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Hello Forum, I've been researching the history of the ecumenical councils and keep running into the claim that Constantine invited all bishops in the empire and that these would amount to about 1800. However, i can't find any contemporary source confirming this. Sources available from that time...

Are there any early theologians that i could turn to for an depth-explanation? I know Origen wrote about it in some editions of his ''On First Principles'', but since he is considered to approach heresy a lot of the times i'm wary of using his arguments in favor of positions relating to...

What is the orthodox view on God's state prior to the creation of the universe? Are there any early theologians considered to be authoritative that have dealt with this topic? The main questions i'm looking to get an answer on is whether God has always had a plan to create the universe, and...

Having read many different theological works about a wide variety of subjects, i've never come across a specific outlining of God's state prior to the creation of the universe. My main question relates to what the traditional perspective is on the degree to which God knew that He was going to...

Are there any surviving writings that go into detail about the specific reasons that inspired people from classical antiquity to convert to Christianity, in contrast with remaining, for instance, Platonists? It always surprises me that a civilisation with predominantly ideologies based on reason...

The abandonment of civilisation by the desert fathers and mothers in the 4th century is well known, yet how much is known about the particular preparations preceding their march into the wasteland? Did the Roman government allow cells to be set up in the wilderness without any purchase of land...

I'd like to start of by saying that this will be a relatively long post, yet the nature of the subject doesn't allow my writing to take on a shorter form if i want to adequately represent my views. If there are any theological steps i have missed in my analysis, i hope to be corrected by...

For the past few years i've developed a sincere interest in religion, have (for all intends and purposes) become religious myself, have regular debates on the inconsistencies of materialism and atheism with friends and family-members and spent copious amounts of time researching subjects...

On what grounds was there such a big dispute between those that supported Patriarch Nikon's reforms and those that opposed it, and why did both sides refuse to compromise? It seems odd that many Russian Orthodox chose to follow his reformations even though he was stripped of his authority by an...

After having consumed a reasonable amount of literature that relates to (Eastern) theology and the history of the development of the Christian faith, i was left with some specific questions that i hope can be answered by someone with a more advanced understanding of Orthodox theology then i do...

None of these are actual arguments that relate to discussing my position. Most of the rebuttals so far merely state that; 1. It isn't supported by the Bible Neither are divine simplicity, our current conception of the trinity (being a product of both Origen and Tertullian), the five ways of...

Whether a theory has similarities to other (non-Christian) ideologies is irrelevant with regards to determining whether it is true or false, likely or unlikely, possible or impossible. The five ways of Thomas Aquinas have become highly respected within Catholic circles since their publication...

Whether God needs to create or not is, in my opinion, irrelevant. The fact is that God does create, whether He needs to or not. And creating, regardless of whether that which creates does so out of necessity or free-will, is certainly an indicator of activity. If the factor that creates is...

The arguments that Origen supposedly used are actually removed from many present and early editions of his ''On First Principles''. I have read two copies this year, one digital that i sadly can't find anymore and one Dutch edition from the early 20th century in which they were included. They...

In this thread i'd like to lay-out my arguments that, in my opinion, rule out the possibility of Origen being a mere heretic when he speaks about controversial subjects relating to theology. I will defend both his view of the possibility of previous worlds and the pre-existence of the soul as...

Thanks for the informative replies, everyone. In the meantime i've been able to find some recordings of live-streams of the parish in my city and consequently know what to expect.

Since i've lost faith in Protestantism and have concluded Eastern Orthodoxy to be the most authentic form of Christianity in the present age, i've been considering attending the services of a Russian Orthodox church i've discovered being active in my city. For the last couple of months i've been...

Mainstream (Catholic and Orthodox) theology is defended with arguments that, essentially, tend to boil down to appealing to the writings of the Apostolic fathers. According to many Christians, these writings in combination with the gospels give the most comprehensive view of the original...

Thanks for the answers, they have cleared up my questions.

After having read a decent amount of theology of early Church fathers i've developed an increasing interest in the specific analytical method used to determine which writings were inspired by the Holy Ghost, and which were not. Many early Christian writers, who used to be considered expert...