Why do we follow the Old Orthodox Calendar

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Ekklisiastikos
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Why do we follow the Old Orthodox Calendar

Post by Ekklisiastikos »

Read it here: http://www.ekklisiastikos.com/2011/11/w ... endar.html
Print it here: http://www.scribd.com/doc/74425407/Why- ... x-Calendar

a. Because based on it, the First Ecumenical Council established the Paschal Canon and appointed that the feast of Holy Pascha may fall anywhere from March 22nd until April 25th, while with the New (Papal) Calendar it can fall as late at May 8th.

b. The Gregorian (Papal) Calendar has been condemned by three Pan-Orthodox Councils under Patriarch Jeremiah Tranos (1583, 1587, 1589)

c. hrough Synodal Patriarchal Encyclicals in 1593 Patriarchs Jeremiah of Constantinople, Sophronios of Alexandria, and in 1848 Patriarchs Anthimos of Constantinople, Hierotheos of Alexandria, Methodios of Antioch and Cyril of Jerusalem placed under horrible penances whoever accepts the reform of the Orthodox Ecclesiastical Calendar.

d. The change of the old calendar was prepared and imposed upon the Greek people by the certified Freemasons Chrysostom Papadopoulos (Metropolitan of Athens) and Meletios Metaxakis (Patriarch of Constantinople) in cooperation with the military coup of Plastiras –Gonatas without the assent of the other Orthodox Churches.

e. It was suggested in the Encyclical of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in 1920 that the acceptance of a common calendar would aid the common celebration of all Churches. What it conceived of as “Churches” were all the heretical parasynagogues (Monophysites, Latins, Anglicans, Protestants and the rest of the cacodox) who, based on this encyclical are considered branches of the common body of the “divided Church”, thus paving the road for today’s syncretistic pan-heresy of Ecumenism.

What is Ecumenism?

Ecumenism, which is of Protestant inspiration, is a syncretistic movement of the 20th century which promotes the consolidation of all types of “Christian” heresies (Monophysites, Latins, Anglicans, Protestants etc,) through their cooperation at dialogues and meetings of the World Council of Churches, thus creating the pan-religion of the New Age, within the framework of globalization which prepares the arrival of antichrist. In order to achieve this they changed the calendar for the common celebration of all (1924). They lifted the anathemas and excommunication against the heretics of the West and have forged a secret union with them (Pope Paul IV & Patriarch Athenagoras 1965). They recognized the “mysteries” of the Western Papal pseudo-church as valid (Balamand 1993) considering it as a “Sister Church” and the second lung of the Church of Christ (perhaps with the Monophysites as the third lung?) Finally, they equated the One Only Church of Christ, the Orthodox Church with all of the degenerate pseudo-Churches which men created at the advice of the devil. (Porto Alegre – 2006 & Ravenna – 2007). Thus, today the Patriarchates of Antioch and Alexandria have full communion with the Monophysites who have been condemned by the Fourth Ecumenical Council; the Phanariotes commune Roman Catholics and the Pope is commemorated by the deacon in the Patriarchal church of Constantinople as the canonical bishop of Rome.

The Ecumenists of the State Church through their joint-prayer and concelebrations with heretics:

a. They believe that the Church of Christ is not only the Orthodox Church but it has been broken up into various “Christian” confessions and it must be recreated with the union of all (Orthodox, Catholic & Protestant) so that the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church may be once again as we confess in the Symbol of Faith. They deny and in other words they abolish the fundamental principal that the Orthodox Church is One holding the Truth of the Faith which guides us unto salvation. And just as Christ is One, so His Church is One as the body of Christ. For this reason there may never be division in the Church.

b. They are self-condemned according to St. Paul and they have ceased to be true shepherds since the Holy Fathers forbid communion and joint-prayer in anyway with heterodox and heretics and impose horrible penances on those who do such things..

c. For more than 80 years now they dialogue with the unrepentant heretics. St. Paul says “A man that is a heretic after the first and second admonition reject”. Let the modern-day Patriarchs and leaders of Ecumenism hear this. How many “admonishments” have they given them? Hundreds of meetings and endless contacts, discussions upon discussions, symposia, conferences, workshops and even cruises for “on board” discussions invented by today’s New Calendarist Patriarchs and Archbishops. And what have they accomplished? Today the heretics are much worse than they were before they started the dialogues. Not only have they failed to bring the heretics closer to Orthodoxy but the exact opposite has happened. The New Calendarists have drawn closer to the heretics and have become similar to them on many levels: the change of the calendar, the shortening of the services and mysteries, the adoption of sprinkling – or rather a foot-bath – in the Mystery of Baptism instead of triple immersion, degradation and utter disregard of fasting, modernization of the traditional dress and appearance of the clergy. The worst of all is the distortion of the Orthodox Church’s doctrines by adopting compromising theological phrases and ambiguous formulations. And what is the result? confusion, indifference and a complete relaxation of the Orthodox religious feeling of the faithful people who in earlier times were the guardian of the Faith. What is the consequence? the loss of the soul’s salvation.

If St Paul lived today, these “enlightened” ecumenist “theologians” of the modern age would condemn him as a fanatic, regressive, fundamentalist “Old-Calendarist” because the Holy Apostles were not Ecumenists, they preached the Truth. They did not try to bridge the chasm between Truth and falsehood.

Who are the Genuine Orthodox Christians?

The Genuine Orthodox Christians sneeringly called "old calendarists" for 87 years endured cruel and inhuman persecution, exile, imprisonment, torture, the closing and sealing of their churches, the overturning of their epitaphia, the stripping and exile of their clerics and even death! And still today they endure the confiscation and closing of their churches and monasteries and various slanders. Why? Because the faithful of the Martyric Church of Genuine Orthodox Christians struggle, endure and persist with the help of God, not to change anything of their faith, to preserve undistorted the commandments of the Holy Apostles and the teachings of the Holy Fathers.

What is the conscientious Christian to do? Let the Saints speak.

“Even if very few remain united to the Truth and to Orthodoxy, they constitute the Church and the Body of Christ.” (St. Theodore the Studite) “Those who belong to the Church of Christ are those who are with the truth. Those who are not with the truth do not belong to the Church.” (St Gregory Palamas) “Those who pretend to confess the Orthodox Faith but maintain Eucharistic communion with the heterodox, if after being admonished they do not cease to have communion with them, not only must you not have Eucharistic communion with them but you must not even call them brethren.” (St. Basil the Great) “It is good to be peaceful with all, but at the same time to agree on those things which concern the upright faith. You should sever ecclesiastical communion with those who are excommunicated nor should you commemorate them, because they are false apostles, evil workers who simply dress as Apostles of Christ.” (St. Mark of Ephesus) “Do not accept any heretical dogma on the pretext of love.” (St. John Chrysostom) “If however the situation is concerning the Faith and the Traditions of our Church, then even he who is peaceful and quiet must war on their behalf.” (St Nicodemos)

That is why whoever wishes to save his soul must no longer remain passive, but must immediately sever all communion with the Ecumenists.

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joasia
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Re: Why do we follow the Old Orthodox Calendar

Post by joasia »

a. Because based on it, the First Ecumenical Council established the Paschal Canon and appointed that the feast of Holy Pascha may fall anywhere from March 22nd until April 25th, while with the New (Papal) Calendar it can fall as late at May 8th.

I'm confused. May 8th (n.s.) is March 25th (o.s.)

On Ecumenism. There is much discussion about the "Christian" views, in their meetings, but how do they validate pagan participation?

Their beliefs are not about being Christian brothers. They are satanic worshipers in disguise in order to lure the ignorant Christians and especially the Orthodox Christians. The battle is with Christ, for sure...and their goal is to destroy Orthodoxy... but they have already lost. Unfortunately, many souls are and will be lost too.

In Christ,
Joanna

Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. (Ps. 50)

jgress
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Re: Why do we follow the Old Orthodox Calendar

Post by jgress »

The point about the calendar is that the New Calendarists consider their new Menologion to be the authentic Menologion. According to their Menologion, Pascha can now fall as late as May 8, but the First Ecumenical Council did not permit Pascha to fall later than April 25 according to the Menologion in use then, so in that sense the New Calendar also violates that Council's decision. This is simply more evidence that the patristic calendar is a unified whole: you can't cut it into two parts, an optional Menologion and a compulsory Paschalion. The permissible range of dates for the celebration of Pascha was defined in terms of the fixed dates of the Menaion, which clearly implies that the Menaion was also compulsory.

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Re: Why do we follow the Old Orthodox Calendar

Post by jgress »

I would say even prayer with heretical Christians is a form of devil-worship, since all heresies are of the devil. I suppose prayer with polytheists is more openly Satanic, but I'm not sure that makes it significantly worse except in the sense that those participating have even less excuse.

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joasia
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Re: Why do we follow the Old Orthodox Calendar

Post by joasia »

I've been with the old calendar since I converted, but sometimes my brain doesn't work. I do see the difference. Our May 8th would be the n.s. May 21 and we've never celebrated that. The latest I've seen, in my life, is April 22(o.s.) - May 5th (n.s). But, looking it up, I see April 25th (o.s) in 1983, which is May 8th in (n.s.). Of course, the Menologion is important to follow and those in positions of hierarchs who don't become like the pope...changing tradition and creating chaos.

Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. (Ps. 50)

jgress
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Re: Why do we follow the Old Orthodox Calendar

Post by jgress »

In 1983, the Old Calendarists celebrated Pascha on April 25, but the New Calendarists on May 08. Do you see what I'm getting at now?

Pascha must always fall on the first Sunday after the first full moon on or after the vernal equinox. Of course, this calculation will depend on when you believe the vernal equinox is. That is always March 21 on whichever calendar you use, but the calendars differ on which day to assign March 21. The New Calendarists chose to align their March 21 with the Gregorian reckoning, but then they continue to celebrate Pascha with the Old Calendarists. But this means that, according to their own reckoning, Pascha can now fall as late as May 08, and simultaneously can never fall before April 4, i.e. it is no longer always on the first Sunday after the full moon on or after the vernal equinox. The disruptions to the Typicon are well known, e.g. St George's often now falls well before Pascha, even though the service for the Great Martyr is filled with references to Paschal joy, which are inappropriate during Lent and Holy Week. But even aside from this, this mixed calendar violates the injunctions of the Council of Nicea.

In principle, the Church as a whole might decide to change the day She assigns to be the vernal equinox. But Local Churches can't do this on their own, as the State Churches of Greece, Romania, Bulgaria, etc have done.

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Re: Why do we follow the Old Orthodox Calendar

Post by jgress »

Of course, what I think is very strong evidence that the Church considers the vernal equinox to be a conventional date for purely liturgical purposes, rather than intrinsically tied to a natural astronomical event, is that the Orthodox Christians in the southern hemisphere have never been required to invert the liturgical calendar in order for Pascha to fall after their vernal equinox, which, of course, is September 21, not March 21.

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