Adoration of the Virgin Mary in Greece
Pastor Ken Lawson
The Greece of today in no way resembles the land in which the Apostle Paul and his associates planted the churches we read about in the New Testament. Biblical Christianity in Greece was replaced centuries ago with the ritualism, liturgies, icons, and the mariolatry of Eastern Orthodoxy. The agenda of the current Roman Catholic Pope is to unite the various national Eastern Orthodox churches back to Roman Catholic control. In the spring of 2001, Pope John Paul II made dramatic statements of his hope for reconciliation and unity with the Greek Orthodox Church. He was the first Roman Pope to visit Greece since the eighth century. The key reconciling principle that can unite Rome with Eastern Orthodoxy is their almost identical veneration and adoration of the Virgin Mary. The purpose of this article is to explore and expose the worship of the Virgin Mary in the Greek Orthodox Church.
Athens
Unlike most capital cities, Athens does not have a history of continuous expansion. Athens is characterized by ancient glory, gradual decline, near annihilation, then a resurgence in the 19th century, when Athens again became the capital of the independent nation of Greece. The skyline of Athens, unlike other major European cities, is not scattered with church steeples but with Byzantine style blue or red Greek Orthodox church domes. Every one of the countless outdoor markets in the city have vendors selling religious icons related to the Virgin Mary. Just outside the city limits, in the olive and fig tree fields, there are numerous "Mary Boxes." These small square religious boxes have a portrait of Mary inside a small glass door, with a section reserved for candles and incense. The "Mary Box" is the farmers way of asking Mary to protect his crops and produce an abundant harvest.
The old Turkish section of Athens, called the Plaka, is a maze of narrow streets, outdoor venders, and buildings that have been frequently adapted from Greek Orthodox churches to Mosques and then back to church buildings. One of these buildings is the Church of the Metamorphosis, dedicated to the medieval myth that the body of the Virgin Mary never decomposed after death. The structure is tiny, perhaps seating twenty people comfortably, and is adorned from floor to ceiling with painted frescoes, icons, and tiled mosaics, adoring the Virgin Mary, some of which are almost 1000 years old. Among the ruins of the ancient Agora (market), where the Apostle Paul preached (Acts 17:16-17), are found two Greek Orthodox church buildings, the Church of Agios (14th century) and the Church of the Holy Apostles (11th Century). Both chapels are absolutely packed with fetishes, icons, and artistic representations to Mary.
The National Archaeological Museum in Athens has an interesting display of pagan mother goddess fetishes that date to around 50O BC. The startling and obvious fact is that the pagan idols of the pre-Christian era are in exactly the same form and style as the Mary fetishes of the Greek Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches. The pagan goddesses were thought to dispense blessing, serve as mediators, and reigned as queens in heaven. These pagan attributes were unjustly imposed upon the Mary of the New Testament, transferring her into a divine mother goddess image directly descendent from the dark world of pre-Christian paganism. A visit to the Byzantine Museum in Athens confirms this statement. This large collection of art, dating from the 4th to the 11th century, presents a sanitized representation of pagan goddess worship in the form of the Virgin Mary. Some of the images to Mary are painted on wood or limestone plaster, or in mosaic tile form, or imprinted in thin silver or gold sheets and decorated with expensive jewels. Whether in pre-Christian or post-Christian style, the same misguided devotion to the mother goddess deity is apparent, irrelevant of the fact that the image is named for Artemis or Aphrodite or the Virgin Mary.
The Athens Cathedral dates from the 1860's, created from relics of derelict church buildings from as far back as the year 1000. The dark, smoke stained stone walls are congested with icons and frescos dedicated to Mary. Visitors bow before Mary's images and kiss the glass protecting the idols from human touch. Next to the Cathedral stands the smaller and more authentic former cathedral, called the Church of Agios Eleftherios. Dated from the 900's, this small fieldstone Byzantine chapel is a monument to medieval Greek mariolatry.
Piraeus
A few miles to the southwest of Athens in the bustling city of Piraeus, which has served as a major Mediterranean port and the harbor for Athens since 50O BC. When taking the ferry into Piraeus, from the water there are three large church buildings that dominate the skyline. They are all Greek Orthodox, named the Saint Nicholas Church, the Saint Spyriodonos Church, and the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity.
The Saint Nicholas Church is a yellow stucco, modest size building located right on the harbor. Upon entering the building a visitor is overwhelmed by the size of the domed ceilings and the immense numbers of frescos that cover every inch of wall and ceiling space. Through the main doors images devoted to Mary are on all three sides. To the left is a huge elaborate silver icon extolling Mary; to the center is a smaller Mary painted icon incorrectly depicting her as the central figure at the last supper; to the right is an oil painting icon covered with jewels of Mary holding the infant Jesus, surrounded by lit candles, flowers, and prayer cards directed to Mary. Most dramatically, covering the entire main central domed ceiling, is an enormous fresco painting of Mary as Queen of Heaven being worshiped by angels.
In the Saint Spyriodonos Church is a particular icon worthy of closer examination. In the foyer of the chapel is a 3' x 4' medieval era icon of hand crafted silver and expensive jewels. This icon has deep theological meaning, showing the position and attributes of deity that are imposed upon the Mary of the Bible. Looking at the icon from the top down, Mary is elevated as queen of heaven and sovereign over the universe. She controls the heavenly chalice by which the grace of God is poured unto the world. Angels and saints worship her. At the mid level of the icon are the Greek Orthodox priests who receive grace from Mary. Below the priests are the common people. The theological statement made by this icon is quite apparent. To reach heaven a person must earn the favor of Mary through the Greek Orthodox Church.
The architectural treasure of Piraeus is the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity. This structure is clearly misnamed, since the Virgin Mary has been added along side and in some cases above the Trinity as an object of devotion and worship. The building is in pristine condition, being an enormous structure of multi-colored polished marble blocks, with numerous gigantic domes, gables, and towers. The foot traffic within this building is constant, as people line up to bow before images of Mary and to kiss icons devoted to her, as superstitious and idolatrous people seek favor from God through Mary. The icon paintings of Mary in this cathedral portray Mary as the ideal Greek woman, with green eyes and olive skin, dressed in the traditional garments of Greek women. One icon of note in this building depicts Mary with wounds in her hands, a crown on her head, holding the scepter of royalty. This is a particularly flagrant example of the attributes of Christ being transferred to Mary. The Son received wounds in his hands. The Son will reign as a crowned king. The Son will rule with a scepter. Yet these attributes are incorrectly imposed upon the mother to the neglect of the Son.
Santorini Island
The dormant volcanic island called Santorini is located 130 miles from Athens, in the midst of the Aegean Sea. The hilly landscape of Santorini is dotted with several tiny Greek Orthodox churches. The roadside "Mary Boxes" are near the farmer's fields. Fira, the capital city of the island, is a beautiful cliff side community, which supports two major churches.
The Santorini Roman Catholic Church is a landmark visible throughout Fira and most of the island. This modest building is in pristine condition, and is the only Roman Catholic Church on any of the nearby islands. Here it is easy to see how the Roman Church has adapted itself as a minority religion on the island. Knowing that the Greek Orthodox Church refrains from the adoration of rounded statues, the Roman Church of Santorini has copied the Greek style of idolatry through the veneration of one or two dimensional icons, frescoes, and mosaics. Only one three dimensional statue stands in this Roman Church, a five foot tall dark robed image dedicated to the likeness of Mary.
The Cathedral Church of Candlemas on Santorini is an exquisite Greek Orthodox chapel which serves as the official church of the island. Its multiple domes are covered with enormous interior paintings of scenes both of Bible events and medieval legends. An astounding number of jewel laded icons adorn this chapel, many depicting Mary as the crowned queen of heaven worshiped by angels. The line of people who entered this chapel to bow before images of Mary and kiss her likeness was non-stop. One particular painting in this chapel deserves special notice. In the rear right section of the building hangs an icon of Mary, an oil painting done in a portrait style. Unique to this painting is that the hands of Mary are covered with valuable and artistically exquisite silver plates. This is a bold theological statement, meaning that the grace of God is reached through the touch of Mary.
Rhodes Island
The island of Rhodes was visited by the Apostle Paul on his third missionary journey (Acts 21:1). The gate Paul entered into the city has been preserved, being only a few feet from the ancient harbor called the Port of Mandraki. While standing beside the St. Paul Gate, the outline of the horizon of the city reveals numerous Greek Orthodox church buildings, none of which accept the plan of salvation revealed by God in the Bible.
The old city of Rhodes is a magnificently preserved medieval walled community, a fortress built by Byzantine officials and later Roman Catholic crusaders between 1000 and 1500. The official church of the medieval city of Rhodes was called "The Virgin of the Castle Church." Constructed initially sometime after the year 1000, this majestic Byzantine structure was the Cathedral of Rhodes until it was captured and plundered by Roman Catholic crusaders in 1309. It then became a Roman Catholic church, then a Moslem mosque, then again a Roman Catholic possession, only to finally become again a Greek Orthodox building in the early 1900's. The original vaulted ceilings and rough limestone interior walls make this structure a stark reminder of the harshness of medieval life. The numerous original frescoes in the building are painted on smooth wooden boards, many depicting Mary as queen of heaven, matriarch of the human race, intercessor, and protector of Roman Catholic knights departing Rhodes on a crusade. A modem icon of Mary is currently centrally located in the central hall of the building, which is frequently bowed to, prayed over, and kissed by visitors to this historic chapel.
An area of the old city of Rhodes called the Knight's Street is so well preserved that it appears to a visitor that he has traveled back in time. The original cobblestone streets once traversed by knights and their armor clad horses are still in place. The barracks of the medieval knights are in fine condition, each separated by German, Italian, Spanish, French, or other linguistic divisions. Located next to the barracks is the tiny Chapelle Francaise, or Chapel of the Tongue of France. This chapel served the religious needs of all the various Roman Catholic knights stationed in the Rhodes barracks. The central object that the knights saw as they entered the small chapel was a white limestone statue of Mary above the main door. At the base of the Knight's Street, across the plaza from the Virgin of the castle Church, is a authentic and rare original multi-colored hand painted tile fresco of the head and shoulders of the Virgin Mary. Dated around 1400, this small image welcomed knights back to their barracks and was constantly bowed to and adored by armor bearing knights of the pre-reformation period.
Closing Remarks
The current Roman Catholic Pope is making great attempts to unite with the Eastern Orthodox Churches. His frequent trips to eastern European countries, as well as Russia, show that the Roman Pope is convinced that the Eastern Orthodox Church must unite under Rome to help form a worldwide super-church. While there are historical and cultural differences between Roman Catholicism and the Eastern Orthodox Churches, they do have a foundational point in common, which I believe will be used to promote an ultimate unification under Rome. Both sides adore the Virgin Mary. By imposing upon Mary such anti-Biblical titles and roles as Queen of Heaven, Mother of God, Matriarch of all Humanity, Intercessor, Mediator, Dispenser of Grace, and a host of other inappropriate titles, it will be possible for Rome and the Eastern Orthodox Churches to unite, helping to fulfill Bible prophecy for the coming world super church which will be dominated by the evil intentions of the Anti-Christ.
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