Monday, July 4, 2016

The Didache: Chapter VIII – Concerning Prayers



8:1 Your fasts should not be with the hypocrites, for they fast on Mondays and Thursdays. You should fast on Wednesdays and Fridays.
8:2 And do not pray like the hypocrites, but rather as the Lord commanded in the gospel: Our Father who art in heaven, holy be thy name. thy kingdom come. they will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For yours is the power and the glory. Amen.
8:3 Pray this three times each day.
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            We will first talk about the hypocrites spoken of. The opening of this chapter will strike any reader as harsh and petty, and maybe even a little anti-Semitic; however, as we have learned thus far, things are not always as they seem. It is important to place ourselves in the early centuries, and to recall the tension felt between the Christian and the Jew. I am not suggesting we cultivate an anti-Semitic spirit –as some historical scholars have suggested the early Church did – but rather an understanding of these feelings towards the Jews and why Christians felt this way. By the first century the Jewish leaders – save a handful – had long abandoned the following of God’s Laws in favor of their own Law and teachings. This led the Jewish leaders to put to death the incarnate God, in fear of losing their power, and for fear that Rome would see Him as a direct threat to the Empire. Before we move to the text, we need to remember it is not unreasonable that the early Christians wanted to do things differently than their Jewish predecessors – after all, the Christ had just revealed Himself as the New Law, the New Moses, and the New Temple. 

 The Torah

The opening of the text “Your fasts should not be with the hypocrites” is a fascinating statement – and a very telling one at that. To the early Christians the act of fasting and prayer is not just an activity, but rather something to privately and corporately enter into. This meant that it was important to consider who you prayed with. For a Christian and a Jew to fast and pray together meant that they were in theological communion with one another; however, as we will see, the reasons for the Jewish fast were fast becoming obsolete for the Christian. The Jew fasted “every Monday and Thursday in commemoration of the destruction of the Temple, of the burning of the Torah, and of the desecration of God's name.”[1] For the Christian, Jesus is the new Temple[2], the Torah[3], and the Word of God.[4] The fast of the Jew and the Christian is fundamentally different and keeps them out of communion since the Jew does not regard Jesus in this manner, nor do they hold Jesus as the Messiah. It is in this spirit that the opening text is written, both to set themselves apart from the Jewish theology by not fasting on Monday or Thursday as there is no need to commemorate the destruction of the Temple,[5] and by choosing to fast on Wednesdays and Fridays to commemorate the betrayal of Jesus (Wednesday) and His death (Friday).[6] The Jews are referred to as hypocrites in the text for this very reason. In their commemoration of the destruction of the temple and the Torah, they failed to see the new Temple standing right in front of them, and in fact destroyed again the very thing they were mourning. This is the core difference between the Jewish Monday and Thursday fasts, and the Christian Wednesday and Friday fasts.

Icon of the Betrayal

 Icon of the Crucifixion

The same goes for prayer; in fact, the section is titled Concerning Prayers because Prayer and fasting are never mutually exclusive. The Our Father has been the bedrock of prayer for the Church since the very beginning; the Church turns to the Our Father when teaching those to pray – just as Christ did when asked by the Apostles. Simply put, it is no surprise to see the Our Father reiterated in an early form of “church manual.” It is important to note the addition of “For yours is the power and the glory. Amen” at the conclusion of the prayer. It is often a point of interest for many Protestant converts when hearing the Our Father for the first time in a Liturgy; this text is not included in either of the Gospels referencing the prayer[7] - as many of our Sola Scriptura friends quickly point out. This is an addition that the Church accepted upon Apostolic authority early on and has been a part of the Liturgy (both East and West) ever since. This validates the text as a “liturgical manual of sorts for the clergy. In fact, the addition shows us how concerned the Apostles and the Apostolic Fathers were regarding the education of the clergy on officiating, as quickly became the customary text for the prayer for the Divine Liturgy. 



The very last verse of the chapter instructs the reader to pray the Our Father 3 times daily, reinforcing our comment earlier regarding the Our Father being the bedrock example for the Church on prayer. The Our Father is an integral part of the morning, midday, and evening prayers in any Christian prayer book. Secondly, the instruction to pray this 3 times daily teaches us that a prayer regiment is vital to the spiritual life of a Christian. The flesh will not even wish to pray 3 times a day, never mater the Our Father. The practice of praying the Our Father at least 3 times a day will teach the Christian the beginnings of submitting the flesh to the spirit; in keeping this rule, the flesh will eventually surrender its own will to the will of the Spirit within us.
In closing, I would like to encourage you to remember Wednesdays and Fridays in fasting and prayer as the days of our Lord’s betrayal and death, and to pray the Our Father at least 3 times a day. It may seem difficult at first, maybe even trivial if you do not practice Set Prayers (as many Evangelicals do not), but I guarantee you that within 2-3 days you will begin to recognize and reap the spiritual benefits.

I would also like this opportunity to share a beloved book regarding the Great Fast, otherwise known as Lent, written by Fr. Alexander Schmemann of blessed memory, Titled Great Lent: Journey to Pascha.[8] He masterfully walks the reader through the Journey of the Great Fast, and is required reading for many Catechumen across the United States.

With Love,
Athanasios (Devin) Green



[1] https://www.amazon.com/Great-Lent-Journey-Alexander-Schmemann/dp/0913836044

[2] John 2:13-22
[3] Matthew 5:17-20
[4] John 1:1
[5] John 2:19
[6] “No one will find fault with us for observing the fourth day of the week [Wednesday] and the Preparation [Friday], on which it is reasonable directed for us to fast according to the tradition. We fast on the fourth day, indeed, because on it the Jews took counsel for the betrayal of the Lord. And we fast on the sixth day, because Christ Himself suffered for us on it.” St. Peter of Alexandria (c. 310), 6.278

Saturday, February 20, 2016

The Didache: Chapter VII – Concerning Baptism



               The chapters ahead are more practical in nature than those before – teaching the Christian and their leaders on how to perform particular Christian rites. Many in the modern age have belittled liturgy and sacraments as ritualistic nonsense and a distraction to the center of the Faith, Jesus Christ. I would caution them with 2 things. First, these sacramental rites are not an end in themselves, and in fact each has Christ at the center. Secondly, the very purpose of our study of this text is to see how the early Christians practiced their faith, and what they believe; if Christians in the early second century felt the importance of following particular teachings on how to baptize, how to pray, how to take communion, etc, then it goes without saying, we may want to follow suit[1]. Thus we begin with Chapter Seven on Baptism:

Icon of Theophany, The Baptism of Christ
 
7:1 Concerning baptism, you should baptize this way: After you have reviewed all these things, baptize in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, in flowing water.
7:2 But if you have no running water, baptize in other water; and if you cannot do so in cold water, then in warm.
7:3 If you have very little, pour water three times on the head in the name of Father and Son and Holy Spirit.
7:4 Before the baptism, both the baptizer and the candidate for baptism, plus any others who can, should fast. The candidate should fast for one or two days beforehand.


Most modern Christians would agree (most traditions) that Baptism is one of the most important steps a Christian can take is his or her life. For those being baptized as adults the opening verse of this chapter is important. For an adult baptism, one must understand “all these things,” referring to the prior chapters, and must agree to unite himself to Christ and be baptized for the remission of sins[2]. For those baptized as infants[3] it is the beginning of a life lived in the church, learning the path from the Church, their parents, and their godparents – by the time the child is of age, they will have learned the path of Christ and must take it upon themselves to continue living the baptized life of a Christian[4] (more on infant baptism in my other blog, Light from the Christian East). This chapter reveals to us how the earliest Christians practiced this rite; it involves primarily 3 things: Being baptized in the name of the Trinity and thus immersed three times i.e. triple immersion, Baptism through water, and fasting beforehand.  


Firstly, when being baptized, the person will be immersed three times, each time invoking the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The most common and well known reference to this is the Great Commission in Matthew 28:19, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” Interestingly enough, most Catholics have given up triple immersion though they still invoke the Trinity, and many Protestants have given up on using the name of the Trinity and triple immersion all together;[5] some even going as far as to say water baptism is unnecessary; which leads to our next point. 



Secondly, Baptism is to be by water. The Greek word for baptism (baptizo[6]) means to dip, to submerge, to sink. The text states this should occur in running water (ie, river, “living water”), but if running water is not available, than any other water is acceptable; likewise, if there is no cold water, warm water will suffice. This shows us not only that there are preferred methods of baptism, but also that the process is very practical. The use of baptismal founts cropped up very early as many locations did not have running rivers for baptism; areas that did have a river near by utilized them consistently. And even if there is no fount, you can pour some water over the head three times; the Church goes out of their way to make sure that baptism is accessible to anybody, even in the desert. Some groups prefer to not use water baptism in lou of “baptism of the Holy Spirit.” This seems to go against the teaching of Christ when Jesus tells Nicodemus that “unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of heaven.[7]This is where the Orthodox derive the difference between the sacraments of Baptism and Chrismation[8] (Gift of the Holy Spirit). There are also other New Testament verses that refer to baptism as “washing away” our sins; this would be an accurate description when referring to water baptism[9].


Lastly, because the early church believed that baptism held an existential change in the person (John 3:5, Acts 2:38), the text ends with an instruction of preparation for both the person being baptized and the clergy who is baptizing. The candidate should fast 1-2 days beforehand. For the early church, and those Christians who practice it today, fasting is a method of learning how to deny ones passions and desires for worldly things; this does not mean that food or eating is bad, just that it’s a good tool to help learn self denial and to refocus the time we would spending eating on prayer or other spiritual activities. Thus, the instruction for fasting before participating in a sacrament is given so that the candidate for baptism can refocus their mind and heart towards the things of God in preparation for such a wonderful event. Additionally, the text states that “any who can” should also fast in preparation for the event. This shows how extremely communal the early church was. The spiritual growth and well being of a Christian involves the whole Church community; this is why modern Christians who refuse to be a part of a larger Church organization are more apt to spiritual decay and easily swayed by heresy[10].


I am extremely encouraged when I read this text on baptism; for one, the Orthodox Church is the only church that still practices baptism as instructed by the early church. Secondly, it makes me feel that I have a direct connection with my brothers and sisters in Christ from the earliest centuries of the church – which is a common theme for me. If entering the Kingdom of God means I need to be “born of water and the Spirit,” sign me up!

With Love,
Athanasios (Devin) Green


[1] Acts 2:42
[2] Acts 2:38, Acts 22:16
[3] Though Orthodox & Catholics practice Pedobaptism, there are still many Protestants that also still practice infant baptism – though many Protestants would be aghast to learn this.
[4] Galatians 3:27
[5] Some have often noted that baptizing in the name of Jesus Christ is the same as in the name of the Trinity since they are unified as one; though the Orthodox would not reject this understanding of the name of Jesus, most believe it is in direct conflict with Matthew 28:19, and thus such a baptism is not one in the name of the Triune Trinity.
[6] Strong's 907 NT
[7] John 3:5
[8] While Roman Catholics wait until the child reaches a certain age for Chrismation (or Christening), the Orthodox conduct both sacraments at the same service, both adult and infant; to be baptized and chrismated is to fulfill both categories in John 3:5
[9] Titus 3:5, Hebrews 10:22
[10] 1 Peter 5:8