Christianity – Page 2 – Faith Unto Ages

The Heresy of Macro-Evolution: A Response from the Fathers

The Apostle Peter warned: “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8).

By what did the sacred writer mean to be sober and vigilant; save being alert and on guard against enticement that comes from so great a deceiver? An ancient enemy which only seeks the ruin and destruction of souls, as evident in his initial trickery with our first parents Adam and Eve? As divine inspiration tells us, the devil had deceived Eve into believing that she would not disobey God by breaking the first law given to man, and that she would obtain knowledge that would make her ‘god-like’ (Genesis 3:4-5), despite already having the virtue of being made in God’s image and likeness. Therefore, the race of mankind was gifted with immortality, incorruptability, and rationality which all of the other visible creatures lacked.

Yet, as we know, the consequence of sin and death came into the world as a result. Seeing that he was successful in this ancient trick, he likewise continues in his ancient attempt to destroy man by attacking the faith of Christians through a series of vain philosophies and sciences; a device which was successful in capturing the belief of those that we now call atheists, rationalists, modernists, naturalists, and the like.

The Dormition & Assumption of the Holy Theotokos: Is It Biblical?

Today is the 21st day of the month of Tir. In the Tewahedo and Coptic Orthodox Churches, we celebrate the feast of St. Mary’s Dormition (Latin: dormitio; viz., a falling asleep).

The Orthodox Church teaches that at the very end of St. Mary’s life, and after many years of praying before the empty tomb of her beloved Son and God Jesus Christ, she was promised a glorious death. This eventually took place in the presence of Our Lord, His Angels, and the Apostles in her 60th year with the exception of St. Thomas who was preaching in India. The apostles who were present buried her body in Gethsemane, per the command of what they heard from the Holy Spirit. By the Divine intervention, St. Thomas was transported on a cloud before her deceased body in Gethsemane. He later saw the angels of God carrying St. Mary’s Body into heaven; placing her under the Tree of Life in the Eternal Garden of Paradise (c.f. Rev 22:1-5) that it may be united with her soul that was clothed in a veil of light by her Son. When he revealed what he saw to the rest of the apostles, they opened her tomb to not find her body; but to only smell a sweet fragrance. They rejoiced in this as this confirmed their faith in the Christ’s Resurrection by which we will all share in per the promise of our Lord. This is what the Apostles prayed for, hoped in, and preached to the world; despite the persecutions which came with it as they took comfort in what is to come.

But where is this event of the Assumption in the Holy Bible? Some hold to the opinion that perhaps the four gospels and the epistles were completed prior to this event. I happen to agree with this theory, especially given the Church’s Tradition which references the deaths of certain apostles — who were resurrected following their martyrdoms just to be present with the Theotokos for this moment.

St. Athanasius’ Defense of Jesus’ Role as Messiah & the Conversion of the Gentiles

A form of argumentation that was used by St. Athanasius to defend Jesus’ Messiahship against the Jews was by appealing to the conversion of Gentiles; who began to forsake their idols and acknowledge the true God of Israel. This was a fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy, which morally held Jews to accept the undeniable evidence that Jesus is the Christ; as the scriptures are held to be authoritative by both Jews and Christians alike.

In his words:

“… when they see even heathens deserting their idols, and placing their hope, through Christ, on the God of Israel, do they deny Christ, Who was born of the root of Jesse after the flesh and henceforth is King? For if the nations were worshipping some other god, and not confessing the God of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and Moses, then, once more, they would be doing well in alleging that God had not come. But if the Gentiles are honoring the same God that gave the law to Moses and made the promise to Abraham, and Whose word the Jews dishonored, why are they ignorant, or rather why do they choose to ignore, that the Lord foretold by the Scriptures has shone forth upon the world, and appeared to it in bodily form?”

~ On the Incarnation, CHAPTER VI.