"Why do people think that the new calendar is acceptable"?
Why indeed!
What, if anything, is ambiguous about the following quotes from the book, The Calendar Question?
Do not the anathemas proclaimed succinctly state that there are ramifications in the "following" of the "new calendar"?
For once, PLEASE, set aside, and forget about, so-called "jurisdictions", or worse yet, so-called “world-orthodoxy”.
Just concentrate on what the Orthodox Church, through its Fathers, has stated.
The following quotes are from The Calendar Question, by Reverend Basile Sakkas, Translated by Holy Transfiguration Monastery.
QUOTE:
“OUR ADVERSARIES pretend that the calendar “is not a dogma”, thus leaving it to be understood that one can do with it what one pleases. Is the question of the calendar truly one of dogma? (The Calendar Question, by Reverend Basile Sakkas, p. 10, Published by Holy Trinity Monastery, Jordanville, new York.)
Does the wearing of a beard, or a rassa (garment) denote a dogmatical action? The Theotokos and Ever Virgin Mary gave birth in time to the Timeless One, our Lord and God and Saviour Jesus Christ. That is an established dogma. It would seem appropriate that the entire Orthodox Church (since it is one Holy, Catholic and Apostolic) would celebrate the Birth of our Lord and God and Saviour Jesus Christ – ON THE SAME DAY.
Sadly, this does not happen. Why does this not happen one may ask? After all, this is a most important Feast of the Orthodox Church.
The “reason” that all who call themselves Orthodox do not celebrate this most joyous Feast, which has a 40-day fast prescribe prior to the Feast itself, is that a “new” calendar has been, for lack of a more polite term, “introduced”.
In 1582, Pope Gregory XIII the reform of the calendar was passed. This act made October 4th now October 14th. Thus Gregorian calendar was initiated. The calendar used up until that time was known as the Julian calendar, named after Julius Caesar.
In 1924, the then Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople instituted the “new” calendar in Greece (quite forcefully one may add) so that the difference now measured 13 days as opposed to just 10 with Pope Gregory’s calendar.
“THE HOLY APOSTLE commands us saying, “Hold fast the traditions which ye have received, whether by word of mouth or through an epistle of ours.” (2 Thes. 11:15). These words were the exact words used by the Blessed Metropolitan Philaret, in the introduction of the book The Calendar Question. He goes on to state, “These condemnations (three condemnations of the Gregorian Calendar enacted by Pan-Orthodox councils in the 16th century and the Pan-Orthodox condemnation of modernism last century presided over by Patriarch Anthemus) were never lifted by any later council –they still stand and are binding for all Orthodox Christians. (Ibid, p, 5)
It would seem proper that if an Apostle actually commands something, then it should be obeyed. This is obviously not the case; at least in this case. Consider the following:
A. The Condemnation of the Papal New Calendar in 1583
In the work Ecclesiastical History, written by Metropolitan Meletius of Athens (published in Austria, 1784. Ch. XI, p. 402) we read:
Council of Jerusalem convoked because of the New Calendar. During the reign of the same Patriarch Jeremy, a Council of Metropolitans was convoked in Constantinople in 1583, with Sylvester, Patriarch of Alexandria, also being in attendance. This Council condemned the calendar which had been introduced by Gregory of Rome, and did not accept it, as the Latins had requested.
According to the Codex Manuscript (#772) of the Russian Monastery of St. Panteleimon on Mount Athos, we learn of the sigillium (an official synodical decree, bearing the Patriarchal seals) issued by this council:
The sigillium of the Patriarchal Encyclical to the Orthodox Christians in every land commands them under the punishment and anathema not to accept the new Paschalion (the system of reckoning the date of Pascha) or the new calendar but to remain with that which was well defined once and for all by the 318 Holy and God-bearing Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council.
In the year of the God-Man, 1583.
12th Indiction. November 20
The Patriarch of Constantinople Jeremy II
The Patriarch of Alexandria Sylvester
The Patriarch of Jerusalem Sophronius
And the other hierarchs of the Council who were present.
- The Second Condemnation of the New Calendar in 1587.
In the Ecclesiastical History (Constantinople 1912. Vol. III., p. 125), written by Philaret Baphides, Metropolitan Of Didymotichon, we read a confirmation of the condemnation of 1583 and moreover: “Likewise in 1587, a council at Constantinople was convoked where, in the presence of Jeremy II, Meletius Pegas and Sophronius of Jerusalem, the correction of the calendar was condemned as being perilous and unnecessary and as being, rather, the cause of many dangers.”
- The Third Condemnation of the New Calendar in 1593.
This Council took place in February, 1593, in the Holy Church of the Mother of God of Consolation. In its Eighth Canon, it prescribes the following concerning the change of the calendar:
Concerning the rejection of the new calendar, that is, the innovation of the Latins regarding the celebration of Pascha. We wish that that which has been decreed by the Fathers concerning Holy and Salutary Pascha remain unshaken … Let all those who have dared to transgress the definitions regarding the Holy Feast of the Salutary Pascha be excommunicated and rejected from the Church of Christ.
According to Polycarp, Bishop of Diaulia (Cf. The Change of the Calendar. Athens, 1947 p. 13) “…in 1593, a Council of the Orthodox Churches was convoked where the four patriarchs, the plenipotentiary of the Russian Church and many other Orthodox hierarchs representing the Orthodox churches participated. This Council reiterated the excommunication of the Most Holy Patriarch Jeremy II and issued an encyclical which, among other things, stated the following:
He that does not follow the customs of the Church which were decreed by the Seven Holy Ecumenical Councils which have ordained well that we observe the Holy Pascha and the Menologion,(the calendar of the moveable feasts) and wishes to follow the new Paschalia and Menologion of the Pope’s astronomers, and, opposing himself to all these things, wishes to overturn and destroy them, let him be anathema and outside of the Church of Christ and the assembly of the faithful…”
D. The Requirements of Sacred Tradition.
“Let him that transgresses the ecclesiastical traditions be deposed” (Canon No. 7 of the Seventh Ecumenical Council).
Of the doctrine and preaching which are preserved in the Church, some we possess derived from written doctrine, others we have received delivered to us “in secret” (en mysterio) by the tradition of the Apostles; and both of these have the same validity and force as regards piety. And these no one contradicts – no one, at all events, who is even moderately no written authority, on the ground that the importance that they possess is small, we would unintentionally harm the Gospel in its vitals; or, rather, would make our preaching mere words and nothing more (St. Basil, On the Holy Spirit 27:66; also Canon 91 of St. Basil the Great).
It should be required reading of all Orthodox Christians to learn this entire Canon by heart. The 92nd Canon of the same Saint confirms the above and also recalls the words of the divine Apostle: “Hold fast the traditions which ye have received, whether by word of mouth or through an epistle of ours” (2 Thes. 2:15).
Behold, therefore, why we adhere to the calendar of the Fathers:
Not because it is “Julian”, but because it has become “Ecclesiastical” and has always been the pulse of the Body of our most Holy Church. We keep this calendar because it is the one which we have received from the Fathers. The calendar of the West has been transmitted to us by no one. We keep this calendar because it was with this one that the Martyrs shed their blood, and our Fathers and Mothers in the Faith burned like living candles in their ascetical discipline. We keep this calendar of our Fathers because, according to the principle stated by St. Vincent of Lerins, it is the only one which has been used “always, everywhere, by all.” We keep this calendar because, if our Fathers were not upset by its inaccuracies, why should we become upset? We keep this calendar because, even if it is “erroneous, irregular, obsolete and antiquated,” yet it is also patristic, orthodox, sanctified, ecclesiastical, lived and celebrated at the same time by the whole Church, both in heaven and on earth.”
ENQUOTE
"Why do people think that the new calendar is acceptable"?
Why indeed!
Consider the service performed by the Orthodox Church:
THE ORDER FOR THE SUNDAY OF ORTHODOXY
The Epistle to the Romans is read at this service:
“Brethren, now I beseech you: mark them who cause divisions and offenses contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ but their own body, and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple. For your obedience is come abroad to all men. I am glad, therefore, on your behalf; but yet I would have you wise unto that which is good, and simple concerning evil. And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.”
The Gospel according to saint Matthew is read at this service:
“…The Lord said, “Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you that in heaven their angels do always behold the face of My Father, Who is in heaven. For the Son of man is come to save that which is lost. How think ye? If a man have a hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray? And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you he rejoiceth more over that sheep than over the ninety and nine which went not astray. Even so it is not the will of your Father, Who is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish. Moreover, if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone; if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. And if he neglect to hear them, tell it to the Church; but if he neglect to hear the Church, let him be unto thee a heathen man and a tax collector. Verily I say unto you, whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”
Some petitions read by the Deacon during “The Order for the Sunday of Orthodoxy” are:
…“To those who dare say that the Son of God is not of one essence and equal in honor with the Father, and that neither is the Holy Spirit, and who profess that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are not One God, Anathema, Anathema, Anathema!”
…“To those who reject the councils of the holy fathers and their traditions, which are in accord with divine revelation and are kept piously by the Orthodox Catholic Church, Anathema, Anathema, Anathema!”
…“To the Masons, the followers of the occult, spiritualists, sorcerers, and all who do not believe on God, but honor the demons, who do not humbly give their life over to God, but strive to learn the future through the sorcerous invocation of demons, Anathema, Anathema, Anathema!”
…“To those who attack the Church of Christ by teaching that Christ’s Church is divided into so-called branches which differ in doctrine and way of life, or that the Church does not exist invisibly, but will be formed in the future when all branches or sects or denominations, and even religions, will be united into one body; and who do not distinguish the priesthood and mysteries of the Church from those of the heretics, but say that the baptism and euchrarist of the heretics is effectual for salvation: therefore, to those who knowingly have communion with these aforementioned heretics or who advocate, disseminate or defend their new heresy of ecumenism under the pretext of brotherly love or the supposed unification of separated Christians, Anathema, Anathema, Anathema!”
THE ORDER FOR THE SUNDAY OF ORTHODOXY is most definitely NOT an "ordinary" service. If one actually 'listens' to the Deacon exclaiming the ectenias and the pronouncing of ANATHEMA, ANATHEMA, ANATHEMA!, one should quake.
This is NOT a "game"!
It IS the REAL thing!
The Deacon is, at that very point in time, pronouncing the Anathemas in accordance with the Orthodox Church.
"Why do people think that the new calendar is acceptable"?
Why indeed!
The following quotes are from an article,
“ON THE SUNDAY OF ORTHODOXY”
It was written by Hierarch Innocent of Chersonese and Taver, and translated by Reader Nathan Williams. The article appeared in the periodical ,Orthodox Life, Vol. 53, No.2, March-April 2004, Jordanville, New York, 13361-0036.
It is highly recommended that one obtain a subscription to this outstanding periodical. This issue, especially, should be purchased, just for this article.
I quote:
“And of some have compassion, making a difference: and others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire (Jude, 22, 23).”
“Is this not, brethren, what the Church now accomplishes? Some of her members have allowed themselves to be seized by the pernicious flame of the heresies of the ungodly, and now She raises her voice, like a trumpet, and strikes them with the terror of anathema, that God may perhaps grant that they will repent and come to know the truth, and they might escape from the snare of the devil (II Tim., 2:25-26). This means of correction, truly, is one of the most effective! The thought alone, that people like ourselves are cast out of the community of the faithful, outside of which there can be no salvation; at this thought alone the heart involuntarily quails and sensitivity is aroused. How great, then, must be the terror of one for whom others fear so greatly?”
“It is all the more lamentable, brethren, for the Church, that this sensation of saving terror, which She tries to instill in her children through the ceremony that is now being performed, is frequently defaced, ands sometimes entirely suppressed by other, reprehensible feelings. Some, arrogant in intellect, or rather, in ignorance, attempt in their thoughts to destroy everything in the ceremony at hand that is terrifying for those in error, and consider it an idle action of ecclesiastical authority, having no influence on the eternal fate of those condemned. These are prideful people, who set themselves higher in honor than the Judgment of the Church, being blinded by the belief that the sanctuary of their conscience-where, perhaps, is utter desolation in a holy place. (Matt., 24:15).-is the only place where judgment should be pronounced upon their opinions concerning the faith.”
“Others fall into the exact opposite extreme: the feeling of fear upon hearing the anathema, combined with the feeling of pity for those affected by it, is transformed in their hearts into a secret murmur against the supposed excessive strictness of the rules of the Church. “For what purpose,” they wonder, “does the Church now exchange the voice of love, so natural to her, for terrifying curses?” These people are lacking in faith, being so weak as to think that the Church of Christ could at any time act contrary to the law of love, which is the primary foundation of all Her rules and by-laws.”
“There is no need, brethren, to investigate where there be any of us who nurture within themselves one or the other of these errors. We would wish that what we say there might be mere speculation. But all will agree that this speculation is extremely close to reality.”
“And so, if not for the uprooting, then for the averting of the above-mentioned errors, let us penetrate to the spirit of the rite in question and show that: 1) The judgment pronounced now by the Church is a terrible judgment: by this will be uprooted the light-mindedness of those who remain completely insensitive while present for it; and 2) the judgment pronounced now by the Church is a judgment filled with love: by this will be assuaged the lack of faith of those who think top see in it unnecessary strictness.”
"Why do people think that the new calendar is acceptable"?
Why indeed!
“…Even if the judgment now pronounced by the Church were to present itself as completely human, it would be extremely important and terrible, in-as-much as it is also the judgment of the Ecumenical Church!”
“What would happen if God Himself appeared before the arrogant freethinker and summoned him to His judgment (Job 40:1-2)? Would he not shrink from fear from His greatness and glory?”
“But whose judgment does the Church now mete out? Is it Her own, or of God? Of God, brethren, of God!”
“The true Church has never attributed to Herself any power other than that which She was invested by Her Divine Founder. If She now pronounces anathema upon the obstinate enemies of the truth, it is because the lord Himself has thus commanded Her. Here are His own words: "...If [anyone ed.] neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican." (Matt., 18:17). Those now condemned have defied the voice of the Church, have not hearkened unto her admonitions, and now She, precisely following the words of the Lord, deprives them of the name Christian, casting them out of Her bosom as pagans. She binds them on earth, but at the same moment, according to the unchanging judgment of God, they are bound also in heaven. They are not bound with physical bonds, but are bound with the heavy bonds of the curse. This can be doubted only buy one who believes not the words of the Lord, Who said: Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven (Matthew, Ch.18, line18).”
"Why do people think that the new calendar is acceptable"?
Why indeed!
Harsh words or words of love?
How many of us, besides me, have been chastised by our parents, and at times, literally quaked in our shoes? If we "repented" of our error, we were forgiven. If we persisted, we were punished.
Do we quake before God and The Orthodox Church when admonished by Him, or Her, or our Hierarchy and Priests? If we "repented" of our error, we were forgiven. If we persisted in our error, we were punished.
"Why do people think that the new calendar is acceptable"?
Why indeed!
John
That ye pious and Orthodox Christians remain faithful in what ye have been taught and have been born and brought up in, and when the time calls for it and there be need, that your very blood be shed in order to safeguard the Faith handed down by our Fathers and your confession: and that ye beware of such persons as have been described or referred to in the foregoing paragraphs, in order that our Lord Jesus Christ may help you and at the same time may the prayer of our mediocrity be with all of you: amen.