World Orthodoxy and the Name-Worshiping Heresy

[Maria]

Below are three paragraphs in Greek written by Metropolitan Hierotheos (Vlachos). In the Google Translate version, bolding is my emphasis.

This information was obtained from Hieromonk Father Enoch through facebook:

• Hieromonk Enoch: New Calendar writer, Met. Hierotheos (Vlachos) now a Name-Worshipper? http://www.parembasis.gr/2005/05_06_13.htm Το όνομα του Θεού είναι η ενέργεια του Θεού. http://translate.googleusercontent.com/translate_c...

http://www.parembasis.gr/2005/05_06_13.htm (Please click this link for the complete article.)

• “Αγιασθήτω το όνομά σου”

  Αφού με την έναρξη της Κυριακής προσευχής αποκαλέσαμε τον Θεό Πατέρα μας που βρίσκεται στους ουρανούς, δηλαδή είναι κατά φύσιν άγιος, όπως είδαμε την προηγούμενη Κυριακή, ερχόμαστε τώρα με το πρώτο αίτημα να ζητήσουμε να αγιασθή το όνομά Του. Λέμε: “αγιασθήτω το όνομά σου”.

  Το όνομα του Θεού είναι η ενέργεια του Θεού. Είναι γνωστόν από την Ορθόδοξη θεολογία μας ότι ο Θεός έχει ουσία και ενέργεια. Και τα κτιστά πράγματα έχουν ουσία και ενέργεια, δηλαδή ο ήλιος είναι ένα ουράνιο σώμα και εκπέμπει το φως του, και η φωτιά είναι ένα αντικείμενο που καίγεται, αλλά εκπέμπει ενέργεια, ήτοι την θέρμανση και τον φωτισμό. Ο Θεός, όμως, ως άκτιστος έχει άκτιστη ουσία και άκτιστη ενέργεια και ως προς την ουσία Του ο Θεός είναι ανώνυμος και υπερώνυμος, αλλά ως προς τις ενέργειές Του έχει πολλά ονόματα.

  Κάθε φορά που ο Θεός αποκαλυπτόταν στους ανθρώπους φανέρωνε μια από τις ενέργειές Του, όπως την αγάπη, την ειρήνη, την δικαιοσύνη, την φιλανθρωπία. Και με αυτόν τον τρόπο είχε κοινωνία με τους ανθρώπους. Γι’ αυτό και λέμε ότι τα ονόματα του Θεού είναι οι ενέργειές Του. Και κάθε φορά που μνημονεύει κανείς το όνομα του Θεού με κατάνυξη, ταπείνωση, μετάνοια, πίστη κλπ. λαμβάνει γνώση και αίσθηση της ενεργείας του Θεού.

Translation by Google Translate:

"Hallowed be thy name"

After the opening prayer Sunday we called God our Father who is in heaven, that is by nature holy, as we saw last Sunday, we come now to the first request to ask you to bless His name. We say: "hallowed be thy name."

The name of God is the power of God. It is known from our Orthodox theology that God has substance and energy. And the created things have substance and energy, that the sun is a celestial body and emits its light, and the fire is burning an object, but emits energy, ie heating and lighting. But God, as is uncreated uncreated essence and uncreated energy and in essence, God is nameless and yperonymos, but by its energies has many names.

Whenever God revealed to people revealed one of His energies, like love, peace, justice, charity. And thus had fellowship with people. That is why we say that the names of God are the energies. And every time someone mentions the name of God with devotion, humility, repentance, faith, etc.. Noted and feel the power of God.

[Maria]

A Monk of Mount Athos, The Watchful Mind: Teachings on the Prayer of the Heart, translated by Fr. George Dokos (Crestwood, NY: St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 2014).

The link below contains a speech by Name-Worshiper Bishop Job, where he recommends A Monk of Mount Athos.

http://www.portal-credo.ru/site/?act=news&id=108329

• I would like to give one quotation from a marvelous book that I recommend you all read: The Watchful Mind: Teachings on the Prayer of the Heart by a Monk of Mount Athos (his name remains unknown, but it is clear that he was a great ascetic struggler and a man of holiness of life, who had attained the heights of asceticism and hesychasm. This book, in a Greek manuscript of the middle of the nineteenth century, has been preserved in a monastery on Athos; it was recently republished and even translated into Russian and has already gone through several editions.[1] In many places this unknown Athonite hesychast, as with all the Holy Fathers, speaks very strongly about the meaning of the Name of Jesus Christ. Here are his words, which personally very much surprised and pleased me, evoking a sense of awe.

Please be careful. This Name-Worshiping (Name-Glorifying) heresy is so deceitful.
As Orthodox, we are to honor, but not worship the name of Jesus. However, the name-worshipers take it a step further and say that the name of Jesus is uncreated, is part of the uncreated Energies of God, and becomes a sacrament [dare I say magical] when uttering it with devotion, so that one does not need to receive Holy Confession and Holy Communion.

[Maria]

[Barbara]

Hmm, Cerf is a good publishing house in France. Met Hilarion [Alfeyev] has certainly attained a certain stature to have his writing published there. That's a side note.

I had not seen the rest of this page until now. That happens ! [said ruefully].

Now, regarding the page from a book about St Barsanuphius of Optina, I thought it was a Greek Elder being referenced at the beginning.

What is this book, "In the Mountains of the Caucasus" ?

And, from what book was this page that Maria posted taken ? I see page 810, which makes me think this must be the
marvelous biography of St Barsanuphius which I read most of awhile back but have been planning to go through from cover to cover when life settles down, God willing.

I was already thinking that some of the great Optina Elders may have not been against Name-Worshipping. I am not sure of that.
But I was noticing some things myself in their Letters in these weeks since the thread has been active.
I didn't want to mention this fact which would tarnish the reputation possibly of the Optina Startsy, whose collective Feast Day was just a few days ago.

Well like the author said, even Saints made human mistakes in their lives. Probably, though, awareness of the Name-Worshipping heresy had not risen to prominence during their time, as it did during the Mt Athos storm when [was it 800, or 900 ?] Athonite monks left the Holy Mountain. Tragic.

[Maria]

Hmm, Cerf is a good publishing house in France. Met Hilarion [Alfeyev] has certainly attained a certain stature to have his writing published there. That's a side note.

I had not seen the rest of this page until now. That happens ! [said ruefully].

Now, regarding the page from a book about St Barsanuphius of Optina, I thought it was a Greek Elder being referenced at the beginning.

What is this book, "In the Mountains of the Caucasus" ?

And, from what book was this page that Maria posted taken ? I see page 810, which makes me think this must be the
marvelous biography of St Barsanuphius which I read most of awhile back but have been planning to go through from cover to cover when life settles down, God willing.

I was already thinking that some of the great Optina Elders may have not been against Name-Worshipping. I am not sure of that.
But I was noticing some things myself in their Letters in these weeks since the thread has been active.
I didn't want to mention this fact which would tarnish the reputation possibly of the Optina Startsy, whose collective Feast Day was just a few days ago.

Well like the author said, even Saints made human mistakes in their lives. Probably, though, awareness of the Name-Worshipping heresy had not risen to prominence during their time, as it did during the Mt Athos storm when [was it 800, or 900 ?] Athonite monks left the Holy Mountain. Tragic.

Dear Barbara,

I am trying to obtain the name of the book, the author, and the publisher from the person who scanned this page for me.
When I get this information, then I will edit my post.

[Now, would I respond to you if I were the same person as you?
Funny how some people think that you and I are the same person.]

Back on topic, I wish I had a copy of this book. It looks interesting.

[Handmaiden50]

Please be careful. This Name-Worshiping (Name-Glorifying) heresy is so deceitful.
As Orthodox, we are to honor, but not worship the name of Jesus. However, the name-worshipers take it a step further and say that the name of Jesus is uncreated, is part of the uncreated Energies of God, and becomes a sacrament [dare I say magical] when uttering it with devotion, so that one does not need to receive Holy Confession and Holy Communion.

I want to avoid this error, but I still don't understand fully. Could you or someone else on the board elaborate more please. Thanks.

[Maria]

St. Barsanuphius said,

"The power is not in the word, not in the name [Jesus], but in Christ Himself Who is being named."

Years ago, when I was an undergraduate student majoring in biology, I remember sitting in a biology lecture room where the instructor was preaching in favor of abortion and how simple it was to do a partial birth abortion saying it was just like pithing a frog.

I felt myself slip into shock that a professor could compare a child, an innocent child, to a frog. Since this was a public institution, there was no Cross hanging on the wall. Immediately, I traced a little Cross in my notebook, then I started writing "Jesus" and prayed with all my might, strength, and being. After writing the name, Jesus, three times, suddenly a calmness came over me, and I no longer felt sick to my stomach. My penmanship had returned to normal.

For about a year I saved that page from my notebook as a reminder of the reality of Christ Jesus. This was an epiphany. My first attempt to write Jesus was barely legible like I was experiencing a stroke. The second attempt was less shaky, and the third time, my penmanship was strong, clear, and legible. Jesus had saved me, but it was not merely His name, but the Person of Christ Jesus Himself.

Glory to Jesus Christ!
Glory to Him forever!

From that moment on, however, a new respect for life came over me. Since I could no longer pith a frog or kill a spider, I changed my major.