Reflections on the CHurch
Reflections
By Fr. Thomas Hopko
This article is part of a reflection from Fr. Hopko
on letters he has written regarding matters concerning certain problems
facing the OCA for which we should all be praying. I find his reflections
on "pseudomorphosis" well worth reading.
Several people who commented on my letters and suggestions asked
me for an example of how what goes on in our church today is a "pseudomorphosis"
produced by confused interpretations and applications of church life in
the past. I offer the following "scenario" as such an example.
An Orthodox bishop comes to a congregation in his diocese headed by a presbyter.
He is greeted at the church door in the most solemn manner. He is wearing
a decorated monastic mantia even though he may have never actually lived
a monastic life, and never was, and is not now, under monastic obedience
to anyone. His clothing is that of the Turkish period. He is wearing a Turkish
judge's robe and hat, covered with a monastic veil.
After entering the church, the bishop is solemnly vested in clothing that
was once worn by the Byzantine-Roman emperor. He puts on a sakkos (instead
of a phelonion), a mitre and decorated crosses and medallions. He carries
a staff, stands on an eagle rug and sits on a throne in the nave where the
imperial authority used to sit. He may have long hair, the sign of secular
authority in Byzantium that was given to the Christian clerics by the Turks,
and later adopted in the Russian Empire.
In this solemn liturgical setting, the local pastor and the servers and
singers are nervous and scared. They fear making mistakes that will incur
the bishop's wrath. The people, for the most part, wonder what all
this is about and why it is at all necessary. Some people enjoy it. Others
endure it. Others stay home or go to another church on that day.
Almost no one, including the clergy themselves, understand it.
At this liturgy, the vesting of the bishop and the entrance with the singing
of many hymns and multiple intonations of "Many Years, Master (Eis
polla eti, Despota)" and many repetitions of the Trisagion, with many
petitions and blessings, goes on for a very long time. The scripture readings
are read in ways that make them difficult, sometime even impossible to understand
because of language, style of chanting, and noise from a clanging incenser
with bells on it. There is no sermon explaining the scripture readings,
or if there is, it has little or nothing to do with them. Multiple litanies
are chanted, which include expulsions of catechumens who are either not
there, or don't leave the gathering if they are. The Eucharistic Canon,
which is the very heart and highpoint of the Orthodox Divine Liturgy, takes
only a few minutes. How long it takes depends on the length of the singing.
The bishop rushes through the prayers silently and quickly, if he even reads
them at all. The faithful people hear only the ends of the sentences of
the prayers which, by themselves, make no sense whatsoever.
During and after the liturgy, the bishop asserts his dignity, power and
authority over those "under" him according to his understanding
of later Byzantine teachings about "ecclesiastical hierarchies."
He explains that he has powers and graces that others don't have.
He says that he mediates these powers and graces to his "inferiors,"
i.e. to presbyters, through deacons and sub-deacons and readers, to the
"lay people" who no longer have any Christian ministry whatsoever.
All power, authority and grace, he teaches, rests in and is derived from
the bishop alone, as it were "personally," by virtue of his
ordination and consecration that is then theologically explained and defended
in an anti-Protestant, counter-Reformation Roman Catholic manner that entered
Orthodoxy after the 16th century. In this view, the priesthood is considered
to be "one of the seven sacraments" understood as "visible
signs conveying invisible graces" instituted by Christ.
Then, to further explain and enforce all of this, teachings of 2nd and 3rd
century church fathers are quoted who, in a completely different setting
and context, said striking things about the place and ministry of the bishop
in the church. For example, St. Ignatius of Antioch will be quoted who said
that nothing should be done in the church apart from the bishop who "holds
the place of God" in the community, and is "God's icon."
Or, as another example, St. Cyprian of Carthage is quoted as saying that
the bishop is "another Christ."
Teachings about the position, authority and service of the bishop by such
4th, 5th and 6th century saints as Ambrose of Milan, Gregory the Theologian,
John Chrysostom and Gregory the Great are added to demonstrate the bishop's
awesome character.
When all of these things are is mixed together without a proper understanding
of their original meaning and purpose, both those that are truly Christian
and Orthodox, and those that are from alien religious and cultural sources,
we have a marvelous example of what Fr. Georges Florovsky called a "pseudomorphosis."
This means that words, teachings, rites, symbols and even clothing that
meant one thing in their original context come now to mean something completely
different in their new setting. The whole thing is misunderstood and distorted,
and the door is open to all sorts of conflict, confusion and chaos.
To complete my example, we can add that Orthodox people with virtually no
knowledge of the Bible or Church history enter into the liturgical gathering.
Some say, "Hey, this is the modern world. We now have democracy, with
freedom, equality, liberty and justice for all women and men. What is going
on here anyway?" While others say, "We are Orthodox Christians
in a traditional, hierarchal church with sacraments, dogmas and canons.
Everything in our church is from the Holy Spirit. We must obey the teachings,
keep the traditions, enforce the laws and submit to our leaders."
And others don't know what to think or say, including many who read
the Bible, say their prayers, participate in the sacraments, take up their
crosses and desire with all their hearts to serve God and their neighbors
according to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
This is the kind of thing that can happen, and does happen, today, not only
in North America, but everywhere on earth where there are Orthodox people.
I believe that our very existence as the Orthodox Church depends on our
attempt to untangle and understand the elements that make up contemporary
church life, and to do something about it. Discovering what that "something"
is that we must "do about it" for the Church's fruitful
life and mission in the world today depends on our common prayer, ascetical
practice, study and discussion. But most of all, it depends on our willingness
to face reality, both human and divine, and to do God's will, whatever
it may be.
Fr Thomas Hopko
Dean Emeritus
St. Vladimir's Seminary