IN THIS LESSON

#1 Holy Scripture and Sacred Tradition

Scripture Reading (RSV):

  • "All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work" (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

  • "So then, brethren, stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught by us, either by word of mouth or by letter" (2 Thessalonians 2:15)

Key Themes:

The Orthodox Church recognizes both Holy Scripture and Holy Tradition as sources of divine revelation. Scripture did not create the Church; rather, the Church gave birth to Scripture and preserves its authentic interpretation. The Bible must be read "against the background of the interpretation given it by the Church as a whole, not on one's own interpretation". The Church is "the treasurer and interpreter of the Revealed Truths of Christ".

The Orthodox Canon:

The Orthodox Old Testament includes the books of the Septuagint (the Greek translation made in the 3rd century BC), including the deuterocanonical books (called "Anaginoskomena" or "worthy to be read" in Orthodox tradition). The NKJV translation is preferred in the Orthodox Study Bible.

Church Fathers' Wisdom:

St. Irenaeus of Lyons (130-202): "The Scriptures are indeed perfect, since they were spoken by the Word of God and His Spirit; but we, inasmuch as we are inferior to, and later in existence than, the Word of God and His Spirit, are on that very account destitute of the knowledge of His mysteries".

St. John Chrysostom (347-407): "The sacred writers have left us a few things in writing, that through the memory of their hearers we might learn what is necessary".

Practical Application:

Daily Scripture reading should be accompanied by prayer, asking the Holy Spirit for understanding. The Orthodox Study Bible and patristic commentaries provide guidance for interpretation. The Bible is properly interpreted in the Church community, guided by the mindset of the early Church.

#2 Creation, Fall, and Redemption

Scripture Reading (RSV):

  • Genesis 1:1-31; 2:4-25; 3:1-24 (The Creation and Fall narratives)

  • "Then as one man's trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one man's act of righteousness leads to acquittal and life for all men. For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by one man's obedience many will be made righteous" (Romans 5:18-19)

Key Themes:

God created humanity in His image and likeness (Genesis 1:26-27), destining us for communion with Him and participation in divine life. Through Adam's disobedience, sin and death entered creation, corrupting human nature and severing communion with God. Yet God immediately began His plan of redemption, culminating in the Incarnation of His Son.

Church Fathers' Wisdom:

St. Basil the Great (329-379) on Creation: "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. What is written is clear to the simple. But the contemplation thereof is great to those who are able to extract much sense from the words... The beginning of time is not yet time, not even the least part of it, so that we may be taught that the world came into existence instantaneously at the will of God".

St. Athanasius on the Fall and Redemption: "By nature, man is mortal, since he was made from nothing; but he bears also the Likeness of Him Who is, and if he preserves that Likeness through constant contemplation, then his nature is deprived of its power and he remains incorrupt... God took pity on our race, and had mercy on our infirmity, and condescended to our corruption, unable to bear that death should have the mastery".

St. Irenaeus: "The Lord has redeemed us through His own blood, giving His soul for our souls, and His flesh for our flesh, and has also poured out the Spirit of the Father for the union and communion of God and man".

Discussion Points:

  • What does it mean to be created in God's "image" and "likeness"?

  • How did the Fall affect human nature and our relationship with God?

  • Why was the Incarnation necessary for our salvation?

#3 Jesus Christ—The Incarnate Word

Scripture Reading (RSV):

  • "Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross" (Philippians 2:5-8)

  • "He is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of all creation; for in Him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible... He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together" (Colossians 1:15-17)

Key Themes:

Jesus Christ is fully God and fully man—two natures united in one person without confusion, change, division, or separation (as defined by the Council of Chalcedon, 451 AD). Through the Incarnation, the eternal Word of God assumed human nature to restore communion between God and humanity. Christ is prophet, priest, and king—fulfilling all the offices of the Old Testament.

Church Fathers' Wisdom:

St. Athanasius: "The Word, perceiving that in no way could the corruption of men be undone save by death... takes to Himself a body capable of death, that it, by partaking of the Word Who is above all, might be worthy to die in the stead of all... For by the sacrifice of His own body, He both put an end to the law which was against us, and made a new beginning of life for us, by the hope of resurrection".

St. Gregory of Nazianzus: "What has not been assumed has not been healed; but what is united to God is also saved. If only half of Adam fell, then Christ assumes and saves only half; but if the whole of his nature fell, it must be united to the whole nature of Him that was begotten and so be saved as a whole".

St. John Chrysostom: "I see here a King wearing a crown of thorns. I see here a Creator being struck by His own creatures. I see here a Judge being condemned. I see here Life itself dying".

Practical Application:

In every Divine Liturgy, we proclaim Christ's Death, confess His Resurrection, and await His Second Coming. The faithful participate mystically in His saving work through the sacraments.

Class Notes