Category Archives: Ecclesiology

The Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha

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Introduction to Second Temple Judaism by Lester L. GrabbeI’ve been slowly making my way through Lester Grabbe’s Introduction to Second Temple Judaism. Grabbe is a professor of Hebrew Scripture and Judaism at the University of Hull (UK), and he is what most conservative, Orthodox people would call “a liberal.” That might be an understatement for the more fundamentalist amongst us, as many would take some of his beliefs to be the utmost of heresy.

While he certainly has a bone to pick – and his biases and presuppositions are clear throughout – there are comments he makes about certain issues where he doesn’t really have a “dog in the fight” that I find to be interesting, at the very least.

For example, he has no part in the “Tradition vs. Sola Scriptura” conversation that would be held between Protestant evangelicals and the Orthodox (or Roman Catholic) Church in our day (and indeed throughout history). As part of this, then, he also has no real “dog” in the Canon fight, either. If anything, he would simply dismiss such conversation as superfluous, since he seems to ascribe no Divine status or nature to any of the old testament writings.

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The Book of Tobit – Chapter 6

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Chapter Six – The Devil and the Bride

Orthodox Icon of the Resurrection of the Son of GodRaphael and Tobias continue on their journey and come to the Tigris River. When there, “a fish jumped up from the river and was determined to swallow the young man” (Tobit 6:2). This is an interesting turn of phrase, considering these events occurred during the time of Jonah’s prophecy about the destruction of Nineveh (mentioned later in this book by Tobit himself). Raphael instructs Tobit to catch the fish and make use of it, however: “Take the heart, the liver, and the gall and put them in a safe place” (6:4). They cook and eat the rest, of course (6:5).

Just as the reader at this point is likely wondering the purpose of these organs, Tobias’ curiosity is piqued after they travel another short distance. In response to Tobias’ inquiry, the angel says:

“If a demon or an evil spirit troubles anyone, the heart and the liver must be used to make smoke before the man or woman, and that person will never be troubled again. As for the gall, use it to anoint a man who has white films on his eyes, and he will be healed.”
Book of Tobit 6:8-9

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The Identity of the Antichrist

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The Archangel Michael slaying the AntichristAmong those who adhere to a radical “end times” philosophy (especially in our day), there is much attention paid to the Apocalypse to St John, or the book of Revelation.

A great deal of the concern is over the figure of the Antichrist, and there is an abundance of rather interesting, humorous and ridiculous speculation regarding who this figure may or may not be. The irony, however, is that this figure (the Antichrist) is not mentioned once in the book of Revelation.

Further, the approach taken by these so-called Biblical scholars is a hermeneutical method I would call the “delusional-arrogant” method, whereby one assumes everything that’s happening in one’s lifetime is some sort of fulfillment of Biblical prophecy and that such a person is living in the most important era in Christian/redemptive history. Of course, people around the world have behaved this way in practically every generation, and – in a very real sense – they’ve all been wrong. Gary Demar and his ilk have likened this approach to “newspaper exegesis,” as one interprets every war, earthquake and rumbling of apocalyptic fervor recorded in the news as some sort of direct fulfillment of Biblical (self-fulfilling) prophecy. It is all absurdity, and shows just how full of ourselves (or full of something else) we can become.

As one example, then, I shall briefly examine the identity of this figure called the “Antichrist” by the Theologian and apostle Saint John.

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Lent, Have Mercy

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Giving up TV for LentWell, it is that time of year again: the time of year when a great number of people in the world – for seemingly no particular reason at all – “give up something” for Lent. Buddhist, Methodist, Roman Catholic, Agnostic, Baptist … they’re all in, it seems.

For many, it is nothing more than an attempt at “discipline.” We can liken this to “new year’s resolutions” – those pesky ideals that help drive retail sales of vitamins, energy bars and exercise equipment around the first two weeks of January. I say “an attempt at discipline,” because – for the most part – no one really follows through or makes it out of January alive. This is not because the ambitions are beyond one’s potential reach, necessarily, but because we live in a culture of excess, self-satisfaction and pleasure, and are simply ill-equipped (most of us having a “will” that is in bondage to sin and not wholly “free”) to handle the prospect of extended discipline.

In these cases, it doesn’t really matter what “faith tradition” one comes from, and the “fad” of “giving up stuff for Lent” is neither spiritual nor inherently Christian. It is empty, bare, legalistic, pseudo-asceticism practiced by those without any experience of the true asceticism of the Church. Like most things in America today, it is a trend that will eventually go by the wayside. One can only hope, honestly.

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Orthodox Milk

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“We have much to say [...] but it is hard to explain because you have become slow at understanding. For although by this time you should be teachers, you still need to have someone teach you even the basic principles of God’s oracles. You have come to need milk, and not solid food. Everyone who lives on milk is not experienced in the word of righteousness; such a person is a baby. But solid food is for those who are fully grown, who have trained their senses to discern good and evil.”
Saint Paul’s Epistle to the Hebrews 5:11-14

Milk from GreeceI think we Orthodox Christians in the United States underestimate just how much our culture influences, shapes and controls us, and that in a profoundly negative way. Orthodox Christianity “across the pond” has been through some interesting times, to say the least.

What was once really no more than a small, newly-founded missionary effort has since become a place of excitement and the locus of promising growth for the Orthodox Church – even in spite of the many difficulties that were presented by the communist rule over Russia and into eastern Europe in recent memory (and our disconnect with their past). But still, despite the introduction of Orthodoxy to the American culture in the last century or so, we must come to grips with the predominate, individualistic, “whatever works for you” worldview that pervades every aspect of society (and churches).

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Hypocrisy as the American Dream

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AntigoneNo doubt the result of several fairly recent historical developments, American “Christianity” has produced a whole generation of hypocrites. The hypocrisy of which I’m speaking is found most commonly at the individual level and is part and parcel of our relativistic, “whatever works for you” culture. To put it in fancy, theological words, American Christians have become ontologically and epistemologically Modalists.

Modalism (or Sabellianism) was a heresy that spread in the first few centuries of the Church and espoused that God was one Person but that He simply took on different “modes” or “forms” (as a single Person). God the Father was one “form,” and then He revealed Himself as the “form” of God the Son and then finally as God the Holy Spirit. At no one time were all three “forms” existing concurrently. It was as if God simply put on a different “mask” whenever it suited Him. This is a denial of the Orthodox view of the Trinity, of course, wherein God is three Persons in one Essence (without beginning or end).

Unfortunately, as an aside, there are many actual Modalist movements in the world today, such as some branches of Pentecostalism. Really, any “church” that emphasizes the Holy Spirit over Christ and the Father are semi-Modalist in scope, and this is easy to spot because of their emphasis on “experiences” of the Holy Spirit and ecstatic, chaotic nonsense – while they de-emphasize or undermine the role of the Church (which is the Body of Christ) and His Incarnation and role as its Head (remember, Christ said He would never leave us – cf. St Matt. 28:18-20) as well as the leadership role of men (a de-emphasis of the role of God the Father in the union of the Trinity) in the Church. In other words, just turn your television to TBN and you’ll see this clearly.

The word “hypocrite” comes from the Greek ὑπόκρισις which can mean “play-acting” or “coward” depending on the context, and was also used in reference to a stage actor in the ancient world. In other words, someone who played several different characters on stage was a “hypocrite,” as he adorned different masks, costumes and voices to play varying characters. He was not a solitary Person with a single “form,” but a Person with multiple “forms” or appearances, depending on the context (and never more than one “form” at once).

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Clerical Dress and American Worship

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An Eastern Orthodox priest.This might not be a very popular post …

Schmemann began his book For the Life of the World with the phrase “Man is what he eats,” quoting the German philosopher Feuerbach. In a similar fashion (wait for the pun), I believe that “man is what he wears.”

Yes, friends, the way we dress matters. It shapes and transforms the way we think, the way we work, the way we act and – most importantly for the Christian – the way we worship. While the rationalism of our Enlightenment culture might deny the effects of “matter” (you know, earthy stuff), simply denying the reality of something doesn’t make it true. Everyone knows that when you dress professionally, you are more productive and focused at work, and that dressing in a casual manner actually reduces productivity and the mental faculties of the average person – these are widely accepted viewpoints, it seems. In a similar way, surrounding yourself with certain decorations or trappings can affect the way one thinks and acts, as well. Aesthetics matter.

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A Way that Seems Right – A Meditation on St Mark of Ephesus

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Orthodox Icon of Saint Mark of EphesusIt would be safe to say that receiving the approval of others is highly desired among most people today.

This applies not only in one’s “personal life” (if one actually has one) but also in their “professional life,” where the careful manipulation and posturing of relationships can be the “key to success,” so to speak. The scariest part about this is that when we begin to segment our lives along such boundaries (personal and professional), the lines between these aspects of our life become blurred and things begin to overlap.

While it may be considered clever and even acceptable to manipulate people in a professional environment in order to be “successful” (for example, “buddying up” with the right executive or senior employee in a company in order to leverage that relationship for career advancement, even if that means doing things or being in situations a Christian should not), most people would hopefully agree that in your “personal life,” people are to be treated fairly and as you would wish to be treated – with honesty, love, dignity and respect. Unfortunately, however, the lines are blurred and we are now manipulating everyone around us and simply “using people” for personal gain. Things like truth take a backseat in such meanderings and it is easy to see how this lifestyle can cause a person to degenerate to the point of pure selfishness. We live only for ourselves, and we only seek that which is a benefit for ourselves in this life. It is the very disposition that reached for the prized fruit of Eden and took a big bite.

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I Love Religion

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Orthodox Temple of Saint Sava

I’m glad that Fr Andrew replied to this silly video – it saves me a lot of trouble.

Regardless, a key here is that simply saying “All I need is Jesus, not religion” is the most complicated religion of all, for all it does is pose an infinite amount of follow-up questions: Which Jesus? Who is Jesus? What did he do? Why do I need him? How do I live for him? etc.

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Tim Tebow and the Saints

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All the SaintsThe recent Tim Tebow fascination and hysteria (among evangelicals, especially) is a reminder of the fact that most Americans (especially American, evangelical Christians) are held captive by Iconoclasm.

As C.S. Lewis once pointed out, when there is no king or monarch to venerate (honor), people will seek out celebrities and even deviants to hold up as worthy of honor. This, of course, explains the American fascination (voyeurism) with regards to celebrities (TMZ, Entertainment Tonight, People magazine, etc.) as well as “reality television” – a most horrendous form of entertainment where literally anyone can be venerated for simply pretending to live their day-to-day lives in front of a television camera.

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