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F.A.Q
Contents:
What is the mission of erkohet.com?
Who is responsible for erkohet.com?
Does erkohet.com receive any official support?
What is the Orthodox Church?
Which churches belong to the Oriental Orthodox Church?
What is the mission of erkohet.com?
Abba Lot went to see Abba Joseph and said to him, ‘Abba as far as I can, I say my little office, I fast a little, I pray and meditate, I live in peace and as far as I can, I purify my thoughts. What else can I do?’ then the old man stood up and stretched his hands towards heaven. His fingers became like ten lamps of fire and he said to him, ‘If you will, you can become all flame.’
- From the Apophthegmata
The domain name (also used in the tag line)—erkohet—is the Sahidic Coptic verb for “to become fire.” The term laconically sums up the goal of the Orthodox Christian life which this website seeks to promote through the various materials presented therein. For one “to become fire” is essentially for one’s entire being to be set ablaze by the Divine Grace of God—the uncreated fire of God’s Love that consumes all our sinful passions and fuels all our righteous passions—through personal communion and union with the Father, by the Son, and in the Holy Spirit; a union and communion most fully and intimately effected through participation in the Life of the divinely conceived Bride of Christ and Mother of the faithful—the Holy Orthodox Church.
Who is responsible for erkohet.com?
My name is Andrew Youssef and I am a Reader of the Coptic Orthodox Diocese of Sydney and its Affiliated Regions under the Patriarchate of Alexandria.
Although my primary field of study is Law, I have undergone, and continue to pursue, comprehensive formal and informal studies in Church History, Theology, Coptology, and the Philosophy of Religion at a number of different institutions, both secular and religious.
Whilst erkohet.com is the product of my own personal initiative, and although I generally hold responsibility for the material presented therein, I am ultimately largely indebted to a great team of clergy and learned laity whose gracious assistance and contributions compensate for my personal (and many) shortcomings and limitations.
Information on substantive contributors to Erkohet can be read here.
I welcome and encourage article submissions from those who are interested and willing to help develop erkohet.com (particularly clergy).
Does erkohet.com receive any
official support?
Erkohet.com has been honoured to receive the express blessings and moral support of many revered and renowned clergy, including His Eminence Abba Seraphim of the British Orthodox Church.
What is the Orthodox Church?
In a nutshell, the Orthodox Church is the Church established by the Lord Christ upon the foundation of His Holy Disciples. The Orthodox Church is the Church that has mystically maintained a continuous, dynamic, and living communion with the ancient Apostolic Church, according to its faith, praxis, and sacramental life. It is the abode of the Holy Spirit and, hence, the repository of the fullness of truth which finds its expression in the Holy Scriptures, the teachings of the saintly Orthodox Fathers, the holy synods and councils of the Church—first and foremost the Three Ecumenical Councils—and the Liturgical life of the Church.
I invite you to learn more about the Orthodox Church by following and studying the material hosted by erkohet.com
Which churches belong to the
Oriental Orthodox Church?
The Oriental Orthodox Church is a living communion of various churches, each of which uniquely expresses the universality of the Church according to its own distinctive local expression of the Life of the Holy Spirit:
The Coptic Orthodox Church
The Armenian Orthodox Church
The Syrian Orthodox Church
The Indian Orthodox Church
The Ethiopian Orthodox Church
The Eritrean Orthodox Church
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The ‘Oriental Orthodox Church’ is a title rarely employed amongst the Oriental Orthodox, and one which is entirely absent from the Church’s liturgical prayers and hymns. The title was coined in the 20th century within an ecumenical context, primarily for the sake of marking the Church’s distinctiveness from the Eastern Orthodox Church in light of the common self-identification of each communion as the unqualified ‘Orthodox Church.’ Whether in formal liturgical prayers, a Sunday sermon from the pulpit, casual discussion amongst laity, or published texts of theologians and clergy, the Church simply identifies (and has always identified) herself as ‘the Orthodox Church.’
Otherwise known as the Church of Alexandria.
Since its occupation under the Soviet Union, the Armenian Orthodox Church has also come to be known as the ‘Armenian Apostolic Church.’ The latter name was one coined and imputed upon the Armenian Church by the Russian Orthodox who once occupied Armenia, and its concoction undoubtedly reflects their confessional prejudice. As such, whilst most Armenians have unwittingly adopted the title in question as their own, others, such as His Eminence Archbishop Baliozian, consider it disparaging given their conscious awareness of the context in which it arose.
Otherwise known as the Church of Antioch. The Syrian Orthodox Church has also come to be known throughout Western Christian literature as the ‘Jacobite’ Church. This title was first concocted by Chalcedonian adversaries of the Oriental Orthodox Church in the sixth century. The sinister intention was to convey the false notion that the Syrian Orthodox Church originated with the efforts of St Jacob Baradaeus (of Edessa). St Jacob is well known for reviving and strengthening Syrian Orthodox clergy who were on the brink of complete annihilation on account of the severe oppression and persecution of the Syrian Church at the hands of Byzantine rulers. St Jacob’s work was thus, by the Grace of God, integral to the survival of the Syrian Church as opposed to its foundation which was established some six centuries earlier by the Apostles Sts Peter and Paul. Indian Orthodox Christians under the Syrian Patriarchate nevertheless unwittingly adopt the term in spite of its negative connotations as it has become convenient to do so in light of the history of Roman Catholic and Anglican activity in India.
The Indian Orthodox Church (a generic term I use to denote the Orthodox Christians of India) currently exists in two jurisdictions: one under the Syrian Orthodox Church of Antioch and the other which sees itself as independent from the Syrian Orthodox Church. Both groups officially maintain communion with every other Oriental Orthodox Church. However, the Syrian Orthodox Church of Antioch is not currently in communion with the other Indian jurisdiction because it disputes its claim to independence. We pray, as should all Orthodox Christians, that the Lord will heal this division and restore unity to His Church in India.
The Ethiopian Orthodox Church is officially known as 'The Ethiopian Tawahedo Orthodox Church.'
The Eritrean Orthodox Church is officially known as 'The Eritrean Tawahedo Orthodox Church.'
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