Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Congratulations with the feast of the Resurrection of the Lord and the after-feast of the Dormition of the Mother of God!

Today let’s briefly discuss the Fifth Ecumenical Council. Of all the ecumenical councils, this one, at first glance, seems to be the most difficult to understand. This council did not condemn a new heresy, nor did it condemn and exile any living church villain, but instead discussed the written works of long-deceased hierarchs and the famous 3rd-century church writer, the priest Origen. Why did the council take up the question of certain people and their teachings, which no longer had any serious influence on the life of the Church? In reality everything is much simpler if we remember that the Monophysites were reacting to the Nestorian heresy, and that although the Fourth Council had clearly defended the Orthodox faith and condemned the Monophysites, they continued to exist and in certain places even prevailed over the Orthodox.

(Let’s remember that the Monophysites taught that Jesus Christ has but one divine nature or essence. The Nestorians, on the other hand, said that Christ was not one person, but has within Him as if two separate beings which were not joined together soundly. The Orthodox believe that Jesus Christ is one person and that in this person are two natures, human and divine, which are soundly united, but which preserve their unique characteristics and are not merged or conflated in such a manner that it becomes impossible to recognize the separate essences.)

The Holy Emperor Justinian (reigned 527 - 565) endeavoured to heal the schism between the Orthodox and the heretical Monophysites throughout his reign. It became clear that there were certain church writers that the Monophysites considered especially rabid Nestorians, but who had never been condemned by the Orthodox Church. This fact became a stumbling block for the Monophysites. Amongst these writers were Theodore of Mopsuestia, Theodoret of Cyrus, and Ibas of Edessa. All of them lived in the first half of the fifth century, and although in their writings they espoused Nestorian teachings, no one had condemned them for heresy during their lifetimes, and they all died members and bishops in good standing of the Orthodox Church. Under Justinian, all the heretical words of these writers were collected into a document called the Three Chapters, and the emperor proposed to condemn them, hoping that in such a way the Monophysites could be calmed and drawn back into the bosom of the Orthodox Church.

This action drew the ire of many, especially in the West, for the Church had never before condemned and anathematized people long dead. The Fifth Ecumenical Council was called because of this dispute. The 165 fathers of this council gathered in the spring of 553 in Constantinople. Theodore of Mopsuestia and his many written works, as well as the heretical writings of Theodoret of Cyrus and Ibas of Edessa, were condemned at this council.

These three hierarchs, along with Nestorius, were students of the Antiochian school, which focused on understanding and explaining Holy Scripture in a literal and historical light. Nestorius and Theodore took this method of explaining Holy Scripture to an extreme and rejected allegorical or spiritual understandings of the Word of God, and, as a consequence, fell into heresy. The council also condemned Origen, who was a follower of the Alexandrian, allegorical school of thinking. Origen reduced to a minimum the importance of history or philology in the study of the Bible and instead explained it almost exclusively from an allegorical point of view. By condemning all of these heretical writings, the Fifth Ecumenical Council condemned two extremes, not just the one which so angered the Monophysites. Unfortunately, the attempts of Justinian and the fathers of the Fifth Ecumenical Council were unsuccessful in persuading the Monophysites to accept the Orthodox position and return to communion with the Church.

Today let’s pray that we always remain faithful children of the Orthodox Church and that we never persist in any incorrect thoughts, always meekly listening to the voice of the Church.

priest Alexis

P.S. A new school year begins this week. For families with children, this is of course not only the beginning of school, but is practically speaking the beginning of a whole new year. Studies are not the only things that are beginning anew, but also various other classes, clubs, and once again meetings with school friends. It seems to me that it is imperative that not only children pray that the Lord help them successfully navigate their studies, but that parents must also pray. The greatest gift that God has given some of us, apart from our own lives, is our children. Our children are not only a sign of God’s special love for us, but also His deep trust in us, for our children are the pledge or deposit of future, not only the future of our families and of our society, but also of our Church.

Through the upbringing of our children the future is built, the future of our Orthodox Church. Today in Canada, as was the case earlier in the Soviet Union, the government is endeavouring to raise children and make out of them ‘new,’ ‘enlightened’ people saturated with a ‘new spirit.’ This is done in different ways, not just in school, but through friends, the media, etc. We should remember that it is the parents, not the government, schools, or teachers, who are responsible for the upbringing and education of children. Children are given by God not to schools or governments, but to their parents. This means that parents are obliged to meticulously follow everything that takes place in school, at other activities, and between friends, and accurately, calmly, and decisively correct those mistakes that may be made. This is the responsibility of all parents, not just those who send their children to regular public schools, for even children that are taught at home or who attend private or Christian schools can lose their way.

The obligation to bring up kind, pure, Orthodox children is no simple task, but no one should fall into despair, because with God’s help, absolutely any goal is attainable. Let’s remember that the great hierarchs and ecumenical teachers Basil the Great, his brothers Peter and Gregory, Gregory the Theologian, and John Chrysostom, all children of Christian parents, studied under pagan teachers and were brought up in the antique world, which despite already having a Christian emperor, was in many ways pagan and was full of immorality and pagan superstition. Our times are not much different from those days; therefore, let’s have our children boldly take everything good that is offered them in school and use that knowledge for the glory of God and for the benefit of His Holy Church. Through the prayers of these saints, may the Lord help all parents raise a new, pious generation of Christians.