The Confession of Cyril Lucaris

The Voice ^ | 1692 | Cyril Lucaris

[the_conscience]

This Caucus is open to all Protestants who confess the 5 Solas which are: Justification by grace alone, through faith alone, because of Christ alone, to the glory of God alone and Scripture as the rule of faith alone. It is open to all Eastern Orthodox. If you are Protestant and do not subscribe to the five solas please do not participate. Roman Catholics please do not trash our thread. We're trying to have a friendly dialogue here.

[wideawake]

I'm not trashing the thread, but it should be pointed out that the Eastern Orthodox Church formally condemned each Reformed thesis in this Confession point by point at the Synod of Jerusalem.

The fathers of that Synod went so far as to state that the Confession must have been a forgery (pretty much every historian would dispute that and would consider it an authentic work of Lucaris).

Lucaris cannot legitimately be represented as in the mainstream of Orthodox theology, as much as Reformed believers would like for him to be. His position is similar to that of Bessarion, whom Catholics would like to think of as being in the mainstream of Orthodox theology, but who was not either.

[rwfromkansas]

Interesting post.

[the_conscience]

They just can’t help themselves. Please remove post.

[lastchance]

I hope this is not trashing. From the article
“We believe in one God, true, Almighty, and in three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; the Father unbegotten, the Son begotten of the Father before the world, consubstantial with the Father; the Holy Spirit proceeding from the Father by the Son, having the same essence with the Father and the son. We call these three persons in one essence the Holy Trinity, ever to be blessed, glorified, and worshipped by every creature.”

One of the biggest causes of schism remaining between the Eastern Church and the Western Church is the Filoque clause added to the Nicene Creed in the West. I wonder if the Nicene Creed in the Western Church was changed to state “the Holy Spirit proceeding from the Father by the Son,” if that would correctly reflect both Eastern and Western universal teachings on the Holy Spirit and end the Filoque controversy?

[the_conscience]

Good question!

[lastchance]

Your source and post gives the impression that Greek Orthodox teaching is compatible with Reformed Theology. It is not. This is not in any way an attempt to trash the five solas and it would be interesting to understand why the doctrine did not gain a foothold in the East.

Are the five solas strongly Western? How does the influence of the writings of Saint Augustine on Calvin prejudice Eastern theologians of the 16th century? When Cyril Lucaris wrote about the “Church” did he mean a visible church?

You did list this as an Eastern Orthodox caucus so I think a discussion of Eastern Orthodox beliefs is not out of place nor is it trashing.

[xzins]

Interesting indeed. Is this still the faith of the Eastern Orthodox?

I would buy into each of the chapters above with the exception that I had difficulty understanding the last half of chapter 13.

[don-o]

Is this still the faith of the Eastern Orthodox?

No. Never was. Never will be.

[the_conscience]

Are you Eastern Orthodox. If not, why is it so hard to follow the rules?

[the_conscience]

“I had difficulty understanding the last half of chapter 13.”

I think he’s just saying works don’t MERIT justification.

[Augustinian monk]

“Lucaris cannot legitimately be represented as in the mainstream of Orthodox theology, as much as Reformed believers would like for him to be.”

The source website is Wesley-Arminian.

[xzins]

did cyril patriarch of constantinople not write it?

[Nosterrex]

There have been several attempts at rewording the Creed, such as the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father through the Son. The disagreement between the East and West is the difference between origin and agent. The West, in order to safeguard the divinity of Christ, added the Filioque. It makes the Son and the Father the origin of the Holy Spirit. The East places the origin of the Son and the Holy Spirit from the Father alone. Jesus is the agent of the Spirit, namely, he sends the Spirit.

[Titus Quinctius Cincinnatus]

This Caucus is open to all Protestants who confess the 5 Solas which are: Justification by grace alone, through faith alone, because of Christ alone, to the glory of God alone and Scripture as the rule of faith alone. It is open to all Eastern Orthodox. If you are Protestant and do not subscribe to the five solas please do not participate. Roman Catholics please do not trash our thread. We're trying to have a friendly dialogue here.

What if you're not a Protestant, a Catholic, or an Eastern Orthodox, but you do hold to the five solas, despite not being a Calvinist?

[lastchance]

I do apologize. I honestly thought if it was kept within the bounds of topic it was o.k. to comment. I am not Eastern Orthodox but do have an interest in Eastern theology especially as it is received by the Eastern Rite Catholic Churches. I did not mean any disprespect and my question was meant for historical reflection. And not as any bashing of the belief in the five solas.

Again I apologize and I would enjoy reading responses from EO freepers. Who knows maybe the whole Filoque controversy can be ironed out right in this thread.

[wagglebee]

The Head of that Church (because a mortal man by no means can be) is Jesus Christ alone, and He holds the rudder of the government of the Church in His own hand. Because, however, there are on earth particular visible Churches, every one of them has one chief, who is not properly to be called [head] of that particular Church, but improperly, because he is the principal member of it.

This statement clearly refers to the pope, so the caucus designation needs to come off.

Nevermind the FACT that the Confession of Cyril Lucaris what totally rejected by the Orthodox at the Synod of Jerusalem in the late 17th Century.

[arielguard]

“Interesting indeed. Is this still the faith of the Eastern Orthodox?”

“Is this still”, assumes it ever was. Well, I’m very sorry but it never was. Nor will it ever be.

[the_conscience]

My goodness! This thread is be overrun by Romanists.

Can I get a witness?!

[wagglebee]

See my post #17, you have NOTHING to apologize for.