Misters Harper and McFarland strike again. A poor woman confused about how one could see God since He is pure Spirit got a rambling, nonsense answer on Exploring the Word on American Family Radio (24 Aug. 2026, last segment of the program, starting about the 46:45 mark). Mr Harper gave the worst answer of the two, saying the essence of God can be revealed. That is a flat breach of basic Christian theology: God’s essence cannot be known to any created being, only to the Three Persons of the Trinity. Once again, if Protestants like these two would only do the smallest bit of study of biblical commentary by those within the authentic Apostolic lineage such as the Orthodox theologians Basil the Great or Gregory Palamas, they would know that God is both a hidden, unknown Essence and revealed, knowable Energies. We can see God and be united with Him through His Energies. What Mr Harper was saying is actually a restatement of an old heresy from the 4th century, Eunomianism. We quote briefly from Fr John Romanides:
‘Both Orthodox and Arians fully agreed with the inherited tradition that only God knows His own essence. This means that He who knows the divine nature is himself God by nature, Thus, in order to prove that the Logos is a creature, the Arians argued that the Logos does not know the essence of the Father. The Orthodox argued that the Logos does know the essence of the Father and, therefore, is uncreated. The Eunomians threw a monkey wrench into the agreed rules for proving points with their shocking claim that, not only does the Logos know the essence of God, but man also can know this essence. Therefore, the Logos does not have to be uncreated because He knows this essence.
‘Against the Arian and Orthodox position that creatures cannot know the divine uncreated essence, but may know the uncreated energy of God in its multiple manifestations, the Eunomians argued that the divine essence and uncreated energy are identical, so that to know the one is to know the other.
‘Strangely, Augustine adopted the Eunomian positions on these questions. Therefore, when the Franks appeared in the East with these positions they were accused of being Eunomians.’
I hope Misters Harper and McFarland will pray for me. They are doing good work by encouraging people to read the Holy Scriptures. Yet without the guidance of the Holy Fathers of the Orthodox Church, they are making errors in their interpretations of the Bible that is harmful to their listeners. May God help them to stop relying on their own wisdom.
Sources:
https://www.romanity.org/htm/rom.03.en.franks_romans_feudalism_and_doctrine.03.htm
--
Holy Ælfred the Great, King of England, South Patron, pray for us sinners at the Souð, unworthy though we are!
Anathema to the Union!
No comments:
Post a Comment