My beloved brothers and sisters in Christ Our Only True Lord, God and Savior,
CHRIST IS IN OUR MIDST! HE WAS, IS, AND EVER SHALL BE.
THE DOGMAS ARE THE ETERNAL AND UNCHANGING TRUTHS AND
THE HOLY CANONS ARE THE ECCLESIASTICAL AND MORAL
DISCIPLINE OF THE CHURCH.
DOGMAS AND CANONS
In ecclesiastical terminology DOGMAS are THE TRUTHS OF CHRISTIAN TEACHING, THE TRUTHS OF FAITH, and CANONS are THE PRESCRIPTIONS OF 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 WORKS OF THE HOLY FATHERS AND TEACHERS OF THE CHURCH
AS A GUIDE IN QUESTIONS OF FAITH
For GUIDANCE IN QUESTIONS OF FAITH, for the correct understanding of Sacred Scripture, and in order to distinguish the AUTHENTIC TRADITION OF THE CHURCH FROM FALSE TEACHINGS, WE APPEAL TO THE WORKS OF THE HOLY FATHERS OF THE CHURCH, ACKNOWLEDGING THAT THE UNANIMOUS AGREEMENT OF ALL OF THE FATHERS AND TEACHERS OF THE CHURCH IN TEACHING OF THE FAITH IS AN UNDOUBTED SIGN OF TRUTH. The Holy Fathers STOOD FOR THE TRUTH, fearing neither threats nor persecutions nor death itself. The Patristic explanations of the truths of the Faith (1) GAVE PRECISION TO THE EXPRESSION OF THE TRUTHS OF CHRISTIAN TEACHING AND CREATED A UNITY OF DOGMATIC LANGUAGE; (2) ADDED TESTIMONIES OF THESE TRUTHS FROM SACRED SCRIPTURE AND SACRED TRADITION, AND ALSO BROUGHT FORTH FOR THEM ARGUMENTS BASED ON REASON. In theology, attention is also given to certain private opinions of the Holy Fathers or Teachers of the Church on questions which have not been precisely defined and accepted BY THE WHOLE CHURCH. However, these opinions are NOT to be confused with dogmas, in the precise meaning of the word. There are some private opinions of certain Fathers and teachers which are not recognized as being in agreement with the general catholic faith of the Church, and are not accepted as a guide to faith.
So as to guard the right path of faith, the Church has had to forge strict forms for the expression of the truths of faith: IT HAS HAD TO BUILD UP THE FORTRESS OF TRUTH for the REPULSION OF INFLUENCES FOREIGN TO THE CHURCH. The definitions of truth declared by the Church have bbeen called, since the days of the Apostles, DOGMAS. In the Acts of the Apostles we read of the Apostle Paul and Timothy that "as they went through the cities they delivered them the decrees (dogmata) for to keep, that were ordained of the Apostles and elders which were at Jerusalem (Acts 16:4; here the reference is to the decrees of the Aposolic Council which is described in the fifteenth chapter of the Book of Acts). Among the ancient Greeks and Romans the Greek word DOGMATA was used to refer a) to philosophical conceptions, and b) to directives which were to be precisely fulfilled. In the Christian understanding, "DOGMAS" ARE THE OPPOSITE OF "OPINIONS," THAT IS, INCONSTANT PERSONAL CONCEPTIONS.
THE SOURCE OF DOGMAS
ON WHAT ARE DOGMAS FOUNDED? IT IS CLEAR THAT DOGMAS ARE NOT FOUNDED ON THE RATIONAL CONCEPTIONS OF SEPARATE INDIVIDUALS, EVEN THOUGH THESE MIGHT BE FATHERS AND TEACHERS OF THE CHURCH, BUT, RATHER, ON THE TEACHING OF HOLY SCRIPTURE AND ON THE APOSTOLIC HOLY TRADITION. THE TRUTHS OF FAITH which are contained in the Holy Scripture and the Apostolic Holy Tradition give THE FULLNESS OF THE TEACHING OF FAITH WHICH WAS CALLED BY THE ANCIENT FATHERS OF THE CHURCH THE "CATHOLIC FAITH," THE "CATHOLIC TEACHING" OF THE CHURCH. IN SUCH PHRASES THE WORD "CATHOLIC" MEANS "UNIVERSAL" AS REFERRING TO THE CHURCH OF ALL TIMES, PEOPLES, AND PLACES, "WHERE THERE IS NEITHER GREEK NOR JEW, CIRCUMCISION NOR UNCIRCUMCISION, BARBARIAN, SCYTHIAN, BOND NOR FREE: BUT CHRIST IN ALL AND IN ALL" (Colossians 3:11). THE TRUTHS OF SCRIPTURE AND TRADITION,the HARMONIOUSLY FUSED TOGETHER INTO A SINGLE WHOLE, DEFINE THE "CATHOLIC CONSCIOUSNESS" OF THE CHURCH, A CONSCIOUSNESS THAT IS GUIDED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT. (Resources: Orthodox Dogmatic Theology)
Both the Dogmas and Canons of the Church are indispensable and essential in the life of the Church. The shepherds or hierarchy of the Church have the awesome responsibility to implement them and also to personally adhere to them. We have all witnessed the implosion and chaos that has taken place in the Anglican church or the church off England and the mainline Protestant denominations. Are we to follow them and emulate them? Absolutely NOT! We must faithfully adhere to the Dogmas, holy Canons, Holy Tradition, Holy Scripture, and holy works of the Holy Fathers of the Church and not to capitulate to the countless heretics and heresies. The Holy Apostle Peter in his Second Letter states: "But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be FALSE TEACHERS AMONG YOU, WHO WILL SECRETLY BRING IN DESTRUCTIVE HERESIES, EVEN DENYING THE LORD WHO BOUGHT THEM, AND BRING ON THEMSELVES SWIFT DESTRUCTION. AND MANY WILL FOLLOW THEIR DESTRUCTIVE WAYS, BECAUSE OF WHOM THE WAY OF TRUTH WILL BE BLASPHEMED. BY COVETOUSNESS THEY WILL EXPLOIT YOU WITH DECEPTIVE WORDS; FOR A LONG TIME THEIR JUDGMENT HAS NOT BEEN IDLE, AND THEIR DESTRUCTION DOES NOT SLUMBER" (2 Peter 2:1-3).
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"Glory Be To GOD
For
All Things!"
+ Saint John Chrysostomos
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With sincere agape in Christ’s Holy and Glorious Diakonia (Ministry)
The sinner and unworthy servant of God
+ Father George
The Eastern Orthodox Christian Ethos 