| Last week I had the privilege of attending an Orthodox conference in Eagle River. One track dealt with theology, and the other track presented the development, history, and status of the Christian faith in the Middle East from the time of Christ forward. The Middle East presenter, the Rev. George Shaloub, pastor of The Antiochian Orthodox Basilica of St. Mary in Livonia, Michigan, talked about the courage exhibited by Christians in Syria despite some of the most desperate conditions in the world. St. John Orthodox Cathedral, where this conference was held, is connected with the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America which is an Archdiocese of the Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East. Two Syrian archbishops, Metropolitan Paul Yazigi and Archbishop Youhanna Ibrahim, were kidnapped two years ago. They’ve not been seen or heard from since. Whenever prayer was offered at this conference, or in any services at St. John Orthodox Cathedral, they were remembered by name in the prayer. All of the people I met and heard at this conference exhibited the signs of having a settled faith, a stark contrast with much of the climate in religion today. I see the headlines, and you might too: “Megachurch pastor resigns due to affair,” million corporate jet pursued by prosperity pastor,” “Gunman kills at church service,” and “Church members swindled out of millions.” There is so much stress and disarray in religion, it is so refreshing to be among people with a settled vision and a faith that stretches back in time to the early Christian church. Some Orthodox have offered me suggestions for excellent spiritual books to gain more knowledge of this ancient faith. All of them are very spiritual suggesting a deeper dive into faith, and their ancient faith tradition. The faith of the past is just as vibrant in these times as it was then. If you’re interested, a search online for “top orthodox spiritual books” will reveal many insightful books, some of which may be available for free download. |
| The wave of violence against Christians in Iraq, regrettably, has not abated in recent months. On December 5, 2011, after the sermon of a certain imam, some Islamists, excited by his words, destroyed scores of shops, houses and other facilities belonging to Christians in Zakho, a town with 200 000 inhabitants. After the pogroms against Christians in Zakho, violence spread to neighbouring towns. In December 2011, in the Iraqi city of Mosul, one of the Christian minority centers in the country, members of an Islamist group shot to death a Christian married couple. A few days before that, a group of armed militants set on fire Christian shops in Zakho and Duhok. At least 30 people were injured. On January 11, a terror attack was carried out on the residence of the Chaldean Catholic archbishop in Kirkuk. In Iran, there are at least half a million Christians, mostly Assyrians and Armenians. These Christians have their own churches there and an opportunity for confessing their faith. The government shows tolerance towards other religious minorities as well, for instance, Zoroastrians. An Orthodox church has been acting in Tehran for almost 70 years now. It belongs to the jurisdiction of the Russian Orthodox Church. However, cases of discrimination against Christians have happened there too. For instance, a public outcry was aroused by the decision of the court of the Islamic Republic of Iran made on September 22, 2010, sentencing 32 year-old evangelical pastor Yusef Nadarkhani to death for his conversion from Islam to Christianity. Nadarkhani was arrested in 2009. His arrest was preceded by his appeal to the authorities, disputing the law of the Gilan Province whereby all schoolchildren, his son among them, were obliged to study the Qur’an. According to the investigation, the pastor conducted church services in his house, preached the gospel and baptized those who embraced Christianity. He directed the work of 400 home churches in Iran. In June 2011, the court ordered that the execution be postponed and his case be referred back to Gilyan for a review. It was repeatedly suggested to Pastor Nadarkhani that he should renounce the Christian faith so that he could escape execution but he refused to do it. At present Nadarkhani’s fate depends on the Supreme Leader of the country, Ayatollah Khamenei, who is to deliver an official final verdict. |
| Некоторые наиболее радикально настроенные католические богословы вообще требовали отмены догмата о папском примате. Например, известный своими либеральными взглядами Ганс Кюнг в 1971 году издал монографию «Infallible? An Inquiry» (англ. - «Непогрешимость? Исследование»), в которой подверг жесткой критике конституцию Pastor aeternus. Кюнг писал, что ни примат Римского епископа, ни его безошибочность не могут быть согласованы ни с Библией, ни с церковной историей. Возможность отмены догмата 1870 года Кюнг (равно как и Август Бернхард Хаслер, автор монографии о Пие IX и I Ватиканском Соборе: Hasler A. B. Pius IX (1846-1878), päpstliche Unfehlbarkeit und 1. Vatikanisches Konzil. Stuttgart, 1977) обосновывал недействительностью его постановлений, исходя из формальных оснований. Оба автора утверждали, что Собор не был свободен в своих решениях, потому и решения эти не имеют общеобязательной силы. Тезисы Кюнга и Хаслера вызвали серию новых исследований I Ватиканского Собора. Из них наиболее значительным стал трехтомник Клауса Шатца, изданный в 1992-1994 гг ( Schatz K. Vaticanum I 1869-1870. 3 vol. Paderborn, 1992-1994). Здесь последовательно опровергаются тезисы Кюнга о недействительности постановлений Собора 1869-70 гг. И хотя сегодня католическая наука признает, что решения I Ватиканского Собора были в значительной мере обусловлены рядом идейно-политических и исторических факторов (прежде всего, борьбой с галликанством и с распространившейся в Европе либеральной идеологией), все же общепринятым является мнение, что эти факторы повлияли лишь на форму соборных постановлений. В сути же своей конституция Pastor Aeternus признается верной. Документы 1990-х годов Такой подход к постановлениям I Ватиканского Собора обусловил и главное направление богословской интерпретации конституции Pastor Aeternus, оформившееся в последние 10-15 лет. Католические богословы предпринимают попытки отделить неизменную сущность догмата о папском примате от исторических форм его выражения и осуществления. В этом отношении особо показательны два связанных между собой документа. Это энциклика папы Иоанна Павла II Ut unum sint (лат. — «Да будут все едино»), посвященная экуменизму, опубликованная 25 мая 1995 года и документ Конгрегации Вероучения под названием « Первенство преемника Петра в таинстве Церкви », обнародованный 31 октября 1998 года. |
| Were you still a member of the Presbyterian? As president of the Christian Research Institute – I had been president of the Christian Research Institute since the late eighties, so during approximately three decades – I was involved in many different Evangelical traditions, from Presbyterianism to Pentecostalism, to several Mega-Churches that I had attended over the years. Did you have own understanding of Christianity in your journey from Church to Church? There was a core set of values that always animated my Christian experience. It is what C.S. Lewis referred to as “mere Christianity.” The idea that in essentials, there must always be unity, in non-essentials, we can have liberty, and in all things charity. So, when we talk about the essentials of the historic Christian faith, we’re talking about such things as the deity of Jesus Christ. If someone denies the deity of Jesus Christ, they are therefore by definition not Christian, because the deity of Jesus Christ is a core value of the Christian faith. The Trinity is another classic example of an essential of the historic Christian faith. We say, “In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.” These are things in many cases that we can only apprehend, we can’t fully comprehend. Then, there are secondary issues, not in the sense that they are unimportant, but we don’t have to divide over them. For example, we talk about the end times, we know that Jesus will appear a second time, but the details are often debated. Some people believe in the Pre-tribulation rapture, some believe in a thousand-year literal millennial kingdom on Earth. But in essentials there has to be unity, because once you stray from those essentials, you stray from what is the historic Christian faith. You mentioned previously that you felt disenchanted by the attitude of some pastors and that that prompted your search or, your, as you termed it, “exploration”. Can you elaborate on that? I got more and more disenchanted at what I sometimes termed as the “pastor-preneur.” This idea of a pastor being an entrepreneur through learning a particular formula of getting people into seats and then building an enterprise around the charisma of a particular pastor. Then that pastor has their own interpretation or their own nuances that they bring. As a result of that in Protestantism you have thirty thousand or more different expressions. In some cases, you can say that these expressions are tantamount to everyone being their own Pope. There’s no accountability. Someone comes to the Bible and says, “This is what the Bible means to me.” That became increasingly problematic. |
| Nonetheless, within the long, caring, non-judgmental, and far-ranging conversation with such a parishioner, a pastor will suggest that his parishioner consider a number of things that he or she might not have thought of before. First of all, a pastor will help the person understand that in our current culture, everything has been collapsed into the sexual, so that a strong emotional attachment, to say nothing of a physical connection, is labelled as sexual, with the inevitable resultant confusion. One must distinguish between an emotional attraction to another person, a physical attraction, and a sexual attraction, and try to disentangle those three different strands. An emotional attachment and even a physical attraction to someone of the same sex does not necessarily mean that the attraction is sexual, or that the person feeling the emotional or physical attraction is therefore homosexual or bi-sexual or transgender. Such emotional and even physical attractions between people of the same sex are normal, and in previous generations were accepted as such between people who were both heterosexual. It is only with our modern and overly-sexualized society that all such attractions are labelled as sexual and as indicators of homosexuality. A pastor should expose his parishioner to the possibility that our modern society might simply be wrong in its obsession with sexuality, and that all previous generation were right. Secondly, even if there is a genuine, early, and deep-seated sexual desire for someone of the same sex, the person should be introduced to the thought that such desires need not be definitive for a person’s identity, or acted upon. That is, one should be clear that not all deep-seated sexual desires bring with them moral imperatives, or the necessity of carrying out those desires. For example, a person afflicted with a desire for paedophilia (or “minor attraction” as it currently describes itself) need not act upon those desires. And an adult heterosexual with a desire for multiple partners and casual promiscuous relationships need not act upon those desires either. |
| We thank the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation for its very constructive approach to the subject of theology, to teaching theology not only at religious educational institutions, but also at secular educational institutions. As the Chairman of the Scientific and Educational Theological Association, which now unites 70 universities, I can say that the teaching of theology is developing very dynamically. E. Gracheva: Vladyka, in conclusion, let us speak a little bit about Ukraine. Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople had recently visited this country. His visit ostentatiously received the status of a state visit. He met with President Vladimir Zelensky, the Prime Minister, and the Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada. Together with the " head of the new autocephalous church " , he performed a divine service. However, there were other processes on the streets in parallel with this. Thousands of believers openly opposed the visit of this Church hierarch. What is really happening to believers in Ukraine right now? Aren " t ordinary Ukrainians tired of the topic of Church schism? Metropolitan Hilarion: In connection with this visit, I would like to recall the words from the Gospel of John: " Anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. " (John 10: 1-2). Patriarch Bartholomew arrived in a country wh ere most Orthodox believers do not recognize him as their pastor. He literally had to go through the back door to the Verkhovna Rada, because there was a crowd of believers who do not recognize him as their pastor and protested against his visit. This visit was made at the invitation of the state authorities and at the invitation of schismatics. But the majority of Orthodox believers not only ignored this visit, but also very clearly showed that Patriarch Bartholomew is not a pastor for them. All this shows that Patriarch Bartholomew made a mistake in 2018 that he does not want to repent of. Now Patriarch Bartholomew, demonstrating an extraordinary wishful thinking, comes to a group of schismatics and says: here is the real Church, and there [in the Ukrainian Orthodox Church] are just some titular bishops. The Church, which has more than 12,000 parishes, more than 250 monasteries, more than 100 bishops and millions of believers, is simply ignored by Patriarch Bartholomew, because he pretends that it does not exist. This is an absurd and shameful situation. In this situation, only one person is guilty – Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople. |
| Iraq : During the middle of the night, armed men attacked St. Mary's Assyrian Catholic Church in Baghdad; they wounded two Christian guards, one seriously. Later the same day, bombs were set off at two Christian-owned businesses, both near the church; they killed one Christian shop owner, a parishioner at St. Mary's. Since the U.S. " liberation " of Iraq in 2003, 73 churches have been attacked or bombed, and more than half of the country's Christian population has either fled or been killed. Kenya : Motorbike assailants hurled an explosive device into the Earthquake Miracle Ministries Church in Mrima village church compound during the Sunday of June 9, injuring 15 people, including one pastor who had both his legs broken, another pastor who sustained serious injuries, and a 10-year-old child. Said another church leader, " The Christians living around the scene of the incident are still in shock and are wondering as to the mission behind the attack, while several pastors looked demoralized. But others said prayers will help them stand strong in sharing the Christian faith. " Islamic extremists from Somalia's jihadi organization Al Shabaab are suspected of this and other attacks on Christians in the coastal areas of Kenya. Nigeria : Four churches were burned in an attack committed by members of the jihadi group Boko Haram in Borno State in the Muslim-majority north of the country. According to Agenzia Fides, " A group of armed men with improvised explosive devices and petrol bombs attacked the Hwa'a, Kunde, Gathahure and Gjigga communities on Gwoza Hills, burning the 4 churches, raiding and looting cattle and grain reserves belonging to the population. " Discussing the ongoing terrorism Christians in the north are exposed to, one pastor lamented, " There are Christian villages that have been completely wiped out by these Muslim terrorists… Christian fellowship activities and evangelism outreaches are no longer possible…. For a number of years, the attacks on Christians in these three local government areas have caused the displacement of thousands of Christians there. There is a very lamentable problem, as we are no longer able to worship God as Christians in this part of Nigeria. " |
| Катакомбы св. Ианнуария (итал. Catacombe di San Gennaro) - самые известные катакомбы Юж. Италии, к-рые не имеют аналогов по просторности помещений и количеству сохранившихся фресок и мозаик разного времени. Катакомбы устроены в холме Каподимонте к северу от исторического центра Неаполя. Помещения расположены в 2 яруса и сгруппированы вдоль коридоров длиной ок. 100 м. Главный коридор более обширных верхних катакомб смещен на 10-20 м к северу относительно оси нижних. Главный вход в катакомбы находится с запада, однако в наст. время используется новый, прорубленный в 1969 г. с вост. стороны. Спуск к нему ведет от площадки у апсиды ц. Богородицы Доброго Совета (Basilica dell " Incoronata Madre del Buon Consiglio; 1920-1960, архит. В. Вечча), построенной по образцу базилики св. Петра в Риме. Феотекн с женой Иларией и дочерью Ноннозой. Роспись аркосолия в катакомбах св. Ианнуария в Неаполе. 1-я пол. VI в. Феотекн с женой Иларией и дочерью Ноннозой. Роспись аркосолия в катакомбах св. Ианнуария в Неаполе. 1-я пол. VI в. Наиболее древней частью катакомб является ипогей с кубикулами для захоронений, к-рый позднее стал вестибюлем нижних катакомб. Его свод покрыт сложным геометрическим орнаментом кон. II - нач. III в. С юга к нему примыкал др. ипогей (остались фрагменты орнаментальных фресок на своде), позже превращенный в ц. св. Агриппина. Тремя метрами выше с сев. стороны расположен еще один ипогей, ставший позже вестибюлем верхних катакомб. На потолке сохранились росписи, имеющие типичное для рим. гробниц композиционное решение. В центре - изображение летящей богини Виктории в октагональном обрамлении, в углах - путти. На стенах расположено 4 сцены, из к-рых западная, находившаяся ближе к входу, полностью утрачена. На вост. стене - «Строительство мистической башни», уникальная композиция на тему отрывков «Пастыря» Ермы ( Herm. Pastor. I. III 2, 4-9; Ibid. III. IX 1-5, 16). В сев. части композиции изображены Адам и Ева у древа познания (без змея), в южной - Давид и Голиаф (сохр. |
| Münchmeyer A.F.O. Superintendent in Catlenburg. Das Dogma von der sichtbaren und unsichtbaren Kirche. Ein historisch-kritischer Versuch. Göttingen. 1854. Никанор архим., впоследствии архие. Одесский. Разбор римского учения о видимом (папском) главенстве в Церкви, сделанный на основании св. Писания и Предания первых веков христианства до 1 вс. собора. Казань. 1871. Overbeck. Die orthodoxe katholische Anschauung im Gegensatze zum Papstthum und Iesuitismus, sowie zum Protestantismus. Halle a. S. 1865. Он же. Бесспорные преимущества правосл.-кафолической Церкви пред всеми другими христианскими исповеданиями. СПБург. 1883. Idem auctor . Libellus invitatorius ad Clerum Laicosque Romano-Catholicos. Halis saxonum. 1871. О Церкви и таинствах (анонимного автора). Третье тиснение. Москва. 1819. Митроп. Филарет Московский . Догматическое богословие по сочинениям Филарета, м. Московского . Составил А. Городков. Казань. 1887. Он же. Разговоры между испытующим и уверенным. Изд. второе. Москва. 1833. Он же. Слова и речи. Том I. Москва. 1873. Т. II. М. 1874. Т. III. М. 1877. Т. IV. М. 1882. Т. V. М. 1885. Архие. Филарет Черниговский. Православное догматическое богословие. Изд. второе. Чернигов. 1865. Perrone I. Praelectiones theologicae. Tom. posterior. Parisiis. 1842. Petersen August, Pastor zu Buttelstedt im Gross-Herzogthum Sachs-Weimar. Die Idee der christlichen Kirche. Th. I-III. Leipzig. 1839–1846. S. T. IXII†222; T. II XXVI†734; T. III XXIV†691. 8 o . Pilgram Friedr. Physiologie der Kirche. Forschungen über die geistigen Gesetze, in denen die Kirche nach ihrer natürlichen Seite besteht. Mainz. 1860. S. VIII†484. 8 o . Платон иеромон., впоследствии м. Московский . Православное учение или сокращенная христианская богословия, для употребления Его Императоского Высочества … Всероссийского Наследника Павла Петровича. Москва. 1819. Reinkens H., kath. Bischof. Ueber Einheit der katholischen Kirche. Einige Studien. Würzburg. 1877. Reuter Herm. Dr. Abhandlungen zur systematischen Theologie. I. Zur Controverse über Kirche und Amt. 8 o . Berlin. 1855. S. II†152. |
| III 1. 1-22). Эсхатологическое учение Г. также несет в себе следы влияния мысли Оригена: представление о нематериальном образе (εδος) тела, о духовных свойствах воскресших тел, о конечности зла, об «огненных наказаниях» как средстве исправления грешников и, наконец, об апокатастасисе ( Greg. Nyss. De hom. opif. 21-27 ср.: Orig. De princip. II 10. 1-8). Влияние Оригена на нравственно-аскетическое и мистико-созерцательное учение Г. сказалось в развитии им учения Оригена об аскетическом делании как непрерывной борьбе со страстями ради достижения бесстрастия (πθεια), стяжания добродетелей и уподобления Богу ( Greg. Nyss. De beat. 1-8 ср.: Orig. De princip. III 4. 1-5). Аскетику Г. и Оригена объединяет учение о «подражании Христу» ( Greg. Nyss. De perfect.//GNO. T. 8. Pt. 1. P. 174-214; ср.: Orig. Exhort. ad martyr. 42-43), в т. ч. и Его девству ( Greg. Nyss. De virgin. II 2; ср.: Orig. In Cant. Cantic. 2). Наконец, Г. сближает с Оригеном учение о созерцании Бога очищенными «духовными чувствами» и о мистическом соединении с Ним, к-рое оба богослова описывают как «духовный брак» души и Логоса-Христа ( Greg. Nyss. De virgin. 16. 2; 20. 4; ср.: Orig. In Lev. 12. 5; Daniélou. 1944. P. 238-239). От свт. Григория Неокесарийского Г. перенял глубокое уважение к памяти Оригена, он использовал в своих трудах сочинения своего небесного покровителя ( Greg. Nyss. In Eccl. Hom.; ср.: Greg. Thaum. Methaphr. in Eccl.). Г. был знаком с сочинением свт. Мефодия Олимпийского «Пир десяти дев» и, возможно, с трактатами «О свободе выбора» и «О воскресении» ( Aubineau. P. 132-134). Из христ. богословов IV в. определяющее влияние на учение Г. оказали святители Василий Великий и Григорий Богослов, к-рых Г. считал своими учителями ( Greg. Nyss. Contr. Eun. I 1. 3; Otis. P. 97-98), в своем творчестве он развивал такие важнейшие для их богословия идеи, как, напр., учение о тождестве сущности, энергии и воли в Пресв. Троице ( Greg. Nyss. Ad Ablab.//GNO. T. 3. Pt. 1. P. 47-52; ср.: Basil. Magn. De Spirit. Sanct. 8. 18-20; Greg. Nazianz. Or. 30. 12); о «мгновенном творении» ( Greg. Nyss. Apol. in Hex.//PG. 44. Col. 72; ср.: Basil. Magn. Hex. 1. 6); о человеке как центре тварной вселенной ( Greg. Nyss. De hom. opif. 2-3; ср.: Greg. Nazianz. Or. 38. 11); о грубой телесности как следствии грехопадения ( Greg. Nyss. De hom. opif. 17-18; ср.: Greg. Nazianz. Or. 38. 12); о зле как отсутствии блага и не сущем (Greg. Nyss. Or. catech. 5-7; ср.: Basil. Magn. Hom. 9. 31); о спасении как «Божественной хитрости» ( Greg. Nyss. De hom. opif. 2-3; ср.: Greg. Nazianz. Or. 39. 13); о соединении 2 природ во Христе как «смешении» (μξις) и «срастворении» (κρσις, νκρασις - Greg. Nyss. Or. catech. 25-26; ср.: Greg. Nazianz. Or. 38. 13); об «обожении» человеческой природы Христа ( Greg. Nazianz. Or. 25. 17; ср.: Greg. Nyss. Contr. Eun. III 3. 34) и об «обожении» как цели жизни человека ( Greg. Nyss. De virgin. 11. 5; ср.: Basil. Magn. De Spirit. Sanct. 9. 23). |
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