I loved this video. Dr. Constantinou, have you ever taught something that was taught by an early Church Father but then after studying other Church Fathers you had to change your line of thought or teaching?
Would you ever stand corrected in the fact that creation was a TrinItarian act? You often say that you are wrong sometimes and I applaud your humility. I love your videos.
It is so dangerous for us newbys learning about the faith with so much out there. When I first discovered Orthodoxy, I got so confused, I decided to just forget it.
You said if you go back a thousand years the Orthodox Church will look the same. What about 1900 years? Christianity changed tremendously the first 600 years. Was there always 7 sacraments? No there wasn’t. There were even church fathers with Grace alone through faith alone beliefs. Orthodoxy likes to pick and choose which church fathers fit their religion
I just had an argument on twitter(I know inappropriate for such a discussion) about calling the Theotokos sinless. Apparently I’m an ignorant catechumen with Protestant holdover views, even though I literally quoted from the book
The creation is all from the Holy Trinity. The will of the three persons is one. No person can do something against the will of the other person. That is the sense of the say Jesus Christ said cant do anything on my own.
1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2He was in the beginning with God. 3All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. 4In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.
Creation was a Trinitarian act. Nicene Creed: "I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible...And in one Lord Jesus Christ...by whom all things were made." 1 Corinthians 8:6 "yet for us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live." Colossians 1:15-16 "15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him."
This discussion was an utter embarrassment and Dr Constantinou should be ashamed. Not only does she over simply the entire Western and Eastern traditions of Christianity by collapsing *everything* that subsist in each of those traditions into two single boxes, but she does it largely by appealing to anecdotes from her experience as a teacher rather than the authorities and teachings of the traditions she critiques. Perhaps the most obvious fallacy of present throughout this interview is the false dichotomies Dr Constantinou puts forth to give this meta narrative any force. The fact that someone would find this intellectually stimulating or compelling is astounding to me and if you have only a basic familiarity with the Church Fathers, the major doctors of the Catholic Church, 2nd millennia Pan Orthodox councils, you’ll be able to see right through this embarrassing masquerade Dr Constantinou puts forth. Now, I know I’m being quite critical, but it’s only because of how gratuitous the line of reasoning employed here is; furthermore, some people interested in Orthodoxy will watch this and think these are compelling reasons for converting to Orthodoxy. However, we shouldn’t be baptizing and confirming people when their motives are based on some utterly cartoonish caricature of Orthodoxy and Catholicism, or Protestantism, for that matter. I encourage people to read primary sources - Scripture, the Fathers, Councils, eminent theologians on both sides - to understand each side than buy into this pop-apologetics, meta narrative non sense. Beginning at 16:51 Dr Constantinou states, “this idea, that the most important thing for our salvation is Jesus paid a price for our sins, and that somebody has to die and there has to be a blood atonement” is something she says is condemned in the early church and then made popular in western Christianity in the Middle Ages. This displays an incredible ignorance and is a perfect example of the false dichotomizing that some modern Orthodox employ, including Dr Constantinou, to establish these pseudo meta narratives about the differences between “the West” and “the East”. The Greek fathers affirm *exactly* what the good doctor claims to be some Western perversion popularized in the Middle Ages: “…since it was necessary also that **the debt owing from all should be paid again**: for, as I have already said , **it was owing that all should die, for which special cause, indeed, He came among us** to this intent, after the proofs of His Godhead from His works, He next offered up His sacrifice also on behalf of all, yielding His Temple to death in the stead of all, **in order firstly to settle man’s account with death and free him from the old trespass**, and further to show Himself more powerful even than death, displaying His own body incorruptible, as first-fruits of the resurrection of all. - St Athanasius, On the Incarnation “These things the Saviour endured, and made peace through the Blood of His Cross, for things in heaven, and things in earth. For we were enemies of God through sin, and God had appointed the sinner to die. There must needs therefore have happened one of two things; either that God, in His truth, should destroy all men, or that in His loving-kindness He should cancel the sentence. But behold the wisdom of God; He preserved both the truth of His sentence, and the exercise of His loving-kindness. Christ took our sins in His body on the tree” - St Cyril of Jerusalem, Catechetical Lecture 13 Dr Constantinou also claims, as opposed to this, the East upholds Christ’s cross as “the glory, humility and love of God. Once again, since Dr Constatinou seems to simply be ignorant of the great theologians and teachers in the West she is so quick to criticize, here is Thomas Aquinas explaining the chief reason for the fittingness of Christ’s suffering on the cross: “First of all, as an example of virtue. For Augustine thus writes (QQ. lxxxiii, qu. 25): "God's Wisdom became man to give us an example in righteousness of living. But it is part of righteous living not to stand in fear of things which ought not to be feared. Now there are some men who, although they do not fear death in itself, are yet troubled over the manner of their death. In order, then, that no kind of death should trouble an upright man, the cross of this Man had to be set before him, because, among all kinds of death, none was more execrable, more fear-inspiring, than this." - ST, P3, Q46, A4 This is just scratching the surface of how poorly Dr Constantinou represents both the Orthodox tradition and Western tradition***s*** - emphasis on the plural. Seriously - to take all of Protestantism and all of Catholicism and all of the diversity that subsist in each and proceed to collapse it ALL into a single box and make it some monolithic entity labeled “Westernism” is truly deluded and ignorant. With some serious reading of all the traditions Dr Constantinou wishes to over simplify, you might just come away with the realization that “the West” isn’t quite so “western” and “the East” isn’t quite so eastern as some of these modern, popular-level Orthodox would have you believe.
Thank you God for all the mysteries and your Grace
Watching friends Tbilisi Georgia
I loved this video. Dr. Constantinou, have you ever taught something that was taught by an early Church Father but then after studying other Church Fathers you had to change your line of thought or teaching?
I could listen to her all day long
I LOVE THIS LADY! I HAVE TO GET HER BOOK! SHES AWESOME
Would you ever stand corrected in the fact that creation was a TrinItarian act? You often say that you are wrong sometimes and I applaud your humility. I love your videos.
It is so dangerous for us newbys learning about the faith with so much out there. When I first discovered Orthodoxy, I got so confused, I decided to just forget it.
My phromena tells me that Christmas should be celebrated on the 7th January and not with the heretics on the 25th December. Lord have mercy.
haha amen
St. Faustina and Vassula talks about unity of His church.
You said if you go back a thousand years the Orthodox Church will look the same. What about 1900 years? Christianity changed tremendously the first 600 years. Was there always 7 sacraments? No there wasn’t. There were even church fathers with Grace alone through faith alone beliefs. Orthodoxy likes to pick and choose which church fathers fit their religion
I just say Yes to Joshua and cut the bull garbage
I just had an argument on twitter(I know inappropriate for such a discussion) about calling the Theotokos sinless. Apparently I’m an ignorant catechumen with Protestant holdover views, even though I literally quoted from the book
That's sad. Wanna join my telegram group? It's public, called "orthodorks" 🤓
@@joachim847 sure
You just be YOU and let the Lord so the rest. Be encouraged.
If Jesus created everything and not the Father then, why did Jesus say I can do NOTHING without my father??
The creation is all from the Holy Trinity. The will of the three persons is one. No person can do something against the will of the other person. That is the sense of the say Jesus Christ said cant do anything on my own.
1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2He was in the beginning with God. 3All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. 4In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.
Creation was a Trinitarian act.
Nicene Creed:
"I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible...And in one Lord Jesus Christ...by whom all things were made."
1 Corinthians 8:6
"yet for us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live."
Colossians 1:15-16
"15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him."
Is the Orthodox Christian in communion with the Pope?
No
@@Photini156 So sad 😢.
Our Pope is Christ.
Why does the Bible contradict the teachings of the Orthodox Church regarding salvation?
You might be reading it wrong.
@@markojankovic-personal351care to explain how he is reading it wrong?
This discussion was an utter embarrassment and Dr Constantinou should be ashamed. Not only does she over simply the entire Western and Eastern traditions of Christianity by collapsing *everything* that subsist in each of those traditions into two single boxes, but she does it largely by appealing to anecdotes from her experience as a teacher rather than the authorities and teachings of the traditions she critiques. Perhaps the most obvious fallacy of present throughout this interview is the false dichotomies Dr Constantinou puts forth to give this meta narrative any force. The fact that someone would find this intellectually stimulating or compelling is astounding to me and if you have only a basic familiarity with the Church Fathers, the major doctors of the Catholic Church, 2nd millennia Pan Orthodox councils, you’ll be able to see right through this embarrassing masquerade Dr Constantinou puts forth. Now, I know I’m being quite critical, but it’s only because of how gratuitous the line of reasoning employed here is; furthermore, some people interested in Orthodoxy will watch this and think these are compelling reasons for converting to Orthodoxy. However, we shouldn’t be baptizing and confirming people when their motives are based on some utterly cartoonish caricature of Orthodoxy and Catholicism, or Protestantism, for that matter. I encourage people to read primary sources - Scripture, the Fathers, Councils, eminent theologians on both sides - to understand each side than buy into this pop-apologetics, meta narrative non sense.
Beginning at 16:51 Dr Constantinou states, “this idea, that the most important thing for our salvation is Jesus paid a price for our sins, and that somebody has to die and there has to be a blood atonement” is something she says is condemned in the early church and then made popular in western Christianity in the Middle Ages.
This displays an incredible ignorance and is a perfect example of the false dichotomizing that some modern Orthodox employ, including Dr Constantinou, to establish these pseudo meta narratives about the differences between “the West” and “the East”.
The Greek fathers affirm *exactly* what the good doctor claims to be some Western perversion popularized in the Middle Ages:
“…since it was necessary also that **the debt owing from all should be paid again**: for, as I have already said , **it was owing that all should die, for which special cause, indeed, He came among us** to this intent, after the proofs of His Godhead from His works, He next offered up His sacrifice also on behalf of all, yielding His Temple to death in the stead of all, **in order firstly to settle man’s account with death and free him from the old trespass**, and further to show Himself more powerful even than death, displaying His own body incorruptible, as first-fruits of the resurrection of all. - St Athanasius, On the Incarnation
“These things the Saviour endured, and made peace through the Blood of His Cross, for things in heaven, and things in earth. For we were enemies of God through sin, and God had appointed the sinner to die. There must needs therefore have happened one of two things; either that God, in His truth, should destroy all men, or that in His loving-kindness He should cancel the sentence. But behold the wisdom of God; He preserved both the truth of His sentence, and the exercise of His loving-kindness. Christ took our sins in His body on the tree” - St Cyril of Jerusalem, Catechetical Lecture 13
Dr Constantinou also claims, as opposed to this, the East upholds Christ’s cross as “the glory, humility and love of God. Once again, since Dr Constatinou seems to simply be ignorant of the great theologians and teachers in the West she is so quick to criticize, here is Thomas Aquinas explaining the chief reason for the fittingness of Christ’s suffering on the cross:
“First of all, as an example of virtue. For Augustine thus writes (QQ. lxxxiii, qu. 25): "God's Wisdom became man to give us an example in righteousness of living. But it is part of righteous living not to stand in fear of things which ought not to be feared. Now there are some men who, although they do not fear death in itself, are yet troubled over the manner of their death. In order, then, that no kind of death should trouble an upright man, the cross of this Man had to be set before him, because, among all kinds of death, none was more execrable, more fear-inspiring, than this." - ST, P3, Q46, A4
This is just scratching the surface of how poorly Dr Constantinou represents both the Orthodox tradition and Western tradition***s*** - emphasis on the plural. Seriously - to take all of Protestantism and all of Catholicism and all of the diversity that subsist in each and proceed to collapse it ALL into a single box and make it some monolithic entity labeled “Westernism” is truly deluded and ignorant. With some serious reading of all the traditions Dr Constantinou wishes to over simplify, you might just come away with the realization that “the West” isn’t quite so “western” and “the East” isn’t quite so eastern as some of these modern, popular-level Orthodox would have you believe.