In Eastern Orthodox worship, prostrations are performed by kneeling and touching the head to the floor, often during services or venerating relics or icons. They are not typically performed on Sundays, as the Greek word for prostration is προσκύνησις (proskynesis). The Tridentine Mass, also known as the Traditional Latin Mass, is the liturgy in the Roman Missal of the Catholic Church.
The custom of kneeling and performing prostration holds only on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, when reciting the Aleinu prayer, and on Yom Kippur during the Avodah. The Old Testament (84 percent) falls into rites of exchange or communion. The Roman Rite is the most widespread of the Latin liturgical rites used within the Catholic Church, and it is the most widespread of the Latin liturgical rites.
Prostration in the New Testament does not appear as a rite of passage or transition, but it does have prostrations at the ordination of priests during the conferring of the Sacrament of Holy Orders. On Good Friday, the priest and deacon enter in silence, revere the altar, and lay on their faces in prostration. The Liturgy of the Hours forms the official set of prayers marking the hours of each day and sanctifying the day with prayer. In the ancient Gallican rite of sixth- to eighth-century France and Germany, the gesture of prostration was used before beginning every Mass.
📹 “Jesus a sinner?” The Oprah Show | Greek Orthodox Priest speaks out
You can find the full video on the Channel „GreekOrthodoxChristian Television” #UnitedOrthodoxy #Orthodox #Orthodoxy.
Why do orthodox people do prostrations?
Prostrations are a liturgical act of praying with the body, involving the mind, mouth, and heart. They are offered at church during Great Lent and are not typically done on Sundays. The Greek word for prostration is “proskynesis”, meaning to bow towards and kiss in adoration or veneration. Prostrations are the most complete form of a bow, called “metania” or “metanoia”, meaning repentance. They serve as a living icon of our spiritual journey, representing the fall of the human race through Adam and the Church’s resurrection and glorification with Christ. To perform a prostration, make the Sign of the Cross, fall to our knees, and bow our heads to the floor in one continuous motion.
Why don’t Catholics do prostrations?
In Eastern Orthodox worship, prostrations are performed by kneeling and touching the head to the floor, often during specific moments during services and venerating relics or icons. However, they are forbidden on Lord’s Day and Paschaltide in honor of the Resurrection and discouraged on Great Feasts of the Lord. During Great Lent and Holy Week, frequent prostrations are prescribed. Orthodox Christians may also make prostrations in front of people, such as the bishop, spiritual father, or one another when asking forgiveness. Those physically unable to make full prostrations may substitute metanias (bows at the waist).
In Hinduism, eight-limbed and five-limbed prostrations are included in the religious ritual of puja. In Islam, prostrations are used to praise, glorify, and humble oneself in front of Allah (The God) and are a vital part of the five obligatory prayers performed daily. The Arabic word sujud (also meaning prostration) appears about 90 times in the Qur’an, highlighting its significance in Islam.
How many prostrations are orthodox?
The Church’s Canon defines the number and arrangement of prostrations in prayer, stating that worshippers should start with one or three prostrations and kneel down after each psalm or praise. These prostrations are known as thanksgiving prostrations, where the worshipper thanks the Lord for His great mercies or help in a specific matter. Additionally, prostrating in prayer can be used to implore the Lord for certain virtues or to pray for others, such as “Grant me, O Lord, the life of patience and tolerance”.
Did Abraham prostrate when he prayed?
In Genesis 18:2-3, Lot encounters two celestial messengers in Sodom at dusk. He assumes a prostrate position on the ground and addresses the divine entity as “My Lord.” In Genesis 19:1, Lot beholds the messengers and rises to greet them, prostrating himself with his nostrils to the earth. In Genesis 24:26, Lot bows in reverence before Jehovah.
Did Jesus pray prostrate?
Jesus’ ministry in the New Testament is marked by a significant practice of humility and submission. He refuses to prostrate himself before the Father, following Hebrew Bible/Old Testament precedent. This act of humility and submission is a prominent feature in early Christian practice, as seen in Acts 9:4; 22:7; 26:14; Rev 5:8, 14; 7:11; 11:16; 19:4, 10; 22:8).
Jesus’ eyes are open and gazing heavenward when he prays, following Hebrew Bible/Old Testament and intertestamental precedent. This practice is also observed in Matthew 3:16 and Luke 3:21, where Jesus saw the heavens opened and the Spirit descending upon Him. Jesus also describes prayers typical of others in the same way, as seen in Luke 18:13.
The raising of Jesus’ hands is another significant aspect of early Christianity. Instead of being folded to pray, Jesus’ hands are raised, following the precedent set in the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament. This practice continued unabated throughout the Intertestamental Period and is expected to be the common practice of Christians in every place.
In summary, Jesus’ ministry in the New Testament exemplifies the importance of humility, submission, and the act of raising hands to pray without wrath or dissension. This practice continues to be a prominent feature in early Christian practice.
Can Catholics pray prostrated?
Prostration of oneself on one’s face is a historic prayer posture, but it is not typically practiced during regular Mass. During ordinations, candidates are instructed to prostrate themselves during the Litany of the Saints. Willy-nilly assuming this posture can impede the liturgy, so it is recommended that people adopt the postures directed by the rubrics. Switching to different postures can cause physical or symbolic issues in the liturgy. For example, laity praying with arms outstretched can cause both physical and symbolic issues.
Are prostrations biblical?
Prostration is a common posture in the Old and New Testament, used by various figures such as Moses and the Apocalypse elders. Catholics often engage in a modified form of prostration, either by genuflecting in Jesus’ presence or kneeling during Mass. However, it is important to be mindful and intentional when engaging in this posture. Full-blown prostration is rare in Catholic liturgy, but occurs on Good Friday when the priest and deacon enter silence, revere the altar, and lay on their faces, with the congregation kneeling in silence. Both gestures are acts of humbling oneself and submitting to the living God.
Did early Christians prostrate?
In the 2nd century, Christians used a Christian cross to indicate the eastward direction of prayer, prostrating in front of it at seven fixed prayer times. By the 3rd century, Origen advanced the view of “Scripture as a sacrament”, which was later learned by Ambrose of Milan and Augustine of Hippo. Early models of Christian monastic life emerged in the 4th century, as the Desert Fathers sought God in Palestine and Egypt. These early communities led to the tradition of constant prayer in a monastic setting, eventually leading to meditative practices in the Eastern Church during the Byzantine period.
What is the rite of prostration?
The ritual action of prostration in the biblical world is primarily classified as a ritual of exchange or communion, where an individual either presents a request or seeks to engage with or demonstrate dependency with the object of their prostration, usually God or other humans. This is the majority of cases in both the Old and New Testaments.
The Old Testament is largely represented by the word yištaḥăweh/ hištaḥăwah, which appears 170 times in the Hebrew text. Although it is commonly understood to mean “to bow down”, its irregular morphological stem form may impact interpretations of the term’s original meaning and understanding. The unusual shape of the word hints at its extraordinary cultural significance.
In the King James Version, hištaḥăwah is translated as “worship” in many cases but not all cases. However, focusing on the “inward attitude” or “worship” aspects of prostration does not fully represent the range of situations and purposes of hištaḥăwah in the biblical text.
The distinction between mortal or numinous objects forms the major characteristic used to distinguish between prostration as “worship” or veneration and prostration as social or hierarchical homage or honoring. However, the same word is used in both cases, and it should not be assumed that the earliest authors and audiences necessarily made a distinction between the two uses. In some instances, the division between mortal and numinous recipients is deliberately obscured, with prostration done simultaneously to the king and to God.
Did Jesus prostrate when he prayed?
Jesus, with his disciples, prayed for their safety and comfort during a difficult time. He prayed, asking for their forgiveness of his suffering, but not for his own desires. The disciples fell asleep, and Jesus prayed again, asking for their forgiveness. He left them to pray a third time, but then woke them up to find the man betraying him. This incident occurred late at night, following a meal with his disciples. Jesus was aware that he would be betrayed, arrested, and put to death, as prophesied by God.
During this difficult time, Jesus sought strength and comfort in prayer, focusing on his grief, anguish, and sorrow. In his first prayer, Jesus asked if there was another way for God’s plan to be accomplished, but soon realized that God’s will had to be done. Jesus’ close disciples, Peter and James and John, failed to stay awake and keep watch during this time. After praying for the third time, Jesus was strengthened and determined to face his betrayer and the armed mob.
Do Byzantine Catholics prostrate?
The Roman Mass does not entail kneeling on Sundays, as it is considered penitential. However, throughout the weekdays of the Great Lent, as per tradition, kneeling and prostration are observed.
📹 ☺Evangelical missionary vs Orthodox Christian priest (Fr. Seraphim Cardoza)
“Did Christ found a Church? Does it have a continuous history and can it be found today? What came first, the Bible or the Church …
This article brought me to tears. Christ in me just began weeping over the division in His Holy Body. I am a non denominational Charismatic. But the love I have for my Orthodox brother in this article has overwhelmed me. We are worlds apart in the expression of our faith, but united in our love for Jesus and the truth.
Ngl, as a Catholic I am very ashamed and very disgusted that a “Catholic” priest defended that movie. If someone said that infront of my grandfather’s brother (who was a spanish catholic priest for 60 years) he would’ve spit or punched that guys face. Also I love and respect my orthodox brothers ✝️❤☦
As a Catholic, seeing these priests defending such heresy makes me furious, this has nothing to do with the official doctrine of the Catholic Church, it is just a demonic mixture of different heresies. Congratulations to the Orthodox priest who knew how to defend the Catholic faith better than the self-proclaimed Catholic priests
Orthodox Christianity is endlessly beautiful, amazing, and life-changing, and actually helped save my son and I’s life when we both almost died when I had him! We converted to Orthodox Christianity over 14 years ago, and I am still amazed daily at the richness, beauty and life-changing grace of the Holy Orthodox Church!
The holy spirit truly has spoken out of him! God bless and protect this priest! May we continue to stand in the truth and to speak the truth. My brothers and sister in Christ. I love you, follow Jesus, he is our only Lord. He is the one who can transform our life into better. In Jesus lovely name, God bless!
As a traditional Catholic he is exactly right. May God bless this man for standing up and sticking up for not just for his faith but for speaking for every single believer of Christ. This is disgraceful and people who agreed with that teaching should be ashamed of themselves. This made me and other slander happening in this world about us Christians very angry and we should be doing this more often. Well said May God bless u all. Also the Catholic Church doesn’t believe in that nonsense so for the people saying that the church is not Christian and also says most clergy are corrupt that’s not true. Many of them call out this bs and there’s bad people everywhere cuz after all we live in the devils world until we’re judged on the last day when Christ comes again
As a Presbyterian PCA guy here, I have nothing but respect for this Orthodox priest. I know this isn’t exactly the most popular view, but we shouldn’t be quarreling amongst ourselves over which denomination is right (at least amongst the conservative ones). Our faith is being attacked daily, and we need to be the ones standing up for it every day.
As a Roman Catholic I applaud the Greek Priest standing firm in Truth. Bothe Catholic and Lutheran priests absolutely make me wonder what in the heck were you thinking? Christ, the Son of God, cannot be tempted- although fully man and fully God, His human side couldn’t be tempted, never! He was with out sin. The Catholic priest is sad.
I was born and raised Catholic,but I converted to orthodox the one true church of Jesus Christ. The Sunday liturgy is celebrated the same as when Jesus Christ and the disciples did to this day.If you have a chance read up on the orthodoxy.I’m so happy Im back home to my roots of my religious beliefs 🙏🏻☦️
God bless the brave Orthodox priest for having the courage to stand up for the truth and defend the dignity of our Lord. And as a Catholic, I too am utterly disgusted and ashamed of that ‘impotent’ and ignorant Catholic priest who is so seriously and shockingly misinformed about the person of Jesus Christ..
This is the first time that I’ve witnessed something like this. Honestly I didn’t know I can feel such anger, at someone having the audacity to say that Christ was tempted or was a sinner. Is not hard to forgive or be tolerant with ignorance, but any that blasphemes the spirit or the perfection of Christ…
The Orthodox priest is correct, and exposes the theological illiteracy of the other priests. It is a form of Nestorianism. Two Natures, yes, but not in opposition to each other. Later Christology — St Maximos — clarifies further that the human will of Christ exists and acts in obedience in all essentials to the Divine will.
Thank you to the Greek Orthodox Priest for standing up and speaking out. He is a lion. Bless him. The only thing I disagree with is his statement that no one has the right to harass our faith. God gave us all free will, and there are many who will do things we find offensive to our faith. However, God is bigger, God is patient, God waits for the sinner to come home, even if they may never come home, like a loving parent, He still waits. God calls on us to accept His Son, the Savior He provided, Jesus Christ, and receive His gift of forgiveness for our sins and eternal life, and Jesus calls on us to forgive others…Even the misguided priests sitting on the stage. They will stand before God one day. I would NOT want to be them for blaspheming our Lord or for leading people astray. The Bible says that there is a greater responsibility on those who preach than on the rest of us.
I am a traditional Catholic and those priest are the reason why I am no longer part of the modernist movements within the Catholic Church, because the one true faith is not the one those “liberal catholics” are preaching and I thank that Greek Orthodox Priest for standing up for orthodoxy here because those heresies are not acceptable in the Church.
Kudos to that Greek Orthadox Preist for putting those two socalled men of god in their place! Jesus never gave in to temptation. anyone who tells you otherwise is slandering Jesus Christ, now I’m not a Christian but even i was upset when that movie came out because it was clearly made to slander/mock God.
So just to clear one thing here, the original scripture is written in Greek and as a Greek whos first language is Greek. The word is “Peirasthenai” from the scripture, the first part is “peira” which means in Greek “TO TEMPT” “to try tempt” The devil tried “TO TEMPT” Jesus but failed because Lord Jesus, son of god and god himself cannot be tempted. These “priests” and black man need to shut up with their perverted interpretations and false denominations. Orthodox is King. ☦️☦️
This holy Orthodox Priest stood up against those Heretic Clowns just like Agios Spyridon & Agios Athanasius stood up against the infidel arius the Heretic at the 1st Ecumencial Council of Nicaea. The True and Holy Teachings of our LORD Christ Jesus was is and always will be kept, defended, preached in the Holy Orthodox Church, until the return of the LORD. Greetings from Constantinople to my Christian Brothers & Sisters in all over the World.
Jesus was tempted like us in every way but never gave in to sin. Hebrews 4:15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Hebrews 4:16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
Even though, as a Protestant, I have my disagreements with the Eastern Orthodox Church, I still completely agree with what he said here. Our Lord never had an internal desire to commit evil. He was tempted by Satan, but He never gave in to the temptation. James 1:13: “Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: FOR GOD CANNOT BE TEMPTED WITH EVIL, neither tempteth he any man.” Jesus is God in the flesh and while He is human, He DOES NOT have a sin nature like we do.
As a Traditional Catholic, I am extremely ashamed and disgusted with that Novus Ordo Modernist who unfortunately supports heretical nonsense, slandering Our Lord for never in His Life has He ever committed such sinful acts. That film should have been condemned to the uttermost as a disgrace, a lie and a slander.
I love the Orthodox for this reason. They are ALWAYS willing to stand up for the truth. The Orthodox faith has been passed down from the time of the apostles, so they would KNOW that our Lord and Savior was not a sinner. If we was then he wouldn’t be our savior, we wouldn’t be saved, and nothing would make sense. God bless you, Father Pavlos. ☦
I think, I stress I think I understand the issue. Whether Orthodox, Catholic or Protestant, a Christian must admit that the trouble maker did seek out Jesus when He was in the desert in order to tempt Him. That controversial movie is trying to make it seem as if Jesus struggled with temptation as you or I do and was actually wresting within Himself as you or I do to obey or disobey God. I believe what the Orthodox priest is saying that while it is true the trouble maker did make his propositions to Jesus, Jesus, being God Incarnate, did not have any pangs of conscience as we do with respect to what to do. After all, Paul writes in his letter to the Hebrews, Chapter 4, Verse 15 “or we have not a chief priest unable to sympathise with our infirmities, but (one) tempted in all things in like manner — apart from sin;”
I respect this man standing up to these “priests.” Questions about Christ and the Hypostatic union can be confusing, but every true Christian has submitted themselves to Scripture as their highest authority. With daily study the mysteries of God are clearly revealed to those who diligently seek Him. (Heb 11:6)
Metropolitan Pavlos is absolutely correct. There is one person in Christ and he has two natures. These natures, however, do not contradict or subtract from each other. Fr. Stephen DeYoung explained this beautifully in the Lord of Spirits podcast on Ancient Faith Radio (which I highly recommend). Think of a body as a nexus of potentialities. A body is something that gives us the ability to do something. God has a body, we have a body, etc. Not all bodies are physical. Jesus, however, took on flesh making him have a physical body. When Jesus was incarnate, he took on the nexus of potentialities that humans have in addition to the nexus of potentialities (the body) that he has as God. Thus, Jesus could affect the world with both his divine and human energies (Energies refers to the affects that we as humans can perceive). This is why he sometimes spoke as God and sometimes spoke as a man–he is both. When he exercised either his divine or human energies, he never became less than divine or human. As a human, however, Jesus had none of the flaws that humans have as a result of the fall because he was God who was conceived through the Holy Virgin Mary (who was cleansed of all sin and became sinless from the point of being filled with the Holy Spirit forward). If Mary were not made perfect for the coming of Christ, Christ’s conception would have killed her because sin cannot be before the presence of God (I am talking about the type of presence that involves God’s body being present not the general presence of God being everywhere.
I’m in full agreement with the first part, but not the second. Where does it say anywhere that no one has the right harass our faith? If anything the Lies himself says that we will be persecuted? Whilst not a declaration of a right as such, it states that it will happen. People can harass me and my faith till the cows come home, it doesn’t matter. Christ is Lord regardless
Unfortunately I didn’t hear the whole debate. The Scriptures say that Satan attempted to tempt Jesus in the Wilderness, but that Christ rebuked him and refused all temptations. We are also told that Christ was ‘without sin’. Although in the flesh Jesus was fully man, yet he was the ‘express image’ of God. And yet Christ was without sin. I do not know what the priests were attempting to argue, but if Christ sinned then he would not have been the perfect Lamb of God or Savior of humanity. This is why Peter could claim in Acts 4:12 that there ‘Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under Heaven given among men whereby we must be saved.” 😢
As an Orhtodox Theologian, I’d like to add for people that might not be aware: a) Nestorios was teaching that Christ was a normal person, and the Son through a “contact” adopted the human Christ. Thus, God never took the whole humankind as a nature. Nestorios couldn’t believe that a human can give birth to a God. But he also had a severe lack of Theological knowledge, and was stubborn. He was condemed by the 3rd Eccumenical Synode. b) Orthodox believe that Christ had two natures (Divind and human), combined but not “mixed” in a single hypostasis (person) = Jesus Christ. Thus, Jesus had 2 natures, 2 wills, hypostatically combined but not mixed, in a single 1 hypoastasis (person). As a result, because Christ had the human nature before Adam’s and Eve’s “original sin” and the Divine nature, through the combination of these 2 natures, could a) allow humankind to be saved and with God’s grace to reach Theosis; become like God but not a God. b) through his Sacrifice, all people can now be saved, as all people have the same human nature with Christ. But as people don’t have Divine nature, couldn’t be saved by themselves, and this is answer why the Son had to become a human.
Now there were certain Greeks among those who came up to worship at the feast. Then they came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” Philip came and told Andrew, and in turn Andrew and Philip told Jesus. But Jesus answered them, saying, “The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified.
I’m very glad to see in the comment section that all Catholics and Protestands condemning their “representatives”. Not because it makes me fell good as an Orthodox, far from it… (well, maybe a little), but because you can see regular everyday people have pure love in their hearts for our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
I love focusing on the things that unite us. Orthodox and Protestant have lots of reasonable disagreements, but one thing that’s worth agreeing on is that “He who knew no sin became sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God”. Hebrews says that “He was tempted in every way that we are, yet he did not sin.” Christ both was and always will be completely perfect.
I’m not even a Christian and I’m offended at the assumption that Christ was a sinner or had the devil inside him- if that’s not blasphemous, I don’t know what is. And growing up as a Catholic, I learned that while the Devil tried to tempt Christ in the desert, Christ was resolute and was never tempted- because he’s divine.
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I had the great privilege to meet Fr. Cordoza in his small barn church in Rogue River, Oregon about 22 years ago. This one Liturgy, one meeting, had a profound effect on me. In 2012, I was Chrismated into the Orthodox Church. I’ve never been back to Rogue River, but I think about Fr. Seraphim very often.
I can tell you that these Evangelical Protestants are relating to you because the only issues that they know are from the influence of Roman Catholicism. Between my husband & myself we were at least 10 different Protestant demonatinonal people & many of them we didn’t even become members of those churches. It was a journey for us. Upon leaving the Home Church Movement we couldn’t return to Protestantism. I wept & told my husband that I felt as if I was in a “spiritual desert.” I also wept because we couldn’t be the only source of spiritual teaching & experience to our 12 & 14 yr old sons. It wasn’t long before an Orthodox Christians witnessed again to my husband when my husband recalled that Jackie Schaffer had become an Orthodox Christian. We read his book “Dancing Alone” & another by an Orthodox Priest who had converted. What a blessing to find our “heart’s true home.” Glory to God!
Excellent excerpt. Saint Paul did not even possess the written Gospels of the New Testament, yet he personally converted tens of thousands of pagans, and his legacy along with the legacy of Saint Peter, annihilated Roman paganism and set the precedent for the rest of Western history. Paul did all of this armed only with the knowledge of Christ and his physician-level understanding of the Septuagint. All of the disciples, whether they went to Ethiopia, southern India, or Europe, did not possess a physical copy of the New Testament or even just the 4 Gospels. Yet they laid the foundation for the largest religion in history. God bless
In the Orthodox Church, believers are surrounded by Holy Scripture, in the Divine Liturgy and in all of our worship services. Across the centuries when many Christians were unable to read and certainly could not afford to keep a handwritten Bible in their homes, the Orthodox Church made certain that they heard the Word of God…that they were guided by the Scriptures in their daily lives. May the Lord be praised for His faithfulness 🙏🏼
From a Catholic, I emphasize with how frustrating and disheartening it is to continually hear so much misinformation and ignorance. But we cannot give up on our Protestant brothers and sisters, for they are also followers of God. I have much love and respect for the Orthodox Church, as we are two branches of the same vine. I pray that the sad divisions between us will be healed, and that we will grow closer together. Peace be with all.
There was an evangelist that began to claim that the Bible came first, and claimed that the Catholic and Orthodox Church came after Protestantism. When I tried to make him understand wrong he was, he began with conspiracies that these were lies created by such churches. I was baffled at the historical illiteracy and the ignorance of these people that believe such.
As a Russian Orthodox Christian, I really liked these words, this father reminded me of my confessor, the rector of my church. For Orthodox Christians, Jesus Christ is the entire Universe, the Alpha and Omega of our life, and we, even on pain of death, should not renounce our Lord. Thank God for everything. ☦️💖
I’m raised in a Russian orthodox family. Even baptised at 7. I had doubts about my faith at some point, i’d say when i was 10-13, i felt as if i wasn’t really believeing in anythig substancial, or that i just felt inclined to. I’m 17 now, and i finally came to terms with it, i’m staying a christian. The man in this recording is a great example of a clergy. God bless you all☦
I would be considered a Wesleyan Protestant. I listened to a sermon once from an Orthodox Bishop (forgive my not remembering who) that began with a story about being asked if he was ‘saved’. He then went about a wonderful sermon pertaining to salvation in an eastern understanding. The image of an evangelical Christian approaching an Orthodox Priest dressed accordingly and asking ‘are you saved’ is absolutely hysterical!
I’m a Protestant with a deep love and respect for the OC. One thing I loved what Timothy Ware had said: “We know where the Church is but we can’t say where the Church is not.” As someone who works in education, I know different people learn differently. I don’t crap on denominations like most because I believe what the devil intended to divide, God foreknew that many people would come to faith. Hank Hanagraaff, the President of Christian Research Institute and host of Bible Answer Man, is a Protestant-turned-Orthodox Christian. He has said “I’m not against tribes. I’m against tribalism.” The army, the navy, the local police all protect and serve but to say “The only way to protect and serve is the Navy” is to not acknowledge the other branches. That’s how I personally look at this whole this of Protestant, Orthodox, and Catholic. Although we all have areas of disagreements we need to be united on the essentials of faith and the essential mission of Christ’s Great Commission. I love the Orthodox and Roman Catholic family of Christ and thank God for what they do to reach people my Protestant self can’t!
Romanian here. I love my Christian Orthodox faith. My ancestors resisted centuries of Ottoman occupation and refused conversion to Islam even when they were threatened with death. The Orthodox Church survived Ottoman and communist occupation but now Romania is one of the most religious countries in the world. We are currently building the largest Orthodox monastery in the world. Nihil Sine Deo
I’m a catechumen in the Orthodox Church, and I can say I’m in complete agreement with him. The difference between being a spiritual father and and spiritual guide is accountability; a father is accountable for the choices of their children, while a guide is not. God bless him and all members of the Orthodox Church.
Protestants are very focused on spreading the Gospels, and that’s absolutely wonderful and necessary. Orthodox teachings are brilliant and insightful and pierce straight to the heart of the teaching. Catholic teaching is very cerebral and very in-depth. I’m Catholic, but I learn so much from every denomination that I don’t really care about converting other Christians, but I am keenly interested in having conversations with them. I pray that one day we can all come together under one roof and unite in our love for God and our love for each other.
Do not be deceived, dear friends. The Body of Jesus Christ is a spiritual entity, not a religious institution. We read in John 4:24 – “God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.” We also read in Romans 8:14 – “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.”
Wonderful! The two years I spent with the orthodox church with some of the best Christian education I had in my entire life. My wife and I were confirmed in the Anglican church this past year. I’m not sure if I would have found myself in any traditional Christian Church if it hadn’t been for the Orthodox Church.
I am a Southern Baptist, my Orthodox and Catholic friends have made me have a deep respect for the Orthodox and Catholic churches. Tradition and Church Authority is important, and it has become more important recently to our church than it was in the past. Maybe that’s why while so many others are closing their doors, we remain open.
I’m a Catholic convert from Protestantism (been Methodist and Baptist in the past) and I use the same argument to defend my Catholic faith that this Orthodox priest uses to justify his. God Bless him though I pray he comes home to Rome. I know my current Pope is scandalizing the faith but even when St Paul publicly opposed St Peter to his face he did not question St Peter’s apostolic office
If we are being critical. The whole Bible was written long before they formed a counsel to confirm the obvious. For the early church, the only scriptures they had was the old testiment and the apostles and when Paul told them about Jesus, he praised the Bureans for not taking him at face value, but for diligently searching out the scriptures to see if what he was saying was true. The concern these Christians probably had for emulating the scriptures revolves around the fact that if God has made His will known in the scriptures, and someone has a view that contradicts His word, then we will easily be able to deduce as to who’s will is being promulgated.
Greetings, my brothers and sisters in Christ! I have a question about Orthodoxy, as I am thinking about joining an Church. I like the teachings and would really like to go to the Orthodox Church up the road from me, but I am unsure about one thing. I do not greet my brothers or sisters by kissing or bowing to them. We are not supposed to even bow to the angels, but only God himself (Give him all the praise and glory forever and ever!)! I am bothered that I have to kiss and bow to the icons. Please understand, I respect my brothers and sisters! I love them very much! But I just can’t bow to anyone who is not my Lord and Savior! It is possible to still join the Church and attend without bowing to the icons? Also, I do like the icons, they teach us many stories and we are always surrounded by our dear brothers and sisters in Christ. Thank you so much for your time and may God bless you!
evangelical missionaries are the most brave ones they are everywhere on mission to spread gospel i live in india christianity is minority however the no of christians increasing is astounding 10 times the previous population all through conversion in south korea,china evangelical missionaries are everywhere doing their job
Aha… why aren’t the Orthodox spreading the Gospel? You criticize the evangelicals – why aren’t you doing their job then? They are the only ones trying to get people to Christ. Both you and the Catholics don’t do anything “evangelical”. Aren’t you concerned about the unsaved? Do you not wish them to be with God? Now I was orthodox. Born in it, my whole country is orthodox. Explain to me how God sent an evangelical to me to share the Gospel and not use any of the priests around here? So many churches to the left and to the right… yet my idea of God was just what you get from culture. I was not looking into Christianity, my life was like any other wretched young person. It is when my son was born that I thought of the Bible, thinking “only with God can I teach him something and not end up like me”. And at that point, God sent an evangelical. This does not make sense. Did God purposely send me on the wrong path? You cannot take this testimony away. Why did God use an evangelical instead of orthodox, with so many around? Why did He choose Ray Comfort, a man from across the globe, which I saw through a random youtube clip? You must explain that to me first before coming up with your claims of “being the real deal”. Also, what came first was the knowledge of God through Israel. Their scriptures are older than the Church, if you wanna go by “what came first”. Now let us find in the teachings of their scriptures about praying to dead prophets, worshiping paintings, and kissing dead bodies.
Weird ending… Maybe the following sentences would help understand what he means by “maybe there is some Orthodoxy we could recover” in heretic groups… I think he means well, but an orthodox priest should never be afraid to clearly say (without any detour) he wishes all to become orthodox, for Orthodoxy is the truth. This ambiguity set aside, he’s completely right, may God bless him!
Blind leaders leading the blind. Beloved wake up. I was born into a Coptic Orthodox Church, I was saved as an adult by Jesus Christ. Religion is not the path nor the doctrine of Jesus Christ. Orthodoxy has its own doctrine. Not of the Bible. Seek the Lord Jesus Christ now and be saved by Jesus Christ ❤️
Thank you for your Faith and Wisdom Father! I am Catholic and I often find this problem when talking to my evangelical and protestant friends….they really believe there’s no need for the Sacraments, the Divine Liturgy, and our journey towards holiness. They think its just about ‘my Bible and me’…..so many false interpretations too!
Paul has spoken somewhat harshly to the Christians in Corinth about their attitudes and behavior (1 Corinthians 4:6–8). He has insisted, though, that his goal is not to make them feel badly about themselves. Instead, he considers them to be beloved children, and he is hoping to help them turn around and go in a better direction. Now Paul says outright that he became their “father” when he led them to faith in Jesus by preaching the gospel to them. We should note that Paul is not asking to be referred to by that title, or any title (Matthew 23:8–12). His intent here is to explain his role in their spiritual life, not to take on an office or job description. Paul often describes himself as a spiritual father to those who trust in Christ as a result of his ministry. He uses this metaphor both to describe his love for those under his care and to claim some amount of responsibility and authority in their lives. The word for “guides” is one used in Greek culture for a family guardian: someone to protect and discipline the children. Paul writes that the Corinthians have countless guides—self-professed guardians or tutors—but only one “father.” In the Greek, the word myrious is translated as “countless,” and literally means “ten thousand.” This is the ancient equivalent of a modern person using exaggeration by saying, “I’ve told you a million times…” This is a bit of sarcasm, with a specific point. The Corinthians have been dividing over loyalty to individual Christian leaders (1 Corinthians 1:10–13).
This is misleading – the various books of the Bible were written before the Catholic Church was formed. The books were canonized and collected into what we call the Bible today after the church – but all the books were written. Hence the Bible was written it just wasn’t called the “Bible”. The Apostle John wrote the last 4 books of the Bible (John 1,2,3 and Revelation) between 90 and 96 AD
Yes. I started in a Nazarene Church too. Have journeyed through other denominations (Baptist, Evangelical, Covenant, Presbyterian, Salvation Army, Mennonite), am grateful to all those Christians who I treasure. Now I am 75, recently learned all this father is saying, and am now a catechumen in the Antiochian Orthodox Church. I am so blessed to have found the fullness of the Christian faith in Orthodoxy. Wish I had found it sooner. I encourage everyone to at least visit an Orthodox Church, study early Church history, and learn to fast and pray.
Orthodoxy truly has a spiritual side that no other denomination has. I tell people all the time, in the rich ancient history alone, you can find peace in the church. Let alone the hymns and chants that too are ancient. Just for some new age evangelical church that hasn’t even been around 200 years comes in and tries telling orthodox Christians, that their denomination is false. It’s miraculous people can’t see it just based off the history alone
Not necessarily true. During the inception of the Early Church, there was no such thing as an Orthodox, Catholic etc. church, per se. There were many different versions of Christianity. Definitely not even close to the Orthodox version we have come to observe and acknowledge nowadays. The earliest Christian Church/Community was a small sect until Christianity exploded later on with the preaching of St. Paul et al. Apostles, Ecumenical councils, Emperor Constantine etc. Likewise, interestingly, the earliest disciples of Jesus Christ were simply referred to as being followers of “The Way”. Gradually, over time, the Church evolved into what it is today. 🙌
What? What? We follow Yeshua Christ, we believe in gospel and baptized, we are save. And we continue in faith, and by we i mean christian, not religious institution people who follow law and religion regulation. Catholic and orthodox have many procedure that absolutely not in the bible at all! You need to follow christ, not follow religion.
I think this priest meant to say; “One Holy Catholic Church.” Ignatius of Antioch “Let no one do anything of concern to the Church without the bishop. Let that be considered a valid Eucharist which is celebrated by the bishop or by one whom he ordains (i.e., a presbyter). Wherever the bishop appears, let the people be there; just as wherever Jesus Christ is, there is the Catholic Church” (Letter to the Smyrneans 8:2 (A.D. 110)). Tertullian “Where was (the heretic) Marcion, that shipmaster of Pontus, the zealous student of Stoicism? Where was Valentinus, the disciple of Platonism? For it is evident that those men lived not so long ago—in the reign of Antonius for the most part—and that they at first were believers in the doctrine of the Catholic Church, in the church of Rome under the episcopate of the blessed Eleutherius, until on account of their ever restless curiosity, with which they even infected the brethren, they were more than once expelled” (Demurrer Against the Heretics 30 (A.D. 200)). Augustine “We must hold to the Christian religion and to communication in her Church, which is catholic and which is called catholic not only by her own members but even by all her enemies. For when heretics or the adherents of schisms talk about her, not among themselves but with strangers, willy-nilly they call her nothing else but Catholic. For they will not be understood unless they distinguish her by this name which the whole world employs in her regard” (The True Religion 7:12 (A.
The orthodox church was not the first church established by Christ. The orthodox church broke off from the Catholic Church. I have read all of the patriarchs letters from Saint Ignatius of Antioch, Clement of Rome, Polycarp, and others and no where do they use the word orthodox but instead use the word Catholic. Orthodoxy came later from disagreements between the elders and the one holy Catholic Church, father you need to revisit your patriarchs and see that they were united in one of the Catholic Church
I have read that a lot of the so called “Jesus Freaks” of the 1960s, started to study the origins of Christianity, and found the Antiochian Orthodox Church the oldest continuous church, and converted. I attended an Antiochion Church once, and the majority were converts. I was not ready to make the conversion, I am Catholic, and was a very selfish person then. I knew I was. Today I am back as a practicing Catholic, but I am thinking of joining an Assyrian-Chaldean Catholic Church.
As an ex protestant, its truly incredible, most Christains stop trying to find truth after they see Jesus, but they don’t actually search and ask the hard questions about who the most apostle reflected denomination is. I looked, and I asked God to show me, and the Orthodox Church showed up at my doorstep
I’m starting to understand that the Holy Spirit been guiding me more and more to not accept a Protestant stance or mindset, recognized i actually hate that word, something about hearing it that seems off to me never called myself a Protestant and refuse to adopt a denomination. I’ve been a believer of Lord Jesus Christ i haven’t done any of the practices or actions i see from the Orthodox Ways. Always saw it as dead works and elevating onces self above God, now thoughy due to the influences of the Holy Spirit and paying attention to Orthodox Folks its not the case more and more. Going to continue to listen and pray for help from the Holy Spirit to be lead in the correct path, anyone who read who’s read the message thank you and please pray for me to be lead correctly🙏 Spiritual warfare and human sin from paying attention is responsible for division and the denominational garage we see today. Glory to the Most Highest, The Son Of God Lord Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit 🙏
I think this priest said it correctly. It was in the evangelical world that he came to Christ and learn to love Jesus. It is in the sacramental community where he learned the rest of the story: the body of Christ. We need both. We need to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, but it’s not apart from the body of Christ, it’s a long history, and the accumulated wisdom of the Church.
This calls for discernment. The church didn’t write the Word of God; the Holy Spirit inspired a hand full of men to write; a work that todays church has no business taking credit for. There needs to be unity in the church, as in followers of Christ need to stand united. But churches are stepping over a line, giving people the temptation to say “I’m Orthodox” or “I’m Protestant” or “I’m Calvinist” over saying “I’m a believer of Jesus Christ is the Son of God and the Lamb of God who took away my sins and taught me what live really is.” above all things. Then Christians become divided. This is why Jesus said “Call no one else Father; you have but one Father”. The word “Father” here means source; where you came from. Did you come from God or did you come from the church? I sure hope you came from God. If the church helped you realize that, then praise God for that, but God is still the source and there’s one mediator between God and man: Jesus Christ. Yes, the Word came from the first church members, but let’s take it a step further: where did the church come from? It came from God and as Christ said, eternal life is knowing Him; not knowing your church, not doing what your church says to do; doing what God Himself tells you, which is spoken through His Word, not what people generations removed from His Word tell you to do, which cannot be found in scripture. Yes, Paul essentially calls himself the spiritual father to his original audience, but he also tells them that they are followers of Christ above all else and if anyone gives revelation contrary of the gospel, not to listen to them essentially.
I used to be Greek orthodox (well i became a catchuemen and upon realising I had life’s confession, everything went down hill, I overthought and doubted (Satan) and tried telling myself I could confess but never did. I knew the importance of baptism and wanted to be baptised but I’m to ashamed to confess to a priest nor understand why I have to confess to a priest and not to god directly. You get saved through your relationship with Christ so confessing to him just seem more logical compared to confessing to a priest and then through the priest to chriet.) I’ve left orthodox and decided to go into Protestantism and I still read an orthodox bible (and think everyone should) I still agree with everything orthodox believe and stands for except confession to a priest. I believe we should confess to god on a daily basis) and like he said not everyone needs to be orthodox but we should adopt orthodox ways as they’ve been protected and are the true way.
I don’t think it has to be “versus”. I’m a Protestant, i think there are saved people catholic and orthodox denominations. Aren’t we all siblings in Christ? I still think discussing this topic is good and important, but not as opposites, but as people who honestly want to follow God wholeheartedly, in love.
There is a lot of ecumenism in the comments. I was once ignorant myself. Lord have mercy. Through the grace of God, I’ve come to know the truth, that is, the one and only true body of Christ is the Eastern Orthodox Church. Anything outside of Eastern Orthodoxy is outside the body of Christ. God bless.
I reject the contention that “The Church” gave us the Bible by way of member writers and interpreters or the like. This relegates “The Holy Spirit” to the role of an organizational tool. Where is the majesty of Men leading the way instead of The Holy Spirit? Here we have an example of Men interjecting their importance before Gods unfolding Mystery. And as for all those Icons?…….Jesus said that he hated all those flowing robes and sanctimonious manifestations of worship! He never practiced pompous prayer or teaching….
When the priest says what came first the church or the scripture? It’s a strange argument. We see in Galatians that Paul rebuked the church very harshly for teaching a false works gospel, during Paul’s life. it would be quite the claim that no errors have crept in orthodoxy. This is why scripture is AUTHORITY. When the teaching contradicts scripture, RUN!!!!!!! sanctification and salvation are not the same thing. Not even close. Believe on the Gospel alone for salvation…NOW.. time is short
One thing wrong, orthodox christians didnt came first, no one came first…christians were secular grups, with DIFFERENT belief, rites and writings…it was constantine who ask them to define what christians believe in…his famouse phrase, christian are the only ones that believe in the same god but dont agree with each other, or something like that 🤣🤣…what we think about christian is what result out of that…and the aim was to unify rome under one belief system…so I would be reluctant to talk in absolutes in man made things…
Kissing icons, kissing hands of old dudes, eating from the same spoon as 20 different ppl, calling old unknown guys fathers. These things that for me I just can not accept in my heart. I only have one real father and he is God in heaven and I try to follow his son Jesus to the best of my ability. Love God. Love my neighbour as myself. That is hard enough sometimes. May God bless you all.
I’m a Protestant. And I highly respect the Orthodox Church. I love most of what the elders say and teach and I’d definitely be an Orthodox because the unity and the tradition are very attracting the historicity is also noteworthy. But the thing that holds me back is that the picture of the Church in the Bible is so much different. The attention on Mary and deification of Saints, the theology about intercession, unbiblical multitudes of the ‘ark’ It’s not that the Bible came first. It’s just that there’s a clear difference between the picture of the Church there and the Orthodox church here.
Father Seraphim Cardoza described somewhat polemically the encounter with an evangelical Christian, whom he found aggressive and pushy, and answered the completely legitimate question, which was based on the conversation between Jesus and the Jewish scholar Nicodemus (John 3). The answer was somewhat surprising to me for someone who thinks so highly of the venerable old church: “I am not ashamed of who I am.” Actually, the addition “in Christ” was missing. Jesus himself said that we, His followers, can do nothing without HIM (John 15:5 ff, Psalm 80) and are just an insignificant speck of dust (Psalm 103:14). Perhaps this will help us to be a little more modest and a little more generous in our dealings with fellow Christians! After all, we have not yet reached our goal and that is JESUS Christ.
As a Roman Catholic I always find it impressive how similar (outside of a few doctrinal things) the Orthodox and RC teachings are. Yet It’s disappointing to me that for some the concern is who proceeds from who and not who is tending to who. Jesus never taught, that I have heard, that there will be a test about who he is and his relationship to the Father and the Holy Spirit at the final judgment. The test is now and it is how I treat my fellow man.
I agree with those final remarks about orthodoxy, I think that some evangelical denominations go too far from scripture to the point of being heretical. But well, the scripture came first, I am sorry. The whole OT was written before christ and thus, way before the church. And the biggest chunk of the NT was written in very early stages of the early church, and it was passed through the followers of christ, who were the early church. Paul was also preaching the gospel in his missions, which is a way of passing the scripture. Besides, the bible moves us to adore Jesus, and love and fellowship with our brethren, but in no way to adore the church as an institution. The church is indeed the bride of christ, it is the body where all the christians are combined, not some organization or idea. I am just debating here in the name of orthodoxy indeed. God bless y’all.
God already Said The Gospel is going to hear in all nations and then The End will Come. God said “The Gospel” is going to spread to all nations….. God didn’t say “any particular Denomination is going to spread the Gospel” to all nations…. God knows the beginning and The end. That is why God said that.
Egypt has a Coptic Orthodox Pope, and they are some of the nicest lads I know, in fact I had many Coptic Orthodox friends over the years. Best thing about us in Egypt is that we don’t have those so called street preachers, we just accepted the fact that you are a Misihi “Christian”, and you are a Muslim. and the only way to tell us apart is when one enters a mosque and the other a church.
The scripture came before The Church and so did the Bible- but the church steward it. I can get deeper into it but yea. The father thing I’m not for but I get it- something to get deeper another time- as for tradition, there’s value in it but tradition doesn’t mean correct theology. God Bless! Repent and be born again without it you cannot see The Kingdom of God – confess Jesus as Lord not jut with words and live and live abundantly. Love y’all He does more!❤
if you were the true church as you say then you would not proceed in doing things opposite of what the apostles and the scripture which you say was written by you. a kingdom can stay when its subparts are doing opposite things. for example baptism with oil etc. your so called church is paganism disguised
The church didn’t write the Word of God; the Holy Spirit inspired a hand full of men who happened to be in the church thousands of years ago to write it; a work that the leaders of todays church have no business taking credit for. The same Spirit works in the hearts of men today and they need God’s Word to take hold of that. A pastor or teacher may help lead them, but it’s ultimately God’s Word that will lead them to their High Priest, who is Jesus and ONLY Jesus.
Life long Roman Catholic. My mom passed away October 25th. Literally 2 days later something led me to read an article on Eastern Orthodox. I knew a little about the history. But then that led to perusal YouTube articles and reading more. I don’t know why?? But since the 27th I can’t stop. I’m learning and feeling. I’m thinking strongly of converting. God Bless what I now know!! The One true Holy and Apostolic Orthodox Church ☦
To your question; I would rephrase it. Which came first, the word of God or the people of God? But to your exact question, “Which came first, the Bible of the Church?” The answer is, the Bible. The Bible used by Jesus and the apostles existed long before the church. They added to it later with the New Testament.
Who wrote the Scriptures? The church didn’t write the Bible. What an interesting point. The NT was written by the apostles and eye witnesses of the resurrection. Or disciples of the disciples like Mark who was a disciple of Peter. The OT wasn’t written by the church. It was mainly written by the prophets and some kings like David and Solomon. The orthodox church didn’t come before the writing of the Bible. As the books and letters of the NT were written they were accepted as Scripture. The church didn’t create the Bible it recognized the Bible.