the scholars and dignitaries of the Coptic community, those who lived before them and those who emerged after them; have survived in their own handwriting … “The Fatimid Caliphates and Ayyubid Kings deserve to be commended for granting the Copts the freedom to defend their religion. As a result, they produced a substantial and extensive literature in which they proved the correctness of their beliefs and religion with conclusive arguments.” The historian concludes his exposition thus: “The Copts could have improved their situation further and progressed further in science and knowledge if their elders and scholars, (especially those living in the capital), were not preoccupied most of the time with internal rivalries and quarrels. They cared more for their personal ambitions than they did for the common good.”26 The original Arabic quote is taken from the second Arabic edition, 2000: pp. 183–189.
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What is faith?
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“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Heb. 11:1). What we hope for, though it is not seen with the physical eye, is yet a present reality. Indeed, we do not touch it physically, but we experience it spiritually, and it generates peace, joy, and rejoicing in the soul. St. Cyril of Jerusalem says, “Faith is an eye that enlightens every conscience, and imparts understanding; for the Prophet says, And if you do not believe, you shall not understand (Isa. 7:9 LXX).”28 And St. Augustine says, “What is faith but to believe what you do not see?... The reward of faith is to see what you believe in. We can believe only when we want to. Do not seek to understand that you may believe, but to believe that you may understand.”29
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What is the importance of faith for unbelievers?
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St. Cyril of Jerusalem says, “Nor is it only among us, who bear the name of Christ, that the dignity of faith is great: but likewise all things that are accomplished in the world, even by those who are aliens from the Church,30 are accomplished by faith. By faith the laws of marriage yoke together those who have lived as strangers: and be- cause of the faith in marriage contracts a stranger is made partner of a stranger’s person and possessions. By faith husbandry also is sustained, for he who believes not that he shall receive a harvest endures not the toils. By faith sea-faring men, trusting to the thinnest plank, exchange that most solid element, the land, for the restless motion of the waves, committing themselves to uncertain hopes, and carrying with them a faith more sure than any anchor. By faith therefore most of men’s affairs are held together: and not among us only has there been this belief, but also, as I have said, among those who are without. For if they receive not the John E. Rotelle (New City Press, 1990): pp. 239–243. Scriptures, but bring forward certain doctrines of their own, even these they accept by faith.”32
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Is it necessary to believe in the existence of God?
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The Bible says, “God is love” (1 John 4:8). With His love, He wills to be very close to us, to make us one with Him, to dwell in our souls, and to give us the ability to share His glory, and not be preoccupied with philosophical arguments, but rather draw us to Himself, as a father attracts his children. In him we find the source of life, immortality, eternal pleasure, and glory. St. Athanasius wrote that “the contemplation of God, and the Word (Logos) which is from Him, suffice to nourish those who hear, and stand to them in place of all food. For the angels are not otherwise sustained than by beholding at all times the face of the Father, and of the Savior who is in heaven.”33
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Do we challenge the devil by faith?
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When Adam and Eve deviated from faith and accepted the advice of the devil, the Garden of Eden turned for them into a place of terror, and the two were deprived of the sweetness of fellowship with God! By believing in the Crucified, the gates of Paradise are opened, that we might see heaven welcoming us and anticipating our eternal wedding day! The word of God bears witness to this, as the Apostle Paul says, “Without faith it is impossible to please him” (Heb. 11:6). St. Cyril of Jerusalem says, “Faith stopped the mouths of lions, as in Daniel’s case: for the Scripture says concerning him, that Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no injury whatever was found on him, because he believed in his God (Dan. 6:23). Is there anything more fearful than the devil? Yet even against him we have no other shield than faith (1 Pet. 1:9), an impalpable shield against an unseen foe. For he sends forth various arrows, and shoots down in the dark night (Ps. 11:2) those that watch not; but, since the enemy is unseen, we have faith as our strong armour, according to the saying of the Apostle, above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one (Eph. 6:16). A fiery dart of desire of base indulgence is often shot forth from the devil: but faith, suggesting a picture of the judgment, cools down the mind, and quenches the dart.”34
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How was Abraham, the father of the fathers, armed?
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St. Cyril of Jerusalem says, “though [Abraham] did many things well, yet he was never called the friend of God, except when he believed … In like manner, therefore, as he was justified, you also shall be justified. In his body he was already dead in regard to offspring, and Sarah his wife was now old, and there was no hope left of having children … [Abraham] heeded not the weakness of his body, but the power of Him who promised, because he counted Him faithful who had promised (Heb. 11:11–12), and so beyond all expectation received the child from bodies that were, as it were, already dead. And when, after he had gained his son, he was commanded to offer him up, although he had heard the word, in Isaac your seed shall be called (Gen. 21:12; 22:2), he proceeded to offer up his son, his only son, to God, believing that God is able to raise up even from the dead (Heb. 11:19). And having bound his son, and laid him on the wood, he intended to offer him, but by the goodness of God in delivering to him a lamb instead of his child, he received his son alive.”35
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How was Peter armed while on the water?
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St. Cyril of Jerusalem says, “For so great is the strength of faith, as even to buoy men up in walking on the sea. Peter was a man like ourselves, made up of flesh and blood, and living on the same food. But when Jesus said, Come (Matt. 14:29), he believed, and walked upon the waters, and found his faith safer upon the waters than any ground; and his heavy body was upheld by the buoyancy of his faith. But though he had safe footing over the water as long as he believed, yet when he doubted, at once he began to sink: for as his faith gradually relaxed, his body also was drawn down with it. And when He saw his distress, Jesus who remedies the distresses of our souls, said, O you of little faith, why did you doubt? (Matt. 14:31). And being nerved again by Him who grasped his right hand, he had no sooner recovered his faith, than, led by the hand of the Master, he resumed walking upon the waters.”36
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Did God send the law to prepare us to believe in it?
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When humans refused to listen to the voice of the natural that declares God as Creator and lover of mankind, God provided the written law through Moses so that we might realize our need for faith in the Savior. He also sent his prophets to prepare the way for the Incarnate Word. The incarnate Son of God came to manifest to us the divine mysteries. The Apostle Paul says, “God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son” (Heb. 1:1–2).
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Does faith abolish the gift of reason?
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God created us to be rational beings, not irrational beasts. And He reveals His Self and His works to us, not to abolish our minds, but to exalt them, so that our human nature accepts Him and come to know His mysteries. God spoke to Moses “as a man speaks to his friend” (Ex. 33:11), and He longs to enter into a dialogue with every believer. St. Clement of Alexandria affirms that Christianity exalts the human mind and does not abolish it, but rather increases it in wisdom. He makes it clear that human knowledge is necessary to understand the Holy Scriptures, but not without God's help. “… the soul is raised to God: trained in the true philosophy, it speeds to its kindred above, turning away from the lusts of the body, and besides these, from toil and fear.”38 He says, “A noble hymn of God is an immortal man, established in righteousness, in whom the oracles of truth are engraved. For where but in a soul that is wise can you write truth?”39
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What does faith ask of the Lord Christ?
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Many ask for miracles from the Lord Christ. He came down to us so that we may know Him and ask Him to dwell in us. Pope Cyril the Great says, “This, however, we must carefully notice, that God does not excite an empty astonishment or vain wondering, but that such things are far from the divine Substance, which is free from pride and boasting, and altogether true, for the sole good and safety of mankind. And this I say, that no one may expect from sacred faith and the divine power useless changes, for instance, of the elements, or the removal of mountains and plants … Let the thing be but useful for some real benefit, and the power will not be wanting.”40 And St. Clement of Alexandria says, “Receive Christ, receive sight, receive thy light, ‘In order that you may know well both God and man’ (Iliad, v. 128). ‘Sweet is the Word that gives us light, precious above gold and gems; it is to be desired above honey and the honey- comb’ (Ps. 19:10).”41 He also says, “For each one by itself does not express God; but all together are indicative of the power of the Omnipotent … It remains that we understand, then, the Unknown, by divine grace, and by the word alone that proceeds from Him.”42 And St. Augustine says, “Christ dwells in you by faith. Where faith is present, Christ is present; where faith is awake, Christ is awake; where faith sleeps, Christ sleeps … Arise and stir yourself. Say, Lord, we are perishing!”43
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What did Moses ask of God in his first meeting with Him when He called him to serve?
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When God called Moses to be the first leader of God's people in the Old Testament, Moses asked of Him to know his name. God revealed His name to him as a representative of the people, and that name announced to him that his name is “Jehovah,” which means, “I AM.” What does the expression “I AM” mean? It means that He exists, working on behalf of his chosen people, unlike the Greek religions, which often looked to God’s existence as being far above the affairs of the world.
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Why is God called Theos?
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G. L. Prestige says that some early Church Fathers, such as Clement and Dionysius of Alexandria, followed Herodotus in linking theos meaning “god” and thentes, meaning “management.” St. Clement says, “For God is called Θεός [theos], from θέσις ([thesis] placing), and order or arrangement.”46 This is in contrast to Aristotle who said that God is the first mover, who moved the world and left it to natural laws. We believe that God is infinite love, the movement of His love emanating from within Him through the eternal relationship of the Holy Trinity. God’s love for His creation has revealed the world, and this love still operates, and continues even after the second coming of Christ. The Alexandrian Fathers strongly affirm that God, who is incomprehensible, cares for the human being through his unique love, because the kingdom of his heavenly love is established in the depths of the human soul: “for indeed, the kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:21). The power of God is that love that is always in motion. Pope Athanasius says, “but God is self-existent, enclosing all things, and enclosed by none; within all things according to His own goodness and power, yet outside all things in His proper nature.”47
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Why do some people reject faith?
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In a meeting with a certain fellow, a leader of a group that denies the existence of God, he told me: “Many call us atheists. We believe in the extraordinary power of human thought. But we reject belief in God for the following reasons: “a. We reject the existence of an invisible being that controls human life, demands what is not within our power, and threatens us with eternal punishments; this is what some religious people portray under the name of ‘God.’ There is no spirit of love apparent in their portrayal. Some find belief in God offensive because of this disfigured image of the fatherhood of God; even for young children, where the family, the priest, or the servant present Him as an extremely strict judge, nit-picking for errors, and ignoring our weaknesses. On the other hand, the parent or the leader who conveys the spirit of love attracts souls to God, of whom it is said: ‘God is love.’ “b. We have no need for faith in things that cannot be seen or touched. “c. With regard to the behavior of religious people, we refuse to associate with any particular group that includes people who belittle those who do not accept their faith, and who argue with them in a spirit of arrogance.” I recall in 1971 in Los Angeles, a young woman walked into church around midnight together with a group of young people. I asked her about her relationship with God, and she said to me: “And who is God?” I answered her: “He is our Father and your Father.” She said: “What does it mean that He is our Father?” And when I suggested that it was like her own actual father, she replied that she did not know where either he or her mother lived; nor did she want to know where they lived. She had never tasted fatherhood or motherhood from her parents, nor marital love between her parents. So, she was incapable of tasting the love of God, and faith in Him no longer had any place in her heart. I asked her about her life, and she answered frankly before all present that she lived with her boyfriend. I asked her: “Are you thinking of marrying him?” She replied: “I am enjoying a period of amusement, dancing, and drunkenness with him, but I will replace him with someone else after a few months.” I asked her: “Are you happy?” She answered frankly, “It might appear that I live a life full of happiness. Some may count me the happiest person on the face of the earth. But the truth is that I am desperately miserable, because the life of entertainment in all its manifestations does not give me inner satisfaction, or peace, or security, or true joy.” This is the harvest that some of us receive from our sons and daughters because the family does not convey the icon of heaven. Here is the true story of a young man who lived in Alexandria in 1972: This young man was a senior high school student. He snatched up a bible and threw it on the ground, and said in front of all those present: “If there is God, then let Him stop me from trampling on this bible!” His fellow Christians took him to the Church of our Lady, the Virgin Mary in the suburb of Moharam Bek. He spat on her icon, and said to them, “If the Virgin Mary is present, let her wipe the spit from the icon.” His fellow students asked me to visit him. So I did indeed go, together with servant who is a deacon. When the young man’s father opened the door and saw me, he exclaimed, “Rescue me, or I will die because of my only son! Prove to him that God exists.” Quietly I asked him to calm down, and told him that I would talk to his son. The father asked that I conduct the discussion with his son in his presence and that of the boy’s mother. I took hold of the son’s hand, and said to the father, “Just let me sit with him.” I took the boy into his room and said to him, “I heard about you from your colleagues. I have not come to argue with you, but to chat with you in the spirit of love, for the sake of your own inner peace.” After we spoke about the words of St. Augustine — that behind every atheism there is lust — I said to him, “I know that in your depths you want to meet with God. But what is blocking you from Him is either that you want to marry an unbelieving girl, or that you suffer from lusts that you think you cannot escape, or in haughtiness, you desire to attain some particular kind of success that you feel to be unattainable.” He answered me, “I do not suffer from any of these things. What impelled me to deny the existence of God is my parents. I am an only son, and my father and mother are suffocating me with their unwise love. They want to control me like a chess piece. I wanted to be a leader, with people gathered around me who think of me as a hero.” I replied, “Why don’t you return to God? For He loves you and died for you.” He asked, “Can God accept me after I trod on the Bible and spit on the icon of the Virgin Mary?” I replied, “They look upon you as a child who acted in his anger. The Lord reaches out His hand, not to reproach you, but to kiss you.” He asked again, “When can I confess?” I answered him, “You have confessed, and your God rejoices at your return to Him!” He asked, “When can I go back to church?” I replied, “Even now, you are in the bosom of the Church, your mother.” We left the room, and his elderly father asked me, “Can we start the discussion?” The young man replied, “Please, Dad, leave me to work it out with our father.” Another time, about five years ago, a young university graduate came to me and asked me if he could confess. He said, “I had come to a decision that I would declare my atheism to all my friends. But at the last moment I asked myself: I see my mother constantly rejoicing with Christ, so what should I do? My mother’s constant joy and her endless happiness restored me to the Lord Christ. I want to be with her in the great day of the Lord!”
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How do we win those who reject the faith?
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A student at the Faculty of Pharmacy in the University of Alexandria was once invited to spend the summer vacation with another student of Pharmacy in Western Europe, as part of a student exchange program between the two countries, during the days of President Gamal Abdel Nasser. When the Egyptian student returned to Alexandria, she received a letter from her colleague who had hosted her. The European student thanked her for accepting the invitation and told her that this three-month summer period had been one of the most beautiful periods of her life. She apologized for ridiculing her faith in God, the Bible, and eternal life. She told her that she had the greatest affection for her, and that she would rebuke herself every night for mocking the girl’s faith. But somehow, that never stopped her from mocking her anew every day for the whole three months. In her letter, she confessed that in her, she saw a person who does not suffer from feelings of isolation, who loves everyone she meets in a spirit of humility and wondrous fellowship with the loving and almighty God. She asked if she could remain in touch with her so that she could enjoy what she enjoys. A dear friend who works as an engineer surveying the sea floor once told me this story. On board the boat was an atheist British engineer, and the two became friends. After fifteen days, as the British engineer was departing for England he said to his friend, “I thank you for the opportunity to chat with you over these past two weeks. I have not come across a religious person who conversed with me so attentively and respectfully. I may disagree with you on some points, but I’ve decided that when I return home, I will reassess my life, and reconsider everything you said to me.”
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Is faith incompatible with intellectual understanding and scientific research?
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While St. Basil focuses on faith and its ability to sanctify the human mind and heart, he also accepts learning that is in harmony with faith. He criticizes believers who belittle scientific and philosophical studies, considering them to be full of deception. He did not forget the benefits he derived from his own studies, even at the hands of non- believers, for they elevated his way of thinking and made him cleave more closely to the word of God. St. Gregory the Theologian praised St. Basil for this in a eulogy saying: “I think that every sensible person thinks that knowledge is the chief among those things that are good, and that are within the reach of our minds. I do not say that our learning alone is high and noble, because it cares little about appearing elegant in order that it might focus on beauty of thought, but also on that knowledge that is from the outside [outside the Church]; which is rejected by many Christians with little understanding, who consider it deceptive and a danger that separates us from God ... Therefore, we ought to hold on to that with can help us to contemplate what is true, and avoid everything that leads to evil, sin, and destruction.”48 With such great appreciation of learning and philosophy, he affirms the need for discernment with the grace of the Holy Spirit so that we might not deviate from true knowledge, but enjoy the work of God. St. Basil says, “We should take great care not to succumb to being ignorant of learning, but to learn how to identify what is of great value in it … we must beware that we do not become obsessed with it, and so forget the knowledge of God, immersed in vain research. We must use discernment in our education, methodically selecting out useful learning and avoiding everything that may be harmful.”49 St. Isaac the Syrian says, “Faith is the gate of the mysteries. What the bodily eye is for the things of the senses, the same is faith in connection with the treasures hidden to the eyes of the mind. We possess two psychic eyes, as the Fathers say, just as we possess two bodily eyes. But both have not the same purpose as to sight. With one we see the hidden glory of God which is concealed in the things of nature, His power and His wisdom, and His eternal care for us which by His peculiar providence is directed unto us. With the same eye we also see the spiritual classes of our fellow-beings. With the other we see the glory of His holy nature.”50
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What is the relationship between faith and scientific and spiritual knowledge?
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St. Clement of Alexandria says, “Now neither is knowledge without faith, nor faith without knowledge … And the Son is the true teacher respecting the Father; and that we may believe in the Son, we must know the Father, with whom also is the Son … And the knowledge of the Son and Father, which is according to the gnostic rule—that which in reality is gnostic [one who truly knows God]—is the attainment and comprehension of the truth by the truth … believed and known by a few.”51 He also says, “it is impossible for a man without learning to comprehend the things which are declared in the faith. But to adopt what is well said, and not to adopt the reverse, is caused not simply by faith, but by faith combined with knowledge. But if ignorance is want of training and of instruction, then teaching produces knowledge of divine and human things.”52 And St. Augustine says, “Attend, dearly beloved, and see what wholesome advice the Apostle gives, who says, As you have therefore received Christ Jesus our Lord, so walk in Basil the Great (Beirut: Publications of the Paulist Library in Beirut, 1989, Arabic): p. 136. Him, rooted and built up in Him, and established in the faith; for with this simple and assured faith ought we abide steadfastly in Him, that He may Himself open to the faithful what is hidden in Him; for the same Apostle says, In Him are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge; and He does not hide them to refuse them, but to stir up desire for those hidden things.”53
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Which is first: knowledge or belief?
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St. Cyril the Great says, “What interpretation then are we to put upon the coal which touched the prophet’s lips, and cleansed him from all sin? Plainly it is the message of salvation, and the confession of faith in Christ, which anyone who receives it with his mouth is forthwith and altogether purified.”54 St. Basil the Great says, “We say that, on the whole, in the case of sciences, faith precedes knowledge, but in our teaching, even if anyone says that knowledge begins before faith, we do not disagree — but, a knowledge commensurate with human comprehension.”55 St. Cyril the Great says, “Those who believe now have the power to learn also. For thus says the prophet Isaiah: “if you do not believe this, neither will you understand it” (Isa. 7:9 LXX). That is why it was right for faith to first be rooted in them, and then after that comes an understanding of the matters of which they are ignorant.” And St. Augustine says, “as understanding consists in sight, and is abiding, but faith feeds us as babes, upon milk, in the cradles of temporal things (for now we walk by faith, not by sight); as, moreover, unless we walk by faith, we shall not attain to sight, which does not pass away, but abides, our understanding being purified by holding to the truth”56 “For faith ought to go before understanding, that understanding may be the reward of faith.”57
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How do we pay our debts with faith?
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St. Basil the Great says we should believe that repentance enables sinners to receive forgiveness, and yet we hope to obtain forgiveness as a gift of faith ... not as something God owes us. There is a difference between those who seek forgiveness as a gift, and those who ask for it as a right ... you must pay your previous debts before you ask for what you want. Come as an honest debtor who settles the debts he truly owes with faith before requesting a new loan. For he who borrows from God finds it easier to fulfill his debt than if Macmullen (Oxford University Press, 1844).5: p. 6, amended. Macmullen (Oxford University Press, 1845).1: p. 645. he borrows from a person. Because a person requires money as repayment, which is not always affordable for the one in debt. But God asks you to repay your debt with the innermost feelings of your heart, which you can always afford … prayer, fasting, and tears are the treasures of the faithful debtor, and they are more valuable than those who give money without faith. And St. Ambrose says, “Ananias was poor, when after selling his land he brought the money to the apostles, and was not able with it to pay his debt, but involved himself the more (Acts 5:1–2). That widow was rich who cast her two small pieces into the treasury, of whom Christ said: ‘This poor widow has cast in more than they all (Luke 21:3).’ For God requires not money but faith. And I do not deny that sins may be diminished by liberal gifts to the poor, but only if faith commend what is spent. For what would the giving of one’s whole property benefit without charity? There are some who aim at the credit of generosity for pride alone, because they wish thereby to gain the good opinion of the multitude for leaving nothing to themselves; but whilst they are seeking rewards in this life, they are laying up none for the life to come, and having received their reward here they cannot hope for it there.”58 And St. Clement of Alexandria says, “Repentance, then, is an effect of faith. For unless a man believes that to which he was addicted to be sin, he will not abandon it; and if he does not believe punishment to be impending over the transgressor, and salvation to be the portion of him who lives according to the commandments, he will not reform.”59
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What do the Fathers say about the majesty of faith?
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St. Jacob of Sarug compares the majesty of love to the majesty of faith, saying, “On the contrary, love has degrees, ascents, and peaks. Therefore, when the soul has made a little progress the love of God, she is able to ascend even higher … So, let us work, O servant of God, to increase that which is capable of receiving growth, and let us keep the faith as it is, without further discourse. Love is like gold, and faith like a precious stone. One can add to one pound of gold thousands more pounds of gold, but to a precious stone, one cannot add an ounce or the shadow of an ounce. Here is the true image of Christ, whose history is above all discussion … You (O Faith) are modest even when you are without a veil … Your beauty is always on the right; in you, there is no left. Merchants desired you, for the sight of you is inexhaustible; for this reason they sold their possessions to buy you, and your richness has made them forget their own possessions. You speak to us even when you are silent, because the sight of you fills us with admiration.”60 St. Clement of Alexandria says, “And faith is a power of God, being the strength of the truth. For example, it is said, ‘if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, “Move from here to there,” and it will move’ (Matt. 17:20). And again, ‘According to your faith let it be to you’ (Matt. 9:29). And one is cured, receiving healing by faith.”61 “The reward of faith is great and endless. It is said that he who believes will be blessed with the richest blessings of God, for he will be filled with the gifts of the Spirit; not only enriching his mind, but also enabling him to overflow into the hearts of others, like the waters of a flooding river that overflow divine goodness upon his neighbor as well.” St. Cyril the Great says, “Understand from this, my beloved, that faith sets us also in Christ’s presence, and so brings us unto God, as for us to be even counted worthy of His words.”62 St. Philoxenus says, “Faith instills in a man divine power such that he believes that everything he wills, he can perform!” St. Aphrahat says, “Let us draw near then, my beloved, to faith, since its powers are so many. For faith raised up to the heavens (Enoch), and conquered the Deluge. It caused the barren to bring forth. It delivered from the sword. It raised up from the pit. It enriched the poor. It released the captives. It delivered the persecuted. It brought down the fire. It divided the sea. It cleft the rock, and gave to the thirsty water to drink. It satisfied the hungry. It raised the dead, and brought them up from Sheol. It stilled the billows. It healed the sick. It conquered hosts. It overthrew walls. It stopped the mouths of lions, and quenched the flame of fire. It humiliated the proud, and brought the humble to honour. All these mighty works were wrought by faith.”63 St. Mark the Ascetic says, “Steadfast faith is a strong tower; and for one who has faith Christ comes to be all.”64 And St. Augustine says, “Great is faith, but there is no profit from it if is devoid of love.” “Faith overflows with prayer, and overflowing prayer strengthens the faith.” “The goal of faith is that we believe, and the goal of love is that we work.” “Thus, we become able to touch Him who is seated in heaven with our faith, not with our hands.”
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How is our faith strengthened?
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For our sake, the Lord Christ put on our weakness that we might enjoy His strength. The scholar Origen says, “Faith in the crucified Christ grants us authority. And if we lack anything, the power of God supplies it to us through our faith.”65 St. Augustine says, “But wonderful it is, that when Christ Crucified is preached, two hear, one despises, the other ascends. Let him that despises, impute it to himself; let not him that ascends, arrogate it to himself. For he has heard from the True Master; no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father (John 6:65). Let him rejoice, that it has been given; let him render thanks to Him Who gives with humble, not an arrogant heart; lest what he has attained through humility, he lose through pride … For unto Him Who is everywhere we come by love, not by sailing. But even if in this kind of voyage, waves and tempests of diverse temptations abound; believe in the Crucified; that your faith may be able to climb upon the Wood. You shall not sink, but shall be borne upon the Wood. Thus, even thus, amid the waves of this world did he sail, who said, But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ (Gal. 6:14) … .”66 “Our faith initially grows when we receive the preached word. After that, we are granted the presence of truth, as we are granted joyful contemplation and perfect peace. That is what will be granted to us in God’s eternal kingdom.”
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What is the relationship of faith to virtues?
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St. Aphrahat says, “So also let the man, who becomes a house, yes, a dwelling-place, for Christ, take heed to what is needed for the service of Christ, who lodges in him, and with what things he may please Him. For first he builds his building on the Stone, which is Christ. On Him, on the Stone, is faith based, and on faith is reared up all the structure. For the habitation of the house is required pure fasting, and it is made firm by faith. There is also needed for it pure prayer, and through faith is it accepted. Necessary for it too is love, and with faith is it compounded. Furthermore alms are needed, and through faith are they given. He demands also humility, and by faith is it adorned. He chooses too virginity, and by faith is it loved. He joins with himself holiness, and in faith is it planted. He cares also for wisdom, and through faith is it acquired. He desires also hospitality, and by faith does it abound. Requisite for Him also is simplicity, and with faith is it commingled. He demands patience also, and by faith is it perfected. He has respect also to long-suffering, and through faith is it acquired … All these things does the faith demand that is based on the rock of the true Stone, that is Christ. These works are required for Christ the King, who dwells in men that are built up in these works.”67 Macmullen (Oxford University Press, 1845).3, 2: p. 587, amended.
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How do we proceed in true faith?
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St. Clement of Alexandria says, “Learn to walk in the true faith, to rest in God, and do not seek earthly fulfillments and temporal blessings. Do not deviate towards a vain earthly faith that depends on requests for signs and wonders in order to be fully established. And St. Augustine says, “For where are there those three, in order to build up which in the mind the whole apparatus of the divine Scriptures has been raised up, namely Faith, Hope, and Charity (1 Cor. 13:13), except in a mind believing what it does not yet see, and hoping and loving what it believes? Even He therefore who is not known, but yet is believed, can be loved.”69
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How do we face all the worldly corruption?
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The Epistle to Diognetus says, “He wants us to come to Him, to see Him as our only Father, the Guardian, Teacher, Counselor and Physician. He wants to fill and shape our every thought with His goodness, to change our way in this crooked dark world, so it becomes good. If you contemplate His righteousness, He truthfully fills you; He becomes your pride, glory, and strength. Righteousness becomes the life of your souls. Our faith then, is not based on human speculation, but on the righteousness of God, revealed in Jesus Christ. This is the faith that you can attain, making you strong when facing all the world's mire. This faith is given to you for free, only if you want it and accept it.” St. Basil the Great says, “Job says: ‘No one is free from stain, not even if his life last for one day’ (Job 14:4 LXX). And David laments and says: ‘I was conceived in iniquity and in sins did my mother conceive me.’ (Ps. 50:7 LXX) The Apostle also declares: ‘For all have sinned and do need the glory of God, being justified freely by his grace, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God hath proposed to be a propitiation through faith in his blood’ (Rom. 3:23–25). Wherefore, the pardon of sins is also vouchsafed to them that believe, since the Lord Himself said: “This is my blood of the new testament, which shall be shed for many unto remission of sins (Matt. 26:28).”70 St. Augustine says, “For what good work can be prior to faith, when the apostle says, ‘Whatsoever is not of faith is sin’ (Rom.:23)?”71 St. Jerome says, “What human medicine could not cure, patience and faith healed. He (Job) sat on a dung heap, but in his soul he was wandering about in Paradise.”72
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What role do tribulations play in faith?
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Tribulations impel us to cry out to God and ask for our faith to be strengthened, as St. Ambrose says, “Christian faith is like a mustard seed, that at first sight appears to be small, trivial, and weak; it does not clearly manifest its true strength. Yet when various tribulations begin to attack it, its activity and strength become apparent, and [the Christian then] breathes out his fiery faith in the Lord, stirring up a kind of divine passion that inflames not only himself, but also everything around him.”73 Cyprian the Martyr says, “Let not these things be offences to you, but battles: nor let them weaken nor break the Christian’s faith, but rather show forth his strength in the struggle, since all the injury inflicted by present troubles is to be despised in the assurance of future blessings. Unless the battle has preceded, there cannot be a victory: when there shall have been, in the onset of battle, the victory, then also the crown is given to the victors. For the helmsman is recognised in the tempest; in the warfare the soldier is proved. It is a wanton display when there is no danger. Struggle in adversity is the trial of the truth. The tree which is deeply founded in its root is not moved by the onset of winds … Thus, moreover, the Apostle Paul, after shipwrecks, after scourgings, after many and grievous tortures of the flesh and body, says that he is not grieved, but benefited by his adversity, in order that while he is sorely afflicted he might more truly be proved.”74 “There ought to abide with us, dearest brother, an immoveable strength of faith; and against all the irruptions and onsets of the waves that roar against us, a steady and unshaken courage should plant itself as with the fortitude and mass of a resisting rock.”75
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What is the role of faith in the virtues and acts of love?
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St. Augustine says, “there are works which appear good, without faith in Christ; but they are not good, because they are not referred to that end in which works are good; ‘for Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes’ (Rom. 10:4). For that reason, He wills not to distinguish faith from work, but declared faith itself to be work. For it is that same faith that works by love (Gal. 5:6).”76 Abba Evagrius says, “Faith is the beginning of love; the end of love is knowledge of God.”77 St. Athanasius the Apostolic says, “For faith and godliness are allied to each other, and sisters; and he who believes in Him is godly, and he also who is godly, believes the more. He therefore who is in a state of wickedness, undoubtedly also wanders from the faith; and he who falls from godliness, falls from the true faith … And as when brother is helped by brother, they become as a wall to each other; so faith and godliness, being of like growth, hang together, and he who is practiced in the one, of necessity is strengthened by the other. Therefore, wishing the disciple to be exercised in godliness unto the end, and to contend for the faith, he counsels them, saying, ‘Fight the good fight of faith, and lay hold on eternal life’ (1 Tim. 6:12).”78 St. Clement of Alexandria says, “But it is not as I fear and hate a wild beast (since fear is twofold) that I fear the father, whom I fear and love at once. Again, fearing lest I be punished, I love myself in assuming fear. He who fears to offend his father, loves himself. Blessed then is he who is found possessed of faith, being, as he is, composed of love and fear. And faith is power in order to salvation, and strength to eternal life.”79
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What is the role of faith in hope?
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St. Clement of Alexandria says, “Hope, too, is based on faith … And hope is the expectation of the possession of good. Necessarily, then, is expectation founded on faith.”80
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How can we discern between the faith of demons and the faith of saints?
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St. Augustine says, “You applaud yourself for your faith … you do well: the devils also believe, and tremble (James 2:19). Shall they also see God? They shall see Him who are pure in heart [Matt. 5:8]. But who can say that unclean spirits are pure in heart? And yet they also believe and tremble. Our faith then must be different from the faith of devils. For our faith purifies the heart; but their faith makes them guilty. For they do wickedly, and therefore they say to the Lord, What have we to do with You? … We know, they say, Who You are: You are the Son of God [Luke 4:34]. This Peter says, and is commended; the devil says it, and is condemned … But by what, and what kind of faith, save that which the Apostle Paul defines when he says, Faith which works love (Gal. 5:6).”81 “So again when we hear, He who believes and is baptized shall be saved (Mark 16:16); we do not of course understand it of someone who believes in the same way that the devils Macmullen (Oxford University Press, 1844) Sermon.10–11: p. 55, amended. believe and tremble; nor of those who receive baptism in the way of Simon Magus, who though he could be baptized, could not be saved (Acts 8:13).”82
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Can a believer deviate and fall?
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St. Clement of Alexandria says, “A true gnostic [one who truly knows God … chooses faith or rejects it, with his full freedom.”83 And St. Augustine says, “Wretched, then, must be any people that is divorced from this God … The City of God, however, has a peace of its own, namely, peace with God in this world by faith and in the world to come by vision.”84
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How is faith established in our inner souls?
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St. Aphrahat says, “Faith is compounded of many things, and by many kinds is it brought to perfection. For it is like a building that is built up of many pieces of workmanship and so its edifice rises to the top. And know, my beloved, that in the foundations of the building stones are laid, and so resting upon stones the whole edifice rises until it is perfected. Thus also the true Stone, our Lord Jesus Christ, is the foundation of all our faith. And on Him, on [this] Stone faith is based. And resting on faith all the structure rises until it is completed … “And now hear concerning faith that is based upon the Stone, and concerning the structure that is reared up upon the Stone. For first a man believes, and when he believes, he loves. When he loves, he hopes. When he hopes, he is justified. When he is justified, he is perfected. When he is perfected, he is consummated … then he becomes a house and a temple for a dwelling-place of Christ, as Jeremiah the Prophet said:—The temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord are you, if you amend your ways and your works (Jer. 7:4–5). And again He said through the Prophet:— I will dwell in them and walk in them (Lev. 26:12). And also the Blessed Apostle thus said:—You are the temple of God and the spirit of Christ dwells in you (1 Cor. 3:16 etc.). And also our Lord again thus said to His disciples:— You are in Me and I am in you (John 14:20) … “So also let the man, who becomes a house, yes, a dwelling-place, for Christ, take heed to what is needed for the service of Christ, who lodges in him, and with what things he may please Him. For first he builds his building on the Stone, which is Christ. On Him, on the Stone, is faith based, and on faith is reared up all the structure. For the habitation of the house is required pure fasting, and it is made firm by faith. Macmullen (Oxford University Press, 1844) Sermon.16: p., amended. “There is also needed for it pure prayer, and through faith is it accepted. Necessary for it too is love, and with faith is it compounded. Furthermore alms are needed, and through faith are they given. “He demands also humility, and by faith is it adorned. “He chooses too virginity, and by faith is it loved. “He joins with himself holiness, and in faith is it planted. “He cares also for wisdom, and through faith is it acquired. “He desires also hospitality, and by faith does it abound. “Requisite for Him also is simplicity, and with faith is it commingled. “He demands patience also, and by faith is it perfected. He has respect also to long- suffering, and through faith is it acquired. “He loves mourning also, and through faith is it manifested. “He seeks also for purity, and by faith is it preserved. “All these things does the faith demand that is based on the rock of the true Stone, that is Christ. These works are required for Christ the King, who dwells in men that are built up in these works.”85
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Can we find God’s heroes of faith throughout the ages?
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In astonishment, we stand before the heroes of faith and objectively behold God’s work across all ages: a. From the time of Adam until Moses, no one possessed even a single book of the Old Testament. Nevertheless, we find splendid examples of heroes of the faith who experienced it through handing it down from generation to generation (oral tradition) such as Abel and Seth; and Enoch who pleased the Lord so He took him to heaven. Also, Noah, Abraham the father of fathers and Sarah, Jacob and Rachel, Isaac and Rebekah, and Joseph, etc.; splendid examples of people most of whom lived in a pagan environment and yet never deviated from the faith. b. In the age of the Mosaic Law, some of the books of the Old Testament were given, but the people could not experience the grace of the New Testament, such as being divine adoption, the grace of the cross and the resurrection in Christ Jesus, etc. We find Deborah the judge, David the sweet psalmist of Israel, Hezekiah the king, and the great prophets of faith like Isaiah and Jeremiah, and people of God who were giants of faith during exile such as Daniel, Ezekiel, Queen Esther, and Judith. Though under the law, they were marked by a wonderful spirit of godliness. c. In the covenant of grace, we partook of grace upon grace (John 1:16) and we came into contact with characters from different backgrounds such as the disciples, the apostles, and so many early Church fathers, and holy women, up till this day. People often wonder: will the state of those under the natural law resemble that of those under the Mosaic Law, and those under the covenant of grace? Paul the Apostle declared that those who do not have the law are a law to themselves (Rom. 2:14). At the same time we behold the richness of God’s love, His impartial love for all humanity.
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Are the gifts of the people of faith the same for everyone?
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The Bible gives us examples of the work of faith in the lives of many, that we may realize that every person is offered that which satisfies his needs (Heb. 11). And as St. Aphrahat said: “For Abel, because of his faith his offering was accepted. And Enoch, because he was well-pleasing through his faith, was removed from death. Noah, because he believed, was preserved from the deluge. Abraham, through his faith, obtained blessing, and it was accounted to him for righteousness. Isaac, because he believed, was loved. Jacob, because of his faith, was preserved. Joseph, because of his faith, was tried in the waters of contention, and was delivered from his trial, and his Lord established a witness in him, as David said: — Witness has he established in Joseph (Ps. 81:6). Moses also by his faith performed many wonderful works of power. By his faith he destroyed the Egyptians with ten plagues. Again, by faith he divided the sea, and caused his people to cross over and sank the Egyptians in the midst of it. By faith he cast the wood into the bitter waters and they became sweet. By faith he brought down manna and satisfied his people. By faith he spread out his hands and conquered Amalek, as is written:— His hands continued in faith till the setting of the sun (Ex. 17:12, Syrian Peshitta translation). Also by faith he went up to Mount Sinai, when he twice fasted for the space of forty days. Again by faith he conquered Sihon and Og, the Kings of the Amorites.”86
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Does God have favorites among the believers?
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God reveals Himself, His secrets, and His plan to all who yearn and ask for that, without any favoritism. The young boy Samuel, who gladly left his parents’ house and lived in the temple with a zealous heart for the glory of God, was considered worthy — unlike Eli the priest — to hear God’s voice and be entrusted with the secrets of God’s plan for His people. And Moses the prophet, who “refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt” (Heb. 11:24–26) was considered worthy to witness the mystery of the incarnation in the burning bush (Ex. 3:2–4), where he was called to lead the people and receive the law, etc. And since Isaiah's heart was full of zeal for the house of the Lord and His people, he was counted worthy to see the Lord God sitting with the train of His robe filling the temple. The Lord asked him who He should send to serve, and he answered, “Here am I! Send me.” (Isa. 6:8). Paul the Apostle says of God — while in Athens among the philosophers — “He is not far from each one of us; for in Him we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:27–28).
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What are the signs of a living faith?
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a. The feeling that my life is a pleasant journey in the company of my Savior, the Lord of glory, the crucified Jesus, even in the midst of tribulations. b. My church life should consolidate my personal relationship with the Holy Trinity, and my personal relationships should urge me towards a richer ecclesiastical life. c. Longing for the Lord’s second coming on the clouds. d. Continual spiritual progress so that one day, I may perhaps attain the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ (Eph. 4:13). e. Love for all humanity and prayer for the salvation of even those who resist the faith. f. Growth in knowledge through the Holy Bible and delight in the experience of the holy fathers. g. Prayer for the whole world and for future generations, even until the Lord’s second coming. h. Delight in the experience being united with the heavenlies.
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Why the Holy Bible?
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At the beginning of creation, Adam and Eve were not in need of written words in the Garden of Eden before the fall, for they met the Lord face to face, and the grace of God was working in them. They were His friends. Naturally, they were always praising Him with joy and jubilation. They were like the heavenly creatures as they praised God and glorified Him. They were in a state of internal satiety, surveying nature in its beauty and aware of the praise that all creatures offer to God, each one in its own language with wonderful peace. But disobedience alienated them from the source of life and they came to be in a state of terror. The human fell into sin, his mind and conscience were darkened (Rom. 1:21), and he became incapable of restoring his relationship with his Creator to the way it was before the fall. It was not possible for God, the Lover of mankind, not to restore the state of the human that He had created in his image and likeness. The nature which the Almighty created bears witness to His power and His boundless pastoral care. “O Lord, how manifold are Your works! In wisdom You have made them all. The earth is full of Your possessions” (Ps. 104:24). Further, the Creator gave people a natural law in their hearts, “Their conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves, their thoughts accusing or else excusing them, in the day when God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ, according to my Gospel” (Rom. 2:15–16). Not only do nature and the natural law within man attest to the Creator; but God also announced His plan for salvation by offering the Messiah Himself as a sacrifice and atonement for the whole world: First: Throughout history, God chose people who yearn for the salvation of humanity and declared to them, by the Spirit, prophecies that reveal the mystery of salvation: the incarnation of the Word; His dwelling among us; His offering of Himself as a sacrifice although He is the heavenly high priest; His suffering, crucifixion, death, burial, descent into Hades, and setting free of the believers who had fallen asleep; His ascension into Heaven; and His second coming, when heaven and earth will be dissolved and we will enjoy the Jerusalem above, our mother. Second: These revelations came through visions, dreams, and conversations with God. Third: God gave His people actual historical events that are symbols of the divine work of salvation. As the Lord Jesus Christ said: “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:14–15). The human, who was disobedient and unbelieving toward his Creator, needed God to reveal to him His divine presence and His love for him. He needed to know God’s plan and power to reconcile his situation one way or another; whether by divine revelation by way of the creation that witnesses to this, or in a supernatural manner such as divine inspiration. The human race needed divine revelation to reveal to them the way of their salvation. This is why St. John Chrysostom says, “that the grace of the Spirit should be instead of books to our souls, and that as these are inscribed with ink, even so should our hearts be with the Spirit. But, since we have utterly put away from us this grace, come, let us at any rate embrace the second best course … Reflect then how great an evil it is for us, who ought to live so purely as not even to need written words, but to yield up our hearts, as books, to the Spirit; now that we have lost that honor, and are come to have need of these.”87 God was preparing humans to receive the Gospel as news that brings joy, regarding the coming of the Word of God incarnate and offered to them free salvation. This is what St. John Chrysostom describes to us, saying, “Yes, for it was removal of punishment, and remission of sins, and ‘righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption,’ (1 Cor. 1:30) and adoption, and an inheritance of Heaven, and a relationship with the Son of God, which he came declaring unto all; to enemies, to the perverse, to them that were sitting in darkness. What then could ever be equal to these good tidings? God on earth, Man in Heaven; and all became mingled together, Angels joined the choirs of men, men had fellowship with the angels, and with the other powers above: and one might see the long war brought to an end, and reconciliation made between God and our nature, the devil brought to shame, demons in flight, death destroyed, Paradise opened, the curse blotted out, sin put out of the way, error driven off, truth returning, the word of godliness everywhere sown and flourishing in its growth, the polity of those above planted on the earth, those powers in secure intercourse with us, and on earth angels continually abiding, and hope abundant touching things to come.”88
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Why do we need to study the Scriptures deeply?
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Jesus Christ says, “You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me” (John 5:39). In other words, He is saying, “It is not enough to boast about possessing the books and reading them; you need to search them diligently in order to enjoy your salvation and eternal life, for they all revolve around My coming to you.” St. John Chrysostom considers this text to refer to those who seek precious stones deep in the ground, dig mines, and carefully search for the precious stone until they find them. According to St. John Chrysostom, even the lists of names included in Scripture have their profound value,89 and he devoted two homilies to explain the greetings in chapter 16 of the epistle to the Romans to show that the treasures of wisdom lie hidden in every word uttered by the Spirit. St. John Chrysostom says, “Christ sent the Scriptures to the Jews, not that they might read them casually, but that they might search them deeply and exhaustively; He did not say ‘read the Scriptures,’ but ‘search the Scriptures.’ Thus, He commands them to study them profoundly, for the words that have been said about Him need great attention if they are to reveal the benefits to be found in their depths.” “For there is, there is an infirmity of hearing. For as a stomach which is infirm could not take in wholesome food (which it finds) hard of digestion, so a soul which is become puffy and heated, unstrung and relaxed, could not receive the word of the Spirit. Hear the disciples saying, ‘This is a hard saying: who can hear it’ (John 6:60)? But if the soul be strong and healthy, all is most easy, all is light: it becomes more lofty and buoyant: it is more able to soar and lift itself on high.”91 “Let us not therefore listen carelessly; since even they who roast the metallic earth, when they have thrown it into the furnace, not only take up the masses of gold, but also collect the small particles with the utmost care. Inasmuch, then, as we likewise have to roast the gold drawn from the Apostolic mines, not by casting it into the furnace, but by depositing it in the thoughts of your souls; not lighting an earthly flame, but kindling the fire of the Spirit, let us collect the little particles with diligence. For if the saying be brief, yet its virtue is great. For pearls too have their proper market, not owing to the size of the substance, but the beauty of their nature.”92
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Is the Holy Bible inscribed in the pure heart and preserved in it?
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St. John Chrysostom says, “It were indeed fitting for us not at all to require the aid of the written Word, but to exhibit a life so pure, that the grace of the Spirit should be instead of books to our souls, and that as these are inscribed with ink, even so should our hearts be with the Spirit.”93 “The Scriptures were not given us for this only, that we might have them in books, but that we might engrave them on our hearts … And this I say, not to prevent you from procuring Bibles, on the contrary, I exhort and earnestly pray that you do this, but I desire that from those books you convey the letters and sense into your understanding, that so it may be purified when it receives the meaning of the writing. For if the devil will not dare to approach a house where a Gospel is lying, much less will any evil spirit, or any sinful nature, ever touch or enter a soul which bears about with it such sentiments as it contains. Sanctify then your soul, sanctify your body, by having these ever in your heart, and on your tongue. For if foul speech defiles and invites devils, it is clear that spiritual reading sanctifies and draws down the grace of the Spirit. The Scriptures are divine charms, let us then apply to ourselves and to the passions of our souls the remedies to be derived from them.”94
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What is the believer’s view of the Holy Bible?
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The believer loves the Holy Bible, which is given by inspiration of the Holy Spirit; being aware that it is the voice of his beloved God, which offers him divine truth and eternal life. Thus, he embarks upon a hidden and fulfilling dialogue with God, his heart never ceasing to commune with Him. This in no way contradicts our belief that the Lord who created the mind sanctifies the mind and exalts it. So, the believer experiences divine truth, exults in it, and contemplates it, for it is the word of life. The Church therefore feels a responsibility to preserve what God has declared to those whom He chose to write, whether in the Old Testament or the New Testament, and it is not authorized to contradict it in any way. Nor does the Church or any of her members have the right to alter the texts of the Holy Bible. Any Church decree is legitimate if it is based on the Holy Bible. St. Basil the Great says, “What is the mark of a Christian? Faith working through love [Gal. 5:6]. What is the mark of faith? Unwavering of the truth of the God-breathed words, unshaken by any [futile] reasoning introduced either by physical necessity or fraudulently in the form of piety. What is the mark of a believer? With such conviction, to be of the disposition that what is said [in the Holy Bible] is authoritative and to undertake not to disregard or add anything. For if ‘all that is not from faith is sin’ (Rom. 14:23), as the Apostle says, and ‘faith is from hearing, and hearing is through God’s word’ (Rom. 10:17), then everything outside the God-breathed Scripture [that is, everything that contradicts it], being not from faith, is sin.”95 And on the role of the Holy Bible in our lives, St. Clement of Alexandria speaks of it as a source of education and training in a person’s life, whether a pastor or a member of the congregation, saying, “For truly holy are those letters that sanctify and deify … No one will be so impressed by the exhortations of any of the saints, as he is by the words of the Lord Himself, the lover of man. For this, and nothing but this, is His only work—the salvation of man. Therefore He Himself, urging them on to salvation, cries, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand’ (Matt. 4:17) … Faith will lead you in; experience will teach you; Scripture will train you.”96 St. Basil the Great says, “The study of the inspired books is the chief way we know what is required of us. In them, we find instruction about behavior, as well as the life of blessed people recorded in writing, that we may inhale the images of their devout lives and be guided by their good deeds.”97 And St. John Chrysostom says, “by means of small sentences, [the Bible] implants divine wisdom in all who give heed, and one sentence often times affords to those who receive it a sufficient source of provision for the whole journey of life.”98 St. John Chrysostom speaks to us of the power of the word of God in the life of the faithful, saying: “For this is the exhortation of the Scripture given, that the man of God may be rendered perfect by it; without this therefore he cannot be perfect. You have the Scriptures, he says, in place of me [i.e., the Apostle Paul]. If you would learn anything, you may learn it from them. And if he wrote thus to Timothy, who was filled with the Spirit, how much more to us!”99 “Thus He meant to set forth the most decisive sign of its greatness [of the gospel]. ‘Even so then shall it be with respect to the gospel too,’ He says. Yes, for His disciples were weakest of all, and least of all; but nevertheless, because of the great power that was in them, the gospel has been unfolded in every part of the world.”100 “Why then, tell me, was the greater part of the seed lost? Not through the sower, but through the ground that received it; that is, the soul that did not hearken.”101 “Yes, for a word from the divine Scriptures, made to sound in the ear, doth more than fire soften the hardened soul, and renders it fit for all good things.”102 “Knowledge of the Scriptures protects the mind, purifies the conscience, weakens dominant lusts, deepens virtue, makes one’s thinking sublime, prevents us from drowning in unexpected hardships, raises us up over the devil, moves the heavens, liberates the soul from the bonds of the body, and grants him wings to fly.”103 “Whether, he says, one be saved or be lost, the Gospel continues to have its proper virtue: and as the light, although it blinds the weak, is still light, though causing blindness; and as honey, though it be bitter to those who are diseased, is in its nature sweet; so also is the Gospel of sweet savor, even though some should be lost who believe it not.”104 “So that should anyone be lost, the fault is from himself: for both ointment is said to suffocate swine, and light (as I before observed,) to blind the weak. And such is the nature of good things; they not only correct what is akin to them, but also destroy the opposite: and in this way is their power most displayed.”105
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What is the Church Fathers’ view of the Holy Bible?
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a. The Holy Bible is a shining lamp: St. Cyril the Great says, “The Word of God is the subject of our faith, and He is the Light. For the lamp is faith, for that was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world (John 9:1).”106 And the scholar Origen says, “The splendor of Christ’s arrival, therefore, illuminating the Law of Moses with the brightness of truth, has taken away that veil which had covered the letter and disclosed, for everyone who believes in him, all the good things which were concealed, buried within.”107 St. Augustine says, “There is no impediment to attaining God's ordinances, except for the lack of a desire for them … their light is clear and radiant.” St. Jacob of Sarug says, “Our Lord, Your word is all light to those who love it, by it, I am enlightened (Ps. 119:105), that I might speak of You to the world. Our Lord, you are a great day for those who walk in You; in Your light I move that I might walk without offenses. The world is dark, but You are luminous, O Son of God; in Your light, and with You, I walk to Your Father.”108 b. The Holy Bible is the paradise of the soul and its sweet food: St. John Chrysostom says, “Yes, rather the reading of the divine Scriptures is not a meadow only, but a paradise; for the flowers here have not a mere fragrance only, but fruit too, capable of nourishing the soul.”109 St. Augustine says, “Now the open teaching of wisdom is like honey; like the honeycomb which is squeezed to exude the deeper mysteries, as if from cells of wax, by the mouth of the teacher, as if he were chewing it: but it is sweet to the mouth of the heart, not to the mouth of the flesh.”110 St. Isaac the Bishop of Nineveh says, “It will happen that the words become sweet in the mouth (Ps. 119:103) and that one word of prayer is repeated infinitely so that no feeling of satiety with it causes you to proceed and to pass ever to a second.”111 St. Jerome says, “What honey is sweeter than to know the wisdom of God? Others, if they will, may possess riches, drink from a jeweled cup, shine in silks, and try in vain to exhaust their wealth in the most varied pleasures. Our riches are to meditate in the law of the Lord day and night, to knock at the closed door, to receive the ‘three loaves’ of the Trinity, and, when the Lord goes before us, to walk upon the water of the world.”112 c. The Holy Bible is the Groom's feast: St. Jacob of Sarug says, “All the events of the world end in death. Come and hear from us a report from which life springs … The bride of the Light has invited us today to feast with her; she has sacrificed the Bridegroom and distributes Him upon the (spiritual) altar.” d. The Holy Bible is the harbor of life: the scholar Origen says, “I do not presume or ask you to give me life according to my behavior (self-righteousness), but according to your judgments; in other words, to give me life in the way that You want me to live, for I too want to live.” St. Jacob of Sarug says, “The divine books are the harbors of life; arise, you who are discernible among the waves, and rest in the harbors … here are the treasures stored in the divine volumes, and whoever wants, takes riches without limit.”113 St. John Chrysostom says, “Reading the Holy Bible is very useful, it makes the soul wise, guides the spirit towards the heaven, directs the human towards thanksgiving, destroys the desire for earthly things, and lets our minds constantly contemplate the other world. “For it is not possible that he who is continually under the influence of the words of God, can remain in this present low condition, but he needs must presently take wing, and fly away to the land which is above, and light on the infinite treasures of good things.”115 “Do you see, then, that I said not without cause that this Evangelist speaks to us from heaven? Only see from the very beginning whither he has drawn up the soul, having given it wings, and has carried up with him the mind of his hearers. For having set it Behnam Sony). higher than all the things of sense, than earth, than sea, than heaven, he leads it by the hand above the very angels, above cherubim and seraphim, above thrones and principalities and powers; in a word, persuades it to journey beyond all created things.”116 e. The Holy Bible is the physician and remedy of the soul: human beings in the world became not like those in a courthouse waiting for the sentence of eternal death, but in a hospital needing medicines and treatment; which are the books of the Holy Bible, administered by the divine Physician who cares for our salvation. Through the Holy Bible, we defy evil, corruption, and eternal death; and with the spirit of hope, we await the day of the coming of the Lord as our heavenly Bridegroom. St. Basil says, “Indeed, many safeguards against the evil would you find in the divine Scripture, and many remedies which from destruction bring salvation: the mysteries of death and resurrection; the words of the terrible judgment and everlasting punishment; the doctrines of repentance and the forgiveness of sin [by the blood of Christ]; those innumerable examples of conversion [via medicines]; the drachma, the sheep, the son who spent his livelihood with harlots, was lost and found, was dead and alive again. Let us use these safeguards against evil [that they me be our witnesses]; through them, let us heal our soul.”117 St. Jacob of Sarug says, “The divine Scriptures are the life of the soul, and he who lives by them—his life is higher than that of Nature … The scriptures are cures for the sick soul, their words may be used like fine medicaments.”118 St. John Chrysostom says, “For we are a sweet savor of Christ unto God, in them that are saved and in them that perish (2 Cor. 2:15). Whether, says he, one be saved or be lost, the Gospel continues to have its proper virtue: and as the light, although it blinds the weakly, is still light, though causing blindness… and as honey, though it be bitter to those who are diseased, is in its nature sweet; so also is the Gospel of sweet savor, even though some should be lost who believe it not. For not It, but their own perverseness, works the perdition… and the Savior is for the fall and rising again of many, but still He continues to be a Savior, though ten thousand fall… and still it continues to be full of healing.”119 f. The Holy Bible is the hidden pearl: St. Jerome says, “Every word of scripture is a symbol all its own. These rustic words that men of every age ponder over are packed full of mystical meaning. ‘But we carry this treasure in vessels of clay’ (2 Cor. 4:7); we have a divine treasury of meaning in the most ordinary words.”120 St. Jacob of Sarug says, “The books (of the Holy Bible) are an ocean where you find the hidden pearl. The interpreter must immerse himself in its waters in order to extract it. The mind is immersed in the books, extracts the pearl, and shows it to the merchants.” g. The Holy Bible is a guide to the human being: St. John Chrysostom says, “Reading the Holy Bible is very useful, it makes the soul wise, guides the spirit towards heaven… and lets our minds constantly contemplate the other world.”121 h. Scripture uproots the tree of evil: written divine words came as a cure for our human weakness. Chrysostom says, “Your doctrine is full of eyes of light from every side and purifies the way of the world of offenses.”122 St. Jacob of Sarug says, “Hold the sword of the Spirit which is the word of life, and dash the enemy’s blows and cast them away from you. Surround yourself with the fiery spear of the cherubim. It is a vigilant guard, that is, the perfection of all the commandments.”123 And St. John Chrysostom says, “You have heard the Apostolic voice, that trumpet from heaven [cf. Rev. 1:10], that spiritual lyre! For even as a trumpet sounding a fearful and warlike note, it both dismays the enemy, and arouses the dejected spirits on its own side, and filling them with great boldness, renders those who attend to it invincible against the devil! And again, as a lyre that gently soothes with soul- captivating melody, it puts to slumber the disquietudes of perverse thoughts.”124 i. Through the Holy Bible, the Spirit speaks in us: St. Jacob of Sarug says, “Your Spirit speaks in me through Your word, for I am incapable of speaking about You.”125
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How does the Holy Bible invite us, along with all nations, to extol and praise?
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The Holy Bible invites all nations to shout joyfully and praise (Ps. 47:1; 98:4), so that all the earth may be transformed into a heaven that rejoices in the Lord. This invitation is especially directed to the upright in heart (Ps. 32:11; 33:1), and addressed to every believer as a personal gift (Ps. 9:2). A believer feels that all is proceeding as it should, not when he enjoys good health or achieves success in some endeavor, but when he realizes that he has acquired God, the source of satisfaction, wisdom, joy, and praise. Then his heart cries out every morning, “Let the peoples give thanks to You, O God; Let all the peoples praise You. Let the Gentiles be glad and greatly rejoice” (Ps. 67:3, 4 LXX). St. Basil the Great says, “‘Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous! For praise from the upright is beautiful’ (Ps. 33:1). The voice of exultation is familiar in the Scripture, signifying a very bright and happy state of soul in those deserving of happiness. ‘Rejoice,’ therefore, ‘in the Lord, O you righteous,’ not when the interests of your home are flourishing, not when you are in good health of body, not when your fields are filled with all sorts of fruits, but, when you have the Lord — such immeasurable Beauty, Goodness, Wisdom. Let the joy that is in Him suffice for you. He who rejoices with joy and happiness in anything that is much desired, seems thus to rejoice in Him.”126 This is what the Psalmist meant, who sang before the coming of the Savior, “Your salvation is among all nations” (Ps. 67:2); and what filled the heart of Simeon the Elder with joy, when he took Him up in his arms and praised Him saying, “For my eyes have seen Your salvation which You have prepared before the face of all peoples” (Luke 2:30–31). St. Augustine says, “Listen to the following phrase, how he does not speak of a part: ‘Let all the peoples praise You’ (Ps. 67:3). Walk along the way together with all nations; walk along the way with all peoples, O sons of peace, sons of the one Catholic Church. Walk along the way, looking forward, as you walk … even those who fear thieves sing (on the way). How much better, that while you are safe, you sing in Christ! This path has no thieves; but if you stray from the path, then you shall fall into the hands of thieves.”127 Patriarch Anthimus of Jerusalem says, “David the Prophet calls upon all people to repent and to confess the beneficence of God. His saying, ‘All the peoples’ (Ps. 67:5), contains a prophecy that he would offer to God the sacrifice of praise and prayer everywhere, not only with the Jews and in Jerusalem.”128 It behooves us, the faithful, that our hearts rejoice always in the Lord. St. John Chrysostom says, “‘Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to God.’ (Col. 3:16) … Look at how St. Paul the Apostle is considerate to the feelings of others: seeing that reading is toilsome, and its irksomeness great, he led them not to histories, but to psalms, that you might at once delight your soul with singing, and gently entertain your friends. ‘Hymns,’ he says, ‘and spiritual songs.’ But now your children will utter songs and dances of Satan, like cooks, and caterers, and musicians; no one knows any psalm, but it seems a thing to be ashamed of even, a mockery, and a joke. There is the treasure house of all these evils … “Teach him [your son] to sing those psalms which are so full of the love of wisdom; as at once concerning chastity or rather, of not complying with the wicked, immediately with the very beginning of the book [of Psalms] … “When he has been instructed out of the Psalms, he will then know hymns also, as a more divine thing. For the Powers above chant hymns, not psalms. For ‘a hymn,’ says one, ‘is not comely in the mouth of a sinner’ (Sir. 15:9) … “What is the hymn of those above? The Faithful know. What do the cherubim above say? What say the Angels? ‘Glory to God in the highest!’ (Ps. 112:5) Therefore after the [Psalms] come the hymns, as a thing of more perfection … “And even if you are in the marketplace, you can collect yourself and sing unto God, no one hears you. For Moses also in this way, prayed, and was heard, for He said: ‘Why do you cry unto Me?’ (Ex. 14:15); although he said nothing, he cried in thought — wherefore also God alone heard him — with a contrite heart. For it is not forbidden one even when walking to pray in his heart, and to dwell [in thought] above.”129
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What is the purpose of the Holy Bible?
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It calls us to heavenly life without coercive force! God sanctifies human freedom, revealing to us through the way of life and the way of death, the enjoyment of divine light or deviation into the darkness of Satan. He leaves room for perfect freedom to choose either of the two ways, while at the same time working within us to create a sanctified will, without compulsion on His part. St. Basil the Great says, “The Christian ought to think thoughts befitting his heavenly calling and to live a life worthy of the Gospel of Christ.”130
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How can we delight in the mysteries of the Holy Bible?
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a. Read the Holy Bible with love: St. Jacob of Sarug says, “He who loves learns much, for love opens the door to receiving the word.”131 b. Read the Holy Bible while asking for the grace of God: “Grace is moved by the request of the one who asks; and the fountain of grace draws near and unites with the mind of one who asks, despite his poverty and affliction, to give him what he asked of it.” c. Put off the love of the world which blinds the soul from the perceiving the truth: St. Jacob of Sarug says, “Were it not that the love of the world blinds our souls, preventing them from seeing the riches of Christ’s care, the great treasures buried in the volumes of the holy books would be clearly visible to our souls … If the soul were unclothed in the purity of its nature, rather than clothed with strange love, it would be easy for it to look, see, search, find, comprehend, receive everything it asks, to do whatever it wants, and to speak to benefit others.” d. Read the Holy Bible in humility: St. Jacob of Sarug says, “If the soul is not submerged under the earth in humility, it can never see the beauty of the Bible, for its beauty is present only where humility is evident.” e. Read the Holy Bible with the spirit of praise: St. John Chrysostom says, “Teach [your son] to sing those psalms which are so full of the love of wisdom; as at once concerning chastity, or rather, before all, of not keeping company with the wicked, immediately with the very beginning of the book [of Psalms].”132
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How does the Holy Bible present the Lord to us as compassionate and just?
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The Bible depicts a God who is merciful and compassionate towards humanity; who, in His love and compassion, shows no partiality towards anyone. Yet He is also just, and in His justice, He opens the doors of His mercies to all without favoritism. Thus, for example, Ruth the gentile excelled over many of the people of God; and through repentance, the harlot enjoyed that which Simon the Pharisee did not. St. Basil the Great says, “Everywhere Scripture joins justice with the mercy of God, teaching us that neither the mercy of God is without judgement, nor His judgement without mercy. Even while He pities, He measures out His mercies judiciously to the worthy; and while judging, He brings forth the judgement having regard to our weakness, repaying us with kindness rather than with equal reciprocal measurement. ‘And our God shows mercy,’ mercy being an emotion experienced towards those who have been reduced beyond their desert …”133
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Why is it said that “The Word of God endures forever?
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” St. Jacob of Sarug says, “The word of life is timeless; it neither passes away nor dissolves, for it possess all times. The world withers like a flower under scorching heat of the midday sun, but the word of life is a pearl for those who hear it. O you who love the world, throw away the flower that does not endure, and come and adorn your ear with the priceless pearl.”134
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What is the subject of preaching?
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St. Jacob of Sarug says, “Help me to become an active performer of Your word, that thereby I might make a good end to the course of my life. I will die and lay me down to sleep upon Your teaching; I will not depart from You, O Good Companion, even in death.”135
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How do heretics differ in their approach to the Holy Bible?
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First: they do not enter by the door: St. John Chrysostom says, “Observe the marks of a robber; first, that he does not enter openly; secondly, not according to the Scriptures, for this is the, ‘not by the door’ (John 10:1–6). Here also He refers to those who had been before, and to those who should be after Him, Antichrist and the false Christs, Judas and Theudas (Acts 5:36), and whatever others there have been of the same kind.”136 And regarding the saying of Christ that the thief “enters not by the door” (John 10:1), Chrysostom says, “And with good cause He calls the Scriptures ‘a door,’ for they bring us to God, and open to us the knowledge of God, they make the sheep, they guard them, and suffer not the wolves to come in after them. For Scripture, like some sure door, bars the passage against the heretics, placing us in a state of safety as to all that we desire, and not allowing us to wander; and if we undo it not, we shall not easily be conquered by our foes. By it we can know all, both those who are, and those who are not, shepherds. On which account also He said to the Jews, ‘Search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me’ (John 5:39); and brought forward Moses, and called him and all the Prophets witnesses, for ‘all,’ says He, ‘who hear the Prophets shall come to Me;’ and, ‘Had you believed Moses, you would have believed Me’ … Well did He say, ‘climbs up,’ not ‘enters in,’ since to climb is the act of a thief intending to overleap a wall, and who does all with danger.”137 Second: they misuse the Holy Bible: St. Clement of Alexandria spoke of the heretics’ misuse of the Bible, saying: “And if those also who follow heresies venture to avail themselves of the prophetic Scriptures; in the first place they will not make use of all the Scriptures, and then they will not quote them entirely … But, selecting ambiguous expressions, they wrest them to their own opinions, gathering a few expressions here and there; not looking to make sense, but making use of the mere words. For in almost all the quotations they make, you will find that they attend to the names alone, while they alter the meanings … not using the quotations they adduce, according to their true nature.”138 “Although they speak of one God and though they sing the praises of Christ, they speak without accuracy, not in accordance with truth; for they discover another God, and receive Christ not as the prophecies deliver. But their false dogmas, while they oppose the conduct that is according to the truth, are against us”.139 “Wherefore the Scriptures have conceived for gnostics [i.e., Christians with true knowledge]; but the heretics, not having learned them, dismissed them as not having conceived.”140 “And let him who has once received the Gospel, even in the very hour in which he has come to the knowledge of salvation, not turn back, like Lot's wife, as is said; and let him not go back either to his former life, which adheres to the things of sense, or to heresies.”141 Third: They are preoccupied with foolish disputes that waste time and miss the point: St. John Chrysostom says, “we should not be occupied with questions, since if we question, it is not faith; for faith sets reasoning at rest. But why then does Christ say, ‘Seek and you shall find, knock and it shall be opened unto you’ (Matt. 7:7)?; and, ‘Search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life?’ (John 5:39). The seeking there is meant of prayer and vehement desire, and He bids ‘search the Scriptures,’ not to introduce the labors of questioning, but to end them, that we may ascertain and settle their true meaning, not that we may be ever questioning, but that we may have done with it.”142
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Why are some people scandalized by the Old Testament?
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The Church Fathers reveal several reasons why people are scandalized by the Old Testament. These include: a. The need for the key of David: St. Jerome perceived the need for the key of David to loose the seals of the Holy Bible and delight in its wonders. On this account the Psalmist asks God, saying, “Open my eyes, that I may see wondrous things from your law.” (Ps. 119:8). St. Jerome says, “In the apocalypse a book is shown sealed with seven seals (Rev. 5:1), which if you deliver to one that is learned saying, ‘Read this,’ he will answer you, ‘I cannot, for it is sealed’ (Isa. 29:11). How many are there today who fancy themselves learned, yet the scriptures are a sealed book to them, and one which they cannot open save through Him who has the key of David, ‘he that opens and no man shuts; and shuts and no man opens’ (Rev. 3:7). In the Acts of the Apostles the holy eunuch when reading Isaiah, he is asked by Philip ‘Do you understand what you read?’ He answers: ‘How can I unless someone guides me?’ (Acts 8:30–31) … Then Philip came and showed him Jesus, who was concealed beneath the letter. Wondrous excellence of the teacher! In the same hour the eunuch believed and was baptized; he became one of the faithful and a saint. He was no longer a pupil but a master; and he found more in the church’s font there in the wilderness than he had ever done in the gilded temple … It is idle to try to teach what you do not know … it is worse still to be ignorant of your ignorance.”143 b. Suspicion: St. Basil the Great says, “Never neglect reading, especially of the New Testament, because very frequently mischief comes of reading the Old; not because what is written is harmful, but because the minds of the injured are weak. All bread is nutritious, but it may be injurious to the sick. Just so all Scripture is God inspired and profitable, and there is nothing in it unclean: only to him who thinks it is unclean, to him it is unclean … ‘All things are lawful but all things are not expedient’ (1 Cor. 6:12).”144 c. Reading without Love: St. Augustine says, “The Bible enlightens the eyes of the soul, so read it, O wise one, and be filled with its love. God has placed the Holy Scriptures in the world as a lamp of light that illuminates its darkness. The one who loves himself shall be enlightened by reading, and follows it. Approach the Bible with love, and contemplate its beauty. You will not benefit without love, because love is the entrance to understanding. The book commands your love, if you do not love it, do not read it. It speaks to you, but if you are bored while reading it, you will be deprived of its gestures. You should love it, open it, read it and contemplate its beauty, otherwise, you shall not read it because if you do not love it, you will not benefit from it.” d. Lack of repentance: St. Augustine says, “If you sin, your adversary is God's word … It's the adversary of your will until it can become the author of your salvation. Oh what a good adversary, what a useful adversary!”145 e. Conducting oneself in the Lord grants splendor to knowledge: The father Hesychius of Jerusalem says, “When the earth is plowed, it produces flowers and fruit, but contemplating the Law produces virtues. This is the reason why the practice of the Law is required with zeal (Ps. 119:40, 47, 48); not by covering it in words, but by doing it; not by discussing the language of the divine words in a useless way, but by confirming it by our conduct and approving it in our actions. Just as knowledge makes reading glorious, so doing grants knowledge splendor. What is the benefit of a vineyard without vines planted in it, nor pruned, nor being tended? Is not it vain for a knight to go out to a broad place when he has not yet trained his horses? … “In any case, Job did not behave like this, but from the beginning, he armed his soul with virtues, and trained it for battle through godliness. So long as he found himself in wealth and prosperity, he offered burnt offerings every day when he arose early (Job 1:5). Before the visible light (the sun) had dawned, he lit the invisible light. As he leapt out of his bed, he would run towards the One who grants sleep, with praise upon his lips (Ps. 127:2). He began the day’s activities by drawing near to the Creator of the day … How many times did Job shut the mouth of Eliphaz who wanted to exhibit his eloquence! … How many times did he negate the haughtiness of Bildad by weighing his words, this true soldier of righteousness! Notice that Zophar also proclaimed his own superiority at the beginning of his conversations! Let us scrutinize his words with awareness.”
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What is meant by the veil that lies on the hearts of some?
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Paul the Apostle says, “unlike Moses, who put a veil over his face so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the end of what was passing away. But their minds were blinded. For until this day the same veil remains unlifted in the reading of the Old Testament, because the veil is taken away in Christ. But even to this day, when Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart” (2 Cor. 3:13–16). The children of Israel were not capable of beholding the brilliance of Moses’ face, which was a temporary and passing glory. But God this to them, that they might seek that which is greater: the eternal glory that never passes away. St. Basil the Great comments on these words of the Apostle Paul, saying, “Why does he say this? For he who dwells at the abstract literal meaning, and occupies himself by keeping the law, he shall be as if his heart has been covered with the acceptance of the Jewish letter as a veil lies on him. This happens to him because of his ignorance that the physical keeping of the law has been invalidated in the presence of Christ, that is for the symbols to become facts for the future … “He who has the power to look to the depths of the meaning of the Law, and then cross through the mystery of the letter as through a veil to reach inexpressible things shall be like Moses who takes away the veil when speaking with God; this takes back the letter to the spirit. “[T]he obscurity of the teachings of the Law is analogous to the veil on the face of Moses, while spiritual vision, to the turning to the Lord. Therefore, he who strips off the letter in his reading of the Law turns to the Lord … becomes similar to Moses whose face was glorified by God’s epiphany. “For, as those things that are near brilliant colors are themselves colored because of the rays of light that flow around them, so he who clearly fixes his eyes on the Spirit is somehow transformed by the Spirit’s glory into something brighter as his heart is illuminated by the truth of the Spirit, as if by a light. And this is the transformation from the glory of the Spirit to his own glory; it does not happen in any insignificant or faint way, but in a manner that is suitable for one who is enlightened by the Spirit.”146 And St. Augustine says, “The truth is that the Old Testament of Mount Sinai, ‘bringing forth children unto bondage’ (Gal. 4:24), now serves no purpose but to bear witness to the New. Otherwise, the words of St Paul would not be true: ‘Yes, down to this very day when Moses is read, the veil covers their hearts’; but when any of them turn from the Old Testament to Christ, ‘the veil shall be taken away.’ What happens is that the deepest aspirations of those who make the change are shifted from the Old Testament to the New, whereupon they begin to look for spiritual — rather than earthly — happiness.”147 “Doubtless, there is a veil in the Old Testament, which will be removed as soon as one comes to Christ. At His Crucifixion, ‘the veil of the temple was rent,’ (Matt. 27:51) to signify what the Apostle said about the veil of the Old Testament, ‘Because in Christ it is made void’ (2 Cor. 3:14).”148 “For there is made void in Christ, not the Old Testament, but its veil: that so through Christ that may be understood, and, as it were, laid bare, which without Christ is obscure and covered. Forasmuch as the same Apostle straightway adds, ‘But when you shall have passed over to Christ, the veil shall be taken away’ (2 Cor. 3:16). For he does not say, the Law shall be taken away, or, the Old Testament. Not therefore through the Grace of the Lord, as though useless things were there hidden, have they been taken away; but rather the covering whereby useful things were covered. In this manner all they are dealt with, who earnestly and piously, not disorderly and shamelessly, seek the sense of those Scriptures, and they are carefully shown both the order of events, and the causes of deeds and words, and so great agreement of the Old Testament with the New, that not a jot is left that does not agrees; and so great secrets of figures, that all the things that are drawn forth by interpretation force them to confess that they are wretched, who will to condemn these before they learn them.”149 Because they pored over the letter rather than the spirit and closed their eyes so as not to see the light of the Gospel presented to them, their hearts were hardened (Acts 14:2) and they were filled with foolishness. The veil that obscured the brightness of the face of Moses was still present. The veil of darkness and ignorance that prevents access to the glory of the gospel lay over their hearts, preventing it from shining upon them. St. John Chrysostom says, “For what happened then once in the case of Moses, the same happens continually in the case of the Law. What is said, therefore, is no accusation of the Law, nor of Moses that he then veiled himself, but only of the senseless Jews. For the law has its proper glory, but they were unable to see it. ‘Why therefore are you troubled,’ he says, ‘that the Jews do not believe Christ, seeing at least that they do not even believe the Law?’”150 He also says, “The veil lies upon their heart … because of the grossness and carnal mind of the Jews … Do you see that not over the face of Moses was there that veil, but over the eyesight of the Jews? For it was done, not that the glory of Moses might be hidden, but that the Jews might not see. For they were not capable. So that in them was the deficiency, for it caused not him to be ignorant of anything.”151 The scholar Origen says, “Turning the pages of the prophets one by one … [the Bride, i.e., the Church] finds Christ springing forth from them and, now that the veil that covered them before is taken away, she perceives Him breaking out and emerging from individual passages in her reading, and bursting out of them in a manifestation that is now quite plain.”152 “[S]o long as someone has not turned to a spiritual understanding, ‘a veil lies over his heart’, by which veil, that is, a duller understanding, Scripture itself is said or thought to be veiled; and this is what is meant by the veil placed over the countenance of Moses when he spoke to the people, that is, when the Law was publicly read aloud. But if we ‘turn to the Lord’, where also is the Word of God, and where the Holy Spirit reveals spiritual knowledge, then ‘the veil is removed’, and thus with an ‘unveiled face we shall behold the glory of the Lord’ in the holy Scriptures.”153 “The brightness of the coming of Christ through the light of the Law of Moses by the honor of truth takes away the veil that covers the letter of the Law and shuts it up, for whoever believes in it and hides within it these good things.”154 “Thus the Lord Himself, the Holy Spirit Himself must be entreated by us to remove every cloud and all darkness which obscures the vision of our hearts hardened with the stains of sins so that we may be able to the spiritual and wonderful knowledge of His Law.”155 “Let us beware, therefore, lest not only ‘when the Moses is read,’ but also when Paul is read ‘a veil’ be ‘placed over’ our ‘heart.’ And clearly, if we hear negligently, if we bring no zeal to learning and understanding, not only are the Scriptures of the Law and prophets but also of the apostles and Gospels covered for us with a great veil. I fear, however, lest by too much negligence and dullness of heart the divine scriptures are not only veiled to us but also sealed, so that if a book should be put into the hands of a man who cannot read to be read, he would say, ‘I cannot read’; if it should be put into the hands of a man who can read, he would say, ‘It is sealed’ (Isa. 29:12, 11). Whence it is shown that we must not only employ zeal to learn the sacred literature, but we must also pray to the Lord and entreat ‘day and night’ that the lamb of ‘of the tribe of Judah’ may come and himself taking ‘the sealed book’ may deign to open it. For it is He who ‘opening the Scriptures’ kindles the hearts of the disciples so that they say, ’Was not our heart burning within us when He opened to us the Scriptures?’ (Luke 24:32). May He, therefore, even now, see fit to open to us what it is which He inspired His Apostle to say, ’But the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom’ (2 Cor. 3:17).”156 St Gregory of Nyssa says, “And the removal of the veil, so that the eye, freed of what obscures it, gazes without interference on the Beauty it desires, is a good thing, as none can doubt who pays attention to the apostle. He attributes the removal of the veil to the power of the Spirit when he says: ‘But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed; and the Lord is the Spirit’ (2 Cor. 3:16–17).”157 “Such a boon as this, however, is not within any man's reach to lay hold of, but the Divine intention lies hid under the body of the Scripture, as it were under a veil, some legislative enactment or some historical narrative being cast over the truths that are contemplated by the mind. For this reason, then, the Apostle tells us that those who look upon the body of the Scripture have ‘a veil upon their heart’ (2 Cor. 3:15), and are not able to look upon the glory of the spiritual law, being hindered by the veil that has been cast over the face of the law- giver. Wherefore he says, ‘The letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.’”158 St. Ambrose says, “Thus the holy one is bidden by the Lord to cross over to the stream, for he who has drunk of the New Testament not only is a river, but from his belly will flow rivers of living water, rivers of understanding, rivers of meditation, spiritual rivers.”159 “Rightly, then, does Paul say, ‘The letter kills, but the Spirit gives life’ (2 Cor. 3:6). The letter circumcised a small part of the body, the understanding spirit keeps the circumcision of the entire soul and body, so that chastity might be preserved, frugality loved, with the unnecessary parts cut off (for nothing is so unnecessary as the vices of greed, the sins of lust, which do not belong to nature but which sin has caused). Bodily circumcision is the symbol, but the reality is the spiritual circumcision; the one cuts off a member, the other sin.”160 St. Augustine says, “Therefore, you who fear the Lord, praise Him, and that you may worship Him, not as slaves but as free men, learn to love Him whom you fear, and you will be able to praise what you love. The men of the Old Testament, fearing God, because of the letter which terrifies and kills, and not yet possessing ‘the spirit which quickens,’ (2 Cor. 3:6) ran to the Temple with sacrifices and offered up bloody victims, ignorant of what was foreshadowed by them, although they were a figure of the Blood to come, by which we have been redeemed.”161 “God commands chastity and He gives chastity; He commands by the Law, He gives by His grace; He commands by the letter, He gives by the spirit; for the Law without grace makes sin abound (Rom. 5:20), and the letter without the spirit kills (2 Cor. 3:6). He commands so as to make us learn how to ask the help of grace when we try to obey His commandments, and in our weakness fall wearied under the Law, and also to make us grateful to Him who helps us if we have been able to perform any good work.”162 “For, if you take away the Spirit, how does the Law avail? It makes a prevaricator. On that account the Scripture says: ‘The letter kills’ (2 Cor. 3.6). The Law orders, and you do not obey … Something is commanded, and you do not do it; something is forbidden, and you do it. Behold, ‘the letter kills.’”163 “Let the Spirit be joined to the Law, because, if have received the Law, and if you lack the help of the Spirit, you do not fulfill what is of the Law, you do not carry out what is commanded you … Let the Spirit be added, let Him help, [and] that which is commanded is accomplished. If the Spirit is absent, the letter kills you … You cannot excuse yourself on the plea of ignorance since you have received the Law. Now, because you have learned what you should do, ignorance does not excuse you … But why does the Apostle say, ‘The letter kills but the spirit gives life’ (2 Cor. 3:6)? How does the Spirit give life? Because He causes the letter to be fulfilled so that it may not kill. The sanctified are those who fulfill the Law of God according to the gift of God. The Law can command; it cannot help. The Spirit is added as a helper, and the commandment of God is fulfilled with joy and delight. Certainly many observe the Law from fear, but those who keep the Law from fear of punishment would prefer that what they fear did not exist. On the contrary, those who observe the Law through love of justice rejoice even in that respect because they do not consider it hostile to them.”164
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How shall the veil be lifted from us?
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The veil is lifted from our hearts and minds when we turn to the Lord with sincere prayer. St. John Chrysostom says, “For [the veil was placed], not that the glory of Moses might be hidden, but that the Jews might not see. For they were not capable … For ‘when you shall turn to the Lord, the veil is taken away’ … For when Moses talked with the Jews he kept his face covered, but when he turned to God it was uncovered. Now, this was a type of that which was to come to pass, that when we have turned to the Lord, then we shall see the glory of the Law, and the face of the Lawgiver bare; yes rather, not this alone, but we shall then be even in the same rank with Moses.”165
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What is the interpretive approach of the School of Alexandria?
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Dom. D. Rees says, “The most renowned intellectual institution in the early Christian world was undoubtedly the Catechetical School (Didascaleion) of Alexandria, and its primary concern was the study of the Bible, giving its name to an influential tradition of scriptural interpretation … The preoccupation of this school of exegesis was to discover everywhere the spiritual sense underlying the written word of the Scripture.”167 St. Clement of Alexandria used this kind of exegesis, but it was his student, Origen, who systematized it, established its guiding principles and made it popular in both the East and West, so much so that it was attributed to him. Origen elevated the School of Alexandria to the pinnacle of this approach, and it was influenced by his initiatives and ideas, although it was later freed from his excesses in allegorical interpretation. This approach was significant in that it allowed Christian theology to build a bridge between philosophy and revelation, and provided solutions to many problems in the interpretation of the Old Testament. At the same time, however, we cannot ignore the damage done by its excessive use. Accordingly, this approach met with opposition, and the later fathers of the School called for moderation in its use. St. Clement of Alexandria is considered one of the earliest Christian theologians (writers) to use allegorical exegesis, justifying its use practically. In his view, the Bible contains hidden meanings in order to inspire us to search and discover the words of salvation which are hidden from the eyes of those who would spurn them. His student Origen adds some further justifications for the use of allegorical exegesis.
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What is the difference between Allegory and Typology?
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The Bible uses at least three types of allegory: a. Figurative allegory. b. Narrative allegory. c. Typological allegory. The Apostle Paul’s hymn on love in 1 Corinthians, and the depiction of Wisdom in Proverbs 8 are two examples of figurative allegory. In some parables, such as the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:30–35) and the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11–32), the kind of allegory used is narrative allegory. But the dominant mode in the gospel is typological allegory, which is “a New Testament exegetic method which treats events and figures of the Old Testament as combining historical reality with prophetic meaning in terms of the Gospels and the Christian dispensation.”168 As Joseph Trigg explains: “Some scholars distinguish ‘allegory’ defined as a method in which earthly realities are interpreted symbolically to refer to heavenly realities, from ‘typology,’ in which one historical reality is interpreted as foreshadowing another, especially the person and work of Christ.”169 J. N. D. Kelly also presents a basis for distinguishing between allegory and typology: “In allegorical exegesis the sacred text is treated as a mere symbol, or allegory, of spiritual truths. The literal, historical sense, if it is regarded at all, plays a relatively minor role, and the aim of the exegete is to elicit the moral, theological or mystical meaning which each passage, indeed each verse and even each word, is presumed to contain … “Typological exegesis worked along very different lines. Essentially it was a technique for bringing out the correspondence between the two Testaments, and took as its guiding principle the idea that the events and personages of the Old were ‘types’ of, i.e., prefigured and anticipated, the events and personages of the New. The typologist took history seriously; it was the scene of the progressive unfolding of God’s consistent redemptive purpose.”170 Jean Daniélou also says, “the typology of the Fathers was based on the continuity which exists between the Old and New Testaments.”171
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What is the Fathers’ stance on Allegory and Typology, after Origen?
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The theologians of Alexandria after Origen, from St. Didymus the Blind to St. Cyril the Great, were influenced to varying degrees by the allegorical method of interpretation, and the same can be said of the Cappadocian Fathers and the Fathers of Palestine (with the exception of Epiphanius). Hibberd (London: Burns & Oates, 1960): p. 69. The School of Antioch later came to oppose the tradition of allegorical exegesis, and although it did not completely reject allegorical interpretations, it rarely resorted to them, instead preferring the historical method of interpretation. The allegorical tradition moved to the West through the influence of the Alexandrian theologians, as is clearly evident in the exegetical writings of fathers like St. Hilary and St. Ambrose. Even though the great Latin commentator St. Jerome grew skeptical of allegorical interpretation in his latter years, he nonetheless accepted the three levels of biblical interpretation established by Origen, and affirmed the importance of resorting to the spiritual meaning because of the extensive use of anthropomorphism to describe God in the Bible. St. Augustine applied allegory very freely, particularly with regard to the hidden significance of names and numbers. St. John Cassian,174 following St. Clement of Alexandria, developed a scheme that divided the kinds of interpretation into the following four categories: a. Literal interpretation. b. Allegorical interpretation (applying the texts to Christ and the striving Church). c. Tropological or moral interpretation (relating to the soul and its virtues). d. Anagogical interpretation (applying the texts to heavenly realities).175
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What is St. Clement’s justification for the use of allegorical interpretation?
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In St. Clement’s view, allegory drives believers to discover hidden meanings in the Holy Bible. According to some scholars, the authors of the books of the Holy Bible were inspired by the Holy Spirit to use symbols in order to conceal the most sublime doctrines from simple readers whose intellect was not equipped to grasp them, while at the same time inspiring the curiosity in the souls of the more spiritually and intellectually mature. Discovering the deeper hidden meanings in Scripture is a gradual process whereby God guides the souls to whom He has chosen to reveal Himself, conveying them from the sensible realm to the spiritual realm. In this way, by contemplating the most obscure texts of Scripture, the true Gnostic (one who possesses knowledge) is transported from the present world to connect to the other world.
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What is Origen’s justification for using allegorical interpretation?
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Origen discussed two problems concerning the Old Testament that confronted the early Church: a. The Jews expected Jesus to fulfill the prophecies of the Old Testament in a literal manner; for instance, that He would be their king who rules over all the world. Origen says, “Both Jews and Christians agree that the books (of Scripture) were written by the Spirit of God, but we do not agree about the meaning of their contents; for we do not regulate our lives like the Jews, because we are of opinion that the literal acceptance of the laws is not that which conveys the meaning of the legislation.”177 Origen also says, “If therefore both the Lord and God are ‘Spirit,’ we ought to hear spiritually those things which the Spirit says.”178 b. The Gnostic sects rejected the Old Testament because they were scandalized by certain passages which refer to God as becoming angry, changing his mind, or feeling regret. They were scandalized because they interpreted these descriptions literally rather than spiritually. Origen contends that the attribution of human characteristics to God (anthropomorphism), like God’s wrath, cannot be understood literally. He says, “If you hear of the anger of God and his wrath, do not suppose that anger and wrath are passions of God. The purposes of using this way of speaking are for converting and bettering the infant [i.e. the human race], since we also use a fearful expression with children, not from an actual state of mind but because of a purpose to cause fear. If we maintain what is kindly for the soul in our expression toward a baby, and we show the affection which we have for it, since we have not altered ourselves nor changed for the conversion of that one, we lose him and make him worse. So then it states that God is also said to be angry and wrathful in order that you can convert and become better. And he is truly neither angry nor wrathful, but you experience the effects of anger and wrath when you are in unbearable pains because of evil, whenever he disciplines by what is called the anger of God.”179 In addition to countering the Jews and Gnostic sects, Origen appeals to a third reason for the use of allegory, namely, that the spiritual interpretation is justified by the fact that the Old Testament presents to us the person of Christ in advance. Origen says, “most of the things recorded in the law refer typically and enigmatically to the Christ.”180 Therefore, it is the spiritual meaning which links the Old Testament to the New and reveals the relationship between them.
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How does Origen explain allegorical interpretation?
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a. Origen contemplates on the priest who skins the burnt offering (Lev. 6:1), saying that he “is the one who removes the veil of the letter (2 Cor. 3.14) from the word of God and uncovers its interior parts which are members of spiritual understanding.”181 b. Origen does not find the spiritual meaning to be difficult: “The spiritual interpretation, however, is not so difficult and hard to come by. For the Bride of the Word, the soul who abides in His royal house—that is, in the Church—is taught by the Word of God, who is her Bridegroom, whatever things are stored and hidden within the royal court and in the King’s chamber.”182 c. Origen understands the human being to be made up of body, soul, and spirit; and likewise, understands the Holy Bible to be of the same structure for the salvation of the human being: that is; the literal meaning, the moral meaning, and the spiritual meaning. d. Origen finds in Noah’s ark an example that confirms his theory, since it consists of three decks (Gen. 6:15–16). “And thus by ascending through the individual levels of the dwellings, one arrives at Noah himself, whose name means rest or righteous, who is Christ Jesus.”183 i. The lower deck refers to the base — that is, the literal or historical interpretation of the Holy Bible. ii. The upper deck is the spiritual or mystical meaning. In his commentary on Genesis, he says, “These, indeed, who live by rational knowledge and are capable not only of ruling themselves but also of teaching others, since very few are found, represent the few who are saved with Noah himself and are united with him in the closest relationship, just as also our Lord, the true Noah, Christ Jesus, has few intimates, few sons and relatives, who are participants in his word and capable of his wisdom.”184 iii. The middle deck represents the moral interpretation.
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What are St. Cyril of Alexandria’s views regarding the interpretation of the Holy Bible?
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We conclude our discussion on typology and allegory in the School of Alexandria with excerpts from Alexander Kerrigan’s study on St. Cyril of Alexandria’s methods of Biblical interpretation. Regarding St. Cyril’s methods, Kerrigan writes, “Our author rounds off his conclusions in three propositions, which, though formulated negatively, are quite positive in their contents: 1) it is a mistake to hold that the law has been abolished to the extent that none of its prescriptions have any force; 2) it is likewise a mistake to think that it is altogether useless; τά ἁναγχαῖα [necessary things], if they are explained, are still useful; 3) finally, it is erroneous to claim that the law cannot be used a proof of the truth.”186 St. Cyril of Alexandria says, “Great spiritual wealth … was pounded into the Mosaic oracles.”187 Naturally, if we wish to avoid burying this richness, we ought to stop using the literal interpretation. It is clear that St. Cyril does not wish to speak much about this topic: “the Law is at once both perfect and imperfect: perfect if understood spiritually, speaking to us about the mystery of Christ, and in turn imperfect if the mind of those under guidance proceeds only to the letter, the concreteness of the factual meaning being, as it were, only half of knowledge.”188 St. Cyril reiterates these thoughts again and again. Throughout his writings, he frequently repeats the saying of St. Paul the Apostle, “The letter kills, but the Spirit gives life” (2 Cor. 3:6). This verse became a universal slogan of that time. He again says: “‘The letter of the Law kills,’ remember, according to Paul in his wisdom, and in itself it is a useless shadow, but it has become for us who understand it most beneficial for an understanding of Christ and has emerged as a kind of spiritual shower irrigating in some fashion the earth under heaven. It is true that the Law, which formerly was harsh and unbearable for the ancients, has become for us a guide to the mystery of Christ so that even through it we may succeed in bearing fruit by reducing the density of the shadow to the reality.”190 Some Christians view “tradition” as blind obedience to the past, a passive clinging to an unchanging deposit (of faith). In their view, tradition resembles a precious catalog of a collection of ancient traditions, canons, and rites; or a museum in which ancient relics are gathered. As a result, they see the traditional Church as static and backward-looking, holding onto what is old simply because it is old. In this simple work, I would like to explain our understanding of “tradition” through the Holy Bible, the mind of the Fathers, and our practical church life.
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What does the word “tradition” mean?
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In Greek, the word “tradition” ― as found in the New Testament ― is “paradosis,” and it does not mean “imitation.” Its cognate verb is “paradidomi,” which can be translated as “to commit something to another person” or “handing something over.” A closely associated verb is “paralambano,” which means “to accept something” or “to receive.” In Hebrew, these two terms correspond to “nasar” (“to hand over” or “to deliver”) and “qibbel” (“to accept something” or “to receive”).191 Thus, the word tradition does not mean simply “mimicking the past.” Biblically, it means to hand over something precious. One generation delivers the faith, and another receives it.
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What is the material of tradition?
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What is the material of Christian tradition? Or, what is the deposit that the Church received and preserved throughout the generations? In fact, Christ did not give His disciples and apostles a written document. Instead, He prepared them to follow Him and to accept Him dwelling within their hearts. They heard Him teach and followed Him everywhere. They saw Him pray, comfort people, treat sinners kindly, heal the sick and give life to the dead. They saw Him celebrate the Last Supper and grant them peace after His resurrection. Finally, He sent them His Holy Spirit, not only to remind them of His own words and to help them follow His example, but also that they may have unity with Him and that they may partake in His divine life. This is the essence of our tradition: “unity with the Lord Christ through the work of the Holy Spirit.” For God the Father gave up His own Son for us, and the Son also gave Himself up for us (see John 3:16, Gal. 2:20, Eph. 5:2). This is the Tradition, “the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude), or the “Gospel” written in our lives and engraved in our hearts. It is a continuous, living gift, received by the apostles who delivered it to their disciples by the Holy Spirit who bears witness to Christ within the life of the Church and unites her with the Savior. In other words, this act of transmission or delivery did not occur only through the apostles’ writings, but also through the Holy Spirit who guided their feelings, attitudes, worship, behavior, and preaching. He granted them a new life that is “the life in Christ,” in the life of the Church throughout the generations as He continues to live and work in the Church yesterday, today, and tomorrow; inspiring her life and filling it with a continuity of life, faith, and love, and not a static imitation of the past. Thus, tradition is the living stream of the one life of the Church, which carries the past in all its aspects as a living present and extends the present towards the future without deviation. This is the essence of “tradition.” When we study tradition, we must focus on its contents which include: a. The message of faith in the Holy Trinity and God’s saving works, and the teaching of it. b. The acts and words of the Lord Christ. c. The books of the Old and New Testaments and the experience of the Church Fathers and their understanding of the word of God, etc. d. The spiritual and behavioral program in Christ Jesus. e. The pattern of worship: its concepts and order. f. The canons of the Church and the order of worship, such as prayers, fasting, prostrations (metanoias), feasts, etc., which are practiced in a spiritual manner for the edification of the Church and the growth of every believer’s spiritual life and personal relationship with the Holy Trinity.
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What was the role of tradition in the apostolic age?
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The books of the New Testament appeared gradually through the apostolic age, but they were not yet canonized by the Church. At this time, tradition was the only source of Christian faith, teaching, and worship. We can summarize the role played by tradition during that period in the life of the Church in the following points: a. When the Church first began, she used the books of the Old Testament. Based on the teachings of Christ and His apostles, the early Christians accepted these books from the Jews and considered them the wisdom of God, inspired and authoritative. The early Church viewed herself as the heir of the ancient Jewish tradition, and hence inherited these holy books. It is worth noting that the early Church read these holy books with an enlightened eye and distinctly Christian mind. She received the prophecies in these books and applied to them a certain kind of interpretation,193 which the Jews did not yet know. This type of interpretation was received by the Church from the apostles and we are certain that Christ was the one who established it. b. Even though the books of the New Testament were not canonized by the Church until the mid-second century, the fathers viewed these books as the inspired word of God and quoted them in their writings. c. Through tradition, the Church Fathers recognized the unity of holy scripture — the unity of the Old and New Testaments — being the word of God, even before the Church’s official canonization of the New Testament. d. The apostles indicated that one of the sources of the authority of their apostleship is the tradition that they received through their discipleship to Jesus Christ. They preached as eyewitnesses to the events of Christ’s life and His saving deeds. St. John states, “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of life” (1 John 1:1). In his gospel, he also says, “He who saw it has borne witness ― his testimony is true, and he knows that he tells the truth ― that you also may believe” (John 19:35). St. Luke also pointed out that accounts of the events of Christ’s life “were delivered to us by those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word” (Luke 1:2). When the eleven apostles wished to appoint someone in place of Judas, they were determined to choose only one “of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from the baptism of John until the day when He was taken up from us ― one of these men must become with us a witness to His resurrection” (Acts 1:21–22). Therefore, the apostolic tradition began with the eyewitnesses of the Lord’s life, but that alone was not sufficient to permanently maintain it. The Holy Spirit, who guides the life of the Church reveals the truth and unites her with God in Christ Jesus, established this tradition and provided the basis for its continual survival throughout the generations as the Apostle Luke says, “We are His witnesses to these things, and so also is the Holy Spirit” (Acts 5:32). St. Paul the apostle, who was interested in establishing “the tradition of Christ” for the Church, was not an eyewitness to these events, but he received a special commission to the apostleship. By the Holy Spirit, he received the tradition of the Church as though it were given to him from God directly. He asserts, “Paul, an apostle ― not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father …” (Gal. 1:1). He also says, “I received (paralambano) from the Lord (apo tou Kyriou) what I also delivered (paradidomi) to you“ (I Cor. 11:23). Notice that the use of the preposition apo in the phrase “from the Lord” indicates the delivery of information through one or more intermediaries, and the genitive para in the word “received” (paralambano) confirms such mediation. e. The tradition which the apostles received from Christ and granted to the Church is in its essence “our new life in Christ by the Holy Spirit.” In other words, the apostolic tradition was never something static, as it bears within itself the continuity of Pentecost in the Church as a whole and in every living member. The Christian community as a whole practices this new life through the Holy Spirit and every individual member of the Church also accepts a personal relationship with God in the Spirit without isolation from the Universal Church. From this point of view, we also view our tradition as a spiritual gift, in its very essence. It is not just offered from one person to another but has an effect on the life of the one who offers it as well as that of the one who receives it. “I long to see you,” wrote St. Paul to the Romans, “that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you ― that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine” (Rom. 1:11–12). St. Augustine also says, “For you I am a bishop, with you, I am a Christian.”195 As a bishop, he felt deeply that he was appointed by God to preserve the Christian tradition for his people. At the same time, he lived this tradition with them as a Christian, being a member of their community. f. The apostles subjected themselves to some Jewish traditions of worship that were consistent with their faith after baptizing them. We will talk further about this point later. g. Through tradition, the Church stressed the importance of loyalty to bishops, as she regarded the bishop, as the successor of the apostles, as being appointed to be responsible for preserving the orthodoxy of the faith. In brief, we can say that the Church in the apostolic age accepted a living tradition by which she accepted the Old Testament, understood its prophecies, discovered its types and symbols, and became acquainted with its unity with apostolic testimony. By this tradition, the Church also accepted the eyewitness accounts of the apostles, declared the authority of their successors in preserving the Christian faith, and lived the true worship of God.
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How is apostolic tradition connected to the Gospel?
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Our faith in the Messiah, the Savior, is at the core of our Holy Tradition. More than once, St. Paul the apostle told his congregation that he has delivered to them the tradition of the “gospel of salvation,” the “word of hearing” or the “God’s salvific work,” which he had received from the Church. He says, “Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also you have received and wherein you stand … For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; and that He was buried, and that He rose again on the third day according to the scriptures” (1 Cor. 15:1–4). “When you received the word of God which you heard of us, you received it not as the word of men but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectively works also in you who believe” (1 Thess. 2:13). Truly, the apostles received this gospel of the Church, not written on paper but through word of mouth, that they may deliver it to the Church by oral tradition, as well as written. On this note, Cyril Richardson says, “Hence Christian preaching was founded on the Old Testament and on the living tradition of Jesus, passed from mouth to mouth. This feeling for personal witness was very strong in the Early Church. Papias, for instance, records his disdain for books and his preference for ‘the living and abiding voice’.”196 Many Western scholars are coming to appreciate this truth: oral tradition does not stand side by side with the written works as separate and distinct things; rather, they are one thing. What the Bible declares, the Church has received by oral tradition. F. F. Bruce, the professor of Biblical Criticism and Exegesis at the University of Manchester notes: “Whereas western Christians tend to set ‘scripture’ and ‘tradition’ over against each other, as though tradition were exclusively oral and not written, there is no reason why tradition should not take written form. If it is apostolic tradition, in due course it takes written form and becomes apostolic scripture. Whether Paul’s teaching was given orally or in writing, it equally carried apostolic authority; hence he can encourage the Thessalonian Christians to ‘stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught by us, either by word of mouth or by letter’ (2 Thess. 2:15).”197 In The New Westminster Dictionary of the Bible we find, “The term (tradition), however, came to be used in a good sense of the apostolic teaching handed down in the Church either by the oral word or by letter.”198 J. N. D. Kelly says, “by tradition the fathers usually mean doctrine which the Lord or His apostles committed to the Church, irrespective of whether it was handed down orally or in documents … The ancient meaning of the term is well illustrated by Athanasius’ reference to ‘the actual original tradition, teaching and faith of the Catholic Church, which the Lord bestowed, the apostles proclaimed and the fathers safeguarded.’”200 Indeed, the Church received the “word of God” before it was written on paper. She enjoyed its good news and understood the deepest meaning of the word of God by the Holy Spirit through oral tradition, received not only by words but also as a way of life. She received this life more than twenty years before the New Testament began to be written. And when the evangelists and apostles did write the New Testament by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the Church accepted it, venerated it, and understood it as the very life she had already been living. Thus, the Gospel is not a stranger to tradition, but its first component, for they both declare the “One Truth” and explain the nature of the Church. Perhaps one may ask whether oral tradition was annulled by the appearance of the books of the New Testament. We point to the apostles themselves who, in their letters to the early Christian communities, often reminded the believers of oral tradition from which they may gain an understanding of Christian truth. “Having many things to write to you, I did not wish to do so with paper and ink; but I hope to come to you and speak face to face, that our joy may be full” (2 John). “I had many things to write, but I do not wish to write to you with pen and ink; but I hope to see you shortly, and we shall speak face to face” (3 John 13–14). “And the rest I will set in order when I come” (1 Cor. 11:34). “For this reason I left you in Crete, that you should set in order the things that are lacking and appoint elders in every city as I commanded you” (Titus 1:5). In many situations, the apostle Paul commands his disciples to preserve the tradition, deliver it to others, and keep the traditions they were taught ― whether by word of mouth or by his epistles ― and to withdraw themselves “from every brother who walks disorderly and not according to the tradition which he received from us“ (2 Thess. 3:6). He also warns us to beware of every tradition of men which is inconsistent with the faith, “according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ” (Col. 2:8). Moreover, in the early Church, converts to Christianity accepted the faith in many countries that had no versions of the Bible in their own languages and thus had no access to the truth except through oral tradition. St. Irenaeus in the second century is the first to discuss the matter of tradition. He poses these questions: suppose we had no holy scripture, what would have happened? To whom should we turn? “Should we not have recourse to the most ancient Churches with which the apostles held constant intercourse, and learn from them what is certain and clear in regard to the present question? For how should it be if the apostles themselves had not left us writings? Would it not be necessary, [in that case,] to follow the course of the tradition which they handed down to those to whom they did commit the Churches?”202
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How has the Holy Bible been preserved till today?
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The Holy Bible is the book of the Church, which we receive through the tradition of the Church. By tradition, our sacred books were canonized, confirming that they were divinely inspired. Origen the scholar says, “in all these questions we approve of nothing but what the Church approves of, namely only four canonical Gospels.”203 St. Cyril of Jerusalem says ”Learn also diligently, and from the Church, what are the books of the Old Testament, and what those of the New.”204 So also St. Augustine: “For my part, I should not believe the gospel except as moved by the authority of the Catholic Church.”205 St. Basil the Great says, ”For were we to attempt to reject such customs as have no written authority, on the ground that the importance they possess is small, we should unintentionally injure the Gospel in its very vitals.”206 It is important to note that while Church tradition testifies to the Holy Bible, and the Holy Bible is itself a part of the Church’s tradition, none of this diminishes the unique value of the Bible. Tradition defends the Bible’s nature as the word of God, the eternal divine revelation, which addresses not only the present age but also the ages to come. Although tradition testifies to the Holy Bible, it cannot be its judge. On the contrary, a tradition is only accepted if it is founded on the Bible; it cannot be accepted if it disagrees with the Holy Bible. Moreover, the Holy Bible is for every believer, that he may experience it and personally taste its beauty, appreciating its value and inspiration. However, no one can by himself determine the divine inspiration of the Holy Bible and the presence of the Holy Spirit within the Bible — only the Holy Spirit who lives in the Church can do that. It is not through any individual effort of a human deciding alone, but through adherence to the judgment of the Church. Finally, the close relationship between the Holy Bible and the tradition of the Church in no way extinguishes one’s personal feelings towards the Holy Bible. On the contrary, the tradition of the Church reinforces the personal approach, and requires of us that we live the Bible in no way isolated from the Church.
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How were the words and acts of Christ preserved?
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By tradition, we received the Holy Gospels which contain some, but not all, of the acts and words of Christ, as St. John concludes in his gospel, “And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written” (John 21:25). The disciples and apostles heard many sayings which they treasured and lived; but they did not record them all in the gospels. For example, consider some of the things that Paul the Apostle wrote: “Even so the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should live from the gospel” (1 Cor. 9:14). “Now to the married I command, yet not I but the Lord: A wife is not to depart from her husband” (1 Cor. 7:10). The apostle Paul received these commandments and sayings of the Lord from the disciples and apostles who heard the Lord firsthand, lived them by the Spirit, and preached them to others. Concerning the acts of Christ, the apostle Paul also says, “For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord (Kyrios) Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread” (1 Cor. 11:23). The apostle Paul did not witness this event firsthand on the night of His suffering, but as Oscar Cullmann explains, the word “Kyrios” here refers to the “oral tradition” concerning the Lord Jesus. Of course, the apostle did receive many visions and revelations firsthand; but this particular act he received from the Lord through the Church. What is wonderful is that the earliest liturgies — such as that found in the Apostolic Tradition of St. Hippolytus — contain the apostle Paul’s expressions in the signings, in the Institution Narrative. Perhaps this is because the Apostolic Tradition of Hippolytus reflects a general tradition in the Church on which both the apostle Paul and all the apostolic liturgies relied.
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What does Papias say about tradition?
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After the departure of the apostles and the disciples who were eyewitnesses to the saving events of Christ’s life, Church Fathers like Papias, Irenaeus, and Clement of Alexandria were interested in preserving the oral tradition ― the “tradition of the fathers, the elders (presbyters)” ― which they held to date back to the apostolic era. We know about Papias, the Bishop of Hierapolis in Phrygia, from the writings of Irenaeus and Eusebius. Irenaeus’ testimony of him is considered more important than that of Eusebius since Irenaeus belongs to the same group of witnesses as Papias, although he came a little bit later. St. Irenaeus wrote that Papias had heard St. John firsthand, was a companion of St. Polycarp, and compiled five books. Irenaeus praised his works highly and regarded Papias as having a direct lineage to the apostolic era. His works survived until the fourteenth century (if not later), but unfortunately not a single manuscript of his survives today. Eusebius preserved for us a preface to Papias’ work entitled, “The Exposition of the Oracles of the Lord.”214 In this preface, Papias (before the mid-2nd century) collected the memoirs of those still alive who had personally known the apostles. He says, “I shall not hesitate to set down for you together with my interpretations all that I have ever learned well from the presbyters and recall well, being confident of their truth ... if ever anyone came who had carefully followed the presbyters, I inquired as to the words of the presbyters, what Andrew or what Peter said, or what Philip or what Thomas or James or what John or Matthew or any other of the disciples of the Lord ... For I did not suppose that information from books helped me so much as that from a living and abiding voice.”215
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Catechism of the Coptic Orthodox Church – Volume 1
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This dataset contains structured text extracted from Catechism of the Coptic Orthodox Church – Volume 1 by Fr. Tadros Youssef Malaty, a foundational catechetical work of the Coptic Orthodox Church covering theology, doctrine, and spiritual life.
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- Title: Catechism of the Coptic Orthodox Church – Volume 1
- Author: Fr. Tadros Y. Malaty
- Tradition: Coptic Orthodox Church
- Language: English
@book{malaty2023catechism_v1,
title = {Catechism of the Coptic Orthodox Church},
author = {Malaty, Tadros Yacoub},
volume = {1},
note = {Books 1--3},
year = {2023},
publisher = {St. George Coptic Orthodox Church},
address = {Sporting, Alexandria},
}
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