A Vigil Light upon the Hill

In our time, when truth is commodified and novelty is prized above faithfulness, the affliction of historical amnesia has become one of the greatest spiritual maladies of the Christian world, particularly among many of those who identify as Baptists, Evangelicals, and members of various “non-denominational” churches. This amnesia—the forgetting or even denial of the Church’s own history is a theological disease that severs believers from the very Body of Christ they claim to follow.

The Apostle Paul wrote with clarity and urgency: “Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you withdraw yourselves from every brother that walks disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received of us” (2 Thessalonians 3:6).
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Even when you feel pressed on every side, remember that you are not crushed. The strength within you is not your own, but God’s, and He does not fail.

“We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are straitened, but are not destitute; we suffer persecution, but are not forsaken; we are cast down, but we perish not.” (2 Corinthians 4:8-9)
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Question: Do you think the Jehovah’s Witnesses are a valid Christian denomination? I think they deny the Nicene Creed, but even some Baptists do too.

The Jehovah’s Witnesses, under the leadership of the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, are not recognised as a valid Christian body within the Orthodox Church for several critical and doctrinal reasons.

First and foremost, Jehovah’s Witnesses explicitly reject all the Ecumenical Creeds—namely, the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed, the Apostles’ Creed (insofar as the Western tradition affirms it), and the Athanasian Creed. The Orthodox Church regards the Nicene Creed, finalised at the First and Second Ecumenical Councils (325 and 381 A.D.), as the authoritative summary of the apostolic Christian faith. The rejection of this Creed is tantamount to a denial of essential Christian dogma, particularly the doctrines of the Trinity and the divinity of Christ.
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The trials we face today are not walls—they are only thresholds; walk through each one with courage. Every step taken in faith draws us closer to the quiet victory prepared for us.

“But they that hope in the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall take wings as eagles: they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.” (Isaiah 40:31, LXX)

“Let us then, my brethren, endure in hope. Let us devote ourselves, side‑by‑side with our hoping, so that the God of all the universe, as He beholds our intention, may cleanse us from all sins, fill us with high hopes from what we have in hand, and grant us the change of heart which saves. God has called you, and you have your calling.” (St. Cyril of Jerusalem)

May the peace of the Lord go with you in every effort toward righteousness today.

The Orthodox Church does not have a definitive, universally binding position on the authenticity of the Shroud of Turin. While some Orthodox Christians venerate it and believe it to be the authentic burial cloth of Christ, others are more cautious or sceptical. The matter is generally approached with reverence but also a degree of theological reserve.

The Holy Church has made no dogmatic pronouncement affirming or denying the Shroud’s authenticity. Unlike the Roman Catholic Church—which, while venerating the Shroud, also refrains from officially declaring it a matter of faith—the Orthodox maintain that the truth of the Christian faith does not rest upon the Shroud’s authenticity.

Orthodoxy places high importance on sacred relics, icons, and historical connections to the life of Christ. As such, many Orthodox Christians approach the Shroud with respect and reverence, even if they do not insist on its authenticity. For some, it is seen as a possible proof of the resurrection or at least a powerful symbol of Christ’s Passion. I will come back to that in a moment.
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Question: A man who told me that Jesus’ image is based on that of Cesare Borgia. The problem with that statement is that Cesare Borgia lived in 15th century Italy. Thoughts?

The claim that Jesus’ image is based on Cesare Borgia is historically and factually flawed. The notion that depictions of Jesus are modelled after Cesare Borgia (1475–1507), the son of Pope Alexander VI, originates from a combination of anti-Catholic rhetoric, Renaissance conspiracy theories, and later pseudo-historical narratives—especially popularised in fringe circles and some modern polemical media. It has no grounding in actual art history, theology, or reputable historical documentation. If the person who told you that is a theologian, then his credentials ought to be called into question.
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Even when the path is steep and the sky is grey, you are not alone—grace walks beside you. Today is a gift. Rise, breathe deeply, and move forward with trust

“And the Lord who is your leader, he himself will be with thee: he will not leave thee, nor forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.” (Deuteronomy 31:8)
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Question: Is Tobit, Judith, additions to Esther and Daniel, 1 and 2 Maccabees, Wisdom of Solomon, Sirach, Baruch, Prayer of Manasseh and Josephus’ Wars of the Jews part of the Orthodox canon? Were they part of the Jewish Bible? And someone told me these books were never in the King James Bible. Is there any real reason to read these books?

The books you listed—Tobit, Judith, the additions to Esther and Daniel, 1 and 2 Maccabees, Wisdom of Solomon, Sirach (Ecclesiasticus), Baruch, and the Prayer of Manasseh—are part of what is often termed the “Deuterocanonical corpus” in the Roman tradition and are accepted as fully canonical in the Orthodox Churches. Their presence in both the Septuagint (LXX) and the Aramaic/Syriac Peshitta is indeed historically significant and speaks to their wide early use among Jews and Christians alike. I will come back to your mention of Wars of the Jews momentarily.
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You have survived every hard day before this one—today is another chance to rise with strength.

“The Lord is my strength and my song, and He is become my salvation.” (Exodus 15:2)

“Do not say, ‘This happened by chance, while this came to be of itself.’ In all that exists there is nothing disorderly, nothing indefinite, nothing without purpose, nothing by chance … How many hairs are on your head? God will not forget one of them. Do you see how nothing, even the smallest thing, escapes the gaze of God?” (St. Basil the Great)

Question: You always talk about “The Church” and the Orthodox faith. What denomination of the Orthodox Church are you talking about? There are many different denominations in it.

The claim that there are “different denominations” within Orthodoxy is not only inaccurate—it reflects a fundamental misunderstanding of what the Orthodox Church is.

The Orthodox Church is not a collection of separate or competing sects. It is a single, unified communion of local Churches, each governed by its own synod of bishops, yet fully united in faith, sacraments, apostolic succession, and dogma. These local Churches—such as the Russian, Greek, Serbian, Antiochian, Romanian, and others—are not denominations, sects or cults in the Protestant sense. They do not possess divergent doctrines or separate ecclesiologies. Rather, they are territorial expressions of the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church.
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