Christian

Scripture

• The twelve 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 2 Chronicles.

• Nehemias is appaneded to 2 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, and Bel & the Serpent is appended.

• The Psalms are 151 in number.

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.

See where the New Testament affirms the Septuagint against Hebrew corruption.

Further, these were passed down in appendices & are beneficial, but are not Sacred Scripture:

Angels

The Bodiless Powers are ordered into a triad of triads:

The seven named Archangels:

Despite their name, the seven Archangels are ranked as Seraphim. An additional archangel, here in parenthesis, is sometimes added.

The first four of the seven Archangels are who stand in the corners of the chariot (mercabah) of God, watched over the camps of Israel in the wilderness, & are set over the winds.

Church

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

The Holy Mysteries of the Church are:

• Baptism
• Chrismation
• Communion
• Repentence
• Unction
• Matrimony
• Ordination

Repentence 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.

The ranks of Saints are:

• Apostles
• Martyrs
• Prophets
• Hierarchs
• Monastics
• Righteous

The orders of clergy are:

• Episcopate
  • Patriarch
  • Archbishop
  • Metropolitan
  • Bishop
• Presbyterate
  • Archpriest
  • Protopriest
  • Priest
• Diaconate
  • Archdeacon
  • Protodeacon
  • Deacon
• Suborders
  • Subdeacon
  • Reader

The orders of monastics are:

• Great Schema
• Stavrophore
• Rassophore
• Novice

Further, their are two classes for the heads of monasteries:

• Archimandrite
• Hegumen

Councils

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–Skopje) are all autocephalous (i.e. self-headed).

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

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

The Holy Œcumenical Councils m are:

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

It should be known that Rome only presided over the I & IV Councils, & was absent from the II, III, VIII, & IX. Additionally, the VI Council condemns Pope Honorius as a heretic, which was confirmed by Pope Leo II. Rome originally accepted the VIII Council, under Pope John VIII, only retroactively rejecting it later.

Further, these local councils have been recieved by the whole Church, and are of particular importance:

And again, those principal figures accepted or rejected:

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 restandardized 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 unmoving portions of the hourly services.

• Octoechos

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

• Menaion

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

• Triodion

Book of the Three Odes, j. volume. Contains the moving 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 Synaxis, xij. volumes. Contains readings of the lives of the Saints.

• Menologion

Contains a list of the commemorations for each day.

Hebrew

The Tetragrammaton (Iahweh) is usually translated & read as Lord.

Bible Study

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.

• Old Testament
  • Genesis
    • 1:5 – The Angels were created either on the 1st or 5th day.
  • Exodus
    • 3:14 – THE BEING, ho ṓn, i.e. the Existing.
    • 25:9 – the pattern, tò parádīgma, i.e. the form.
    • 26:30 – the fashion, tò eîdos, cf. Exo. 25:9.
• 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. Julias Cæsar).
    • 6:50 – cf. Mat. 14:27.
    • 25:39 – cf. Mat. 27:54
  • Luke
    • 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
    • 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 and Measures.
• Nicodemus the Hagiorite, St; Macarius of Corinth, St. The Philocalia.