Orthodox Fundamentalism

One of the cornerstones of Orthodox Christianity is its reverence for the great Fathers of the Church who were not only exemplars of holiness but were also the greatest intellectuals of their age. The writings of men like St. Basil the Great, St. Gregory the Theologian, and St. Maximos the Confessor have been and will always remain essential guides to Orthodox Christian living and Orthodox Christian faith.

Thus it is alarming that so many Orthodox clerics and monks in recent years have made public statements that reflect a “fundamentalist” approach to the Church Fathers. And unless leaders of the Orthodox Church unite to repudiate this development, the entire Orthodox Church is at risk of being hijacked by extremists.

Like other fundamentalist movements, Orthodox fundamentalism reduces all theological teaching to a subset of theological axioms and then measures the worthiness of others according to them. Typically, this manifests itself in accusations that individuals, institutions, or entire branches of the Orthodox Church fail to meet the self-prescribed standard for Orthodox teaching. For example, when the Theological Academy of Volos recently convened an international conference to examine the role of the Fathers in the modern Church, radical opportunists in the Church of Greece accused it and its bishop of heresy.

The key intellectual error in Orthodox fundamentalism lies in the presupposition that the Church Fathers agreed on all theological and ethical matters. That miscalculation, no doubt, is related to another equally flawed assumption that Orthodox theology has never changed—clearly it has or else there would have been no need for the Fathers to build consensus at successive Ecumenical Councils.

The irony, as identified by recent scholarship on fundamentalism, is that while fundamentalists claim to protect the Orthodox Christian faith from the corruption of modernity, their vision of Orthodox Christianity is, itself, a very modern phenomenon. In other words, Orthodoxy never was what fundamentalists claim it to be.

Indeed, a careful reading of Christian history and theology makes clear that some of the most influential saints of the Church disagreed with one another—at times quite bitterly. St. Peter and St. Paul were at odds over circumcision. St. Basil and St. Gregory the Theologian clashed over the best way to recognize the divinity of Holy Spirit. And St. John Damascene, who lived in a monastery in the Islamic Caliphate, abandoned the hymnographical tradition that preceded him in order to develop a new one that spoke to the needs of his community.

It is important to understand that Orthodox fundamentalists reinforce their reductionist reading of the Church Fathers with additional falsehoods. One of the most frequently espoused is the claim that the monastic community has always been the guardian of Orthodox teaching. Another insists that the Fathers were anti-intellectual. And a third demands that adherence to the teachings of the Fathers necessitates that one resist all things Western. Each of these assertions is patently false for specific reasons, but they are all symptomatic of an ideological masquerade that purports to escape the modern world.

The insidious danger of Orthodox fundamentalists is that they obfuscate the difference between tradition and fundamentalism. By repurposing the tradition as a political weapon, the ideologue deceives those who are not inclined to question the credibility of their religious leaders.

In an age when so many young people are opting out of religious affiliation altogether, the expansion of fundamentalist ideology into ordinary parishes is leading to a situation where our children are choosing between religious extremism or no religion at all.

It is time for Orthodox hierarchs and lay leaders to proclaim broadly that the endearing relevance of the Church Fathers does not lie in the slavish adherence to a fossilized set of propositions used in self-promotion. The significance of the Fathers lies in their earnest and soul-wrenching quest to seek God and to share Him with the world. Fundamentalist readings of both the Fathers and the Bible never lead to God—they only lead to idolatry.

Authored by George E. Demacopoulos: Professor of Historical Theology; Director and Co-Founder, Orthodox Christian Studies Center at Fordham University. 

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Mary’s Standing

“Mary’s Standing” (Мариино Стояние) is the colloquial folk term used for the Matins Service prescribed in the liturgical practice of the Byzantine Rite for the Thursday of the fifth week of Great Lent. At this service, the entire Great Canon of Saint Andrew of Crete is read together with the Life of Saint Mary of Egypt. The theme of this service is repentance with specific attention focused on the life of St. Mary of Egypt. Though once a harlot, she became through repentance a very righteous woman. This will be the last time during this Lenten season that the Canon of Saint Andrew with its familiar refrain “Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me!” will be chanted.

Repentance is the means by which each of us can obtain our salvation. Whatever kind things we do, if we are praised for them, we are in danger of the temptation of becoming a Pharisee, looking only at the exterior, while the interior can remain like the inside of a coffin full of decay. For by the works of the law we will not be justified, no one is able to perform such acts that would cover one’s evil deeds. Repentance is what stands above all.

It seems to some that repentance is easy, however genuine repentance is an incredibly difficult task. Repentance is not simply saying: “I repent!” It is erroneous to believe that merely reciting one’s sins in confession is sufficient. Confessing one’s sin is certainly a good start; however, ff no subsequent efforts follow, one’s words spoken in the confessional remain merely words. Repentance demands from us sincere change (metanoia), and it is only through repentance that our sins are forgiven. God requires our cooperation and helps those who make genuine effort. Through repentance, many have achieved salvation.

So what do we do? We must fervently pray and be vigilant to overcome our sins and temptations. The ascetics, who have trod the path of repentance and have gained experience, guide and help us. The power of prayer strengthens our path of repentance.

We often delay our repentance, rationalizing that we need to finalize a few minor “mistakes” and then repent. Such a calculation is a fraud, as warned in the Great Canon:

“My soul, my soul, arise! Why are you sleeping? The end is drawing near!”

Our lives pass rapidly. Many persons meet an unexpected and untimely death. Postponing one’s repentance is a dangerous risk, for we may find ourselves without time or control over our circumstances. We need to repent without hesitation or delay. It’s tempting to rationalize in taking just one last “sip”, but that may be the fatal sip.

It is already the fifth week of Lent. Very soon we will be celebrating the Resurrection of Christ. Repentance leads us to resurrection. Before this spiritual feast, let us examine ourselves in what manner have we repented? Easter (Pascha) is the victory of the power of death, our reconciliation with God and with one another. Repentance leads us to resurrection. May we hasten our repentance, preparing our hearts and souls as open vessels for the outpouring of paschal grace.

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Fourth Sunday in Lent

On the Fourth Sunday in Lent, the Eastern Church commemorates Saint John Climacus, also known as John of the Ladder, who was a seventh-century monk at the monastery on Mount Sinai. He is revered as a saint by the Eastern Orthodox, Eastern Catholic, Roman Catholic, and Oriental Orthodox churches.

Saint John’s spiritual instructions known as Ladder of Divine Ascent describes the means by which one acquires the ascetic virtues. He uses the analogy of Jacob’s Ladder as the framework for his spiritual teaching. Each chapter is referred to as a “step” and deals with a separate spiritual subject. There are a total of thirty steps. The final four steps or “rungs” of the ladder concern the higher virtues: prayer, spiritual stillness (hesychia), dispassion, and, highest of all, love (agape).

Ladder of Divine Ascent became one of the most widely read books of Byzantine spirituality. In Eastern Christian monasteries, chapters of the book are often read in church or in the refectory as part of the Daily Office on Lenten weekdays.

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Jesus Christ’s Tomb Opens to Public after Restoration

A burial tomb believed to have held the body of Jesus Christ before his resurrection will open to the public on Wednesday. The tomb at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem underwent nine months of restoration.

A team from the National Technical University of Athens (NTU) carried out intensive restoration on a small structure known as the ‘Edicule’ (little house) within the church, containing the tomb and burial bed believed to have once held the body of Jesus Christ.

During the restoration the team removed a slab of marble that had been placed over the bed in 1555AD to prevent pilgrims removing rocks from the holy site, exposing the original limestone shelf for the first time in centuries.

The team from NTU reinforced the ‘Edicule’ structure during the restoration, using titanium bolts and mortar.

“If the intervention hadn’t happened now, there is a very great risk that there could have been a collapse,” said Bonnie Burnham from the World Monuments Fund, which oversaw the project, The Guardian reported, citing AP.

Thick layers of candle soot and pigeon droppings were also removed from the holy site.

A small window has been cut in the marble wall of the ‘Edicule’, allowing pilgrims to see into the tomb for the first time. On Wednesday, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, the spiritual leader of the world’s Orthodox Christians and a representative of Pope Francis, will mark the completion of the restoration with a ceremony.

According to scripture, the body of Christ was laid in the tomb following his crucifixion. After three days he was discovered to be missing and said to have appeared over a period of 40 days before ascending into heaven.

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Saint Patrick the Bishop of Armagh and Enlightener of Ireland*

Troparion Hymn

Holy Bishop Patrick, faithful shepherd of Christ’s royal flock, you filled Ireland with the radiance of the Gospel: The mighty strength of the Trinity! Now that you stand before the Savior, pray that He may preserve us in faith and love!

*Commemorated on March 17/30

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The Lenten Prayer of St Ephrem – 5

Finally, idle talk. Of all created beings, man alone has been endowed with the gift of speech. All Fathers see in it the very “seal” of the Divine Image in man because God Himself is revealed as Word (John, 1:1). But being the supreme gift, it is by the same token the supreme danger.

Being the very expression of man, the means of his self-fulfillment, it is for this very reason the means of his fall and self-destruction, of betrayal and sin. The word saves and the word kills; the word inspires and the word poisons. The word is the means of Truth and it is the means of demonic Lie.

Having an ultimate positive power, it has therefore a tremendous negative power. It truly creates positively or negatively. When deviated from its divine origin and purpose, the word becomes idle. It “enforces” sloth, despondency, and lust of power, and transforms life into hell. It becomes the very power of sin.

These four (sloth, despair, lust of power, idle talk) are thus the negative “objects” of repentance. They are the obstacles to be removed. But God alone can remove them. Hence, the first part of the lenten prayer; this cry from the bottom of human helplessness. Then the prayer moves to the positive aims of repentance which also are four (chastity, humility, patience, love).

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Today (March 16) Your Support Goes 10x Further

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