| by the Bishops’ Council in 2004, which expressed its concern over the reported “attempts to expand the activities of the ‘Metropolis of Bessarabia’ beyond Moldova, which can only heighten the existing inter-church tension;” in the resolution of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church of 7 th November 2007 (Minutes No. 108) that came in response to the establishment of the dioceses within the “Metropolis of Bessarabia” in the territory of the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine with centres in the cities of Bli, Cantemir and Dubsari regardless of the fact that those territories already had lawfully consecrated Orthodox bishops and the names of those cities were part of the titles of the diocesan bishops of the Orthodox Church of Moldova. In its statement of 7 th November 2007, the Synod of the Russian Church also pointed out that the Diocese of Southern Bessarabia included “‘former Diocese of Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi and Izmail’ – the area which is part of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and has its bishops whose titles contain the names of those cities;” by the Bishops’ Council in 2008, which expressed concern over the unilateral actions of the Romanian Patriarchate that undermined traditional principles underlying the relationships between the Orthodox Churches and jeopardized the Orthodox unity in general. On 25 th October 2023, the Synod of the Orthodox Church of Moldova (Minutes No. 11) defrocked six clerics who without permission had joined the “Metropolis of Bessarabia” of the Romanian Patriarchate and had been received without canonical letters of release. The decision was based on the following canonical rules: Apostolic Canons 12, 15, 32, 33; Canons 11, 13, 20, 23 of the Fourth Ecumenical Council; Canon 17 of the Council in Trullo; Canons 3, 6, 7, 8, 11 of the Council of Antioch; Canons 41, 42 of the Council of Laodicea; Canon 9 of the Council of Sardica; Canons 23, 106 of the Council of Carthage; Canons 15, 16 of the First Ecumenical Council. Several other clerics of the Orthodox Church of Moldova who later transferred without permission to the “Metropolis of Bessarabia” were suspended from service pending their contrition. |
| The Assembly also decided to help the renovation of the Orthodox Church in Kucanci, the birthplace of Patriarch Pavle of blessed memory, from the funds of the Patriarch Pavle Foundation. For the Diocese of Raska-Prizren, due to the specific conditions in Kosovo and Metohija, the Assembly approved the establishment of a Diocesan office for the protection of the spiritual and cultural patrimony, and approved in principle an initiative to establish such an office for the entire Church. The establishment of a new Church Foundation for helping the needy of Kosovo and Metohija was approved, along with a decision to intensify and improve the work of the existing charitable foundation Covekoljublje (Philanthropy). Monastery Krka was approved as a second see for the Diocese of Dalmatia. The transfer of the see of the Diocese of Eastern America to the New York City area was approved, and the missionary parish on the island of Malta was transferred to the jurisdiction of the Diocese of Austria and Switzerland, which also includes the Serbian Orthodox parishes in Italy. The composition of the Assembly Commission for dialogue with the Croatian Bishops’ Conference was expanded, and a separate Commission for dialogue with the Bishops’ Conference of Slovenia was established. The Sabor did not accept the proposal to add the name of our greatest poet, Petar Petrovic Njegos, to the diptych of saints. Bishop of Zvornik-Tuzla Vasilije and Bishop of Central Europe Konstantin were permanently released from their respective dioceses and from overseeing the same. Decisions regarding the vacant dioceses of the Serbian Orthodox Church were brought forth. Two dioceses were filled, and others, for important practical reasons, have administrators in charge. To the vacant cathedra seat of Bishop of Zvornik-Tuzla was elected bishop of Bihac-Petrovac Hrizostom, and to the vacant cathedra seat of bishop of Bihac-Petrovac was elected the heretofore Vicar Bishop of Hvostan Atanasije. His Holiness Serbian Patriarch Irinej is confirmed as administrator of the Central European Diocese, Bishop Jovan of Sumadija as administrator of the Diocese of Zicha, for administrator of diocese of Austria-Switzerland, Bishop of Backa Irinej as administrator of the Diocese of Austria and Switzerland, and Metropolitan of Montenegro-Coastlands Amfilohije as administrator of the Diocese of South-Central America. |
| The rector of the church, Rev. Sergiy Voronin, warmly greeted the archpastor and presented him with an Icon of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos. The head of the Administrative Secretariat of the Moscow Patriarchate greeted all those present with the feast day and conveyed to them words of greeting from His Holiness Patriarch Kirill who, while the chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, had contributed to reaching an agreement on the restoration of the Church of the Dormition. After the Liturgy the hierarch visited the memorial in the territory of the Embassy, erected at the place where the Church of All Holy Martyrs used to stand. There the faithful honoured the memory of those Chinese Orthodox Christians who had died for faith during the Boxer Rebellion in 1900. On October 19, H.E. Andrei Denisov, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to the People’s Republic of China, gave a reception on the occasion of the 5 th anniversary of the consecration of the Church of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos. Among those who attended the reception were Ambassadors of Armenia, Kazakstan, Greece, Cyprus, as well as the chargé d’affaires ad interim of Serbia in China, Ms. Tatyana Panayotovich-Tsvetkovich; Mr. Dmitry Mezentsev, Secretary General of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization; Mr. Zhang Hang Huay, head of the Europe and Central Asia Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China; Mr. Zhang Lebin, deputy chairman of the State Administration for Religious Affairs of the People’s Republic of China; Ms. Xiao Hong, deputy director of the International Department of the State Administration for Religious Affairs; diplomats of the Russian Embassy and other countries; clergy of the Russian Orthodox Church and parishioners of the Church of the Dormition; Mr. Dmitry Petrovsky, a staff member of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations; staff members of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the State Administration for Religious Affairs of the People’s Republic of China. |
| It is perhaps also significant that 2 Peter and Jude were among the last books to be accepted into the NT canon. We note too that the Epistle of Jude’s citation of a verse from Enoch was considered problematic in the fourth and fifth centuries. But then what about the Book of Revelation—i.e. “The Apocalypse”? It is, I suggest, the exception that proves the rule. And even so, this exception was late being accepted into the NT canon—so late, in fact, that it finds no place in the Byzantine lectionary. The Book of Revelation, though containing the usual apocalyptic staples such as lots of angels, multi-headed beasts, bowls of outpoured wrath, and symbolic numbers, is still primarily about Jesus Christ. Its first chapter, after an opening introduction, features a vision of Christ glorified and standing amidst seven churches on earth. The next two chapters consist of messages to those seven earthly churches, rebuking them for shortcomings and offering praise for faithfulness. Only in chapter four do visions of the future begin. We note too that the purpose of the visions was to promote constancy on earth on the part of churches under persecution so that they might persevere: “Here is the perseverance and the faith of the saints” (Revelation 13:10). In fact, the Book of Revelation is not so much an expression of the Church’s nature and central concerns as it is ecclesiastical “push back” in the face of persecution. The Roman world, heretofore the Church’s helper, had suddenly become the Church’s main enemy. Caesar was demanding now not just respect, but worship. What should the Church do? The Apocalypse provides the answer: “Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life” (2:10). The Apocalypse was therefore an occasional epistle, drawing its significance from its context of persecution (which sadly, regularly seems to come around). But what if the Roman eagle grew a second head, and Rome became Byzantium? The significance and urgency of the Book of Revelation waxes and wanes with the times. At all times we need to know that Christ will come again, and that God’s ultimate triumph is assured. But the fires in which the Book of Revelation were forged went rather cold after Constantine. The Book of Revelation therefore reminds us of truths we need to know when the fire of persecution heats up. |
| " [N]o other scholar could have produced Brown " s characteristically intricate, spectacular and joyous synthesis. . . . One of the captivating qualities of Brown " s new book is the sheer energy and intellectual excitement that sparkle through it. He might, in recent years, have rested of his laurels--perhaps, like his beloved Augustine, written his memoirs. Instead, he celebrates the continuing expansion of the field and demonstrates his continued mastery of it in a groundbreaking study of wealth in the late antique Church. . . . Towards the end of the book, Brown describes how a basilica might have looked around the year 600: glowing with candles, glittering with mosaics, gleaming with gold and silver vessels. " The church itself " , he says, " had become a little heaven, filled with treasures. " It is a description irresistibly applicable to Peter Brown " s own book: as rich a monument to the life of the mind as was any late Roman basilica to the life everlasting. " --Teresa Morgan, Tablet " [A] predictably brilliant re-appraisal of the Roman world during the fourth to sixth centuries. . . . Through the Eye of a Needle is a vast book, but is remarkably readable. Brown " s intimate knowledge of Augustine and his times is presented with human empathy and a sense of the relevance of these long-ago events. . . . [T]he latter chapters of Through the Eye of a Needle contain much essential information about the establishment of Christian influence throughout Europe following Rome " s fall. . . . [A] wonderful book. " --Ed Voves, California Literary Review " Peter Brown, professor emeritus at Princeton University and the leading historian of late antiquity, has written a masterful study. . . . His book is characterized by lively prose, mastery of the primary sources and original languages, comprehensive use of changes in the study of antiquities (especially the " material culture " of archaeology), gorgeous plates, nearly 300 pages of bibliographic end material, and a number of important revisions to the standard historiography. " --Dan Clendenin, JourneywithJesus.net |
| It is only within the last twenty years, at the very, so-called triumph of materialism, that some doctors and psychiatrists have begun to seriously examine the existence of the human soul. A catalyst for this movement was Dr. Raymond Moody’s well-received book Life after Life published in 1975. In it, Dr. Moody collected a series of first-hand accounts of near death experiences. Initially, Dr. Moody’s interest in the subject was sparked by stories related to him by some of his friends. As he began to collect these stories, he realized that there were large numbers of people who had out-of-body experiences during the time they were clinically dead. This shocked him. However, many of these people, did not relate their stories to anyone to avoid embarrassment or worse, the questioning of their sanity. Soon after the appearance of Dr. Moody’s book, the sensation-hungry press and television media widely publicized the contents of his book. A firestorm of discussions and public debates on life after death issues followed. This caused a flood of doctors, psychiatrists and spiritual leaders, some of whom felt their field of expertise had been infringed upon by an incompetent source, to launch independent investigations to review the data and results published by Dr. Moody. Many of them were very surprised when the accuracy of Dr. Moody’s observations were verified. Specifically, that upon a person’s death, their existence does not cease, but on the contrary their soul continues to hear, think and feel. Among serious and systematic studies on dying, Dr. Michael Sabom’s book “Recollections of Death” should be mentioned. Dr. Sabom is a professor of medicine at Emory University and a staff doctor at the Atlanta Veteran’s Hospital. In his book one can find detailed histories and a penetrating analysis of the subject matter. Also of value is the systematic documentation of Psychiatrist Dr. Kenneth Ring, published in his book “Life at Death.” Dr. Ring compiled a list of standardized questions for people who had experienced clinical death. |
| The book entitled " Lives of the Saints who shone forth in the British and Irish lands " contains the lives not only of saints from the above-mentioned icon but also information about some other important Saints of these Isles whose images are not on this Icon. There is information on around 240 local saints in this book in total; in some cases the saints' biographies are provided with historical notes and information on their veneration, relics and churches dedicated to them. The book launch took place during the celebrations of the 50th anniversary of the Diocese of Sourozh and the 5th anniversary since the signing of the Act of canonical communion between the Patriarchate of Moscow and ROCOR—on October 21, 2012 at the Russian embassy in London, after the Divine Liturgy was served in the Russian Cathedral of Dormition in the presence of about twenty hierarchs of the Russian Church and the Russian Church Outside Russia gathered from many countries of the world. It was an unforgettable event for me as well as many other people. I would like this book to be republished one day with a large number of illustrations, perhaps as a guide to the holy places of Britain and Ireland. I also dream of one day collecting the maximum information on all the saints of these lands of whom we know, their veneration, relics, iconography, traditions, churches and other holy sites associated with them. I am also deeply interested in the lives of the saints of other European countries; we hope and pray that their popular and liturgical veneration may be restored and pilgrimages to shrines of these countries may be developed. —Which saint from those whose lives you have translated are particularly close to you? —It is difficult to name just one saint. I love very many saints, venerated in England nationally as well as locally. Of the nationally venerated saints, Sts. Cuthbert of Lindisfarne, Chad of Lichfield, Aidan of Lindisfarne, Swithin of Winchester, John of Beverley, Oswald of Worcester are particularly close to me; they have always been loved and venerated by all English people for their love, cordiality, compassion, care, the gift of consolation and tender protection. |
| Dorothy, The Book of Esther. Structure, Genre and Textual Integrity (JSOT.S 187) Sheffield 1997; M.V. Fox, The Redaction of the Books of Esther (SBL.MS 40) Atlanta 1991; ders., Character and Ideology in the Book of Esther Studies on Personalities of the Old Testament, Columbia 1991; K.H. Jobes, The Alpha-Text of Esther. Its Character and Relationship to the Masoretic Text (SBL.DS 153) Atlanta 1996; T. Laniak, Shame and Honor in the Book of Esther (SBL.DS 165) Atlanta 1998; J.C.H. Lebram, Purimfest und Estherbuch: VT 22, 1972, 208–222; J.D. Levenson, The Scroll of Esther in Ecumenical Perspective: JES 13, 1976, 440–452 A. Meinhold, Die Gattung der Josephsgeschichte und des Estherbuches: Diasporanovelle I und II: ZAW 87, 1975, 306–324; 88, 1976, 72–93; ders., Theologische Erwägungen zum Buch Esther: ThZ 34, 1978, 321–333; ders., Zu Aufbau und Mitte des Estherbuches: VT 23, 1983, 435–445; J. Milik, Les modeles arameens du livre d’Esther dans la Grotte 4 de Qumran: RQ 15, 1991/92, 321–406; C.A. Moore (Hg.), Studies in the Book of Esther. Selected with a Prolegomenon, New York 1982; L.A. Rosenthal, Die Josephsgeschichte mit den Büchern Ester und Daniel verglichen: ZAW 15, 1895, 278–285 (vgl. auch ZAW 17, 1897, 125–128); S. Talmon, Wisdom in the Book of Esther: VT 13, 1963, 419–455; E. Tov, The «Lucianic» Text of: the Canonical and the Apocryphal Sections of Esther. A Rewritten Biblical Book: Textus 10, 1982, 1–25 K. de Troyer, The End of the Alpha-Text of Esther. Translation and Narrative Techniques in MT 8.1–1LXX 8.1–17 and AT 7, 14–41 (Septuagint and Cognate Studies 48) Atlanta 2000; dies., The End of the Alpha-Text of Esther. An Analysis of MT and LXX 8.9–13 and AT 7.33–38: Textus 21, 2002, 175–207 H.M. Wahl, Das Buch Esther als methodisches Problem und hermeneutische Herausforderung: eine Skizze: BiblInt 9, 2001, 25–40; S.A. White, Esther: A feminine Model for Jewish Diaspora, in: PL.Da;. (Hg.), Gender and Difference in Ancient Israel, Minneapolis 1989, 161–177; R. Zadok, On the Historici Background of the Book of Esther: BN 24, 1984, 18–23. |
| By that time, Mount Athos had become not only the refuge of monks fleeing Persian and Arabic invasions, but had appeared as the continuation of the great deserts of Egypt, Palestine and Syria. The monastic lifestyle of the kelliots of Saint Sabas Monastery, having been inspired by the organisation of monasticism of Nitria, had been transposed to Athos since the arrival of the first monks on that paradisiacal peninsula . Thus, it was through the Holy Mountain that the first Russian monasticism was linked to the great monastic tradition of Egypt, Palestine, Cappadocia and Syria. Indeed, the first monks of the Kievan Caves not only took the names of the ancient Fathers of these deserts but also followed their lifestyle, which they considered as their model. Reminiscent of the spiritual anecdotes of Apophtegmata Patrum, of the Historia Lausiaca of Palladius or the Spiritual Meadow of John Moschus, the Paterikon of the Kiev Caves appears as an edifying book, transmitting a spiritual message and teaching, rather than a historical or biographical work. The Paterikon insists on demonology and miracles, and here one can notice that the Vita Antonii of Athanasius of Alexandria was perhaps one of the major sources of inspiration of the Paterikon. Written around 1215 by Bishop Symeon of Vladimir and his friend, the monk Polycarp, at the peak of the spiritual flourishing of the Kiev Lavra, the Paterikon put into a written form an oral tradition which was latter amplified in the XIVth century with some mystical flavour . It recalls the story of the foundation of the monastery, which was organised following the lavratic system where a cenobite monastery, the centre of formation for novices, is surrounded by hermits cells. Indeed, desiring to live a more secluded life, Saint Anthony left his initial cave where several novices had come, leaving them under the spiritual care of Saint Barlaam, and settled in another empty cave. When Barlaam was appointed hegumenos of another monastery, Saint Theodosius became his successor at the head of the monastery of the caves. It was under his direction that the monastery developed. For his cenobium, he used the Studite Typikon of Patriarch Alexis, the liturgical and monastic rule observed in most Byzantine coenobite monasteries of that time. This Typikon regulated the liturgical services as well as the private prayer of the monks, their meals, and their duties . Theodosius is thus considered as the founder of coenobite life in Russia. By his own example, Theodosius emphasised not only the spiritual aspects of ascetic life, but also the necessity for physical work and charity to the poor. |
| And we will not remain silent about the person who indeed approaches the Chalice of Christ unworthily. Of such people the word of God says: He that eateth and drinketh uworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body (I Cor. 11:29). Approaching this awesome mystery, we say, “Neither like Judas will I give Thee a kiss.” Who is it that gives the Lord the kiss of Judas? Without a doubt, it is those who, not having cleansed their consciences by heartfelt repentance, not having grieved over their sins, approach the Chalice of Christ without the fear of God, or those who, having been joined to the Lord, having been sanctified by His most holy gift and freely cleansed of their innumerable transgressions, the spawn of the spirit of malice, return again to their foul deeds, again become enslaved to Satan. Woe, eternal woe, to such people! Let us conclude our discourse on the communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ by pointing out some of the innumerable blessings which it bestows upon those who receive Communion worthily. According to the teaching of the Church (cf. the Order before and after Communion), this most Holy Mystery of the Body and Blood gives to those partaking of it worthily strengthening of joints and bones, healing of divers infirmities, health, strength, preservation, salvation and sanctification of soul and body, estrangement and cleansing of a defiled soul, preservation from every soul-corrupting deed and word, protection from every action of the devil, a rampart and aid in dispersing the enemy (i.e., evil spirits); the driving away of every fantasy, evil act and work of the devil acting mentally in our members; the burning up and utter destruction of wicked thoughts and undertakings, and of nocturnal fantasies of the dark and evil spirits; correction of life and confirmation in holiness of life, keeping of the commandments, increase in virtue and perfection, enlightenment of the senses, peace of the powers of the soul, unashamed faith, fullness of wisdom, enlightenment of the eyes of the heart, boldness and love towards God, the gift of the Holy Spirit, an increase of divine grace; the abiding in our soul of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit; strengthening of life, an earnest of the future life and kingdom, provision for eternal life, a good defense before the dread judgment seat of Christ, and communion of heavenly blessings. |
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