Purpose of the article:

The subject of Christian heresies is a subject whose purpose is to identify the sects and heresies that exist in the world on the one hand, especially in the Middle East region, and in particular with our Church of Antioch, and on the other hand to know what our position is towards them, so that we can defend the faith of the Orthodox Church, against the facts they raise in everywhere.

introduction:

It was published in the newspaper Al-Safir published in the United States of America that there are 2,000 officially registered churches in America, and this number is constantly growing. Here the question arises: Did the Lord Jesus want there to be all this number? Was it the Lord Jesus who founded all of these churches? Or did he establish one church?

Before the foundation of the world, God chose to establish one church that brings together “all things in Christ, things in heaven and earth” (Ephesians 1:10). When the Son of God was incarnated, died, rose, and ascended to the heavens, he became one head of one body (Ephesians 1:22), that is, the one church that he would build. “On this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18). The Lord Jesus sent his disciples to preach the good news to the lost sheep, who are not children of Abraham (that is, from all nations). All of these are called to be one flock, and the shepherd is one.

Although Christ and his apostles affirmed that there would be divisions, and that the evil one would sow the weeds (Matthew 13:24-30), and the weeds would remain with the wheat, and the wolf would attack the sheep, “but there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you who introduce heresies.” Destruction: Because they deny the Lord who bought them, they bring upon themselves swift destruction” (2 Peter 2:1). Despite this, the early Christians would not have imagined that there would be a time when believers would be divided into all these sects, sects, and heresies. Therefore, we are not surprised if it was known from the first century that there would be heretics, and even Saint John in his letter shows that there were people in his time who were heretics and heretics. “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” (1 John 4:1).

Historical introduction:

First, the disciples preached in Jerusalem, then they set off to Antioch, and then throughout the Roman Empire. This means that the framework of the early church was throughout the Roman Kingdom. The word "Catholic" was used until the beginning of the second century, and its meaning is universal, as the church as a whole is referred to in its comprehensive scope. But this does not mean that the word “Catholic” or “universal” does not refer to the church itself, even if it is a village or parish, for it is also inclusive, because the comprehensive meaning is realized in it and in its relationship with the rest of the churches, because the Lord Jesus is the head and we are the members. The church was not divided from the beginning. Rather, Christians believed in one universal, holy, and apostolic church. That is, there was in the beginning one church carrying one faith, such as the Church of Antioch and the Church of Jerusalem...etc. Today we find that the Church is not one, and we find huge numbers of different groups and sects, but this does not surprise us if we know that the Lord Jesus himself and the apostles from the first century knew that people forming groups would appear, and these groups are not within the church that the Lord Jesus founded.

The issue of innovation and change of faith had to happen, so we in the twenty-first century see that events have produced different groups that claim to be Christians, and say that they have the truth and all the truth, and hold the true faith, and rely on the Holy Bible and its correct interpretation. We can say that these groups only appeared because of human whims, weaknesses, and desires, and of course Satan had the most important role in that.

a question: If the Syriacs had a certain origin, they would be proud of it, just like the Copts. We who are called Rum, what is our origin?

We do not name rum after a specific origin; We are called Romans because we belong to the first Christianity that was within the Roman Empire, and in which the Apostles preached, which is the first church. We belong to this Christian church, and there is no ethnic, national, or political affiliation, but rather a religious, cultural affiliation to the first church. It is necessary that we adhere to this name because it is a characteristic that indicates antiquity and our relationship to the first church, which is the Roman Christian church, and therefore we did not depart from the first church and founded churches. The word “Roman” does not mean fanaticism, but rather affiliation to the First Apostolic Church.

The environment of the Roman Empire is the environment in which the Church took its first cultural and civilizational character, and for this reason its tradition acquired a comprehensive, ecumenical character that was called the Roman Christian tradition, or the Roman Christian tradition, which is the tradition of the apostles themselves expressed by the Holy Spirit in all the means of civilization known at that time, such as language, Literature, poetry, music, photography, all of which were Roman. Until now we call icons or music Roman icons or music.

The emergence of current Christian denominations:

As a result of various developments due to various ideological and human reasons, each of the following main sects was formed over time:

1. The Assyrian community:

The members of this sect belong to ancient peoples who lived east of the upper Tigris and Euphrates rivers. They converted to Christianity early, since the first centuries of Christianity, and were called the Church of the East or the Eastern Assyrian Church. She was unable to participate in the Third Ecumenical Council (Ephesus 431), and she later did not agree with its decisions to sentence Nestorius. Especially after the Persian government received the Nestorians persecuted by the Roman government, and allowed them to establish a theological school in Nisibis, where it became a center for spreading Nestorianism. It officially announced the severance of its association with the Roman Church, and its denunciation of teachings contrary to Nestorianism in the year 499 AD.

2. Non-Chalcedonian sects:

Signs of the formation of these sects began with the unrest that broke out from some in protest against the decisions of the Council of Chalcedon (the Fourth Ecumenical Council in the year 451). This formation was completed in the second half of the sixth century after the failure of numerous attempts by the Roman emperors to address the complex situation resulting from overlapping human, national and social factors, in addition to a worsening doctrinal misunderstanding on the subject of the person of Christ (Christology).

These sects are:

a- Coptic: It was named so because most of its members were Copts (from the Greek Egyptian), descendants of the ancient Egyptians who converted to Christianity, and who constituted the majority of Egypt's population. Their position was particularly influenced by the excommunication of their patriarch Dioscorus at the Council of Chalcedon.

B- Abyssinian: The foundation of this church dates back to the beginning of the fourth century. Because of its adherence to the Church of Alexandria, since the fifth century it, along with the majority, has tended to adhere to the recognition of the one nature of the person of Christ, and to reject the decisions of the Council of Chalcedon.

T- Syriac: The Syriacs, a mixture of ancient Eastern peoples who had converted to Christianity since the dawn of Christianity, formed one of the main elements in the Church of Antioch. Bishop Jacob ElBaradei played the largest role in the ordination of the seminarians of this sect, which rejected the Council of Chalcedon in the second half of the sixth century, and therefore it was also known as Jacobiteism.

The Antiochian Syriac community belongs to the Syriac community, a Syriac community in India whose members are estimated at a few million (the first cathedral was drawn up in 1964).

W- Armenian: The foundations of this church and its organization in Armenia date back to the beginning of the fourth century. The Armenian Church did not participate in the Council of Chalcedon because of the long war that was raging between the Armenians and the occupying Persians. Later, as a result of the activities of monotheists, it declared its official position rejecting the Council of Chalcedon through councils it held in the sixth century.

In the seventies of the last century (the twentieth), informal meetings and dialogues took place between the Chalcedonian and non-Chalcedonian churches, between theologians representing these churches. They met and held four conferences, and the result of their meetings was that they reached the conclusion that there is no doctrinal difference, but rather the difference is in the expressions used. There is agreement in the essence of faith. Then, in the 1980s and 1990s, these dialogues became official and there were several meetings, and they announced after studying: What the other party wants to say is exactly what we want to say, but with reservations about the expressions. They agreed to solve some problems, such as the number of ecumenical councils, saints condemned by one church to be saints in the other.

In the Church of Antioch, meetings and dialogues took place between the Greek Orthodox Church and the Syriac Orthodox Church. These meetings were for practical pastoral research, as there were certain situations through which they could cooperate.

3. The Western community (Catholic):

During the time of the Roman Empire, this sect included the western part of it, that is, all the churches that were affiliated with ancient Rome. It also included uncivilized Germanic tribes living in north-central Europe (nomadic tribes). The circumstances of life forced them to descend to the borders of the Roman Empire (the Danube Era) in the third century, then they were used in the army, and after that their power strengthened until they were able in the fifth century to seize the western part of the Roman Empire. They became the actual rulers, and the Roman peoples and the peoples who were within the state were their slaves. The Franks occupied Gallia (France), the Anglo-Saxons took control of the island of Britain (England), the Powers took over Italy and Spain, and Rome was not occupied by these tribes. They were mostly pagans, but a small section of them (the Ghouts) were Arian Christians, and thus they all persecuted Christians.

Attempts were made by the Pope to include them in the Church, and after that Saint Augustine was sent to England and preached there, and little by little these peoples began to become Christian, until they became Christians, and began to marry Christian women. As peoples who were enemies of the Eastern peoples, they did not accept the Eastern heritage, and they began to create a new heritage by relying on some of their own fathers based on human interpretation, which helped form their own conditions, practices and forms different from the faith and life of the one universal Church that was within the Roman Empire, such as fasting. The Sabbath, the issue of unleavened bread, the ordination of priests...etc. It was not as important as the doctrinal problems.

The first important doctrinal problem to emerge from them was Philo Kaffa (and the Son), which teaches that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son. Therefore, at the Council of Toledo (586 AD), they added the word “And the Son” to the Nicene Creed, and the argument was to accept the Arians and make them believe and abandon their Arianism. This argument appeared in Spain, where there was sustenance. Since they were people who lacked theology - they had not received proper education - these ideas spread to many parts of European countries. King Charlemagne asked Pope Leo III to add “and the Son” to the Constitution of Faith. The Pope rejected this action, and wrote on two silver tablets the Constitution of Faith without adding “and the Son” and saying: “I, Leo, wrote this in order to preserve the Orthodox faith, which is upright in its opinion.” He hung it on St. Peter's Church. This was the beginning of the deviations in the Church of the West.

But the German Empire, led by Henry III, occupied Rome in 1009 AD, when the Roman Pope John XVIII resigned, and a German pope, Sergius IV, was appointed in his place. This is when he sent the Constitution of Faith to the other patriarchs, adding the word “and the Son.” He is the first Pope to acknowledge and mention this addition. After many negotiations with the Patriarch of Constantinople, they did not reach a solution, and the Pope remained adamant on his opinion. The Patriarch erased the Pope’s name from the Dhabikha, and thus the fellowship between them was broken. In the year 1054 AD, the attempts returned again, and Pope Leo IX sent a delegation headed by Cardinal Humberto - who is not a communicator and also arrogant - and things did not go as he wanted, and at the same time Pope Leo IX died, after which the Cardinal placed the excommunication on the table of the Church of Holy Wisdom, because he did not want Negotiations. Thus, relations between the two churches were finally broken off in 1054 AD.

After these incidents, other matters were discovered that contributed to the increase in the deviations existing in the Western Church. Of which:

In the ninth century, the Germans learned about philosophy, and little by little they civilized and developed letters and language. They began to translate many philosophy books. They admired them, so they began to look at divine matters in a philosophical way, and many philosophical schools arose (such as the school of Thomas Aquinas). These are what we call schools. Scholasticism, that is, it deals with divine matters through the method of rational philosophical analysis of theological matters, that is, Christian theology became dependent on these human philosophical opinions and ideas. Accordingly, they issued many theological ideas, most of which are deviations from the original faith of the Church. What is worse than this is that the popes, because of their power and authority, have become higher in authority than ecumenical councils, which they call for to convene whenever they wish, to the point that they can issue a papal decree in which they define any doctrine or any specification regarding the church. Thus, these deviations began to increase, and they are proven because they emanated from their highest spiritual authority. They have 21 complexes, for example. Fourteen of them were held in the West, containing new (innovative) things that the Eastern Church did not know about, things that were consistent with the faith, and many things that were not consistent with the faith.

After the cessation of communion (1054 AD), attempts were made to restore unity. These attempts did not yield results, and among these attempts was the holding of two councils, the Council of Lyon in the year 1274 AD, and the Council of Florence in the year 1428-1439 AD, which are supposed to be ecumenical. But the Roman Empire was in a very bad situation, and was on the verge of collapse, which made the Byzantine Emperor want to obtain the help of the Pope against the Ottomans, which made the Pope take advantage of this situation, and wanted to impose his views on the Eastern Church so that it would submit to him, so these two Eastern Fathers refused. The two complexes. In the year 1453 AD, when Constantinople fell, relations were completely cut off between the West and the East. Therefore, the West formed a new path, which was based on capture by various means, sending delegations, missionaries, and monastic orders. In order to include the Eastern Church, although not completely, and thus all the churches that became Western united with Rome in this way.

4. Of the sects that joined Rome (Catholicism):

As a result of the efforts made from an early date, such as the activities of missionaries, monastic orders, and Western diplomats, free colleges allocated to the sects in Rome, schools, aid, and the establishment of the Congregation for the Propagation of the Catholic Faith in 1622, Rome was able, through various schisms and conflicts, to include the following sects:

Morana: The origin of this sect was a group of Syriacs who had accepted the Council of Chalcedon, and later the proposal of Emperor Heraclius regarding the One Will. A kind of union began between it and Rome in the year 1181 AD as a result of contact with it during the Crusades. Their patriarch attended the Fourth Lateran Council in 1215 AD. After a long severance of relations, in 1515 AD the Pope granted their patriarch the armor of confirmation and the title of Patriarch of Antioch. In 1741 AD, the Lebanese Council was held, which adopted Latin customs and final accession to Rome.

Armenian Catholics: In the eleventh century, the Armenians established an independent emirate in Cilicia, which united with Rome in the twelfth century. The union lasted for about three centuries. In 1743 AD, the first Armenian Catholic Patriarchate was established in Lebanon.

United in the countries of Eastern Europe: After Ukraine fell under the occupation of Poland, its Catholic king, with the help of the Jesuits, was able to impose on the Orthodox of Poland in 1596 AD a sect known as the Eastern Rite Catholics, while the Orthodox Church was considered non-existent at that time.

Following the example of this sect, sects united with Rome were later formed in other Eastern European countries, such as Slovakia, Romania, Serbia, Bulgaria, etc.

Chaldean Catholics: Western missionaries took advantage of a dispute over the appointment of one of the patriarchs of the Assyrian community in order for the Pope to appoint the first patriarch for what he called the Chaldean Catholics in 1553 AD.

Syriac Catholics: Their patriarchate was established in 1662 AD.

Roman Catholics (Melkists): Their patriarchate was established in 1724 AD.

Coptic Catholics: After multiple failed attempts, their patriarchate was finally established in 1947 AD.

Doctrinal differences between the Eastern Orthodox and Western Catholic churches:

• 1. The leadership of the Apostle Peter over all the apostles and his consideration as Christ’s representative on earth and the visible head of the entire church.
• 2. The succession of the Pope of Rome to Saint Peter during his first presidency.
• 3. The Pope of Rome was infallible from doctrinal and administrative error.
• 4. Disinfectant.
• 5. Forgiveness and its relationship to the merits of saints and indulgences.
• 6. Sprinkling or pouring in baptism instead of immersion. Delaying the giving of Chrismation and Communion to children.
• 7. Preventing the laity from receiving divine blood.
• 8. The bread and wine were transformed into the body and blood of Christ as soon as the words of sanctification ended.
• 9. Use unleavened bread instead of leavened bread and do not break the bread.
• 10. Seeing God only according to the essence in the life to come, and grace is created.
• 11. The emanation of the Holy Spirit from the Father and the Son.
• 12. Man’s complete perfection at his creation is due to supernatural talents.
• 13. The results of original sin are the loss of these gifts and the fall of God’s wrath and wrath upon every one of the descendants of Adam and Eve because their sin is considered the sin of the entire human race.
• 14. The erasure of original sin through the merits of Jesus Christ, who deserved our justification through his suffering on the cross as atonement for the insults inflicted on God through sin.
• 15. The Immaculate Conception of the Virgin.

The emanation of the Holy Spirit from the Father and the Son:

This doctrine entered the Western Church because they were in conflict with the Arians, and the Arians considered that the Son is not equal to the Father, meaning that the Son does not have the same nature as the Father, and his nature is created. Because they are against the Arians and to confirm the equality of the Son to the Father, they say that if the Father emanates the Holy Spirit and the Son is equal to the Father, then the Holy Spirit must also emanate.

“And when the Comforter comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness of me” (John 15:26). In the first part of this verse, the Lord speaks about the Comforter whom the Lord Jesus sends from the Father, and if we want, the Father and the Son. The Holy Spirit is the one who sends the Holy Spirit as tongues of fire, that is, they send the gifts of the Holy Spirit, not the Holy Spirit as a hypostasis, and this sending took place in time, at Pentecost. Thus, it is proven that the Holy Spirit emanates eternally and eternally from the Father, but only in time the gifts were sent. Just as the Father has gifts, and the Son has gifts, so the Holy Spirit has gifts.

As a result of the redemptive work carried out by the Lord Jesus, He sent the Holy Spirit, but He did not send Him alone. Rather, this sending is a joint Trinitarian work of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (for all divine works are Trinitarian). Emanation is other than sending, because emanation is related to the hypostasis, that is, to the Holy Spirit, while sending is from the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. To clarify this idea, let us take the verse: “And when the Comforter comes, whom I send to you from the Father.” The verb sent indicates the work of the Son (sending). The pronoun in “he sent” indicates the work of the Holy Spirit (object), from the Father, which is the work of the Holy Spirit (infinitive). As for the second half of the verse, it explains another truth related to the eternal source of the Holy Spirit, “The Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, he bears witness of me.”

But in the Holy Bible there are verses in which the Spirit of the Son is present, the Spirit of Jesus Christ, “And because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, Abba, Father” (Galatians 4:6). The Spirit of God proceeds from God. If we say the Spirit of the Son, then He proceeds from the Son. But since the Son took on human nature, this nature was filled with the gifts of the Holy Spirit because of all his saving and redemptive work on earth, and this filling of the gifts of the Holy Spirit is for us the reason for our life in the church, because if the Lord Jesus is the head of the church, and we are united with him, All the divine secrets, that is, the blessings that we receive by practicing the divine secrets, we ultimately derive from our relationship with the Head, who is the Lord Jesus Christ. We derive the gifts with which human nature is filled.

The Fathers distinguish between essential qualities and hypostatic qualities; Hypostatic attributes distinguish the hypostases, and they do not generalize. The Father has no beginning and does not take its source from another, but rather He is the source. The Son was born before all ages. The Holy Spirit emanates. As for the essential qualities that distinguish the one divine essence, God is present everywhere, God is eternal, eternal, all-controlling, all-powerful, and has authority over everyone. If the hypostatic attributes are generalized, then it ceases to be a trinity, and they become one. This is the mistake in Catholic thought. The Son is equal to the Father. The Father and the Son can emit the Holy Spirit, and thus they become one in essence and hypostasis.

If the Son is equal to the Father, then He emanates the Holy Spirit, and if the Holy Spirit is equal to the Father, then why does He not emanate Himself, or why does the Son not be born, and so on? This issue was the first reason for the severing of communion between East and West.

Seeing God only according to the essence in the life to come, and grace is created:

The Western position is that man cannot know or see God in this life. But after death or continuing in paradise life, the souls of the saints see the divine essence (the divine essence) openly, face to face. Indeed, the divine essence reveals itself clearly.

As for the Fathers, their position is completely opposite, as they say that it is impossible for anyone to see the divine essence, neither in this life nor in the next, not even the angels. In the eyes of the fathers, it is heresy, and we can also say that it is heresy if we believe that we have no hope of seeing God, not according to essence but according to powers, according to grace, according to divine light. This emanates from God, and connects us to God. It is not the divine essence that remains completely hidden, and cannot be known or shared.

“All things have been given to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son, and whoever desires the Son it will be revealed to him” (Matthew 11:27). This is the essential knowledge that pertains to the Father and the Son, and we can also see that there is knowledge given For some, for the pure in heart, and this knowledge is given by the Son (Matthew 5:8), it is a special knowledge, similar to the knowledge of Peter, James, and John on the Mount of Transfiguration, as they knew Him as the Son of man and the Son of God according to His divine glory, and He was not revealed in His divine essence, that is, they did not know Him in His divine essence. .

“For who among men knows the things of man except the spirit of the man that is in him? Even so also the things of God no one knows except the Spirit of God” (1 Corinthians 2:11), and here is a special knowledge of the Trinity, the hypostases alone know each other.

“Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you had known me, you would have known my Father also, and from now on you know him and have seen him. Philip said to him, Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us. Jesus said to him, “I have been with you for a long time, and you have not known me, Philip.” He who has seen me has seen the Father. So how can you say, ‘Show us the Father?’ Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me?” (John 14:6-10). The first threshold for knowledge is faith, and faith grows and turns into a kind of knowledge, vision. “And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God” (John 3:17). The saints, as a result of their struggle, as a result of their faith, know God according to the powers, glory, or light. “The Kingdom of God is in your hearts” (Luke 17:20), and how can the Kingdom of God be within man? All the apostles fully knew the Kingdom of God in their hearts at Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit descended on the disciples, “the Spirit of truth whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see it and does not know it, but you know it because it abides with you and will be in you... On that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you In me and I in you. He who has my commandments and keeps them is the one who loves me, and he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and reveal myself to him” (John 14:17, 20). Those who have the Holy Spirit in their hearts know the Holy Spirit, they know the Son, and when they know the Son they know the Father. Therefore, we conclude that all the redemptive work is to send the Holy Spirit, and thus to give the kingdom of heaven, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 3:2), “The kingdom of heaven will suffer violence, and the violent will take it by force” (Matthew 11:12), and therefore the talk here is not about something that will happen. In the second life, as Catholics say, but the Kingdom of God is here in this life.

Immaculate Conception:

As a result of a mistaken understanding of original sin, this heresy arose. According to them, man inherits original sin. Man is born wrathed by God. He is punished by being deprived of knowing God in this life. The Lord Jesus came to remove this punishment, and thus original sin is erased by baptism. Because on His cross, the Lord received the benefits by eradicating original sin. For Westerners, everyone carries the guilt of original sin.

The angel said to Mary: Peace be upon you, you who have been favored. They understood this by saying that Mary was devoid of original sin - because through sin she withdrew supernatural blessings from man - and therefore Mary alone did not have the taint of original sin, because she was conceived by her parents without the taint of original sin.

As for the Orthodox Church, we do not inherit the original sin. We inherit the results of the original sin, corruption (a corrupt root that produces corrupt fruits). Man is not responsible for the sin of Adam and Eve and therefore he is punished, but rather his responsibility is towards his sins alone. God is not punishing us, but He was sad, so He arranged our salvation for us. They insult Mary by sanctifying her against her will, meaning that God willed it, and they canceled the role of the Virgin in her sanctity. She is an example for us in holiness, more honorable than the Cherubim because her parents were saints and she lived a holiness life. She struggled and prayed and actually became holier than all the saints. They deny the role of Christ in Mary’s salvation. “My spirit rejoices in God my Savior” (Luke 1:47), “For to you a Savior is born” (Matthew 1:21)

The leadership of the Apostle Peter over all the apostles and his consideration as the representative of Christ on earth as the visible head of the entire church, the succession of the Pope of Rome to Saint Peter in his first presidency, the infallibility of the Pope of Rome from doctrinal and administrative error:

In the First Vatican Council (1870 AD), the presidency of the Pope was officially announced, although it had been a practice before, but this council confirmed this thing in faith. Based on the fact that Peter the Apostle had this presidency, and the Pope of Rome succeeded Peter the Apostle in Rome, taking from him all these presidential powers that the Apostle Peter had.

The presidency of Peter the Apostle according to the First Vatican Council: Whoever said that Jesus Christ did not raise the blessed Apostle Peter as the head of all the apostles and the visible head of the entire church. Or he said that our Lord Jesus Christ gave him a headship and assumed the headship of honor, not the headship of a real, private state. Let him be deprived.

Presidency of the Pope: Who said that it was not the position of Jesus Christ himself, and therefore it is divine law that Saint Peter would always have successors, who would preside over the entire church as a supreme leadership? Let him be deprived.

The nature of the Pope's presidency: Who said that the entire function of the Roman Pontiff in the Church stops at the point of supervision and guidance, not only in matters of faith and morals, but also in matters related to the organization and management of the Church in all parts of the globe? Or who said that the Supreme Pontiff has the largest share of the supreme mandate, not the fullness of the mandate. Or who said that this supreme authority is not normal and direct, such that it deals with churches as a whole and as individuals, and shepherds and believers as a whole and as individuals. Let him be deprived.

And we can see here, that on this earth we are dealing with the visible one, that is, the visible president, which is the Pope. Therefore, Christ did not have any authority left, all of it was taken and given to the Pope.

The Second Vatican Council (1963 AD) was held in conditions of ecumenical openness, and it was expected that it would slightly ease the severity of this presidency, but it confirmed it. He added that the episcopal authority has authority, and this authority is linked to the Pope. “However, the episcopal body or episcopal body has no authority unless we imagine it united with the Roman Pontiff, Peter’s successor, with its president, maintaining his complete supreme presidential authority over everyone, whether they are shepherds or believers. This is because the Roman Pontiff, by virtue of his mission as the Vicar of Christ and Shepherd of the entire Church, possesses complete, supreme, and comprehensive authority in the Church, and he may exercise it always and without any restriction. As for the episcopal body, which succeeds the apostolic body in the authority of teaching and pastoral management, and in which the apostolic body continues always, it is also in union with the presidency of the Supreme Roman Pontiff, and never in isolation from this president, it has the highest and complete authority over the entire Church, but it cannot be exercised by it. Except with the approval of the Roman Pontiff, the Lord has made Simon alone the rock of the church and has handed over its keys to him alone, and appointed him as a shepherd over his flock...” This means that no authority was left at all to either Christ or anyone else.

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me, so go and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:18-19). It was given to me, not to Peter, and I give it to you, that is, to all the disciples and not to one of them. “Behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age” (Matthew 20:28), meaning that the Lord did not abandon the apostles, and will not abandon them. He is with them forever, and has not given up His authority to anyone. His authority exists but in an invisible form, and this authority is clear through the work of the Holy Spirit, which the Lord Jesus sends. Jesus’ authority is not in heaven but on earth, “All authority is in heaven and on earth.” . Here is the problem, that they steal the authority of Christ in its entirety, and leave nothing to him at all. They take the place of Christ and put the Pope in his place (heresy).

Catholics are based on“Who do people say that I am the Son of Man?” And who do you say? Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” (Matthew 16:13-18) Who do people say that I am the Son of Man? A very important question. The question was who is Christ, not who is Peter. He follows it with a second important question as well, and you are the ones who say that I am, after the apostles lived with Christ. He asks them who I am, and here we notice a clear progress among the apostles, and Peter answers them: You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. Peter spoke not only about himself, but also about the disciples. It is natural for Christ to praise Peter: Blessed are you...

Simon Peter expresses a truth of faith, that Christ is the Son of the living God, not just a human being in their eyes, but rather the true God. For a person to reach such a faith can only be achieved with the help of the Heavenly Father. This faith was not merely a matter of rational human thinking, but rather a declaration from the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit to Peter. Christ is the Son of the living God. This is a very important truth, and on this truth the church is built. The name Peter was called by Jesus, because he knew him and his rocky faith in advance. You are a masculine rock, and on this rock is a feminine one, so Peter is not what is meant.

There is a relationship between Peter's rocky faith, and the rock is the truth that Christ is the Son of the living God, and this rock on which the church is built. This is very clear, since since the founding of the Church, Christ called the apostles to believe in him that he is the Son of God, otherwise they cannot be members of the Church. This is what her church says in baptism, “Yes, I believe.” This is what the guard in the prison also said when he said to Peter and Silas, “What should I do to be saved?” They said to him: “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you and your family will be saved.” If Christ were just a human being, he would have died and the story of Christ would have ended, but because he is the Son of God, he is present in every place and time, and we believe in him, and based on this faith, we become members and are born again of water and the Spirit.

The rock of the church is Christ, not Peter. In our prayers, we say: “O Lord Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” There can be no church without the presence of the Son of God.

“Get behind me, Satan” (Matthew 16:21), where is this rock that they say about? He is a human being - and even called him, Satan - he is a human being who can stumble and abandon his faith. “Therefore, thus says the Lord God, ‘Behold, I am laying in Zion a foundation stone, a proven stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation’” (Isaiah 28:16), making it completely clear of the rock. “Built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Jesus Christ himself the cornerstone” (Ephesians 2:21). “For no one can lay a foundation other than the one that has been laid, which is Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 3:11). The apostles lay a foundation, and the foundation is the Lord Jesus’. “And they all drank the same spiritual drink, and they all drank the same spiritual drink, because they drank from a spiritual rock that followed them, and the rock was Christ” (1 Corinthians 10:4).

As for the Catholics, they rely on: “...Feed my sheep,...feed my sheep...” (John 21:15-18), Jesus says to Peter three times, “Feed my sheep and my sheep,” meaning that he appointed him as shepherd over the entire church, and this thing was done by the Lord Himself. But the Lord did not tell him to be a shepherd for the entire church, but rather told him to feed my sheep. Here is the “Y” that speaks. Peter was sad because the Lord said to him three times, “Do you love Me?” Before, Peter had said: “Even if everyone denies you, I will not deny you.” And here the Lord reminds him that he will deny him three times, and that is why he is sad. Is this process his appointment to the church?

The Lord says: “Whoever acknowledges me before people, I will acknowledge him before my Father who is in heaven.” Whoever denied the Lord in days of persecution was considered to have lost his salvation. Therefore, Peter’s sin is no less than Judas’ sin, regardless of repentance. Is he a shepherd in the church? , or the chief shepherd, and does the word “shepherd” pertain to Peter alone? Peter was ashamed of Christ, and Christ summoned him and asked him, “Do you love me?” and based on this love, I will tend my sheep.

Even Peter himself says: “...feed the flock of God...and when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that never fades” (1 Peter 5:1-4). The good shepherd is Christ, and those who shepherd are in connection with Christ. “But he who enters through the door is the shepherd of the sheep... Verily, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.” (John 10:1-7) Peter is only one of those who enter through the door, like many others. He cannot become the chief shepherd. “One teacher is Christ, and you are all brothers” (Matthew 9:23). These are clear and clear words. “Then Jesus called them together and said to them: You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and the great have authority over them; so it shall not be so among you, but whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant” (Matthew 20:25-26), (Luke 22:24-29). If Peter were the president, the Lord would have said that publicly, but despite this, our church considers Peter first among the apostles, and this advancement is merely honorary. This priority is the result of his rock-solid faith, the first to take the initiative, and his love for Christ.

“As for those who are considered to be something, no matter what they are, there is no difference to me. God does not take the face of a human being... When he knew of the grace given to me, Jacob described (1) And John, who were considered to be pillars...” (Galatians 2:5-9), and thus we can see that Paul considers Peter second after James, even though they were three pillars. James was the bishop of Jerusalem, so he was first among the group, that is, among equals. Considering that these three are pillars, they are also pillars among equals. This progress is honorary, not presidential.

According to Catholic doctrinal definitions, Paul must be a subordinate to Peter, because he is a new disciple, but in the beginning we see that Peter was given the task of caring for those who were circumcised, while Paul cared for those who were Gentiles, and therefore Rome must follow Paul, not Peter. There is no presidential distribution, for what Peter gave, Paul gave to care. “Because I consider that I have not diminished anything from the most excellent of the apostles... The most important Hebrews, then I am. The most important Israelites, then I am. The most important of the descendants of Abraham, then I am also the most important of the servants of Christ. I say, as a person of unsound mind, that I am better. In toils more abundant, in plagues more abundant, in prisons more abundant, in deaths many times.” (2 Corinthians 5:11, 22-23). There is no text in the Gospel that says that the apostolic mission is transmitted to the successors of the apostles, and there is no text that says that Peter’s presidential authority is from the Lord Jesus, and that this authority is transmitted to his successors.

The Church’s position is stated by the Ecumenical Councils, in the Second Council, Law Three, and in the Fourth Council, Law Twenty-Eight. The advancement of the chair in Rome is the advancement of dignity only, and the five chairs are equal. This advancement has no relation to the theological aspect. If it had a relationship, then Jerusalem should be the first, as Christ was born, taught, was crucified, buried, then rose and ascended, and the second is Antioch, where the Christians were called first. It was there that the apostles, including Peter himself, taught, and Peter ordained the first bishop of Antioch, and from there the first missionary campaign of Paul and Barnabas was launched. Rome is the institution of the empire, it is its capital, so its bishop enjoys priority, and after it Constantinople (New Rome) also for civil considerations and nothing else. Then Alexandria, Antioch, and finally Jerusalem.

Infallibility of the Pope:

First Vatican Council: “When the Roman Pontiff speaks from the cathedral platform, that is, when he performs the function of the shepherd and teacher of all Christians, and by his authority determines the highest teaching in faith and morals, the entire Church must adopt it, then with the help God promised him in the person of Saint Peter, he will be infallible from error.” . That is the infallibility that the divine Savior wanted to provide His Church with in determining teaching in faith and morals, and these determinations of the Roman Pontiff are in themselves and not subject to the Church’s approval, and are not subject to determination and reform.”

When the Pope speaks from the platform of teaching as the shepherd and teacher of all Christians, it is necessary that infallibility be with him and him alone, for this teaching is correct and free from error. In the second council, they said that there is infallibility for the Church and this infallibility is the infallibility of the Pope, and they unite in the person of the Roman Pontiff the universal Church, and it resides in him in a unique capacity, and if the episcopal body has infallibility, then it is united in a unique way with the infallibility of the Pope. The Lord Jesus no longer has a place.

Who owns the infallibility? The Lord Jesus alone has infallibility, and the Lord Jesus founded the church and the church is his body. He sent us the Holy Spirit and therefore the church has infallibility, meaning that everything the church teaches through ecumenical councils is infallible. The holy fathers, apostles, and prophets are also infallible, because they are carriers of the Holy Spirit, and here the Lord’s saying becomes clear to us: “I will not leave you orphans; behold, I am sending you…” (John 16:6-7, 16:13-14). Only the Holy Spirit guides to the truth. He speaks the truth. Therefore, whoever possesses the Holy Spirit speaks the truth, and thus the Church of God is the one who possesses infallibility.

Peter himself was not infallible. “Get behind me, Satan,” (Matthew 16:22). “But when Peter came to Antioch, I opposed him to the point that he was to blame” (Galatians 2:11). They believe that popes are not necessarily infallible saints, but because he is ordained a pope, while standing on the podium, then he is infallible. We can see throughout history that there were popes whose behavior or actions were not in accordance with church morals. Do we expect these people to be infallible? How so?

• Pope Marcellus (Fourth century) Slaughtering to idols according to the testimony of the Blessed Pope Damasius, his successor.
• He fell Pope in barrios The confession of an Arian in the fourth century after he was tired of being exiled for two years, according to the testimony of Saint Athanasius.
• Pope Vigilius He was judged by the Fifth Council in the sixth century
• Pope Honorius He fell into the heresy of the One-Willed People, and the Sixth Council ruled that he was a heretic, and his successors recognized this ruling.
• Pope Leo The third rejected the doctrine of emanation from the Father and the Son, and all the popes after him until the year 1009 AD all rejected the doctrine of emanation. After 1009 AD, all the popes accepted it.

The Papal Church recognizes all the popes in its church as being completely infallible from the beginning of the church until now.

purgatory:

This topic is a product of scholastic theology. Where in the doctrinal encyclical called “Benedict Deus” in the year 1336 AD, Pope Benedict She who is in a state of mortal sin goes immediately after her death to hell, where she suffers eternal torment.” In the Council of Trident they say: “Those who leave this life truly repentant and in the love of God, but before they atone for their sins in complete acts of repentance, their souls are purified after death by purifying punishments.” At the Council of Lyon and the Council of Florence, they say: “The repentants who died after their sins were forgiven must pay in the afterlife what remains of the compensation imposed on them.”

They are repentant, they live for God, their sins are forgiven, but after their death they must make amends and compensation for them. Is this work consistent with the Bible?

What is atonement (what is the punishment of purgatory specifically)? In purgatory, they distinguish between the punishment of loss and the punishment of sense. Loss is temporary deprivation of the utopian vision (the divine self). As for the punishment of the senses, it is the torment of the senses. It is a physical fire, according to the Latin fathers and scholastic scholars. God tortures them despite their repentance.

How long does sanitizer last? From after the death of a person until the Day of General Judgment, purgatory exists. Each person has a special period in which to atone for his sins, and there is no way to know the period, because each soul is according to its sins. The Council of Trident says: “In purgatory, imprisoned souls are helped by the aid of the believers, especially the pure sacrifice of the altar, prayers, alms, and other acts of piety that believers are accustomed to offering to one another in accordance with the laws of the Church.”

Is the subject of purgatory consistent with the Bible and the Christian faith that the Lord has given us? Those who are tormented in purgatory are neither the righteous nor the wicked, but rather they are those who regret but did not atone for their sins. But why did the Lord offer his sacrifice? Did He not offer His sacrifice as atonement for our sins? This topic is completely clear to the rest of the apostles, and the Lord himself said: “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve” (Matthew 20:28). “If anyone sins, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous, and he is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world” (1 John 2:1-2). “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). “Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Jesus Christ, whom God set forth as a propitiation through faith in his blood, to demonstrate his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God” (Romans 3:24-25). “But all are from God, who reconciled us to himself to Jesus Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation” (2 Corinthians 5:18). All of these verses confirm that the Lord Jesus is the atonement for our sins, and we are only required to repent.

The Lord Jesus spoke about the prodigal son, and how he rejoices when he returns. “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, and am not worthy to be called your son. Make me as one of your hired servants” (Luke 15:11-32). According to the Catholic concept, he must atone for his sins even if he repents, and make up for the money and years he wasted. He accepted him with joy, gave him the first garment, the ring, slaughtered the fattened calf for him, and never blamed him.

The message of love that came after the Resurrection: “Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and for repentance and forgiveness of sins to be preached in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem” (Luke 24:46-47). Preaching in the name of Jesus is repentance and forgiveness of sins. It is on the cross that He solved our sins and atoned for them.

How can we obtain the kingdom of heaven through repentance when we are so sinful? Based only on our repentance, because the Lord bore our sins, they do not assume that they will receive forgiveness of their sins. They assume that there is a place (fire) to punish the repentant, and not to punish the wicked. They rely on some biblical verses to confirm that purgatory exists. Including: (2 Macca 12:42-46). “Be content with your adversary quickly as long as you are with him on the road, lest your adversary hand you over to the judge and the judge take you to the policeman and you are thrown into prison. Truly I say to you, do not go out from there until you have paid your last farthing” (Matthew 5:25-26). “And whoever says a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven; but whoever says a word against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven, neither in this world nor in the world to come” (Matthew 12:32). “But the servant who knows his master’s will and does not prepare and does not do according to his will will be beaten with many stripes; but he who does not know and does what deserves stripes will be beaten with few stripes” (Luke 12:47-48).

The most important of these verses is: “But if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, and stubble, each man’s work will become apparent, for the Day will make it known. For with fire it will be revealed, and the fire will test each one’s work what it is. If anyone’s work that he built on it remains, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned, he will lose, but he himself will be saved, but as through fire” (1 Corinthians 3:12-15), but here he is talking about people charged with preaching the gospel. There is a foundation, which is the Lord Jesus, and everyone builds on this foundation, either with silver and stones or straw, because it requires the presence of fire. . The Christian builds on the foundation that is Jesus Christ. These works will either be like metal and stand firm, or they will be burned if they are straw. For them today is the day of death, then he will go to purgatory. Among the holy fathers are those who say that today is the day of general judgment, “then by fire he will be revealed.” The Lord is talking about a moral fire, which is a fire that he will bring when he brings great glory. This glory is the fire by which he will be revealed. Saint John Chrysostom explains what is meant by the phrase “he will be saved” as being saved from decay and annihilation, “as by fire” it does not perish but rather remains in torment.

Light and fire itself are the glory of the great Lord. It will be eternal life for some, because they prepare to live the light, and for those who are not prepared, it will be fire.

Merits of the saints: Purgatory is linked to the issue of the merits of the saints in their view, because good deeds help the one who performs them, to be saved from the punishments of purgatory by using the merits of the saints. This issue was approved by Pope Synodius IV in 1477 AD.

Christ's merits: The Council of Trent teaches that the worthy cause of justification is Jesus Christ, but for them, original sin was erased by the merits of Jesus Christ, which are attributed to every human being through baptism. Christ atoned for serious sin, but for our sins He did not atone for them (1 John 1:6-8). Good works are also a second way to forgive sins.

Saint Clement VI“The merits (compensations) of the Mother of God and of all the elect, from the first to the last, work to increase the treasure from which the Church draws the forgiving.” There is an increase. They did more good deeds than what was required. This increase is called merits and is placed in the treasury of the saints.

What are Al-Ghafarin? Forgiveness is the abandonment of the temporal punishments remaining after the erasure of sin. The Church grants it from its compensatory treasure to the living through absolution, and to the dead through prayer. The Council of Trident prohibits those who say that these benefits do not exist and are not in practice. Initially, its origins were laid down by the scholastic schools at the beginning of the thirteenth century. Then, Pope Leo .

This idea also appeared with the start of the Crusades. Pope Urban II said: “This book is the substitute for all atonement.” It means that whoever goes with the campaign will be forgiven for all his sins, no matter what he does while going to fight.

Good deeds that help grant something from the treasure treasury (merits):

• a. Participation in the Crusades.
• B. The financial issue, such as the church’s need for funds to build the Church of Saints Peter and Paul in Rome.
• T. Hajj, visiting some holy places, for example in Rome.

These things continue until now. In the year 2000 AD, the Pope opened all the doors of St. Peter’s Church, because whoever enters through these doors will have his sins forgiven. Perhaps we are imitating them regarding the issue of the shrine that is widespread in many of our monasteries, as this did not exist before. They ask believers to do good deeds, such as putting money in private churches, and then their sins will be forgiven.

Is the issue over for Catholics? both; Because this decision was issued by the councils (a papal constitution (2)The Pope is infallible, as we know.

Secrets:

What deviations have occurred among Catholics regarding the sacraments?

1. Baptism:

The Western Church replaced immersion by sprinkling or pouring, starting in the eighth century, and it became widespread in the twelfth century, after which it became their official method.

Baptism by immersion has been in the church since the beginning, and this is clear in all the baptisms that took place in the Holy Bible, “Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John to be baptized by him” (Matthew 3:13), starting with the baptism of Jesus and the Ethiopian eunuch...etc. Even the large baptismal pools in Europe itself before the eighth century show that there was a staircase and inside it there was a pool, so the person descended and thus became under water.

The word (Greek) is the verb to dip or dye. In Apostolic Law /250/, the baptized person must be immersed in three times. There are citations from Saint Athanasius, John Chrysostom, and other holy fathers. Also, the Western father Tertullian (third century) says: “Because we immerse ourselves three times in the name of each one of the hypostases.”

What is the importance of this topic? Why is it preferable to dip and not spray? “Or do you not know that all of us who were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death and were buried with him through baptism into death, so that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we too might walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:3-4). Immersion is an image of death and burial, and this is important so that we can participate with Christ in the resurrection. We were born a new birth, we became members of the body of Christ. “Whoever believes and is baptized is saved, but whoever is not baptized will be condemned” (Mark 16:16). “No one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit” (John 3:5). But the call of our life is to die to the old man in order to live with him. This is the picture (burial and resurrection). Therefore, baptism always reminds us of our calling.

Does a young child understand the idea of burial and resurrection with Christ? The parents who attend baptism and witness this sacrament remember that baptism is the beginning of death and resurrection with Christ and that we are called, like this child, to be buried, that is, to die in order to rise with Christ. When this child grows up, he sees this picture and sees what his true calling is.

The Catholic priest uses the phrase “I baptize you,” while the Orthodox priest uses the word “baptize,” because the true priest is the Lord Jesus.

2. The Sacrament of Anointing:

This is what they call “installation”. In our church, this sacrament is practiced immediately after baptism, but in the Western Church it is separated from the sacrament of baptism. They baptize children at an early age, and then at the age of 7-10 they give them this sacrament, because they believe that children must understand the meanings of this sacrament, and when they participate In it, they must be fully aware of the truths of faith.

From the beginning, this sacrament was received with baptism. “And when they heard it, they were pricked in their hearts, and said to Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:37-38). “And when the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent to them Peter and John, who, when they came down, prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit” (Acts 8:14-15). The sacrament of anointing was given by the laying on of hands by the apostles.

Baptism is a new life, it is a birth of water and the Spirit. This birth took place, but it must be followed by steadfastness, so the sacrament of anointing (Chrism) is given. This anointing is necessary for the life of the believer because it confirms him in Christ. This chrismation is a new Pentecost for the believer. Do we leave our children, for example, after seven years of spiritual birth without spiritual gifts? “But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you know all things... But as for you, the anointing which you received from Him abides in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. Rather, just as this same anointing teaches you about all things, and it is truth and is not a lie, just as it taught you, you will abide in Him. “(1 John 2:20, 27). “But the one who confirms it with you in Christ, having anointed us, is God, who has also sealed us and given the Spirit in our hearts as a deposit” (2 Corinthians 1:20). The word anointing means that there is a liquid with which the baptized person is anointed, and the idea of anointing exists in the Old Testament, and this liquid is composed of oil, spices, and possibly wine, and this custom continued in the New Testament.

3. The Sacrament of Thanksgiving (Communion):

Communion is given to children late (10 years old), and it is called First Communion. They kept her away from baptism without any justification. They give the child a new birth and deprive him of participation in the body and blood of Christ. He loses the divine life with Christ.

This topic was studied in the Catholic-Orthodox dialogue. They said that these sacraments were given together, and they acknowledged that this is the first tradition of the Church, but they have their own Western tradition, and accordingly they prefer this method. Is it the correct way? The child who is born spiritually, the church becomes his home, in which he is raised, accustomed to the holy atmosphere and communion (the movement of the priest, icons, the Gospel, attendance at prayers...). This is how he grows in the church, and communion nourishes him and the chrismation he received makes him live by the Holy Spirit, his talents, and his work. The second and also important thing is that they prevented the laity from receiving the divine blood, so they only take the body; The reason is that Christ is fully present under both forms. All of these practices were determined ideologically at the Council of Trident. “Whoever says that receiving the Eucharist is necessary for children before they reach the age of discernment, let him be anathema.” “Whoever says that believers in general and in particular must, by virtue of a divine commandment, by virtue of the necessity of salvation, receive the Eucharist under both forms, let him be anathema.”

The issue of unleavened bread and leaven: The deviation of the Western Church in its use of unleavened bread is the result of the mind-based study (scholastic science) of some verses, including: “And on the first day of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying to him: Where do you want us to prepare for you to eat the Passover” (Matthew 26:17). “On the first day of unleavened bread, when they were slaughtering the Passover, his disciples said to him, ‘Where do you want us to go and prepare to eat the Passover?’” (Mark 14:12). “And the day of unleavened bread came on which the Passover was to be slaughtered” (Luke 22:7-8). The reader can understand that at the moment of fulfilling the Mystery of Thanksgiving (Maundy Thursday) the first sight was that when the Lord took the bread it was unleavened, Thursday evening was the beginning of the Jewish Passover and then it would not be unleavened (unleavened). In the eighth century, they began to use unleavened bread (parchana), “As for Jesus before the feast of the Passover...” (John 13:1), since John is familiar with what the three evangelists before him wrote, and so that his church would not fall into error if they read “in the first month on the fourth.” The tenth of the month is the Lord’s Passover between the two suppers” (Leviticus 25:5-6), the fourteenth of the month means the thirteenth day of sunset. “The fifteenth day of the month is the Feast of Unleavened Bread,” the Lord Jesus on Thursday, which was the fourteenth evening, and this means that the fifteenth day is not Thursday, but Friday evening. Catholics assume Easter Thursday, i.e. Thursday, is the fifteenth day, and therefore for them Christ, when he took bread, took Unleavened bread. On the first day of Unleavened Bread, the day on which the Passover was to be slaughtered, this does not mean that unleavened bread will begin with it. Between the two suppers, they prepare by bringing the lamb to be slaughtered, and they also prepare the first supper, which is similar to the Day of the Breadcrumbs among us.

“And in the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, is the Passover to the Lord” (Numbers 28:16), explaining that on the fourteenth of the month no unleavened bread is eaten, but on the fifteenth day they eat unleavened bread. “For seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. On the first day you shall remove leavened bread from your houses. For whoever eats leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that person shall be cut off from Israel. On the first day you shall have a holy assembly, and on the seventh day you shall have a holy assembly, in which no work shall be done except what every person shall eat. This alone shall be done by you. And you shall keep unleavened bread, for on this very day I brought your armies out of the land of Egypt” (Exodus 12:15-17), explaining how this feast is determined, what Passover is, how it is performed, and why?

The most important of these verses“And it was preparation for the Passover” (John 19:14). In many verses we see that many Jewish people were working on Thursday evening, such as: buying the field for thirty pieces of silver (Matthew 7:27) “So they mocked a man passing by who was coming from the field” (Mark 15:21), (Luke 13:26). The most important of them is that the Lord was taken down from the cross before the celebration of Easter (John 14:19, 16, 31). All of this means that they were not celebrating Easter until the Lord Jesus was crucified and buried. This is what we received from the apostles. The other matter is that Saint Ephrem the Syrian says: “The leaven that was with the widow when she came out in ancient times was two substances like leaven and unleavened bread, and just as a mortal body is devoid of the soul that was killing it, so the unleavened bread was devoid of the coming of the Holy Spirit.”

In the Bible, he used the word “Greek” which means leavened bread, and he did not use the word “Greek” which means unleavened bread.

The Western Church's opinion on how bread and wine are transformed? The body and blood of Christ become present as soon as the words of sanctification are finished, after the words of laying down the sacrament are finished. “Take, eat… Take, drink…” This is what was proven at the Council of Trident (1545 AD).

As for In the Eastern ChurchWe say these words, but we ask for the Holy Spirit to descend on the bread and wine, and this is something we did not invent, but rather it is shown in all the sacraments. Hippolytus of Rome in the Apostolic Tradition explains how the early church celebrated this sacrament: “The deacon presents the offerings to the bishop, and he places his hands on them and says the words of consecration, and then he continues. We ask you to send your Holy Spirit upon the offering of the Holy Church...”

Why is the issue of invoking the Holy Spirit important? Because every sacramental act is Trinitarian, in which the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit participate - we believe in one God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit - we raise prayers to the Father, the Son says these words, and we ask for the Holy Spirit to descend on the offerings. When the Western Church made the Holy Spirit emanate from the Father and the Son, and thus made them sources of the Holy Trinity, they had the Holy Spirit to a lower degree than the Father and the Son, and therefore they always put the Holy Spirit in the shadows, and therefore in the sanctification of sacrifices there is no presence of the Holy Spirit, and its role is secondary to the role of father and son.

What is the position of the apostles regarding communion with deviants? “Whoever transgresses and does not abide in the teaching of Christ does not have God, and whoever abides in the teaching of Christ has both the Father and the Son. If someone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not welcome him into your house and do not say hello to him, for whoever greets him is involved in his evil deeds” (2 John 1:9-10).

Confronting a Catholic priest or monks if they come to take Communion with us. This intention is a bad intention, because when a priest or monk comes and wants to participate in Holy Masses, he himself is violating the decisions of the Second Vatican Council: “In relations with brothers, members of separate churches, Council Decree in the Eastern Churches No. 26 If participation in the holy things harms the unity of the Church, if it is likely to lead to error, or risks deviation in the faith, or causes stumbling or indifference in religion, then it is forbidden by the force of divine law.

However, pastoral service and pastoral experience indicate, with regard to the Eastern brothers, that there are various circumstances and personal situations that do not harm the unity of the church, and are not a place for danger, but rather promise in view of the necessity of salvation and the spiritual well-being of souls. Therefore, the church must take into account the circumstances of the place and time. And the person's condition. Catholics may also request the same sacraments from non-Catholic seminarians.

What is our current position on the Western Church? Can we eat with them? After all that we have heard and seen of their deviations, and because of historical reasons and the sins of people, we hope that there will be unity, because this is the will of the Lord because He established one church, and in the end, at the second coming, there will be only one church.

Why don't we accept unity? If the deviations are the result of historical deviations. I say that there is no problem because this is something related to the past. The apology instituted by the Pope is unnecessary because he is apologizing for people from the past. The apology required is for these deviations. There is a doctrinal deviation, and the position of Christ and the apostles towards this is that we cannot have fellowship with them because the people will be affected by the deviations.

Why did the company break up with them? Doctrinal reasons, emanation from the Son, and various other issues are all deviations from the Orthodox Church (Church of the Apostles). We cannot say that there is no problem or disagreements. The problem among people is that it remains on Easter. No one talks about doctrinal differences. There are council decisions that are binding on them. Because of these deviations, we cannot create unity with the deviants. The problem is that we wish for unity, but this unity takes place as it was done in the past. If someone or a group deviates, communion with them is cut off, and therefore no one can receive communion with them because communion is unity, unity with Christ. Through it, we all become one fellowship with Christ. There cannot be an artificial human unity that humans wanted.

5. Among the sects that split from Rome (Catholicism):

Protestants (Lutherans, Reformed, Anglicans, and their offshoots):

The history of all these sects begins with Martin Luther, the German Catholic monk who, in 1517 AD, protested against indulgences and other issues. The confrontation with Rome ultimately resulted in the declaration of the Bible as the sole reference for faith, and the establishment of the Lutheran Church, which spread in Germany and northern Europe.

In Western Europe, independently of Luther, he led the reformer Zwinkle (Zwingly) A movement similar to the Reformation. Others continued his work after his death, and he was the most important of them Calvin (Calven) the Frenchman who, in the middle of the sixteenth century, was able to make Geneva a center for Reformed Churches and to spread Calvinism to other countries.

In England, the emergence of the Anglican community began with the declaration of King Henry VIII, in the year 1534 AD, of himself as Supreme Head of the Church of England, and then as the status of this church fluctuated during the reign of his successors between Catholicism and Calvinism, the two were merged at the end of the sixteenth century through 39 An article that remains to this day the constitution of faith of this sect, which is also called Episcopal.

Ancient Catholics:

Three groups are known by this name that separated from Rome at different times:

a. A group of bishoprics in Utrecht (The Netherlands), which separated from Rome in 1724 AD because it was accused of Jansenism. It is also called after Jansenius (1585-1638 AD), the author of the book Augustine, in which he adopts all of his theories, including those related to grace. The Catholic Church condemned it in the mid-seventeenth century, while various factions supported it at different times.

B. A group of bishoprics in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and BohemiaIt was formed after its split from the Catholic community due to its rejection of the doctrine of the presidency and infallibility of the Pope after its issuance by the First Vatican Council in 1870.

T. A group of categories of Slavic originIt separated from the Papal Poles in North America in 1897, and from the Croats in 1924 AD, and belongs to a number of bishoprics in America, and one in each of Poland and Croatia.

In general, ancient Catholics accept the Seven Ecumenical Councils, the doctrines that were accepted before the schism of 1054 AD, and allow their clergy to marry, including bishops.

Protestant:

A fight arose between the Reformers (Luther, Calvin,...) and the Catholic Church. They were able to establish churches, but with a different reaction. Instead of rejecting the Pope because they had problems with him, they stood against priests in general. Instead of standing against the Catholic Church's deviations from tradition, they rejected tradition in general. They rejected secrets. Catholics exaggerated their veneration of saints, rejecting saints and holiness as a whole. Because they are against good deeds, they are satisfied with faith alone. They rejected the Virgin's virginity. They became without surrender, without a church, without sacraments, without life in the Church of Christ, without icons.

Delivery:

Delivery is simply: the same good news that Christ told the apostles to bring to people for the sake of salvation. “Then Jesus came and spoke to them, saying: All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age, Amen” (Matthew 28:18-20). This good news that they carried (discipleship, good news, teaching...) was an oral good news, because the apostles taught orally and the churches grew up on the oral tradition. Also in “And he said to them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to the whole creation’” (Mark 16:15), the word (Greek) means oral good news, the good news.

What is the gospel? It is everything that the disciples heard from the Lord Jesus, saw and received from Him. He gave them the gifts of the Holy Spirit through which they could complete the sacraments. After the Resurrection, they received the Holy Spirit, and at Pentecost they received the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

What is delivery? Everything that the apostles delivered to the churches of good news, divine secrets, and gifts was delivered, and it was done orally, and on this basis the churches were founded.

“I praise you, brothers, that you remember me in all things and keep the teachings as I delivered them to you” (1 Corinthians 11:2). In this verse, they translate ( ) into teaching, but they are the traditions or hand-downs that he gave them verbally, and that is because they do not believe in hand-offs. What the Apostle Paul delivered to the people of Corinth is everything he received about the Lord Jesus.

The emergence of current Christian heresies:

What is common in the history of the new false prophets and teachers who produced the current Christian heresies - and it may be the common point by which they differ from the Christian sects - is their total rejection of the one, holy, universal and apostolic Church founded by Christ, with its delivery and life throughout the centuries, and each of them’s claim to be governed by it. From his whims and arrogant mind - that he is the prophet sent by God who alone came to know His purposes, secrets, and promises, relying on the Holy Bible alone, which paved the way for the ceaseless proliferation of sects and heresies.

Of the heresies that are dangerous to salvation, we will suffice with giving a cursory glance at some of what has reached our country, including:

1. Jehovah's Witnesses:

This heresy was founded by Charles Russell in the American state of Pennsylvania in the year 1872 AD, after studying the Bible, after he was influenced by the preaching of Adventists (Adventists) that the return of Christ and the establishment of his millennial kingdom were approaching. He also made his contribution and set his own dates for the return of Christ, claiming that he was the forerunner of it. Time and time again proved that he was a false prophet, in addition to the fruits of his life that bore witness to him, including two rulings issued against him by the courts of his country. He wrote his opinions and prophecies in seven volumes, and also founded the Watchtower magazine and a publishing society. After his death, his followers continued to strengthen and organize this heresy, including giving it the name Jehovah’s Witnesses, through a conference they held in 1931 AD, during the era of his successor, Rutherford, who was also a false prophet and a Zionist par excellence. His published books still testify to this day to his false prophecies and his scandalous Zionism, including “Millions of those alive today will never die.” It was translated into Arabic, and published in 1920 AD under the name of the Association of Students of the Torah (there are pictures of it in Al-Sayeh Library).

Among the beliefs of this heresy, which radically leads to the loss of salvation and eternal life, is their rejection of the Holy Trinity and their consideration of the Lord Jesus as the first creation of Jehovah, and their denial of His cross, resurrection, and bodily ascension, the Church, the sacraments, and holiness, and their preaching of an earthly kingdom instead of the heavenly kingdom...etc.

2. Seventh-day Adventists:

William Miller (also from the United States of America) preceded Russell in his false prediction about the imminent presence of the Second Lord and His Millennium Kingdom. This attendance was set for the year 1844 AD, which he and his followers had waited for, but their hopes were disappointed. However, a few of them remained insisting with him on calling for the near coming of Christ, and that is why they were called Adventists (Adventists).

In addition to the issue of Advent, these few - including Mrs. Allen White, whom they believe is a prophet and sent from God - among the Seventh-day Adventist Shiites accepted the heresy of the necessity of implementing the commandment in the Old Testament about the Sabbath, so they formed the nucleus of the Seventh-day Adventists who later extended to many countries.

Among the things that also distinguish these people from the Protestant sects is their belief in the millennium rule of Christ, in the absence of life after death (denying the immortality of the soul), in the baptism of adults...etc.

3. Mormons:

Joseph Smith, the false prophet of this heresy (who is also from the United States of America), claimed that in one of his visions, he saw an angel who directed him to buried golden lists on which a prophet named Mormon had written in modified hieroglyphs (a language that no one knew except Joseph) a gospel that the Savior had given to the peoples of An ancient inhabitant of the American continent, originating from Jerusalem. Joseph translated it into English based on the Urim and Thummim stones buried with the lists, and then he founded his church in 1830 AD, which he called: “The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.”

He also saw 135 visions, most of which were published in two major books that believers in him consider, along with the Book of Mormon (translated into many languages, including Arabic), two heavenly books. Because of the intense hostility of the people towards Smith and his followers for their quackery and practice of polygamy, they moved from one state to another until they settled in the state of Utah, where they succeeded in becoming a prominent social, economic, and political force. Nowadays, they spread rapidly throughout the world, relying on advanced means of communicating with humans, including knocking on doors by two young men carrying the Bible and the Book of Mormon. They arrived in the Middle East and its gateway is Lebanon.

One of the many heresies that they introduce into the minds of simple people at the right time is that Jesus Christ is the fruit of a sexual relationship between Elohim and Mary, and he is a full brother of Lucifer, the devil, and he is one of many gods who sought and obtained salvation like him. He married many women and had children with them. There are three gods, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and with them an infinite number of sacred divine personalities living in worlds, and all of these gods are changeable and material, they have bodies of flesh and bones, and they have sexual activity...etc.

The emergence of currents linked to modern sects:

In addition to these three heresies, of which there are many others, we must point out two dangerous trends, each of which arose gradually and in mutual interaction, across multiple sects, at different times, and in different countries, in Protestant and later Catholic circles. The motivation for the emergence of each of them was the need or desire to obtain the fruits of the multiple gifts that appeared in the life of the early church and were talked about in the books of the New Testament. Because Christians in general often feel this same need or desire, these two trends are now used in the Christian world, on a large scale, as tempting bait by groups that aim to influence and seize others, including:

1. Converters:

The call for spiritual renewal began with the groups that demanded re-baptism since the sixteenth century, and through the following centuries in England with the sects that demanded the experience of spiritual birth, such as the Quakers, Baptists, Moravians, Brethren (Darbyists), and especially the Methodists. These people were holding meetings aimed at stoking spiritual enthusiasm, which led to the crystallization of the renewal movement that moved at the beginning of the nineteenth century to the United States of America, where it was called the American Revival Movement. There they expressed it in different ways, including meetings in open spaces, focusing on the necessity of personal conversion and new birth that takes place at a specific time or unexpected moment, usually instigated by the preacher or evangelist. One of the most famous pioneers of the renewal movement today is Billy Graham, a Baptist who has many missions. The most important of these missions, which also target the Middle East: “Youth for Christ,” “World Vision.” He broadcasts his gospel from Puerto Rico via satellite to more than 165 countries simultaneously.

Of course, true spiritual renewal is not an illusion or imagination, and it does not occur through external emotional or emotional stimulation at a specific moment. It is the fruit of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in the heart after a gradual purification “from every defilement of the flesh and spirit” (2 Corinthians 7:1) carried out by the sacraments of the Church of God, “through the washing of rebirth and renewing of the Holy Spirit” (Titus 3:5), for those who believe in the Lord Jesus and keep His commandments ( John 14:15-21) and carried his cross (Matthew 16:24-25), which is something that the converted do not believe in.

2. Charismatic:

This word is derived from the Greek word “charisma,” which in the New Testament means “a free gift from God.” Because some special gifts, such as “the gifts of healing, or the working of miracles, or of prophecy, or of discerning spirits, or of kinds of tongues, or of the interpretation of tongues” (1 Corinthians 12:9-10), were given in abundance, in the first apostolic period because of the urgent need for them at that time for the sake of the good news, it was Many sects have been formed in Protestant and Catholic circles in different countries, based on their burning desire to obtain these gifts in our days. Among these sects are what were called Healists (such as the Antonians in Belgium, Scientific Christianity in America, etc.), and in particular what was called the Pentecostal movement. This began at the beginning of the twentieth century with those in the United States of America who sought to be baptized with the Holy Spirit and to speak in tongues, as happened at Pentecost. After this, she moved to Britain with the Methodist priest Barratt, where it became an active charismatic movement led mostly by lay people. Its activity and spread in the world increased after the first quarter of the twentieth century, especially in the British Isles, North America, Scandinavia, and Brazil. Its extension also reached Catholic circles in the sixties, where it spread and spread until it became a common phenomenon in all countries in which clergy, monks, and laity were involved, with official support from Catholic presidencies at the highest levels. Some of the Orthodox were influenced by this movement, especially in Lebanon.

Certainly, talents, because they are a special gift from God, do not occur simply because a person desires to obtain them. Only God knows when and how to give it at the right time and place, and in proportion to the condition of the person to whom He wants to give it, and to the good of the church, lest it become a judgment on him: “Many will say to me on that day, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name cast out demons, and in your name We have done many mighty things; then I will declare to them, I never knew you. Depart from me, you workers of iniquity” (Matthew 7:22).

God gives His gifts, at the right time, not to those who are zealous and eagerly seek to have them come upon them, but to those who have surrendered themselves completely to the will of God and have not asked for anything for themselves. They have purified themselves in body and soul, and after a bitter struggle they have achieved, with His help, holiness and virtues, the first of which is stillness of spirit and humility of heart. Then there will be no danger to them if They gave it.

Finally, we cannot ignore the association of a large number of Shiites and heresies that come to our country with the political plans of Zionism or the New World that are interested in fragmenting, subjugating, and brainwashing people in accordance with their interests. But what is more important is that we remember the Lord’s warnings about it, lest we fall into its clutches and lose our salvation: “Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ,’ or there, do not believe it.” For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, the elect. Behold, I have told you beforehand” (Matthew 24:23-25).

Christian sects and heresies
Father Dr. George Attia
Balamand - Saint John of Damascus Theological Institute

(1)  Cephas means Peter in Aramaic

(2)  To read the book “Apostolic Constitution on the Doctrine of Indulgences by Pope Paul VI and Rules for Obtaining Indulgences issued by the Holy Office of Repentance.”