Digging Out the Embedded Church - The Maranatha Community

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d) The Veneration of the Virgin Mary and the Place of Mary in Salvation. Both Catholics and Orthodox have a deeper veneration for Mary than is usual among Protestants. The Immaculate Conception of Mary – the dogma that she was conceived without original sin – is held by the Roman Catholic Church, having been promulgated in 1854. The Eastern Orthodox Churches tend to reject this dogma, or suspend judgement on it, on the grounds that it would impair Mary‟s actual sinlessness and because their concept of original sin differs from that of the Western Churches. The Bodily Assumption of Mary – the dogma that after her death she was assumed bodily into heaven – is held by Orthodox and Catholic Churches alike. It was promulgated in the West in 1950. Both dogmas claim to have a long history of acceptance in the Church, though the Scriptural evidence for them is suspect and sparse. The earliest homily we have on the Bodily Assumption is by Theoteknos, Bishop of Livias, in Palestine, in the 6 th Century. Neither of these dogmas about Mary is accepted by the Protestant churches. These dogmas should not take away from the supremacy of Christ in salvation, because Mary‟s immaculate conception and bodily assumption do not save us. However, in the Credo of the People of God in the Vatican documents 170 (146) it is held that Mary „cooperates with the birth and growth of divine life in the souls of the redeemed,‟ and most Protestants would be unhappy with that statement. The whole issue of Tradition versus Scripture comes into focus on doctrines concerning Mary more than in any other area of doctrine. Protestants are concerned that there are unwarranted inferences made about Mary in Church tradition, which elevate her role in salvation and tend to undermine belief in only one mediator. Further, in what way can the Catholic Church speak of Christ being Mary‟s Redeemer if she was sinless in conception and life? The word „Mediatrix‟ is used of Mary in Vatican II documents, but with a caveat. Using this term for Mary would seem to detract from the supremacy of Jesus, and it is hard to see how the Catholic position can be maintained, yet officially the teaching is that acceptance of Mary‟s role in bringing the Saviour into the world does not diminish Jesus‟ place as sole Saviour. In Vatican II Dogmatic Constitution on the Church 171 this supremacy is maintained. The statement reads: „In the words of the apostle there is but one mediator: “for there is but one God and one mediator of God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself a redemption for all” (1 Tim 2.5-6). But Mary‟s function as mother of men in no way obscures or diminishes this unique mediation of Christ, but rather shows its power. But the Blessed 170 Ed Flannery, Austin, OP, Vatican Collection Vol 1, Vatican Council II, The Conciliar and Post- Conciliar Documents, New Revised Edition 1992 (ninth printing), Dominican Publications, p 391. 171 Ed Flannery, Austin, OP, Vatican Collection Vol 1, Vatican Council II, The Conciliar and Post- Conciliar Documents, New Revised Edition 1992 (ninth printing), Dominican Publications, pp 418- 419. Page 135
Virgin‟s salutary influence on men originates not in any inner necessity but in the disposition of God. It flows forth from the superabundance of the merits of Christ, rests on his mediation, depends entirely on it and draws all its power from it. It does not hinder in any way the immediate union of the faithful with Christ, but on the contrary fosters it.‟ Further on the text reads: „…the Blessed Virgin is invoked in the Church under the titles of Advocate, Helper, Benefactress, and Mediatrix. This, however, is so understood that it neither takes away anything from nor adds anything to the dignity and efficacy of Christ the one Mediator. The Church does not hesitate to profess the subordinate role of Mary.‟ It must be said here that it would be unwise to pretend that there is no disagreement among Christians on the question of the role of Mary in salvation. A recent ARCIC document (May 2005) might give the impression that Protestants are coming round to accepting a Catholic view of Mary, but this is only to a very limited extent. Certainly a reappraisal of how Protestants view Mary is going on and there is a new awareness of the greatness of her role in bringing Christ into the world. Christian Unity has not to do with saying there are no differences of beliefs but of learning how to relate to people who are in Christ yet who differ from us on many points of belief. e) Prayers to the Saints For Catholic and Orthodox Christians the intercession of the saints, particularly that of the Virgin Mary, is important in their religious lives. But it is usually alien to the Protestant spirit, on the grounds that there is one mediator between God and men and that is Christ Jesus (I Timothy 2.5). The Roman Catholic claim is that prayer to the saints „in no way diminishes the worship or adoration given to God the Father, through Christ, in the Spirit; on the contrary, it greatly enriches it.‟ 172 In any case, there is no suggestion that the saints save people, for Jesus is the only Saviour. f) Purgatory „Purgatory‟ is a name given to a time of purifying after death before reaching heaven. The soul envisaged in purgatory is elect, someone who dies „in the grace of Christ‟ and is saved by Jesus and on the way to heaven, but who needs purifying; the ultimate destiny of the individual is not the issue. 172 Ed Flannery, Austin, OP, Vatican Collection Vol 2, Vatican Council II, The Conciliar and Post- Conciliar Documents, New Revised Edition 1992, (ninth printing) Dominican Publications, pp 412- 413. Page 136
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Digging Out the Embedded Church Dis
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The Maranatha Community comprises t
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Introduction CONTENTS Chapter 1 Chr
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ead, nicely browned on top. He plac
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HOW DO WE DIG OUT THE EMBEDDED CHUR
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That the Church should express this
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For Alfeyev, „Faith is a gift, th
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„heresies„ of the Early Church
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Traditionally, the Church has made
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CHAPTER 1 CHRISTIAN UNITY IN THE EA
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A certain Docetic teacher, often id
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Novatianism When the persecutions o
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The fortunes of the Arian party in
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An attempt was made in 482 AD (29 y
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was development in the interpretati
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CYPRIAN AND AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO The
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position would see baptism as not t
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The Eastern Church‟s relationship
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insisted from the second Lateran Co
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There is so much that Orthodoxy sha
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we do not talk to each other. Our t
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The question of heresy does not com
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They were missionary-minded and the
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Lollard ideas lingered in English r
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CHAPTER 4 THE SECOND GREAT SPLIT: W
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unity‟s sake in subsequent centur
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Erasmus wrote he asserts, through o
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attle-cry, is perhaps the most famo
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Regulations for the good ordering o
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Eucharist was not just a commemorat
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CHAPTER 5 QUOTATIONS ON THE THEME O
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How rare then it is to meet a man w
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are often much bigger divisions bet
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St Germanus of Constantinople - 8 t
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manner. He declared that men could
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S L Greenslade - 20 th Century: „
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CHAPTER 6 HOPES FOR CHRISTIAN UNITY
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imminent return of Christ (Komensky
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a concern that merchant adventurers
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also anti-Socinian. Calixtus himsel
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The Eastern Churches were not rent
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everyone - from outward forms to in
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Women were not usually members of t
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work in America, shows him, though
Page 89 and 90: The aim of the conference was to br
Page 91 and 92: From 1768 Harris‟s home at Talgar
Page 93 and 94: twice more to congregations of Whit
Page 95 and 96: denominations was not their distinc
Page 97 and 98: It was from the overseas Protestant
Page 99 and 100: THE OXFORD TRACTARIAN MOVEMENT Anot
Page 101 and 102: the Church of England‟s doctrinal
Page 103 and 104: „We pray that… all who desire t
Page 105 and 106: thereof, in prayer, in the remembra
Page 107 and 108: honours the Lord and his Word; the
Page 109 and 110: apostolic church enjoyed, and that
Page 111 and 112: episcopate were too radical for mos
Page 113 and 114: Denominations began to form their o
Page 115 and 116: In this Shanghai Conference‟s Rep
Page 117 and 118: With so much talk of unity and coop
Page 119 and 120: „The liturgical movement in weste
Page 121 and 122: • Sharing a corporate life of wit
Page 123 and 124: • Our acknowledgement of the Apos
Page 125 and 126: (h) The Evangelical Church in Germa
Page 127 and 128: It changed nothing in respect of do
Page 129 and 130: Some Evangelical Protestants want t
Page 131 and 132: • It is in continuity with the
Page 133 and 134: But things have changed. Richard Ma
Page 135 and 136: evangelism - (and) state what the r
Page 137 and 138: Repentance and faith are at the hea
Page 139: outcome of being justified. Agreeme
Page 143 and 144: h) Confession The sacrament of pena
Page 145 and 146: demanding way would be sin. The que
Page 147 and 148: If the opportunity for the Church t
Page 149 and 150: Ministers, priests and laypeople in
Page 151 and 152: West Kirby, near to my home, the Si
Page 153 and 154: n) Shared Study Courses There is a
Page 155 and 156: Even some Protestant churches today
Page 157 and 158: Vincent de Lérins spoke of a „pr
Page 159 and 160: It is not likely, in the foreseeabl
Page 161 and 162: Christ and are trying their best to
Page 163 and 164: upon the name of our Lord Jesus Chr
Page 165 and 166: Perhaps this dying process is now b
Page 167 and 168: economic factors giving rise to suc
Page 169 and 170: deeper ecumenism, one that does not
Page 171 and 172: APPENDIX 1 THE NICENO-CONSTANTINOPO
Page 173 and 174: APPENDIX 2 FOUR BIBLICAL TEXTS ON T
Page 175 and 176: The „apostles and elders‟ of th
Page 177 and 178: „The purpose of the Reformation C
Page 179 and 180: What all three traditions have in c
Page 181 and 182: Cromwellian period, in a treatise o
Page 183 and 184: BIBLIOGRAPHY OF BOOKS AND DOCUMENTS
Page 185 and 186: Cullman, Oscar, The Earliest Christ
Page 187 and 188: McCarthy, Tim, The Catholic Traditi
Page 189 and 190: Letter concerning the civil princip
Page 191 and 192:
Coptic Orthodox Church, 10 Council
Page 193 and 194:
Parousia, 24, 68, 93 Paul VI, 10, 1
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