After graduating from seminary in Korea, Daniel, went to Greece, where he stayed in the “Theological School Dormitory of the University of Athens” and later in Simono-Petra Monastery on Mount Athos. While in Greece, he learned to speak the modern Greek language which differs from the Greek of the New Testament. On Mt. Athos, his desire to have Orthodoxy with incarnational and multi-cultural approaches became more intense. Daniel had to struggle with terminologies suitable to express the faith as he began to translate the Divine Liturgy, write the first Orthodox theological treatises and translate liturgical books into Indonesian and Javanese languages. A new lexicon for Orthodox terms had to be created since one did not exist in his native language. When the newly created terms sounded too awkward and strange, he resorted to using the original Greek terms side by side with them, such as using “Theotokos” alongside with “Sang Pamiyos Widdhi.” (“Birth-Giver of God”).
Daniel kept in continuous correspondence with people in Indonesia. One of his letters, which took days and nights to write in order to perfect his explanation of Orthodoxy was 364 pages written in the Javanese language. The result of his correspondence to Indonesia was the conversion of four young men, two being his own brothers. These young men joined Daniel in the States and are now priests in Indonesia. Daniel had received a good education on the principles of indigenization and inculturation of the Gospel at the Protestant Seminary in Korea. He knew his culture, and he wanted to express Orthodoxy within its contexts and found that the history of Orthodoxy and many of its features are conducive to implementing that kind of indigenization and inculturation.
Arrival in the USA
Late in 1984, Daniel went to study in the U.S., at the Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology in Brookline, Masters of Theology and received ordination when his study was finished. Upon graduation from the Holy Cross Seminary he also studied at the Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, and at the same he was taking some more long distance theological studies. He was ordained by His Grace Bishop (now, Metropolitan) Maximos of Greek Orthodox Diocese of Pittsburgh to the Diaconate in Pittsburgh, PA (January 16th, 1988), and then to the priesthood in North Royalton, Ohio (May 25th ,1988). Since then, Daniel, the author of this article, has been known as Fr. Daniel B. D. Byantoro. In his official letter before returning Fr. Daniel Byantoro to Indonesia to begin mission work, Bishop Maximos wrote (dated on April 11th, 1988), “Rev. Bambang is a member of my diocese of Pittsburgh, with canonical ties to it…our Pittsburgh Diocese always remains his home.”
