Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/5/84; site psuvax1.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!cmcl2!seismo!rochester!cmu-cs-pt!cadre!psuvax1!berman From: berman@psuvax1.UUCP (Piotr Berman) Newsgroups: net.religion.christian Subject: Re: Refutation of the Trinity and All Things Christian Message-ID: <1796@psuvax1.UUCP> Date: Mon, 16-Sep-85 03:13:20 EDT Article-I.D.: psuvax1.1796 Posted: Mon Sep 16 03:13:20 1985 Date-Received: Thu, 19-Sep-85 03:23:50 EDT References: <1670@akgua.UUCP> <3770004@csd2.UUCP> Organization: Pennsylvania State Univ. Lines: 47 > I apologize to Bob Brown for not responding promptly to his letter. > > Pravoslavie is Russian and means more or less correct prayer. The > Russian Orthodox on the whole produced relatively many fewer > theological works than Roman Catholics. They felt that the Greek > Orthodox had produced all there was to say and now only praying > correctly was left. Simultaneously since Ivan III the Russian > orthodox have had a great fear of intellectual production that was not > religious. Consequently lay life in pre-petrine Russia had a rather > eclesial quality. These developments in Russian Orthodoxy were all > paralled by similar developments among Ashkenazim and given the > frequency of Judaizing heresies in Russian religious history there is > a strong possibility of cross borrowing. > > Now it is possible that the Ashkenazi developments were independent > (Yemenite Jews for instance wrote almost no non-religious poetry but > as strict Maimonideans were not opposed to scientific knowledge as > many Ashkenazim have been) but I doubt it especially because strength > of religious involvement among Ashkenazim in fact exactly parallels > strength of religious involvement among the Russian Orthodox even > after 2 or 3 generations of separation from Russia. > > The ba`al tesubah movement has a rather strong parallel of religious > revival among the Russian Orthodox. In fact in Russia itself, return > (teshubah) to Judaism for many Jews was in fact preceded by the > adoption of Russian Orthodoxy by many Ashkenazim. > > Needless to say the Sefardi population of the Soviet Union never left > Judaism and none have converted to Russian Orthodoxy. Martillo gives several wrong impressions here. 1. Ashkenazim did not live in Russia before Peter the Great. In fact, vast majority of them lived in the "Commonwealth of Poland and Lithuania", and almost none in Russia. The suggestion that the policies of tsars were influencing Ashkenazim in the span of years 1550-1760 is absurd. 2. Sefardim happen to leave judaism. Sefardim include Jews of Portugal, Marans, which reconverted to Judaism. Since they were expelled from Portugal in spite of their official RC, it is not strange that they lost faith in RC. 3. Martillo despises not only Ashkenazim, but also all Muslim, Lutherans, etc., etc. He KNOWS that Yemenite Jews were more pius and had better intellectual life than Ashkenazim. Good luck Martillo, let no Muslim, Ashkenazi, Lutheran, Catholic, etc. ever crosses your way (not to mention black cats)! Piotr Berman