www.byzcath.org Forums Faith & Christian Life Faith & Theology Meatfare and Great Lent...a question

Bless me a great sinner, Venerable Father Elias!

Our parish of St Nicholas always prints the traditional Orthodox fast regulations in the church bulletins and simply tells us to follow them - period.

We used to have an old monastic priest, who returned to Ukraine where he reposed in the Lord, who went "ballistic" when people confessed they had eaten meat on Fridays.

I was no where near the place where he was confessing parishioners when I, and many others, heard him blurt out loudly, "Madame, so how may times DID you eat meat on Friday!!"

Bean salad anyone?

Alex

Dear in Christ Andrew,

Apparently the only Orthodox jurisdiction (and other isolated parishes outside of that jurisdiction I am aware of) that uses the Western reckoning of Pascha has indeed done what you spell out above. It should be noted that this was done in order to provide a common Christian witness, somthing that is very commendable. No doubt there are other reasons as well but the common witness is very valuable.

Today there are only two ways being used to calculate the date of Pascha. If memory serves me the " Aleppo Statement [wcc-coe.org] " proposed a third way. It would use the more astronomically accurate calculation of the vernal equinox but respect the other stipulations. This was proposed but, as we sadly know, did not come to actual fruition.

Tony

Dear Tony,

Do you mean that the Aleppo Statement proposed using both the Gregorian astronomical calculation combined with due respect toward the Jewish Passover?

I remember the day that Professor Ericson returned from the conference in Aleppo. He was shining with excitement as he told our class in Church History of the fabulous journey within Syria, mostly by rail! He published his article some time later and I would not be surprised if it is based upon his work there at the conference.

Speaking of "on the one hand" Ericson and SVS, this Thursday, God willing, my wife and I are hoping to attend Vespers and the speech by Archbishop Anastasios at St. Vladimir's Seminary. We have had the blessing to hear him speak many times and have been co-laborers with him in the Albanian section of the Lord's vineyard. He is truly "a great man" and as one of my Jewish Orthodox Christian friends says, "that's hard to say about anyone these days." His Chancellor and travelling companion, Papa Jani Trebicka, is equally great, but not as well-known internationally.

We would be honored to meet you there! And Seminarian Anastasios also, if you would mention it to him and Xenios Marcx, if he is still around (the only seminarian whose name began and ended with an X")! You'll recognize me as the one who looks somewhat like an Orthodox Jew. I should also have a copy of Ericson's article in my hand.

With love in Christ.

Andrew,

Yes there is a link to the Aleppo Statement above so that whoever wants to can examine it.

Tony

So I was wrong again! The SVS Quarterly merely had reprinted the Aleppo Statement. It was not a separate article by Prof. Ericson.

Reviewing the Aleppo Statement: It proposes using the most accurate astronomical calculation from the point of Jerusalem.

The Gregorian calculation is not exactly the same as this, although in terms of actual dates for the vernal equinox, the two would not diverge for another 2,000 years or so [as I recall, someone said that in (approx.) 4313 the Gregorian will have "slipped" by one day].

The Aleppo Statement makes no accomodation for the currently erroneous Jewish calculations of the Passover.

The reality is that regardless of the merits of the proposal, I don't believe that anything short of an Ecumenical Council would be able to cause any change in the current dichotomy of Paschal dates. And even then, as the statement implies, if the change were to cause a schism, would it be a worthwhile endeavor?

In Christ.