Comments on: Odds & Ends

By: Fr. Johannes Jacobse

Fr. Johannes Jacobse — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 18:57:09 +0000

And with that let me respectfully request that this discussion be closed. The calendar debates can go on endlessly. It won’t be resolved here so please debate it elsewhere.

By: George Michalopulos

George Michalopulos — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 16:56:31 +0000

Isa, this is the first I heard of Milankovic. Could you point me to any website in which I could find out more about him and his work?

By: Ryan Close

Ryan Close — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 15:06:12 +0000

The Revised Julian Calendar is more accurate than the Gregorian. In ten thousand years there will be more variances between the two. I made a spread sheet to calculate when the variances would occur. The problem with how it is implemented is that the Revised Julian calendar is used only for fixed feasts and not for movable feasts. The harmony of how the two cycles move together is seriously disrupted. It would be necessary to move Pascha to dates corresponding to the RJ calendar as well so that the harmony is restored. The best thing that could happen is that all the new calendar churches restore the old church calendar to ease the tensions. Then allow the new calendar to be adopted ecumenically by all the world’s local churches together in council, not unilaterally by one or two local churches. This unilateral action is just what creates tension. It creates the problems I spoke of before.

By: Isa Almisry

Isa Almisry — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 06:21:23 +0000

What should have/should happen is that the revised calendar of the Serbian astronomer Milankovic be adopted by all the Orthodox. That way we will all be in line with each other and with the calendar.

By: Ryan Close

Ryan Close — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 16:20:37 +0000

I find it interesting that Met Jonah is in Georgia. Georgia is an Old Calendar Church as is Russia.

I was originally being catechized by Fr Moses Berry in Ash Grove Missouri at Unexpected Joy Church (OCA). It is an old calendar parish. But when gas prices went up we asked a blessing to go to St Thomas (OCA) here in Springfield to finish our catechism. St Thomas is a new calendar parish, and as far as I understand it each parish chooses what calendar it uses. It has been difficult for our parishes to find opportunities to worship together with Unexpected Joy.

I have also notice some people from Russia and Serbia struggle with the new calendar. In their opinion Americans don’t understand that this is not something they can change. Some do not fast with us at all, preferring to fast with their families back home. Others fast for both calendars. I pray that we would adopt he Old Calendar.

I feel that the calendar issue is very divisive. It brings disunity. If the OCA restored the Old Calendar, we could heal many wounds and find ourselves in closer fellowship and practice with more of the worlds loving Orthodox people, especially our Mother Church, the Church of Russia, as well as the Churches of Serbia, Jerusalem, Sinai, and ROCOR.

According to orthodoxwiki.org the following Churches use the different calendars:

· The Julian Calendar churches are: Jerusalem, Russia, Serbia, Georgia, Poland, Sinai, Ukraine, and Japan.
· The Revised Julian Calendar churches are: Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, Romania, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Greece, Albania, Czech Lands and Slovakia, and the OCA.
· The Gregorian Calendar churches are: Finland and Estonia.

At roughly 144 million, most Orthodox Christians follow the Julian Calendar. Yet in terms of numbers of local churches, most use one of the New Calendars (12 to 8). I am writing letters about this to my parish council, my bishop, and the metropolitan. I know that you are all very well educated men and women. I will not bore you with the well rehearsed facts of the case. Yet I will ask questions, if that is permissible:

If parishes can vote as to what calendar they will use, won’t they choose what was most convenient for them?

Isn’t the New Calendar inconsistent with itself and confusing since it uses the Julian calendar for the movable feasts and Gregorian calendar for the immovable ones?

Is the new calendar even actually more convenient? If we started the Nativity Fast 13 day latter we would be able to participate in Thanksgiving without a “dispensation” like the Antiochian Archdiocese. Beside Nativity’s equivalence with Christmas, there wouldn’t be a single noticeable discrepancy between the Old and New calendars. America doesn’t celebrate the Dormition or the Transfiguration so why should we care if we are off by 13 days? No one will notice. They would only notice during Nativity / Christmas. And as Fr Moses tells me, celebrating Nativity 13 days after the hub-bub of Christmas helps his parishioners prepare better. It is also a witness.

Please teach me more about this and other important issues.