Posted on 08/30/2018 10:35:03 AM PDT by CondoleezzaProtege
UGCC is Byzantine Catholic. It is not Eastern Orthodox.
The UGCC uses the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom but is one of 27 rites under the Papacy. The Roman (Latin) Rite is the largest.
Ping to a very informative article.
I, too, have become aware of the yawning chasm between the NT and the Reformation, and have been reading early writings, such as St. Augustine, to draw closer in understanding to the unbroken thread.
The OT was canon prior to the ekklesia.
Plus, Rome did not formalize their canon until Trent in 1546.
Ah! I am delighted to see that you accept the full Septuagint text as canon including that which many relegate to an "apocrypha".
As we like to say to those who are coming to the Eastern Orthodox Church, “Welcome Home!”
As explicated by the Orthodox Study Bible, the New Testament makes reference to all the Sacraments of the Orthodox Church!!!!
Yes, the Divine Liturgy and the rites for administration of the Sacraments evolved over the years. But the basis for all of these was present from the beginning, and recorded in the New Testament and the writings of the Apostolic Fathers!
https://orthodoxwiki.org/Apostolic_Fathers
I—a former Lutheran—was told “Welcome Home” after I was received into the Orthodox Church!!!!
Yet NONE of those writings were considered canon by the early church.
Nope.
This is simply not true. I don't know why this false statement is continually made by the apologists of the ancient churches.
All the ancient churches used to have a supernatural worldview. Any reading of the church fathers or medieval literature will show no higher criticism, no evolution, and no demythologization. However, these "ancient and unchanging" churches have all rejected their former positions and adopted radical nineteenth century European theology and evolution. This is quite a departure from the numberless miracle tales in all the pre-"enlightenment" hagiographical literature. (Though in an act of ultimate hypocrisy they continue to interpret the "new testament" literally, despite the fact that its alleged miracles are every bit as scientifically impossible as anything in the TaNa"KH.)
But the ultimate cruel truth is that all these changes were made, not because higher criticism has ever been proven, but simply out of a social prejudice against the people with whom those abandoned doctrines are most often associated--rural American Fundamentalist Protestants. They are often attacked by name in Catholic/Orthodox apologetics for the "new knowledge" these "ancient and unchanging churches" are so proud of. To change one's entire worldview out of nothing but contempt for one particular group of people is absolutely hateful (and their own illiterate bumpkin populations are always excused and glorified because they're so "quaint"). I was Catholic for six years and investigated Eastern Orthodoxy (and Oriental Orthodoxy as well). They are all frauds. Their priests are largely atheists who engage in the liturgy as a sort of pantomime and as an act of ethnic pride. They also don't engage in proselytism at all, both because proselytes would water down the glorious ethnic heritage and they might wind up with someone they'd be ashamed of (you know, who interprets the Six Days as St. Basil did).
I cannot tell you how tiresome it is to hear evolution and higher criticism passed off as "mystery." In what universe, in what poisoned and sick mind, do eighteenth century rationalism and nineteenth century materialism constitute "mystery?" Why not just ordain Bill Nye as a patriarch?
Furthermore, the ancient liturgical churches are merely apes and pale imitations of the one and only liturgical religion G-d has ever authorized. And unlike the churches, there are still Orthodox Jews who have resisted being tainted by modernity (I have several books which give the traditional Biblical chronology as quite historical). I advise all Fundamentalist Protestants who truly seek something ancient, primal, and unchanged to look into the Noahide Laws (which assume, btw, that the story of Noah actually happened, unlike the churches).
Before closing though, here is a critique of Eastern Orthodoxy by from a traditional Catholic viewpoint. Of course it's all about highfalutin intellectual stuff and there is no mention whatsoever of the abandonment of old positions, but such is the world we live in. I include it here simply in case anyone is interested and to demonstrate that while the ancient churches have far fewer "denominations" than radical Fundamentalist Protestantism, they still have four of them, each of which makes perfect sense until you listen to one of the others. Ultimately, there's no way to tell who's right or wrong among them any more than among Baptists, Methodists, Pentecostals, CoC, etc.
I’m really not surprised.
Disappointed, yes.
The Holy Spirit inspired and maintains the Scripture not your man made denomination. The Roman church did not write scripture. God did. But your church was not even in existence when the NT was inspired and collected.
And I bet they tell you that Genesis is based on 'Enuma 'Elish.
The Church predates the canon of scriptures for it was the Church which determined the canon of scripture.
Correction: the Church determined the canon of the "new testament."
My Church is the Orthodox Christian Church (Greek, Patriarchate of Constantinople) which in fact did collect and discern which of the many 1st century (and earlier) texts were worthy of use in worship--and ultimately given the label of scripture.
We've been there since the beginning. Greek is the language of the New Testament and of the Septuagint.
Correction accepted: The Orthodox Church embraced the inherited tradition of the Septuagint and cautiously expanded the canon of scripture to include the Pauline and Johannine letters, the Acts, and the Gospels.
Adam and Eve never actually existed.
Thank you. I'll be here all week!
The Torah has never had to be canonized by any human authority whatsoever. The Torah was written directly by G-d 974 generations before the Creation, in letters of black fire on a scroll of white fire. Then in the 26th generation of the world is was revealed at Sinai and eventually taken down by Moses at G-d's letter-by-letter dictation. There is no other book in existence that has this status.
The Nevi'im (Prophets) and Ketuvim (Writings) were written in the spirity of Prophecy and by Ruach HaQodesh (Divine inspiration) in that order, each being a step below the other. They were canonized by 'Anshei HaKeneset HaGedolah (the Men of the Great Assembly) to be used as Scripture until the coming of Mashiach. They then closed the canon.
End of story.
End of story.
Not quite
When the Men of the Great Assembly (the Seventy) translated the Hebrew texts into Greek, a devout Levitical Priest named Simeon was assigned the translation of the beginning section of Isaiah.
Among the verses he translated were the prophecy "behold, a virgin shall conceive" and "for unto us a child is born, unto us a child is given..."
It was this same God-inspired Simeon who was led by the Holy Spirit to identify the child Jesus from amid the horde of 40 day old male children taken to the Temple in Jerusalem (in accordance with the Torah) and who took Him up in his arms exclaiming, "Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace....for my eyes have seen your salvation...a light of revelation to the gentiles and the glory of your people Israel"
May you also come to adore the Light of lights!
Are you EO or Lutheran?
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