“In the European West, Christianity has gradually transformed into humanism. For a long time and arduously, the God-Man diminished, and has been changed, narrowed, and finally reduced to a man: to the infallible man in Rome and the equally “infallible” man in London and Berlin. Thus did papism come into being, taking everything from Christ, along with Protestantism, which asks the least from Christ, and often nothing. Both in papism and in Protestantism, man has been put in the place of the God-Man, both as the highest value and as the highest criterion. A painful and sad correction of the God-Man’s work and teaching has been accomplished. Steadily and stubbornly papism has tried to substitute the God-Man with man, until in the dogma about the infallibility of the pope—a man, the God-Man was once and for all replaced with ephemeral, “infallible” man; because with this dogma, the pope was decisively and clearly declared as something higher than not only man, but the holy Apostles, the holy Fathers, and the holy Ecumenical councils. With this kind of a departure from the God-Man, from the ecumenical Church as the God-Man organism, papism surpassed Luther, the founder of Protestantism. Thus, the first radical protest in the name of humanism against the God-Man Christ, and his God-Man organism—the Church—should be looked for in papism, not in Lutheranism. Papism is actually the first and the oldest Protestantism. – Fr. Justin Popovich
The Orthodox Word’s most recent issue concerns the life and teaching of Archimandrite Justin Popovich. St. Herman Press announced in this issue that they plan on printing the Archimandrite’s Dogmatics of the Orthodox Church in English. The preface to the Archimandrite’s dogmatics can also be read in this issue of The Orthodox Word.
Joseph,
I enjoy lurking about your blog. Thanks for the helpful blurbs, reviews, links, and comments.
I am looking for an Orthodox resource that will directly refute the claims of the papacy and other Roman distinctives. I need something that will give the Orthodox perspective and also take the RC on straightforwardly. Does anything like that exist and do you know how I can find it?
Also, are you familiar with “An Eastern Orthodox Response to Evangelical Claims” by By Fr. Paul O’Callaghan? Is so, would you recommend it.
Thanks,
Brad Cunningham
fatherbradatsbcglobaldotnet
Fr. Brad,
Good to hear from you! I pray all is well with you and your family. There are many books available on this subject. One popular Orthodox work concerning the Papacy is “Popes and Patriarchs” by Michael Whelton. The best book that I have found on this subject is “The Papacy: Its Historic Origin and Primitive Relations with the Eastern Churches” by Abbe Guette (Fr. Vladimer). Abbe Guette is a former Jesuit priest/scholar who converted to Orthodoxy after setting out to write a thorough refutation of the Orthodox claims. The book is out of print but you probably can find a used copy online. I always liked Anglican F. W. Puller’s book “The Primitive Saints and the See of Rome”. John Romanides work on the relations of eastern Rome and the Franks is a big key to the controversy between east and west. Some of his writings can be read at Romanity.org. Also, the “development of doctrine” plays a big part in Rome’s defense of the claims of the papacy these days.
Fr. Paul’s response to Evangelicals is just a short pamphlet of brief and basic responses to evangelical questions. I would recommend “The Truth of our Faith”, Volumes one and two, by Elder Cleopa for dealing with evangelical questions. ” Clark Carlton’s Orthodox introduction for Protestants is also a good resource.
Thank you very much! God is good to us – all are healthy and we are expecting number 6!
I will be reading as much of this as I can find before I leave on vacation in two weeks. Looks like some great beach books. Thanks for the direction.
Brad
Number 6! Great! We will pray that all goes well.