Christianity

Sacred Scripture

• The Minor Prophets are: j. Osee, ij. Amos, iij. Michæas, iv. Joel, v. Abdias, vi. Jonas, vij. Naum, viij. Abacuc, ix. Sophonias, x. Aggæus, xi. Zacharias, & xij. Malachias.

• The Prayer of Manasses is appended to II Chronicles.

• Nehemias is appended to II Esdras. Regarding the counting of Esdras:

• Judith & Tobit are appended to Esther.

• Baruch & Lamenations, with the Epistle of Jeremias are, appended to Jeremias.

• Susanna is prepended to Daniel, the Prayer of the Three Youths is kept in, & Bel & the Serpent is appended.

• The Psalms are one hundred & fifty in number.

Apocrypha

These were passed down in appendices & are beneficial, but are not counted with Sacred Scripture.

Extrabiblical

• The Lesser Genesis (so-called Jubilees)
• The Watchers (so-called I Enoch)
• The Psalms of Solomon

Translations

The text types received & passed down by the Church are: for the Old Testament, the Septuagint (save for Theodotion’s Daniel), for the New Testament, the Majority Text.

The only available English translations of these are: Lancelot Brenton’s Septuagint, & the King James Version’s New Testament—with a few errors. All others are based on corrupted Jewish texts for the Old Testament & miscopies from dung-hills for the New Testament. More on Bible translations.

The Textus Receptus, used for the King James Version, deviates in certain places from the Majority Text. Usually it’s just word order, e.g. “Christ Jesus” instead of “Jesus Christ”. These are the notable sections:

• Acts 8:37, 1 John 5:7 – Not in the canonical text.
• Romans 16:25-27 – Should be read between 14:23 & 15:1.
• Apocalypse 22:19 – “book of life”, should read “tree of life.”

Church Councils

Œcumenical Councils

The principal figures whose theology was accepted or reject at each council:

It should be known that Rome only presided over the j. & iv. councils, & was absent from the ij., iij., viij., & ix. Additionally, the vj. council condemns Pope Honorius as a heretic, which was confirmed by Pope Leo II. Rome originally accepted the viij. council, under Pope John VIII, only retroactively rejecting it later.

Pan-Orthodox Councils

These councils have been received by the whole Church & are of particular importance:

Again, those principal figures accepted or rejected:

Ecclesiastical Hierarchy

• In the King James Version: high priest is translated as chief priest, bishop as overseer, priest as elder, & deacon as servant or minister.

Another two Old Testament holy days—Atonement & the Feast of Lights—have New Testament parallels—the Exaltation of the Cross & the Nativity.

• Mysteries
  • Baptism
  • Chrismation
  • Communion
  • Repentance
  • Unction
  • Matrimony
  • Ordination
• Saints
  • Apostles
  • Martyrs
  • Prophets
  • Hierarchs
  • Monastics
  • Righteous
• Clergy
  • Episcopate
    • Patriarch
    • Archbishop
    • Metropolitan
    • Bishop
  • Presbyterate
    • Archpriest
    • Protopriest
    • Priest
  • Diaconate
    • Archdeacon
    • Protodeacon
    • Deacon
  • Suborders
    • Subdeacon
    • Reader
• Monastics
  • Abbot
    • Archimandrite
    • Hegumen
  • Great Schema
  • Stavrophore
  • Rassophore
  • Novice

The Mystery of Repentance is more commonly called Confession. Some count more or less than these by considering some as parts of others—e.g. counting Baptism & Chrismation as one, &c.

Apostles

The Twelve Apostles are:

• j. Peter
• ij. Paul
• iij. Andrew the First-called
• iv. James the Great
• v. John the Theologian
• vj. Bartholemew
• vij. Philip
• viij. Thomas
• ix. Matthew the Evangelist
• x. Simon
• xj. Jude
• xij. James

The Seventy Apostles are:

• j. James the Brother of the Lord
• ij. Mark the Evangelist
• iij. Luke the Evangelist
• iv. Cleopas
• v. Simeon
• vj. Barnabas
• vij. Justus
• viij. Thaddeus
• ix. Ananias
• x. Stephen the Protomartyr
• xj. Philip the Deacon
• xij. Prochorus the Deacon
• xiij. Nicanor the Deacon
• xiv. Timon the Deacon
• xv. Parmenas the Deacon
• xvj. Timothy
• xvij. Titus
• xviij. Philemon
• xix. Onesimus
• xx. Epaphras
• xxj. Archippus
• xxij. Silas
• xxiij. Silvanus
• xxiv. Crescens
• xxv. Crispus
• xxvj. Epænetos
• xxvij. Andronicus
• xxviij. Stachys
• xxix. Amplias
• xxx. Urban
• xxxj. Narcissus
• xxxij. Apelles
• xxxiij. Aristobulus
• xxxiv. Herodion
• xxxv. Agabus
• xxxvj. Rufus
• xxxvij. Asyncritus
• xxgviij. Phlegon
• xxxix. Hermas
• xl. Patrobas
• xlj. Hermes
• xlij. Linus
• xliij. Gaius
• xliv. Philologus
• xlv. Lucius of Cyrene
• xlvj. Jason
• xlvij. Sosipater
• xlviij. Olympas
• xlix. Tertius
• l. Erastos
• lj. Quartus
• lij. Evodius of Antioch
• liij. Onesiphorus
• liv. Clement
• lv. Sosthenes
• lvj. Apollos
• lvij. Tychicus
• lviij. Epaphroditus
• lix. Carpus
• lx. Quadratus
• lxj. John Mark
• lxij. Zeno
• lxiij. Aristarchus
• lxiv. Pudens
• lxv. Trophimus
• lxvj. Mark (nephew of Barnabas)
• lxvij. Artemas
• lxviij. Aquila
• lxviv. Fortunatus
• lxx. Achaicus

Further, an additional two are counted by some for Seventy-two Apostles:

• lxxj. Dionysius the Areopagite
• lxxij. Simon

Synods

The first five (Rome–Jerusalem) are called the Ancient Patriarchates. The next (Moscow–Sofia) are called the Junior Patriarchates. The Patriarchates & the next seven (New Justiana–Washington) are all autocephalous (i.e. self-headed).

From Sinai–Russian Church Abroad are autonomous (i.e. self-governing), Sinai being under Jerusalem, Helsinki under Constantinople, & the rest under Moscow.

From Minsk–Tallinn are semi-autonomous, under Moscow.

Liturgics

The Divine Liturgy is mystically outside the daily cycle, but is usually celebrated after the Sixth Hour.

The liturgical tradition of the Church was standardized by the Great Lavra of St. Sabbas in Jerusalem, Palestine, which was founded in 5987 AM. It was re-standardized for civil use by St. Theodore (†6335 AM) at the Studion Monastery, Constantinople.

The contemporary differences between the Greeks & the Slavs comes from a Greek reform in 7347 AM, & a revision of it in 7397 AM by Protopsaltes George Biolaces. More details about the differences.

Gospel

Book of the Gospels, j. volume. Contains the Scripture readings from the canonical Gospels.

Apostol

Book of the Apostles, j. volume. Contains the Scripture readings from the canonical Book of Acts & Epistles, but not the Apocalypse.

Prophetologion

Book of the Prophets, j. volume. Contains the Scripture readings from the Septuagint, but not the Psalms.

Psalter

Book of Psalms, j. volume. Contains the canonical Psalms & Odes from the Septuagint.

Horologian

Book of the Hours, j. volume. Contains the immobile portions of the hourly services.

Octoechos

Book of the Eight Tones, viij. volumes. Contains the mobile portions for each tone of the week.

Menaion

Book of the Months, xij. volumes. Contains the mobile portions for each commemoration of the day.

Triodion

Book of the Three Odes, j. volume. Contains the mobile portions for each day of Great Lent & Holy Week.

Flowry Triodion

Also called the Pentecostarian, or Book of the Fifty Days, j. volume. Contains the moving portions for each day of Pascha & Pentecost.

Synaxarion

Books of the Synaxes, xij. volumes. Contains readings of the lives of the Saints.

Menologion

Contains a list of the commemorations for each day.

Angelic Hierarchy

Archangels

Despite their name, these are ranked as Seraphim.

An additional incorporeal power, here in parenthesis, is sometimes added.

The first four (Michael–Uriel) are who stand in the corners of the chariot (mercaba) of God, watched over the camps of Israel in the wilderness, & are set over the winds.

Bible Study

Names

Hebrew

Old Testament

New Testament

Locales

Geneologies

At age 130, Jacob died in Ægypt. Thus began Israel’s servitude.

At age 80, Moses the God-seer lead Israel out of Ægypt.

It needs must be laid out the order of the other sons of Jacob:

But Levi, being the tenth son from the last, was set apart as a tithe. Therefore counted in the place of Levi & Joseph are his two sons:

One may search the Scriptures for how long each of these men lived in total; but one should beware the Masoretic disagrees with the pure Septuagint, & further there are a minorty version of copies, i.e. the so-called Alexadrian text-type, which deviates from it.

Verse Notes

St. Matthew’s gospel, symbolized by the man of the Cherubim, represents the Lord as humble Prophet. St. Mark’s, symbolized by the lion, represents Him as conquering King. St. Luke’s, the ox, represents Him as great High-Priest. St. John’s, the eagle, as God Most-High.

St. Mark wrote the first gospel-book on behalf of St. Peter. St. Matthew then expanded & translated this into Hebrew. St. Luke then wrote his gospel-book on behalf of the Mother of God. St. John then wrote his gospel-book (& the Apocalypse) with the help of St. Prochorus at the isle of Patmos.

• Old Testament
  • Genesis
    • 1:5 – The Angels were created either on the 1st or 5th day.
    • 11:31 – And Thare … led them forth out of the land of the Chaldees, i.e. during the next chapter, not prior; cf. Ac. 7:2-4.
    • 12:15 – Pharao, i.e. Rhamessameno.
    • 41:1 – Pharao, i.e. Aphophis.
  • Exodus
    • 2:5 – the daughter of Pharao, i.e. Thermuthis.
    • 2:10 – Pharao, i.e. Amosis.
    • 3:14 – THE BEING, ho ṓn, i.e. the Existing.
    • 5:1 – Pharao, i.e. Misphragmuthosis.
    • 25:9 – the pattern, tò parádīgma, i.e. the form.
    • 26:30 – the fashion, tò eîdos, cf. Exo. 25:9.
  • Esther
    • 1:1 – Artaxerxes, i.e. Darius the Mede.
  • Daniel
    • 9:24 – seventy weeks, i.e. 70*7=490 years; cf. 2 Esd. 12:1.
    • 9:25 – seven weeks & sixty-two weeks, i.e. 7*7+62*7=483 years; cf. 2 Esd. 6:15.
• New Testament
  • Matthew
    • 1:16 – of whom, is feminine.
    • 6:11 – daily, epiúsion, i.e. supra-substantial.
    • 6:13 – evil, should read, the evil one.
    • 14:27 – it is I, egṓ eími, no implied predicate, therefore, ho ṓn, cf. Exo. 3:14.
    • 18:2 – a little child, i.e. St. Ignatius Theophorus.
    • 27:54 – the centurion, i.e. St. Loginus.
  • Mark
    • 1:1 – gospel, euangelíu, good news, used of a triumph (cf. Julius Cæsar).
    • 6:50 – cf. Mat. 14:27.
    • 25:39 – cf. Mat. 27:54
  • Luke
    • 3:1 – fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Cæsar, i.e. 5539 AM
    • 3:23-38 – Joseph’s adoptive lineage, cf. Mat. 1:2-16.
    • 11:3 – cf. Mat. 6:11.
    • 23:40 – the other, i.e. St. Dismas.
  • John
    • 1:4 – cf. Exo. 3:2;13:21, Esa. 6:1-5.
    • 8:24,58 – cf. Mat. 14:27.
    • 10:35 – the Word, i.e. the Lord.
    • 14:2 – house, i.e. tent.
    • 14:2 – mansions, i.e. partitions.
    • 19:14 – The evening before was an early Pascha meal.
    • 21:15 – love me, ágapâs me; love you, philō̂ se.
    • 21:17 – love me, philī̂s me.
  • Acts
    • 16:16 – spirit of divination, pneûma pýthōnos, Python is associated with Phœbus.
    • 17:30 – winked act, archaicism, read as if ignored.
    • 20:13 – fetched a compass, archaicism, read as if turned back.
  • 1 Corinthians
    • 11:14 – long hair, i.e. referring to styling.
  • Galatians
    • 1:8 – accursed, anáthema.
  • Ephesians
    • 1:19 – working, enérgīan.
    • 3:7 – effectual working, cf. Eph. 1:19.
    • 4:16 – cf. Eph. 3:7.
    • 3:21 – cf. Eph. 1:19.
  • Colossians
    • 1:29 – cf. Eph. 1:19.
    • 2:12 – operation, cf. Eph. 1:19.
  • 1 Peter
    • 5:13 – Marcus, i.e. St. Mark the Evangelist.

References

• John of Damascus, St. “An Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith” in: The Fount of Knowledge.
• Epiphanius of Salamis, St. On Weights & Measures.
• Irenæus of Lyons, St. Against Heresies.
• Dionysius the Areopagite, St. The Ecclesiasitcal Hierarchy.
• Dionysius the Areopagite, St. The Celestial Hierarchy.
• Nicodemus the Hagiorite, St; Macarius of Corinth, St. The Philocalia.
• Velimirović, Nikolai, St. The Prologue from Ohrid