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[[Image:Hildesheim Wrisberg-Epitaph Mitteltafel.jpg|thumb|200px|[[Wrisberg epitaph]] in [[Hildesheim Cathedral]], showing distribution of the divine graces by means of the church and the sacraments, or mysteries. By Johannes Hopffe 1585.]] |
[[Image:Hildesheim Wrisberg-Epitaph Mitteltafel.jpg|thumb|200px|[[Wrisberg epitaph]] in [[Hildesheim Cathedral]], showing distribution of the divine graces by means of the church and the sacraments, or mysteries. By Johannes Hopffe 1585.]] |
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'''Sacred mysteries''' are the areas of [[supernatural]] phenomena associated with a [[divinity]] or a [[religious belief]] and [[praxis (process)|praxis]]. Sacred mysteries may be either: |
'''Sacred mysteries''' are the areas of [[supernatural]] phenomena associated with a [[divinity]] or a [[religious belief]] and [[praxis (process)|praxis]]. Sacred mysteries may be either: |
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# Religious beliefs, [[ritual]]s or practices which are kept secret from |
# Religious beliefs, [[ritual]]s or practices which are kept secret from the [[Initiation|uninitiated]]. |
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# Beliefs of the religion which are public knowledge but cannot be easily explained by normal rational or scientific means. |
# Beliefs of the religion which are public knowledge but cannot be easily explained by normal rational or scientific means. |
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Although the term "mystery" is not often used in [[anthropology]], access by initiation or [[rite of passage]] to otherwise secret beliefs is an extremely common feature of [[indigenous religion]]s all over the world. |
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==Greece and Rome== |
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==Greco-Roman mysteries== |
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{{Main|Greco-Roman mysteries}} |
{{Main|Greco-Roman mysteries}} |
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The [[mystery religions]] of antiquity were religious cults which required [[initiation]] |
The [[mystery religions]] of antiquity were religious cults which required [[initiation]] to be accepted as new member. Some had different levels of initiation, as well as doctrines which were mysteries in the sense of requiring supernatural explanation. In some, parts of the doctrine were apparently only known to priests. They included the [[Eleusinian Mysteries]], [[Mithraism]], the [[Isis|Cult of Isis]], and the [[Sol Invictus|Cult of Sol Invictus]]. Mystery traditions were popular in [[ancient Greece]] and during the height of the [[Roman Empire]],<ref>[[Antonio Virgili]], Culti misterici ed orientali a Pompei, Roma, Gangemi, 2008</ref> and parts of [[Early Christianity]] used secrecy in the same way.<ref>{{CathEncy|wstitle=Mystery}}</ref> |
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==Israelite Essenes & Hebrew Mysteries== |
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There were three sects of [[Hebrews]] in 300 BC-100 AD: [[Pharisees]], [[Sadducees]] and the mystic [[Essenes]] who practiced the ancient sacred Mysteries.<ref>Meurois-Givaudan, Anne & Daniel ''The Way of the Essenes - Christ's Hidden Life Remembered'', Destiny Books/Inner Traditions/Arista (French), 1993, ISBN 0-89281-322-9</ref>. |
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==Christianity== |
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==Christian Mysteries== |
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The Greek word (μυστήριον) ''mysterion'' is used 27 times in the [[New Testament]]. Strong's Concordance defines Greek word ''mysterion'' (Strongs # 3466) "not as something unknowable, but rather a secret, that which can only be known through revelation, i.e. because God reveals it."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://biblehub.com/greek/3466.htm |title=''3466. mustérion'' |publisher=biblehub.com |date=2004-06-25 |access-date=2023-01-07}}</ref><!-- [[Holy Mysteries]] redirects here --> Its meaning is less expressed by the modern usage of ''mystery'' (what is not understood) than by the word ''[[mystical]]'' (beyond understanding). In the [[biblical Greek]], the term refers to "that which awaits disclosure or interpretation".<ref>Danker, Frederick William, ''The Concise Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament'' (University of Chicago Press, Chicago, IL, 2009, {{ISBN|0-226-13615-9}}), Kindle location. 4417.</ref> |
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Although the term is not used equally by all Christian traditions, many of the basic aspects of [[Christian theology]] require a supernatural explanation. To name but a few key examples, these include the nature of the [[Trinity]], the [[virgin birth of Jesus]], and the [[resurrection of Jesus]]. These are mysteries in the sense that they cannot be explained or apprehended by reason alone. |
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On the other hand, most Christian traditions hold that many of the basic aspects of [[Christian theology]] are more than just secrets - they cannot be explained or apprehended by mundane reason, including the nature of the [[Trinity]], the [[virgin birth of Jesus]], and the [[resurrection of Jesus]]. |
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⚫ | In the Catholic church, the Latin term is [[The mystery of faith|''mysterium fidei'']], "mystery of faith", defined in the [[Catechism of the Catholic Church]] (1997) to mean a mystery hidden in God, which can never be known unless revealed by God.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.vatican.va/archive/catechism_lt/p1s2c1p2_lt.htm# |title=''Catechismus Ecclesiae Catholicae'', 237 |publisher=Vatican.va |date=1992-06-25 |access-date=2019-05-20}}</ref> |
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In the [[Roman Catholic Church]] the [[First Vatican Council]] re-affirmed the existence of mysteries as a doctrine of Catholic faith as follows: "If any one say that in Divine Revelation there are contained no mysteries properly so called (''vera et proprie dicta mysteria''), but that through reason rightly developed (''per rationem rite excultam'') all the dogmas of faith can be understood and demonstrated from natural principles: let him be [[anathema]]" (Sess. III, ''De fide et ratione'', can. i). The position, if not the terminology, of other Christian churches is essentially the same. |
In the [[Roman Catholic Church]] the [[First Vatican Council]] re-affirmed the existence of mysteries as a doctrine of Catholic faith as follows: "If any one say that in Divine Revelation there are contained no mysteries properly so called (''vera et proprie dicta mysteria''), but that through reason rightly developed (''per rationem rite excultam'') all the dogmas of faith can be understood and demonstrated from natural principles: let him be [[anathema]]" (Sess. III, ''De fide et ratione'', can. i). The position, if not the terminology, of other Christian churches is essentially the same. |
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In parts of the [[Early Church|Early Christian Church]], many aspects of Christian theology, including some [[sacraments]] and [[sacramentals]], the so-called ''[[disciplina arcani]]'', were kept hidden from |
In parts of the [[Early Church|Early Christian Church]], many aspects of Christian theology, including some [[sacraments]] and [[sacramentals]], the so-called ''[[disciplina arcani]]'', were kept hidden from [[paganism|pagans]] lest they become objects of ridicule, and were also introduced gradually to [[catechumen]]s or new converts. As the [[Persecution of Christians|Age of Persecution]] ended, secrecy was gradually relaxed.<ref>[http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05032a.htm Discipline of the Secret] article in [[Catholic Encyclopedia]]</ref> But the term continued to be used, and the same word is used in the [[Eastern Orthodox church]]es to mean both "mysteries" and "sacraments". This is not usually so in the West, although theologically many aspects of sacraments are recognized as mysteries in the main sense described above, especially (for those churches accepting it) the doctrine of [[transubstantiation]] in the [[Eucharist]]. Hence [[Pope Paul VI]]'s [[papal encyclical]] of 3 September 1965 on the Eucharist was titled, from its opening words, ''[[Mysterium fidei (encyclical)|Mysterium fidei]]''. In the [[Roman Rite]] [[Mass (Catholic Church)|Catholic Mass]] within or immediately after the [[Words of Institution|formula of consecration]] of the wine, the celebrant says "The mystery of faith". Originally the term "Mystery" was used for the sacraments generally in both the East and the West, as shown from the "[[Mystagogue|Mystagogical]] Homilies" of St. [[Cyril of Jerusalem]] and the work, ''On the Mysteries'' by St. [[Ambrose of Milan]].<ref>[http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/3405.htm On the Mysteries] by St. Ambrose of Milan, |
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[http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/310119.htm Mystagogical Lectures] St. Cyril of Jerusalem</ref> |
[http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/310119.htm Mystagogical Lectures] St. Cyril of Jerusalem</ref> |
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Although all the official doctrines of Christian churches have long been fully public, the loosely defined area of Christian thought called [[Christian mysticism]] often concerns the contemplation of sacred mysteries and may include the development of personal theories about them, undertaken in the knowledge that they can never be fully apprehended by man. |
Although all the official doctrines of Christian churches have long been fully public, the loosely defined area of Christian thought called [[Christian mysticism]] often concerns the contemplation of sacred mysteries and may include the development of personal theories about them, undertaken in the knowledge that they can never be fully apprehended by man. |
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===Eastern |
===Eastern=== |
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{{Main|Sacrament}} |
{{Main|Sacrament}} |
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The term is used in [[Eastern Christianity]] to refer to what the [[Western Church]] currently calls [[sacraments]] and [[sacramentals]], terms which the Western Church has carefully defined in [[canon law]]. Thus, for instance, the [[Council of Trent]] declared there to be ''exactly'' [[seven sacraments]]. The [[Eastern Church]]es, in contrast, have never defined the Mysteries in such precise terms. And, although the Western Church teaches that the [[consecrated]] bread and wine of the [[Eucharist]] are one sacrament, the [[Divine Liturgy]] refers to the Eucharist as the ''Mysteries'', in the plural. [[Orthodox |
The term is used in [[Eastern Christianity]] to refer to what the [[Western Church]] currently calls [[sacraments]] and [[sacramentals]], terms which the Western Church has carefully defined in [[canon law]]. Thus, for instance, the [[Council of Trent]] declared there to be ''exactly'' [[Sacraments of the Catholic Church|seven sacraments]]. The [[Eastern Church]]es, in contrast, have never defined the Mysteries in such precise terms. And, although the Western Church teaches that the [[consecrated]] bread and wine of the [[Eucharist]] are one sacrament, the [[Divine Liturgy]] refers to the Eucharist as the ''Mysteries'', in the plural. [[Eastern Orthodox Church|Orthodox Christians]] have always received Holy Communion in both [[Eucharist#Eucharistic theology|species]] (both the [[Body of Christ|body]] and the [[Blood of Christ|blood]]), and even reserve both in the [[Church tabernacle#Eastern Catholic and Orthodox churches|tabernacle]]. The sacred mysteries can be defined as "those holy acts through which the Holy Spirit mysteriously and invisibly confers Grace (the saving power of God) upon man".<ref>[[Archpriest]] Seraphim Slobodskoy, ''The Law of God'' (Printshop of St. [[Job of Pochaev]], Jordanville, NY, 1996, {{ISBN|0-88465-044-8}}), p. 471.</ref> |
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Orthodox instructional materials may list seven sacred mysteries, the same as the Western seven sacraments (Western names in parentheses): [[Baptism]], [[Chrismation]] (Confirmation), [[Confession (religion)|Confession]] (Penance, Reconciliation), [[Holy Communion]] (Eucharist), [[Marriage]] (Holy Matrimony), [[Ordination]] (Holy Orders), and [[Unction]] (Anointing of the Sick, formerly Extreme Unction). However, in Orthodox theology the term is not limited to these seven. As in the West, all faithful men are expected to receive six of the seven listed above, and may or may not receive either marriage or ordination, or both; women may not be received into the priesthood, but may be given monastic orders. |
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Christian life is centered in the mystery of the [[Incarnation (Christianity)|incarnation of Christ]], the union of God and man. However, the redemption of man is not considered to have taken place only in the past, but continues to this day through [[Theosis (Eastern Orthodox theology)|theosis]].<ref>''The Sacramental Life: An Orthodox Christian Perspective'', (St. John of Kronstadt Press, Liberty, TN, 1986), p. 6.</ref> The Sacraments, or Sacred Mysteries are the most important means by which the faithful may obtain union with God, provided they are received with [[faith]] after [[Eucharistic discipline#Eastern Orthodox practice|appropriate preparation]]. Christians believe that God is present everywhere and fills all things by his [[divine grace]], and that all of creation is, in some sense, a "sacrament". However, they believe that "He is more specifically and intensively present in [those] particular and reliable manners which He Himself has established,"<ref>''The Sacramental Life'' (1986), p. 7.</ref> i.e., in the Sacred Mysteries. |
Christian life is centered in the mystery of the [[Incarnation (Christianity)|incarnation of Christ]], the union of God and man. However, the redemption of man is not considered to have taken place only in the past, but continues to this day through [[Theosis (Eastern Orthodox theology)|theosis]].<ref>''The Sacramental Life: An Orthodox Christian Perspective'', (St. John of Kronstadt Press, Liberty, TN, 1986), p. 6.</ref> The Sacraments, or Sacred Mysteries are the most important means by which the faithful may obtain union with God, provided they are received with [[faith]] after [[Eucharistic discipline#Eastern Orthodox practice|appropriate preparation]]. Christians believe that God is present everywhere and fills all things by his [[divine grace]], and that all of creation is, in some sense, a "sacrament". However, they believe that "He is more specifically and intensively present in [those] particular and reliable manners which He Himself has established,"<ref>''The Sacramental Life'' (1986), p. 7.</ref> i.e., in the Sacred Mysteries. |
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[[Kallistos Ware]] stated in ''The Orthodox Way'': |
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==Other religions and groups== |
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{{blockquote|A mystery is [...] revealed for our understanding, but which we never understand exhaustively because it leads into the depth or the darkness of God. The eyes are closed - but they are also opened.<ref>Kallistos Ware, ''The Orthodox Way''</ref>}} |
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{{Main|Esotericism}} |
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{{expand section|date=March 2019}} |
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In several other religions, knowledge of some esoteric parts of the doctrine or teachings is reserved only for certain members. This has been a feature of [[Tantric Buddhism]], [[Hinduism]], [[Catharism]], some parts of [[Shia Islam]], and the [[Druze]] religion. In traditional [[Judaism]], study of much of the mystical tradition of [[Kabbalah]] is reserved for scholars. Esotericism is a strong characteristic of many modern movements such as [[Freemasonry]], [[Rosicrucianism]], [[Theosophy (Blavatskian)|Theosophy]], and [[Scientology]]. |
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==References== |
==References== |
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[[Category:Religious terminology]] |
[[Category:Religious terminology]] |
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[[Category:Sacraments]] |
[[Category:Sacraments]] |
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[[Category:Divinity]] |
Latest revision as of 02:43, 14 April 2024
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4b/Hildesheim_Wrisberg-Epitaph_Mitteltafel.jpg/200px-Hildesheim_Wrisberg-Epitaph_Mitteltafel.jpg)
Sacred mysteries are the areas of supernatural phenomena associated with a divinity or a religious belief and praxis. Sacred mysteries may be either:
- Religious beliefs, rituals or practices which are kept secret from the uninitiated.
- Beliefs of the religion which are public knowledge but cannot be easily explained by normal rational or scientific means.
A mystagogue or hierophant is a holder and teacher of secret knowledge in the former sense above, while mysticism may be defined as an area of philosophical or religious thought focusing on mysteries in the latter sense.
Greece and Rome
[edit]The mystery religions of antiquity were religious cults which required initiation to be accepted as new member. Some had different levels of initiation, as well as doctrines which were mysteries in the sense of requiring supernatural explanation. In some, parts of the doctrine were apparently only known to priests. They included the Eleusinian Mysteries, Mithraism, the Cult of Isis, and the Cult of Sol Invictus. Mystery traditions were popular in ancient Greece and during the height of the Roman Empire,[1] and parts of Early Christianity used secrecy in the same way.[2]
Christianity
[edit]The Greek word (μυστήριον) mysterion is used 27 times in the New Testament. Strong's Concordance defines Greek word mysterion (Strongs # 3466) "not as something unknowable, but rather a secret, that which can only be known through revelation, i.e. because God reveals it."[3] Its meaning is less expressed by the modern usage of mystery (what is not understood) than by the word mystical (beyond understanding). In the biblical Greek, the term refers to "that which awaits disclosure or interpretation".[4]
On the other hand, most Christian traditions hold that many of the basic aspects of Christian theology are more than just secrets - they cannot be explained or apprehended by mundane reason, including the nature of the Trinity, the virgin birth of Jesus, and the resurrection of Jesus.
In the Catholic church, the Latin term is mysterium fidei, "mystery of faith", defined in the Catechism of the Catholic Church (1997) to mean a mystery hidden in God, which can never be known unless revealed by God.[5]
In the Roman Catholic Church the First Vatican Council re-affirmed the existence of mysteries as a doctrine of Catholic faith as follows: "If any one say that in Divine Revelation there are contained no mysteries properly so called (vera et proprie dicta mysteria), but that through reason rightly developed (per rationem rite excultam) all the dogmas of faith can be understood and demonstrated from natural principles: let him be anathema" (Sess. III, De fide et ratione, can. i). The position, if not the terminology, of other Christian churches is essentially the same.
In parts of the Early Christian Church, many aspects of Christian theology, including some sacraments and sacramentals, the so-called disciplina arcani, were kept hidden from pagans lest they become objects of ridicule, and were also introduced gradually to catechumens or new converts. As the Age of Persecution ended, secrecy was gradually relaxed.[6] But the term continued to be used, and the same word is used in the Eastern Orthodox churches to mean both "mysteries" and "sacraments". This is not usually so in the West, although theologically many aspects of sacraments are recognized as mysteries in the main sense described above, especially (for those churches accepting it) the doctrine of transubstantiation in the Eucharist. Hence Pope Paul VI's papal encyclical of 3 September 1965 on the Eucharist was titled, from its opening words, Mysterium fidei. In the Roman Rite Catholic Mass within or immediately after the formula of consecration of the wine, the celebrant says "The mystery of faith". Originally the term "Mystery" was used for the sacraments generally in both the East and the West, as shown from the "Mystagogical Homilies" of St. Cyril of Jerusalem and the work, On the Mysteries by St. Ambrose of Milan.[7]
Although all the official doctrines of Christian churches have long been fully public, the loosely defined area of Christian thought called Christian mysticism often concerns the contemplation of sacred mysteries and may include the development of personal theories about them, undertaken in the knowledge that they can never be fully apprehended by man.
Eastern
[edit]The term is used in Eastern Christianity to refer to what the Western Church currently calls sacraments and sacramentals, terms which the Western Church has carefully defined in canon law. Thus, for instance, the Council of Trent declared there to be exactly seven sacraments. The Eastern Churches, in contrast, have never defined the Mysteries in such precise terms. And, although the Western Church teaches that the consecrated bread and wine of the Eucharist are one sacrament, the Divine Liturgy refers to the Eucharist as the Mysteries, in the plural. Orthodox Christians have always received Holy Communion in both species (both the body and the blood), and even reserve both in the tabernacle. The sacred mysteries can be defined as "those holy acts through which the Holy Spirit mysteriously and invisibly confers Grace (the saving power of God) upon man".[8]
Orthodox instructional materials may list seven sacred mysteries, the same as the Western seven sacraments (Western names in parentheses): Baptism, Chrismation (Confirmation), Confession (Penance, Reconciliation), Holy Communion (Eucharist), Marriage (Holy Matrimony), Ordination (Holy Orders), and Unction (Anointing of the Sick, formerly Extreme Unction). However, in Orthodox theology the term is not limited to these seven. As in the West, all faithful men are expected to receive six of the seven listed above, and may or may not receive either marriage or ordination, or both; women may not be received into the priesthood, but may be given monastic orders.
Christian life is centered in the mystery of the incarnation of Christ, the union of God and man. However, the redemption of man is not considered to have taken place only in the past, but continues to this day through theosis.[9] The Sacraments, or Sacred Mysteries are the most important means by which the faithful may obtain union with God, provided they are received with faith after appropriate preparation. Christians believe that God is present everywhere and fills all things by his divine grace, and that all of creation is, in some sense, a "sacrament". However, they believe that "He is more specifically and intensively present in [those] particular and reliable manners which He Himself has established,"[10] i.e., in the Sacred Mysteries.
Kallistos Ware stated in The Orthodox Way:
A mystery is [...] revealed for our understanding, but which we never understand exhaustively because it leads into the depth or the darkness of God. The eyes are closed - but they are also opened.[11]
References
[edit]- ^ Antonio Virgili, Culti misterici ed orientali a Pompei, Roma, Gangemi, 2008
- ^ Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. .
- ^ "3466. mustérion". biblehub.com. 2004-06-25. Retrieved 2023-01-07.
- ^ Danker, Frederick William, The Concise Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament (University of Chicago Press, Chicago, IL, 2009, ISBN 0-226-13615-9), Kindle location. 4417.
- ^ "Catechismus Ecclesiae Catholicae, 237". Vatican.va. 1992-06-25. Retrieved 2019-05-20.
- ^ Discipline of the Secret article in Catholic Encyclopedia
- ^ On the Mysteries by St. Ambrose of Milan, Mystagogical Lectures St. Cyril of Jerusalem
- ^ Archpriest Seraphim Slobodskoy, The Law of God (Printshop of St. Job of Pochaev, Jordanville, NY, 1996, ISBN 0-88465-044-8), p. 471.
- ^ The Sacramental Life: An Orthodox Christian Perspective, (St. John of Kronstadt Press, Liberty, TN, 1986), p. 6.
- ^ The Sacramental Life (1986), p. 7.
- ^ Kallistos Ware, The Orthodox Way
External links
[edit]- Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. .
- The Restored New Testament - James Morgan Pryse 1914