To: jb6
"That actually is part of the Orthodox tradition."
Oh, absolutely, but the fact of the matter is that until relatively recently, on account of the presence of an Orthodox diaspora here in America, the hierarchs of the various jurisdictions tended to be, quite literally, Ethnarchs and the Churches tended to be pieces of the various Old Countries for immigrant Orthodox. In much later years these parishes have been rather shamefully used by the Old Countries to advance certain secular policy interests. What we ended up with were Churches that had more to do with being Russian or Greek or Serbian or whatever than with being Orthodox Christians. Use of the old language was and is a way to keep things that way. But these are secular and ethnic concerns, philetism actually, rather than religious ones. My experience tells me that the move to English in the Liturgy has been the equivalent of opening wide the doors of the Church to the people of America.
By the way, I always thought that Greek was THE holy language. Its what God speaks (or so my yiayia told me)! :)
26 posted on
02/26/2005 11:43:52 AM PST by
Kolokotronis
(Nuke the Cube!)
To: Kolokotronis
If you watch my big fat greek wedding, then Greek is the foundation of all languages.
27 posted on
02/26/2005 11:57:29 AM PST by
jb6
(Truth = Christ)
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