The Reformation & the Eastern Church

[RamistThomist]

A word of advice if you get into discussions with EO:

1. Don't let yourself get bogged down in canonical debates. They are important but they won't be solved by you in those 15 minutes.
2. If you share bible verses with them, they will say you are interpreting them incorrectly outside of tradition. Then ask is it possible for you to interpret tradition correctly. How so, if both constitute the same tradition?
3. Just keep asking for evidence on a lot of their liturgy. Some of it is quite old, but it's hard even then to prove it's apostolic. In fact, the only way to prove that is to assert the consequent. I know the prayer to Mary ("Ever Blessed and most pure...") dates from the 9th century, which they even admit.

 

[Dachaser]

So they would hold church traditions equal to the Bible as Chruch of Rome does?

Amd they have extra biblical books outside of the 66 canon ones, so do they get their theology from those "false books?"

 

[RamistThomist]

So they would hold church traditions equal to the Bible as Chruch of Rome does?

Sort of. Technically speaking, there is only one overall tradition, of which Scripture forms a large part. Rome holds, depending on how you read the Council of Trent, to two parallel sources.

Amd they have extra biblical books outside of the 66 canon ones, so do they get their theology from those "false books?"

Many in the Reformed tradition appreciated the apocrypha as good literature, so calling them "false books" might be a bit much. They get praying for the dead from Macabees, but that's all I can think of.

 

[yeutter]

Right. Salvation is by faith and works. Not by faith alone. That's what they'd say, at least.

Some will say that this is not a settled point of doctrine. They will say that the Roman Church erred when Trent set forth the position they asserted regarding faith and works as a matter of settled doctrine..

 

[yeutter]

So they would hold church traditions equal to the Bible as Chruch of Rome does?

Amd they have extra biblical books outside of the 66 canon ones, so do they get their theology from those "false books?"

Yes they even have material that the Church of Rome does not include in their Bible.

 

[Bill The Baptist]

So they would hold church traditions equal to the Bible as Chruch of Rome does?

Amd they have extra biblical books outside of the 66 canon ones, so do they get their theology from those "false books?"

Yes they even have material that the Church of Rome does not include in their Bible.

They also exclusively use the Septuagint for the Old Testament, which is frequently odd in places.

 

[Dachaser]

I would be using the term as saying that one could read them for historical events history, but that non of them are to be seen as inspired and have no doctrines/practices to be gained from them...

So "false" as in the sense of not inspired by God...

 

[Dachaser]

So when does a sinner pass over from spiritual being dead to now alive in Christ in their theology?

 

[Dachaser]

Do they use those books to "prove" any of their doctrines, as Church of Rome does in extra added books?

 

[Timmay]

So when does a sinner pass over from spiritual being dead to now alive in Christ in their theology?

They view soteriology more as a process. You can go in and out of salvation technically, if you don't continue in grace.


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[RamistThomist]

Do they use those books to "prove" any of their doctrines, as Church of Rome does in extra added books?

No, though, like Rome, they would appeal to 2 Maccabees on prayers for the dead. You might see them quote, say, Wisdom of Solomon to illustrate a point, but not necessarily to prove a doctrine.

 

[Timmay]

Do they use those books to "prove" any of their doctrines, as Church of Rome does in extra added books?

No, though, like Rome, they would appeal to 2 Maccabees on prayers for the dead. You might see them quote, say, Wisdom of Solomon to illustrate a point, but not necessarily to prove a doctrine.

And they like to quote the Councils a lot. Those are quite authoritative to them.


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[yeutter]

And they like to quote the Councils a lot. Those are quite authoritative to them.


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They believe the Seven OEcumenical Councils are authoritative interpretations of tradition and Scripture.