87Posted on 07/29/2013 4:47:24 PM PDT by Brian Kopp DPM
87 16 2 213
An earlier clash between the Mt. Athos monks and police
Angry monks at the Esphigmenou Monastery in the monastic community of Mount Athos in northern Greece, refusing to obey an eviction order, tossed Molotov Cocktails and rocks at bailiffs attempting to serve them on July 29, chasing them off the premises of the famed peninsula.
“The monks of Esphigmenou Monastery who are in the residential quarters and are in a defense position to defend it, threw some objects from inside out. We are expecting the intervention of the prosecutor from Thessaloniki. We are expecting the police to offer a political peaceful and calm solution, otherwise things will happen that will blacken Greece’s image abroad,” a spokesperson for the rebel monks, Iraklis Moraitis, told the state-run Athens-Macedonia New Agency.
The monks of Esphigmenou Monastery have been declared an illegal brotherhood by the spiritual leader of the Greek Orthodox Church, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomeos, over a dispute regarding improving ties with the Catholic Church, which the monks vehemently oppose.
In 2002 Bartholomeos ordered their eviction from the 10th-Century Mount Athos monastery but they refused to obey. Moraitis said that the eviction order delivered to them last week was aimed at having them vacate the premises so that the management of the monastic community can get its hands on the monastery’s assets.
The Church doesn’t recognize the position of those inside the monastery as monks and a war of words has lingered for years between the leaders of the Greek Orthodox Church and the ultra-Orthodox self-styled monks inside the monastery.
Thank you for the exact quotation
Both proudly trace a physical congregational continuity to the early church. Seems to me to be a deep seated touchiness in both communions. A more “evangelical” point of view, which depends less on human institutions and more on the universality of faith consistent with early witness, would free both of them from most if not all of the bitterness. Many modern Baptist congregations, for instance, could boast, if they wanted, in their physical lineage (to the Church of England, to the Roman Catholic church, to the early church), but they don’t; they are fairly allergic to that kind of theology, and it appears that this disdain for it has very salutary effects.
Catholics and Orthodox disagree on the dates of Christmas and Easter.
While the Orthodox church claims council at Nice was inspired, yet it rejects the canons of Nicea on the date of Easter which the Catholics accept.
Universal papal jurisdiction was a rather large dogfight in 588-606 AD.
Although the Orthodox reject Papal infallibility, the decisions of the orthodox synods are considered infallible.
The Immaculate Conception is utterly rejected by the Orthodox.
The orthodox baptized by full immersion (thrice), the Catholics sprinkle.
In the Orthodox Church married men can become priests. In the Catholic church men are forbidden to marry. (except for one small part of the world)
The Roman Catholic church introduced instrumental music no earlier than the 7th century and the Orthodox church has never used instrumental music, but like the apostles, sang without instrument.
In Catholic communion, the cup is withheld from the members, while the Orthodox float the "crouton looking" bread cubes in the wine. Catholics believe the bread and wine (transubstantiation) become the literal body of Christ when the priest says, "this is my body". The Orthodox disagrees and says the change takes place at prayer. Catholics use unleavened bread, while Orthodox use leavened bread. Orthodox must keep a ridged schedule of fasts in order to have communion every week, but the most common practice is a minimum of four times a year during the four Orthodox Lents "Christmas, Easter, Peter and Paul, The virgin Mary. Catholics on the other hand, must not eat the hour before, to have communion every day. In the end, Orthodox offer communion weekly and Catholics daily. In practice most Orthodox laity have communion four times year and Catholics weekly. So which of these two traditions is the one the apostles used? All this proves that they have no valid "apostolic tradition", otherwise they would all agree! They differ on the frequency of communion, the fasting requirements and the actual method of partaking.
Transubstantiation is a false doctrine that says the bread and grape juice of the Lord's supper actually molecularly change to become the flesh and blood of Jesus. Of course this old doctrine was formulated before the advent of molecular microscopes which see no change. For Catholics the "Transubstantiation" occurs when the priest says the words, "this is my body". For Orthodox the change occurs when the priest offers the prayer of thanks.
The "Filioque" scandal: Following the Nicene creed, the Orthodox Church believed the Holy Spirit proceeded from the Father alone. Then in 1054 AD the Roman church added to the wording of the Nicene creed "And the Son" or the "Filioque." The Roman church believed the Holy Spirit proceeded from BOTH the Father and the Son.
Orthodox keeps the original Nicene Creed, accepted by the Universal Church, East and West, during the first millennium without the addition of "And the Son" or the "Filioque." It accepts, on faith, Christ's words in the Gospel, that the Father is the Unoriginate Source of the Life of the Trinity, with the Only-Begotten Son and the Holy Spirit Proceeding from the Father Alone. We cannot know how the Begetting of the Son and the Proceeding of the Spirit from the same Father is different, only that it is and this distinguishes the two Persons. From: http://www.bible.ca/catholic-vs-orthodox.htm
Now that’s zeal!
If they don’t believe in the Immaculate Conception, why all this Theotokos stuff
Southern Baptists launch pre-emptive strikes against Assemblies of God
Theotokos, “God-bearer,” is a statement about the nature of Jesus Christ. The Greek Orthodox call the Virgin Mary “Panagia,” which means “All-Holy,” although they do not, as far as I understand, exactly affirm the Immaculate Conception. This is (further disclaimer regarding my possibly being wrong) because of differences in the understanding of Original Sin. Or maybe they’re more like differences in expressing the understanding of Original Sin.
I wonder what Greeks call flaming gas projectiles ... it can’t be “Molotov cocktails”!
The Roman Catholic Church's dogma called the "Immaculate Conception" refers to the idea that Mary was conceived without a sin nature and that she never sinned in her earthly life. This is not the same doctrine of Jesus, the Messiah, being born of a virgin. The Orthodox Church (of which I am not a member, JFTR) does believe in the Virgin birth and sinlessness of Jesus. Where they differ from the Catholic Church is in the dogma concerning Mary.
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