“The yardstick they used to decide what Christians today would read was Holy Tradition and that’s what this comes from.”
This reads like the spurious gospels floating around.
“While these things were taking place, clouds caught up the Apostles from the ends of the earth, where each one happened to be preaching, and brought them at once to the house of the Mother of God, who informed them of the cause of their sudden gathering. As a mother, she consoled them in their affliction as was meet, and then raised her hands to Heaven and prayed for the peace of the world. She blessed the Apostles, and, reclining upon her bed with seemliness, gave up her all-holy spirit into the hands of her Son and God. With reverence and many lights, and chanting burial hymns, the Apostles took up that God-receiving body and brought it to the sepulchre, while the Angels from Heaven chanted with them, and sent forth her who is higher than the Cherubim.”
I know what John wrote about how not all things were written - but this would dwarf any miracle mentioned in Acts OR the Gospels. Frankly, it would out-do Jesus ascending to Heaven.
It seems in no way critical to how we receive salvation, nor does it encourage bad living...but I probably speak for a lot of Protestants in being skeptical that such an event took place without Scriptural mention.
But as long as you don’t say I need to believe it for salvation - and I doubt you do - then we can allow our differences to be settled by God in His timing.
This would concern me more:
“As mother of life, you departed to the source of life, delivering our souls from death by your intercessions.”
How did Mary deliver our souls from death by her intercessions?
“This reads like the spurious gospels floating around.”
Not at all. This is part of the original Tradition of the Universal Church, taught from the First Century until now in an unbroken line from the Apostles to their spiritual descendants today. Unlike the spurious false gospels that crop up now and then and have been debunked time and again by the Universal Church, this has always been taught. We have documentation dating absolutely from over 1,500 years ago and that reflected well established teachings from the Apostolic age.
“This reads like the spurious gospels floating around.”
The Synaxarion I posted? You really think so? Mr. R, this isn’t a gospel story; its an exposition of Holy Tradition originally for reading aloud in a monastic setting. The Synaxaria are read at various devotions in churches and are still read in monasteries. The particular Synaxarion I posted was written quite recently.
You are quite right, at least insofar as Orthodoxy goes, that there is no requirement that one believe this to attain theosis. This is called a theologoumennon, a pious belief which may be helpful but certainly is not required. Its not Orthodox Christian dogma. It is dogma for Latins since 1952. I hasten to add, however, that I have never met an Orthodox Christian who does not believe this happened.
“How did Mary deliver our souls from death by her intercessions?”
By praying for God’s mercy on us.
Well, man...
A lot of tradition was stripped from the faith in the West after the Reformation - due to rebellion against ANYTHING that came out of Rome. (and by the way, Rome and the East were already in all-out schism by the time the Reformation took place, and had been for nearly 500 years).
I am a recent convert to the Orthodox Christian faith. I was a lifelong Protestant, and I had to fit Mary’s special place among the Saints into my head. After all, she was born like you and me...she died like you and me.
So with that said, what makes her special (even Billy Graham has been quoted as saying that Evangelicals don’t give Mary her due)?
In a nutshell, and with my kindergarten-level understanding of Orthodox theology, God chose her. And then He called her. And He had a REALLY unique request.
(Here’s the punch line) She said yes. (Would you have?)
This is one reason why the Church regards her as Foremost among the Saints. She is the Ark of the New Covenant.
Happy Feast!
“This reads like the spurious gospels floating around.”
The Synaxarion I posted? You really think so? Mr. R, this isn’t a gospel story; its an exposition of Holy Tradition originally for reading aloud in a monastic setting. The Synaxaria are read at various devotions in churches and are still read in monasteries. The particular Synaxarion I posted was written quite recently.
You are quite right, at least insofar as Orthodoxy goes, that there is no requirement that one believe this to attain theosis. This is called a theologoumennon, a pious belief which may be helpful but certainly is not required. Its not Orthodox Christian dogma. It is dogma for Latins since 1952. I hasten to add, however, that I have never met an Orthodox Christian who does not believe this happened.
BTW, I’d hardly say that the Dormition is more miraculous than the Nativity, the Theophany or the Resurrection. I’ll bet you wouldn’t either, having given it some thought! :)
“How did Mary deliver our souls from death by her intercessions?”
By praying for God’s mercy on us.