Orthodox Reflections

It is with great sadness that we see Archbishop Elpidophoros’ announcement that from a GOARCH perspective, there will be no religious exemptions offered in response to mandates surrounding COVID-19 vaccinations.  This also appears to imply that there is “no Orthodox angle” here; and yet, if we examine things from a Patristic Tradition, this position is not necessarily a de facto Truth.

To begin with, let’s use the Aristotelian framework of dialogue, where it is said that no constructive dialogue can ever take place without both parties agreeing to basic axioms (things that we hold true, but can’t necessarily “prove”).  Without a basic agreement on some axioms (facts), a dialogue is not possible, as is the case in a dialogue between someone of Faith and an Atheist, because the basic axiom that “God exists” is not accepted by both parties.   For our discussion, we will construct our dialogue on the basis of the Axiom that both Archbishop Elpidophoros and the rest of us believe that we were made in the Image and Likeness of God (κατ’ εικόνα και καθ’ ομοίωσίν).

Now that we have established the first axiom, let’s take a look at it through a Patristic lens.  In his work Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith (Chapter 26), St. John of Damascus describes the Patristic understanding of the words κατ’ εικόνα and καθ’ ομοίωσίν :

Original Greek:

τὸ μὲν γὰρ «κατ᾿ εἰκόνα» τὸ νοερὸν δηλοῖ καὶ αὐτεξούσιον, τὸ δὲ «καθ᾿ ὁμοίωσιν» τὴν τῆς ἀρετῆς κατὰ τὸ δυνατὸν ὁμοίωσιν.

Modern Greek:

Διότι το νοερό και το αυτεξούσιο του ανθρώπου δείχνει το «κατ’ εικόνα», ενώ η, όσο είναι δυνατόν, ομοιότητα στην αρετή δείχνει το «καθ’ ομοίωσιν»

English:

Because the “in the image” declares the noetic and “self-governing” [aspects] of man, whereas, to the extent possible, the “likeness” demonstrates similarity in virtue.

This explanation is also consistent with our funerial hymnography:

Original Greek:

“εἰς τὸ καθ᾿ ὁμοίωσιν ἐπανάγαγε, τὸ ἀρχαῖον κάλλος ἀναμορφώσασθαι.

Modern Greek:

ἐπανάφερέ με στὸ καθ᾿ ὁμοίωσιν γιὰ νὰ ξαναβρῶ τὴν παλαιὰ ὀμορφιά

English:

Restore me to the “in Your likeness” state, so I can find the original/ancient beauty.

For the purposes of this discussion, we will focus specifically on the αυτεξουσιον (“Self-governance” / “free will” ). We have to start with the axiom that we are God’s creation, and our αυτεξουσιον is a God-given characteristic of our existence.  We trust that the majority of hierarchs agree with St. John of Damascus’ explanation as well as this axiom so far.  We know that God does not usually actively intervene to prevent someone from sinning, because Salvation hinges upon this concept of “free will” or the αυτεξουσιον.  This principle has been fought for by the righteous since the beginning of Biblical time.  Lot’s wife had the “free will” to turn her face towards Sodom & Gomorrah resulting in a tragic end…. the 3 Youths “rejected the irreverent command [mandate]” as we hear in the Katavasies of the Nativity (Δυσσεβους προσταγματος καταφρονησαντες) and entered the furnace with their “free will”, as did generations of Christian martyrs who strengthened the legacy of our Orthodox practices and Traditions.

Here we are again in the year 2021, faced with a “mandate” that both disrespects and violates our God-given αυτεξουσιον.  This is NOT a medical debate about the efficacy or safety of vaccines, the seriousness of the virus, and so on.  This is a pure debate about accepting or rejecting the suppression of our God-given “free will” by secular worldly authorities in the form of “mandates”, and by extension whether or not this constitutes a violation of human rights, and our Freedom of Religion.  In this Orthodox Patristic prism, suppressing a God-given αυτεξουσιον seems to be a clear violation of our belief system and Faith.  Whether or not the catalyst for this violation is a “medical emergency”, or whether in the future it could be something else, the Church hierarchy should be protesting this basic violation and humiliation of our God-given dignity, which is directly associated with the Image and Likeness to God, in which we were created.

It is one thing to try and convince people to obtain a vaccine through dialogue and education, but it is an egregious violation of religious freedom to suppress a person’s God-given αυτεξουσιον and threaten them with unemployment (modern-day martyrdom) without any reaction from the official Church hierarchy.  Thus, it becomes clear that there IS in fact a religious and Patristic angle here, in contrast to Archbishop Elpidophoros’ position….If we don’t respect or defend our God-given αυτεξουσιον, then do we really believe in the same way that St. John of Damascus believed?  Are we aligned with our Patristic Tradition?

Thank God there are still some Orthodox Hierarchs out there who are actively fighting for this principle… A recent open letter by the ROCOR Archbishop of Australia and New Zealand denouncing this suppression of “free will” (αυτεξουσιον) is a clear indication that St. John of Damascus is followed by some Holy Hierarchs… by the way, we only need 3 Canonical Orthodox Hierarchs in order to preserve continuity in the Church, according to the Canons, in the event of heresy / schism…

Just in case the first point wasn’t sufficient to prove that the “mandates” conflict with our core Orthodox Faith, let’s examine another angle.

Many things in Revelation are not very clear, but some are quite clear.  In this part of the discussion, we begin with the axioms (accepted facts) that a) there will be a day where the remaining faithful cannot buy or sell, and b) the reality of an ultimate Antichrist exists and is true.  We assume these Orthodox axioms are generally accepted by all parties and we hope, by our own hierarchs as well.  At the same time, let’s be clear:  Prophecy is not fulfilled just because “God said so”, but rather because God knows ahead of time how humans will exercise their αυτεξουσιον at a critical time (remember the Ninevites that were spared by their repentance at a critical moment in time)…Ultimately, human action or inaction is usually the root cause for prophecy to manifest.

And here we are at this critical time, perhaps for the first time in history. We are seeing a “global mandate framework,” with unprecedented cross-boundary cooperation and collaboration, complete with a “global show me your papers / mark”, and a clear choice between “slavery” (inability to live/work) and “freedom” (if you accept the vaccine).  Before we jump to any conclusions, let’s be clear: to call this trend of vaccine mandates the actual mark of the beast in Revelation is certainly absurd, but to acknowledge that the manifestation of such a framework, model or precedent  could possibly be used by the antichrist at some point in the future can no longer either be ignored or considered science fiction.

We are witnessing the unfolding an unprecedented global effort to make “free citizens” choose between “vaccine passports” that offer the full set of privileges that society has to offer, or the alternative option of banishment from worldly pleasures [e.g. indoor dining], and even from the necessity to earn an income, which will naturally turn into an inability to “buy” anything…To be clear, we are not calling the architects of the current vaccine mandates “antichrists”, nor are we insinuating that the day that Revelation has spoken about is upon us today, but we do feel that those who are currently enabling and supporting the efforts to establish precedence for a system or framework that the Antichrist COULD use in the future are NOT doing God’s work right now.

So here we are, at a critical historical juncture, and it appears we are opening the door to a future fulfillment of the prophecy in Revelation because of an inexplicable reluctance of our clergy to protest this slippery slope.  With no resistance from our own Church leaders in the face of blatant suppression of our God-given αυτεξουσιον, with a blanket “surrender” (in this early stage of its development) to the global “you can’t buy or sell” framework, today’s flame will be fueled by this precedent and certainly grow into a wildfire that consumes us in the future. As St. Paisios once said “the time to put out a fire is when the flame is small, not when it has turned into a raging wildfire”.  This surrender is a reprehensible and shocking absence of the Orthodox Patristic mindset, in the least. 

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There are some other Orthodox angles to consider here as well. There is no doubt (a new axiom) that Medical Science has helped extend life expectancy over the last couple hundred years with various techniques, including vaccines.  We have had great Saints who were doctors during this era, and they never spoke against vaccines, including St. Luke of Crimea, who was certainly alive during this time.  We fully agree with the teachings and views of St. Luke of Crimea, and we support any advances in Medical Science that God allows for our benefit. The issue is not with the notion that Medical Science has succeeded in extending life expectancy.  The issue is with a growing and sinister state of deception (πλανη) that Humanity is falling into as a result of this benefit provided by advances in Medicine.

What do we mean by this?  In the Old Testament, after Noah’s Flood, God reduced the number of years that humans could live to a theoretical maximum that still holds true today – about 120 years (Gen 6:4).  We also know from the 90^th Psalm that “As for the days of our years, in them are seventy years; and if men should be in strength, eighty years: and the greater part of them would be labour and trouble; for weakness overtakes us, and we shall be chastened ….”

(αι ημεραι των ετων ημων εν αυτοις εβδομηκοντα ετη εαν δε εν δυναστειαις ογδοηκοντα ετη και το πλειον αυτων κοπος και πονος οτι επηλθεν πραυτης εφ’ ημας και παιδευθησομεθα)

So what does this mean?  If God shortened our days to help us realize our mortality and repent, it goes without saying that a successful expansion (reversal) of average life expectancy would result in a statistically significant reduction in spirituality, and an analogous increase in apostasy from God. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see that this apostasy is in full swing in modern industrial societies.  However, if there is an apostasy from God, this implies an increase in faithlessness, or perhaps a “transference” of faith in God, to something else.  What would that something else be, exactly?  It could be Human Capability, Ingenuity, and the Scientific / Medical Community that has “offered” longevity and “saved” so many human lives.  So now Human Capability becomes the new deity (idol).   How many more times have the words “place your Belief and Trust in Science and Medicine” than “Believe in God” been heard during this Covid-19 Pandemic?

While it is certainly important to trust expert opinion in matters that are specialized, there is a fine line that should not be crossed.  Otherwise, a New Religion, a Cult, a climax of Apostasy is the end result.  And yet, this line has been crossed, from the moment that “free will” or αυτεξουσιον has been targeted by these global mandates.  The line was also been crossed when we saw a growing “cult” of people who feel it is their “right to live” for 120 years, and that it is expected of their “dangerous, infectious neighbors” to stay away or be quarantined so the “new cult” can indulge in worldly pleasures until their dying breath.  This emerging perception that there is an entitlement or a “right to live” for 120 years is a new phenomenon in our global society.

In contrast, Orthodox Patristic Tradition teaches us to pray at night, with no guarantee that we will wake up in the morning, and pray in the morning with no guarantee that we will be alive at supper.  Meanwhile, the new “cult” puts faith in Science and places blame on the “infectious and unvaccinated threat” that is depriving them of a full 120 years of Earthly life.   The line was crossed again when the members of this “new cult” were allowed to de-humanize the “unvaccinated ones” perceiving them to be loathsome sub-human enemies, no longer made in the Image and Likeness of God, as they embarked on a campaign to eradicate them by means of socio-economic blackmail and oppression.

It is no longer about “forcing second class citizens to sit at the back of the bus”…now it’s more like “no bus for you!”  This demonstrates how quickly a state of deception can result in dehumanizing your neighbor instead of “love thy neighbor” and “love your enemies”.  The reverse argument that is being used, claiming that it is the “unvaccinated ones” who don’t “love their neighbor” does not absolve the “neo-Cult” from the responsibility of unethically suppressing their neighbor’s “free will” (αυτεξουσιον ).  Not only is this an unacceptable solution in any civilized society, at the very least it is reprehensible, and even barbaric to enable and encourage such behavior.  Our Church hierarchs are expected to have the Patristic wisdom to identify this new state of spiritual deception concerning the new “right to live for 120 years” and not to empower it.  Our Scripture says “Blessed are the Peace-makers” (Μακαριοι οι ειρηνοποιοι)…In this light, has Archbishop Elpidophoros succeeded in his mission to be a peacemaker?  It doesn’t appear to be so based on this latest encyclical.

As a final thought concerning how placing greater “Faith in Humans (Scientists)” vs. God can be against our Religion, let’s recall the wonderful excerpts from the “Typika” and from Holy Thursday evening respectively, with a special focus of attention on the word “Rulers” (Αρχοντες)….

Μὴ πεποίθατε ἐπ᾿ ἄρχοντας, ἐπὶ υἱοὺς ἀνθρώπων, οἷς οὐκ ἔστι σωτηρία.”

Do not put your faith/confidence upon rulers, upon sons of men, from whom there is no Salvation

«Άρχοντες λαών συνήχθησαν, κατά του Κυρίου, και κατά του Χριστού αυτού…»

“Rulers/Aristocracy of nations conspired/convened against the Lord, and against his Anointed one…”

If we, the Creation, are made in the Image and Likeness of our God, then when anyone violates our “free will” (αυτεξουσιον), they re-enact the Troparion of Holy Thursday evening, and also blaspheme against God, the Creator.  Shouldn’t our hierarchs be concerned about this?

If Archbishop Elpidophoros still doesn’t agree that there is real conflict between “forced mandates” and our fundamental Orthodox beliefs, that is clearly his own personal opinion, which is not aligned with the Orthodox Patristic Tradition or mindset, per this axiom-based discussion.  This has been made quite clear in the previous paragraphs.  There is absolute conflict between what we are experiencing with these global mandates today and our Faith.  It is unacceptable for any Orthodox Christian, let alone a hierarch, to turn a blind eye to the violation that is occurring to the Image of God, our own “free will” (αυτεξουσιον).  Like we said earlier, at least there are some Orthodox Hierarchs who seem to agree with St. John of Damascus.  Thank God for that.  Although the latest GOARCH Eparchial Synod’s disappointing decision to ignore the aforementioned considerations is eerily reminiscent of the 1439 Council of Ferrara – where geopolitical pressure urged Hierarchs to “sign on the dotted line” in a concessionary manner – the faithful are always confident that Patristic Teaching of Orthodoxy will ultimately prevail.  This will remain a constant truth, even if there will be an unfortunate interim time when “evil will strike the shepherds, and the sheep will scatter”…

MARKOS E.

For more information on this topic, please read this epistle from The Burning Bush Brotherhood – Orthodox Resistance to Vaccine Mandates: Men Have Become Wolves to Men