COPTICS ARE NOT ORTHODOX
BUT REMAIN IN HERESY
ORTHODOX "THEOLOGIANS" JOIN THEM
THEIR HERESY
Admitting the basic truth that Jesus Christ is both God and man, having two natures, they then destroy that true belief, by claiming that the two natures changed into a single nature (monophysite is the Greek term)
ORTHODOX TRUTH
If Jesus did not have a divine nature, He would not be God; if He did not have a human nature He would not be man. Natures are received in birth and the two births necessitate two natures. He suffered and was crucified in His human nature only for the divine nature cannot suffer, and He arose from the dead in His divinity.
How very sad it is that in their Dialogues with Oriental Coptics, the "Orthodox theologians" failed to live up to their responsibilities. They failed to speak the Orthodox truth intheir dialogues, and the Coptics did not leave error and accept truth . Failure to teach them the Orthodox truths regarding the two natures in Christ, the Orthodox "theologians" actually strengthened the Coptics in their heresy. The "theologians" gave them the idea that they had always been correct in their heretical belief, declaring them to be truly Orthodox, which they are not. Instead of bringing them into the Church, they pushed them further away, miring them deeper in wrong beliefs!
These Orthodox "theologians" have eyes but do not see, cause the Coptics to remain further from truth and salvation. If they had spoken the truth about their heresy, they could have placed them on the royal path to Orthodoxy and salvation. The Coptics declare themselves to be monophysites and declare this to the Orthodox theologians, and continually boast of it to the whole world. Instead of following the Holy Fathers of the Ecumenical Synods, the Orthodox "theologians", copied the error of the Coptics, by disrespecting all that is sacred, especially the four Ecumenical Synods with all the saints who took part in them, and the many Holy Fathers of the Church who unanimously opposed the Coptic heresy.
This heresy raises unnecessary questions and produces many falsehoods about Jesus Christ, and they were condemned by four ecumenical synods. The Coptics, in a derogatory manner, call the Orthodox diophysites, that is they believe that Christ has two natures, which is the truth, for He was born twice eternally from the Father, and in time from His Mother, rendering Him divine and human, God and man, the Godman consisting of two natures. If Christ did not have a divine nature He would be only a man, if He did not have a human nature, he would be only God but not man. We all know that He is God, who also became a man, and so we address Him as the Godman
In general, Orthodox leaders, who are ecumenists, speak an ecumenist language that is foreign to Orthodoxy concerning the Coptics. Denying over 1500 years of Church history, during which the Coptics remained stubbornly outside the Church, clinging to their error that Christ is single natured, not God, not having a full divine nature and a fully human nature, but something else which they fail to define.
However the ecumenist spirit of the Orthodox "theologians" blinds them so badly, that in their folly, they verbally overthrow the entire structure of Orthodoxy. This structure is well known. Christ is our only head, the Holy Spirit is our Guide. The Seven Ecumenical Synods are the house that Wisdom built, filled with infallible truths along with Holy Scripture. The Holy Fathers o f the Synods and those who follow have preserved the truth intact and pure.
This same spirit of ecumenism which is a poison in the Church caused them to issue the following total falsehood as truth. Speaking together as "theologians", the Coptics and Orthodox group, stated in the Anba Bishoi statement: "We have inherited from our fathers in Christ the one apostolic faith and tradition, though as churches we have been separated from each other for centuries. (Now speaking in ecumenical language) As two families of Orthodox churches long out of communion with each other, we now pray and trust in God to restore that communion on the basis of the common Apostolic Faith of the undivided Church of the first century which we confess in our Creed."
In reply we Orthodox would say, we have inherited from our fathers in Christ the one Apostolic faith and tradition. They separated the Coptics from us for over 1500 years because their doctrine is poisonous and the cause of erroneous beliefs. As the true Church of Christ, we pray that God will oust these untheological theologians and provide us with truthful replacements. They will be truthful with the Coptics, and demonstrate their error and help to bring them on the only path of salvation, which is Orthodoxy.
The Coptics claim that Christ was of two natures and these two natures somehow united into one single nature ( monophysite.) This is a condemned heresy for the incarnate Christ could not be in one nature. Think of it this way. A nature is imparted at birth for in birth a dog gives birth to a similar dog, a man to a similar man, and naturally God is eternally giving birth to His beloved Son who is God, and due to this birth, He continually shares the same divine nature. In the unique event of the Incarnation, the Logos of God chose to enter the Virgin’s womb, and after nine months, without change, the Logos became the same as us, being completely man and remaining completely God – the Godman, having the nature of God and the nature of man.
For more than1500 years the Monophysite Coptics, have remained in their heresies, and have remained outside the Church. Their forefathers were condemned by the Fourth Ecumenical Synod held at Chalcedon, then subsequently by three additional ecumenical synods. They are stubborn and blinded by their prejudices rendering them unable to clearly see their error and come to truth. Meetings between Orthodox theologians and the Coptics resulted in injudicious statements by the Orthodox. Instead of doing the right thing and striving to bring the Coptics to the truth of the two natures in Christ, the unwise Orthodox participants made unwise claims that the Coptics were not heretics after all, and that it was a big misunderstanding of terms and politics that caused their unjust exclusion from the Church. This is a great insult to the God-inspired Fourth, Fifth, Sixth and Seventh Ecumenical Synods who condemned them. The Orthodox participants, by admitting that the Coptics are correct, deny the infallibility of the Orthodox Church which is guided by the Holy Spirit into all truth.
THE ORTHODOX TRUTH IN THIS MATTER
The Logos of God is being born eternally from the Father, and it is through such birth that He partakes of the nature of the Father, for it is through birth that a nature is imparted to the one being born. So the Logos, without changing His divine nature, without any change, dwelled in the womb of the Virgin, and was united to our human nature, when He was born in time as the Son of the Virgin. To the shame of the stolid Coptics, who stubbornly consider themselves as being the true Church, while hurling claims that Orthodoxy fell into error at the Fourth Ecumenical Synod.
The correct way to determine the nature is simply through the births. The Logos of God born eternally from the Father and in time from His Mother necessarily has two natures, divine and human. The only difference in His human birth and ours is that His was without seed and therefore He did not partake of sin but only of our humanity.
The two natures of Christ will never change for He is both God and man forever. He will always remain as He is, the Son of God, and a new creature which never existed before, due to the Son of God becoming the Son of the Virgin.
CONDEMNED BY FOUR ECUMENICAL SYNODS
THE HERESY OF THE COPTICS (MONOPHYSITES)
THE HERESY OF THE COPTICS (MONOPHYSITES)
What do the Coptics actually believe? They base their entire belief regarding the natures of Christ on an erroneous term attributed to St. Cyril of Alexandria, which is this: "one incarnate nature of God the Logos". That this is erroneous is clear. The nature of God did not become incarnate, for being a single nature, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit would become a man, which no one believes.
The correction of this term would be true: "one incarnate hypostasis of God the Logos."
Not the nature of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, but the Logos of God became incarnate, and regarding this we praise His incarnation as we sing repeatedly in Orthodoxy: "Only begotten Son and immortal Logos of God, who are immortal; and did will to become incarnate of the Holy Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary, without change you became man . . ."
The Coptics do not believe correctly and according to truth, saying: that they were unjustly accused of believing in one nature (Monophysitism). But this is exactly what they do believe. They claim that they believe that the Lord is perfect in his divinity and perfect in His humanity. They also believe: "The two natures that are united into one, without mingling, without confusion, without alteration. The two natures did not separate for a moment or for the twinkling of an eye." This is a falsehood. true. The one Christ has two natures is the truth which they are missing and remain monophysites. The two natures becoming one nature is untrue, for in Jesus Christ both natures will remain for ever, and the divine will never merge with the human into a single nature, nor is this possible, for He is perfect God and perfect man. Jesus Christ will remain the Son of God and the Son of the Virgin. This heresy adversely affects the truth regarding the Cross and Christ’s death and resurrection. For their assertion that the two natures become one after the incarnation is false. We emphasize that the Logos of God has one divine nature eternally, and as the Godman, He receives a second nature, therefore the only correct belief is that there are and always will be two distinct natures in the one Christ. If this did not hold true, we could not see Him as both God and man, the Godman.
CONCERNING THE ANATHEMAS
The Orthodox Theologians even agreed to an impossibility, saying: "The two families of churches are now in a position where they can move toward the eradication of anathemas and development of a plan to formally proclaim the restoration of full communion." This again is speaking in ecumenese, not as Orthodox Christians. We are not two families of churches, nor do we invite anyone to full communion but that they abandon falsehood and embrace the truth. As we will demonstrate, an anathema can never be changed or eradicated because it is permanent, for it is against a particular or group of falsehoods.
The Coptics are under an anathema for their false teaching that Christ has a single nature after the Incarnation. The anathema, especially by the Ecumenical synods forbids dialogue with them, unless they are seeking to learn the truth in order to embrace it.
Many misunderstandings occur in use of the word anathema. In the West they translate it as "accursed." However an anathema is be declared against an erroneous belief and those who hold such beliefs, and it means "keep away, danger" An anathema is permanent and no one can lift it for it is against an erroneous teaching. If a person is under an anathema due to his wrong belief, he can come out from under it and return to Orthodoxy by rejecting his wrong belief and embracing the Orthodox belief. But the anathema remains permanent. It is interesting that in Greece, a storage place for munitions is labeled with large letters: "Anathema", which means keep away, danger.
The following is our source of information:
TOWARD THE ESTABLISHMENT OF FULL COMMUNION:
THE ORTHODOX-ORTHODOX ORIENTAL DIALOGUE
By Thomas Fitzgerald
From the Greek Orthodox Theological Review,
Volume 36, No.2 1991
Note: The title is misleading, for it is not a matter of full communion, but a matter of the Orientals who being far removed from Orthodoxy, must reject all their errors, accept and embrace the truth and all seven ecumenical synods, then return to the Church through Baptism. First they must abandon their heresy acknowledging it to be erroneous, and accept the truth, only preserved in holy Orthodoxy and the Seven Ecumenical Synods which is the correct approach. Our duty toward heretics is never to embrace them as brothers, but to lovingly rebuke them a few times for their errors and, if they accept, enlighten them with the truth of Orthodoxy. That this is the only correct methodology is testified to by St. Paul who clearly says: "A man that is a heretic admonish him once or twice, and after have nothing to do with him, knowing that he is self-condemned." This present document is filled with half-truths, distortions and revision of true history as established by the Holy Spirit through the Seven Ecumenical Synods. It is important to note that Orthodoxy has two infallible written sources. First is the Bible as preserved in the Greek language, where each writer was directly inspired by God. Second are the decisions and Canons of the Seven Ecumenical Synods, which were collectively compiled under the direction of the Holy Spirit and are therefore infallible. No one has the right to teach against these dogmas or to change their meaning. For this reason Orthodoxy is called the Church of the Seven Ecumenical Synods.
There is no such thing as Orthodox Orientals, for they have never been and are not now Orthodox but are Monophysites. All our Holy Fathers condemned their heresy. They were separated from the Church for over 1500 years, because they confounded the divine and human nature of Christ by combining them into a single nature. The only way to return to the Church is to renounce their more than1500 years of heresy and embrace the truth of Orthodoxy. If we Orthodox unite with those whom the Holy Spirit has excluded from the Church, we will become the cause of their condemnation as our own as well.
The phrase "family of churches" is ecumenese and unorthodox and was invented by the ecumenists who come up with meaningless terms, for how can there ever be two families of churches? No Holy Father ever spoke in this manner!
There is no such thing as a "family of churches." This is the new ecumenize language. The Church is always a single family under one God the Father, as we pray saying: "Our Father who art in heaven . . . ", the Theotokos is our Mother, Christ is our First-born brother, and the Holy Spirit is our common Guide, the Comforter and spirit of Truth. But in the ecumenese terms, using "two families of churches" it unites what cannot be united, for Orthodoxy and heresy are totally mutually opposed to one another.
The Holy Fathers of the Fourth Ecumenical Synod at Chalcedon say: "For these men had fallen into an error which was the opposite of Nestorius. For Nestorius had divided the one Christ into two persons and two substances or hypostases, while these men boldly confused the two natures of Christ, the divine and human, of which He is composed and by which he is known and adored, and conflated them into one single nature, the fools, failing to understand that this recusant belief led to their conclusion that Christ was not of the same nature as the Father and of the same nature as human beings, but of some other and different nature."
The Coptics, erroneously referred to as Oriental Orthodox, have remained in their pernicious heresy, which they consider truth, harboring the same beliefs for 1500 years! Like other heretics, they claim to be the only ones with the correct doctrine and the belief that they were unfairly accused by the Church, for believing in the single nature. They claim that the Lord is perfect in His divinity and perfect in His humanity. Yet, they foolishly, while acknowledging both His natures perfect as perfect, and deny that He is the one Christ with two natures, truly God and truly man. They stay firm in their heresy, wherein they unite the divine and human natures of Christ into a single nature. This is their heresy, for if Christ, as they claim, had one nature after the incarnation, Christ would not be truly the Godman, with all the attributes of God and man.
The one Christ with two natures is obvious to everyone. As a man He was born and nourished at His Mother’s breast. As a man He was obedient to Joseph and Mary. As a man he increased in grace and stature. He hungered and thirsted. He wept. He was arrested, tried and found guilty, the sinless one! Crowned with a crown of thorns, he was spat upon and mocked. These testify to His human nature. As God He rebuked the wind and the sea. He called forth the dead from their tombs. He gave eyes to the blind, hearing to the deaf and speech to the mute. He cleansed the lepers and turned the water into wine, and fed a multitude with a few loaves. He raised Four-day dead Lazarus. These testify to the divine nature, thus there are in the one Christ a perfect divine and a perfect human nature.
WHY THE MANIA FOR UNION?
The leaders of the Coptics are seeking unity with anyone, including the Papacy, at any cost ,who will unite with them, providing they are not compelled to admit their heretical opinions against God and the truth, toward Orthodox Saints and Martyrs and the dogmas and doctrine of the Seven Ecumenical synods. We should never seek to establish a union but rather to have the heretics abandon their heresy and come to full knowledge of truth, by uniting themselves to holy Orthodoxy, for only through truth and love can we see Christ. It is most interesting that the Coptics have been trying to establish union with the Pope, which exposes their duplicity.
THE FOURTH ECUMENICAL SYNODS – CHALCEDON
"Following, therefore the divine Fathers, we all consonantly join voices in teaching outright that we confess one and the same Son or Lord Jesus Christ. Perfect the same in divinity, and perfect the same in humanity. Truly a God, and truly a human being the same (composed) of a soul and body and one who is at the same time of like essence with the Father as respecting divinity, and of like essence, the same with us as respecting humanity, in all respects like us, apart from sinfulness. Though begotten before the ages out of the Father, as respects divinity, yet in the latter days was born out of Mary, the Ever-virgin and Theotokos, as respects humanity, the same for us and for our salvation. One and the same Christ, Son, Lord, Only-begotten (composed) of two natures unconfused, inconvertibly, inseparably identifiable. There being nowhere anything removed or annulled in the difference of the natures on account of the union, but rather on the contrary the peculiarity of each nature being preserved, and concurring in one person and one substance. Not being divided or parted into two persons, but forming on the contrary one and the same Son and Only-begotten God Logos. Lord Jesus Christ, precisely as the Prophets formerly had prophesied concerning Him, and as He himself, the Lord Jesus Christ, did explicitly teach us, and the Symbol of Faith (Creed) of the Father had imparted the matter to us"
Rudder, English edition, p 241-242.
THE ARROGANCE OF ORTHODOX THEOLOGIANS
With supreme arrogance, the Orthodox leaders, chose to adopt papal expressions and style, boasting that no one can speak against their decisions to unite with the heretics. Why? Because they have decided that the Holy Fathers of the 4th, 5th and 6th Ecumenical Synods made terrible blunders which we should all reject, and that, in place, we should accept only their heretical views, thus, they abandoned Orthodoxy.
They assert that the fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh Ecumenical Synods are erroneous, and thus betray Orthodoxy as the true Church of the Seven Ecumenical Synods. They reject the many Saints who were slaughtered by heretics, who willingly gave their lives for these truths. Almost 17 centuries of Saints, Martyrs and Orthodox Christians have been walking in deep darkness, according to the foolish beliefs of the Orthodox "theologians" and their Coptic friends
The Orthodox ecumenists lose very valuable time and waste vast amounts of energy, which could be of much better use, if they followed our holy tradition, preached repentance and the coming of the kingdom of God. Instead they declare without shame, that no one can speak against "what we have accomplished, nor contradict it." They arrogantly make this claim:
"Our authority is beyond challenge"
But this is the language of the Papacy, for the Pope claims to be beyond challenge. The Orthodox ecumenists lose even more valuable time and waste their energies, occupying themselves with an alien flock, while neglecting the needs of the faithful.
Orthodox theologians, in this dialogue, somehow have been convinced to surrender the true faith by accepting the Coptic heresy as being Orthodox, making the ecumenist claim that the church has "two families." They deny the validity of the Seven Ecumenical Synods. They reject the teaching of the God-bearing Fathers.
CONCERNING BISHOPS
The Bishop is supposed to be Christ-like in all his words and actions, humility and meekness should adorn his being. He is not to be interested in filthy lucre and material things, but only the spiritual things, preaching the kingdom of heaven and calling for everyone to repent. The Bishops ought to be writing these things, opposing the Orthodox "theologians" who are betraying the faith openly, but where are they? If they do not defend the Church, the rocks will cry out in protest. They are duty bound to support Orthodoxy even at the cost of their lives.
When ordained, every bishop affirms,
saying, I promise to observe:
The Canons of the Holy Apostles.
The Canons and doctrine of the Seven Ecumenical Synods.
And the pious provisional and local synod approved by the Seven.
All written and oral teachings of the church.
The collective teaching of written and oral teachings.
Whatever things they accept, we accept.
Whatever they reject, I will also reject.
I promise also to preserve the peace of the church, and to firmly hold and zealously teach the people entrusted to me. And not to devise anything whatever that is contrary to the Orthodox Catholic Christian Faith of the East all the days of my life (end of third confession).
THE UNTHEOLOGICAL
ORTHODOX THEOLOGIANS
The Orthodox theologians involved in these dialogues, having abandoned true Orthodox Faith, and resort to ecumenist terms in their assessments. For they accepted the Coptic’s error as being "most Orthodox" a meaningless phrase, that the Coptic heretics and Orthodox Christians are "two families of churches." They challenge the teaching, the authority and decisions of the Seven Ecumenical Synods. They deny the teaching of the Holy Fathers. They deny the infallibility of the Spirit guided those Ecumenical Synods, and the absolute truth of the Orthodox Faith; effectively they surrendered their own Orthodoxy, not being true to Christ and the Holy Spirit.
In fact totally abandoning right reason they stolidly assert:
Contradictory beliefs as one and the same.
Opposing families as one family
Contrary theologies as being true.
Contradictory Christologies as being the same.
They testify Orthodoxy’s belief in Seven Ecumenical Synods
Then accept the heretics, who reject the fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh Synods.
They accept the Coptics who reject pure Orthodoxy.
Who insult the Church as being in error
Who glorifies Diodoros as a Saint, rejected by Orthodoxy as a heretic!
This dialogue is agreement made in Hades,
The Coptics keep their traditions; we keep ours.
This is not a union but rampant confusion.
And a demonic descent into heresy.
THE ORTHODOX TRUTH
The Logos of God entered the Virgin’s womb, to became the Godman Jesus Christ , formed a hypostatic union with humanity. Having dwelled therein for nine months, He was born in what had been a seedless conception. Being fully God, He now took on what He did not have – human nature. The divine nature which he had as the Logos God and the human nature which He derived from the Virgin, were now present in the one and only Godman, Jesus Christ. He spoke as God and man and did the works of both God and man. Whoever denies the two natures and the two wills in the Godman Jesus Christ is condemned by the Church, and will not benefit from their false beliefs, but on the contrary will be condemned. Orthodoxy has always been clear and easy to understand where sincerity is shown. That is why, we distinguish the two natures in Christ all through our services.
"Save us, Son of God, who was crucified in the flesh, we who sing to you Alleluia." "You ascended in glory Christ our God, gladdening your disciples with the promise of the Holy Spirit . . ." "Only begotten and immortal Logos of God, and who for us and our salvation, became incarnate of the Holy Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary . . ." The hymns teach us very clearly of both the divine and human nature of Christ the Godman.
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