My beloved spiritual children in Christ Our Only True God and Our Only True Savior,
CHRIST IS IN OUR MIDST! HE WAS, IS, AND EVER SHALL BE. Ο ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ ΕΝ ΤΩ ΜΕΣΩ ΗΜΩΝ! ΚΑΙ ΗΝ ΚΑΙ ΕΣΤΙ ΚΑΙ ΕΣΤΑΙ.
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THE OLD TESTAMENT IN THE ORTHODOX CHURCH (Part III)
by Fr. R. Sergiou
The spiritual method of interpreting the Old Testament has been in use by the Orthodox Church for centuries. The Church may, therefore, be accused of not even considering other studies (archaeological, cultural, historical, or literary studies) concerning the Old Testament. At no time in history was the opportunity so great to measure the Old Testament as it is in the present, and in the study of the Old Testament, there is certainly much that can be measured. It would be erroneous to insist that the Church was not interested in using other studies to measure the Old Testament given that the Church:
- Did not have to deal with questions of today's caliber on the Old Testament.
- Did not have an appreciation for history.
- Lacked sufficient scholarly information
- Tended to spiritualize everything which was holy.
These, and of course many other factors, cannot lead to conclude that Orthodox Old Testament exegetes were indifferent to the use of other forms of study, but they studied the Old Testament to the measure which was at hand...
"...For the Orthodox Church, the Old Testament is not perceived as a magical book which fell out of the sky, but as the authentic witness of her faith. The Old Testament developed an ecclesiological character corresponding to the teachings of the Church which of course are founded on biblical revelation. For the Orthodox Church, the Old Testament is not an antithesis to the New, but is united to the New, and is as equally important in the perception of the message of salvation.
The Byzantine liturgical Tradition of the Orthodox Church simulated the authors of the New Testament, the Apostolic Fathers, and the Holy Fathers of the Church. For its selection of Old Testament readings in its Liturgical Tradition, the Orthodox Church used the Messianic--Eschatological dimension of the Old Testament as a guide, with the certainty that it would be fulfilled in the Person of Jesus Christ.
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THE BIBLE: GOD'S REVELATION TO MAN
By the Right Reverend Joseph, Bishop of Los Angeles and the West
For the Christian of true worship, the Bible is the greatest source of Truth, virtue, and moral ethics. It is invaluable as a source of teaching doctrine and holiness. We call it the "Book of Life," for in its pages we find the closest expression we have of the Inexpressible. From generation to generation, the books that make up the canon of Scripture have communicated to us the lessons God has taught and still teaching His people. It is open to all and should be read by all: men and women, clergy and laity, children and adults, believers and unbelievers.
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The Bible Reveals God
From the beginning, God has revealed Himself to mankind. He never ceases to reach out to His creation with abundant blessings, desiring all to freely partake of the personal communion He offers. The Bible also establishes that it was humanity who rejected Him, following after the selfish desire to be as God. Certainly, humanity has afflicted itself with this delusion. Even so, the human race, even in its fallen state, is unable to deter God's teaching ministry to His people. The Scripture record this ongoing spiritual struggle between the loving truth of God and man's deluded expression of pride.
Once the truth of God is accepted, and a person surrenders his pride and his denial of reality, his eyes become open to Christ our God, whose Divine Light invisibly enters in. This is what we call holiness, and therefore only in genuine holiness can we begin to understand the Bible and experience God revealed in it.
The Scripture and the histories of the martyrs bear witness to the glory of God as it enters us. They also witness to us the terrible price that people pay when they refuse to acknowledge the presence of the Lord.
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The Bible Reveals Our Need
The Old Testament establishes the way of thinking of the one who has "seen" God. He now sees the misery of fallen humanity. He discerns how, in our wretched state, we bring ruin upon ourselves with the lies our pride fabricates for us. In the pages of the Bible, we see how even good men can fail. And we see and hear the warning for us that, just as surely as sunset brings night, the disobedience of mankind brings death and destruction.
The Bible is not a document for individuals seeking to feel self-justified and full of wisdom. Rather, it is a mirror in which each person can see his own weakness without God and his need for him. One who reads the Scripture and does not fall down praying for God's mercy has not really read them. He may have read the words on the pages, but he is still a man of the world, a prisoner of his blinded intellect and fleshly desires. Perhaps such a person would do better with a technical manual or a history book. The Bible is neither of these. It is a spiritual tool, the greatest of all, designed to change us. It overcomes all boundaries of human time and transcends all cultures.
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The Bible Reveals Salvation
The one who reads the Bible and repents of his own sinfulness, recognizing no good in his life without God, opens the door to a new life. He is transformed by encountering the Person of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son and Logos/Word of God. He is the One whom the Prophets proclaim would save us from sin and the sting of death which we brought upon ourselves. When we read with a repentant heart, the words we read in the Bible are not lifeless rules and interesting stories, but insights into a world beyond expression. These words are doors through which to walk, so we may come to know God. The Bible challenges us to emerge from our own personal self-centered and illusory world and to enter rather into the Kingdom of God. Then every word of the Bible is a window to heaven, to Paradise, and to Perfection.
Just as someone cannot "birth" himself, neither is a man "reborn" by himself. His personal faith in our Lord Jesus Christ will not be fulfilled outside of the Church. For it is there that we enter into a Tradition, a dynamic history of men and women--saints--who honored what they received from God and passed it on intact to the next generation. This embodiment of Faith is found in the Incarnate Logos/Word of God, Jesus Christ, the repentant man, woman or child is born anew through the life-giving waters of Holy Baptism. Here, the passions of the individual begin to die and transformation is initiated.
Truly the fullness of the Scripture cannot be obtained outside the mind of the Church. Heretics and unbelieving intellectuals may read the words of Scripture, but they cannot understand it as does a spiritual man or woman within the community of the Church. Without the gift of the Holy Spirit to reveal within us the Truth of God, the Bible is but raw data. Certainly, the Holy Spirit has whispered Truth into the ears of people not in the Church, but the place where He speaks the fullness of the Faith is within the Church where He dwells.
Only with the teachings of the Church--the Church that proclaims the Truth found in the Bible--can we begin our true work of breaking out of the self-imposed imprisonment of self-idolatry. When we submit our lives to Christ in repentance and humility, the Holy Spirit comes to us through the Holy Mysteries (Sacraments) and lifts us up. Therefore our joyful duty to ceaselessly knock on the door of the Scripture, asking God to reveal the truth to us through His Logos/Word, that we might walk through the gates and grow into an even greater appreciation and experience of Him and His Heavenly Kingdom.
Simply put, the Bible must be read with serious and humble prayer, a genuine desire for God's mercy, along with sound instruction from the Church and the very presence of the Holy Spirit within us. Our Lord Jesus Christ left Himself within this Holy Book, that He might be found by those who genuinely seek Him. May you find Him today! (Source: The Orthodox Study Bible)
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Please note: I sincerely and with fatherly love request that all of you turn to the Holy Scripture to discover our loving and merciful Creator and God whose love for all of mankind is infinite and everlasting. If you, as Orthodox Christians, have never opened the Holy Bible, don't hesitate, it is never too late.
I know that everyone may be struggling to find Him in his/her life but He is never that far off. He is always with us! He loves us and desires that all should come to the knowledge of truth and eternal life. Love Him as He loves us! There is no one worthy of His love, His charity, His compassion, His forgiveness, His mercy, and His kindness. Instead let us turn to Him with faith, humility and a sense of unworthiness and say, "Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and uphold me with Your guiding Spirit..." (Psalm 50[51]
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"Glory Be To GOD For All Things!--Saint John Chrysostom
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With sincere agape in His Holy Diakonia (ministry),
The sinner and unworthy servant of God
+Father George