My beloved brothers and sisters in Our Risen Lord, God and Savior JESUS CHRIST,
CHRIST IS RISEN! TRULY HE IS RISEN! ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ ΑΝΕΣΤΗ! ΑΛΗΘΩΣ ΑΝΕΣΤΗ!
THE CATHOLIC CONSCIOUSNESS OF THE CHURCH
The Orthodox Church of Christ is the Body of Christ, a spiritual ORGANISM whose Head is Christ. It has a single spirit, A SINGLE COMMON FAITH, A SINGLE AND COMMON CATHOLIC CONSCIOUSNESS, GUIDED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT and its reasonings are based on the concrete, definite foundations of Sacred Scripture and Sacred Apostolic Tradition. This catholic consciousness is always with the Church, but, in a more definite fashion, this consciousness IS EXPRESSED IN THE ECUMENICAL COUNCILS OF THE CHURCH. From profound Christian antiquity, local councils of separate Orthodox Churches gathered twice a year, in accordance with the 37th Canon of the Holy Apostles. Likewise, often in the history of the Church there were councils of regional bishops representing a wider area than individual Churches, and, finally, councils of bishops of the whole Orthodox Church of both East and West. Such ECUMENICAL COUNCILS THE CHURCH recognizes as SEVEN IN NUMBER. The Ecunical Councils FORMULATED PRECISELY AND CONFIRMED A NUMBER OF THE FUNDAMENTAL TRUTHS OF THE Orthodox Christian Faith, DEFENDING THE ANCIENT TEACHING OF THE CHURCH AGAINST THE DISTORTIONS OF HERETICS. The Ecumenical Councils likewise FORMULATED LAWS AND RULES GOVERNING PUBLIC AND PRIVATE CHRISTIAN CHURCH LIFE, WHICH ARE CALLED THE CHURCH HOLY CANONS, AND REQUIRED THE UNIVERSAL AND UNIFORM OBSERVANCE OF THEM. Finally, the Ecumenical Councils CONFIRMED THE DOGMATIC DECREES OF A NUMBER OF LOCAL CHURCH COUNCILS, AND ALSO THE DOGMATIC STATEMENTS COMPOSED BY CERTAIN HOLY FATHERS OF THE CHURCH–for example, THE CONFESSION OF FAITH of Saint Gregory the Wonderworker, Bishop of Neo-Caesarea, the canons of Saint Basil the Great, and so forth.
When in the history of the Church it happened that councils of bishops permitted heretical views to be expressed in their decrees, the catholic consciousness of the Church was disturbed and was NOT pacified until AUTHENTIC CHRISTIAN TRUTH WAS RESTORED AND CONFIRMED BY MEANS OF ANOTHER COUNCIL. One must remember that the councils of the Church made their dogmatic decrees:
a) after a careful, thorough and complete examination of all those places in Sacred Scripture which touch
on a given question,
b) thus testifying that the Ecunemical Church has undestood the cited passages of Sacred Scripture in
precisely this way. In this way the decrees of the councils concerning faith express "THE HARMONY OF
THE SACRED SCRIPTURE AND THE CATHOLIC TRADITION OF THE CHURCH. For this reason "THESE
DECREES BECAME THEMSELVES, IN THEIR TURN, AN AUTHENTIC, INVIOLABLE, AUTHORITATIVE,
ECUMENICAL AND SACRED TRADITION OF THE CHURCH, FOUNDED UPON THE FACTS OF SACRED
SCRIPTURE AND APOSTOLIC TRADITION.
Of course, many truths of the faith are so immediately clear from Sacred Scripture that they were not subjected to heretical reinterpretations; therefore, concerning them there are no specific decrees of councils. Other truths, however, were confirmed by councils. Among all the dogmatic decrees of councils, the Ecumenical themselves acknowledge as PRIMARY AND FUNDAMENTAL THE NICAEO-CONSTANTINOPOLITAN SYMBOL OF FAITH (CREED), and THEY FORBADE ANY CHANGE WHATSOEVER IN IT, NOT ONLY IN ITS IDEAS, BUT ALSO IN ITS WORDS, EITHER BY ADDITION OR SUBTRACTION (Decree of the Third Ecumenical Council, repeated by the FOURTH, FIFTH, SIXTH, AND SEVENTH COUNCILS).
The Decrees regarding faith which were made by a number of local councils, and also certain expositions of the faith by the Holy Fathers of the Church, are acknowledged as A GUIDE FOR THE WHOLE CHURCH AND ARE NUMBERED IN THE SECOND CANON OF THE SIXTH ECUMENICAL COUNCIL (in Trullo).
DOGMAS AND HOLY CANONS
In Ecclesiastical terminology DOGMAS ARE THE TRUTHS OF CHRISTIAN TEACHING, THE TRUTHS OF FAITH, AND CANONS ARE THE PRESCRIPTIONS RELATING TO CHURCH ORDER, CHURCH GOVERNMENT, THE OBLIGATIONS OF THE CHURCH HIERARCHY AND CLERGY AND OF EVERY CHRISTIAN, WHICH FLOW FROM THE MORAL FOUNDATIONS OF THE EVANGELICAL AND APOSTOLIC TEACHING. CANON IS A GREEK WORD WHICH LITERALLY MEANS "A STRAIGHT ROD, A MEASURE OF PRECISE DIRECTION."
THE HOLY SECOND ECUMENICAL SYNOD
The Emperor summoned this Synod. It commenced on the 9th of May and the sessions lasted until the 9th of July, in the year 381. Earlier, in 380, he had issued an Edict DECLARING ORTHODOXY THE TRUE FAITH. Arianism (heresy) was condemned the following year at the First Synod of Constantinople. The assembly was held primarily against Makedonio, who had died before 364. He blasphemously declared that the Holy Spirit WAS A CREATURE, CONSTRUCTED OR CREATED BY THE Son. The Makedonians or PNEVMATOMACHOI ("Fighters of the Spirit", therefore, RAILED AGAINST THE HOLY SPIRIT. The Holy Fathers at this Synod CORRECTED THE GLORIFICATION AND ADORATION OF THE HOLY TRINITY WHICH HAD BEEN ALTERED BY THE ARIANS, WHO USED TO SAY, "Glory be to the Father through the Son in the Holy Spirit." The Holy Fathers also renewed the Doctrine of the earlier Nicene Synod. Hence, in order that it might be made manifest that th Second Ecumenical held in Constantinople professed THE SAME BELIEVES AS THE FIRST ECUMENICAL SYNOD HELD IN NICEA, IT DID NOT DRAW UP A CREED OF ITS OWN. The Holy Fathers at Constantinople, however, simply made a small change in the Creed adopted by the Nicene Synod. They appended thee clause "of Whose Kingdom there shall be no end." They also developed the meaning of Article 8 in reference to the Holy Spirit. Furthermore, they supplied that which was wanting in the remaining four articles to the end. It is now the identical Symbol of the Faith or Creed WHICH IS RECITED BY ALL ORTHODOX CHRISTIANS. [Source: Orthodox Dogmatic Theology and The Great Synaxristes of the Orthodox Church]
Please note: All Orthodox Christians must remain vigilant and alert, more so today, than perhaps at any other time, due to the numerous threats against the Church. The dangers are not always visible and external or public but are those enemies within the Church who use stealth to become invisible until they are ready to strike or reveal and implement their sinister agenda. There are those who defy the decisions of the Ecumenical Synods, in other words the dogmas of the Church, others who have decided to completely ignore the Holy Canons of the Church, and still others, the Holy Tradition of the Church. Some go as far as to reject the truth revealed by the Holy Scripture. All this constitutes apostasy and heresy. These enemies of the Orthodox Church seek to level and compromise the only Authentic Church of Christ. To create the same chaos, division and confusion within our Church as we see in other Christian confessions such as Aglican, Roman Catholic and certain major Protestant denominations, i.e., Lutheran, Presbyterian, Episcopal and Baptists, etc. These evil people and anarchists by declaring war against the Church, they wage war against the GodMan, the Founder and Head of the Church, THE SAVIOR OF THE WORLD JESUS CHRIST. We all know, however, the outcome of this battle, and who will triumph, and who will be condemned to eternal damnation.
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"Glory Be To GOD
For
All Things!"
– Saint John Chrysostomos
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With sincere agape in Our Risen Lord, God, and Savior JESUS CHRIST,
The sinner and unworthy servant of God
+ Father George
The Eastern Orthodox Christian Ethos 