tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29605581.post7380888234067870021..comments2023-04-17T04:32:29.391-07:00Comments on Zealous Convert: Kennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08769437717108181870noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29605581.post-55155074618068102922007-08-06T22:49:00.000-07:002007-08-06T22:49:00.000-07:00In the catechesis of the ancient Church, the catec...In the catechesis of the ancient Church, the catechumens, those being prepared for illumination (baptism and chrismation) were taught the mysteries of the Word of God as well as the doctrine and the moral code of the Church. One of the last mysteries they were taught was the mystery of the Creation of Adam and Eve. I'm sorry but I can't remember where I read this, because it was very many years ago, and I haven't seen it since (at least I haven't looked for it).<BR/><BR/>What this meant to me at the beginning of my conversion to faith in Jesus Christ, was that I was no longer bound to a purely and mechanically literal interpretation of the Bible. There are mysteries there, veiled in human language, and they are accessible to those who accept the literal meaning in simplicity, without challenging it, merely taking it as it is. Once this has been decided, then the Lord reveals in gradual stages the mysteries behind these things, especially (for example) the harmony between the two Creation accounts and natural science.<BR/><BR/>In the Orthodox Church, what I find is that usually these Bible stories and personages are taught and discussed without the mention of the possibility that they may or may not be literal. We enter into the scriptural universe by faith and receive all the essential truth therein as a free gift that natural intellect cannot procure for us.<BR/><BR/>My son Jacob has written a statement that epitomises the Orthodox attitude toward the holy scriptures. I like it very much. It's posted on his blog at: http://www.gornystudios.com/bible/regarding-the-method<BR/><BR/>Thanks for your very insightful blog posts. I have to keep rereading them, though, as I don't always get everything in the first pass. Go with God, my brother!Ρωμανός ~ Romanóshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00212143017939554092noreply@blogger.com