Neither natural capacity nor the letter of the holy law delivers anyone from this sin that fleshly birth introduces originally, but only the faith of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who came “to seek and to save that which had perished.” He “died for the ungodly,” giving “himself for us,” as the Apostle says, “as an offering and a sacrifice to God, as a sweet-smelling savor.” In this mediator between God and men, the status of human nature has been restored and the work of fulfilling the law has been accomplished; for the weakness of nature has in no way been able to stand up to his power. Since “all our days have passed away, and we have passed away in [God’s] wrath,” this weakness is deprived of both illumination and power, it sins blindly apart from the law, and, as a result, it does not know it is sinning. For this reason it is said: "I would not have known covetousness, unless the law had said, ‘You shall not covet.’"- St Fulgentius

#St_Fulgentius
#Soteriology

O lover of this festival, when you have considered well the glorious mysteries of Bethlehem — which were brought to pass for your sake — gladly join yourself to the heavenly host, which is celebrating magnificently your salvation. As once David did before the ark(2 Sam 6:14), so do you, before this virginal throne, joyfully lead the dance. Hymn with gladsome song the Lord, who is always and everywhere present, and Him who from Teman, as says the prophet, has thought fit to appear, and that in the flesh, to the race of men(Habbakuk 3:3). Say, with Moses, He is my God, and I will glorify Him; my father's God, and I will exalt Him (Exodus 15:2)- St Methodius of Olympus, Oration on Simeon and Anna

#St_Methodius_of_Olympus
#Mariology

Now the statement that she stands upon the moon, as I consider, denotes the faith of those who are cleansed from corruption in the laver of regeneration, because the light of the moon has more resemblance to tepid water, and all moist substance is dependent upon her.

The Church, then, stands upon our faith and adoption, under the figure of the moon, until the fullness of the nations come in, labouring and bringing forth natural men as spiritual men; for which reason too she is a mother. For just as a woman receiving tim unformed seed of a man, within a certain time brings forth a perfect man, in the same way, one should say, does the Church conceive those who flee to the Word, and, forming them according to the likeness and form of Christ, after a certain time produce them as citizens of that blessed state. Whence it is necessary that she should stand upon the laver, bringing forth those who are washed in it.- St Methodius of Olympus, Symposium

#St_Methodius_of_Olympus
#Biblical_Commentary
#Revelation

Indeed, before the generosity of grace, there is certainly free will in man, but it is not good, for it has not been enlightened. Accordingly, unless grace is given, the will itself is not considered to be good. For the free will of man, apart from the gift of grace, is like the eye without light. For the eye was made for seeing, but unless it receives light, it will not see.- St Fulgentius, 2nd Letter to the Scythian Monks

#St_Fulgentius
#Soteriology

If they, (the Saints departed) still hold the Communion of Saints, and it is an Article of our Creed that they do so, we cannot doubt of their praying for us. And if they do pray for us, is it unlawful for us to pray that God would hear their prayers for us?

Is it a corruption in a Liturgy to have such a petition in it? I can by no means think so. The Apostle speaking of our praying one for another, adds, that ‘the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.’ Now I cannot doubt but the Saints departed are righteous men, and therefore cannot doubt but their effectual fervent prayer for their brethren on earth availeth much; consequently, that it is lawful for any private Christian, or any congregation of Christians, to pray that their prayers may be available to them in this particular.- Dr Thomas Brett(Anglican)

#Anglican
#veneration_saints

We say that Invocation strictly and properly belongs to God alone, and is due to Him in the first place and in the most absolute sense, while that made to the Saints is not invocation properly so called, but per accidens only, and in a certain sense, by a certain grace and privilege. For it is not Peter or Paul that of himself hears any of those who invoke him, but that grace and gift which they have according to that promise of Christ, ‘I am with you even to the end of the world.’- Patriarch Jeremiah's answer to the Lutherans

Note: The complete form of this correspondence cannot be found online. At best there are extracts from the correspondence. The one quoted here is from a 19th cent. Anglican work attempting to reconcile Anglicanism and Russian Orthodoxy, A Harmony of Anglican Doctrine with the Doctrine of the Catholic and Apostolic Church of the East.

#Anglican
#Orthodox
#veneration_saints

One may compare this extract quoted by Anglicans with another extract from the Correspondence from Orthodox Christian Information Center:

http://orthodoxinfo.com/ecumenism/jeremiah.aspx

Indeed, we invoke the all-holy saints not as saviors and redeemers, God forbid, for only One is the Savior and Redeemer, the Christ; but we who are sinners and in the midst of evils hold them forth as intermediaries who have completed the journey of life in a holy and satisfactory manner and have departed to God, and who richly intercede for us. And of course, we are not committing sin by continually pursuing this aim. For by venerating their holy icons and their relics which cause thousands of healings to those who on occasion approach in faith, we reap extraordinary beneficences from them, and we are illumined in soul and body.

#Orthodox
#Veneration_saints

It was only, as the apostle Paul declares, that "God, who is rich in mercy, for the great love wherewith he hath loved us," in mercy alone sent his Son into the world, even when all "were dead in trespasses and sins; and hath quickened us together with Christ, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come might be shewn the exceeding riches of the Grace" of the Father. (Eph. ii. 4-7.)

Salvation is solely by his merits solely by his grace. According to the declaration of Paul, then, O Christians! we cannot be saved, otherwise than by faith, trusting in the merits of Christ alone-by fellowship in his death. Our salvation is "not of works, lest any man should boast," but solely by faith; "and that not of ourselves; it is the gift of God:" consequently, our salvation lies wholly in Jesus Christ. Faith in Christ saves us. "A man is not justified by the works of the law, but only by the faith of Jesus Christ."- Metropolitan Michael of St Petersburg & Novgorod

#Soteriology

"In Him," through faith, "we live, and move, and have our being," (Acts xvii 28.) saith the apostle Paul; because faith receives from the Spirit strength, which it communicates to the inner man, for the production of spiritual works: namely, that we may, with all our heart, love our Creator, and do and submit to his holy will, and likewise do good to our neighbour. It is faith that gives the ability to bring forth the fruits of the Spirit; peace, joy, love, long-suffering, gentleness, continence, chastity, purity Now since faith yields good works since they are the effects of faith then it is clear that they do not save us, but that we are saved by faith which produces them. Although, however, our good works do not save us, by themselves, because they cannot exist before faith, but are produced by it, still they have a relation to our redemption through Christ-ibid.

#Orthodox
#Metropolitan_Michael
#Soteriology
#Biblical_Commentary
#Acts

The rest of the terms(Divine names) too, the connotation of which indicates something positive and real, give an indication not of the actual divine Nature, but of what can in true reverence be thought about it......We call ‘Designer’ the Maker of all, and ‘Mighty’ the one who controls so great a creation, whose might sufficed to bring what he willed into being. Considering the good in our life we are logical in naming the source of that life with the designation ‘Good’, and having learnt from the divine scripture the impartiality of the coming judgment, we thereby name him ‘Judge’ and ‘Righteous’. To sum up briefly, the ideas which arise in us about the divine Nature we carry over into the form of names, such that no epithet is used of the divine Nature without some specific idea- St Gregory of Nyssa Contra Eunomius II, pg190-191

#St_Gregory_Nyssa

He who says that the letter kills, while the spirit gives life, I do not understand how he can make a contrast between ‘being’ and ‘letter’. Or again, how does Eunomius suppose that, when Paul says we must by spirit slay the practices of the body, he is making the meaning of ‘spirit’ refer to the being?

Living by the spirit and walking by the spirit will also be totally unintelligible, if ‘spirit’ is interpreted as referring to the being. By what else, if it is not in our being, do all of us who are alive participate in life?- St Gregory of Nyssa, Contra Eunomium III, pg.137-138

#St_Gregory_Nyssa
#Holy_Spirit

Our own position is that the Only-begotten God, having by himself brought the universe into being, has total control of the universe in himself, and one of the things made by him was the human race; and when this lapsed into evil, and for this reason came into the destruction of death, by himself he brought it back to immortal life, through the man in whom he made his dwelling, assuming to himself all that is human; and that he mingled his own life-giving power with the mortal and perishable nature, and by combination with himself transformed our deadly state into lively grace and power- St Gregory of Nyssa, Contra Eunomium III, pg.117

#St_Gregory_Nyssa
#Soteriology

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPvjf0juGa8 #apologetics

We know from what we were taught that the divine nature is always one and the same and constant, whereas of itself the flesh is just what mind and perception take it to be. When it is mingled with the divine however, it no longer remains within its own limits and qualities, but is taken up towards what masters and transcends it, while the meaning of the characteristics of the flesh and of the godhead remains unconfused, as long as each of these is considered by itself.- St Gregory of Nyssa, Contra Eunomium III,pg.120

#St_Gregory_Nyssa
#Soteriology
#Christology

It's worth noting that modern baptist theology originated only after individualist Enlightenment values gained traction. Furthermore, the only cultures where b*ptist "theology" holds any sway are hyper-individualistic Anglo cultures. And frankly, their biggest issue isn't that they don't baptize their children, but that this hyper-individualism has become the lens through which they interpret all of Scripture.

No man can doubt, but the Romanists have grossly abused confession; by tricking it up in the robes of a Sacrament; by obtruding a particular and plenary enumeration of all sins to man, as absolutely necessary to salvation by Divine institution ... So, on the other side, it cannot be denied, that our Protestant confessions are for the most part too general; we confess we are sinners, and that's all; which signifies nothing: and a little too presumptuous; they that dare not trust their own judgment about their estates without the opinion of a lawyer, nor about their bodies without the advice of a physician, are wise enough for their souls without any other direction.- Rev John Bramhall

#Anglican
#Confession

He, born of the Father, had made heavens and earth; on being born of a Mother, He showed the earth a new constellation. When He was born, a new light was unveiled in a star; when He died, the ancient light of the sun was veiled. At His birth, the heavens became bright with new lustre; at His death, the lower regions trembled with new fear; at His Resurrection, the disciples burned with new love; at His Ascension, the heavens opened in a new act of homage- St Augustine, Sermon 199, On the Epiphany of the Lord

#St_Augustine
#Nativity_of_Christ

The Lord lay in a manger, yet He drew the Magi from the East. He was hidden in a stable, yet He was acknowledged in the heavens, so that, thus recognized in the heavens, He might be manifested in the stable and that this day might be called the Epiphany or, in the Latin derivative, the Manifestation.

Thus, at one and the same time, He set His seal of approval on His high and His lowly estate, so that He to whom the heavens bore witness by a starry sign might, when sought, be found in an insignificant dwelling where, helpless in His tiny frame and wrapped in swaddling clothes, He might be adored by the Magi and feared by the wicked- St Augustine, Sermon 200, On the Epiphany

#St_Augustine
#Nativity_of_Christ