Papers by Oleksander Poshtaruk
Protopresbyter Gavrilo Kostelnik. Apostle Peter and the Roman popes, or the dogmatic "foundations" of the papacy. Chapter 5, 1931
If the papal jurisdictional primacy based on Peter's inheritance had an apostolic origin, then th... more If the papal jurisdictional primacy based on Peter's inheritance had an apostolic origin, then the ecumenical councils in the first millennium would have had to name, affirm, and provide the whole Church with teachings about this primacy. However, these councils not only know nothing about the jurisdictional primacy of the Roman bishop based on Peter's legacy, but in their canons, they most clearly assert that the (honorary) primacy of the Roman bishop is grounded solely in custom, namely in the historical fact that Rome was the capital of the empire." 58 The canons of ecumenical councils are not ceremonial expressions, nor the expressions of individual persons, but rather a collective, well-considered, and measured word. It is the most certain and decisive word of the Church, as it is discussed at the highest authority, representing the consensus of the participants in the council. Therefore, the oldest collection of church canons, known as the 'Rules of the Holy Apostles,' which emerged after the First Ecumenical Council (in Nicaea in 325 AD), makes no mention of the Roman bishop. They do not mention any bishop of a specific city and are even unaware of the titles 'metropolitan' or 'archbishop.' From these canons, it is evident that in the early centuries, conciliarity held sway in the governance of the Church.
Protopresbyter Gavrilo Kostelnik. Apostle Peter and the Roman popes, or the dogmatic foundations of the papacy, 1931
Christ's words "you are a rock, and on this rock..." are explained by the general body of the Hol... more Christ's words "you are a rock, and on this rock..." are explained by the general body of the Holy Fathers in the same way as we have explained them. We have followed the Holy Fathers, and have only developed their explanations psychologically and logically. The explanation of these words of Christ in the sense of Roman dogmatics, as we shall see shortly, comes from the Roman popes themselves, who put forward and propagated this concept for their own benefit. Therefore, the voice of the popes here cannot in any way be considered an objective testimony, because "nemo iudex in propria causa" (no one is a judge in his own case). And the Holy Fathers-those who were independent of the popes-when they heard this explanation of theirs, either mocked it or explicitly called it a deception. From the first 250 years we have no news of the primacy of the Roman bishops on the basis of Peter's succession. Ignatius and Irenaeus, although they speak of the prominent position of the Roman Church, do not derive this from the Petrine succession of the Roman bishops, but express their recognition of the Roman Church because "the Roman Church is the largest and oldest (of course, in the West) and is known to all" (Irenaeus)(1). 50 About the Epistle of Pope Clement I, we will say at the end of the book. If the belief in the primacy of the Roman bishop on the basis of Peter's succession was really of apostolic origin, then it could decisively manifest itself in various documents before 250 AD, just as, for example, the belief in the Divinity of Christ, in baptism, the Eucharist, etc. manifested itself. However, here there is a gap of almost 200 years, which no Roman inventions can bridge! Indeed, already Pope Victor I (192-202) in the "Easter dispute" behaved with the Asian bishops as one who appropriates the first word in the Church, and wanted to excommunicate the Asians from it, but he was pacified by Irenaeus of Lyon. Whether Victor referred to any higher authority of his own thanks to Peter's succession, we do not know. But it is certain that at that time even in Rome itself they did not think in such categories-at least not at all. This can be witnessed by the unknown author of the apocryphal books of the epistles of Pope Clement I to the Apostle James and the religious novel "Recognition", written in the first quarter of the 3rd century.
Protopresbyter Gavrilo Kostelnik. Apostle Peter and the Roman popes, or the dogmatic foundations of the papacy, 1931
Nothing is more alien to Christ, to His Gospel, than the ideology of the papacy. These are contra... more Nothing is more alien to Christ, to His Gospel, than the ideology of the papacy. These are contrasts that exclude each other, like warm and cold. Concepts such as "іиз" (law), "ргівсіісііо" (jurisdiction), "ге^ішеп" (administration), which form the psychological-logical basis of the papal faith, have no place in Christ's Gospel; they are excluded from the evangelical spirit as characteristics of the "pagans" (nations unfamiliar with God's revelation).
Protopresbyter Gavrilo Kostelnik. Apostle Peter and the Roman popes, or the dogmatic foundations of the papacy, 1931
Nothing is more alien to Christ, to His Gospel, than the ideology of the papacy. These are contra... more Nothing is more alien to Christ, to His Gospel, than the ideology of the papacy. These are contrasts that exclude each other, like warm and cold. Concepts such as "іиз" (law), "ргівсіісііо" (jurisdiction), "ге^ішеп" (administration), which form the psychological-logical basis of the papal faith, have no place in Christ's Gospel; they are excluded from the evangelical spirit as characteristics of the "pagans" (nations unfamiliar with God's revelation).
Protopresbyter Gavrilo Kostelnik. Apostle Peter and the Roman popes, or the dogmatic foundations of the papacy. , 1931
[Translation from Ukrainian]
Our fathers became Uniates because for centuries they had to live un... more [Translation from Ukrainian]
Our fathers became Uniates because for centuries they had to live under the helm of peoples (Poles and Hungarians) who belonged to the Roman Church. In connection with the union, the denationalization of our people also went. In the 19th century, our people in Galicia revived nationally. And to us, the reborn, it became strange, sad and funny how our Polishized ancestors could boast that they were "gente rutheni, natione poloni" (by birth Rusyns, by nationality Poles). But they adopted the Polish point of view, which led to the "destruction of Rus". On the ecclesiastical field, we as Uniates, thanks to our upbringing, have adopted the Polish (or Roman) point of view on the great dispute between the Roman and Greek Churches. Here we also boast that we are "Greeks by tradition, and Romans by conviction." This ecclesiastical way of thinking, as long as we were within the scope of the hegemony of the Roman Church, could give us some benefits for the development of church life. But when we, thank God, found ourselves united with the entire Ukrainian people and in the orbit of the Orthodox Church, we must critically analyze our Uniate point of view on the great dispute between the Roman and Greek Churches. Because if it turned out that in this dispute the right is on the side of the Greek Church, then we, Uniates, would be like a fly on a window, which seems to see the exit into the wide world, but there is no exit, because the glass is in the way, and the fly dies in vain on the window. After this publication, there will be others on the same topic. Read them, brother, and tell others, because Christ the Lord said that "the truth will set you free" (John 8:32).
Protopresbyter Gavrilo Kostelnik. Apostle Peter and the Roman popes, or the dogmatic foundations of the papacy. Protopresbyter Gavrilo Kostelnik. Apostle Peter and the Roman popes, or the dogmatic foundations of the papacy. Chapter 6. Was Apostle Peter the bishop of Rome?, 1931
Protopresbyter Gavrilo Kostelnik. Apostle Peter and the Roman popes, or the dogmatic foundations ... more Protopresbyter Gavrilo Kostelnik. Apostle Peter and the Roman popes, or the dogmatic foundations of the papacy. Chapter 6. Was Apostle Peter the bishop of Rome? Vatican dogmas curse anyone who claims that the Roman bishop is not the successor of the Apostle Peter in jurisdictional primacy. Such dogmas would be-to some extent-understandable if the Holy Scripture clearly and explicitly testified that Apostle Peter was a bishop in Rome and died there. But from the data found in the Holy Scripture, we cannot even guess that Apostle Peter was ever in Rome. Therefore, the Roman Church "infallibly" resolves even uncertain historical facts and curses anyone who contradicts it. Roman tradition says that Apostle Peter founded a Christian community in Rome, was its first bishop for 25 years (somewhere between 42-67 AD), and died there as a martyr during the time of Nero. But this is clearly at odds with certain data found in the Holy Scripture. Therefore, even here, the glorification of Rome is evident, which, as we see, the popes themselves so heartily embellished.
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Papers by Oleksander Poshtaruk
Our fathers became Uniates because for centuries they had to live under the helm of peoples (Poles and Hungarians) who belonged to the Roman Church. In connection with the union, the denationalization of our people also went. In the 19th century, our people in Galicia revived nationally. And to us, the reborn, it became strange, sad and funny how our Polishized ancestors could boast that they were "gente rutheni, natione poloni" (by birth Rusyns, by nationality Poles). But they adopted the Polish point of view, which led to the "destruction of Rus". On the ecclesiastical field, we as Uniates, thanks to our upbringing, have adopted the Polish (or Roman) point of view on the great dispute between the Roman and Greek Churches. Here we also boast that we are "Greeks by tradition, and Romans by conviction." This ecclesiastical way of thinking, as long as we were within the scope of the hegemony of the Roman Church, could give us some benefits for the development of church life. But when we, thank God, found ourselves united with the entire Ukrainian people and in the orbit of the Orthodox Church, we must critically analyze our Uniate point of view on the great dispute between the Roman and Greek Churches. Because if it turned out that in this dispute the right is on the side of the Greek Church, then we, Uniates, would be like a fly on a window, which seems to see the exit into the wide world, but there is no exit, because the glass is in the way, and the fly dies in vain on the window. After this publication, there will be others on the same topic. Read them, brother, and tell others, because Christ the Lord said that "the truth will set you free" (John 8:32).
Our fathers became Uniates because for centuries they had to live under the helm of peoples (Poles and Hungarians) who belonged to the Roman Church. In connection with the union, the denationalization of our people also went. In the 19th century, our people in Galicia revived nationally. And to us, the reborn, it became strange, sad and funny how our Polishized ancestors could boast that they were "gente rutheni, natione poloni" (by birth Rusyns, by nationality Poles). But they adopted the Polish point of view, which led to the "destruction of Rus". On the ecclesiastical field, we as Uniates, thanks to our upbringing, have adopted the Polish (or Roman) point of view on the great dispute between the Roman and Greek Churches. Here we also boast that we are "Greeks by tradition, and Romans by conviction." This ecclesiastical way of thinking, as long as we were within the scope of the hegemony of the Roman Church, could give us some benefits for the development of church life. But when we, thank God, found ourselves united with the entire Ukrainian people and in the orbit of the Orthodox Church, we must critically analyze our Uniate point of view on the great dispute between the Roman and Greek Churches. Because if it turned out that in this dispute the right is on the side of the Greek Church, then we, Uniates, would be like a fly on a window, which seems to see the exit into the wide world, but there is no exit, because the glass is in the way, and the fly dies in vain on the window. After this publication, there will be others on the same topic. Read them, brother, and tell others, because Christ the Lord said that "the truth will set you free" (John 8:32).