Jesus Christ in Ancient Orthodoxy

JESUS CHRIST IN ANCIENT ORTHODOXY=20

JESUS CHRIST AND THE EARLY CHURCH=20

AM THE DOOR," said Christ. "By me if any man = enter in, he=20 shall be saved." Christ is the Door to the Kingdom of Heaven, which we = can find=20 within us even during this life and which continues for eternity. But = how do we=20 find that Door amidst thousands of different sects and philosophies, all = of=20 which present a different image of Christ? If we look into the history = of the=20 Church He founded, we find one unbroken line in which His image has been = kept=20 pure and undistorted. That line is ancient Orthodoxy, the = measuring-stick of=20 true Christianity.
Come to the Door! Find it = through the=20 ancient historic path=85

AT = A TIME IN=20 HISTORY when mankind had fallen far away from Paradise and was in = desperate need=20 of God, the very God Who created man took flesh and became man. This was = Jesus=20 Christ, the One Whom the prophets had foretold and the One Whom the = whole world=20 was anticipating. Until then all religions were only man's fragmented = attempts=20 to understand God. In Christ, for the first time in history, God Himself = became=20 man. One of the many things that Christ revealed while in this world was = the=20 possibility of a personal relationship with God for those who believe. = He=20 brought those believers together and promised that nothing would ever = prevail=20 against His Church (Matthew 16:18). This Church was founded first upon = the=20 sufferings of Christ, then upon the sufferings of His Apostles, and = finally upon=20 the sufferings of the martyrs throughout the ages (I Peter 2:21, = Colossians=20 1:24). Thus began Christianity.

Annunciation Cathedral in=20 the ancient Kremlin,=20 Russia

= After=20 Christ's crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension into Heaven, His = disciples=20 were gathered together with thousands of people from all over the known = world=20 for the feast of Pentecost. Then, just as the Holy Scriptures had = prophesied and=20 just as Christ had promised, suddenly there came a sound from Heaven = as of a=20 rushing mighty wind, and the disciples were filled with the Holy = Spirit=20 (Acts 2:2-4). They began to preach the Way, the Truth and the Life to = all those=20 present at the feast in their native languages. Those who received this=20 revelation and followed Jesus Christ began to be known as=20 Christians.
From that day forward Christianity was = endowed=20 with power and began to spread to the ends of the earth. From Jerusalem = the=20 disciples of Christ traveled all over the known world: the Apostles = Peter and=20 Paul went to Greece and Rome, Andrew went to Russia, Mark went to Egypt, = Simon=20 went to England and Africa, Thomas went as far as India, and Matthew = went to=20 Ethiopia. Although they were in different parts of the world they were = of one=20 heart and one soul (Acts 4:32) and taught one Lord, one Faith, = and one=20 baptism (Ephesians 4:5). Everywhere they went they appointed = bishops,=20 presbyters and deacons and ordained them, by the laying on of hands, to = be=20 shepherds of Christ's flock. In a short time the Apostles brought = multitudes of=20 pagans to Christ=97simple people as well as philosophers, beggars as = well as=20 kings. Although the Apostles experienced persecution, torture and even = death for=20 their beliefs, nothing could stop the Faith from spreading like fire to = the ends=20 of the earth. Nearly every Apostle died a martyr's death, and many of = their=20 remains are preserved in Orthodox Churches to this day.=20

Icon of the Apostles of=20 Christ.

It was during these difficult martyric times that = the=20 early Church was formed and established, and where the worship, the = arts, and=20 the music of the Church found their beginning. These naturally sprang = out of the=20 Old Testament and flowed into the New. The form of worship began in the = time of=20 Moses, as it was revealed to him by God. The arts originated in the = mosaic=20 depictions in the Temple of scenes from the Old Testament, and in the=20 pre-Christian arts. This tradition of sacred art was continued by the = Apostle=20 Luke, who painted the first iconographic depictions of the Virgin Mary = holding=20 the Christ Child. The music (chant) had its beginning in the Psalms of = David.=20 Even the Liturgy (communion service) finds its beginning in the Old = Testament,=20 Christ's Body and Blood being the New Testament sacrifice (John = 6:48-58). The=20 first communion service composed by the Apostle James, the brother of = the Lord,=20 was based on the Apostles' experience at the Last Supper, and is still = used in=20 the Orthodox Church today.

One of the original icons of = the Virgin=20 and Christ painted by the Apostle Luke which is preserved in the = Iveron=20 Monastery on Mount Athos,=20 Greece.

THE APOSTOLIC SAINTS=20

FTER ALL THE = APOSTLES had=20 died, the believers looked to their successors to continue their work. = These=20 successors were those disciples who had actually traveled and preached = with the=20 Apostles and held fast to the Traditions that had been given to them = by word=20 or epistles (II Thessalonians 2:15). One of these successors was a = disciple=20 of the Apostle John named Ignatius (=86106). He was a little boy at the = time of=20 Christ. It is recorded that he was the little child that Christ set in = the midst=20 of the disciples when He said: Except ye be converted, and become as = little=20 children, ye shall not enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. Whosoever shall = humble=20 himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the Kingdom of = Heaven=20 (Matthew 18:2). When Ignatius grew up he became the Bishop of Antioch, = the city=20 where the disciples of Christ were first called Christians (Acts 11:26). = Eventually he was imprisoned for refusing to worship the pagan gods. = Although he=20 was a prisoner facing death, he wrote several epistles to the churches = to which=20 Paul had written earlier, such as the Ephesians and the=20

Icon of St. Lazarus, = portraying him in=20 bishops' = vestments.

Romans. Soon=20 afterwards he was taken to the arena where he was eaten alive by wild = beasts,=20 and gave his soul into the hands of God.
Another = of the=20 Apostles' successors was Lazarus, whom Christ raised from the dead (John = 11:1).=20 After the day of Pentecost, Lazarus traveled with his two sisters, Mary = and=20 Martha, throughout the Mediterranean and settled on the island of Crete. = Here he=20 spread the Christian faith as one of the first bishops of the Church. = Later he=20 and his sisters went to preach the Gospel in France. Lazarus was known = to have=20 said that ever since he was raised from the dead he had a bitter taste = in his=20 moth that reminded him of death and the final judgment, which every soul = will=20 face. He died peacefully as a saint, no longer tasting any bitterness, = for there=20 is no bitterness in Heaven.
Mary Magdalene was = another=20 disciple of Christ who became an equal to the Apostles. After the day of = Pentecost she traveled to Rome and appeared before the Emperor Tiberias = Caesar,=20 greeting him with the words: "Christ is Risen!" referring to the = resurrection of=20 Christ from the dead. She then presented him with a red egg as a symbol = of the=20 new life that was given to the human race through the crucifixion and=20 resurrection of Christ. From that day on eggs were always used in the=20 celebration of the great feast of Pascha (commonly known as Easter). = Before the=20 Emperor she also=20

Icon of St.=20 Dionysius.

denounced Pontius Pilate = for his=20 unjust condemnation of Jesus Christ. Caesar heeded her and transferred = Pilate=20 from Jerusalem to Gaul, where he died from a terrible illness. Leaving = Rome, she=20 traveled to Ephesus and helped the Apostle John. Here, she peacefully = went to=20 the Lord Whom she had served so faithfully.
Other=20 disciples who continued the work of the Apostles were St. Clement = (Philippians=20 4:3) of Rome and St. Polycarp. St. Clement was brought to the Faith by = the=20 Apostles Barnabas and Peter, who later appointed him bishop of Rome, = where he=20 died a martyr's death. St. Polycarp was a pagan who had been brought to = the=20 Faith and baptized by the Apostle John. Both Clement and Polycarp wrote = many=20 epistles that still exist today.
Also at that time = there=20 was a man named Dionysius in Athens, Greece (Acts 17:34). When Christ = breathed=20 His last on the Cross, St. Dionysius beheld the sun darkened although he = was=20 miles away, and said: "Either God the Creator of the world is suffering = or the=20 world is ending." Years later the Apostle Paul was in Athens and saw = that=20

Icon of St. Ignatius depicted with the = lions in the=20 Roman arena.

the people there = had an altar to=20 "the unknown God." Paul then openly said to those gathered: The One = Whom you=20 ignorantly worship, Him I proclaim unto you (Acts 17:23), and began = to tell=20 them about the One True God Who gave His life for the world. Dionysius = happened=20 to be present and was moved in his soul to embrace the Christian Faith. = He was=20 then baptized by Paul and became a bishop of Gaul (France), residing in=20 Paris.
Through these holy men and women the = continuity of=20 the Orthodox Church was preserved, even during those times of great=20 persecution.

THE CATACOMBS=20

HE FIRST = CHRISTIANS were=20 rejected by the world and were persecuted unto torture and death, = fulfilling=20 Christ's prophecy: If the world hate you, know that it hated me = before it=20 hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love his own, but = because=20 you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, the = world=20 hates you (John 15:18). To escape persecution Christians fled to the = catacombs=97underground caves where they buried their dead=97and = conducted their=20 secret prayer services there in hiding, totally cut off from the world. = They=20 lived in constant expectation of martyrdom=20

Picture of one of the underground catacombs = in Rome.=20

and so were always vigilant, = preparing=20 themselves for the other world. Earthly wealth, comfort, and honor had = no=20 meaning for them since suffering stripped them bare of such things. The = spread=20 of the Christian Faith among the pagans provoked persecution against the = early=20 Christians because they refused to worship any God other than the One = living=20 God. Thousands of men and women died by courageously undergoing the = cruelest=20 forms of torture imaginable. They were beheaded, burned, drowned, = lacerated and=20 crucified for their Faith; the countless records and histories of the = martyrs=20 attest to their undying love for God. The early 4th-century historian = Eusebius=20 wrote: "I myself was an eyewitness of it. The iron implements would = become blunt=20 and broken, and the executioners themselves would become wearied and = have to=20 take turns to relieve each other."
The call to a = violent=20 death was a great reality for those who believed in God and His Christ.=20 Martyrdom was considered the ultimate act of renunciation of the world = and the=20 highest form of confession of one's Faith. While in the world's eyes it = was=20 total dishonor, in the eyes of the believers it was the greatest glory. = For the=20 early Christians, the body, which is a temple of God, could also become = a=20 sacrifice for God in enduring unto death for the Truth. Only God and His = Spirit=20 dwelling deep within the martyrs enabled them to overcome a death that = was for=20 them True Life.=20

Icon depicting martyrs undergoing torture = for Christ.=20

    From = the world's=20 point of view it seemed that the Christian Faith was dying along with = its=20 martyrs, but this was not so. Many pagans, seeing the faith and = confession of=20 the martyrs and the miracles that they performed were themselves = convinced of=20 the Truth of the Christian Faith and became Christians. The more the = Christians=20 were persecuted, the more the Christian Faith grew.    =20
    The earliest account of martyrdom is that of St. = Stephen=20 who was a deacon of the Church (Acts 6:5). He was stoned to death for = preaching=20 in the Jewish temple that Jesus Christ was the Messiah. As he was about = to die=20 he looked up towards Heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus = standing on=20 the right hand of God (Acts 7:55).
    Another = account of=20 a martyr of the catacomb period of Christianity is the life of St. = Catherine=20 (=86305). She was the daughter of a ruler in Alexandria, Egypt. From = childhood she=20 was well educated. She loved the wisdom of this world until she = encountered=20 Christ, Who is True Wisdom. She then became a Christian and fearlessly = taught=20 others of the one true God Who became incarnate to save the=20 world.
    For this she was placed under heavy guard = to be=20 tortured. When the arena was filled with spectators, she was brought out = before=20 the wisest men of the empire in order for them to challenge her in her = Christian=20 Faith. Her answers left everyone speechless, and many believed her = words,=20 becoming Christians themselves. This enraged=20

Icon of St. Catherine portrayed with the = wheel of=20 torture that was used on her and other=20 Christians.

the emperor to such an = extent=20 that he had everyone burned alive who was found to be a Christian. After = imprisonment St. Catherine was taken to the place where she would be = executed.=20 She then prayed: "Stretch out Thy hand, which was nailed to the Cross = for my=20 sake, and receive my soul." After enduring much torture she was finally=20 beheaded.
The number of martyrs who died in these = first=20 centuries of the Church is endless, attesting to the power that is = within the=20 Christian faith. Many of the actual accounts of the lives and deaths of = these=20 martyrs still exist thanks to the believers who courageously preserved = their=20 memory in the catacombs.

THE = BYZANTINE EMPIRE=20

HEN SUDDENLY, = in the midst of=20 all the sufferings of the early Church, the persecution ceased. In the = year 312,=20 Constantine the Great, the emperor of the Roman empire, which comprised = all of=20 the civilized world at that time, was conquered by the sign of the = Christian=20 Faith. Just before a decisive battle, he and all of his soldiers saw a = Cross of=20 light in the sky with the inscription, "By this sign you will conquer." = The=20

Icon of St.=20 Constantine.

following night Christ = appeared=20 to him with the Cross in His hand and told him that by this sign he = would defeat=20 his enemy, directing that each soldier's shield bear the sign of the = Cross. The=20 emperor fulfilled the command of God and conquered. Seeing the power of = the=20 Cross he abandoned paganism and embraced the Christian Faith, placing = his entire=20 empire under the protection of Christ and His Cross. Constantine = legalized=20 Christianity and then moved the seat of the empire from Rome to = Constantinople=20 to make a new beginning, calling this city the second Rome. Thus arose = the=20 Byzantine empire=97the first Christian society that was governed by = Christian=20 principles.
Now that the Church was free to come = out of=20 the catacombs, churches began to be built above ground. Some=20

The Church of Hagia Sophia (Holy Wisdom) in = Constantinople

of the first = churches=20 constructed were over the holy sites in Israel where Christ had lived. = Also,=20 later on in the sixth century a monastery was built on Mount Siani over = the site=20 of the burning bush (Exodus 3:2), near the place where Moses received = the Ten=20 Commandments. Most of these churches still remain to this day as = Orthodox=20 churches and monasteries.
With the Church above = ground,=20 Christianity began to flourish. The Christian religious art of = iconography began=20 to be redefined, church music (chant) began to thrive and the amount of=20 Christian literature began to grow. In short, the Church became the = center of=20 every aspect of life. This period of freedom and rest for the Church = became the=20 time to articulate the beliefs of the Christian Faith and to choose the = books=20 that would comprise the standard of Scripture.
= Emperor=20 Constantine called a council of bishops to gather=20

Gold case preserved in an Orthodox = monastery on Mount=20 Athos, Greece, that contains a piece of the actual Cross of=20 Christ.

from the four corners = of the world.=20 This council, held in 325, was the first of seven Ecumenical Councils in = the=20 history of the Church and was modeled after the council in the time of = the=20 Apostles (Acts 15). This council of Constantine's=20

Icon of St. Athanasius the=20 Great

articulated the Creed of the = Christian=20 Faith so that there would be one confession of the Faith and not = different=20 interpretations. Before this council there was no universally accepted = New=20 Testament canon of Scripture, and, thus, no Bible. There were simply the = accounts of Christ's life by the Apostles Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, = and many=20 epistles (letters) from several of the Apostles such as Paul and Peter. = There=20 were also the letters and writings of the disciples of the Apostles such = as Sts.=20 Ignatius, Clement, Dionysius and others. One of the persons who was = instrumental=20 in this council was St. Athanasius of Alexandria. He was the one = responsible for=20 the canon of Scriptures that comprise the New Testament that we have=20 today.
With the founding of the first Christian = empire=97the=20 Byzantine empire=97came the Bible, the Creed, and a whole Christian = experience=20 that would change the face of the world forever.

THE MONASTIC = IDEAL=20

HIS TIME OF = FREEDOM in the=20 Church gave rise to one vital problem. Without the suffering of = persecution and=20 martyrdom as a means to Christian perfection, many of the Christians = began to=20 conform to this world. In their freedom and wealth they began to forget = that the=20 Christian life is about leading the soul from this world to the Kingdom = of=20 Heaven. It is a path of suffering in this life in order to obtain peace = in the=20 next. Consequently, men and women seeking spiritual perfection instead = of the=20 pleasures of this world, fled into the deserts and wildernesses of = Palestine and=20 Egypt. Like the walls of the catacombs, the wide expanses of the desert = isolated=20 them from the influence of the world and provided the opportunity for a = more=20 God-centered life.=20

Icon of St. Anthony the=20 Great.

Through a life of prayer, = fasting,=20 self-denial, chastity and vigilance these ascetics became voluntary = lifelong=20 martyrs and were known as monks and nuns (Mark = 8:34).
=20 Although it was in the fourth century that monasticism developed, its = origin is=20 in the Old Testament times when God revealed to Moses the vow of the = Nazarite=97a=20 vow of celibacy, the consecrating of one's life to God (Numbers 6:2). = Then from=20 Elijah to John the Baptist, the prophets set examples of this vow. Later = this=20 was perfected in the life of Christ. After having witnessed Christ's = example,=20 the Apostle Mark, who established the Church in Egypt, started the first = ascetic=20 communities which continued this way of life. These communities had as = their=20 models the prophets of the Old Testament, and operated on the principles = set=20 forth in Acts 4:32. They came to be known as monasteries, and their = inhabitants=20 began to be called monks. The term "monk" was derived from the Greek = word=20 monos, which means single or alone=97one who chooses to be=20

The sixth-century monastery of St. = Catherine at Mount=20 Siani, Egypt, where Moses received the Ten=20 Commandments.

alone with God. From = these=20 communities arose the great monastic saints of fourth-century=20 Egypt.
One of the earliest records of a monk is = the life=20 of St. Anthony the Great (=86356). When he was young his rich parents = suddenly=20 died and left all their wealth to him. Saddened by their death, he went = one day=20 into the church and heard the priest read from the Scriptures these = words: If=20 thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give it to the = poor,=20 and=20

Icon of St. Mary of Egypt, a former = prostitute who=20 went into the desert to live a life of=20 repentance.

thou shalt have = treasure in=20 Heaven: and come and follow Me (Matthew 19:21). Hearing this his = heart began=20 to burn for Christ. He then went home, gave away all his inheritance to = the poor=20 and went off into the Egyptian desert to be alone with God. He lived = there until=20 he was over a hundred years old=97praying, fasting, denying himself = normal=20 pleasures and reading the Holy Scriptures ( Mark 8:34-38). Hearing of = his way of=20 life, thousands of others followed his example, and monasticism began to = spread=20 far and wide. After St. Anthony died, the bishop of Alexandria, St. = Athanasius=20 the Great, who was close to him, recorded his life for the inspiration = of=20 others. This was the same Athanasius who was responsible for the Holy = Scripture=20 known as the Bible that we have today. Athanasius brought this life of a = saint=20 throughout the world and changed the face of history with the story of = St.=20 Anthony, the illiterate monk who lived in a cave.

Photo of monks at a monastery on Mount = Athos, Greece.=20

This way of = life called=20 monasticism quickly spread throughout the world, preserving the same = genuine=20 spirit of the early Church. Entire cities and societies found their = beginnings=20 in the simple poverty of these monks. First a monk would settle in some=20 uninhabited place, then people would settle nearby to be close to him, = and in=20 time villages would grow. In this way, monasticism and civilization = spread=20 throughout Egypt, Israel, Ethiopia, Greece, Italy, Ireland, France, = Romania,=20 Serbia, Russia and to the ends of the world.

THE GREAT SEPARATION=20

N THE VERY = BEGINNING of the=20 Christian Church the Apostles appointed successors to guide and guard = the=20 Church. These leaders were called presbyters, bishops and patriarchs. = Presbyters=20 were appointed as pastors of single churches, bishops were appointed as = pastors=20 over geographical areas that encompassed often hundreds of churches and=20 patriarchs were spiritual advisors over the bishops and presbyters and = all the=20 churches. This form of hierarchy was carried over from the Old Testament = times=20 of Moses (Exodus 18:13-21, II Timothy 2:1-7).=20

Icon of the First Ecumenical Council of = bishops, in=20 325 A.D.

    = Although=20 there were hundreds of bishops throughout Christendom, there were only = five=20 Patriarchs=97one for each of the five important cities in the empire: = Jerusalem,=20 Alexandria, Antioch, Constantinople, and Rome. All took counsel with one = another, having Christ as the head, and there was no one person who = ruled the=20 Church. All significant decisions were made only in council (Acts 15), = no one=20 patriarch or bishop having absolute superiority over another, but all = working=20 together in equality. Through this hierarchy the Church had succeeded = for=20 centuries in maintaining unity.
    In the ninth = century,=20 however, the East and the West began to drift apart. The Patriarch = (Pope) of=20 Rome began to introduce new and foreign ideas into the Faith. One of = these ideas=20 was the supremacy of the Roman Pope over the rest of the Orthodox = Church. The=20 other four patriarchs of the Church in the East, knowing that having one = supreme=20 ruler over the entire Church would divide and corrupt the Church, = unsuccessfully=20 pleaded with the Pope of Rome not to introduce this new=20 idea.
    Another new idea that the Pope of Rome began = to=20 introduce was the changing of the age-old Christian Creed that had been=20 established by the early Church. The Creed is a summary of the beliefs = of the=20 Christian Faith, established since the times of the Apostles and based = on the=20 Scriptures. The Church in the East warned the Western Church of the = dangers of=20 changing any part of the Faith and especially the very Creed itself. But = the=20 changes were already in full swing, and the bishops in the West had = already=20 began to adopt these new ideas, even though the believers=20 resisted.
    In these difficult times of division = much=20 dialogue took place between the Eastern Church and the Western Church in = an=20 attempt to work out their difference. Since the Orthodox Church would = not=20 compromise and allow any changes to be made in the Faith, in 1054 the = Roman=20 Patriarchate officially severed itself from the rest of the=20 Church.
    The division was based on issues of = authority and=20 theology, and underlying both these issues was the following dividing = factor: In=20 the East the Church was always looked at as something otherworldly which = pointed=20 believers towards Heaven, while in the West the Church began to become=20 this-worldly, pointing believers towards an earthly organization rather = than the=20 one spiritual organism of the Body of Christ. Thus began "Organized=20 Religion."

<= IMG=20 height=3D324=20 = src=3D"http://users.sisqtel.net/williams/doortoparadise/timlinesmall.jpg"= =20 width=3D481 border=3D0>

C= lick=20 here to enlarge the=20 Timeline.

    = Although the=20 rest of Christendom tried to call Rome back to the orthodox = understanding of=20 Christianity, Rome had already made its decision to part ways and would = not turn=20 back. This was the first denomination (division) in Western Christendom, = which=20 later proved to be the first of thousands.
    = Throughout the=20 years after this devastating schism, the West experienced tremendous = turmoil and=20 corruption. The Crusades began, which evolved into an attack on the = Church in=20 the East. Then came the Inquisition, then the Renaissance which brought = back=20 pagan ideals and mixed them with Christianity, and finally the = Protestant=20 Reformation. The West experienced the "Dark Ages" or "Middle Ages," = which marked=20 the gradual transition between the ancient Christian world-view and the = modern=20 godless one. The East experienced no such Middle Ages, since there the = Orthodox=20 Church preserved the Christianity of the Apostles and the early=20 Church.
    Orthodoxy continued to endure martyrdom = and=20 persecution from the world=97this time from the yoke of the Muslims. As = with the=20 persecution under the pagan Romans, suffering at the hands of the = Muslims kept=20 the Church pure by not allowing for lukewarmness of faith.

THE THIRD ROME=20

T ABOUT THE = TIME of the=20 falling away of the Roman Church, the Orthodox Church was enlarged by = the=20 conversion of an entire nation. This was the Slavic nation of Russia. = The steps=20 towards this conversion first began in the year 863 when two missionary = monks=20 from the Byzantine Empire, Sts. Cyril and Methodius, set foot in the = Slavic=20 lands of Bulgaria and Serbia. Through their labors, Christianity = eventually=20 reached Russia. Though they were from distant Constantinople, they were = familiar=20 with the Slavic people and language from their=20

Icon of Saint Cyril and Saint=20 Methodius.

childhood. Since the = Slavic people=20 had no written language, St. Cyril devised the Slavonic alphabet from = Greek in=20 order to translate the Holy Scriptures. Hence the alphabet used in = Slavonic=20 countries today is called the "Cyrillic" alphabet.
= Although Sts. Cyril and Methodius brought the Gospel to the Slavic = nations, the=20 full conversion of the Russian people took place one hundred years = later. Russia=20 was almost totally pagan at that time, although there were small pockets = of=20 Christianity thanks to the labors of the Apostle Andrew. Apostle Andrew = had=20 preached throughout the land of Russia and placed crosses both in Kiev = and on=20 the Lake Ladoga island of Valaam in the north.
= Almost a=20 thousand years after St. Andrew, in 988, the Russian Prince Vladimir = decided=20 that an official religion was necessary for his country. In search of = the true=20 faith he then investigated all the major religions of the world, sending = an=20 envoy to visit their churches and temples. After having observed = different=20 religions, the envoy returned to the Prince and said, "When we went to = Greece=20 and the Greeks led us to the edifices where they worship their God, we = knew not=20 whether we were in Heaven or on earth. For on=20

Icon of Saint Vladimir, Prince of=20 Russia.

earth there is no such = splendor or=20 such beauty, and we are at a loss how to describe it. We know only that = God=20 dwells there among men and their service surpasses those of all other = nations."=20 The Prince accepted the Orthodox Christian Faith, was baptized, and = ordered that=20 all the idols of the=20

Photo of the St. Sergius Lavra in=20 Russia.

nation be=20 destroyed.
    It was not long before the entire = Russian land=20 became a bastion of Christian spiritual life filled with many saints. = Soon=20 churches covered the land, monasteries filled the vast wilderness, and = golden=20 domes were seen towering over every city and = village.
    Then=20 in 1453 a great tragedy occurred. The seat of the Byzantine Empire of=20 Constantinople was overtaken by the Muslim Turks who had been warring = against=20 Christian nations for hundreds of years. The fall of Byzantium led to = the rise=20 of the New Byzantium=97Holy Russia. It seemed as if Russia was called = upon to=20 preserve the Orthodox Faith. The first Rome had departed from Orthodoxy = and the=20 second had fallen. Thus, Moscow became the third = Rome.
   =20 Just as in Byzantium, every aspect of life in Russia was centered around = the=20 Church and Christian spiritual life, yet there still arose the need for = a much=20 deeper, God-centered life that only the desert can offer. In Russia the = harsh=20 wilderness became the desert that offered solitude and austerity for the = God-centered life called monasticism. The founding father of Russian = monasticism=20 was St. Anthony of Kiev (=861073). After having been formed as a monk on = Mount=20 Athos, Greece, he returned to his homeland and settled in a cave in = Kiev. In a=20 short time a whole monastery arose around that cave. Soon the monastic = ideal=20 spread throughout all of Russia, even to its deepest wilderness.

Icon of Saint=20 Seraphim.

During = the=20 thousand years of Russian Christianity there were always saints who = continued=20 the spirit of the early Christian Church. For example there was St. = Seraphim of=20 Sarov (=861833), a monk who from childhood lived a very pure life. He = had the=20 gifts of healing and unceasing prayer, and was seen surrounded by a = magnificent,=20 unearthly light. This was the same Divine light that Christ shown upon = His=20 Apostles so long ago and that His Apostles brought to the ends of the = world=20 (Exodus 34:29-35, Matthew 17:1-2, Acts 9:3).

THE ENDS OF THE = WORLD=20

HILE RUSSIA was = at its=20 spiritual height, a group of Orthodox missionaries was sent eastward = across=20 Siberia to the New World in order to spread the treasure of the = Byzantine=20 Christian Faith. In 1794, a mission team of ten monks was gathered from = the=20 Monastery of Valaam, the island where Apostle Andrew had preached the = Christian=20 Faith centuries before. In the spirit of the Apostles, these Russian = monks=20 sailed to Alaska, and through love and self-sacrifice brought thousands = of the=20 native peoples to the Christian Faith. One of=20

Icon of Saint=20 Herman.

these missionary monks met a = martyr's=20 end while another began monastic life in the New World, in the spirit of = St.=20 Anthony the Great and St. Anthony of Kiev. This was St. Herman = (=861836), who=20 became the first saint of the land of America. Thus, through Russia, the = Christianity of the Apostles, of the catacombs, and of Byzantium was = planted in=20 American soil.
After the death of St. Herman the = legacy of=20 Orthodox Christianity in the New World was continued by St. Innocent = (=861879). He=20 was a simple priest from Siberia who had an unquenchable longing to give = his=20 whole life to the service of God. This longing was met when he sailed to = the=20 wilds of Alaska. There he traveled throughout this frontier just as the = Apostles=20 did in other lands so long ago, living in hardships and difficulty, = suffering=20 extreme poverty and battling the harsh elements of nature with the sole = purpose=20 of making Heaven accessible to as many souls as possible. St. Innocent = had to=20 create a written language for the natives of Alaska just as Sts. Cyril = and=20 Methodius had done for their native people so long ago, so that these = new=20 Christians could have the word of God in their own=20 language.
St. Innocent was later chosen to be the = Bishop=20 of Alaska and continued to sacrifice himself for his flock. Then in old = age he=20 returned to his homeland where he was chosen to be the head of the = Church of=20 Russia (a position equal to that of a patriarch). While the head of the = whole=20 Russian Church he started missionary societies with the aim of spreading = the=20 Gospel to the ends of the world. After having lived a full life in the = service=20 of God, St. Innocent died in his homeland and found his rest with the = saints in=20 Heaven.

Valaam=20 Monastery.

Less = than=20 twenty years later, a great luminary of the twentieth century was born = in St.=20 Innocent's homeland, who would one day continue the apostolic work in = America.=20 This was St. John Maximovitch. From childhood he loved Christ and His = Church=20 more than anything else in this world. This love was tested when his = homeland of=20 Russia became communist/atheist and underwent one of the bloodiest = persecutions=20 in the history of Christianity. The Church once again had to go into the = catacombs in order to survive. In these difficult times God preserved = St. John's=20 life and he escaped to the Orthodox country of Serbia, where he later = became a=20 monk; and soon thereafter was made a=20

Photo of Saint John=20 Maximovitch.

bishop. =
=20 As a bishop and successor of the Apostles he went to China, where he = founded=20 Orthodox churches. Here he started an orphanage and took care of = unwanted=20 children. He would even go to the slums and find babies in garbage cans = and take=20 them home. Later he was asked to be the bishop of San Francisco in the = United=20 States where he continued his work of living and spreading the=20 Gospel.
Although he lived in the city, his way of = life was=20 like that of the desert monks of old. He prayed without ceasing, ate = very little=20 only once a day, slept only three hours a night, and wholly sacrificed = himself=20 for God and for his fellow man. He voluntarily chose this difficult way = of life=20 for the simple reason that Heaven was more important to him than the = comforts of=20 the earth. Through this he attained such heights of Christian perfection = that he=20 was seen several times surrounded in an unearthly light that emanated = from him,=20 and he was given the gift of working miracles. In 1966 St. John died and = was=20 laid to rest in San Francisco. To this day, along with St. Herman, St. = Innocent,=20 and all the saints of the Orthodox Church, he is revered for bringing = the light=20 of Christ to the ends of the world.

CONCLUSION=20

ROM THE TIME of = the saints of=20 the early Church to the saints of our own day and age, the original = Church of=20 Christ has been preserved as a treasure given to mankind by God Himself. = Throughout the centuries this universal Orthodox Church has maintained = the=20 fullness of the Christian experience in continuity, theology, and = spirituality.=20 It has given us the Liturgy, the Creed, the Bible, monasticism, and the = whole of=20 the Christian world-view.

Icon of God in Trinity as He appeared to = Abraham in=20 the form of three angels (Genesis 18:1). In the middle Christ is=20 represented in a chalice, formed by other angels, which symbolizes = Communion.

    = This may come=20 as a surprise to those who thought that the divided and fragmented = Christian=20 experience of the west was the only expression of the Church. Others, = however,=20 who have discovered the Eastern Church find relief for their souls, = which are=20 hungering for the ancient, historical Christian Church that the Apostles = began,=20 and which still exists in our own times.
    This = Church=20 extends from the saints in Heaven down to the believers here on earth in = order=20 to raise us from earth to the heights of Heaven (Hebrews 12:1, 22-24). = Thus, the=20 true essence of the Church cannot be found in its earthly institution = but must=20 be sought in the spiritual life of the Church which takes place in the = heart;=20 for it is within the heart that Christ reveals = Himself.
   =20 Once Christ reveals Himself to a soul, the heart becomes a battleground = where=20 the Christian fights his way towards Heaven (Philippians 2:12). This = battle,=20 which is the lifelong struggle of good over evil and virtue over vice, = is called=20 Unseen Warfare (Ephesians 6:12), and is the essence of the spiritual = life of a=20 Christian. In conducting this struggle the soul becomes purified in = order to=20 make a place for the living God to come and dwell in it. This is the = true and=20 ultimate purpose of the Church. Everything else in life is only=20 secondary.
    It was in order to establish this = Church that=20 God came down to earth, became a man, suffered, died, resurrected from = the dead,=20 and ascended into Heaven. Through this God showed mankind the way from = earth to=20 Heaven, and gave us His Holy Church to be the place where Heaven and = earth meet,=20 and where communion with God begins (Ephesians 3:21, Matthew 16:18-19, = John=20 20:19-23).

TO ENTER THE DOOR TO PARADISE:=20

ECAUSE = Orthodoxy is the=20 fullness of ancient, apostolic Christianity, becoming a true Orthodox = Christian=20 requires being a Christian in the fullest sense of the word, and that is = not=20 easy. It takes a lifetime of constant unseen warfare, ascetic = discipline,=20 self-denial, self-crucifixion, and active, selfless love. To be truly = Orthodoxy,=20 you will have to die to yourself and "hate your life" (Luke = 14:26)=97that is, the=20 life of your own ego. You must die to self-love and sensual pleasure, = which as=20 the Holy Fathers teach are the primary results of the Fall and the root = of all=20 sin. You must look into yourself and face your sin, not just as separate = acts=20 but as your condition. Then you must go about rooting out all of the = most subtle=20 passions which separate you from God. You must overcome resentment by=20 forgiveness, which can only happen through the grace of Christ. You must = cut off=20 all desire for popularity, acceptance, recognition, approval and "love," = even=20 from other members of the Orthodox Church.
    Christ = said:=20 Whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my = disciple.=20 For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, = and=20 counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it? (Luke = 14:27-28).=20 Many people do not take up the Cross of Christ because they see that it = will=20 require too much of them. Others take it up, but then, not having = counted the=20 cost, put it down when it gets too heavy. Still others, on becoming = Orthodox, do=20 so with worldly motives: the desire to be more "correct" and = historically=20 authentic than Protestants and Roman Catholics; the desire to experience = the=20 beautiful aesthetics of Orthodox liturgics, etc. In so doing, however, = they=20 never enter into the essence of Orthodox Christianity. Not having really = taken=20 up the Cross of Christ, they never really taste the unearthly joy of His = Resurrection.
    "He who wishes to serve God," says = St. Basil=20 the Great (4th century), "must prepare his heart for tribulations." The = Orthodox=20 Christian faith is a suffering faith (II Timothy 3:12), because through=20 suffering we can at last wake up to our true condition, repent, be = purified by=20 Christ, and in that purification become a dwelling place of the Holy = Spirit. The=20 great fourth-century theologian, St. Gregory Nazianzen, described true=20 Christianity as "suffering Orthodoxy." To take it up is to take up the = most=20 radical, demanding, all-or-nothing life possible. All false motives must = fall=20 away, burned up in the fire of suffering for Jesus Christ. You must = taste, to=20 the degree of which you are capable, the suffering, persecution, and = crucifixion=20 that the Orthodox saints have experienced throughout the ages. To enter = into=20 their heavenly company, you must pay the price. Christ said: Straight = is the=20 gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be = that find=20 it (Matthew 7:14). That narrow way is found through pain of heart = and years=20 of repentance. According to your yearning and your striving, you will = enter; you=20 will taste the fruits of Paradise even in this life, and Christ will = fill your=20 sufferings with His presence. Then you will know the joy of the = Resurrection,=20 for you will have experienced a resurrection in you own soul. You will = be a new=20 being on the inside, and you will find the Kingdom of Heaven within you = (Luke=20 17:21).
    Though the Sacraments, the Scripture, the=20 spiritual discipline and the ascetic teachings of the Orthodox Church, = you will=20 find the Door to Paradise. And then, in your own heart, your own inward = being,=20 you will find Paradise itself. You will find what true prayer is, and = you will=20 find Him who has been calling you all your life: Christ, the Bridegroom = of your=20 soul.=20

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