COLLECTION OF STATEMENTS FROM THE AMERICAN ORTHODOX CATHOLIC CHURCH RELATING
Recently, His Eminence
Michael Itkin has come into discussion as many in the Church seek to establish
or re establish
the ancient praxis of the
Church.
Archbishop Itkin made
notable contributions to the study of Church History in his writings regarding
the influence of the
Jewish Temple on early
Christian worship. He pointed out that
within the early Church we find the origins of modern day
phyletism. The Jewish converts did not want to worship
with the converts from paganism. The
Hebrew children wanted
to have the new converts to
monotheism firstly go through the process of circumcision in order that they
might become
what *we* are, a Jew first
and a believer in Christ second. They
maintained that only in the Hebrew tradition could one
truly become a follower of the
Messiah and understand the history of our Salvation. The early Christians were not of one
mind and one heart on all
issues, only on their commitment to the person and teaching of Jesus
Christ. When the early
Hebrew converts spoke of
*we* they meant the Jewish converts and excluded the Gentile converts.
It was noted, "See how
the Christians love one another".
This was a casual observation based on the communal experience
of the new religious sect
known as "Followers of the Way".
By the time these newly converted children of Abraham were
known as Christians
(Antioch), no longer were people saying see
how they love each
other.
Within the first century,
the Church had factions within the group.
Many were *Traditionalist*.
A Traditionalist translated
into a Jewish convert who maintained that it was impossible to worship G-d
in a pleasing fashion
without recourse to the
Liturgy of the Temple. These also took
a rigid stand on certain moral and social issues following the
example of their mentor
Paul. Peter was the mentor of another
faction which the Hebrews thought was a "traitor" to the
cause by making allowances
for the Greek and Gentile converts.
Some were followers of St. Mark or St. James all of whom
brought their own theology
on moral and social issues to the mix.
The Gentile converts were
convinced that the Jewish converts were "pushy and overbearing".
The Jews were seen as overly
assertive and dominating in the weekly assembly. The Gentile complained that they were
being over looked even in
the corporal works of mercy because the Jews took care of their own first.
To what ever extent this is
true, it is consistent with the theory of Phyletism.
+Itkin rightly showed that
there was no *one* moral standard common to both Gentile and Jewish converts,
which caused
some on both sides to
degrade the other. There was one standard for the Jew and another for the
Gentile. Phyletism
places one national group
above another and even denies the universal benefits to those outside it's
ranks. We see this
today in the Neo Papist Orthodox group and in the
ethnic groups. We also see this today
within the RCC which is divided
on external issues. Those with the Latin Liturgy see themselves
superior to those who do not use the Latin.
The Liberal
sees himself superior to the
others because they are in step with the times and the others are not. The only thing that
both Traditionalist and Liberal
agree upon is that they alone are the true church. They both exclude those outside their
ranks. And of course, they both agree that the
Byzantine Catholic Church is a beautiful relic which is not really
"catholic"
but Orthodox. Of course, the Orthodox do not consider the
BCA as Orthodox but rather a modern Uncle Tom.
Things
were no different in the
early church.
+Itkin pointed out that
anything that was necessary to establish superiority was acceptable for
"G-d and country".
This could mean murder,
suppression, etc. and it was OK because it was done in the name of the Church.
In his later days, +Itkin
did repentance for his misspent youth in an RCC Monastery where he died and was
buried
in that same Monastery.
He was not always the
picture of Orthodoxy in the traditional sense but he always had an Orthodox
soul and heart.
Some of the things that have
appeared in various lists on the Internet authored by the self-proclaimed BENEDICTINE-
ABBOT Donald Pierce Weeks,
are without merit. Mr. Weeks and +MAR
Itkin, his original ordaining bishop, were in constant
battles.
MAR +Itkin had convened a
special commission of clergy to review all the facts of surrounding MR. Weeks'
requests for
incardination and
Ordination, including the Ordination itself.
MAR +Itkin felt that doing anything on his own against Mr.
Weeks would be tantamount to
a "Conflict of Interest". In
the best interests of the faith, and to give Mr. Weeks due
consideration, the
commission was called and an investigation ensued. The findings of fact concerning Mr. Weeks
caused for a report that was
wholly unkind to Mr. Weeks in that many of his claims were either untrue, a
twisting of
FACTS and that his own
personal life style left much to be desired from that which he made himself out
to be to
MAR +Itkin.
As a result of +MAR Itkin's
having found that his ordination of Mr. Weeks was under deception by Mr. Weeks'
own
doings, MAR +Itkin began the
process for defrockment and excommunication, giving due notice to Mr. Weeks
with
hopes Weeks' would seek
repentance in action, more than just by word, initiating such that might
salvage what
was considered, a
Christ-like approach to restoring a man.
MAR +Itkin could not fully complete the process for
defrockment and
excommunication of MR. Weeks as a result thereof as a result of both long set
travel plans for
his far wide-spread parishes
and clergy, as well as the all-of-a-sudden "resignation" and
disappearance of Mr. Weeks.
Mr. Weeks then began his
years of hostile actions and activities against MAR +Itkin which brought about
MAR +Itkin's
having to resorting his
attorneys as a means to stop the threats.
Proof is provided by this linked sentence. It did
not stop there though, for
MR. Weeks' continued animosity appeared in many other ways and forms as related
by
MAR +Itkin for years
later.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
"IN VAIN DO THEY
WORSHIP ME; TEACHING AS DOCTRINE WHAT IS ONLY HUMAN PRECEPTS." [Matthew
15: 9]
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
http://www.apostle1.com/donald_pierce_weeks-2.htm
http://www.apostle1.com/bishop_mikhail_francis_augustine.htm
http://www.apostle1.com/donald_pierce_weeks-summary-7.htm