Unveiling the mysteries of the Orthodox

UNVEILING THE MYSTERIES OF THE ORTHODOX CHURCH

(the fourth major faith group in the United States)

CH(LTC) Thomas L. Palke

District of Columbia Army National Guard

Priest of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Ardiocese of North America
CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

The January 15, 1990, edition of U. S. News and World Report included an article entitled "From evangelicalism to Orthodoxy." The article described a "renaissance of ritualism that is slowly reaching across a wide spectrum of religious traditions--from mainline Presbyterianism to Reform Judaism--where clergy and laity are discarding informal, sermon-centered worship that has come to characterize much of American religious practice in the 20th Century."[1] The article described people, such as Father Bill Caldaroni, a former Protestant who converted to the Orthodox Church, along with the people in his mission in Wheaton, Illinois. His conversion was the result of an intensive study of the early church fathers. According to Caldaroni, "In Orthodoxy we have found the fullness of worship."[2] Also cited in the article was the mass-conversion to the Orthodox Church of over 2000 former evangelicals. These evangelicals felt they needed to become part of the Church. The crucial question was "which church?" According to Father Peter Gillquist, one of the leaders of this group of former evangelicals, the study of the doctrine, worship, and polity of the early church led them to the ancient Orthodox Church. This group was eventually received into the Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of North America. Gillquist now heads the Church's outreach agency and describes its mission as "bringing America to Orthodoxy."

With the entry of these former evangelicals into the Orthodox Church has come a renewal in missions and evangelism among some of the Orthodox jurisdictions in America, primarily the Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of North America. It is interesting to note that this jurisdiction, originally of Syrian/Lebanese heritage, claims that one-half of its priests are converts to Orthodoxy.[3] The trend in conversions was highlighted in a recent edition of Again, the quarterly publication of the Antiochian Evangelical Orthodox Mission. That edition, entitled "Why are Protestant Schools Producing Orthodox Clergy?", described the journeys to Orthodoxy by former Pentecostal, fundamental, evangelical, charismatic, and mainline Protestant clergy. The response to that edition of Again was so overwhelming that the publisher, Conciliar Press, decided to publish a book that included an expanded catalogue of testimonies. This book, entitled Coming Home, manifests a variety of reasons that these men converted to Orthodoxy. In virtually every case the conversions were the result of serious theological reflection. Many of these clergy became Orthodox, often involving great personal and financial sacrifice. These men do not speak flippantly about their former denominations. They are thankful for what their traditions had to offer them. "It was because of, not in spite of, their heritage that they have found their way to the fullness of the OrthodoxFaith."[4]

^{For
many people, the Orthodox Church is a complete mystery. This writer has discovered, that even among
Army chaplains, little is known about
the Orthodox Church. This paper will attempt to unveil the mysteries of the
Orthodox Church. This paper will document some of the reasons for the movement
to Orthodoxy, and provide an overview of its historical development and
theological foundations.}

Why is this topic relevant to Army chaplains? Army chaplains not only serve their own religious faith group but also provide for the religious needs of the soldiers in their units. Chaplains need to be aware of current trends in American religion as well as the basic beliefs and practices of various faith groups.

CHAPTER II

REASONS FOR BECOMING ORTHODOX

Why are conversions to Orthdoxy taking place? The answers can be better understood by investigating the reasons given by the former Protestants who became Orthodox.

First, almost every convert spoke of a fervent desire to find the New Testament Church. Virtually all converts embarked on a serious study of church history. Gillquist, in his book Becoming Orthodox, relates a thorough study that he and his fellow clergy undertook in their quest for the Church. The following topics lay at the heart of their investigation: (1) Doctrine, (2) Worship, and (3) Church Government. Their research incorporated the writings of early church fathers such as Ignatius of Antioch, Polycarp, The Didache, Justin Martyr, Irenaeus of Lyons, Cyprian of Carthage, Athanasius, as well as the decrees and canons of the Seven Ecumenical Councils. These men already accepted the Bible as the inspired Word of God. For them, the fathers helped to clarify issues of biblical interpretation, doctrine and practice. They eventually concluded that the apostolic faith has been preserved by the Orthodox Church.

In the book Coming Home the writers indicated several factors that led them to the door of the Orthodox Church.

Scriptural Interpretation

Many of the converts to Orthodoxy expressed dismay over the diverse interpretations of the Scriptures by the large number of denominations in the United States. Some of these men came from churches that affirmed the authority of the Bible but rejected creedal formulations.

Father Gregory Rogers, a former Church of Christ pastor, discovered that "the Bible does not exist in a vacuum or stand on its own apart from interpretation."[5] Every church has a tradition that tempers its interpretation of Scripture. The crucial question for Rogers and others was not "tradition" versus "no tradition, " but "which tradition?" Others, such as Father Anthony Hughes, a graduate of Oral Roberts University, discovered that the Church existed before the New Testament was written. For them, the Church gave birth to the New Testament, not the other way around. They also contend that the interpretation of the Bible is best understood in the light of the Seven Ecumenical Councils and other pronouncements of the Church throughout her history.

Worship

Very few of the Protestant converts to Orthodoxy were motivated by a desire for highly liturgical worship. Most discovered the liturgical roots of the Church through studies of church history and patristics. And, as they made new discoveries, these men tried to incorporate some of these concepts in their Protestant congregations. Some discovered in Orthodoxy a synthesis of doctrine and worship. Father Kenneth Hines, a former Presbyterian pastor, speaks of the dichotomy between faith and practice that he perceived in Protestantism:

While in seminary, I had all but given up on any hope of trying to combine spiritual and ministerial practice with academics. The tension was left unresolved until by God's providence I discovered the historic Orthodox Faith. With its daily, individual, and community liturgical prayer, and the sacraments, Orthodoxy provided the answer to the abstract and arid intellectualism I had encountered as a student.[6]

The converts from non-liturgical Protestant traditions spoke of their appreciation of the structure of the Orthodox liturgical services in enhancing their devotion and establishing order in their prayer lives.

The Sacraments

Those Protestants that had held a symbolic view of the sacraments or "ordinances" discovered the inadequacy of such a view when confronted with patristic evidence. They discovered the centrality of the Eucharist as a partaking of the very body and blood of Jesus Christ in the early church's worship. They came to see the sacramental power of Holy Baptism as union with Christ and forgiveness of sins. And, they soon came to accept the other five sacraments: Confession, Chrismation, Holy Ordination, Holy Unction, and Holy Matrimony.

Liberalism/Modernism

A sizeable number of people have converted to Orthodoxy due to frustration over changes and liberal trends in their denominations. Father Andrew Harmon, a former Methodist minister, became disillusioned when "the power structure exerted consistent pressure for us to conform with whatever innovative trends were going on in the denomination."[7] His dream of revitalizing his denomination was merely an illusion. He observed seminary graduates that had changed their beliefs over a brief period of time. Also, he found that he frequently could not recommend other Methodist churches to his parishioners who moved to different areas. In the meanwhile, he and his wife had been studying the Orthodox Church. They were attracted to the unchanging character of Orthodoxy.

For Father Athanasios Ledwich, a former Anglican priest, the final straw came during the consecration of David Jenkins as the Anglican Bishop of Durham. After his election, Jenkins appeared on television, denying the historicity of the virgin birth and bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ . According to Ledwich,

If the Church of England were to consecrate a man who openly uttered such heresy in public without asking him to retract, then it was not a single bishop who was at fault: it was the whole body which made him a bishop that could be accused of heresy.[8]

In most cases these men "saw the handwriting on the wall" and began to investigate alternatives. For many disaffected Anglicans, the Roman Catholic Church seems to be the only option. For some of the men whose testimonials are included in Coming Home, the Roman Catholic Church was an option that they considered seriously. This option is probably more apparent because of the significant presence of Catholic parishes in the United States and England. For those who cannot accept Papal Infallibility, and other later doctrines, such as Purgatory or the Immaculate Conception, and have "done their homework" in church history and patristics, the Orthodox Church appears to be a viable option.

Spirituality

Many men found the spirituality and mystery of the Orthodox Church to be a refreshing discovery. In the face of a hectic world, the Orthodox emphasis on communion with God in a disciplined prayer life adds a dimension to faith that some Protestants have never experienced. Ron Olson, a graduate of Biola College in Los Angeles, and now an Orthodox missionary in Santa Ana, California, came to Orthodoxy through its emphasis on spirituality.

As opposed to rationalistic Western theology, Orthodoxy leaves room for the unknown and teaches it is okay to look upon God as a mystery. God could no longer merely be systematized, analyzed, and synthesized at will. Prayer became more than rehearsing a laundry list of petitions, or stubbornly trying to change God's mind. In Orthodoxy, prayer is perceived as a matter of turning our minds, hearts, and even our bodies toward the Triune God.[9]

The following chapters will describe the history and doctrine of the Orthodox Church that these people entered.

CHAPTER III

A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE ORTHODOX CHURCH

A proper understanding of the Orthodox Church is impossible apart from a study of church history. While this paper is not intended to be an historical study of the Orthodox Church, it will show where the Orthodox Church fits into the historical scheme of Christianity.

The First Eight Centuries

The Orthodox Church asserts its inception on the day of Pentecost, where the Holy Spirit was poured out upon the believers, as described in the New Testament book of Acts. The Apostles thereafter took the Gospel to other lands. As they did this, Christianity faced severe opposition. For the first three centuries Christianity faced martyrdom.

In 312, however, a momentous event occurred. The Emperor Constantine beheld a vision of a cross

in the sky, with the inscription "in this sign conquer." Placing this sign on his soldier's armaments, he defeated a rival army. As a result of this, he became the first emperor to embrace Christianity. In 313 he and his fellow emperor Licinius issued the Edict of Milan, granting toleration of the Christian faith.

In 324 Constantine moved his imperial capital from Rome to Constantinople (Byzantium). From there he called the first of the Seven Ecumenical Councils at Nicea in 325.

The Seven Ecumenical Councils are regarded by the Orthodox Church as one of the vital pillars of its faith and life. These Councils, patterned after the Council of Jerusalem, described in Acts 15, met to decide matters of doctrinal and disciplinary matters in the Church (for the first ten centuries, the Church was united in the faith).The principle of conciliarity asserted that each bishop, considered a successor to the Apostles, had an equal voice with other bishops; but no one bishop could establish a doctrine. Rather, in council, the members of the Church, represented by their bishops, claim an authority as Church which none of them individually possess.

The Seven Ecumenical (so called because the entire Church was summoned) Councils, which met during the period from 325 to 787, performed two basic tasks: (1) They formulated the visible organization of the Church, establishing the ranking of the five major Patriarchates; and (2) they defined the teachings of the Church, especially with respect to the Trinity and the Incarnation of Jesus Christ.

Nicea (325)

This Council condemned Arianism, which contended that the Son was inferior to the Father and should be regarded as a created being. The Council declared that the Son was one in essence(homoousios is the technical term) with the Father. It also formulated the first part of what would become the Nicene Creed.

It also ranked the Patriarchates in order of prominence--Rome, Alexandria, Antioch, and Jerusalem.

Constantinople I (381)

This Council expanded the Nicene Creed, expanding the teaching of the Holy Spirit, against the heresy of the Pneumatomachi (literally, "spirit smashers") and the Macedonians (followers of Macedonius), who could not accept the Third Person of the Trinity as equal to the other Two Persons.

This Council revised the patriarchal rankings as follows: Rome, Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, and Jerusalem.

Ephesus (431)

This Council dealt with the heresy of the Nestorians, who could not accept that God and man had been united in one Person, Christ. The Nestorians also refused to call the Virgin Mary Theotokos (Birthgiver of God). Through the leadership of St. Cyril of Alexandria, this Council affirmed that Mary was indeed Theotokos, since she bore a single and undivided Person who is, at the same time, God and man.

Chalcedon (451)

This Council discussed the heresy of the Monophysites, who asserted that in Christ the human nature had been merged into the divine; after this union, Christ had only one nature. This Council affirmed that Jesus Christ had two natures--human and divine--which should not be confused, changed, divided, or separated. This Council also confirmed the ranking of the five Patriarchates by the previous Council.

The tragic result of this and the prior Council was the sundering of the Nestorians and the Monophysites from the Orthodox Church. The Nestorians were found primarily in Persia and Mesopotamia. The Monophysites were strong in Africa (Egypt and Ethiopia), as well as Armenia and India.

Constantinople (553)

This Council further interpreted the decrees of the previous Council. It affirmed that Jesus is "one of the Holy Trinity," one and the same divine Person (hypostasis), Who has united in himself the natures of God and man, without confusion and separation. Certain teachings of Origen, such as the pre-existence of the soul, were expressly condemned.

Constantinople (681)

This Council condemned the Monothelite heresy, which held that, in the union of the two natures in Christ, the human will was merged into the divine will. The Council affirmed the two natures of Christ, as well as his two wills.

Nicea (787)

This Council affirmed the veneration of Holy Icons as a proper and necessary corollary of the Incarnation of Christ. It rejected the Iconoclasts (the image smashers), who claimed that veneration of icons amounted to idolatry. The iconoclast controversy did not immediately cease.

In 843 the icons were returned to the churches. This event is commemorated by the Orthodox as the Triumph of Orthodoxy, celebrated on the First Sunday of Great Lent.

Other Developments during the First Eight Centuries

Two major currents were to have a major impact on the Orthodox Church during this period of history. The first of these was monasticism, which began as a definite institution in Egypt in the fourth century. Monasticism in a sense became a form of martyrdom when the martyrdom of blood had ceased.

Monasticism, highly valued in the Orthodox Church, was a continual reminder that God's Kingdom is not of this world.

The second major current was the rise of Islam and the speed of its expansion. Within fifteen years after the death of Mohammed in 632, his followers had captured Syria, Palestine, and Egypt, and in fifty years were already at the gates of Constantinople. Within 100 years, they had swept across North Africa and through Spain. Until the fall of Constantinople in 1453, the Empire was never free from attack.

The Great Schism

In 1054 one of the greatest tragedies of the Christian world occurred--the Great Schism between the Orthodox and the Roman Catholic Churches. Prior to that time, the Church considered herself united as "One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church." In all reality, however, this schism had been in the making during the prior several centuries. Ultimately, the controversy centered about two major issues: papal authority and the filioque (the addition to the Nicene Creed of the phrase "and the Son" to the procession of the Holy Spirit from the Father).

Originally the two branches of Christendom had begun to drift apart because of cultural and language differences (the Greek East and the Latin West). In 800 Charlemagne was crowned emperor of the Holy Roman Empire by the Pope. This act split the Empire in two and underscored increasing papal claims of authority. The hegemony of the Moslems over the Mediterranean, and their expansion into the Balkans made direct contact between East and West virtually impossible.

The West and East even differed in their approaches to theology. The Latins were more practical, the Greeks more speculative; the Latins were more influenced by legal concepts nurtured by Roman law, the Greeks were influenced by worship and spirituality; the Latins were concerned with redemption, the Greeks with deification (the process of sanctification that leads to the "likeness of God"). These differences culminated in the two overarching issues that led to the schism: papal authority and the filioque.

Papal Authority

The first problem was that of papal authority. The Orthodox regarded the pope of Rome as the bishop of Rome; they ascribed to him a primacy of honor, considering him the "first among equals." This conciliar view of the Church was increasingly challenged by the papacy which regarded its jurisdiction to extend to the East as well as to the West. The Orthodox insisted that in matters of faith, the ultimate decisions belonged to an ecumenical council, consisting of all the bishops of the Universal Church.

The Filioque

The second problem was the addition of the filioque to the Nicene Creed. This addition, first inserted into the Creed at the Synod of Toledo, Spain, in 589, was later adopted by the whole western Church. The original wording of the Creed was as follows: "and in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the Giver of Life, Who proceeds from the Father." With the addition by the West, it became "and in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the Giver of Life, Who proceeds from the Father and the Son."

The Orthodox objected to the insertion on two grounds: (1) the Ecumenical Councils had expressly

forbidden that any changes be introduced into the Creed, and (2) this insertion disturbed the balance between the three Persons of the Trinity, undermining the work of the Holy Spirit and undermining the view that the Father is the eternal source of the other two Persons of the Trinity.

The Schism of 1054, in effect, created two churches out of one. There were attempts to heal the breach, but none were successful. The Council of Lyons in 1274 and the Council of Florence in 1438-9, when the Turks were already threatening Constantinople, failed to bring about union. In their quest for help against the Turks, some Orthodox leaders sought compromise with Rome. However, many Orthodox could not accept theological compromise, no matter how dire their external conditions.

In 1453 Constantinople fell to the Turks. The Greek-speaking churches fell under the domination of Islam, emerging again 500 years later with the Balkan revolutions of the 19th century and World War I.

With the fall of Constantinople, the focus of Orthodoxy shifted to the North, especially to Russia.

The Conversion of the Slavs

The shift of focus to the North can be traced to the missionary work of two brothers--Cyril and Methodius. Sent by Patriarch Photius in the middle of the 9th Century, these two brothers brought the Gospel to the Khazar State north of the Caucasus (an unsuccessful campaign) and then to Moravia (Czechoslovakia) in 863. The Prince of Moravia, Rotislav, desired that his people hear the Word of God in their own language. These brothers developed an alphabet, adapted from the Greek, which was later called Cyrillic (after St. Cyril). Using a dialect which they had heard near their birthplace of Thessalonica, the brothers began translating the liturgical books, Holy Scriptures, etc., into this dialect, using the alphabet they had just developed. This liturgical language, called Church Slavonic, was utilized in the extension of Orthodoxy into the Balkans and Russia. While the Roman Catholic Church continued to use Latin, Church Slavonic allowed the new converts to hear the Gospel and services in a language they could understand.

The mission to Moravia was ultimately unsuccessful due to antagonism by German missionaries working in the same area. Cyril and Methodius went to Rome and placed themselves under the protection of the Pope. After their death their followers were expelled from Moravia. However, the missionary work of Cyril and Methodius was not in vain. Their disciples were successful in Serbia, Romania, and Bulgaria.

The Bulgarian Church grew rapidly and in 926 an independent Patriarchate was established there.

Bulgaria thus became the first national Slavic church.

With the baptism of Prince Multimir, Serbia became officially Christian. After vacillating between East and West, Serbia came under the control of Constantinople. When St. Sava was consecrated Archbishop of Serbia, Serbia began to achieve independent status. In 1375 Constantinople gave recognition to the Serbian Patriarchate.

Missionaries from Bulgaria took the Orthodox faith to Romania. By the end of the 9th Century portions of Romania had been Christianized. The Church began to thrive under the rise of the Wallachian-Moldavian principalities. In 1401 the Romanian Metropolitan of Suceava in Moldavia was recognized by Constantinople. The missionaries also entered Croatia, Dalmatia, Illyria, Bosnia, and Montenegro, but these areas were, for the most part, under the control of the Latin West during this period.

The Conversion of Russia

The christianization of Russia is attributed to the conversion of Vladimir, Prince of Kiev, in 988.

According to Russian tradition, Vladimir decided that it was necessary for his country to have an official religion. Among his choices were Islam of the Volga Bulgars, the Judaism of the Khazars on the lower Volga, the Latin Christianity of the Germans, or the Orthodox faith of the Greeks. Accordingly, he sent envoys to the various regions to investigate and report their findings. They reported that the Moslems experienced no happiness, only sorrow and a great stench; and "there is nothing good about their system."

Traveling to Germany and Rome, they found the Latin faith to be more satisfactory, but lacking in beauty. Then they traveled to the Church of the Holy Wisdom in Constantinople. " We knew not whether we were in heaven or on earth, for surely there is no such splendor anywhere upon earth. We cannot describe it to you; only this we know, that God dwells there among men, and that their worship surpasses the worship of all other places. For we cannot forget that beauty."[10]

After waging war on the Byzantine Empire, Vladimir finally embraced Orthodoxy. He was given in

marriage to Anna, the sister of the Byzantine Emperors Basil and Constantine. He was baptized in 988. From this day Russia became officially Christian. The Orthodox faith spread rapidly in Russia.

In 1237 the Mongols overran the Kievan State and maintained control until 1480. During this time the Church kept alive national consciousness. Also, the primary See of the Russian Church was moved from Kiev to Moscow, where it remained until this day.

After the Council of Florence in 1440, Constantinople had accepted a form of union with the Roman Catholic Church. The Russian Church, oppsed to such a union, could no longer accept a Metropolitan from Constantinople. Finally, in 1448, a council of Russian Bishops elected their own Metropolitan. From this date, the Russian Church has recognized her independence. When Constantinople fell to the Turks in 1453, the Russian Church remained the sole free branch of Orthodoxy. Moscow began to be regarded as the Third Rome, and the Grand Duke of Moscow assumed titles of the Byzantine Emperors--Autocrat and Tsar. In 1589 the head of the Russian Church was elevated to patriarch, ranked fifth after Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, and Jerusalem. Since then, Russia has been the leading force of Orthodoxy in the world. This occurred in spite of Mongol invasions, attempts by tsars to control the Church (for example, Peter the Great in his elimination of the Patriarchate and establishment of a synodal system to

rule the Church), and the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917. Despite the intense sufferings faced by the

Russian Orthodox Church, she still remains a powerful spiritual and moral force in world Orthodoxy. For from her ranks has come many riches of Orthodox iconography, music, theology, spirituality. And through the suffering of her people, she has shown herself to follow in the Church's extensive tradition of martyrdom.

Orthodoxy in America

The first formal Orthodox mission to America arrived in 1794 in Kodiak. The mission was very successful. In 1798 Archimandrite Joasaph, leader of the Kodiak mission returned to Siberia where he was consecrated Bishop of Kodiak. However, he and his entourage drowned during the return trip to Kodiak.

The bulk of the work was assumed by Father Herman of Alaska. His love of the natives, along with his pastoral care and the miracles which accompanied his ministry, caused the Orthodox Church in America to elevate him to the rank of Saint who intercedes on behalf of American Orthodoxy.

Another well-known name in bringing Orthodoxy to America is St. Innocent. In 1823 Innocent, originally known as Father John Veniaminov took his family to Alaska. He showed the natives how to build houses and furniture. Above all, he taught them the Orthodox faith. He learned the Aleut language, for which he devised an alphabet based on the Cyrillic. He was transferred to Sitka, where he gradually won the people over to Orthodoxy. While he was in Russia, his wife died, and he became a monk. He was tonsured with the name Innocent. In 1840 he became Bishop of Kamchatka and Alaska. He and his priests learned the languages of the people to whom they brought the faith. He built a seminary and a cathedral. The Orthodox Church glorified him in 1977 as a saint. He is given the appellation St. Innocent, Metropolitan of Moscow, Enlightener of the Aleuts and Apostle to the Americas.

World Orthodoxy Today

The Composition of the Orthodox Church

Today there are an estimated 200 - 250 million Orthodox Christians in the world, comprised of the following self-governing or "autocephalous" Churches:

The Four Ancient Patriarchates

Constantinople--includes Turkey, Crete, the Dodecanes Islands, and the Diaspora

Alexandria--includes Egypt and the rest of Africa

Antioch--includes Syria, Lebanon, Iran, and Iraq

Jerusalem--includes Israel and Jordan

These Churches hold a special position of honor for historical reasons. The heads of these churches hold the title "Patriarch."

Eleven Other Autocephalous Churches

Russia--includes all of the former Soviet Union excluding Georgia

Romania

Serbia