Introduction: The Orthodox View of Creation

In the first verse of the Book of Genesis, the first Book of Moses and the first book of the Bible, a striking assertion is made: “In the beginning God made Heaven and Earth.” Thus begins the story of creation. The creation of the universe as stated in Genesis is a belief of the Orthodox Church. Regarding questions about the scientific accuracy of the Genesis account of creation, and various viewpoints concerning evolution, the Orthodox Church has not dogmatized any particular view. What is dogmatically proclaimed is that the One Triune God created everything that exists, and that man was created in a unique way and is alone made in the image of God (Genesis 1:27).

God the Father was not forced to create the universe. Rather, in His loving kindness, He freely chose to do so. The role of Jesus Christ, the Word of God, in creation is stated in the first chapter of John’s Gospel. It is written, “In the beginning was the word,...all things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.” And the role of the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity, in creation is described in Genesis 1:2, “And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.”

The development of life was not by accident or by chance. Rather intelligence and wisdom were at work in creation. In discussing various scientific theories of his day, St. Basil the Great declared, “If there is anything in this system which seams probable to you, keep your admiration for the source of such perfect order – the wisdom of God.” The repeated affirmation “and God saw that is was good” in Genesis 1 underscores the fundamental goodness of matter and creation, even after the Fall. The beauty, order, and harmony of Creation, as well as the vast expanse of the universe, are intended to draw mankind to an awareness and appreciation for the Creator, and to worship Him – and Him alone.

The Six Days of Creation

As expressed in the introduction, God created the world with harmony and order. This is found not only in nature as we see it now, but also in the process of how it was made. When looking at The Six Days of Creation individually, order is clearly seen. But when pairing the first three days with the last three days a pattern emerges.

• On Day One God separates light from darkness, and on Day Four God makes the sun and the moon: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. Thus Day One and Day Four are paired by light and darkness.

• On Day Two God made the firmament to separate the water under the firmament from the water above the firmament...God also called the firmament heaven. What this means is that God created an atmosphere above and water below. No dry land had appeared yet. Interestingly on the Fifth Day of Creation, the Lord created fish and birds. Fish to swim in the water and birds to fly in the atmosphere or sky. Thus Days Two and Five are paired by air and water.

• On Day three God made dry land appear and made grass, herbs and fruit bearing trees. On Day Six God created animals to live on the dry land and also made man. Thus Days Three and Six are paired through the dry land, with the herbs and fruit to sustain the animals and man.

So as outlined above we see how God did not create the world randomly, but with a definite and sublime order, while at the same time with a holy simplicity.

The Creation of Man and The Meaning of The Name Adam

Genesis 1:26-27 Then God said, let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness,...So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

We have seen that the Six Days of Creation is the work of the Holy Trinity; the Father commands: “Let there be!” and the Son creates. In the creation of man, however, a special consultation is made between the persons of the Trinity. St. John Chrysostom says:

Why, when the heaven was created, was it not said: “Let Us make,” but rather: let there be heaven, let there be light, and so concerning each part of creation; but here only is there added: “Let Us make,” by which is expressed counsel, deliberation, and communication with someone equal in honor? Who is it that is to be created that he is granted such honor? It is man – a great and wondrous living being, and for God more precious than all creation. And Who is it to Whom God says: “Let Us make man”? It is the Only Begotten Son of God Himself.

So even in the Old Testament the Trinity is revealed. Revealed in the creation of the universe and emphasized in the creation of man.

Genesis 2:7 And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

To understand the significance of this passage we must look to the etymology of the name Adam: its use in the Hebrew language means “human”. As a masculine noun, adam means “man” or “mankind”. The noun adamm is also the masculine form of the word adamah which means “ground” or “earth”. It is also related to the word adom, meaning “red”. So, collectively Adam can mean - “red earth man.”

Interestingly this meaning is linked to the writing of icons. For example, before any paint is applied to the image, a mixture of red clay and glue is brushed across the areas that will make up the hallows and/or backgrounds, representing the material properties that God used to create Adam. Going further, once the red clay dries it is sanded and then gold leaf is adhered to the clay by the iconographer breathing on the clay making it moist and activating the glue which makes the gold stick. This technique in the writing of the holy icons is a parallel to God forming man from red earth, and then breathing into him making Adam a living soul.

In part two of this series we will look at the garden that God planted for the man to dwell therein, namely the Garden of Eden.

References:

• Orthodox Study Bible. (Elk Grove, CA: St. Athanasius Academy of Orthodox Theology, 2008).

• Rose, Fr. Seraphim. Genesis, Creation, and Early Man. (Platina, CA: St. Herman of Alaska Brotherhood, 2011).

• Zondervan. The Holy Bible, King James Version. (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2009).

While reading through the entire Old Testament, beginning in Genesis and ending in Malachi, do we observe how God raised up fiery prophets in order to lead His people towards the path of righteousness. These holy servants of the Lord not only ministered to the people, but many of God’s prophets even foretold the coming of the Messiah, who would ultimately manifest Himself as the Prophet of all the prophets. And the primary prophecy pertaining to that Prophet, is provided in the 18^th chapter of the book of Deuteronomy. For concerning that future and long awaited day of the coming of the deliverer, the Lord spoke unto Moses saying, “I will raise up for them a Prophet like you from among their brethren, and I will put My word in His mouth, and He shall speak to them all I command Him” (Deuteronomy 18:18). And I would like to confidently argue that this particular prophet, prophesied in Deuteronomy, is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ: the very incarnate Son and Word of God.

Now the prophecy in Deuteronomy 18 concerning the “Prophet”, was passed down through the generations of the Israelite people, and was still known among the Jews even up until the time of Christ. For during the ministry of St. John the Baptist, the Jewish religious authorities asked him if he was that Prophet (John 1:21). The fact that the priests and Levites questioned St. John in this way demonstrates that they were still expecting that specific “Prophet” mentioned in Deuteronomy. St. John denied that he was the prophesied Prophet, but would ultimately point to Jesus as the one who was not only preferred before him, but that Christ was also the very Lamb of God, thereby fulfilling the prophecy in Deuteronomy. While Orthodox Christians see Jesus as the ultimate fulfillment of this prophecy, Muslims, on the other hand, view that it refers to Muhammad. Siting how the verse in Deuteronomy says that the “Prophet” will come from among the brethren of the Israelites, the scholars of Islam teach that the “Prophet” will be an Arab, since the Arabs share the patriarch Abraham as their father along with the Jews therefore establishing Arabs as among their brethren. I would say that this is indeed a stretch especially since all the prophets, from Moses until Jesus, were all from the tribes of Israel and not from any Arab tribe.

Another reference in the New Testament which links Christ with the Prophet of Deuteronomy, is taken from the very words of Christ Himself. For in John’s Gospel, Jesus reveals that the words He spoke were not His own words, but the words that He spoke were given to Him by God the Father (John 12:49). Christ’s confession in John 12 mirrors that of Deuteronomy 18. For taken side by side, a staggering parallel unfolds between these two accounts. For example, in Deuteronomy we find, “...He shall speak to them all I command Him” (Deuteronomy 18:18), and in John it is written, “...the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak” (John 12:49). These two nearly verbatim verses make it abundantly clear that Jesus Christ (in His own words) fulfilled the prophecy given unto Moses. In addition to Christ’s words, His actions also prompted others to come to believe that He was indeed the fulfillment of prophecy. For after the miracle of feeding the five-thousand, the Bible tells us that, “...those men, when they had seen the sign that Jesus did, said, “This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world” (John 6:14).

Now the most affirmative statement of Scripture, which unequivocally confirms Christ as the predicted Prophet of Deuteronomy, comes directly from the Apostle Peter. For in the book of Acts chapter 3, when Peter gave his sermon at Solomon’s Porch, the Apostle of Christ firmly informed the men of Israel how Christ, among other things, was the fulfillment of the prophecy given to Moses. Peter’s exact words were the following, “For Moses truly said to the fathers, ‘The LORD your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your brethren. Him you shall hear in all things, whatever He says to you” (Acts 3:22). Thus by Peter referencing Deuteronomy 18, in association with the authoritative figure of Christ, he explicitly confirmed, without any need of further interpretation, that Jesus Christ was indeed that unique Prophet which would come into the world as prophesied by Moses.

References:

• Ancient Faith Study Bible. (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2019).

• Orthodox Study Bible. (Elk Grove, CA: St. Athanasius Academy of Orthodox Theology, 2008).

• Nelson. The Holy Bible, New King James Version. (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, Inc., 1984).

For nearly 2,000 years now, devout Christians from all walks of life have been eagerly and anxiously awaiting the predicted second and glorious advent of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Although this final event in world history is looked upon by believers as a means to their salvation, the Day of the Lord will also be terrible and dreadful for unrepentant sinners. Even faithful Christians view this day with fear while at the same time hoping earnestly for the Lord’s mercy. None of us will be able to avoid Judgment Day, and we will all be forced to give an account to Jesus as to how we lived our lives and how we spent the time granted to us while here on earth. The books will be opened, and we will all have to give an answer for every idle word spoken and every deed acted upon; we shall even be held accountable for all of our sinful thoughts. So, due to our sinful nature, it is understandable why we don’t want to even think about Christ’s second coming. We may even go to the extent of blocking out the reality of Judgment Day from our conscience by choosing not to believe in Jesus and the Bible altogether. But no matter how much we attempt to deceive ourselves, all of us will eventually have to face the music.

Now, during the years of His earthly ministry, Christ Himself made a promise to all of his disciples and followers, foretelling how He would indeed one day come back at the end of this present world’s history in order to judge mankind and renew creation. And this prophecy, which Jesus uttered, dealing with His return and the end of the age, is recorded in the 24th chapter of the Gospel according to St. Matthew. Additionally, in the 4th chapter of the first Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Thessalonians, St. Paul reveals the nature of Christ’s second coming and also touches upon the resurrection of the dead, a most awesome event that will occur simultaneously with the Lord’s return when Christ comes back to judge both the living and the dead (1 Thessalonians 4:16–17). But the key book in all of the New Testament, which provides the most insight concerning the second coming of Jesus Christ, the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come, is none other than the book of Revelation, also known in Greek as the Apocalypse.

The book of Revelation goes into great prophetic detail by describing events that have already transpired in the ancient past and also speaks of things that have not yet happened but will truly find their fulfillment at some point in the near or distant future. The occurrences of this present age are also revealed, and in turn, many of these predictions have already come to pass, or more accurately, are currently and continuously being fulfilled. For the Fathers teach that after the loosening of the seven seals by Christ, as found written in Revelation chapter 6, the results or consequences of these broken seals have taken shape all throughout history and will continue to unfold until the end of time. Ever since this chain of events has taken place, due to the loosening of each seal, the events run their course until they are finished and then start once more, going all the way back from the beginning to when the seals were initially broken. And this theory, which teaches that the opening of the seven seals repeats itself in cycles now and all throughout the ages until the second coming of Christ, is appropriately titled the “cyclical theory.”

However, it is not my intention to personally interpret the book of Revelation. For an ominous warning is given in the last few verses of Revelation that should make us all reconsider and resist the temptation to privately interpret this most mysterious and prophetic book. For concerning the prophecies of Revelation, it is written, “...If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life...” (Revelation 22:18–19). So, here we can clearly understand that interpreting the book of Revelation is quite a dangerous thing. For it is better to read and keep the words of this prophecy to ourselves, an action that will result in a blessing (according to Revelation 1:3), rather than making the grievous mistake of adding to or taking away from the meaning of these mysteries, which will only lead to perdition. Over the years, the private interpretation of the book of Revelation has resulted in a myriad of false doctrines and the creation of literally thousands of heretical Christian sects, all of which differ in their theology.

One such false and dangerous doctrine is that of the Rapture, a belief held by many Protestant Christian Evangelicals, which teaches that all true Christians will be taken up into Heaven prior to the Great Tribulation, also known as the seven-year era of the Antichrist. This type of thinking is fueled by the belief that God will not allow His people to suffer and go through the trials that non-believers will go through during the reign of the Antichrist. These Protestant denominations base their theology on a couple of New Testament scriptures, which they say points to the Lord’s protection of his holy ones. The first scripture that they bank on for their end time deliverance is the quote from 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, which states that when the Lord returns to resurrect the dead, those Christians who are alive on the earth at that time will also be “caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.” The other scripture used to support the Rapture theory is taken from Revelation 3:10, which reads, “Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.”

Looking at these scriptures from a historical perspective, we can see that Christ, in Revelation chapter 3, was speaking to people living nearly 2,000 years ago and was not addressing people in the future who were not as yet born at the time when Christ made His promise to the Church of Philadelphia. Also, in 1 Thessalonians, Paul was simply making the point that when Christ returns, all those Christians alive at the moment of the Second Coming will be caught up to meet the Lord in the air at the end of time and not any time before that. Just as Christians were martyred in the early history of the Church and beyond, so too will Christians living towards the end of history suffer as well. If God allowed the Saints to be mercilessly tortured in the past, God will also allow His servants in the future and in the present times to go through trials and tribulations and even death for the sake of not denying Christ. For example, all of Christ’s Apostles were killed except for St. John, so if Jesus allowed His closest friends to experience pain and suffering, what makes us wretched Christians in this sinful generation think that God will mystically deliver a people with so little faith and such great sin from passing through severe hardships?

The fact of the matter is that all people will have to endure the Tribulation, both Christians and non-Christians alike. Yes, we will all be given a clear choice: either deny Christ and take the mark of the beast or die. But the good news is, all of us who refuse to receive the mark, due to our love for Jesus, will be granted the crown of martyrdom and will live forever in the kingdom of heaven along with the prophets, the angels, all the Saints and especially with Christ Himself. The pain that we will feel will only last for a few moments, but afterwards we will receive an abundance of God’s grace and experience divine bliss for all of eternity. Yet even though this trade-off is more than fair, many of us don’t understand why God would allow the people He loves so much to go through so much suffering. Even Christ, the Son of God, while on the cross, asked God the Father why he had forsaken Him (Matthew 27:46). Though this truly is a mystery, it should not give any of us the excuse to write God off as being unjust or evil. For we know from reading the Bible that God is good, the devil is evil, and that mankind is sinful. And because of man’s sin problem, all other problems in the world can be traced back to mankind’s disobedience towards the Almighty.

So, on Judgment Day, every person who has ever lived will be resurrected and brought before the great white throne of the Lord Jesus Christ, and we will all be held responsible for our thoughts, words, and deeds. But before that day comes, it is best that we all prepare for this harsh and inevitable reality. Through our personal repentance and the struggle to cease sinning, God will forgive us and grant us much mercy. However, after we die, there won’t be any time left for us to get our house in order. So, before we die, let us repent and seek the kingdom of heaven. For the more we devote ourselves to Christ, the more the Holy Spirit will draw near to us, and we will then begin to experience heaven in this life, even before we die. Conversely, through our disobedience to God and His commandments, our time on earth will become hell, and when we die, we will take our sins with us and suffer the horrors of hell eternally. I say this with pain and love for all of humanity, for though these words are somber, the blessings of heaven and the torturers of hell are a reality. Personally speaking, I am a great sinner, but I do have hope in the Lord’s mercy as I go about my personal repentance. And what should give us all hope in regard to our salvation is a saying of the Fathers, which reveals to us that heaven is full of repentant sinners.

Concerning the Day of the Lord, scripture tells us that Jesus will come as a thief in the night, but blessed is the man who watches and takes the necessary precautions so that he will not be found unprotected (Revelation 16:15). Scripture also informs us that, on top of the resurrection of the dead and the final judgment, the entire universe will be transformed. For as it is written in 2 Peter 3:10, “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.” It is also interesting to note that in Genesis 3:17, God cursed the earth due to sin entering into creation at the beginning of time, but at the end of time, God will re-create this once fallen world and transform all of creation into something new and incorruptible (Revelation 21:1). For when Christ returns, the first heaven and the first earth will pass away, and there will be a new heaven and a new earth. The righteous will be given glorified bodies that will not be subject to decay, a body similar to that of the risen Jesus. For as it is written, “...when he [Jesus] shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is” (1 John 3:2).

God is love, and there is no unrighteousness in Him, so if we end up in a bad place, it will not be the Lord’s fault, for the Lord cannot be wrong. Instead, it is due to sinful choices and an unrepentant lifestyle which will lead to one’s downfall. It will be nobody’s fault but our own if we are condemned to everlasting torment on the last day. Death will come to us all, but by patiently enduring all the trials of life through faith in Christ and by keeping the Lord’s commandments, this in turn will attract the grace of God and keep us from falling by the wayside. God has given us free will to either resist temptation or fall into sin. The choice is ours, and what we reap is what we sow. For on the day of judgment, no lawyer on earth will be able to deliver us from the judge of judges. But the Orthodox Church has provided the remedy for man’s sin problem through the sacraments, which have been handed down from the Fathers, who were given grace from the Apostles, who were personally ordained by Christ Himself. For through the gift of the Holy Spirit, no genuine believer can ever walk alone. In addition to the grace of God within us, we also have a cloud of witnesses in heaven who pray without ceasing for the salvation of the world. Therefore, let us begin to follow Christ so that we may be included in the sheepfold of the good shepherd. For the Lord comes quickly, even so, come, Lord Jesus.

References:

• Mitilinaios, A. Revelation: The Seven Seals, Vol. II. (Dunlap, CA: Zoe Press, 2014).

• Zondervan. The Holy Bible, King James Version. (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2009).

The position of the planet Earth in our solar system is keenly situated in an extremely favorable location, perfectly fit for the habitation of life. And this celestial area of our galaxy that is so well suited for the propagation of all types of lifeforms, is known as the Circumstellar Habitable Zone. Located just outside of the orbit of Venus and extending just past the orbit of Mars, this rare and special place in the universe has ensured all life, as well as all the elements necessary to sustain life, a perfect habitat with one in one-thousandth of a trillion percentage point of having occurred randomly or simply by coincidence. For as we shall discover our Earth is way too complicated, and far too self sustaining to be just a fluke of nature. By examining the Earth and its relationship to both the Sun and the Moon, it is my firm argument that these celestial bodies carry with them the signature of an intelligent and divine creator: the almighty God. For as the Bible tells us, “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows his handiwork” (Psalms 19:1). For by studying the sun, moon, and stars one can easily come to the conclusion that there must be a creator behind creation. The aim of this presentation will be to prove the existence of God by taking an in depth look at creation from both a theological and scientific viewpoint, and in the end I believe the case for a creator will be firmly established.

As previously mentioned, the Circumstellar Habitable Zone is the intergalactic sweet spot which enables all the various organisms on Earth to thrive. Yet even within this perfect place in outer-space, the Earth is also at the exact point in this particular zone in order for all life to enjoy a comfortable climate. For if the Earth was just a few degrees closer to the Sun, the planet’s temperature would be so extremely hot that no life could be sustained. And if the Earth was positioned just a few degrees away from the Sun, the temperature would be so cold that the entire planet would be completely frozen over, which would negate the possibility of any type of life on Earth to function or exist. Additionally, just as the Earth’s distance from the Sun is just right for the sustainability of life, the same goes for the size of the Earth. For deep within the interior of the Earth, the movement of liquid iron generates a magnetic field around the globe which protects the Earth from the solar winds. If the Earth was just a little smaller in size the protective magnetic field would not be as strong, and the Earth would be scorched by the flares from the Sun. Thus both the distance from the Sun to the Earth, and the the proportions of the Earth to the Sun, share all the mathematically precise dimensions enabling a balanced and temperate climate on our planet perfect for plant, animal, and human life forms to live comfortably.

The Moon also plays a very special and important role in the insurance of a functional habitat for the various life forms on the Earth and for all the life that exists within the Earth’s oceans. Now the Moon is one-fourth the size of the Earth, and is positioned just far enough away to stabilize the Earth’s axis, and due to its gravitational pull from the Earth, the Moon also regulates the ocean tides. Now the Sun is 400 times larger that the Moon, but the Sun is also 400 times farther away from the Moon, and it is also interesting to note that because of the Sun and Moon’s distance from one another they appear to be the same size from the vantage point of the Earth. For during a solar eclipse, the Moon passes directly over the orb of the Sun with only the sun-rays or corona visible. If the Moon was just a bit larger than the Sun from Earth’s vantage point, all light from the Sun would be blocked, including the corona. Transversely, if the Moon was just a bit smaller in size as viewed from the Earth, this would allow too much light from the Sun to produce a true eclipse. Thus this perfect celestial alignment is proof of a divine designer and in no way can be written off as a meaningless natural anomaly.

When it comes to all the stars in the universe, they too express the handwriting of a wise and omnipotent creator. For when looking into the scriptures for a better understanding of how the celestial bodies function in God’s plan, it is revealed that the stars were formed in order for humanity to tell time, to mark the seasons, and to keep track of days and years (Genesis 1:14-18). All the constellations have been used from the most ancient of times to calculate and form a calendar, a necessary invention that is essential for the scheduling of mankind’s various plans and appointments, not to mention all the guidance needed for farmers who rely upon the tracking of the seasons in order to know when to plant and when to harvest. Another unique attribute of the Earth, in its relationship to the stars, has to do with our planet’s transparent atmosphere, which allows the light of the luminous bodies of the heavens to be seen and observed from the surface of the Earth. Again if the climate of Earth was warmer the atmosphere could possibly be very hazy from all the clouds of the various gases produced by the heat and the light of the stars would be obscured. Likewise, if the Earth was colder, this might ice over the atmosphere making starlight impenetrable. So again the Earth in her relationship to the sun, moon, and stars has just the right amount of everything necessary for us earthlings to live a very comfortable and enjoyable existence. So, when observing all this perfection in nature objectively, one must come to the conclusion that there is indeed an intelligent mind behind creation and therefore science leads us to the belief in God.

In conclusion, the balanced sizes of the Earth and the Moon as well as their proper distance away from the Sun has produced the perfect conditions for water to be used in a multiplicity of ways, thus allowing life on planet Earth to keep marching forward on. From a scientific standpoint the sustainability of plant and animal life on the Earth as well as how the all elements within the Earth contribute to the way our planet functions, is too complicated and too precise to be just a random toss of the dice by the forces of nature. Even former atheists, after honestly studying nature, have come to accept that there is an intelligent design behind creation and thus nature points to a supreme being, Who created it all. Unfortunately, not all scientists have taken this leap of faith and continue in their skepticism. However, many believers have reaffirmed their faith in God by studying science. For through a knowledge of nature and by realizing how all life on Earth is interdependent on each other, these facts have provided all the proof necessary to back up a belief in an almighty, and all wise, and holy God. And really if man has intelligence and can discern how the forces of nature all work together to form such a perfect place as planet Earth, then there must be a higher intelligence that created the universe and in turn gave part of that intelligence to mankind, thus proving that man was created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26). So in the end it really takes a smarter person to believe in God, as opposed to someone who does not believe in God. For as the Bible says, “The fool has said in his heart, there is no God...” (Psalms 14:1).

References:

• Gonzalez. G, Richards. J. The Privileged Planet: How Our Place in the Cosmos is Designed for Discovery (Washington, DC: Regnery Publishing, 2004).

• Zondervan. The Holy Bible, King James Version. (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2009).

The people of ancient Israel were intended to be a nation who worshiped the One True God, but unfortunately several of the kings of both Judah and Israel fell into the sin of idolatry. However, King Josiah, who ruled over the kingdom of Judah for 31 years, is remembered as a righteous king. Josiah’s reign was marked by religious reforms, or purges, as he led a national return of the people away from idolatry and back to the worship of Yahweh. In his efforts to rout out idol worship in the kingdom, Josiah destroyed the high places and altars associated with child sacrifice, such as the fire pit of Topheth, so that no man might make his son or his daughter to pass through the fire to Molech (2 Kings 23:10). Now at the Topheth, or Tophet, fire pit did the priests of Molech beat drums in order to drown out the screams of the children as they were slowly burned to death. This atrocious scene was a living hell, which in time made the location of these sacrifices synonymous with the fire of a literal hell: the place of everlasting suffering for human souls. For Tophet is also connected symbolically and geographically with the earthly Gehenna which, in the original Greek of the New Testament, is mentioned by Christ as a place of eternal fire, metaphorically equating Gehenna with Hell. Along with Tophet, Gehenna was originally referred to as the Biblical Valley of Ben Hinnom, or Gey Hinnom, which is a real valley located just south of Jerusalem. Being an ancient site associated with fire and human sacrifice, over time Gehenna became a symbol of the everlasting punishment of the Hell-fire.

Going further back in history, before the days of the kings of Judah and Israel, the worship of idols was a phenomenon practiced by many ancient cultures, in and around the land of Canaan. For the neighboring non-Israelite nations, who practiced idol worship, would indeed influence the children of Israel towards the sinful practices that God had commanded them to abstain from. Because of the covenant made between God and the children of Israel, the sin of idolatry was also associated with the sin of adultery. As the Scriptures speak of how Israel went a whoring after other gods, to worship them and make sacrifices unto them, instead of staying faithful to the One True God and serving Him and Him alone. And one such Canaanite god that the children of Israel worshiped was Molech. Now Molech was the national deity of the Ammonites, whose worship was associated with child sacrifice. This horrible practice involved passing children through fire as an offering to Molech, which many times was perpetrated by the child’s own parents. The idol of Molech was depicted as having the head of a bull and the body of a man. The hands of Molech were fashioned tilting downwards, with the palms facing up. This way, when a child was placed upon the open palms of the idol, the baby rolled down into the fire, as if it was Molech himself who was performing the abomination.

The god Molech also appears in the Old Testament as Milcom, or Malcham (Zephaniah 1:15), and in the New Testament Molech is rendered as Moloch (Acts 7:43). Citing this, many Biblical scholars are of the opinion that the gods Milcom and Molech are basically the same entity, or that they are closely related. Now the name “Milcom” translates to “their king”, as the root of the word “Molech” is derived from the word “melek,” meaning “king” in Hebrew, which further connects Molech with the concept of a powerful and royal deity. What further binds these two Canaanite gods together, is that both Milcom and Molech are synonymously linked to child sacrifice. By living on the borders of the Ammonites, the children of Israel were influenced into the worship of Molech, and unfortunately adopted the religious practices of their idolatrous neighbors. However, the God of Israel made it abundantly clear in the books of the law that the worship of idols was emphatically forbidden. Furthermore, in the book of Leviticus, the sinful practice of passing infants through the fire unto the deity Molech is specifically prohibited (Leviticus 20:2-5). Although the Lord God instructed His people to stay away from the idol Molech, the Israelites impiously defied the Almighty and built altars to this false and evil god on the Mount of Olives and (as previously mentioned) in the Valley of Hinnom: Gehenna.

In response to Israel’s sin of idolatry, the Lord would send forth His holy servants the prophets to guide the people away from the worship of idols, and back to the worship of Yahweh. One such prophet, named Amos, would scold the children of Israel for taking up the tabernacle of Moloch and for worshiping the star of their god Chiun (Amos 5:26 KJV). In the New Testament St. Steven, during his speech before the Sanhedrin, would quote this verse from Amos, but instead of calling the star of their god Chiun, he identified this star deity as Remphan (Acts 7:43). This passage suggests that Remphan was associated with the idol worshiping practices involving celestial symbols. Being linked to idol worship, Remphan may have represented a star-shaped idol or possibly a certain celestial deity. As referred to as Chiun in the Old Testament, the star of Remphan may have represented the planet Saturn. For in several ancient Middle Eastern cultures, Saturn was recognized as an important celestial body and was reverenced as a divine figure in both Babylonian and Assyrian astrology. Some physical representations of Remphan may be linked to the eight-pointed star of the Babylonian goddess Ishtar, along with the five pointed star, known as the pentagram, also vying for a possible representation for Remphan. Additionally, the six-pointed Star of David has also been suggested as the true symbol of Remphan. Now what is referred to as the Star of David is in fact a hexagram, with the word “hex”, often recognized in the occult, as denoting the use of a spell or a curse. However, the pentagram is also used in satanic worship, so it is not conclusive if the Star of David is truly the star of Remphan, and neither can we definitively state that the star of Ishtar represents Saturn. Therefore, the identification of the ancient symbol of the star of Remphan is inconclusive and debatable, and thus we cannot confidently associate any of these ancient star symbols as being in affirmative relation to Remphan.

In closing it shouldn’t go without mentioning the ancient Canaanite idol Baal, who was worshiped in the days of the kingdom’s of Judah and Israel, a practice of which the prophet Elijah prominently stood against. To the Canaanites Baal was upheld as a prominent deity associated with fertility, thunderstorms, and agriculture. The worship of Baal involved rituals such as the rites of fertility, sacred prostitution, and even child sacrifice. At times the people of Israelite adopted the worship of Baal, which was a major sin against Yahweh. This in turn inspired Elijah to proclaim to the idolatrous Israelites, “How long will you falter between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him” (I Kings 18:21). Ultimately Elijah challenged and defeated the prophets of Baal, but this pious act would not entirely purge idol worship from among the kingdoms of Judah and Israel. For further on in the saga of the Israelites, the prophet Jeremiah would be a fierce critic of all the idol worship perpetrated in Judah. Jeremiah repeatedly encouraged the people to abandon the idols and return to the worship of Yahweh, while simultaneously prophesying of severe consequences that would befall them if they continued in their sin. This apostasy led God to speak unto His servant Jeremiah concerning the severity of the sin of Judah, by saying, “And they built the high places of Baal, which are in the valley of the sons of Hinnom, to cause their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire unto Molech; which I commanded them not, neither came it to my mind, that they should do this abomination, to cause Judah to sin.” (Jeremiah 32:35). This verse highlights God’s sheer disapproval of the abomination of idolatry and child sacrifice, as such vile and evil practices stand in direct conflict with God’s righteous and holy will.

References:

• Brenton. The Septuagint with Apocrypha: Greek and English. (London: Samuel Bagster & Sons, Ltd., 1851).

• Coogan, M. & Smith, M. Stories from Ancient Canaan. (Louisville, KY: Westminister John Knox Press, 2012).

• Doory, L. Elijah: The Harbinger of Armageddon. (Create Space Independent Publishing, 2018).

• Lockyer, H. Illustrated Dictionary of The Bible. (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1986).

• Nelson. The Holy Bible, New King James Version. (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, Inc., 1984).

• Orthodox Study Bible (Elk Grove, CA: St. Athanasius Academy of Orthodox Theology, 2008).

• Smith, M.S. Where the Gods Are: Spacial Dimensions of Anthropomorphism in the Biblical World. (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2016).

• Stern, D.H. The Complete Jewish Study Bible. (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, LLC. 2016).

• Zondervan. The Holy Bible, King James Version. (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2009).

According to St. John’s Gospel, when Christ died on the cross, a Roman soldier pierced Jesus on the side of His abdomen with a spear, in order to make sure that Christ was in fact deceased. The Gospel also mentions that when Christ was pierced by the spear, there came out both blood and water (John 19:34). Additionally, the significance of the blood and water which came from Christ’s side is further expanded upon by St. John later on in his first Epistle, which is indeed included as part of the official Canon of the New Testament. For just as St. John writes in his Gospel how he has testified that the things concerning the blood and water which flowed from Christ’s side are true, that same Apostle also informs us in his first Epistle that, along with the spirit, the water and the blood themselves bear witness to the truth on the earth, and that these three agree in one (I John 5:8). For the spirit, the water, and the blood are not only symbols, but are in fact the unity of the basic Sacraments of Chrismation, Baptism, and Holy Communion. So now, let us turn and look into the mystery of the spirit, the water, and the blood as testified by St. John, that beloved disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Now the blood and water which issued from Christ’s immaculate body reveals to us the truth of the Sacraments. The water speaks of our baptism, which is the participation in Christ’s life-giving death. For as it is written: “[as] many of us were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death...” (Romans 6:3). In the Sacrament of Holy Communion, do we partake of Christ’s life-giving blood. For by physically receiving the precious blood of Christ are we granted the remission of our sins (Matthew 26:28). Putting all of this together, and while also prayerfully observing the mystery of the cross, it can be understood that during the crucifixion it was literally the forgiveness of sins and the regeneration of mankind that poured out from our Lord’s side.

When speaking on the mysteries of the spirit, the water, and the blood, the venerable Bede writes, “The Spirit bore witness that Jesus is the truth when he descended on Him at His baptism. If Jesus were not the truth, the Spirit would not have done that. The water and the blood bore witness that Jesus is the truth when they both flowed from His side at the time He was crucified. That would not have been possible if He had not had a genuine human nature. All three are independent of each other, but their testimony is one and the same, because Christ’s divinity is not to be believed in apart from His humanity, nor is His humanity to be accepted apart from His divinity.” This reveals that Jesus Christ (the incarnate Word of God) is both fully God and fully man at the same time. For as it is written, “...the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us... (John 1:14). Due to the fact that the Word of God became flesh and blood, this means that there can be no sin in Christ’s blood. So by worthily communing of the precious and life-giving blood of Christ, are we sinners blessed with the remission of our sins and in turn granted eternal life (John 6:54).

In addition to the spirit, the water, and the blood that bear witness to the truth on earth, it is also revealed by St. John that there are three that bear record in heaven, namely, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one (I John 5:7). Now this verse does not merely explain that there are witnesses in heaven, but it also establishes the doctrine of the Holy Trinity. This revelation was also echoed by Christ Himself, when He told His disciples to, teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost (Matthew 28:19). Going further, the Trinity was also revealed during Christ’s baptism, when the voice of the Father was heard, along with the Holy Spirit descending in the form of a dove upon Christ Himself. Thus all throughout the New Testament is the revelation of the Trinity established. For the Trinity is not an invention of the Church, as some religious groups like to argue, but rather the Trinity is a Biblical truth. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth (1 John 5:6).

References:

• Ancient Faith Study Bible. (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2019).

• Orthodox Study Bible (Elk Grove, CA: St. Athanasius Academy of Orthodox Theology, 2008).

• Zondervan. The Holy Bible, King James Version. (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2009).

The Biblical account of the lengthy and golden age of the reign of King Solomon, is primarily recorded in the first eleven chapters of the book of I Kings. Solomon’s entire life is summed up in about five key points, which include: his ascension to the throne, his wisdom and wealth, the construction of the Temple, international business relations, and his ultimate moral decline into the sin of idolatry. Yet overall Solomon’s reign was marked by a time of peace and prosperity in ancient Israel, as well as an era defined by an indulgence of extravagance with the utmost luxury. For as well shall see, King Solomon may have been the richest man who ever lived, or at least the wealthiest man in the world in his day. The breadth of Solomon’s kingdom extended well beyond the boundaries of what was originally established by the children of Israel through the conquests of Joshua. For Solomon’s empire encompassed more territory than all the kings which came before and after him. Known for his extensive building campaigns, such as the cities of Hazor, Megiddo, and Gezer, Solomon is foremost renowned for the construction of the Temple in Jerusalem, which would go down in history as his most crowning achievement and echo throughout the ages as the national symbol of the Jewish people.

Apart from the marvel of the building of the Temple, another important event in Solomon’s life transpired near the very beginning of his reign over Israel. For after offering up burnt offerings to the Lord in Gibeon, God appeared to Solomon in a dream promising to grant the young king anything he wished. Solomon asked for understanding and discernment in order to properly judge his people and govern the nation. God was very pleased with Solomon’s wish and granted the king great wisdom and also much material wealth and honor in addition to wisdom, due to the fact that Solomon didn’t initially ask for riches. God even told Solomon that the wisdom given him would excel that of all men which came before him and all those coming after him (I Kings 3:5-14). Solomon’s acute wisdom was initially revealed when two women disputed about the legitimacy of the motherhood of a baby. Solomon ordered to have the child cut in two and each half given to each of the women. This action brought the truth to the surface as the real mother protested and said to give the child alive to the other woman, while the false mother cared not what happened to the baby. Solomon discerned that the true mother wouldn’t want her child to be hurt and thus the rightful mother was revealed. And all of Israel heard of this shrewd decision which the king had made, and the people feared the king and stood in awe of him, for they saw that God’s wisdom was in him enabling him to render justice properly (I Kings 3:28).

Solomon ascended the throne in 970 BC and died in 931 BC, bringing the grand total of ancient Israel’s golden age gloriously lasting for a period of nearly forty years. During all this time, Solomon waged no wars, neither domestically nor abroad. Solomon was also respected and admired by the rulers of Israel’s neighboring kingdoms. For example, the Egyptian Pharaoh gave Solomon one of his daughters in marriage, and the Phoenician king Hiram of Tyre was on such friendly terms with Solomon that their alliance was as one between two equals, with no power struggle offsetting their mutual affinity. The Queen of Sheba was also impressed with Solomon and marveled at the grandeur of his kingdom, and was smitten by his divinely inspired wisdom. Thus King Solomon excelled all the kings of the earth in riches and in wisdom. And the whole earth sought the presence of Solomon to hear his wisdom. Everyone of them brought his present, articles of silver and gold, garments, myrrh, spices, horses, and mules, so much year by year. And the king made silver as common in Jerusalem as stone, and he made cedar as plentiful as the sycamore (I Kings 10:23-27).

Concerning the construction of the Temple, the Bible tells us that it was built with stones that were quarried off site and shaped far from the Temple’s location, “...so that no hammer, chisel or iron tool of any kind was heard in the house while it was being built” (I Kings 6:7). Speaking of the Temple, St. John Chrysostom says that, “Nowhere else in the earth was such a temple constructed as this, either for costliness, or beauty, or anything else. For God Who ordained it, commanded that it should be made with great magnificence. For it had bricks of gold in the walls.” It is also very important to understand that the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was six hundred threescore and six talents of gold (I Kings 10:14). Now this this number (666) shows up once more in the Bible, specifically in the book of Revelation, where it is signified as the number of the beast, or the Antichrist (Revelation 13:18). Just as Solomon can be seen as a type of Christ, due to the Messiah possessing the spirit of wisdom (Isaiah 11:2), so transversely the Antichrist, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God, will sit in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God (II Thessalonians 2:3-4). So not only is the Antichrist an evil impostor of Jesus Christ, but the false Messiah will also sit in the rebuilt Temple of Solomon, and force all of humanity to take the Mark of the Beast, which is a number associated with King Solomon and the original Temple that was dedicated to the true God of Israel.

Continuing with Temple themes as they relate to the New Testament, we see how on one occasion Jesus spoke to the Jews saying unto them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up” (John 2:19). However, Jesus was not referring to the building of the Temple, but the Temple of His body. For just as Solomon built the Temple to be the house of God, so too did Christ raise up His own body and fashioned it into the Church. Now in Orthodox Christian theology, Solomon is indeed regarded as a type of Christ, illustrating aspects of Christ’s divine kingship, wisdom, and role as the true Temple of God. However, though Solomon’s wisdom and ruler-ship are viewed as precursors to the person of Jesus Christ, Orthodoxy also adamantly emphasizes that Christ far surpasses Solomon in every way. For in the Gospel, Jesus even proclaimed that He was in fact greater than King Solomon (Matthew 12:42, Luke 11:31). Thus, this typology illustrates how Christ’s fulfillment of the Scriptures outshines all of the Old Testament figures that preceded His incarnation, and surpasses all of the spiritual foreshadows that pointed to Christ and all of His divine labors.

The Bible tells us that Solomon covered the interior of the Temple with beams and boards of cedar, so that no stone was seen. The inner walls were carved with figures of cherubim and palm trees and open flowers - and the whole house was overlaid in gold. The Holy of Holies, where the Ark of the Covenant was placed, measured to be about 33 feet – in length, in breadth, and in height: and was overlaid with pure gold. Now when Solomon needed large quantities of gold, in order to decorate and beautify the Temple, he was forced to venture outside of his kingdom, for gold was limited in Israel. So it was that Solomon built a fleet of ships and sent his servants, along with the servants of Hiram who knew the sea, to travel unto the land of Ophir to acquire much gold. Now the land of Ophir is mentioned many times throughout the Old Testament, and it is most often associated with gold. Though the exact location of Ophir is not completely certain some traditions suggest that Ophir was located in parts of southwestern Arabia, or near the eastern shores of Africa along the Red Sea, or even in Ethiopia. This may be why the Queen of Sheba is mentioned in the Bible directly following Solomon’s excursion to Ophir, thus linking both the land of Ophir and the Queen of Sheba with Ethiopia.

Now the Queen of Sheba is traditionally believed to have come from Ethiopia. She may have also been from southern Arabia, thus making her the “Queen of the South” as mentioned by Christ (Matthew 12:42). There is also evidence to suggest that she ruled both parts of Ethiopia and portions of Yemen, due to an archaeological discovery of a temple in Yemen which points to a royal presence in that region dating back to ancient times. The Bible says how Sheba came to Jerusalem to test Solomon’s wisdom after hearing of his fame. Solomon did indeed answer all of her questions, and the Queen was dumbstruck by the wisdom of Solomon, and was deeply impressed with the grandeur of his kingdom. The Queen confessed how Solomon’s wealth and wisdom exceeded the reports she had heard of him, and she blessed Solomon and his God. She then gave Solomon much gold, spices in great abundance, and precious stones, then she returned to her own country along with her company (I Kings 10:10-13). However, there is an extra-biblical account of Solomon and Sheba which elaborates on their personal relationship. For in the Ethiopian national epic the “Kebra Nagast” it is recorded that Solomon and Sheba were intimate, and that Sheba returned to Ethiopia pregnant with Solomon’s son. Legend holds that when the boy grew up he traveled to Jerusalem to see Solomon, his own father. Solomon then instructed priests to go with his son (Menelik I) back to Ethiopia and establish the worship of the God of Israel in that country, truly making the land of Ethiopia: “African Zion.”

Though the story of the love affair between Solomon and Sheba may be deduced to folklore and legend there is, however, a Biblical truth which demonstrates that Solomon was indeed a lover of women, and foreign women at that. For it is written, how Solomon loved women from nations concerning which the Lord commanded the Israelites not to marry. For all together Solomon had seven hundred wives and three hundred concubines, but his wives turned away his heart. For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God, as was the heart of David his father (I Kings 11:1-4). Solomon sinned in that he was led astray by his foreign wives and fell into idolatry by worshiping these idols, offering up incense to them, and even sacrificing unto the gods of his many wives. Solomon built a high place for the god Chemosh, the abomination of Moab, and for Molech, the abomination of the children of Ammon. It is also written how Solomon even went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians (I Kings 11:5-8). Solomon’s departure from his former devotion to YAHWEH ultimately led to the division of his kingdom, which occurred after he died. So it is evident, how even in death Solomon’s sin bled over into the land of the living. This should sober all of us knowing that our sins not only affect our own person, but our actions (both good and bad) also influence people around us, and how our virtues and vices are carried over into life, even after our death.

Although the Biblical narrative is bereft of any hint of personal repentance offered by Solomon at the end of his life, the Orthodox Church does recognize that God’s judgment considers the entirety of a person’s life and is not limited to only one phase of one’s life that was sinful. While it is acknowledged that Solomon sinned, there is on the other-hand no authoritative teaching that says that he died a sinner or that God condemned him without any hope for his salvation. All in all the Orthodox Church cannot definitively regulate if King Solomon died in repentance or perished in his sins. Rather, Solomon’s life is viewed as a combination of diving blessings and human weakness, along with the potential for repentance. For the story of Solomon ends with the emphasis on God’s mercy and the hope that repentance and salvation are still attainable, even just before the end of one’s life. Although King Solomon is not directly cataloged a Saint of the Orthodox Church, he is indeed remembered and honored during the Sunday of the Forefathers of Christ (also known as the Sunday of the Patriarchs), which falls on the Sunday before the Nativity of Christ, or Christmas. This recognition reflects King Solomon’s importance in Biblical history and secures his place within the sacred genealogy of Jesus Christ, while at the same time excluding him as a Saint with his own particular feast day.

In conclusion, King Solomon’s reign over ancient Israel was marked by political stability along with God’s divine favor. In addition to building the First Temple in Jerusalem, Solomon’s extensive building projects included palaces, fortresses, and roads. The economic and political prosperity achieved under his rule was demonstrated by trade expansion, and diplomatic alliances with neighboring nations, which resulted in a booming economy for the nation of Israel. Solomon is also traditionally credited with authoring a few books in the Bible such as Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Songs. Overall, Solomon is remembered as a wise monarch, a great builder, and a key figure in Biblical history. Solomon died around 931 BC after ruling for approximately forty years. His life story reveals the importance of faith and wisdom, as well as the dangers of lukewarm spirituality and the sin of idolatry.

References:

• Brooks, M.F. Kebra Nagast. (Kingston, Jamaica: LMH Publishing Limited, 2001).

• Holy Apostles Convent. The Lives of the Holy Prophets. (Buena Vista, CO: Holy Apostles Convent, 1998).

• Nelson. The Holy Bible, New King James Version. (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, Inc., 1984).

• Orthodox Study Bible (Elk Grove, CA: St. Athanasius Academy of Orthodox Theology, 2008).

• Pritchard, J.B. Solomon & Sheba. (New York, NY: Praeger Publishers, Inc., 1974).

• Stern, D.H. The Complete Jewish Study Bible. (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, LLC. 2016).

• Zondervan. The Holy Bible, King James Version. (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2009).

In the year 1945 in the vicinity of Nag Hammadi, a city in Upper Egypt, was a chance discovery made which would ultimately provide invaluable insight into early Christian thought from outside of the canonical New Testament. For this particular find was not a treasure trove of jewelry or gold coins, but of ancient Christian documents that would come to be known as the Gnostic Gospels. These texts differed from the teachings of the Biblical canon as they emphasized how salvation comes from spiritual knowledge or “gnosis”. For this special knowledge, they believed, would empower the believer to break free of all material entrapments and enable their ascent into heaven to be one with God. Now this Gnostic idea of gnosis was in stark contrast to the Orthodox Christian concept of theosis, which is also defined as union with God, but it is not acquired by the knowledge of God alone. Rather theosis is achieved through prayer, repentance, and participation in the sacraments of the Church. Going further, the knowledge of the Gnostics may not in fact be the true knowledge of the true God, but instead it may be classified as occult knowledge, which stands emphatically against the teachings of the canonical Gospels, and also falls outside the precepts of genuine Orthodox Christian spirituality.

Gnosticism originated in the early centuries of the Christian Era, around the 1st to 2nd centuries AD. It emerged side by side with early Christianity and drew on various religious, philosophical, and mystical traditions, including Hellenistic Judaism, Platonic philosophy, and elements of ancient Egyptian cosmology. Gnostic beliefs often centered around the idea of gnosis, or spiritual knowledge, which was seen as the key to salvation. Gnosticism was notably influential in regions such as Egypt, particularly in cities like Alexandria, and spread throughout the Roman Empire. It was characterized by a diverse set of texts and teachings that often emphasized dualistic views of the material and spiritual worlds. However, it’s important to note that Gnosticism was not a monolithic movement, for there were many different Gnostic sects with varying beliefs about Jesus, creation, and salvation. Some Gnostic texts do affirm a more human aspect of Jesus, while others emphasize his divine nature and reject the reality of his physical existence all together. Over time, Gnosticism faced opposition from early Christian leaders and was eventually labeled heretical, leading to a decline in its influence by the 4th century.

As previously mentioned, early Gnosticism was comprised of several varying beliefs concerning the person of Jesus Christ, with some Gnostic sects even teaching that Christ did not come in the flesh. This idea is often associated with a doctrine known as Docetism, which proposed that Jesus only appeared to have a physical body and did not actually experience physical suffering or participate in any type of a common human life. This belief stemmed from the Gnostic view that the material world was flawed or evil, and thus a divine being would not, and could not, truly inhabit a physical fleshly form. However, this particular belief, which holds that Christ did not come in flesh, is not just a heresy but something far worse. For in the New Testament it is written that, “every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world” (I John 4:3). This statement by one of Christ’s original Apostles, illustrates how dangerous of a doctrine Gnosticism truly is. For such teachings are not only false beliefs about Christ but are even Antichrist, a position adhered to which makes salvation impossible and ensures eternal damnation.

Since the core of Gnosticism was focused around a deep spiritual and secret knowledge, then we could compare the knowledge of the Gnostics with the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the Garden of Eden. Just as God forbade man to eat of the tree of knowledge, so too does the Orthodox Church forbid the teachings and practices of Gnosticism. So from an Orthodox Christian perspective this secret knowledge that was so sought after by the Gnostics, could also be looked upon as forbidden fruit. However, Orthodoxy does indeed encourage its members to study the Scriptures. For in the canonical Gospels Jesus tells us that the goal of the spiritual life is to be “taught of God” which is an education that results in one coming unto Christ (John 6:45). Though Orthodoxy encourages Bible study, it also teaches that the primary endeavor of a Christian is the struggle to purify one’s heart, whereas the Gnostics strove for the expansion of their psychology. In summation it can be explained that Gnosticism is of the mind, while Orthodoxy is of the heart.

The Gnostics, for the most part, lived in solitude which aided them in their mental concentration. In a way the Gnostic led a life similar to that of a Christian monk. This solitary interior path of gnosis was promoted in the teachings found in the Gnostic Gospels, primarily the Gospel of Thomas. But again, the differences between the Christian monk, and the solitary Gnostic is marked by how the Gnostic sought esoteric knowledge for their salvation, while the traditional monk lived a life of obedience, repentance, and the struggle to mortify the passions of the flesh and spirit. But even with these surface similarities, the fanaticism and occult vibrations of Gnostic Christianity would in turn prove no match against mainstream Orthodox Christianity. Gnosticism was further driven underground through the writings of St. Irenaeus, who officially condemned Gnosticism in his five volume book, “Against Heresies,” which he composed around the year 180 AD.

When gazing back unto the early days of the Christian movement, as the Church of Christ was forming itself into a more unified and organized body, do we witness how conflicts arose between the rebellious Gnostics and the institutional framework established by the original Apostles of Jesus Christ. Ultimately the patristic tradition of Orthodox Christianity would emerge dominant and authoritative, causing Gnosticism (along with its Gospels) to be expelled from the genuine Apostolic Church. For the early Church Fathers encouraged their Orthodox communities to cling to the faith handed down to them from the Apostles, such as the reading of the approved scriptures, observance of Church rituals, and the recognition and obedience to the hierarchy of priests and bishops. St. Paul also wrote about the dangers of believing in any other Gospel that was not preached by himself and the other Apostles (Galatians 1:6-9). Thus even the Apostle Paul may have been referring to the Gnostic Gospels and their teachings which were a distorted message of the true nature of Christ and God’s plan of salvation. For to be an Orthodox Christian means to possess the true knowledge of God, while a Gnostic is one who’s knowledge of God is false.

References:

• Bloom, H. The Gospel of Thomas: The Hidden Sayings of Jesus. (New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers, 1992).

• Davies, S. The Secret Book of John: The Gnostic Gospel. (Woodstock, VT: Skylight Paths Publishing, 2005).

• Lumpkin, J. The Apocryphon of John: A Gnostic Gospel. (Blountsville, AL: Fifth Estate, 2006).

• Pagels, E. The Gnostic Gospels. (New York, NY: Random House, Inc., 1979).

According to Jewish tradition, at the coming of the Messiah when the world is finally redeemed, the only sacrifice remaining will be the sacrifice of “thanksgiving,” known in Hebrew as תּוֹדָה the “todah” which in turn is a more grace-filled sacrifice, significantly made of bread and not initiated through the shedding of the blood of animals. This sacrifice of thanksgiving, of which many religious Jews still long for, was in fact fulfilled 2,000 years ago by the Lord Jesus Christ during the Last Supper. For shortly before His crucifixion the Lord instructed His disciples to receive His body and blood, in the consecrated form of bread and wine, as part of the New Covenant which has come forth unto the world for the remission of sins. Even to this very day do Orthodox Christians continue to partake in this bloodless sacrifice in the sacrament of Holy Communion, also known as the Eucharist. Now the English meaning of “Eucharist” is “thanksgiving,” which is derived from the Greek word eucharistia. This Christian concept of a sacrifice of thanksgiving directly parallels Jewish teachings concerning the future era of the sacrifice of thanksgiving, or todah, when the shedding of blood for sins will be abolished, and the ushering in of a bloodless bread offering will be instituted instead. Again this Jewish tradition finds it’s fulfillment in Orthodox Christianity. For the thanksgiving sacrifice, of which the Jewish people continue to look for, has been revealed in the person and the passion of Yeshua HaMashiach.

References:

• Green, J.P. The Interlinear Hebrew-Greek-English Bible. (Lafayette, IN: Sovereign Grace Publishers, 2000).

• Readers Digest. ABC’s Of The Bible. (Pleasantville, NY: The Readers Digest Association Inc., 1991).

• Stern, D.H. The Complete Jewish Study Bible. (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, LLC. 2016).

When it comes to the legendary and iconic religious individuals, who lived back in ancient times, one particular person of faith uniquely stands out. And this highly revered figure, who is upheld as a great prophet by Jews, Christians, and Muslims, is none other than the Hebrew patriarch Abraham. It is also quite significant that the three differing faiths of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam are considered as Abrahamic religions, due to their shared affinity demonstrated towards the prophet Abraham. Since Abraham is considered as one of the first monotheistic religious leaders in earth’s history, he is very appropriately titled as the “father of faith”. So it is genuinely fitting to classify Judaism, Christianity, and Islam as Abrahamic faiths, due to the prophet Abraham’s personal belief in the one true God being the common denominator shared by all three of these different religions. However, on the subject of the race, genealogy, and bloodline of Abraham, things do indeed become contentious among the three Abrahamic faiths, especially between Judaism and Islam, or more specifically: the Jews and the Arabs. Certain Protestant Christian groups also take note of the Abrahamic bloodline. For these Christians proclaim their unwavering support for Israel based on what is written in Genesis 12:3. But as we shall see the Bible does not say that whosoever blesses the Jewish race is blessed, but rather those who specifically bless Abraham, who (along with the Jews) is also the forefather of the Arab races.

Now it must first be understood that Abraham was not always addressed by this particular name. Rather, Abraham was originally given the name Abram, which means “exalted father”. Later, after proving his faithfulness to the Lord, God gave him the name Abraham, which means “father of many nations”. For Abraham would not only become the forefather of the children of Israel, but he would also become the father of the Arabs, through his firstborn son Ishmael. Abraham is also the spiritual father of all people who have faith in God and Jesus Christ, fulfilling the prophecy which states that through Abraham shall all families of the earth be blessed (Genesis 12:3). It must also be pointed out that this verse in Genesis does not say that all those who bless the Jews will be blessed, but rather God’s blessing falls upon all those who bless Abraham, who is the father of the Jews, the Arabs, and all people who have faith in God and Jesus Christ. This claim is also backed up by the Apostle Paul, who writes that, they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham (Galatians 3:9). So it is evident that it is a person’s faith in God, and not their DNA, which determines God’s personal favor directed towards a particular human being. This theme was also poised by St. John the Baptist, when he told the Jews not to think themselves special because they had Abraham as their father. For St. John explained that God is able to take a stone and turn it into a child of Abraham (Matthew 3:9). This further emphasizes that the blessing of Abraham falls upon all races who have faith in God, and is not solely hinged upon by one’s genetic makeup, or ethnic origin.

Continuing with the subject of bloodlines and ethnicities, the Bible informs us that Abraham was racially a Hebrew (Genesis 14:13). It has also been deduced by scholars, that to be a Hebrew means that one is of the lineage of Eber, who was a direct descendant of Shem, who was one of the three son’s of Noah. We can also classify Abraham as a Semite because to be Semitic means that one is a descendant of Shem, of which lineage Abraham directly stemmed from. And in all fairness we must also designate the Arabs as a Semitic people group, due to their racial ties to Abraham through his son Ishmael, who had twelve sons himself, whom God blessed and made into a great nation (Genesis 17:20). And after his wife Sarah died, Abraham married a woman named Keturah and fathered several sons through her, one of whom was named Midian, whose descendants the Hebrew prophet Moses would eventually take a wife from, several centuries after Abraham (Exodus 2:15-21). So from what is written in the Bible, we can surmise that the nations which make up the territories of today’s Middle East, are all the children of Abraham according to the flesh.

Scripture also teaches us that Abraham was a prophet, which means that he was a man of God (Genesis 20:7). Going further, the Bible even emphasizes that Abraham had such a close relationship with the Almighty, that Abraham was called the Friend of God (James 2:23). For many times did God put Abraham’s faith to the test, and many times did Abraham pass these tests, and due to his unwavering faith in the Lord, was Abraham’s faith counted to him for righteousness (Genesis 15:6). Thus Abraham is not only the father of many nations through the multitude of his physical offspring, but all those who are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham (Galatians 3:7). For to be a son of Abraham is to be a child of God. We see a couple examples of this in the Gospel where, on one occasion, Jesus points out how a woman whom He healed, which had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, was a daughter of Abraham (Luke 13:11-16). And when the publican Zacchaeus repented with good works, Jesus proclaimed that salvation had come to his house, and Christ also called him a son of Abraham (Luke 19:8-9). So again it is revealed that it is a person’s deeds and disposition which make one a descendant of Abraham. For to be a child of God requires great faith, and this faith is not based on genetics. So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham (Galatians 3:9).

What makes Abraham’s faith in the one true God so special, and what speaks to the great virtue of his character, is that the prophet Abraham grew up in the midst of a society immersed in idolatry. For in the first few generations after the Flood, the people of Mesopotamia forgot the supremacy of the God of Noah and began to worship many gods or idols. But Abraham stood against these idolatrous practices. Many legends have also come down to us expressing how even as a youth Abraham did not believe in the idols, but in one God. Abraham’s faith in God was so strong that he even went as far as to defy his own father, who not only worshiped the false gods, but fashioned them and sold them as well. But it would not be until Abraham was seventy-five years old before God called him and commanded him to leave his country, and his father’s house, and go unto the land of Canaan. Abraham didn’t hesitate and took with him his wife Sarah, his nephew Lot, and all his substance and came unto Canaan. Now this piece of real-estate would be the setting of a series of supernatural events and divine interventions, that would go one to dub the land of Canaan as the Holy Land. For even to this very day do the faithful followers of the three Abrahamic religions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam hold claim to these territories, while looking towards upright Abraham as their faithful role model and spiritual father.

References:

• Schiffman, L.H. & VanderKam, J.C. Encyclopedia of the Dead Sea Scrolls. (New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 2000).

• Zondervan. The Holy Bible, King James Version. (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2009).

In the New Testament Epistle of St. Jude, it is written how the Archangel Michael fought with Satan over the body of Moses (Jude 1:9). However, this story is nowhere to be found in the entire Old Testament. But, the fact that this quotation is centered around the death of the prophet Moses, then St. Jude may have been referencing this particular Scriptural account from an extra-Biblical work, dating back to the 1st-century AD, titled, “The Assumption of Moses.” This Apocryphal text, of Jewish origin, contains secret prophecies which Moses revealed unto Joshua shortly before passing the responsibility of shepherding the children of Israel over to him. Also known as, “The Testament of Moses”, due to its contents recording the final words of the holy prophet before he died, this religious document serves as a type of last will and Testament of Moses which preserves his lasting legacy. The book is believed to have been originally written in either Hebrew or Aramaic and was later translated into Greek, with the only surviving manuscript we have today being a Latin translation dating to the 6th century AD. The only problem, unfortunately, is that much of the text is missing, with only fragments of the scroll remaining. Because the text is incomplete, it has been speculated that the missing parts may have originally included the dispute over the body of Moses, between the Archangel Michael and Satan, as we see transcribed in Jude 1:9.

Now the exact quote penned in the Epistle of St. Jude, which is proposed to have been taken from the Assumption of Moses, is as follows, “Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee” (Jude 1:9). Though we cannot know for certain if this quotation is directly taken from the Assumption of Moses, due the missing sections of this fragmentary manuscript, it would however, make sense if St. Jude was quoting from this book, since the verse in Jude speaks of a unique event surrounding the death of Moses which is not found anywhere else in the Holy Bible. Also the Epistle of St. Jude was written around 70 AD, with most scholars agreeing that the Assumption of Moses was written around this time as well, or at least sometime during the first century of the common era, prior to the writing of the Epistle of St. Jude. However, in Jude 1:14-15 a quote from the book of Enoch is provided, of which Jude clearly states was a prophecy of Enoch the seventh from Adam, signifying that the book of Enoch is in fact an ancient text. Following this pattern of ancient themes woven throughout St. Jude’s Epistle, we could argue that the Assumption of Moses is also ancient, and therefore it may date back long before the early Christian era, as opposed to what many modern scholars teach.

Concerning the book of Enoch, as quoted in Jude, it must be understood that most Bible scholars do not believe it was written by the prophet Enoch, nor do they accept that it is an ancient text. What is held my modern critics, is that the book of Enoch was put together by Jewish scribes somewhere between the 3rd century BC and the 1st century AD. But by placing the origins of Enoch to such a late date, this in turn totally contradicts the teaching of St. Jude, who writes that it was Enoch himself who gave the prophecy Jude quotes from, making the book of Enoch not only ancient, but quite possibly the very first book ever written. So, though not completely air tight, we could say there is a possibility that the Assumption of Moses is quite older than what is generally taught by Bible scholars, due to the questionable age of the book of Enoch in accordance with the writings of St. Jude.

In addition to the possible quote written in the Epistle of St. Jude, the text of the Assumption of Moses itself primarily focuses on the final days of the prophet Moses, as well as highlighting his prophetic utterances concerning the future plight of the children of Israel. This narrative goes on to describe the ascent of Moses into the heavenly realms, where God grants Moses a series of revelations pertaining to the fate of the Israelites, as well as information regarding the coming of the Messiah, and the ultimate judgment of the nation of Israel. This book also touches upon themes of faith, such as the importance of being obedient to the Lord’s commandments, and the chastising consequences of disobedience. So, not only does the Assumption of Moses reveal insights into early Jewish thought and the wisdom teachings on morality, it also serves as one of the first ancient Jewish texts outside of the Bible on the topic of eschatology, or the subject of the end times.

Now in all fairness, since we do not find the exact quote from St. Jude’s Epistle in the Assumption of Moses, we cannot emphatically state that Jude quoted from this ancient text. Neither can we say for certain that the Assumption of Moses is in fact an ancient text, which precedes the time most scholars say it was originally written. But St. Jude does give us some insight into the extra-Biblical knowledge concerning the life of Moses that we do not possess outside of the Old Testament. Now the mystery as to why the Archangel Michael was contending with Satan over the body of Moses is not overtly explained by Jude. But according to the teaching of the Orthodox Church when a person dies and their soul departs from their body, there also begins an examination of the soul’s virtues and vises, as angels and demons present all the good and bad deeds which a person committed during their lifetime. And all these stops along the way, as the soul ascends to heaven or descends into hell, are referred to as the Toll Houses. For this contention between the Archangel Michael and Satan over the body of Moses, could be viewed as an ancient example of a toll station. It is also written in the Bible that God Himself buried Moses and that no one knows the whereabouts of his sepulcher unto this day (Deuteronomy 34:6). So it would seem that God wanted to protect Moses even after his death, by not allowing the devil to desecrate his body, nor did the Lord want any human hands touching or defiling the corpse of this special servant of God, whom the Lord knew face to face (Deuteronomy 34:10).

References:

• Brown, R.K. The Book of Enoch. (Nashville, TN: James C. Winston Publishing Company, Inc., 1997).

• Charles, R.H. Apocalypse of Baruch and the Assumption of Moses. (York Beach, ME: Red Wheel/Weiser, 2006).

• St. Anthony’s Greek Orthodox Monastery. The Departure of the Soul: According to the Teaching of the Orthodox Church. (Florence, AZ: St. Anthony’s Greek Orthodox Monastery, 2017).

• Zondervan. The Holy Bible, King James Version. (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2009).

In both the Old and New Testaments of the Holy Bible, supernatural spirit beings called angels are extensively written of and are plainly referred to in holy writ as the messengers of God. In some instances, the appearances or physical manifestations of the angels are also described. However, these bodiless powers are hardly ever mentioned of by name in the entire corpus of the inspired texts which make up God’s holy Word. For within the accepted 39 books of the Old Testament, the Archangels Michael and Gabriel are only listed in the book of Daniel. Additionally, in the Old Testament Apocrypha, the angel Raphael is solely recorded in the book of Tobit, along with the angel Uriel who singularly shows up in the Apocryphal 2 Esdras. In no other book, which comprises the complete library of the Eastern Orthodox Old Testament, are any other names provided for any other angels. However, in the Pseudepigraphal book of Enoch more angels (both good and evil) are in fact called by their specific names. But the main spiritual entities that are referenced to in the book of Enoch, are known as the Watchers. And these particular angels, or Watchers, are also acknowledged in another Pseudepigraphal book called Jubilees, which is regarded as a retelling or rather an expansion of the stories found in the book of Genesis. Outside of the Apocryphal sources of Enoch and Jubilees, there is at least one reference to the Watchers in the accepted Canon of the Bible. For in the book of Daniel do we briefly come across the Watchers in a verse concerning how the angelic hierarchy influences the governing, and ruler-ship of the various nations of the world (Daniel 4:17).

As previously stated, the books of Enoch and Jubilees fall outside of the Eastern Orthodox Biblical Canon, and are therefore regarded as Pseudepigrapha. However, the Ethiopian Orthodox Church does accept both I and II Enoch, as well as the book of Jubilees as part of their official Canon of books held holy. This makes the Ethiopian Bible the most all-encompassing set of Scriptures held Canonical by any other Christian institution. Now the term “Pseudepigrapha” refers to a religious document which is believed to falsely attribute authorship to that specific text. The book of Enoch is a prime example of such a religious work, as most Bible scholars do not accept that the Antediluvian patriarch Enoch personally penned the book which bears his name. However, it would seem that the New Testament writer St. Jude does indeed acknowledge the author of the book of Enoch to be none other than Enoch the seventh from Adam. For in Jude 1:14, it is written that Enoch prophesied, thus designating Enoch as among the prophets. Going further, in verse 15, Jude goes on to quote nearly verbatim from I Enoch 1:9, which clearly demonstrates how a New Testament writer, and Saint of the Church, believed and taught that the prophet Enoch did in fact write the book of Enoch.

Shifting our focus back to the Watchers, let us first identify the somewhat obscure Biblical references that mention the Watchers before we turn our attention to the books of Enoch and Jubilees. Now as we have already pointed out, the book of Daniel is basically the only book in the Bible where we find the Watchers, as defined by their angelic or spiritual nature. For the only other place in the Bible where we come across the Watchers, is in the book of the prophet Jeremiah. But here these particular “watchers” are described as human beings and not as angels or spirit beings (Jeremiah 4:16). So by excluding this verse in Jeremiah, which designates the Watchers as humans, are we left with the book of Daniel as the only place in the entire corpus of the accepted 66 books of the accepted Canon of Scripture, where the Watchers are classified as spiritual entities. The Watchers here in Daniel, are involved with executing the Lord’s judgment upon the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar. For when it is pronounced from on high that the heart of Nebuchadnezzar would be changed from that of a man’s to that of a beast’s, it is written that this matter is by the decree of the Watchers (Daniel 4:16-17). Thus it is revealed how the Watchers are not only messengers of God, but also servants of God who bring forth divine judgments.

Now when it comes to the book of Enoch, the Watchers are first mentioned within the very opening verses of chapter one. For it is written, that in the last days the Watchers will quake with great fear at the coming of The Holy Great One (Enoch 1:3-5). Since it is stated that the Watchers will tremble with fear at the coming of the Lord, then this indicates that these particular angelic Watchers are not holy angels, but rather fallen angels. It is also interesting to note that the first 36 chapters of the book of Enoch are sectioned off into a sub category titled, “The Book of the Watchers.” For throughout this particular section of Enoch, are the Watchers referred to over a dozen times. This makes the book of Enoch the primary religious text which features the Watchers, and also describes them in the greatest detail, even more so than in the book of Jubilees. The book of Enoch also expands upon the story we read in Genesis chapter six, where it is written how the sons of God married the daughters of men (Genesis 6:2). Though there are differing schools of theological thought concerning who, or what, these sons of God could actually be, the book of Enoch for it part does indeed identify them as angels and not mortal men. And due to how these angels looked down from heaven upon the beauty of the daughters of men and lusted after them, the book of Enoch appropriately titles these fallen angels as the Watchers.

Continuing with the story of the Watchers, as recorded in I Enoch, the text goes on to say how 200 of these Watchers swore an oath not to abandon their plan to sin as instigated by the angel Semjaza, who was their leader (Enoch 6:1-4). For it was in the days of Jared, the father of Enoch, when the Watchers descended to the summit of Mount Hermon and took unto themselves wives from among the daughters of men. In addition to sleeping with these earthly women, the Watchers also taught them the magical arts of charms and enchantments (Enoch 7:1). As to the Watchers interactions with human men, it is mentioned how the fallen angel Azazel taught men to make swords, and knives, and shields, and breastplates, and made known to them the metals of the earth and the art of working them (Enoch 8:1). This type of technology or metallurgy, taught to the men of the earth by the Watchers, may have some Biblical parallels. For in Genesis do we find among the first inhabitants of the earth a man named Tubal-Cain, who was skilled in the working of brass and iron (Genesis 4:22). Though the Bible doesn’t say that fallen angels taught Tubal-Cain this skill, it is interesting to note that the Biblical daughters of men, and their male relatives, were of the bloodline of wicked Cain of which Tubal-Cain also descended from. This would suggest that the Watchers only interacted with the people stemming from Cain’s lineage, and in turn these Watchers seem to have had little to do with the families belonging to blessed Seth’s bloodline. Therefore, this ancient form of social distancing kept the royal genealogy of the Sethites pure and untainted, in what began the ages long preparation for the awaited birth of the promised Messiah.

Finally in our Scriptural exegesis concerning the Watchers, do we now arrive at the book of Jubilees. Similar to the book of Enoch, Jubilees also tells the story of how the Watchers descended to the earth in the days of Jared. However, unlike Enoch, Jubilees initially records the Watchers as instructing men, not in the arts of war, but rather in the ways of judgment and uprightness (Jubilees 4:15). As previously argued (from the Enochic material) the Watchers were all wicked angels, but here in this isolated verse taken from Jubilees it appears that at least some of the Watchers were indeed benevolent. Yet in just a few verses following this paradoxical statement, do we read how Enoch testified against the Watchers due to their sins (Jubilees 4:22). Now Jubilees does say that the Watchers were initially the angels of the Lord, so the text must be alluding to the original state of the Watchers before they fell from grace. Continuing with the sins of the Watchers, namely, fornication, uncleanness, and iniquity, it is written in Jubilees that these three things prompted the Lord to unleash the Great Flood. But even though God pressed the reset button on creation, the legacy of the Watchers was not completely destroyed. For shortly after the Flood one of the descendants of Noah found some writings on a rock, preserved from the generations before the Flood, which contained the teachings of the Watchers (Jubilees 8:3). Now just as the Bible says that there were giants in the earth in the days before the Flood, and also after that (Genesis 6:4), so too does Jubilees explain how the magical arts of the Watchers also continued in the days following the Flood. And like it is written in the book of Enoch, how the giants were the offspring of the Watchers and human women, Jubilees also follows suit in this particular fallen angels tradition (Jubilees 10:5).

In conclusion it must be noted, by what we gather from the books of Enoch and Jubilees, that the Watchers were originally holy angels who were appointed by God to oversee the affairs of the people of the earth, hence the name Watchers. However, at one point in time they rebelled and became wicked angels, at least according to the books of Enoch and Jubilees. The book of Daniel on the other-hand, does not come right out and say that the Watchers were evil. Rather, by the way they are described in Daniel, it appears that they are good angels. In another ancient document titled: The Genesis Apocryphon (found among the various manuscripts which make up the library of the Dead Sea Scrolls) the Watchers are hinted as rebellious in one section, and also identified as the servants of God in another section. So, it must be clarified that some of the Watchers were in fact righteous, while other Watchers rebelled against God and became wicked. Now it remains a controversy of whether or not the sons of God, mentioned in Genesis 6, were fallen angels or possibly the descendants of holy Seth. The books of Enoch and Jubilees both cite that the sons of God of Genesis 6 were in fact fallen angels, but other schools of thought do not agree, taken on the merit that angels are bodiless spirits which are unable to physically procreate. For due to the graphic imagery of fallen angels sleeping with human women and giving birth to giants or Nephilim who terrorize the earth, this story may have been just a little too strange for people to accept, and could be the reason why the books of Enoch and Jubilees were excluded from the official Biblical Canon, except of course for the hierarchy of the Ethiopian Church who have included Enoch and Jubilees as part of their holy Scriptures.

References:

• Barker, M. The Great Angel: A Study of Israel’s Second God. (Louisville, KY: Westminster/John Knox Press, 1992).

• Brown, R.K. The Book of Enoch. (Nashville, TN: James C. Winston Publishing Company, Inc., 1997).

• Burns, R.I. The Book of Enoch: Messianic Prophecy Edition. (San Francisco, CA: SagesWorks Press, 2017).

• Charles, R.H. The Book of Jubilees. (Pantianos Classics).

• Fitzmyer, J.A. The Genesis Apocryphon of Qumran Cave I: A Commentary. (Rome, Italy: Biblical Institute Press, 1971).

• Nickelsburg, G.W.E. & VanderKam, J.C. I Enoch: The Hermeneia Translation. (Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2012).

• The Complete 54-Book Apocrypha. (Covenant Press, 2022).

• Zondervan. The Holy Bible, King James Version. (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2009).

Ever since the beginning of human history have the righteous suffered at the hands of the wicked, take the story of Cain and Abel for example (Genesis 4:8). All the prophets of old were persecuted, as was Jesus Christ also heavily persecuted and ultimately crucified. St. Paul, who himself suffered greatly for the sake of Christ, made it abundantly clear that all who live godly in Christ will also suffer persecution (2 Timothy 3:12). So it is evident that the lot of a good person is to be mocked and slandered, which in reality could be due to the jealousy over the righteous conduct of the just, who’s virtue pricks the conscience of evil doers. Now St. Paul did indeed start out as a persecutor of Christians, but later had a change of heart and became one of the greatest of the early Apostles. St. Constantine, who has been viewed as a vile despot by many, legalized Christianity and helped the Fathers of the Church to convene the First Council of Nicaea in 325 AD, and he also played a significant role in its organization and direction. King James I of England, who was responsible for one of the most famous translations of the Bible into English, has throughout the centuries been slandered as a homosexual or bisexual. The following presentation will examine the life of St. Paul, Emperor Constantine, and King James with the intent of showcasing their contributions to Christianity, as opposed to all the criticism that they have endured by Muslims, Protestant Christians, and also by non-believers in general.

St. Paul is viewed by most all Christian denominations as a great man who’s tireless efforts helped lay the foundation of the Christian faith, upon which other Church leaders after him would build upon. However, many Muslims have accused St. Paul of distorting the true teachings of Jesus Christ, and even make the claim that Paul invented Christianity. Muslims teach that since Paul never met Christ, then there can be no authority in Paul’s writings concerning Christ. When Christians explain that Paul did encounter the risen Jesus on the road to Damascus, the Muslims shrug this off as nothing more than a dream that has no weight to it. On this note, Christians could also discredit Muslim teachings which describe Mohammad’s encounter with the angel Gabriel as merely an hallucination, and not to be believed as a true vision. This back and forth has gotten Christian/Muslim relations nowhere over the years, with each side vehemently proclaiming that their side of the story is correct. Now there are some Christians who are also in conflict with Paul. For example, when Paul encourages virgins not to marry and instructs all Christians to keep their bodies sexually pure, many believers who are troubled by the flesh cannot accept this strict teaching and therefore fall away. There are even some Christians who do not trust the writings of St. Paul and focus instead solely upon the Gospels. So despite all that St. Paul accomplished for the glory of God and his rich contributions towards the spread of the faith of Jesus, Paul has unfortunately been slandered by Muslims, and even at times discredited by certain Christians.

When it comes to the Roman emperor Constantine, Protestant Christians do not accept him as a saint and tend to have mixed feelings concerning his influence towards the establishment of Christianity. Now Protestants do recognize Constantine’s issuance of the Edict of Milan in 313 AD as a pivotal moment in the history of the Church, which ended the persecution of Christians and allowed the open practice of the faith of Jesus Christ. Protestants also respect Constantine’s support for the Church, including financial assistance and the construction of churches, which they acknowledge as contributing to the growth and spread of Christianity. However, some Protestants criticize Constantine’s establishment of Christianity as the state religion, arguing that it led to the Church becoming entangled in politics and therefore caused it to fall into corruption. Some Protestants also argue that Constantine’s influence led to the development of doctrines and practices that were not in line with the teachings of the Bible, particularly concerning the role of the clergy and the sacraments. On the other hand, Orthodox Christians view Constantine with deep reverence, honoring him as a saint and “Equal to the Apostles”. While acknowledging Constantine’s pagan past, and some of his personal failings in life, Orthodox Christians do emphasize Constantine’s repentance and his dedication to the Christian faith. Additionally, the Orthodox Church’s liturgical texts and writings praise Constantine for his faith and the role he played in God’s plan for the Church. So even if Constantine had personal issues (which we have ourselves) it must be remembered that his choice to embrace Christianity altered the course of history in a positive way which promoted the cause of Christ instead of hindering it.

Now King James I of England may be an individual with a personal life more difficult to defend on moral grounds, but in his defense he might possibly be the victim of slander. Although he was raised Protestant, James had to navigate between the religious tensions among Anglicans, Catholics, and Puritans who all lived in England during his reign. While he suppressed Catholic activity he sought to find common ground within the Protestant church, leading to the Hampton Court Conference and the commissioning of the King James Bible. Some historians speculate that James’s close relationships with his male courtiers may suggest that he was gay, but this remains a subject of debate. One of King James’s most enduring legacies is his authorization of a new English translation of the Bible, the famous King James Version (KJV), also known as the Authorized Version. First published in 1611, the King James Bible became a significant literary and cultural landmark, praised for its style and influence. It was the most widely used English Bible for centuries and is still in use and read by many Christians today. However, the King James Version is criticized by some modern Bible scholars for several reasons, including its use of archaic language, potential inaccuracies in translation, and the availability of more accurate and accessible modern translations. The KJV’s old-fashioned language has been argued to be a barrier for non-Christians, making it harder to engage with modern readers, and thus making it more difficult to understand the Bible’s message. Yet over all, the KJV is praised for its poetic language and literary beauty, with some considering it a masterpiece of English literature. So, even if King James was no saint, his contributions towards Protestant Christianity has left a massive impact upon Western civilization, and carved out a cultural legacy which has lasted for over 400 years.

In conclusion, the historical figures of St. Paul, Emperor Constantine, and King James are three men who, despite their shortcomings, have influenced both the Eastern and Western world, and have also altered the course of human history. If St. Paul wouldn’t have repented for his errors, and if he disobeyed the Lord’s call, the faith of Christ might not have taken root the way it has. Furthermore, if St. Constantine would not have stood up for the persecuted Christians and not allowed Church assemblies to take place, the number of the faithful in ancient times might have been very few, with only a remnant of Christians surviving today. And although King James was Protestant the fact that he commissioned a Bible to be translated into English, from ancient documents and by the utmost scholars of his day, this act was able to bring the message of Christ to the broader English speaking world, potentially reaching a grand total of over 1.4 billion people today. It would seem that the history of Christianity has been one marked by schisms as well as miracles. Some events in history damaged the true meaning of Christianity, with other occurrences propelling the true faith over land and sea and throughout time. I would also argue that the common man, no matter how lowly, has the potential to influence this world in a positive way. By one struggling to obey the commandments of Christ, we in turn may become sanctified, a trait that bleeds over from the person’s soul into the world around them. We may not live up to the influence that St. Paul had, but by heeding the message of Christ preached by Paul, we too can keep the faith alive and pass down this holy tradition to the next generation, fulfilling the prophecy that the gates of hell will not prevail against Christ’s Church (Matthew 16:18).

The Apostle Paul is held as one of the greatest Saints of all time by both the Orthodox Church, and the Catholic Church and is highly revered by many Protestant sects as well. However, many Protestant Christian sects are in conflict with Paul over doctrinal disagreements and scriptural misunderstandings. Muslims too find fault with Paul, and go so far as to say that Paul invented Christianity. So, from all these attacks aimed at the Apostle, it could be argued that St. Paul is Christendom’s most slandered Saint. No other pillar of the Church has received as much ridicule as St. Paul has. While at the same time, not many more Saints have contributed as much to the spreading of the Faith of Christ than by the Apostle Paul. Though it is true that initially Paul persecuted the Church, yet after his conversion he went on to be the greatest missionary in the early Church period. St. Paul labored intensely to win souls to Christ by traveling all throughout the Mediterranean, and by writing so many Epistles or letters which were later compiled and included into the Canon of the New Testament. So, if the Apostle Paul contributed so much to the cause of Christ why is he so mocked and ridiculed? The following presentation will attempt to answer that question and hopefully we can get to the bottom of these baseless claims concerning this great Saint.

Now before his conversion from Judaism to Christianity, the Apostle Paul was known as Saul of Tarsus. For the future St. Paul was a Pharisee of the tribe of Benjamin, who initially persecuted Jewish converts to Christianity. He even gave a group of religious Jews his consent to the stoning of St. Stephen, the first Christian martyr. Yet it would be on the road to Damascus, in his attempt to find any Christians that might be living there in order to capture them and bring them bound to Jerusalem, when the risen Christ appeared to Paul confronting him about his actions. In a state of wonder Paul asked the Lord who He was and the Lord said, “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting” (Acts 9:5). This incredible vision blinded Paul, but his sight was miraculously restored three days later by the holy hands of Ananias of Damascus. Immediately following these events Paul was baptized and began the zealous preaching to his fellow Jews, boldly confessing and proclaiming that Jesus of Nazareth truly was the long awaited Messiah and indeed the Son of God.

In addition to his great physical labors of bringing the message of Christ to both Jews and Gentiles alike, the Apostle Paul wrote extensively to the various Christian communities of Asia Minor and Greece encouraging them spiritually, as well as instructing them in the faith, and at times even chastising them. Traditionally speaking, fourteen of the twenty-seven books of the New Testament have been attributed to the hand of St. Paul. However, due to the fact that many of the Pauline Epistles end with the note that they were written by the hand of others, has lead many to believe that Paul was not the author of the majority of the letters which the Church holds that he wrote. But this can be explained by the fact that many of Paul’s letters were written from prisons where he had no access to pen and parchment. Those visiting him in prison would take note of what Paul said and put in writing his spoken word. Yet even this explanation isn’t good enough for many who claim that there were in fact two different people who were instrumental in the compilation of the Epistles traditionally attributed to Paul alone. And this slander of the Saint not only comes from those outside of the Church, but unfortunately even members of the Church spread this slander as well.

Continuing in the Christian world regarding the writings of St. Paul, many Protestant denominations hold to various and differing doctrines and misinterpretations concerning St. Paul’s teachings. Some Christians cannot accept Paul’s strict rules, and in turn bend the scriptures to make them fit their own sinful lifestyle. This is what is called “The Merging of Baal” the practice of combining idolatry with the worship of the one true God. But as Paul himself wrote, “...God is not mocked,” so by trying to find a loophole in God’s law in order to justify a certain sin, only adds a greater condemnation to the one adding and taking away from the Word of God. But obediently following the teachings of Paul is like unto obeying the commandments of Christ Himself. For as the Apostle says, “Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1). The Fathers of the Church also hold that St. Paul is the mouth of Christ. This means that the words of St. Paul are as those of the risen Jesus, for the Lord used St. Paul in such a way in order to get His message across in the clearest and most adamantly defined way. So as Christians we are to follow Christ, and to also heed the instruction of St. Paul.

Apart from all the slanderous stances held against Paul in the world of Christianity, the Apostle Paul has additionally endured much disrespect coming from the world of Islam. Muslims claim that Paul invented Christianity, and that his words cannot be trusted because he never met Jesus personally and only knew of Christ from what he heard from others, and then went on to pervert the true message of Jesus Christ. Though one could argue that Paul did meet Christ on the road to Damascus, the Muslims say that it was just a dream and cannot be trusted as a genuine encounter. However, Muhammed reportedly had visions too, so a Christian can say that Muhammad’s visions were also not genuine. So it pains me to say it, but Muslims only believe in the visions of Muhammed, but cannot accept the visions of Christian Saints. So as we see it unfolding, this attitude will get us nowhere when trying to clarify the doctrines of St. Paul to Muslims, who stubbornly deny the writings of St. Paul as the accepted Word of God.

The Apostle Paul endured many hardships during his earthy life and even though he has been slandered over the years, this blessed Saint has reigned victorious in the spreading of the Faith of Jesus Christ all throughout the centuries. Though some within the Church are at odds with Paul, this dissent is trumped by the majority of Christians who seek out Paul’s writings in the hopes of aiding them in their personal walk with the Lord. The Epistles of Paul further explain the meanings of the Gospel of Jesus, and stand as a testimony to what Christ expects from all those who choose to follow Him. St. Paul stands as an unerring guide to all of Christ’s followers, instructing us in the ways of Orthodox spirituality. May we all as believers in Christ also lean on the wisdom of Paul, in order that we might live a life pleasing unto God, and by doing so attract the Lord’s grace and mercy, and in the end ultimately achieving our salvation.

When studying the ancient Babylonian creation myth called the Enuma Elish, do we come across striking similarities held between this Babylonian account of creation with the biblical story of creation as outlined in the book of Genesis. Both stories involve the separation of waters, with the biblical account describing the division between upper and lower waters, whereas the Babylonian story describes the creation of the sky and earth from the dismembered body of the goddess Tiamat. Both the Babylonian and biblical narratives also include the creation of celestial bodies like the sun, moon, and stars. However, while the biblical story is monotheistic, focusing on one God, the Babylonian myth features a pantheon of gods such as the central figure of the male deity Marduk for example. The Genesis account emphasizes the creation of a world that is suitable for humanity, while the Enuma Elish focuses on establishing Marduk’s dominance over creation and the divine order. In Genesis, God is presented as a holy and all-powerful creator, while the Babylonian gods are depicted as more fickle individuals whom engage in petty conflicts and power struggles. Despite these differences, the overall parallels shared between the Enuma Elish and the Bible suggests a cultural continuity in the ancient Near East as related to certain ideas about the origins of the world and mankind’s beginnings.

In the ancient Sumerian creation poem, “Enki and Ninhursag”, it is related how the god Enki falls ill with a sickness in one of his ribs. In response to Enki’s suffering, the goddess Ninti is created in order to heal Enki’s rib. Now what is important to be aware of here is that the Sumerian word for “rib” is “ti”, making the name of the goddess Nin-ti meaning, “the lady of the rib”. Additionally, the Sumerian word “ti” also means “life”, therefore the name Ninti may also mean “lady of life”. This ancient Sumerian wordplay is very striking when compared to the Biblical story of the creation of Eve, the first woman, whom God formed from the rib of Adam, the first man. It is also critical to comprehend how Adam called the woman who was formed from his rib by the name Eve, a word which means life. However, though the words for “rib” and “life” are the same in Sumerian their meanings are not interchangeable in Hebrew, the language that the biblical creation account was original written in. But the fact that there is a continuity between a man’s rib and its relationship to the concept of life, which is a constant theme held between ancient Sumerian myths and the biblical narrative, demonstrates how early man may have indeed been aware of the origins of humanity and creation, long before the Bible was ever written.

Continuing with the Sumerian myth: “Enki and Ninhursag”, do we discover another biblical parallel. For the ancient Babylonian tablets speak of an earthly Paradise very similar to the story of the Garden of Eden as found in the biblical book of Genesis. The Sumerian Paradise is described as a pure, clean, and bright semi-divine garden. Being completely bereft of illness, suffering, and death, it is known as the land of the living. The location of the Sumerian Paradise, known as Dilmun, may be originally set in the island nation of Bahrain, which is situated in the Persian Gulf just off the southwestern coast of Iran. However, some scholars suggest that Dilmun may have been located in the eastern parts of Saudi Arabia or even Kuwait. This location would correspond to the biblical Paradise described as a garden planted in the east, with one of the rivers flowing out of Eden identified as the Euphrates, which is a river known today that encompasses the modern country of Iraq, historically known as Mesopotamia. The Sumerian tablets go on to illustrate how the sun-god, Utu, brought up a spring of pure water from the earth to water Dilmun. This factor is very similar to the creation story in the Bible, where it is written how God also brought up a mist from the earth to water the ground (Genesis 2:5-6). The fact that two ancient sources, such as the Babylonian tablets and the Holy Bible, both speak of a lush garden planted in the east at the dawn of history, may provide the evidence to suggest that a divine being was indeed responsible for the creation of the world, and negates the atheists who say that there is no God.

In another epic Sumerian poem titled, “Enmerkar and the Lord of Aratta”, a tale is told of a happy time long ago when all men lived in harmony with one another, and where all the people worshiped only one god: Enlil. However, though everyone in this ancient civilization worshiped the same god, there were also other deities recognized in their cosmology, such as the god Enki for example. Ultimately, Enki became jealous of all the attention directed towards Enlil, so Enki sought to disrupt this golden epoch of man by sowing discord among the earth’s inhabitants. It must also be addressed that according to this Sumerian story, the people of Aratta not only worshiped the same god, but they all spoke the same language. For in addition to bringing about wars and conflicts between humankind, Enki went on to confuse the languages of all the people, very much like the story of the “Tower of Babel” found written in the Bible (Genesis 11:3-9). Like Aratta, most scholars are of the opinion that the Tower of Babel is a mythical story. However, though the land of Aratta is believed to be mythical, it has been suggested that its geographical setting may have been based on parts of the Zagros region in Iran, or placed within the eastern borders of Mesopotamia. This possible location for Aratta is also in the vicinity of where the biblical Tower of Babel is set, namely the plain of Babylon in the Land of Shinar (Genesis 11:2). Thus according to the narratives and settings of both the Sumerian Aratta and the biblical Babel, are we provided with a time and a place for the origins of ancient man.

In conclusion, both the Babylonian and biblical creation stories offer fascinating insights into the ancient world’s understanding of the origins of humanity, as well as mankind’s place within the cosmic order. While the Enuma Elish (Babylonian) and Genesis (Biblical) stories differ significantly in their details and theological perspectives, they also share some interesting points of connection, which may give credence to the belief that an all-powerful and holy God did indeed create the universe and all lifeforms within it, including human beings. I would also like to argue that the authors of the Bible didn’t necessarily copy or borrow stories found in older Babylonian writings which predate the Bible, but rather these biblical scribes continued in the story of creation that was the common understanding of the people in the ancient Near East. Just as the Sumerian creation stories may seem archaic, due to the many gods and their flawed characters who were responsible for mankind’s inception, the Bible on the other-hand may be viewed as an advanced account of creation, due to the radical belief that there is only one God and that man was originally created in the image and after the likeness of this one holy and loving God. Therefore, it is the nature of the divinities that are the most striking dichotomies held between the Babylonian and biblical versions of creation. So in the final analysis it could be argued that polytheism is primitive, whereas monotheism is progressive.

References:

• Kramer, S.N. History Begins at Sumer. (Garden City, NY: Doubleday & Company, Inc., 1959).

• Stephany, T.J. Enuma Elish: The Babylonian Creation Epic.(USA: Createspace, 2013).

• Zondervan. The Holy Bible, King James Version. (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2009).

After the assassination of Tsar Alexander II in 1881, devastating pogroms swept through the Jewish communities of southern Russia. These events would trigger panic and unrest throughout Eastern Europe, and ultimately see in the years to come a large Jewish migration as a result. Initially the vast amounts of Jewish refugees settled in America, but Great Britain also took in many Jews with only a minority of Jews choosing to settle in Palestine. Thus in 1882, as a result of the Russian pogroms, Judah Leib Pinsker published a pamphlet called Auto-Emancipation which argued that Jews could only be truly free in a country of their own. These movements of Jewish migrations and political activism would ultimately birth the establishment of the Zionist movement in 1897, led by the Austro-Hungarian Jewish journalist Theodor Herzl.

The Zionist movement sought to establish a home for the Jewish people in Palestine, but in 1903 the British East Africa Protectorate offered land to the Zionist movement in the territory we know today as the country of Uganda. However, the Foreign Office was unable to attract white settlers to East Africa, but after the track of the Uganda railway reached Nairobi in 1899, the East Africa Protectorate became more appealing. It was projected that with a hard working population the railway would cause the economy of East Africa to prosper. But with the idea to settle poor Jews in the country, the European community was disappointed. Now the European community had placed its faith in Joseph Chamberlain, the colonial secretary. For Chamberlain was the man who put new meaning into the Colonial Office. So, the story of the Zionist Project for Africa begins with a visit Chamberlain made to the East African Protectorate in December, 1902.

While touring the East Africa Protectorate, Chamberlain noted that the climate was perfect. It was a vast country with unlimited possibilities. Seeing that the settlers had the railway, all that was needed was people and commerce to secure their future. Now negotiations between high level government officials including Chamberlain and representatives of the Zionist movement had been carried out at the beginning of the fall in 1902. Inspired by deteriorating conditions in the Jewish areas of eastern Europe, the Zionist leaders began exploring for colonization possibilities. The majority of these territories were in British-controlled areas. El Arish in the Sinai Peninsula of Egypt was discussed, investigated and then dropped. But in August of 1903, just before the Sixth Zionist congress was to meet in Basel, Switzerland the negotiations with Chamberlain proved to be a success.

The proposal of making East Africa a settlement for Jews is a mysterious and complex story. Zionists and East African settlers both felt threatened by the idea, which sparked much debate in both camps. From its inception there had been much confusion surrounding the subject, mostly because of its controversial make up and due to the emotional backlash that the proposal created. To add to this confusion, the Eastern Provence of Uganda was transferred to the East African Protectorate on April 1, 1902. Naivasha and Kisumu were two new provinces formed from the new additions made by the suggestion of Sir Charles Eliot. Areas for proposed Jewish settlements fell within the boarders of the transferred land. However, with the transfer of this land to the East Africa Protectorate, Uganda lost its territories which offered the most incitements for European colonization and settlement.

The meeting of the Zionist movement and East Africa’s white settlers transpired in the later half of the nineteenth century, when modern Zionism was in its infancy. It was at this time that the scramble for Africa took place, which initiated European expansion into Uganda and East Africa. Britain’s role in the scramble for Africa was for commercial advantages, to suppress the slave trade, to control territory on the rout to India, and to compete with the French and German governments. On the Zionist front, Theodor Herzl went on to write two books: Der Judenstaat (The Jewish State) in 1896, and Altneuland (The Old New Land) in 1902. Now the primary objective of Zionism was to seek and establish a home for the Jewish people in Palestine, not Africa or anywhere else.

Another element in the British-Zionist relationship in East Africa were the European Christian missionaries who tried to win the souls of the Dark Continent’s natives. The fact of how the Europeans mistreated the Africans only complicated things for the missionaries, who’s responsibility it was to protect their converts. In response to the Jewish issue Peel, the Bishop of Mombasa, wrote a letter to Sir Charles Eliot explaining the difficult position he found himself in. Peel feared that if the Jews were granted the land along the railway it would cause an economic crisis among the African Christian tribes. At the same time Peel did not totally reject the idea of Jews being placed in East Africa. Peel went on to say that for Christians to bless Jews was to insure blessings for themselves but, to reject the Jews meant bringing a curse upon one’s self. This school of thought would ultimately be used by the Zionists as a key factor in developing the Zionist movement overall.

In 1903, at the Sixth Zionist Congress, Herzl announced the possibility of placing Israel in East Africa. The announcement came as a total shock to the Jewish congress. One young woman became so angry that she tore down the map of East Africa which had been placed where usually the map of Zion was hung. However, by no means did all of the delegates who openly opposed the East Africa project see it as an abandonment of Palestine. During the debate on East Africa stronger arguments were made by the opponents of the East Africa scheme, who steadfastly held onto the Zionist vision. Palestine would not be lost from sight. So strong was the fixation on Palestine that at the end of the congress there was a demonstration, with many singing “Hatikvah” a song that expressed the hope of the Zionists for the return to the Land of Israel.

Though an attempt was made to establish a Jewish colony in East Africa, the attempt was not a success. With the exit of Joseph Chamberlain from the government, the project’s likelihood for success was now even more unlikely. To Herzl, Zionism meant a Jewish homeland in Palestine. Herzl understood the importance of the British government recognizing the Zionist movement. With an international power like Great Britain as a partner, Herzl’s dream of a Jewish State came ever closer to realization. If Palestine was unattainable, then some other place would have to do. But throughout all his work, Herzl never lost sight of Palestine as the ultimate goal. Not once did he deviate from the Zionist ideology which he had helped to build.

Though the East Africa project was abandoned, it was a milestone for the Zionist goal in acquiring Palestine. For through this offer the British government would recognize the Jews as a nation and at the same time acknowledge the Zionist movement as the negotiating agent for the Jews. These negotiations between the Jews and the British government would lead to the signing of the Balfour Declaration in November, 1917. This document stated that the British government viewed with favor “the establishment of a national home for the Jewish people in Palestine.” This document signed during World War I would be the cornerstone in the formation of the State of Israel, which would be officially birthed on May 14, 1948.

References:

• Mendelsohn, E. On Modern Jewish Politics. (New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 1993).

• Sanders, R. The High Walls of Jerusalem: A History of the Balfour Declaration and the British Mandate for Palestine. (New York, NY: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1983).

• Schneer, J. The Balfour Declaration: The Origins of the Arab-Israeli Conflict. (New York, NY: Random House Inc., 2010).

• Weisbord, R.G. African Zion. (Philadelphia, PA: The Jewish Publication Society of America, 1968).

The book of Genesis is the first book of the Hebrew Bible, or, as it is more commonly called: The Old Testament. Genesis is also the first book of the five books of Moses, known to the Jewish people as the Torah. This first book of the Bible is appropriately titled Genesis, for its name has the meaning of “beginnings” or “origins,” for it provides for us the story of the creation of the world and takes us back in time to the birth of human civilization. Believed to have been written by the holy prophet Moses, the book of Genesis takes us on a journey through a series of events transpiring over the course of a few thousand years. Beginning with the creation of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, the fall of mankind, the story of Noah and the great Flood, then down to the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and finishing off with the children of Israel settling in the land of Egypt, the book of Genesis has much to say about life during the most ancient of times. Apart from the stories of Biblical characters and all their drama, Genesis also presents a detailed genealogy of the people who populated the earth, going all the way back to the first man, Adam. The intent of this work is to present a concise overview of the history of our ancient ancestors and to also provide commentary on the intimate role that God played in the personal lives of the patriarchs and prophets of old, a saga that in turn would alter the course of human history and reveal to mankind the benevolence of our divine creator.

Now the account of the LORD God creating the entire world in just six days is found in the first chapter of Genesis. However, in Genesis chapter two, a more detailed description of the creation of Adam is given, and it is also here that we are introduced to the Garden of Eden for the first time. It would seem that the purpose of Genesis chapter two was intended to provide a recap of the events found in chapter one. Genesis chapter two also goes into much detail concerning the initial creation story while also incorporating additional elements of creation that are absent in chapter one. Thus, the entire Biblical creation story is laid out in two chapters, not just one. The reason for this may be that an overview of creation was intended to generally cover all of God’s handiwork, while an additional chapter was needed to go into further detail concerning things of greater importance.

Following directly from the creation stories of Genesis chapters one and two, we come to the story of the serpent tempting Eve to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, beginning in chapter three. But as we read in chapter two, even before Eve was created, God instructed Adam not to eat of this particular tree, for God tells Adam that the day he eats of it, he will surely die. Since Eve was not present when the law of Eden was given to Adam, it must be assumed that Adam told Eve about God’s law after the Lord brought forth the woman from the side of man. Now it is interesting to note that the serpent chose to tempt Eve and not Adam. It would seem that the devil was looking for a weak spot in order to get the man and woman to break God’s law. If the serpent had come to Adam first, the man might not have listened. But through a deceptive dialog with the woman, the devil managed to get Eve to break the commandment by promising her that the fruit would give her wisdom and that she would become like God Himself, knowing both good and evil. The devil literally messed with the woman’s mind, tricking her into doing something that was not in her best interest. But even worse to say of Eve was that instead of repenting for her sin, she gave the forbidden fruit to Adam, knowing full well that it was wrong. However, though Eve was deceived, Adam knew better. So instead of obeying God, Adam chose to listen to the woman, thus directly transgressing the law of his creator.

Concerning the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, it is traditionally believed that the forbidden fruit was an apple. Yet the Fathers of the Church have something else to say. Though the forbidden fruit is not directly identified in Genesis, a clue as to the type of tree Adam and Eve sinfully ate from is hinted at when they lost their innocence. For the Bible tells us that after Adam and Eve partook of the fruit, their eyes were opened and they knew that they were naked, and they went on to use fig leaves as a means to cover their nakedness. This points to the fig tree as being the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and not an apple tree, which is more broadly and commonly assumed. Another place in the scriptures that alludes to the fig tree being the forbidden fruit is taken from the New Testament. For in Matthew 21:19 it is written that Jesus, “...saw a fig tree in the way, he came to it, and found nothing thereon but leaves only, and said unto it, Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward for ever. And presently the fig tree withered away.” Could Jesus have cursed this fruitless fig tree in response for what happened in the Garden of Eden several millennia before His incarnation? It would seem that the Lord cursed the very thing that was instrumental in plunging the world into sin. Thus, the Lord cursing the fig tree may have served as a testimony of Christ’s triumph over sin and death.

Returning to Adam and Eve, it is apparent that, through their disobedience, the Lord expelled the sinful couple from Paradise. Through their sin, death enters the world, something foreign to the very nature of the life-giving Spirit of God. No longer will man live in bliss and eat freely from the trees in the Garden of Eden. Now that sin and death have entered the world, the earth becomes cursed and brings forth thorns and thistles. Now man will be forced to eat bread by the sweat of his face. Paradise is lost, and pain and suffering will replace the joys of Eden. From here on, mankind will live in exile. But before Adam and Eve fell from grace, many wonder just how long the world’s first couple lasted in the Garden before they were cast out. From the patristic texts, there are conflicting writings that teach that Adam and Eve were living in Paradise for as long as forty days or as short as six hours. Forty being the number of days Jesus was tempted in the wilderness, and six being the number of hours Christ hung upon the cross. Though it is not clearly defined in units of time, what can be safely interpreted is that the length of Adam and Eve’s sojourn in Eden was indeed quite brief.

Continuing on our journey through Genesis, we now arrive at the famous story of Cain and Abel, as found in the fourth chapter of this Biblical book of beginnings. As part of the collective consciousness of Western culture, it is generally understood that God accepted Abel’s offering and rejected Cain’s sacrifice, leading Cain to rise up and kill his brother out of envy. However, what is generally misunderstood in this story is the significance of each of the brothers’ sacrifices. As Genesis tells us: Abel was a keeper of sheep and offered a lamb, while Cain was a farmer and offered up crops or vegetables. This has led many believers to assume that God prefers meat offerings as opposed to grain offerings. Because of this misunderstanding, many feel that God treated Cain unfairly. But in reality, the reason why God rejected Cain’s offering and accepted Abel’s was because Abel offered up the best of his flock to the Lord, while Cain offered up an inferior quality of the produce that he possessed. So the two differing sacrifices had more to do with the offering of first fruits versus the offering up of leftovers.

The fact that Cain did not offer up a sacrifice of his choice crops unto the Lord reveals the darkened character and negative mentality of Cain. For Cain did not give the proper glory to God due to his sullen spiritual disposition. Furthermore, Cain was humiliated when he saw how God accepted his brother’s sacrifice but rejected his. Cain was possessed with so much pride that he went to the extent of killing his own brother out of jealousy, for Cain could not bear the pain of his severely wounded ego. Even when God confronted Cain, questioning him about what had happened to Abel, Cain demonstrated how hardened his heart had become by disrespectfully replying to the Almighty, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” As a result of Cain’s fallen countenance and unrepentant heart, God cursed Cain from the earth, which received his brother’s blood. For now, the ground would not yield to him the fruits of the earth as it used to. Cain told God how unbearable his punishment was, but the curse still stuck. So Cain went out from the presence of the LORD and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden.

After Cain was driven out, the Bible tells us that he begot a son with his wife and named the child Enoch. Cain went on to build a city and named it Enoch after his son. It was at this time that the earth became split into two camps. A righteous bloodline and a wicked bloodline. For after the death of Abel, Adam and Eve would conceive another son, whom they named Seth. This Godly child would serve as a replacement for Abel, for it was at this time that men began to call upon the name of the LORD. Now, beginning with Seth, there would stem from him a series of ten righteous men who preserved a holy lineage while the rest of humanity became so corrupt that God decided to destroy the earth and all life upon it with a global flood. For the people in the antediluvian era became so depraved that God regretted that He had made man in the first place, but Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. So God would preserve humanity and all animal life on the ark that Noah built in order to survive the Flood. It was like God pressed the reset button and started all over again. After the waters subsided, God promised Noah that He would never again destroy the earth with a flood and declared that whenever he sees the rainbow in the clouds, he would remember the covenant that He established between man and all of creation.

In the years following the Great Flood, the Bible says that the whole earth was of one language and of one speech. And as they traveled together, they found a plain in the land of Shinar and dwelt there. It was also at this moment when the people decided to build a tower whose top might reach unto heaven and to make a name for themselves so that they wouldn’t be scattered abroad throughout the face of all the earth. However, this act of defiance only kindled God’s wrath once more. Wishing to put an end to the devices of the children of men, God came down and confused their languages and scattered them abroad throughout the face of all the earth, and the people ceased their building endeavors. Thus it is known as Babel, or the Tower of Babel, because there the Lord confounded the languages and scattered the people abroad upon the face of all the earth. These events concerning the Tower of Babel occur in the eleventh chapter of Genesis, and it is also midway through this chapter where the generations of Shem are recorded. Shem’s descendants are listed all the way down to Abram, who further on in Genesis will come to be known as the patriarch and prophet Abraham.

Now Abraham and his family originally hailed from Mesopotamia in the region of Haran but later moved to the land of Canaan, an area known today as the territories encompassing the modern state of Israel and parts of southern Lebanon. For the one true God spoke unto Abraham and instructed him to leave his father’s house and travel to a land which the Lord would show him. For God promised that He would bless Abraham and make of him a great nation, and that through him all the families of the earth would be blessed. God also promised Abraham that one day his descendants would be as numerous as the stars of heaven. Abraham believed the Lord, and the Lord counted his faith unto righteousness. However, Abraham’s wife Sarah was barren, and they had no children. So, out of a lack of faith, Sarah gave her Egyptian handmaid to Abraham in order that he might raise up seed with her, even though the Lord promised that Sarah would conceive. Eventually Abraham and Sarah did have a son together, and through this child the future nation of Israel would be established. For the son of Abraham and Sarah was named Isaac and he went on to father Jacob who would be given the new name of Israel by God Himself. Israel fathered twelve sons who would become the twelve tribes of Israel.

The book of Genesis comes to a close with the patriarch Israel and his family settling in Egypt in an area known as the land of Goshen. For Israel’s favorite son, Joseph, was previously sold into slavery by his jealous brothers. But through divine providence, the family was united once more, and through Joseph’s spiritual gifts, he was able to save Egypt and all the surrounding lands from a severe famine that lasted for seven years. And when Israel was close to death, he gathered his sons together and prophesied over them, telling them of the things that would befall their descendants in the last days. Joseph too, would utter a prophecy concerning the fate of his brethren while he was dying. For Joseph said to his brothers, “...I die: and God will surely visit you, and bring you out of this land unto the land which he sware to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. And Joseph took an oath of the children of Israel, saying, God will surely visit you, and ye shall carry up my bones from hence. So Joseph died, being an hundred and ten years old: and they embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt” (Genesis 50:24-26).

Thus ends the amazing sacred historical history book Genesis. As an Orthodox Christian, I believe wholeheartedly in the truth of the stories told in Genesis. However, there are many skeptics out there who don’t believe, with some members of the Church included in this trend of unbelief. Sadly, even some priests disbelieve in the genealogies of Genesis and, as a result don’t give the body of Christ the proper support. For Jesus Himself spoke of Noah and the Flood, and Christ even mentioned Abel, the son of Adam and Eve. So it is clear that the testimony of Jesus Christ confirms the validity of Genesis as a true story. The fact that Christ confessed the reality of Genesis should give us Christians the inspiration to believe in the accounts of the Old Testament. For without the book of Genesis, there would be no book of Revelation. God’s plan for the salvation of the world begins in the Old Testament book of Genesis and finds its fulfillment in the Gospel of the New Testament. Both the Old and New Testaments complement one another through the utterance of prophecies and the fulfillment of holy promises that indeed come to pass. The foreshadowing of things to come is also evident in Genesis, as are all the typologies that link the entire Biblical record together into one book of two parts. And this righteous record has stood the test of time and will continue to stand strong throughout the ages. For as Christ said, “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away” (Matthew 24:35).

References:

• Ancient Faith Study Bible. (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2019).

• Brenton. The Septuagint with Apocrypha: Greek and English. (London: Samuel Bagster & Sons, Ltd., 1851).

• Orthodox Study Bible (Elk Grove, CA: St. Athanasius Academy of Orthodox Theology, 2008).

• Rose, Fr. Seraphim. Genesis, Creation, and Early Man. (Platina, CA: St. Herman of Alaska Brotherhood, 2011).

• Zondervan. The Holy Bible, King James Version. (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2009).

Beginning in the early 6^th century BC, did the Babylonians besiege Jerusalem on two separate occasions. The first siege started in 597 BC when the Babylonians, under King Nebuchadnezzar II, besieged Jerusalem and captured it. It was at this time when king Jehoiakim of Judah was taken captive to Babylon, with the Babylonians installing Jehoiakim’s successor, Jehoiachin, as king. It also happened during this time that much of the Jewish nobility, including the prophet Ezekiel, were taken into exile back to Babylon. After Jehoiachin’s reign, Zedekiah became king (or rather a political puppet) under Babylonian control. Zedekiah eventually rebelled against Babylonian rule, which lead to the second and final siege of Jerusalem that occurred in 586 BC. Now this second siege of Jerusalem by the Babylonians was most critical. For not only was the city burnt and the rest of the Jewish intellectual elite taken into exile in Babylon, but the Temple of Solomon was also completely destroyed. The Bible clearly states that the Babylonians took many of the Temple’s vessels and treasures when they destroyed Jerusalem and the First Temple. However, the Ark of the Covenant is not listed among the valuable and sacred items which were removed from the Temple by the Babylonians, nor is the Ark mentioned ever again in the Old Testament once the Jews returned to Judea and rebuilt the Temple. There is on the other hand an apocryphal source which provides information on what happened to the Ark, and even sheds light on its current possible whereabouts. And this apocryphal account, which explains how the Ark was protected from the hands of the Babylonians, is found in the books of the Maccabees.

Although the books of the Maccabees are doubted by some Christian denominations as being the genuinely inspired word of God the Orthodox Church, however, does indeed hold these books as a part of the official Canon of the holy scriptures. That being said, we can believe with confidence that any information found which pertains to the Ark within the Apocrypha is quite factual and not mere legend. For we find in 2 Maccabees how prophet Jeremiah, after receiving an oracle from God, took the Ark of the Covenant, hid it in a cave, and then sealed up the entrance. Some of those who followed him came up intending to mark the way, but could not find it. When Jeremiah learned of it, he rebuked them and declared: that the place where the Ark is hidden shall be unknown until God gathers His people again and shows His mercy (2 Maccabees 2:4-7). It is also believed that at the universal resurrection, the Ark of the Covenant will be the first to be raised up. This could be connected to the Ark seen in St. John’s vision of the Apocalypse. For after the seventh trumpet, at the resurrection of the dead, when all should be judged; St. John writes, “..the temple of God was opened in heaven, and the ark of His covenant was seen in His temple.” (Revelation 11:19). So it would seem during the end times, when a remnant of the Jewish people will believe in Jesus Christ as their Messiah and Son of God, that the Ark will also come into play functioning as the ultimate fulfillment of God’s everlasting covenant with His people.

It is also recorded in 2 Maccabees, how Jeremiah brought the Ark to the mountain where Moses had gone up and had seen the inheritance of God. Now this mountain, where Moses had gone up, is identified in Deuteronomy 32:49 as, “...mount Nebo, which is in the land of Moab, that is over against Jericho.” Today the acknowledged site of the Biblical mount Nebo is located in the country of Jordan, situated due east from the most northerly tip of the Dead Sea. But when comparing the geographical locations of Jerusalem with mount Nebo, it is evident that the distance between them is quite far, not to mention the rocky terrain which makes travel more difficult and arduous, especially when carrying temple furniture such as the Ark of the Covenant and other items. So if Jeremiah did indeed take the Ark before the Babylonians destroyed the Temple then its location could be much closer to Jerusalem, or even possibly buried somewhere beneath the Holy City itself. Though at first glance the claim that states how the Ark may rest in a subterranean cavern somewhere beneath Jerusalem is in conflict with what we find in 2 Maccabees, this discrepancy may be explained away by the fact that Jeremiah didn’t want anyone to know the Ark’s exact location, especially when he found out some of his followers were trying to mark the way to where the prophet placed it. This may have led Jeremiah to spirit away the Ark to a more secure area which no one was aware of and therefore protecting it, not only from the Babylonians, but also from other religious Jews who may have had ulterior and personal motives for finding the Ark.

From its disappearance over 2,500 years ago until our modern era, the Ark of the Covenant was believed to have been lost to history. But on January 6^th 1982 the amateur archaeologist Ron Wyatt made a discovery while excavating the network of underground tunnels just outside of the walls of Jerusalem which he claimed would prove otherwise. For not only did Mr. Wyatt claim to have found the lost Ark, but he also claimed to have found the actual site of where Christ was crucified. Going further, Ron said that the location of the Ark was positioned directly below the crucifixion site, and that a crack in the bedrock next to the cross hole received Christ’s blood and that the blood of Jesus dripped onto the mercy seat of the Ark of the Covenant, truly making Jesus Christ the sacrificial Lamb of God! According to Ron Wyatt’s testimony he took a sample of the dried blood he found on the Ark and had it analyzed and re-hidrated by Israeli scientists who confirmed that it was in fact human blood. However, it only had 24 chromosomes: 23 from the mother and one Y, male gender determining chromosome, but that it didn’t come from an earthly father. Thus Christ’s blood is sinless, and still alive even after nearly 2,000 years.

Since the decades following these supposed revelations, many have believed Ron’s claims and many more have been critical of his discoveries. However, in 1999 while on his deathbed Mr. Wyatt continued to proclaim his findings and did not retract any of his claims concerning his work on the lost Ark, or the blood evidence which he said would prove that Jesus Christ was indeed the Son of God. The fact that the cave’s location according to 2 Maccabees doesn’t match with Ron’s discoveries could back up why the books of the Maccabees are doubted to be the inspired word of God, and thus labeled as Apocrypha. Yet at the same time, Ron Wyatt’s claims could also be considered as doubtful, since Ron was the only person who entered the chamber where the Ark is allegedly hidden, leaving his findings without a witness. The whereabouts of the blood of Christ that Ron had analyzed is also a mystery, as are the names and the locations of the Israeli scientists who did the work to re-hidrate the blood, and the procedure that enabled them to get a chromosome count. It is not surprising, however, that we are continuously left with even more mysteries surrounding the Ark of the Covenant. For it is understandable how something so misunderstood escapes the rational of the human mind, while at the same time forever captivating the human heart.

References:

• Bowen, J. The Ark Secret. (Denton, NC: Barnes Printing, 2016).

• Cambridge University Press. The Apocrypha, New Revised Standard Version. (Cambridge, United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press, 1992).

• Holy Apostles Convent. The Lives of the Holy Prophets. (Buena Vista, CO: Holy Apostles Convent, 1998).

• Nelson. The Holy Bible, New King James Version. (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, Inc., 1984).

The following presentation will serve as an analytical outline concerning the beliefs held by the various Mystery Religions of the ancient world, with the primary focus centered upon the Eleusinian Mysteries. In this concise overview it will also be revealed how Jesus Christ fulfilled all the ancient rites of the mystery schools, as His incarnation into the physical plane was indeed the long awaited for, “Expectation of the Nations”, and the ultimate fulfillment of the Mystery of Eleusis. Additionally, this work will clearly explain that it was not Orthodox Christianity which “borrowed” or “copied” from the rites and rituals of the various ancient Near-Eastern religions that preceded the coming of Christ. Rather, we will discover how several previous religions and philosophies were pointing towards the coming of a holy deliverer, and that the universal truths found in earlier religions were in fact a precursor to the fullness of the divine revelations brought down to us from God by His Only-Begotten Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Now many of the Mystery Religions in the ancient world expressed themes of a savior or “chosen one” who would eventually come into the world bringing with him enlightenment, salvation, and renewal for all. However, the exact characteristics of this universal savior varied among the differing religions of the ancient Near-East. For example, in ancient Persia, the divine figure Mithra brought salvation and was associated with the sun. Mithra’s role in Zoroastrianism is depicted as a mediator between all of humanity and the supreme god Ahura Mazda. These descriptions of the Persian savior Mithra are indeed strikingly similar to qualities of the Christian savior Jesus Christ. But again it must be emphasized that Christianity did not steal ideas from Mithraism. Rather these similarities speak of how the early inhabitants of the earth were all well aware of the foretold birth of the savior of mankind, as promised by God unto our first parents Adam and Eve after they fell from grace (Genesis 3:15). So it is evident that the initial prophecy of the coming holy one, who would deliver all of humanity from sin and death, was first uttered unto ancient man by God Himself.

When it comes to the religious rites and rituals practiced in ancient Greece, one of the most prominent of the Hellenic Mystery Schools of antiquity, is none other than the Mystery of Eleusis. And as we shall see, many of the elements involved in the rites of Eleusis are in some ways quite similar to certain aspects of Orthodox Christian worship. For example, in the initiation hall of Eleusis the high priest, or hierophant, would prepare a ceremonial and communal potion called “kykeon” for all the initiates into the mystery of Eleusis to drink from. This practice would echo what Orthodox Christian priests perform during the Divine Liturgy, which revolves around the preparation and distribution of Holy Communion, also known as the Eucharist. The differences, however, between these rites of the Eleusinian Mysteries compared with the Christian Mysteries, is that the Eleusinian kykeon may have been some type of narcotic, which induced a psychological trance, whereas Christian Holy Communion produces a type of spiritual sanctity which imparts holiness and peace of mind, far removed from the psychedelic experience of the Eleusinian ritual. The psychoactive substances of the Eleusinian Mysteries, which may have made people hallucinate, were a short-cut or rather a synthetic way to receive visions, while the visions of the Christian saints were genuine experiences of the divine and were not induced by drugs, but by the grace of the Holy Spirit.

But the most vivid similarity between the Mystery of Eleusis and that of Orthodox Christianity, is the mystical concept of death, burial, and resurrection. For woven throughout the background of the rites of Eleusis lies the myth of Persephone, who was abducted by the god Hades and taken down unto the underworld. Eventually Persephone would emerge from her captivity and, through her ascent back to earth, newness of life was granted to all of creation. The return of Persephone to the earth symbolizes the rebirth of the human soul: a type of resurrection which is also at the crux of Orthodox Christian spirituality. For if there is no resurrection of Christ, then there is no Christianity and our faith would be in vain (I Corinthians 15:13-17). St. Paul also informs us that before Christ rose from the dead and ascended up on high, He descended first into the lower parts of the earth (Ephesians 4:8-9). So here again do we witness how Jesus Christ not only fulfilled the writings of the Old Testament prophets, but He also fulfilled the spiritual concepts of the Eleusinian Mysteries. For the Mystery of Eleusis, and all the other ancient mystery schools, were but a shadow of the things to come which found their ultimate revelation in the person of Jesus Christ, and in the spiritual works which He accomplished.

Now the fact that a non-Israelite people perceived a spiritual truth (albeit not in it’s fullness) demonstrates that all human beings, created in the image of God, possess within themselves a spark of the divine. For in order for a pagan to accept the doctrines of Orthodox Christianity, there must be at least an ounce of truth in that unbeliever’s heart, enabling him to grasp the truthful teachings of Jesus Christ. Though one may not be aware of the truth of Christ, yet if one is of the truth, then the preaching of the truth will ring true in the hearts of those where a portion of the truth already abides. It must also be expressed that Christ was not fully accepted by the Jews, who were eagerly awaiting the appearance of their Messiah. Instead the torch would be passed from the unbelieving Jews, to the inquisitive Greeks who did accept Christ, His teachings, and God’s plan for the salvation of the world. This is even hinted at by Christ in the Gospel of St. John, where it is written how certain Greeks that came up to worship at the feast of Passover, voiced there desire to see Jesus. When the disciples informed Jesus how the Greeks wanted to meet Him, Jesus said, “The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified” (John 12:20-23). Thus Christ confirmed how He would be rejected by the Jews, but would be properly glorified by the Gentiles.

From what has been briefly broken-down in this comparison of the ancient Mystery Schools, with the establishment of the Greek Orthodox Church, it must be recognized that Christ did not copy the rituals of Eleusis, but rather fulfilled the prophecies of all previous religions, including the religion of the Jews. For it was not only the Hebrew prophets that had a vision of the truth, but many ancient cultures also had parts of this truth, howbeit not as clear of a vision as what was once delivered unto the children of Israel. This train of thought is also expressed by blessed Augustine who explained that the truth found in earlier religions and philosophies was a preparation for the ultimate revelation of Christianity. Augustine also suggested that the devil had knowledge of the coming of Christ, and that the evil one attempted to thwart God’s plan of salvation by corrupting humanity. Thus the correct understanding of the role of the Messiah was distorted, leaving behind only traces of the truth for the nations to live by. But Christ’s fulfillment of the Mystery Religions was further realized by the fact that many nations, which were previously pagan, fully accepted the message of Christ and became Christian kingdoms. Now it is quite interesting that nations with partial knowledge of the truth accepted the fullness of the truth while the Jews, who were initially given the fullness of the truth, rejected the truth even when the truth was staring them in the face. This harsh reality was also expressed by Christ Himself when He told the Jewish leaders that the kingdom of God would be taken from them, and given to another nation (Matthew 21:43). Thus we can confidently conclude that God loves all of humanity, and from time immemorial the Lord has revealed Himself to both Jew and Gentile alike.

References:

• Nelson. The Holy Bible, New King James Version. (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, Inc., 1984).

• Taylor, T. The Eleusinian and Bacchic Mysteries. (Goodreads Independently Published, 2020).

• Wasson, R.G., Hofman, A., Ruck, C.P. The Road to Eleusis: Unveiling the Secrets of the Mysteries. (Berkeley, CA:North Atlantic Books, 2008).

• Wright, D. The Eleusinian Mysteries and Rites. (Grand Lodge of Iowa, USA: 1919).

The following presentation will be an attempt to concisely analyze the evolution of human civilization from an Orthodox Christian perspective. Though this exegesis on world history will quote Biblical passages and convey an influence of Eastern Orthodoxy, it does not officially reflect the stance of any particular Church dioceses or ordained member of the clergy. Rather this overview of the historical record is taken solely from the understanding of a Church laymen, who has independently studied various historical documents as well as Orthodox Christian theology. The aim here is to tell the human story by also keeping in mind the Almighty God, Who deserves all the credit for producing this classic masterpiece called life.

Ever since the very beginning of humanity’s history, and even continuing all the way up to our modern era, one specific element common to all of mankind has emphatically remained the same. And this universal personality trait, shared by all races and genders, would be none other than our own distinctly flawed and fallen human nature. For the reason why it is said that history repeats itself is because all throughout the centuries, encompassing the entirety of the world’s various civilizations, the psychology of us humans hasn’t changed. Even with all the “advancement” of technology, which has in many ways improved our quality of life, the soul’s of men, women, and children today are still faced with the same struggles and challenges that people living in more “primitive” times have also experienced. From time immemorial the people of earth have not only sought after food, clothing, and shelter in order to survive, but fallen man has also desperately been in need of spiritual things that are able to satisfy man’s existential pondering on the meaning of life, and the quest for a higher purpose which transcends the emptiness of the material world. Many times we humans don’t always seek God or religion in order to fill the void in our souls, but instead turn to carnal pleasures that in reality can only bring us temporary happiness, which in turn ultimately leads to even greater sufferings as a result of our self indulgence. Others may believe that the solution to society’s ills is to place all their hope in political candidates, who promise the people security and prosperity. Yet these smooth talking politicians usually fail to live up to their grandiose ideologies once elected into office, and then end up selling out those same naive masses who were brainwashed and duped into voting for them. Thus a vicious cycle of euphoria followed by depression continues to be recycled throughout the ages, with little to no change every truly coming to fruition. But in order to pinpoint the root cause of our broken human existence here on earth in modern times, we must first focus our attention to what transpired in the Garden of Eden in the ages past.

As believers within the Judeo-Christian tradition, do we understand that man and woman were initially created in the image of God and lived a blissful existence in the beautiful Garden of Eden, also known as Paradise. Yet through disobedience to the Lord’s commandment, along with man and woman’s unrepentant attitude towards their transgression, did sin and death enter into the world. No longer would man and woman live easily under the protection of God their Father, but now mankind would be forced to engage in hard labor just in order to satisfy their hunger, and would be under the influence and open to the attacks of an evil taskmaster who continually plots humanity’s destruction: Satan. Even though man fell from grace, he retained the image of God yet man’s likeness to God was lost. But in the Lord’s love for mankind God granted us the promise of the Messiah, Who would eventually be sent to free humanity from our fallen condition and deliver us from all the machinations of the evil one. Unfortunately not all the world would accept the Messiah, but those of us who do put our faith in Christ have been given the key that unlocks the door which opens back to Eden. For even before we die physically can believers in Jesus partake of the spiritual joys of Paradise, and thus experience the kingdom of God within us (Luke 17:21).

Now even though Christ came and victoriously delivered humanity from the devil and all of his works, it is still left up to the whole of mankind to choose whether or not we will be obedient to Christ’s commandments, in order for the free gift of salvation to be activated. Because God respects our freedom, He indeed allows us to make choices that will either bring us closer to Him or distance us from Him. The good or bad choices we personally make affect us on an individual basis, but the choices made by governments can either make or break an entire nation. For over the centuries many brutal political regimes have oppressed their people and forced the common man to live in poverty and starvation, while the ruling classes selfishly enjoy the best of foods and live in the lap of luxury. This type of social inequality was one of the primary factors which led to the French Revolution in 1789. Even though the teachings of Christ promote compassion for our fellow man by sharing our surplus of goods with the underprivileged, the monarchy and the Catholic Church in revolutionary France were resented by the common people due to the fact that the clergy and the nobility didn’t have to pay taxes and controlled vast amounts land, while leaving the rest of the population of France to live in abject poverty. However, not all of the nobles were united in their opposition to the revolution. Many clergy members also supported the revolution and the reforms, while others remained loyal to the Pope and resisted the changes, which led to a schism within the Catholic Church itself. From this example it must be understood that no matter what our status is in life, we are all under the sovereignty of God and will ultimately give answer to the Lord for our actions. So, whether we come from the ruling class or the working class, in the end God judges us all without partiality, even those within religious leadership. For as it is written, “...judgment must begin at the house of God” (1 Peter 4:17).

Throughout the ages (speaking on an individual basis) do we see time and again, the rise of certain men who command a tremendous amount of power and possess such an infectious influence over so great a swath of people. For example, in ancient Babylon, king Nebuchadnezzar conquered nearly all the territories that make up what we know today as the Middle East, and sat on his throne as the ruler over this vast and wide ancient world empire. Though Nebuchadnezzar was a world leader, he was not very benevolent but instead was full of pride and arrogance. This classic case of seething despotism would not be the first, or last time in history when a world leader has embodied all the characteristics of narcissism, and suffered from delusions of grandeur. Even in the 20th century have we witnessed the rise and fall of many evil men, such as Mussolini and Hitler. But when realizing how this pattern of corrupt leadership has oppressed the peoples of the world, ever since the beginning of time, it makes one wonder why this element of history continues to repeat itself? The answer, I believe, comes from the Bible. For in the book of Daniel it is written how, “...the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, gives it to whomsoever He will, and sets over it the basest of men” (Daniel 4:17). This Old Testament passage reveals a mystery, in that it is God Himself Who is truly in control, yet at the same time God places into power men of flawed character. Now as most Christians believe: this world, though created by God, is unfortunately also under the influence of the devil. However, Satan can only do what God allows him to do. For as we see in Luke’s Gospel, when the devil tempted Christ with the power to rule over kingdoms, the devil said that this power has been delivered to him, and that he gives it to whomever he wishes (Luke 4:5-6). From this we can better understand the meaning of the phrase, “selling one’s soul to the devil”, and since the Bible says that the power to rule over kingdoms has been delivered unto Satan, then it is understood that God allows us humans to forsake our salvation in the pursuit of material power, yet at the same time God is sovereign over all. For all the power Satan possesses has been given to him by God, just as God places into power the lowest of men, who have in fact denied God’s glory in exchange for their own temporary glory.

In more recent times, the modern conflicts taking place in the Middle East could be classified as a continuation of the age old struggle for power, land, and precious resources that have plagued this particular region of the world ever since the Age of Antiquity. However, even though the modern state of Israel and the Islamic Republic of Iran are bitter enemies today, the relationship held between these two countries has not always been so contentious. For example, after the Persians defeated the Babylonians in the mid 6th century BC, king Cyrus of Persia freed the Jews from their captivity and even encouraged them to return to Judea and rebuild the Temple. It is also written in the Bible how God stirred up the spirit of Cyrus and inspired him to make a proclamation saying, “Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, The LORD God of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth; and he hath charged me to build him an house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah” (Ezra 1:2). Thus history teaches us that once upon a time, Jews and Iranians were on good terms. But it should also be noted that Persia and the modern state of Israel managed to retain somewhat of an alliance all the way up until the Iranian Revolution in 1979, when the Shah of Iran was overthrown and replaced by the Ayatollah Khomeini. Thus the secular state of Iran was transformed into an Islamic Republic. As a consequence, the Islamic government of Iran now strongly opposes Israel’s presence in the Middle East, and often calls for the destruction of Israel, viewing its statehood as illegitimate. Along with Iran’s support for groups like Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in the Palestinian territories, the tensions in the region have escalated exponentially. With Iran’s involvement and influence among these groups, Israel views this alliance as a direct threat to its security. The combination of all these factors has created a lingering resentment shared by both Israel and Iran which continues to play out even to this very day.

Continuing with the subject of personal conflicts, it’s important to understand how we humans have been entangled in a perpetual war aimed against one another, which stretches all the way back to the genesis of recorded history. Regrettably, murder is a crime that has always been a reality of our fallen state. Beginning in the beginning, are we reminded of how brother has killed brother over trivial things which could have been resolved peacefully. In the case of Adam and Eve’s two sons, it was jealousy over the righteous acts of Abel that incited Cain to rise up and slay his brother. Across the passage of time murder would sadly become a common theme in the story of mankind. However, I would like to argue that jealousy has not always been the diagnosis behind the psychology of killing. For just as pride was instrumental in bringing about sin and death into the world, pride too may be what drives some men to commit murder. For instance, the Mongols seem to have been obsessed with the sheer desire of dominating other human beings. For during their expansion across Asia in the 13th century, the Mongolian conquests are estimated to have resulted in the deaths of up to 40 million people, with no other reason behind this aggression rather than to acquire more territories, and to arrogantly show off their militant strengths and to prove their dominance over others. On the other hand the Arab conquests, which began in the 7th century, seem to have been more motivated by religious and economic factors, but this too could fall under the diagnosis of narcissism and deviance. In other cases the total annihilation of peoples from another race has also taken place, such as the Ottoman Turks who perpetrated a systematic genocide against 1.5 million ethnic Armenians during the first World War. So all in all we could say that the struggle over precious resources, religious fundamentalism, and racism have all been contributing elements that have influenced humanity’s tendency to wage war against one another. But when it all comes down to it, murder is just plain evil. For Christ even said that the devil was a murderer from the beginning, and all those who follow such lusts as murder are the children of the devil (John 8:44).

To sum up human history, and to soundly diagnose mankind’s psychology, it must be understood that all human beings, no matter how sinful, possess deep within ourselves a certain knowledge of what is right and what is wrong. Even those of us who rebel against what is good and choose what is evil, have done so accompanied by the inner realization that their choices were indeed malevolent. But in order to avoid living through life with a guilty conscience, these proud souls have lied to themselves and convinced themselves that their wicked actions are indeed justified and that any blame to go around must fall upon others and not on them. In turn these malicious individuals become expert lawyers, able to maneuver themselves out of any personal responsibility for their evil deeds. However, these demonic attorneys will eventually have to stand before the judge of judges on the Day of Judgment. For on that day no loophole will be found to exonerate their guilt, but instead these evil men will be forced to face the terror of their true selves and will be confronted with the horror of their hypocrisy. In the end, all the brutal dictators who have arrogantly oppressed the peoples of the world throughout history will finally have their day in court. Divine justice will be served once and for all, and no appeal will be made available. But God’s judgment will be served to all people. So, on an individual basis, the common man may also fit the profile of a despot, even though he may not be in a position of power. For all men have the potential to be formed into the likeness of God, and likewise it is also possible for a man to become a degenerate. The key here is repentance, for our merciful God desires not the death of a sinner, but rather that he should turn from his wickedness and live. God has the power to save us, but we must be willing to accept God’s help. Just as our first parents were given a choice, so too are we left to decide if we will remain proud or humble ourselves. And that may be the basic psychological problem of humanity, that is our tendency to lean towards pride and our aversion away from humility.

References:

• Balakian, P. The Burning Tigris: The Armenian Genocide and America’s Response. (New York, NY: Parennial, 2004).

• Daniel, E. The History of Iran. (Westport, CT: The Greenwood Histories of the Modern Nations, 2001).

• Kissinger, H. World Order. (New York, NY: Penguin Books, 2015).

• Quigley, C. The Evolution of Civilizations. (Indianapolis, IN: Liberty Fund, 1979).

• Rose, Fr. Seraphim. Genesis, Creation, and Early Man. (Platina, CA: St. Herman of Alaska Brotherhood, 2011).

• Zondervan. The Holy Bible, King James Version. (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2009).