The Whole Counsel Blog
Christ Our Passover
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In 1 Corinthians 5:7, St. Paul states that Christ our Passover has been sacrificed for us. Though St. Paul’s identification is incredibly clear and straightforward, the identification of Christ as Passover lamb and of his death and resurrection as a new Passover are ubiquitous in the scriptures. In Orthodox liturgical practice in English, we tend not to translate the word Pascha. Pascha is simply the Greek word for Passover wherever it occurs liturgically. Therefore, we call our festal celebration of Christ’s death and resurrection ‘Passover’ on a regular basis. The Old Testament establishes patterns of God’s working with humanity and in his creation, including our redemption. These patterns are then taken up and fulfilled, i.e. filled to overflowing, by Christ. …
Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick
"Tolkien" Film: How Christian Reviewers are Getting it Wrong (SPOILERS)
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The Whole Counsel Blog
Lift Up Your Heads, O Ye Gates - Psalm 24 and the Harrowing of Hades
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Psalm 24 (23 in the Greek collection) is a Psalm deeply immersed in the religious world of ancient Israel. The Psalm represents a specific polemic against the pagan beliefs of her Canaanite, Phoenician, and Syrian neighbors. This Psalm mocks the pretensions of the demonic being whom they have chosen to worship directly and specifically. The means for understanding the context into which Psalm 24 was written and the beliefs against which it was directed lay buried in the sand in Lebanon for more than 3,000 years. Nevertheless, the original meaning of this Biblical text was maintained in the Orthodox Church until the present day through its liturgical usage. This text is, therefore, not only a prime example of the way…
Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick
The Struggle for Prayer
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The Whole Counsel Blog
The Testament of Jacob
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In preparing his Latin translation of the scripture, St. Jerome translated the Greek word “diatheke” and the Hebrew word “berith” with the Latin “testamentum.” From the latter word, the English word “testament” is derived. The original Hebrew term, “berith,” refers most commonly to treaty documents, and in its usage in the Torah particularly refers to a particular type of treaty, that issued by a suzerain to a vassal at a king’s accession to the throne. This usage is in view in the New Testament in every instance of its usage but one. To convey this usage, the word is generally translated “covenant.” The translators of the Hebrew scriptures into Greek translated the word with the Greek “diatheke” which is likewise…
Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick
Should It Matter to Christians When Churches Burn?
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Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick
Henry David Thoreau & Mary of Egypt
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The Whole Counsel Blog
Samson and the Origins of Monasticism
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The principles of monasticism are deeply embedded within the scriptures. The call to monasticism is twofold. It represents a call to adhere strictly and without compromise to the commandments of God. It also represents a call to asceticism, to the sacrificing of material goods in this world in favor of spiritual goods in this world and the world to come. Ascetic practices are performed by figures throughout the scriptures, in the form of fasting and prayers and vigils. There are also, however, individuals called to whole lives of consistent asceticism, both as individuals for the benefit of their communities and communities as a whole. The first person whom we see receive a monastic calling, a calling received before his very…
The Whole Counsel Blog
Jacob's Ziggurat
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Genesis 28:10-17 describes a vision which Jacob had in a dream at the place that became known as Bethel (v. 19). Throughout the patriarchal narratives in Genesis 12-50, altars are set up by the patriarchs at various places, not coincidentally at 12 sites within the later territory of the 12 tribes of Israel. These narratives regarding the patriarchs represent the collected traditions of the 12 tribes regarding their forefathers. Bethel would be a cultic site for centuries, notably one of the two sites of Jeroboam’s apostate religion in the Northern Kingdom. The legacy of Jacob’s dream, however, in Second Temple Judaism and Christianity was untethered from the place where it occurred, and refocused upon the symbolism of the vision itself. …
Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick
VIDEO: J. R. R. Tolkien and The Applicability of Stories
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I was honored recently to be a guest on icon carver Jonathan Pageau’s YouTube channel The Symbolic World, discussing how the work of J. R. R. Tolkien is formative for the spiritual life and also my new Amon Sûl podcast, which is all about Tolkien: Enjoy the video, and I hope you’ll also check out Jonathan’s many other videos. It’s really excellent and mind-bending…
Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick
The Annunciation and the Buffered Self
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Forefeast of the Annunciation / Sunday of St. Gregory Palamas, March 24, 2019 Hebrews 1:10-2:3; Mark 2:1-12 In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, one God. Amen. For if the word spoken through angels was confirmed, and every transgression and disobedience received a just retribution, how shall we escape, if we neglect so great a salvation,…
The Whole Counsel Blog
Cursed is Everyone Who Hangs on a Tree
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It is significant in understanding the ways in which the scriptures function as a whole that our Lord Jesus Christ not only died, but specifically died by crucifixion. As an instrument of torture and death perfected by the Romans, the cross is an odd choice to be the primary symbol of a religion. Not only does it represent a terrible death for which the word “excruciating” was coined to describe the pain involved, it was also a means of public humiliation. Crucified individuals were crucified naked, exposed to the elements, and left to die over the course of what sometimes took days. The Romans often then left the bodies where they were to decompose, only throwing them into massive graves…
The Whole Counsel Blog
The Hosts of Heaven
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As modern people, when we think of the sun and the stars, we think of masses of incandescent gas; gigantic nuclear furnaces in which hydrogen is transformed into helium at, literally, astronomical temperatures. When we think of the moon, we think of a large dusty rock which orbits around the earth every 27 days. At some level, we are aware that ancient people did not think of them this way. We believe that our modern understanding is superior because it is based on mathematics and scientific observation. Ancient explanations and descriptions are viewed as quaint folktales and myths now supplanted by real knowledge. This creates a difficulty for modern readers of the holy scriptures, as those scriptures are quickly seen…
The Whole Counsel Blog
Jeroboam, Son of Nebat
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Though he is far from a household name, Jeroboam, son of Nebat is one of the most important figures in Biblical history. As the first king and founder of the independent northern kingdom of Israel, he became the paradigmatic wicked king. He is, in many way, the first schismatic and heretic in the history of God’s people. In addition to creating the northern political structures, he began an alternative religious system that would not only endure in the northern kingdom throughout its existence, but even make inroads into the southern kingdom of Judah. Under the later Omride dynasty, the kingdom which he founded would become a regional power and at least for a time far surpass the southern kingdom of…
The Whole Counsel Blog
One God, the Father and One Lord, Jesus Christ
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It is a commonplace in St. Paul’s theology for the apostle to refer to God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ as a unified phrase (cf. Rom 1:4, 7; 5:1, 11; 6:23; 7:25; 8:39; 15:6, 30; 16:20; 1 Cor 1:2-3, 9-10; 8:6; 15:57; 2 Cor 1:2-3; Gal 1:3; Eph 1:2-3, 17; 5:20; 6:23; Phi 1:2; 2:11; Col 1:3; 1 Thess 1:1, 3; 5:9; 2 Thess 1:1-2, 12; 2:16; 1 Tim 1:2; 2 Tim 1:2; Phil 1:3). Within the context of 1 Corinthians 8:6, St. Paul makes this formulation based on integrating Christ into the shema of Deuteronomy 6:4. This formulation ultimately became the basis for the phraseology of the Nicene Creed. The relationship between these two persons, the Father…
The Whole Counsel Blog
Biblical Monotheism
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It is common in the contemporary world to speak of Christianity, Rabbinic Judaism, and Islam as ‘monotheistic faiths.’ This categorization is intended to imply that, over against polytheistic religions, these three religious traditions have a similar view of God. Sometimes, this perceived similarity is taken so far as to argue that these three religious traditions worship the same God. Monotheism, as a term, refers of course to the belief that there is only one God. Polytheism, on the other hand, describes any religious tradition in which there are many gods and goddesses who are the object of worship and devotion. Less commonly discussed, and occupying a middle position between these two categories, is Henotheism, which is the view that there…
Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick
New Tolkien Podcast: Amon Sûl from Ancient Faith Radio
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If you follow me on social media at all, you’re already aware of this, I’m sure, but just in case you’re one of the folks who follow this blog and not much else, I wanted to let you know about a brand new Ancient Faith Radio podcast that launched today: The Amon Sûl Podcast. Here’s the official description: Join host Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick…
The Whole Counsel Blog
Paradise
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The garden of Eden, the place where God dwells with his divine council, is known in Greek translation as Paradise. The word Paradise is a Persian loan word to Greek which refers to a particular type of walled garden. Likely the most high profile example of a paradise garden in the world today is the Taj Mahal, built according to Persian custom. An aerial photo of the Taj Mahal reveals even four waterways in parallel to the Biblical description. Modern literalism has sought to locate this garden somewhere on the planet earth, with the assumption that at some point, usually the flood of Noah, it was destroyed. While a ‘this worldly’ interpretation of Eden is attractive to many, it fails…
The Whole Counsel Blog
Pentecost, Birthday of the Church
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In previous posts, the formation and renewal of Israel through Pascha and Pentecost have been discussed. Israel as a people came into being through a mixed ethnic group around a core of descendants of Jacob being marked out by the blood of the Passover lamb, delivered from Egypt through the sea, culminating in the reception of God’s covenant at Sinai with the sprinkling of blood. Subsequent generations were integrated ritually into Israel through the celebration of the Passover and Pentecost within the yearly ritual cycle. After most of Israel had been dispersed to the nations, she was resurrected with Christ at the second Pascha by the reintegration of the nations around a core of the remnant of Judah. The culmination…
Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick
The Power of Remembering Jesus Christ
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Feast of St. Haralampos / Sunday of the Canaanite Woman, February 10, 2019 II Timothy 2:1-10; Matthew 15:21-28 In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, one God. Amen. Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, of the seed of David. (II Timothy 2:8a) I was struck this week when I read that first phrase: “Remember Jesus…
The Whole Counsel Blog
Renewed Israel
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In the previous post, the brief history of Israel as God’s people in the Old Testament was outlined, from its creation to its ultimate dissolution. Despite that dissolution, the prophets promised that God would one day restore and redeem not only the remnant of Judea, but the entirety of Israel. This had been made seemingly impossible by the fact that the ten northern tribes had been ‘lost’. They had not been lost to history. There is clear historical record of the cities and regions in Assyria to which the Israelites had been deported. Rather, over generations of intermarriage and assimilation, the people of the northern tribes became indistinguishable as a particular people. Their identity as a people had been dissolved…
The Whole Counsel Blog
God's People Israel
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Though it is the name used for the people of God in both Old and New Testaments, ‘Israel’ as the name for God’s people had only a limited historical span. As a united people freed from Egypt, depending on one’s dating of the Exodus, Israel existed for between 300 and 500 years. Only the last century of this period represented an actual kingdom under a human king. Following the fracturing of the tribes at the end of Solomon’s reign, it was the northern ten tribes that existed under the name ‘Israel’ for very roughly 200 years before its complete destruction at the hands of the Assyrian Empire. Even during those two centuries, the northern kingdom was better known as ‘Ephraimite’…
The Whole Counsel Blog
The Prophet, Forerunner, and Baptist John
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The figure of St. John the Forerunner looms large in the Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles, even long after his death had been recorded. This reflects his great historical importance in 1st century Judea, as reflected in the writings of Josephus amongst other places. His coming as the forerunner of the Messiah was prophesied within the Hebrew scriptures and the return of the Prophet Elijah, St. Elias, was one of the markers of the coming of the expected Christ well-known to Jewish communities of the era. This prominence is reflected in the Orthodox iconographic tradition in which he stands at the left hand of Christ enthroned. He serves as the link between the Old Testament prophets and the…
The Whole Counsel Blog
Psalm 68 and the Gospel of Jesus Christ
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The scripture readings assigned to the Sunday after Theophany in the Orthodoxy Church, Ephesians 4:7-13 and Matthew 4:12-17 are bound together thematically by Psalm 68 (67 in the Greek numbering). This Psalm is quoted, and slightly adapted, by St. Paul who gives to the Psalm the interpretation which would later enshrine it in Paschal liturgics. It also, however, connects to the geographical themes set out by St. Matthew as Christ’s public ministry begins following his baptism by St. John the Forerunner. Understanding the way in which Ss. Matthew and Paul use this Psalm to characterize the life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Christ is important to understanding the very meaning of the term ‘gospel’ as it is applied to our…
The Whole Counsel Blog
Theophany and River Gods
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The Orthodox Church has always taught that the background against which the scriptures and scriptural events are rightly understood is preserved within Holy Tradition. Holy Tradition is the life of the Holy Spirit within the church, but how precisely this functions is often misunderstood. Sometimes it is thought to be some sort of secret additional knowledge, beyond the scriptures or the public proclamation of the church passed down orally. This sort of idea, however, is roundly condemned by the Fathers in their contest against Gnosticism. What separates Christianity from Gnosticism, they argue, is that Christianity has always publicly proclaimed the same faith delivered once and for all to the saints. A prime example of how tradition ‘works’ can be seen…
The Whole Counsel Blog
Stephen, Rabbi and Saint
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St. Stephen is remembered in the church as one of the first deacons chosen by the apostles (Acts 6:5) and the first Christian martyr following the resurrection and ascension of Christ (7:58-60). The church has also, however, maintained and handed down a great deal more information about this important saint. Like St. Paul, St. Stephen had been a student of the rabbi Gamaliel, a figure who appears briefly in the New Testament (5:34; 22:3), but becomes a massively important figure of authority in later Talmudic Judaism. The Mishnah, in particular, is composed primarily of the statements and opinions of famed rabbis on particular topics of the Torah, and Gamaliel’s opinions are featured prominently. While St. Paul’s level of rabbinical, as…
The Whole Counsel Blog
Who is the Satan?
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In the post which began the current series, the figure of the Devil and his fall from membership in God’s divine council was discussed. Having served as a cherub or seraph, a guardian of God’s throne, he sought to supplant God in the lives of newly created human beings out of envy, resulting in his being cast down to Sheol to reign over the dead in a kingdom of dust and ashes in Genesis 3. This figure, though clearly seen in the understanding of death and Christ’s victory over it in the New Testament and the liturgical tradition of the Orthodox Church, lacks many of the common features and characteristics of Satan. He was not, per se, an archangel, certainly…
