Nestorianism, a name derived from the name of Nestorius. A nickname is pinned to the East Syrian Church, the Church which calls themselves as the Assyrian Church.
Nestorius was born after 381, from a family of Persia, in Syria-Euphrates. Nestorius was a monk at the monastery of Saint Euprepius, who was ordained a priest, until he was appointed Patriarch of Constantinople (428-431) on the recommendation of the Emperor Theodosius II. Although during his life he was to fight heresy, in turn, then Nestorius also received accusations of being heretics caused by his conviction of Antiochene Christology. Nestorius was removed from the office of Patriarch, on June 21, 431, in the Council of Ephesus. In 435, he was exiled in the northern Egyptian territory.
Nestorius taught the formulas of Christology which originated in the Greek School of Antioch. Unlike the formula of the Alexandrian Christology, the Antiochene Christology accepts of the Two Natures (Physes) of Christ, which in terms of Syria called "Keyane". He also opposed the use of the term Theotokos for Mary.
One thing that becomes controversial from the Nestorian doctrine (both taught by Nestorius or his successors) is about the person of Christ. It is very difficult to conclude how the views of the Assyrian church fathers. Many errors of interpretation so that an assessment of the Assyrian Church's official view is not always appropriate. This is because it is very difficult to translate such Greek terms hypostasis, ousia, physes and forth into the Syriac language which became the language of their daily lives. The translation that later caused big problems that occur due to misunderstandings. This is evident in view of Theodore of Mopsuestia (428) based on Ariatotelian philosophy about Christology: Two persons (in here he meant hypostases) and Two Natures (physes), in voluntary union. Although Babai (d. 628), tea Catholicos of the Church of the East, That clarifies Theodore spoke of "One parsopa" of Christ, but this has become a controversy because in Quicunque Vult item 36 stated: One, altogether, not by confusion of substance (essence), but by unity of Person. This is because in practice the Syriac language translators use the word Qenuma for persons sometimes, and/or hypostases.
But if we look at the Synod of Aqaq (486) and Confessions of Ishu-yabh (585), both declared that in Christ there are: One person (parsopa), Two Natures (Keyane) in voluntary union, it can be concluded that the Assyrian Church presented the closest Christological formula to the Christology of Chalcedon. This is because they use different terms, parsopa to the Greek term: prosopon (person) and are used only for the term Qenuma hypostases. Even Calvinism would say the same thing. Official Confessions of the Assyrian Church occurred in 612, adopted a new formula, "two Natures (keyane), two Qenumeh, and one Parsopa (person) in Christ".
We can see that the formulas of Christology in the Assyrian Church was different. In the case of Two Natures (Keyane), they clearly achieved equality, but different opinions in explaining the views of hypostasis (qenuma) and / or prosopon (parsopa). But for now, views on Christology formula of Assyrian Church almost close to the view of the Council of Chalcedon (451).
READING LIST
- Alister McGrath, Christian Theology, an Introduction (Cambridge: Blackwell Publisher, 2nd. Edition, 1997)
- G. C. Berkouwer, The Person of Christ (Grand Rapids, Michigan: WM. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1954)
- Henry Chadwick, History and Thaught of Early Church (London: Variorum, 1982)
- Synodicon Orientale (ed. J. B. Chabot: Paris: 1902)
NOTE:
Condolences over the earthquake (and tsunamis) in the Mentawai Islands, as well as catastrophic eruption of Mount Merapi, both in Indonesia. Hopefully you guys who have become victims, given fortitude by God.
To Mr. Marijan, caretaker of Mount Merapi, which is loyal to the end of his life keeping Merapi, may Allah accept charities, which has you give to the people around you.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Friday, October 22, 2010
The gifts of the Holy Spirit (2)
31 December 1900, Topeka, Texas.
On the evening before the new year 1901, a man named Charles Fox Parham with his pupils, amounting to ± 120 people perform prayer. They fasted and prayed earnestly to beg God to have what is called "baptism of the Holy Spirit." 11 o'clock that night; Agnes Ozman, one of his students asked to pray. Parham initially hesitant because he had never done it before. After agreeing, Parham then began to pray, suddenly Ozman began speaking in a language that sounded foreign to them. Parham argues, Ozman sounded utter sentences in Chinese. They continued to pray until the morning, but only Ozman received the new language. Not just talk, Ozman also can write letters that are similar to Chinese characters.
After the era of Parham, came William Joseph Seymour, an African-American who is also a student of Charles Parham in Stone's Folly. Seymour background (black spirituality) strongly affect the service which was held at Azusa Street, which was considered by outsiders as being exaggerated and frightening, like the rhythmic accompaniment of drums, dancing and singing and all forms of physical expression in order to prepare themselves to be possessed by a spirit. On his way, the sharp differences of opinion arise between Charles Fox Parham with the pupil: William Joseph Seymour. Later figures show that makes movements like this are widespread, such as: Demos Shakarian (Founder of Full Gospel Business Men's Fellowship International), David Johannes du Plessis (also known as: Mr. Pentecost), Dennis Bennett, Oral Roberts, Gordon Lindsay, Kathryn Kuhlman (she is well known with the term "slain in the spirit"), Billy Graham, and so on.
On December 20 to 24 January 1994, at the Toronto Airport Vineyard Church, there was what was then known as the "Toronto Blessing" in which occurs the manifestations of holy Laughter Holy Spirit, slain in the spirit, dancing in the spirit, even to the manifestation an extreme that is hearing the sounds of certain animals from the mouth of some revival meetings the participants.
Suspicion of Western Church (Catholic) on the manifestations of the Holy Spirit as a result of the bad memories of Montanism, in turn making becomes more dogmatic theology, logic, and not accompanied with the powers of the Holy Spirit and experience the energy that the human memanunggalkan with Christ. Here the spiritual drought in the Western Church so that the Charismatic movement and Pentecostalism known as the debt of the Church (West) unpaid. The phrase that often appears in such movements is: "No need to theology what is important is the Holy Spirit."
Unfortunately, the widespread experience called the "outpouring of the spirit", in turn, often leads those who experience the symptoms that indicate the existence of spiritual pride or some form of new Montanism feared by the Western Church (Catholic). This is shown by people who felt a "outpouring of the new spirit", see themselves more powerful, greater, higher than those who do not or do not have the experience and accuse the churches that do not hold the Revival Devotional is a church that does not have the Holy Spirit . Here occur spiritual elitism or spiritual caste classification. People who do not have this gift are considered as second-class Christians.
Eastern Churches, which do not have problems as happened in the West, saw signs of this spiritual pride, always warned that spiritual pride is the "supreme crime that fully take the place of all other crimes." (John Climacus), which also Abba Evagrios calls, "demon of pride is the cause of all the horrible crimes of the soul". In the Philokalia, Patriarch Kallistus and Ignatius Xanthopoulos warned, "if our minds begin to feel comfort thanks to the Holy Spirit, then Satan himself slid comforting himself into the soul ...".
READING LIST
- Jean-Jacques Suurmond, Word and Spirit at Play: Towards a Charismatic Theology (London: SCM Press, 1994)
- M. M. Paloma, "Toronto Blessing" Pages 1149-1152 in M. Stanley Burgess and Eduard M. van der Maas, eds. New International Dictionary of Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements (Rev. & Exp. Ed. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2003)
- R. P. Spittler, "David Johannes Du Plessis." Pages 589-593 in M. Stanley Burgess and Eduard M. van der Maas, eds. New International Dictionary of Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements (Rev. & Exp. Ed. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2003)
On the evening before the new year 1901, a man named Charles Fox Parham with his pupils, amounting to ± 120 people perform prayer. They fasted and prayed earnestly to beg God to have what is called "baptism of the Holy Spirit." 11 o'clock that night; Agnes Ozman, one of his students asked to pray. Parham initially hesitant because he had never done it before. After agreeing, Parham then began to pray, suddenly Ozman began speaking in a language that sounded foreign to them. Parham argues, Ozman sounded utter sentences in Chinese. They continued to pray until the morning, but only Ozman received the new language. Not just talk, Ozman also can write letters that are similar to Chinese characters.
After the era of Parham, came William Joseph Seymour, an African-American who is also a student of Charles Parham in Stone's Folly. Seymour background (black spirituality) strongly affect the service which was held at Azusa Street, which was considered by outsiders as being exaggerated and frightening, like the rhythmic accompaniment of drums, dancing and singing and all forms of physical expression in order to prepare themselves to be possessed by a spirit. On his way, the sharp differences of opinion arise between Charles Fox Parham with the pupil: William Joseph Seymour. Later figures show that makes movements like this are widespread, such as: Demos Shakarian (Founder of Full Gospel Business Men's Fellowship International), David Johannes du Plessis (also known as: Mr. Pentecost), Dennis Bennett, Oral Roberts, Gordon Lindsay, Kathryn Kuhlman (she is well known with the term "slain in the spirit"), Billy Graham, and so on.
On December 20 to 24 January 1994, at the Toronto Airport Vineyard Church, there was what was then known as the "Toronto Blessing" in which occurs the manifestations of holy Laughter Holy Spirit, slain in the spirit, dancing in the spirit, even to the manifestation an extreme that is hearing the sounds of certain animals from the mouth of some revival meetings the participants.
Suspicion of Western Church (Catholic) on the manifestations of the Holy Spirit as a result of the bad memories of Montanism, in turn making becomes more dogmatic theology, logic, and not accompanied with the powers of the Holy Spirit and experience the energy that the human memanunggalkan with Christ. Here the spiritual drought in the Western Church so that the Charismatic movement and Pentecostalism known as the debt of the Church (West) unpaid. The phrase that often appears in such movements is: "No need to theology what is important is the Holy Spirit."
Unfortunately, the widespread experience called the "outpouring of the spirit", in turn, often leads those who experience the symptoms that indicate the existence of spiritual pride or some form of new Montanism feared by the Western Church (Catholic). This is shown by people who felt a "outpouring of the new spirit", see themselves more powerful, greater, higher than those who do not or do not have the experience and accuse the churches that do not hold the Revival Devotional is a church that does not have the Holy Spirit . Here occur spiritual elitism or spiritual caste classification. People who do not have this gift are considered as second-class Christians.
Eastern Churches, which do not have problems as happened in the West, saw signs of this spiritual pride, always warned that spiritual pride is the "supreme crime that fully take the place of all other crimes." (John Climacus), which also Abba Evagrios calls, "demon of pride is the cause of all the horrible crimes of the soul". In the Philokalia, Patriarch Kallistus and Ignatius Xanthopoulos warned, "if our minds begin to feel comfort thanks to the Holy Spirit, then Satan himself slid comforting himself into the soul ...".
READING LIST
- Jean-Jacques Suurmond, Word and Spirit at Play: Towards a Charismatic Theology (London: SCM Press, 1994)
- M. M. Paloma, "Toronto Blessing" Pages 1149-1152 in M. Stanley Burgess and Eduard M. van der Maas, eds. New International Dictionary of Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements (Rev. & Exp. Ed. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2003)
- R. P. Spittler, "David Johannes Du Plessis." Pages 589-593 in M. Stanley Burgess and Eduard M. van der Maas, eds. New International Dictionary of Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements (Rev. & Exp. Ed. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2003)
Monday, October 11, 2010
The gifts of the Holy Spirit (1)
The gifts of the Holy Spirit, which is popular through Pentecostal and Charismatic Movement, is the preferred teachings as well as hated by the people who call themselves Christian. Catholic Church, because they still remembered the bad memories in the past against Montanism doctrine that developed in the latter half of the 2nd century in Phrygia, there is a feeling suspicious and wary of the manifestations that are recognized as the work of the Holy Spirit that leads to suspicion of charisma of the Holy Spirit. Even in a liturgical book titled: Rituale Romanum, written around the year 1000 it is mentioned that during the manifestations of the gifts of the Holy Spirit be seen as signs that a person possessed by evil spirits that need to hold an exorcism.
In contrast, the Eastern Church (Orthodox) have never opposed the gifts of the Holy Spirit and tend to be more open to the manifestations of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Pneumatology occupies a very important place in the Eastern Church since ancient times until today. Eastern Church believes that miracles and extraordinary signs of the Holy Spirit never ceases to work in the Church for over 2000 years, so that the Orthodox Church considers that no fundamental right and not when there is a statement that the Holy Spirit has left the Church and the new restored in these last days with the emergence of reform movements of the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
There are fundamental differences in emphasis on the gifts of the Holy Spirit or the Spirit of God. Charismatic Renewal Movement emphasized the nine kinds of the gifts of the Holy Spirit listed in 1 Corinthians 12:8-10, while the Eastern Church emphasized the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit or the Spirit of God as taught by the prophet Isaiah found in Isaiah 11:2.
Mainstream Protestant churches, as expressed by figures of Reformation: Martin Luther and John Calvin, firmly oppose all manifestations of spirituality that show signs of the influence of movement Enthusiasm. In line with the new mission field that is part of the North American continent and the Industrial Revolution in Europe came the various movements of holiness which lead to the emergence of Pentecostalism and Charismatic, as shoots of Methodism of John Wesley style, with his Wesleyan perfectionism.
READING LIST
-Allan Anderson, An Introduction to Pentecostalism: Global Charismatic Christianity (Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2004)
-D. William Faupel, The Everlasting Gospel: The Significance of Eschatology in the Development of Pentecostal Thought (JPTSup 10, Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 1996)
-Roland A. Knox, Enthusiasm: A Chapter in the History of Religion (New York: Galaxy Books, 1961)
In contrast, the Eastern Church (Orthodox) have never opposed the gifts of the Holy Spirit and tend to be more open to the manifestations of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Pneumatology occupies a very important place in the Eastern Church since ancient times until today. Eastern Church believes that miracles and extraordinary signs of the Holy Spirit never ceases to work in the Church for over 2000 years, so that the Orthodox Church considers that no fundamental right and not when there is a statement that the Holy Spirit has left the Church and the new restored in these last days with the emergence of reform movements of the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
There are fundamental differences in emphasis on the gifts of the Holy Spirit or the Spirit of God. Charismatic Renewal Movement emphasized the nine kinds of the gifts of the Holy Spirit listed in 1 Corinthians 12:8-10, while the Eastern Church emphasized the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit or the Spirit of God as taught by the prophet Isaiah found in Isaiah 11:2.
Mainstream Protestant churches, as expressed by figures of Reformation: Martin Luther and John Calvin, firmly oppose all manifestations of spirituality that show signs of the influence of movement Enthusiasm. In line with the new mission field that is part of the North American continent and the Industrial Revolution in Europe came the various movements of holiness which lead to the emergence of Pentecostalism and Charismatic, as shoots of Methodism of John Wesley style, with his Wesleyan perfectionism.
READING LIST
-Allan Anderson, An Introduction to Pentecostalism: Global Charismatic Christianity (Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2004)
-D. William Faupel, The Everlasting Gospel: The Significance of Eschatology in the Development of Pentecostal Thought (JPTSup 10, Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 1996)
-Roland A. Knox, Enthusiasm: A Chapter in the History of Religion (New York: Galaxy Books, 1961)
Friday, October 1, 2010
Shalah, the common heritage of Abraham's descendants
Shalah or prayer, an obligation that must be carried out by a Muslim (male) as a form of obedience and worship of a divine Creator, Allah Subhana wa Ta'ala. For a Muslim, Prayer must be carried out 5 times a day, with certain times which have been determined, but it also have 2 other prayer time that is not required (Sunnah) of Duha' and Tahajjud, so that all carried a total of prayer in a day is 7 times.
Shalah, unlike the Du'a, for shalah in Arabic shows a form of prayer in an orderly and time. Meanwhile, Du'a, a form of prayer with an undefined time nor in the form of certain movements. Shalah at the present time is identical with Islam.
For the Christian world (West), shalah is something foreign, although the reformer Martin Luther, in his book The Small Cathecisme (vol. VII, 1) is also still preserve two prayer time (breviary), namely Loudes (morning prayer) and Verper ( evening prayer), which is still known in the teachings of the early Lutheran churches.
In the liturgical tradition, the word shalah parallel with the Greek term: προσεχη (prosekee)) which is parallel * with the term Aram: tselota. From the Aramaic word is the Arabic word tselota: Shalah originated. Prayer is a form of personal daily prayers non-sacramental, which is distinguished with sacramental worship, the eucharist (Holly Communion or Holy Liturgy). The oldest reference of daily worship is contained in the book Didache, which recommend 3 times a prayer, followed the pattern of Jewish worship (Siddur). At the next time the early church developed a worship Seven Time Prayer (as-sab'ush shalawat) by observing habits of the prophets and apostles in the Bible. The most complete reference on this subject can be found in the Apostolic Constitution (in 380) and Regulae Fusius Tractate, the work of Basil the Great (330-379). Actually almost all the Church Fathers wrote about the tradition of prayer like this, for example, Jerome / Hieronymus in the West and John Chrysostomos (354-407) in the East.
The tradition of praying seven times (sab'u ash-shalawat) is maintained until today by the Eastern Churches, both Chalcedonian wing, as well as the non-Chalcedonian, though different in outward expressions of worship (ruku 'and prostration). Only the Syrian Orthodox Church which continues the Jewish ritual and other eastern culture, where worship the same pattern was also preserved by Muslims. In Surah 3:113 the Qur'an also says there is a class of people from the People of the Book (Jews and Christians) who run a prayer with prostration. 'Abdallah Yusuf' Ali noted kmetar above verse in his commentary: "according to commentators, refers to those people of the Book who eventually embraced to Islam" (Abdallah Yusuf Ali, The Meaning of The Holy Quran), but this interpretation not appropriate because even though they are being positive towards Islam, but did not mention that they received prophethood of Muhammad, so not including the Muslim faction.
Shalah, unlike the Du'a, for shalah in Arabic shows a form of prayer in an orderly and time. Meanwhile, Du'a, a form of prayer with an undefined time nor in the form of certain movements. Shalah at the present time is identical with Islam.
For the Christian world (West), shalah is something foreign, although the reformer Martin Luther, in his book The Small Cathecisme (vol. VII, 1) is also still preserve two prayer time (breviary), namely Loudes (morning prayer) and Verper ( evening prayer), which is still known in the teachings of the early Lutheran churches.
In the liturgical tradition, the word shalah parallel with the Greek term: προσεχη (prosekee)) which is parallel * with the term Aram: tselota. From the Aramaic word is the Arabic word tselota: Shalah originated. Prayer is a form of personal daily prayers non-sacramental, which is distinguished with sacramental worship, the eucharist (Holly Communion or Holy Liturgy). The oldest reference of daily worship is contained in the book Didache, which recommend 3 times a prayer, followed the pattern of Jewish worship (Siddur). At the next time the early church developed a worship Seven Time Prayer (as-sab'ush shalawat) by observing habits of the prophets and apostles in the Bible. The most complete reference on this subject can be found in the Apostolic Constitution (in 380) and Regulae Fusius Tractate, the work of Basil the Great (330-379). Actually almost all the Church Fathers wrote about the tradition of prayer like this, for example, Jerome / Hieronymus in the West and John Chrysostomos (354-407) in the East.
The tradition of praying seven times (sab'u ash-shalawat) is maintained until today by the Eastern Churches, both Chalcedonian wing, as well as the non-Chalcedonian, though different in outward expressions of worship (ruku 'and prostration). Only the Syrian Orthodox Church which continues the Jewish ritual and other eastern culture, where worship the same pattern was also preserved by Muslims. In Surah 3:113 the Qur'an also says there is a class of people from the People of the Book (Jews and Christians) who run a prayer with prostration. 'Abdallah Yusuf' Ali noted kmetar above verse in his commentary: "according to commentators, refers to those people of the Book who eventually embraced to Islam" (Abdallah Yusuf Ali, The Meaning of The Holy Quran), but this interpretation not appropriate because even though they are being positive towards Islam, but did not mention that they received prophethood of Muhammad, so not including the Muslim faction.
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