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January/February 2005 First Year, First Issue
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A Christian Orthodox Periodical Published by St. Mark's Orthodox Fellowship (Canada Inc.)
Mailing Address: 2160 Weston Road Toronto, Ontario M9N 1X6 Fax:(416) 243-8374
Website Address:
Editorial
A Call to the Depth
(Luke 5:1-11)
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"So it was, as the multitude pressed about Him to hear the word of God, that he stood by the Lake of Gennesaret, and saw two boats standing by the lake; but the fishermen had gone from them and were washing their nets. Then He got into one of the boats, which was Simon's, and asked him to put out a little from the land. And He sat down and taught the multitudes from the boat. When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, "Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch." But Simon answered and said to Him, "Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net." And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking. So they signalled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they bean to sink. When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!" For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish which they had taken; and so also were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, "Do not be afraid. From now on you will catch men." So when they had brought their boats to land, they forsook all and followed Him."
- The Lord requests a radical change of our life for Him. It is a call for depth in our life.
- If we understand His call to the depth in an earthly way, we will "catch a lot" that further pulls us down till we "sink".
- But if we go to the depth that the Lord meant, where He reveals Himself to our inner souls, then we will work with Him to catch those who are sinking away from Him.
- O Lord, reveal yourself to our hearts as you did to Simon so we say with him "I am a sinful man O Lord" and follow you in your glory.
R.Ed.
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Seasonal
The Three Wise Men
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The Lord Jesus, born in Bethlehem, was first worshipped by shepherds and wise men from the East- the simplest and the wisest of this world. In our day also, those who most sincerely worship the Lord Jesus as God and Saviour are the simplest and the wisest of this world. Twisted simplicity and crazed wisdom have always been enemies of Christ's divinity and of His Gospel. But who were these wise men from the East? This question was closely investigated by St. Dimitri of Rostov. He asserts that they were kings of small regions or groups of towns in Persia, Arabia and Egypt. At the same time, they were greatly learned in astrology. The wonderful star that heralded the birth of the new King appeared to them. According to St. Dimitri, this star appeared nine months before the birth of the Lord Jesus; that is, at the time when the most holy mother of God conceived Him. They spent these nine months in studying this star, in preparing for the journey and in travelling. They arrived in Bethlehem very shortly after the birth of the Saviour of the world. One of them was called Melchior. He was old, withered, with long white hair and beard. He brought the Lord the gift of gold. The second man was called Caspar; ruddy of face, young and beardless. He brought the Lord the gift of frankincense. The third was called Balthazar; black-skinned and heavily bearded. He brought the Lord the gift of myrrh. After their deaths, their bodies were taken to Constantinople, from Constantinople to Milan and from Milan to Cologne. It can be added that these three wise men represented the three chief races of men that descended from Noah's three sons: Shen, Ham and Japheth. The Persian represented Japheth, the Arabian Shem and the Egyptian Ham. Thus it can be said that, through these three, the whole human race worshipped our incarnate Lord and God.
By: Rev. Father Iskander Younes
St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church (Bayview Ave.Richmond Hill, Toronto)
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History
A Glance Into The History Of
The Ethiopian Orthodox Church
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By: Rev. Fr. L.K. Messale Engeda
The Chief Administrator of Menbere Birhan St. Mary Cathedral &
Head Priest of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church in Canada
Ethiopia, being deeply rooted in Judeo-Christianity, is one of the ancient predominantly Christian countries of the world. The Bible, as a unique book which tells about the beginning of all things says: "And the name of the second river is Ghion: the same is it that compasses the whole land of Ethiopia" (Gen 2:13) Psalms mentioned Ethiopia indicating her existence as far as the 10th century B.C. "Let Ethiopia hasten to stretch out her hands to God" (Psalm 68:31) Ethiopia is referred to in other places in the Holy Bible also by secular literature, like the Greek poet, Homer (800 B.C.) and the famous historian Herodotus (400-300 B.C.)
In spite of the fact that worship in one true God has always been the basis of the Ethiopian religious practices for a long time, it was at the time of Queen of Sheba that significant steps were taken to strengthen the belief. As it is recorded in 1 Kings 10:1-13, having received information about King Solomon, the Queen of Sheba made a journey to Jerusalem to visit King Solomon thereby she mastered Judaism and descended to her son Menilik 1 who himself went to Jerusalem to be acquainted with his father, King Solomon. This journey was also intended to introduce Ethiopian civilization in return. The relationship that followed created conditions for the introduction of the Old Testament teachings and belief in Ethiopia. It was at this time that the Ark of the Covenant was brought to our country. From that time on wards, the Old Testament became the basis of the religious belief, practice and teachings of the people and accordingly, Ethiopia became the seat of the Ark of the Covenant.
Since then, the Ethiopians had been worshipping the One True God, making pilgrimages annually to the Holy Land of Jerusalem to offer sacrifices for His deserved glory. "From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia My supplicants, even the daughters of My dispersed, shall bring mine offering" (Zephaniah 3:10). Because of these historical, cultural and religious relationships with Jerusalem, the Ethiopians used to travel to the Holy Land, crossing the deserts on foot and animals back. The constant journeys made by the Ethiopians to the Holy Land made them owners of centers of worship in the City of David. This ownership of worshipping centers in Jerusalem is a symbol of honour and pride not only to Ethiopians, but also to all African people as a whole. This historical and religious relationship also opened the way of Christianity in Ethiopia. The Holy Bible tells us that in the 1st century A.D. the Ethiopian eunuch, who is traditionally known as Backos/ Mel-chiz-ed-ek, a man of higher authority in Ethiopia, the then Finance Minister of Candace, Queen of Ethiopia made a journey to Jerusalem to worship the One true God according to the existing Judaic tradition. During his stay in Jerusalem he willingly accepted Christianity and was baptized by Philip the Apostle. On his return to his homeland Ethiopia he preached the true faith in Christ among his countrymen.
In so doing, he was the first to bring the Good News. As mentioned, this was taken place in the beginning of the first century, A.D. 34 as it is recorded in the (Acts of the Apostles 8:26-39). In asserting this fact, Eusebius, the great church historian writes of the Ethiopian Eunuch as "the first fruit of Christianity in the whole world"; Ireaneus also speaks that "he preached the apostolic faith to the Ethiopians."
Despite the fact that Ethiopia accepted Christianity in the very first century, the establishment of the Bishopric and the administration of all the Sacraments were started in the 4th century A.D. when St. Athansius, the Patriarch of Alexandria, consecrated St. Frumentius, as the first bishop of Ethiopia during the reign of Emperors Ezana and Syzana (Later they are called Abraha and Atsbaha). St. Frumentius, the first bishop of Ethiopia, is also known as "Abba Selama Kesate Berhan", which means " the Father of Peace and Revealer of light".Therefore, it can rightly be said that the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church was officially organized in the fourth century (i.e. 328 A.D.) after Christianity was introduced to the country in the very Apostolic era. The work of the Church was further strengthened by the coming of the Nine Saits who came from the Byzantine Empire (479 A.D.) These men made a memorable contribution to the Ethiopian Church. They translated many books from Greek into Geez, preached the Gospel throughout the country and established monastic life.
By about the middle of the 6th century the Church of Ethipoia entered a new era. The golden scholar St. Yared, who is the founder and composer of the Ethiopian Church Hymnology, rose at the time and composed a great variety of Church music together with their notes. No one has so far surpassed him, and his work is still being used predominantly in Church services.
Ethiopia is, after all, the only African country to have preserved Christianity as its religious life for over a millennium and a half. Moreover, having its own rich alphabets, language and literature, the Church developed from very early days a tradition of ecclesiastical scholarship.
The Christological Teachings of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church
Interesting enough, the Ethiopian Orthodox Church considers itself to belong to the One, Holy, Universal and Apostolic Church founded by Jesus Christ. It is One because its Head Christ is One; it is Holy because its founder, Christ, is Holy; it is universal because the whole world is its province and because it is universal in time and place; it is apostolic because it is established on earth by the apostles of Christ.
Christ is one nature of God the Word. After the union it is impossible to speak of Christ as being in two natures. By the union of the nature in the Incarnation the two natures became one nature, the natures being united without separation, without division, without confusion and without change. Neither of the two natures was assimilated by the other, the properties of the divine Word were attributed to the flesh and those of the flesh to the Divine Word. The Logos revealed himself in our flesh and became man like us. He did all things that man does with the exception of sin (John 8:46). And at the same time He was truly God. He is God-man. The church abides by the formula ' the One Incarnate Nature of God the Word", on which St. Cyril of Alexandria increasingly insisted.
Accordingly, the Ethiopian Orthodox Church maintains that Christ is perfect God and perfect Man, at once co-equal and consubstantial with the Father in His Godhead and with us in his humanity. Theunion of the Word with the flesh took place in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary. St. John says: "The Word was made flesh…" In the same way we can say that also the flesh was made divine. Subsequently, the attributes of the flesh can be given to the Divine Word and vice versa. Due to this we hold "mia physis", composite nature, one united nature. Again the Lord Jesus Christ is perfect man and perfect God. The word "perfect" closes the door to all quibble and distortion.
In the light of the above explanations, it is unfair for the church to be nicknamed "monophysite" by the faithful who accept the Chalcedonian formula of "two Natures in the One person of Jesus Christ", because the expression used by the non-chalcedonian side was always "miaphysis " and never "monophysis" (mia standing for a composite unity unlike mone standing for an elemental unity). Therefore, these churches are best referred to as the non-chalcedonian Orthodox Churches. Happily the Dyophysites are currently realizing the position.
The Oriental Orthodox Churches Conference
I, hereby, would like to remind you all once about the Conference of the Heads of Oriental Orthodox Churches, which was held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, during January 1965, through the special and unreserved effort made by the late His Imperial Majesty Haile Sellassie 1, Emperor of Ethiopia. This conference is undoubtedly an event of some importance in the history of the Church in our times. For the first time in history in brought together in a formal meeting the Heads of five of the historic Churches— the Coptic Orthodox Church; the Syrian Orthodox Church of Antioch; the Armenian Orthodox Church; the Syrian Orthodox Church of India; and the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, holding the "faith once delievered to the saints". In the fact, the Addis Ababa conference of the Heads of the Oriental Orthodox Churches lasted only about fifteen days. But it did pave the way for the participating churches to leap over more than fifteen centuries of mutual isolation. For it was at Ephesus in 431 A.D. that these churches had their last common Council. In general, all of these five churches are members of the World Council of Churches and the Ethiopian Orthodox Church in particular is one of the founding members.
Statistical Information about the parishes, clergies and laities
of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church
As the 1999 annual statistical report of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church Patriarchate Parish council department indicates, there are about 37 dioceses; 32, 494 parishes out of which 1013 are monasteries ; 9005 Sunday Schools; it is also estimated that currently the Ethiopian Orthodox Church has 300, 000 clergies and more than 40, 000, 000 faithful. As far as the overall activities of the church in abroad is concerned, many parish churches are already established in Africa, in the Middle East, in Europe, in the Caribbean Islands and countries, in North America, Latin America and consequently a large number of people are participating actively in the various ministries and undertakings of their respective parishes.
Lastly, it is my heart felt belief that the vivid explanations given so far will give you a brief overview of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church and it will clearly attest the deeply rooted influence that this church has made in the overall life of Ethiopia and Ethiopians.
Short Notes on the Bible
"The Brothers of the Lord"
By: St. Mark's Orthodox Fellowship
Question: Who are the Brothers of the Lord that are mentioned repeatedly in the Gospels? A detailed answer is requested because this issue has acquired renewed interest due to the discovery of an ossuary (ancient burial box for bones) in Jerusalem, on which the words, “James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus” were engraved. This has been hailed in the media as the “Oldest archeological record of Jesus”, referring to an article in “Biblical Archeology Review”. Has this any effect on our Orthodox Dogma?
Answer: Briefly, this discovery, even if approved by all experts as authentic, does not affect the Orthodox Dogma. The Orthodox Church, and most of her fathers, teachers and service books teach that the brothers of the Lord, James, Joses, Simon and Judas, are children of the righteous Joseph the carpenter from his first wife who died few years before St. Mary was espoused to him (see the Coptic Synaxarium, 26th of Abib, departure of St. Joseph the righteous man).
For a detailed answer, we include here a copy of a study written by Philip Schaff at the end of the 19th century. Although a Presbyterian (Protestant), Philip Schaff concludes in this Note that the Orthodox Church teaching in this issue is the most tenable explanation, and is supported by the earliest writings of the Church teachers. He also admits that when he as a protestant has advocated the Protestant view (that they are children of St. Mary), he “did not give sufficient weight to the second theory (the Orthodox)”. Professor Philip Schaff is author of the 8-volume book “History of the Christian Church” and editor of the well known Series, “Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers”.
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James and the Brothers of the Lord
By Philip Schaff [1]
There are three, perhaps four, eminent persons in the New Testament bearing the name of James (abridged from Jacob, which from patriarchal memories was a more common name among the Jews than any other except Symeon or Simon, and Joseph or Joses):
1-James (the son) of Zebedee, the brother of John and one of the three favorite apostles, the proto-martyr among the Twelve (beheaded A.D. 44, see Acts 12:2), as his brother John was the survivor of all the apostles. They were called the “sons of thunder.”
2-James (the son) of Alphaeus, who was likewise one of the Twelve, and is mentioned in the four apostle-catalogues, Matt. 10:3; Mark 3:18; Luke 6:15; Acts 1:13.
3-James the Little, Mark 15:40 (ó μίκρός, not “the Less” as in the E.V.), probably so called from his small stature (as Zacchaeus, Luke 19:3), the son of a certain Mary and brother of Joseph, Matt. 27:56 (Μαρίαήτού ̀Ιακώβουκαί̀Іωσήφμήτηρ); Mark 15:40,47; 16:1; Luke 24:10. He is usually identified with James the son of Alphaeus, on the assumption that his mother Mary was the wife of Clopas, mentioned John 19:25, and that Clopas was the same person as Alphaeus. But this identification is at least very problematical.