ValeriyK2022

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In this section, I would like to take a closer look at the foundation on which world Christianity stands: the apostolic council, the ecumenical church councils, the determination of which books will be correctly attributed to the Bible, and the interpretation of the Bible by Christians of the first centuries.

I know a little English. I specifically did not study in religious schools. Therefore, what I write may contain errors. My words reflect only my own opinion.
 
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The first church council was held in Jerusalem in about 49. It was named the Apostolic Cathedral.
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The purpose of convening the first Council of the Christian Church was to develop a decision on the commandments for Christians who came to the Church from pagans. And also the definition of the conditions of their communication with Christians from the Jews.

The decision of the Apostolic Council was as follows: You must abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the flesh of strangled animals, and from fornication. And don't do to others what you don't want for yourself. (Acts 15:23-29)

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In this section, I would like to take a closer look at the foundation on which world Christianity stands: the apostolic council, the ecumenical church councils, the determination of which books will be correctly attributed to the Bible, and the interpretation of the Bible by Christians of the first centuries.

Fantastic. I look forward to seeing some insight into their preference for allegorical interpretations, hopefully. Why was that form of interpretation so common in the first few centuries, and what does it say about the way we approach the scriptures today?
 
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Fantastic. I look forward to seeing sone insight into their preference for allegorical interpretations, hopefully. Why was that form of interpretation so common in the first few centuries, and what does it say about the way we approach the scriptures today?
The allegorical method of interpretation is associated primarily with the Old Testament. In the New Testament, through the apostle, it is said that all Scripture is inspired by God and useful for teaching. At the same time, some places in the Old Testament can be interpreted literally. But other passages, when interpreted literally, contradict the New Testament. Therefore, even the Apostle Paul said that the events of the Old Testament are the prototypes of the New Testament. In the Old Testament there were wars with people. The New Testament says that our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against spirits of wickedness in high places. In this way victories must be primarily spiritual: victories over thoughts, over passions and over evil spirits. With this interpretation, all of Scripture becomes logically connected.

For example, the words from the Psalm: "Happy shall he be, that taketh and dasheth your little ones against the stones." (137:9). The Holy Fathers interpreted in such a way that "your little ones" are sinful thoughts. And happy is the one who destroys them while they are still small, because thoughts can grow and turn into passions, captivate a person (alcoholism, drug addiction, fornication, avarice, anger and others).

This interpretation is still relevant today.
 
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The allegorical method of interpretation is associated primarily with the Old Testament. In the New Testament, through the apostle, it is said that all Scripture is inspired by God and useful for teaching. At the same time, some places in the Old Testament can be interpreted literally. But other passages, when interpreted literally, contradict the New Testament. Therefore, even the Apostle Paul said that the events of the Old Testament are the prototypes of the New Testament. In the Old Testament there were wars with people. The New Testament says that our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against spirits of wickedness in high places. In this way victories must be primarily spiritual: victories over thoughts, over passions and over evil spirits. With this interpretation, all of Scripture becomes logically connected.

For example, the words from the Psalm: "Happy shall he be, that taketh and dasheth your little ones against the stones." (137:9). The Holy Fathers interpreted in such a way that "your little ones" are sinful thoughts. And happy is the one who destroys them while they are still small, because thoughts can grow and turn into passions, captivate a person (alcoholism, drug addiction, fornication, avarice, anger and others).

This interpretation is still relevant today.

That's very helpful. Thank you!
 
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Even during the life of the apostles, the first heresy appeared. This was the heresy of the Nicolaitans. The Nicolaitans were heretics, representing a branch of the Gnostics and distinguished by depravity. Откровение ап. Иоанна Богослова, Глава 2, стих 6

In Revelation 2:6 Jesus commends the disciples in the city of Ephesus for "hating the deeds of the Nicolaitans," which our Lord then states He also hates. Later, in verse 15, He declares His displeasure with the saints in Pergamum because "you have some who hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans." In Ephesus this group was quickly turned away, which elicited the commendation of the ascended Christ. In Pergamum, however, the Nicolaitans were seemingly welcomed, and even embraced, thus incurring our Lord's condemnation.

What was it about this group that caused them to be so detestable in the sight of the Lord, and also in the sight of the church at Ephesus?

Apparently, they were very similar to the Balaamites of the OT, in that they committed acts of immorality (fornication) and they ate meat that had been offered to idols. In Rev. 2:14-15 the Lord makes this connection plain: "You have there some who hold the teaching of Balaam, who kept teaching Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit acts of immorality. You also have some who in the same way hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans."

It is also likely that Jezebel, whom Jesus condemns in the epistle to Thyatira, was a member of the Nicolaitans, for Rev. 2:20 says, "she teaches and leads my bond-servants astray, so that they commit acts of immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols." These are the same offenses earlier condemned as practices of the Nicolaitans.

The Constitutions of the Holy Apostles states that "those who are falsely called Nicolaitans, are impudent in uncleanness." Tertullian (with regard to marriage) says, "The Nicolaitans, in their maintenance of lust and luxury, destroy the happiness of sanctity." Irenaeus writes, "they lead lives of unrestrained indulgence," and teach "it is a matter of indifference to practice adultery, and to eat things sacrificed to idols." Ignatius brands them as "lovers of pleasure, and given to slanderous speeches." He also says that they "affirm that unlawful unions are a good thing, and place the highest happiness in pleasure."

A question which comes immediately to mind at this point is: How could a group of individuals in the early church hold to such beliefs and practices and still profess to be followers of Jesus Christ?! Would they not see the inconsistency? The answer apparently is that, like Balaam, they were self-deceived and self-deluded. This caused them to gloss over their obvious wickedness, and to dress it up so as to make it more acceptable to both themselves and those around them. Contributing to this state of self-deception is the fact that they may also have been misinterpreting a passage from one of the epistles of Paul --- "ALL things are lawful for me" (1 Cor. 6:12).

The Nicolaitans
 
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Apostolic men - a number of church writers who lived at the end of the 1st century. - the first half of the 2nd century, who were contemporaries, witnesses, disciples, employees of the apostles.
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Among the apostolic men include: Ignatius the God-bearer, an apostle of the 70 Barnabas, schmch. Clement of Rome, schmch. Polycarp of Smyrna, author of the Epistle of Barnabas, author of The Shepherd of Hermas, and some other church writers.

The most important of their writings are: the First Epistle of Ignatius of Antioch (c. 115 AD), the First Epistle of Clement of Rome (c. 95 AD; the so-called Second Epistle of Clement is a homily dating from about 130 AD) and a series of visions known as the Shepherd of Hermas.
 
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Even during the life of the apostles, the first heresy appeared. This was the heresy of the Nicolaitans. The Nicolaitans were heretics, representing a branch of the Gnostics and distinguished by depravity. Откровение ап. Иоанна Богослова, Глава 2, стих 6

In Revelation 2:6 Jesus commends the disciples in the city of Ephesus for "hating the deeds of the Nicolaitans," which our Lord then states He also hates. Later, in verse 15, He declares His displeasure with the saints in Pergamum because "you have some who hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans." In Ephesus this group was quickly turned away, which elicited the commendation of the ascended Christ. In Pergamum, however, the Nicolaitans were seemingly welcomed, and even embraced, thus incurring our Lord's condemnation.

What was it about this group that caused them to be so detestable in the sight of the Lord, and also in the sight of the church at Ephesus?

Apparently, they were very similar to the Balaamites of the OT, in that they committed acts of immorality (fornication) and they ate meat that had been offered to idols. In Rev. 2:14-15 the Lord makes this connection plain: "You have there some who hold the teaching of Balaam, who kept teaching Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit acts of immorality. You also have some who in the same way hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans."

It is also likely that Jezebel, whom Jesus condemns in the epistle to Thyatira, was a member of the Nicolaitans, for Rev. 2:20 says, "she teaches and leads my bond-servants astray, so that they commit acts of immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols." These are the same offenses earlier condemned as practices of the Nicolaitans.

The Constitutions of the Holy Apostles states that "those who are falsely called Nicolaitans, are impudent in uncleanness." Tertullian (with regard to marriage) says, "The Nicolaitans, in their maintenance of lust and luxury, destroy the happiness of sanctity." Irenaeus writes, "they lead lives of unrestrained indulgence," and teach "it is a matter of indifference to practice adultery, and to eat things sacrificed to idols." Ignatius brands them as "lovers of pleasure, and given to slanderous speeches." He also says that they "affirm that unlawful unions are a good thing, and place the highest happiness in pleasure."

A question which comes immediately to mind at this point is: How could a group of individuals in the early church hold to such beliefs and practices and still profess to be followers of Jesus Christ?! Would they not see the inconsistency? The answer apparently is that, like Balaam, they were self-deceived and self-deluded. This caused them to gloss over their obvious wickedness, and to dress it up so as to make it more acceptable to both themselves and those around them. Contributing to this state of self-deception is the fact that they may also have been misinterpreting a passage from one of the epistles of Paul --- "ALL things are lawful for me" (1 Cor. 6:12).

The Nicolaitans

I was under the impression - from both St. Irenaeus and also St. Epiphanius of Salamis that the Nicolaitans were the worst of several heresies which started with Simin Magus. Additionally, I believe it is St. Epiphanius who indicated they practiced organized wife swapping.
 
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The first Christians understood that they were given a task to be witnesses (martyrs) to what they learned from and about Jesus Christ. They went into the world with the message they had been given – the Gospel. They proclaimed the Good News and through their lives witnessed to what they believed to be the truth about Christ, about the world, about all humans, about sin and death, and about God’s plan of salvation. They carried the Gospel into all the world based on their faith in Christ with no way to know what would unfold in history as Christianity spread to new people.

Martyrdom originally meant to bear witness to Christ. As history moved along the opposition to the Gospel and the Christians increased. After several centuries, martyrdom came to mean being put to death for the very things one believed about Christ and for bearing witness to the Good News. Even later in history as the Roman Empire dropped its opposition to Christianity and embraced the Church as bearers of the truth of God, the martyrs became a legendary class of heroes who by the drops of their blood had sown the seeds of Christendom in the world.

William Bixler in an article entitled, “How the Early Church Viewed Martyrs”(CHRISTIAN HISTORY, Issue 27, Vol IX, No 3) writes about the evolving and emerging idea of martyrdom in early Christianity:

“The ideal of martyrdom did not originate with the Christian church; it was inspired by the passive resistance of pious Jews during the Maccabean revolt (173-164 B.C.) . . . .

The Maccabean period also, however, gave stories of avenging rebels such as Judas Maccabeus. What prompted Christians to emulate the passive resisters such as Eleazar, rather than armed revolutionaries like Judas Maccabeus?

To answer this question one need look no further than to Jesus himself. The church understood martyrdom as an imitation of Christ. The Lord was the exemplar of nonviolence at his own trial and execution, declaring that his servants would not fight because his kingdom was not of this world.
5513064474_d0a74b98f9.jpg
 
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I was under the impression - from both St. Irenaeus and also St. Epiphanius of Salamis that the Nicolaitans were the worst of several heresies which started with Simin Magus. Additionally, I believe it is St. Epiphanius who indicated they practiced organized wife swapping.
Since they are compared with the Old Testament Balaam, this indicates that they exchanged the gift of God for the pleasures of this world. They were spiritual people, like Simon Wolf. They are also called Gnostics, which indicates their attitude towards the occult. What specific forms of sexual debauchery and occult teachings they professed, we Christians should not know. The apostle said that such things should not even be named among us. Suffice it to know that the hallmark of the Nicolaitans was occultism and sexual depravity. And we also need to know that God hate these things.
 
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Since they are compared with the Old Testament Balaam, this indicates that they exchanged the gift of God for the pleasures of this world. They were spiritual people, like Simon Wolf. They are also called Gnostics, which indicates their attitude towards the occult. What specific forms of sexual debauchery and occult teachings they professed, we Christians should not know. The apostle said that such things should not even be named among us. Suffice it to know that the hallmark of the Nicolaitans was occultism and sexual depravity. And we also need to know that God hate these things.

Indeed this calls to mind the late second century - early fourth century Borborites, who were Gnostics who followed in the footsteps of the Nicolaitans, and whose practices were so wicked and disgusting as to make me physically ill. I refuse to discuss it, but St. Epiphanius did document it.

My understanding is the first Gnostics were those established by Simon Magus, after the Apostles refused his blasphemous attempt to purchase from them their divine powers, as if ordination were something someone could buy. Then followed the Nicolaitans, Docetists, Marcionites, Valentinians, Severians, Tatianists, and several other sects, too numerous to mention, such as the Borborites.

What is particularly disturbing is that there are some cults who are trying to revive Gnosticism.
 
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Indeed this calls to mind the late second century - early fourth century Borborites, who were Gnostics who followed in the footsteps of the Nicolaitans, and whose practices were so wicked and disgusting as to make me physically ill. I refuse to discuss it, but St. Epiphanius did document it.

My understanding is the first Gnostics were those established by Simon Magus, after the Apostles refused his blasphemous attempt to purchase from them their divine powers, as if ordination were something someone could buy. Then followed the Nicolaitans, Docetists, Marcionites, Valentinians, Severians, Tatianists, and several other sects, too numerous to mention, such as the Borborites.

What is particularly disturbing is that there are some cults who are trying to revive Gnosticism.
"...and their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city that symbolically is called Sodom and Egypt, where their Lord was crucified." (Revelation 11:8).

Sodom symbolizes obsessive sexual depravity. Egypt symbolizes magic, the occult, communication with evil spirits. These two trends will run through the entire history of mankind, from the heresy of the Nicolaitans to the time of the Antichrist.
 
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During the first three centuries (about three hundred years), Christians endured almost constant persecution, first from unbelieving Jews, and then from pagans.

Destruction of Jerusalem
Destruction_of_Jerusalem-650.jpg



The Jews, who did not accept the Savior promised by God, the Lord Jesus Christ, and betrayed Him to death, with insane cries: "His blood is on us and on our children," and who killed many Christians, received retribution for all their iniquities. Jerusalem and the temple of God were razed to the ground by the Roman armies when the Jews revolted. Thus, in the year 70, the prediction of the Lord was fulfilled. The place where the temple of God used to stand was plowed up with a plow, so that there was no stone left on stone. The Jewish people were scattered throughout the earth. Over a million Jews were exterminated. Several tens of thousands of them were sold into slavery. Instead of Jews, inhabitants from other nations settled in Palestine and again built devastated cities, including the city of Jerusalem. The faith of Christ began to be affirmed among the pagans.
 
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Today the Orthodox Church celebrated the day of memory of The Holy Seven Maccabees, Eleazar the Martyr.

They were a type of those many martyrs who appeared in the Christian era.
upload_2022-8-14_18-59-27.jpeg

The name Maccabee was also borne by those who led the rebellion against pagan rule.

The name Maccabee was a title of honour given to Judas, a son of Mattathias and the hero of the Jewish wars of independence, 168–164 BCE. This title was also worn by other leaders of the Jewish uprisings, who were the successors of Judah.
upload_2022-8-14_18-59-4.jpeg


Constantine the Great became the new Maccabee in the 4th century after Christ.

Emperor Constantine put an end to the persecution of Christians in 313 by the Edict of Milan. Christianity has since been adopted as another religion of the empire.
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Archpriest Seraphim Slobodskoy writes: “Emperor Konstantin himself was convinced of the power and glory of the sign of the cross of Christ. Once, on the eve of a decisive battle, he and all his army saw in the sky the sign of the cross, made up of light, with the inscription: “this conquer” (in Greek : NIKA). The following night, Jesus Christ Himself appeared to the emperor with the Cross in his hand and said that with this sign he would defeat the enemy; and ordered to arrange a military banner with the image of the Holy Cross. Constantine fulfilled the command of God and defeated the enemy. He accepted the Christians under his patronage and declared the faith of Christ the dominant (main). He abolished the execution by crucifixion and issued laws in favor of the Church of Christ. For their merits and zeal to spread the Christian faith, Constantine the Great with his mother Elena, received the title of holy kings equal to the apostles ."
 
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The first Ecumenical Council was assembled by Emperor Constantine the Great in 325 in the city of Nicaea, a suburb of Constantinople, which is why it is also called the Council of Nicaea.

The Council was convened primarily to resolve the theological dispute with the supporters of the Alexandrian priest Arius, who taught that Jesus Christ, the second Person of the Trinity, the Logos, was created by God the Father and is not God. This dispute quickly spread beyond the borders of Alexandria and captured a large part of the Roman Empire, threatening peace in the Church.

Emperor Constantine, seeing in the Church the basis of the stability of the Roman Empire, hastened to convene bishops from all over the Earth to resolve this dispute and establish peace in the Church and the empire.
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The Orthodox Creed was approved. Emperor Constantine the Great proposed to the Council that the word "consubstantial" be introduced into the text of the Creed, which he often heard in the speeches of bishops. The Fathers of the Council unanimously accepted this proposal. In the Nicene Symbol, the holy fathers formulated the apostolic teaching on the Divine dignity of the Second Person of the Most Holy Trinity – the Lord Jesus Christ. The heresy of Arius, as a delusion of a proud mind, was denounced and rejected. After resolving the main dogmatic issue, the Council also established twenty canons (rules) on issues of church administration and discipline.
 
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The first Ecumenical Council was assembled by Emperor Constantine the Great in 325 in the city of Nicaea, a suburb of Constantinople, which is why it is also called the Council of Nicaea.

The Council was convened primarily to resolve the theological dispute with the supporters of the Alexandrian Archpriest Arius, who taught that Jesus Christ, the second Person of the Trinity, the Logos, was created by God the Father and is not God. This dispute quickly spread beyond the borders of Alexandria and captured a large part of the Roman Empire, threatening peace in the Church.

Emperor Constantine, seeing in the Church the basis of the stability of the Roman Empire, hastened to convene bishops from all over the Earth to resolve this dispute and establish peace in the Church and the empire.
images


The Orthodox Creed was approved. Emperor Constantine the Great proposed to the Council that the word "consubstantial" be introduced into the text of the Creed, which he often heard in the speeches of bishops. The Fathers of the Council unanimously accepted this proposal. In the Nicene Symbol, the holy fathers formulated the apostolic teaching on the Divine dignity of the Second Person of the Most Holy Trinity – the Lord Jesus Christ. The heresy of Arius, as a delusion of a proud mind, was denounced and rejected. After resolving the main dogmatic issue, the Council also established twenty canons (rules) on issues of church administration and discipline.

Interesting, I did not realize Arius was an Archpriest. I thought St. Alexander had deposed him when he was an ordinary priest. However it makes sense, as his parish is described as having been extremely popular due to the reputation Arius carefully cultivated of being an ascetic. And then once he had accumulated a loyal following, he introduced his heresy, like how a spider traps insects in their web before devouring them.

I also feel we should remember the crucial role played by St. Athanasius of Alexandria, who was at the time St. Alexander’s protodeacon, in explaining the heresy of Arius to the members of the council and in ensuring that the council convicted Arius of heresy and upheld his removal from the priesthood. A few years after St. Alexander reposed and St. Athanasius became Patriarch, St. Athanasius was exiled to Trier in Germany, and remained exiled for around 25 years, and when he was finally allowed to return to Alexandria, it was an occasion of rejoicing among the local population.
 
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Additionally, I believe it is St. Epiphanius who indicated they practiced organized wife swapping.

Indeed this calls to mind the late second century - early fourth century Borborites, who were Gnostics who followed in the footsteps of the Nicolaitans, and whose practices were so wicked and disgusting as to make me physically ill. I refuse to discuss it, but St. Epiphanius did document it.
I don't know if I trust St Epiphanius. He believed in the anthropomorphic heresy (that God has a physical body) and sided with Pope Theophilus of Alexandria in condemning and deposing St John Chrysostom in the Synod of the Oak.
 
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I don't know if I trust St Epiphanius. He believed in the anthropomorphic heresy (that God has a physical body)

That’s actually inaccurate. What you are thinking of is St. Epiphanius criticism of the Audians, a group of Quartodecimian heretics, whose errors also included anthropomorphism in the form of a literal interpretation of Adam being created in the Image of God. The position of St. Epiphanius was that this view was in error, and that the nature of how humanity was created in the image of God was a mystery.

and sided with Pope Theophilus of Alexandria in condemning and deposing St John Chrysostom in the Synod of the Oak.

This is also inaccurate. While en route to Constantinople, St. Epiphanius realized he was being used by Pope Theophilus, and that allegation against St. John Chrysostom - that he was an Origenist - was bogus, and so St. Epiphanius turned around and began the journey back to Cyprus. Unfortunately, his health was poor, and he was 80 years old, so he died en route to Salamis, but he died with a clean conscience, because he did not allow himself to be used as a pawn in the sinister designs of Pope Theophilus. Indeed, one could say that he died to prevent that happening (since he was doubtless aware of his poor health and the high risk of perishing during the arduous voyage across the Eastern Mediterranean back to Salamis on Cyprus).

The reason why he set out in the first place was that he was lied to - it was falsely claimed that St. John Chrysostom had become an Origenist, and St. Epiphanius, who, like St. Jerome, was of the view that Origen was largely responsible for the Arian heresy, could not tolerate the thought of an Origenist serving as Patriarch of Constantinople,

Now, I am not saying that St. Epiphanius was devoid of flaws or controversy, but I am extremely confident in the accuracy and reliability of the Panarion, in terms of the conclusions it draws. Also I would note that among Orthodox clergy, St. Epiphanius is actually less controversial than St. Irenaeus of Lyons, because, like many second century fathers, St. Irenaeus was a Chiliast. For this reason Protopresbyter Michael Pomazansky in his classic Orthodox Dogmatic Theology, translated by Fr. Seraphim Rose, felt compelled to warn readers that the works of St. Irenaeus contained doctrinal errors on account of his chiliasm. Now, St. Epiphanius himself did extensively quote the descriptions of heresies provided by St. Irenaeus, to the extent that the Panarion can be thought of as an enlarged version of Books I and II of Against Heresies, but it was not in that work, but rather the dogmatic definition in Books III, IV, and V of Against Heresies where St. Irenaeus was in error.

Of course, the most compelling endorsement of the accurate reportage and Orthodox faith of St. Epiphanius is the use of his epitomes of each of the heresies documented in the Panarion by St. John of Damascus in the heresiological section of his magnum opus, The Fount of Knowledge, alongside newly written material addressing Iconoclasm, Islam, Tritheism, Nestorianism and other heresies which had appeared since the fourth century. The Fount of Knowledge is most famous for the comprehensive treatment of dogmatic theology contained within, An Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith.

St. Epiphanius has been fairly frequently accused of heresy, but most commonly iconoclasm, and not by the Orthodox but by iconoclasts seeking to use an ambiguous text that he wrote as “proof” that the early church was Iconoclastic, which we know was not the case, and this accusation has also been debunked.

So in general, my view is that if the work of St. Epiphanius is good enoufh for St. John of Damascus, it is good enough for me.

That being said, I do commemorate your caution. In the specific case of St. Epiphanius however I feel, having read his works heavily and having further written a history of the Origenist controversy which included a biography of him, that his work is very trustworthy. In fact, as ancient historians go, I would say that St. Epiphanius is considerably more reliable than most: I trust him more than Eusebius of Caesarea (who was an Arian sympathizer who I believe was writing his biography of St. Constantine with flattery in mind, with a view to persuading him to change his mind on Arius and Arianism; his earlier Ecclesiastical History on the other hand is more reliable, I think) , and I trust him considerably more than I trust Flavius Josephus, who strikes me as being totally biased in favor of the Scribes and Pharisees and against the Beta Israel, Samaritans, Sadducees, Essenes, and Hellenic Jews.
 
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ValeriyK2022

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Interesting, I did not realize Arius was an Archpriest. I thought St. Alexander had deposed him when he was an ordinary priest.
I'm not sure this is exactly the case. Therefore, just in case, I replaced the word "archpriest" with the word "priest."
 
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ValeriyK2022

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II Ecumenical Council took place in 381 in Constantinople.

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This council was convened to condemn the Macedonians.

Macedoniy, under the guise of fighting the heresy of the Sabellians, who taught about the merging of the hypostasis of the Father and the Son, began to use the word "like in essence" in relation to the Son to the Father. This wording was also dangerous because Macedonius presented himself as a fighter against the Arians, who used the term "like the Father." In addition, the Macedonians - semi-Arians, inclined, depending on the situation and benefits, either to Orthodoxy or to Arianism, blasphemed the Holy Spirit, claiming that He does not have unity with the Father and the Son. He taught that the Holy Spirit is not God, and called Him a creature or created power, and, moreover, serving God the Father and God the Son just like angels. At the Council the heresy of Macedonia was condemned and rejected. The Council approved the dogma of the equality and consubstantiality of God the Holy Spirit with God the Father and God the Son.
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The Council also supplemented the Nicene Creed with five articles, which set out the doctrine: on the Holy Spirit, on the Church, on the sacraments, on the resurrection of the dead, and on the life of the future age. Thus, the Nicetsaregrad Creed was drawn up, which serves as a guide for the Church for all time.
 
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