Priesthood / Languages (Teachings of the Orthodox Church) Christianity. Orthodoxy. Catholicism. Sense of life. Articles for Christians.
“I am Yahweh your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.                “You shall have no other gods before me.                “You shall not make for yourselves an idol, nor any image of anything that is in the heavens above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: you shall not bow yourself down to them, nor serve them, for I, Yahweh your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and on the fourth generation of those who hate me, and showing loving kindness to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.                “You shall not take the name of Yahweh your God in vain, for Yahweh will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.                “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. You shall labor six days, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to Yahweh your God. You shall not do any work in it, you, nor your son, nor your daughter, your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your livestock, nor your stranger who is within your gates; for in six days Yahweh made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day; therefore Yahweh blessed the Sabbath day, and made it holy.                “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land which Yahweh your God gives you.                “You shall not murder.                “You shall not commit adultery.                “You shall not steal.                “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.                “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s.”
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QUESTION:

I hope you will be able to answer my question, Father.

We are Greek Orthodox. My son has recently shown interest in the priesthood. When I mentioned that he would first have to learn the Greek language, he became frustrated and said that his interest was not in "the language" but in our "faith."

He is a college graduate, speaks English, and does not want to learn another language. Can he become a priest in the OCA? I would appreciate an answer. I have printed out pages from St Tikhon's Seminary Web page. But the question remains ... language?

ANSWER:

Thank you for your enquiry.

In the Orthodox Church in America there is no language requirement, as the vast majority of parishes use the English language exclusively. Our seminarians do study New Testament Greek (which, of course, is not the same as Modern Greek) for the purpose of studying Scripture in its original tongue.

In addition to St Tikhon's Seminary in South Canaan, PA, the Orthodox Church in America has St Vladimir's Seminary in Crestwood, NY, some 20 miles north of New York City. You may wish to visit the web site of St Vladimir's at www.svots.edu. St Vladimir's not only accepts students from the OCA, but from any and every jurisdiction, including the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese. St Vladimir's requires that a student already have a bachelor's degree since study is at the post-graduate level.






Published in January 2011.









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