I am chrismated in the Greek Orthodox Church and I want to commend your lectures. Very nice. I am going through them all, and taking notes on such facets of TRUTH as I was not much alerted to in my previous life. Please continue to speak, as I speak for you, I pray for you! Kindest regards in Christ's agape! Robb
Thank you Father, Christ thought with simplicity that all can understood, and only God knows that we need the same way of teaching even today. Thank you and God bless.
The Grace of Our Lord Jesus Christ and the Love of Our God the Father and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you. This is coming from an Orthodox Christian who was born and raised in Nazareth of Galilee.
0:54 Ecumenical Council: A Church Agreement of Understanding. 1:50 How did those councils influence how we do Christianity today? 2:33 Tradition is looked down on by some people. 3:54 Why did Early Christians do what they did when practicing Christianity? 4:58 You have to know about the walls before going to Demolish It, (because you might harm yourself by destroying something necessary for your life.) 6:51 Infant Baptism 7:14 Infants have been baptized for centuries in the church. 8:06 Why was the Early Church baptizing infants? 9:06 St. John of Damascus St. Ignatius of Antioch St. Basil The Great how did they interpret the scriptures? 10:10 Reading from a history lecture Fr David gave in the past to students. 10:43 Early Christian History, Edict of Milan in 311 AD 11:18 300s - 900s in time 11:51 The First Ecumenical Council, described in the Book of Acts - Christians were being persecuted 15:34 St. Paul, leader of Antiochian Church, Apostles and Edlers were gathered together to decide on this matter. 16:44 St. James of Jerusalem 18:00 The Council did not simply try to find compromise, they wanted to discover The Will of God. A Democratic System, but ultimately, The Patriarch St. James decided. 19:18 They write a letter to the people of Antioch. 20:35 What Does God Want? 21:04 Heresy Judaizers 22:01 Jesus was both Man and God It wasn't that easy for people to understand that back then. 23:20 How can God be in a human body? 24:27 Docetism "To appear" "to seem" 25:06 No one sees the face of God and lives. 26:36 Jesus is real, the apostles touched him, lived with him, learned with him.
@@david_porthouse Sorry - not my intent. I think we're seeing here a difference in the way the Roman Catholic and the Orthodox Church view the numbering of the councils.
🎯 Key Takeaways for quick navigation: 00:38 🕊️ The video introduces a four-part series on the seven ecumenical councils, which significantly shaped Christianity from the 4th to the 9th centuries. 01:47 🏛️ The Orthodox Church is often referred to as the "Church of the ecumenical councils" because it aims to preserve ancient traditions and teachings established during these centuries. 03:04 🪓 The importance of understanding and preserving traditions and practices in Christianity is emphasized, rather than discarding them in favor of modernization. 12:06 📜 The video mentions an early Christian council described in the Book of Acts, which helped set a precedent for resolving important questions in the early Church. 16:55 🌟 The early Christian councils sought to discover the will of God when addressing theological questions and conflicts. 20:36 🤝 The video underscores that early Christian councils aimed to find the will of God rather than compromise, with a leader making the final decision. 21:48 ⚖️ The emergence of Christian heresies, particularly related to the nature of Jesus as both man and God, is discussed. 25:52 📖 The heresy of Docetism, which denied the full humanity of Christ, is explained, and Saint John's refutation of this heresy is cited.
Very informative thanks. It's a combination of church history with little bit of theology. Can you also explain the icon next to you? I tried to share your videos in fb and whatsapp groups but unfortunately its falls on deaf ears as people aren't interested in religion any more.
The icon next to me is a copy of an icon by St. Andre Rublev, it represents literally the visit to Abraham of the three angels and spiritually it represents the Trinity
50 A.D. Jerusalem Council Paul & other Apostles - circumcision & Mosaic law. 232 A.D. Synod to condemn Origen's work. Origen relocated to Caesarea Maritima and died there after being tortured during a persecution. 251/252 A.D. African Synod of Carthage under Cyprian 270 A.D. Council of Antioch to condemn Paul of Samosata’s writings. Attendees included Gregory Thaumaturgus and Anatolius. 314 A.D. Ancyra. 12 bishops were present. (about what?) 315 A.D. Council of Neocaesarea. Much of the Nicean Creed was copied from this creed.(what else) Nicea I May 20th to July 25th 325 A.D. - Opposed Arians and created Nicean Creed 250-318 325-381 A.D. Gangra 334/335 A.D. Synod of Tyre against Athanasius, who left when he saw he could not get a fair hearing. 353-369 A.D. Council of Ashtishat 343/344 A.D. Sardica 343-381 A.D. Synod of Laodicea 351 A.D. Synod of Sirmium 357/358 A.D. Synod of Seleucia - Hippolytus present 375 A.D. Synod of Ancyra attempts to arrest Gregory of Nyssa 380 A.D. Council of Saragossa I - against Manichaeans 381 A.D. Constantinople I - called by Emperor Theodosius I - reaffirmed Nicea I and defined the Holy Spirit as consubstantial and coeternalo 6/397 A.D. Council of Carthage II Augustine and other put in Apocrypha 8/397 A.D. Council of Carthage III 399 A.D. Council of Carthage IV 6/401 A.D. Council of Carthage V 10/401 A.D. Council of Carthage VI 12/415 A.D. Council of Diospolis 415 A.D. Synod of Jerusalem - Pelagius defends himself against charges The Feast of Annunciation was started 419 A.D. Carthage XVII adopted canon of the Bible 431 A.D. Ephesus - called by Eastern Emperor Theodosius II and western Emperor Valentinian II to condemn Nestorianism. 441 A.D. Council of Orange I deposed Cheliderius of Besancon because he married a widow before receiving priestly orders Chalcedon 451 A.D. - Accepted writings of Theodore of Mopsuestia, Theodoret of Currhus and Ebas of Edessa. Monophysites kicked out of Orthodox Churches 457 A.D. Council of Milan 501 A.D. Council of Rome 505-506 A.D. Synod of Dvin I 506 A.D. Agde - Caesarius of Arles presided 524 A.D. Arles - Caesarius of Arles presided 527 A.D. Carpentras - Caesarius of Arles presided 529 A.D. Synod/Council of Orange II - Caesarius of Arles presided condemned Faustus for being Semi-Pelagian 529 A.D. Vaison - Caesarius of Arles presided 531 A.D. Orleans I 533 A.D. Auvergne 533 A.D. Marseille - Caesarius of Arles presided 538 A.D. Orleans II 541 A.D. Orleans III 541 A.D. Constantinople - repudiated Council of Ephesus 550 A.D. Synod of Dwin II - rejects Council of Chalcedon 553 A.D. Constantinople II called by Emperor Justinian I, anathematized Theodore of Mopsuestia, Theodoret of Currhus and Ebas of Edessa. 554 A.D. Second Council of Tvin (Dvin II) 560 A.D. Synod at Brefi in Britain (David of Wales participated) 569 A.D. Synod at Caerleon in Britain (David of Wales participated) 589 A.D. Toledo - filioque clause put in to Creed 592 A.D. Concilium Quinisextum or second Trullan council (Orthodox Church) 614 A.D. Council of Paris 649 A.D. Lateran Synod - called by Pope Martin I - 105 bishops 662 A.D. Council of Hereford in Britain 664 A.D. Synod of Whitby, Britain Oswy abandons Celtic church for Roman Catholic church 679 A.D. Council of Hatford in Britain 680 A.D. Constantinople III - called by Emperor Constantine IV. condemned monothelitism 680 A.D. was the last general council, because this was the last church council where both the eastern and western bishops were present. 691 A.D. Constantinople IV - called by Emperor Justinian II. legislative code for the church. Western church never accepted this. 692 A.D. Quinisext 742 A.D. Council of Germanicum - banned Easter fires 743 A.D. Council of Lestines - banned Easter fires 747 A.D. Synod of Franconia 754 A.D. Constantinople V - called by Emperor Constantine V. Condemned image worship. 787 A.D. Nicea II - condemned Constantinople V and accepted image worship.
Have an interesting question, here it goes: Jesus Christ's side was pierced and his blood spilt. When he was taken up into heaven, was the blood that was spilt also taken up?
+ENiGMA The blood of Christ that dripped from his body on the cross fell onto the skull of Adam, thereby breaking open the gates of hell and making a way for a mankind to enter the Kingdom of God.
How can creation kill god? god let his own son get killed for our sins, this makes me wonder, what chances do we have for gaining salvation and justice? Could not the merciful father, let go off our sins, just by witnessing our sincere repentance and atonement from pure hearts....why does it have to be a blood sacrifice( of Christ) always to deliver us from sins......... And they teach us to take communion, an impractical replication of act, making us envision, that we are consuming the blood and flesh, of christ...... Seriously! Is this what we have stooped down to..... Becoming beats and vampires. We still continue to prey on Christ's body.
the sacrificial system was put in place to prepare us for the ultimate sacrifice of God incarnate on the cross. Sin is not forgiven simply by God saying "I forgive you," sacrifice is necessary as a way of impressing upon us the seriousness and violence of sin. I hope this helps.
“The doctrine of the communication of attributes is essential for the doctrine of salvation as understood by the Fathers of the church...the Church had taught that humans are saved through the union between human and divine in Christ. In Christ, God assumed and deified humanity, and united it to God. The Fathers taught that an individual is saved by union with Christ through participation in the sacramental life of the Church. Significantly, St. Cyril cited the mystery of Holy Communion in his condemnation of Nestorius. 215 Thus, if Christ is not really God in the flesh, there is no salvation. At the same time, the title, “Theotokos,” is a statement of the belief that Christ was not just a good man who somehow became God, but was God in the flesh from the moment of His conception. If Mary were only the mother of a man, the whole traditional understanding of salvation would have to be rejected... ...Like the other Cappadocian Fathers, St. Gregory emphasized the doctrine of the Incarnation. He wrote, “God was born in the nature of man.” 165 Although he distinguished between the human and divine natures of Christ, he taught that its union with the divine nature deifies the human nature of Christ. At the same time, the divine nature of Christ has accepted the limitations caused by its union with the human nature. Echoing the words of St. Paul, he wrote, “The Godhead empties Itself that It may come with the capacity of the Human Nature, and the Human Nature is renewed by becoming Divine through its comixture with the Divine.” 166 This is a classic expression of the doctrine of “the communication of attributes,” or “communicatio idiomatum.” Based on the words of St. Paul, who wrote that although divine, the Son of God “humbled,” or “emptied Himself,” by taking the form of a servant thereby accepting the limitations of human nature, the Fathers taught that the divine nature of Christ shared in the attributes of His human nature. At the same time, its union with the divine nature deified or made God like Christ’s human nature. 167 The doctrine of the communication of attributes or idioms is not simply an abstract theory, but is essential to the Patristic understanding of salvation. St. Irenaeus of Lyon’s taught that by experiencing all that is human in Christ, God healed humanity of sin and death. 168 St. Athanasius wrote that God the Word, “sanctified the body by dwelling in it.” 169 St. Gregory did not limit deification to the human nature of Christ, but taught that by becoming human in Christ, God “deified” all humanity. 170 According to him, one’s individual deification, or “constant participation in the blessed nature of the Good” is a process of growth close and closer to God that never ends, but continues through all eternity. 171 Thus, according to St. Gregory and the other Eastern Fathers, salvation is much more than the forgiveness of sins. Salvation is intimate communion with God which changes the believer to be like God. Thus, salvation cannot be reduced to a mere legalistic relationship with God. According to St. Gregory of Nyssa, the Sacraments of the Church deify the believer by uniting him or her to Christ. He wrote, “He disseminates Himself in every believer through that flesh, whose substance comes from bread and wine, blending Himself with the bodies of believers to secure that, by this union with the immortal, man, too, may be a sharer in incorruption.” 172 St. Gregory’s mystical theology is perhaps his greatest contribution to Christian thought. He wrote that it is impossible to understand or contemplate the essence of God through human reason. He believed that every effort to understand or define God with the mind produces a false image or idol. He wrote, “We cannot comprehend the greatness of the divine nature.” 173 Therefore, one must not speak of what God is, but what God as is not. God is not limited. God is incapable of suffering. God is incomprehensible and cannot be defined with limited human thought. 174 Because it rejects all efforts to define God by what can be understood by the human mind, theologians call this theological method apophatic theology. Like his brother, St. Gregory Nyssa taught that the invisible nature of God makes itself visible only through God’s operations or energies. 175 In his classic, “On the Life of Moses,” St. Gregory compared spiritual growth or the ascent toward God to Moses’ climb through the cloud and smoke that covered Mt. Sinai to speak with God. 176 One must approach God with the profound recognition that inability of the human mind to comprehend the mysteries of the divine. The refusal to trust human reason as a means to understand God is one of the major differences between Eastern and Western Christianity. Throughout history, the West has placed more and more emphasis on human reason. As a result Roman Catholic and Protestant theologians have grown further away from Eastern Orthodoxy which, faithful to its Patristic heritage, is highly suspect of theology based on fallible human logic.”-Historian & Archpriest John W. Morris
Call none your father . Neither be ye called masters The meaning is, that our Father in heaven is incomparably more to be regarded, than any father upon earth: and no master is to be followed, who would lead us away from Christ. But this does not hinder but that we are by the law of God to have a due respect both for our parents and spiritual fathers, (1 Corinthians iv. 15,) and for our masters and teachers. (Challoner) This name was a title of dignity: the presidents of the assembly of twenty-three judges where so called; the second judge of the sanhedrim (Bible de Vence) Nothing is here forbidden but the contentious divisions, and self-assumed authority, of such as make themselves leaders and favourers of schisms and sects; as Donatus, Arius, Luther, Calvin, and innumerable others of very modern date. But by no means the title of father, attributed by the faith, piety, and confidence of good people, to their directors; for, St. Paul tells the Corinthians, that he is their only spiritual Father: If you have 10,000 instructors in Christ, yet not many Fathers. (1 Corinthians iv. 15.)
@@fr.davidsmith463 thank you so much! If you think of it feel free to pray for me on my journey. I am a Pastor who over the past several years has been studying the Ancient Church, East and West. I initially felt more drawn to the Western Catholic Church, but as I’ve kept studying (not to mention completing an RCIA course as an “enquirer”) I now def feel more drawn to Eastern Church. I’m currently earning my Th.D. in a very ecumenical albeit Charismatic Protestant seminary but if I ever got the clarity needed on my own studies and searching and what not, or just knew that this was what I was supposed to do via our Lords leading (become Orthodox that is) then I would be glad to do so. So, prayer appreciated 🙏 God bless!
Have an interesting question, here it goes: Jesus Christ's side was pierced and his blood spilt. When he was taken up into heaven, was the blood that was spilt also taken up?
Fr. David kickstarted my conversion, I can never be thankful enough
I am chrismated in the Greek Orthodox Church and I want to commend your lectures. Very nice. I am going through them all, and taking notes on such facets of TRUTH as I was not much alerted to in my previous life. Please continue to speak, as I speak for you, I pray for you! Kindest regards in Christ's agape! Robb
Thank you very much
Very good teachings
May God bless you and your ministries.
Thank you so much for providing this information to the public in such a readily-understandible way
Thank you Father, Christ thought with simplicity that all can understood, and only God knows that we need the same way of teaching even today. Thank you and God bless.
Thank you very much for the videos. Neka te bog Bog blagoslovi! ^_^
I have been looking into Orthodox Church. Quite a change but feels right. Trying to shatter some biases I currently have. Thank you for your work.
I'm glad you're enjoying the videos. God bless you in your journey!
Thanks for the lectures!
The Grace of Our Lord Jesus Christ and the Love of Our God the Father and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you. This is coming from an Orthodox Christian who was born and raised in Nazareth of Galilee.
0:54 Ecumenical Council: A Church Agreement of Understanding.
1:50 How did those councils influence how we do Christianity today?
2:33 Tradition is looked down on by some people.
3:54 Why did Early Christians do what they did when practicing Christianity?
4:58 You have to know about the walls before going to Demolish It, (because you might harm yourself by destroying something necessary for your life.)
6:51 Infant Baptism
7:14 Infants have been baptized for centuries in the church.
8:06 Why was the Early Church baptizing infants?
9:06
St. John of Damascus
St. Ignatius of Antioch
St. Basil The Great
how did they interpret the scriptures?
10:10 Reading from a history lecture Fr David gave in the past to students.
10:43 Early Christian History,
Edict of Milan in 311 AD
11:18 300s - 900s in time
11:51
The First Ecumenical Council, described in the Book of Acts
- Christians were being persecuted
15:34 St. Paul, leader of Antiochian Church,
Apostles and Edlers were gathered together to decide on this matter.
16:44 St. James of Jerusalem
18:00 The Council did not simply try to find compromise, they wanted to discover The Will of God.
A Democratic System, but ultimately, The Patriarch St. James decided.
19:18 They write a letter to the people of Antioch.
20:35 What Does God Want?
21:04 Heresy
Judaizers
22:01 Jesus was both Man and God
It wasn't that easy for people to understand that back then.
23:20 How can God be in a human body?
24:27 Docetism "To appear" "to seem"
25:06 No one sees the face of God and lives.
26:36 Jesus is real, the apostles touched him, lived with him, learned with him.
The edict of Milan didn't make Christianity the state religion it just made it a legal religion
I love it. I need more information n please
I have been told that there was an Eighth Oecumenical Council held in Constantinople in 879. Was there?
No, that's the 4th council. It's sometimes called the 8th because it fueled the splitting apart of the original Church.
@@fr.davidsmith463 You have me baffled.
@@david_porthouse Sorry - not my intent. I think we're seeing here a difference in the way the Roman Catholic and the Orthodox Church view the numbering of the councils.
true. St John said much in just a few words.
🎯 Key Takeaways for quick navigation:
00:38 🕊️ The video introduces a four-part series on the seven ecumenical councils, which significantly shaped Christianity from the 4th to the 9th centuries.
01:47 🏛️ The Orthodox Church is often referred to as the "Church of the ecumenical councils" because it aims to preserve ancient traditions and teachings established during these centuries.
03:04 🪓 The importance of understanding and preserving traditions and practices in Christianity is emphasized, rather than discarding them in favor of modernization.
12:06 📜 The video mentions an early Christian council described in the Book of Acts, which helped set a precedent for resolving important questions in the early Church.
16:55 🌟 The early Christian councils sought to discover the will of God when addressing theological questions and conflicts.
20:36 🤝 The video underscores that early Christian councils aimed to find the will of God rather than compromise, with a leader making the final decision.
21:48 ⚖️ The emergence of Christian heresies, particularly related to the nature of Jesus as both man and God, is discussed.
25:52 📖 The heresy of Docetism, which denied the full humanity of Christ, is explained, and Saint John's refutation of this heresy is cited.
Very informative thanks. It's a combination of church history with little bit of theology. Can you also explain the icon next to you? I tried to share your videos in fb and whatsapp groups but unfortunately its falls on deaf ears as people aren't interested in religion any more.
The icon next to me is a copy of an icon by St. Andre Rublev, it represents literally the visit to Abraham of the three angels and spiritually it represents the Trinity
"He was a lot more than a thick ghost!" 😂😂😂
there are abut 40 church councils so can you please list the even you are talking about??
50 A.D. Jerusalem Council Paul & other Apostles - circumcision & Mosaic law.
232 A.D. Synod to condemn Origen's work.
Origen relocated to Caesarea Maritima and died there after being tortured during a persecution.
251/252 A.D. African Synod of Carthage under Cyprian
270 A.D. Council of Antioch to condemn Paul of Samosata’s writings. Attendees included Gregory Thaumaturgus and Anatolius.
314 A.D. Ancyra. 12 bishops were present. (about what?)
315 A.D. Council of Neocaesarea. Much of the Nicean Creed was copied from this creed.(what else)
Nicea I May 20th to July 25th 325 A.D. - Opposed Arians and created Nicean Creed 250-318
325-381 A.D. Gangra
334/335 A.D. Synod of Tyre against Athanasius, who left when he saw he could not get a fair hearing.
353-369 A.D. Council of Ashtishat
343/344 A.D. Sardica
343-381 A.D. Synod of Laodicea
351 A.D. Synod of Sirmium
357/358 A.D. Synod of Seleucia - Hippolytus present
375 A.D. Synod of Ancyra attempts to arrest Gregory of Nyssa
380 A.D. Council of Saragossa I - against Manichaeans
381 A.D. Constantinople I - called by Emperor Theodosius I - reaffirmed Nicea I and defined the Holy Spirit as consubstantial and coeternalo
6/397 A.D. Council of Carthage II Augustine and other put in Apocrypha
8/397 A.D. Council of Carthage III
399 A.D. Council of Carthage IV
6/401 A.D. Council of Carthage V
10/401 A.D. Council of Carthage VI
12/415 A.D. Council of Diospolis
415 A.D. Synod of Jerusalem - Pelagius defends himself against charges The Feast of Annunciation was started
419 A.D. Carthage XVII adopted canon of the Bible
431 A.D. Ephesus - called by Eastern Emperor Theodosius II and western Emperor Valentinian II to condemn Nestorianism.
441 A.D. Council of Orange I deposed Cheliderius of Besancon because he married a widow before receiving priestly orders
Chalcedon 451 A.D. - Accepted writings of Theodore of Mopsuestia, Theodoret of Currhus and Ebas of Edessa. Monophysites kicked out of Orthodox Churches
457 A.D. Council of Milan
501 A.D. Council of Rome
505-506 A.D. Synod of Dvin I
506 A.D. Agde - Caesarius of Arles presided
524 A.D. Arles - Caesarius of Arles presided
527 A.D. Carpentras - Caesarius of Arles presided
529 A.D. Synod/Council of Orange II - Caesarius of Arles presided condemned Faustus for being Semi-Pelagian
529 A.D. Vaison - Caesarius of Arles presided
531 A.D. Orleans I
533 A.D. Auvergne
533 A.D. Marseille - Caesarius of Arles presided
538 A.D. Orleans II
541 A.D. Orleans III
541 A.D. Constantinople - repudiated Council of Ephesus
550 A.D. Synod of Dwin II - rejects Council of Chalcedon
553 A.D. Constantinople II called by Emperor Justinian I, anathematized Theodore of Mopsuestia, Theodoret of Currhus and Ebas of Edessa.
554 A.D. Second Council of Tvin (Dvin II)
560 A.D. Synod at Brefi in Britain (David of Wales participated)
569 A.D. Synod at Caerleon in Britain (David of Wales participated)
589 A.D. Toledo - filioque clause put in to Creed
592 A.D. Concilium Quinisextum or second Trullan council (Orthodox Church)
614 A.D. Council of Paris
649 A.D. Lateran Synod - called by Pope Martin I - 105 bishops
662 A.D. Council of Hereford in Britain
664 A.D. Synod of Whitby, Britain Oswy abandons Celtic church for Roman Catholic church
679 A.D. Council of Hatford in Britain
680 A.D. Constantinople III - called by Emperor Constantine IV. condemned monothelitism
680 A.D. was the last general council, because this was the last church council where both the eastern and western bishops were present.
691 A.D. Constantinople IV - called by Emperor Justinian II. legislative code for the church. Western church never accepted this.
692 A.D. Quinisext
742 A.D. Council of Germanicum - banned Easter fires
743 A.D. Council of Lestines - banned Easter fires
747 A.D. Synod of Franconia
754 A.D. Constantinople V - called by Emperor Constantine V. Condemned image worship.
787 A.D. Nicea II - condemned Constantinople V and accepted image worship.
Have an interesting question, here it goes: Jesus Christ's side was pierced and his blood spilt. When he was taken up into heaven, was the blood that was spilt also taken up?
+ENiGMA The blood of Christ that dripped from his body on the cross fell onto the skull of Adam, thereby breaking open the gates of hell and making a way for a mankind to enter the Kingdom of God.
How can creation kill god? god let his own son get killed for our sins, this makes me wonder, what chances do we have for gaining salvation and justice? Could not the merciful father, let go off our sins, just by witnessing our sincere repentance and atonement from pure hearts....why does it have to be a blood sacrifice( of Christ) always to deliver us from sins......... And they teach us to take communion, an impractical replication of act, making us envision, that we are consuming the blood and flesh, of christ...... Seriously! Is this what we have stooped down to..... Becoming beats and vampires. We still continue to prey on Christ's body.
the sacrificial system was put in place to prepare us for the ultimate sacrifice of God incarnate on the cross. Sin is not forgiven simply by God saying "I forgive you," sacrifice is necessary as a way of impressing upon us the seriousness and violence of sin. I hope this helps.
“The doctrine of the communication of attributes is essential for the doctrine of salvation as understood by the Fathers of the church...the Church had taught that humans are saved through the union between human and divine in Christ. In Christ, God assumed and deified humanity, and united it to God. The Fathers taught that an individual is saved by union with Christ through participation in the sacramental life of the Church. Significantly, St. Cyril cited the mystery of Holy Communion in his condemnation of Nestorius. 215 Thus, if Christ is not really God in the flesh, there is no salvation. At the same time, the title, “Theotokos,” is a statement of the belief that Christ was not just a good man who somehow became God, but was God in the flesh from the moment of His conception. If Mary were only the mother of a man, the whole traditional understanding of salvation would have to be rejected...
...Like the other Cappadocian Fathers, St. Gregory emphasized the doctrine of the Incarnation. He wrote, “God was born in the nature of man.” 165 Although he distinguished between the human and divine natures of Christ, he taught that its union with the divine nature deifies the human nature of Christ. At the same time, the divine nature of Christ has accepted the limitations caused by its union with the human nature. Echoing the words of St. Paul, he wrote, “The Godhead empties Itself that It may come with the capacity of the Human Nature, and the Human Nature is renewed by becoming Divine through its comixture with the Divine.” 166 This is a classic expression of the doctrine of “the communication of attributes,” or “communicatio idiomatum.” Based on the words of St. Paul, who wrote that although divine, the Son of God “humbled,” or “emptied Himself,” by taking the form of a servant thereby accepting the limitations of human nature, the Fathers taught that the divine nature of Christ shared in the attributes of His human nature. At the same time, its union with the divine nature deified or made God like Christ’s human nature. 167
The doctrine of the communication of attributes or idioms is not simply an abstract theory, but is essential to the Patristic understanding of salvation. St. Irenaeus of Lyon’s taught that by experiencing all that is human in Christ, God healed humanity of sin and death. 168 St. Athanasius wrote that God the Word, “sanctified the body by dwelling in it.” 169 St. Gregory did not limit deification to the human nature of Christ, but taught that by becoming human in Christ, God “deified” all humanity. 170 According to him, one’s individual deification, or “constant participation in the blessed nature of the Good” is a process of growth close and closer to God that never ends, but continues through all eternity. 171 Thus, according to St. Gregory and the other Eastern Fathers, salvation is much more than the forgiveness of sins. Salvation is intimate communion with God which changes the believer to be like God. Thus, salvation cannot be reduced to a mere legalistic relationship with God. According to St. Gregory of Nyssa, the Sacraments of the Church deify the believer by uniting him or her to Christ. He wrote, “He disseminates Himself in every believer through that flesh, whose substance comes from bread and wine, blending Himself with the bodies of believers to secure that, by this union with the immortal, man, too, may be a sharer in incorruption.” 172
St. Gregory’s mystical theology is perhaps his greatest contribution to Christian thought. He wrote that it is impossible to understand or contemplate the essence of God through human reason. He believed that every effort to understand or define God with the mind produces a false image or idol. He wrote, “We cannot comprehend the greatness of the divine nature.” 173 Therefore, one must not speak of what God is, but what God as is not. God is not limited. God is incapable of suffering. God is incomprehensible and cannot be defined with limited human thought. 174 Because it rejects all efforts to define God by what can be understood by the human mind, theologians call this theological method apophatic theology.
Like his brother, St. Gregory Nyssa taught that the invisible nature of God makes itself visible only through God’s operations or energies. 175 In his classic, “On the Life of Moses,” St. Gregory compared spiritual growth or the ascent toward God to Moses’ climb through the cloud and smoke that covered Mt. Sinai to speak with God. 176 One must approach God with the profound recognition that inability of the human mind to comprehend the mysteries of the divine. The refusal to trust human reason as a means to understand God is one of the major differences between Eastern and Western Christianity. Throughout history, the West has placed more and more emphasis on human reason. As a result Roman Catholic and Protestant theologians have grown further away from Eastern Orthodoxy which, faithful to its Patristic heritage, is highly suspect of theology based on fallible human logic.”-Historian & Archpriest John W. Morris
11:52
There are 21 Ecumenical councils. The Catholic Church says so. This is why the orthodox position is wrong.
MATTHEW 23:9, mic drop
Sola Scriptora not in scripture....mic drop
Call none your father . Neither be ye called masters The meaning is, that our Father in heaven is incomparably more to be regarded, than any father upon earth: and no master is to be followed, who would lead us away from Christ. But this does not hinder but that we are by the law of God to have a due respect both for our parents and spiritual fathers, (1 Corinthians iv. 15,) and for our masters and teachers. (Challoner)
This name was a title of dignity: the presidents of the assembly of twenty-three judges where so called; the second judge of the sanhedrim (Bible de Vence)
Nothing is here forbidden but the contentious divisions, and self-assumed authority, of such as make themselves leaders and favourers of schisms and sects; as Donatus, Arius, Luther, Calvin, and innumerable others of very modern date. But by no means the title of father, attributed by the faith, piety, and confidence of good people, to their directors; for, St. Paul tells the Corinthians, that he is their only spiritual Father: If you have 10,000 instructors in Christ, yet not many Fathers. (1 Corinthians iv. 15.)
Paul is Antichrist. A false prophet who taught contrary to Messiah.
@@BobbyBowker LOL.
I remain follower of American and still uncorrected Christianity...unlike europe wi ch destroyed itself
I didn’t like this. I LOVED it!
I'm glad you found the video to be helpful. God bless you!
@@fr.davidsmith463 thank you so much! If you think of it feel free to pray for me on my journey. I am a Pastor who over the past several years has been studying the Ancient Church, East and West. I initially felt more drawn to the Western Catholic Church, but as I’ve kept studying (not to mention completing an RCIA course as an “enquirer”) I now def feel more drawn to Eastern Church. I’m currently earning my Th.D. in a very ecumenical albeit Charismatic Protestant seminary but if I ever got the clarity needed on my own studies and searching and what not, or just knew that this was what I was supposed to do via our Lords leading (become Orthodox that is) then I would be glad to do so. So, prayer appreciated 🙏 God bless!
@@riverjao Thanks for this, Rev. Orick. God bless you in your journey. I'll put you on my proskomedia list.
@@fr.davidsmith463 thank you Fr. 🙏
Have an interesting question, here it goes: Jesus Christ's side was pierced and his blood spilt. When he was taken up into heaven, was the blood that was spilt also taken up?
ENiGMA Great question