Old Believers split over rituals; Old-Calendarists split over calendars. Different props, same play: schism by preference. Why do they think the 1583 Council of Constantinople matters for us today?
John, the question about ecumenism is interesting, and we can discuss that sometime, but that's not what this article is about. The old calendarist GOC-K group claims that ecumenism is not the only reason for the current schism. They say that all the way back in 1583, there was a Council in Constantinople, which anathematized the new Gregorian calendar. The GOC claims that the decisions of this council are still binding upon Orthodox Christians today. So, according to the GOC, even if there weren't any problems with ecumenism, we would still have to stay on the old Julian calendar, simply because this 1583 council said so. As the evidence in the article demonstrates, that is a ridiculous claim. If we accepted that claim, then we would also have to accept the 1551 Stoglav Council, and we would all have to become Old Believers. -- Now, if you agree that the 1583 Council of Constantinople doesn't apply to us today, and you agree that we don't have to follow it, then that's great! We can move on to the next topic, and discuss the question of ecumenism.
This makes alot of sense now about protestantisms modern place in America. In a way its a short hand, the complexity of history and local custom. Times that by integrating Western, Eastern, and other groups in the America's. This makes alot more sense now.
Studying Orthodoxy I've always said it doesn't make sense in the American context and OCA has not done a good job at marketing the church at all.
The old believers assert the Nikonian reforms are heretical. They’re not. They believe only their customs are the pure and Orthodox one. It isn’t.
The calendar change occurred to push heretical ecumenism (“Unto the churches of Christ everywhere”, 1920). Do you see the difference?
John, the question about ecumenism is interesting, and we can discuss that sometime, but that's not what this article is about. The old calendarist GOC-K group claims that ecumenism is not the only reason for the current schism. They say that all the way back in 1583, there was a Council in Constantinople, which anathematized the new Gregorian calendar. The GOC claims that the decisions of this council are still binding upon Orthodox Christians today. So, according to the GOC, even if there weren't any problems with ecumenism, we would still have to stay on the old Julian calendar, simply because this 1583 council said so. As the evidence in the article demonstrates, that is a ridiculous claim. If we accepted that claim, then we would also have to accept the 1551 Stoglav Council, and we would all have to become Old Believers. -- Now, if you agree that the 1583 Council of Constantinople doesn't apply to us today, and you agree that we don't have to follow it, then that's great! We can move on to the next topic, and discuss the question of ecumenism.
This makes alot of sense now about protestantisms modern place in America. In a way its a short hand, the complexity of history and local custom. Times that by integrating Western, Eastern, and other groups in the America's. This makes alot more sense now.
Studying Orthodoxy I've always said it doesn't make sense in the American context and OCA has not done a good job at marketing the church at all.