The article of Dr. Collis is as
follows: “This essay is about an
outstanding person and friend. Father Peter Gillquist was a minister, a priest,
an apostle, a bible scholar, a friend.
Phenomenal goals and amazing achievements characterized this devoted individual. For much of his life, Father Peter struggled
with physical pain, yet accomplishing more than imaginable. Before my completing this paper, he suddenly
became critically ill and died.
ST. PAUL
THE APOSTLE
St. Paul was born in the Greek
city of Tarsus. His parents gave him the
Hebrew name Saul, in honor of King Saul.
Paul studied under the guidance of leading teachers and received a
superbly religious, Jewish education.
St. Paul became the most influential voice in the history of the Church,
except for Jesus. The miraculous
conversion of St. Paul on the road to Damascus convinced him that the crucified
Galilean was indeed the Messiah and Son of God.
He preached that the message of the Messiah was not only for Jews, but
also for Gentiles. The followers of
Christ were first called Christians at Antioch. (Acts 11:27). Later St. Paul began a new enterprise. He began to write letters. St. Paul was to
write a total of 13 letters (13 books of the Bible), or 14 books if Hebrews is
accredited to St. Paul. As the Apostle
to the Gentiles, he left a permanent stamp on Christianity by transforming it
from a movement confined to Judaism to a faith for all nations. During the
height of his ministry, St. Paul was arrested.
While awaiting trial, St. Paul undauntedly stated…”the time of my
departure has come. I have fought the
good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4:6-7).
FATHER
PETER GIILQUIST
The spiritual journey of Father
Gillquist is heartwarming and inspirational.
His path of grace and perseverance led Father GiilquIst to become the
acknowledged foremost evangelist in all of modern day Orthodox
Christianity. That spiritual journey follows:
Father Gillquist grew up as
a Lutheran. He attended the University of Minnesota and was active in Sigma
Alpha Epsilon fraternity. While at the
University he became involved in the Campus Crusade for Christ, an outstanding
evangelistic organization. Father
Gillquist pursued graduate studies at the prestigious Dallas Theological
Seminary. After graduating, he became a
staff member of Crusade for Christ in 1960, later staring a ministry at the
University of Notre Dame. After several
years with Campus Crusade, Father Gillquist worked at the University of Memphis
spending 11 years with Thomas Nelson Publishing C. in Nashville. There he became a senior editor in 1975, and
served on the overview committee for Nelson’s New King James version of the
Bible.
As a priest and advisor, he
brought many to the Lord. He diligently sought the true Church of the New
Testament. Initially, he believed that
perhaps the original Church had been lost.
He examined the doctrine of many Churches, including the Episcopalian,
Catholic, and the Greek Orthodox. After
much prayer, search and deliberation, he and 2000 others asked to become
members of the Greek Orthodox Christian Church.
Archbishop Iakovos and the Holy Synod turned down his request, although
Metropolitan Maximos had pleaded on his behalf for admission into the Greek
Orthodox Church. Father Gillquist was
referred to the Ecumenical Patriarchate.
He then traveled to Constantinople and was able to speak to a
representative of the Patriarch, who at the time was Metropolitan
Bartholomew. The Metropolitan informed
Father Gillquist and the 2000 other hopefuls that they could not be accepted
into the Greek Orthodox Church.
This was discouraging. Father Gillquist then turned to the
Antiochian Orthodox Christian Church.
The Antiochians received him with open arms. In 1987 Father Gillquist led 17 parishes with
2000 members into the Antiochian Orthodox Church. During his outstanding
ministry of 22 years, Father Gillquist has brought 120 Churches to Christ as
members of the Antiochian Church. The Antiochian
Church has been fortunate and blessed with the ministry of Father
Gillquist. He was an inspiring priest
and a convincing preacher. His message
brought thousands to Christ.
The sparkplug and moving force
behind the creation of our Orthodox Study Bible was Father Gillquist. He initiated, nurtured and edited the Study
Bible with his foresight and prayer. The
Orthodox Study Bible is having enormous and lasting effects. The Orthodox Study Bible is actually a library,
or more precisely a compendium of books, topics, essays and ideas, all
phenomenally well-planned and superbly compiled. The Orthodox Study Bible may well become the
single most valuable book ever published for modern day Orthodoxy.
Saint Paul speaking to Timothy
says…”from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make
you wise for salvation through faith which is in Jesus Christ. All Scripture is given by inspiration of
God.” (2 Timothy 3:15-16). Father
Gillquist was the father of six children and grandfather of 19
grandchildren. He and his lovely wife,
Marilyn, were long-term residents of Santa Barbara, CA. Father Peter retired from 25 years of service
to the Antiochian Archdiocese as Director of the Department of Missions and
Evangelism in January, 2012. He was
associated with All Saints Antiochian Orthodox Church in Bloomington, Indiana
where his son, Father Peter John Gillquist is the pastor.
SAINT PAUL
AND FATHER GILLQUIST
Saint Paul was a Jew who was
converted miraculously while on the road to Damascus. Father Gillquist was a Lutheran, who was
converted to Orthodox Christianity while searching for “the true Church of the
New Testament.” Through his exhaustive
search, Father Gillquist found that Church to be the Orthodox Church. Despite physical and emotional beatings,
leading to his martyrdom, St. Paul was the pre-eminent evangelist of the early
Church period. Likewise, after an
arduous search for the true Church of the New Testament, Father Gillquist
ultimately joined the Antiochian Church and became the pre-eminent evangelist
of modern day Orthodox Christianity.
Saint Paul pursued his
evangelistic journey, first by travel and then by personal messages, which
ultimately became 13 (perhaps 14) books of the New Testament. Similarly, Father Gillquist led an intense
and highly successful evangelistic ministry.
He also turned to the Bible. He became editor of the highly acclaimed
Orthodox Study Bible. This Orthodox
Study Bible contains the first Orthodox English translation of the
Septuagint. The Septuagint is the Greek
version of the Old Testament always used by the Greek Orthodox Church.
MY PERSONAL
EXPERIENCE
I first met Father Gillquist at
a Greek Orthodox Retreat in the fall of 1994.
After his final presentation, I noticed that he was experiencing some
serious physical discomfort. I advised
him to obtain medical tests to determine the cause of his pain. Two years
later, I phoned him at his home in California to congratulate him for an
inspiring article, only to discover that he had been confined to bed because of
back pains. He explained that his
California HMO believed my suggested tests were unnecessary, and prescribed
only rest and medication. After
convincing him to come to Cleveland, the next day, March 28, 1996, Father
underwent an MRI scan. The test
indicated that Father Gillquist was suffering from a huge slipped disc in his
back. Surgery was scheduled the next
morning. On arrival to the operating
room, and despite his premedication and sedation, he promptly sat up and asked
for everyone’s attention. He announced
to all in the operating room that the New York Yankees were to play the
Cleveland Indians that very day. He
asserted that he was an Indians fan and hoped that the Yankees would lose. All in the operating room applauded.
My patient, Father Gillquist, became
a close friend. We visited and
communicated frequently. His wisdom and insight dominated our
conversations. He enjoyed his work. He was kind, sensitive and humorous. He loved his family, and he loved his
friends. After completing the Orthodox
Study Bible, and having brought thousands to Orthodoxy, I asked him what he
wanted more than anything else. Without
hesitation, he again thanked the Lord for bringing him to “the true Church of
the New Testament,” and hoped that one day he might be with his Lord and
Savior. He wanted more English used in
the Liturgy. He hoped for more Bible
studies and more Bible-oriented sermons.
He prayed for an increased evangelistic outreach. He dreamed that all Orthodox Christians in America
would one day unite.
I asked Father Gillquist if he
was disappointed or angry at the refusal of the Greek Orthodox Church to admit
him and his 2000 journeymen. He felt
neither disappointment nor anger. He
felt that the Holy Spirit led them to the Antiochians because the Greeks were
simply not ready for either evangelism or Bible studies. I asked him why there was a lack of
enthusiasm for evangelism and Bible studies.
He insightfully reminded me of the four centuries of oppression by the
Ottoman Turkish rule, and the continued oppression by the atheistic and
totalitarian regime in Russia. During
that time many were murdered. He
knowingly smiled and remarked that Turkish and Russian oppression were
definitely not conducive to evangelism and Bible Studies.
Reflecting on support for the
Orthodox Study Bible, we found that the Archdiocesan Council and the Leadership
100 unwilling to support the Bible Study Project. Those decisions left both of us disappointed,
yet Father Peter remained calm and never lost focus. He was never deterred. Eventually he found the spiritual and
financial support, and completed the Orthodox Study Bible.
EPILOGUE
Father Gillquist died on July
1. Ironically, his funeral services were
in a Greek Orthodox parish, the Church of the Holy Trinity in
Indianapolis. He has completed his
search for “the Church of the New Testament.”
The ministry of Father Gillquist and his Orthodox Study Bible will have
an everlasting impact. He brought
thousands to Orthodox Christianity. Father Gillquist is our modern day Saint
Paul. If Saint Paul were ever asked to
describe Father Gillquist, Saint Paul would perhaps answer, “We have fought the
good fight. We have finished the
battle. We have kept the faith.”
Dr. John
Collis, MD, currently is a member of the Archdiocesan Council, teaches Sunday
School and practices Neurosurgery in Cleveland, OH.
Δεν υπάρχουν σχόλια:
Δημοσίευση σχολίου