“The truth itself comes form God and it’s absolute, but the amount revealed is gradual. More was revealed at different stages, and therefore the revelation was made in steps or degrees, each step revealing a bit more.”
Agreed
“They worked out what was revealed but they did not add or take away from it....But they do not reveal more truth than was revealed.”
“One of the biggest problems is separating what is human and what is divine. Unfortunately, the Church tends to treat everything as “divine.” A lot of it is human. And even to this day, the typikons of Mt Athos (which the Serbian/Russian Church follows) is different from that used by the Greek Church, and this has been a problem for the Serbs as some of the priests educated in Greece use a different typikon.”
I don’t think we use the typikon of the Church of Greece, but rather that of the Great Church at Constantinople, but I could be wrong.
Agreed again, assuming you mean that they explained more clearly for men what the scripture had revealed.
“So, not everything in the Church is this “inspired” immutable tradition handed from generation to generation.”
Not at all; indeed somethings handed down from generation to generation are clearly NOT inspired, “Greekiness” for example.
“The gifts used to be brought in from outside when St. John Chrysostom wrote his homilies. Today, they are made next to the altar.”
Actually, through the month of October the prosphora for ur parish liturgies were made by my wife in our kitchen, which is not a room next to the altar...but I know what you mean. :)
I do. Their gift (talent) for explanation is what is inspired. But they did not reveal the truth; they only clarified it for the common man to understand. Just as +Paul did. Althought he called it a "gospel" (his gospel no less!), it is not considered a "Gospel."
I don’t think we use the typikon of the Church of Greece, but rather that of the Great Church at Constantinople, but I could be wrong
I don't think they differ.
The Church of Greece is really part of the Patriarchate of Constantinople. The Archiepiscop of Greece is part of the EP's Synod.