From The Truth of Our Faith: A Discourse from
Holy Scripture on the Teachings of True Christianity, by Elder Cleopa of
Romania.
Inquirer: What do we mean by the term Holy Scripture?
Elder Cleopa: The term
Holy Scripture denotes the sum of holy books that were written under the
inspiration of the Holy Spirit within a time period of close to 1,500 years,
namely, from Moses, 1,400 years before Christ, until the writer of the
Apocalypse, nearly 100 years after Christ.
Inq.: Why don't the bishops and
priests sanction Christians, who are members of the Church, to interpret and
preach publicly the word of God from the Scriptures?
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| Elder Cleopa of Romania |
EC: Each Christian has the need to
read Holy Scripture, yet each Christian does not also have the authority or
ability to teach and interpret the words of Scripture. This privileged
authority is reserved for the Church via its holy clergy and theologians, men
who are instructed in and knowledgeable of the true faith. When we consider how
our Saviour gave the grace of teaching to His Holy Apostles (Mat. 28:20) and
not to the masses it is easy for us to see that the prerogative to teach is
held only by the bishops, priests and theologians of our Church. It was the
Apostles who were sent by Christ to teach and to celebrate the Holy Mysteries
(Sacraments). Our Apostle Paul says: How shall they preach, except they be
sent? (Rom. 10:15). Accordingly, the bishops are the lawful successors to the
Apostles and those sent for the preaching (κήρυγμα) to the people. Paul
entrusts the heavy burden of the instruction of the people to Timothy and not
to the faithful. He speaks of this elsewhere: Are all apostles? Are all
prophets? Are all teachers? (1 Cor. 12:29) Again he says to Timothy that the
clergy must be apt to teach others (1 Tim. 3:2). He does not, however, say the
same thing for the faithful. He makes a distinction between shepherd and sheep,
between teacher and those taught. Still, the teachers cannot teach whatever
they would like, but that which the Church teaches universally. They teach in
the name of the Church and of Christ. Not everyone has the intellectual ability
and the requisite divine grace necessary to expound Holy Scripture correctly.
The Apostle Peter also says this in his second epistle, referring to the
epistles of the Apostle Paul. He says the following: There are some things in
them hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own
destruction, as they do the other scriptures (2 Peter 3:16).
Inq.: Some say that it is not right
that members of the Church dont have the right to interpret and expound upon
Scripture. As this excerpt says, each Christian knows how to render Holy
Scripture: But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things,
and the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not
that any man teach you (1 John 2:20, 27).
EC: Holy Scripture is like a very
deep well wherein is comprised the infinite wisdom of God. If someone thirsty
dives into this well to drink of all its water, he will be drowned within. If,
however, he will fetch the water with a bucket and from there will drink with a
cup, then there is no fear of being engulfed. What man is so crazed as to wish
to plunge into such an abyss of water without knowing how to swim? Holy
Scripture, according to the Fathers, is bone and no one will venture with teeth
fit for milk to break the strong bones of Holy Scripture - for those teeth will
be crushed.
You've
read in Scripture about the eunuch of Candace, Queen of the Ethiopians? He was
reading the Prophet Isaiah when the Apostle Philip asked him if he understood
that which he read, to which he replied: How can I, except some man should
guide me? (Acts 8:31).
You
realize also that the word unction, or anointing (χρίσμα) that you mentioned
above means the effusion of the Holy Spirit in the Mystery of Holy Chrism,
directly after Baptism (Acts 8:17).
The
phrase you know all things signifies everything that contains Christian truth
and salvation, as well as everything that is related to the antichrist and his
adherents, to whom the subsequent verse of the epistle of the holy John the
Theologian refers. One must not, therefore, teach according to ones own
understanding and perception, for one will be deceived.
Inq.: All the same, it is said that
each Christian has the right and obligation to read Holy Scripture on his own,
as the Saviour admonishes us: You search the Scriptures, because you think that
in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness of me (Jn. 5:39).
EC: Be careful, because many
heretics of earlier eras made bold to immerse themselves in the fathomless sea
of Scripture and drowned spiritually, thus perishing together with as many as
followed them. They dont have all the same spiritual maturity. They are not all
able to understand the mystery of Holy Scripture.
Holy
Scripture is understood and explained in three ways: 1) according to its
literal meaning, namely the nominal, grammatical, verbal and historical, 2)
allegorically or metaphorically, which is superior to the former, and 3)
spiritually. According to the Fathers, the simplest of senses to alight upon is
the first meaning, according to the letter of Scripture; to penetrate with
discretion to the nature of Scripture requires modest learning, while to
explain the depth of the meanings of Scripture is of the highest spiritual
advancement and in need of the most divine grace. The perfect wisdom of
Scripture belongs, according to Saint Paul, to the perfect: Howbeit we speak
wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of
the princes of this world, that come to naught: But we speak the wisdom of God
in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto
our glory (1 Cor. 2: 6-7).
Inq.: There are those who contend that
it is not necessary for someone to have much learning to be able to understand
the teachings of Scripture, since to the unlearned He revealed the wisdom of
these teachings, just as the Saviour says: I thank Thee, O Father, ... because
Thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them
unto babes (Mat. 11:25).
EC: Yes, God revealed His wisdom to
those that were known to be babes in wickedness but not in mind and judgement. In other words, He revealed His
wisdom to those who, with respect to good works, were perfect and had attained
to the innocence of infants. Thats why Paul counsels the Corinthians as
follows: Brethren, be not children in understanding: howbeit in malice be ye
children, but in understanding be ye men (1 Cor. 14:20).
Inq.: Yet, God rebuked the wisdom and
knowledge of men, as this passage indicates: I will destroy the wisdom of the
wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent (Is. 29:14).
Saint Paul also says: Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the
disputer of this world? Hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? (1
Cor. 1:19). Might it not be that God is not able to give the wisdom of
understanding the Scriptures to certain people who are worldly-wise, as the
Orthodox maintain?
EC: You should know that God does
not condemn just any wisdom and knowledge, but that which kills man
spiritually. If He were to censure every wisdom, He would have to reject also
the wisdom of Solomon, the wisdom of Joshua, son of Sirac, the wisdom of Christ
the Saviour, of the Prophets and Apostles, to those whom He gave the
commandment to be wise as serpents, and harmless as doves (Mat. 10:16). Yet, it
isnt like this in the least. Hence, take care not to resemble those to whom the
Saviour said: Your do err, not knowing the Scriptures, nor the power of God
(Mat. 22:29).
Inq.: Is Holy Scripture sufficient in
order to guide man to salvation?
EC: No, it is not sufficient to
guide man to salvation, inasmuch as, firstly, it wasnt given to man from the
beginning and, secondly, when it was given it wasnt the only authentic text,
with regard to the salvation of human souls, because before it there was the
Holy Tradition. Many years before Moses began writing the first books of the
Old Testament, there was sacred piety in the community of the people of Israel.
Similarly, the books of the New Testament began to be written ten years after
the formal foundation of the Church, which took place on the day of Pentecost.
The Church chose and sealed as inspired by God the books of the two Testaments
over one hundred years later. These then comprised the declared Canon of the
books of Holy Scripture. Thereafter the Church maintained this Canon of Truth,
inasmuch as it is the very pillar and ground of truth (1 Tim. 3:15). The Holy
Spirit operates within all of this for the preservation of the truth about
salvation. Where the Church is, says Saint Jerome, there also is the Spirit of
God and where the Spirit of God is, there also is the Church and all grace -
since the Spirit is truth.
Source: http://antiochian.org/holy-scripture
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