Blessed Lent! Continuing the testimony of the Church Fathers on the doctrine of Aerial Toll-Houses, I have added several more quotes as points of reference. Please make sure to read Part 1 and Part 2 prior to reading this article, so as to acquire the source and intent of these quotes, as well as to…
On November 12, 1991, the Antiochian Orthodox Synod (EO) and the Syriac Orthodox Synod (OO) came into agreement on matters related to faith and practice, creating a Joint Declaration, which was approved and signed by Antiochian Patriarch Ignatius IV Hazim (EO) and Syriac Patriarch Ignatius Zakka Iwas (OO). This document, though not well-known today, instituted…
It seems like ages since the last time this blog has seen contribution. The world has changed. Many of us have accepted the idea of a “new normal,” while many of us have done everything in our power to maintain our old normalcy. It has been a difficult year for the entire world. It has…
Round and round and round we go. How many times has the Filioque been regarded as the focus of debate between the Orthodox East and the Roman West? Easy answer: Too many times to count. Though many between both Traditions seem to have found common ground on the issue, there are still polemicists that exist…
While the Orthodox Church and the Roman Church continue to have critical issues dividing our communions, I wanted to hearken back to the time when Constantinople and Rome mutually dropped excommunications (“into oblivion”) pronounced against each other and their respective communions. While we are no longer under mutual excommunication, nor under communication, it would appear…
For the Orthodox, the Council in Trullo (Quinisext Council) is considered ecumenical and is, in turn, added on as an addendum to the fifth and sixth Ecumenical Councils of the Church. While the East approved this Council and it’s related Canons (many of which were reiterations of previous ecumenical canons), it is well-known, according to…
The Catholic Encyclopedia of 1914 is widely considered to be the “most comprehensive resource on Catholic teaching, history, and information ever gathered in all of human history.” As I was reading through it this morning, I landed upon an interesting piece of information within the “Sign of the Cross” section of the document. While I…
“Conciliarity” is a term that Orthodox favor and hail regularly. We are “conciliar,” the Orthodox say. While we do have a first among our Primates in Constantinople, we still understand that Christ our God is the Supreme Head of the Church, even over he who is entrusted over the prime See. As such, we also…
If I had to put an estimate on how many articles exist that either argue for or against the doctrine of Sola Scriptura, I would have to say that the figure would exceed tens of thousands. It is certainly no secret that Sola Scriptura has been the center of debate between Protestants and Roman Catholics/Orthodox…
Within Orthodox circles in the West, there seems to be a long lost understanding of what had constituted Rome, Constantinople, and the Roman Empire as a whole during the majority of the first millennium. What has become quite concerning is the overwhelming suggestion and maintenance of Constantinople as a separate and individual See, historically seemingly…
