After our Lord was baptized, He “was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil” (Mt. 4:1). Here, Christ sets an example for us to imitate: be baptized, and then begin waging war against our spiritual enemies until our final breath. This is the blessed labor of repentance we are called to engage in after baptism.

The Saints also teach us we ought to keep repenting after Baptism in order to reach our goal in life—Theosis. In fact, if one carefully studies the entire ceremony of initiation into the Church via Baptism, Chrismation and Communion one will notice time and time again how the Catechumen along with their Godparent(s) (and parents by extension especially for infants) vow to God to live a life of repentance after being received into the Church.79 This is the covenant the newly-illumined makes with God.[80]

The Holy Apostles, in their Apostolic Constitutions—which not only do not “contain nothing improper or spurious”[81] but also was upheld as of Apostolic origin and authority, divinely-inspired, and thus, its Canons were ratified by the Holy Fathers of the 5-6th and 7th Ecumenical Councils[82]—teach that baptized Orthodox Christians are to go on living their life in such a way as to “... be a stranger to impiety, inactive as regards to sin; the friend of God, the enemy of the devil... one who has renounced Satan, his powers, his deceits, and all of his works; chaste, pure, holy, beloved of God, a son of God.”[83]

St. Basil the Great teaches that at Baptism we promise to God to live a life of righteousness, self-denial, and obedience to the will of God after being baptized.[84]

St. John Climacus famously wrote, “Repentance is the renewal of baptism.”[85] In his mind, being baptized without the intent to repent after is inconsistent and inconceivable; they are literally two sides to the same coin and inseparably linked.

St. Gregory the Theologian says that Holy Baptism is an agreement with God to live a new and purified life. Every Orthodox Christian must carefully guard their soul after Baptism so as not to trespass this agreement they made with God!”[86] In his own words: “For, to say it all in one word, the virtue of Baptism is to be understood as a covenant with God for a second life and a purer conversation. And indeed all need to fear this very much, and to watch our own souls, each one of us, with all care, that we do not become liars in respect of this profession.”[87]

St. Gregory of Nyssa stressed the necessity to keep on repenting after Baptism, for this will testify to the reality that we have been truly reborn in Baptism.[88]

St. Bede the Venerable comments on 1 Peter 2:1 saying, “Because you have been recently reborn, he says, and made sons of God through baptism, now through attention to a good way of life be like children just issued from the womb, by nature of their blameless age, namely, unacquainted with malice and deceit, inexperienced in every way with pretense, envy, slander and other vices of this kind.”[89]

Likewise, St. Hilary of Arles instructed the newly-illumined to repent through fighting against the sinful passions after Baptism, for they have become reborn children of God by grace, and God’s children should have no passions in them such as malice: “As you have been born again by the Word of the living God, lay aside all malice, for an infant has no malice in him.”[90]

The Holy Fathers of the 6th Ecumenical Council teach that to be a Christian is to promise to live a life in emulation of Jesus Christ.[91]

St. Nektarios of Aegina emphasized the need to keep repenting after Baptism, for this is the great responsibility we vowed before God to tend to at our Baptism:

Christians, have we understood the great responsibility that we have taken on before God through baptism? Have we come to know that we must conduct ourselves as children of God, that we must align our will with the will of God, that we must remain free from sin, that we must love God with all our hearts and always patiently await union with Him? Have we thought about the fact that our heart should be so filled with love that it should overflow to our neighbor? Do we have the feeling that we must become holy and perfect, children of God and heirs of the Kingdom of Heaven? We must struggle for this, so that we may not be shown unworthy and rejected. Let none of us lose our boldness, nor neglect our duties, nor be afraid of the difficulties of spiritual struggle. For we have God as a helper, who strengthens us in the difficult path of virtue.[92]

St. Tikhon of Zadonsk writes extensively on this topic saying how we must seek to fulfill our baptismal vows by living a life of repentance after Baptism. If we do this, we will be saved. If we do not, we will not be saved:

In holy Baptism, O Christians, we are renewed for the holy Christian new life, and taking off the old man we put on the new spiritual man. Setting aside the evil character of the old Adam we receive the good character of the new, Jesus Christ, and so we are made a new creature, according to the teaching of the Apostle, “If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature” (2 Cor. 5:17). Holy Scripture, when it commands us to keep away from sin, commands us to keep away from the fruits of the old and fleshly birth. But when it teaches us to do good, it teaches us to show the fruits of the new birth: “Turn away from evil, and do good” (LXX-Ps. 33:15 [KJV-Ps. 34:14]). “Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity” (2 Tim. 2:19). Beloved Christians! Glory be to God. We are born again and renewed in holy Baptism as we said above. Let us consider whether we show the fruits of the new birth, and whether we live as the new birth requires. For birth is not something dead, but living; it must therefore show fruits in conformity with itself. Let us also therefore show the fruits of our new birth, lest we appear barren before our Lord and hear His terrible words, “Verily I say unto you, I know you not” (Mt. 25:12). Beloved Christians, let us remember these renunciations and vows, and consider whether we keep them, for it is a grave thing to lie to God, and it is very dangerous to be found false before Him. Let us consider, then, whether any of us have not gone back to Satan, whether we have not renounced Christ and abandoned Him? Let us consider on whose side we find ourselves, on Satan’s or on Christ’s. Beloved, let us watch ourselves and let us be with Christ here in this world, as we have vowed at Baptism: let us be with Christ here that we may be with Christ in the age to come, according to His promise that cannot lie, “Where I am, there shall also My servant be: (Jn. 12:26). Let us serve Him here as our King and God, that on the Day of Judgment He will acknowledge us as His laborers and number us with His faithful servants and open unto us the doors of everlasting joy. Remember the vows made at Baptism. So that you may act on the aforementioned points, you must remember the vows you made at holy Baptism. For though not you yourself but your sponsor made those vows before God on your behalf, you promised then, spitting on Satan, and on his pride, and on his service, and on his evil works—you promised, I say—and vowed to serve Jesus Christ your Lord and Redeemer in faith and in truth, together with the Father and the Holy Spirit. Consider, Christian, what vows you made and to Whom. It is a grievous thing to lie to a man; how incomparably more grievous it is to lie to God. God is not mocked (Gal. 6:7). When a Christian does not stand on his promises and does not keep them, what mercy, then, should he expect from God, to Whom he lied? He that keeps his promises shall find himself in God’s mercy and in His Kingdom. He remains faithful to God, and God will hold him in mercy and in His protection as His own. And this is what the prophet sings to God, “With the holy man wilt Thou be holy, and with the innocent man wilt Thou be innocent. And with the elect man wilt Thou be elect, and with the perverse wilt Thou be perverse” (Ps. 17:26-27). Christians! All they that commit iniquity and act against their conscience do not keep their vows. Keep in mind those vows of yours, and this will guide you toward the Christian life and restrain you from every evil and do you good. If you notice that you do not keep those vows, then repent and begin the Christian life anew, lest you appear before God in a lie, and perish with liars.[93]

Just as it is natural and necessary to repent before Baptism, so too, it is natural and necessary to repent after Baptism. This is how we fulfill the Lord’s command to always be repenting (Cf. Mt. 4:17).[94]

Similarly, St. Nicholas Cabasilas has an entire book dedicated to instructing newly-illumined Christians on how to preserve and increase the grace they were given in the three initiatory rites; the basis of these practical steps is none other than unceasing repentance.[95] This explains why Christ said repentance is a lifelong and unceasing endeavor (Mt. 4:17).[96]

St. Gregory Palamas tells us nearly the same thing as St. Tikhon. If we approach Baptism without the intention of keeping our vows of repentance, then “a promise to God is useless without deeds, and condemns a man”:

Repentance is the beginning, middle and end of the Christian way of life, so it is both sought and required before holy baptism, in holy baptism, and after holy baptism. We are asked to express our repentance in words at the time of our baptism, when we are questioned about our good conscience towards God, make a covenant with Him and promise to live a God-pleasing life that bears witness to our love for Him. For, having believed, we promise allegiance to Christ, who is good and surpasses goodness, renouncing the evil and thoroughly depraved enemy, and we take it upon ourselves to hold with all our strength to God’s commandments, which bring about what is good, and to abstain from every evil thought and deed. When asked, we reply, either in person or, as happens in the case of infants being baptized, through our Godparents, concerning what we have believed, inwardly accepted and agreed to with our minds. Christian Baptism is both a recognition of God and a promise to God a promise to turn back to Him and do works that please Him. On the one hand, it is faith in, and acknowledgement of, the truth in God; on the other hand, [it is] a covenant and a promise, effected through holy symbols, that our deeds, words and behavior will be pleasing to God. If we do not put those undertakings into practice, those holy symbols and the verbal promises to God made through them and with them are not only of no benefit, but also rightly bring us under condemnation. So, if someone speaks, acts, and behaves exactly like the unbaptized, even though he says he has received baptism in Christ, it is obvious that he belongs among the group of people of whom the apostle said, “They profess they know God, but in works deny Him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate” (Titus 1:16). With whom do you think we should rank such people who simultaneously confess and deny God? With the believers? But they disown God by their actions. With the unbelievers? But they profess their faith. The psalmist and prophet, however, had already found the answer to the problem, saying, “Thou, O Lord, renderest to every man according to his work” (Ps. 62:12). The Lord Himself made it clear that everyone who heard His sayings and did not do them was a fool (Mt. 7:26). Paul, the Apostle called from Heaven, and says, “To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, the Lord will render eternal life; but tribulation and anguish upon every soul of man that doeth evil (Cf. Rm. 2:6-9). Also, “Thous that makest thy boast of the law, through breaking the law dishonourest God” (Rm. 2:23). Paul told the Jews that “Circumcision verily profiteth, if thou keep the law; but if thou be a breaker of the law, thy circumcision is made uncircumcision” (Rm. 2:25), so it is not at all out of keeping for me to say that faith is profitable, if you behave conscientiously, purify yourself through confessions and repentance, and put into practice the undertakings made to God at baptism. But if you disobey your conscience and set aside your promises, your faith becomes unbelief. A believer is a person who strives to keep the divine commandments. But anyone who does not try to keep them, and does not consider it a loss to fail to do so, will not stand among the baptized, even if he says he has received baptism. “The Lord of that servant shall cut him asunder,” it says, “and appoint his portion with the hypocrites” (Mt. 24:50-51).[97]

St. Nikodemos the Hagiorite wrote extensively on the importance of living a life of repentance after being initiated into the Church. The name “Christian” denotes one who does not merely believe in Christ or is baptized into Christ, but one who lives like Christ:

For what benefit is there, brethren, in your being called Christians and then uttering words and doing deeds that are diabolical and anti-Christian? Christians and Ribalds? Christians and raconteurs? These are incompatibles, these are opposites, just as water is opposed to fire, light to darkness, and good to evil. Strive, for this reason, to become worthy of the holy name of Christians through your seemly, Christian words and your holy, Christian deeds, as St. Ignatius the God-bearer bids you: “Let us, therefore, become worthy of the name that we have received. For whoever is called by any other name besides this, he is not of God; for he has not received the prophecy which says concerning us, that they shall be called a new name, which the Lord shall name, and shall be a holy people (Cf. Is. 62:2, 12). This was first fulfilled in Syria, for the Disciples were called Christians in Antioch (Cf. Acts 11:26).” For if you have seemly and holy words and if you have Christian deeds, then you are worthy to be called Christians, as the same Ignatius the God-bearer says, “That I may not only speak, but also have the will, that I may not only be called a Christian, but may also be found to be one; for if I be found to be one, I can also be called one.” Just as the soldiers, senators, and servants of an earthly king do not boast so much that they are arrayed in sash, cloak, and other royal insignia, or that they are called the king’s men, as that they unswervingly fulfill all of the king’s decrees; in such a way, Christians too, who are the soldiers, senators, and servants of Christ, the Heavenly King, should not boast only that they believe in Christ and have been baptized into His death or that they have been deemed worthy to be called by the name of Christ, that is, Christians, but should, in fact, boast that they fulfill unwaveringly all of the commandments and ordinances of Christ, their Heavenly King. For what profit is there in Christians believing in Christ, but then failing to keep Christ’s commandments? The Divine Chrysostomos says: “Right faith is of no benefit to us if our life is corrupt.” What profit is there in boasting that they love Christ and then violating Christ’s ordinances? What do they gain by being called Christians only in word and then living an unchristian life by their deeds? “It is of no avail to us to be called by the appellation of Christians when the works do not follow,” says the Divine Cyril of Jerusalem. Mere names alone are of no help if they are not accompanied by the things to which they refer; when those things exist, they also confirm the names. Holy Scripture, both Old and New, is wont to derive names from the doings and ways of men. Thus, Abraham was called “Abraham” because he was to become the father of nations. Thus, Isaac was called “laughter” on account of the joy that he caused when he was born to his parents. Thus, Jacob and the sons of Jacob received their names from their doings and ways. Thus, the Lord called Peter “Peter” because of the firmness of his faith. Thus, He called James and John “Boanerges,” that is, “sons of thunder,” because they thundered the preaching of the Gospel and the sublime theology of the Holy Trinity to the world. Thus, it does not behoove Christians to bear this great and precious name falsely; rather, they ought to confirm it by Christian deeds and actions. Hence, if Christians wish to have their name consonant with reality, it behooves them to become imitators and followers of the life and conduct of Jesus Christ, Whose name they bear. How are they to become imitators of Christ? By keeping all of Christ’s commandments. In this way Christians show that they are genuine Disciples of Christ and truly Love Him. For this reason, therefore, my Christian brothers and sisters, my all-beloved brothers and sisters and to say it a third time—my dear brothers and sisters, be assiduous all of you—unimportant and important, clergy and laity—in observing all of the life-giving, all of the deifying, all of the salvific commandments of our Lord Jesus Christ. Strive earnestly to work as faithful laborers, with all of your zeal and love, in the mystical vineyard of the Master’s commandments (for these are the spiritual vineyard of which the Lord spoke in the Gospel according to St. Matthew). Do not be negligent and do not grow weary from the burden and the toil, nor from the heat of the day, so that when evening comes, that is, death and the end of your present life, you may receive the eternal Kingdom in remuneration for your toil, reflecting that you freely gave your agreement and promise to Christ that you would work in the vineyard of His commandments. And when did you make this agreement and promise? When you were baptized. For the words that you uttered at that time, that is, “I renounce thee, O Satan, and all thy works” and “I join Thee, O Christ,” constitute an agreement and promise that you gave to Christ, that you would work in His vineyard, as the Divine Chrysostomos says: “For this word is a covenant with the Master.” And just as those masters who wish to purchase slaves ask them first if they are willing to serve them and then, having learned their opinion, purchase them, so also Christ the Master asked all of you Christians if you were willing to labor for His commandments and, after you had given Him your promise, then redeemed you through His death and through Holy Baptism into His death, as the same Chrysostomos says: “And, just as we, when we purchase servants, first ask those who are being sold if they are willing to be our servants, so also does Christ: when He is about to receive you into His service, He first asks if you wish to leave that harsh and ruthless tyrant [i.e., satan], and He receives covenants from you. For His mastership is not a matter of compulsion.” Therefore, since you were once called to work in the vineyard of the commandments, and since you obeyed this call and made such an agreement with the Householder and Lord of the vineyard when you were baptized, it is necessary that you work, not with negligence, agitation and impatience, but with all alacrity, love, joy, and patience, having as your boast that you have been vouchsafed to serve such a good and loving Master, who is worthy of being served freely by all of His creatures, even if He were not minded to give them any reward or remuneration. Yes, you are called the servants, because you perform the Lord’s commandments.[98]

St. Innocent of Alaska instructed missionaries to emphasize to Catechumens the need to live a lifestyle in imitation of Jesus Christ and the Gospel precepts not only before Baptism but also after Baptism. Moreover, missionaries are only to baptize the people as long as they express an agreement to live a life of repentance after Baptism:

When thou shalt see that thy hearers have understood thee, and when they express a wish to be counted among the flock of Christ, then tell them: a) of the conditions upon which they may be admitted among the faithful; b) of Holy Baptism, as the mystic means of regeneration through water and the Spirit, which opens the new Christian life, and of the other Sacraments as the means of receiving the grace of Jesus Christ; and, c) of the manner after which he should live, who aims at being a true Christian and, consequently, at obtaining all the fruits of salvation. The conditions upon which one who wishes to become a Disciple of Jesus Christ may be admitted are the following: 1). he must renounce his former creed, give up Shamanism and not listen to the Shamans; 2). he must not observe any customs contrary to Christianity; 3). he must agree to perform all things that shall be demanded of him by the new law and the Church; 4). he must confess his sins. As regards the instruction about how a Christian should conduct himself, it is best not to go into too much detail at first, but merely say that whoever wants to be a true Christian i.e. a Disciple of Jesus Christ, and to profit by all the gifts which the Redemption has brought to man, should, 1), with faith, hope and love, give himself up to Jesus Christ; and, 2), imitate him in all things, (i.e., try, as far as possible, always to act as He acted). Here Christ's virtues as described in the Gospel should be briefly touched upon, so that the neophyte may understand exactly how he ought to act. Note. For instance: Jesus Christ forgave His enemies, and we should do likewise... Thou shalt not proceed to administer holy Baptism to natives before they have been thoroughly instructed by thee in the above-named matters, nor then, unless they shall have expressed the wish to receive it.[99]

In his book The Path to Salvation, St. Theophan the Recluse writes about the relationship of our synergy with God’s grace in Baptism, how infants must fulfill their baptismal vows upon coming to a conscientious awareness of them, and how the role of the Godparents is to guide the child to living a holy life. In other words, repentance is expected of us by God after Baptism in order to appropriate the grace we were given in Baptism:

You have already known that grace descends upon free desire and searching, and that only by the mutual cooperation of these two is there begin the new grace-given life which is in accordance both with grace and with the nature of the free person. The Lord gives grace freely. But He asks that a man seek it and receive it with desire, dedicating himself entirely to God. The fulfillment of this condition in repentance and in the baptism of adults is clear; but how is it fulfilled in the baptism of infants? An infant does not have the use of reason and freedom; consequently, he cannot fulfill the condition for the beginning of Christian life on his own part, that is, the desire to dedicate himself to God. Nevertheless, this condition must absolutely be fulfilled. The particular way in which [Christian] life begins in the case of the Baptism of infants depends on the means of fulfilling this condition. Grace descends upon the soul of an infant and produces in it exactly the same results as if its freedom had participated in this, but only on the condition that in the future the infant, who was not then aware of himself and did not act personally, when he comes to awareness, will himself willingly dedicate himself to God, will receive out of his desire the grace which has shown its activity in him, will be glad that it exists, will give thanks that this was done for him, and will confess that if, at the moment of his baptism, understanding and freedom had been given to him, he would not have acted otherwise then he did act and would not have wished otherwise. For the sake of this future free dedication of himself to God and the coming together of freedom and grace, divine grace gives everything to an infant and even without him it produces everything in him that is natural for it to produce, with the promise that the essential desire and dedicating of himself to God will be performed without fail. This is the promise the sponsors give when they declare to God before the Church that this infant, when he comes to awareness, will show precisely that use of freedom which is demanded for grace, taking upon themselves the obligation in very fact to bring to this state the infant for whom they are sponsors.[100]

In a word, the reason why the newly-illumined Orthodox Christian must continue in repentance after Baptism is because they only received the grace of God in seed-form, and so, they must now cultivate this seed,[101] by doubling and tripling the talent of grace given to them by the Master,[102] so that, as the Baptismal service says, by “increasing the deposit of Grace,”[103] they will bear fruits of repentance, that is, increasingly be transformed in the likeness of God through being communicants of the divine nature/grace of God (Cf. Mt. 3:2-8; 2 Pt. 1:4).[104] For, as St. Nikodemos the Hagiorite teaches us, the more we obey the commandments the more the grace of

God increases in us.[105]

If one does not undergo repentance after Baptism, then the judgment of God foretold in the Parables of the Two Servants (Mt. 21:28-32), the Wise Virgins (Mt. 25:1-13), and the Talents (Mt. 25:14-30) will become a living reality for them (Mt. 25). So, repentance must both precede and proceed Baptism for the sake of one’s salvation.

9. Priests as Guardians and Gatekeepers of the Sacraments

When a deacon is ordained a priest, the bishop places in his hands the all-pure Body of our Lord Jesus Christ and says to him: “Receive this Divine Trust, and guard it until the Second Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, at which time He will demand It from you.”[106] In other words, the Priest is a guardian of all the Sacraments, and as such, he must be careful with whom he dispenses them to. This principle was first established by Christ: “Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces” (Mt. 7:6-7).

St. Nikodemos the Hagiorite interprets the words dogs and swine as referring to unrepentant people, and the pearls as referring to all the Sacraments in general; priests are to bar the unrepentant from participating in the Sacraments, most especially Holy Communion, and only when they begin repenting should a priest grant them full access: “For, just as it is absurd for one to throw pearls, the Holy Mysteries, that is to say, to swine, to the impure, that is to say, who are not genuinely repentant, so and in like manner it is also absurd for one to deny the most precious Pearl, or, more expressly speaking, the Body of Christ, to a man who has been purified through the process of repentance and abstention from the evil; and who has become reconverted from a swine into a human being.”[107] Hence, in the words of the great ecclesiastical writer Tertullian, “Baptism is not to be rashly administered.”[108]

Likewise, commenting on Christ’s authorization to His Disciples to forgive and retain people’s sins (Jn. 20:23), and connecting it to this aforementioned passage in Matthew, St. Cyril of Alexandria says priests can and must bar unrepentant people from being baptized, while he is to baptize those who are sincerely repentant:

They who have the Spirit of God remit or retain sins in two ways, as I think. For they invite to Baptism those to whom this sacrament is already due from the purity of their lives, and their tried adherence to the Faith; and they hinder and exclude others who are not as yet worthy of the Divine grace. And in another sense, also, they remit and retain sins, by rebuking erring children of the Church, and granting pardon to those who repent; just as, also, Paul gave up him that had committed fornication at Corinth, for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved, and admitted him again into fellowship, that he might not be swallowed up with his overmuch sorrow, as he says in his letter. When, then, the Spirit of Christ dwelling in our hearts doeth things which befit God alone, surely He is the living God, invested with the glorious dignity of the Divine Nature, and having power over sacred laws.[109]

As we saw a little earlier, St. Hippolytus of Rome instructed that Catechumens were to be baptized only if their Godparents verified they were living a sincere life of repentance and were coming to Baptism with the proper disposition:

When they are chosen they [who] are to receive baptism, let their lives be examined, whether they have lived honorably while catechumens, whether they honored the widows, whether they visited the sick, and whether they have done every good work. If those who bring them forward bear witness for them that they have done so, then let them hear the Gospel. From the time at which they are set apart, place hands upon them daily so that they are exorcised. When the day approaches on which they are to be baptized, let the bishop exorcise each one of them, so that he will be certain whether each has been purified. If there are any who are not purified, they shall be set apart. They have not heard the Word in faith, for the foreign spirit remained with each of them.[110]

The Holy Fathers of the 7th Ecumenical Council prescribe in Canon 8 that if a person truly believes in Jesus as the Messiah with all their heart and intends to sincerely live as a Christian after Baptism, then they can be baptized; if not, they are not to be baptized:

Inasmuch as some persons who have been misled by their inferences from the religion of the Jews have seen fit to sneer at Christ our God while pretending to be Christians, but secretly and clandestinely keeping the Sabbath and doing other Jewish acts, we decree that these persons shall not be admitted to communion, nor to prayer, nor to church, but shall be Jews openly in accordance with their religion; and that neither shall their children be baptized, nor shall they buy or acquire a slave. But if any one of them should be converted as a matter of sincere faith, and confess with all his heart, triumphantly repudiating their [Jewish] customs and affairs, with a view to censure and correction of others, we decree that he shall be accepted and his children shall be baptized, and that he latter shall be persuaded to hold themselves of from Jewish peculiarities. If, on the other hand, the case is not thus, they are not to be accepted under any other circumstances whatsoever.[111]

St. Nikodemos agrees with this as well in his interpretation of the Canon.[112]

Likewise, St. Gregory of Nyssa teaches that Catechumens need to have a correct faith in the Holy Trinity, otherwise, Baptism will be of no use without this correct faith.[113] Just as he said that a correct way of life (i.e., repentance) is necessary to follow Baptism, so too, a correct belief is equally important and necessary for the assimilation of Baptism’s grace.

The Apostolic Constitutions teach that only those who are repentant may be admitted to Baptism, while those who are unrepentant are not permitted to be baptized. The teachings contained in this text, along with their Apostolic Canons, have great authority in the Church; the 5th-6th Ecumenical Council of Trullo and the 7th Ecumenical Council of Nicea regard them as divinely-inspired and of Apostolic authority/origin. They recognize the spurious corruptions done by heretics, yet go on to state that they were removed and therefore “contain nothing improper or spurious.”[114] In the section titled “Various Canons of Paul the Apostle Concerning Those that Offer Themselves to Be Baptized — Whom We are to Receive, and Whom to Reject” we read the following:

I also, Paul, the least of the apostles, do make the following constitutions for you, the bishops, and presbyters, and deacons, concerning canons. Those that first come to the mystery of godliness, let them be brought to the bishop or to the presbyters by the deacons, and let them be examined as to the causes wherefore they come to the word of the Lord; and let those that bring them exactly inquire about their character, and give them their testimony. Let their manners and their life be inquired into, and whether they be slaves or freemen. And if any one be a slave, let him be asked who is his master. If he be slave to one of the faithful, let his master be asked if he can give him a good character. If he cannot, let him be rejected, until he show himself to be worthy to his master. But if he does give him a good character, let him be admitted. But if he be a household slave to a heathen, let him be taught to please his master, that the word be not blasphemed. If, then, he have a wife, or a woman has a husband, let them be taught to be content with each other; but if they be unmarried, let them learn not to commit fornication, but to enter into lawful marriage. But if his master be one of the faithful, and knows that he is guilty of fornication, and yet does not give him a wife, or to the woman a husband, let him be separated; but if anyone has a demon, let him indeed be taught piety, but not received into communion before he be cleansed; yet if death be near, let him be received. If any one be a maintainer of harlots, let him either leave off to prostitute women, or else let him be rejected. If a harlot come, let her leave off whoredom, or else let her be rejected. If a maker of idols come, let him either leave off his employment, or let him be rejected. If one belonging to the theatre come, whether it be man or woman, or charioteer, or dueller, or racer, or player of prizes, or Olympic gamester, or one that plays on the pipe, on the lute, or on the harp at those games, or a dancing-master or a huckster, either let them leave off their employments, or let them be rejected. If a soldier come, let him be taught to do no injustice, to accuse no man falsely, and to be content with his allotted wages: (Lk. 3:14) if he submit to those rules, let him be received; but if he refuse them, let him be rejected. He that is guilty of sins not to be named, a sodomite, an effeminate person, a magician, an enchanter, an astrologer, a diviner, a user of magic verses, a juggler, a mountebank, one that makes amulets, a charmer, a soothsayer, a fortune-teller, an observer of palmistry; he that, when he meets you, observes defects in the eyes or feet of the birds or cats, or noises, or symbolic sounds: let these be proved for some time, for this sort of wickedness is hard to be washed away; and if they leave off those practices, let them be received; but if they will not agree to that, let them be rejected. Let a concubine, who is slave to an unbeliever, and confines herself to her master alone, be received; but if she be incontinent with others, let her be rejected. If one of the faithful has a concubine, if she be a bond-servant, let him leave off that way, and marry in a legal manner: if she be a free woman, let him marry her in a lawful manner; if he does not, let him be rejected. Let him that follows the Gentile customs, or Jewish fables, either reform, or let him be rejected. If any one follows the sports of the theatre, their huntings, or horse-races, or combats, either let him leave them off, or let him be rejected. Let him who is to be a catechumen be a catechumen for three years; but if any one be diligent, and has a good-will to his business, let him be admitted: for it is not the length of time, but the course of life, that is judged.[115]

The sincerity of the person’s heart/intentions and their way of life is considered of utmost importance for the reception of Baptism. Without an ethos and mindset of repentance, one should not be baptized. This is why the renunciations, exorcisms, and confession of faith are done in the Narthex before a person is baptized. So, if a Catechumen says, “I renounce Satan, and all his works, and all his worship, and all his angels, and all his pomp,” but does not really mean it, is he not lying directly to God and standing before Him as a hypocrite and double-minded man? As mentioned earlier, St. Cyril of Jerusalem directly addresses this very issue in his lectures to Catechumens, and warns them that they “tempt God’s grace” when they do this, and so, God seeing their bad intentions/dispositions and “secret hypocrisy, He rejects the man as unfit for His true service.”[116]

While some Saints interpret Christ’s words to not give holy things and pearls to dogs and swine (Mt. 7) to mean that it is pointless and spiritually dangerous for priests to dispense Holy Communion and discuss Church doctrines to unrepentant individuals (since the hardness of their hearts causes them to treat them with contempt in word and deed) this does not necessarily mean such prohibitions are limited just to these alone.[117], [118], [119] It is fair to say that it is implicitly or indirectly implied that dispensing any of the other Sacraments like Baptism to unrepentant people is pointless and spiritually dangerous. It is inconceivable to think of these Saints barring the unrepentant from the greatest of all the Sacraments (the Eucharist), but not others like Baptism; all the Sacraments are interconnected, afterall. In this principle of the Saints—participation in the Sacraments presupposes repentance—the complete opposite of this—giving Sacraments to the unrepentant—is fundamentally incompatible with the consciousness of the Church.

Just as Christ spoke in Parables in order to conceal the truths of of His teachings from the unrepentant who would have scorned them, “lest they further be condemned,”[120] so too, priests bar the unrepentant from the Sacraments like Baptism or Communion (1 Cor. 11) lest they partake to their condemnation. This, in truth, is a great act of love and care on the priest’s part; it is his fatherly love and protection put into action, and it should awaken a sense of self-awareness and repentance in the unrepentant person.

Finally, a word in regard to infant Baptism in which the child obviously cannot express repentance consciously/rationally. This is taken up on behalf of and expressed by the parents and most especially the Godparents, as St. Dionysios the Areopogite says:

Now the fact that even children, not yet able to understand the things Divine, become recipients of the holy Birth in God, and of the most holy symbols of the supremely Divine Communion, seems, as you say, to the profane, a fit subject for reasonable laughter, if the Hierarchs teach things Divine to those not able to hear, and vainly transmit the sacred traditions to those who do not understand. And this is still more laughable—that others, on their behalf, repeat the abjurations and the sacred compacts. But thy Hierarchical judgment must not be too hard upon those who are led astray, but, persuasively, and for the purpose of leading them to the light, reply affectionately to the objections alleged by them, bringing forward this fact, in accordance with sacred rule, that not all things Divine are comprehended in our knowledge, but many of the things, unknown by us, have causes beseeming God, unknown to us indeed, but well known to the Ranks above us. Many things also escape even the most exalted Beings, and are known distinctly by the All-Wise and Wise-making Godhead alone. Further, also, concerning this, we affirm the same things which our Godlike initiators conveyed to us, after initiations from the early tradition. For they say, what is also a fact, that infants, being brought up according to a Divine institution, will attain a religious disposition, exempt from every error, and inexperienced in an unholy-life. When our Divine leaders came to this conclusion, it was determined to admit infants upon the following conditions, viz.: that the natural parents of the child presented, should transfer the child to some one of the initiated—a good teacher of children in Divine things—and that the child should lead the rest of his life under him, as under a godfather and sponsor, for his religious safe-keeping. The Hierarch then requires him, when he has promised to bring up the child according to the religious life, to pronounce the renunciations and the religious professions, not, as they would jokingly say, by instructing one instead of another in Divine things; for he does not say this, “that on behalf of this child I make, myself, the renunciations and the sacred professions,” but, that the child is set apart and enlisted; i.e. I promise to persuade the child, when he has come to a religious mind, through my godly instructions, to bid adieu wholly to things contrary, and to profess and perform the Divine professions. There is here, then, nothing absurd, in my judgment, provided the child is brought up as beseems a godlike training, in having a guide and religious surety, who implants in him a disposition for Divine things, and keeps him inexperienced in things contrary.[121]

It is the primary duty of parents and Godparents to guide the child in the teachings and repentant ethos of the Orthodox Church so they can grow in holiness throughout their life. As Blessed Fr. Michael Pomazansky comments on this text by St. Dionysios:

It is indispensable in this matter that the persons who offer the infant for Baptism should recognize all their responsibility for the raising up of the baptized infant in Christian faith and virtue. We read an instruction concerning this, for example, in the work On the Ecclesiastical Hierarchy, known under the name of St. Dionysius the Areopagite, which has always been highly respected by the Church... How important for us is this instruction which comes from the ancient Christian Church! From it we see what responsibility the sponsor or godfather of the baptized person takes upon himself. How careful the parents of the child must be in choosing a sponsor! Of course, in a normal Christian family the parents themselves usually teach their children the truths of faith and their moral duty. But the contemporary breakup of the foundations of social life compel one to be on guard so that the child will not remain without Christian guidance. And even under favorable conditions a sponsor should keep close spiritual contact with his godchild and be ready at any needful moment to come to him with heartfelt Christian help.[122]

This is why St. Theophan the Recluse wrote very long and specific instructions to parents and Godparents as to how they can guide their newly-illumined child in a godly way of life.[123] This is their primary responsibility before God. The role of parents and Godparents is to of course to guide the child in the ways of repentance and holiness so that, upon the child’s first conscious and rational awareness of this sacred lifestyle instilled in them first through Baptism, they can then begin taking the responsibility upon themself to assimilate and increase the grace of God entrusted to them through active and intentional repentance. As St. Theophan writes:

And thus through baptism, the seed of life in Christ is placed in the infant and exists in him, but it is as though it did not exist: It acts as an educating power in him. Spiritual life, conceived by the grace of baptism in the infant, becomes the property of the man and is manifest in its complete form in accordance not only with grace, but also with the character of the rational creature, from the time when he, coming to awareness, by his own free will will dedicate himself to God and appropriate to himself the power of grace in himself by receiving it with desire, joy and gratitude. Up to this time, also, the true Christian life is active in him, but it is as if without this knowledge, it acts in him, but as if it is not yet his own. But from the minute of his awareness and choosing, it becomes his own, not by grace only but also by freedom.[124]

So, in the mind of the Church, just as it is inconceivable to be baptized without repentance, so too, it is inconceivable to choose unrepentant Godparents who evidently are not good role models for the child in matters of faith and morals, and it would still further be irrational to bring forth a child for Baptism one in whom parents and/or Godparents do not genuinely intend on imparting a godly life to, or even partially. Afterall, how can parents and/or Godparents lead the child towards a life of holiness if they themselves are not living such a way of life, and in some cases we see today, actively reject? In reality, it is incompatible and irrational for them to bring a child to Baptism, making all sorts of vows to guide them to holiness throughout their life, and then not actually plan on fulfilling such vows. Do not these fearsome words of Christ fall upon such parents/Godparents? “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea” (Mk. 9:42, cf. Lk. 17:1-2, Mt. 18:10-14, 1 Cor. 8). Such is the hypocrisy the Lord abhors, such futile offerings are not blessed by Him (Is. 1; Jer. 6; Am. 5). We cannot have two masters simultaneously (Cf. Mt. 6:24; 1 Cor. 10:19-23; Rm. 13:12-14). “No one who has communion with the world can have communion with God,” St. Isaac the Syrian teaches.[125] We cannot be part-time Christians; Orthodoxy is not “have it your way” kind of Christianity where we can just pick and choose the parts and pieces we like and reject the rest. No, instead, if we choose to come to Christ, we must strive to love Him with all our heart and not merely a part of it (Mt. 22:27). As St. Nicholas Cabasilas powerfully reminds us:

Among Christians no one is unaware that he is under obligation to undertake the whole task. All alike, when they joined Him in the beginning, vowed to follow Him through all things, and it was after they had thus bound themselves by those covenants that they underwent the sacred rites [of Baptism]. Since the Savior’s commands are thus binding on all the faithful and are capable of fulfillment by those who are willing, they are most necessary. Apart from them it is impossible to be united to Christ, otherwise we should be at variance with Him in that which is greatest and noblest, will and purpose. If we share in His blood we must [also] share in His will. We cannot be joined to Him in some ways, and yet be separated from Him in others, neither can we love Him in one way and be hostile to Him in another, nor be His children on the one hand and worthy of blame on the other. Nor yet can we be His members, but be at the same time dead ones for whom it avails nothing to be grafted into Him and born anew. This would be like the branch which is severed from the true vine, whose end is to be cast out and to wither and be thrown on the fire (Jn. 15:6). It follows, therefore, that he who has chosen to live in Christ should cling to that Heart and that Head, for we obtain life from no other source. But this is impossible for those who do not will what He wills. It is necessary to train one’s purpose, as far as it is humanly possible to conform to Christ’s will and to prepare oneself to desire what He desires and to enjoy it, for it is impossible for contrary desires to continue in one and the same heart. As He says, “the evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart knows how to produce nothing else but evil” (Lk. 6:45), and the good man that which is good.[126]

Therefore, “If someone has no intention of raising a child in Christ—if they have no intention of attending church, praying as a family in the home, teaching the Bible, encouraging questions about the Faith, and giving their children every opportunity to experience the life of the Church - then they should in no way bring their child to be baptized.”[127] As a modern day Chrysostom-like preacher, Blessed Metropolitan Augustinos of Florina, once explained:

A custom which prevailed in the Orthodox Church, the custom about baptizing people as babies, which is called infant baptism, led to the complete abolition of instruction before baptism. Thus, there are only a few parents who instruct the children in the Faith. Most parents are completely indifferent about the Christian upbringing of their children. In fact, there are not only a few unbelieving and atheistic parents who mock the sacrament of baptism. My humble opinion is that the children of these people, who have cut off all substantial contact with the Church, should not be baptized as infants, but should rather be allowed to grow up and to freely make a decision regarding their religious beliefs.[128]

9. Concluding Remarks

God does not force His grace on us, nor does He save us against our desire to be saved. He waits for us to express our willingness and desire to be saved primarily through our repentance. Baptism, if it is to be truly salvific and to the benefit of the Catechumen, must be preceded and followed by repentance, as other Orthodox authors have noted concerning this Patristic and ecclesiastical principle.[129]

Laymen and clergy alike need to remember that Catechism is not a mental gymnasium in which Catechumens merely learn a bunch of facts about Christ and the Church; it is primarily a period of time in which they are to have an experiential knowledge of Christ by coming into communion with Him chiefly through one’s active and intentional repentance. Post-baptismal life is to deepen that communion so that one can increase the talent of grace, thereby progressing through the spiritual stages of perfection - Purification, Illumination, and Glorification. Without repentance, one can neither receive nor grow in the grace of God.

Clergy are charged by the Great High Priest Jesus Christ to be faithful followers and transmitters of the sacred Patristic Tradition. This is necessary today more than ever as we live in a world of relativism and self-idolatry. As with the Saints and early Christians that came before us, so too, Clergy should imitate them insofar as to look more closely at the intentions, dispositions and spiritual maturity of inquirers and Catechumens so as to discern whether or not they are coming to Baptism with the proper stance and intention(s). Upon doing so, Clergy then can more wisely determine whether such individuals ought to be baptized, and if not, when and for how long to postpone their reception until certain missing presuppositions are fulfilled. This is a great act of pastoral care and love so that the grace of reception will truly be of benefit to the Catechumen. Clergy should also convey to inquirers and Catechumens that becoming Orthodox will be the most important decision of their life, that it is a total way of life that begins in the Catechumanate period and never ends until their final breath, that being a genuine Orthodox Christian is fundamentally all about pulling up their sleeves to undergo the arduous yet joyous labor of repentance by denying themselves daily, picking up their Cross and following Christ. Moreover, it would be prudent for clergy to devote themselves to establishing robust catechism programs year-round which consist not only of learning the history and theology of the Church, but also Her ethos (i.e., ascesis, prayer, spiritual study, etc.). Thus, Catechism should be able to equip inquirers with innumerable resources to deepen their knowledge - theoretical and experiential - of the Orthodox Faith. Finally, in order to support them in their process of purification, clergy should provide daily church services, or at least more opportunities for public worship during the church year, for as St. Maximos the Confessor warns, “Theology without practice is the theology of demons.”[130]

Inquirers, Catechumens and even cradle Orthodox should bear in mind that the Lord will demand much from us all both before and especially after Baptism when we are given the pearl of great price—His divine grace. On a daily basis, we ought to find ways to increase the talent of grace so as to be faithful stewards of Christ. Even the small spiritual exercises such as morning and evening prayers, reading of Holy Scripture and the Lives of the Saints, prostrations, humble almsgiving, using our spiritual sword—the prayer rope—and above all WATCHFUL REPENTANCE are very simple yet powerful ways in which we can keep watering the earthen vessel of our heart so as to drown out the prickly weeds of the passions and grow the beautiful flowers of the divine virtues. The repentant struggle is worth shedding every drop of blood, sweat, and tears because “the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us” (Rm. 8:18). If we keep on repenting (cf. Mt. 3:2, 4:17), we will grow little by little in the likeness of Jesus Christ, the Bridegroom of our soul!

Therefore, FOLLOWING THE HOLY FATHERS, let us be ever more faithful to the sacred Patristic heritage passed down to us, so that, being faithful to the very end (Heb. 13:4), we shall receive the unfading crown of glory (1 Pt. 5:4). Amen, so be it!

Footnotes for Part Three

[80] Many Saints describe Baptism as a covenant we make with God. See St. Gregory the Theologian, Section 8 in “Oration 40,” newadvent.org, CHURCH FATHERS: Oration 40 (Gregory Nazianzen) (newadvent.org ). See also St. John Chrysostom, Section 2.5 in “Instructions to Catechumens,” newadvent.org, CHURCH FATHERS: Instructions to Catechumens (St. John Chrysostom). See also St. Gregory Palamas, Homily 59. See also St. Nicholas Cabasilas, The Life in Christ, 161-162. See also St. Jerome, “Commentary on the Prophet Amos,” Bk. 3, 6, Patrologia Latina, Vol XXV, col. 1068B as cited in St. Nikodemos the Hagiorite, Christian Morality (Belmont, MA: Institute for Byzantine and Modern Greek Studies, 2012), 42.

[81] See Sts. Nikodemos the Hagiorite and Agapius the Monk, The Rudder (Pedalion) of the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church of the Orthodox Christians, trans. Denver Cummings, 1st edition, (U.S.: The Orthodox Christian Educational Society, 1957), 295.

[82] Ibid., Lviii-Lxi, 287-296, 428-429.

[83] See Apostolic Constitutions, Bk. 3, Ch. 18, newadvent.org, CHURCH FATHERS: Apostolic Constitutions, Book III. Translation taken from Hieromonk Patapios in St. Nikodemos’ Christian Morality, 42-43.

[84] See St. Basil the Great, “First Discourse on Baptism,” Bk. 1, 19, Patrologia Greca, Vol. XXXI, col. 1557C as cited in St. Nikodemos the Hagiorite, Christian Morality, 20

[85] Step 5.1 in The Ladder of Divine Ascent (Boston: HTM, 2012), 97.

[86] See George Danias and Christina Danias, Vested in Christ (Columbia, MI: NRP, 2019), 58.

[87] See St. Gregory the Theologian, “Oration 40.”

[88] See St. Gregory of Nyssa, Chapter 40 in “The Great Catechism,”ccel.org, Philip Schaff: NPNF2-05. Gregory of Nyssa: Dogmatic Treatises, Etc. - Christian Classics Ethereal Library (ccel.org ). See also St. Gregory of Nyssa, “On the Baptism of Christ,” ccel.org, Philip Schaff: NPNF2-05. Gregory of Nyssa: Dogmatic Treatises, Etc. - Christian Classics Ethereal Library.

[89] See St. Bede the Venerable, COMMENTARY ON THE SEVEN CATHOLIC EPISTLES, trans. Dom David Hurst (Kalamazoo, Michigan: CISTERCIAN PUBLICATIONS, 1985, 80.

[90] See Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture:JAMES, 1–2 PETER, 1–3 JOHN, JUDE (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2000), 126,

[91] See Canon 96 in The Rudder, .403-405.

[92] See St. Nektarios of Aegina, “The Path to Happiness,” orthochristian.com, The Path to Happiness / OrthoChristian.Com.

[93] St. Tikhon of Zadonsk, “On our Renewal at Holy Baptism” and “Remember Your Baptismal Vows,” from Journey to Heaven. Available online at https://www.orthodoxphotos.com/readings/journey2/renewal.shtml and https://www.orthodoxphotos.com/readings/journey2/remember.shtml.

[94] The word here in Greek is Μετανοεῖτε. It is a Present Active Imperative Verb, which is the continuous form. So, transliterated it should say, “Be repenting,” “Be repenting without ever stopping”, “Keep repenting”, “Repent always” or “Repent daily”.

[95] The Life in Christ, 159-194.

[96] See footnote 94.

[97] See Homilies 33, 59, and 60 in Saint Gregory Palamas: The Homilies, 240-241, 484-502.

[98] See St. Nikodemos the Hagiorite, Christian Morality, 199, 517-519, 552-553. See also pages 167-169, 200-202

[99] See St. Innocent of Alaska, “Instruction Of the Most Rev. Metropolitan Innocentius, formerly Archbishop of Kamtchatka, of the Kuril and Aleutian Islands, To the Missionary at Nushagak, Theophanus the Hieromonk.”

[100] See St. Theophan the Recluse, The Path to Salvation, 2nd ed. (Safford, AZ: St. Paisius Monastery, 2006), 34-35.

[101] See St. Gregory of Sinai, “On the Signs of Grace and Delusion; On Stillness; and, On How to Partake of Food” in Philokalia Vol 4 (London: Faber & Faber, 1095), 259-281. See also Hieromonk Damascene, “What Christ Accomplished on the Cross,” orthodoxinfo.com, What Christ Accomplished on the Cross (orthodoxinfo.com ). See also the Introduction to Philokalia Vol 1 (London: Faber & Faber, 1979), 14.

[102] “Come, O believers, let us labor with zeal for the Master. Since He distributes His wealth to His servants, let each of us correspondingly increase the talent of grace that we received. Let one acquire wisdom by means of good deeds. Let another celebrate the liturgy with splendor. Let the believer communicate the word to the uninitiated, and let another disperse his wealth to the poor. And so let us increase that which was lent to us, so that as faithful stewards of grace we may be counted worthy of the Master’s joy. O count us worthy of this joy, Christ God, since You love humanity.” See Idiomela Presanctified Liturgy on Holy and Great Tuesday, dcs.goarch.org, GOA Digital Chant Stand (goarch.org ).

[103] See “The Sacrament of Baptism,” in Ibid.

[104] See St. Gregory Palamas’ Homilies 47 and 59, 366-374, 485-492.

[105] See Christian Morality, 541-542.

[106] “The Holy Sacrament of Ordination to the Priesthood,” goarch.org, The Holy Sacrament of Ordination to the Priesthood - Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America - Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America (goarch.org ).

[107] Sts. Nikodemos and Agapios, “Interpretation of Canon 4 of St. Gregory of Nyssa,” in The Rudder, 873.

[108] See Tertullian, “On Baptism,” newadvent.org, CHURCH FATHERS: On Baptism (Tertullian) (newadvent.org ).

[109] See St. Cyril of Alexandria, Book 12, Chapter 1 in “On John,” tertullian.org, https://www.tertullian.org/fathers/cyril_on_john_12_book12.htm.

[110] St. Hippolytus of Rome, “On the Apostolic Tradition.”

[111] “Canon 8 of the 7th Ecumenical Council,” in The Rudder, 438.

[112] Ibid., 438-439.

[113] See St. Gregory of Nyssa, Chapter 39 in “The Great Catechism,” ccel.org, https://ccel.org/ccel/schaff/npnf205/npnf205.xi.ii.xli.html.

[114] See On the Reception of the Heterodox (Florence, AZ: UMP, 2023), 35-40.

[115] “Apostolic Constitutions,” Book 8, Chapter 32, newadvent.org, CHURCH FATHERS: Apostolic Constitutions, Book VIII (newadvent.org ).

[116] See St. Cyril of Jerusalem, “Catechetical Discourse 1.”

[117] “Let them hearken, who shamelessly associate with all, and make the awful things contemptible. For the mysteries we too therefore celebrate with closed doors, and keep out the uninitiated, not for any weakness of which we have convicted our rites, but because the many are as yet imperfectly prepared for them. For this very reason He Himself also discoursed much unto the Jews in parables, because they seeing saw not. For this, Paul likewise commanded to know how we ought to answer every man (Col. 4:6).” See St. John Chrysostom, “Homily 23 on Matthew,” newadvent.org, CHURCH FATHERS: Homily 23 on Matthew (Chrysostom) (newadvent.org ).

[118] See St. Basil the Great, “Commandments to Priests,” in The Liturgikon: The Book of Divine Services for the Priest and Deacon, 4th ed. (Englewood, NJ: Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of America, 2021), xi.

[119] See St. Hippolytus of Rome, “Treatise on Christ and Antichrist 1,” in Ante-Nicene Fathers, A. Roberts and J. Donaldson, eds. (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature 1885–1896. Reprint, Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans, 1951-1956. Reprint, Peabody, Hendrickson, 1994), 5:204 as cited in “COLOSSIANS, 1–2 THESSALONIANS, 1–2 TIMOTHY, TITUS, PHILEMON,” in Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2000), 358-359. Likewise, he says “... we make the Scriptures in which these are written public, and read them to those who can believe rightly; for that is a common benefit for both parties: for him who speaks, in holding in memory and setting forth correctly things uttered of old; and for him who hears, in giving attention to the things spoken.” See St. Hippolytus of Rome, “On Christ and the Antichrist,” newadvent.org, CHURCH FATHERS: On Christ and Antichrist (Hippolytus) (newadvent.org ). For more similar Patristic interpretations, see e-Catena - Matt. (earlychristianwritings.com ).

[120] Vlachos, The Feasts of the Lord, 132-133.

[121] See St. Dionysios the Areopagite, “The Ecclesiastical Hierarchy,” Chapter 7, tertullian.org, Dionysius the Areopagite, Works (1899) vol. 2. p.67-162. The Ecclesiastical Hierarchy (tertullian.org ).

[122] Dogmatic Theology, 273.

[123] The Path to Salvation, esp. 36-42.

[124] Ibid., 36.

[125] See St. Isaac the Syrian “Homily 59,” in The Ascetical Homilies of St. Isaac the Syrian (Boston, MA: HTM, 2011), 428.

[126] St. Nicholas Cabasilas, The Life in Christ, 161-162.

[127] See original article at the Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese website “Infant Baptism: What the Church Believes,” ww1.anctiochian.org, Infant Baptism: What the Church Believes | Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese. See also the pamphlet available for purchase at Ancient Faith: Infant Baptism: What The Church Believes - Ancient Faith Store. Article reposted at: Orthodox Infant Baptism: What the Church Believes | + Luke's Baptism (lukemikhail.com )

[128] Metropolitan Augustinos of Florina, On the Divine Liturgy Volume 1 (MA: IBMGS, 1986), 260-263.

[129] Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick, “Are There Wrong Reasons to Become Orthodox? Yes,” blogs.ancientfaith.com, Are There Wrong Reasons to Become Orthodox? Yes. — Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick (ancientfaith.com ).

[130] See St. Maximos the Confessor, PG (‘Patrologia Greca’) 91, 601 C, letter 20 to Marinos the Monk as cited by Metropolitan Hierotheos Vlachos, Orthodox Psychotherapy (Levadia, Greece: Birth of the Theotokos Monastery, 1994), 33.

Back to Part Three

Casting Pearls Before Swine: Part Four

Casting Pearls Before Swine: On Necessary Presuppositions Before and After Baptism and Why Priests Should Not Indiscriminately Baptize All People (Part Four)

By Prof. Savvas Bournelis

Part Four (8-10)

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