Scripture scholars speak at Orthodox Church
Courtesy Photo Dr. David and Mary Ford stand with Father Gregory Horton at the Bonners Ferry Holy Myrrhbearers Orthodox Church as Horton introduces them to the congregation.
Courtesy Photo Church officials perform the Divine Liturgy.
Courtesy Photo Church officials bless the congregation in the ceremony Blessing of the Eucharist after their introductory service.
BONNERS FERRY — The Holy Myrrhbearers Orthodox Church in Bonners Ferry was blessed with visiting speakers, David and Mary Ford, from South Canaan, Pa., this past week.
On their tour of the West, they came to the local parish to visit former student, Father Gregory Horton, and his congregation. Their tour is titled “When the Foundations are Shaken.”
Dr. Mary Ford taught about the book of Revelations of St. John. She touched on how the book of Revelations ties into the Old Testament, the description of the apocalyptic times, and several other key points in the scripture.
She gave historic details of the origin of the Bible, detailing how the scripture developed from one long run-on word, to punctuation, and eventually to chapters. She explained how the development of the printing press affected the availability of the Bible, also touching on the history of numbers, and how they evolved.
Speaking about how the book talks about revealing God’s purpose, Mary Ford said, “Not everything He does and not everything He allows or that happens is his ‘will.’ It is all necessary to bring people to the faith.”
Dr. David Ford taught on the subject of St. John Chrysostom, the author of the book of Revelations. St. John lived in the fourth to fifth century and suffered persecution from both within, and outside of the church. He wrote 17 letters to his confidant, the Deacon of Olympia. David Ford went on to reveal how he has recently had the privilege to translate those documents.
“I will be quoting from those letters as an example of how St. John handled the exile and how the Emperor and Empress of Constantinople welcomed his teaching and leadership of the church. The royalty then rebuked him after his teaching against luxury and material possessions,” David Ford said. “He really had a heart for the poor and was trying to encourage the rich to share their wealth and help the poor.”
To learn more about the Fords, visit: www.stots.edu/ford_m.html for Dr. Mary Ford, and www.stots.edu/ford_d.html for Dr. David Ford.
To learn more about the differences between Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and Protestant churches, go to www.christianityinview.com/comparison.html