catechesis

By Fr. George Morelli

• The Ethos of Orthodox Catechesis: Part 1
• The Ethos of Orthodox Catechesis: Part 2
• The Ethos of Orthodox Catechesis: Part 3
• The Ethos of Orthodox Catechesis: Part 4
• The Ethos of Orthodox Catechesis: Part 5

The New Covenant

Prophet JeremiahThe New Covenant was actually foretold by the Prophet Jeremiah (31: 30-34) in the Old Testament:

Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant which I made with their fathers when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant which they broke, though I was their husband, says the Lord. But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it upon their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And no longer shall each man teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, `Know the Lord,' for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the Lord; for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.

In the book of Psalms, David writing of the priesthood of the New  and Eternal Covenant tells us:

By Fr. George Morelli

• The Ethos of Orthodox Catechesis: Part 1
• The Ethos of Orthodox Catechesis: Part 2
• The Ethos of Orthodox Catechesis: Part 3
• The Ethos of Orthodox Catechesis: Part 4
• The Ethos of Orthodox Catechesis: Part 6

The People of the Old Covenant

Abraham about to Sacrifice IsaacThe people of the Old Covenant, the Hebrews,  from the time of Abraham up to the present day, take very seriously that they are the "Chosen People". God's words to Abraham were quite specific:

When Abram was ninety-nine years old the Lord appeared to Abram, and said to him, "I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless. And I will make my covenant between me and you, and will multiply you exceedingly." Then Abram fell on his face; and God said to him, "Behold, my covenant is with you, and you shall be the father of a multitude of nations. No longer shall your name be Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come forth from you. And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your descendants after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your descendants after you. (Gen.17: 1-7)

By Fr. George Morelli

• The Ethos of Orthodox Catechesis: Part 1
• The Ethos of Orthodox Catechesis: Part 2
• The Ethos of Orthodox Catechesis: Part 3
• The Ethos of Orthodox Catechesis: Part 5
• The Ethos of Orthodox Catechesis: Part 6

Noah's Ark

Connections: The Church and the Temple (The Building-Structure)

The Church, the Body of Christ, is related to the Temple (church building). The Temple is a vessel carrying the body of Christ to union with God, that is to say salvation, deification, to becoming partakers of the Divine Nature (2Pt 1:4).

The central part of the Temple is called the nave [Latin: nāvis, ship: from its rectangular appearance], a reference to Noah's Ark which, as recounted in Genesis (6-9), was built by Noah at God's command to save himself, his family, and the earth's animals from devastation.

Noah's Ark

Also, the temple building is related to St. John's description of the "New Jerusalem," The Kingdom of God, in the Book of Revelation (21: 14-27). The mission of the Church, the Assembly, is to be the ship of our salvation.

By Fr. George Morelli

• The Ethos of Orthodox Catechesis: Part 1
• The Ethos of Orthodox Catechesis: Part 2
• The Ethos of Orthodox Catechesis: Part 4
• The Ethos of Orthodox Catechesis: Part 5
• The Ethos of Orthodox Catechesis: Part 6

Suggestions and Resources for an Interconnected Curriculum Based On 'Connections'

The Four Evangelists: Ss. Matthew, Mark, Luke and John on a Russian Gospel Book

Some of the material below repeats a few of the points made above. This model catechetical lesson on "The Church" material is meant as a guide and illustration of how the topic can be approached.

The Church

Linking Scripture and the Church Fathers

In Sacred Scripture, (Old and New Testament), reference to: Ekklesia (assembly). In the Old Testament we read of the creation of the assembly of angels. The writer of the book of Job speaks of the creation of the angels: "when the stars were born all the angels in a loud voice sang in praise of me" (Job 38, 7).

Prophet Job

By Fr. George Morelli

• The Ethos of Orthodox Catechesis: Part 1
• The Ethos of Orthodox Catechesis: Part 3
• The Ethos of Orthodox Catechesis: Part 4
• The Ethos of Orthodox Catechesis: Part 5
• The Ethos of Orthodox Catechesis: Part 6

Orthodox Church founded by Christ

Christ who is begotten and sent from the Father and sanctified by the Holy Spirit -- can only be known by acquiring and living one's life according to The Mind of the Church. As St. Paul tells us: "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus" (Phil. 2. 5). The Mind of Christ and His Church was sealed by the Holy Spirit at Pentecost and has passed down to the Church to the present day.

The Mind of Christ and His Church expressed in Sacred Tradition

Let me recount St. Paul’s words: "I commend you because you remember me in everything and maintain the traditions even as I have delivered them to you" (1 Corinthians 11:2). St Paul told the Ephesians "you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone . . . “ (2:19,30).

The Ministry of the Apostles

Must be in continuity with the Apostles and union with their bishop successors

THE ETHOS OF ORTHODOX CATECHESIS: THE MIND OF THE ORTHODOX CHURCH

by V. Rev. Fr. George Morelli, Ph.D.

• The Ethos of Orthodox Catechesis: Part 2
• The Ethos of Orthodox Catechesis: Part 3
• The Ethos of Orthodox Catechesis: Part 4
• The Ethos of Orthodox Catechesis: Part 5
• The Ethos of Orthodox Catechesis: Part 6

"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit . . . ." (Mt 28:19)