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Response to Argument for Idols from the Incarnation
In the course of the comments on a previous post (link to post), I had asked: What about the prohibition on picturing God? — Why does that prohibition not apply to pictures of Jesus? The response I got from one of my Eastern Orthodox readers was this: “Because on Sinai we saw no image. In…
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Is Mary Greater than John the Baptist?
One difference I’ve noticed between Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholics is the latter’s greater emphasis on Mary and the former’s greater emphasis on John the Baptist. Sometimes it’s subtle, other times not so much. For example, Roman Catholicism does give Mary a greater amount of worship (i.e. religious reverence and devotion through religious ritual etc.)[FN1]…
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Eastern Orthodoxy and Reformed Radar
Mr. Mark Shea is determined to make sure that Eastern Orthodoxy is on our radar (link to Shea’s post). While we appreciate Mr. Shea’s attempt to bring clarity to the table, we are well aware of the Eastern Orthodox. In fact, we’re well aware of attempts like those those of Mr. Shea to overplay the…
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Brief Responses to Jay Dyer
Jay Dyer has resurrected a few old jibes at his blog in two posts (first)(second). In the first article he resurrects the assertion (which I already debunked) that Calvinists are Nestorians or “proto-Nestorians”: Here, St. Athanasius rebukes the Proto-Nestorians and by extension, their modern day re-incarnation, the Calvinists. So, we now officially have five well-known…
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The Thomas Jefferson + Creed Hermeneutic
I was (at first) amused to read a post by Mark Olson (Orthodox Church in America) titled “Noetic Noah and the Fluffy Hermeneutic.” Olson rejects large swaths of the historical text of the Old Testament with fluffy statements like “Giants are mythic or noetic creatures” and, referring to the location of the garden of Eden,…
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Eastern Orthodox Confusing Augustine with Gnostics
I notice that David at Pious Fabrication is accusing Calvinism of being Gnostic because it is Augustinian (link). David answers the question, “Is Augustinian theology Gnostic, then?” with “an emphatic YES!” While it seems that Jnorm888 at Ancient Christian Defender is happy about this unjustified claim (link), I presume others (particular those of our Roman…
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If You Look Only at the Similarities, They’re Exactly the Same!
One area where Roman Catholics and Eastern Orthodox part ways is over describing what goes on in the consecration of the elements in the Eucharist. For Eastern Orthodox, the transformation that occurs is mysterious and indescribable. For Roman Catholics, the transformation is sacramental and describable – in fact it is described quite specifically by the…