In the minds of the Orthodox, the Reformers should have sought a full church council (to include the Orthodox) rather than separate without the approval of a council.

Although I’ve been on Cyprus for almost two years I haven’t made a habit of visiting monasteries – despite having a degree in church history and an affinity for all things ancient.

I have been able to visit other historical sites since I’ve been here because the island is filled with all sorts of them. Not the least of which are the ruins of Salamis and ancient Paphos, both of which are mentioned in Acts 13. On the other hand I don’t consider myself a theologian or apologist of any magnitude – despite the fact I also have a theology degree. Which made a recent invitation somewhat unnerving.

A member of my congregation has been wrestling with some issues in his life – as well as the call God appears to be placing on him (We’ll call him “John” to maintain his anonymity – since I don’t have anyone in the congregation by that name). Like anyone who lives in a city, quiet is a premium we don’t often have, so “John’s” been taking advantage of the peace and solitude offered by the nearby monastery of Stavrovouni. As the monks often do during open hours, one of them began interacting with “John” – and as one of the resident priests (not all monks are ordained) – He also took a pastoral interest in helping this man wrestle with his sense of call.

Seeing “John’s” faith intrigued the priest – especially since “John” calls himself an “evangelical” – which is a rarity on Cyprus. He was also honestly shocked that this person was so conversant about his faith – and asked how he knew so much – which is somehow where my name came in. So late Sunday I get a text, and a call, from him along with an invitation to go to Stavrovouni to meet Fr. “X” (for purposes of anonymity). As I mentioned above, I was a little unnerved because I had no idea what to expect. And since it’s bad form on Cyprus to turn down an invitation unless you really have other things to do – and I didn’t – I agreed to meet “John” at Stavrovouni on Monday afternoon when it opened to the public.

The drive to Stavrovouni is like something out of a travel guide for Cyprus – because it’s on a mountaintop that’s surrounded by small farms covered with carob and olive trees. And the mountain is steep and almost conical, so there are lots of switchback curves. You can actually see the monastery from almost 15Km away and as you get closer it gets all the more imposing.

Stavrovouni was been an active monastery since the middle of the 4th Century until the 17th Century when it was abandoned while the island was under the reign of the Ottomans. It was reopened in 1889 with the arrival of some monks from Mt. Athos in Greece, and it has been active since then. There are currently 30 monks in the community. Although women can visit the bookstore and the All Saints of Cyprus chapel outside the walls – they are not allowed in the monastery itself – only men may enter inside the walls.

After a pretty steep hike from the parking lot; we were greeted by Fr. “X”, who graciously took the time to show me around the monastery – which is architecturally impressive. The oldest part of the monastery is a small wing that was built in the 11th Century, and is still in use. It doesn’t take long to see the grandeur of this place – you can literally see half the island (which is 110 miles across). The silence and sense of peace was equally as impressive, so I could easily understand why “John” came here to pray.

After a while we went to a small anteroom and had a rather lengthy – and amazingly pleasant – conversation as I helped Fr. “X” understand some of the differences between Protestant and Orthodox theology. I was honestly impressed by how well versed Fr. “X” was about Protestant dogma – which is highly unusual – as well as his ecumenical openness. What was even more eye opening was his respect for both Calvin and Luther – whom He felt were right to openly dissent against the failings of the Roman Church at that time. Their “failure” in Fr. “X’s” mind was not continuing their dissent within the confines of the church…, which from my perspective would’ve resulted in martyrdom and probably, put an end to the Reformation.

The Orthodox limit Protestant legitimacy because we won’t acknowledge the apostolic authority of bishops – a doctrine which places leadership of the church in the hands of elected bishops. The Orthodox view is somewhat different from Roman Catholicism’s view, because it doesn’t necessarily embrace continuous succession; but instead embraces the idea of continued recognition and ratification of dogma & practice by a synod of Bishops rather than being tied to direct succession from the Apostles. So, in the minds of the Orthodox, the Reformers should’ve have sought a full church council (to include the Orthodox) rather than separate without the approval of a council. What most people don’t know is that their successors honestly tried to convene a meeting with the Orthodox Church through Metropolitan Cyril Lucaris II; but he was deposed and murdered by the Turks because they thought he was trying to encourage a new crusade, and the next Metropolitan was unwilling to meet with them.

Besides talking about the Trinity – we also addressed tradition – which the Orthodox view as “Big-T and Little-T”,. The Big-T is both the oral & written transmission of the Gospel as it’s worked out in the dogma & worship of the church – which is non-negotiable. The Orthodox believe that oral transmission of the Gospel and doctrine preceded written transmission and is equally valid. The Little-T’s are those negotiable practices & rites of the Church that are subject to the authority of synods and church councils, and can be changed if approved by these bodies; and not by individual church bodies as is the case in most Protestant denominations.

One of the more interesting aspects of our conversation revolved around Mary – and Protestant’s unwillingness to recognize her as the Theotokos. What Fr. “X” didn’t know – and most Protestants don’t know – is that Luther & Calvin both had developed theologies about Mary – and Calvin was even willing to recognize Mary as the Theotokos, but only because Jesus was fully God and fully man at the time of his birth – and not because of her preeminence in heaven. Although the Orthodox accept the idea of Mary’s perpetual virginity, they deny her immaculate conception and believe she was born with original sin – and needed to be – because otherwise Jesus would not have been fully human.

This led to a discussion of veneration. To the Orthodox, veneration of an icon is similar to looking at a photograph and remembering/honoring that person’s life…something akin to a church hallway filled with the photos of past pastors. They do not equate veneration with worship because it is not meant to take away from the work of redemption or forgiveness – which is done solely through Jesus’ work on the cross. At the same time – they also see the visible and invisible church as one entity, and see asking the saints to approach Jesus the same as they would ask any living person for prayer. The Orthodox are also charismatic and they believe Protestant cessationists misinterpret 1 Corinthians 13:11-13. In their minds, to deny the gifts, means we deny the reality of the Trinity or God’s ability and willingness to intercede in the present.

The one question I couldn’t answer was the issue of the existence of so many different Protestant denominations and the perceived lack of unity/authority within Protestantism. This is a huge issue for the Orthodox Church because the Orthodox believe the vast number of Protestant denominations makes it impossible to transmit real biblical truth and unity to an unbelieving world…especially since in their view, the differences between Protestant “sects” are minor in terms dogma.

Throughout this “great” theological discussion, we hadn’t neglected “John” in any way, and often used our discussion to provide him with pastoral guidance and to show him that despite our differences the church still remained one. Admittedly I/we were still considered schismatics/heterodox, but I don’t think we were considered heretics any longer.

After a delightful afternoon of give and take – I think what I took away from my meeting was that we are approaching Christianity and the Gospel from two distinct and different mindsets: a western one that had to react to the middle ages and is essentially scholastic in nature, and an eastern one, which survived the Ottoman empire and is essentially lived in nature – but not without it’s scholars.

I also think we’re closer than most of us are willing to admit…and that semantics (and the lack of a common vocabulary as a start point) often play a huge and misunderstood role in our differences. And having nearly daily contact with the Orthodox – and having Orthodox members in my congregation – I am convinced of their faith and their dependence on Christ for salvation. (And I’m fully aware of some of their finer theological points regarding works and the keeping of vigils and fasts…but I’ve also seen their walk and heard their talk…they know the Gospel and they live in grace daily.)

What was funny, was that we had to end our meeting so Fr. “X” could prepare for vespers – and He invited me to stay – which I did. Besides the monks there were probably a dozen “pilgrims” at the service who had been at the monastery that day. Afterwards I was invited to come back again at any time. Although we have our differences, I have made a new friend in Christ and have a deeper appreciation for another faith tradition.

From the Edge of Byzantium

“Fr.” Burns*

(* Remember from previous dispatches: on this island you’re always “Father”, never “Pastor” – unless you really have a staff and a flock following you around.)

Terry Burns is a PCA minister and member of the Presbytery of the Blue Ridge. He is ministering WAY out-of-bounds as the Pastor of the independent Nicosia Community Church in Cyprus. He writes an occasional dispatch for the folks back home. Email him at [email protected]