A Publication of the ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN LAITY
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| Volume 6 Number 37 - Tuesday, September 14th, 2004 |
A Publication of the ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN LAITY |
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The Gospel According to Alan Segal by Matushka Barbara Bruce I have just read the article "Life after Death: Religions agree there is one, but what form does it take?" by Richard N. Ostling of The Associated Press, about author Alan Segal (published in the Religion Section of Victoria Times Colonist, Sept.4/04). Obviously, Segal is overworking a certain post-mortem "to death" upon the Christian Dissection Table. He believes the Apostle Paul contradicts the Gospels of Sts. Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, regarding the bodily resurrection... that only the spirit will be resurrected. Like many others, Segal squints very hard to see "contradictions" between the four Gospels and the writings the Apostles. He needs glasses. I suppose when one reads Scripture piecemeal inserting one's own interpretation of it, this can be expected. Segal has not manifested any "new" opinion by any means! Even the Sadducees did not believe in a bodily resurrection. St. Matthew 22:23; St.Mark12:18; St.Luke 20:27 Strange theories, unfortunately, have been and always will be tossed about. This is what happens, when the Bible is used as the only source of truth. The nascence of diverse and strange doctrines begin when we do not know, or obey scriptural exhortations to follow both the written and spoken traditions which the holy apostles gave to the Church: Therefore, brethren, stand fast and hold to the traditions which you have been taught, whether by word or our letter (1 Thess. 2:15); Now I praise you brethren... that you keep the traditions as I delivered them to you (1 Cor. 11:2), and, The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things (Phil. 4:9). It is from the Church that the Bible ultimately derives its authority. The Church originally decided which books formed the Holy Bible; and it is the Church alone which can interpret Holy Scripture with authority. Private interpretation (II Peter 1:20) is never the basis for authority. The Bible, is meant to be used together with Holy Tradition. The two form a whole, paralleling each other. They are both incomplete without each other. The Apostolic Written and Oral Tradition have been preserved and guarded by the Church, since the beginning. This "Sacred" Tradition is for correct understanding of Scripture, and for avoiding wrong interpretations of it. This concept however, will be perceived as "new" by young Christian denominations who originated within the last 500 years. St. John 21:25: "And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen." St. John 20:30: "And many others signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book". The Apostles and their converts taught and founded churches all over the Mediterranean world and left them with its Oral Tradition. Acts 2:42; II Thess. 3:6. The writings of the Early Church Fathers are built upon the already established Scriptural and Liturgical foundations of Christian faith and life. They have great authority within the Church and are primary sources for viewing ancient doctrine. You will not find these Christian Pillars "in the Bible," but they existed, nonetheless, and have not been forgotten. I invite you to read and learn of the rich, tangible history of the Church, through them. Some Church Fathers were disciples of the disciples of the Apostles. Some of these Church Fathers from the first century and up, personally knew and were disciples of the Apostles themselves: Ignatius of Antioch, Irenaeus of Lyons, Polycarp, Athanasius of Alexandria, Basil the Great, Gregory of Nyssa, Gregory the Theologian, John Chrysostom, Cyril of Alexandria, Cyril of Jerusalem, Maximus the Confessor, John of Damascus, Photius of Constantinople, Gregory Palamas. There are as well, the ascetically spiritual fathers such as Anthony of Egypt, Macarius of Egypt, John of the Ladder, Isaac of Syria, Ephraim of Syria, Simeon the New Theologian and many, many others. Today, in our culture of instant gratification, we seek spiritual shortcuts. We believe anything we want to. Many no longer wish to recognize any spiritual reality at all, contentedly calling their spiritual ignorance 'intelligence'. No wonder there are over 500 different types of "Christian churches" today! No wonder there has been a pagan religion insurgence, when we have a such a delectable "Christian" smorgasbord, of TV "evangelists," ... and others who aggressively "market" Jesus. Now, it is the norm to 'self-ordain' oneself, albeit with good intentions, to create new churches, like businesses, in "our own" image. Now, a continuing genesis of creeds and gospels according to "ME"... are born by our personal likes or dislikes. This is the consequence of becoming our own god and goddess. To all the Alan Segals of the world: "We are living in a strange time, when all the true and healthy Christian concepts are being replaced by false and deceitful concepts, discovered often with an evil intention with the undoubted intention, naturally, of drawing people away from the right path of a truly Christian life. In all of this there can be discerned some kind of rationally acting black hand which is working to bind people as tightly as possible to this temporary, earthly life by forcing them to forget the future life, the eternal life assuredly awaiting us all.
Never before on
this earth has there been such a huge number of
people who freely and easily, without any shame,
without any pangs of conscience "call evil good,
and good evil; that put darkness for light, and
light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and
sweet for bitter!" (Isaiah 5:20) - Archbishop
Averky of Syracuse (of Blessed Memory) |
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