In the preface of Volume V, Metropolitan Hilarion describes the goal of writing his five-volume work. Orthodox Christianity is presented as an “integrated worldview” in a systematic way. In Greek, the word systema meant a literary composition or body of literature. By composing the parts to the volume, he gives his readers a schematization of Orthodox liturgical life and teachings. The Greek word schema we’ve borrowed into our language refers to an appearance, shape, or figure. Metropolitan Hilarion creates an integrated figure from the historical record as well as the lives of the saints and liturgical texts of the Orthodox Church.
History, Metropolitan Hilarion says, is essential to understanding the Orthodox Church. It is one of the guiding principles of these volumes. The chapters of these books, unlike many other works in the Roman Catholic or Protestant worldview, are not meant to be used as a cross reference, word picture book, an etymological dictionary, or an encyclopedia. The Protestant bible scholar, Philip Schaff, and the medieval theologian, Thomas Aquinas, have attempted to write similar exhaustive works, though still useful. But Metropolitan Hilarion’s goal is not to achieve exhaustiveness but to gain a type of valuable knowledge for the faith of Christians which he calls “understanding.” History is another Greek term we’ve inherited that refers to knowledge or learning that happens through inquiry. It might be like the catechetical method of the earliest Christians.
The historical elements and sources of Orthodox Christianity are important because they relate to one of the fundamental ways that early Christians understood the Holy Scriptures and Tradition. Israel and the Jewish nation have a history with the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The real events, prophecies, laws, appearances of the divine, even the mundane parts that surround the Hebrew Scriptures and Law are all images or types that are completed in the life of Christ Jesus and await a fuller revelation in the future. The Bible is a Greek word that is in the plural meaning “books.” What unifies these various scrolls and texts is the hermeneutic principle inherited from the apostles – that Christ Himself is found everywhere and fills all things. To interpret the Holy Scriptures and Tradition without Christ is only to see the spirit of worldliness in all things – to miss the Messiah. The incarnation is the Word made flesh in historical time. Christ, then, is discovered in the most obvious places in the Bible and where we wouldn’t expect Him to be at all. Some call this kind of reading of scripture allegory or typology. But the historical events and literal details on the one hand and the spiritual, invisible meaning on the other hand are interdependent in the Orthodox Christian worldview; they do not oppose each other on interpretation but work together. Both of those ways are very closely related to each other too. Through history the Church proves to be doing what Christians have always been doing – working toward gaining the full knowledge of God and unity with the Holy Trinity in restoring all things to Christ who is in all things.
Some of the earliest Christian texts in the 2nd c. AD, many of which used to be considered or used as an extension of the scriptures, used allegory and typology together to find Christ in the Old Testament and relate Him to New Testament mysteries, most importantly baptism and the Eucharist. The Epistle of Barnabas, Clement of Rome, Epistle to Diognetus, Justin the Philosopher (Martyr), and the Shepherd of Hermas use the historical and allegorical understanding of Christianity as opposed to Judaism – often called “Judaizing” in the Bible and in extra-biblical texts – and classical pagan religions and philosophies. Barnabas, for example, makes extensive use of allegory. He shows that the Old Testament never says that God asked for or required sacrifices, whether the blood of animals or people. The prophets, he says, preach the contrary as well as the Psalmist David, who can be said to be the first Hebrew to use allegory in the Psalms to see the typology of Jewish laws, especially in Psalm 51. Allegory and typology – encompassing the spiritual, physical and historical aspects of humanity – form the poetic medium and language of the Bible to speak and teach us about Christ, and how we unite ourselves with the Holy Trinity through the mysteries. Metropolitan Hilarion defines “mystery” broadly like the fathers of the Church to mean the “mystery of salvation” rather than the more specific term “sacramental rite.”
The mysteries both referring to the way humanity is saved and specific mysteries such as baptism and Eucharist can be understood through allegory and typology. Barnabas identifies the real Isaac, the scapegoat, the red heifer, the serpent on a pole, the calf and the lamb all as types of Christ in real time to teach us what Christ will do in history for us. The Jewish fasting from certain animals was an image of Christians joining themselves to Christ and other righteous people. The birds of prey are lazy people who wait and steal from others. The swine are unthankful and unfaithful people who only beg for food when in need, and they are silent and ignore God when they have plenty in their pin. Pork isn’t inherently or metaphysically unclean to eat; the Holy Apostle Peter was called by Christ to rise and kill these unclean animals for food. What we must fast from is joining ourselves to unclean actions and the lifestyle of unbelievers. Circumcision is another Jewish practice that outwardly will not benefit its adherents by the physical act itself, or ex opere operato. Christ was already circumcised; so, He circumcised the whole nature of humanity, it’s not necessary to continue circumcising men physically. The typology points to Christ who had a pure heart and walked like the cleft-footed animals who “ruminate on the word of the Lord.” Pure animals and circumcision point to the inward change of the heart. The Jewish Temple is spoken of as the “habitation of the heart” where the nous of the person becomes the naos (temple) of God. In Orthodoxy, we make our hearts temples within physical buildings called temples or churches. The patristic tradition, especially seen in the 2nd c. texts, understood images, dietary laws, historical events as pointing to Christ Himself and the kingdom of God that unites humanity and divinity through the Christian mysteries. Metropolitan Hilarion teaches that baptism and Eucharist are the major sacraments that give birth to the nous or heart of individuals as well as to the other mysteries. Through historical typology and the revelation of the divine, we learn and come to a certain spiritual knowledge that convinces us and persuades to believe freely without coercion or violence. That experience of persuasion can be perfected through faith that is given to us from God as a gift to proceed into baptism, the Eucharist, and the rest of the whole mysteries of life and death. Allegory and typology help us to receive, understand, and live the mysteries of the Orthodox Church with Christ at the center of all things so that we can unite ourselves with the Holy Trinity. Where mankind goes, so does the whole of the new creation and the universe. Just as Christ united divinity and our humanity, so now humanity united to Christ reunite creation back to the Creator. That cosmic process happens by pouring water over our bodies in baptism when we make our profession of faith, when we receive holy chrism and we are exorcized, where the presence of the Holy Spirit comes with a blessing of the waters.