By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko
The High-Priestly Prayer of Jesus Christ
While celebrating the final Passover with His disciples, the Lord Jesus Christ prayed at the end of the Passover supper in these words: “Father, the hour has come; glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You” (John 17:1–13). This Gospel passage, in which the teaching concerning the consubstantiality of the Son of God with God the Father — and thus His Divinity — is set forth so clearly in the very words of Jesus Christ Himself, is appointed to be read on the Sunday of the Holy Fathers of the First Ecumenical Synod, who synodically affirmed and restored the true teaching concerning the consubstantiality of the Son of God with God the Father against the heretic Arius.
On the Ecumenical Synods
On the Seventh Sunday after Pascha, the Orthodox Church yearly commemorates and glorifies the Holy and God-bearing Fathers who were present at the First Ecumenical Synod in Nicaea. An Ecumenical Synod is the gathering of the shepherds and teachers of the Church of Christ, insofar as possible from the whole inhabited world, for the confirmation of true dogma and good order among Christians. The great authority and importance of synodal deliberations and decisions are founded upon the words of Jesus Christ Himself, Who said: “Where two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in the midst of them” (Matthew 18:20).
As for the whole Ecumenical Church, her Founder and Head bestowed upon her infallibility in matters of faith. “Tell it to the Church; but if he refuses even to hear the Church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector” (cf. Matthew 18:17). And to the Church — that is, the community of believers — the Savior gave the great promise to be with her always, even unto the end of the age (Matthew 28:20).
The beginning of Church Synods was laid by the Holy Apostles themselves. For the common resolution of the question concerning the reception of the Gentiles into the Church, they once gathered together in Jerusalem from various parts of the world. From that time the Holy Church has always sought, in synodal prayer, strength to withstand those who corrupt the true teaching. Whenever it became necessary to know the unchanging will of God concerning some matter, representatives of the local Churches were assembled, and the unanimous decision of the Synods was accepted as the very voice of God Himself. “It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us” (cf. Acts 15:28) — thus spoke the Apostles, and afterward the Fathers of all the Synods used the same expression regarding their decrees.
The Synods were convened because false teachers (heretics) arose among Christians, who by their sometimes subtle and always distorted teaching concerning the faith corrupted the true Christian dogma of our salvation, troubled those weak in faith, and thereby introduced division and discord into Christian society.
There were seven Ecumenical Synods in all. The first is called the Nicene Synod because it took place in the city of Nicaea. It was convened for the refutation of the false teaching about Jesus Christ propagated by the impious heretic Arius.
Arius was at first a presbyter in the Church of Alexandria. Being a learned man, he became greatly proud of his intellect and soon fell into destructive false reasoning. The Christian Church from ancient times confessed that our Savior Jesus Christ is the second Person of the Most Holy Trinity, the Only-Begotten Son of God the Father; but Arius falsely taught that Jesus Christ is not God, but only a man endowed by God with the highest grace. Such false teaching, of course, could not be tolerated, and Arius was excommunicated from the Church. Yet he continued spreading his heresy and ensnaring the uninstructed.
Soon unprecedented turmoil arose within Christian society, and it became necessary to put an end to this evil. Therefore, by order of Emperor Constantine the Great, an Ecumenical Synod was convened at Nicaea in the year 325 after the Birth of Christ, attended by more than three hundred Fathers of the Church.
The heretic Arius also appeared at the Synod. No matter how the Orthodox Fathers attempted to correct the erring man, he remained obstinate. Arius was condemned and, as one disobedient to the Church, deprived of communion with her. Then, as a guide and standard for believers in the confession of faith, the Symbol of Faith (the Creed) was composed, briefly setting forth all that Christians ought to believe and how they ought to believe. This Creed is confessed to this day by the entire Orthodox Church of Christ.
Thus Arius was deposed at the Synod. Despised by all, he did not know what to do and resorted to deceit. Knowing the leniency of Emperor Constantine, he began asking him to order that he be received again into the Church. The compassionate emperor agreed, especially since Arius deceitfully answered the emperor’s question, “Do you believe as the Fathers affirmed at the Nicene Synod?” by saying, “I so believe.” As he said this, the heretic struck his breast, beneath whose garments hung a written document containing his vain and impious teaching.
Not suspecting such deception, the emperor ordered Saint Alexander, Archbishop of Alexandria, to receive Arius into communion with the Church. Knowing well the stubbornness of his former presbyter, Saint Alexander did not believe Arius, yet neither did he wish to disobey the emperor. Perplexed as to what he should do, the bishop turned with fervent prayer to the Lord God, beseeching Him, the Righteous Judge, not to permit this most evil enemy to enter the Church, but to reveal in time the impiety of the heretic to all.
The Lord heard the prayer of the Saint and plainly showed that Arius was unworthy of communion with the Church. The day arrived on which the heretic was to be received into the Church. Surrounded by his supporters, Arius triumphantly intended to enter the church and approach Holy Communion with the kiss of Judas. But on the way to the temple he was suddenly seized with a terrible internal affliction, from which his entire abdomen burst open and his entrails spilled out, so that he immediately died there.
Thus terribly does the Lord punish heretics and all unbelievers even in this present life, though still heavier punishments await them in the life to come. There, without doubt, they will suffer according to the amount of evil they sowed here on earth through their false teachings and according to the number of simple hearts they destroyed through their cunning.
How instructive for all of us Orthodox Christians is this fearful manifestation of God’s judgment upon heretics and unbelievers! It teaches us firmly to hold to the teaching of the Orthodox Church, faithfully to preserve the Christian faith, and inviolably to keep the statutes and rules of Christian piety established by the universal consensus of the Church.
The Orthodox faith has been revealed to us in the word of God; its truths have been defined and confirmed by the Ecumenical Synods, whose decrees, as the voice of God, remain unchangeable for all times and binding upon every Christian. No one has the right to alter anything in the confession of the Orthodox Christian faith according to his own will. The faith of Christ must be one, just as Christ is One. Therefore every person must believe as the Holy Apostles and the God-bearing shepherds and teachers of the Church taught us.
The Apostle Paul, warning the Galatian Christians against being carried away by the teachings of self-appointed teachers, wrote: “Even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach to you any other gospel than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed… If anyone preaches to you another gospel than what you have received, let him be accursed” (Galatians 1:8–9).
Thus must the teaching of the Orthodox Church be sacredly preserved — the Church to whom were entrusted all the oracles of God, into which, as into a treasury, the Apostles placed everything necessary for salvation.
Cherish, O Christian, the precious inheritance of Orthodoxy, immovably established upon the seven Ecumenical Synods. Remember that outside the Orthodox Church salvation cannot be found. Guard yourself from communion with the various vain-minded teachers who desire to alter the gospel of Christ and to tear the faithful sons of the Church away from obedience to her teachings and ordinances. Stop your ears against their destructive words. All of them, as enemies of the faith of Christ, have already been deprived by the invisible judgment of God of communion with the Church. They are dry branches cut off from the tree, wandering sheep separated from the flock of Christ, having lost their shepherd and fallen into an impassable abyss.
Examples of Love for True Knowledge of God
1. When Abba Silouan was living on Mount Sinai, his disciple Zachariah once said to the elder as he was going out to work: “Abba, go draw some water and water the garden.” The elder came out of his cell, covered his face with his cowl, and looked only at the ground beneath his feet. At that moment a brother was coming toward him and, seeing him from afar, watched what he was doing. Then he approached him and asked: “Abba, tell me, why did you cover your face with your cowl while going to water the garden?”
“So that my eyes would not see the trees, my son,” the elder replied, “and my mind would not be distracted by them from its activity.”
The ascetic’s mind, meanwhile, was occupied with meditation on God.
2. During the reign of Maximian, there lived in the city of Heliopolis a noble and wealthy citizen named Dioscorus, a pagan by faith. He had an only daughter, Barbara, whom he guarded like the apple of his eye. Beautiful in face, and even more beautiful in heart, as she grew older she surpassed all her companions in beauty. So that no ordinary person might behold Barbara’s beauty, he built a high tower with richly adorned chambers in it and shut his daughter there.
Hidden from human sight and removed from all outward distractions, the maiden immersed herself in contemplation of God’s beautiful world. One day, while gazing at the heavenly lights and marveling at the beauty of the earth, she asked the servant girls attending her: “Who created all this so wisely and beautifully?”
“All this,” the pagan women answered, “was created and arranged by those very gods whom your father worships and who stand in his halls.”
But the wise maiden was not satisfied with such an answer and thought to herself: “The gods honored by my father were themselves made by human hands and are lifeless, fashioned from gold, silver, or wood. How then, when they cannot even walk with their feet or act with their hands, could they be the creators of such wondrous things?”
For a long time she reflected in this way, and at last the grace of God touched her heart, which was seeking the Creator God, and revealed to her heart and mind that there is one God who created heaven and earth with all their beauty. This thought of God, constantly filling the soul of the maiden, awakened in her an irresistible desire to know more clearly and fully the One True God, the Creator of all.
But since there was no one near Barbara who could teach her and guide her on the path of salvation, the Lord God Himself became her instructor and teacher, for He is always near to those who seek Him and pours into their hearts the grace that makes even children wise and shows the way to salvation.
Barbara’s father left home for a long time and ordered that during his absence his daughter’s freedom should not be restricted; he allowed her to go wherever she wished and do whatever she desired. Taking advantage of the freedom her father had granted, Barbara became acquainted with Christian maidens. Hearing from them the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, she rejoiced in spirit, recognizing in Him the One whom her soul had long desired to know.
At that time, by the special providence of God, a Christian priest arrived there. Barbara immediately summoned him to herself and, after learning from him all the truths of faith necessary for salvation, received baptism.
Thus Saint Barbara came to know the One God, worshiped and glorified in Three Persons — the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit — and she sealed her faith with the crown of martyrdom. She was not frightened by tortures, but, trusting in God’s help, amid the harshest sufferings she cried aloud: “I honor the Trinity — One Divinity!”
For each of us the beautiful world of God lies open: therefore, Christian, come to know the Creator and above all strive to please the Lord. From your earliest years learn the knowledge of God, and do not cease, even in old age, to grow in it.
Are We Perfecting Ourselves in the Knowledge of the Holy Faith?
Every Christian should grow in the knowledge of the faith. The Holy Apostle Paul, after teaching those who believed in Christ the most essential and necessary truths of the faith (see 1 Cor. 2:2), never ceased to care that Christians should advance in the understanding of the doctrine delivered to them. In this concern he continually prayed to God for the newly converted Christians, that they might grow in the knowledge of God (see Col. 1:10), that He would fill them with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding (Col. 1:9), that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, might give them the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him (cf. Eph. 1:17). While praying to the Lord, the Apostle Paul also continually exhorted believers: grow in the knowledge of God and of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (Col. 1:10; cf. 2 Pet. 3:18).
But someone may ask: can this instruction really apply even to Christians? Do they really need reminders and exhortations about growing in the knowledge of God and Christ the Savior, something that was naturally necessary for Christians of the first century?
Indeed, it would seem that after many Christian centuries people should firmly and sufficiently have assimilated the truths of the Orthodox Christian faith and life. Yet this is not what we actually see.
We are not speaking only of simple people — those with a secondary or even higher education often know less about the faith than about any other science. Such ignorance in matters of faith becomes especially striking and truly alarming when one considers the level of education and knowledge in applied sciences, mechanics, physics, and other fields. And yet, if in anything, then especially in matters of faith, ignorance cannot serve as an excuse.
Our age has become completely vain; most people have lost their taste for everything spiritual... The soul is sick, the will is diseased. Life has strayed from the path shown by God, and obstacles are placed in the way of returning to the straight road. People seem deliberately to avoid that Light which could illumine the dark path of life. Faith has weakened everywhere; negligence toward the faith is astonishing.
In many families, children before entering school rarely hear anything about God, faith, or the Church. Pious mothers, who themselves prepare their children for school by teaching them the beginnings of the faith and speaking with them about the merciful God, about Christ the Savior, about the Guardian Angel, and so forth, are becoming ever more rare. Nowadays children often enter school almost completely ignorant in religious matters. They know many worldly songs and various poems, yet so few prayers; they know so much that is sinful and so little that is divine!
And are the sad consequences of such religious impoverishment not understandable?
“What you do not know, you do not value,” people commonly say. Whoever does not possess sufficient knowledge of the matters of faith and of the teaching of the Holy Orthodox Church will not highly value his faith or his Church; such a person easily becomes indifferent to them and may finally leave them without regret. This is especially dangerous among mixed populations of Orthodox Christians living together with those of other faiths and nationalities. When an ignorant person hears objections against his confession, against one or another truth of Orthodox teaching, against the decrees and rites of his Church, even if he wishes to defend himself he remains defenseless, like an unarmed man who does not know the foundations upon which every truth of Orthodox teaching and every decree of the Holy Church rests.
Unable to defend himself — for defense requires a clear, accurate, and thorough knowledge of revealed doctrine — and feeling himself defeated by often utterly absurd objections, he begins to doubt one or another truth of the holy faith and finally falls into complete unbelief.
Does not our indifference toward our faith and Church come precisely from ignorance of our own faith, when people say: “One can be saved in any faith; God is the same for all; differences among Christian confessions are unimportant”? And does not ignorance of the truth of one’s faith lead some to invent “their own religion,” while others so easily attach themselves to such fabricated beliefs? Is not this the source of fascination with fashionable prophets? Is it not from ignorance of the teaching of the Orthodox Church that there are now so many wavering in faith, doubts, deviations into sectarianism, heresy, and schism?
The harm caused by ignorance of the faith is so great that it cannot be fully described in a small picture! Is it not from ignorance or a distorted understanding of the rules and laws of faith that so many sins arise, sins which people no longer even consider sins? The Prophet Hosea laments: there is no knowledge of God in the land, and then explains: swearing, lying, murder, theft, and adultery have spread greatly upon the earth (Hos. 4:1–2). Is it not the same today? Violations of God’s law are becoming more and more common; the most shameful passions encounter no restraint in their satisfaction. Where does all this come from? “There is no knowledge of God in the land” — in these words lies the answer.
Darkened in understanding, alienated from the life of God because of their ignorance, people become hardened and give themselves over to sensuality, practicing every uncleanness with greediness, says the Apostle Paul (cf. Eph. 4:18–19).
Are there means for raising religious understanding? In order that the people may possess the necessary knowledge of religion and the teaching of their faith, shepherds must pay careful attention both to themselves and to their flock. As good ministers of Jesus Christ, nourished by the words of faith and good doctrine (cf. 1 Tim. 4:6), let us devote ourselves to reading and teaching, and let us lift up the voice of our preaching like a trumpet. The people desire to know their faith: there is a hunger and thirst in the land for hearing the word of God. “The lips of the priest should keep knowledge, and people should seek the law from his mouth” (Mal. 2:7). Therefore let us make every effort so that everyone in our flock may be able to give an answer to anyone who asks about his hope.
Fathers and mothers, take every care that your children from infancy know the essentials of the science of salvation. Mothers especially, do not surrender your precious right to be the first teachers of your children by instructing them in the beginnings of the faith. A mother’s influence is precious and irreplaceable; the history of education loudly and clearly confirms this great truth.
And all who have received the precious faith through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ (2 Pet. 1:1), having obtained great and precious promises (2 Pet. 1:4) in the grace of the Mysteries of the Holy Church, let them grow in the knowledge of God and His will, in the study of Christ’s law and the teaching and commandments of the Holy Church.
The teaching of Christ will enlighten our minds with the light of true knowledge; it will fill our hearts with joy and gladness; we shall clearly see the will of God and eagerly strive to fulfill His commandments. Grow, so that our whole land may be filled with the knowledge of the Lord, and that this knowledge, like water, may cover all our land and open for us a free entrance into the eternal Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (2 Pet. 1:11).
All Things Work Together for Good to Those Who Love God
Happy are we Christians, that we confess the true Orthodox faith! “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God” (Eph. 2:8), says the Apostle Paul. Yes, truly our faith is the gift of God, a gift brought down from heaven by our Savior Jesus Christ! Before the coming of Jesus Christ, men did not know the true God and walked in the darkness of error. Most people after the Flood had forgotten God to such an extent that they worshiped many gods and, instead of the one true God, bowed down before various creatures of God. For example, they worshiped the heavenly luminaries — the sun, moon, and stars; they deified men, honored domestic animals, beasts, and even reptiles as gods, and finally prayed before all sorts of images and idols. The religion of the pagans became so abominable that they even offered human beings in sacrifice to their gods. Such was the spiritual blindness and ignorance in which mankind then lived.
Faith in the true God was preserved only among God’s chosen people, the Hebrews. Yet even there only a very few were true worshipers of the Almighty God: the patriarchs, the prophets, and certain others who pleased God by their faith and life. The rest of the Jews at one time held to the true faith in God, and at another constantly turned aside into idolatry, or else placed all piety and God-pleasing service solely in the observance of external rites and customs, in outward holiness alone. In general it must be said that before the Nativity of Christ men, having forgotten God, gave themselves over to disordered passions and sinful sensual pleasures.
But then from Bethlehem shone forth the Sun of Righteousness, Christ our God, and the rays of this Sun penetrated to every corner of the world. The Gospel teaching was carried throughout the earth by Christ’s apostles — poor, unlearned, humble fishermen. And what then did we see, and what do we still see now? Wherever the beneficent light of Christ penetrates, everything in people is changed. Gross errors are scattered, cruel morals are softened, pure and exalted ideas concerning God and mankind are established, order is set in place, and well-being is brought into homes and human societies. Such, in general, are the fruits of the Christian faith proclaimed by Jesus Christ.
Can the beneficence of the Christian faith even be fully described, or all the blessings it brings to mankind be counted? Consider the private life of a man. If, for example, he loses his home or property, or if sickness or some other misfortune overtakes him, the holy faith tells us that by this God chastens us for our sins and calls us to repentance and amendment of life. If we lose those dear and close to our hearts — what heavy and unbearable sorrow! By what shall it be eased? Let us turn to the God in whom we believe; let us pour forth tears of prayer with faith and hope that the Lord of life and death will reward them with a better life and will one day grant us again to see them living and immortal.
Finally, the holy faith works miracles. What are not true believers able to do when strengthened by the power of God? All believers can be wonderworkers, for faith is like a hand by which a man receives the power of God and performs deeds inaccessible to natural human strength. “He that believes on Me,” said the Savior, “the works that I do shall he do also” (John 14:12); “all things are possible to him that believes” (Mark 9:23). Indeed, the history of the Christian Church is filled with countless and astonishing examples of the miraculous power of faith. One such example is found in the life of Saint Sylvester, Pope of Rome.
Saint Sylvester was bishop in Rome at the time when the blessed reign of Constantine the Great had already begun, granting peace to the Church of Christ and protecting her from attacks by Jews and pagans. Yet the age-old struggle of Christianity with its enemies, though victoriously concluded outwardly, was far from ended within Christian society itself. These enemies, who before had acted with fire and sword, now sought to use a subtler, sharper, and more deeply penetrating weapon — words — hoping by cunning arguments and vain eloquence to shake the minds of believing Christians. For this purpose the most learned among Jews and pagans entered into public debates with Christian shepherds and teachers.
Thus, such a debate was arranged by the Jews in Rome in the presence of the Holy Bishop Sylvester, Emperor Constantine, and his mother Helen, and there the gracious power of the name of Christ was gloriously manifested. A famous rabbi among the Jews, considered the wisest among them, named Zamvrius, disputed at length with Saint Sylvester concerning the Old Testament Scriptures. But, being clearly defeated by the irrefutable testimonies of those same Scriptures concerning Christ, he declared that he wished to demonstrate in practice the power and superiority of the Jewish faith. He said that the mighty and terrible name of God had been revealed to him, a name which no living creature could endure to hear without falling dead. Therefore, Zamvrius proposed: “Bring whatever animal you wish, even the fiercest, and as soon as I pronounce the name of God into its ears, it will instantly die.”
They brought the fiercest and most untamable bull, and Zamvrius indeed killed it instantly by quietly uttering certain words over it.
The Jews rejoiced triumphantly, but Saint Sylvester said to them: “In the sacred books are found the words of the Lord Himself: ‘I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal’ (Deut. 32:39). If Zamvrius truly killed by the name of God, then let him also revive the beast by the same name, for God in His very essence is all-good and turns even evil into good.”
Here the emptiness and falsehood of the Jewish faith were revealed before the Christian faith. Zamvrius could not manifest the grace-filled power of the divine name, because he acted not by that name, but received a certain power for his sorcery from the evil one. Saint Sylvester, on the contrary, partook of the grace-filled power of God and did not hesitate to manifest it before all. Having prayed aloud to the Lord Jesus Christ, the holy bishop restored the bull to life and solemnly testified before everyone to the beneficent power of the Christian faith.
From this example let us understand that we Christians now live in the days of God’s favor, that “you are not under the law, but under grace” (Rom. 6:14), and therefore we should not regard our relationship with God as one of slavish fear, but should live as beloved children of God, in full assurance that “all things work together for good to them that love God” (Rom. 8:28), and that it is unworthy of a Christian to nourish any superstitious fear before created beings while possessing such mighty protection in the great and worshipful name of Jesus.
Whatever unexpected misfortune may happen to us, whatever evil circumstance may oppress us, “whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Rom. 10:13). Only one thing should we fear above all else: lest by our unbelief and unrighteous life we deprive ourselves of the gracious help of the Lord. Therefore, “let every one that names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity” (2 Tim. 2:19), and “let the name of God be hallowed” in our lives — then the unconquerable power of the name of the Lord Jesus, pronounced with faith in our prayers, will never depart from us.
The Holy Orthodox Church Is the One True Church
Blessed Ephraim, Patriarch of Antioch, once heard about a certain stylite living near the city of Hierapolis, that he belonged to the followers of Severus and the Acephali. He went to him in order to instruct him. Arriving at the stylite’s pillar, he began to persuade and entreat him to return to the Apostolic Throne and enter into communion with the Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church.
“I will not enter into communion with the Synod without a special proof,” replied the stylite.
“And what proof do you desire from me,” asked the wondrous Ephraim, “to convince you that, by the grace of Jesus Christ our Lord God, the Holy Church is free from every impure mixture of heretical teaching?”
“My lord patriarch,” said the stylite, “let us kindle a fire and enter together into the flames. Whoever comes out unharmed shall be Orthodox, and we must follow him.”
“You ought, my child, to have listened to me as a father,” answered the patriarch, “and demanded nothing more. Yet you have asked of me something beyond my weak powers. Nevertheless, I trust in the mercy of the Son of God, and for the salvation of your soul I will fulfill even this.”
Immediately the wondrous Ephraim turned to those standing by and said: “Blessed be the Lord! Bring wood.” The wood was brought. The patriarch lit it before the pillar and said to the stylite: “Come down from the pillar, and according to your proposal let us both enter the flames.”
The stylite was struck by the patriarch’s firm trust in God and refused to come down.
“Was it not you yourself who desired this?” asked the patriarch. “Why then do you now refuse to carry it out?”
Having said this, the patriarch removed his omophorion and, approaching close to the flames, offered this prayer: “Lord Jesus Christ, our God, Who for our sake was truly incarnate of our Lady the Most Holy Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary, do Yourself reveal the truth to us!”
After finishing the prayer, he threw his omophorion into the middle of the fire. The flames burned for about three hours. All the wood was consumed, but the omophorion remained whole and unharmed, without even the slightest mark from the fire. Seeing this, the stylite was convinced of the truth, was moved to compunction, anathematized Severus and his heresy, and joined the Holy Church. Receiving Holy Communion from the hands of blessed Ephraim, he glorified God.
The Miracle Through the Prayer of Saint Basil the Great
The Byzantine Emperor Valens, who was an Arian heretic, closed the Orthodox churches throughout his empire, handed them over to the Arians, and ordered all the Orthodox bishops to be expelled. The bishops said to the emperor: “Before carrying out your decree against us, permit Basil the Great to enter into a disputation on the faith with the Arians. If they defeat Basil, then we will submit to you without resistance.”
Valens agreed and invited Basil the Great to Nicaea. Basil told Valens that God Himself would judge between him and the Arians. He ordered the doors of one of the churches to be shut and called upon the Arians:
“Do you wish to know whose faith is true? If these doors open by themselves through your prayer, then we shall know that the truth is on your side. But if they open through our prayer, then everyone must acknowledge that we Orthodox believe rightly, and not you.”
The Arians agreed. From morning until evening they prayed for the doors to open, but “there was neither voice, nor hearing,” as it is written.
Then it was the Orthodox Christians’ turn. Saint Basil, together with the clergy and the Orthodox people, approached the church, knelt down, and began to pray. “And suddenly there was a great thunder, and the doors of the church were opened.” Everyone was struck with awe and glorified God. Valens ordered the churches to be returned to the Orthodox, honored Basil with great gifts, and dismissed him in peace.
Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.
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