SPENDING TIME WITH…
THE INCARNATE WORD OF GOD
LEARNING CHRIST - IN THE HOLY SCRIPTURES - IN ACCORD WITH THE EASTERN FAITH OF THE BYZANTINE CATHOLIC CHURCH IN ORDER TO LIVE THIS FAITH AND SHARE IT WITH OTHERS.
Our new Eparchial Pastoral Plan states our mission is to “proclaim, to witness [and] make present the salvation in Jesus Christ… with Byzantine Catholic liturgy, spirituality, theology and tradition.” Our parishes must be “vibrant centers of hope and evangelization” because the Church provides the opportunity for God’s people to encounter the living God. Since “being a disciple of Jesus Christ requires a well-understood faith… the Church assists us in knowing our faith & inspires us to live it.”
Join Sub-Dn. Lazarus Der-Ghazarian, M.A. in Eastern Theology, as he leads a study of the Holy Scriptures as they are understood in the Byzantine-Constantinopolitan Church Tradition. We will also focus on the insights of the great Fathers and Saints venerated by the East and will reference the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches & other texts to answer questions.
Primary Text: The Orthodox Study Bible (available from our Byzantine Catholic Seminary, Barnes & Noble Amazon) will be used because it so beautifully presents the many facets of our Byzantine Faith (make sure to get the edition with both the Old & New Testaments). Bring a notebook and pen to take notes.
Class Time: 7pm every Wednesday @ St. Nicholas Byzantine Catholic Church Hall. Contact Sub-Deacon Lazarus with any questions ( ).
Welcome packet information for new participants in our Eastern Christian Bible Study:
TRISAGION PRAYERS: Glory to you, our God, glory to you. Heavenly King, Comforter, Spirit of Truth, everywhere present and filling all things, Treasury of Blessings and Giver of Life, come and dwell within us, cleanse us of all stain, and save our souls, O gracious One. Holy God, Holy and Mighty, Holy and Immortal, have mercy on us. (3x). Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and forever. Amen. Most Holy Trinity, have mercy on us; Lord, cleanse us of our sins; Master, forgive our transgressions; Holy One, come to us and heal our infirmities for your name's sake. Lord have mercy (3x). Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and forever. Amen.
O JOYFUL LIGHT: O Joyful Light / of the holy glory / of the Father immortal / the heavenly, holy, blessed one / O Jesus Christ / Now that we have reached the setting of the sun / and see the evening light / we sing to God / Father, Son, Holy Spirit / It is fitting at all times to raise a song of praise in measured melody to you /
O Son of God, the giver of life. / Therefore, the universe sings your glory.
OPENING PRAYER: O Christ our God, You are the Light of the Word. He who follows You shall not walk in darkness but have the light of life. (Say together): Loving Master, let the pure light of your divine knowledge shine brightly in our hearts and open the eyes of our minds that we may understand the proclamation of your Gospel. Instill the fear of your blessed commandments in us so that, having trampled all carnal desires, we may lead a spiritual life both thinking and doing everything to please you. For you, O Christ our God, are the enlightenment of our souls and bodies, and we give glory to you, with your eternal Father, and your all holy good, and life-creating Spirit, now and ever and forever. Amen.
CLOSING PRAYER (at end of class): The Lord’s Prayer (use Liturgy books to sing in the tone of the week).
Guidelines: Remember the goal of this Eastern Christian Bible Study is not so much to be academic but to encounter Jesus Christ our Lord Who is the Incarnate Word and Son of God. We seek to let Christ speak to us through the study of the written Word of God because Jesus is “the Way, the Truth and the Life…” (Jn. 14:6).
Do’s:
-Do participate & offer your insights or reaction to the Scriptural passages.
-Do ask your questions about the Scriptures, Faith & Morals.
-Do remember this is an Eastern Christian Bible Study. We want to maintain our purpose which is to learn the Eastern Catholic Faith as it is expressed in the Holy Scriptures (as our Pastoral Plan states).
Don’ts:
-Don’t argue. If there is something you find questionable, you can voice your objection but then let it go so we can move the class on. People are here to study the Scriptures, not to listen to us argue. If there is a serious concern we can discuss it one on one after the class and, if necessary, consult the hierarchy. Please don’t quibble about the translation: It is well suited for our class but no translation or edition is perfect.
-Don’t go off on long tangents: We want to keep the EC Bible Study moving.
-Don’t bash other religions. Because we are convinced of the truthfulness of our faith, we will discuss what we consider to be the errors of other faiths. But we will also affirm any elements of truth in these faiths.
-No anti-Roman Catholicism: Those of the Latin Church are our full brethren in the faith. We venerate their theology, liturgy and tradition just as we expect them to venerate and respect ours. If we talk about our historic differences (between East & West) -it must always be with respect. We hope to show how our traditions are complementary rather than conflicting.
The New Testament Arranged for Advantageous Study
The Gospel to the Gentiles:
A. The Apostolic Work of St. John the Theologian & Apostle
The 2nd Epistle of St. John, 90-95 AD
The 1st Epistle of St. John, 90-95 AD
The 3rd Epistle of St. John, 90-95 AD
The Gospel According to St. John, c. 96 AD
The Apocalypse to St. John, 81-96 AD
B. The Apostolic Work under St. Peter the Apostle
The Gospel According to St. Mark, before 70 AD
The 1st Epistle of St. Peter, 50-67 AD
The 2nd Epistle of St. Peter, 63-67 AD
C. The Apostolic Work under St. Paul the Apostle
The Gospel According to St. Luke, 70-80 AD
The Acts of the Apostles, 75-85 AD
The Epistle to the Galatians, 49 AD?
The 1st Epistle to the Thessalonians, 50-51 AD
The 2nd Epistle to the Thessalonians, 51 AD
The 1st Epistle to the Corinthians, 55 AD
The 2nd Epistle to the Corinthians, 55 AD
The Epistle to the Romans, 55-57 AD
The Epistle to St. Philemon, 61-63 AD
The Epistle to the Philippians, 61-63 AD
The Epistle to the Colossians, 61-63 AD
The Epistle to the Ephesians, 61-63 AD
The Epistle to St. Titus, 63-65 AD
The 1st Epistle to St. Timothy, 64-65 AD
The 2nd Epistle to St. Timothy, 65-67 AD
The Gospel to the Hebrews:
D. The Apostolic Work among the Hebrews
The Epistle of St. James the Apostle, 55-60 AD
The Epistle of St. Jude the Apostle, 60-80 AD
The Epistle to the Hebrew Christians, c. 70 AD
The Gospel According to St. Matthew, 50-70 AD
What follows is an explanation of the above arrangement. I've been studying the NT for over 15 years. This is based on these studies as well as on ancient and modern scholarship. I pray this study will be enjoyable and bring us all closer to Christ our God. -Sub-Dn. Lazarus W. Der-Ghazarian
The Gospel to the Gentiles:
A. The Apostolic Work of St. John the Theologian and Apostle:
I arranged the Epistles of St. John the Theologian (as he is known in the Christian East) based upon a modern theory that his 2nd Epistle was the cover letter for his 1st Epistle and his 3rd Epistle was a conclusion. As a result, these three Epistles can be seen as forming a single unit. The reference in his 2nd Epistle to the “Elect Lady” is a code word for the Church which was the recipient of the three epistles. 1 St. John then gives the core of the message which St. John wished to convey to this Church. 3 St. John is a final note to this Church’s hierarchy. Regardless of the speculative nature of such a theory, in keeping with the purpose of this arrangement, I thought it would be advantageous to be able to study these Epistles arranged in this way. The Gospel of St. John then follows, based on the theory that St. John’s 1st Epistle contained early ideas that he later developed into his Gospel. And finally, “The End,” St. John’s Apocalypse or book of Revelation.
B. The Apostolic Work under St. Peter:
Eastern tradition identifies St. Mark as “John-Mark,” one of the Seventy Two Disciples (St. Lk 10:1ff). Tradition states that St. Mark wrote on the witness and authority of St. Peter the Apostle. Therefore, St. Peter's Epistles logically follow St. Mark’s Gospel.
C. The Apostolic Work under St. Paul:
St. Luke’s Gospel is reunited with its companion volume, the Acts (or Works) of the Apostles. Eastern tradition states that St. Luke was also one of the Seventy Two. Tradition also records that he wrote on the authority of St. Paul. Therefore the Epistles of St. Paul follow the writings of St. Luke. I have arranged St. Paul's Epistles in one possible & likely chronological order. It begins with Galatians which may or may not be older than his Epistles to the Thessalonians. But since in Galatians St. Paul gives some important biographical background, it is a fitting introduction to St. Paul (especially following Acts’ abrupt ending). Many of St. Paul’s later Epistles were composed while he was in prison in Rome. Therefore, following his Epistle to the Church of Rome, and before the Pastoral Epistles, come his Captivity Epistles beginning with Philemon and ending with his most ecclesiologically developed Epistle to the Church of Ephesus. This section ends with the “Pastoral Epistles” which, in turn, close with St. Paul's farewell letter, his 2nd Epistle to St. Timothy.
The Gospel to the Hebrews:
St. James (or Jacob) was the first bishop of the Jerusalem Church. He was a very devout Jew, who was so inclined towards penance that he became known by his fellow Jews as “the camel-kneed” because of the hours he spent knelt in prayer. The Epistle of St. Jude (or Judas), the brother of St. James, then follows. St. Jude’s Epistle alludes to apocryphal books the Jews would have been acquainted with (i.e. The Assumption of Moses and 1st Enoch). The Epistle to the Hebrews then follows. Composed either by St. Paul, or one of his companions (e.g., Sts. Barnabas, Apollos, or Priscilla and Aquila), it is addressed to Hebrew Christians. Hebrews teaches us who Jesus is and what His salvific sacrifice means for the world. Finally, the Gospel According to St. Matthew uses the most Old Testament quotes of any of the Evangelists to convince his fellow Jews that Jesus is the long awaited Christ. While Hebrews teaches us the theology of Christ (known as Christology), the Gospel of St. Matthew gives us the story of Jesus and ends with His Great Commission.
For more EC Bible Study resources go to my webpage: www.looys.net and click on “Holy Scripture.”
Questions and Answers on the Eastern Christian Bible Study:
Q. Why have an “Eastern” Christian Bible Study?
A. The Second Vatican Council document “Orientalium Ecclesiarum” called Eastern Catholics to rediscover and return to our historic, Eastern traditions. We are called to “attain to an ever greater knowledge” and to “return to [our] ancestral traditions” including our “rites, discipline, and doctrine.”
Q. Why did Vatican II call us to do this?
A. Our historic Eastern rites (Liturgy), discipline (Canons), and doctrine (Theology), according to Vatican II, are best suited for our salvation. People often state they want to get more out of our Liturgy. The Liturgy we celebrate is but an expression of our Eastern Christian Faith. Understanding the Byzantine Catholic Faith will greatly assist us in understanding our Byzantine Liturgy.
B. There is also an important ecumenical reason. Eastern Catholics are called to show that the Eastern Faith can be fully followed in the Catholic Communion. To the degree that we faithfully maintain and flourish in our historic Eastern faith, the Orthodox will have good reason to consider reunification.
Q. Why not have a general “Catholic” Bible Study?
A. Whenever there is a Bible Study it is always in some context. Sometimes these take on common Protestant styles and themes. A general “Catholic” study, using Roman Catholic texts, would inevitably become a “Roman Catholic” Bible study. There is nothing wrong this but such studies are abundantly available throughout the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit. The Byzantine Church is the only place someone can go to attend a Byzantine Catholic Bible Study.
Q. What are the instructor’s credentials for leading such a class?
A. Sub-Dn. Lazarus has been a student of Eastern Christian Theology for over 20 years and is currently completing four years of graduate study for a MA in Applied Eastern / Orthodox Theology (with the blessing of His Grace Bishop John Kudrick). He has a great love for the Byzantine Church’s Theology and Tradition.
Q. Why use the Orthodox Study Bible?
A. We are using the Orthodox Study Bible as our primary text because: (1) It beautifully presents the many facets of our Byzantine Faith in a very positive format. This is why it is sold by our Seminary bookstore and even used by Eastern & Byzantine Catholic Bishops. (2) It has a NT based on the Textus Receptus which is a traditional Byzantine text from Constantinople and has study aids to compare it to the Majority Text and modern critical texts. (3) It has an OT which is a translation of the Greek Septuagint which is the traditional OT of the Byzantine Churches. It was also the primary OT used by the Apostles when they wrote the NT. (4) It is packed with notes which underline how our Byzantine Faith, Liturgy, Theology, Mysteries and Spirituality have profound bases in the Holy Scriptures. We’ll also use the CCC, the ECOC and other official Church documents to help answer questions as they arise.