Apostolic Christianity s Kovasevich

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Apostolic Christianityand

the 23,000 Western Churches

Steven Kovacevich

ContentsApostolic Christianity

andthe 23,000 Western Churches

Steven KovacevichSteven Kovacevich

1. Survey of Church History: he !e"innin"s.2. !y#antiu$ and the Church of the SevenCouncils.3. !y#antiu$ and the Church of the Seven Councils %Continuation&.'. he Holy (cons.). Saints, *on+s and $perors.-. he reat Schis$.

/. Survey of octrine: Holy radition.. od And *an.. *an: His Creation, ocation and 4ailure.

10. he Church of od.11. 5rthodo6 Worship.

pilo"ue.

Foreword.his 7oo+ started out as a correspondence course on astern 5rthodo6 Christianity, the ancient

faith that the popular i$e89ife series on the "reat reli"ions of the orld calls ; Christendom'soldest Church < =Christendom and Christianity , vol. 3 of The World's Great Religions , >e?or+: i$e, (nc., 1 -3, p. 2--@. he author too+ the course $any years a"o after a lon" and vainsearch for the fullness of truth alon" the hi"h ays and 7y ays of Western Christianity, all of

hich proved dead8end paths here one encounters truth in varyin" de"rees, plus falsehood inone concentration or another.


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Holy Trinity Orthodox Mission

(n the passa"e of ti$e, it 7eca$e o7vious that there are $any o$an Catholictheolo"ians ho do not a"ree ith the teachin"s of the first and second atican Councils, and

ho are "rapplin" ith the pro7le$s of papal pri$acy, papal infalli7ility, and Catholicecclesiolo"y. (t also 7eca$e apparent that there are $any Catholic and Brotestant litur"icalscholars, cler"y and laity today ho are interested in learnin" a7out the 5rthodo6 Church and its

$aintainin" the for$ of early Christian orship and its ivine 9itur"y. A$on" these peopleere friends and co8 or+ers of the author.Still later, it 7eca$e increasin"ly clear that this or+ could 7e turned into a 7oo+ in

uestion and ans er for$at for these individuals. (n $a+in" this chan"e, the author re rote lar"esections of it for the 7enefit of Western Christians so that they could as+ the$selves hat +ind ofhistorical connection does their particular Church have ith the Apostles hen it as founded inschis$ in 10)' 7y a falli7le $an called the pope, or founded a fe centuries a"o 7y so$eonena$ed Doe S$ithE 4or those ith $ore than an idle curiosity, the doctrines of the WesternChurches are fre uently co$pared and contrasted ith those of another $uch older Church, the5rthodo6 Christian Church. his church is the ori"inal Church and the depository of ApostolicChristian ruth, and a Church that until recently re$ained so$ethin" $ysterious and

inaccessi7le for Western people.Althou"h this study does not force anyone to accept the 5rthodo6 faith, still every truth8see+in" person ho read it ca$e to the inelucta7le conclusion that alone a$on" the Churches,the 5rthodo6 Church has retained the continuity and purity of ancient Christian teachin" and

preserves the oldest, fullest and $ost accurate traditions of all. he sa$e readers also ca$e tounderstand that the ancient Church founded 7y Christ throu"h the Apostles is still present in the

orld today, Fust as it has 7een ithout interruption for t o thousand years. hey nounderstand that that ancient Church is the 5rthodo6 Church, the Church of the Apostles and$artyrs, and the only Church that has an un7ro+en line 7ac+ to the Apostles. With this insi"ht,all ent on ith their lives ith a ne clarity of thou"ht, li+e a pure $ountain sprin".

As the pa"es of this 7oo+ sho , the 5rthodo6 Church has $aintained a livin" connectionith the Apostles throu"h Apostolic Succession. he Apostles chose as their successors 7ishops

for local con"re"ations %Bhil 1:1&. o these 7ishops, they i$parted the Apostolic "race they hadreceived fro$ Christ Hi$self, hich is the process of Apostolic Succession, so$ethin"

pro$inently discussed in the >e esta$ent %cf. itus and 1 and 2 i$othy&.here is a t ofold nature to Apostolic Succession. 4irst, there is an un7ro+en historical

consecration of the 7ishops fro$ the hands of the Apostles. A 7ishop $ust 7e a7le to trace hislinea"e throu"h a continuous, uninterrupted chain of ordinations throu"h the Apostles. Secondly,there is an unco$pro$isin" fidelity to the correct doctrines and correct practices esta7lished 7ythe Apostles. A 7ishop $ust 7e a7le to de$onstrate that the faith and practices of the Churchhave not chan"ed.

While the o$an Catholic Church can trace its 7ishopsG linea"e, it cannot de$onstrate anunchan"ed faith or unchan"ed practices, for it does not adhere to the Apostolic teachin" orApostolic practices. After the 9atin Church severed itself fro$ the true niversal Church in10)', the West entered into the *iddle A"es, hich $ar+ed the "radual transition 7et een theancient Christian orldvie and the $odern "odless one. urin" that period, and continuin" intothe present ti$e, the 9atin Church $ade $any deviations and changes fro$ the ancientChristian faith and ancient Christian practices "oin" 7ac+ to the ti$e of the Apostles.

5ne of o$eGs $any innovations without Apostolic foundation is its procla$ation of papal infalli7ility, a doctrine that caused the Christian orld to reel in shoc+. Accordin" to this

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teachin", hen the pope spea+s ex cathedra %;fro$ the throne< =of Beter@&, that is, officially ,concernin" $atters of faith and $orals, he is incapa7le of spea+in" falsehood. Ho ever, papalinfallibility was vehemently denied by popes and faithful laymen alike for almost nineteencenturies. ( (t as not invented until 1 /0&. *oreover, as chapter si6 of this 7oo+ notes, papalinfallibility continues to be denied by the very Church that invented it . (t is an indisputa7le

fact that $any o$an popes ere heretics and that they spo+e falsehood hen $a+in" excathedra pronounce$ents concernin" faith and $orals. he o$an Catholic Church itselfadmits this fact, and in this ad$ission, it alto"ether negates this false teachin". % o this ti$e,

papal infalli7ility is denied in the Catholic Church. 4or e6a$ple, accordin" to an in8depth survey 7y the National Catholic Reporter dated Septe$7er 11, 1 /, only 2-I of o$an Catholics inthis country 7elieve in the infalli7ility of the pope&.

5f further note, hile o$an apolo"ists $a+e $uch of the Apostle BeterGs supposedlye6alted position, Holy Scripture $a+es it plain that Beter hi$self $ade "rave errors 7oth 7eforeand after ChristGs death and esurrection. he second chapter of alatians sho s that Beterspo+e falsehood at the Apostolic Council held at Derusale$, that he had to Fustify his actions

7efore the Church, that Baul re7u+ed Beter ;to his face< sternly and pu7licly, and that as a result,

Beter turned fro$ his erring ways . Clearly, there is neither ;papal supre$acy< nor ;papalinfalli7ility< here. iven the fact that Beter, ho the 9atin Church proclai$s as its first pope,spo+e falsehood at the Apostolic Council, o$eGs ar"u$ent of papal infalli7ility collapses . Aschapter si6 additionally "oes on to point out, the o$an Catholic Church is presently involved ina frenzied effort to e6plain its fraudulent papal clai$s in the face of a "ro in" a areness a$on"its cler"y and laity that these clai$s are impossible to defend .

So$e years 7ac+, a Catholic se$inarian stru""led ith o$eGs papal clai$s. When heas+ed the se$inaryGs rector if o$eGs clai$s ere valid, the rector replied that they ere not.

he se$inarian then as+ed that, "iven the fact that the cru6 of o$eGs clai$ to 7e the trueChurch hin"ed upon the $atter of its papal clai$s, hich of the t o Churches actually is theancient Church "oin" 7ac+ t o thousand years J o$e or 5rthodo6yE he rector replied that

hen the positions of o$e and 5rthodo6y are e6a$ined, o$eGs clai$ is alto"ether spuriousand falsified, hile 5rthodo6yGs clai$ is entirely valid. o the se$inarianGs uery as to ho therector could re$ain in the Catholic Church if he did not 7elieve it as the true Church, the rectorreplied that he as co$forta7le ith his spirituality and that his fa$ily e6pected hi$ to 7eCatholic. he se$inarian could no lon"er feel co$forta7le, ho ever, and he 7e"an a search thateventually 7rou"ht hi$ to the 5rthodo6 Church and its priesthood. His conversion is 7ut one ofthousands of others li+e it, for hen e6posed to 5rthodo6yGs ancient teachin"s, people co$e tounderstand that the astern 5rthodo6 Church alone has not distorted or falsified any sin"ledoctrine of the 5ne, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church founded 7y Christ. hey alsounderstand that the sa$e 5rthodo6 Church is that very Church that has $aintained the sa$ee6act faith delivered to the Apostles.

here ere $yriad deviations ithout Apostolic foundation that developed in the Westover the course of its thousand8year separation fro$ 5rthodo6y. (n addition to the doctrinaldiver"ences, there ere also departures fro$ Apostolic practices as ell. 5ne of these chan"esinvolves the si"n of the Cross, an i$portant practice to e6a$ine.

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An 5rthodo6 Christian $a+es the si"n of the Cross 7y puttin" the thu$7 and first andsecond fin"ers of the ri"ht hand to"ether, hich represent the three Bersons of the Holy rinity.At the sa$e ti$e, the fourth and fifth fin"ers are folded a"ainst the pal$, and these represent thet o natures of Christ. hen, in +eepin" ith the most ancient tradition of the Holy Apostlesand Holy Fathers , he or she touches the tips of the thu$7 and first t o fin"ers to the forehead

%for the 7lessin" of the $ind&, and then the abdomen %for the 7lessin" of oneGs internal feelin"s&.4ro$ there, the cross7ar is $ade 7y "oin" fro$ the right shoulder to the left shoulder %for the 7lessin" of oneGs 7odily stren"th&. (n this "esture, one affir$s oneGs faith in ChristGs sacrifice onthe Cross at ol"otha, and affir$s oneGs 7elief in the Holy rinity and in the hu$an and divinenatures of Christ J that is, the 7asic do"$as of the 5rthodo6 Christian faith. (n the lives of thesaints fro$ Apostolic ti$es do n to the present, there are $any references that 7ear itness tothe tre$endous spiritual stren"th and security that are "iven to a Christian throu"h this ancienttradition of crossin" oneself.

*a+in" the cross7ar fro$ right to left is not ithout si"nificance. Classically, the ri"ht isthe sy$7ol of li"ht, "ood and truth, hile the left is the sy$7ol of dar+ness, evil and error. (n+eepin" ith the $eanin" of this sy$7olis$, "oin" fro$ ri"ht to left as+s odGs 7lessin" that

sanctification fro$ the ri"ht side ould cross over to the fallen, sinful side of oneGs nature inorder to transfor$ and redee$ it.5ver the course of its lon" separation fro$ 5rthodo6 Christianity, the 9atin Church

reversed the direction of the cross7ar and started tracin" it fro$ left to right , the si"nificance ofhich should 7e apparent. his practice re$ains in the 9atin Church to this day.

Still another chan"e fro$ the Apostolic practice involves the 9atins no lon"er touchin"the abdomen , 7ut the chest instead %see Archpriest Seraphi$ Slo7ods+oyGs dia"ra$ a7ove&. (n$a+in" this chan"e, o$an Catholics no lon"er $a+e the life8"ivin" Cross of Christ uponthe$selves, 7ut distort it and seal the$selves instead ith a travesty of the Cross J that is, anupside down cross . As the sa$e 4r. Seraphi$ e6plains in his 7oo+ The Law of God , theCatholic si"n of the ;cross< 7rin"s Foy to the de$ons, for it is a profane "esture.

Apostolic Succession does not e6ist outside ChristGs Church. Accordin" to the first canonof St. !asil, outside the Church the 7esto in" of "race is reduced to nothin" and every sort ofsuccession is unla ful. hese thin"s are so 7ecause a lay$an %actually even less than a lay$an&e6ecutes the layin" on of hands upon a lay$an ithout transferrin" any sort of "race to hi$,

7ecause there is none, nor can there 7e "race outside the one Church, outside of the unity of the!ody of Christ. 5nce a 7ishop leaves the Church in schis$ as the pope did in the eleventhcentury, the continuin" Church does not reco"ni#e any consecrations or ordinations he perfor$s.5rdinations are invalid hen those ordained do not have the ri"ht faith, and there is neither

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Apostolic Succession or priesthood. he episcopi vagantes are not ithin the succession and canno lon"er sho an uninterrupted priesthood, for Apostolic Succession as severed in the West asof its apostasy and schis$ fro$ ChristGs Church in 10)'.

5nly the 5rthodo6 Church can ri"htfully clai$ continuity in 7oth episcopate and faith,for 5rthodo6y has the co$plete and preserved Apostolic faith, ithout any additions or

su7tractions, and it alone is unchan"ed fro$ the Apostolic period. hus, hen an 5rthodo6 7ishop is consecrated today, or hen an 5rthodo6 priest is ordained %fro$ Apostolic ti$es the priesthood has 7een the second de"ree of the hierarchy&, that consecration or ordination can 7etraced historically all the ay 7ac+ to the Apostles and 7ac+ to Christ. he hierarchy asesta7lished 7y Christ, and the Apostles ere al ays citin" its divine institution. he Apostlesthe$selves chose their successors throu"h ordination, and those successors ere the 7ishops ofthe Church. hrou"h Apostolic Succession, the 5rthodo6 Church traces its e6istence to Christand is the one Church founded 7y Hi$. As Holy Scripture states, ; one 9ord, one faith, one!aptis$< % ph ':)&, one Holy radition %2 hes 2:1)&, and one Christian Church %*t 1-:1 &. Allother Churches that is! the "#!$$$ Churches of the %est! originate from &rthodoChristianity by way of reduction and separation.

his su7Fect is $ost serious, for in the >icene Creed, Christians confess 7elief in ; &ne!Holy! Catholic and Apostolic Church .< Brecisely these four ords sho the characteristics ofthe one Church esta7lished 7y Christ and the Apostles. hus, in addition to 7ein" 5ne, Holy andCatholic %$eanin" universal&, the true Church has an un7ro+en tie ith the Apostles and is inhistoric continuity ith the Church of the Apostles. he Apostles are the foundation of theChurch, for it is ;7uilt upon the foundation of the Apostles and prophets, Desus Christ Hi$self

7ein" the chief cornerstone< % ph. 2:20&. Callin" the Church Apostolic indicates that it asesta7lished not on a sin"le 7ishop, as the o$an Church ould later co$e to assert %7e"innin" inthe ninth century&, 7ut upon all the Apostles. %Contrary to o$eGs teachin" of papal supre$acy,Christ Hi$self forbade eter and the other Apostles to rei"n or e6ercise lordship over the floc+li+e the +in"s of the entiles J cf. 9+ 22:2)&. he 5rthodo6 Church is also Apostolic 7ecause italone has its 7e"innin" in Christ, Who is the Apostle and Hi"h Briest of the confession %He7.3:11&.

(n the $atter of the teachin"s of the Christian Churches, henever it as necessary tocontrast the theolo"y of the 5rthodo6 Church ith Western ChristianityGs deviations fro$ its

former confession of 5rthodo6 Christianity, these distinctions are presented in an o7Fective, non8 pole$ical ay. he author feels no irritation at all a"ainst non85rthodo6 Christians %for he asonce one hi$self&, nor does he dispute the piety and "ood ill of these people. (n fact, there is nodou7t that $ost of these individuals are $otivated 7y a love of od. Ho ever, the concern ofthis study is the correct confession of faith J not personal inte"rity. he reader is thereforeas+ed not to 7e offended hen, for the sa+e of truth, contrasts are $ade 7et een 5rthodo6yGsancient and unchan"in" teachin", vis8 8vis the deviations of Western Christianity fro$ the faithit held prior to 10)'.

(t is also i$portant for the reader to understand that 5rthodo6yGs clai$ of 7ein" ChristGsone and only Church should not 7e a stu$7lin" 7loc+ to Western Christians. A ree+ arch7ishop

points out that it should 7e Fust the opposite: a point of attraction. He e6plains that 5rthodo6ydoes not $aintain its clai$ of pri$acy out of arro"ance, 7ut out of love for its traditions.9i+e ise, as a $on+ notes in this re"ard, 5rthodo6yGs pri$acy does not ste$ fro$ any hu$an$erit on the part of the 5rthodo6, 7ut 7ecause od is pleased to preserve His treasure in earthenvessels. he arch7ishop further e6plains that 5rthodo6 Christians do not i$a"ine that they hold

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so$ethin" in their hands hich is theirs, 7ut hich is universal and the domain of all whoconfess Christ . He states that 5rthodo6y has $aintained the inte"rity of faith, and that in thisancient Church is found the fullness of odGs "race and truth. 5rthodo6y offers that faith in the

pure for$ in hich it as handed do n fro$ the Apostles, and its boundaries are open to allhuman beings who embrace it.

he reader should also 7e told that so$e parts of this 7oo+ $ay see$ difficult. (n order too7viate difficulties as $uch as possi7le, the riter consistently turned to Brotopres7yter *ichaelBo$a#ans+yGs !rthodox "ogmatic Theology . As the preface to the n"lish edition of thisinvalua7le 7oo+ notes, this or+ has 7eco$e a standard source of 5rthodo6 theolo"y and has a

practical approach that is $issin" in $any or+s of conte$porary acade$ic theolo"y. As the preface also states, 4r. *ichael presents the certain and unchan"in" teachin" of the Church in aclear and o7Fective $anner, ith so7er understate$ent, and there7y eli$inates any confusion asto hat that actual teachin" is. 5ther sources ere also used hen they sho ed an unadorneddirectness of presentation, so$ethin" often lac+in" in the te6t7oo+ that as used for thecorrespondence theolo"y course that as the 7asis of this 7oo+. Any further si$plification of theans ers, thou"h, ould have resulted in distortin" and de"radin" the$. (f difficulties are

encountered in a fe places, let the reader not 7e discoura"ed, 7ut continue until the readin" 7eco$es easier. He or she ill then "ain an understandin" of hat Western Christianity #sed to profess %prior to 10)'&, and hat astern 5rthodo6y still professes to this day , since Apostolicti$es.

he perceptive reader ill o7serve that footnotes are not al ays "iven for cited te6ts.his shortco$in" could not 7e e$ended as the riter no lon"er has access to $any of the 7oo+s

and periodicals hose contents ent into this or+. When notes ere initially "leaned fro$readin" in $onasteries and parish li7raries around the country, it as never i$a"ined that they

ould eventually 7e used in a 7oo+, and as a result, oftenti$es there as no docu$entation ofsources as ould 7e done in for$al research and co$posin". *oreover, as this or+ unfolded, it

as not intended for pu7lication, and thus there as no editor in its early sta"es to alter, adapt,refine and other ise $a+e valua7le su""estions in $atters of for$at and style to $a+e the te6t

7etter suited for presentation. Ho ever, author and title are "enerally "iven so that anyoneinterested in ac uirin" the 7oo+s $ay do so. 4or those ith a thirst for $ore +no led"e, $ost ofthe 7oo+s can still 7e o7tained throu"h the catalo"ues of the follo in" pu7lishin" concerns:

Holy rinity *onastery,B.5. !o6 3-, Dordanville, >? 133-18003-

St. Dohn of Kronstadt Bress,11 0 5rthodo6 Way, 9i7erty, > 3/0 )8'3--

As noted, the updated version of this 7oo+ as ritten for individuals of the riterGsac uaintance. (t is especially $eant for those a$on" the$ ho have no +no led"e of5rthodo6yGs 7oundless ealth of divinely revealed teachin" and the patristic orldvie . 9ivin"in a post8Christian pseudo8culture, $odern people are saturated ith Holly oodGs decadent falsevalues, and saturated ith i$a"es and infor$ation filtered 7y a radically secular $edia 7ent on

pro"ra$$in" its audience ith an anti8Christian orldvie . All people are constantly e6posedto $any dan"ers fro$ ChristianityGs ene$ies, ho have 7een pro$otin" a syste$atic destructionof Christian practices, and ho have no su7verted the entire civili#ed orld that as once fully

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o no oneGs surprise, se$antic confusion in this area has 7een created 7y fe$inis$. Asthis political interest "roup ca$e into 7ein" a"ainst a 7ac+"round of $ass apostasy and theco$plete seculari#ation of society, it is one hose sociopolitical pro"ra$ should 7e e6a$ined.

At its inception, fe$inis$ %then called o$enGs li7eration& clai$ed to have as its purposeincreased opportunities for o$en. 5nce its or"ani#ed activities attracted peopleGs attention

throu"h this alle"ed o7Fective, this concern as uietly placed on a 7ac+ 7urner in favor ofanother one J that of reducin" hu$anity to a collection of victi$s of patriarchal tyranny andreducin" the study of history and literature to political arfare carried on 7y other $eans.

Such a politici#in" of history and literature is part of a 7roader deculturation that elite"roups in the West are forcin" onto people, a deculturation that atte$pts to re"ulate Christianityto a ;re"ressive< $entality and that proclai$s that it should not 7e "iven a pu7lic hearin".4e$inis$Ms a"enda has not only conver"ed ith this 7roader ideolo"ical pro"ra$, 7ut it has also

pushed harder alon" these lines than any other sin"le political interest "roup. 4or this reason, a"ro in" nu$7er of o$en in the acade$ic orld have co$e to see fe$inis$ as an attac+ uponhu$anity itself, an attac+ on the West, and $ost of all, an attac+ upon Christianity. hey alsounderstand that in all the politically correct routine 7ashin" of Western civili#ation %and 7y

e6tension Christianity & as the root of all evil, the overridin" concern of the cultural elite andfe$inists ali+e is to $a+e people for"et ho they are and here they ca$e fro$ J the firstnecessary step in indoctrinatin" the$ for the anti8Christian ;utopia,< the ne orld order.

4r. Batric+ "oes on to note that today there are entire 7attalions of self8appointedtheorists, ;e6perts,< political a"itators and other ardens of the $ind ho issue orders touniversity ad$inistrators and see to it that acade$ic riters 7rin" the$selves into confor$ity

ith the ne rules. When their de$ands are not co$plied ith, ritersG $anuscripts are eitherreFected or edited, and so$e professors have even 7een denied tenure for not usin" the ne

politically correct ay of thin+in" or ritin".4r. Batric+ e6a$ines this e6tensive and all8pervasive ideolo"ical control and notes that it

is unparalleled in A$erican history. *oreover, he adds, for so$e ti$e no , those ho pro$oteit have even forced the$selves into Church circles. here, thou"ht police are co$in" to accredita "ro in" nu$7er of Christian se$inaries, and the sa$e orders are "iven to se$inaryad$inistrators and 7ishops as are "iven to universities. (n that environ$ent, radical fe$inistthou"ht police atte$pt to ;re8i$a"e< od and ;revise< divine revelation 7y $odifyin" $asculinetitles throu"h hich He has traditionally 7een invo+ed or referred to: 4ather, Son, 9ord, Kin",and so forth, even thou"h Christians have al ays orshiped od as 4ather and pray to Hi$ as;our 4ather.< An e6a$ple of this lin"uistic en"ineerin" is a ne *ethodist service 7oo+ in hich

od is invo+ed 7y such na$es as ;4ather8*other,< in direct contradiction to hat od hasrevealed a7out Hi$self. Another e6a$ple is the (ncl#sive Lang#age Lectionary of the !i7le that

as produced in 1 3. (n it, 20 passa"es ere re ritten so that there ere no $asculine "enderreferences to od. Dohn 3:1-, for instance, is re ritten in this a7surd ordin": ;4or od so lovedthe orld that od "ave odGs only Child....< 4e$inis$ is also pro$otin" a fe$ini#ation of theHoly Spirit so that o$en can 7e consoled ith their o n divine Berson.

When fe$inis$ is not al ays successful in turnin" od into ;*other,< then it at leastatte$pts to turn Hi$ into a "enderless a7straction: ;the Creator,< or ;the Source.< (n itsadvanced sta"es, that is, in its anti8rational, "oddess8 orship $odes, fe$inis$ is offerin" a neanti Christian way for a ne a"e in the ne orld order. (ts a"enda in this re"ard is one and thesa$e as that of the forerunner a"ents of the antichrist.


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Berhaps so$e readers of these lines have felt inti$idated 7y the cultural tyranny, $indcontrol and pseudo8intellectual 7a77le co$in" fro$ educators, $edia personalities, Fud"es and

7usiness leaders ho to"ether shape the intellectual, political and social at$osphere of ourcountry. 4e can escape 7ein" affected in one ay or another 7y the ideolo"ical ar ra"in"

ithin our 7orders as it co$es fro$ a very ell8educated, ell8heeled, po erful cultural elite.

4or those ho have felt coerced into 7ein" politically correct 7y their ideolo"ically char"edenviron$ent, understand that the ene$ies of Church and state have 7ullied and 7ro 7eat youinto this su7$ission in an atte$pt to de8Christiani#e you for the ne orld order. (n order toachieve their "lo7al i$periu$, the "lo7alists rely on their a7ility to poison people ith hatred,

hich is the old principle of divide et impera %divide and rule&. !y pro$otin" discord anddividin" people a"ainst one another alon" as $any lines as possi7le %"ender, racial, and otherlines&, the $asses can 7e turned into o7edient instru$ents of the one8 orld forces in their sinistera"enda. At present, their or+ is that of dis$antlin" all underlyin" foundations of society J$ost of all the Christian Churches. hen, at the ti$e the united orld "overn$ent is ushered in,their ulti$ate ai$ ill 7e the total e6ter$ination of Christianity. At that ti$e, Christians ill 7e

politically incorrect for professin" Christ and for not 7o in" do n to the $odern idol of

politically correct secular ideolo"y. 4or these ;cri$es a"ainst hu$anity,< all of the$ illsu$$arily 7e dealt ith 7y a orld court of the ne orld order, or a Ha"ue tri7unal.he orld is no seethin" ith unprecedented passions, and everyone can sense the

approachin" dar+ness. (n vie of these develop$ents, the choice is no co$pletely clear:capitulation to the politically correct $entality of the ne orld order that is undenia7ly insaneand 7ent on the co$plete eradication of Christianity, or adherence to the traditional Christian

orldvie that is no out of fashion, ;re"ressive.< 4or a Christian, there can 7e no dou7t that theti$e has co$e for there to 7e no further thou"ht of 7ein" pro"ra$$ed li+e a co$puter into 7ein"

politically correct.Concernin" $en and o$en, an 5rthodo6 nun o7serves that the separation into "ender

as $ade 7y od in fore+no led"e of the fall of the pri$o"enitors of the hu$an race. hiscondition is te$porary, so$ethin" $eant only for this orld. he nun "oes on to note that theHoly 4athers teach that the souls of $en and o$en are the sa$e and that they have the sa$espiritual capacities and capa7ilities and needs. 5rthodo6y therefore does not deni"rate ordispara"e 7ut e6alts Christian o$en. As a deacon "oes on to note in this re"ard:

he 5rthodo6 Church venerates tens of thousands of saints, 7oth individually andcollectively. A "reat $any of these are o$en. A particular role is played 7y the*yrrh7ear8ers, to ho$ the esurrection as first revealed, and also 7y a "roup of

o$en +no n as )*#als+of+the+Apostles , ho include "reat $issionary saints. heChurch also has collections of Sayin"s of the Spiritual *others containin" the isdo$ offe$ale ascetics. 5ne instance of the veneration of the Church for o$en is the ay in

hich the Church venerates St. *onica as a saint 7ut reveres her son as ;!lessedAu"ustine,< thus reco"ni#in" a "reater de"ree of saintliness in the $odest hu$ility andsilence of the $other than in the son ho rote $any to$es of learned theolo"y, $uch ofit spiritually inspired, 7ut a s$all a$ount of it sadly erroneous. (t is al$ost to confir$ a

popular prover7: ;!ehind every "reat $an stands a "reat o$an.< (ndeed, this isconfir$ed in Church historyN every "reat $ale saint has so$eho 7een lin+ed to a"rand$other, a $other, a sister, a spiritual $other or sister or dau"hter, or si$ply, in the


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case of lay$en and $arried cler"y, a hu$7le and pious spouse. he fore$ost e6a$ple is,of course, our 9ord and His Holy *other = eacon Andre Bhilips@.

9i+e ise, as the a7ove $entioned Sarah Co ie rites in her 7oo+ %ore ,pirited than Lions-

( as still a fe$inist hen ( discovered the 5rthodo6 Church. (n $y study of 5rthodo6y,( discovered its soul8stunnin" 7eauty and po er. ( fell in love ith its saints. ( as profoundly touched 7y the vision of Christian o$anhood ( sa throu"h their lives. hey

ere livin" proof that the 5rthodo6 Church is "raced ith $ystical po er that can 7rin"a soul into direct, personal co$$unication ith its Creator =p. 1 @.

e"ardin" the o$en saints of the Church, the sa$e riter notes that:

hese ere o$en li+e us ho found ans ers J ho lived heroic lives of coura"e,isdo$ and holiness. hey found a ay of life and follo ed it uns ervin"ly. hey

con uered 7oth the$selves and lifeGs difficulties, and rose up to 7eco$e no7le, po erful

o$en. heir lives shine forth in our lives ith a li"ht that is not of this orld.... heyare a7le to touch our souls and lift us up out of our uotidian life into a vision of no7ilityand 7eauty of soul =p. 1 @.

Sarah Co ie co$$ents further on o$en ho ere uals8of8the8Apostles, 4ools8for8ChristGs8Sa+e, holy eldresses, preachers, ascetics, a77esses, anchorites, prophetesses, ueens, $others,confessors, teachers and $artyrs, notin" that these saints did not find favor ith od throu"ha$7ition or de$andin" their ;ri"hts.< (nstead, they ere "iven the "ifts of the Holy Spiritaccordin" to their hu$ility, and 7ecause they su7$itted to Christ throu"h His Church. hey erealso "ranted unceasin" noetic prayer and 7eca$e $iracle8 or+ers and healers, and after theirrepose, their 7odies re$ained incorrupt and "ushed $yrrh that healed the sic+. So po erful ani$pact does the e6a$ple of their lives have that it as a7le to dra Sarah Co ie and $any li+eher out of the anarchy and hell of fe$inis$ and the >e A"e $ove$ent, to 5rthodo6Christianity, hich transfor$s $en and o$en and "ives the$ the stren"th to live in the $ostdifficult and tor$entin" conditions, and hich prepares the$ to depart ith peace into the ne6tlife.

Althou"h o$en have 7een "reatly $istreated in this sinful orld, this 7oo+ does not dothe sa$e throu"h its use of traditional lan"ua"e. (t 7ears e$phasi#in" that in no ay does this

or+ overloo+ that half of the hu$an race J women J to ho$ od Hi$self "ranted a $oresensitive, +een and i$pressiona7le nature, "ifted ith $ore ar$hearted tenderness than $en,

ho are coarse 7y nature. herefore, let no o$en 7e trou7led 7y the politically incorrect ordman in the te6t. here is no antife$inine 7ias in this ordin", and $ost certainly there is none

hatsoever in 5rthodo6 Christianity.o all readers J $en and o$en ali+e J if you have studied Church history in your

spiritual search 7ut have not loo+ed to the ast, hich is the very cradle of Christianity, yoursearch is not co$plete. Co$$entin" on the vision of Church history that e6ists in the West, aconvert fro$ o$an Catholicis$ to astern 5rthodo6y rites that:

*ost o$an Catholics, hen they thin+ of the early Church, thin+ of o$e, the popes,the $artyrs, the cataco$7s and the Coliseu$. his vie is perfectly understanda7le,

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7ecause for o$an Catholics and Brotestants, their spiritual "enesis lies in o$e J i.e.,o$e as the center of Western Christianity. he early Church, ho ever, as

over hel$in"ly astern and ree+. = he ast@ had the "reatest population density and its people ere 7etter educated and $ore sophisticated than their Western 7rethren. he astcould clai$ forty8four Churches of Apostolic ori"in, versus one for the West. he West

as not the center of Christianity 7ut for $any hundreds of years as a $issionary fieldand ith the 7ar7arian invasions had 7eco$e a cultural 7ac+ ater. he ast held four ofthe five Batriarchates J i.e., Constantinople, Ale6andria, Antioch and Derusale$N t o ofthese, Ale6andria and Antioch, contained the first schools of 7i7lical interpretation. heSeven reat cu$enical Councils ere all held in the ast, ith an over hel$in"

presence of astern 7ishops =*ichael Whelton, Two aths ... p. ' @.

*any Western Christians, parched ayfares in these dry and thirsty ti$es, have 7eco$e totallydisillusioned as their Churches have Foined the latest hi$s and infatuations of the surroundin"culture in an atte$pt to 7e ;relevant< and e6perience orldly "lory. *oreover, they have co$eto understand that their seculari#ed Western Churches have succu$7ed to ChristGs three

te$ptations in the desert instead of overco$in" the$, and that they 7elon" to a Church thatcrucifies instead of 7ein" crucified. As one individual ho 7eca$e 5rthodo6 e6pressed it,Western Christianity as ;too out ard< for hi$, ;not in ard.< (t as ;too co$forta7le, havin"acco$$odated itself to the orld and ta+en its lead fro$ the orld< =4r. a$asceneChristiansen@. As he and countless other converts to 5rthodo6y have o7served, the WesternChurches offer only easy, trivial and shallo solutions to the deeper uestions that confront all

people on their Fourney throu"h life. As a result, those Churches can only spread disappoint$entand despair to all ho try to find so$ethin" deeper and $ore essential.

hrou"h the $ercy of od, $any conservative o$an Catholic and Brotestant Christiansare findin" their ay throu"h the doors of the Ar+ of Salvation, the 5rthodo6 Church, 7efore

od closes its doors forever in the final ti$es. As the )ncyclopedia .ritannica /earboo$ reports,the 5rthodo6 Church is the fastest "ro in" $ainline Church in >orth A$erica =1 ) ed., p. 2/)N1 - ed., p. 2 @. 9i+e ise, an article in the April ', 1 edition of the Chicago Trib#ne notedthat ; ithin the last decade, 5rthodo6 Christians in A$erica have 7e"un to elco$e tens ofthousands of converts, especially dissatisfied Brotestant Christians.< 4or these people,5rthodo6yGs un orldliness, the 7eauty of its services, the lon"evity of its radition, its 7ein" theori"inal and the one Church founded 7y Christ, and its holdin" and preservin" the faith of theApostles as a precious Fe el J all these thin"s $a+e 5rthodo6y hi"hly attractive to theseWestern ne co$ers. *any of these in uirers are $inisters or 7etter8infor$ed lay$en, and allare sincere see+ers of the truth.

eaders of this 7oo+, you of different 7ac+"rounds and concerns, you have all 7eendisappointed 7y hu$anistic syste$s and stran"e ideas that you have pic+ed up alon" the ay insee+in" so$ethin" true to fill your soul. All of you have had ne"ative e6periences and "reatspiritual sufferin" in this neo8pa"an society of our ti$es. ?ou loo+ to Christianity for a+no led"e of the true od, the uncreated Consu7stantial rinity and Source of all "ood, so thatyou can ri"htly 7elieve in Hi$ and orthily honor Hi$. ?ou have had so$e positive e6periencesin the Western Churches %for in the$ the ospel is proclai$ed&, yet you have also had to feel thespiritual 7an+ruptcy that e6ists in the su7Fective, $a+e8it8up8as8you8"o8alon" deno$inations thatare forever chan"in", that are constantly see+in" to develop new theolo"ical ideas, new truths,and new understandin"s, and here reli"ion is anythin" its adherents ant it to 7e.

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his study is for such people as yourselves, for it offers an initial "li$pse of truehistorical Christianity that never chan"es %so$ethin" you did not +no e6ists&, and it contraststhat purest for$ of Christianity ith the "reat distortions of it that have co$e do n in the West.;As far as the ast is fro$ the West< %Bsal$ 103:12&, so far is the ruth of astern 5rthodo6Christianity fro$ the contradictory teachin"s of the 23,000 Western deno$inations. 5nce you

co$e to see hat those differences are a7out, you ill never vie thin"s the sa$e a"ain.hese pa"es invite you to loo+ to the ast, to astern 5rthodo6y, for the 5rthodo6Church is the sole "race8"ivin" Church. As one riter reflects, its altar is undefiled, its doctrineis pure, its *ysteries %Sacra$ents& are full of "race and holy, and its Sacred Apostolic raditionhas 7een preserved. (t is in this ancient Church, that 7y odGs "race, oneGs salvation fro$ this lifeof perdition is acco$plished.

Steven KovacevichBascha of 2003

1. Survey of Church istory! "he #e$innin$s.

). %hat is meant by the e pression the Church has come a full circle *he uestion refers to the historic Church that Christ and His Apostles esta7lished on

earth, the +astern &rthodo Christian Church , hich co$es do n in a strai"ht successionithout chan"e fro$ the a"e of the Apostles. he 5rthodo6 Church has retained the continuity

and purity of ancient Christian teachin", and as a ussian $on+ e6plains, it is the carrier of thefullest, $ost accurate, authentic, ancient and historic Christian tradition, one that dates to theearliest Christian ti$es. ven the $ost pole$ic Westerners ac+no led"e that 5rthodo6yGstradition is the oldest in Christendo$. 5rthodo6 Christianity has the ;fullness of faith deliveredonce and for all to the saints< %Dude 1:3&, and it is the repository of ;all that the 9ord "ave, theApostles preached, and the 4athers preserved,< as St. Athanasius the reat %O3/3& e6pressed it.4ro$ the 7e"innin" of the orld, there as one faith only, and one Saviour and edee$er. he5rthodo6 Christian faith is 7ut the ori"inal and 5ld esta$ent faith $ade co$plete and clear.

*any Western Christians have co$e to reali#e that the 5rthodo6 Church is the verycontinuation of the ancient Church in $odern ti$es. o A$ericans ho converted to5rthodo6y, for e6a$ple, o7serve that:

he 5rthodo6 Church, especially no ith the freedo$ of astern urope, is "ainin"ever "reater attention in the Christian West. he Western orld is suddenly discoverin"that the second lar"est Christian Church, nu$7erin" 3)0 $illion or $ore souls, laysclai$ to anti uity J indeed to a history that reaches 7ac+ to the ti$e of the Apostles Jand to a rich spiritual tradition that reaches far 7eyond the li$its of Western theolo"icalthou"ht. As they rediscover the Church of the sars and of the nineteenth8century astern$onarchies, the Christians of the 5ccident are also discoverin" a Christianity $uch olderthan the Church of o$e, a Church hich discussed and resolved $any of the issues ofthe efor$ation lon" 7efore Western Christianity as separated fro$ its astern roots.

hey are findin" that the old political and theolo"ical preFudices that served to rele"ate

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that separation to the short $e$ory of history are fallin" a ay. With the li"ht of ne+no led"e fro$ the ast, e in the West are co$in" to understand that it as o$e that

7ro+e a ay fro$ the ancient Batriarchates of the ast in 10)', not the astern 5rthodo6Church hich cut itself off fro$ the 9atin Church. We are co$in" to see the truncatedvision of Christianity hich has $ar+ed our intellectual history for $ore than five

centuries. And as this happens, $ore and $ore Western Christians are e$7racin" the5rthodo6 Church as the criterion of Christianity, as the source and $other of their o n 7eliefs =4r. avid Co nie and Bres7ytera Duliana Co nine, A G#ide to !rthodox Life-,ome .eliefs C#stoms and Traditions of the Ch#rch p. 1@.

Concernin" the 23,000 Western Churches % hich are not the direct concern of this or+, 7uthich ill still 7e e6a$ined&, these are part of a lar"er 7ody of "roups that 7ro+e a ay fro$

5rthodo6y since the ti$e of the pri$itive Church, in accordance ith the Apostle BaulGs ordsthat ;there $ust also 7e heresies a$on" you, that they hich are approved $ay 7e $ade$anifest< %1 Cor 11:1 &. As St. Dustin %Bopovich& of CheliFe %O1 / & rites in this re"ard, fro$ti$e to ti$e, $any individuals

... have cut the$selves off and have fallen a ay fro$ the one and indivisi7le Church ofChrist, here7y they ceased to 7e $e$7ers of the Church and parts of her heanthropic

7ody. he first to fall a ay thus ere the nostics, then the Arians, then the*acedonians, then the *onophysites, then the (conoclasts, then the o$an Catholics,then the Brotestants, then the niates, and so on....

As Brotopres7yter *ichael Bo$a#ans+y "oes on to add:

Side 7y side ith the strai"ht, or ri"ht, path of faith, there have al ays 7een those hothou"ht differently % heterodoxo#ntes , or heterodox , in the e6pression of St. ("natius the

od8!earer&, a orld of "reater or lesser errors a$on" Christians, and so$eti$es evenhole incorrect syste$s hich atte$pted to 7urst into the $idst of 5rthodo6 Christians.

As a result of the uest for truth there occurred divisions a$on" Christians.

!eco$in" ac uainted ith the history of the Church, and li+e ise o7servin" theconte$porary orld, e see that the errors hich ar a"ainst 5rthodo6 ruth haveappeared and do appear a& under the influence of other reli"ions, 7& under the influence of

philosophy, and c& throu"h the ea+nesses and inclinations of fallen hu$an nature,hich see+s the ri"hts and Fustifications of these ea+nesses and inclinations.

rrors ta+e root and 7eco$e o7stinate $ost fre uently 7ecause of the pride ofthose ho defend the$, 7ecause of intellectual pride = !rthodox "ogmatic Theology , pp.2382'@.

Here it is i$portant to note that 5rthodo6y does not 7elittle those ho have separatedfro$ it. A ree+ hierarch e6plains that St. *a6i$us the Confessor %O--2&, hile e6pressin"a7solute disdain for false teachin"s and those thin"s hich defile the faith, neverthelessdis$issed as a7horrent any har$ directed a"ainst those ho hold false 7eliefs the$selves. Heclearly separated false 7eliefs fro$ the people ho held the$. (n the sa$e ay, 5rthodo6ya7hors intolerance, conde$nation, and the dis$issal of the orth of any hu$an 7ein". While

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5rthodo6y conde$ns false 7eliefs that threaten it, it does not conde$n those ho are $isled 7yfalsehood. he devil is the source of evil doctrine, and 5rthodo6y conde$ns hi$ and his$inions and the poison they spread. Ho ever, the 7ishop concludes, those ho are poisoned 7ythe devil 7y holdin" false 7eliefs are not his, 7ut are creatures of od, sufferin" fro$ the deadly,soul8destroyin" Fealousy of the devil.

he full circle concept in the uestion refers to the co$plete cycle that the 5rthodo6Church has "one throu"h over the course of t o thousand years. rue to ChristGs ords that Hisfollo ers ould 7e hated 7y the orld %cf. Dn 1):1 820, *+ 13:13, *t ):11, 9+ -:22823, *t2': 813&, virtually all ma,or persecutions for the Christian faith have fallen upon ancient&rthodo Christianity.

*any in (srael chose not to follo Christ, and as a result, the torch of faithfulness toChrist lar"ely passed to the entiles, for$er pa"ans, as the Brophet (saiah had foretold so$eseven hundred years earlier %(s 2:2,-0:3,)&. Christianity then 7e"an to spread ith $iraculousspeed fro$ Derusale$, throu"h the 9evant and the o$an $pire and 7eyond, and it continuedto $a+e inroads a$on" the pa"ans.

As the prince of this orld, Satan, rei"ned in pa"anis$, hich as a +in"do$ of sin, he

inevita7ly sensed a destructive force for hi$ in Christianity. Havin" at his disposal the full political force of the pa"an orld, his i$$ediate reaction as to pro$ote a 7loody and totalannihilation of the Church. 4or three centuries, Christian 7lood as spilt throu"hout the lands ofthe entire o$an $pire, althou"h the re$ar+a7le steadfastness and self8sacrifice of theChristian $artyrs proved to 7e the 7est itness of their faith. he pa"ans ere a estruc+ 7y this

itness, and they the$selves converted and 7e"an to fill the ran+s of the $artyrs of the persecuted faith. hus, the 7lood of the Christian $artyrs 7eca$e the seeds or Christianity, and persecution could not halt its spread.

Althou"h the author of the te6t7oo+ for this course states that the o$an $perorConstantineGs conversion to Christianity 7rou"ht an end to the a"e of $artyrs, this assertion is notin fact so, and one can only conclude that he is si$ply not co$pletely ell "rounded in Churchhistory to $a+e so ele$entary an error of fact. ConstantineMs conversion did end the initial a"e ofthe cataco$7s and produced the Christian o$an $pire %or .y&antine $pire, as Westernhistorians na$ed it&, durin" hich ti$e the 5rthodo6 Church produced the 9itur"y, the Creed,the !i7le, $onasticis$, and the hole Christian lifestyle ith its elevated ideals and holinessthat are totally alien to the corrupt orld.

ven so, the age of martyrs continued . As Archpriest Ale6ey ?oun" notes in thisre"ard, 5rthodo6 Christianity has lived for t o thousand years on the ed"e of eternity. (t has

7een faced ti$e and a"ain ith virtual e6ter$ination 7y different con uerors, persecutors andheretical $ove$ents, nourished even in our ti$es 7y the 7lood of countless $artyrs. 5rthodo6yhas al ays passed throu"h the a"es persecuted, ounded and 7loody, li+e its ivine 4ounder.

he sa$e riter continues, notin" that true to ChristGs pro$ise, ho ever, the "ates of hell never prevailed a"ainst His Church %*t 1-:1 &. espite all possi7le persecution 7y the $i"hty of this

orld, 5rthodo6y has not 7een van uished, 7ut it has al ays survived victorious. o this day itstill survives intact and "loriously pure, its "a#e steadily focused on the end of the a"es and theSecond Co$in" of Christ.

!e"innin" in the seventh century, the rise of (sla$ ca$e a7out ith astonishin" speed,ta+in" Syria, Balestine, "ypt and northern Africa, and Spain. 9ater, startin" in the fourteenthcentury, the 5tto$an ur+ish Sultanate 7e"an to con uer the !al+ans, anterior Asia and northernAfrica, 7e"innin" a do$ination that ould continue until the early part of the t entieth century.

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A ree+ hierarch e6plains that in essence, (sla$ is a Christian heresy, havin" itshistorical roots in the very areas inha7ited and sanctified 7y the ancient esert 4athers. He$entions that it too+ fro$ Christianity not only the dress of its cler"y, 7ut the $odel for the$inaret %the to ers on top of hich the stylites lived and practiced their ascesis&, the practice of$a+in" full prostrations durin" prayer, and other thin"s as ell. % ven the practice of re$ovin"

their shoes in prayer hen enterin" a $os ue is of Christian ori"in. (n early ti$es, this practiceas o7served in Christianity, Fust as priests re$oved their shoes hen enterin" the altar&. (t isalso a ell8+no n fact that *oha$$ed as educated 7y a De ish relative ara+h, ho tau"hthi$ the 5ld esta$ent and instilled in hi$ a hatred of Christianity J a hatred that astrans$itted strai"ht into the Koran.

(t is the duty of (sla$ and of each individual *osle$ to convert every person to the(sla$ic reli"ion, and 7y hatever $eans necessary, includin" s ordpoint. his policy isfunda$ental for (sla$Gs teachin" %and it as li+e ise adopted 7y o$an Catholicis$ after itsapostasy and schis$ in 10)', in co$plete contradiction to the teachin" of the ospel&. *oreover,in the event atte$pts at conversion fail, the ulti$ate ai$ of (sla$ is the e6ter$ination of every;infidel< fro$ the face of the earth.

nder the *osle$s, Christians ere once a"ain forced to enter the cataco$7s, as it ere,to live in constant e6pectation of violence, horrendous torture and death %thin"s the West is only 7e"innin" to understand in li"ht of the recent "ro th of (sla$ic funda$entalis$ and theSepte$7er 11, 2001 terrorist attac+s on the nited States&. 4or '00 years in reece and )00years in Ser7ia and other parts of the !al+ans, entire villa"es of Christians J $en, o$en andchildren J ere i$paled on thousands of sta+es planted alon" the sides of roads. his situationof livin" in a sea of violence continues una7ated even to this day a$on" those Christians

itnessin" a recrudescence of arli+e fanaticis$ on the part of the *osle$s.9i+e ise, the o$an Catholic Church, ever since its departure fro$ the ancient

Apostolic Church in 10)', has acted ith all possi7le $alice in its atte$pts to destroy ChristGsChurch. Writin" of the 9atin ChurchGs nu$erous in uisitions and $ass $urders of the 5rthodo6%so$ethin" that continues to these ti$es&, St. Dohn of Kronstadt %O1 0 &, a conte$porary of thelast ussian sar, stated:

he o$an Church is not only the $other of countless offenses perpetrated a"ainst odand His Holy Scriptures, and a"ainst radition, 7ut of "rueso$e and 7loody atrocitiesa"ainst 5rthodo6 Christians on the part of o$eGs pope, its 7ishops and its cler"y.

Brior to the year 10)', the o$an Church as united to the astern 5rthodo6 ChurchN 7oth erea part of the ancient Apostolic Church of Christ. 5rthodo6 Christianity is indi"enous to all theWest, as ell as the ast, havin" co$e to (taly, aul, Scandinavia, (reland and the entire Westlon" 7efore the ast8West schis$ of 10)'. here as only one Christendo$ %so$ethin" hichhas survived do n to our o n days in the for$ of the 5rthodo6 Church, hich is the only truecontinuation of the early undivided Church&. 4or one thousand years, the Christian Church J

7oth ast and West J lived to"ether in har$ony and essential oneness, and its 7ishops "overnedthe Church as e uals. (n addition, the 7ishop of o$e held a position as patriarch of the West,

hose authority consisted of Furisdiction over all the 7ishops in his $etropolitan see, Fust as the patriarchs of Derusale$, Constantinople, and else here, oversa the 7ishops of their respectivesees. %A see is the territory of a 7ishopGs Furisdiction&. All 7ishops in Christendo$ ere re"ardedas e ual, and none as seen as an episcop#s episcopor#m , a ;7ishop of 7ishops.< his sa$e

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understandin" has 7een $aintained to this day in 5rthodo6y. Certain of its 7ishops J patriarchs,$etropolitans, arch7ishops J enFoy special status among other 7ishops, 7ut they are not abovethe$.

!e"innin" in the ninth century, ast and West 7e"an to drift apart hen the 7ishop ofo$e, or pope , 7e"an to introduce ne and forei"n ideas into the faith. % he ords pope and

patriarch ere co$$only used in the early Church to refer to the 7ishops of i$portant historicalsees. ope as not a desi"nation reserved only for o$eGs 7ishop, contrary to hat $any todayerroneously thin+&. 5ne of the false ideas as that of the supre$acy of the 7ishop of o$e overthe 7ishops of Derusale$, Constantinople, Ale6andria and Antioch, and over all other 7ishops, of

ho$ there ere hundreds 7y that ti$e. Brotopriest ictor Botapov notes that under theinfluence of national traditions that ere 7ound up ith the $i"ht of ancient o$e, the o$ansca$e to thin+ that $i"hty o$e should have the sa$e si"nificance in Church affairs as it had inaffairs of state. specially po erful in the o$an $indset as the idea of the $onarchicala7solutis$ of the o$an e$perors, hich ent so far as proclai$in" the$ "ods. he idea ofunli$ited supre$acy in one person over the hole orld 7eca$e an ecclesiastical idea in theWest, and it ca$e to 7e transferred fro$ the e$peror to the o$an pope. ven the title ontifex

%axim#s that the o$an e$perors 7ore as ta+en over 7y the popes. hus, 4r. ictor notes, astrivin" for self8e6altation and do$ination over the Church overtoo+ the o$an popes, and inthis strivin", o$e entered the path of error. As 4r. heodore Bulcini, a convert fro$ o$anCatholicis$ to 5rthodo6y, "oes on to point out, ; -he division between the +astern and%estern Churches was not the result of &rthodo y's stubborn refusal to recognize papalauthority! but of oman Catholicism's un,ustifiable claims. < =!rthodoxy and Catholicism-What are the "ifferences E pp. 8 @.

Concernin" the role that the Apostle Beter played in o$e, Scripture is silent. Ho ever,4r. ay$ond !ro n, a o$an Catholic priest and Church historian, $a+es the follo in"note orthy o7servations:

We have no +no led"e at all hen =the Apostle Beter@ ca$e to o$e and Fust hat hedid there 7efore he as $artyred. Certainly he as not the ori"inal $issionary ho

7rou"ht Christianity to o$e, and therefore as not the founder of the Church of o$ein that sense. here is no proof that he as the 7ishop %or local ecclesiastical officer& ofthe o$an Church J a clai$ not $ade =7y o$e@ until the third century. *ost li+ely hedid not spend any $aFor ti$e in o$e 7efore ) A ... and ca$e to the capital cityshortly 7efore his $artyrdo$ =Puoted in The %yth of apal (nfallibility , pp. 3383'@.

As .W. 5MConner also rites concernin" this $atter:

>othin" can 7e finally deter$ined, ho ever, a7out when Beter ca$e to o$e, how lon"he stayed, or what function of leadership, if any, he e6ercised in the o$an Church= (bid ., p. 3)@.

Harvard8educated and t ice 4ul7ri"ht scholar r. Constantine Cavarnos su$s up this uncertaintyof Catholic scholars in his notation that the oman Catholic Church defined its founder to bethe Apostle /eter . his clai$ as $ade not 7ecause Beter had in fact founded the Church of

o$e, 7ut 7ecause the 0atin Church wanted to e ploit certain passages in the 1ospels

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where the Apostle /eter is mentioned! and wanted to base the dogma of papal primacy onthose passages.

Accordin" to the Acts of the Apostles, it as the Apostle Baul ho first tau"htChristianity in o$e. Ho ever, neither St. Baul, the actual founder of the Church of o$e, norSt. Beter %perhaps the co8founder& ever held any actual pri$acy in the Church, nor did any city.

%(n the $atter of BeterGs 7ein" the co8founder of the Church of o$e, the authorities differ,althou"h had Beter truly 7een the first 7ishop of o$e, it is inconceiva7le that Baul ould havei"nored his presence %cf. o$ 1):20&. he notion of papal pri$acy is ludicrous to asternChristians, for Christian pri$acy rests s uarely on the ivinity of Christ. As Brotopres7yter*ichael Bo$a#ans+y e6plains:

he 5rthodo6 Church of Christ refuses to reco"ni#e yet another head of the Church in thefor$ of a 0icar of Christ on )arth , a title "iven in the o$an Catholic Church to the

7ishop of o$e. Such a title does not correspond either to the ord of od or to theuniversal Church consciousness and traditionN it tears a ay the Church on earth fro$i$$ediate unity ith the heavenly Church. A vicar is assi"ned durin" the a7sence of the

one replacedN 7ut Christ is invisi7ly present in His Church al ays.he reFection 7y the ancient Church of the vie of the 7ishop of o$e as the Head of the

Church and icar of Christ upon earth is e6pressed in the ritin"s of those ho ereactive in the cu$enical Councils =Brotopres7yter *ichael Bo$a#ans+y, !p1 cit ., p.22 @.

As another riter also noted, the ; icars of Christ on arth,< ith their pretensions not only tospiritual, 7ut also to te$poral authority, ere representatives of spiritual pride. >o "reaterspiritual pride can 7e i$a"ined than the conviction of oneGs o n infalli7ility.

St. Cyprian of Cartha"e %O2) &, hi$self a 7ishop and one of the most authoritative ofthe early Church Fathers J and also re"arded as a saint 7y the o$an Catholic Church Jspo+e a7out the authority of 7ishops in the follo in" ay:

9et each one "ive his opinion ithout Fud"in" anyone and ithout separatin" fro$ theco$$union of those ho are not of his opinionN for none of us sets hi$self up as a

7ishop of 7ishop, nor co$pels his 7rethren to o7ey hi$ 7y $eans of tyrannical terror,every 7ishop havin" full li7erty and co$plete po erN as he cannot 7e Fud"ed 7y another,neither can he Fud"e another. 9et us all ait the Fud"$ent of our 9ord Desus Christ, Whoalone has the po er to appoint us to the "overn$ent of His Church and to Fud"e ourconduct =Puoted in A77Q uetQe, The apacy- (ts 2istoric !rigins and rimitive

Relations with the )astern Ch#rches , 1 --@.

Kno in" that o$eGs novel teachin" of a supre$e ruler ith pri$acy of Furisdiction oulddivide and corrupt the Church, the astern patriarchs pleaded ith the o$an patriarch not tointroduce this false teachin". Another innovation that o$e 7e"an to introduce as its chan"in"the >icene Creed that had 7een esta7lished 7y the early Church. !ased on Holy Scriptures andthe truths that the Church has al ays held since the ti$e of the Apostles, this Creed is asu$$ary of the 7eliefs of the Christian Church. he astern Church arned the Church in the

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West of the dan"ers of chan"in" any part of the Christian faith, and especially the very Creeditself. Ho ever, o$e insisted on its innovations, even thou"h the 7elievers resisted.

urin" these difficult ti$es, $any atte$pts ere $ade to or+ out the differences 7et een the astern and Western Churches, and all of Christendo$ tried to call o$e 7ac+ tothe orthodo6 understandin" of Christianity. (n the end, thou"h, the 5rthodo6 Church could not

co$pro$ise and allo the faith to 7e chan"ed and corrupted, and for its part, o$e had already$ade its decision to part ays and ould not co$e 7ac+. 2n )$34! the oman Church officiallysevered itself from the ancient sees of the Christian Church , includin" the *other Church,the first Church of Christendo$ J Derusale$, and fro$ the Church here Christians ere first+no n 7y that na$e J Antioch %Acts 11:2-&, and fro$ the rest of the Christian Church. As

ho$as Hul7ert, a utch convert to 5rthodo6y notes, the reat Schis$ of 10)' proved to 7e aheavy curtain dividin" Christianity: it cut the West off fro$ the ri"ht doctrines and the ri"ht faith

preserved in astern 5rthodo6y.9i+e the non8Chalcedonians 7efore hi$, the pope precipitated another schis$, and li+e

the$, he estran"ed hi$self and his follo ers fro$ the Church. (n the reat Schis$ of 10)', oneof the Churches and only one Rome ! separated itself from the ancient Churches

which had been preserved in the +ast since the time of the Apostles . Concernin" o$eGsschis$, the o$an Catholic riter, for$er Desuit priest and insider at the atican, *alachi*artin, rites that the 9atin Church as

Rno ready to a7andon one half of Christianity %and the $ore ancient, the $oreflourishin" part& for the sa+e of orldly a$7ition.... (n their "reed and Fealousy, the

o$an popes asserted an a7solutist pri$acy that astern Christians ill never accept.he da$a"e ent even further. 5nce o$e as illin" to sacrifice the oldest and $ost

su7stantial part of Christianity to its o n concept of po er, it is s$all onder that itcould not 7e 7othered 7y an o7scure 7ut loud$outhed Au"ustinian $on+ called *artin9uther.... he popes, 7lindly and ithout thin+in", cast off half of urope and $adestrai"ht the ay for the Brotestant efor$ation = The "ecline and 3all of the RomanCh#rch , 1 1@.

(n the after$ath of this devastatin" schis$, the West e6perienced tre$endous tur$oil andcorruption. he Crusades ere underta+en, hich evolved into an attac+ upon the asternChurch. 9ater ca$e the (n uisition, then the enaissance, hich $i6ed pa"an ideas ithChristianity, and finally the Brotestant efor$ation, hich splintered Western Christianity intothousands of deno$inations.

Havin" succu$7ed to one of the te$ptations put to Christ 7y Satan in the ilderness, thatof orldly do$ination, and severed at that Functure fro$ the true doctrine of the ast and the"race of the Holy Spirit, o$e stopped loo+in" to the Church as so$ethin" other orldly hich

pointed 7elievers to Heaven. (nstead, it 7eca$e this8 orldly and pointed the$ to the earthlyor"ani#ation, thus 7e"innin" ;or"ani#ed reli"ion.< >o re"ardin" the authority of the o$anCaesars as their o n prero"ative, the popes sei#ed po er in the te$poral sphere and asserted ana7solute authority and universal do$ination over all $an+ind.

Carryin" one step further the a$7ition of supre$e orldly po er that the po er8hun"ry popes arro"ated to the$selves, the infa$ous Desuit order, the shoc+ troops for o$e, pro$ul"ated the slo"an that the end Fustifies the $eans. ranslated into action, this principle$eant that henever o$eGs 7loodthirsty niate $ove$ent could not persuade 5rthodo6

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Christians to 7eco$e niate Catholics under o$e throu"h ords, the 9atin Church as then Fustified in usin" force and $urder, for ;error has no ri"hts,< o$e 7elieves, and is thereforesu7Fect to ;control< 7y decree and deed. 5ne such decree, the ,yllab#s of )rrors propa"ated 7yBope Bius ( in 1 -', de$ands that the ; o$an Church 7e re"arded as the only reli"ion of thestate, to the e6clusion of all other reli"ions< %T//&. his sa$e decree, hich is listed in the

Catholic "ictionary as 7ein" the official teachin" of the faith, has never 7een retracted ordiso ned 7y the 9atin Church, althou"h its contents have 7een closeted. (n another place, thedecree proclai$s that the o$an Catholic Church has ;the po er to e$ploy force, or anyte$poral po er, direct or indirect,< hen dealin" ith persons dan"erous to it %T2'&, and itclai$s that it is pernicious to deny that the Church has ;i$$unity fro$ civil la or its penaltiesapoleon, ussiaco$pletely "ave herself over to the cult of peace. ussiaGs a$a#in" aspiration to $aintainand protect peace at any cost and si$ultaneously ith a7solute selflessness, $ust 7eac+no led"ed as a deep $ystery. !alance in the orld shall not ensure and e shall not

avoid crises until ussia ill arise in all of her "lory =Puoted in 4r. Baul ol$ens+y, op1cit ., pp. '8)@.

As the devil reco"ni#ed that the ussian $onarchy interfered ith his atte$pts to possess thehole orld, it as necessary to destroy that authority. Arch7ishop Aver+y %O1 /-& of

Dordanville e6plains that the $urder of the oyal House of ussia as not a political act, 7utrather purely spiritual. He states:

his $urder as thou"ht out and or"ani#ed 7y none other than the servants of theapproachin" antichrist. hose people, ho havin" sold their souls to Satan, are e6ecutin"the $ost intense preparation for the hasty rei"n of the ene$y of Christ, antichrist, overthe hole orld. hey understood perfectly ell that the $ain o7stacle standin" in their

ay as 5rthodo6 ($perial ussia.... And for the uic+est and surest annihilation ofussia, it as necessary to annihilate the one ho as its livin" sy$7ol, the 5rthodo6sar.

(t is for the fore"oin" reasons that the ussian 4athers of the Church vie the ussianmonarchy as the withholding power . *oreover, as 4r. *ichael e6plains, the $urder of the last

sar 7rou"ht a7out the e tinction of the Age of Constantine and the end to 1od's plansconcerning world empires . With the disappearance of Christian o$e, that hich restrained

orld revolution, orld atheis$, anarchy and apostasy is no more , and Satan or+s un7ridledand perfor$s his dar+ sche$es on a orld scale. >o lon"er is there any earthly authority tohinder hi$. 1 1 , the year ussiaGs royal fa$ily as +illed, is a atershed year in hu$an history,for it ushered in the pre apocalyptic epoch throu"h hich e are currently livin".

he seer of $ysteries, St. Dohn the heolo"ian, descri7es these end8ti$es events in ter$sof SatanGs 7ein" set free fro$ his te$porary 7onda"e, or thousand year bondage , as healle"orically calls it in evelation 20:182. his thousand8year 7onda"e is another i$portant$atter to e6a$ine, "iven its si"nificant connection to conte$porary history. So$e $odernsectarians have misinterpreted the van"elist DohnGs ords. hese ne teachers, rehashin" theancient heresy of chiliasm , $aintain that 7efore the end of the orld, Christ ill co$e to earth

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a"ain to overthro the antichrist, to resurrect the ri"hteous, and to esta7lish a ne +in"do$ onearth in hich the ri"hteous ill rei"n to"ether ith Hi$ for a thousand years.

his incorrect interpretation is an e6act repetition of the heretic ApollinariusG falseteachin", hich as conde$ned 7y the niversal Church at the Second cu$enical Council%3 1&. ($portantly, it as in response to this ancient heresy that this Council introduced into the

very Sy$7ol of 4aith %the Creed& these ords concernin" Christ: ; and His kingdom will haveno end .< hus, it as no lon"er per$issi7le for an 5rthodo6 Christian to hold chiliastic ideas as private opinions after an cu$enical Council e6pressed its Fud"$ent on the $atter.

iven these thin"s, it can 7e as+ed Fust hat does the thousand year bondage $eanEArch7ishop Aver+y of Dordanville and Hiero$on+ Seraphi$ ose co$$ent on this ter$ in their

7oo+ The Apocalypse and the Teachings of Ancient Christianity %pp. 2)38)'&. St. Andre ofCaesarea, they e6plain, interprets the thousand8year 7onda"e as the ti$e ;fro$ the (ncarnation ofChrist to the co$in" of the antichrist.< urin" that ti$e, Satan as 7ound, pa"anis$ as castdo n, and there ca$e upon earth the thousand8year rei"n of Christ. he authors "o on to e6plainthat the definite number one thousand is used in place of an indefinite nu$7er, si"nifyin" thelong period until the 6econd Coming of Christ .

*oreover, as the editor notes in Brotopres7yter *ichael Bo$a#ans+yGs !rthodox "ogmatic Theology %pp. 3''8')&, !lessed Au"ustine of Hippo connects the ;7indin"< of thedevil for a thousand years %Apoc. 20:2& ith the ;7indin"< of the ;stron" $an< in *ar+ 3:2/ %seealso ChristGs ords in Dohn 12:31, that ;no shall the prince of this orld 7e cast out


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7ased on the 7est principles of $any reli"ions. nder the "uise of a ;reconciliation< of faiths,ecu$enis$ e uates truth ith falsehood and pro$otes a future ecu$enical ;church< that illunify all e6istin" creeds, even thou"h such a unification entails a relativi#ation of odGs ruth.As a ree+ 7ishop notes, 7y 7rin"in" to"ether all the orld reli"ions, ecu$enis$, rather thanco$7inin" all the partial truths that various reli"ions supposedly contain, $ay co$7ine all the

falsehoods that they e$7race, thus creatin" a one world religion that embraces all evil.(n the past, hen Satan as unsuccessful in 7rin"in" a7out the co$plete physicaldestruction of ChristGs Church throu"h persecution, he turned to a different tactic: heresies. Ascan 7e o7served in history, Satan used heresies to attac+ Christian truths in al$ost the sameidentical order in hich they are listed in the >icaeo8Constantinopolitan Sy$7ol of 4aith, theChurchGs Creed. >o , throu"h the heresy of ecu$enis$, the devilGs final onslaught a"ainst thesetruths is ta+in" place, and this ti$e the attac+ is a"ainst the ords: ; 2 believe in ... &ne! Holy!Catholic and Apostolic Church .< !y $eans of such an attac+ upon the Creed, upon the HolyApostles, and upon the cu$enical Councils, Satan denies the truth that the Saviour foundedonly one true Church on earth . hrou"h ecu$enis$, Satan denies Holy Scriptures, hichteach that there is ; one 9ord, one faith, one !aptis$< % ph ':)&, one Holy radition %cf. 2 hes

2:1)&, and one Christian Church founded 7y Christ %cf. *t 1-:1 &.Hiero$on+ Sava ?anFic e6pends further on this end8ti$es heresy, statin" that theorld ide ecu$enical apostasy is spreadin" on all levels. verythin" possi7le is 7ein" done, he

states, in order to esta7lish an anti church , a ; reborn Christianity. < o"$as are 7ein" revised,Church history is 7ein" re ritten, and there is an intense seculari#ation and $oderni#ation ofspiritual life. 4r. Sava "oes on to li+en todayGs ecu$enis$ to a BandoraGs 7o6 fro$ hichhundreds of ancient heresies are 7rea+in" loose. Arch7ishop Aver+y notes the sa$e thin"s andadds:

cu$enis$ is the heresy of heresies. ntil no , every separate heresy in the history ofthe Church has striven itself to stand in the place of the true Church, hile theecu$enical $ove$ent, havin" united all heresies, invites the$ all to"ether to honorthe$selves as the one true Church. Here ancient Arianis$, *onophysitis$,*onothelitis$, (conoclas$, Bela"ianis$, and si$ply every possi7le superstition of theconte$porary sects under co$pletely different na$es, have united to char"e and attac+the Church. his pheno$enon is undou7tedly of an apocalyptic character.

%Here the arch7ishop is referrin" to the fact that very fe heresies since the ti$e of the earlyChurch have 7een ori"inal, and that $ost have 7een rehashes of ancient follies.*onophysitis$ of the fifth century, for e6a$ple, contri7uted to the *onothelitis$ of theseventh century, and to the syncretis$ and out"ro th of so$e of the conte$porary heresies ofthe present ti$e. Another e6a$ple is the ancient Arian heresy, hich surfaced in our ti$esas the Dehovah1s Witnesses&.

As the panheresy of ecu$enis$ "ains $ore and $ore $o$entu$ and increased supportfro$ orld "overn$ents, and as it co$es to re"ard itself as an ecu$enical ;super8church,< itsinfinite hatred of Christ and 5rthodo6 Christianity is 7eco$in" increasin"ly apparent. 5nce theecu$enical $ove$entGs $an8$ade reli"ion %or, $ore precisely, its devil+made reli"ion& isinstalled as the official state reli"ion under the antichrist, $ost esta7lished Church institutions

ill 7e dra n into this orld ide ;church.< 5rthodo6 Christianity ill then 7eco$e a religioillicita , even as it as in the days of the pa"an o$an $pire. As the sa$e 4r. Sava notes

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e6istin" in a predo$inantly non8Christian society, and such it is 7eco$in" once $ore.< (n thissense, the Church has indeed co$e a full circle.

(n spite of all the persecution of Christianity %includin" that hich is to co$e&, true toChristGs pro$ise, the "ates of hell ill never prevail a"ainst the Church %*t 1-:1 &, for ;thefoundation of od standeth sure< %2 i$ 2:1 &. As the >e 8*artyr i+hon %O1 2)&, Batriarch of

All ussia, rote in this re"ard, ChristGs Church is ;a +in"do$ not of this orld, a +in"do$ thathas no orldly $eans at its disposal, no earthly entice$entsN a +in"do$ that is despised, persecuted, po erless.< He added that the Church ;has not only not perished in this orld, 7uthas "ro n and con uered the orld.< And he concluded, ;(n spite of all $anner of coercion,attac+s and opposition, the &rthodo Church has preserved the faith of Christ as a pricelesstreasure! in its original purity and entirety! unharmed! so that our faith is the faith of theApostles! the faith of the Fathers! the &rthodo faith .e esta$ent periods of the Church:

5f all the reli"ions in the orld, only the Christian reli"ion possesses all the inner ande6ternal indications of divinely revealed di"nity and possesses true prophecies and$iracles. Christianity is the sole, true, divinely revealed reli"ion. his reli"ion issu7divided into the 5ld esta$ent and the >e esta$ent, co$posin", ho ever, oneor"anic hole, and represents the develop$ent of one divine plan for the salvation of$an+ind. he difference 7et een the 5ld and >e esta$ents lies not in its nature, 7utin the de"ree of its fullness and perfection.

he 5ld esta$ent revelation pertains to the >e esta$ent as a preparationdoes to a perfor$anceN as a pro$ise does to a fulfill$entN and as a sy$7ol does to ani$a"e. he ai$ of >e esta$ent revelation as the preparation of $an+ind in its

historic life for the acceptance of a hi"her Christian revelation. his as spo+en of 7y the5ld esta$ent prophets the$selves, for they it as ho e6pressed the thou"ht that the*essiah ill co$e and ill Hi$self announce to the people the >e Covenant %see the

prophecy of Dere$iah 31:3183)& = !rthodox Apologetic Theology , p. 11)81-@.

#. %hich book contains the first survey of history in the :ew -estament Church*his survey is found in the Acts of the Apostles.

4. %ho was the author of this book*he Holy van"elist 9u+e, a physician ho as chosen to 7e one of the seventy

disciples, rote the Acts. his sa$e disciple rote his ospel fifteen years after ChristGsAscension.

3. At what level does the Church e ist in all its fullness*he Church e6ists in all its fullness in each local co$$unity "athered around its 7ishop

as it cele7rates the Holy ucharist Sunday 7y Sunday.

;. %hat early Christian writer clearly e presses this concept in seven short letters*his concept as e6pressed 7y an Apostolic 4ather, St. ("natius the od8!earer, !ishop8

*artyr of Antioch %O10/&, ho as the child ho$ the 9ord too+ into His ar$s %*t 1 , *+ &.He proclai$ed the ospel in Antioch and 7eca$e the 7ishop of that city after the Apostle Beter.While on his ay to his $artyrdo$ in o$e %he as fed to the lions&, he rote seven epistles toChristian co$$unities and to another Apostolic 4ather, St. Bolycarp, a disciple of the Apostleand van"elist Dohn the heolo"ian and 7ishop of S$yrna %O1)-&. hese epistles contain a

ealth of infor$ation on early Church do"$a, or"ani#ation, the ivine 9itur"y, and thereadiness for $artyrdo$.


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>. %hat is meant by referring to the Church as a +ucharistic 6ociety*St. ("natius sa the Church in 7oth its hierarchical and sacra$ental aspects, and he laid

special stress on the place of the 7ishop in the Church, and upon the 7ishopGs pri$ary anddistinctive tas+ of cele7ratin" the Holy ucharist. 4or ("natius, the Church as pri$arily a

ucaristic Society J that is, one hich reali#es its proper function hen cele7ratin" andreceivin" the Holy *ysteries %Sacra$ents&. He e$phasi#ed that the ucharist is so$ethin" thatcan happen only locally in each individual co$$unity "athered around its 7ishop, and that the

hole Christ is present at each individual ucharist cele7ration. hus the Church e6ists in all itsfullness in each local co$$unity in the cele7ration of the ucharist.

St. ("natiusM teachin" occupies a per$anent place in the tradition of the Church.5rthodo6y vie s the Church fore$ost as a ucharist Society, for the !ody and !lood of Christare the inner life and soul of the 5rthodo6 Church, and they are the heart and center of allChurch life. he ChurchGs life7lood flo s fro$ the ucharist that is cele7rated at every 9itur"y.

o parta+e of this *ystery is the $ost i$portant act of orship in the 5rthodo6 Church, and to 7e united ith it is to 7e united ith the Head and 4ounder of the Church, Desus Christ. Without

ChristGs divine presence in this *ystery, the Church could not achieve its earthly $ission. (t is inthe ucharist that the 5rthodo6 Church has the livin" presence of od.*oreover, 5rthodo6y e$phasi#es the i$portance of the local co$$unity in the Church,

so$ethin" o7vious to anyone ho o7serves a Bontifical 9itur"y in hich the 7ishop is in thecenter of the Church, surrounded 7y his floc+. o this day, 5rthodo6y still retains the catholicityof the early Church, here the focus of unity is the 7ishop.

Concernin" the ord %ysteries % ree+ %ysteria & that often co$es up in this 7oo+, it is"enerally used in the 5rthodo6 ast for Sacra$ents. he ord ,acraments %9atin ,acramenta & isthe ter$ used in the 9atin West. Since the latter ter$ ori"inated hen o$e as still fully united

ith 5rthodo6y J that is, 7efore the reat Schis$ of 10)', there is nothin" ron" ith itsusa"e, especially since fe Westerners are fa$iliar ith the ord *ysteries. Ho ever, a$on"the$selves, 5rthodo6 tend to use the latter ord.

?. %ho is the visible center of Church life*he hierarchical ran+ is the hi"hest ran+ in the Church. hus, 5rthodo6 7ishops, li+e

their predecessors, the Apostles, occupy the visi7le center of Church life. Brotopres7yter *ichaelBo$a#ans+y e6plains that Christ called the Apostles to the highest ministry in the Church, andthat the Apostles in turn na$ed bishops as their i$$ediate successors and continuers . Asanother riter adds in this connection, after Dudas turned traitor, Beter, applyin" Bsal$ 10 : ,declared, ;his bishopric let another ta+e< %Acts 1:20N e$phasis added&.

Althou"h Apostolic Succession as severed in the West as of o$eGs apostasy in 10)', itcontinued in the ast. he 5rthodo6 Church is the only Church in Christendo$ that has to thisday an uninterrupted succession of 7ishops "oin" 7ac+ to the Apostles.

)$. 2f each bishop and his diocese (eparchy7 can be said to contain the fullness of Churchlife! why is it that only the entire body of the &rthodo faithful is referred to as theChurch*

he student does not i$a"ine that he ;+no s 7etter< than the professor of this course, nordoes he presu$e to consider hi$self an e6pert on 5rthodo6y. All he can do is rely on the various

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7oo+s that teach of it. hese in turn sho that, on the 7asis of Scripture, the a7ove assertion that;only the entire 7ody of 5rthodo6 faithful is referred to the Church< is not tena7le.

5ne e$inent authority, Brotopres7yter *ichael Bo$a#ans+y, points out that the $e$7ersof oneGs fa$ily co$prise a ho#se Ch#rch . his ter$ as used 7y the Apostle Baul hen referrin"to the "atherin" of the $e$7ers of a fa$ily and friends hich too+ place durin" the early years

of Christianity, hen Christians did not have their o n church 7uildin"s in hich to pray %cf.o$ 1-:)8-, et al .&.he ord Ch#rch is e$$lesia in ree+, hich $eans to "ather, to "ather to"ether, to call,

to call out, or to call to"ether. hus, Church $eans a "atherin" of people, a con"re"ation. hesa$e 4r. *ichael adds that:

he na$e Ch#rch hich 7elon"s to every Christian co$$unity, even of a sin"le house orfa$ily, indicates the unity of this part ith the hole, ith the 7ody of the hole Churchof Christ = !rthodox "ogmatic Theology , p. 22'@.

(n no place does 4r. *ichael indicate that it is incorrect to use the ord in a narro sense %that is,

ith re"ard to a fa$ily or individual co$$unity&. (n fact, 7oth he and the Apostle Baul hi$selfvariously use the ord in 7oth the narro and the 7road sense.he ord Ch#rch is al ays used in reference to the four ancient Batriarchates, to the

eleven other autocephalous Churches %includin" Sinai&, and also hen referrin" to the severalautono$ous Churches %includin" China, Dapan and 4inland&. (n addition to these independentlocal Churches, ho ever, the Church has a ider unity. he Church 4ather Cyprian, !ishop8*artyr of Cartha"e %O2) &, descri7es ho all 7ishops share in the one episcopate, yet share it insuch a $anner that each possesses the hole rather than Fust a part. St. Cyprian rites:

he episcopate is a sin"le hole, in hich each 7ishop enFoys full possession. So theChurch is a sin"le hole, thou"h it spreads far and ide into a $ultitude of Churches asits fertility increases.

here are $any episcopi 7ut only one episcopate. here are also $any local Churches, yet5rthodo6y is so$ethin" $ore than a "roup of local 7odies that share a unity of faith and fulla"ree$ent ith the rest on all $atters of doctrine: it is nothin" less than the Church of Christ onearth. (t is this ider unity of all 5rthodo6 faithful into the !ody of Christ that is also called theChurch.

)). %hat is meant by calling the Church conciliar*he ord conciliar $eans ;of, relatin" to, or "enerated 7y a council< %A$erican Herita"e

ictionary&. Callin" the Church conciliar underscores the "reat i$portance of the ChurchGsCouncils . !ishop Ale6ander of !uenos Aires and South A$erica of the ussian Church in 6ile"oes on to e6plain conciliaris$ as that special state in hich 7ishops decide Church $atters, firsthavin" prayed and i$plored the "race of the Holy Spirit. he sa$e 7ishop adds that throu"h theenli"hten$ent and "race that overshado 7ishops "athered in Councils, the $ost co$plicated

uestions are resolved and decisions are $ade hich 7enefit the Church.(n the ti$e of the Apostles, $isunderstandin"s arose in Antioch re"ardin" the

applica7ility of the ritual la of *oses. Since there as a need to appeal to a hi"her authoritativevoice or Fud"$ent, the Apostles "athered in a Council at Derusale$ %Acts 1)&, and the decrees of

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this Council ere ac+no led"ed as o7li"atory for the hole Church %Acts 1-:'&. 9y means ofthe Council of @erusalem! the Apostles gave an e ample of the conciliar resolution of themost important 5uestions in the Church for all times.

(t is i$portant to note here that the Apostolic Council spea+s especially clearly againstthe supre$acy of the Apostle Beter. (f one ere to 7elieve the Catholic do"$a of the supre$acy

of the o$an pope, then the Christians of Antioch should have appealed to the Apostle Beter forthe resolution of their perple6ity. Ho ever, they appealed not to Beter, 7ut to all the Apostlesand pres7yters. At this first Council, the uestion is su7Fect to a "eneral discussion, and theco$pletion of the $atter 7elon"s to the Apostle Da$es. 4ro$ Da$esM ords %not BeterGs&, thedecision of the Council is ritten. Also i$portant to note is that Sacred Scripture reveals anu$7er of ei"hty thin"s that ta+e place: Beter is sent 7y the Apostles %Acts :1 &, he "ives anaccount of his actions to the Apostles and faithful %Acts 11:'81 &, and he also listens to theirob,ections and even denunciations % al 2:1181 &. hese facts de$onstrate that /eter was notthe prince of the Apostles and the head of the Church , as the o$an Catholic Church falselyteaches.

5rthodo6 theolo"y strictly differentiates 7et een the $inistry of the Apostles and that of

the 7ishops. As !ishop Ale6ander Se$onov8 ian8Shans+y rites in this re"ard:he si"nificance of the Apostles as e6ceptional and in $any ays e6ceeded the

si"nificance of 7ishops. !ishops head local Churches, hile the Apostles ere anderin" preachers of the ospel. An Apostle, havin" founded a ne Church in so$e locale,

ould ordain a 7ishop for it and ould hi$self "o to another place to preach. (nconse uence of this, the 5rthodo6 Church does not honor the Apostle Beter as the first

7ishop of o$e. >onetheless, the Holy Church al ays allo ed that a$on" the 7ishopsone is reco"ni#ed as first in honor, 7ut concernin" his infalli7ility there is no discussion.

(n the first centuries, the pri$acy of honor 7elon"ed to the o$an 7ishop, 7ut after hisfallin" a ay into schis$, it passed to the patriarch of Constantinople =As uoted fro$Brotopriest ictor Botapov, !rthodoxy and 2eterodoxy @.

4ro$ Apostolic ti$es and throu"hout the su7se uent history of the Church, even prior to o$eGsdeparture fro$ the Church in 10)', no 7ishop had a7solute authority over any other. -heChurch is not and never was monarchical in structure! centered around a single bishop.(nstead, all 7ishops or+ to"ether in e uality, and all consult ith one another to achieve aco$$on $ind under the influence of the Holy Spirit. St. Cyprian of Cartha"e rites that thiscollegial structure %that is, here all 7ishops share authority& is 7ased on divine law . (f the

7ishop of o$e as every here re"arded as the supre$e head of the Church, as the 9atinChurch teaches, hy ere there no cries of heresy to such state$ents as that of St. CyprianE

4ro$ the itness of Church history, $any o$an Catholics readily understand thesefacts and convert to 5rthodo6y. 5ne ho did, *ichael Whelton, rote an entire 7oo+ that deals

ith the 5rthodo6 ChurchGs conciliar tradition %an understandin" that o$e itself adhered to prior to the ninth century&, vis8 8vis o$eGs divisive doctrine of papal monarchy . his authorGs

ell researched findin"s $erit special attention. He correctly o7serves that the early Churchwas conciliar in its government! that the +cumenical Councils represented the highest

,udicial body of the Church! that these +cumenical Councils were not called to advise the

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bishop of ome! and that the bishop of ome did not en,oy veto power. *r. Whelton "oeson to e6plain that:

>o here in the canons or creeds of these = cu$enical@ Councils do e find anyreco"nition of o$eGs clai$ to supre$e universal Furisdiction. >one of the Church

4athers or "eneral councils settled doctrinal disputes 7y appealin" to an infalli7le pope.Clai$s of infalli7ility 7y a sin"le 7ishop ould have 7een inco$prehensi7le.4urther$ore, the idea that the 7ishop of o$e as superior to a council of the Churchand that a council as ecu$enical only 7ecause the 7ishop of o$e alone confir$ed itsdecrees as un+no n. (n fact, all five patriarchs J =those of@ o$e, Constantinople,Ale6andria, Antioch and Derusale$ J had to confir$ the decrees = Two aths- apal

%onarchy 4 Collegial Tradition , pp. )28)3@.

(n another 7oo+, the sa$e riter notes that:

4or at least the first thousand years, Christendo$ as an undivided Church "overned 7y

councils that offered a co$$on foru$ for 7oth Churches ast and West to settledifferences and thus provide a co$$on 7ond. (t is pro7a7le 7eyond dou7t that the earlyChurch does not point to the office of a sin"le 7ishop as the livin" tradition of theChurch, 7ut to an ecu$enical consensus or collective conscience, hich is 7este6e$plified 7y the early "eneral councils. (t is this $odel of "overn$ent that is intrinsicto the nature of the Church and it is this that supplies her ith endurin" stren"th andsta7ility = The earl , p. '3@.

*r. Whelton adds that:

oday the 5rthodo6 Church is the only Church in Christendo$ that preserves and "uardsthis colle"ial traditionN thus she ri"htly calls herself the Ch#rch of the ,even )c#menicalCo#ncils .... oday ith her self8"overnin" Churches 7ound to"ether in a fraternal unity,she presents herself to the orld Fust as the early Church did = (bid ., pp. '38''@.

%(n the o$an Catholic Church, on the other hand, the o$an Curia as created 7y Bope Si6tus =the ;iron pope


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)#. %here are the details of this Council recorded*he details of the Council of Derusale$ are recorded in the Acts of the Apostles. Acts

1):18) descri7es the open opposition to St. BaulGs teachin" 7y the salvation87y8faith8and8circu$cision party. So vital an issue as ChristianityGs enterin" into the entile orld under the

veil of Dudais$ had to have an authoritative decision 7y the Apostles and elders in order to avoida split. Acts 1):-821 "oes on to descri7e the de7ate of the issue and its final resolution.

)4. %here did the Council take place*he Council too+ place in Derusale$, hence its na$e.

)3. %hat was the ma,or 5uestion debated at the first Council of the Holy Church*he Council of Derusale$ convened a7out )0 A to decide the e6tent to hich ne ly

converted entiles ould have to su7Fect the$selves to the re uire$ents of *osaic la . (t asdecided that non8De s ho turned to od should not 7e trou7led ith the ri"orous precepts ofthe la of *oses, save in certain social $atters so th

Apostolic Christianity s Kovasevich

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