The Early Church Councils

For over 1000 years there was only one Church on the planet. There were no denominations, and no divisions between East and West. All of the bishops, worked in communion with one another to preserve the faith and to assure that the testament of the Apostles was kept pure in fact and practice. Occasionally there would rise an individual or individuals who, acting independently of the unity and unanimous agreement of the church, decided they knew more or had a better understanding of the Apostles teachings. At other times there were matters of such great weight that the Bishops of the church had to seek the will of Holy Spirit together and decide a matter. It was during such times that the church would meet in council. Bishops, Deacons, and laymen would travel miles, taking days, weeks and months to arrive at an agreed upon city. There is no doubt that what was decided upon in these Councils effected the church preserving for all time the faith we have today. What happened in these Councils? Who attended? Why did these men have the authority to decided anything pertaining to the church?

I have had the pleasure the past several months to attend a series of classes on the Early Church Councils. The class is taught by Deacon Michael Hyatt. Deacon Michael is a convert to Orthodoxy. Most notably he is the CEO of the largest and oldest Christian Publisher in North America, Thomas Nelson Publishers. He is a masterful speaker and communicator, down to earth, and full of humor. Deacon Michael has taken what could be a dull historic subject and made it interesting and relevant to the hearer.

Thanks to Joel Smith of The Orthodox Project every one of these classes has been recorded. You can take part in these classes and thanks to a roving microphone you will also hear the questions and discussions of class members. Some of it gets pretty thick! The pod cast is FREE at The Orthodox Project. You can also subscribe so you will be notified by e-mail when a new class is available. Go there now and check it out. While you're there, pick up a copy of The Wisdom of the Saints CD. Your inexpensive purchase will help fund The Orthodox Project.

God Bless you and get ready to be challenged, because
"to be deep in history is to cease to be Protestant."

Crossing Yourself

As early as 200 A. D. Tertullian wrote:

"In all undertakings -- when we enter a place or leave it; before we dress; before we bathe; when we take our meals; when we light the lamps in the evening; before we retire at night; when we sit down to read; before each task -- we trace the sign of the cross on our foreheads."

Saint Augustine also mentions the common practice as normative in the life of the church. Even the Reformers in the 16th century maintained the practice as a form of worship. Crossing yourself is a physical expression of worship and a symbol of the person and nature of Jesus Christ. The two fingers and thumb touching one another represent the Holy Trinity, Father, Son, Holy Spirit. The two fingers touching the hand represent the two natures of Christ, fully God, fully Man.

The oldest and Eastern Orthodox form of crossing oneself is to touch the two fingers and thumb to the forehead, then to the breast, then to the right shoulder, then to the left shoulder. One may say, "In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. Amen."

AUTISM-There Is Nothing Orthodox About It-UPDATED

UPDATED: 10/15/13--Statistics say that if you are reading this you either have an autistic relative or you know someone who does. The current stats say that if you give birth to a child today there is a 1 in 166 chance they will have some form of autism. It is a curious and mysterious disease with apparently many different causes. In that sense there is nothing orthodox about it. In another sense, as an Orthodox Christian, I cannot ignore my responsibility to bring healing and help to those who suffer in this world. It is for that divine reason I believe I have been given an opportunity to be a beacon of hope and support for the millions of families across the world who are effected by this epidemic. If you have looked at my profile, you may have noticed that I am a film producer. A little deeper look and you may have discovered the name of my film company is Kingdom Films, Rocky Top Pictures, LLC.

                  www.RockyTopPictures.com

                            www.KingdomFilmsInc.com.

I ask all my BLOG participants and visitors to pray for KFI's RTP's current feature film project called Jason's Run. The feature film intended for theatrical release is in pre-development. We are making great strides in getting the film financed (20 million). With the inclusion of three producers, four consultants, the Autism Society of America, and the Autism Treatment Center in Dallas, TX., our support base is growing. We will make our first Offering to Investors in Dallas in February.

I also want to invite you to read more about the project on the KFI website and contact us. Although this offer may close very soon, Jason's Run still has an opportunity for Seed Investor/s to enter on the KFI RTP company side ($500,000) If you feel this project may be something you want to invest in, let KFI RTP send you our information packet.

God Bless you and above all PRAY for Jason's Run and for those who deal with the effects of Autism everyday.

"Left Behind"? Sure Hope So!

[This article was originally titled: Dissecting Dispensationalism or Judaism is a Religion not a Race]

In keeping with the purpose of this BLOG I won't provide a complete doctrinal or historic treatment on the theory of Dispensationalism. There are many good resources out there in which to dive a little deeper. Here, you will find definitions and outlines and a few personal perspectives to inform you as to the subject matter looking at the Dispensational view VS the Orthodox view. Being a former Dispensationalist I understand first hand the affront any opposition to the Dispensationalist way of thinking is. For years I thought that such a view was the predominant one, that all others were insignificant. Just the discovery that the Dispensational view of scripture and prophecy was the minority view and predominantly a western evangelical, relatively recent creation, was enough for me to start asking questions. My paradigm shift did not come instantly, but my willingness to question Dispensationalism came upon me suddenly.

One late night I was reading a book by an evangelical charismatic author. The whole of the book contained much that I would not adhere to today, but the most provocative thing I discovered was the fact that the author did not believe in the pre-tribulation rapture, the cornerstone of much Dispensational thought. The theory states that "All believers will be raptured from the Earth before Christ returns." The author simply challenged the reader to justify the usage of the scripture Matt.24: 37-41 as a proof text that believers would be snatched away off the earth and unbelievers would be "Left Behind".

"As it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be when the Son of Man comes...they suspected nothing 'til the flood came and swept them all away...This is what it will be like when the Son of man comes...one is taken the other left." The question presented was "who is actually left?.

I was a teenager in the 70's when the "good" contemporary Christian music was new and abundant. One of the most popular songs was "I Wish We'd All Been Ready", based on the passages from Matthew. "Two men walking up a hill, one disappears and one is left standing still. I wish we'd all been ready." One thing we all knew for sure, based on the premise of this song, we didn't want to be left behind! So the answer to the question posed that night, some 20 something years later, was found in the phrase, "As it was in the days of Noah". So how was it in the days of Noah?

Matthew 24: 37-41
"As it was in Noah's day, so will it be when the son of man comes. for in those days before the Flood people were eating and drinking, taking wives, taking husbands, right up to the day Noah went into the ark, and they suspected nothing till the flood came and SWEPT THEM ALL AWAY. This is what it will be like when the Son of man comes. Then of two men in the fields, one is taken the other left; of two women grinding at the mill, one is taken the other left."

Do you see it yet? Here is the scripture from Genesis:

Genesis 7:23-24

"Everything on the face of the earth was wiped out, people, animals, creeping things and birds; they were WIPED OFF THE EARTH AND ONLY NOAH WAS LEFT, AND THOSE WITH HIM IN THE ARK."

So as Matthew compares the coming of the Son of Man to Noah's day. Who was left? The righteous. Who was taken? The unrighteous. When I first discovered that this scripture had been usurped by the Dispensationalists to prove their hypothesis and interpreted to say the opposite of what it says, I had to ask myself a question. What other scriptures have been usurped?

My next major Epiphany was the discovery of Tim LaHaye's book "No Fear Of The Storm", a treatment on the Dispensational view of the Rapture. Now, I am educated but I don't hold claim to any special ability or intelligence. Even so, I found the reading of LaHay's book bringing back the elementary skills I had learned in Philosophy 101. A sound argument is sound and the conclusion is valid only if it begins with a solid premise. If premise A and premise B are true then conclusion C is true. Conversely, if either premise "A" or premise "B" is false then conclusion "C" is erroneous. I found LaHay's book not only to be full of hypothetical premises based on ideas and preconceptions rather than scriptural proofs, but on more than a few occasions there were outright contradictions. In one instance, LaHay denounces the accusation some have made that Dispensationalists believe in the three comings of Christ. In the next paragraph he refers, as fact, to the "third time Christ comes." I was so amazed by the unreasoned, contradictory, and unintelligent diatribe and the obvious effort to prove the Dispensational viewpoint in the absence of verifiable scriptural evidence, that I set out to simply outline the weakness of his ability to argue. Thanks be to God for my discovery that that had already been done. A man named Larry Simmons had already taken the time to outline all 14 of LaHay's "14 Reasons For Believing The Pre-Trib Rapture." For a deeper and more provocative study I highly recommend Simmons' free internet book, "Unmasking Pre-Trib Fallacies".

So my paradigm was shifted and soon came the discovery that what I had been raised in was not what the Church across the world believed. In fact, the Church as a whole looks upon the Dispensational theory as a bizarre and puzzling aberration that invaded the western evangelical movement just 150 years ago. The most common question I get when discussing this matter with any one is, "What difference does it make?" The premise here is that it is silly to argue over when or if Christians will be zapped off the earth before Christ returns or whether they will be "caught up to meeting him in the sky" at the end. The difference it makes is profound, for Dispensationalism isn't just about the Rapture but contains an entire system of theories and doctrinal treatments that redefine the relevance and definition of "Church", redefines the purposes and reasons for the coming of Christ and the New Covenant and promotes practices and mindsets that directly effect the way individuals live out their lives, prepare for persecution, and "work out their salvation." For example, look at the four basic points in the system of Dispensationalism in relation to the Church:

1. God has two distinct people, Israel and the Church, and is pursuing two different programs in history with them.

2. There is little or no continuity between Israel of the Old Testament and the New Testament Church.

3. The Church and the Church age (extending from Pentecost to the "Rapture") is a "parenthesis" or "intercalation" into history, the existence of which was not prophesied or foreshadowed in any way in the Old Testament.

4. Christ offered an earthly, political kingdom to the Jews, but they rejected him and so he formed a new people, the Church, from both Jews and Gentiles.

5. The New Covenant was not for the Church but for Israel, just as the Kingdom is a future, earthly reality meant only for the Jews and not a spiritual reality inaugurated by Christ and/or located in some way in the Church today. (See Matheson, Dispensationalism: Rightly Dividing the People of God? 1995, pp 17-18)

So if you believe in the Pre-Tribulation Rapture, just know that that theory comes out of the same system of beliefs that promotes the above five points. But what does the Church teach?

Contrary to the accusations made toward the Orthodox teaching on this matter, the Church does not negate the importance of Israel and the Old Covenant.

"Catholic doctrine emphasizes that the promises given to Old Testament Israel and the covenants made with it are brought to fulfillment in the New Covenant instituted by Christ. The Church and the New Covenant are in continuity with the Old Covenant and fulfill it precisely because Jesus Christ, the founder and head of the Church fulfilled the Law (Mt 5:17-18) and the prophets (Luke 24:44) and founded a New Israel (MT. 16:16-19.") ("Will Catholics Be Left Behind", pp 217-218)

So Israel is the Church and the Church is Israel. Dispensationalists share the same ideology as the Judaizers of Jesus day who looked for an earthly kingdom. Christ was very clear that that was not what he came to establish and yet the Dispensationalist still see the Modern-day Nation of Israel as the hope of the world and the fulfillment of biblical prophecy. They even assert that the temple must be rebuilt, that animal sacrifices must be reestablished, and that Christ will reign in this earthly kingdom for 1000 years. There is only one problem, it is not true and the Church has never taught it or held it to be true. This theory extends from just a few million evangelical, Dispensational, western, cultural diatribes who do not realize that they are giving more credence to the writings of men such as Darby, Scofield and Ryrie (who lived during the last 150 years) than the continuous teachings of the Fathers and Martyrs of the faith and the universal Church.

The Literal Interpretation Method

One word on the Literal Interpretation method used by Dispensationalists to arrive at doctrinal conclusions. While the Holy Scripture is true, it is not all "literally true." If one approaches the study of Dispensationalism, the Rapture, etc. using this approach, one subjects himself to a myriad of possible subjective interpretations. You will also find that the Literal interpretation method used by Dispensationalists to prove a text is done so without consistency. For instance, a Dispensationalist will say that "locusts" in a prophetic passage actually refer to modern-day helicopters. This is obviously not a literal interpretation. The same Dispensationalist will then interpret the usage of "1000" to mean a literal 1000 years. This presents a problem in light of how the term "1000" is used elsewhere. For instance: If "My Father owns the cattle on a 1000 hills (Ps 50:10)", who owns the cattle on hill number 1001? "1000" simply means "complete, all, forever." Yet, the Dispensationalist will interpret scripture based on this subjective method. A good rule of interpretation would include taking a look at what has been "taught at all times, in all places, by all the Church." Simply put, on any given doctrinal matter, look at what Christ said, then what the Apostles said, then what the Disciples of the Apostles (the Church Fathers) said, then verify it by the truth the Church has preserved for 2000 years. If you have problems with the disunity of the Church today seeing the divisions of Roman Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant, then at least look at the doctrines established during the first 1054 years when the Church was ONE body. Ask yourself which is more reliable, the writings of modern men who look back and interpret the meaning of truth in isolation according to their own opinion, or the original foundation of truth-"The Church of the living God, pillar and support of truth." (1 Timothy 3:15)

The mindset of the Dispensationalist includes the idea that God had plan "A" that he offered to his chosen people, the Jews, but they rejected it, so God had to go with plan "B". He was forced to change his plan and form the Church to give the Jews time to turn things around. So, they say, the Church is just a temporary substitute until God's original plan can work itself out. This mindset follows the same theme as those who fully attribute the mess humanity is in with the choice Adam and Eve made. Would the Dispensationalist really suggest that God was taken by surprise in both instances? Did God say to himself in surprise:

"Damn it (I use the "literal" sense of the word) I had such a good plan set up and now I am going to have to do something else. Those pesty humans! They are so unpredictable! Oh, well...let's see..that's it. I 'll do this, this and this and see if that works. I hope they don't screw it up this time"?

Here is the question: Was God surprised when Adam and Eve sinned or did He know from the beginning that they would do so? Likewise, was God surprised when some (not all) of the Jews rejected him or did He know they would from the beginning? It is unimaginable that anyone would attribute to God such a wishy- washy, cause and effect, human attribute, but this is what the Dispensational theory does. The Church has always held that God's plan for mankind included the sin of Adam and Eve and the rejection of Him by the Jews. Man would be in need of a savior and God would become incarnate in Jesus the Christ to bring that salvation. The Old Testament Covenant is a forerunner of the New Covenant and salvation is extended to His chosen people-Israel- made up of Jews and Gentiles-The Church. We are not waiting for some future earthly Kingdom that henges on the earthly Nation of Israel-the Jews. Dispensationalists fail to understand that Judaism is a religion not a race and that not all Jewish leaders consider the Nation of Israel the epicenter or the prophesied future of Judaism. Establishing His Church was God's plan from the beginning.We are awaiting the glorious return of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords to bring an end of the age (earthly humanity) and a beginning to eternity (Heavenly humanity). Members of the Jewish religion, along with members of any other religions who embrace Yeshua as the Messiah will be included.

Dispensationalism is an aberration from the truth. I hope you will not dismiss this article but will study on your own. to understand what the Church as a whole has held on this matter. I recommend the book "Will Catholics be Left Behind?" by Carl E. Olson, Ignatius Press.

Saint Nicholas or Santa Claus?

The true story of Santa Claus begins with Nicholas, who was born during the third century in the village of Patara. At the time the area was Greek and is now on the southern coast of Turkey. His wealthy parents, who raised him to be a devout Christian, died in an epidemic while Nicholas was still young. Obeying Jesus' words to "sell what you own and give the money to the poor," Nicholas used his whole inheritance to assist the needy, the sick, and the suffering. He dedicated his life to serving God and was made Bishop of Myra while still a young man. Bishop Nicholas became known throughout the land for his generosity to the those in need, his love for children, and his concern for sailors and ships.

(Borrowed from the St. Nicholas Center)

Our First Orthodox Christmas

Last year at this time we were in catechism and on our way to chrismation. Being new to Orthodoxy we still walk a fine line in dealing with our family who are not Orthodox, so we spent last year at one of our daughter's house. It was a great time but we opted not to attend the protestant service with them. Been there, done that. This year, my wife and I, having moved with our two remaining teenage daughters to Tennessee, find ourselves fully immersed into the Orthodox ethos. In just an hour or so we will go to St Ignatius. The Christmas Liturgy will begin at 10:30 P.M.. At about the time the bells sound midnight, we will be fully immersed in the Eucharistic service, in the presence of Christ the King. The Liturgy is not just a memorial, but a partaking of the very presence of the Lord of Lords who was born, died, rose again, ascended into heaven, and will return again in glory. The Eucharist is a mystery as is the Trinity's love for all mankind. I pray that this year will be the year of peace for all who read this. I will light a candle for the theosis of all. Please pray for me, a sinner.

Merry Christmas and a Prosperous New Year!

Self -Appointed Prophets

Self-Appointed Prophet: "Anyone who reserves for himself the right to interpret scripture or prophecy through illumination while disregarding the Church's historic apostolic doctrines and dogmas."

I continue to be amazed, the further I step further away from Protestantism and closer toward the One, holy, catholic and apostolic church, at the faulty ideologies and mindsets that I once embraced. One was the idea that the way we understand scripture is by a personal revelation of truth, the idea that "we need no man to teach us." It has been a comfort and hope to discover that all truth has already been revealed, is kept within the Church, and although the Church must navigate through time and historic events, there is no hidden revelation just waiting to be discovered by some gifted prophetic person who will be the herald of the new truth.

What strikes me most obvious is the arrogance that accompanies such prophetic posturing. For several years now I have subscribed to an e-mail newsletter from the Hebraic Heritage Ministries Int'l led by Eddie Chumney. I found Eddie's website when I was studying the Judaic roots of Christianity some years ago. The Ministry supports Israel and its right to exist but does so from a dispensational providential viewpoint. Much of the Ministry's ideology comes from interpreting certain biblical prophetic passages and applying them to current events. This method of prophetic interpretation is foreign to the Church as a whole and is predominantly a modern, western, evangelical method of interpreting the signs of the times. Lest I seem too arrogant, I confess that I practiced this method for many years. It was all I knew. Little did I know that only a small segment of believers share this view. Most of the Church across the world deems such as peculiar and even bizarre. My closed mindset was slowly pierced as I read "Unmasking Pre-Trib Fallacies" by Larry Simmons, "Will Catholics Be 'Left Behind'"? by Carl E Olson, and "Israel and the Church" by Peter Guilquist. Now, having found the original Church of the Apostles, preserved by the Church Fathers for 2000 years, I find information, such as Eddie Chumney's Hebraic Heritage Ministries Int'l expounds, to be unorthodox and unnecessary to my theosis. Thus, I recently asked to be "unsubscribed" from the e-mail newsletter. It was Eddie's response that provoked the title for this article, "Self Appointed Prophets". Here is the exchange:

From: Nathan Lee Lewis

To: elc@hebroots.org

Sent: Wednesday, December 20, 2006 2:16 AM

Subject: Re: Ready for a PLO state?

Please Remove me from your mailing list.

----- Original Message ----

From: Eddie Chumney

To: Nathan Lee Lewis
Sent: Wednesday, December 20, 2006 6:08:50 PM

Subject: RE: Unsubscribe

You are removed.

I hope that you don't regret not being informed regarding how close we are to the great tribulation.

Ezekiel 33:1-7

Eddie

My Response:

Eddie,

Why do you assume I will not be informed? Are you suggesting that you are only source of revelation? Your reply to my request to be "unsubscribed" seems a bit arrogant. I have receive your e-mails for several years and have enjoyed them and benefited. I have, however, discovered a deeper source of truth than one man's personal interpretation.

"So we have confirmation of the words of the prophets; and you will be right to pay attention to it as to a lamp for lighting a way through the dark, until the dawn comes and the morning star rises in your minds. At the same time, we must recognize that the interpretation of scriptural prophecy is never a matter for the individual. For no prophecy ever came from human initiative. When people spoke for God it was the Holy Spirit who moved them."

2 Peter 2:20-21

Historical Criteria for Biblical Interpretation: "It is truth only if it was taught at all times, in all places, by the whole church."

"...the Church of the Living God, pillar and support of truth." 1 Timothy 3:15

Please join me at my BLOG http://www.journeytoorthodoxy.blogspot.com/ to discover what the whole Church has always believed about the issues you raise.

Sincerely in Christ,
Nathan Lee Lewis

Delving a little deeper into Eddie's motive's for such a response I read the Ezekiel 33:1-7 he referenced. It was revelatory as to his Self-Appointed status. Apparently Eddie shares the same self-deceived platform as does Tim Lahaye, Hal Lindsey and the like. He lifts a scripture written in about 593 B.C about the siege of Jerusalem to validate his prophetic mantle.

"Son of man I have appointed you as watchman for the House of Israel. When you hear a word from my mouth warn them from me."

According to the Ezekiel passage, Eddie is the Watchman who sounds his horn to warn the people of impending danger. Apparently I, by unsubscribing to his newsletter, am the one who hears the horn but pays no attention to it so I will die:

"the sword overtakes him and...he will be responsible for his own death."

Self-Appointed Prophets are arrogant.

The dichotomy here is the fact that I share Eddie's support for the nation of Israel and the Jewish people as a whole. The Church teaches that in some measure grace will be extended toward the Jewish people to accept Yeshua as Messiah. However, the Church, being true to the Apostolic teachings, teaches that the old covenant has passed, the temple is destroyed and the new Israel is the Church made up of Jews and Gentiles. The Church is Israel. The modern-day Nation of Israel is not that to which the scripture refers. (See Hebrews)

The issue here is not with Eddie's doctrinal belief in this matter. The issue is that Eddie is a Self-Appointed Prophet working outside of the unity of the Church, and his thinking has become tainted and self-absorbed to the extent that he would pluck out a scripture to prophecy death to one who would dare "unsubscribe" to his teachings.

All of the ecumenical councils were called to deal with Self-Appointed Prophets who used personal illumination to come to some unique doctrinal conclusions which were outside the apostolic teachings of the Church. The Church has always referred to them as "heretics". Heretic literally means: "One who holds an opinion." Eddie holds an opinion.

How Old Is Your Church?

Lutheran founded by Martin Luther, an ex-monk of the Catholic Church, in the year 1517.
Church of England founded by King Henry VIII in 1534 because the Pope would not grant him a divorce with the right to re-marry.
Presbyterian founded by John Knox in Scotland in 1560.
Congregationalist founded by Robert Brown in Holland in 1582.
Protestant Episcopalian branch of the Church of England founded by Samuel Senbury in the American colonies in the 17th century.
Baptist founded by John Smyth in Amsterdam in 1606.
Dutch Reformed Church founded by Michelis Jones New York in 1628.
Methodist founded by John and Charles Wesley in England in 1774.
Mormon (Latter Day Saints) founded by Joseph Smith in Palmyra, New York, in 1829.
Salvation Army founded by William Booth in London in 1865.
Christian Scientist founded by Mary Baker Eddy in 1879.
Nazarene, Pentecostal, Gospel Holiness Church, Jehovah's Witnesses, and hundreds of other new sects founded within the past hundred years.
Roman Catholic founded in 1054 when the Pope of Rome broke away from the other four Apostolic Patriarchates (which include Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch and Jerusalem), by tampering with the Original Creed of the Church, and considering himself to be infallible. Thus, Roman Catholic is 1,000 years old.
Orthodox Christian founded in the year 33 by Jesus Christ, the Son of God. It has not changed since that time. The Orthodox Church is now almost 2,000 years old. And it is for this reason, that Orthodoxy, the Church of the Apostles and the Fathers is considered the true "one Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church."
[Notes edited from an article by Rev. Dr. Miltiades Efthimiou]

Are Orthodox Catholic?

The term "catholic" is an adjective as well as a noun. "Catholic" actually means "universal" and was used early in church history to refer to the church as a whole. "Catholic" is also a noun commonly used to refer to the western Roman church which split from the east in what has come to be called the Great Schism.

Orthodox are not Roman Catholics and Roman Catholics are not Orthodox. The Roman church in the west (Rome and beyond) has evolved since the schism while the Orthodox have remained virtualy unchanged. Roman Catholic doctrines and practices today more closely resemble Protestants.

Orthodoxy has never experienced events such as the Reformation or Counter Reformation, but has maintained the fullness of the Gospel message since long before the additions that crept into the Roman Communion, such as the doctrines of Papal Infallibility and the Immaculate Conception. The Protestant Reformation has also greatly erred by accepting many of Rome's practices, such as the filioque clause in the Creed, while jettisoning many of the hallmarks of what the Church really is, such as the Historic Episcopacy of the Bishops. Almost all Protestant denominations owe their origins to the Roman Church's evolution through the filter of the Reformation.

Orthodoxy means "Right Thinking, Right Belief, Right action". Orthodoxy is the original church with unbroken unity and succession. Within it is contained the Faith of our Fathers and the original teachings of the Apostles.

[* Journey To Orthodoxy NOTE: After further research, I have discovered that, although the definition "universal" in reference to "catholic" is commonly used, it was a later development and is not accurate. "Catholic" actually means "wholeness" or "fullness" and is more accurately used to infer a spiritual state rather than a geographical one. ( JTO 7/26/07)]

What Orthodox Believe-Short and Simple

The Nicene Creed

I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible:

And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Only-begotten, Begotten of the Father before all ages, Light of Light, True God of True God, Begotten, not made; of one essence with the Father, by whom all things were made:

Who for us men and for our salvation came down from the heavens, and was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, and became man;

And was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered and was buried;

And rose again on the third day, according to the Scriptures;

And ascended into the heavens, and sitteth at the right hand of the Father;

And shall come again, with glory, to judge both the living and the dead, Whose kingdom shall have no end.

And in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the Giver of Life, Who proceedeth from the Father, Who with the Father and the Son together is worshiped and glorified, Who spake by the Prophets;

In One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church.

I Confess one Baptism for the remission of sins.

I look for the Resurrection of the dead,

And the life of the age to come, Amen.