Sr. Vassa: There's no ontological impediment to priestesses
Is the male-only priesthood a discipline or essential to the nature of being a priest? Sr. Vassa (again unflinchingly taking up a contentious topic by climbing up the ladder to the highest platform and then jumping into the deep end head first) dives right in and says there is no reason beyond personal preference to not have female clergy. You know, when people ask me about women in priesthood, they say, 'Sister, why can't women be priests?' And I say, 'Women CAN be priests. We don't WANT them to be priests.' Because you see, God can do anything, and the Church, by divine authority, uh, can do anything, but, the Church doesn't want to - and that's a legitimate reason. What I don't like is when we TRY to pretend that there are other reasons for this, because it's legitimate not to want something, and there are reasons not to want this - right? - but, we shouldn't pretent that there's some... reason, that, for example, the maleness...
I could be mistaken, but Church of the East seems a rare, unique example of an ancient community that's iconoclastic. One sees this trend in their old churches in Iraq - though likely instances can be found of icons here and there. Given the accusations of 'Nestorianism', I wonder if it's related. i.e.: their leanings in terms Christology have led to either indifference on icons or even rejection... I'm just speculating of course.
ReplyDeleteThis may be of interest:
Deletehttps://youtu.be/JCajRBwjGAI
Their current lack of icons has yo do with their severe impoverishment and persecution iver the past several centuries. In medieval accounts of their churches and services, icons were just as prominent as in Syriac Orthodox (miaphysite) churches.
DeleteThat's very helpful, thank you Sam!
ReplyDeleteBort, that video is a good resource, I'm halfway through. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteThe Church of the East has always fascinated me. Much seems shrouded in mystery, including much of their history.
The consecration of the new Patriarch of the Assyrian CHurch of the East allows to focus on the strong deployment of the Semitic traditions of the One Body of Jesus Christ and Meshiha throughout the world as never before. The reality of the Aramaic-Syriac language, the process of survival and overcoming terrible and long centuries of constant persecution. The storage and the distribution of exceptional manuscripts, liturgical sources, human and spiritual experience of resurrection and redemption. The Aramaic-speaking Churches witness to a "late" world evangelization process that is born of the Judaic and open-to-all Revelation.
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