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If I may ask for clarification, what is the distinction between being "a subject with an xyz-nature" and "an xyz-natured subject"?

Pardon the intrusion. I'm curious about the history of this particular set of episodes in Christian history and was hoping to gather some specific details: What are your dates for the east-west schism and how many bishops are you counting? Who are these bishops, and where are their...

Very interesting, thank you. Would you say that time is experienced differently depending upon aetheric density? You mentioned planets; how would you talk about those planets' relationship to time given that they are less metaphysically dense than we are?

This is important to note, thank you. True in the case that where where no schism occurs. In a case where one does occur, I would just have to have two threads in which I ask my questions to the resulting groups. I want to be clear: I'm only interested in understanding how those of you here...

I guess my question then is: what is the purpose of evoking "Orthodox tradition" in disputes outside of a conciliar context? It would seem that if an identifiable litany of names and writings cannot be abbreviated as "Orthodox tradition", it would make more sense to simply cite the particular...

I view the word "religious" as descriptive of an inclination toward certain types of practices and ways of organizing beliefs. If this inclination is divorced from adherence to a particular set of practices, etc., then I consider myself rather religious. I don't consider myself "spiritual". I...

Interesting discussion thus far. Question for clarification: "density"? Density of what?

Let me try to revise my question. Assume there is some issue, "x", that has been talked about by certain Christian writers but has no official endorsement, conciliar or otherwise. Let's say I ask various informed Orthodox believers if there is a position their church taken on issue x, and I am...

And there have been those whose persons have been anathematized hundreds of years after their deaths. I apologize, I'm not following what is being said here in regard to authoritative tradition. I don't know what "intellectually automatic" means. I don't mean to imply anything about Eastern...

Yes, this much is clear centuries after the fact. Nicaea is part of Orthodox tradition by both fiat and antiquity of acceptance. It's not as clear what status any given writing of some historical Christian writer has when said writing lacks an official endorsement. This seems to be a different...

The whole development seems awfully memetic in nature. That isn't a problem as far as I'm concerned; it just makes it difficult for someone in my position to understand where the divine revelation and inspiration is supposed to be in the process. Additionally, I would guess that darwinian terms...

Thank you. You're the one who first welcomed me six or so months back when I initially stopped by. Right, but said councils should have some set of presuppositions beforehand, shouldn't they? I'm concerned with what rules govern what notions, figures, and writings get to be presupposed in such...

Prompted by discussions in a few recent threads I've read in this section, I feel the need for clarification on how Orthodox tradition, as an authoritative collection of doctrine and practices, is determined. That seems to be a rather broad question, so I'd like to start with a concept...

Without reliably dated materials, either in terms of records or in terms of dating the actual materials of the icon, it's really just taking the your and some monastics' word for it. I'll drop it because I'm not going to go to Cyprus. Again, this is equivalent to saying people who agree with...

Certainly understood.

How does the existence of an icon somehow indicate that Luke was the first iconographer? I don't doubt your word that there's an icon at a monastery in Cyprus that is claimed by some to be by the hand of Luke. I have no idea how simply going and looking at the icon will demonstrate that it's a...

All you're doing is using a stipulative definition of "denomination" then getting annoyed when other people are using a more common definition. There's nothing offensive in noting that there are numerous distinct types of a particular thing or movement. One could innocuously say that the...

I'm not sure why you're pursuing this. If you feel the need to make a case for the Eastern Orthodox Church generally, go ahead and make a different thread, and I'll read what you have to say. I've reread my posts and I have no idea what therein prompted the two of you to have to reassure...

This is an interesting reading of the matter. What is your take on authorial intent, both in the Bible and in the writings of Christian authors later? If I recall correctly, Augustine wasn't so enamored with the notion; I don't know much about other church fathers though.

That's hardly the point. JM was being attacked for writing as he believes rather than conforming his presentation to Eastern Orthodox expectations. It would seem both detrimental and undiplomatic to criticize someone for not agreeing with you in a place allegedly in existence for debate of such...