Quote by Dr. Jeannie Constantinou

 

 

Scripture is God’s condescension to human beings. We have to always remember that all human language is inadequate to talk about God.


Source:

http://ancientfaith.com/podcasts/aftoday/the_eastern_orthodox_approach_to_the_bible



In the article, “Rationalism and Fundamentalism,” we quoted what some Saints of the Church had to say about conveying God’s language into ours.

In his work, The Hexaemeron, St. Basil the Great says the following:

"It must be well understood that when we speak of the voice, of the word, of the command of God, this divine language does not mean to us a sound which escapes from the organs of speech, a collision of air struck by the tongue; it is a simple sign of the will of God, and, if we give it the form of an order, it is only the better to impress the souls whom we instruct." (Hexaemeron II: 7)

St. Gregory of Nyssa, on his part, has this to say:

"…human speech finds it impossible to express the reality which transcends all thought and all concept; and he who obstinately tries to express it in words, unconsciously offends God." (Commentary on Ecclesiastes, Homily 7)

And, again, he writes:

"Lifted out of himself by the Spirit, (the Prophet David) glimpsed in that blessed ecstasy God’s infinity and incomprehensible beauty. He saw as much as a mere mortal can see, leaving the covering of the flesh, and by thought alone entering into the divine vision of that immaterial and spiritual realm. And though yearning to say something which would do justice to his vision, he can only cry out (in words that all can echo after him): I said in mine ecstasy, every man is a liar (Psalm 115:2 ). And this I take to mean that anyone who attempts to portray that ineffable Light in language is truly a liar — not because of any abhorrence of the truth, but merely because of the infirmity of his explanation." (From the Homily on Virginity)

Thanks to John Sanidopoulos, source:

http://www.johnsanidopoulos.com/2010/05/why-orthodox-christians-prefer_27.html

Russia's 'gay propaganda' bill fights discrimination - Lavrov

Published time: February 26, 2013 17:03

The Foreign Minister said Russia’s draft law banning homosexual propaganda protects the rights of the majority from a group that wants to promote its own value system.
"We don't want reverse discrimination to occur: when one group of citizens has the right to aggressively forward their values, which differ from those of the majority of the population, and moreover imposing them on children," Lavrov said.

Russia’s draft bill, which has already passed the lower chamber of the Russian parliament, is specifically designed to prevent any kind of discrimination, Lavrov said, noting that “we have no commitment to permit propaganda, which is very aggressive as a rule.”

Homosexuals can go about their business freely and unpunished, and it fits within the framework of the obligations of all countries to forbid discrimination because of any given attribute, he added.

The Russian minister’s comments were in response to complaints by Dutch Foreign Minister Franciscus Timmermans, who urged the State Duma not to impose a ban on homosexual propaganda because it could “breach fundamental rights and freedoms declared by international agreement.”

According to Timmermans, Moscow said it would abide by international commitments and will wait to see what transpires, but he along with EU foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton and other European ministers had asked the State Duma not to pass the law.

Lavrov responded that Russia has no law forbidding homosexual behavior between consenting adults, but it has a right to prohibit the proliferation of ‘homosexual propaganda.’

The Russian minister based his comments on the fact that there is “no single universal or common European commitment to permit homosexual propaganda.” The only criterion is the commitments undertaken by countries at universal or common European institutes, he said.

Sergey Lavrov said that Russia has the sovereign right to uphold its national traditions.

We cannot undertake such a commitment even theoretically because we (must consider the) moral values and the historical, cultural and religious traditions of our society, the minister added.


Source:

http://rt.com/politics/lavrov-homosexual-propaganda-united-nations-law-466/

Pure Orthodoxy: A Question for Our Times/Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew

Pure Orthodoxy: A Question for Our Times

Upon his timely and historic visit to the United States, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew eloquently expounded on the relationship between Orthodox Tradition and culture in an address which he presented at his convocation and conferral of the Doctor of Divinity degree on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of Holy Cross School of Theology in Brookline, Massachusetts on October 30, 1997. His message, titled “Pure Orthodoxy: A Question for Our Times,” addressed many crucial issues relevant to the situation of our Church in America. Below is an excerpt from this speech given to the students and faculty of Hellenic College/Holy Cross School of Theology.

This gathering in mutual honor gives to our Modesty an opportunity to address, in love, a few fatherly words about the need to preserve the pure truth of Orthodoxy in this country and in our contemporary age. In America, just as in a great melting-pot, cultures and religions blend in the search for a new synthesis and faith, manufactured by man, and wrongly hope that it will unite all people around it, and will set us free from religious divisions and opposition.

First of all, we ought to assuage our fellow man, who might think that our message is one of disunity, for such is not the case. The Orthodox Church feels and lives Her catholicity as a salvific embrace of openness to all, not only for those who belong to Her or who are kindly disposed to Her, but even to Her enemies and persecutors. What is more, the Church clearly forbids Her members from every fanatical and divisive tendency. As the Church accepts all of creation as very good (the body and soul of man, the material and spiritual world), so does She accept every person, “Jew and Greek, male and female, bond and free.” Indifferent to these and all the other distinctions, She accepts all people as children of God and brethren of Her faithful members. And even if She worships God in a special and unique way, excluding the non-Orthodox from Her worship, according to the example of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who gave to us the lofty and sacred Mysteries in the “Mystical” Supper, in all the rest of the life of the faithful, She does not divide them from the rest of humanity. As the author from among the first Christians characteristically wrote to Diogenetes, Christians “follow customs not belonging to the world in their raiment and way of life and living ... they believe in certain laws ... they uphold the world.”

Orthodoxy is a lived and continuously living truth. It is not a truth which is comprehended intellectually and received through some cold-hearted belief. It is truth, which is revealed to us by the incarnate Son and Logos of God, and from that time is confirmed experientially through the heart’s assurance by divine grace. It invites change in the whole mentality of the believer, which change confers substantial transformations in his inner condition as regards the world, his fellow man and his God, as in the sanctification of his behavior by grace. These changes of his condition and his life does not lead to isolation and quarrels with his fellow man, but to an abundance of joy, enthusiasm, peace, love toward all and, to employ the words of the Apostle Paul, lead to the fulfillment of his Christian vocation through the fruits of the Holy Spirit, which are “love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness, self-control.”

As we have said, Orthodoxy is a lived truth. This means that it is lived dogma. The Brother of God, Iakovos, writes about this in his Catholic Epistle, when he says “show me your faith by your deeds.” That is, deeds reveal belief, not as an abstract concept, but as genuine content. For of one sort are the deeds of a believing Orthodox, of another sort are the deeds in the example of Hinduism. Consequently, the deeds of Orthodox Christians reveal the careful observation which is the content of our faith. We are not speaking about sins and failings, to which we incline out of weakness; we are speaking about works in accordance with our attempts to do what is right. For example, the way of chanting in the Holy Churches reveals eloquently if the faithful give a greater significance to contrition or to aesthetic enjoyment. Likewise, the manner of iconography reveals if greater importance is given to the natural light, or to the uncreated light which illumines the saints from within; to the natural condition and natural comeliness, or to the supernatural beauty, for which we are reaching. The manner in which we arrange seating in Church manifests our right worship, or our excessive concern for comfort, and so on.

Because of this, the Orthodox Church, aside from Her basic teaching, which contains the Symbol of Faith [Creed] and the sacred Catechism, does not demand from the faithful a hair-splitting concern with Her dogmatic teaching. Rather, the Church dissuades the majority from doing so because of the danger of misinterpretation and error. However, the Church preserves the dogmatic teaching unalloyed with great care, and calls that teaching to mind, when She sees an erroneous way of life being followed, which reveals a faulty understanding about the truth, that is, a faulty understanding about the realities such as our Lord Jesus Christ, Who is Himself the Truth, or the Church, which is the Body of Christ. In these circumstances, the Church reveals by the Holy Spirit the correct dogma, the correct truth, so that She might teach the correct life and give peace to troubled souls.

Orthodox Christians who live in a country where full religious freedom reigns and where adherents of various religions live side by side, the country of the United States of America which has been so hospitable to us, constantly see various ways of living and are in danger of being beguiled by certain of them, without examining if their way of life is consonant with the Orthodox Faith. Constant vigilance and constant watchfulness are needed, especially by the shepherds, who are particularly responsible for the protection of the Orthodox inheritance of the faith. Already, many of the old and new Orthodox, who with zeal are deepening their understanding and living of the Orthodox truth, are stressing a continually expanding tendency of secularization, that is, a tendency of judging ecclesiastical subjects and problems by worldly criteria, with a debasement of ecclesiastical criteria. They are also stressing, from ignorance, a substitution of specific and general Orthodox dogmatic positions and understandings, with Protestant and Roman Catholic ones, as in the case of an overvaluation of personal opinion, indifference to dogma, and recrimination at the expense of character or practical virtue. They also stress many extraneous liturgical customs out of an ignorance of the rich symbolism of each liturgical action and its deeper meaning, with the result that they become, in certain instances, arbitrary and altered.

The subject of the quality and faithfulness of the translations of ecclesiastical and liturgical texts into English that are being used requires special attention. Already one can note that in many instances, not only are these inferior, but they are seen unconsciously introducing wrong beliefs and even heretical notions into Orthodox worship. The conveyance of subtle and precise meanings of sacred texts and of the poetical hymnology of the Orthodox Church into another language is a most difficult task. Even the best knowledge of both languages is not enough. It demands holiness of life, for only then does the translator enter into the depths of divine meanings and is able to convey them faithfully into another language. It is sufficient to observe that only Saint John Chrysostom abbreviated the Divine Liturgy of Saint Basil the Great, that Saints Cyril and Methodios successfully translated sacred texts into the Slavic language, and after them, holy persons successfully translated other texts into other languages. Many of the Saints translated into new languages hitherto untranslated ecclesiastical terminology and thus enriched these languages with thousands of new foreign words from the Greek language.

The ecclesiastical language of the prototypes is poetic, lofty, rich, deep and draws those who hear it to spiritual ascents, to a place where the sacred and wondrous mystery is perfected, where the Most High Triune God is worshipped. It is not fitting that this worship be rendered prosaically into the usual everyday language, but through a subtle and exalted clarity, be rendered in such a way that the hearer is transported to another reality, to another higher world. Besides, the whole performance of liturgy aims at this mystagogical elevation to the Throne of God, before Whom the Trisagion Hymn is sung with the Cherubim. The amazement at the sacred vestments, the contrite psalmody, the fragrance of the incense, the environment of the Church decorated with sacred figures, the unique quality of the architecture - all these things transport us to the other reality, [which is] the Church. Within all this sanctity, we ought not use everyday language, which brings us down once again to earth.

We know that many will say that the meanings of the prayers, the troparia, the readings and the rest of the liturgical texts must be understood. In principle, this is correct, but that which hinders understanding is not so much the form of the language, as much as it is the lack of familiarity on the part of the hearers with the meanings of our faith. Not a single text is comprehensible without familiarity by the reader and the hearer of its content. Impoverishment not capable beyond only certain limits, will little support the understanding of a musical or medical book. That which is required for the unfamiliar is a simplified expression. In the Orthodox Church this ought to be done through preaching, through study and through similar means, and not through the enfeebling popularization of sacred texts, for its own sake. Besides, as we said, these texts call us and ought to remain invitations to ascend.

Through all of this, we do not take sides against translations. Rather, the Orthodox Church has always recommended that the people be taught the faith and worship God in their own language. We draw your attention, however, to concern over quality, dogmatic exactitude and a loftier language for translations.

Another subject, in which special attention is required, is the subject of the mixture, sometimes, of different local traditions with Orthodox Tradition. As is well known, the Orthodox Church came to America through immigrants, who brought to America at the same time their Orthodox Faith and their local or ethnic traditions. We respect these traditions and we congratulate those who make an effort to preserve them. However, we must distinguish them from the Orthodox Tradition. This has a special significance for those coming to Orthodoxy from other Confessions, who do not relate with the country of provenance of the community in which they are enrolled, for they have no obligation to follow the local traditions of the national provenance of the community, but only those of Orthodoxy. This certainly does not mean that the other members of the community are deterred in any way, rather we encourage them to preserve the traditions of their people. As regards, however, to our people we encourage them to keep the beautiful traditions of our race. This simply means that whatever traditions do not relate to Orthodoxy, but to other parts of our life, ought not to be imposed on the newcomers as a so-called part of Orthodoxy. For example, ethnic choirs of different Christian peoples ought not to be imposed as an obligation on our brethren committed to Orthodoxy of another nationality.

The offering [of this example] of our brothers and sisters brings us to another serious spiritual problem, which we ought to face. It is the problem of the suitable reception and instruction of those coming to Orthodoxy from another dogma or religion. As is known, Orthodox ecclesiastical communities were established by groups of immigrants of a certain ancestry, with the purpose of serving them and their descendants. The Orthodox Church is open to all, however, for it has pleased the Lord in these latter days that the seed of truth should bear much fruit in the hearts of many non-Orthodox, who are returning to the Mother Church. We must prepare how we are to receive them suitably. The fitting manner of their reception has many wrinkles, from problems of language to their meeting in love, from the knowledge of their peculiarities, the remains of their former beliefs and mentality, and adapting to their needs for catechism and preaching, to their correct living out of the practical consequences of being Orthodox. This issue is serious and large and will be faced henceforth more frequently. For this reason and without setting forth solutions at this time, we propose that this occupy you seriously and that it occupy you continuously.

The aforementioned do not mean that these problems exist in all the parishes, or that they have impact everywhere. However, they do comprise a cautionary note for all of us to be vigilant about. This vigilance is the command of the Lord. The Lord said “watch and pray that you enter not into temptation,” meaning surely temptations as regards the truth, which temptation is significantly more insidious. For usually, all of us notice the temptation to sin, and perchance we fall, we repent, are confessed and are restored. But if we fall into the temptation of error as regards the faith, with great difficulty can we discern it, and sometimes we remain in our error, rejecting the suggestion that we return to the correct path.

There is, therefore, a great need in these critical times, that we watch, so not to fall into the temptation of error concerning the faith, or a further course away from our faith. In this matter, the responsibility of the professors and students of this Theological School is even greater. For they have the necessary means and are able to note the stealthy insinuations which find their way into Orthodox teachings and life these days, even that which is written from a non-Orthodox perspective. It is not right for our newly-enlightened brethren, full of zeal, to point out such issues, before we have done so ourselves.

We hope that it will be a joint effort on all our parts to remove every inimical and worldly effect from our Orthodox Faith, and that the Orthodox Faith may be preserved pure and unalloyed in America. We close our talk with our heartfelt paternal and Patriarchal prayer that we see our faith be true to itself and untainted, and that those who labor in this work may have the blessing of our Lord Jesus Christ.

May His grace, and the infinite mercy of the Father, and the illumination of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.

 

thanks to:

 

http://www.johnsanidopoulos.com/2013/02/pure-orthodoxy-question-for-our-times.html

 

Book of Revelation Fr. Thomas hopko part V

continued by Fr. Paul Tarazi...

 

 

April 2 The Millennial Reign

 

 

1 April 9 Summary by Tarazi

This last lecture of our series on the Apocalypse will cover the sections on the Book of Revelation from Fr. Paul

Tarazi’s book, “New Testament Introduction, vol.3: Johannine Writings”, pp.9-127. Most of the ideas will reinforce

the material from Hopko’s audio lecture series. However, a few ideas may be presented.

Introduction- Background

The Johannine Literature, p.11

In the midst of persecution, Revelation began to circulate as an impassioned exhortation to the faithful to stand

firm and not betray their faith even at the cost of their lives. It assured its hearers that despite all appearances God

was still in complete control of human affairs, even though so many who were apparently His people abandoned

Him and did well, whole those who stood fast for Him suffered terribly.

John’s portrayal of everyone around Jesus either abandoning Him o following him for the wrong reason sends a

clear message: do not judge the truth of the gospel by the numbers of people who confess or reject it. Rather seek the

truth from its only genuine source, Jesus Christ the Word—that is, from Jesus Christ as communicated to you by the

written word of this Gospel book.

Sonship to Abrham is based on acceptance of the divine promise fulfilled in Christ rather than on biological

inheritance. John’ focus on Christ the Word also led him to concentrate equally on the Holy Spirit as the carrier of

the Word.

What matters for the Church is not individuals who come and go but the Word and the Spirit, which remain

reliable and steadfast guides without boundaries in time or space.

The Identity of “John the Theologian”

Individual vs. Corporate Authorship- even today it takes several people to write, edit, publish, print and distribute

a book. The “Pauline Epistles” are the work not exclusively of one man but of a close knit group who all had the

same conception of what the “gospel of Jesus Christ” was all about. The gospels are much more complex creations

than the Pauline Epistles.

The text of John follows Mark very closely. Another interesting fact is that the associate of Paul and Peter who

went by the name “Mark” (Col.4:10; 2Thess.3:17; 1Tim.6:21; 2Tim.4:11; Philemon 1:24; 1Pet.5:13) also went by

the name “John” (see Acts 12:12,25; 15:37,39).

I believe that the author of John, Revelation and 1John is none other than the author of the earliest Gospel (Mark).

He lived for two decades after the original writing of the first gospel (Mark) before a new historical situation made

him realize it was time once again to set pen to paper. Seeing persecution begin to drive people away from the Faith,

he wrote a searing commentary of apostasy and glorification of martyrdom (Revelation). Once the immediate danger

was over, he wrote a new Gospel that more directly addressed the new situation of a Gentile Church on it own,

abandoned by its Jewish brothers and about to lose one its last leaders who had nearly the statute of Paul himself.

The “school of John” is an element within the ‘school of Paul”, which is, contrary to much of modern biblical

scholarship, the one and only “school” responsible for the creation of entire New Testament.

The Message of Revelation, p.17

Apocalyptic literature was typically written in response to persecution. It was an attempt to exhort believers to

remain true to their faith even at the cost of their own lives.

The seven letters to seven churches is merely a literary device. In reality the apocalypse is itself one letter to each

and every church.

John had to convince his readers that physical pain and suffering and death would be worth choosing when a

normal, comfortable life was the alternative.

Christ figures in Revelation as the prototypical martyr.

The Language of Revelation, p.19

All scriptural books are works of literature. None had the primary purpose to record history as it actually

happened. They are not “histories” in the modern sense as an attempt at impartial analysis of events. They are

unabashedly one-sided analyses of the meaning of the events they record. Revelation is essentially an extended

2

parable. It does not contain a road map to future human events. Indeed, no scriptural book was written for such a

purpose and in the Gospels Jesus Himself warns the people not to speculate on such matters.

Revelation leaves the hearer with an expansive, clear, and powerful picture of a world in which evil seems to be in

control but is enjoying only a fleeting dominance until God finally uproots it completely. The author’s certainty in

his vision is reflected in how long and detailed it is.

The scripture, for believers, has a message to convey; its medium is literature; and it makes the most effective

possible use of literary methods to convey its message.

Excursus on Number Symbolism, p.22

The number ‘three’ conveys a sense of assuredness. See example. of Jesus rising on the third day. Useless debates

distract from the importance of the number itself which meant to convey that Jesus was indeed/assuredly dead.

The number ‘four’, depending on context can refer to totality, a house or a temple. ‘Five’ frequently alludes to the

Law (the five books of the Pentateuch). ‘Seven’ expresses divinity and/or fullness. ‘Six’ expresses evil as taking on

the appearance of good, a paragon of evil masquerading as good. ‘Three and a half (3.5)’ suggests a human realm

(half of seven). ‘Ten’ or multiples of ten are used in reference to numbers of people and suggests a large number that

represents totality. ‘Twelve’ refers to 12 tribes of Israel and alludes to ‘all Israel.’ ‘Forty’ means a ‘very long time’

and when used with ‘years’ represents one generation. Regarding the 144,000, it stresses all of Israel will be saved.

However, remember that “Israel” in the NT means those who accept Christ or Christians or the Church. The point is

to leave the reader feeling assured that no one who stands firm for his/her faith will be left out. This is a prime

example of how modern literal interpretation leads to an understanding diametrically opposite from what the author

intended.

Numbers are usually paired with a unit of measure (days, weeks, years, etc.) but one must not lay too much

emphasis on the unit. It is usually the number that conveys the intended meaning. There is no intention in Revelation

to speak of literal succession of historical periods. Rather, it is an extended discussion of Judgment Day, a look at

the “day of the Lord” from a series of different perspectives. Repetition serves to emphasize the conclusion: martyrs

will end up victorious even though they appear to be defeated, while the persecutors and the Christians who think

they can save themselves by betraying their faith will wind up defeated even though they appear to be victorious.

The Gospel of John, p.25

Tarazi is convinced that John knew Mark well (actually, was himself the author) and followed closely, and also

that he knew Luke and used it where it suited him.

In John, virtually everyone misunderstands Jesus and His message. Even Jesus’ disciples—the prototypical church

leaders—can and do miss the mark. Those who remain in the Church must be on their guard against false

understandings of the gospel advocated by church members themselves.

So, just as the OT scripture criticized and corrected Israel, so does the NT gospel word criticize and correct the

church membership.

The Word, the Spirit, and Scripture in John, p.28

Christians were to be governed by the Holy Spirit speaking from the heavenly Jerusalem rather than by all too

fallible human voices speaking from the earthly Jerusalem.

The Word brings the Spirit, and the Spirit is the guarantor and judge of the truth of the Word (see Ezekiel 1-2).

Jesus as the Word in Luke brings about the Spirit in Acts, and the Spirit in Acts effectively makes Jesus present even

after He has departed. Thus, the plan for the Church’s guidance is clear: Jesus Himself will lead His Church through

His Spirit.

For Paul, the Spirit had functioned partly as a replacement for the authority of the temple: God speaks to His

people directly through the Spirit, not through the temple hierarchy.

The Spirit, unlike the incarnate Jesus, had no limitations of time and space and could effectively guide a growing,

far-flung community doing in effect what Jesus could not.

In John’s gospel the Word is the basis for the granting of the Spirit, and the Spirit always works through the Word

and communicates the Word. Only the written Word can fulfill the function of being available everywhere and

through endless generations while remaining one and the same Word. John’s gospel Word can bring life but only if

it is understood correctly and only the Holy Spirit can ensure that correct understanding.

Part I: Revelation

Invitation to All Believers to Martyrdom, p.39

Introduction (1:1-3)

Revelation, like Galatians, begins with a concerted attempt to put a stop to some believers’ separating themselves

from their brethren out of fear of earthly authorities.

References to the ‘angel of God’ in the Gospels and Acts may often be taken as an allusion to Paul as God’s

messenger.

3

Jesus is presented as the prototypical martyr.

Salutation (1:4-8)

The book of Revelation is formally a letter intended for public reading in all Christian churches. Seven churches

emphasizes the message is for God’s church as a whole.

“He who is, who was and who is to come” (v.4) introduces God the Father.

Earlier, in Paul’s day, the earthly Jerusalem was claiming jurisdiction over all Christians and was using its

authority to undermine Paul’s proclamation of freedom for Gentiles from circumcision and the rest of the Jewish

Law. Now, the conflict is between Paul’s gospel and Roman state religion, and Rome is using its authority to

undermine these same churches from a different angle.

The believer must obey Christ as king over and above even the seemingly all-powerful Roman emperor and all the

authorities commanded by him.

A Vision of Christ (1:9-20), p.46

Obedience to Christ is required, but there is not guarantee of a calm and peaceful life. Believers who hope to enjoy

the Lord’s kingdom must also share in his ‘patient endurance’ of ‘tribulation’.

One Message to All the Churches (2-3)

Anyone who reads or hears these chapters can hardly miss the point that it is the totality of all the messages that

expresses the totality of what the Son of Man has to say to believers.

A Call to Martyrdom, p.49

No one who ‘hears what the Spirit says to the churches’ can relax in certain expectation of getting to enjoy these

wonderful blessings, for they are only for those who ‘conquer’, which does not necessarily mean every believer or

church member.

Revelation leaves no doubt that Christ’s victory was effected through His death, and His followers share in that

victory by sharing in the ultimate self-sacrifice. This book portrays no other path to victory.

Revelation offers a new, elaborate depiction of life in the hereafter that portrays it in the brightest imaginable

terms, combined with a stark reminder that the believer may well lose his inheritance at any point before he dies.

Accepting death by martyrdom is the only sure way to attain the promised life after death. It is as though the martyr,

by the fact of his self-sacrifice, already passes through God’s judgment and receives the verdict of ‘victor’.

Pauline Terminology, p.53

There are many parallels between Revelation and Paul’s letters.

Revelation 4-5, p.55

Apocalyptic literature seeks to reassure its readers that despite all appearances to the contrary, God has absolute

control over the events of history. A picture is worth a thousand words. Thus, a few words that convey concrete

imagery can be far more powerful than long passages of abstract philosophizing.

Therefore, in place of a theological statement about the divine majesty of God, chapter four paints a vivid picture

of the heavenly court from which God reigns as creator and absolute monarch of the universe.

The Heavenly Court (Chapter 4), p.57

???

The Scroll and the Lamb (Chapter 5), p.59

The Pauline conception of scripture is that its meaning can be revealed only by Christ (vv.6-10).

The lamb’s divinity is testified to by his seven horns and seven eyes. Horns symbolizes fullness of divine power

and eyes symbolize the fullness of knowledge required of a just judge.

The Seven Seals and Seven Trumpets, p.63

The Structure of the Remainder of Revelation

As in all ancient literatures, which did not have the luxury of changing typefaces or sizes, italicizing, underscoring

or even punctuating, repetition in the Bible served to underscore a point the author considered important. Extended

repetition conveys the notion of assuredness. The main message is that bad things will happen, but regardless of

what happens, Christ ‘is coming soon.’

The Sets of Seven, p.64

Based on the conventions of ancient literature, each successive set of seven does not depict new and different

events chronologically following its predecessors. So, one does not move ahead in time but rather, deeper in one’s

assuredness of God’s superiority over one’s foes.

The First Four Seals (6:1-8), p.66

By opening the long series of dark visions with a bright one, John is already setting the entire message of the book

under the aegis of hope. The rider on the white horse will ultimately bring salvation (19:11-21) is all along in control

of the entire scene.

4

The Fifth and Sixth Seals (6:9-17)

The martyrs’ special status is reflected in their ‘white robes’ (v.11). Their location ‘under the altar’ that stands

before God in the temple, also suggests their unique closeness to God. They will wait in a most secure spot, in God’s

presence, for Him to eventually ‘avenge their blood.’

The 144,000 of God’s Israel Sealed (Chapter 7)

The number applies to those who have not yet been martyred but will be. It was not meant to be taken literally but

as a symbolic of the fullness of God’s people. The number is meant to be inclusive rather than exclusive for it means

all the martyrs among the believers, Jews and Gentiles alike “from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and

tongues” (v.9).

The martyrs, through their sacrificial deaths, have already attained the blessings everyone else must wait to receive

after a positive verdict at the Last Judgment.

The Seventh Seal and the First Four Trumpets (Chapter 8), p.70

The number ‘three’ is frequently used for emphasis or to symbolize completeness, especially with regard to God’s

plans.

The frightening imagery of chapters 8-18 warns that things may get worse before they get better. Through it all,

the believers must trust God and not give up. They can rest assured that if they do suffer martyrdom, it will only

mean that they will enjoy immediately the rewards that others must wait for until the Last Judgment.

The Fifth and Sixth Trumpets (Chapter 9), p.72

In scripture, locusts frequently serve as a metaphor for invading or attacking armies. Making them like scorpions

highlights the pain suffered by their victims. In this case, the allusion would be to Roman armies, possibly referring

to persecution of Christians that happened sporadically in Nero’s time (54-68AD) and more systematically in the

time of Domitian (81-96AD).

Revelation’s unique task is to give people facing possible death the certainty and courage they need to be able to

give their life rather than apostatize. Ironically, it is through their death that the martyrs avoid being truly ‘harmed’.

One is not to imagine evil armies attacking innocent victims. The real cause for all the human suffering is human

wickedness. In verses 20-21, the obvious implication is that the first third died for the their sins and the rest are on

the way toward the same fate. This shows John’s deep reliance on the OT prophets (see Jeremiah 5:3).

The Angel and the Little Scroll (Chapter 10), p.75

???

Two Martyrs (11:1-14), p.77

“Clothed in sackcloth’ indicates they are delivering a call to repentance and perhaps that they are bemoaning the

people’s refusal to repent. The two martyrs represent the OT as a whole, Moses & Elijah, Law and Prophets.

“Great city” serves as a symbol of any highly organized system of human authority.

The Seventh Trumpet (11:15-19), p.82

The sounding of the seventh trumpet proclaims the eternal reign of God and His Christ over the earth.

The Forbearance of the Martyrs, p.87

The Woman and the Dragon (Chapter 12)

“Sea” in OT is primarily linked to Exodus event when God subdued its waters to save His people Israel. In John’s

day, ‘the sea’ was the Mediterranean around which the Roman Empire held sway and thus became its symbol.

Women often serve as symbols of communities in scripture, and here the dragon’s enmity toward Mary, the

mother of Jesus, represents his enmity toward all who believe in Jesus.

The Orthodox liturgical tradition reflects the same theme of Mary as symbol of the new Jerusalem in the ninth ode

of Pascha: “Shine, shine O new Jerusalem! Exult now and be glad O Zion! Be radiant O pure Theotokos in the

resurrection of your son!”

The First Beast (13:1-10), p.90

The intention of using ‘divine’ symbols is to present the representative of Satan in almost identical terms as Christ,

God’s representative. The similarities between Christ (the Lamb) and the beast go far beyond death and resurrection.

To name a few, both have multiple horns, both go out (at least for a time in the beast’s case) waging war and

conquering, both have followers who worship them, both have a throne and both have great power and authority.

The Second Beast (13:11-17), p.93

The intention is to cast this beast, too, as a deceiver of earth’s inhabitants (v.14). Its goal is to lure believers into

worshipping the first beast, and toward that end it uses its power over commerce. Most likely the first beast

represents Rome and the Roman emperor. The second represents some lesser Roman authority, perhaps a provincial

governor. Oppression did not always involve outright arrest, imprisonment and execution. Sometimes the most

powerful pressure of all was economic—to destroy the livelihood of any individuals or groups considered a threat.

5

Judaizing Christians were agitating these same communities to avoid Roman harassment by considering

themselves as an integral part of Judaism and proving it by requiring circumcision. It may well be that some of

Paul’s sufferings and his imprisonment came about precisely as a result of losing the battle to get his gospel

recognized by Rome as a legal religion without giving in to those who would require circumcision and observance

of the Jewish law.

The Number of the First Beast (13:18)

666 is 6 thrice for emphasis. The intention is to present it as appearing to be divine, yet not really divine: instead of

being 777 as God would have been, he is only 666, a fake divine being, yet close enough to be deceiving. In John’s

day, calculating a number from a name was much more readily understandable than it is today, for letters were

commonly use as numbers in written documents. Thus, the Greek for “Nero Ceasar” transliterated into Hebrew

would be “nrwn qsr”, which amounts to exactly 666, but it could be another Roman emperor.

The Son of the 144,000 (14:1-5), p.96

???

The Harvest of the Earth (14:6-20)

As Paul taught, judgment day holds the promise of God’s wrath for the evildoers as much as it does joy for the

faithful (see Rom.1:18 and 2:5-8).

“Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus”

(v.12).

The image of judgment as harvest comes from Paul also (see Gal.6:7-8)

Divine Retribution, p.101

The Angels with the Last Plagues (Chapter 15)

???

The Bowls of God’s Wrath (Chapter 16)

“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and wickedness of men who by their

wickedness suppress the truth” (Rom.1:18).

God punishes not merely because people have done evil, but because they have refused to stop doing it even in the

face of every possible incentive to repentance.

The Necessity of Watchfulness (16:15), p.103

In spite of the certainty of God’s victory, believers are not to sit back and relax in confidence that God’s wrath will

only be directed at others. Only the martyrs are absolutely assured of safety and security. The rest will have to face

judgment some day as we shall see later (20:11-15).

“So then, let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober” (1Thess.5:1-10). IOW, a believer who

is found sleeping at the Lord’s coming will end up in the company of those who worship the image of the beast.

The Great Harlot and the Beast (Chapter 17), p.105

If the harlot is Rome, then the beast is the Roman imperial authority (emperor) who projects the power of Rome

throughout the world. Rome is called the harlot because harlotry appears throughout the OT as a metaphor for sin

against the Lord, in particular for idolatry or worshipping other gods. It applies both to those who abandon God to

worship some other deity and to anyone who sets himself up as a deity to be worshipped in place of the one true

God.

The Fall of Babylon Revisited (Chapter 18), p.107

???

The New Jerusalem, p.109

The Three Hallelujah’s (19:1-4)

They repeatedly praise of God’s glory and power, which is what makes vengeance possible. Conversely, His

vengeance manifests his glory and power. In either case, the message is that God is mightier that the Ceasars of this

world.

The Marriage Supper of the Lamb, p.111

Christ appears as ‘bridegroom’.

The Rider on the White Horse, p.112

???

The Thousand Years: The Millenium (20:1-6), p.114

The number ten and its multiples is indicative of the totality of some large number that cannot be exactly

quantified. In this case, 1,000 years refers to the entirety of a long period, however long it may be.

6

The most likely interpretation of “the millennium” is that it refers to the time during which Rome is attacking the

believers. The devil is “bound” during this period in the sense that he is constantly fighting a battle he cannot win.

The Defeat of Satan and the Universal Judgment (20:7-15), p.118

The post-battle victory feast (19:17-21) coming a thousand years before the battle itself (20:7-10) is incongruous

only if you read Revelation assuming it’s a ‘history of the future.’

The New Heaven and the New Earth (21:1-8), p.120

The heavenly ‘city’ is the same thing as the bride of the Lamb and so it is people by the martyrs, first of all, and

secondly, by all those whose deeds ensure that their names are included in the book of life.

Earlier in Revelation, ‘He who conquers’ implies victory through martyrdom. Yet, clearly this phrase now refer to

all of those who avoid the ‘second death’ of God’s condemnation.

The New Jerusalem (21:9-22:5), p.122

The universal aspect of the new city is stressed further by making into a new Garden of Eden. Jesus Christ appears

as “Son of Man” (Rev.1:13). Jesus is called “Son of man” in part because His mission is to bring back into God’s

paradise ‘adam’, that is, all men who will follow him there regardless of what ‘nation’ they may belong to.

The Coming of Christ (22:6-21), p.124

???

Revelation as Prophecy rather than Apocalypse

The OT prophets did not conceive of their mission as an attempt to convince the evil ones to change their way.

Rather, their purpose was to demonstrate to the evildoers the justice of God’s decision to punish them. We have

seem the same attitude carried through to the Gospels; it is explicit in Jesus’ statement, “If I had not come and spoke

to them, they would not have sin; but now they have not excuse for the their sin” (Jn.15:22). John explicitly numbers

himself among the prophets (22:8-9).

The prophets dispense the word of God to the believers. So, the prophets, like John, preach the word of the Lord.

When they commit that word to writing, the books they create must remain open and accessible because the Lord is

coming to fulfill his word “soon.” And indeed, He does act quickly, for each time the Church members gather

around to hear the written word preserved in the scripture read and interpreted to them, Christ the Word is at that

time brought into the midst of the congregation to judge it and to save it.

But the believers must do more than just listen in order to experience God’s salvation. John repeatedly makes this

clear at the close of his book of prophecy: “Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy of this

book…Behold, I am coming soon, bring my recompense, to repay every one for what he has done” (22:7-12).

Bibliography

• Apocalypse: The Book of Revelation within Orthodox Christian Tradition (4-cd set of Retreat Lectures) by

Fr. Thomas Hopko

• Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture- New Testament volume XII: Revelation, edited by William C.

Weinrich, 2005 InterVarsity Press

• The Orthodox Study Bible, 2008 St. Athanasius Academy of Orthodox Theology

• The Apocalypse: In the Teachings of Ancient Christianity by Archbishop Averky Taushev & Fr. Seraphim

Rose, 1995 St. Herman of Alaska Brotherhood

• An Introduction to Reading the Apocalypse by Columba G. Flegg, 1999 St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press

• Ultimate Things: An Orthodox Christian Perspective on the End Times by Dennis E. Engleman, 1995

Conciliar Press

• Apocalypse: The Book of Revelation by Arey, Fr. Mark & Sevastiades, Fr. P., 2003 Oracle Publications

• The New Testament Introduction, vol. 3: Johannine Writings by Fr. Paul Tarazi, 2004 St. Vladimir’s

Seminary Press.

 

April 9 Summary by Fr. Paul Tarazi

Source:

http://www.stgeorgegoc.org/sermons/revelation%20summary%20by%20tarazi.pdf