Hm, I know that the juicier subject is the intercession of the saints, but let me take up the subject of the assumption of the Theotokos because it will let me make some points about the differences in approach between the East and the West. OK, so both the Orthodox and the Roman Catholic believe […]
So, what else do the Orthodox believe about the Theotokos
Well, Dave asked me to enumerate what else the Orthodox believe about the Theotokos. This list is in addition to what was mentioned previously. 1. Almost of all us believe that she was assumed into heaven – but we think the Roman Church was very wrong to label this a dogma. 2. There is a […]
Why do we call her the Theotokos?
So, why do we call the Virgin Mary the Theotokos? Hmm, no, I am not talking about the theological justification for the term. I mean, why do we use the term, “Theotokos,” and do not simply use the English, “Mother of God?” After all, that term has been used by both Roman Catholic and Protestant. […]
The Protestant Theotokos and I
So, before I start out in discussing the Orthodox view of the Virgin Mary, let me do something different. Let me list with which doctrines of the Virgin Mary both the Reformers and I would agree. Now, here is my point. If one disagrees with the Orthodox Church, with the Roman Catholic Church, and with […]
The Protestant Theotokos
The Theotokos is a subject of much debate between Protestants, Catholics, and Orthodox. One of the people who commented on an earlier post asked me to speak to the Orthodox view of the Theotokos. That person commented that this was one of the areas of conflict/questions between Protestants and the rest of Christianity. So, I […]
Bathsheba’s revenge
Yesterday’s post pointed out that according to both the Bible and the Talmud, Bathsheba was considered to be innocent. In spite of that, both medieval and Victorian artists portrayed her as a willing participant, perhaps the main seductress, and, at a minimum, one who should have known better, given the way she publicly exposed herself. […]
Bathsheba inkblot test
Was Bathsheba a victim or a perpetrator? Here is another inkblot test for you. The initial details of the story are deceptively simple: In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war, David sent Joab out with the king’s men and the whole Israelite army. They destroyed the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. […]
Martha & Mary – the Gospel of the Dormition
Sometimes the lectionary reading chosen for a particular feast can give us an unexpected insight into what our Church Fathers thought was important. The reading for today’s Feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos is one such reading. It was from Luke 10:38-42, the famous passage about Martha’s anger that Mary was listening to our […]
Virgen de la Caridad del Cobre
The “Virgin of Charity of Copper” is the Cuban patroness. She is so beloved by Cubans that I only have vague memories of maybe having heard of the Virgin of Guadalupe before I came to the United States (of America) as a child. Like the Virgin of Guadalupe, she is non-white. She is described as […]
