Indulgences [Moved from TAW]

[Searching_for_Christ]

Does the Orthodox Church practice any form of indulgences?

 

[SeraphimSarov]

That is an entirely Roman Catholic thing. We do not.

 

[Searching_for_Christ]

THANK GOD! I honestly must say that I have narrowed my search for the true Church down to Roman Catholic, and Orthodox Church..and everything that seems just downright fishy on the Catholic side...appears to be rejected by the Orthodox....this pleases me

 

[127.0.0.1]

^

Well then what are you waiting for? Find an Orthodox Church, today!

 

[laconicstudent]

Orthodoxy in America - Home

 

[Searching_for_Christ]

^

Well then what are you waiting for? Find an Orthodox Church, today!

For years I have believed the nearest Orthodox Church to me was in Burlington (a city MANY miles away from my town in Vermont) well the City closest to me (like 25 minutes away) has a section in it filled with Churches (Anglican, Protestant, Catholic ect) however a few months ago while driving through that section my mom decided to take a turn down a road around the Catholic Church (a road I have never been down) and right behind the Catholic Church was this small White building with a large golden dome on top and a sign outside that said (Orthodox Church) ........AWESOME

 

[Searching_for_Christ]

Orthodoxy in America - Home

Just found the Church nearest to me through the link you gave me. Its called St. Nicholas Church
Greek Orthodox Church

Greek Orthodox ay? that sounds...interesting.

 

[127.0.0.1]

Just found the Church nearest to me through the link you gave me. Its called St. Nicholas Church
Greek Orthodox Church

Greek Orthodox ay? that sounds...interesting.

There are many different jurisdictions of Orthodox Churches. There's Ukrainian, Russian, Greek, Antiochian, a Chinese Orthodox Church (apparently, spawned from the Russian Church)...etc. They may often differ in look and style, however they are all one Church.

There are some exceptions though.

Any of the Churches on this list, Eastern Orthodox Churches (in full communion) should be fine.

List of EO Churches. < Link

 

[Kristos]

unless you're an Archon with lot's of bling

 

[Searching_for_Christ]

I think my Church closest to me would be in communion..it just says that its a Greek Orthodox I can't wait untill I get to actually check it out.

 

[ProScribe]

No that's a Roman Catholic practice.

 

[MoNiCa4316]

the Greek Orthodox church actually had indulgences in the past.... but the idea of them was kind of different than Catholic indulgences. Catholic indulgences are to lessen purgatory (after forgiveness of sin has been granted through Confession), - but in the Greek Church the indulgences were linked to forgiveness of sin, and were given in the form of "absolution certificates", which people could buy. Here is more info from an Orthodox source: Indulgences in the history of the Greek Church / Ïðàâîñëàâèå.Ru
later on, the Orthodox Church (as well as the Catholic Church, in the Council of Trent) judged that it is wrong to buy or sell such things. (Note: The article doesn't show a good understanding of Catholic indulgences, because we don't believe they're for the forgiveness of sin...and no one buys them anymore; that is not allowed. Also as far as I know, they're not used in the Greek Orthodox church today.)

 

[Searching_for_Christ]

Interesting..is there any other evidence that Orthodoxy (in any part of its structure) was also corrupted by western Christianity?

 

[SeraphimSarov]

later on, the Orthodox Church (as well as the Catholic Church, in the Council of Trent) judged that it is wrong to buy or sell such things.

Which means that it was never right to begin with and it was never Orthodox.

 

[Sphinx777]

An indulgence, in Catholic theology, is the full or partial remission of temporal punishment due for sins which have already been forgiven. The indulgence is granted by the church after the sinner has confessed and received absolution. The belief is that indulgences draw on the Treasure House of Merit accumulated by Jesus' sacrifice and the virtues and penances of the saints. They are granted for specific good works and prayers.

Indulgences replaced the severe penances of the early Church. More exactly, they replaced the shortening of those penances that was allowed at the intercession of those imprisoned and those awaiting martyrdom for the faith.

Abuses in granting indulgences were a major point of contention when Martin Luther initiated the Protestant Reformation (1517).

 

[Sphinx777]

the Greek Orthodox church actually had indulgences in the past....

The Eastern Orthodox Churches believe one can be absolved from sins by the Sacred Mystery of Confession, which in the East is preceded by a period of fasting. Because of differences in the underlying doctrine of salvation, indulgences for the remission of temporal punishment of sin do not exist in Eastern Orthodoxy, but until the twentieth century there existed in some places a practice of absolution certificates (&#963;&#965;&#947;&#967;&#969;&#961;&#959;&#967;&#940;&#961;&#964;&#953;&#945; - synchorochartia).

While some of these certificates were connected with any patriarch's decrees lifting for the living or the dead some serious ecclesiastical penalty, including excommunication, the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, with the approval of the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, had the sole privilege, because of the expense of maintaining the Holy Places and paying the many taxes levied on them, of distributing such documents in large numbers to pilgrims or sending them elsewhere, sometimes with a blank space for the name of the beneficiary, living or dead, an individual or a whole family, for whom the prayers would be read.

Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem Dositheos Notaras (1641-1707) wrote: "It is an established custom and ancient tradition, known to all, that the Most Holy Patriarchs give the absolution certificate (&#963;&#965;&#947;&#967;&#969;&#961;&#959;&#967;&#940;&#961;&#964;&#953;&#959;&#957; - synchorochartion) to the faithful people &#8230; they have granted them from the beginning and still do."

A Russian Orthodox source says that these certificates were in use among Greek Orthodox until the middle of the twentieth century, and were "certificates which absolved from sins, which anyone could obtain, often for a specified sum of money. The absolution granted by these papers, according to Christos Yannaras, had no connection with any participation of the faithful in the Mystery of Penance, nor in the Mystery of the Eucharist". The same source interprets the Western indulgence also as absolution from sin, not as remission of temporal punishment.

​

An 18th-century absolution certificate granted by the
Patriarch of Jerusalem and sold by Greek monks
in Wallachia (History Museum, Bucharest)​

​

.​

 

[Mary of Bethany]

The very idea of Indulgences, of Merit, of quantifying of God's grace (and even the RCC understanding of what grace is) ---- all of that is completely un-Orthodox.

Mary

 

[Monica child of God 1]

The fact that these certificates were only handed out in certain places and the practice was eventually stamped out leads me to think it was an abberation in the first place. The author of the article on the Russian website state that the practice was taken on under Latin influence. It wasn't an organic manifestation of our thelogy.

M.

 

[MKJ]

Which means that it was never right to begin with and it was never Orthodox.

By this logic, would you say that any practice that once was in the Catholic, or other, Church, but is now not allowed or is reformed, is therefore not really Catholic (or whatever) and so should not be a factor in any consideration of those groups?

 

[MoNiCa4316]

The fact that these certificates were only handed out in certain places and the practice was eventually stamped out leads me to think it was an abberation in the first place. The author of the article on the Russian website state that the practice was taken on under Latin influence. It wasn't an organic manifestation of our thelogy.

M.

It does seem that the Orthodox Church accepted the use of such certificates, and didn't consider them incorrect.... I am not sure how doctrine works in the Orthodox Church, - do you believe the Church is infallible? I'm not sure why at first they were accepted, and then rejected, by the Church authorities. The article does say it was under "Latin influence", but the article also shows an incorrect understanding of RC indulgences.. so I'm not really sure, - how does the Orthodox Church see doctrine and infallibility?

The practice of issuing indulgences, having existed at first unofficially, got its official confirmation at the Constantinople Council of 1727. That Council was called in response to increasing Latin propaganda, spreading mainly in Syria, Mesopotamia, Palestine, and Egypt, and it was also the continuation of the Constantinople Council of 1722.[4] That Council published "The Confession of Faith"[5], the text of which was compiled by the Patriarch of Jerusalem Chrysanthus (+ 1731), and was signed by these patriarchs: Paisius II of Constantinople, Sylvester of Antioch, and Chrysanthus of Jerusalem, as well as hierarchs located at that time in Constantinople and participating in the Council
Thus, in the 13th clause of the document it is said: "The power of the forgiveness of sins, which is termed by the Eastern Church of Christ “Absolution Certificates” when given in writing, but by the Latins “Indulgences,” is given to the Holy Church by Christ. These Absolution Certificates are issued in the whole Catholic Church by the Four most holy Patriarchs: Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, and Jerusalem."[6]