CURIOUS SAINTS - part 1
ADULTERERS, MURDERERS, PEDOPHILES AND MORE
Another thing that is characteristic of EO, in contrast to Evangelical Christianity, is its reverence for those who are canonized as saints.
There are several definitions on who can be declared a saint, but they all generally agree on the following elements: saints are those who have reached the goal of the Christian life; who are recognized by the EOC as such; whose lives have testified, and still do, that in them God fully dwells, and that they have reached "theosis" or "deification." They serve as role models for today’s believers. Believers also pray to them for intercession.
Let's check out at a few saintly examples from a wide range that exists in EO.
There are several definitions on who can be declared a saint, but they all generally agree on the following elements: saints are those who have reached the goal of the Christian life; who are recognized by the EOC as such; whose lives have testified, and still do, that in them God fully dwells, and that they have reached "theosis" or "deification." They serve as role models for today’s believers. Believers also pray to them for intercession.
Let's check out at a few saintly examples from a wide range that exists in EO.
St. Milutin Nemanjic, King of Serbia
As a history buff, I found the study of this saint's life most fascinating. Please forgive a dose of sarcasm I just couldn't escape while writing this. Everything that follows can be verified by independent historic sources. Let's examine some of the more interesting details from the life of St. Milutin.
This Serbian saint had a very unique way of expressing the above described Christian holiness. In his Christian “generosity”, he decided to “gift” his neighbors, the EO Byzantines, with a tour of plunder and conquest. This saint showed such fierce “generosity” in this endeavor, that the Byzantine emperor, and a fellow EO believer, Alexis II, decided to offer Milutin his five-year old daughter in marriage, just to get him to stop this “saintly act” of conquest.
As "befitting" every Christian saint, Milutin had previously been married “only” four times (and separated from three wives, i.e. wasn't a widower). Hence, the task of separating from his fourth wife, and giving her to the Byzantines as a hostage, was a breeze. After that, he decided to try and see what a marriage to a five-year old child looks like.
Did Milutin at least refrain from unnatural sexual intercourse with his bride? According to his contemporary Nicephorus Gregory, Milutin refrained form intercourse all of three years before consummating his marriage. His wife was eight years old, and he was about forty-nine!
Now, if today's EO believer was to follow in the “humble” steps of this “deified” man, not only would he get prison time, but he would probably be excommunicated by the Eastern Orthodox Church, for the reasons of looting, pillaging, killing, numerous marriages, and finally pedophilia.
So, how in the world did Milutin make it to the EOC’s ''V.I.P.'' list? No known episodes of Milutin's repentance for any of these acts have been recorded, and the EOC seems to claim none. But, you see, Milutin had two things that most of today's EO believers don’t: good connections and lots of money.
The connections are reflected in the fact that the Serbian branch of the EOC was very soft-hearted towards the Nemanjic dynasty, since it was them who managed to have the Greeks give the Serbian EO branch its independence a century prior. The Serbian EOC tried to canonize all of them as saints, thus giving the medieval Serbian state a Heavenly legitimacy (Milutin’s grandson, emperor Dušan the Mighty, was not canonized as he crossed the church too many times). As for the money, Milutin’s conquest and looting made him very rich, and a lot of this “honestly earned” money was given to the church. It is said that he built and rebuilt about forty EO churches. As the old saying goes “he who pays the piper calls the tune”, and so, by virtue of being rich, St. Milutin found his honorary place in Christian history, as one of the ones to whom EO believers should pray to and whose example they should follow.
This Serbian saint had a very unique way of expressing the above described Christian holiness. In his Christian “generosity”, he decided to “gift” his neighbors, the EO Byzantines, with a tour of plunder and conquest. This saint showed such fierce “generosity” in this endeavor, that the Byzantine emperor, and a fellow EO believer, Alexis II, decided to offer Milutin his five-year old daughter in marriage, just to get him to stop this “saintly act” of conquest.
As "befitting" every Christian saint, Milutin had previously been married “only” four times (and separated from three wives, i.e. wasn't a widower). Hence, the task of separating from his fourth wife, and giving her to the Byzantines as a hostage, was a breeze. After that, he decided to try and see what a marriage to a five-year old child looks like.
Did Milutin at least refrain from unnatural sexual intercourse with his bride? According to his contemporary Nicephorus Gregory, Milutin refrained form intercourse all of three years before consummating his marriage. His wife was eight years old, and he was about forty-nine!
Now, if today's EO believer was to follow in the “humble” steps of this “deified” man, not only would he get prison time, but he would probably be excommunicated by the Eastern Orthodox Church, for the reasons of looting, pillaging, killing, numerous marriages, and finally pedophilia.
So, how in the world did Milutin make it to the EOC’s ''V.I.P.'' list? No known episodes of Milutin's repentance for any of these acts have been recorded, and the EOC seems to claim none. But, you see, Milutin had two things that most of today's EO believers don’t: good connections and lots of money.
The connections are reflected in the fact that the Serbian branch of the EOC was very soft-hearted towards the Nemanjic dynasty, since it was them who managed to have the Greeks give the Serbian EO branch its independence a century prior. The Serbian EOC tried to canonize all of them as saints, thus giving the medieval Serbian state a Heavenly legitimacy (Milutin’s grandson, emperor Dušan the Mighty, was not canonized as he crossed the church too many times). As for the money, Milutin’s conquest and looting made him very rich, and a lot of this “honestly earned” money was given to the church. It is said that he built and rebuilt about forty EO churches. As the old saying goes “he who pays the piper calls the tune”, and so, by virtue of being rich, St. Milutin found his honorary place in Christian history, as one of the ones to whom EO believers should pray to and whose example they should follow.
St. Constantine, a.k.a. Isoapostolos (meaning "equal to the apostles"), Roman Emperor
This saint, like the previous one, was quite original in expressing what it means to be “deified”. Sarcasm aside, Constantine did do something unique by declaring religious tolerance.
However, he was not only good to Christians, as he simultaneously continued to provide financial assistance to pagan temples, bearing, until his death, the title of the head pagan priest (pontifex maximus), which certainly befits a “follower of Christ”.
Curiously, this “humble Christian”, refused to do something that is characteristic of all true Christians - until his deathbed he refused to be baptized. He also continued to observe pagan holidays. In addition, he killed his own son (from his first marriage), at the urging of his second wife. After he realized that she had fooled him, he killed her and her brother, even though he had previously given him his word that his life would be spared.
On his deathbed, Constantine finally found time to deal with the "formality" of being baptized. He was baptized by Eusebius, an Arian bishop. For those who may not know this, true Christians of the time held Arianism to be the worst perversion of their faith, as they had a twisted teaching on the nature of Jesus Christ, as well as some other things. They are akin to today's Jehovah's Witnesses. Unquestionably, they were heretics. The Eastern Orthodox do not recognize their baptism and their rite is considered null and void.
That’s where things become interesting, as the 46th Canon of the Apostles says:
“We command that every bishop or presbyter who accepts the baptism or the sacrifice done by the heretics is overthrown...”
Additionally, St. bishop Nikolai Velimirovic says that “Those who are not baptized, cannot be saved...”, therefore it is not clear by which formula is Constantine even considered saved, let alone canonized as a saint by the EOC, as, according to the EO canons, even his baptism is invalid.
So, regardless of the canonical formality of invalid baptism, and the interesting “deified” choices in his family and religious life, Constantine was put on the list of god-fearing saints we should pray to, and whose example we should follow. He was even given the title isapostolos, or equal to the apostles!
However, he was not only good to Christians, as he simultaneously continued to provide financial assistance to pagan temples, bearing, until his death, the title of the head pagan priest (pontifex maximus), which certainly befits a “follower of Christ”.
Curiously, this “humble Christian”, refused to do something that is characteristic of all true Christians - until his deathbed he refused to be baptized. He also continued to observe pagan holidays. In addition, he killed his own son (from his first marriage), at the urging of his second wife. After he realized that she had fooled him, he killed her and her brother, even though he had previously given him his word that his life would be spared.
On his deathbed, Constantine finally found time to deal with the "formality" of being baptized. He was baptized by Eusebius, an Arian bishop. For those who may not know this, true Christians of the time held Arianism to be the worst perversion of their faith, as they had a twisted teaching on the nature of Jesus Christ, as well as some other things. They are akin to today's Jehovah's Witnesses. Unquestionably, they were heretics. The Eastern Orthodox do not recognize their baptism and their rite is considered null and void.
That’s where things become interesting, as the 46th Canon of the Apostles says:
“We command that every bishop or presbyter who accepts the baptism or the sacrifice done by the heretics is overthrown...”
Additionally, St. bishop Nikolai Velimirovic says that “Those who are not baptized, cannot be saved...”, therefore it is not clear by which formula is Constantine even considered saved, let alone canonized as a saint by the EOC, as, according to the EO canons, even his baptism is invalid.
So, regardless of the canonical formality of invalid baptism, and the interesting “deified” choices in his family and religious life, Constantine was put on the list of god-fearing saints we should pray to, and whose example we should follow. He was even given the title isapostolos, or equal to the apostles!
In the next article, we will examine saints that are different from the previous two, though they are by no means less impressive.
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