Crestwood, NY - The Orthodox Theological Society in America held its annual meeting at St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary, May 31 -June 1, 2001.
The main subject of the meeting was "Our Paschal Faith." Various talks were given during the course of the meeting, on diverse aspects of the paschal faith, including its liturgical celebration (Rev. Dr. Pavlos Koumarianos) and the grounding of all theology in the Paschal event (Dr. John Behr), and in particular the dating of Pascha (Rev. Dr. Patrick Viscuso). The Society also discussed the 1997 proposal for a common date for Easter and passed the following resolution:
The Orthodox Theological Society in America has considered the proposal "Towards a Common Date for Easter" produced by a WCC/MECC consultation at Aleppo, Syria. We endorse this proposal on the basis that it reflects most faithfully the norms for calculating the date of Pascha as set out by the Holy Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council.
The Aleppo proposal is faithful to these norms in the following ways:
- It accounts for the vernal equinox, reckoned with astronomical integrity;
- It accounts for the full moon on the same basis;
- It accounts for the Nicene Fathers' recommendations concerning the Jewish Passover.
Thus endorsing the proposal, we also account for the fact that its implementation, which would entail in most cases a change in the dates of Easter from our current reckoning, would be a complex matter. There are potent sensitivities on such issues in the Orthodox Church, and there is potential for schism if such a change (however defensible) were introduced prior to a greater and more widespread readiness in the Church.
Therefore, we commend the Aleppo proposal for wider distribution and study within our churches, suggesting in particular that the following points be considered.
- Fidelity to the Nicene Fathers on the calculation of the date of Pascha implies a fidelity to astronomy. This means respecting the vernal equinox and the full moon when these actually occur in our solar system.
- Fidelity to the Nicene Fathers does not imply that Pascha must fall after the Jewish Passover. The Council forbids celebrating "with the Jews" with the intention of avoiding their calculations of the date of Passover, which the Nicene Fathers deemed inaccurate.
- The understanding of the Christian Pascha as the fulfillment of the old Passover is unquestionably retained whether its date falls before or after the Jewish Passover in any given year.
In addition the Society heard reflections on the relationship between Church and State in the new millennium (Dr. Aristotle Papanikolaou).
As part of the meeting, the Annual Florovsky Lecture was delivered by the Rev. Dr. John Breck, an internationally known Orthodox theologian and ethicist, on the topic of "Human Cloning: Myths and Realities."
Following his address, the Society passed the following Resolution:
The Orthodox Theological Society in America urges the hierarchs of the Standing Conference of Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas (SCOBA) to create a standing committee on ethical issues involving human cloning and the creation and destruction of human embryos. The membership should include embryologists, geneticists, medical professionals and theologians. The task of the committee would be to remain abreast of the latest developments in genetics, embryology and human cloning, evaluate these developments, and publish their assessments, especially to bishops, clergy and theologians The Society believes that "the mind of the Church" needs to be expressed in regard to these scientific discoveries and it is our responsibility to voice that mind to the medical and scientific community, the faithful of our Church, as well as to the general public.
The Society was honored by the visit of Archbishop Iakovos, now-retired Greek Orthodox Archbishop of North and South America, an initiator of the founding of OTSA more than thirty years ago, who spoke encouragingly to the Society regarding its purpose in America.
The Society also elected new officers. Dr. Paul Meyendorff, Professor at St. Vladimir's Seminary was elected President; Dr. Susan Ashbrook Harvey, Professor at Brown University, was elected Vice-President; Dr. Anton Vrame, Managing Editor of Holy Cross Orthodox Press, was re-elected Treasurer; and Dr. John Behr, Professor at St. Vladimir's Seminary was re-elected Secretary.
