Eastern Lutheranism

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Eastern Lutheranism (also known as Byzantine Lutheranism or Byzantine Rite Lutheranism) refers to Eastern Protestant Lutheran churches, such as those of Ukraine and Slovenia, that use a form of the Byzantine Rite as their liturgy. [1] It is unique in that it is based on the Eastern Christian rite used by the Eastern Orthodox Church, while incorporating theology from the Divine Service contained in the Formula Missae , the base texts for Lutheran liturgics in the West. [2]

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Eastern Lutherans use the Julian calendar for the calendar and thus observe feast days and liturgical seasons, such as Great Lent, in a fashion similar to Orthodox customs. [3] [4] As such, many Byzantine Lutheran holy days are shared with those of the Eastern Orthodox Church; in addition, Eastern Lutheran churches are constructed in accordance with Byzantine architecture. [5] Posture during worship, such as bowing, is identical to that in other parts of Eastern Christianity. [5] Within Byzantine Rite Lutheranism, the calendar of saints includes persons esteemed in Eastern Christianity, such as John Chrysostom and Nestor the Chronicler, as well as those specific to the Lutheran Church, such as Lucas Cranach the Elder and Martin Luther. [3]

The Byzantine Lutheran Rite was first used in the Ukrainian Lutheran Church. [1] The Byzantine Lutheran Rite includes the filioque in the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed, albeit placing it in brackets. [6] The first published Liturgy of the Byzantine Lutheran Rite was in 1933. [2] [7] The English text of the rite now in use is almost identical to that of the original printing. Some contemporary communities such as the Eastern Rite Community (Ostkirchlicher Konvent) in Germany and the Czech Republic, and the Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in Slovenia also utilize the Byzantine Rite. [8]

In the region of Galicia, Eastern Lutherans were persecuted by the communist régime, which instituted a policy of state atheism. [9] From 19391945, many Eastern Lutheran clergy were killed for their faith. [10] Theodor Yarchuk, a priest who was a major leader in the Ukrainian Lutheran Church of the Augsburg Confession was tortured and killed in Stanislaviv by communist authorities. [9] Many Ukrainian Lutheran laypersons were also sent to the Gulag, where they died. [11] During this time of the persecution of Christians in the Soviet Union, property of the Ukrainian Lutheran Church was expropriated. [11] After the collapse of USSR, the Ukrainian Lutheran Church experienced a revival. [11]

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 Hämmerli, Maria; Mayer, Jean-François (23 May 2016). Orthodox Identities in Western Europe: Migration, Settlement and Innovation. Routledge. p. 13. ISBN   9781317084914.
  2. 1 2 Bebis, Vassilios (30 March 2013). "The Divine Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom, used by the Ukrainian Lutheran Church, and its missing elements". Eastern Orthodox Metropolitanate of Hong Kong and Southeast Asia . Retrieved 18 September 2018. A revised Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom is also celebrated in Ukraine by members of the Ukrainian Lutheran Church. This Church was organized originally in 1926 in the "Galicia" region of Ukraine, which was at that time under the government of Poland. The liturgical rites used by the Ukrainian Lutherans reflected their Byzantine tradition. They did not use a Lutheran revision of the Latin Mass in their services, but instead they used a Lutheran revision of the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom.
  3. 1 2 Moroz, Vladimir (10 May 2016). "Лютерани східного обряду: такі є лише в Україні" (in Ukrainian). РІСУ - Релігійно-інформаційна служба України. Retrieved 19 September 2018. Щодо календаря, то окрім звичних для більшості християн дванадесятих свят в УЛЦ є й особливі. Так, тут знаходимо День народної радості (День Соборності України) – 22 січня; св. Костянтина Острозького – 13 лютого; св. Мартіна Лютера, доктора і сповідника – 18 лютого; св. Лукаса Кранаха і Альбрехта Дюрера, художників – 6 квітня; св. Аскольда, християнського правителя – 4 липня; св. Яна Гуса, пастиря і мученика. 28 липня українські лютерани відзначають спільно празник Св. Володимира Великого, просвітителя Русі-України, християнського правителя, а також Св. Йогана Себастьяна Баха, кантора. Є у календарі УЛЦ і багато святих, яких зазвичай ототожнюють із Католицькою чи Православною Церквою. Це, зокрема, св. Іван Золотоустий, Боніфацій Майнцький, Бернард із Клерво, св. Климент Римський, св. Амвросій Медіоланський, св. Нестор Літописець та багато інших.
  4. Bohmat, Pavlo (2001). "Проповіді" (in Ukrainian). Ukrainian Lutheran Church. Retrieved 19 September 2018. Як відомо, німецьке лютеранство згідно з церковною традицією залишило у вжитку чимало католицьких елементів, особливо в літургії. "Створена Лютером форма богослужіння, власне кажучи, є німецьким перекладом латинської меси" (Ф. Гейгер). В усьому світі лютерани, як і німці в Україні, відтворюють західний обряд. Натомість українці-лютерани від самого початку звернулись до православного обряду та юліанського календаря. Чому? Перше, що спадає на думку, -греко-католицьке походження засновників церкви. І це справді є однією з причин, що зумовила її оригінальне обличчя.
  5. 1 2 Bohmat, Pavlo (2001). "Проповіді" (in Ukrainian). Ukrainian Lutheran Church. Retrieved 19 September 2018. Отож літургійний канон УЛЦ містить такі загально церковні принципи: хрещення немовлят., шлюб священиків., причащання під обома видами., реальна, а не символічна (як у кальвіністів і радикальних протестантів) присутність Христа під час Євхаристії., право на її здійснення лише ординованими служителями., розуміння хрещення як таїнства, що "є правдивим засобом (знаряддям) благодаті"., шанування сповіді та відпущення гріхів священиком (скасовану у кальвіністів і радикальних протестантів)., рідна мова богослужіння., відповідний зовнішній, з використанням елементів візантійської архітектури, і внутрішній вигляд культових споруд, збереження вівтаря, споглядання розп'ятого Христа та образів, які "не є уособленням Христа і святих, а вказуванням на спасіння"., шанування православних свят., проведення покаянних богослужінь з поклонами тощо.
  6. Bebis, Vassilios (30 March 2013). "The Divine Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom, used by the Ukrainian Lutheran Church, and its missing elements". Eastern Orthodox Metropolitanate of Hong Kong and Southeast Asia . Retrieved 18 September 2018. The filioque is kept in this Lutheran Creed. However it has been placed in brackets. The authors of the revised Liturgy have recognized it as an addition to the original Creed of Nicaea-Constantinople, confessing that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father.
  7. Webber, David Jay (1992). "Why is the Lutheran Church a Liturgical Church?". Bethany Lutheran College . Retrieved 18 September 2018. In the Byzantine world, however, this pattern of worship would not be informed by the liturgical history of the Latin church, as with the Reformation-era church orders, but by the liturgical history of the Byzantine church. (This was in fact what occurred with the Ukrainian Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession, which published in its 1933 Ukrainian Evangelical Service Book the first ever Lutheran liturgical order derived from the historic Eastern Rite.)
  8. Šimr, Karel (6 August 2007). "Na luterské bohoslužbě byzantského ritu" (in Czech). Listář. Retrieved 19 September 2018.
  9. 1 2 Moroz, Vladimir (10 May 2016). "Лютерани східного обряду: такі є лише в Україні" (in Ukrainian). РІСУ - Релігійно-інформаційна служба України. Retrieved 19 September 2018.
  10. Serhiy Kudrick, Taras Kokovsky, Oleg Stetsyuk (31 October 2007). ""Українська Лютеранська Церква – Церква, яка бере за основу лише Святе Письмо – Біблію, являється консервативною Церквою у питаннях віросповідання"" (in Ukrainian). РІСУ - Релігійно-інформаційна служба України. Retrieved 19 September 2018. В період 1939-45 рр. фактично були репресовані і вбиті більшість пастирів. Чільний провідник Церкви душпастир Теодор Ярчук, ймовірніше усього був замордований у Дем'яновім Лазі коло Івано-Франківська.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  11. 1 2 3 Moroz, Vladimir (10 May 2016). "Лютерани східного обряду: такі є лише в Україні" (in Ukrainian). РІСУ - Релігійно-інформаційна служба України. Retrieved 19 September 2018. До кінця 1930-х років вона мала 25 громад, а також місії – загалом 10-20 тис. вірних. Засновником та очільником спільноти українських лютеран був уродженець Тернопільщини Теодор Ярчук, який загинув у 1941 році в катівнях НКВС (найбільш імовірно, був розстріляний у Дем'яновім лазу поблизу Станіславова). Багато вірних лютеран також були знищені у таборах і на засланні – Церкву забороняли, храми і все майно відібрали. Відтак після падіння тоталітаризму спільнота, вже під назвою УЛЦ, відроджувалася майже «з нуля».